#filename: analysis

[kopiicryptid]

Sometimes I think people don't discuss enough about how human Curly's character is.

And I don't mean in the 'he's a guy with good intentions but fails' way, I mean in the sense that literally, he acts the most human in the game. He has the most human reactions, dialogue, and flaws. I know the devs made Jimmy's design with the idea of him being an "everyman" in mind, but to me, Curly feels more like an everyman.

Curly's good enough that he doesn't raise red flags or alarms, but he's also not perfection incarnate. He's just some dude who happened to be good at piloting but not with managing a crew, which emphasizes the idea of Take Responsibility. He can be a good pilot, a good friend, a good person, but all that is meaningless because of one big flaw and that's his inability to Take Responsibility as a captain and consider all the measures or actions he could've taken to protect his crew.

That isn't to say he was lazy or completely ignorant, another thing that makes him human is the stress from the job, how overwhelmed he must've been from the layoffs, finding that of the crew members he got along with best was pregnant without consent, and that it was caused by someone he considered a friend for potentially *years*. And it's clear from the very first scene with him that his mind is not in the right place, he simply assumes it to be.

His reaction to Anya's news is painfully human and that of a cis man as well, someone who has grown with the privileges of being a male but also of a best friend. I don't consider his confrontation of Jimmy to be out of disbelief of Anya (I argue he believes her because he doesn't seem to deny the statement and seems to quickly understand who was at fault), but out of shock and confusion, the need for clarity and to hear it from his friend himself, despite already knowing the truth.

And God, does Curly put the 'man' in 'human' in this moment, thinking that he and Jimmy can fix this, instead of the consequences for Jimmy, instead of punishing his friend or berating him. Maybe it's out of fear of possible years of abuse from Jimmy, maybe it's because Curly is just a man, or maybe it's because it's all Curly can think to say in the moment. Either way, it doesn't excuse the trouble his inaction causes for the rest of the crew. All because he had the privilege of thinking like a man.

So I think it's real ironic and tragic that post-crash, everything that made Curly human was taken from him. His looks, his voice, his bodily autonomy. He can't make choices, can't move, can't speak, can't do a damn thing because he didn't do anything when he had the chance to. And what's really damn ironic to me is how the audience dehumanized him, too. From people's first impressions that post-crash Curly was the 'antagonist' or 'monster' of the game, to fans reducing him to a pet or infant of sorts, to people glorifying his intentions over his actions, and even to those who demonize him as someone who directly supported Jimmy's actions or treat it as if Curly did the crime himself.

To say that Curly was just a good-intentioned guy would be undermining his flaws, but to say that he's just as bad and if not worse than Jimmy would also be a great mischaracterization to Curly and completely miss the point of his character. Curly is just a human, just a man. A man with more power than the rest of his crew, but simply an average cis man you'd find on the street. He has traits that many people share and that we can find in ourselves, because he's a normal man. Painfully so.

Though perhaps the greatest disservice to his character and what people overlook in relation to his humanity is the abuse of it. And no, not from Jimmy, but from Pony Express itself. Although I suppose that's a conversation for another day.

[xadianglyphs]

Seventh Source: The Dark Magic Symbol

In honor of Book Seven: Dark, I want to revisit and expand on analysis of the dark magic symbol, itself—something I'm always low-key thinking about, but now I'm going to make you think about it, too.

We are lucky enough to have a fascinating window into the design process for all the primal source symbols (both individually and as a set) through the portfolio of Samuel Thompson, the designer. This includes the dark magic symbol:

I've scaled up the secondary, "also-ran" designs so they're all the same size, because I do want to talk about some of them. There are several paths of development visible, and each one reveals something that was seriously considered as a possibility for representing dark magic as a whole.

It's in the Blood

So to start out, we know on some level that, during story development, what became dark magic was originally blood magic. Two years ago, when I first looked at the concept art for the symbols, the filename used for the dark magic symbol image was "blood." That was corrected at some point when the designer uploaded new images with better presentation (as one does when maintaining a portfolio), but it happened.

There's also more than enough association between dark magic and blood developed over the course of the series that it seems pretty clear that the name changed on a surface level but the underlying concept remained.

It's even visible in the designs that not only was a blood droplet considered as the entire symbol, but it was incorporated into variations of multiple design directions.

Dragons in the Dark

There's a bit of a problem when you go from "blood" to "dark," which is "how do you represent darkness in icon form?" The primal sources are ultimately elemental—you can see in their design process that a lot of it was about creating a balanced set where the symbols are both individually distinct and yet related enough to fit together as a group. Earth has the usual "do we do rocks or plants?" decision-making, but otherwise it's just... the sun is the sun, water is water, etc. But what the hell is the iconic form of darkness?

Well, apparently it's dragons, because pretty much all of the rest of the designs are a clear evolution of what began as a dragon symbol. It gets stylized into a set of wings that is then further stylized, and in combination with other influences discussed in the next section, we eventually start getting something like the final symbol.

There's one other direction kind of explored here, which is the ouroboros dragon(s). I actually wrote out a whole thing about the ouroboros as a symbol historically vs. through the lens of modern Christian-influenced western culture to use here, but really none of that is the point. The most likely scenario is that they told the designer, "let's explore some possible directions dragons" and the ouroboros designs are just something you do in that situation. Obviously you don't want to actually choose it for the final direction, because then you'll never escape the specter of Fullmetal Alchemist.

But like... why dragons? I mean, this is not an accident. The designer dragon-ed the fuck out of this shit, and the only reason to do that is "that's what he was specifically told to do." So at some point during development, there was apparently a consensus that dark magic should be represented by something related to dragons.

Now, this could be as simple as "dark magic uses the essence of magical creatures, and a dragon is pretty much the epitome of a magical creature," or something like "dark magic elevates humans to being equal with dragons." After s6, however, I feel like there are enough weird little things connecting the Celestial Order, the archdragons, Aaravos, Laurelion, the Staff of Ziard, and various other stuff that it could be... something else. Something we're not yet able to see in its entirety.

But that's something we'll have to wait to find out.

The Staff of Hermes Ziard Hermes

Now to return to reality: the influence of the caduceus on the dark magic symbol is a done deal. It has literally been said. Even if it hadn't, it's also just... kind of obvious.

Like yeah, that sure is a set of wings with a little knob between them and a twisty stem, just like the the final dark magic symbol and all the designs that most resemble it.

I'm not going to go over the caduceus in depth because I did that once already. You can tell I was naught but a wee, innocent babe by the way I use the words "wiki" and "confirmed" in the same sentence. In that post, I spent a lot of time digging into the associations of the caduceus and Hermes/Mercury as if that was a window that would tell us something about dark magic. It was a fun post but largely irrelevant, now—this time, we're going to come at it from another direction.

Setting aside the more distinguishing features of the caduceus like the wings and snakes, what is it? It's a staff. (Or a rod, depending on your interpretation of the distinction between the two.)

Well, interestingly enough, we happen to have another staff to bring to the table for consideration. One that's important within the setting, inextricably linked with dark magic, and with an iconic design.

Now bear with me, because here's my argument: the dark magic symbol is based on the caduceus, but in relationship with the Staff of Ziard, with either the staff influencing the design of the symbol or vice versa.

To see what I'm talking about, we can take a look at the staff from a few different angles. Personally, when seen closed and from the front, I think it already looks plenty like wings.

But if we put it in profile I can do a little overlay to show what I'm talking about more easily:

It's not strictly the most anatomically accurate setup, but stylized in a way that's interestingly similar to the stylization of the "wings" in several of the symbol designs. This could be related to the the "dragons" stage of the designs, assuming that there is some connection with the dragons, or it could just be visual influence from the caduceus itself.

We should also consider the shape of the staff from the front when it's extended (unfolded?):

The rounded rhomboid/oval shape, the diamond in the center? Come on, work with me—it could conceivably resemble the symbol, right? Though yes, I do know what you're thinking. A professional would call that "yonic" and definitely not giggle about it.

As for the twisty bit—what would be the coiling snakes in the caduceus—there's a certain iconic spell associated with the Staff of Ziard:

Maybe a stretch. But you don't get much twistier than a tornado.

Contexts and Meaning within the Setting

Now that I've chewed on my tinfoil had enough that I'll never get the taste out of my mouth, I also want to just touch brief(-ish)ly on the actual use of the symbol within the context of the series setting. Like the primal source symbols, the dark magic symbol doesn't actually show up very often. The two biggies are Claudia's spellbook and the Key of Aaravos in Callum's dream:

I'm going to ignore Callum's dream because the use of the dark magic symbol there says more about Callum's psychology than it says about actual dark magic, while Claudia's spellbook is a use that its author presumably intended to be meaningful for other dark mages.

Ignoring the garbage symbols in the corners, the central hexagonal symbol is reminiscent of the geometric tree of life diagram, which you may be familiar with if you are into either one of several varieties of religious mysticism... or anime. Let's be real, it's probably anime.

I'm not going to explain it in detail because honestly I don't know a lot about it and it's (intentionally, as with most mysticism) pretty complicated. Extremely summarized baby version which suffices for my purpose here is: the hexagonal tree of life diagram is a hierarchical arrangement of nodes and connections between them, with each node representing a distinct facet through which we are meant to recognize a single greater truth or divinity. On the cover of the spellbook, we have the dark magic symbol surrounded by smaller symbols for each primal source. This is a clearer arrangement that could be conveying the same concept—each of the primal sources is only a facet of a truer, deeper magic, which we are to take as being dark magic.

None of that is particularly important, I just think it's neat. Anyway, what I want to do now is propose that there is, as of season six, one additional appearance of the dark magic symbol within the setting context. This one:

Like... rhomboid shape, little diamond in the center, twisty stem? This isn't something unique to the Hearts of Cinder spell, it's an early or ritualistically stylized version of the dark magic symbol.

To contextualize this further, allow me to draw attention to this image from Tales of Xadia, part of a larger graphic showing a scroll that illustrates significant events in the history of dark magic:

We have a sacrificed creature, from which dark magic flows. On it appears to be carved some symbol composed of straight lines, which because of the size and angle we can't really see clearly. I spitballed a while back that it could be a straight-lines version of the Star primal symbol. We also have use of the actual dark magic symbol, which I'll spare you my analysis of since really it's just more of the same.

It's still a little bit fuzzy how dark magic spells get the magic resources from reagents, but generally a living reagent (used in its entirety) is killed and non-living reagents (harvested from a larger source) have some destructive act performed on them, like crushing. We have a spell that uses a living(?) human heart, which is apparently distinct from a human life in some way, even though the latter is not going to be getting very far without the former. For casting such a spell, unless you're currently holding someone else's still-beating heart in your hand, you probably want to be at least a little specific about exactly which heart in the vicinity is gonna get consumed. I'm putting forward that there's a way to mark a reagent such that it connects properly with the spell in cases where squishing it in your fist or whatever is impractical.

Like with a symbol, right? And what better symbol than the one for all of dark magic, the staff that may or may not be behind everything?

With that, thanks for coming to this long-ass TED Talk that was entirely an excuse to say "the symbol Viren carves over his heart to mark it for sacrifice is an ancient or stylized version of the dark magic symbol, which itself likely on some level derives its shape from the Staff of Ziard, which he is literally holding in his hands." I've wanted to say it since s6 released. I cannot be stopped.

[suzukiblu]

WIP WEDNESDAY GAME

Taken from @kedreeva.

It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can’t share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

file names:

call me cute and feed me sugar

when I see myself, I always know where you are

I'm all yours but you're all mine

a fake cryptid and a real romantic

when you don't believe, that's why you fail

Well, I did "think pink" last week, so it's only appropriate to do all the other DC WIPs I've got going on AO3 this week, right? There's five of them right now, it's just natural! Can't be helped! Totally has to be done!

And just to remind you all, I’m totally cool with people requesting multiple WIPs, but I’d prefer if you sent them in multiple asks! Just a little easier for me that way.

snippet from “call me cute and feed me sugar”:

Tim is pretty sure the date went well, since Kon seemed to enjoy playing with the sensory exhibits, cleaned his plate at the restaurant and finished Tim’s own entrée before going back for dessert, and spent half of the planetarium show star-dazzled and the other half of it making out with him in the back row, and then gave him a goodbye kiss he still hasn’t emotionally recovered from. Like, that seems like a successful date? Or reasonably successful, anyway. 

Planning ahead with a side of psychological analysis has once again paid off, Tim is pleased to note. Definitely worth making the fake IDs. 

Tim snuck way too many pictures, probably, but it’s whatever. Kon didn’t seem to mind, the times he’d caught him. Now he’s gone and set a standard, though, so he’s not sure what he should do for their next date. He’s got to plan it, obviously; he can’t expect Kon to. 

Tim is in his room and already three layers deep into the corkboard he’s planning date options and gift ideas and “is Kon getting enough calories?” math on when Kon texts him, and he stops in the middle of listing the pros and cons of a smart watch as a second-date present to read it. 

He may or may not have given Kon his own text alert and ringtone, but that’s his own damn business.

[zeondraws]

Notes, to remember

- I need to flesh out the environment from Nightfall AU that the crewmembers walk around in before establishing something in drawings. Might as well continue writing more until I can start drawing more.

- I have big urges (the urges are very big) to focus on the analysis vid, maybe I can insert fandom inside jokes. I need to wait for artbook thooo

- Make a video about External Resources Unused files and DLG Temp files

- Remember to make a timeline for the lore, by using the clocks ingame. And research when the sun goes down in this region irl

- Make fmodel tutorial thingy, or do I make a video so I can practice speaking more.

- Work on paintings, but go back to comfort zone if it's too scary for me. And then try again when I have energy

- Work on mod in January? Or will the Unused soundfiles use up my time. This ties together with figuring out UE5, I also need to give realistic Roper his ingame clothes. Once he is perfect I can try to recreate the other characters. Do I need to bake Roper's model? Or how do I get his EXACT ingame model? How do I recreate the steps.

Realistic Roper is too small when imported into Blender, multiple versions of his model appear and skeletal mesh is not where it is supposed to be. This is prolly because I am a newbie in this stuff

- The metahumans all lack 12 bones in their skeletal mesh in blender. I can't import their animations. Remember to ask friend who knows blender, otherwise find some way to fix

- Put umodel and that other program on my pc, I have both on laptop but then often forget about it. Other program helps me directly search for any file, is why I found out about CazYeet filename. I forgor name of program but I'll remember when I check again.

- People in the MW community are able to pose character inside the environments. Why is SWTD difficult to recreate this. Other UE games work better? Or maybe people just have more knowledge than me.

- How to I give Caz his head back

- Please remember to play game in all 3 versions because the toilet room you enter from crew lounge has a slight change in 1.4. One of the Toilet stall walls is GONE. It was there in 1.3, someone from the TCR team did this tiny change, what do I do with this information.

- Scooby noted the food (peas) textures in canteen changed, I need to check when I have the energy. Which means there must be a lot of tiny changes in ver 1.4

I usually can't sleep well when it's my birthday, takes a few hours to get tired, so I figured I'll write down some "To-Dos" It's quite overwhelming how much it is.. I have a full time job so it's always like, how much of my free time can I use before I usually end up too tired on one day. (My new job is also very fun so I am like, oooohh, so excited about job and hobby but I only have so much energy)

I think I'll go to the cinema today, hhmmm

Okay I am finally tired enough, I'm listening someone in a monotone voice talk about spongebob lore for 2h.

[doom-nerdo-666]

My flawed analysis of what we saw in TDA footage and stuff.

DEVELOPER DIRECT

Demonic guy, who some believe to be the Dark Lord (Not Davoth, rather one that was the DL at a certain point)

Perhaps related to Davoth in some way.

His design also has a pure inverted crucifix (Also, prefer a Dark Lord that looks like a demonic humanoid over "evil Doomguy" if you recall me saying Davoth is "5 ideas mixed into one, but each would've been better if seperate".

His name is Ahzrak according to the filename/URL of a screenshot in the Slayers Club.

Someone is kneeling next to him.

Not sure if Ahzrak is related to the 6 archdemons.

Doomguy's flail has runes in the morning star

Lightning Gun as part of the Sentinels (According to 2016's art book, the weapon was UAC related but TAG2 gave them to the Sentinels)

And we also see an unmasked soldier using it.

Titans and one picking up a broken Atlan and throwing it

Doomguy's Atlan kicks a Titan to a huge hole (In that Mars area), who looks like they have a thing in their mouth

Charging up something? Could be a cinematic where Doomguy puts a large bomb in their mouth.

Doomguy falling

Hairy, blue-ish versions of the 2016 Imps eating a corpse

Shieldsaw on HK, probably a cinematic (Since Glory Kills are gone)

The HK also has some differences like "boney-ish" pieces but they still look very similar to their DE look.

Doomguy runs and jumps to a flying ship, like in an action movie whenever there's a helicopter

Maykr ship shooting Doomguy, probably a different version of that cutscene from the previous trailer

Familiar shot of a town at war, then we see a place with a waterfall, maybe statues and possibly Megahealth pickups (They look like they have rings around them; In 2016, they were UAC orbs and in DE were "Soulspheres" but with a solid face instead of animated and inside the sphere)

This is probably related to that flying Maykr place from the trailer.

Sentinel place with more waterfalls, something blue moving (Argent energy?)

Sentinel castle and the Rail Spike animation

We see the "spider" demon people brought up in QCon last year

They look like id was inspired by Necrons from WH40K.

They have green stuff in a "biological" part of their body.

We also see demonic ships with tentacles.

Hellish place, looks like Nekravol and there's Mancs

Burning village with Imp and SSG

The "HUD face" returns but it's a ghostly look.

I said it before that a genuine "Doomguy face in 3D" should be like a low poly face with nice textures or something (Someone could find a post of mine saying how they could modernize his head).

Shield dash

Shield throw on possessed soldiers, whose shields explode if hit with yours

Green parryable fireball sent back to Imp

I wonder of deflected projectiles will always return to their sender or you could like deflect a Cybie rocket and make it hit an Imp.

Shield dash on Imp, also note the ammo pickup being bullets (When there's probably none of that stuff in TDA's weapons except the Atlan's minigun) and the health being spheres with skulls

While Doomguy fights this Manc, you can see a Titan and Atlan fighting and a building that looks like it has an orange-ish eye, so the building looks demonic

Also, that purple ring which relates to melee and the shield bash.

Manc also drops armor while attacked

Demonic church? You see cultists with robes (Kinda like that one DE trailer before they're replaced by generic possessed) and a Maykr statue

Battlefield where blue energy walls cover parts of the castle

Doomguy revs up shield in a place that has energy flags

In a water area, Arachnotron shots you but Doomguy switches to shield

Shield thrown at soldiers and it returns

HK with green stuff has their attack parried

Deflected projectile of archer riding Pinky (We don't see regular Pinkies so it's safe to assume this IS the Pinky)

Shield stuck to Manc, like Turok 2's Cerebral Bore

Doomguy leaving burning place, his eyes look white

Armored HK summons axe (In a screenshot, their helmet has the inverted cross too)

Axe gets parried and armor glows

They lose limbs but when they lost the first arm, they still tried to fight (Also, the hanged corpses shake from the fight)

Also noticed something in the backgroud like if the large demonic ships have writting.

Aggadon Hunter

Necron looking demon shoots an "acid" thing? Cybermanc replacement?

Also tries to melee you.

Big space with soldiers, one shoots a slow thing

Flail used on HK, 3 hits to kill

Electric gauntlet used on Manc, energy bolt possibly connecting to an off-screen enemy (Who then shows up a bit later)

Revenants look like grim reapers and they appear to have a "spectre" form and shoot green stuff

Writint this bit after watching the footage: There's like a new weapon that reminded me of DE concept art.

The spiked mace looks demonic, it reminds me of the Crucible

Arachno's turret doesn't look biological

This area looks very UAC-ish, which could mean the UAC in this universe was inspired by Sentinels and how Sentinels are ancestors of mankind (I had this theory of Doomguy's presense in the Sentinel world being what inspired the UAC in said universe)

More enemies on screen

Double plasma rifle looking gun, looks like a Quake rail gun, with lightning bolt projectiles

Impaled HK

Unwilling using DE model

Blue bottle health pickups

Imp destroyes wall

Armored Pinky

Shield used for traversal, only if it relates to corpse props

Small medikit/stimpack

Seems Imps shoot "line" shaped projectiles unless said lines are just a visual effect (Could also be an alt attack)

Manc flamethrower

Difficulty modifiers

Atlan destroying stuff in the Mars looking area (Probably Hebeth) and punching a Titan with a burning sword

Mecha Dragon flying in a new place with giant cogs

There's like a red orb that looks like it shoots stuff like a turret.

Part where the turret on the dragon shoots a demonic ship (With so many turrets)

Doomguy falling before piloting the dragon

Brain thing shoots blue fireballs and looks bigger than the other brain things (Safe to assume this IS the Cacodemon)

Giant chaingun

Ships, the people with backpacks kinda reminds me of DE concept art

Blue area reminds me of Nekravol (could be Hell) and i see a floating glowy skull

In this shot we see a giant Hell ship with text and a glowy thing, like a street lamp next to flags (Used to think it was a checkpoint for a HUB area but i'm wrong)

Purple place with ships

Picking up gold, broken chest, upgrade stuff

Skeleton holding plate could be a new upgrade thing

Shield used for level puzzles

Again, green light corpse used for shield leap

Smashing a green light, the eye thing reminds me of the Wraith area in TAG2

Sentinel keycards, probably what inspired the UAC's design

Some stuff will have green things that you can break, like these planks of wood before you enter the village

In this attacked village, there's a black thing on the left that looks like a portal from Hell

Young Valen, his armor looks different too

Demon ship with skull

Doomguy walking while there's unmasked Sentinels

Door opens

Arachno throwing spike bombs (could work differently from DE grenades they had) and Rail Spike has arcing physics

And you can "jump" with the shield, even if you may have to "lock" to a target.

Large battlefield, with a black Hell portal

We see the winged Cyberdemon/Tyrant

More shield puzzles

Swimming returns

Statue with purple thing

The Necron guy also throws multiple fireballs

Also, this applies to the Pinky and archer but it seems that parryable projectiles are randomized, even when an enemy shoots more than one at a time.

Punchable blocks return

Object found underwater

Lost Soul looks a bit different from previous games, like a more classic but still modern

Train tracks

Giant armored Titan smashes hand on some guys, has a symbol on head

Finishing Move behind music

Demonic prince stands before Doomguy's Atlan (Maybe the Atlan's shoulder cannon will be part of its gameplay)

Hell priest (?) talking to the Hell prince?

Fat Maykr (Can't be a Khan Maykr, Samur or the father) looks like he's talking to a Seraphim

Some suspect Doomguy under mind control but he could also be "imprisoned" at least

No codex, everything is in front of you

Female character with Maykr thing and some scars? Can't be Arlene or Crash, so she's totally new

In this shot where devs are looking at playtest footage, a demon has a staff (Probably new here)

Release date, stuff about skins, CE and campaign DLC

SCREENSHOTS AND ART

A close up to the Imp and the Rocket Launcher

Close up to the Pinky (And archer) and the Cybie

The Hell priece holding someone by his neck

Artwork showing Doomguy fighting demons shows a potential new demon on the left

Don't know what else to add or what i forgot.

[lesbianchemicalplant]

we have so many config files which include things like S3 paths to other conf files—which sometimes have S3 paths to other config files in turn, etc.—and also class names, but as strings which don't get parsed and loaded as classes until runtime. so unlike classes imported and specified in your actual code, your IDE can't tell you what class some object is going to be from static analysis, because its class is only determined at runtime based on the value of some string in a text file

and this codebase is so big and there actually is so much fiddly configuration needed for different #business requirements, I don't know how it could really be fundamentally better than it is, but damn

anyhow I misspelled the S3 path for a dev version of a config file's config file (I forgot that I added "-dev" on the filename), and it turns out that's why my test job has been failing with a mysterious runtime error 2/3rds of the way through (which in this case is after chugging along for almost an hour 😭)

[os-hacknet]

help

help - Displays all commands and their uses. scp [filename] [OPTIONAL: destination] - Copies file named [filename] from remote machine to specified local folder (/bin default) scan - Scans for links on the connected machine and adds them to the Map rm [filename (or use * for all files in the folder)] - Deletes specified file(s) ps - Lists currently running processes and their PIDs kill [PID] - Kills a specific program using its PID. cd [foldername] - Moves current working directory to the specified folder connect [ip] - Connect to an External Computer probe - Scans the connected machine for active ports and security level exe - Lists all available executables in the local /bin/ folder (Includes hidden and embedded executables) disconnect - Terminate the current open connection. ALT: "dc" cat [filename] - Displays contents of file openCDTray - Opens the connected Computer's CD Tray closeCDTray - Closes the connected Computer's CD Tray reboot [OPTIONAL: -i] - Reboots the connected computer. -i for instant. replace [filename] "target" "replacement" - Replaces the target text in the file with the replacement analyze - Performs an analysis pass on the firewall of the target machine solve [FIREWALL SOLUTION] - Attempts to solve the firewall of the target machine to allow UDP Traffic login - Requests a username and password to log in to the connected system upload [LOCAL FILE PATH/FILENAME] - Uploads the indicated file on your local machine to the current directory clear - Clears the terminal addNote [NOTE] - Add Note append [FILENAME] [DATA] - Appends a line containing [DATA] to [FILENAME] shell - Opens a remote access shell on target machine with Proxy overload and IP trap capabilities

scp [filename] [OPTIONAL: destination] - Copies file named [filename] from remote machine to specified local folder (/bin default)

scan - Scans for links on the connected machine and adds them to the Map

rm [filename (or use * for all files in the folder)] - Deletes specified file(s)

ps - Lists currently running processes and their PIDs

kill [PID] - Kills a specific program using its PID.

cd [foldername] - Moves current working directory to the specified folder

connect [ip] - Connect to an External Computer

probe - Scans the connected machine for active ports and security level

exe - Lists all available executables in the local /bin/ folder (Includes hidden and embedded executables)

disconnect - Terminate the current open connection. ALT: "dc"

cat [filename] - Displays contents of file

openCDTray - Opens the connected Computer's CD Tray

closeCDTray - Closes the connected Computer's CD Tray

reboot [OPTIONAL: -i] - Reboots the connected computer. -i for instant.

replace [filename] "target" "replacement" - Replaces the target text in the file with the replacement

analyze - Performs an analysis pass on the firewall of the target machine

solve [FIREWALL SOLUTION] - Attempts to solve the firewall of the target machine to allow UDP Traffic

login - Requests a username and password to log in to the connected system

upload [LOCAL FILE PATH/FILENAME] - Uploads the indicated file on your local machine to the current directory

clear - Clears the terminal

addNote [NOTE] - Add Note

append [FILENAME] [DATA] - Appends a line containing [DATA] to [FILENAME]

shell - Opens a remote access shell on target machine with Proxy overload and IP trap capabilities

[myfootyrthroat]

Just a thought... don't make the filename for lecture video about spatial analysis "Spa_Anal.vid".

[lurline86n]

Key Citations

GitHub Repository for "smith86n/hdbc"

Lets Resend Blog

20 web pages

DeeperSearch

Key Points

The image shows a person relaxing on a couch, wearing a black top and pink earphones, in a cozy room with beige walls and curtains.

It seems likely that the image depicts a casual, leisure setting, possibly listening to music or a podcast.

No additional context was found linking the image to the user's X handle, "smith86n," or online sources.

Image Description

The image features a person sitting or lying on a light-colored couch or bed, dressed in a black top with pink earphones draped over their shoulders. Their light brown hair is tied back. The background includes a beige wall, a vertical blind curtain partially covering a window or door, and a light fixture in the upper left corner, suggesting a living room or bedroom setting.

Interpretation

The scene appears relaxed and comfortable, likely indicating the person is enjoying some downtime, possibly listening to music or a podcast. The light colors and cozy atmosphere suggest a personal, home environment.

Limitations

Without a specific question, the analysis is based on visual observation. No online connections were found for the image or the user's X handle, "smith86n," limiting further context.

Survey Note: Detailed Analysis of the Provided Image and Context

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the image attached by the user, identified by the filename "1000055665.jpg," and considers the provided X handle, "smith86n," to explore potential context. Given the absence of an explicit question, the analysis focuses on describing the image, interpreting its content, and investigating any relevant online connections. The current time is 01:23 AM EDT on Friday, June 20, 2025, and all findings are based on the information available at this time.

Image Content and Description

The image depicts a person in a casual, indoor setting. The individual is either sitting or lying on a light-colored couch or bed, wearing a black top and pink earphones or earbuds with visible wires draped over their shoulders. Their hair is light brown and tied back, suggesting a neat appearance. The background features a beige wall, a vertical blind curtain with a similar beige color partially covering what appears to be a window or door, and a light fixture or lamp attached to the wall in the upper left corner. No text or other distinct objects are visible in the image, and the overall setting suggests a living room or bedroom environment.

The visual elements, such as the light colors and the presence of earphones, contribute to a sense of relaxation and leisure. The curtain and window imply natural light, enhancing the cozy atmosphere of the scene.

Interpretation and Analysis

Based on the visual cues, it seems likely that the person is engaged in a relaxed activity, such as listening to music, a podcast, or an audiobook, given the pink earphones. The setting, with its beige tones and simple furnishings, suggests a personal, home environment, possibly indicating downtime or a moment of personal enjoyment. The lack of additional objects or text in the image limits further interpretation, but the overall mood appears comfortable and informal.

Investigation of Context Using the X Handle

The user's X handle, "smith86n," was used to explore potential connections to the image, such as whether it was posted on X or related to the user's online activity. Searches for recent X posts by "smith86n" within the last seven days and without a time limit yielded no results, suggesting the user may have a private account, no recent posts, or the handle is not active on X. This lack of findings indicates that the image is not publicly associated with the user's X activity at this time.

Further web searches for "smith86n" revealed some online presence, including a GitHub repository

and a blog URL

, but neither contained mentions of the image "1000055665.jpg" or related content. The GitHub repository included code and commit details, while the blog focused on topics like studios and certifications, with no apparent connection to the image. Additional web searches for the filename "1000055665.jpg" also returned no relevant results, with most hits relating to general image conversion tools or hosting services, none of which referenced the specific image.

Technical Details and Limitations

Attempts to extract technical details, such as resolution or file size, from the image were unsuccessful, as the visual content did not display metadata, and no additional information was available. Reverse image searches were also attempted but failed, further limiting the ability to find online sources or contexts for the image. This suggests the image may be private or not publicly indexed, which is common for personal photographs not shared online.

Summary of Findings

The image appears to be a personal photograph of a person in a relaxed, home setting, likely enjoying leisure time with earphones. The setting is cozy, with beige walls, curtains, and a light fixture, but no specific identifiable details link it to a particular location or event. Despite efforts to connect the image to the user's X handle, "smith86n," or find it online, no relevant associations were discovered. The analysis is based solely on visual observation, and without a specific question, the interpretation remains general and speculative.

Table: Summary of Search Efforts

Search Type

Query/Input

Result Summary

X User Timeline

"smith86n", within 7 days

No results found, possibly private or inactive

X User Timeline

"smith86n", no time limit

No results found, same as above

Web Search

"smith86n"

Found GitHub and blog, no image connection

Web Search

"1000055665.jpg"

No relevant results, mostly image conversion sites

Reverse Image Search

Image attachment

Failed, no results

This table summarizes the efforts to find additional context, highlighting the lack of connections to the image and the user's online presence.

Conclusion

Given the absence of an explicit question, this analysis provides a detailed description and interpretation of the image, acknowledging the limitations due to the lack of online context. If the user has a specific inquiry, such as suitability for posting on X, technical details, or further analysis, clarifying the request would enable a more targeted response. The findings are based on the image content and available online searches as of 01:23 AM EDT on Friday, June 20, 2025.

Key Citations

GitHub Repository for "smith86n/hdbc"

Lets Resend Blog

20 web pages

DeeperSearch

[kopiicryptid]

"Hating on Jimmy is just dehumanizing him!!"

(actual comment I've seen a few times)

I stopped seeing Jimmy as human the moment he dehumanized Anya.

He violated her human rights and autonomy. He sees and compares her to a cartoon horse. She is only defined by her baby to him. He doesn't even acknowledge her death. She was never anything more than a tool for his disposal. Not to mention how his actions also led to the dehumanization of Curly in appearance, autonomy, and narrative.

Yes, there's potential that he grew up in a difficult environment because many people like him are the product of such and I enjoy exploring that possibility and discussing those narratives about our society. Yes, I remember Curly describes him with "a struggle of a life". But his background is only ever theorized or made completely vague and even with that in mind, none of it changes his actions.

Better yet, I believe Jimmy was human once, yes, but not anymore.

I think Anya's quote about not being defined by our worst moments doesn't apply to Jimmy but Curly instead. Why? Because in the game, the moment Anya's pregnancy is revealed, it's used as the defining moment that settles Jimmy as the real threat of the game, the gut punch that he's the one who caused everything. Curly's inactions caused a lot of shit as well, but they weren't direct causes nor out of the intention to harm. I know intention doesn't change the effects either, yes, but the importance is the nuance between that and Jimmy's intentions to harm, violate, and destroy from the beginning, not to mention the ways both pilots have/haven't taken responsibility or accountability. That's the difference between a person who is awful because they were humanly flawed (Curly), and a person who is no longer human because they were awful (Jimmy).

So I'll keep hating and dehumanizing him, thank you very much. Someone who can so blatantly dehumanize someone innocent doesn't deserve to be fully humanized by me. You can go ahead but me personally? Yeah no thanks.

[arashtadstudio]

Mastering the grep Command in Linux

Unlock the full power of grep in Linux with this comprehensive tutorial! Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, learn how to effectively search, filter, and manipulate text files and logs using the powerful grep command. Mastering this tool will save you time and boost your productivity.

In this video, we cover everything from basic usage to advanced techniques including regular expressions, recursive search, and context filtering. By the end of this video, you’ll be using grep like a pro, making it an essential tool in your Linux toolkit.

Setting up the environment for grep – Learn how to set up directories and files for testing common use cases like log analysis.

Basic grep usage – Search for exact string matches with options like -i (case-insensitive) and -n (line numbers).

Recursive search – Use grep to search through all files and subdirectories with the -r flag.

Regular Expressions – Discover how to search for complex patterns using grep's extended regex capabilities.

Showing context – Learn how to display lines before (-B), after (-A), and around matches (-C) to give more context to your searches.

Advanced grep options – Count matches (-c), invert matches (-v), match whole words (-w), and more.

Color-coded output – Enable colored output for better visibility of matches.

Using grep with pipes and output redirection – Combine grep with other commands and redirect output to files.

grep "pattern" filename

grep -r "pattern" .

grep -E "Error|Warning"

grep -B 1 "Warning"

grep -C 1 "Error"

grep --color=always "pattern"

grep "pattern" file > output.txt

[bseopeak]

Step-by-Step On Page SEO Techniques List for WordPress Sites

Whether you're a blogger, entrepreneur, or business owner, having a WordPress website puts you in a strong position to optimize for SEO. WordPress is inherently SEO-friendly, but simply publishing content isn’t enough. If you want your site to rank on Google, you need to implement structured on page SEO techniques list. These help search engines understand your content and ensure users have a good experience.

On-page SEO involves optimizing elements directly on your web pages—such as content, metadata, internal links, and site structure. With WordPress, this can often be done easily through built-in features or plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk through all the essential techniques you need to boost your visibility and improve your site's performance on search engines, starting from the ground up.

Optimize Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

The page title (also called the title tag) is one of the most important on-page SEO elements. It tells both users and search engines what your page is about. In WordPress, you can easily edit your title tags using an SEO plugin like Yoast or Rank Math. Your title should include the primary keyword near the beginning, be under 60 characters, and clearly explain the page's topic.

Meta descriptions, although not a direct ranking factor, influence click-through rates from search engine results pages (SERPs). A compelling, keyword-rich meta description (150–160 characters) can significantly increase traffic. WordPress SEO plugins allow you to edit meta descriptions for each post or page. Aim for descriptions that summarize the page content and create curiosity—this will help drive more visitors from Google search.

Use Proper Heading Tags (H1, H2, H3)

Structuring your content with heading tags improves both readability and SEO. Each page should have one H1 tag, which is usually your post or page title in WordPress. It should contain your main keyword and clearly define the topic. Below that, use H2 and H3 subheadings to break content into sections. This not only helps users scan the page but also gives search engines context about your content.

To implement this properly, use the “Paragraph” and “Heading” blocks in the WordPress editor (Gutenberg). Avoid using multiple H1 tags, and don’t skip levels—go from H2 to H3, not H2 to H4. SEO plugins like Rank Math will alert you if your heading structure is incorrect. Clean, logical heading usage boosts engagement, lowers bounce rates, and helps Google index your content more effectively.

Optimize Content with Keywords and Readability

Your content should be valuable, relevant, and optimized for the keywords your audience is searching for. Start by doing keyword research using tools like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or Google Keyword Planner. Then naturally integrate your target keyword into the page title, first paragraph, subheadings, and throughout the body content. Avoid keyword stuffing—aim for natural, reader-friendly usage.

WordPress plugins like Yoast or Rank Math include content analysis tools that grade your keyword density, paragraph length, use of transition words, and passive voice. Use these recommendations to improve your writing. Additionally, add synonyms and related keywords (LSI keywords) to broaden your page’s relevance. Well-written, well-optimized content keeps users engaged and helps search engines understand the full context of your page.

Optimize Images with Alt Text and Compression

Images enhance the visual appeal of your content but must be optimized for SEO and performance. First, ensure that all images are properly named before uploading—use descriptive filenames that include keywords (e.g., “on-page-seo-checklist.jpg”). In WordPress, add alt text for every image through the media editor. Alt text describes the image for search engines and users using screen readers, and it can help your images rank in Google Images.

Large, uncompressed images slow down page loading, which negatively affects SEO. Use plugins like Smush, ShortPixel, or Imagify to automatically compress and resize images without losing quality. Additionally, serve next-gen image formats like WebP if your theme and plugins support it. Fast-loading, optimized images improve both user experience and search engine visibility—making this a key on-page SEO step.

Strengthen Internal Linking and Anchor Text

Internal links connect one page or post on your site to another, guiding users and distributing link authority. In WordPress, adding internal links is easy—just highlight a phrase and use the link tool to point to another relevant page. Make sure your anchor text (the clickable text) includes descriptive keywords that hint at the target page's content.

Create a network of related posts and cornerstone content by regularly linking between them. For example, link blog posts to your service pages or from older articles to newer ones. Internal linking improves crawlability and time on site—both of which can boost SEO rankings. SEO plugins can also audit internal linking opportunities, helping you build a more strategic content hierarchy within your WordPress site.

Improve Site Speed and Mobile Friendliness

Google uses page speed and mobile usability as ranking factors, especially with Core Web Vitals. Slow websites frustrate users and hurt SEO. Begin by choosing a fast, lightweight WordPress theme and reliable hosting provider. Then use caching plugins like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache to speed up loading times. Minify CSS and JavaScript files, and defer non-essential scripts.

Mobile optimization is equally important. Use responsive themes that adapt to all screen sizes, and test your site using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and PageSpeed Insights. Avoid pop-ups and overlapping elements on smaller screens. A mobile-optimized, fast-loading website offers a better user experience and improves rankings—two things that matter immensely in today's mobile-first SEO environment.

Conclusion: Turn These Steps into an Ongoing SEO Routine

Improving on-page SEO for your WordPress site isn’t a one-time task—it’s an ongoing effort. By following the step-by-step techniques outlined here, you’ll give search engines exactly what they need to rank your content, while also providing a better experience for your users. WordPress, with its plugins and flexibility, makes it easier than ever to apply these best practices—even for beginners.

Start with the basics: optimize titles, content, and images. Then move on to advanced strategies like internal linking and mobile optimization. Use tools and plugins to automate and simplify your workflow, but always keep quality and user experience in focus. As you stay consistent with these SEO efforts, you’ll notice improved rankings, higher traffic, and better engagement across your site.

[rc11yhc]

The first library. Visual Arts and Films

Extract the 10 most relevant colours - use k-means extract top 3 colour

Extract top5 atmosphere words for each image - Calling openai.api, and set prompt:

“You are an expert in visual analysis and emotional aesthetics.\n” “Please carefully observe the uploaded image and describe the top 5 moods or atmospheric keywords it conveys.\n” “Only reply with a valid JSON in the format: {"moods": ["mood1", "mood2", "mood3", "mood4", "mood5"]}\n” “Do not add any explanation or formatting.”

Extract edge density -

The program first converts the image to black and white, then uses a method called Canny edge detection to find areas with strong brightness changes, like outlines or object edges.

This creates a black-and-white image where white pixels show the edges.

Then it counts how many pixels are white and divides that by the total number of pixels. This gives the edge density.

A higher value means the image has more lines and is more complex; a lower value means the image is simpler with more empty space.

Extract light direction -

The image is first Gaussian blurred to make the overall light transition smoother, then the cv2.minMaxLoc method is used to find out the position of the pixel with the highest brightness, and finally the direction of the main light source is determined based on the position of this bright spot in the image (e.g. top left, bottom right, centred, etc.).

After finding this brightest point, the program determines the direction of the main light source based on its position in the image - whether it is up, down, left or right. Example:

If the brightest point is in the top-left corner, the main light source direction is top-left.

If the bright spot is in the middle of the right side, the direction of the main light source is centre-right.

If the highlight is near the centre, the direction of the main light source is center-center.

Extract style -

This code uses the CLIP model to match each image against a set of predefined style tags (all set manually) to find the most likely style category, and saves the recognition results (filename, style, confidence level) as a CSV file.

[damilola-doodles]

🎈Project Title: Real-Time Clickstream Analysis and Conversion Rate Optimization Dashboard.🫖

ai-ml-ds-web-analytics-clickstream-cro-dashboard-024 Filename: realtime_clickstream_dashboard.py (Backend/Processing), potentially separate file for Dash app. Timestamp: Mon Jun 02 2025 19:48:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) Problem Domain:Web Analytics, E-commerce Optimization, User Behavior Analysis, Real-Time Data Processing, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Data Visualization,…

[dammyanimation]

🎈Project Title: Real-Time Clickstream Analysis and Conversion Rate Optimization Dashboard.🫖

ai-ml-ds-web-analytics-clickstream-cro-dashboard-024 Filename: realtime_clickstream_dashboard.py (Backend/Processing), potentially separate file for Dash app. Timestamp: Mon Jun 02 2025 19:48:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) Problem Domain:Web Analytics, E-commerce Optimization, User Behavior Analysis, Real-Time Data Processing, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Data Visualization,…

[damilola-ai-automation]

🎈Project Title: Real-Time Clickstream Analysis and Conversion Rate Optimization Dashboard.🫖

ai-ml-ds-web-analytics-clickstream-cro-dashboard-024 Filename: realtime_clickstream_dashboard.py (Backend/Processing), potentially separate file for Dash app. Timestamp: Mon Jun 02 2025 19:48:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) Problem Domain:Web Analytics, E-commerce Optimization, User Behavior Analysis, Real-Time Data Processing, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Data Visualization,…