#and the way it transforms depending on the setting and its historical context

[multifan-dump]

thinking about how IWTV loves to play with the theme of master and servant. thinking especially about that “yes, maître” and how armand’s first appearance onscreen, for almost the entire duration of s1, is in the role of louis’s “rashid.” thinking about how, when I first watched s1, it jarred me a little to see the authoritative, almost imperious way louis spoke to “rashid,” even after having endured to lestat’s tyranny himself, not to mention the tyranny of white people. it jarred me even more to realize that that had actually been armand—the ostensible love of his life—taking louis’s orders, bowing his head, saying things like, “I serve a god.” was that a strange and uncomfortable performance for the ancient leader of the paris coven? or was it perfectly natural for someone whose past means he defaults to the role of the subordinate, the submissive, the servant? is the relationship between the master louis and the servant rashid in fact the truest, rawest representation of the core dynamic between louis and armand?

[datapeakbyfactr]

No-Code Workflow Automation Is Evolving—Here’s What That Means for Data-Driven Teams  

To understand the significance of no-code automation today, we must first look back at its origins. Traditionally, automation relied on static logic and predefined rules, limiting its adaptability and scalability. However, as the demands of data-driven organizations grew more complex, the concept of no-code automation evolved into a more sophisticated and dynamic system. Today, no-code automation represents a paradigm shift, enabling organizations to create intelligent workflows that can analyze data, learn from patterns, and adapt to changing circumstances in real-time. In this blog post, we explore how no-code workflow automation has evolved into a strategic tool for data teams and why the integration of agentic AI is transforming the way organizations approach automation. 

The Journey of No-Code Automation 

No-code automation, once synonymous with basic task automation, has undergone a remarkable transformation over the years. Initially, no-code platforms allowed users to automate simple, repetitive tasks through predefined workflows based on static conditions. These early tools empowered business users with minimal technical expertise to create rule-based automations, reducing reliance on developers and IT teams. 

However, as businesses increasingly depend on data-driven decision-making, the limitations of traditional automation became apparent. The need for more sophisticated, dynamic, and context-aware workflows led to the evolution of no-code platforms. Modern no-code automation now integrates advanced capabilities such as: 

Data-driven decision-making: Automated workflows can now analyze incoming data in real-time and adjust processes accordingly. 

Conditional logic and branching: Instead of simple trigger-based actions, workflows can adapt based on multiple decision points. 

AI-powered optimizations: Machine learning models can enhance workflows by predicting trends, identifying anomalies, and providing recommendations. 

This evolution points towards a future where workflows are not just automated but also optimized in real-time based on changing data inputs. By leveraging these advancements, businesses can ensure that their automation strategies remain agile and relevant in an ever-changing environment. 

Introducing Agentic AI: The Future of Automation 

At the forefront of this evolution is the rise of agentic AI – autonomous agents that can operate independently, assess situations, and make decisions without human intervention. These intelligent agents, integrated seamlessly into no-code platforms, have the ability to: 

Adapt to dynamic environments by continuously learning from real-time data 

Predict outcomes based on historical trends and current variables 

Optimize processes for efficiency and effectiveness 

Unlike traditional automation, which follows rigid workflows, agentic AI enables self-improving workflows that evolve over time. These intelligent agents leverage machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to interpret and act on complex data sets. As a result, data teams can automate not only routine tasks but also sophisticated analytical processes, such as: 

Real-time data enrichment and transformation 

Automated anomaly detection in large datasets 

Predictive modeling for strategic decision-making 

The era of agentic AI marks a significant shift in automation capabilities, enabling data teams to leverage AI-driven workflows to achieve their strategic objectives with greater precision and impact. 

Why This Shift Matters to Data-Centric Teams 

For data team leads, operations managers, and CTOs, the evolution of automation holds profound implications. The ability to deploy adaptive, AI-driven workflows brings a multitude of benefits, including: 

Enhanced Scalability: AI-powered automation can handle increasing volumes of data without manual intervention, ensuring seamless scalability. 

Improved Flexibility: Agentic AI can dynamically adjust workflows in response to changing business conditions, making operations more agile. 

Increased Efficiency: Intelligent automation reduces errors, accelerates processing times, and frees up valuable human resources for high-value tasks. 

By leveraging these intelligent automation tools, data-centric teams can reduce errors, accelerate time-to-value, and unlock new opportunities for innovation and growth. This shift not only optimizes internal operations but also enhances an organization's ability to adapt to evolving market demands. 

“No-code doesn’t mean no complexity. It means making complexity accessible.”  — Vlad Magdalin, Co-founder of Webflow 

The Impact on Internal Resourcing and Tool Adoption 

As organizations embrace the potential of agentic AI and intelligent automation, internal resourcing and tool adoption strategies will need to evolve. Here are some key areas of consideration for data teams: 

1. Upskilling and Reskilling 

The rise of AI-driven automation necessitates a shift in skill sets. While traditional no-code tools required users to define rules manually, modern AI-powered platforms demand expertise in: 

Data interpretation and analysis 

AI model validation and monitoring 

Automation strategy development 

Organizations will need to invest in training initiatives to equip their workforce with the necessary skills to collaborate effectively with intelligent systems. 

2. Rethinking Technology Infrastructure 

To fully leverage AI-driven automation, businesses must assess their existing tech stack. Integrating no-code AI solutions with enterprise systems, cloud data warehouses, and APIs will be critical to ensuring seamless workflow execution. Companies should prioritize: 

Compatibility with existing data management tools 

Secure and compliant AI integration practices 

Scalable architectures that support advanced automation 

3. Collaboration Between Human Expertise and Machine Intelligence 

While agentic AI enhances efficiency, human oversight remains essential for: 

Ensuring ethical AI deployment and preventing biases 

Interpreting complex, high-stakes decisions 

Overseeing AI models to prevent automation failures 

A hybrid approach, where AI handles repetitive and data-heavy tasks while humans focus on strategic oversight, will become the new norm in data-driven organizations. 

Looking Ahead: What to Watch for Next 

As the landscape of automation continues to evolve, data-centric organizations should keep an eye on emerging trends and technologies in the space. Some key developments to watch include: 

Autonomous AI Agents: More sophisticated AI models capable of multi-step reasoning and decision-making. 

AI-Augmented No-Code Development: Platforms that suggest optimizations and automate workflow design based on historical usage patterns. 

Interoperability Enhancements: Improved API integrations that enable seamless data flow across diverse systems. 

Responsible AI Governance: Enhanced compliance frameworks ensuring transparency, fairness, and accountability in automated decision-making. 

By staying informed and actively exploring opportunities to optimize internal data workflows, organizations can position themselves for greater success. 

 

No-code workflow automation has come a long way—from humble beginnings to becoming a cornerstone of modern data strategies. With agentic AI leading the charge, the future holds unprecedented possibilities for data-centric teams ready to evolve. Imagine workflows that not only keep pace with change but stay one step ahead, learning and optimizing in real time. 

The opportunity is clear: rethink your processes, embrace intelligent systems, and empower your team to focus on what truly matters—driving innovation and impact. The question is, are you ready to take the leap and make automation the backbone of your success? 

Explore the tools, experiment with possibilities, and shape a smarter future for your organization. 

Learn More About DataPeak:

[inhousedstudio]

Designing Ambience: How Great Interior Design Enhances Hospitality Spaces

In the world of hospitality, the design of a space plays a vital role in creating unforgettable experiences for guests. A well-designed environment can influence the mood, comfort, and overall satisfaction of visitors, turning an ordinary stay into a memorable one. Whether it’s a luxury hotel, a cozy boutique inn, or a trendy restaurant, interior design is at the heart of the hospitality experience.

The Power of Ambience in Hospitality Spaces

The term "ambience" refers to the atmosphere or mood created by the design and décor of a space. In hospitality, this ambience sets the tone for the entire guest experience. From the moment guests step inside, they should feel welcomed, comfortable, and immersed in the identity and essence of the brand. Great interior design in hospitality spaces does more than just fill a room with furniture—it communicates a feeling, tells a story, and enhances the overall guest experience.

Key Elements that Influence Ambience in Hospitality Design

LightingLighting is one of the most powerful tools in interior design. Proper lighting can make a space feel warm, inviting, or sophisticated, while poor lighting can leave a guest feeling uncomfortable or uninspired. Think about how lighting can be used to create different moods depending on the time of day. Soft, ambient lighting might be perfect for evening dining, while bright, energizing light may be better suited for a café or morning buffet.

Color SchemeColor influences the psychological perception of a space. Soft tones of blue or green may evoke calmness and relaxation, while bold reds and oranges can inspire energy and excitement. In hospitality design, the color palette is chosen strategically to enhance the brand image and create a specific atmosphere. For example, spa resorts often use natural, calming shades like earth tones to promote relaxation.

Furniture and LayoutThe design and arrangement of furniture are crucial for ensuring both comfort and flow within a space. In a restaurant, the layout might prioritize easy access to the bar and kitchen, while also making sure diners have enough privacy. In hotels, the placement of furniture in guest rooms can enhance the feeling of spaciousness while maintaining an inviting and functional layout.

Textures and MaterialsThe textures and materials used in furniture, flooring, walls, and décor items contribute significantly to the tactile experience of the space. Plush velvet seating in a lobby invites guests to linger, while smooth wooden surfaces add an organic warmth. In hospitality spaces, the choice of materials should balance aesthetics with durability, as high-traffic areas need materials that are both beautiful and functional.

Artwork and AccentsCustom artwork, local crafts, or thematic décor elements provide a sense of place and personality to a space. These elements can reflect the cultural or historical context of the location, allowing guests to connect with the surroundings in a meaningful way. For example, a hotel in New York may showcase art inspired by the city’s urban culture, while a resort in Bali might incorporate traditional Balinese art and handicrafts.

Real-Life Examples of How Design Transforms Hospitality Spaces

The Saguaro Hotel, Palm SpringsKnown for its bold use of color, The Saguaro Hotel in Palm Springs stands out as an example of how interior design can create a fun, lively atmosphere. The hotel features vibrant colors in its furniture, walls, and even its poolside loungers, creating an energetic and playful environment. The design is a nod to the vibrant local culture, and it immediately draws guests into the experience.

The Ritz-Carlton, New YorkThe Ritz-Carlton brand is synonymous with luxury, and their design choices reflect this. In the New York location, sophisticated lighting, rich materials like marble and silk, and an elegant color scheme of deep blues and gold create an opulent yet welcoming atmosphere. The combination of grandeur and comfort allows guests to feel pampered while enjoying the elegance of the surroundings.

Zoku, AmsterdamZoku in Amsterdam redefines the traditional hotel concept. With a focus on flexibility and comfort, the hotel offers long-term stays and is designed with modern, minimalist interiors that cater to people working remotely or living temporarily in the city. The design includes a modular approach to furniture and spaces that feel more like home than a hotel room. The incorporation of natural materials and innovative lighting systems promotes a sense of well-being and creativity.

Questions to Consider When Designing Hospitality Spaces

What kind of experience do you want to offer your guests?A luxury resort will have a different ambience than a budget-friendly hostel. Understanding your target market and aligning the design with the brand’s mission is essential.

How can design enhance the functionality of the space?Hospitality spaces are high-traffic areas, so functionality is key. How will the layout ensure smooth operations, from guest check-in to restaurant service?

How do you want guests to feel when they enter the space?The initial impression is crucial. Is your space meant to evoke excitement, relaxation, adventure, or luxury? The design should immediately communicate this feeling.

What design elements can reflect the local culture or environment?Incorporating local elements—such as art, materials, or textures—can make a hospitality space feel more authentic and connected to its surroundings.

How can the design create lasting memories?Great hospitality design doesn't just serve its purpose; it leaves a lasting impression. Whether it's through unique artwork, a memorable color scheme, or a signature lighting design, think about how your space can stand out.

The Future of Hospitality Design

As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, interior design will play an even more pivotal role in shaping guest experiences. With trends like biophilic design (incorporating natural elements into interiors) and sustainable design (using eco-friendly materials), future hospitality spaces will increasingly reflect the growing emphasis on well-being, sustainability, and personalized experiences. Designers will continue to push boundaries, creating environments that are not only visually striking but also align with the values and desires of modern travelers.

Conclusion

Great interior design firm is not just about creating beautiful spaces—it’s about crafting an atmosphere that enhances the guest experience and leaves a lasting impression. Whether through lighting, color, layout, or unique decorative elements, the right design can elevate a hospitality space, turning it into more than just a place to stay. It becomes a memorable part of the journey itself.

[vihaandigitals]

Revolutionizing Digital Marketing: The Power of AI in Strategy Development

Recent studies reveal that 61% of marketers believe AI is the most important technology shaping the future of digital marketing. 

As businesses in Hyderabad and beyond grapple with the challenges of a digital-first world, harnessing the power of AI in digital marketing is proving to be a game-changer.

The AI Revolution in Digital Marketing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transitioned from being a futuristic concept to an integral part of digital marketing strategies. The infusion of AI in digital marketing processes is transforming how businesses engage with their audience, optimize campaigns, and drive growth. Here’s a closer look at how AI is revolutionizing digital marketing:

1. Personalization at Scale

One of the most significant advantages of AI in digital marketing is its ability to deliver personalized experiences at scale. AI tools for marketers analyze vast amounts of data to understand customer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns. This insight enables businesses to craft highly personalized content, product recommendations, and offers that resonate with individual users. 

2. Enhanced Data Analysis

Traditional data analysis methods can be time-consuming and limited in scope. AI tools for marketers, however, excel at processing and interpreting complex data sets. By employing machine learning and natural language processing, these tools can uncover hidden trends and insights that might be missed by human analysts. This enhanced data analysis helps businesses make informed decisions, optimize marketing strategies, and measure campaign performance with unprecedented accuracy.

3. Automated Content Creation

Content creation is a crucial component of digital marketing, and AI is streamlining this process. AI-powered tools can generate content such as blog posts, social media updates, and product descriptions based on predefined parameters. These tools can analyze existing content, understand context, and create new material that aligns with a brand’s voice and objectives. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency and quality in content delivery.

4. Improved Customer Insights

Understanding customer sentiment and feedback is essential for crafting effective marketing strategies. AI technologies, such as sentiment analysis and chatbots, provide valuable insights into customer opinions and preferences. AI-powered chatbots can engage with users in real-time, answering queries, and gathering feedback. This data is then analyzed to identify trends and areas for improvement, allowing businesses to refine their strategies and enhance customer satisfaction.

AI Tools for Marketers: A Deep Dive

The effectiveness of AI in digital marketing is largely dependent on the tools and technologies employed. Here are some notable AI tools that are making waves in the industry:

1. Predictive Analytics Tools

Predictive analytics tools leverage AI to forecast future trends based on historical data. These tools help marketers anticipate customer behavior, optimize ad spending, and personalize campaigns. By predicting which strategies are likely to yield the best results, businesses can allocate resources more efficiently and drive better outcomes.

2. AI-Powered Ad Platforms

AI-powered ad platforms are transforming the way businesses approach digital advertising. These platforms use machine learning algorithms to analyze user data and optimize ad placements in real-time. By targeting the right audience with the right message at the right time, businesses can enhance their ad performance and achieve higher conversion rates.

3. Content Generation Tools

AI content generation tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated, capable of producing high-quality written material with minimal human intervention. These tools use natural language processing to understand context and generate content that is relevant and engaging. This automation allows marketers to focus on strategy and creativity while AI handles the repetitive aspects of content creation.

The Impact of AI on Digital Marketing in Hyderabad

For businesses in Hyderabad, the integration of AI into digital marketing strategies offers a competitive edge in a bustling market. As the digital landscape continues to expand, leveraging AI tools and technologies can significantly enhance marketing efforts. Whether it’s through personalized customer experiences, data-driven insights, or automated content creation, AI is reshaping how businesses connect with their audience and drive growth.

Why Choose Vihaan Digitals?

As a leading digital marketing agency in Hyderabad, Vihaan Digitals is at the forefront of the AI revolution. OFrom personalized content strategies to advanced data analytics, we utilize the latest AI tools to help our clients achieve their marketing goals. If you’re looking to revolutionize your digital marketing approach and stay ahead of the competition, Vihaan Digitals is your go-to partner in Hyderabad.The integration of AI into digital marketing strategies is not just a trend—it’s a fundamental shift that is reshaping the industry. By leveraging AI tools and technologies, businesses can enhance their marketing efforts, optimize their strategies, and drive meaningful results. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, staying ahead with AI will be crucial for success.

[tahomawhisperingwind]

The Importance of Purification Rituals Before Hunting in Apache Traditions

Image generated by the author

The Sacred Art of Preparation: Purification Rituals in Apache Hunting Traditions

Imagine standing at the edge of a vast wilderness, where the sun spills over the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and gold. The air is crisp, alive with the whispers of the wind and the distant calls of wildlife. In this sacred space, an Apache hunter prepares for the day ahead—not just by checking his gear or practicing his aim, but through a profound spiritual journey that intertwines the physical act of hunting with deep-rooted traditions. For the Apache, hunting is not merely a means of survival; it is a sacred relationship with the land, the animals, and the ancestors that came before.

Spiritual Observances: The Heart of Preparation

Prior to setting foot into the wilderness, Apache hunters engage in purification rituals that are as much about the spirit as they are about the body. These rituals are imbued with meaning and intention, designed to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, allowing hunters to approach the hunt with humility and respect. They believe that a hunter's intention plays a crucial role in the outcome of the hunt. Engaging in these sacred ceremonies fosters a profound connection not only to nature but also to the spirit of the game, transforming what could be a simple act of hunting into a deeply spiritual event.

Cultural Significance of Purification Rituals

Purification rituals serve as a cornerstone of Apache culture, emphasizing the importance of intention and respect. These practices remind hunters of their responsibilities within the ecosystem and their role in the cycle of life. They honor their ancestors and recognize that every hunt is a continuation of a legacy that has existed for generations. In this way, hunting becomes a sacred act, woven into the fabric of community and spirituality.

As the sun rises, Apache hunters may begin their day with a ritual bath in a nearby stream, the cool water washing away not just physical impurities but also any negative thoughts or distractions. They may gather sage, a sacred herb, to cleanse themselves further, the fragrant smoke curling around them like a protective embrace. As they chant prayers, they express gratitude for the land and its creatures, setting their intentions for the hunt ahead. This ritualistic approach creates a sense of readiness, both mentally and spiritually, ensuring that hunters are aligned with their purpose.

Historical Context: Echoes of the Past

The significance of purification ceremonies runs deep in Apache history. Long before modern conveniences, these rituals were vital for community cohesion and harmony with nature. The Apache recognized that the success of a hunt was not solely dependent on skill; it was equally tied to the hunter's spiritual readiness and respect for the environment.

Before embarking on a hunt, elders would gather the community, sharing stories of past hunts and the wisdom of their ancestors. These stories acted as a bridge connecting generations, reinforcing the belief that each hunter is part of a larger narrative. The communal aspect of these rituals strengthens bonds and fosters a sense of shared responsibility for the land and its creatures.

Nature Worship: A Sacred Bond

At the very heart of Apache purification rituals lies a profound reverence for nature. The Apache view themselves not as conquerors of the land but as caretakers, recognizing the delicate balance that sustains all life. This perspective fosters an appreciation for the interconnectedness of all living beings, ensuring that every hunt is conducted ethically and respectfully.

Elders play a pivotal role in passing down these traditions, emphasizing the importance of humility and gratitude in the hunting process. The stories they share are rich with lessons about the land, the animals, and the spirit world. They teach that taking a life is not simply a matter of survival; it is a profound responsibility that must be approached with the utmost respect.

A Hunter's Tale: The Journey of China

Consider the story of China, a young Apache hunter, who embodies the spirit of these traditions. As dawn breaks, China and his sister, Dozen, prepare for a hunt. They begin by gathering sage, its earthy aroma filling the air as they cleanse themselves in a ritual steeped in their culture. With each puff of smoke, they offer prayers to the spirits of the land, invoking the strength of their ancestors.

As they venture into the wilderness, the bond between the siblings strengthens. They share stories of their family's past hunts, weaving a tapestry of shared experiences that deepens their connection to each other and the land. For China, the hunt is not just about the thrill of the chase; it is about honoring the spirits of the animals they pursue and maintaining the balance of nature.

Examples and Expert Insights

The use of sacred herbs like sweet grass and sage is common in Apache purification rituals. These plants are more than mere tools; they are symbols of the connection between the physical and spiritual realms. Experts emphasize that these rituals not only foster a sense of responsibility toward the environment but also enhance the hunters' ability to connect with nature on a deeper level.

In recent years, anthropologists and ecologists have begun to recognize the value of integrating traditional practices with modern conservation efforts. The Apache way of life exemplifies how hunting, when approached with respect and mindfulness, can lead to sustainable practices that benefit both the community and the environment.

Practical Applications: Lessons for Today

Incorporating Apache purification rituals into modern hunting practices can foster a deeper respect for nature and strengthen community ties. Simple steps such as performing cleansing ceremonies, engaging in prayers, and sharing stories can heighten awareness of the interconnectedness of all living beings. These practices can serve as a reminder of the responsibilities that come with the privilege of hunting.

In a world increasingly disconnected from nature, these ancient traditions provide a framework for modern hunters to cultivate mindfulness, appreciation, and ethical behavior. By embracing these practices, individuals can find deeper meaning in their interactions with the natural world.

Modern Relevance: Nature's Wisdom

As we navigate our fast-paced society, the lessons learned from Apache purification rituals resonate more than ever. In an age where environmental degradation is rampant, these ancient practices remind us of the importance of mindfulness, preparation, and respect for the natural world. By embracing the wisdom of the Apache, we can cultivate a deeper relationship with nature, promoting sustainability and stewardship for future generations.

Conclusion: A Call to Respect

The purification rituals of the Apache serve as a powerful reminder of the sacred bond between humanity and the natural world. They emphasize that hunting is not merely an act of survival; it is a spiritual journey that requires respect, gratitude, and humility. As we reflect on these practices, we are called to consider our own relationship with the environment and the responsibilities we hold as stewards of this planet.

In a world that often prioritizes convenience over connection, the Apache remind us of the importance of preparation, reflection, and respect. As we embrace their teachings, may we find ourselves more attuned to the rhythms of nature, fostering a sense of unity with all living beings.

Further Exploration: Engaging with Tradition

To delve deeper into the intersection of ancient wisdom and contemporary life, consider exploring resources on Indigenous practices, environmental stewardship, and the importance of cultural traditions in modern society. How can we integrate these timeless lessons into our lives? Join the conversation, and perhaps subscribe to a newsletter dedicated to exploring the complexities of our relationship with nature.

As we continue our journey, let us honor the Apache traditions and the lessons they impart, fostering a future where respect for the land and its creatures reigns supreme.

About Black Hawk Visions

Black Hawk Visions preserves and shares timeless Apache wisdom through digital media. Inspired by Tahoma Whispering Wind, we offer eBooks, online courses, and newsletters that blend traditional knowledge with modern learning. Explore nature connection, survival skills, and inner growth at Black Hawk Visions.

AI Disclosure: AI was used for content ideation, spelling and grammar checks, and some modification of this article.

About Black Hawk Visions: We preserve and share timeless Apache wisdom through digital media. Explore nature connection, survival skills, and inner growth at Black Hawk Visions.

[codesandprogramms]

The Evolution of Angular: From AngularJS to Angular

Angular a framework developed by Google has undergone a significant transformation over the years since its inception. Angular, as we know it today, has evolved from AngularJS not only reflecting the pace of technological advancements but also how developers have shifted their approach to front-end development. 

If you are looking to hire Angular developers understanding this journey becomes vital. In this article, let’s take a look at the framework’s growth potential and the advanced skillset required to master it.

A Journey Through Time: The Angular Framework's Transformation

AngularJS can be dated back to 2010, when it was first introduced revolutionizing the way developers built dynamic web applications. It became a preferred option among the developers due to its two-way binding and dependency injection features. These facilitated the efficient development of rich, single-page applications. 

However, as the web development landscape evolved with dynamic and complex user needs the limitations of AngularJS became apparent. This prompted Google to undertake a complete rewrite entering the world of what’s now popularly known as Angular. 

Angular was launched in 2016 as a result of an update and an entirely new framework built on TypeScript. This shift introduced an enhanced speed with improved security features and a modular architecture supporting the development of scalable applications.

This transition from AngularJS to Angular also reflected a move towards component-based architecture extending developers the ability to create reusable and maintainable code.

The choice to hire Angular developers has become synonymous with embracing modern web development practices for businesses and projects alike. The ability of Angular to facilitate the development of enterprise-level applications, progressive web applications (PWAs), and mobile applications underscores its versatility and power. Therefore, it has become more essential than ever to hire competent professionals.

If you are looking to hire Angularjs developers for legacy projects or transition to the latest version, you will need professionals who are not only adept at coding but can also seamlessly navigate the intricacies of the framework’s evolution. This demands that they must have a keen understanding of the historical context as well as the current capabilities of the Angular framework.

Alongside the rise in the demand for skilled Angular developers, you will also find a substantial movement in the average Angular developer salary. It’s vital for you to stay informed about the current compensation trends for attracting and retaining top talent. For valuable salary insights, you can use the Uplers salary analysis tool that will help you compare the salary of a local hire to that of an Indian remote talent free of cost. You can make informed compensation decisions based on comprehensive market data. 

Concluding Note

Henceforth, the transformation from AngularJS to Angular has marked a significant shift in the history of web development. This emphasizes the need for constant learning and adaptation so that you can stay abreast of the latest changes and leverage the full potential of Angular for sizeable returns. As the framework keeps evolving so will the need for specialized skill sets and hence the rise in the need to hire Angular developers.

[govindhtech]

Retrieval Augmented Generation Best Practices

The method known as Retrieval Augmented Generation, or RAG for short, improves the precision and dependability of large language models (LLMs), such as Gemini 1.0 Pro.

Retrieval Augmented Generation AI

Retrieval augmented generation, or RAG, is becoming a revolutionary force in the ever-evolving field of artificial intelligence and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Even though ChatGPT made data science results more accessible, most organizations were still unable to create or modify GenAI models at first. RAG is enabling scalability, promoting innovation, facilitating real-time data access, and democratizing AI. This blog post will discuss why RAG is being referred to as the AI industry’s great democratizer and how it has the potential to completely transform a variety of sectors. Greetings from the future of artificial intelligence (AI), where any organization can take charge of its AI journey by utilizing retrieval augmented generation.

Retrieval Augmented Generation tutorial

Using RAG to Provide Greater Access

Generative AI models have historically been restricted to their training set. A data scientist is needed for any adjustments or fine-tuning, and they can be highly expensive and hard to come by. RAG’s ability to serve as a bridge, linking users to a large body of knowledge and producing more precise and pertinent answers, is what gives it its immense power. Because of this, AI technology is more user-friendly and effective regardless of technical proficiency.

But RAG’s versatility is what really makes it stand out. RAG can be customized by users to access and use a variety of external data sources, so it can be adapted to meet various business requirements in a range of industries. This adaptability is revolutionary because it makes important AI solutions accessible to both small and large enterprises. Furthermore, RAG makes it easier to fine-tune AI models, resulting in a reduction in resource usage and an increase in user friendliness.

Boosting RAG to Provide Greater Access

Additionally, RAG is transforming the way businesses use generative AI to introduce innovation into their daily operations. RAG is, to put it simply, a tool that increases the intelligence and productivity of AI. It accomplishes this by enabling AI systems to produce responses that are more accurate and contextually relevant by linking them to the distinct data of an organization.

Because of its versatility, RAG is a highly valuable tool for a wide range of industries. It can be customized to meet specific business requirements and open up new applications for generative AI that require additional context. RAG helps overcome challenges in deploying large language models, which in turn facilitates the creation of truly helpful user interfaces. This is achieved by grounding AI in an organization’s unique expertise.

How Scalability Is Improved by RAG

RAG enables improved efficiency and scalability without requiring the model to be retrained by providing extra data to the large language models. This implies that companies can more successfully expand their AI deployments and make adjustments as needed. Furthermore, RAG can scale to new use cases by drawing on a variety of external data sources, which enables it to adapt to a wide range of needs and applications. This democratizes AI from a business standpoint and opens it up to all kinds of enterprises. It levels the playing field by allowing them to take advantage of cutting-edge AI technologies without devoting a significant amount of resources.

Utilize RAG to Provide Real-time Capabilities

For generative AI to be used in many of the business use cases that exist today, real-time capabilities must be enabled. RAG makes it possible to quickly retrieve and incorporate data from a variety of outside sources into the generation process, guaranteeing that the responses are current and appropriate for the given context. With this real-time capability, businesses can use AI to improve customer experience and competitiveness by delivering prompt insights, making timely decisions, and offering instant personalized services.

Additionally, this capability greatly reduces the need for massive computational resources and specialized expertise typically required for real-time AI applications, enabling inferencing to occur wherever business occurs. RAG is therefore making AI more effective, responsive, and accessible in all business domains, allowing knowledge workers and edge deployments to take advantage of real-time generative AI.Retrieval Augmented Generation Best Practices

Dell Technologies Retrieval Augmented Generation

Businesses of all sizes can use RAG to achieve their AI goals while preserving data sovereignty in today’s data-driven world. At Dell Technologies,they think they can help you get the best results by integrating AI with your data. With they industry-leading knowledge and broad portfolio that includes desktop, data center, and cloud computing, Dell is the perfect partner to facilitate this revolutionary journey.

Their services are made to be there for you every step of the way, making sure that AI is seamlessly incorporated into your company’s operations. Furthermore, they extensive and open partner ecosystem expands on what they can offer and offers a comprehensive solution that is customized to meet your unique requirements. As a partner of Dell, you can confidently navigate the challenges of adopting AI, utilizing RAG’s power to propel innovation, growth, and competitive advantage within your company.

LLM Retrieval Augmented Generation

RAG facilitates the access to and processing of data from outside knowledge sources by Large Language Models (LLMs). This lowers the possibility of factual errors or hallucinations, which LLMs occasionally produce, and guarantees that the generated text is based on actual facts.

Features of Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)

Improved Contextualization

RAG helps LLMs comprehend the context of a request by presenting pertinent documents that have been retrieved in addition to user queries. As a result, the responses are more insightful and pertinent.

Current Information

New knowledge sources can be added to RAG models without requiring the LLM to be completely retrained. They can now obtain and make use of the most recent information thanks to this.

Trust and Transparency

RAG systems occasionally provide citations for the information they have gleaned. Users are able to confirm the accuracy of the information and this builds trust in the generated content.

Reduced Data Leakage

RAG reduces the possibility that the model will reproduce biases or factual errors found in its training data by accessing external knowledge bases rather than depending only on the training data.

Cost-Effective

Retraining a sizable language model requires more resources than updating a knowledge base. Because of this, RAG is a more effective strategy for maintaining response accuracy.

Read more on govindhtech.com

[smartcaddengineering]

How Scan to BIM Services Streamline Renovation and Restoration Projects?

In the ever-evolving landscape of architectural design and construction, the advent of Scan to BIM Services heralds a significant shift. Blending the precision of 3D scanning with the clarity of Building Information Modeling (BIM), this approach reshapes renovation and restoration projects. Beyond mere technological innovation, it offers a more nuanced and detailed understanding of existing structures, paving the way for more informed and efficient project planning.  

The Complexities of Renovation and Restoration Projects

Renovation and restoration projects present a unique set of challenges, distinguishing them from new construction. These complexities arise from dealing with existing structures that often have historical value, hidden flaws, or outdated building techniques.

Respecting Historical Integrity: In restoration, especially of heritage buildings, there’s a critical need to preserve the original design and materials. This requires a deep understanding of the structure’s historical context and architectural nuances.

Uncovering Hidden Issues: Older buildings may harbor unseen problems like structural weaknesses, outdated electrical systems, or hidden water damage. Addressing these issues is vital for safety and functionality.

Balancing Modern Requirements with Existing Structures: Integrating modern facilities and technologies into an existing building, while maintaining its aesthetic and structural integrity, is a delicate balance. This involves creative problem-solving and meticulous planning.

Regulatory Compliance: Renovation projects often have to navigate a complex web of building codes and preservation guidelines, which can vary significantly depending on the location and nature of the building.

Understanding these challenges is crucial in appreciating the role and impact of Scan to BIM Services in transforming the approach to renovation and restoration projects.

Unveiling the Benefits of Scan to BIM in Restoration

#1 Enhanced Accuracy in Measurements with Scan to BIM Services

The cornerstone of Scan to BIM Services lies in their remarkable precision. Traditional measurement techniques, while tried and tested, often carry the risk of human error. This is where Scan to BIM transforms the process. Using advanced laser scanning technology, every nook and cranny of a building is captured with exacting detail. This method ensures measurements are not just accurate but exhaustive, covering aspects often overlooked in manual surveys.

Comprehensive Data Collection: Laser scanners capture a building’s geometry in comprehensive detail, including complex curves and intricate features.

Reduced Human Error: Automating the measurement process minimizes the likelihood of mistakes that are common in manual methods.

Detail-Oriented Documentation: Scan to BIM provides detailed documentation that is invaluable for architects and engineers, especially in intricate restoration projects.

#2 Time Efficiency Through 3D Scan to BIM

Time is a critical factor in renovation projects, and 3D scan to BIM drastically reduces the time spent on initial surveys. Traditional surveying methods are not only labor-intensive but also time-consuming. In contrast, 3D scanning streamlines this process, enabling teams to move swiftly from planning to execution.

Rapid Data Acquisition: A single 3D scanning session can capture what would take weeks to document manually.

Immediate Data Processing: Modern 3D scanning technologies allow for the quick processing of data, facilitating faster decision-making.

Streamlined Project Timeline: With rapid data collection and processing, the overall project timeline is significantly shortened, leading to quicker project completions.

#3 Risk Reduction in Renovation Projects

Implementing Scan to BIM Services in renovation and restoration projects substantially lowers the risk of unforeseen challenges. Traditional methods, reliant on surface-level assessments, can miss critical structural issues, leading to unexpected complications later in the project.

Early Detection of Potential Issues: Detailed scans reveal structural weaknesses, material degradation, and other potential problems that might not be visible to the naked eye.

Informed Decision Making: Having a comprehensive 3D model allows for better assessment and planning, ensuring decisions are made with a full understanding of the building’s condition.

Enhanced Safety: By identifying risks early, Scan to BIM contributes to safer construction practices, protecting workers and future occupants.

#4 Enhanced Collaboration with Scan to BIM Services

The adoption of Scan to BIM Services transforms collaboration in architectural projects. This technology creates a shared, digital representation of the project, accessible to all stakeholders. In the context of renovations, where understanding the existing structure is crucial, this shared model fosters a unified approach among architects, engineers, contractors, and clients.

Unified Project Vision: A common 3D model ensures that everyone involved in the project has a consistent understanding and vision, minimizing discrepancies.

Facilitated Communication: With a detailed model available, discussions become more precise and focused, leading to more effective problem-solving and decision-making.

Streamlined Workflow: The shared digital environment allows for smoother coordination, reducing delays caused by miscommunication or waiting for information.

#5 Cost-Effective Planning through 3D Scan to BIM

Cost management is a vital aspect of any renovation project, and 3D scan to BIM plays a pivotal role in ensuring economic efficiency. The detailed insights provided by these scans enable more accurate budgeting and resource allocation from the project’s inception. This foresight prevents cost overruns and ensures a higher return on investment.

Accurate Budget Forecasting: With detailed information on the existing structure, estimations for materials, labor, and time become more precise, leading to more reliable budgeting.

Minimized Rework: Early detection of potential issues and precise planning reduces the need for costly mid-project changes and reworks.

Optimised Resource Utilisation: Detailed 3D models enable efficient allocation and utilization of resources, ensuring that materials and labor are used effectively.

Conclusion: Pioneering Change with SmartCADD

SmartCADD stands at the forefront of integrating Scan to BIM Services into renovation and restoration projects. Our mission is not just to adapt to the changing landscape of the AEC industry but to actively shape its future. With our expertise in 3D scan to BIM, we offer comprehensive solutions that transform challenges into opportunities, paving the way for projects that are not just completed but accomplished with excellence.

Embark on a journey of seamless renovation and restoration with SmartCADD – where technology meets expertise to redefine the boundaries of architectural innovation. Explore our services and witness how we turn vision into reality.

Read more: https://www.smartcadd.com/how-scan-to-bim-services-streamline-renovation-and-restoration-projects/

[colorizeapicture]

Revolutionize your old videos with Pixbim Video Colorize AI software

Remember those old home movies you found tucked away in the attic? The ones that captured precious moments of your family's history, but have since faded into a sea of black and white? Well, get ready to breathe new life into those forgotten treasures! Introducing Pixbim Video Colorize AI software – a game-changing tool that will revolutionize the way you experience and share your vintage footage. For more info about Colorize video software click here.

With just a few simple clicks, this groundbreaking software will transform your dull monochromatic videos into vibrant masterpieces. Say goodbye to grainy visuals and hello to stunning colors that bring back every detail with astonishing accuracy. Whether it's footage from your grandparents' wedding or childhood memories frozen in time, Pixbim Video Colorize AI is here to make them shine like never before.

But what exactly sets this software apart from other colorization tools out there? Let's dive deeper into the incredible benefits it offers.

Benefits of using Pixbim Video Colorize AI

One of the most exciting advancements in technology is artificial intelligence (AI). It has revolutionized various industries, including photography and video editing. With AI-powered software like Pixbim Video Colorize, you can now bring new life to your old videos in just a few clicks.

The benefits of using Pixbim Video Colorize AI are truly remarkable. First and foremost, it saves you time and effort. Instead of manually colorizing each frame of your video, which could take hours or even days depending on its length, Pixbim's advanced algorithms do all the work for you in a matter of minutes.

Not only does this software save you valuable time, but it also ensures accurate and realistic results. The AI technology behind Pixbim Video Colorize analyzes the content and context of each frame to determine the best colors to apply. This means that your videos will have vibrant and lifelike colors that closely resemble reality.

Furthermore, Pixbim Video Colorize provides flexibility when it comes to customization. You have control over aspects such as saturation levels and color palettes, allowing you to create the exact look and feel you desire for your videos. Whether you want a vintage vibe or a modern aesthetic, this software can accommodate your preferences.

Another significant advantage is that Pixbim Video Colorize works seamlessly with both photos and videos. This means that if there are certain sections within your footage where colorization may not be necessary or desired (e.g., black-and-white segments), the software allows for easy toggling between colored and grayscale modes.

In addition to enhancing old home movies or personal recordings, Pixbim Video Colorize AI also offers creative possibilities for professionals in fields like filmmaking or advertising. By adding vivid colors to historical footage or creating eye-catching visuals for promotional materials, this tool opens up endless opportunities for storytelling through moving images.

As technology continues to evolve rapidly, we must embrace these innovations that make our lives easier and more creative. Pixbim Video Colorize AI is a prime

Conclusion:

Revolutionize your old videos with Pixbim Video Colorize AI software and bring them to life like never before. This powerful tool harnesses the latest advancements in artificial intelligence to effortlessly add color to black and white videos, giving them a fresh new look that will captivate viewers.

With Pixbim Video Colorize AI, you can breathe new life into cherished memories, whether it's vintage family footage or historical recordings. The software is easy to use, making it accessible for everyone, from amateur video enthusiasts to professional editors. Its intuitive interface allows you to quickly navigate through the features and apply colorization with just a few clicks.

By using Pixbim Video Colorize AI software, you'll unlock numerous benefits. You can rediscover forgotten moments as they were originally captured and experience the nostalgia of bygone eras in vibrant detail. Additionally, this innovative technology opens up creative possibilities for filmmakers and storytellers who want to reimagine their visuals or breathe new life into archival footage.

The advanced algorithms employed by Pixbim Video Colorize AI ensure accurate color reproduction while preserving the integrity of the original content. The results are stunningly realistic and visually appealing, enabling you to create captivating videos that resonate with audiences on a deeper level.

Say goodbye to dull black and white videos gathering dust in your archives! With Pixbim Video Colorize AI software, unleash your creativity and transform old footage into dynamic works of art that engage viewers like never before.

Experience the power of artificial intelligence in video colorization today by trying out Pixbim Video Colorize AI software – revolutionizing how we relive our past through vivid colors!

[earlgreytea68]

Heyyyyyy, I bet you were DYING to know stuff about that Google v. Oracle decision, huh?

You may have heard recently about a big deal Supreme Court decision called Google v. Oracle, a litigation that has dragged on for many, many, many years and focuses on Google having copied some pieces of computer programming owned by Oracle and known as APIs. Most of the write-ups I’ve seen about it have focused on its enormous repercussions for the technology sector, which makes sense since it’s a case about computer programming and APIs and other tech-y things.

But the thing about the decision is that it’s a fair use decision. The Supreme Court could have found that the APIs weren’t even protected by copyright. But instead, the Supreme Court used the doctrine of fair use, and this means that the case potentially has ramifications for all fair use situations, including fanfiction!

So, if you don’t know, fair use is a main defense to copyright infringement. Basically, you can use somebody else’s copyrighted work without their permission as long as what you’re doing with it is considered a “fair use.” E.g., you can write a story in somebody else’s fictional universe or draw art of somebody else’s fictional copyrighted characters without their permission as long as your use is a “fair use.”

“What’s a fair use?” is an incredibly complicated question. The long and tortured history of Google v. Oracle illustrates this: a jury found Google’s use was a fair use; an appellate court found that it wasn’t and basically said the jury was wrong; and now the Supreme Court says no, no, the jury was right and the appellate court was wrong. Like, this is not unusual, fair case rulings are historically full of disagreements over the same set of facts. All of the cases reiterate over and over that it’s a question that can’t really be simplified: every fair use depends on the particular circumstances of that use. So, in a way, Google v. Oracle, like every fair use case, is a very specific story about a very specific situation where Google used very specific APIs in a very specific way.

However, while every fair use case is always its own special thing, they all always debate the same four fair use factors (these are written into the law itself as being the bare minimum of what should be considered), and especially what’s known as the first and fourth factors. The first factor is formally “the purpose and character of the alleged fair use,” although over the decades of fair use jurisprudence this has come to be shorthanded as “transformativeness,” and the fourth factor is “effect on the market.”

Most of the energy and verve of a fair use case is usually in the transformativeness analysis; the more transformative your use is, the more likely it is to be fair (this is why AO3’s parent organization is called the Organization for *Transformative* Works – “transformative” is a term of art in copyright law). To “transform” a work, btw, for purposes of copyright fair use doesn’t necessarily mean that you have edited the work somehow; you can copy a work verbatim and still be found transformative if you have added some new commentary to it by placing it in a new context (Google Image Search thumbnails, while being exact reproductions of the image in question, have been found to be fair use because they’re recontextualizing the images for the different purpose of search results). The point is, transformativeness is, like fair use itself, built to be flexible.

Why? Because the purpose of copyright is to promote creativity, and sometimes we promote creativity by giving people a copyright, but sometimes giving someone a copyright that would block someone else’s use is the opposite of promoting creativity; that’s why we need fair use, for THAT, for when letting the copyright holder block the use would cause more harm to the general creative progress than good. Google v. Oracle recommits U.S. copyright to the idea that all this is not about protecting the profits of the copyright monopolist; we need to make sure that copyright functions to keep our society full of as much creativity as possible. Google copied Oracle’s APIs to make new things: create new products, better smartphones, a platform for other programmers to jump in and give us even more new functionality. The APIs themselves were created used preexisting stuff in the first place, so it’s not like anyone was working in a vacuum with a wholly original work. And, in fact, executives had thought that, the more people they could get using the programming, the better off they would be.

Which brings us to the fourth fair use factor, effect on the market (meaning the copyright holder’s market and ability to reap profits from the original work). There’s a lot of tech stuff going on in this part of the opinion but one of the points I find interesting from that discussion is that the court thought that Google’s use of the APIs was not a market substitute for the original programming, meaning that Google used the APIs “on very different devices,” an entirely new mobile platform that was “a very different type of product.”

But also. What I find most interesting in this part is the court’s explicit acknowledgment that sometimes things are good because they are superior, and sometimes things are good because people “are just used to it. They have already learned how to work with it.” Now, this obviously has special resonance in the tech industry (is your smartphone good because it’s the best it could be, or because you’re just really used to the way it’s set up?), but there’s also something interesting being said here about how not all of the value of a copyrighted work belongs *to the copyright holder* but comes *from consumers.* Forgive the long quote but I think the Court’s words are important here:

“This source of Android’s profitability has much to do with third parties’ (say, programmers’) investment in Sun Java programs. It has correspondingly less to do with Sun’s investment in creating the Sun Java API. . . . [G]iven programmers’ investment in learning the Sun Java API, to allow enforcement of Oracle’s copyright here would risk harm to the public. . . . [A]llowing enforcement here would make of the Sun Java API’s declaring code a lock limiting the future creativity of new programs. Oracle alone would hold the key. The result could well prove highly profitable to Oracle . . . . But those profits could well flow from creative improvements, new applications, and new uses developed by users who have learned to work with that interface. To that extent, the lock would interfere with, not further, copyright’s basic creativity objectives.”

This is picking up on reasoning in some older computer cases (like Lotus v. Borland, a First Circuit case from decades ago), but I think it’s so important we got this in a Supreme Court case: if WE bring some value to the copyrighted work through our investment in it, why should the copyright holder get to collect ALL the rewards by locking up further creativity involving that work? Which, incidentally, the Court explicitly notes is to the public detriment because more creativity is good for the public? This is such an important idea to the Supreme Court’s reasoning here that it’s the first part of the fair use test that it decides: that the value of the work at issue here “in significant part derives from the value that those who do not hold copyrights . . . invest of their own time and effort . . . .”

This case is, as we say in the law, distinguishable from fanfiction and fanart. APIs are different from television shows, and this case is very much a decision about technology and computer programming and smartphones and how old law gets applied to new things. Like, fair use is an old doctrine dating from the early nineteenth-century, and here we are figuring out how to apply it to the Android mobile phone platform. That, in and of itself, is pretty cool, and it’s rightly what most of the articles you’ll see out there about this case are focusing on.

But this case isn’t just a technology case; it’s also a fair use case that places itself in the lineage of all the fair use cases we look at when we think about what makes a use fair. And, to that end, this has some interesting things to say, about how much value consumers bring to copyrighted works and where a copyright holder’s rights might have to acknowledge that; about the fact that there are in fact limits to how much a copyright holder can control when it comes to holding the “lock” to future creativity building on what came before; about what part of the market a copyright holder is entitled to and what it isn’t. Think about the analogy you could make here: Given the investment of fans in learning canon, which is what makes the creative work valuable in the first place, allowing enforcement against fanfic or fanart would allow the canon creators to have a lock limiting future creativity, which would be highly profitable to the original creator (or, let’s be real, to Disney lol), but wouldn’t further copyright’s goals of promoting creativity because it would stifle all of that creativity instead. And just like Google with the APIs, what fandom is doing is not a market substitute for the original work: they’re “very different products.”

This is not to say, like, ANYTHING GOES NOW. Like I said, fanfic and fanart are very different from APIs. Fictional works get more protection than a functional work like the APIs at issue in this case. And there’s still a whole thing about commercial vs. non-commercial in fair use analysis which I didn’t really touch here (but which obviously has limits, since it’s not like Google isn’t making tons of money, and their use was a fair use). But this decision could kind of remind a big media world that maybe had forgotten that the copyright monopoly they enjoy is supposed to have the point of encouraging creativity; we grant a copyright because we think people won’t create without a financial incentive. (Tbh, there’s a lot of doubt that that is actually a true thing to believe, given all the free fic and art that gets produced daily, but anyway, it’s what the law decided several centuries ago before the internet was a thing.) Copyright is a balance, between those who hold the copyright and the rest of us, and the rest of us aren’t just passive consumers, we have creative powers of our own, and we might also want to do some cool things. And this case sees that. None of us are starting in a creative vacuum, after all; we’re all in this playground together.

[whateverafterhigh]

Worldbuilding Succession Systems: Goodfallow

Most of what we see or hear when it comes to the succession systems in the universe that Ever After High is set in relates to fairytales and the inheritance of specific character roles. Many of the fairytale royalty are born into their royal bloodlines or otherwise marry in. But there are some kingdoms where things aren’t as easy as that. One such kingdom is the Good King’s Kingdom – which I named Goodfallow in another post.

The Good King is a fairytale character, but his role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is small. In fact, depending on the adaption of the story you read he might have already died by the time the story has officially begun. He’s not quite dead yet in the series, seeing as he’s still raising Raven Queen, but it is never acknowledged that Raven is in line for the throne. Not even as a “Hey, maybe Raven has her dad’s destiny…” kind of way, which you would expect given Raven is constantly fighting for any destiny other than her mother’s. Going that route might seem like too easy a fix to acknowledge in the series, especially early on, no matter how powerful a red herring that would be for the readers. It could have even been used to make Grimm start to worry on whether or not he actually guessed right when it comes to writing the fake book. Grimm doubting himself would have been great, even more so if it’s a big thing to have forgotten that the Good King needs an heir too.

The potential for drama aside, there must have been something else that made everyone think they were right so conclusively (and I’m not speaking of the gendered characters, there are too many female characters who have their father’s destinies for that to be the reason).

Then I had an idea.

The Goodfallow Crown

I wanted to create a succession system for Goodfallow that would be able to stand up to the Storybook of Legends on something akin to even ground. Obviously, I didn’t want it to have such a grand scale. But I knew I wanted something magical, and I knew I wanted it to be possible that the Storybook of Legends (the original) could guess wrong. (I mean what even is the point of having an antagonist as powerful and insufferable as Headmaster Grimm if he wasn’t able to grasp at some straws to save face and avoid even the harshest of punishments?). Still I wanted Grimm to be arrogant enough that he wouldn’t have worried about Raven’s position as the Evil Queen until she was throwing the book in his face on Legacy Day.

This meant I needed something with so many possibilities that something like the Storybook of Legends would have a hard time even coming up with the most likely outcome for the Next Good King. Something that could be affected up until the moment that the Good King has been crowned. And something that had the magical power to break the magical contract to the Storybook of Legends that signing it would create without extensive repercussions – something that would cause a page to fall out on its own if need be.

Also it needed to be something that played into what a Good King should be, it is what is choosing the reigning monarch after all.

In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Evil Queen is defined by her attitude and treatment of the kingdom’s people, so it only makes sense that the Good King be defined in the same way. So I played with the idea of the Good King being an elected position that passed down the bloodline out of convenience and all the things that real life kings and queens have to do to make sure that the people don’t start up a revolution. Something like the Sword in the Stone from King Arthur’s legends could do that, the same could be said for Thor’s Hammer (though I wasn’t actually thinking of Mjolnir when spider-mapping ideas).

I couldn’t see it being an actual sword, as cool as it would be for the Good King to actually have the kingdom’s blessing of sorts to raise his sword at those who wronged him. And after reading the fairytale Prince Darling, where there is a ring that pricks the young Prince on the finger every time he does something wrong in hopes that it will make him into a good person, I thought of using a crown.

The Goodfallow Crown, named such because it is the physical manifestation of the collective will of all the citizens of Goodfallow ticks a lot of the boxes for what I wanted.

It’s magic, powerful enough to break the bindings created by the Storybook of Legends because I’m the author and I say so. A lot of citizens in Goodfallow mean a lot of different possibilities for whether or not they think a candidate is the best for the Good King. It can still be meddled with before the inheritance ceremony, popularity and propaganda are going to be important – the same goes for whether or not a candidate knows what they’re doing. In turn this could be what makes Grimm so arrogant in his assertions that Raven will have her mother’s destiny.

The students at Ever After High are shown to be scared of Raven to the point they scream and run away from her. At the start of the books she assumes that this is just a side effect from her destiny as her mother had mentioned that something of the sort would happen when she reached a certain age. But it could be argued that this has more to do with how bullying of Raven (or any supposedly-evil-aligned character) was encouraged by Grimm or other members of the faculty, high tensions from how close Legacy Day is for her etc. Because Raven does get more popular as the books go on, and because the characters act a similar way in the beginning of the show’s canon it could be argued that she get’s popular enough to win Thronecoming.

But it’s not just Raven’s lack of popularity. Grimm makes all the final class decisions when it comes to what subject’s students can take, so he can ensure that Raven never takes classes that would prepare her for being the Good King (Kingdom Management, Throne Economics, etc…) and then there’s the low possibility that the people of Goodfallow would accept someone who willingly signs up to potentially marry the king of a neighbouring country, abuse their power, and even get arrested or die before having kids as their Ruler. This is one case where the Storybook of Legends doesn’t need to be real for the damage to be done. And Grimm has no reason to not be arrogant about his guesses until Legacy Day where Raven declares she wants to write her own destiny on the in-verse equivalent of international television he’s not going to worry too much.

The tangent into Grimm’s motives and assumptions show that having Goodfallow’s succession system be like this will only add another layer to some of the things going on in the series, and this can even be applied to other characters too. Raven would have grown up in a kingdom where your actions mean more then what you say, so even agreeing to sign the Storybook of Legends and live her own life after would have not been in the cards for her (not to mention it would cheapen Apple’s own story if she asked that of Raven), and Queen White would have also grown up in Goodfallow given the Good King is her father as well, and that could add a really interesting layer to her own character and her obsession with popularity. Especially in the context of the Class of Classics comic which shows that Snow was once a studious student like Apple was but has now seemingly forgone that in favour of focusing on popularity (which is the same in the books as well as Dragon Games). It certainly speaks of there being more to her character then what we’ve gotten.

Now it’s just a matter of figuring out how the Good Fallow Crown works.

It seems a bit much to have someone attempt to wear the crown for the first time on their coronation, and I’m also understanding of the fact that it’s technically headwear and therefore can’t get heavier if the kingdom seems to disagree with an idea or something else – also Goodfallow isn’t a hivemind? So there would need to be some kind of inheritance test. Perhaps for officially declaring a Crown Prince or Princess.

Historically, Crown Princes or Princesses seem to given the title when they are ready for it. With the announcement happening sometime between the ages of fourteen and eighteen, unless their parents were dead, and they were ruling through a Regent. Raven is fifteen when Legacy Day takes place so sixteen seems like a more reasonable time for the ceremony to happen. Though obviously some of the kingdoms would name their children the Crown Prince or Princess earlier (I’m thinking Briar and Hopper might have been given their titles when their Magic Touch developed, given its significance to their stories).

So the sixteen year old heir would try the crown on. It would be impractical for the circle of people who can hold or lift the crown to be small a la Thor’s Hammer, especially when it’s the literal Will of the People. So, magical girl transformation?

Very basic, plain clothes are to be worn with no jewellery – because you might lose it otherwise. If the people agree with the Prince or Princess being a good candidate for the throne then they’ll get decked out in finery when the magic is a match. If not then there’s no change. (Not that that prevents rumours from spreading to the contrary).

“Rumour has it the Evil Queen tried to wear the crown once and it set her on fire.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, that’s why her hair is like that now.”

Of course, the changes don’t stop at the Inheritance Ceremony. Just because the Goodfallow Crown doesn’t get infinitely heavier when the Good King does something the people don’t agree with that doesn’t mean that nothing happens. Raven’s dad is described as being bald in the books, and I like to think that the reason for that is the people of Goodfallow not agreeing with him marrying the Evil Queen, while still understanding why he did it. But there would likely be other affects as well. Such as increased stress, anxiety, paranoia, etc. Maybe a lack of motivation in his day to day life? I don’t know, but the Goodfallow Crown does take the phrase “Heavy is the head that wears the crown” to a whole new meaning.

I love the whole thought of this, as evidenced by the fact it takes up almost three whole pages in a Word Document. Definitely one of my favourite pieces of worldbuilding I’ve done for any fandom ever.

[jewish-privilege]

[Originally published August 09, 2019] - (...) Tisha B’Av is the day that telescopes many of the main catastrophes of Jewish history in its entirety into one day... The events ascribed to the day have to do with separation between God and Israel, both spiritual and physical; the five events connected with the ninth of Av and the 17th of Tammuz, three weeks prior, are discussed in the Mishna Taanit 4:6.

(...) For those who have trouble with understanding the holiday, this explanation by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, the core teacher of modern Orthodoxy even 26 years after his 1993 death, should suffice: “We observe this saddest day of the year because we cannot understand why our people continues to suffer so much tragedy.” I definitely don’t understand how 11 devoted people could be killed as Jews in America in 2018. Since Oct. 27 [2018,] the place where we celebrated the bris of a congregant’s grandson became the place of the grandfather’s death; the same man who was the mohel at that joyous occasion then served on the chevra kadisha. The whole synagogue building has lain empty, a vacant shell, ghost structure standing as a vivid reminder of what is no more: 11 Jews killed only for the crime of worshipping as Jews on the Sabbath.

No longer an abstraction, these dirges for what is lost; now they encapsulate part of my reality. The reality that we can’t use the place where we had gathered in happy times—for a Purim megillah reading, play, and meal, a Sukkot dinner, a concert of Magavet, the Yale University Jewish singing group—is now a place of death and destruction whose name and photo are known internationally. The social hall where I have attended bar and bat mitzvahs and weddings, the same hall where I danced, became the area that Zaka and the chevra kadisha performed their sacred and tragic duties, and people l knew from other contexts, like my daughter’s SAT math tutor, were now in full-body protective wear and hairnets so that the bodily fluids they were cleaning up would not transfer to their own living bodies.

..And yet, I will read this verse from Lamentations on Saturday night: “the comforter who should restore my soul is far from me, my children are desolate because the enemy has prevailed.” (1:16) I have never felt more that there are so many to comfort me, my family, my community and that evil has not prevailed though it has done great damage(...) Congregants are stepping up to learn the synagogue skills possessed by those three of our congregants no longer with us. Looking up the Hebrew birthday for a woman who never had a bat mitzvah as a girl, we found the Torah portion for her birthday was the same as one of those who were killed. She will be reading that Haftarah in 2020 as well as in years to come.

Though it is not hard to get in mood for Tisha B’Av this year, since I feel like I have been enduring that feeling since Oct. 27, I also remember that even though the Temple was destroyed so many years ago, and was an unmitigated catastrophe, the expulsion of Jews from the land created the necessity to find new forms and ways to continue the religion.

“The nature of trauma,” Bessel van der Kolk a psychiatrist and expert in post-traumatic stress, has said, “is that you have no recollection of it as a story. The nature of traumatic experience is that the brain doesn’t allow a story to be created.” (...) The inability to create a story reminds me of the passage in the Babylonian Talmud Makkot 24b that Rabbi Amy Bardack taught as part of her class on “Jewish Texts of Resilience” at our community Shavuot Tikkun. Four rabbis are walking in the destroyed Jerusalem, on Mount Scopus and then the Temple Mount. One of them, Rabbi Akiva, laughs to see foxes scurrying over the Temple Mount (in Hebrew har habayit, literally the “mountain of home”) while the others are despondent. His colleagues interrogate him—how can you laugh when this place, once an abode of fear and trembling before God, is now so profaned that animals trample it? Rabbi Akiva explains to them about that the prophecies of Uriah during the First Temple and of Zechariah during the Second Temple, that the one, “Zion shall be plowed for a field” (Micah 3:12) is dependent on the other, “there shall yet be elderly men and elderly women in the streets of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 8:4). Destruction must transpire for redemption to happen. Akiva has created a way to tell the story; his laughter and its explanation stop the trauma, for the others tell him he has comforted them.

...My own personal version of transforming tragedy into renewed vigor to have laughter and joy came two weeks ago when I had a visit from a woman I met on the sherut (shared taxi) I took two months ago when I left Jerusalem, where I had been celebrating Passover, to return to the airport en route to Pittsburgh. The sherut driver only takes cash and at the end of my trip, I had none. So I had to ask the other passengers to spot me the money for a check or Venmo (if my kids assisted that interaction). Another passenger agreed, and we chatted. She told me she, too, was from Pittsburgh originally and would be here later in the summer. We exchanged emails, and I gave her my check. I hadn’t expected to hear from her further; however, when she was visiting in July, she emailed me and we set a date to have coffee. She told me the address of her childhood house: It was literally on the same block as mine, around the corner. I heard more of her story—a man followed her father home 25 years ago and broke in to murder him. Her mother had been terminally ill and died a few weeks later, as did her grandmother. But now, she told me, every birthday, every milestone, every moment with the grandchildren she moved to Israel to be near, brings her intense joy. The tragedies she suffered magnify her need to wring every bit of joy from each occasion, her pleasure highlighted by the knowledge that horror, too, may be around the corner.

I have a heightened grasp of the holiday of destruction this year. Yet, I also have a heightened awareness: Once ceased, joy may after all be renewed and restored.

[amateurasstrologer]

BY REQUEST #7 PLUTO IN THE HOUSES

Pluto is one tiny-ass, slow-ass bitch. That little mf-er takes its sweet time to bring the most serious changes to your life. There’s a lot of confusion about this sweet baby so let’s talk about it.

First: the placement of every planet supports the placement of every other planet. That’s the thing about those celestial bodies, they don't fuck with spontaneous bitches. No planet is out there getting wild doing its own thing contradicting all the other planets. They’re a complete crew and their cycles are all linked up. We can always talk generally, but you gotta look at your Pluto placement (and any other planet) in the context of the rest of the chart.

Now: Pluto. What’s up with that bitch anyways? Pluto usually brings to mind some shit about sex, obsession, a pheonix rising from the ashes, rebirth, some tarot cards. Alright. Let go of your Scorpio complex and listen up. Pluto does have to do with transformation - but it’s a transformation that’s so intricate, so extreme, by the time you get to the end of it you’re like, “damn am I even the same person I don’t even recognize myself.” Spoiler alert: you're not the same person cause Pluto is on some generational, evolutional shit. The Pluto way is slow as fuck - any major change is the result of sustained effort over a long period of time.

A Pluto transformation is total. This isn’t some shit you can do in a day and call it good - it’s the slowest, sweetest process of the Zodiac. So naturally, it’s bigger than just you. Bitches, we’re lucky if we live long enough to see a full Uranus cycle, so forget about Pluto. This is a generational process. Yes: Pluto affects you on a personal level, and yes: you can make serious change happen during your life, but this process a slow burn. It deals with transforming deeply conditioned behaviors that go farther back (and forward) than just you and your little life.

Finally: all this is why Pluto and Scorpio and the 8th house are a little family. They’re connected because they all deal with sharing in the deepest parts of life: and it doesn't get much deeper than the behaviors, patterns and experiences that get passed between us, acted out and carried through generations.

Particulars for the party people:

PLUTO IN THE FIRST (1) conditioned issues with self-image - your whole life is a process of changing how you feel about yourself. Until you put in work to acknowledge the serious shit you’ve been through, you’re gonna battle with extreme feelings of isolation and you’ll feel unable to move forward with your life.

PLUTO IN THE SECOND (2) conditioned beliefs about success - your whole life is a process of coming to terms with your personal history and finding a way to use it as motivation. Until you put in work to acknowledge your deep-ass familial/ social/ historical conditioning, there’s gonna be underlying feelings of dissatisfaction and confusion in everything you do.

PLUTO IN THE THIRD (3) conditioned social anxiety - your whole life is a process of changing how you organize your life and relationships. Until you put in work to acknowledge your feelings of inferiority and insecurity, you’re gonna be seriously anal about your surroundings and it’s gonna be hard for you to really feel at ease when you’re out and about.

PLUTO IN THE FOURTH (4) conditioned self-suppression and isolation - your whole life is a process of developing a rock solid connection with yourself. Until you put in work to acknowledge your tendancy to repress everything about yourself and project it onto everyone else, you’re gonna struggle to genuinely engage and share creatively with others.

PLUTO IN THE FIFTH (5) conditioned struggles with self-expression - your whole life is a process of coming to terms with your social influence and power. Until you put in work to actually acknowledge the effect your actions and presence have on your environment and the people in your life, your lack of self-awareness and self-control is gonna alienate the people around you.

PLUTO IN THE SIXTH (6) conditioned issues with personal responsibility - your whole life is a process of learning how to take sensible, direct actions to improve your quality of life (emotional, physical, or mental). Until you put in work to acknowledge that you’re responsibile for yourself, your choices and your relationships, you’re gonna feel like a helpless victim of your circumstances.

PLUTO IN THE SEVENTH (7) conditioned unaccountability in relationships - your whole life is a process of learning how to confidently set a positive tone for your relationships. Until you put in work to acknowledge your passive-ass, unaccountable way of dealing with others, you’re going to experience tension and dissatisfaction in relationships.

PLUTO IN THE EIGHTH (8) conditioned struggles with power and connection - your whole life is a process of developing compassion and acceptance for yourself and others and finding a healthy balance in relationships. Until you put in work to acknowledge your desire for power and control, you’re going to constantly feel dissatisfied, lonely and resentful.

PLUTO IN THE NINTH (9) conditioned belief systems - your whole life is a process of finding the right mixture of beliefs and principles to structure your actions around. Until you put in work to acknowledge that you’ve allowed some whack-ass, selfish beliefs to condition your actions, you’re going to struggle to maintain your sense of self.

PLUTO IN THE TENTH (10) conditioned issues with social roles - your whole life is a process of utilizing your influence to empower others. Until you put in work to acknowledge that being responsibile for others involves showing them how to be responsibile for themselves, you’re going to make people feel dependent on you and then resent the shit out of them.

PLUTO IN THE ELEVENTH (11) conditioned social carelessness - your whole life is a process of finding an appropriate social balance. Until you put in the work to acknowledge that you can be totally unaware of your responsibilities when dealing with others, you’re going to make the people around you feel constant frustration and exasperation.

PLUTO IN THE TWELFTH (12) conditioned self-delusion - your whole life is a process of becoming aware and taking control of yourself. Until you put in work to acknowledge that you get completely caught up and swept away by the collective mood (and then lie to yourself about it), you’re going to feel like life moves too fast for you and you can’t keep up.

Don’t forget: these are life-long themes that take opportunity on opportunity to actually deal with and refine. It takes sustained effort over a long period of time for Pluto to do its job. Just stick with it and you’ll be fine.

Peace, bitches.

XO BULLSHIT FREE ASTROLOGY

[divergent-mshs]

Perturbing the Comforted: On the Philippine Education System

Carrying the brandished hope of an unassailable force, the circle continues in its mindless cycle — traversing the same path, and leading to the same point from where it started: an imprisonment within the system that only seeks to continuously perpetuate itself rather than pave way for the birth of a new resolution. The chains that persist in their regressive purpose of molding dilemmas within the Philippine educational system converges in three grips — colonization, commercialization, and fascism.

Back when I was in primary school, I remember loving the color orange in a strange manner I could not comprehend. It would always be my go-to whenever we were made to pick our crayons to paint our coloring books with our desired touches. Even when the alphabet was first taught to us, the example used for words starting with letter “o” was the word orange. Growing up, the realization slowly starts to dawn on me: through the process of being socialized in my first years of education, there is always something foreign with how examples and lenses are taught to us. Something out of touch.

The enslavement of the Filipino people, ever since time immemorial, is reproduced in the way the culture they are a part of creates a machinery of impunity by molding itself to justify superficial ideals imposed by those who hold our economy, ensuring that it will be maintained through their ceaseless hold in our social conditions. As Renato Constantino put it, the most effective means of subjugating a people is to capture their minds.

After all, what better way is there to capture the people’s mind than controlling the very institution tasked with the responsibility of indoctrinating the people in the society they operate from, taking form in education?

The system of education that exists within the Philippines could not be analyzed without properly tracing its roots. Myopic analysis devoid of its own historical context is one of the major setbacks that hinder the progression of a refined discourse in this topic. It is only through dissecting the material conditions of the society will the understanding of the educational system’s orientation come in its true essence.

The domination of the English language as the medium of instruction, as well as the implementation of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum 20 which eliminates Filipino at Panitikan as one of the core subjects in college, is one of the many proofs that the colonial orientation of education persists in its stronghold upon the system.

Philippine education was once shaped in the purpose of preserving American control. In order to attain this, it was of paramount importance that any separatist ideas are decimated. This goes hand-in-hand with the colonizers’ interest of maintaining their control on the nation’s mode of production. The ideological apparatus they have consolidated, taking root in education, ensures that they will mold generations of Filipinos who shall view themselves as obedient little colonials, free of any genuine nationalistic notions of liberating themselves, and putting American culture in superior heights in order to turn back on their identity.

According to Joseph Hayden in his study, it has been the English language and the very struggles necessary to acquire it that molded American culture to be instilled in the country, to which its usage brought the Filipinos to Americans and their culture. In 1925, the Monroe Survery Report criticized the system of education that the colonial administration imposed on their first decade of colonization. They said that the very curriculum instills American culture through organized and systemic means.

The English language as the medium of instruction is the strongest grip, in our time, of colonial chain in our educational system. The machinery of power in this society is held by the people who believe that it is only through English shall the Filipinos acquire real education.

Alienation presents yet another peril brought by the colonization of education. It ensures that bourgeois-liberal tendencies will be championed to nurture individualism within the students, separating them from the society they are a part of. It glorifies suffering and masks them as necessary pain from where their consciousness must be submerged in instead of troubles that require transformation — it encourages the submission to the status quo, a defeatist approach, in order to quell any attempt of transforming it which is against the interest of those whose power lie on the succession of the inequality within the system.

It glamorizes the Philippines as an agricultural country, but it pries away from awakening the students from the fact that the backbones of the sector that makes this country agricultural are suffering and are subjected to inhumane societal conditions. It vilifies any hope for national industrialization, ensuring that our economy will remain dependent on foreign hold. The preservation of backward culture is systematic, creating ideological conditions that promotes colonial assimilation.

The struggle of the Filipino people, however, does not stop there — the chains only continue to expand, clawing even deeper upon their already decaying flesh.

The K-12 program has embarked as yet another weapon of colonial spite. The issue here isn’t as simplistic as whether the Philippines is ready for this change, but its core orientation that urged its implementation. Its design conformed to the Bologna Accords of European Union and Washington Accord of USA. It mentioned how those who shall work in other countries must finish 12 years in accordance to the needs of foreign multinational companies.

In short, it is another path for foreign interests to use our education as breeding grounds for a bulk of cheap laborers. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who worked abroad at any time during the period April to September 2018 was estimated at 2.3 million. This accounts to more than 6,000 Filipinos migrating every day to work outside the country. The objective of the K-12 centering on readying its completers for jobs entails the underlying consequence of further satisfying foreign avarice at the expense of the Filipinos.

The dilemma of colonization in education brings forth the second ordeal — commercialization. It lies on the principle of marketization that the capitalist foreign forces have shaped in the educational system. A principle that equips the students to be coerced in submerging themselves within market demands, rather than studying as means of changing the social conditions that make it unbearable to begin with.

According to a Department of Education report back in 2012, in every 100 students that enroll in elementary, only less than 14 of those are able to finish college. The significant amount of the youth who have been incapable of finishing their education can’t be isolated cases — they are manifestations of the ills within the system.

Once brought upon the slums, would one really still have the opportunity to persist in their studies when their churning stomachs are already driving them on the edge?

It is, yet again, social conditions that hinder the progression of the majority of those driven out of their schools to settle in clamoring for jobs. This is strengthened with commercializing education, treating it as means of gaining profit rather than a right for the people.

In present times, public institutions are seen as inferior compared to their private counterparts. Only those who can’t afford private schools send their children to public schools. Those who can afford it, however, send their children to private institutions. Its outcome led to over-glorification of private education which has unfortunately resulted to the proliferation of diploma mills.

This dilemma is further exacerbated with the education’s deregulation. This is when the government frees themselves from tenets of their responsibility to ensure free education for all, and allow power for private sectors to enter the educational realms. The MTHEDIP mentioned a case study that illustrates the collaboration of transnational corporations like IBM with the Far Eastern University (FEU) in setting up the East-Asia College.

The government argues that the educational system ought to be internationalized in the case of our curriculum in order to attract as many foreign enrollees as possible as in the case of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). In order to further justify decreased budgetary allocation for education, the MTHEDIP makes no pretense at advocating the commercialization and corporatization of the tertiary public school system.

Finally, it comes at a full circle — the form of fascism is instilled within the educational system, functioning in their earnest objective of preserving the structures mentioned earlier.

Constantino described how nationalism is taught at schools in a very narrow-sighted way. It merely raises patriotism in the sense that it could be fully achieved through its symbolic means of respect in the flag, appreciation for our national symbols, and obeying to authorities without question. It creates a culture of compulsory subservience — one that is needed in maintaining power structures.

True nationalism, however, lies on the desire to cultivate national survival, which is what education should be made for in the first place. Fascism derails this — it simply generates a nonscientific culture of imposing ‘discipline’ by having powers remaining unquestioned, shunning criticality, and alienating the students from the broad masses where they can channel their true nationalism to. After all, it is the people who make up the nation.

It is only warranted that these three rots be vanquished, for as history itself has shown, nothing is subject for permanence. The call for a genuine nationalistic, scientific, and mass-oriented education waits to be heeded. It is only through that should education finally come in its full terms of providing an avenue for the people to mold a society that leans on itself, liberated from ideas that only oppress the people, and addresses the struggles that have long been untapped in the community.

Given these, what’s left for the Filipino youth is their collective will to stand for their democratic rights. History already proved how their united action could bring upon societal change. The youth of tomorrow leave their hope on the youth of today to topple regressive forms and destroy whatever illusion the people still cling into as means of justifying the exploitation of the Filipinos — the path to liberation is never comforting, for the comforted ought to be disturbed, and from there on, the disturbed will rise to spring comfort upon everyone.

[studentstime]

GENDER BAISNESS IN LEADERSHIP FORMATION IN BANGLADESH

written by

Israfil Hossain

INTRODUCTION:

Bangladesh is undergoing phenomenal changes/reforms in its economy, governance, women empowerment, human resource development, poverty reduction, health, education, etc. Its economy is moving at quite a good pace, given the spurt in export earnings, mainly due to private entrepreneurs, and high remittance earnings mainly coming from the Bangladeshis working in the Middle East, Europe and America. Bangladesh has huge potentials, as the experts predict, even to reach to the middle income group of countries, given some more momentum in terms of improving governance, eradicating corruption and ensuring political stability. As is known, Bangladesh is often battered by natural calamities which cause substantial damage to its infrastructure, and its effort to eradicate poverty, not to speak of the loss to human lives. Bangladesh has certain advantages like homogeneity in terms of ethnicity, religion and a culture of tolerance which play a great impacting role in its integration process. It has a huge population, which may be called a comparative advantage that can be converted into competitive advantage like turning them into human resources. If the huge population can be turned into more literate, skilled, semi-skilled manpower, and utilized domestically and exported to developed countries then the country would greatly benefit economically and socially. Given the limited space of Bangladesh that finds it difficult to sustain such a huge population, this is one of the most feasible and pragmatic options left for Bangladesh. Otherwise Bangladesh’s human security will be in jeopardy.

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

Transformational Leadership is the latest and most promising phase in the leadership spectrum. “Here the focus is on leader behavior during periods of organizational transition and on processes such as creating visions of desired future state and obtaining employee commitment to change.” Transformational Leadership is a kind of leadership that can transcend the normal boundary management of an environment. It aims to walk an extra mile, or take a bit more risk, or take more responsibilities instead of passing the buck in undertaking a task. It should be able to improvise, if required, to reengineer or reinvent. Stagnancy or maintaining status quo is the job of a routine manager or a transactional leader but creating a new context in order to be more productive is the goal of a transformational leader. It should be able to take the team along who strongly upholds the visions, values and objectives of the leader to be their own and inspires them in such a way that they would carry out the tasks enthusiastically even at the peril of their life. They would not necessarily turn into rabble rouser. They should, as far as possible, reflect charisma, be able to inspire the subordinates and should be able to intellectually stimulate the subordinates or the stakeholders.

Charisma entails providing vision and mission to the stakeholders so that the team moves along the path the leader has foreseen. He should be able to instill pride and gain respect and trust from the subordinates or his constituency. Charisma reflects his personality, knowledge, wisdom, sense of justice and commitment. One may argue this is a born quality- a gift from God. This argument is largely not tenable since - many scholars term it as a myth – such qualities can be acquired through rigorous exercise, given a deep commitment. Next point is about inspiring the stakeholders in undertaking even the arduous jobs. The leadership is about understanding the environment, adapting to the environment and be able to communicate the contingencies commensurate with the environment to the stakeholders. Now the leader should be able to communicate the high expectations expected of the team members in a simple and understandable language. He may use different symbols at his disposal. Gandhi and Mao Tse Tung inspired the whole nation to fight for freedom and emancipation in such a way that hundreds and thousands of them were even ready to die for the cause at their every beck and call. However, such historical examples may not appropriately apply to every level, tier or environment of leadership. But one can always draw lessons from such examples.

A leader should be able to intellectually stimulate his team members. He should understand the context, environment, rationality of his cause or vision, and that would need deep intellectual exercise. He should be able to provide careful and creative problem solving techniques to his team members. All great leaders of the world are generally men of knowledge and wisdom. Henry Kissinger called Mao Tse Tung one of the greatest teachers of mankind. A leader must pursue knowledge-based critical thinking, especially in this globalized intelligent world. Practical knowledge has no substitute for a leader in order to inspire his subordinates with ideas, values, attitudes, perceptions, visions, missions and objectives. The subordinates are unlikely to accept one as leader if he cannot provide rational and creative problem solving techniques. Without such course, a leader might become redundant in the society.

The last point the author would like to make is personal touch a leader provides to his subordinates. This aspect of leadership practice is seriously lacking in Bangladesh environment. A leader has to give personal attention, and treat all his subordinates individually. He has to counsel and mentor his members, if possible. A leader has to care about the welfare, mental or health state, family problems of his subordinates. This works marvel in Bangladesh environment. Mere patting makes a lot of difference to an employee in the Bangladesh environment. Maslow’s Theory of Needs does indicate such directions in order to upgrade the motivation levels of the employees.

A leader should be an innovator apart from being an administrator only. He should be able to inspire trust than merely relying on control. A leader, depending on the tier he is holding in the hierarchy, should generally have a long range perspective and an eye on the horizon apart from having an eye on the bottom line. A leader should not ask how and when an event took place; he, however, would do better if he asks what and why of the incident. He challenges the system or status quo, of course not unsettling the environment. Conflict management is a good technique but that should not destabilize the system one is holding. In a nutshell, transformational leaders are seen as change agents, courageous, believing in people, having a strong set of values, life-long learners, capable of coping with complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity and visionaries.

BANGLADESH BUREAUCRACY IN PERSPECTIVE:

Max Weber, the chief architect of bureaucracy, provides certain features of bureaucracy like hierarchy, promotion based on professional merit, development of a career service, reliance on and use of rules and regulations and impersonality of relationships among career professionals in the bureaucracy and with their clientele. To a commoner, taking cue from Max Weber, bureaucracy would appear to be something to do with red tapism, inefficiency and abuse of power in the context of official-client relationship. It develops a system of authority, which is indestructible and an entrenched bureaucracy that can serve any interest. It shows allegiance only to the authority above it even if political changes have taken place. Webster’s New International Dictionary defines bureaucracy as a system that is narrow, rigid and formal, depends on precedent, and lacks initiative and resourcefulness. The essence of traditional public administration tends to be rigid, rule-bound, centralized, insular, self-protective and profoundly antidemocratic; and such traits often collide with the contemporary paradigm of bureaucracy that “allows qualified voters an efficient instrument through which the will of the people may be expressed; makes officers both responsive and responsible,” and thereby ensures common welfare.

Theorists and practitioners would like to emphasize bureaucratic paradigms like fairness, representation, participation, accountability, responsiveness, political neutrality, efficiency, rationality, and expertise. But the very nature of public administration poses problem to such value. The bureaucrats have a tendency to rely more on expertise and knowledge than over accountability, participation and democratic control. Now, therefore, a pertinent question arises: are the bureaucratic traits legitimate in terms of democratic principles. In this regard, David Rosenbloom opines that the legitimacy of bureaucracy occurs when bureaucratic policy making is subject to direct popular control. If bureaucracy is isolated from public accountability, bureaucracy can in no way be responsible to public interests and desires.

Again Merton, an American sociologist, goes deeper into the pitfalls of bureaucratic system. Bureaucracy’s adherence to rules originally conceived as a means, turns into an end-in-itself, thereby resulting in the displacement of goals. “In Bangladesh, the bureaucracy, to a large extent, conforms to the Weberian model....... Bureaucrats are not always assigned specific positions on the basis of their specialization or expertise but rather on the basis of belonging to a particular civil service cadre. Rationality is conceived in a narrow sense. It is primarily equated with administrative efficiency and economy both of which are considered ends in themselves rather than means to an end- the effective delivery of public service.”

Bureaucracy’s strict adherence to regulations induces timidity, conservatism and technicism. Bureaucracy’s avowed norm of impersonality and its dependence on abstract rules put it in conflict with the personalized consideration the members of public and clientele would expect. Bureaucracy’s entrenched corporate interests, which may be called espirit de corp, totally negates the concept of transformational leadership traits.

Given the traits as shown, bureaucracy, theoretically speaking, goes against the grain of transformational leadership. However, such theoretical branding may not always find true reflection in the practical application by an individual bureaucrat. He may have the charisma, vision or personalized consideration like that of a transformational leader and he may exert to establish his leadership, but the environment of the boundary around which he is operating may not permit him to realize his full potentials. Initiative of an individual bureaucrat is greatly circumscribed in decision making process; there may be ten tiers, in the Central Government, to be crossed, when the final decision is made. However, in most of the cases, all the ten tiers may not have to be crossed. Anyway, a kind of timidity thus sets in such a process. Initiative, dynamism, and creative and innovative thinking, the sine quo nonefor transformational leadership that should be undertaken by a bureaucrat are lost, at best diluted. Risk-taking is one of the hallmarks of real leadership. In a scenario like this, a bureaucrat will not take any risks since he has somebody above him.

It is reportedly known that a Secretary to the government puts forward a file to his Cabinet Minister seeking sanction of a paltry sum of Tk. 25,000 (equivalent to US$350) to be disbursed for the repair/maintenance of a small building in a remote village of Bangladesh. Now this brings to the fore another predicament where the authority is so much centralized that such a simple decision has to be taken by the Central Government located in Dhaka. ADB Country Governance Assessment (Draft), Bangladesh, May 2004, under heading ‘Centralization’ observes, “An additional constraint to good governance at the local level is the extremely centralized form of government now in place. Union Parishads (UPs) derive their authority and a substantial portion of their funds from national ministries whose effective reach to the level is constrained by intervening levels of government. For example, Union Parishads (UPs) must submit their budgets and work plans for review and follow-up action by several appointed officials at the Upazilla and district levels. As a result, the UNO and the Chairman of the Upazilla Development Committee have more de facto power over development projects in Unions than do the UPs themselves.”

Although Bangladesh is a unitary system, there are three administrative tiers and local government structure which could have easily taken care of such problem. Even for posting of foundation level officers like lecturer/teacher of a college/high school or a medical officer at Upazilla (Sub-district), the Central Government, where again so many tiers may have to be crossed, gets involved. Here again, timidity sets in and that delays the decision making process. This also gives rise to more probability of corruption and sufferings of the employees. Motivation, which is conditioned more by intrinsic factors than extrinsic ones, gets badly affected and the overall productivity of the government definitely suffers. However, the probability of corruption still remains valid even if decentralization in relatively important decision making is done at the administrative levels. Federalism is, however, a far-fetched idea at the moment since basic structure of the Constitution has to be amended and for that political consensus has to be reached.

Even if an individual bureaucrat would like to exert his dynamism, creativity or initiative, the system would not permit it. The system constraint has become a serious problem in transforming the officers. Delay in the system is unwarranted and is a recurrent phenomenon. This author learnt about a case where a simple clarification on a point, pending for last about six years, asked from the higher office of the Republic to a functioning ministry took about six months, that too after several reminders. Such delays are caused both vertically and horizontally. Horizontal delays (reasons for vertical delays are already pointed out) are caused mainly because of consultation or opinion seeking with the other line ministries. In the horizontal plane also files have to again move up and down the tiers as mentioned. And if there is a disagreement, the matters get further complicated. It further delays the decision making process. This author was shocked to learn a state of affair where an important appointment case remained pending in a functioning ministry for three years. The case could have been processed to the appropriate authority for his approval. As a matter of fact, the incumbent continued functioning presumably without lawful authority for three years. When, on the eve of a ceremony, it was discovered that the appointment was not validated and hence the subsequent actions that followed could be questioned, the Pandora’s Box was opened. How and why it happened was not looked into. The accountability and transparency, which are so much essential for good governance, were totally lacking in this case. The matter was, probably, somehow patched up. Even in a transactional leadership spectrum, the status quo is at least maintained. In this case, even the status quo or routine functioning was not maintained, let alone challenging and changing the status quo. So the creative or innovative ideas cannot be expected that are so critical in this globalized, intelligent 21st century world.

Transformational leaders are supposed to be intellectually sound, so that they can transmit to their followers their wisdom; and it results in two-way traffic. A leader has to command the respect through his personality, values, wisdom, and long-range view and make them think the way he thinks. Only then can the leader take the team along with him. He has to capture some of their styles or traits in order to be successful in his domain. And his own domain is to have contemporary and up-to-date knowledge and the ability to apply those in the field he is handling. If he is handling WTO matters, he should be a reasonable expert on the subject so that he can communicate, negotiate and be able to enter into agreements, keeping the country’s interests above everything, with his expert counterparts coming from both developed and developing worlds. This is a knowledge-based world, but sad enough Bangladesh has turned out be a knowledge starved society.

If our bureaucrats could be armed with more technical and appropriate knowledge, then the Government would not probably have signed the Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) with the International Oil Companies (IOCs) where 72% of the revenue earnings are given to the IOCs in foreign currencies. Gas is stored in the territories of Bangladesh but it only gets a paltry 28% percent of revenue earnings. Again, because of the lack of adequate technical and appropriate knowledge or realizing the urgency Bangladesh, as yet, could not place its case before the United Nations regarding the maritime demarcation of the Bay of Bengal, although it ratified the UNCLOS in 2001. Bangladesh has not yet carried out necessary survey to decide about the extent of its continental shelf. The control points of its base line, both in the western and eastern sectors, have been contested by both India and Myanmar. Bangladesh is likely to get ‘zone/sea locked’ and if serious negotiations are not undertaken immediately with the actors concerned, mostly applying the equity theory as against equidistance theory, much of Bangladesh’s life sustenance resources and maritime freedom might get jeopardized. It is to be especially mentioned here that the neighboring countries like India, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have settled their scores of maritime boundary demarcation.

There is a big question: is Bangladesh prepared for such serious negotiations with its neighbours in order to protect its interests? Or it is going to surrender its interests as it did during the last Hong Kong round of WTO negotiations because the Bangladesh team did not carry out enough home work for such negotiations? There can be a further question: is the person who is supposed to carry out his homework has the requisite ability and the right attitude to do so? There is a concern about it. The answer is simple: the person may not have the requisite expertise and the positive attitude that would take care of the national interest.

This author learnt about a case where a summary for an appointment to a very high office was placed in the higher office in such a way that the constitutional provision apparently got violated. When someone pointed out such violation, the reply given to him was that there was such a precedent earlier. To that officer, what was important was the precedent not the Constitution. It also shows lack of knowledge of the Constitution both by him and his predecessor. It could be also attitudinal tendencies to show what they did was right, not what the Constitution stipulates. It can be surmised that it was more of a lack of adequate knowledge of the Constitution. Superficial knowledge on such critical issues could be disastrous for the nation and on occasions national interests might get violated. Even a transactional leader is expected to have enough knowledge on a subject he handles in order to maintain the status quo; otherwise atrophy would take over. In a globalized interdependent world, specialist knowledge by the bureaucrats in their respective field of activities is essential even if we presume they are not transformational leaders. Intellectual stimulation is sine quo non for someone to be a transformational leader.

It is generally believed that the bureaucrats, especially officers from the Administrative Cadre, probably, acted as a pressure group (there could be other pressure groups also) to block the separation and independence of the judiciary and Anti-Corruption Commission. It also did not work favorably to institutionalize the local government system of Bangladesh. The Supreme Court, through its twelve point directive in 1999, asked the Government to completely separate the judiciary, especially the lower judiciary, from the executive. But the successive governments started dilly-dallying the process, presumably also at the behest of the bureaucrats. Bureaucrats might have apprehended that their power could get greatly curtailed by such action. This could also be true in the case of the local governments, as already pointed out. However, the local political leaders also had their vested interests in not institutionalizing and strengthening the local government structures.

Be that as it may, bureaucrats would not like to part with the control and superintendence they have on different aspects of the local government. Bureaucrats both at the local tiers and also at the central level have varying degrees of control over the local governments. It is a well nigh difficult task to meaningfully direct, control and monitor the activities of the local governments, from the capital city, spread in every nook and corner of the country. Personalized consideration would be totally lacking in such a scenario which goes against the concept of transformational leadership. Innovativeness, creativity and emotional attachment are essential in transformational leadership styles but sad enough such inputs may be absent in a scenario like this.

RESPONSE:

A thorough overhauling of the bureaucratic structure, span of control, style of work, motivation, values, attitudes, and mindset may be necessary in the context and environment of Bangladesh. There may be a necessity of strategic planning for this. Donor assistance, both in terms of money and expertise, may be necessary.

Firstly, flatter organization system, which generally goes with the modern management concepts, as against many-tiered vertical organization in the bureaucratic hierarchy of the Central Government, may be thought of. It could be brought down to four to five tiers that would facilitate better and faster decision making. However, the number of streams, dealing with limited subjects, within a Ministry/Division may be increased. This will help in faster decision making and specialization.

Secondly, similar types of Ministries/Divisions could be clustered together within which the officers/employees would generally rotate. Example could be the Ministries/Divisions of Finance, Planning, Commerce, External Resources Division, Expatriate Welfare Division could be clustered together, something like Strategic Business Units (SBUs), as practised in the business world, where the officers from their foundation level to even up to highest level would rotate during their stint of staff appointments. Another example could be the Ministries/Divisions like Foreign, Home, Defence, Disaster Management, Chittagong Hill Tracts, etc could be clustered together. The specialization that would accrue in such clustering would better take care of areas like WTO, maritime or land boundary demarcation, counter-terrorism, etc. where there are tendencies of faltering. This is given merely as a suggestion; one may not be sacrosanct about it. In a similar vein, Zafarullah’s categorization of ministries/divisions merits consideration, may be with certain adjustment. Those could be categorized, as he prescribes, like Executive (President’s Office, Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Division), Regulatory (Establishment, Finance, IRD, Local Government, Commerce, Home, Jute, Civil Aviation and Tourism, Shipping, Lands, etc), Service-orientated/Welfare (Relief, Special Affairs, Health and Family Welfare, Railways, Post and Telecommunication, Social Welfare, Women’s Affairs), Food, Labour and Manpower Developmental (Agriculture, Rural Development and Cooperative, Irrigation, Water Development and Flood Control, Roads and Road Transport, Industries, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Works, Fisheries and Livestock, Jute and Textile), Promotional (Primary and Mass Education, Education, Science and Technology, Environment and Forest, Information, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports, Religious Affairs), Advisory (Armed Forces Division, Planning, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Parliament Secretariat), Research (Statistical and Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division), and International (Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations).

Thirdly, Strategic Management Planning, along with Management by Objectives (MBO) technique, as practised in the business world, dovetailed to the culture of public service may be adopted for the Bangladesh Civil Service. Vision/Mission, long term objectives, strategies, yearly objectives, policies, feedback system for each Ministry/Division, Corporation and Department should be clearly spelt out in a realistic, achievable, time bound benchmark. This is not to say that broad objectives are not spelt out in the yearly /three yearly/five yearly planning processes. Bangladesh has a good macro level planning, but what it lacks is the micro level planning and implementation. It also lacks feed back loop which helps in further planning. Objectives are not set out in a realistic and achievable manner; as such Bangladesh generally falters in implementing the Annual Development Plans or in utilizing the foreign assistance. Strategic planning involves all segments, spectrum, activities, cohesion, top down and bottom up approaches, etc. It also involves participatory planning. All stakeholders should be consulted before deciding about an objective. Each Department/Tier/Local Government should be given their yearly achievable, tangible and intangible (to be quantified as much as possible) objectives that would, in totality, meet the yearly objectives of a particular Ministry/Division. Our foreign missions, as part of economic diplomacy, could be given the yearly objectives like export to the target country be increased by say 10% or so many skilled/non skilled manpower be exported to that country. Such objectives could be decided realistically based on past experiences and future trends. Management by objectives, although an American concept not fitting into our culture, may be followed at least in its spirit. Now any player who fails to meet a reasonable expectation of the objectives may be made answerable. Such lapses may be reflected in his yearly performance appraisal in clear terms which would ultimately impact on his career advancement. An independent team has to work out the details of modalities, in case the Government decides to implement the concept.

Fourthly, in order to attract the better graduates of the universities (private sector is now a better destination), their pay, perks and privileges should be greatly enhanced. ADB Country Governance Assessment Bangladesh (Draft), May 2004 acknowledges that the Civil Service no longer attracts the same calibre of entry- level officials that it did in the past. It prescribes salary reform, “mindful of the need to balance the prospect of competitive salary increases with the corollary need to reduce the overall costs of public administration”. If necessary, a portion of the Annual Development Plan may have to be diverted to the Revenue Budget in order to cater for the extra expenditure involved in salary increases. In the long term, it would prove to be more cost-effective. If the actors are not efficient, output would be always problematic. One cannot be expected to be efficient, if his/her physiological needs are not adequately met, when he is de-motivated.

Fifthly, since the quality of Bangladesh University education has deteriorated to a great extent, especially in relation to communication skill in English and latest developments around the world, there is a dire need for an exhaustive, realistic, up-to-date training package programme to be developed in the training institutions. This is borne out by the observations made by Shawkat Ali, a former career civil servant, “various studies have drawn attention to the deficiencies in the training of civil servants, specially post-entry and pre-entry training. Some of these deficiencies are as follows: lack of qualified and well trained staff arising out of posting unwilling civil servants in the training institutes and such postings do not take into account the qualification and experience of the civil servants which result in low quality of training and lack of motivation; the post-entry training and in-service training courses are not well integrated and scheduled to provide and continuously update the level of training and knowledge of civil servants. …Questions have already been raised about relevance of training, utilization of training and incentives for training. Training should be both class room and field based. Exhaustive training programme generally for greater duration than what is done today, especially at the foundation level would pay rich dividends in the long run. Training in the form of case studies, seminars, group projects especially at the field levels, presentations, research papers, In Basket Exercises, visits and orientation with varied types of installations, institutions, corporate world, NGOs, local government, industries, etc may be given more emphasis. Field trips and exercises, something similar to military system, could be given a consideration. For such extensive training system foreign advisory team from countries like Singapore, Japan, UK, and Australia as also from the Bangladesh Armed Forces may be sought.

Sixthly, for career advancement, successful field level appointments like Upazilla Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Deputy Commissioner (DC), an independent assignment in a foreign mission may be given more credence. One who performs poorly in such appointments may not be given further enhancement in career. Based on the performance reflected in the Annual Confidential Reports, the officers in the promotion chain, at different tiers, may be required to go through the Assessment Centers where they would undergo various group exercises and individual tasks as well as psychometrics and interviews. Only the successful candidates would qualify for further promotion. This practice is followed in the U.K. Civil Service. This has relevance to military system of promotion as well. It is heartening to note that Bangladesh Government is already thinking of introducing similar system.

Seventhly, there is generally a degeneration of values in Bangladesh. Corruption is rampant in all segments of the society. Such situation should be arrested through greater transparency and accountability. Parliamentary standing committees may be more assertive to make the bureaucrats more accountable. Even the courts of law may, if not already doing, attempt to go into greater details of a case that involves the government projects and functionaries and make the public servants accountable. Higher bureaucracy may regularly visit the field level projects and offices to ensure better accountability and transparency.

Eighthly, E-governance or Digital Governance should be given especial priority. E-Governance has to be seen as a tool for good governance and human development. Good Governance occurs when Electronic Governance is able to enhance the “Public Value” of information supplied. The Civil Service members may be made aware of the necessity of E-Governance and be thoroughly armed with necessary competencies. Chandra Babu Naidu, a former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, India, could be a role model for our system.

Lastly, as long as necessary expertise, required of a particular Ministry/Division, is not developed, a core committee of experts drawn mainly from the civil society, universities and research institutes may be formed, as a stop gap measure, to assist the concerned Ministry/Division in handling the technical/complicated matters that involve vital national interests. Of course, this has been done many a time. This now needs to be made more structured with definite terms of reference.

CONCLUTION:

In conculation, we presented a proposition of the transformational stage in the administration, bureaucracy, and state. In fact, it is emphasized here that all other organs and structure of the state are poised for change. Partisan polity in the transitional stage is about to introduce reforms after a huge paradigm shift. The quality of leadership in all spheres – politics, business, profession, bureaucracy – is in question and calls deeply for reform.

In the current reformist and transformational scenario, the bureaucracy has a critical role in enabling an orderly transition to provide the prerequisites for democracy and development. For achieving this, the bureaucracy may help establish the rule of law. Without this, the arbitrary and capricious decision making of the past could reappear.

Leadership in Bangladesh is definitely at a critical juncture and, needless to say, standing at the threshold of the 21st century, Bangladesh has to discard the old perception of it. In this regard, the author considers this phase of history as transitional and transformational. Whether we like it or not, the coming generations will complete the full circle of change that is needed to move from one level of development to the next and thank us for “beginning the beginning”.

[miomediator]

Homestuck - Heart and Mind

Inner self and outer self

Content/trigger warnings: Heart: blood, decapitated heads, flashing colors, eye strain

Mind: flashing lights, repetitive looped gif

Very veeeery long thread!

Heart

I’m going to be honest, this is the more head-scratching (ha!) symbol of the 12, in my opinion. While the others immediately (or take a moment to) make sense, this one confuse me. Sure, it’s a cartoonish representation of a pink human heart.

The problem isn’t the main shape, but the right side of it. Beside the fact that it’s more original and eye-catching than a filled heart, why this gap, this wiggling line? But let’s proceed in order and take a more general approach first.

It’s a pink heart on a darker purple/pink background. The left side is filled, while the right side looks like a tail that coming in or out the shape. We’ll get into it a bit down below.

In pop and universal culture, people has always been show this embodiment of the heart. While many theorise about when and where it came from, a stable origin was registered during the Middle Age, as a pear.

Here’s an exempt of the theory:

“Historically speaking, the first known depiction of a heart shape, which can be vaguely considered as a symbol of love, was made in the 1250s. It appeared in a decoration of a capital letter “S” in a manuscript of a French romance called “Roman de la Poire” (Romance of the Pear). 

This miniature depicts a kneeling lover who offers his heart to a lady. This heart shape is similar to a pine cone, and it is held upside down (not in the usual position of the heart shape that we know today). Researchers only assume that the pine cone-shaped object is a heart because its part held by the lover is hidden. The name of this novel is “Romance of the Pear,” so the object may also be a pear.”

The earliest depiction of a heart symbol as a symbol of love in a manuscript of the “Roman de la Poire.”

[Mio’s note: Roman actually means novel in french, and isn’t necessarily romantic. Though I guess it is in this context.]

It is interesting, in this paragraph the heart is both referred as pine cone-shaped and pear-shaped. The latter is extremely funny, has it reminds me of a famous fanon HS meme “Well this has gone completely fucking pear-shaped”, attributed to Dirk and the decapitation joke. He, in fact, never really said it in Canon.

If we indulge this banter, the pear-shaped heart would symbolise things that took a disastrous turn, and so negative and stressful elements such as anxiety, adrenaline (negative in this case, positive in others), heart pounding, leaving a weird and unpleasant sandy taste on your tongue.

But I digress.

What we actually need to focus on is that:

A fruit, the pear, has been associated to a love gesture, like a gift to express romantic affection to someone.

The pear is upside-down, as the text point out. Which is curious and worth mentioning.

“the pine cone-shaped object is a heart because its part held by the lover is hidden”. So what is important it’s what is inside it, and so inside your heart. Which perfectly echoes with my subhead: Inner self.

The article continues, with Guido whom also depicted his version of a heart:

“Guido da Vigevano, a 14th-century Italian physicist, made some anatomical drawings of a heart that are very similar to the descriptions made by Aristotle. These depictions, along with the presumption that the human heart is connected with emotion and pleasure, transformed the heart shape into a symbol of medieval love.”

After this, a picture shows Charity incarnated as a woman, giving her heart to Jesus. While I won’t dwell on the religious implications, it is a metaphor of showing care and compassion to someone. Giving them a bit of your time, patience, and heart. In an extreme case, being completely devoted to someone in a strong way. 

Heart-bound fellows, despite the fact that they are concerned about themselves, are very people-oriented. They deeply want others to feel well and happy. Hence the expression being ‘kind-hearted/big-hearted’, and ‘work you heart out’. They put a lot of themselves into their hobbies, which they are passionate about.

After this, the article introduce the playing cards, implying that Guido had an influence on the decision to show a heart among the symbols:

The playing cards are even more relevant to this analysis, as their modern symbol are present in Troll romance. Here, the ‘clover’ is an acorn, the ‘spade’ a leaf, perhaps ivy, the heart is even more like the one we know nowadays, and the ‘diamond’ surprisingly is a small metallic bell. This set is dated from ~1540.

[Sources: this site about the origins of the red heart]

That was a (very) quick look at the evolution of the heart symbol.

I could go on and talk about Valentine’s Day, but it would be paraphrasing the site, and we have much more content to focus on. I invite you to take a look at said site and do some research of your own if you are interested about this peculiar bit.

Let’s go into more direct Homestuck content.

During the adventure, we are introduced to three Heart-players. Nepeta Leijon, Dirk Strider, and Meulin Leijon, in appearance order.

They all have interests related to feelings and love.

Nepeta has a shipping grid of her own friends on her cave’s walls and seems to be proficient in moirallegiance, a quadrant that require to be invested and devoted to their partner feelings. She had a crush on Karkat that she never confessed. Karkat knew but never worked the nerve to do something about it.

Dirk is engrossed by romance and smut, unashamedly draw his friends getting frisky (in a borderline-obscene way), is passionate about the projects he works on (work his heart out, sometimes literally). He was (and still is) madly in love with Jake. But by being overbearing and socially inept their relationship crumbled (while not being the only reason it didn’t work out).

[I love talking about Dirk, but I’ll do my best in this analysis to properly and equally split the content between Nepeta, Meulin and him] 

Meulin not only love shipping, she also gives directly advises to her friends, and acted as a matchmaker. She shipped several of the alpha trolls but according to Aranea, she focused on how cute a couple would be, instead on how and if their dynamic would work out. Her matespritship with Kurloz was cut short when he yelled in his sleep, deafening Meulin in the process.

Meulin talking about shipping the human teens, transcript from the Openbound game, part 2

The most obvious element they share is that they are zealous and unlucky in love. One would say it depends on the class, personality or aspect. They seem all correct assumptions to me.

Nepeta was the first to be presented as a Heart-bound character, the Rogue of Heart. So, logically, the design of the Heart symbol could be inspired by her.

How, you ask. Let’s take a look to Nepeta’s sign.

The ‘Leo’ sign, in human culture represents the constellation of the lion, with the circle as their head, and the loop as the body and tail.

Now looking back and forth to Leo and Heart: Heeeey! It’s quite similar. Can you see it?

Alright, that’s a good start. So the right side is like a tail. Let’s dig and look around Heart/heart. Heart is synonym of soul. Its symbol is a pink blood pusher. For humans it represent romantic love, our only ‘official’ quadrant. A red lover for trolls is called a matesprit. Sprit comes from esprit, which is the french word for spirit. So matesprit is a soul mate. But this term is used for another concept in Homestuck. A spiritual guide during the player journey: a sprite.

The link between the Leo and Heart sign is getting stronger. The circle as the head, the wiggling line as the body and tail. The sprite is a living spirit, a floating soul present in the physical plane. So the right side, the tail, is bound to the left side, the head. Meaning the soul is bound to the body. Oh. But what if it was detached from it? Yeeep, you know, I know, they know. This is why and how decapitation come into the picture.

Beheaded Dirk and Roxy hit in the stomach, from the [S] Dirk: synchronize

Jasperosesprite^2 prototyping Nepeta’s decapitated head in Jake’s kernelsprite

A kiss on the lips, which is seen often as a romantic gesture, is one of the resurrecting mechanism within SBURB/SGRUB. It transfers the soul from the ‘original’ body to the dream self, turning the latter into the main body. Separating the head from the rest of the body amounts to take away the soul, while throwing the head back (or any part of the corpse) into a kernelsprite recreate the link between the two. 

 A kernel is: 

“ a computer program at the core of a computer's operation system with complete control over everything in the system. It is an integral part of any operating system. It is the "portion of the operating system code that is always resident in memory". It facilitates interactions between hardware and software components.””

Source: Wikipedia

It’s a brain that bound the soul to the body, and is the core of the system, controlling it. So basically, the digital mind made in SBURB. One display among the several ones of the Heart/Mind duality.

So wait, if the head in this case is the soul, and looking back at medieval picture at the beginning (dude kneeling in front of a lady offering a heart) then Dirk sendificating his head in [S] Dirk Synchronize/Unite is really a romantic overture toward Jake (sacrificing a part of his self then Hal prompting him to kiss Dirk’s lips). Same for Jasperose resurrecting Nepeta by using her head. Damn. You two are smooth operators in the most disturbing way.

Another personal theory in my mind, is that pink ‘tail’ could represent how a person use and interact with their aspect.

Nepeta, as a Rogue, remove or give personality, passion and feelings to someone. 

For example she could appease a friend by removing their frustration. In contrary she could also give passionate feelings to someone who needs them. Such as in Ni no Kuni! In which the protagonist Oliver takes a piece of somebody’s soul (what is called emotion or virtue) to give it to someone who needs it. Those people are referred to “brokenhearted”.

So the wiggling tail would be something introduced or take away from the soul.

Dirk, as a Prince, has shown having the power to completely remove someone’s soul from their body. 

And for that, he doesn’t like his abilities, exhibiting him as a ‘cartoonish villain’ like Voldemort (splintering his soul into horcruxes) or Xehanort (putting part of himself in the Organization members). Though he could remove and grab one of his friend’s soul to save them from a close death. See the fan comic Double Death of the Author by The Lifetime Channel on MSPFA, and the fan fiction Defragmentation by Katreal on Ao3.

In this case, the tail would represent the soul being slowly removed.

Meulin, as a Mage, have an understanding of people’s strong feelings, especially romantic ones. 

Her ability is to read, feel and use her knowledge to help her friends figure out who is better suited for them. Meulin’s powers are similar to a diviner, allowing to form or break a couple. Perhaps with practice and reaching the God Tiers, she could even perceive red threads of fate which bound two lovers regardless of the location and time. The manga Bound Beauty (sorry, no english Wikipedia page) features a young lady with the ability to see those strings, usually invisible to the eye. She uses it at her advantage to coach her classmates, in exchange of money.

In this case, the tail would represent the red/pink thread of fate, coming not from the pinkie, but directly from the soul.

Heart-bound recommended Lyricstuck: What do you want from me by Pink Floyd

Mind

Watch as I make as much Mind puns as possible :p

This one is easier to read, which is also why it will be difficult for me to write a substantial section about it. Let’s start with the obvious.

It’s a vivid teal on a bit darker green background. Same as the Heart aspect, it’s more likely that the palette has been inspired by the first revealed character related to Mind: Terezi Pyrope, from the Teal caste. The shape is composed of an orb surrounded by three hook-like tails connected to the center. What effortlessly come to mind (ha!) is an organic cell, from the brain.

Picture source: https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/784048616363923971/

Neurons allow and facilitate informations to navigate in the brain. 

It’s:

an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses.

Source: Wikipedia

Information goes from a neuron, through a synapse to another neuron. An idea leads to another, connecting bits that turns into the big picture. The Mind aspect seems to share the concept of data with the Light aspect. The differences are that Light focuses on the most fructuous parts, ones that lead them to victory, while the Mind-bound works with choices and a mindset, in a more wide range, then narrowing the paths.

Terezi using her vision to s33 what action leads to which outcome, searching for the most fitting one.

Rose insisting that Kanaya come along the 3 years ride, while explaining and guiding Kanaya to make her narrowing her vision of “victory”.

So both Seer treat information, just not in the same way. 

The outcome still remains ”I want to advance toward a certain reality and I help others to reach it as long as they follow my instructions”. The inconvenient blind spot (sorry for the involuntary pun) is that they hardly can use those abilities for themselves. Either we don’t witness it on-screen, or they barely do it in the first place (a good example is the retroactive continuity during the GO timeline).

But let’s end the Seer detour here. Back to the Mind aspect itself.

We have a whole system going on in our own head. When I try to look for something, if I don’t find it directly, then I turn to something related to said information. Like an indirect research on the internet. If we don’t pay attention and don’t try to understanding our mind, as well as others’, we just end up being frustrated and lost.

The thing is you make your own world, with every action, decision, it creates a new path full of possibilities. The words you say or keep to yourself, acting or staying put, it all matter. Grasping and managing to own it, and you’ll have a better grip on your reality. It’s not my Aspect, I do have trouble making decisions and take responsibilities, however everybody needs to go through it.

The within interacts with the without, the mind to the outside word. We are always worried about how others perceive us, what kind of depiction of the self we convey. So we desperately put filters to the point of exhibiting falsehood of a personality. While introspection is observing ourselves, extraspection is perceiving things that are outside our mind. Hence the outer self, complementary to the inner self.

Terezi perfectly get how people work, and can manipulate them with ease, in contrary to Vriska whom doesn’t want to and go for mind-controlling them. Joke’s on her, her ‘mind’-control is proof that she fails in this peculiar category, since Terezi doesn’t need any psychic powers to convince someone to do and give the info she desires.

The big contrast contrast between Vriska and her, is that Terezi looks and determine what matters or not, while Vriska force the odds to be in her favor, shamelessly stealing fortune from others. She doesn’t even want to understand or try, she is a cheater and proud of it.

That was the link and differences between Mind and Light.

Let’s take a look at the Heart/Mind duality again. Both seem to share a connection with electricity.

Terezi gazing at the sky of her planet, the Land of Thought and Flow

It’s no secret that the connection between neurons are often compared to electronic chips. Cables canalize and facilitate electricity’s flow, to power devices, to link ideas and data. Or just used as raw energy.

Brain-not-so-ghost-anymore Dirk trying to rip Aranea’s soul

Lightning seen from a building roof on Dirk’s land

While the electricity for the Mind symbol refer to synapses, for the Heart/heart, also called blood pusher, would allude to cardiac nerves.

Bec Noir preparing the Red Miles to be thrown at the Genesis Frog

Instead of thoughts, it’s blood that navigates in the ‘roads’.

For the Heart-bound, the lightning represents the chaos that are emotions and sensitive intuition. While for the Mind-bound the lightning is order, reasoning and cold logic that strikes to bring justice, whether said justice is deem fair or not.

Let’s talk about a famous movies series in which among the core themes resolve around the Mind/Heart duality: The Matrix

Each building, tree, person are made with an inimaginable amount of lines of code

The Matrix spoilers ahead!!

If you’re not familiar with this trilogy (or haven’t watch it in a while), here’s the plot:

//Thomas A. Anderson is a programmer for a big software company, and in parallel is Neo, a hacker that illegally provides contraband programming. Agents in black suits caught up with his activities, but in truth approached Neo because a renowned hacker, Morpheus, enemy number one according to Agent Smith, contacted the programmer. After offering to clean his criminal record in exchange of helping catching Morpheus, which Neo refuses, the agents violently implant a snitch in our protagonist.

Neo wake up in his bed, believing it was all but an awful nightmare. Appearances are deceiving, as ‘dream sequences’ are layers on layers on reality. The resistance group calls him again, setting a rendez-vous under a bridge to help him and answer his questions, if he is willing to cooperate.

After a lot of hesitation, snitch removal, and the insistence of one of the member, Trinity, he finally accept and follow the group to go meet Morpheus.

There, Neo is given a choice, The Choice if we’re going with Homestuck comparisons: 

"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

Morpheus, Matrix (1st movie)

By choosing the take the red pill, Neo accepts to unplug himself (literally) from his ‘reality’ and see the truth: the world he lives in is all but an illusion, a huge program that is the Matrix, blinding humans to a make-believe 1999 year, used as living batteries, harvested and enslaved by the machines. Humanity is in ruins, and a war between people and machines has gone for a whole century.

Morpheus tells him that they believe he’s ‘The One’ and he has the power to stop the war. From the real world, Neo will train to reinforce his mind, going back into the Matrix and fight different enemy programs. While constantly being undergo introspection, looking for what to believe, who he is, questioning his values and acts.\\

From there I’ll go back and worth to Homestuck and the movies to point out the similarities and support my choice.

I’ll begin with the Mind aspect first:

Millions of human beings are plugged, treated as programs that have a function, along with providing a great amount of energy to the machines. Stuck and having their body atrophied, their brain is connected to the Matrix. The program control everything of their life and vision, from their status in society, to their physical sensations.

"What is real? How do you define real?" asks Morpheus to Neo. “If real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain." As I quote farther above, reality is something that isn’t there, but rather something you make. With Morpheus’ quote, my interpretation of the Mind symbol being neutrons and synapses is consolidated.

After being blinded by Vriska, Terezi way of ‘seeing’ shifted. Slowly, her perception of things changed and she grasped on a new light her reality.

She didn’t need eyes, but expanding her mind and freeing herself from the vision that clouded her. Navigating inward and outward, understanding what she felt, her inner self and outer self, back and forth. But it wasn’t perfect, no, she had and still is working on it, as she can be blinded by either cold logic or passionate feelings. Neo and her have the same weakness, they both are in love and it obstructs their mission. The dilemma is exhibited in [S]: Flip, where she has to choose between letting Vriska go, exposing the whole team to Jack, or killing her to protect her friends.

Terezi, on the path she let Vriska go

Vriska in her ancestor outfit, fitting Jack in one reality

A painful sacrifice is needed to be able to go forward, a reality in which most of them survive and has a chance of winning the game. A necessarily path that she regretted.

Neo with the Architect in the secret room, the screens displaying the different paths his reactions could take (Matrix: Reloaded, second movie)

In Matrix, Neo has to reach the source of all the program to reinstall the previous version of the code. The first time, he has a small range of opportunity, only a few minutes gap to access a secret room that would allow him to reach the source, among the city of machines. There, he encounters the Architect, a program whom function and personality is based on the creator of the Matrix, and have a chat with him.

Six others chosen ones preceded him, and all failed to accomplished this mission.

Why? “Choice. The problem is choice” answers Neo. Because unlike the Architect, Neo is a flawed human being. He can’t just brush off his feelings, he’s in love with Trinity. The latter despite asked not to join him plugged herself back into the Matrix allowing him to get safely into the secret room. With that, she exposed herself to an inevitable death. And so Neo took the door that lead to his lover, enabling within him a miracle that resurrected Trinity. 

Here was a couple of paragraphs about the dance between duty and love, cold logic and passion.

I’ll continue with the Heart aspect:

I talked about love and romance until now, but let’s take a look at another side of the Heart. The identity.

After taking the red pill- Neo turns his head and gaze at a mirror.

It’s shattered. The symbolism here shows that he’s lacking a part of himself, something that scratch him without being able to put his finger on it. Soon, right before his eyes, the mirror mends itself. Because he chosen the truth, the path that would lead him to understand and find himself.

The mirror is of course, a reference and call back to Alice, mentioned shortly before by Morpheus. No no, please forget about any cartoon, especially Disney’s version of the story. And focus about the sequel book: “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There”. It’s a curious, deep and tricky book. I would know, I read it twice and I’m still confused.

But I’m sure of one thing, the adventures of Alice has always been about introspection. First in chapter 1, Alice imagines for fun that the mirror in the living room lead to a parallel world. Like Neo, she touches the mirror and engages into a journey. In chapter 3, in order to cross a giant life-sized chess board (UH HMMMM UNCANNY!) she takes a train. 

“There she forgets all nouns, including her own name. With the help of a fawn who has also forgotten his identity, she makes it to the other side, where they both remember everything. Realizing that he is a fawn, she is a human, and that fawns are afraid of humans, it runs off (to Alice's frustration).”

Source: Through the Looking-glass (wikipedia)

[going through the book itself would have been too long]

The train might symbolize the course of life, or a part of it, in which an identity crisis occurs for Alice and question what is and what does it means. I’ll even say that this temporary memory loss put aside all differences and precedences, perhaps reflecting a class hierarchy, between Alice the human and the fawn, or the rich lady and the poor.

Back to Matrix.

Later in the movie, our programmer encounters a woman called the Oracle. She can see some events according to her grasp on human psychology, but never beyond a choice that she cannot understand, not even hers. The Oracle isn’t here to predict the future (even if she can), but to assist and guide those who picked the red pill. She does sound like a Seer of Mind :]

Upon meeting her, she asks him “do you think you are the one?” to what he respond “honestly I don’t know”. She then point behind him, toward a mantra hanged above the threshold: Temet nosce, which means “know thyself”.

The introspection will continue through all three movies, a wild tango between certitude and doubts, self that leads to a choice, from a choice which leads to who he is, the two are intertwined and indivisible.

In Matrix: Revolution (third movie), the final battle between our protagonist and his alter ego take place. Rain is pouring, thousand and thousand of copies looking down at him, the sky is dark, and Agent Smith step away from the crowd, so the fight begins.

Remember the paragraph about the lightning? The sky in this scene is quite reminiscent to Terezi Land’s electric atmosphere, and even more Dirk’s, has his planet is covered be countless empty green buildings in ruins.

The scene portraits perfectly the confrontation between order and chaos, good and evil, selfless and selfish. I could go on and on but I think y’all got the concept, and I nicely fill an even bigger word quota, with the two aspects balanced.

Source for the screenshots: Fancaps.net, here and here

Mind-bound recommended Lyricstuck: Dog days are over by Florence and the Machine