#database masking tools

[innovativeroutinesinternational]

Unveiling the Power of Database Masking Tools and Data Obfuscation Tools in Safeguarding Sensitive Information

In the age of information, where data is both a valuable asset and a potential liability, safeguarding sensitive information has become a top priority for organizations across industries. Database masking tools and data obfuscation tools have emerged as indispensable assets in the realm of data security. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of these tools, their key features, and the crucial role they play in protecting sensitive data.

Understanding Database Masking Tools

Database masking tools, also known as data masking tools, are specialized software solutions designed to protect sensitive information by replacing, encrypting, or scrambling original data in non-production environments. The primary goal is to create a secure testing and development environment without exposing confidential information.

Key Features of Database Masking Tools

1. Dynamic Masking: Database masking tools: employ dynamic masking techniques to alter data in real-time, ensuring that sensitive information is not exposed during testing or development activities. This allows organizations to maintain the realism of their datasets while protecting privacy.

2. Preservation of Data Relationships: One of the challenges in data masking is preserving relationships between different data elements. Advanced database masking tools can intelligently mask data while maintaining referential integrity, ensuring that the relationships between entities are preserved for accurate testing scenarios.

3. Format-Preserving Masking: To ensure the integrity of data formats, some database masking tools utilize format-preserving masking techniques. This approach maintains the original data format while obscuring the actual content, providing a balance between security and usability.

4. Role-Based Access: Database masking tools often incorporate role-based access controls, allowing organizations to define who has access to the original data and who sees the masked or obfuscated data. This granular control enhances security and ensures that only authorized personnel can view sensitive information.

Understanding Data Obfuscation Tools

Data obfuscation tools, on the other hand, focus on concealing sensitive information by modifying or replacing it with fictional or randomized data. These tools are not limited to databases and can be applied across various data storage and transmission channels.

Key Features of Data Obfuscation Tools

1. Randomization Techniques: Data obfuscation tools use randomization techniques to replace sensitive information with fictitious or random data. This ensures that even if a breach occurs, the exposed data is of no value to malicious actors.

2. Tokenization: Tokenization is a powerful data obfuscation technique that involves replacing sensitive data with unique tokens. These tokens are meaningless without the corresponding mapping, which is securely stored, providing an additional layer of security.

3. Data Encryption: While data encryption is primarily a security measure, it also contributes to data obfuscation by rendering the information unreadable without the appropriate decryption key. This is especially crucial during data transmission and storage.

Real-World Applications

1. Healthcare Data Protection: In the healthcare sector, where protected health information (PHI) is highly sensitive, database masking tools and data obfuscation tools play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). By obfuscating patient data during testing and development, organizations can create a secure environment without compromising privacy.

2. Financial Data Security: Financial institutions deal with vast amounts of sensitive financial data. Database masking tools are essential in protecting this information during software development and testing, ensuring that applications are thoroughly tested without exposing confidential financial details.

3. Compliance with Privacy Regulations: Data protection regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) mandate strict measures to safeguard personal data. Database masking tools and data obfuscation tools aid organizations in complying with these regulations by minimizing the risk of  unauthorized exposure.

Conclusion

As organizations continue to grapple with the challenges of balancing data usability and security, database masking tools and data obfuscation tools emerge as indispensable components of a comprehensive data protection strategy. By seamlessly integrating these tools into their workflows, businesses can create secure environments for testing and development while safeguarding sensitive information from potential breaches. In an era where data privacy is non-negotiable, investing in advanced database masking and data obfuscation tools is not just a best practice but a strategic imperative for maintaining trust, compliance, and the overall security of sensitive information.

[chronicbitchsyndrome]

as someone who is anti-authoritarian and also immunocompromised, i think group masking is as important and effective as good air filtration. for instance: in an indoors event where there is good air filtration + ventilation but no one is masking, you can still get covid if even one person attending the event is infectious, because covid spreads through aerosols that can travel distances of over 30 ft. factors like good fit and filtration efficacy (i.e. cloth masks do not filter air effectively, or kn95s that have huge gaps where infectious aerosols from exhalations can be breathed in/out) are also dependent, but if good masking is provided (i.e. events provide well-fitting, high quality masks) and good air filtration is provided, that can help a lot. i agree that structural issues are the problem, but group masking is also important too! <3

sorry, but this is factually untrue. group masking is significantly less important than good air filtration because it is an individual mitigation (meaning many people cannot or will not do it) and because it is not effective enough at stopping transmission of aerosols for it to be an acceptable mitigation for anyone at high risk. the floor is air filtration (and air filtration does not have to be systemic to be an appropriate mitigation; as i said before, an appropriate air purifier can be purchased by an organization or small group of organizers and used for all events at all venues, a one-time expense of (what generally turns out to be) $500 is well within the budgets of most organizations regularly holding community events).

this is what i mean when i say i'm trying to put together a database of accessible information regarding transmission of respiratory infections; the idea that masking alone makes it possible for at-risk people to have access to begin with is a common misconception that i just do not have the capacity to debunk with sources right now because the sources are inaccessibly written and require you to synthesize unrelated information from five or six different sources to understand.

i use the microCOVID project's risk tracker, which is a spreadsheet you can download and program with COVID transmission rates and other data (i.e. vaccination rates) for your locale. the spreadsheet calculates the probability of COVID infection based on specific factors (amount of time of exposure, masking situation, distance from others, number of others, filtration, ventilation, etc). the tool then breaks these down into approximate "points," and gives you a "point budget" based on the probability of contracting COVID within a 365-day period--you choose the probability you are comfortable with. i have mine set to 1%, which is the recommended probability for anyone not at high risk; if i were to go with the recommended high-risk probably, i'd be at 0.1%, which is restrictive enough that it's literally impossible for my life despite the fact that i am objectively high-risk. this gives me about 170 points per week to do all of my daily life activities that expose me to COVID--so including, like, groceries, doctors' appointments, bus rides, everything.

let's do a basic small community event as an example: a three-hour event, indoors, 10 people, all at least 6 feet away from me, everyone including me wearing KN95s.

without air filtration, that is 120 points. that is literally the only thing i could possibly do that week, barring small excursions where i stay away from people as much as possible.

with air filtration, that is 30 points.

and here's the thing: if i am the only person masking, if i am wearing an N95 and everyone else is barefaced with air filtration, it is 67 points. literally EVERYONE NOT MASKING BUT ME is still accessible if there is air filtration. i and the vast majority of other high-risk people can go to community events where NO-ONE IS MASKING if there is air filtration. i am going to write this again in bold text because i really fucking need everyone to understand this: air filtration and NO-ONE ELSE MASKING is literally MORE ACCESSIBLE than no air filtration and required masks.

air filtration is the floor. masks are not good enough and it is not actually harm reduction to require masking, even if you provide good-quality masks. i need to put together this database because i really fucking need people to understand this. i know you mean well, anon, and i appreciate the sentiment, but this exact sentiment is what is making the entire world inaccessible to anyone high-risk and it is actively causing damage to millions of people.

[blushingdread]

Hi MLB fandom, I am a passerby that tried to watch the show for my GF and failed, but I have read a bunch of fanfics and I think Butterfly Emilia would be cool as fuck

Some headcanons:

The butterfly does long-range magic by connecting to others and giving them magic, they're weapon isn't a weapon. It's a tool for communicating with their champions. Emilia has this big ass old timey microphone bc she's a former performer (actress if i rember correctly?) And she's all for the dramatics (Gabriel would have a head set) Despite it not being a weapon, she still wacks people with it

She has seven different pieces of butterfly jewelry on her transform (2 earrings, 2 rings, brooch, hair piece, and one holding her skirt in the back) fighting her directly is very annoying because they have no idea which fucking one is her miraculous

You may notice she's not wearing a mask, just makeup. Her face has been run through every database known to man. The cloaking magic makes it impossible to actually figure out. She doesn't really see herself as a villain, and she doesn't read comic books. Her outfit is more of a performance outfit (Marinette likes western comic books and is super hero themed, Adiren sees himself as a magical girl)

Her main motivation is that she's a MASSIVE control freak with entitlement issues. She was born rich rich and stumbled upon God jewelry. She is drunk on power 24/7 and doesn't think consequences exist. She wants to revive Gabriel bc she loves him. She's terrorizing Paris bc she thinks her happy ending is the most important and doesn't care about anyone else

Gabriel "died" from using both the peacock and butterfly to make Adiren (who Emilia designed herself, with blueprints) despite the fact that Noorou and Duusuo told them that using two miraculouses at once was a bad idea. He's her SIMP

Natalie is her childhood friend who is used to her "eccentric" behavior, and isn't in on the evil

Monarch constantly hyjacks tv/radio waves to harass the heroes. "This would be all be over if you just gave me your miraculous", "Why do you have to drag out this conflict? I just want to fix the wrong thing this magic caused.", "did that old man tell you anything before he gave you those?" <- at first. She tries to have good pr by making all her akumas only capture and sometimes helping people, but eventually she shows her true colors and she's no longer able to make the media call Ladybug and Chat selfish for not giving her their miraculouses. After her flip switches, she still does this, but it's more obvious. "This is all your fault, you know."Maybe I'll just keep doing this at 3am :D." kinda shit

Let's Adiren go to school bc both of the Kawami were like, "He doesn't actually love you. You just made him love you. You're actually a shitty mom." And it hurt her pride so much that she let her control of him slip to prove that he prefers her, and then he wanted to public school and it made her so maddd that she constantly targets the school to scare him and chase him back into her arms "of his own free will"

Emilia thinks Marinette is absolutely perfect and fits in her family so nicely. Except for some minor defects, she can correct ♡ much to Mari's slow dawning horror

Very vindictive and petty. Like, have a butterfly follow Ayla around for a week for reporting on her petty. She is doing psychological warfare on the children

Let's Chloé be childhood friends with Adrien literally bc she makes him uncomfortable, seee how good your mom is compared to others + Really likes Audrey and having perks from the mayor which means they have to be childhood friends

[covid-safer-hotties]

Reference saved in our archive

Covid's constant rapid mutation is driving a continuing pandemic. "Let 'er rip" is costing lives, money, and medicine when common-sense and highly-effective nonpharmaceuticals like masks, air filtration, and ventilation are readily available yet rarely implemented.

Highlights •There were trends of mutations in the S protein of the omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. •The studied ARVds exhibited adequate solubility, distribution and partition coefficient. •ARVds molecularly interacted with target sites of mutations.

Abstract The multiple mutation of the spike (S) protein of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant is a major concern, as it has been implicated in the severity of COVID-19 and its complications. These mutations have been attributed to COVID-19-infected immune-compromised individuals, with HIV patients being suspected to top the list. The present study investigated the mutation of the S protein of the omicron variant in comparison to the Delta and Wuhan variants. It also investigated the molecular interactions of antiretroviral drugs (ARVd) vis-à-vis dolutegravir, lamivudine, tenofovir-disoproxilfumarate and lenacapavir with the initiation and termination codons of the mRNAs of the mutated proteins of the omicron variant using computational tools. The complete genome sequences of the respective S proteins for omicron (OM066778.1), Delta (OK091006.1) and Wuhan (NC 045512.2) SARS-CoV-2 variants were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. Evolutionary analysis revealed high trends of mutations in the S protein of the omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant compared to the delta and Wuhan variants coupled with 68 % homology. The sequences of the translation initiation sites (TISs), translation termination sites (TTSs), high mutation region-1 (HMR1) and high region mutation-2 (HMR2) mRNAs were retrieved from the full genome of the omicron variant S protein. Molecular docking analysis revealed strong molecular interactions of ARVd with TISs, TTSs, HMR1 and HMR2 of the S protein mRNA. These results indicate mutations in the S protein of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant compared to the Delta and Wuhan variants. These mutation points may present new therapeutic targets for COVID-19.

[mariacallous]

This week, WIRED launched our Rogues issue—which included going a bit rough ourselves. WIRED senior correspondent Andy Greenberg flew to Louisiana to see how easy it would be to recreate the 3D-printed gun authorities say they found on Luigi Mangione when they arrested him for the murder of UnitedHealthcare's CEO. The result? It was both easy and legal.

On Wednesday, US, European, and Japanese authorities announced the disruption of one of the world's most widely used infostealer malware. Known as Lumma, the malware was used to steal sensitive information from victims around the world, including passwords, banking information, and cryptocurrency wallets details, according to authorities. Microsoft's Digital Crime Unit aided in the operation, taking down some 2,300 URLs that served as the Lumma infrastructure.

A mysterious database containing more than 184 million records was taken down this week following its discovery by security researcher Jeremiah Fowler. The database contained 47 GB of data, which included information related to Amazon, Apple, Discord, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Microsoft, Netflix, Nintendo, PayPal, Snapchat, Spotify, Twitter, WordPress, Yahoo, and more.

In other news, the US charged 16 Russian nationals for allegedly operating the DanaBot malware, which authorities say was used in a wide variety of attacks, from ransomware to espionage. And a recent webinar revealed how a major venture capitalist helped get Starlink satellite internet activated for Israel following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

But that's not all. Each week, we round up the security and privacy news we didn't cover in depth ourselves. Click the headlines to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.

The US intelligence community is looking to create a marketplace where private information gathered by data brokers under the guise of marketing can be purchased by American spies, The Intercept reports. Contracting data shows the US spy agencies intend to create a “Intelligence Community Data Consortium” that uses AI tools to sift through people’s personal data; information that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has previously acknowledged “could facilitate blackmail, stalking, harassment, and public shaming.” In addition to providing insight into Americans’ behaviors and religious and political beliefs, commercial data frequently includes precise location information, offering the US government the ability to surveil people’s movements without acquiring a warrant—exploiting a widely recognized loophole in US privacy law.

Federal lawmakers attempted to ban the US government from buying what it calls “commercially accessible information” last year, with the Republican-controlled House passing a version of a law known as the “Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act.” However, the US Senate, then controlled by the Democratic Party, rejected the legislation.

Reporting by WIRED has repeatedly demonstrated how such data can offer US adversaries the ability to monitor the movements of US military and intelligence personnel, including in and around sensitive facilities that house nuclear arms.

A Mysterious Hacking Group Is Revealed to Work for the Spanish Government

Back in 2014, Russian security firm Kaspersky announced it had discovered a sophisticated hacking group it called Careto, Spanish for “Ugly Face” or “Mask,” that had targeted victims across Europe and Cuba. Now, more than a decade later, former employees of the company have finally confirmed what Kaspersky wouldn’t spell out at the time: That they believe Careto was a rare sighting of hackers working on behalf of the Spanish government. Careto’s targets included energy companies, research institutions, and activists, but it particularly focused on Cuba, likely due to the island nation’s giving refuge to members of a Spanish separatist group designated as terrorists by several European countries. Kaspersky’s researchers found a Spanish phrase in the hackers’ malware code that translates to “I shit in the sea,” an expletive phrase typically used by Spaniards but not other Spanish speakers. Given the sophistication of Careto’s hacking, the public confirmation of Kaspersky’s attribution to Spain adds another known player to the game of high-level state-sponsored hacking.

Signal Introduces New Feature to Block Screenshots by Microsoft Recall

Microsoft’s Recall feature, which constantly takes and archives screenshots of Windows users’ activity, still represents a serious privacy problem—even after Microsoft significantly walked back its rollout in response to criticism. So the encrypted messaging app Signal has gone so far as to exploit a digital rights management feature of Windows typically used to protect copyrighted materials to block Recall from taking screenshots of the app by default on Windows machines. After all, the Recall feature—which will likely be required for some corporate or government users—will essentially remove any privacy promise from Signal’s disappearing messages feature for both Recall users and anyone communicating with them. The screenshot-prevention feature can be turned off in Signal’s settings, but it will be turned on by default in Windows. “Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal wrote in a blog post.

Russia’s Fancy Bear Hackers Targeted Security Cameras to Spy on Ukraine Aid

The hacker group within Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency known as APT28 or Fancy Bear first rose to infamy for its targeting of the 2016 US election, but it’s no surprise that the group has more recently focused on Ukraine. According to a new assessment from no fewer than 11 countries’ intelligence agencies, the hacker group has been targeting a broad array of technology and logistics firms involved in providing aid to Ukraine. “Dozens of entities, including government organizations and private/commercial entities across virtually all transportation modes: air, sea, and rail” have been targeted in the campaign, the advisory reads. Perhaps most notable about the agencies’ accusations is that the hackers targeted 10,000 security cameras in countries bordering Ukraine, including at border crossings, military facilities, and train stations. According to the agencies, the GRU hackers also carried out reconnaissance of the network of at least one producer of industrial control system components for railway systems—suggesting a possible intention to attempt sabotage—but didn’t actually succeed in breaching the company.

US Indicts Russian National Over Qakbot Malware

The US Department of Justice on Thursday indicted a Russian national, Rustam Gallyamov, on allegations that he designed software that was widely used by ransomware gangs and is known to have infected hundreds of thousands of computers, netting the gangs roughly $8.6 million in profit, according to DOJ figures. Prosecutors say more than $24 million was seized from Gallyamov, 48, over the course of its investigation. Federal charges unsealed this week allege that Gallyamov himself gained access to victims’ computers and provided it to an array of cybercriminal organizations, including Dopplepaymer, REvil, Black Basta, and Cactus, among others.

The investigation into the now disrupted malware, known as Qakbot, was announced in August 2023 under former US attorney general Merrick Garland, who credited a multinational operation that included Europol and prosecutors and law enforcement agencies in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Latvia, and the United Kingdom. Agencies of Canada and Denmark have also been credited in the investigation that targeted Gallyamov.

[mizurale]

Chapter 1: a "honk" of greetings

|Sky cotl x TFP|

Sky moth meeting Team Prime.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Sky:

Another day of Fortune, our little moth jumped into portal of Forest. But they didn't know that they jumped at the wrong portal which appeared strangely at their world, cause it never supposed to appear there...

In TFP, Autobots base:

-"BULKHEAD, I NEEDED THAT!" said angrily Ratchet, while Bulkhead stepped accidentally on one of Ratchets tools.

-"Ehh.. Sorry Ratchet." said the big bot before walking to the platform where the children were playing a video game, Rafael was playing with Jack while Miko was cheering up Raf.

Arcee and Bumblebee were watching the kids, as Optimus prime was reading the database with a smile, hearing by how the team was having a fun time. But suddenly, agent Fowler appeared on the screen. "Prime! Do you copy?"

Optimus layed his datapad on the platform, standing up in whole height. "Agent Fowler? To what do we ow-" "We found an asteroid falling in the woods in Russia. We think it's another Cybertronion in stasis."

Ratchet perked up by hearing what Fowler said before looking at the coordinates that Fowler send. ".. Might be an Autobot?" He asked before looking back at Optimus, who was thinking for a second before saying. "Ratchet, prepare a ground bridge, Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee, prepare to roll out." ordered Optimus before stepping closer to the ground bridge and transforming into a truck, driving into the ground bridge with others.

With moth:

You(moth) wakes up at the forest unknown to you, "this is not my world"-you think. You shake off your head and looked at the tree, standing up at your legs. You heard a strange noise before looking behind your back. A green portal with white light appeared at 5 meters away from you. You were curious about it but stayed at your spot, having a feeling that something will come out of it.

Autobots drove a bit slowly before stopping and transforming, they didn't see anything looking closely to an asteroid. But the Prime's opticts catch a little light between two trees, looking at the moth. "There is no asteroid. But, a human." said Prime to the base. "Why does it's eyes shining with white light?"-asked Bulkhead.

But the Autobots didn't catch a moment to come closer to moth, as it run into woods, scared of their presence, not seeing a few Vehicons. Optimus's optics grew a bit wider as he run up to the Vehicons, preparing his weapon. The other Autobots quickly went after Prime, already blasting the Vehicons. You run up at a cave, and stayed there, hearing how the fight was going until it was quite, and the only sound was Autobots voice's. "Is the human still alive?" asked Optimus, not wanting any human death.

You perked up from the cave, still being a bit afraid of the Autobots, but also being very curious about who they were. You honked to get their attention, looking with those innocent white eyes of yours that are shining a bit thought the chubby mask.

The Autobots were a bit...confused by what noise did the moth make, while Optimus kneel down on one knee, looking at the moth, asking a simple question. "Who are you, little one?" Yet, you couldn't answer the question, because your vocal cords can't form even a word. The moth touched its neck with one hand, honking two times and looking away a bit embarrassed by how it couldn't answer right now.

Bumblebee buzzle a bit, as Optimus nodded. "Indeed, Bumblebee. It's looks like our little guest can't speak." said Prime before heard Arcee's words. "It doesn't even look like human." Bulkhead agreed. "Yeah, is it even a human?" "We will need an expert. Ratchet, open a ground bridge, and call Miss Darby." said Optimus before standing up to his full height. The ground bridge opened behind the sky child, making it looking back before looking up at Optimus. After some seconds it's walked clamly into the bridge.

At the base:

"Optimus, why did you get another human at our base? Aren't having three humans here enough??"

As Ratchet was arguing about why did they bring another human at their base, Miss June finished her inspection of the moth before walking to the end of platform. "Optimus, I recall a thought of it being a human. It has no pulse, I can't hear it's heart beating." said June while being confused by it.

Optimus looked at the June, before at the moth. "Did you've seen anything like this at your world?" asked the Prime.

"No, we never had any animals or anomalies on human body like that.." said the doctor.

The moth heard their talk before looking at the floor, understanding full well what they were talking about. The moth didn't heard Optimus walking to it, so the moth was a bit surprised by how close the Autobot leader was to it. "Do you understand what are we talking about, little one?" asked the Prime.

The moth nodded with one honk, wanting for them to know that you are not an animal that doesn't knows words. The Prime was a bit surprised, before asking another question. "Can you say anything?"

The moth shake their head as "no", before looking at the notebook with a pen. It grabs it before writing some words, before showing it to Optimus. "`My vocal cords are unable to form even a single word.`" Prime nodded, while Ratchet and others were surprised by how the moth write the whole sentence. "Who are you then, if you are not a human?" asked Arcee, walking closer to the platform.

The moth write again for a moment before showing the notebook. "` I am a creature close to human, named as a Sky child.`" Prime hummed as Miss June walked closer, asking. "But there was never a 'Sky child' in our world-" "Are you a magic creature or something??" Asked Miko, cutting off June.

The moth write again before showing off the notebook to the girl, as she read. "`You are right, I'm not from your world, but I don't think I am some kind of alien.` Oh, so you are a magic creature??" said Miko with happiness.

"Why are you here?" asked Jack, walking closer.

The sky kid were a bit confused by the question before writing off, as Rafael read it. "`I accidentally fall into a strange portal, which shouldn't appear in my word.`"

".. Great, we got an unknown creature at out base." said the old grumpy medic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was my first post here (≡^∇^≡) glad if you enjoyed reading it!

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2024-09-09

It was Bandcamp Friday last friday so those go up front:

Listening: First up God's Country by Chat Pile which I cannot remember why I found it but is extremely noisy metal. Blunt, to the point.

A Dog A Deer A Seal by Hit Bargain has featured on a Monday before but now I actually bought the album, here's the title track. Very modern-style rock.

The Envoy by Gavlina Rayna Russom, her first solo album after leaving LCD Soundsystem, soundscape electronic and voice based on The Left Hand of Darkness.

Cyberspace Database by Fornax Void, sort of the evil mirror dimension version of Businessfunk which now that I think about it has never come up on here? Incredible. Anyway a sort of fantasy soundscape for a cyberspace environment. Huge album too, like 50 songs.

Alright back to our regularly scheduled programming

Watching: New! Dynamo! Dreams! from Ian Hubert,

This is the first time we're back at what was started in Ep1 so there is in fact some kind of plot, although the series remains supremely vibes-based. Excellent extensive rampaging robotaxi sequence. Dynamo Dreams is mostly about the props and atmosphere.

Reading: Finished The Tyrant Baru Cormorant after a brief lapse in reading. It's got problems! I really like a lot of it but it keeps on pausing the book to tell us about the blogs and wikipedia pages Seth Dickinson has been reading. Have you heard of Euler's Formula? What about the evolutionary argument for homosexuality? Yo did you hear about plants that avert scurvy? I am going to tell you about these in a boringly straightforward didactic way for the next 200 pages while occasionally progressing the plot.

Things I like: There is a very real sense of trying to balance everyone's schemes. Despite the fantasy communication techniques there's a lot of hidden information that gets used well, and the vibe of Baru's person-blindness is felt heavily but by anyone trying to make a plan run smoothly. Baru gets so messed up over the course of these books and it works to demonstrate how she's taking herself to pieces to make this work.

When Baru is actually doing her thing you can ignore the sort of awkward frankensteined nature of the world around her, but when explicit attention is drawn to it it quickly starts to fall apart, and the introduction of the Lightning Cult has me worried that this will only get more severe. Seth Dickinson seemingly cannot do Greg Egan, but they can do the rest of the Baru Cormorant pretty solidly.

Also more Skin Horse. Only to about 2012 so far.

Making: Some abortive soldering projects, hampered by my lack of good quality solder, I only have pure tin/copper blend in pretty coarse gauge, you want something finer and with a little silver for this.

Started working through some Control Theory lectures to brush up on that because I'm also working through some ROS tutorials, I want to make my robotics projects more broadly useful and integrating ROS/microROS might go a long way to helping that.

Playing: Ash and Adam's Gobsmacked, an early access roguelite arena combat goblin game that came out recently. Big focus on mobility, you can run and jump and glide around levels while taking out a bunch of robots. Still pretty finicky, controls are on the slippier side so on the plus side "high skill ceiling" but also "uncontrollable".

A touch of Minecraft, poking at Modrinth mod manager rather than my usual manual mod installation because I was unwilling to spend time figuring out how some of the new mods interact. I really do want to stick with a world long enough to do something interesting sometime.

Tools and Equipment: I set up Tailscale to link my server with my devices when they're in the field, using a headscale node running on my cloud server. It's really nice once you have all the basics sorted out, works smoothly. Worth a look if you want to securely access your home network while on the go.

[vexic929]

Only With the Falling of the Dusk

Chapter 2

Chapter 1: link

Warnings: blood

Ricki's fingers moved expertly over the various tools and gadgets strewn across the surface as she stood at her workbench, the only lighting from her laptop, the television, and a small desk lamp. She adjusted the wiring in one of her modified escrima sticks, fingers dancing across the fine strands of copper, the small blue light blinking on as she tested the voltage. With a satisfied nod, she set the stick aside with its twin.

Her phone buzzed against the wooden surface, the vibration cutting through the silence. The screen illuminated with a familiar name: Barty. Ricki hesitated, her brow furrowing as she debated whether to answer before finally doing so.

"I assume you aren't calling for a friendly chat? What's up?"

"Montoya said you were at the Chelsea Tunnel tonight," Barty's voice rattled through the speaker as Ricki set the phone down and moved on to tightening her grapple. "GCPD ruled it a suicide."

The screwdriver slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor, and Ricki's entire demeanor shifted. Her eyes narrowed, and she snatched the phone off the workbench, gripping it tightly. "What the hell do you mean they ruled it a suicide?"

"Closed the case faster than I've seen them close anything. Montoya's pissed, that's why he called Batwoman. Thought I'd give you a heads up before she contacts you, she knows you were there, she's gonna want the real details."

Ricki groaned, leaning against the workbench. "What's Commissioner Gordon have to say on it?"

"She retired last year," Barty said, his tone icy. "You'd know that if you kept in contact with any of us."

Ricki winced internally. "Right. Look, send over the police report and let Brie know I'll send her my findings later."

"Fine. But you're going to have to talk to her sooner or later," Barty said and Ricki made a face, inspecting the chipped point on one of her darts.

"I choose later. Thanks, Barty."

The call ended, leaving a tense silence in its wake. An email pinged moments later on her laptop, the faint blue light of the screen reflecting in her eyes as she opened the encrypted file and the police report Barty had sent flickered onto the screen. She skimmed the pages, her brows knitting together in disbelief. It was so clean it bordered on parody - no mention of claw marks, knives, or the unnatural position of the body. Instead, the report painted a picture of an unfortunate soul who had chosen to jump, using the abandoned tunnel as the perfect location to avoid intervention.

The photos were worse - not a claw mark or knife in sight and the body had clearly been moved, now lying unnaturally at the mouth of the tunnel. It would've been less work to rule it an animal attack, Ricki thought.

If the GCPD was sweeping this under the rug, there had to be a reason, and she wasn't about to sit around waiting for another body to show up. Ricki pulled her Nightwing suit from its hidden compartment in the closet, sliding into the familiar fabric like a second skin. She retrieved her escrima sticks from the table, slipping them into their holsters, and set her mask in place. Tapping the hidden button on the side of her mask, the HUD flickered to life across her vision, displaying information from Oracle's database. Ricki scanned through the latest reports of violent crimes in both Blüdhaven and Gotham, looking for any patterns that might connect to the attack tonight. Nothing.

She exhaled sharply, frustration simmering beneath the surface. She knew it would be a long shot. If the culprit was so determined to cover their tracks that they had the GCPD in their pocket, then it was unlikely there would be anything. Still, she'd been hoping for some sort of lead.

With Haly settled back into his bed with a chew toy and the TV still murmuring in the background, Ricki slipped out of her apartment window and into the Blüdhaven night. Her boots hit the fire escape lightly as she ascended, scaling the building with ease until she reached the rooftop. From there, she had a clear view of the city - the sea of lights flickering in the dark, a mirror of the stars above. The streets of Blüdhaven were quieter than Gotham's but still carried an undercurrent of danger.

"Alright, Blüd, what've you got for me tonight?" Ricki murmured, tapping her comms to activate the police scanner.

Static crackled through the comms as Ricki settled into a crouch, her eyes scanning the cityscape below. The scanner cycled through the familiar frequencies, the rapid-fire chatter of police codes and updates humming in her ear. Nothing out of the ordinary. A few routine break-ins, a drunk and disorderly, a minor fender-bender. Nothing that warranted her immediate attention. Good.

Oracle's icon flashed across the HUD, taking her by surprise - Barty didn't make it a habit of stretching the commlink that far, he usually stuck to Gotham's vigilantes.

"Nightwing: Delta protocol. Montoya was attacked - he's safe, Hood got to him in time, but consider anyone who was on the scene a target."

Ricki's stomach twisted and she immediately set off, her grapple shooting to a nearby lamppost with a satisfying thwip as she swung herself along toward Lin's apartment. "I don't know any other officers that were present but Montoya will."

"Might not matter if they're in this person's pocket."

Ricki's heart raced as she neared Lin's apartment complex. If Montoya had been targeted, then whoever staged that crime scene tonight was tying up loose ends, and they didn't care who they had to kill. Ricki landed on the fire escape outside Lin's window with practiced ease, the slight metallic thud barely audible in the stillness of the night. The window was ajar but darkness swallowed the room beyond.

The dark interior of Lin's apartment felt unnervingly still as Ricki slipped inside, every muscle tense. The living room was well-furnished though it looked to Ricki like it had come straight from the pages of an IKEA catalogue; neat, tidy, and classic boring beige. It looked like Lin hadn't been home at all...but something still felt wrong. Off. Ricki crept through the apartment, listening for the faintest of sounds, eyes open for the smallest piece of evidence.

The kitchen was another story entirely. Deep gashes marred the linoleum floor, claw marks identical to those at the crime scene. Blood marred the tile, trailing toward the counter. Broken shards of a ceramic mug lay scattered around a toppled chair in a puddle of mixed coffee, creamer, and more blood. The coffee pot had rolled to the doorway, half its contents still inside.

"Oh no..."

Ricki's breath caught in her throat, her pulse hammering in her ears. She stepped carefully over the broken shards, her eyes darting from one piece of evidence to the next. She needed to find out if Lin was still here - alive or dead. The blood trail led into the adjacent hallway as though she'd had been dragged. Ricki followed it, bracing herself as she pushed open the bedroom door to find...

Nothing. The bedroom was as empty as the living room and nearly as clean except for the blood streaked across the carpet. Ricki set her jaw and took a slow breath, her mind racing as she took in the scene. Someone had taken Lin but they hadn't killed her yet, there was still time. Ricki scanned the room, searching for any sign, any clue as to where Lin might have been taken. Her gaze fell on the cracked screen of Lin's cell phone lying near the dresser, smeared with blood. The lockscreen was of Lin, grinning brightly from a towel on the beach, sunglasses perched on her nose and curly hair partially hidden under a large sunhat. Ricki felt the first tendrils of genuine fear unfurling in her chest. Lin might be a pain in the ass but she didn't deserve this. No one did.

"Lin's gone," Ricki reported into the comms, making her way back to the living room. She felt more on edge the longer she stayed and she didn't like it. "They caught her in the kitchen. She might be alive but she's lost a lot of blood."

"Any sign of where they went?" Barty asked.

"No idea. I'll keep you posted."

The bitter, metallic scent of blood lingered in Ricki's nostrils as she stepped back into Lin's living room, her senses on high alert. She needed to move - every second wasted was a second Lin might not have, especially with the amount of blood on the floor. Her eyes flickered across the space, searching for any last shred of evidence, something that could clue her in on where they'd taken her partner. The heater clicked on and Ricki heaved a sigh, kneeling in the kitchen doorway to inspect the claw marks more closely.

A sweet scent overpowered the blood scent long enough for Ricki to identify it as trichloromethane before the floor rushed up at her and everything went black.

[the-fort-official]

{establishing connection...}

_Hey, so I just hacked into their database. What do y'all want me to make public first?

_What do ya wanna know? What do you NEED to know. Who, what, when, where, why, and who gives a shit. Just vote

[sisterrmorphine]

Jsyk facial recognition tech is advanced enough to identify people through face coverings now, (the example given was combination mask + hijab, of course, but from that it can be interpreted that the person's nose, mouth and ears were obscured and potentially also their hairline and jaw/face shape). I'm not including any sources because they all link to/include footage of people being doxxed as proof it works. Additionally, any viral facial recognition avoidance hack has probably become obsolete by nature of going viral and being seen + addressed by surveillance devs. This is most acutely an issue for the targets of pro-Israel extremists and government organisations. Again, I'm not sure why I'm posting this cuz I'm not willing to include sources that doxx people as examples of the technology working, and I can't find any existing news articles that aren't neocolonial fucking freaks about this being a good thing. But it is confirmed that facial recognition is advanced enough to identify people through multiple layers of obfuscation, that the technology is considered reliable enough for it to go public, and that biometric data continues to be a tool specifically for furthering the war on terror. I want to encourage fact checking and shit but I also don't want to be like "hey wanna see how this works?" and link to a database of doxxed motherfuckers? Privacy violation is privacy violation even when trying to help people learn about it, but I could have made all this up and/or misinterpreted shit so I should link my sources? Idfk

[fishboneart]

things I've learned about ai art so far

So with the distressingly plausible rumour that Matt "never witnessed a credible threat in his life" Photo is planning a deal with Midjourney, I decided to actually investigate machine learning properly. Here are things I have learned, in no particular order:

ai doesn't real

tumblr's image data is a dirty mess of untagged, improperly tagged, unattributed, misattributed, undescribed, poorly described, and outright stolen images, it's not good value for training a machine learning model

Midjourney is currently not even doing large-scale training and doesn't need new data

Midjourney seem unlikely to buy tumblr data

Midjourney quite possibly may not even know Matt "totes not a transphobe prommy" Photo is planning a deal with them

Matt "midlife crisis" Photo may just be building castles in the air about big lucrative machine learning deals he assumes are just out there waiting for him

Glaze and Nightshade don't work against Midjourney

Glaze and Nightshade don't work against DALL-E

Glaze and Nightshade don't work against LoRAs

Glaze and Nightshade work against Stable Diffusion under lab conditions. Maybe.

their results have been resistant to replication (that's science words for no one else can get it to work even when they try really hard)

Glaze and Nightshade use Stable Diffusion to generate the stenographic mask (iow the "poisoned" image is an ai generated and altered copy of the original)

Stable Diffusion encodes an invisible (stenographic) watermark to exclude its own output from subsequent training sets

this is because machine learning models collapse when trained on their own output

a tool to emulate this invisible watermark is available

only Stable Diffusion checks for it, the rest don't

Stable Diffusion's invisible watermark functions can be disabled

Glaze and Nightshade don't work against Stable Diffusion in the wild

there are several reasons for this

one is that it would require a substantial portion of images in a training set to be Glazed or Shaded to actually affect the model and do you have any idea how many images there are?

another is that training for image models isn't actually ongoing the way it is for text models

image models are no longer doing large-scale training crawls that would be affected by any countermeasures taken now

the large-scale training sets have been completed, they're done, it's over, they're not mass-indexing new images anymore

tumblr was probably already indexed no later than 2022

your art isn't "in" the training set

machine learning models don't download or copy images to a database, they "look" at them, "read" them, and do a bunch of statistics about them

that's literally why the fingers and teeth are like that, they don't snip out elements from existing images and smoosh them together (that's what human photomontage artists like me do thx), they calculate the statistical likelihood of the next part of a shape, and statistically the thing most likely to appear next to a tooth is another tooth

a mathematical description of some properties of your art might be in a training set and it's too late to do anything about it

r/StableDiffusion is a hive of scum and villainy

the most despicable ai hypebro strawman you can conceive of pales in comparison to the aggressively smug, self-entitled, gloating mediocrity of the comments in that sub

ai hypebros absolutely love trolling you

they love when you panic about ai, it gets them off

actual machine learning researchers find ai hypebros just as tedious and insufferable as the rest of us do

people on tumblr are really fucking ableist about machine learning

you people need to work on yourselves

in 2023 United States District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled that ai generated images can’t be copyrighted, asserting that "Human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright."

it's free stock

[ofrevolvtions]

( Rocket Raccoon/Kingsley Ben-Adir, 34, demiman, they/them/he/him ) — Look who it is! If you take a look at our database, you’ll find that IN-22571 / BANDIT is a MECHANIC that works in SECTOR 7. According to the file, they’re a mutant with the power of RACCOON PHYSIOLOGY and TECHNOPATHY. That must be why they’re ADVENTUROUS and SELFISH. If you ask me, they remind me of burnt matchsticks, breaking curfew, the hum of an engine idling. They are affiliated with the MONTELL SYNDICATE

BASICS

character name: IN-22571

nickname (s): Bandit

face claim: Rocket Raccoon ( Kingsley Ben-Adir )

mutation status: Gen II ( raccoon physiology )

birthday: July 2nd

sexuality: Demisexual

moral alignment: Chaotic neutral

occupation: Mechanic

work sector: Sector 7

affiliation: Montell Syndicate

3 positive traits: Logical, intelligent, adventurous

3 negative traits: Selfish, reckless, impulsive

HISTORY

From birth, Bandit was on their own. It was hard enough to raise a normal child in this lifetime, let alone one with such an unexpected and unique mutation. He was abandoned by his parents early on and learned to fend for himself in any way that he could - and whatever he couldn't get for himself the proper way he stole or cheated his way into getting.

He earned his nickname early on not only for the 'mask like' raccoon features of his physiology but the fact that he was adept at stealing and slight of hand.

At some point getting thrown into the penitentiary actually started to become a relief. Sure, he has to serve his time, but at least he doesn't have to fend for himself as much.

During one such stint Bandit became acquainted with Fins, another lost soul living in the penitentiary with a mutation that was very much difficult to miss. They quickly bonded with one another and Bandit almost immediately felt a protectiveness over the big guy - perhaps the first and only other person they have come to care about in any significant manner.

QUESTIONNAIRE:

how do they feel about living in sol city? have they always lived there or did they travel from another settlement?

Bandit doesn't know any different, having lived in Sol City all his life, but he likes it alright. Having spent more than their fair share of time in the penitentiary than deserved (at least as far as they like to believe, though their name hasn't come only from their raccoon physiology but also their tenancy to have sticky fingers and be drawn to anything shiny), they don't know that Sol City likes them all that much. But that's a different story.

do they trust the council’s leadership? why or why not?

They don't have much of an opinion on the council and their leadership style. In most cases they choose to do what they wish, whether or not it contradicts the council's preferences. They've been caught breaking the rules on more than one occasion, so the council does put a bad taste in his mouth - but every place needs some sort of leader in the end, so he supposes it's a necessary evil. Probably.

if they chose their sector and profession, why did they make that choice? if they didn’t, why not? were they happy with their assignment or not?

Being put into sector 7 as a mechanic wasn't exactly their choice, but they don't mind it so much. It's a type of work they're good at and actually can sometimes even enjoy.

what’s one object that they always keep on their person?

A multi-tool pocket knife. You never know when you're gunna need it.

what is your character’s ability (or abilities)?

Raccoon physiology and technopathy

are they gen i or gen ii?

Gen II

what can your character do? what are their strengths?

Through use of technopathy, Bandit is able to more or less 'communicate' with machines, being able to perceive, receive, transmit, and interface with technological objects. He has an innate ability to manipulate all kinds of technology without having the express knowledge to know how to.

Given their small size they are also particularly adept at getting themselves out of tight quarters and predicaments.

what can’t they do? what are their weaknesses?

Due to their raccoon physiology, they are definitely vulnerable given their size and strength against a typical opponent. Not that they ever let that stop them from getting into altercations.

is there anything else you’d like to specify about them?

tbd

[regensia]

@xamassed

No way. No way.

The squeezing in his chest was only an acquaintance, sending chills through his very capillaries and held his lungs temporarily hostage – anxiety. What began as an electric shock of being starstruck at the sight of the hero had swiftly been replaced with a sinking, icy dread.

Vigilantism wasn't an unfamiliar path that would inevitably cross with the path of heroes – but in the same manner, it often crossed the path of outright villains. Keisuke would like to tell himself he had no maliciousness, that his cause was always just, that he never had hurt anyone innocent. But his very reason for fighting wasn't even his own. How could a mere tool defend itself before a craftsman?

"... everything here is handled."

Was he registered in the database? Of course not. Keisuke didn't even dare show his face on a regular day at university on account of the scars, much less when out hunting those deemed as criminals. The blue oni mask he bore wasn't just a part of some schtick. Internally did he curse at himself for the way his tone came off – it was intended to be respectful, but nerves warped the syllables upon his tongue, gripped their hands around his throat, and somehow it seemed just... unfriendly.

( More than that, he had no interest in fighting Fatgum. He doubted it would go as smoothly as it had with the five or so unconscious individuals scattered around the warehouse on account of his own doing. )

"Or rather... I guess I should leave the paperwork half of things to a professional like you. Sorry about that."

[true-blue-sonic]

If Silver were to go to the dentist, would he need laughing gas so the person examining him won't be attacked? Under the influence of laughing gas, what would he do?

After their experiences with the doctor, Espio certainly reaches out to the dentist before visiting them to explain the situation as believably as he can (I figure most people will just assume Eggman is to blame for Silver's lacking health records and the fact he doesn't exist in any database). Taking Silver to the dentist's building is slightly less of an issue than the doctors' since Espio just introduces it as someone who "is going to be looking at your teeth to see if they're healthy", which amuses Silver to no small extent because it sounds very silly to him.

Aaaaaand then he is taken inside the dentists' building with its chemical smell and clean white-and-steel layout and promptly he freaks the heck out.

Espio is very glad he warned the dentists beforehand, because then he can pin Silver down (with all his might) while they slip that mask used to breathe in the laughing gas over his nose. Though I do think Silver, immediately realising they did not do that for no reason, is going to very stubbornly hold his breath or try to breathe through his mouth to not fall victim of it! Which does make everyone laugh because of how very concentrated he is focusing on that, which has as added bonus that it halts any psychic mayhem happening. But with some sweet-talking from Espio ("You won't fall asleep, you'll feel nice and calm, I'm here to protect you, everything will be alright") and perhaps some more forceful attempts to get him to breathe the stuff in, he eventually kind of has to. I don't think it is going to make him be very upbeat and giggly, he might still be too anxious for that despite the laughing gas, but it does at least make him a bit calmer and slightly more cooperative. Though I can also imagine it makes him all tingly and light-headed, which he does not like at all. But Espio is right beside him to answer most of the questions about Silver's dental works and probably giving Silv some scratches behind his ear and head pats to keep him calmer, so altogether it's not an awful experience. It helps that he's not in pain, and his mind is too sluggish to really freak out at all the instruments and tools they put in his mouth to clean his teeth. But I can imagine he comes out somewhat nauseous and with a headache once the effects wear off, and his limbs are all heavy and he can't stand how defenseless that all leaves him. Espio is absolutely going to get hissed at when he's carrying Silver home (all mumbled and slurred which does sound hilarious, even if Espio knows better than to laugh) for his Lies and Deceit and General Unhelpfulness, and Silver is gonna be even more peeved when the effects wear off in full during the trip and his mouth is hurting. But this is one of the things Espio does not budge on, because it is important for Silver's overall health. And Silver gets to pick out a really big ice cream once his nausea has diminished in the fresh air outside, so that helps with him forgiving Espio!

[thursdayisbetterthanfriday]

Creating Mayan Glyphs Using Blender - AI Training Data

While there are plenty of images of real-world Mayan glyphs, many of these are not in publicly available database systems. Therefore, in order to create a Mayan Glyph translation tool that can work in real-world, carved and moulded, settings you need to get creative.

I first created M-AI-AN a couple of years ago using convolutional neural networks to classify basic single form glyphs. It was successful, but was limited to black and white/greyscale images of printed glyphs.

Now, after a few years experience under the belt, I thought it would be good to try again. This time, thanks to the power of masking modifiers, and the Python control line, in Blender - plus the use of transformer models to make multi-glyph classification a walk in the park. @roxcake - you will be happy to know that the model uses distinct square "patches" of the image to help classify, now using multi-head attention instead of 5 seperate CNNs.

Essentially, a 3D setup is used to create a vertex mask on to a plane, with glyph images in pure black-and-white format:

The Python script then effectively reads all of these images from a folder, and iterates across all of them, saving them into a specified folder - ready to feed the machine.

I am currently considering changing the light source location and image textures at random as well, but due to the number of glyphs I create with the multi-affix system, it isn't feasible to create multiple iterations per glyph without destroying my hard-drive!

[trinrose3]

Omg some artists some been implementing tools that actually fucks with AI should their art be fed into a database via corrupting it thus worsening the results and AI bros are SEETHING LMAO I think the funniest part of this is AI bros going full mask off like if you claim its not stealing, why would this pose an issue for you? 🤔

LMFAO we love to see it uwu

maybe if they want cool art they should try making it themselves :) after all how hard could it be :)? They could even try paying people to make it for them :)