#competitive analysis framework

[marcamor123]

Corporate Strategy Consulting | Marcamor

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Corporate Strategy Consulting concentrates on the high-level strategic choices that mold a company's overall direction in Corporate Strategy Consulting. Unlike functional or business-unit strategies, corporate strategy explores portfolio management, diversification, mergers & acquisitions, resource allocation, and governance frameworks. At Marcamor, we don't offer pre-made solutions. Instead, we deeply analyze your company's assets, market context, and leadership aims to craft bespoke strategies that maximize value creation across all business units and markets.

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Choosing a corporate strategy consultant can be challenging due to the many firms claiming expertise. Marcamor differentiates itself by integrating in-depth industry insights, strong data analysis, and cross-sector learnings into our advisory process. We assess consultants based on proven frameworks, relevant case studies, and collaborative work styles. Our partnership model ensures your leadership team is well-equipped to convert strategic plans into decisive actions, with openness and accountability.

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Every industry faces distinct strategic challenges, from managing regulatory complexity and technological innovation to navigating global competition. Marcamor designs corporate strategies that directly address these unique issues. For example, a manufacturing conglomerate might focus on supply chain diversification and vertical integration, whereas a financial services firm might prioritize digital transformation and customer-centric strategies. Our tailored approach ensures your corporate strategy fits your sector's realities and your organization's goals.

4) Tools, Frameworks, and Best Practices for Corporate Strategy

Effective corporate strategy requires structured methodologies and analytical rigor. Marcamor uses well-established frameworks like the Ansoff Matrix, Porter's Five Forces, and the McKinsey 7S model, coupled with advanced scenario planning and data-driven forecasting. These tools help us assess risks, identify growth opportunities, and refine portfolio balance. Our approach combines flexibility with disciplined execution to keep strategies relevant in a rapidly changing environment.

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For More Info : Contact Us

[jcmarchi]

Study: When allocating scarce resources with AI, randomization can improve fairness

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/study-when-allocating-scarce-resources-with-ai-randomization-can-improve-fairness/

Study: When allocating scarce resources with AI, randomization can improve fairness

Organizations are increasingly utilizing machine-learning models to allocate scarce resources or opportunities. For instance, such models can help companies screen resumes to choose job interview candidates or aid hospitals in ranking kidney transplant patients based on their likelihood of survival.

When deploying a model, users typically strive to ensure its predictions are fair by reducing bias. This often involves techniques like adjusting the features a model uses to make decisions or calibrating the scores it generates.

However, researchers from MIT and Northeastern University argue that these fairness methods are not sufficient to address structural injustices and inherent uncertainties. In a new paper, they show how randomizing a model’s decisions in a structured way can improve fairness in certain situations.

For example, if multiple companies use the same machine-learning model to rank job interview candidates deterministically — without any randomization — then one deserving individual could be the bottom-ranked candidate for every job, perhaps due to how the model weighs answers provided in an online form. Introducing randomization into a model’s decisions could prevent one worthy person or group from always being denied a scarce resource, like a job interview.

Through their analysis, the researchers found that randomization can be especially beneficial when a model’s decisions involve uncertainty or when the same group consistently receives negative decisions.

They present a framework one could use to introduce a specific amount of randomization into a model’s decisions by allocating resources through a weighted lottery. This method, which an individual can tailor to fit their situation, can improve fairness without hurting the efficiency or accuracy of a model.

“Even if you could make fair predictions, should you be deciding these social allocations of scarce resources or opportunities strictly off scores or rankings? As things scale, and we see more and more opportunities being decided by these algorithms, the inherent uncertainties in these scores can be amplified. We show that fairness may require some sort of randomization,” says Shomik Jain, a graduate student in the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) and lead author of the paper.

Jain is joined on the paper by Kathleen Creel, assistant professor of philosophy and computer science at Northeastern University; and senior author Ashia Wilson, the Lister Brothers Career Development Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a principal investigator in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS). The research will be presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning.

Considering claims

This work builds off a previous paper in which the researchers explored harms that can occur when one uses deterministic systems at scale. They found that using a machine-learning model to deterministically allocate resources can amplify inequalities that exist in training data, which can reinforce bias and systemic inequality. 

“Randomization is a very useful concept in statistics, and to our delight, satisfies the fairness demands coming from both a systemic and individual point of view,” Wilson says.

In this paper, they explored the question of when randomization can improve fairness. They framed their analysis around the ideas of philosopher John Broome, who wrote about the value of using lotteries to award scarce resources in a way that honors all claims of individuals.

A person’s claim to a scarce resource, like a kidney transplant, can stem from merit, deservingness, or need. For instance, everyone has a right to life, and their claims on a kidney transplant may stem from that right, Wilson explains.

“When you acknowledge that people have different claims to these scarce resources, fairness is going to require that we respect all claims of individuals. If we always give someone with a stronger claim the resource, is that fair?” Jain says.

That sort of deterministic allocation could cause systemic exclusion or exacerbate patterned inequality, which occurs when receiving one allocation increases an individual’s likelihood of receiving future allocations. In addition, machine-learning models can make mistakes, and a deterministic approach could cause the same mistake to be repeated.

Randomization can overcome these problems, but that doesn’t mean all decisions a model makes should be randomized equally.

Structured randomization

The researchers use a weighted lottery to adjust the level of randomization based on the amount of uncertainty involved in the model’s decision-making. A decision that is less certain should incorporate more randomization.

“In kidney allocation, usually the planning is around projected lifespan, and that is deeply uncertain. If two patients are only five years apart, it becomes a lot harder to measure. We want to leverage that level of uncertainty to tailor the randomization,” Wilson says.

The researchers used statistical uncertainty quantification methods to determine how much randomization is needed in different situations. They show that calibrated randomization can lead to fairer outcomes for individuals without significantly affecting the utility, or effectiveness, of the model.

“There is a balance to be had between overall utility and respecting the rights of the individuals who are receiving a scarce resource, but oftentimes the tradeoff is relatively small,” says Wilson.

However, the researchers emphasize there are situations where randomizing decisions would not improve fairness and could harm individuals, such as in criminal justice contexts.

But there could be other areas where randomization can improve fairness, such as college admissions, and the researchers plan to study other use cases in future work. They also want to explore how randomization can affect other factors, such as competition or prices, and how it could be used to improve the robustness of machine-learning models.

“We are hoping our paper is a first move toward illustrating that there might be a benefit to randomization. We are offering randomization as a tool. How much you are going to want to do it is going to be up to all the stakeholders in the allocation to decide. And, of course, how they decide is another research question all together,” says Wilson.

[medicaldevicesindustrynews]

Compressed Air Energy Storage Market is Led by the Energy Management Category

The compressed air energy storage market was about USD 6,027.4 million in 2023, and it will reach USD 26,605.3 million by 2030, powering at a rate of 23.7% by the end of this decade.This is credited to the surge in the population and the subsequent surge in the power demand. As per the reports, global energy consumption increased from about 122.8 TWh in 2000 to more than 178.8 TWh in 2022. The…

[marketxcel]

How to Build a Strong B2B Market Research Plan

Learn how to create a robust B2B market research plan from scratch. Explore strategies, tools, and best practices to drive informed decisions and business growth.

[well-educatedmillennial]

Strategic Planning Frameworks: Tools for Business Success

Strategic planning frameworks like SWOT, Porter's Five Forces & PESTLE analysis provide indispensable tools to analyze your market. Use them to identify opportunities & craft strategies. #strategy #businessgrowth

In the ever-evolving world of business, the bridge between ambition and achievement is often built on the foundation of strategic planning. This vital discipline is more than simply charting a course – it aligns a company’s unique strengths with emerging market opportunities. Strategic frameworks are at the heart of this process, providing indispensable tools that offer structured pathways for…

[sgrji]

Six Sigma Quality: Achieving Excellence in Process Improvement

Certainly, I’ve removed the asterisks from the article, and I’ll ensure not to include them in future articles. Here’s the revised article: Six Sigma Quality: Achieving Excellence in Process Improvement In the world of business and manufacturing, achieving and maintaining high-quality standards is essential for success and customer satisfaction. Six Sigma, a methodology that originated from…

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Personality Traits

Raymond Cattell's Trait Theory

Warmth

LOW level of warmth: More likely to be Reserved – detached, critical, aloof, stiff

HIGH level of warmth: More likely to be Outgoing – warmhearted, easy-going, participating

Intellect

LOW: Less Intelligent – concrete-thinking

HIGH: More Intelligent – abstract-thinking, bright

Emotional Stability

LOW: Affected By Feelings – emotionally less stable, easily upset, changeable

HIGH: Emotionally Stable – mature, faces reality, calm

Aggressiveness

LOW: Humble – mild, easily led, docile, accommodating

HIGH: Assertive – aggressive, stubborn, competitive

Liveliness

LOW: Sober – taciturn, serious

HIGH: Happy-Go-Lucky – enthusiastic

Dutifulness

LOW: Expedient – disregards rules

HIGH: Conscientious – persistent, moralistic, staid

Social Assertiveness

LOW: Shy – timid, threat-sensitive

HIGH: Venturesome – uninhibited, socially bold

Sensitivity

LOW: Tough-Minded – self-reliant, realistic

HIGH: Tender-Minded – sensitive, clinging, overprotected

Paranoia

LOW: Trusting – accepting conditions

HIGH: Suspicious – hard to fool

Abstractness

LOW: Practical – “down-to-earth” concerns

HIGH: Imaginative – bohemian, absent-minded

Introversion

LOW: Forthright – unpretentious, genuine but socially clumsy

HIGH: Astute – polished, socially aware

Anxiety

LOW: Self-Assured – placid, secure, complacent, serene

HIGH: Apprehensive – self-reproaching, insecure, worrying, troubled

Open Mindedness

LOW: Conservative – respecting traditional ideas

HIGH: Experimenting – liberal, free-thinking

Independence

LOW: Group-Dependent – a “joiner” and sound follower

HIGH: Self-Sufficient – resourceful, prefers own decisions

Perfectionism

LOW: Undisciplined Self-Conflict – lax, follows own urges, careless of social rules

HIGH: Controlled – exacting will power, socially precise, compulsive

Tension

LOW: Relaxed – tranquil, unfrustrated, composed

HIGH: Tense – frustrated, driven, overwrought

Boiling Down the Traits

In order to scientifically establish a formal framework for understanding personality, Cattell used a statistical technique known as factor analysis.

He started out with a list of 4,500 adjectives that could describe people (taken from the English dictionary).

He then completed a laborious process of grouping these adjectives into 171 ‘clusters’, which were used in a series of studies where people rated others on the traits.

Over a period of several years, Cattell and his team of psychologists then used this data to boil down the set of traits to just 16.

These 16 traits were the smallest number of factors believed to meaningfully describe observable behaviour.

Sources: 1 2 ⚜ More: On Psychology ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[rhubarbplants]

A psychological analysis of the faction conflicts on The Realm thru the lens of Social Identity Theory

Aka how did the factions lead to the creation of strong in-group identities that have shaped and been shaped by conflict on The Realm.

To understand how social identity theory is relevant to The Realm we must first understand the theory itself. Tajfel et al looks at social identity theory and group identity. In the study participants were randomly assigned to groups and told a trivial reason for the divide. In one iteration of the study (and the one I think is most interesting and relevant) the participants were told to divide points between the groups (points would be converted to money at the end so it matters) There were three ways the money could be divided: The first was awarding a high value to the ingroup but an even higher value for the out group, the next one awarded a smaller but equal amount to both groups, the last option awarded a low number of points to the ingroup but only one point to the out group thus maximizing the difference between the two groups.

The study found that participants were willing to award fewer points to their group in order to maximize the difference between the two groups and wanted to minimize the points of the other group. Even a trivial and short term group divide can inspire mindsets of competition, us versus them, and discrimination.

Strangely enough The Realm can be pretty effectively analysed using social identity theory. I will also look at the factions (and maybe other SMPs) using Hofstede's social dimensions which I will be making and releasing as soon as I can. 

When the factions were first created it was decently random. There were very few plans for lore and many of the creators were pretty unfamiliar with each other. However factions were all sort of chosen with certain traits or roles in mind. The kingdom of fools wanted to make a kingdom and initially wanted to rule the server even though that goal isn’t present in the modern iteration of the faction. The Honey Badgers were originally the Anti-Kingdom, created by Hannah and Bad to oppose the KOF and while this has also taken a back seat its still present in the identity of the group. The Teal Titans were created as the neutral group and I think that remains true for the most part. I will not be talking about the factionless people in this because it doesn’t really fit into the framework. The red faction is also very interesting, they are also another random group with very little in common but they also have a very clear group identity being the hostile faction.

To me Pangi sabotaging the faction tasks of the Kingdom of Fools displays some of the same phenomena as Tajfel’s study. The acts of sabotage do not in any way strengthen or positively affect the Honey Badgers at all, they would get nothing tangible out of the Kingdom’s failure and yet they still did it. This shows how in-group and out-group mentalities developed very quickly leading to intergroup conflict and in some cases prejudice.

Another example of this is Ros destroying her castle. While it did do something good for her it was largely an act to spite the Honey Badgers. She did something that actively disadvantaged her own faction (despite them being ok with it) so that she could get one up on the out-group.

We can also see Social Identification taking place on The Realm. Soon after the factions were formed people started aligning themselves with their factions very strongly. Social identification is when people start to act and think in ways that align with their group and tie their personal identity to their group identity.

This is easiest to see in the Kingdom because they have the most defined group identity but is present in many other places too. We can see it in how Lukey is striving to become more independent as independence is a value of the Honey Badgers. Ros made her membership to the Kingdom a central part of her identity taking on some of the superiority but we also see her start to present a strong facade, be very community oriented, specifically in regards to her faction and she becomes very protective. These are all traits that are considered Kingdom traits and you can see them in most of the members of the Kingdom of Fools, Sneeg being the next best example of this. Self identification also involves the group becoming a key part of your personal identity and this is very apparent in all the factions.

Self Identification within group identity becomes even stronger when that group is under threat. One great example of this is with the Hostile Faction on The Realm. We can see how initially some of the Red Faction members did become more violent but their faction was not defined by a desire for violence but by a duty so many of them also exhibited significant reluctance. Sausage and Scott both exhibited disdain for the faction and eventually left, despite Sausage honoring the work Mocha did for the faction. Mocha actually in some circumstances actually self identified more closely with the Honey Badgers by exhibiting hard working behaviors, a high level of independence, and significant anti-kingdom sentiment. However, self identification with the hostile faction actually grew after Mocha’s death as Krow started calling itself The Red and becoming more aggressive and as Jonnay also became more aggressive and focused on protecting the Hostile Faction as both of them made it a key part of their identities.

After social identification comes social comparison and this is what starts the faction conflict as it exists today. The main players in the faction conflict were constantly engaging in comparison. The Kingdom called the Honey Badgers peasants and viewed themselves as more noble and often looked down on them as being more aggressive and presenting themselves as innocent when the trading of blows and slights were about equal. Similarly the green viewed themselves as humble and the kingdom as self-important and stuffy. They also saw themselves as free and the kingdom as domineering. Social comparison doesn't have to be grounded in reality, in fact it often isn't but is instead based on perceptions of the groups by its members. Also because the Hostile faction and the Honey Badgers were so close though most of the faction conflict much of the comparison actually applies to both groups.

There was also one thing I found interesting which was that Sneeg and Ros also thought that the Honey Badgers weren’t supportive of each other because they were independent and this idea was very persistent. The idea was likely derived from social comparison of her thinking the opposite and rival group would not share the positive traits of her own group. 

These comparisons create rivalries and reinforce prejudices and in this case caused a spiralling faction conflict where neither group could ever see eye to eye. Conflict heightens group divides and creates strong In-group out-group mentalities Especially following the second ball/Foolish’s assassination there was sort of a feeling like the Honey Badgers and the Kingdom of Fools could hardly even speak to each other and mixing between groups was highly discouraged.

Alternatively we have also seen how conflict can unite divided groups if the conflict isnt between the groups but instead an outside threat that poses equal risk to each group. Such as with the Keepers taking Aimsey, Pangi, and Ros which caused the factions to make a treaty, or the corruption which led to cooperation between the factions.

To conclude we can use social psychological concepts to better understand the faction conflicts on The Realm and how they are driven by the social and group identities of the characters. We can understand how characters have been shaped by their factions and how these social mindsets affect how to respond to conflict and threats.

[bonebeautyart]

Tbh as long as Saint-Just will be seen as Robespierre's little acolyte or emo twink fanboy I doubt that many would be interested in studying his writings...

Too many people are to blame for these stereotypes hahaha, especially in the Thermidorian era.

The Thermidorian era portrayed Robespierre as a tyrant and absolutist, which in turn opened up his field of research (in addition to having participated in the revolution from 1789 to 1794, which obviously provides a much broader and "easier" framework for analysis).

The problem with Saint Just is that his language is cryptic in itself, each speech is a work that I find a connection with his central text, which is "Of Social Law". I view his theory as a puzzle, where his speeches, institutions, and social law converge and form a complete theory. The difficulty was that “Of the social Law” was lost (aka: it was owned by the Carnot family), so the documents were not located until 1950, and it was not the first edition published by Sobboul in 1951, 157 years later!! The central mystery of Saint Just was solved, but that meant that his investigation was 157 years late.

This same enigma and the lack of information about his person make him vulnerable to mysticism on the part of historians, who, without a category to place him, have to turn him into a myth or a shadow, for work reasons. This is how the myth of "The Archangel of Death" by Michelet emerged, and with it, the rest of the novelists contributed to making his image more literary than scientific.

Saint Just certainly experienced a type of academic veto as well; he was condemned by the circumstances of various eras, causing multiple rejections due to the incomprehension (or non-existence) of a complete work. He died before his writings were published, before the academy could process them (because it never has, after 230 years he is a new author), and before there was a school capable of explaining and disseminating his work.

Something similar happened with Karl Marx, who was a complete unknown in his time until the rediscovery and exploitation of his ideas in Russia. After a monumental movement and systematic consumption of Marx's works, it becomes necessary to produce explanatory manuals in various languages, creating field competitiveness. Saint Just may have experienced this rediscovery if his document had been published by him and not posthumously and in a fragmented manner. It is currently a fairly unexplored field, so more studies on his figure are urgently needed. Especially in the area of political philosophy.

[researchers-me]

If your goal is to keep ahead of your rival in the UAE market this year, you need a solid competitive analysis framework to research the necessary information about your competitor.

[polly-chan]

Pixel Capitalism – Part 2: Is a Socialist Alternative in Video Games Possible?

This article is intended purely as a mental exercise and has no propagandistic aims.

This is the second article in a series reflecting on the economic logic behind “cozy” video games. It is not intended as propaganda, but as a framework for critical thinking.

In this second episode of the Pixel Capitalism series, I will explore the possibility of an anti-capitalist alternative in the gameplay of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley. Although it’s not an easy task, I find it incredibly fun.

If you missed the previous episode, I recommend checking it out Pixel Capitalism : A comparison between Economic Systems in Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley —it’s essential to understand the foundations and assumptions from which we started this analysis.

Introduction: Beyond Aesthetic and Productive Capitalism

After analyzing how Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley represent two faces of video-game capitalism—one aesthetic, the other productive—the natural question arises: Is there an alternative path? Is it possible to imagine and structure gameplay inspired by socialist or cooperative values, without falling into the trap of work disguised as play?

In this article, we explore:

the defining features of a socialist economic model;

how they could be translated into gameplay mechanics;

whether engagement and a sense of progression can be maintained without private property, accumulation, or individual profit.

What Do We Mean by “Socialism” in a Video Game?

To be clear, we’re not referring to socialism as a rigid political doctrine, but rather as a set of economic and social principles, including:

collective ownership of the means of production (in-game: land, tools, resources);

fair redistribution of value created (in-game: resources, time, rewards);

decision-making by participation (in-game: democratic governance);

overcoming competitive individualism (in-game: no rankings, personal scores, or private wealth);

emphasis on leisure time and wellbeing.

Applying these principles to game design means breaking away from many of the logics driving current management games. Personally, I believe democratic governance is the most challenging to overcome, but we'll explore why further on.

Regarding overcoming competitive individualism—while these two games aren't competitive in the classic sense (no PvP and relaxed communities)—they are not exempt from such dynamics. Upon close inspection, we can identify mechanics that position the player competitively, both against themselves and others.

In Animal Crossing, the collection mechanics and achievement cards present a certain challenge, as does comparing one’s island via dream codes with those shared by talented content creators—offering a sense of comparison. A similar dynamic exists in Stardew Valley, though community comparison may be less pronounced.

This well-established system effectively maintains player focus and prolongs game longevity. Even if we may not appreciate it, it's an effective marketing strategy: the more time players spend in-game, the more likely they are to invest in it or its merchandise.

Proposal: Designing Cooperative, Socialist-Inspired Gameplay

Imagine a cozy management/simulation game set in a post-crisis rural community, where the goal isn’t individual growth, but collective wellbeing. A village to rebuild together, based on mutual aid, shared labor, and time to live.

Economic Structure

No single owner: land and resources are collectively owned. Players co-manage agricultural, artisanal, and social activities.

No personal currency: there is no individual wallet. A common budget is used to upgrade services, buy equipment, or manage seasons.

Symbolic rewards, not material gains: progress is measured in village wellbeing, ecological balance, and members’ happiness.

Mandatory but non-punitive cooperation: daily planning of shared labor. No one is forced to do everything; resources are shared equitably, respecting individual pacing.

Weekly shifts and rotational labor cycles: tasks (farming, cooking, teaching, animal care) are rotated to avoid rigid specialization.

Periodic assemblies (narrative game loop): players collectively decide where to invest time and resources—building a school? a library?

No “endgame” tied to optimization: there is no leveling cap—only communal equilibrium, which can either be fragile or harmonious depending on collective choices.

But is it really possible to reinvent Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley this way? What might not work?

Risk of reduced individual agency: if everything is collective, the player may feel “one among many” without real impact.

Gameplay balancing issues: keeping engagement without personal rewards requires a strong narrative system and well-crafted social dynamics.

Multiplayer dependency?: a true cooperative structure works better with multiple players, but the model should also accommodate single-player experiences.

Animal Crossing in Socialist Mode: From Personal Island to Communal Commune

Here’s a list of structural changes for our discussion—some of which would challenge game design significantly:

The island is no longer yours, but ours: you’re a peer member of a self-managed co-op.

Homes are assigned based on need, not purchased on credit. No mortgage with Tom Nook. Resources for building are gathered and shared equitably.

Nook’s Cranny becomes a community depot, managed on a rotational basis by villagers.

Collected materials go into a communal warehouse and are used based on democratically decided priorities.

Villagers are not passive—they actively participate in gathering, decoration, and maintenance.

Some villagers can take temporary roles (carpenter, gardener, music teacher), but rotate every few days to prevent hierarchy and burnout.

The real challenge? Ensuring the player still feels active and influential in island aesthetics. In a democratic structure, public works and communal assets are collectively decided, which could limit the player’s creative freedom. But what if the player is democratically elected as a delegate at the start of the game? This narrative shortcut could give them enough decision-making power without undermining socialist principles. The arrangement would form a building cooperative: villagers help with public works rather than just idly standing where you terraform *coff coff...

Housing becomes a right, and upgrades are achieved through shared labor and resource use—wood, stone, clay. The ultimate goal shifts from completing a personal home to building a harmonious community, where all villagers are happy, included, and actively contributing.

Stardew Valley in Socialist Mode: From Private Farm to Agricultural Cooperative

Reinventing Stardew Valley under this model is more complex, but I’m up for the challenge:

The farm is no longer a private inheritance—it becomes communal land managed by a cooperative group of farmers.

Agricultural labor is divided among villagers on a weekly rotation.

Automations (sprinklers, machines) cannot fully replace human work—they can only ease it.

The harvest is shared among members, with quotas prioritizing the elderly, sick, and children.

Surpluses are exchanged with other communities via a solidarity network—not sold for profit.

JojaMart is not even an option—it’s replaced by a collaborative cooperative network.

Each week, members decide how much to work and how much to allocate to rest, art, or mutual care. No penalties for taking a sabbatical week.

Again, as in Animal Crossing, the player could be elected as a representative to retain enough managerial power to keep gameplay fun.

Why Try This?

Reinventing Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley under a socialist model doesn’t turn them into strictly political games, but it does acknowledge that every game is already an ideological representation. Who owns what, who decides, who works—and why—are all design decisions that shape our worldview.

A cooperative, non-competitive gameplay model can be:

equally engaging;

emotionally deeper;

and perhaps even more relaxing, precisely because it frees players from the loop of endless production.

And You, How Would You Reinvent the Game?

I’ve imagined an alternative, cooperative, anti-capitalist version of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. But this is just one proposal—and like any collective process, discussion is essential.

Would you like to contribute your vision? Here are some questions to spark the conversation:

In Animal Crossing, what role would you want the villagers to actually play? Would you like an island where everyone works together?

In Stardew Valley, could you have fun without owning the farm? Is there a sense of belonging without property?

What types of rewards motivate you more: personal ones or shared ones?

Have you ever wished a game let you decide together with others what to build or cultivate?

How can a game be interesting when free time matters more than productivity?

What collective dynamic would you include in a game aiming to transcend the logic of accumulation?

And of course, the GIF of Ruby was not chosen at random. Her curious, focused gaze is no accident—it reflects a creative vision turned toward the avant-garde. Ruby is not just observing; she is imagining, questioning, and reconfiguring the world around her. In many ways, she represents the very spirit of this article: a quiet but determined push toward new awareness, collective thinking, and radical reimaginings of the spaces we inhabit—digital or otherwise.

[technologyequality]

AI and Business Strategy: The Secret to Sustainable, Scalable Success

AI and Business Strategy The Secret to Sustainable, Scalable Success Scaling is one thing. Sustaining it? That’s the real challenge. If you’ve been following this series, you know we’ve talked about AI-driven leadership, customer experience, and innovation—all crucial pieces of the puzzle. But today, we’re tackling something even more foundational: how AI transforms business strategy…

[coochiequeens]

Another country where 43.5% of the population lives in poverty is becoming popular with surrogacy agencies

"International Appeal: Understanding Why Families Globally Choose Surrogacy in Mexico

The international appeal of surrogacy in Mexico is rooted in several key factors. First, Mexico’s robust healthcare system, renowned for its high-quality medical services, has made it a primary choice for surrogacy.

Second, the country’s inclusive culture and open acceptance of diverse families provide a welcoming environment for all prospective parents. Lastly, the competitive costs of surrogacy services in Mexico have made it an attractive option for many families worldwide.

Mexico’s legislation around surrogacy is another significant factor contributing to its international appeal. Although certain states have more specific regulations, the country as a whole provides a legal framework that facilitates the surrogacy process. This provides reassurance to prospective parents, making Mexico a safe and viable choice for surrogacy.

The international appeal of surrogacy in Mexico also extends to the country’s geographical location. For North American and European families, Mexico’s proximity offers easy travel for appointments, legal proceedings, and the eventual birth of their child. This geographical convenience coupled with the country’s advanced healthcare infrastructure makes Mexico a prime destination for surrogacy."

Wow that sounds awesome for families experiencing Infertility. I wonder if there be other reasons couples are looking to Mexico?

"t was not all good news. The agency also reported that extreme poverty — defined as people who do not have enough income even to buy enough food — edged up from 7% of the population in 2018 to 7.1% in 2022. Because of the increase in overall population, that meant that extreme poverty cases rose from 8.7 million people in 2018 to 9.1 million in 2022."

[therealbeingpeople]

Yes, that would generally be the appropriate analysis, would be that they are claiming privileged political protections on the grounds of their belonging to a given classification of person, whereas the political system, social norming regimes, and cultural practices would otherwise indicate them to be the dominant class and their defenders and authoritarian police force.

That’s what the New School teaches people to do, though. UC Berkeley and the rest of the California activism academies do too.

See, to those types of peoples, the capitalistic norms of competition- derived from observation and analysis of natural phenomena- reduce analytical frameworks of power to those of the dominant and those of the subdominant or regressive classes and political groups and do so in ways that conceal the more robust and ecstatic nature of disparities and inequalities in power.

You should probably just start swingin’ on a mofo’

That shit would be crazy if you just started swingin’ on that fat mofo with some brass knuckles on for tryin’ to tag in for me.

Anyway, I gotta go return some shirts.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

The story behind the cost of books in Brazil

What drives cover prices? Book prices reflect every step, from advance to bookstore shelf

Brazilian publishers must keep their books balanced—literally and figuratively—to remain competitive. Every detail matters. The publishing process hinges on careful calculations, with book prices typically derived from a close analysis of individual cost components. In editorial meetings, there’s no fixed formula—only a flexible framework where the most and least expensive elements are weighed to close a budget. Costs at each stage of production tend to fluctuate based on supply, demand, and the internal policies of each publishing house.

Today, the industry is increasingly guided by metrics and consumer behavior. Digital culture and audience feedback influence what gets published, though they haven’t upended the foundational practices of this centuries-old craft. The once-romanticized figure of the editor has evolved, but curating a strong catalog and cultivating a loyal readership remains at the heart of a publisher’s mission.

One strategy that has gained traction over the past decade is market segmentation, which publishers see as a way to broaden their audience. This has led to the creation of specialized imprints—essentially small publishing houses within larger ones—geared toward specific readerships. Major players such as Alta Books, Companhia das Letras, Record, Globo, Leya, and Autêntica have invested heavily in this approach, with dedicated labels for genres including young adult, bestsellers, classics, and self-help.

To build lasting relevance, bibliodiversity is regarded as the backbone of the publishing ecosystem. “The catalog has to be diversified. You need the bestseller, which brings volume, and the long-seller, which may take time to move but adds prestige and critical value,” says Rejane Dias, editorial director at Grupo Autêntica. “A commercial success gives the publisher the breathing room to invest in less marketable titles.”

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[compneuropapers]

Interesting Papers for Week 50, 2024

Synaptic rearrangement of NMDA receptors controls memory engram formation and malleability in the cortex. Bessières, B., Dupuis, J., Groc, L., Bontempi, B., & Nicole, O. (2024). Science Advances, 10(35).

Quantitative modeling of the emergence of macroscopic grid-like representations. Bin Khalid, I., Reifenstein, E. T., Auer, N., Kunz, L., & Kempter, R. (2024). eLife, 13, e85742.

Individual gaze shapes diverging neural representations. Borovska, P., & de Haas, B. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(36), e2405602121.

Competitive processes shape multi-synapse plasticity along dendritic segments. Chater, T. E., Eggl, M. F., Goda, Y., & Tchumatchenko, T. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 7572.

Neural circuit basis of placebo pain relief. Chen, C., Niehaus, J. K., Dinc, F., Huang, K. L., Barnette, A. L., Tassou, A., … Scherrer, G. (2024). Nature, 632(8027), 1092–1100.

Morphine-responsive neurons that regulate mechanical antinociception. Fatt, M. P., Zhang, M.-D., Kupari, J., Altınkök, M., Yang, Y., Hu, Y., … Ernfors, P. (2024). Science, 385(6712).

The limited memory of value following value directed encoding. Filiz, G., & Dobbins, I. G. (2024). Memory & Cognition, 52(6), 1387–1407.

Dynamic control of sequential retrieval speed in networks with heterogeneous learning rules. Gillett, M., & Brunel, N. (2024). eLife, 12, e88805.3.

Disinhibition enables vocal repertoire expansion after a critical period. Heim, F., Mendoza, E., Koparkar, A., & Vallentin, D. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 7565.

Dopaminergic manipulations affect the modulation and meta-modulation of movement speed: Evidence from two pharmacological interventions. Hickman, L. J., Sowden-Carvalho, S. L., Fraser, D. S., Schuster, B. A., Rybicki, A. J., Galea, J. M., & Cook, J. L. (2024). Behavioural Brain Research, 474, 115213.

Cl − -dependent amplification of excitatory synaptic potentials at distal dendrites revealed by voltage imaging. Higashi, R., Morita, M., & Kawaguchi, S. (2024). Science Advances, 10(35).

A circuit motif for color in the human foveal retina. Kim, Y. J., Packer, O., & Dacey, D. M. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(36), e2405138121.

Super-optimality and relative distance coding in location memory. McIntire, G., & Dopkins, S. (2024). Memory & Cognition, 52(6), 1439–1450.

Detection of Memory Engrams in Mammalian Neuronal Circuits. Niewinski, N. E., Hernandez, D., & Colicos, M. A. (2024). eNeuro, 11(8), ENEURO.0450-23.2024.

Distinct roles of monkey OFC-subcortical pathways in adaptive behavior. Oyama, K., Majima, K., Nagai, Y., Hori, Y., Hirabayashi, T., Eldridge, M. A. G., … Minamimoto, T. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 6487.

Multiunit Frontal Eye Field Activity Codes the Visuomotor Transformation, But Not Gaze Prediction or Retrospective Target Memory, in a Delayed Saccade Task. Seo, S., Bharmauria, V., Schütz, A., Yan, X., Wang, H., & Crawford, J. D. (2024). eNeuro, 11(8), ENEURO.0413-23.2024.

Maximum-entropy-based metrics for quantifying critical dynamics in spiking neuron data. Serafim, F., Carvalho, T. T. A., Copelli, M., & Carelli, P. V. (2024). Physical Review E, 110(2), 024401.

Intrinsic Motivation in Dynamical Control Systems. Tiomkin, S., Nemenman, I., Polani, D., & Tishby, N. (2024). PRX Life, 2(3), 033009.

Top-down modulation of the retinal code via histaminergic neurons of the hypothalamus. Warwick, R. A., Riccitelli, S., Heukamp, A. S., Yaakov, H., Swain, B. P., Ankri, L., … Rivlin-Etzion, M. (2024). Science Advances, 10(35).

A framework for the emergence and analysis of language in social learning agents. Wieczorek, T. J., Tchumatchenko, T., Wert-Carvajal, C., & Eggl, M. F. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 7590.