#edge computing 2024

[techtoio]

The Latest Breakthroughs in Technology for 2024

Introduction

Welcome to TechtoIO, your go-to source for the latest in tech news and trends. As we dive into 2024, the tech landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace. From artificial intelligence advancements to breakthroughs in quantum computing, this year promises to be a landmark in technological innovation. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the most exciting developments in technology for 2024, offering insights into how these advancements will impact our lives and industries. Read to continue

[intricate-ritualz]

fics where connor is written as just a strange fucking guy >>>

[gh0sdae]

My first art fight attack ever, featuring The King from bestie @lemon69lol . This piece in my mind is linked to jerma and I can tell you exactly why: I had to study the planes of the face for this one and for some unholy reason I saw default man geometry and thought of jerma

uncropped full piece (and how it was submitted to af):

[riya2510]

Wireless Connectivity Market Set to Expand with Key Technological Advancements and Rising Demand Across Industries

Wireless Connectivity Market Opportunities, Size, Demand and Sales by 2032

The global Wireless Connectivity Market is undergoing rapid growth, with a projected valuation of USD 236.52 billion by 2032. The market, valued at USD 80.05 billion in 2023, is forecasted to expand from USD 90.29 billion in 2024, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.8% during the forecast period from 2024 to 2032. This growth is attributed to the increasing demand for seamless, high-speed, and reliable wireless communication across multiple industries, driven by technological advancements and the rise of connected devices.

Catalysts for Expansion

Several key factors are fueling the expansion of the wireless connectivity market. The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the shift toward 5G networks, and the growing need for reliable wireless communication in sectors such as automotive, healthcare, and industrial automation are among the primary drivers. Additionally, advancements in technologies like Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and ultra-wideband (UWB) are enhancing the performance, security, and coverage of wireless networks, making them more appealing to both businesses and consumers.

Request a Free Sample (Free Executive Summary at Full Report Starting from USD 1850): https://straitsresearch.com/report/wireless-connectivity-market/request-sample

The widespread adoption of wireless connectivity technologies is not only simplifying the digital transformation process for enterprises but also enabling smart homes, autonomous vehicles, and wearable health monitoring devices. As wireless technology continues to evolve, it is expected to revolutionize industries and enhance overall connectivity worldwide.

Wireless Connectivity Market Segment Breakdown

The wireless connectivity market is segmented by technology, network type, and end-user. Below is an overview of these segments:

By Technology:

Bluetooth: A major player in the short-range wireless communication space, especially for personal devices, wearables, and home automation.

Wi-Fi: Widely used for internet access, Wi-Fi is a core technology in both residential and commercial applications.

Ultra-Wide Band (UWB): A highly precise technology used in applications like indoor positioning systems and asset tracking.

Near Field Communication (NFC): Used for contactless payments and data exchange in consumer electronics and mobile devices.

Cellular: Essential for mobile communication, including 4G, 5G, and upcoming 6G technologies.

Zigbee: A low-power, short-range communication standard used in smart home devices and automation systems.

GPS: Integral for location tracking and navigation systems in automotive and mobile applications.

Others: Other emerging wireless technologies such as LoRaWAN and RFID.

By Network Type:

Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN): Used for large-scale communication over long distances, including cellular networks.

Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN): Focuses on short-range communication for personal devices like smartphones, wearables, and laptops.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): Facilitates communication within a localized area, typically in office buildings, homes, or campuses.

By End-User:

Automotive and Transportation: Enabling smart vehicles, connected cars, and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication.

Building Automation: Powering smart buildings, energy-efficient lighting, and HVAC systems.

Consumer Electronics and Wearables: Providing wireless connectivity for gadgets such as smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, and fitness trackers.

Energy and Utilities: Supporting smart grids, remote monitoring, and energy-efficient systems.

Healthcare: Enabling telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, and medical device connectivity.

Industrial: Supporting automation, predictive maintenance, and industrial IoT (IIoT) applications.

IT and Telecom: Essential for data transmission and communication infrastructure.

Others: Other sectors such as retail and logistics are also seeing increasing wireless connectivity adoption.Market Segmentation with Insights-Driven Strategy Guide: https://straitsresearch.com/report/wireless-connectivity-market/segmentation

Top Performing Companies in the Wireless Connectivity Market

Several companies are leading the charge in the wireless connectivity market, each contributing to innovation and expansion across various technologies. Among the top-performing companies are:

Intel Corporation

Qualcomm Inc.

NXP Semiconductors N.V.

STMicroelectronics

Texas Instruments Inc.

Microchip Technology Inc.

MediaTek Inc.

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

Broadcom Inc.

EnOcean GmbH

NEXCOM International Co. Ltd.

Skyworks Solutions Inc.

Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

Marvell Technology Group

These companies play a crucial role in developing and providing cutting-edge wireless connectivity solutions, from chipsets and semiconductors to complete communication modules and systems. Their ongoing innovations in areas like 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth technologies ensure the continued growth and transformation of the market.

Emerging Prospects in Wireless Connectivity

As the demand for wireless connectivity intensifies, several emerging prospects are reshaping the industry landscape. Notably, the rollout of 5G technology is expected to provide faster, more reliable connectivity, fostering the growth of IoT and enabling new applications in areas such as autonomous vehicles, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). Moreover, the rise of edge computing and cloud-based applications is generating a need for more efficient and scalable wireless infrastructure.

The increasing popularity of smart homes and smart cities is also driving wireless connectivity solutions, creating opportunities for businesses that offer seamless, secure, and high-speed connections. Furthermore, industries like healthcare and manufacturing are increasingly adopting wireless technologies for remote monitoring, automation, and data exchange, opening new avenues for growth.

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Industry Movements

The wireless connectivity market is witnessing significant industry movements, including strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, and new product launches. For instance, the ongoing development of Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E technologies is enhancing network capacity and reducing latency, creating opportunities for businesses to provide high-performance solutions. Additionally, the integration of AI and machine learning with wireless communication systems is enabling smarter, more adaptive networks that can better handle the increasing volume of connected devices.

Geographic Analysis

Geographically, North America and Europe are dominant markets for wireless connectivity, driven by advanced infrastructure, early adoption of new technologies, and strong demand from end-user industries like automotive, healthcare, and IT. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period, fueled by rapid industrialization, the rise of smart cities, and the growing adoption of IoT devices.

Data Insights

Straits Research provides comprehensive insights into the wireless connectivity market, including data on current trends, opportunities, and challenges facing the industry. The data reflects key developments and market dynamics, helping businesses and stakeholders make informed decisions about market expansion and innovation.

Table of Contents for the Wireless Connectivity Market Report: https://straitsresearch.com/report/wireless-connectivity-market/toc

About Us: Straits Research is a leading research and intelligence organization specializing in analytics, advisory services, and providing business insights through comprehensive research reports.

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[intelisync]

2024's Game-Changing Technologies for Metaverse Development

Picture a universe where virtual and physical worlds blend seamlessly, allowing you to interact with digital elements in real-time. As 2024 draws near, groundbreaking technologies are shaping this metaverse, making such interactions more immersive and dynamic than ever.

The metaverse, an expansive network of virtual environments, is evolving rapidly as we approach 2024, driven by several key technologies. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are at the forefront, enabling immersive experiences that blend the physical and digital worlds. VR technology has advanced significantly, offering users enhanced graphics, realistic simulations, and responsive feedback that create fully immersive digital environments.

AR enhances the physical world by overlaying digital information, enriching experiences in retail, healthcare, and entertainment through interactive and engaging environments.

Blockchain technology is essential for the metaverse, providing a secure and transparent method for managing digital assets and transactions. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) allow users to own unique digital assets like virtual real estate and art, while smart contracts facilitate automated and secure transactions. The decentralized nature of blockchain promotes trust and reliability, making it a crucial component of the metaverse's infrastructure.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) further enhances user experiences by creating intelligent virtual agents, personalized interactions, and realistic simulations. AI-driven non-player characters (NPCs) provide engaging and adaptive experiences, and AI technologies enable natural language processing and speech recognition for seamless communication between users and virtual environments.

Edge computing and 5G technology are critical for the seamless operation of the metaverse. By bringing data processing closer to users, edge computing reduces latency and improves the responsiveness of virtual environments. 5G networks provide the high-speed internet required for real-time interactions, supporting scalable and complex virtual environments.

The Internet of Things (IoT) and spatial computing further enhance the metaverse by capturing physical movements and translating them into virtual actions, creating realistic and immersive experiences.

Elevate your business with Intelisync's cutting-edge metaverse solutions. Reach out to Intelisync today and learn how our advanced technologies in VR, AR, AI, and blockchain can revolutionize your operations, enhance customer engagement, and drive your Learn more...

[kasparlavik]

Unlock limitless possibilities with cutting-edge cloud computing solutions. Elevate your tech game in 2024 and beyond!

[dieterziegler159]

Unlock limitless possibilities with cutting-edge cloud computing solutions. Elevate your tech game in 2024 and beyond!

[enterprise-cloud-services]

Unlock limitless possibilities with cutting-edge cloud computing solutions. Elevate your tech game in 2024 and beyond!

[rubylogan15]

Unlock limitless possibilities with cutting-edge cloud computing solutions. Elevate your tech game in 2024 and beyond!

[public-cloud-computing]

Unlock limitless possibilities with cutting-edge cloud computing solutions. Elevate your tech game in 2024 and beyond!

[techtoio]

Exploring the Latest Trends in Software Development

Introduction The software is something like an industry whose development is ever-evolving with new technologies and changing market needs as the drivers. To this end, developers must keep abreast with current trends in their fields of operation to remain competitive and relevant. Read to continue .....

[bs-fangirl]

WE DID IT!!! In 24 hours, with no marketing help from Amazon or QCode, we got The Edge Of Sleep to #6 on Amazon Prime’s TV page and #9 overall in the USA!!!

This is huge but we can’t let up! If nothing else, we need to honor Markiplier’s request to dethrone Judge Judy from her spot. Also we don’t want Amazon to think this is a fluke if the numbers suddenly drop off. So keep watching TEOS, keep getting your friends/family to watch it, keep posting and hash-tagging it. And definitely watch it on the “official” release day, Friday October 18th, in case Amazon only decides to care about “official” release numbers.

Well done everyone but let’s keep going! Stay awake and keep edging your sleep!

IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM OCTOBER 18th 2024!!!

In a YouTube stream, Markiplier said that the powers-that-be (Amazon, I’m guessing?) are going to be looking at the show’s average performance over a whole 30 days.

So we’ve done a great opening performance for the show’s debut but we’re not out of the woods yet. It’s not a sprint but a marathon. Mark said it’s to be expected that the numbers fluctuate from day to day but the average of the next month will be what’s important.

So now that we have a clearer guideline, we’ve got a month of sleeedging ahead of us. Hopefully it will open internationally at some point (he made it sound like that was in the works) to boost numbers even more. But don’t lose faith! We’ve got this!

IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM MAY 16th 2025!!!

The Edge Of Sleep is no longer on Amazon Prime BUT is now on Tubi! And the best part is that you don't need an account to watch! Tubi is completely free, no subscription or account required! I'm streaming the show from my work computer as I type this. AND it is available outside the USA! Not sure exactly where internationally but it is available in other countries.

So whether you're watching it for the first time or you already binged it on Prime and are ready to see it again, check out The Edge Of Sleep on Tubi! Markiplier mentioned in his livestream that it is still important that TEOS gets good viewing numbers on Tubi. Maybe that means Tubi is interesting in helping with Iron Lung or other projects he's working on. Whatever the case, it's time to sleeedge once more!

[vividverses]

Exciting developments in MLOps await in 2024! 🚀 DevOps-MLOps integration, AutoML acceleration, Edge Computing rise – shaping a dynamic future. Stay ahead of the curve! #MLOps #TechTrends2024 🤖✨

[seonghrtz]

𝑚y 𝒉usband. 𐙚 両面宿儺 ( streamer!au ) fluff 642 words + warnings. ooc sukuna | you call sukuna 'husband' to see his reaction.

You were in your bedroom, lying on your bed, surrounded by your stuffed animals, snuggling up to a ninety-centimeter Hello Kitty you had recently received from your boyfriend. While one hand held the stuffed animal, the other held your phone as you scrolled through videos on TikTok.

In the background, the sound of water falling from the shower in your bathroom was almost like the soft sound of rain, making you drowsy. You could have used the few minutes before the live start to fall asleep, but you didn't want to sleep for a few minutes and then have to wake up.

So you kept watching the videos until you stopped at one that caught your eye.

It was a trend in which a woman called her boyfriend her husband to see how he would react.

A mischievous smile formed on your lips and you immediately had a brilliant idea. It had been a long time since you and Sukuna had been together, it wouldn't hurt to call him husband just to see his reaction.

With this idea in mind, you continued to watch the videos until you noticed that Sukuna had turned off the shower. Shortly thereafter, your boyfriend appeared shirtless ⸻ showing off his defined, tattooed torso, which still had a few drops of water on it ⸻ and wearing the Hello Kitty print pants you had given him for his birthday.

"You're not going live, are you, doll?" Sukuna approached, sitting on the edge of your bed.

You quickly turned off your phone, leaving it in a corner of the bed, forgetting it existed, and sat down on the bed, looking into Sukuna's eyes.

"I've been waiting for you." You smiled slightly and kissed Sukuna's lips.

"Get things started," Sukuna's hand reached for your cheek, where he caressed it lightly, "and I'll get the snacks."

You nodded and got out of bed to go to your desk and turn on your computer. You got everything set up and took the opportunity to start the livestream, as it was a few minutes past the time you usually started. You sat down in the pink upholstered chair and greeted the people in the chat.

"Today we're going to do something different from the current schedule." You smiled slightly as your eyes quickly shifted to Sukuna, who entered your room.

He wore a white tank top and held cans of soda and snacks in his hands. Sukuna left the food on the table and pulled up a chair to sit next to you, his eyes briefly leaving you to look at the monitor and see some comments in the chat ⸻ as always talking about how cute you were together.

"So, today my husband is going to teach me how to play Resident Evil I" you smiled at the camera.

The moment the word "husband" came out of your mouth, the people in the chat went wild and you looked over at Sukuna, who was next to you, staring at you with an expression that mixed astonishment with adoration.

"What did you call me?" Sukuna pulled your chair towards him.

"What?" You let out a nervous laugh.

"We're not going to play that game today..." Sukuna got up from his chair, picked you up and threw you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He grabbed the mouse, turned off the live stream, and walked over to your bed, gently tossing you onto the mattress.

Ryomen climbed on top of you, kissing you fiercely as his hand traveled over every curve of your body, tracing the paths already engraved in his mind.

"You know you have to marry me now, there is no escape." He whispered in your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

"Did you like it?" you asked with an innocent smile on your face.

"I fucking loved it!”

© seonghrtz, 2024. all rights reserved, please do not copy / steal / translate / modify any of my works !

[mandukkul]

LOVE BETWEEN TWO — n.rk

synopsis: you and riki have different ways of seeing love but, in the end, you'll always know who you'll end up with.

or

moments building up before the first i love you

tags: childhood friends to lovers, non!idollau, neighbour!riki x f! reader, FLUFF!!!, only fluff and comfort :)

warning: proofread but might have some spelling + grammar errors

wordcount: 4.5k

published: 3rd october, 2024

authors note: this oneshot acts as a thankyou for all the followers and love i get!! i’m so sorry for not being more active :( BUT i completed this! and i just want to say THANK YOU FOR 1000!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU WHOLE!!! as much as riki loves you! and as much as we love riki :)

reblogs + comments appreciated

Act 1: loving 

Riki had never understood love – that is, until he met you. He knew he loved many things, like dance, and his family and friends, but if you had asked him if he knew what love meant, he would have buffered like a 2000s-era computer. Of course, Riki knew what love was; he had watched it in K-dramas and had seen it rendered in manga. By their definition, love was hard. Love was hard and difficult and full of miscommunication, but also, love was soft and kind and offered the sweetest touches to one's heart that anyone could ask for.

Love was everything, and nothing, all at the same time.

He then concluded, after the piles of pirated manga and dramas he had accumulated over his 17 years of boyhood, that love was simply you. He didn’t need to be a genius to understand that; he knew if it wasn’t you, then no one was going to fit that definition of love for him. Riki didn’t fully understand love, but he understood you – how he felt about you. You, in all your beautiful glory. Love was your touch, your smile, your laugh. Love was what he looked forward to every day.

You were truly the only exception to his dilemma of love, because with you, love came so easily. Love was just like breathing – it was so effortless when it came to you. Love for you felt like rain kissing his cheeks in humid summers, like snow tickling his nose during winter, like an autumn leaf falling on his head in the fall, like cherry blossoms blooming when spring arrived.

Love for you felt like nature, like it was natural. He was sure he had been born to love you, inside and out. From the moment he had met you at the age of 4, when you were dressed in stained patchwork overalls, obviously from playing in the dirt; your hair tied in uneven pigtails because you had just had to tie them yourself. Your hands clasped some wilted old flowers he had passed while walking Bisco; you had offered them to him as a greeting gift with that cute little grin of yours.

“Hello! Want to be my best friend?”

Four-year-old Riki didn’t know it just yet, though he did have an inkling, but he would be head over heels for the girl in front of him for the rest of his life.

He had stared at the flowers in your hand, weak and slouchy in posture. He looked back up at you and didn’t have the heart to tell you that those flowers were the exact ones Bisco had decided to relieve herself on. So, he took those piss-stained flowers and nodded his head with as much agreement as his little body could give.

At the ripe age of 18, as he watched you from across his window, peering into your room, where you haphazardly flopped onto your bed with exhaustion despite only hanging out in his room all day. He could just tell you had screamed into your bed by the way you flailed around at the edge. He watched you suddenly stop, as if you had run out of battery, flip over to your back, and lay still for a while longer.

He loved you.

You could sense him staring at you, with your strangely acquired Riki-sense. You lifted your head to confirm your theory, and there he was, leaning against the window frame staring into your room. His eyes lay still on the object that was yourself, and he was filled with so much adoration, so much love, so much bliss at even the sight of you.

And yet, you scoffed at his blatant staring, feeling his chocolate-brown eyes peer into your soul like the Ghost Rider from the movies. Of course, he had that stupid love-stricken look, and of course, he was already waiting for you to stare back.

Love for you had meant many things – too many things to quite pinpoint the right meaning. As you grew up, you learnt more about love than loss, and hence, you learnt that love hurts.

Love was like the humidity in summer, where the air was too thick, and the wind stuck to your skin; love was like the dullness of autumn, where the wind was cold and brisk but not enough to complain about – just enough to be irritable; love was like winter, where it got so cold you couldn’t even feel your face anymore, the season of sickness and disease that forced you to remain indoors and watch the sky cry frozen tears; love was like spring, when hay fever was at its worst, staining your cheeks with unintentional tears and a stuffy nose.

Love was hard. Love was difficult. Love was confusing.

You remembered every single time something you had loved got lost. The very first time was when the friendship bracelet Riki had made you when you were 5, decorated with mismatched charms and trinkets, disappeared one day when you went to the park. The nights you had spent crying didn’t outweigh the nights 5-year-old Riki had spent consoling and reassuring you that he’d make another one – a better one. But 5-year-old you knew the sentiment that was put into that very first bracelet, the one made without obligation to be replaced.

You remembered wailing about how it wouldn’t be the same, that Riki would have the very first bracelet, and you’d have a stupid second version because you had been careless. Then, you remembered the sound of beads crashing onto the ground, scattering anywhere and everywhere. You were scared you’d slip and crash despite being a giant compared to a measly bead.

“Now I’ll make two new ones so we’ll both be the same again.”

You couldn’t recall a more romantic and pleasant memory, where Riki had been so genuine and cute, so willing to give up something that was his to meet your happiness.

Five-year-old Riki really had you wrapped around his finger from that day on.

Despite your own volition, your heart bloomed and blistered, so full of him. It beat to the spelling of his name (in Morse code), and you couldn’t help but pull the threatening smile down into the scowl you attempted to display.

Like clockwork, your eyes locked with the same amount of love and willingness that you gave yourself credit for. You crawled towards your window and lifted it open so you could talk to him again as if the past 12 hours hadn’t occurred.

He was waiting for you, gazing like the stars had blessed his presence – graced his very being with the holiness that was you.

You had to force yourself to calm the oh-so-obvious flush of your cheeks, putting it down to hike up to your room as the reason for your sudden flare-up.

“Aren’t you tired of looking at me all day?” you remarked, and he was so quick with his reply, “I could never get tired of looking at you.”

Him and his flirty personality. You didn’t remember where he had gotten it from, or how he had developed it. You’d grown up with him all your life, and that part of his personality was still an anomaly.

You let a scoff out, rolling your eyes and folding your arms, blatantly ignoring the ache in your cheeks that you refused to surrender to his love.

“It’s not like I’ll disappear if you blink, relax,” but Riki had never been more relaxed than when he was looking at you. Not just the plain stares he gave during his maths classes, or at the dinner table, or even when he stared at his home screen that was so obnoxiously filled with you, but the type that showed interest, that showed he was immersed, devoured, totally consumed by whatever had his attention.

He liked to think he had found the perfect balance of clinginess and distance but still unknowingly leaned towards pulling you in.

“Most girls would love it if I stared at them,” he had said.

He was right. Nearly every girl at school would have sold an arm and a leg just for the boy to even look in their direction. If you weren’t you, you would have cherished and felt blessed to even have the Nishimura Riki in your presence.

But you were you, and you had grown up with this annoying brat all your life. Even if he could be sweet and sensitive at times, or when he tried to show you he was more man than boy, he was still Riki: your first friend, your best friend, and your first love.

Besides, someone had to keep his beautiful ass humbled, or else he would have resorted to those once-targeted alpha male Andrew Tate ads.

“To be honest, I find it a bit creepy,” you had snickered to yourself as he pouted at your response.

Those cute lips of his.

You had always known how to bring his rising ego down, one way or another.

With your smart and witty remarks, you anchored him just enough so he didn’t fly away and drift into the realm of egoism.

He couldn’t get enough of you.

“Fine. I’ll stop looking at you,” he had declared, but his eyes betrayed his words, and his gaze never, not once, pulled away. He had one eye open now, tilting his head away but still, ever so slightly, gazing upon the beauty that you emitted.

And you were still looking. Of course, you were; of course, you would.

You never took your eyes off him because he was just so cute, and his attempt to one-up you in snark was quite endearing.

“Good luck with that,” you had laughed, leaning onto your palm as you watched him sigh in defeat, but not before he caught your own gaze on him.

“Oooh, why are you looking at me like that?” he had prompted, leaning over his window to be closer to you. “Do you think I’m cute?” he wriggled his eyebrows ever so playfully, that shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

“No,” you had deadpanned, dropping your palm down to the frame. He pouted again, more pouty than usual, pulling a frown.

He whined with one of those annoying squeals, something you had grown used to over the years of knowing him. “My girlfriends are so mean to me,” he had said, frowning with his eyebrows pinching and lips pouting. You couldn’t help the small pull of your lips, seeing how comical he was being.

For a split second, you had lingered on his words. “My girlfriend,” he had said with so much pride. “My girlfriend” was all you really heard because he was calling you his girlfriend like it was your name, like it was a prize, a gift, a blessing. “My girlfriend” sounded like honey-laced praises.

He had feigned a gasp at the sight of you trying to hide your smile, and then you had burst into giggles because, of course, you revelled in his misery. But it was okay because the sound of your laughter, that joyous giggle, had erupted because of him, and that was more than enough to subside the little bits of bullying you always seemed to aim at him.

His heart beat along with the rhythm of your laugh.

It was late, and the stars had been watching your tales unfold.

Of a girl whose love yearned and pined, reaching the moon and kissing the ocean. Whose love was kept sacred and scarce, and yet, a love that was sought after, searching for love like hers. One that treasured and was kept safe, a love made of steel but soft like wool. A love that comforted.

And of a boy who loved like no other, so full and so rich. Whose love poured like the rain kissing the ground – endless and fulfilling. A love so abundant, it counted for the world.

There was so much love, too much. It was overbearing, consuming, and it was eating you both alive.

It was overwhelming.

“Hey.”

Your name had left his mouth like honey.

The silence of the gap between your two homes became deafening. Your laugh had slowly died, and your attention had glued onto him alone.

It was now or never.

Riki had known that love was you. He had known that the moment his eyes met yours, his definition had been filled in an instant.

He knew, he had loved – no, he loved you.

His second pause after the call had been enough to erupt a yawn from your lips, ever so slightly slipping past your perfectly shaped lips.

“You should get to bed,” he had said, but the lovesick gaze that you were too tired to catch said everything.

You had fought the urge to ask him what he was really thinking. You were tired, but you knew Riki – your Riki. You knew how his eyebrows pinched a certain way when he contemplated, only further accentuated when he hesitated.

You had his entire face burned into your mind, and your heart.

But for tonight, you had let him and his burning thoughts wait as you slightly nodded.

“I’m not gonna wake you up this time,” you replied, smiling ever so slightly.

You had left your window open, as you always did. Your window to his – it was like you were always together, connected through a fated string that crossed from one pane to the other.

…

Act 2: between 

You had grown to find joy within nothingness—or so you told yourself.

All your life, you had searched for things to put meaning into. Simple commodities that resembled fractions of joy you attempted to keep. As a child, you had never pondered trivial things that would be impossible to find answers to.

You loved the definite, the certain, the things you knew you could hold close to your heart and never let go. Like the grudge you held for the boy who had bullied Riki when he was nine—too fiery of emotions for little you to experience. Your little face had burned red with anger, fists balled and shaking with rage. There had been no stopping nine-year-old you from unleashing divine fury upon the bully. Or like the childhood bracelet Riki made when you were kids, which you had sworn never to remove despite the horrendous combination of charms. A symbol of your eternal friendship.

As you stuffed your locker with yet another textbook you barely cared about, you heard cheers echo against the walls, ricocheting straight into your ears. The stampede of footsteps seemed to hurdle past you, racing toward an unknown presence from across the hall.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t know who that presence was. Of course you did. You couldn’t ignore it, not when his fiery gaze burned holes into the back of your head.

You subtly looked over your shoulder, and there he was, in his glorious seven-foot-something stature. You saw how all the girls crowding him seemed to be trying to attract his attention, calling for his name, asking him silly, mundane questions. Anything just for a simple glance, but all Riki could do was stare at you like you were a lost treasure he had just discovered.

His gaze alone spoke a thousand words.

"I wish I could hold you."

"Your hand is mine."

"I want you."

"I need you."

"I miss you."

Those were more your feelings than what you thought his gaze said, but you had an inkling he felt the same way.

In the space between you, from metres away across the hall, you couldn’t help but feel so full of him—him and his love. He was saying nothing, yet the whole world went deaf in his presence.

You could see, miraculously through the heart-eyed girls, how he fidgeted with the little torn hem at the bottom of his shirt, remembering how you had been the culprit for that "measly" (his words, not yours) tear.

You watched as he scratched his neck awkwardly, trying to be as polite as a boy could be when rejecting a starry-eyed girl. They gave him chocolate-covered strawberries—though you knew he’d only eat them if they were microwaved despite your protests—and little love letters he would never end up reading, also despite your pitied protests.

All you wanted to do was pull him out of the crowd of crazed girls, to scream that he was yours—despite often telling him that you weren’t an object and shouldn’t be defined as "mine." Maybe it was jealousy that rippled through your blood, burning with a touch of yearning because, of course, you yearned for him. Every second of the day.

You yearned for his touch, his words, his silence.

Despite your many reluctances to say so, you were so deeply infatuated with Riki, you might as well have sprawled it across your forehead. Every distant look, light feathery touch, gentle breath that brushed against the shell of your ear. Everything he did, you clung to like a hoarder. A stupid, love-stricken hoarder. Every thought of yours was consumed by him, captivated by his every essence. Feminists before you would have shaken their heads, disappointed by how much you thought of Riki.

Frankly, you were too smitten with your dear ol’ boyfriend, even if he claimed you didn’t show enough affection to him.

Maybe it was for the best, as your gazes left each other like strangers with a fleeting glance. Similarly to last night, there was an invisible wall separating the two of you, tension threatening to crack under the pressure.

Riki was still being bombarded by love-sick girls, his longing gaze shifting into more of a plea as he watched you with all the free space he was supposed to take up.

You ignored his plea, of course, turning back around and into your locker. You would speak to him later anyway—it’s what he gets for making you late this morning (you had waited for him, as you always did).

…

Act 3: two

The two of you sit in the silence of your room for a change. The curtains of your window that peer into his room are pulled shut, dimming the space enough that you can only tell his expressions if you’re inches away from each other.

Which you are.

Riki insisted on staying over this time, wanting to leave the musk of his room for once. But really, he misses the sight of your walls.

Plastered across from him are pictures of friends and family, some of him and your shared friend group, others of his sisters and you. He thinks to himself how you have a knack for interior design, pleased with the way you showcase your love through photographs.

You say it eternalises the memories, so even when you’re both old and rotten to match your insides, you’ll always have the days of your youth.

And there’s a little flutter in his stomach when he thinks back to this memory because you said “both.” He loves that you see him forever entangled in your life.

Riki watches you doom-scroll on that godforsaken bird app. He likes to believe he’s got all your micro-expressions down—like the slight twitch of irritation in your eyebrow, the lift at the corner of your lip when you see something funny, or the scrunch of your nose when you see a resurfaced video of Nikocado Avocado.

Riki doesn’t spend half as much time on his education as he does staring at you. You’re awfully beautiful in your (his) shirt and dirty sweatpants. You’ve never bothered putting effort into your appearance when you’re in the comfort of your (or his) room, having known him far too long to care if he thinks your shirt smells like perpetual instant ramen.

His eyes travel from your appearance back to your face, and he just loves you. Loves sitting next to you. Loves seeing your face.Loves your appearance. Loves your personality. Loves that you're the opposite of a breath of fresh air—you’re comforted in his old, musty room.

Because even if he and you were stuck back in his room, you’d never change. You’re constant.

He loves the way your voice drops when you sense your tone’s shifted higher when talking to him, saying you’ll never be caught speaking to him with a babied voice. He loves how you deny his obvious affection for you—behind closed doors, because he wouldn’t hear the end of it from his friends. He loves your loudness, your quietness, your happiness, your silence.

He loves you.

He’s going to say it.

As he stares at you, yearning for you, you pretend not to notice the burning gaze of your lover. Twitter lost your attention long ago—the nth tweet about yet another scandal circling the app. Instead, you focus on your breathing. With how wild your heart’s beating, the best you can do is control how you breathe—ensuring you don’t fold in front of the lovely boy cuddled up next to you.

If Riki really knew how much you adored him—his hair, his eyes, his laugh, his smile, him—you’d never hear the end of it.

In truth, you’re simply enamoured with him. You love him. Everything about him. Years of girlhood wasted on a beautiful and sweet boy. Girlhood never prepares you for how to love a boy so lovely, so perfect. You think about how there have only been a few moments in your life where you’ve felt nothing but bliss.

Childhood was easy; ever since that fateful day where you picked a bunch of piss-covered flowers, you had no worries other than befriending the awkward little boy next door.

You’ll be sure to thank your parents’ boss for the move.

Teenhood, not so much; it’s riddled with an array of angst and anxiety. It’s a surprise you’re not imploding from the assignment you’ve been procrastinating or having a philosophical crisis like “what is love?”. But no, teenhood, albeit filled with plenty of anger and sorrow, has its fair share of wonderful moments.

Like right now, sitting in the comfort of your room—for a change. You’ve spent time imagining how your life would unravel, always with him in it, and how it ended up. The pictures plastered across the room aren’t just for show—they’re evidence that you’re happy.

Blissful.

Without Riki, you wouldn’t know what bliss is. Feeling nothing but pure and utter love.

He’s everything perfect about love.

And of course, you’ve said “I love you” plenty of times—80% of those times were when you were just kids. But that was when you were just friends. A silly phrase, really, because if you ask anyone who’s known you two since you were kids, they’d say you guys got married at the ripe age of seven with grass-bladed rings and flower crowns, with any passing animal as witness to your youthful marriage.

But now you’re dating—the dreaded boyfriend-girlfriend status. Nothing’s really changed in your relationship. Riki remains full of love and charisma, his attitude never wavering because, as he puts it, he’s known you were “the one” since you handed him those dirty flowers. You’ve remained witty and lovely as always, retaining the same spunk you had as a kid. The only two differences (soon to be one) are that your status has changed from friends to dating, and you’ve yet to say those three words, eight letters.

The phone that sits in your loose grip almost slips out, clearly losing its purpose of mindless distraction. To your dismay, Riki catches sight of your fumble, noting that you haven’t scrolled in seven minutes.

“Did my shameless staring finally catch your attention?”

He’s shameless, alright.

You drop your phone, staring deep into his dreamy eyes. You remain silent, but your expression tells him everything.

Despite the pull of your eyebrows and the purse of your lips, you love him.

“Say… what’s one thing you love about me?” he prompts, ready to finally tell you those long-awaited words. He’s thought it all out—how he’d list everything he loves about you, like he’s about to write your biography. He’s been dreaming of this moment since you started dating.

You think thoughtfully, like you’re scrounging your brain for an answer, leaving the silence in the room to deafen him with anticipation.

“Hey! Stop thinking so much!” Riki exclaims, offended that you’ve taken more than three seconds to answer, while his response would take 0.003 milliseconds (at least in his mind).

You let out a playful giggle, something you gave up trying to hide long ago. “I’m kidding,” you say, smiling.

“I’m kidding,” he mocks you in his ridiculous, high-pitched voice.

You love many things about him, too many to count. You simply love everything about him, like a reflex you can’t control.

“I love it when you’re silent.”

Riki visibly deflates, a slight frown ghosting his plump lips. His eyebrows pinch into a “what the hell” kind of expression, and his nose scrunches cutely at your words.

But you smile knowingly, taking in his sudden silence. You tune into the stillness of the room.

A rapid heartbeat.

“If you hate talking to me, just sa—”

“Because even when you’re quiet,” you interrupt, stretching your hand out to gently caress his hair, “you’re the loudest in the room.”

Your hand travels from his hair to cup his cheek, and Riki—the ever entranced—instinctively leans into your touch.

“Because you can just look at me, and I hear everything I need to hear.”

Your words are soft, gentle, and Riki swallows the lump in his throat that he hadn’t realised had formed. He stares deeply into your eyes—a different kind of stare than before.

Normally tender and kind, full of unspoken words of love. Now, all you see is devotion.

Riki focuses on the silence you’ve created, tuning into the nothingness that you said you loved about him.

And he thinks he can hear it, the silence.

It’s so loud, it bounces off the walls, pounding in his heart—even you can hear it.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

“What do you hear?” He pulls you closer, your lips hovering above his, so close he can feel your breath.

“I hear ‘I love you.’ ”

Your lips mould against his before he can respond, but something tells him that you know. And besides, he has a lifetime's worth of “I love yous”— he’ll let you have this one.

author's note pt.2: its been more than a year since i made this wip and i finally finished it LOLLL it took me so longggg ANDDD i feel like its a bit lackluster in the second act... ENJOY THOUGH. i love the the ending

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Reverse engineers bust sleazy gig work platform

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/23/hack-the-class-war/#robo-boss

A COMPUTER CAN NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

THEREFORE A COMPUTER MUST NEVER MAKE A MANAGEMENT DECISION

Supposedly, these lines were included in a 1979 internal presentation at IBM; screenshots of them routinely go viral:

https://twitter.com/SwiftOnSecurity/status/1385565737167724545?lang=en

The reason for their newfound popularity is obvious: the rise and rise of algorithmic management tools, in which your boss is an app. That IBM slide is right: turning an app into your boss allows your actual boss to create an "accountability sink" in which there is no obvious way to blame a human or even a company for your maltreatment:

https://profilebooks.com/work/the-unaccountability-machine/

App-based management-by-bossware treats the bug identified by the unknown author of that IBM slide into a feature. When an app is your boss, it can force you to scab:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/30/computer-says-scab/#instawork

Or it can steal your wages:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

But tech giveth and tech taketh away. Digital technology is infinitely flexible: the program that spies on you can be defeated by another program that defeats spying. Every time your algorithmic boss hacks you, you can hack your boss back:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/02/not-what-it-does/#who-it-does-it-to

Technologists and labor organizers need one another. Even the most precarious and abused workers can team up with hackers to disenshittify their robo-bosses:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/08/tuyul-apps/#gojek

For every abuse technology brings to the workplace, there is a liberating use of technology that workers unleash by seizing the means of computation:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/13/solidarity-forever/#tech-unions

One tech-savvy group on the cutting edge of dismantling the Torment Nexus is Algorithms Exposed, a tiny, scrappy group of EU hacker/academics who recruit volunteers to reverse engineer and modify the algorithms that rule our lives as workers and as customers:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/10/e2e/#the-censors-pen

Algorithms Exposed have an admirable supply of seemingly boundless energy. Every time I check in with them, I learn that they've spun out yet another special-purpose subgroup. Today, I learned about Reversing Works, a hacking team that reverse engineers gig work apps, revealing corporate wrongdoing that leads to multimillion euro fines for especially sleazy companies.

One such company is Foodinho, an Italian subsidiary of the Spanish food delivery company Glovo. Foodinho/Glovo has been in the crosshairs of Italian labor enforcers since before the pandemic, racking up millions in fines – first for failing to file the proper privacy paperwork disclosing the nature of the data processing in the app that Foodinho riders use to book jobs. Then, after the Italian data commission investigated Foodinho, the company attracted new, much larger fines for its out-of-control surveillance conduct.

As all of this was underway, Reversing Works was conducting its own research into Glovo/Foodinho's app, running it on a simulated Android handset inside a PC so they could peer into app's data collection and processing. They discovered a nightmarish world of pervasive, illegal worker surveillance, and published their findings a year ago in November, 2023:

https://www.etui.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/Exercising%20workers%20rights%20in%20algorithmic%20management%20systems_Lessons%20learned%20from%20the%20Glovo-Foodinho%20digital%20labour%20platform%20case_2023.pdf

That report reveals all kinds of extremely illegal behavior. Glovo/Foodinho makes its riders' data accessible across national borders, so Glovo managers outside of Italy can access fine-grained surveillance information and sensitive personal information – a major data protection no-no.

Worse, Glovo's app embeds trackers from a huge number of other tech platforms (for chat, analytics, and more), making it impossible for the company to account for all the ways that its riders' data is collected – again, a requirement under Italian and EU data protection law.

All this data collection continues even when riders have clocked out for the day – its as though your boss followed you home after quitting time and spied on you.

The research also revealed evidence of a secretive worker scoring system that ranked workers based on undisclosed criteria and reserved the best jobs for workers with high scores. This kind of thing is pervasive in algorithmic management, from gig work to Youtube and Tiktok, where performers' videos are routinely suppressed because they crossed some undisclosed line. When an app is your boss, your every paycheck is docked because you violated a policy you're not allowed to know about, because if you knew why your boss was giving you shitty jobs, or refusing to show the video you spent thousands of dollars making to the subscribers who asked to see it, then maybe you could figure out how to keep your boss from detecting your rulebreaking next time.

All this data-collection and processing is bad enough, but what makes it all a thousand times worse is Glovo's data retention policy – they're storing this data on their workers for four years after the worker leaves their employ. That means that mountains of sensitive, potentially ruinous data on gig workers is just lying around, waiting to be stolen by the next hacker that breaks into the company's servers.

Reversing Works's report made quite a splash. A year after its publication, the Italian data protection agency fined Glovo another 5 million euros and ordered them to cut this shit out:

https://reversing.works/posts/2024/11/press-release-reversing.works-investigation-exposes-glovos-data-privacy-violations-marking-a-milestone-for-worker-rights-and-technology-accountability/

As the report points out, Italy is extremely well set up to defend workers' rights from this kind of bossware abuse. Not only do Italian enforcers have all the privacy tools created by the GDPR, the EU's flagship privacy regulation – they also have the benefit of Italy's 1970 Workers' Statute. The Workers Statute is a visionary piece of legislation that protects workers from automated management practices. Combined with later privacy regulation, it gave Italy's data regulators sweeping powers to defend Italian workers, like Glovo's riders.

Italy is also a leader in recognizing gig workers as de facto employees, despite the tissue-thin pretense that adding an app to your employment means that you aren't entitled to any labor protections. In the case of Glovo, the fine-grained surveillance and reputation scoring were deemed proof that Glovo was employer to its riders.

Reversing Works' report is a fascinating read, especially the sections detailing how the researchers recruited a Glovo rider who allowed them to log in to Glovo's platform on their account.

As Reversing Works points out, this bottom-up approach – where apps are subjected to technical analysis – has real potential for labor organizations seeking to protect workers. Their report established multiple grounds on which a union could seek to hold an abusive employer to account.

But this bottom-up approach also holds out the potential for developing direct-action tools that let workers flex their power, by modifying apps, or coordinating their actions to wring concessions out of their bosses.

After all, the whole reason for the gig economy is to slash wage-bills, by transforming workers into contractors, and by eliminating managers in favor of algorithms. This leaves companies extremely vulnerable, because when workers come together to exercise power, their employer can't rely on middle managers to pressure workers, deal with irate customers, or step in to fill the gap themselves:

https://projects.itforchange.net/state-of-big-tech/changing-dynamics-of-labor-and-capital/

Only by seizing the means of computation, workers and organized labor can turn the tables on bossware – both by directly altering the conditions of their employment, and by producing the evidence and tools that regulators can use to force employers to make those alterations permanent.

Image: EFF (modified) https://www.eff.org/files/issues/eu-flag-11_1.png

CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/