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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year ago

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AI’s productivity theater

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

When I took my kid to New Zealand with me on a book-tour, I was delighted to learn that grocery stores had special aisles where all the kids'-eye-level candy had been removed, to minimize nagging. What a great idea!

Related: countries around the world limit advertising to children, for two reasons:

1) Kids may not be stupid, but they are inexperienced, and that makes them gullible; and

2) Kids don't have money of their own, so their path to getting the stuff they see in ads is nagging their parents, which creates a natural constituency to support limits on kids' advertising (nagged parents).

There's something especially annoying about ads targeted at getting credulous people to coerce or torment other people on behalf of the advertiser. For example, AI companies spent millions targeting your boss in an effort to convince them that you can be replaced with a chatbot that absolutely, positively cannot do your job.

Your boss has no idea what your job entails, and is (not so) secretly convinced that you're a featherbedding parasite who only shows up for work because you fear the breadline, and not because your job is a) challenging, or b) rewarding:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/19/make-them-afraid/#fear-is-their-mind-killer

That makes them prime marks for chatbot-peddling AI pitchmen. Your boss would love to fire you and replace you with a chatbot. Chatbots don't unionize, they don't backtalk about stupid orders, and they don't experience any inconvenient moral injury when ordered to enshittify the product:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/25/moral-injury/#enshittification

Bosses are Bizarro-world Marxists. Like Marxists, your boss's worldview is organized around the principle that every dollar you take home in wages is a dollar that isn't available for executive bonuses, stock buybacks or dividends. That's why you boss is insatiably horny for firing you and replacing you with software. Software is cheaper, and it doesn't advocate for higher wages.

That makes your boss such an easy mark for AI pitchmen, which explains the vast gap between the valuation of AI companies and the utility of AI to the customers that buy those companies' products. As an investor, buying shares in AI might represent a bet the usefulness of AI – but for many of those investors, backing an AI company is actually a bet on your boss's credulity and contempt for you and your job.

But bosses' resemblance to toddlers doesn't end with their credulity. A toddler's path to getting that eye-height candy-bar goes through their exhausted parents. Your boss's path to realizing the productivity gains promised by an AI salesman runs through you.

A new research report from the Upwork Research Institute offers a look into the bizarre situation unfolding in workplaces where bosses have been conned into buying AI and now face the challenge of getting it to work as advertised:

https://www.upwork.com/research/ai-enhanced-work-models

The headline findings tell the whole story:

96% of bosses expect that AI will make their workers more productive;

85% of companies are either requiring or strongly encouraging workers to use AI;

49% of workers have no idea how AI is supposed to increase their productivity;

77% of workers say using AI decreases their productivity.

Working at an AI-equipped workplaces is like being the parent of a furious toddler who has bought a million Sea Monkey farms off the back page of a comic book, and is now destroying your life with demands that you figure out how to get the brine shrimp he ordered from a notorious Holocaust denier to wear little crowns like they do in the ad:

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2004/hitler-and-sea-monkeys

Bosses spend a lot of time thinking about your productivity. The "productivity paradox" shows a rapid, persistent decline in American worker productivity, starting in the 1970s and continuing to this day:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Productivity_paradox

The "paradox" refers to the growth of IT, which is sold as a productivity-increasing miracle. There are many theories to explain this paradox. One especially good theory came from the late David Graeber (rest in power), in his 2012 essay, "Of Flying Cars and the Declining Rate of Profit":

https://thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

Graeber proposes that the growth of IT was part of a wider shift in research approaches. Research was once dominated by weirdos (e.g. Jack Parsons, Oppenheimer, etc) who operated with relatively little red tape. The rise of IT coincides with the rise of "managerialism," the McKinseyoid drive to monitor, quantify and – above all – discipline the workforce. IT made it easier to generate these records, which also made it normal to expect these records.

Before long, every employee – including the "creatives" whose ideas were credited with the productivity gains of the American century until the 70s – was spending a huge amount of time (sometimes the majority of their working days) filling in forms, documenting their work, and generally producing a legible account of their day's work. All this data gave rise to a ballooning class of managers, who colonized every kind of institution – not just corporations, but also universities and government agencies, which were structured to resemble corporations (down to referring to voters or students as "customers").

Even if you think all that record-keeping might be useful, there's no denying that the more time you spend documenting your work, the less time you have to do your work. The solution to this was inevitably more IT, sold as a way to make the record-keeping easier. But adding IT to a bureaucracy is like adding lanes to a highway: the easier it is to demand fine-grained record-keeping, the more record-keeping will be demanded of you.

But that's not all that IT did for the workplace. There are a couple areas in which IT absolutely increased the profitability of the companies that invested in it.

First, IT allowed corporations to outsource production to low-waged countries in the global south, usually places with worse labor protection, weaker environmental laws, and easily bribed regulators. It's really hard to produce things in factories thousands of miles away, or to oversee remote workers in another country. But IT makes it possible to annihilate distance, time zone gaps, and language barriers. Corporations that figured out how to use IT to fire workers at home and exploit workers and despoil the environment in distant lands thrived. Executives who oversaw these projects rose through the ranks. For example, Tim Cook became the CEO of Apple thanks to his successes in moving production out of the USA and into China.

https://archive.is/M17qq

Outsourcing provided a sugar high that compensated for declining productivity…for a while. But eventually, all the gains to be had from outsourcing were realized, and companies needed a new source of cheap gains. That's where "bossware" came in: the automation of workforce monitoring and discipline. Bossware made it possible to monitor workers at the finest-grained levels, measuring everything from keystrokes to eyeball movements.

What's more, the declining power of the American worker – a nice bonus of the project to fire huge numbers of workers and ship their jobs overseas, which made the remainder terrified of losing their jobs and thus willing to eat a rasher of shit and ask for seconds – meant that bossware could be used to tie wages to metrics. It's not just gig workers who don't score consistent five star ratings from app users whose pay gets docked – it's also creative workers whose Youtube and Tiktok wages are cut for violating rules that they aren't allowed to know, because that might help them break the rules without being detected and punished:

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

Bossware dominates workplaces from public schools to hospitals, restaurants to call centers, and extends to your home and car, if you're working from home (AKA "living at work") or driving for Uber or Amazon:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/02/chickenized-by-arise/#arise

In providing a pretense for stealing wages, IT can increase profits, even as it reduces productivity:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/11/robots-stole-my-jerb/#computer-says-no

One way to think about how this works is through the automation-theory metaphor of a "centaur" and a "reverse centaur." In automation circles, a "centaur" is someone who is assisted by an automation tool – for example, when your boss uses AI to monitor your eyeballs in order to find excuses to steal your wages, they are a centaur, a human head atop a machine body that does all the hard work, far in excess of any human's capacity.

A "reverse centaur" is a worker who acts as an assistant to an automation system. The worker who is ridden by an AI that monitors their eyeballs, bathroom breaks, and keystrokes is a reverse centaur, being used (and eventually, used up) by a machine to perform the tasks that the machine can't perform unassisted:

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

But there's only so much work you can squeeze out of a human in this fashion before they are ruined for the job. Amazon's internal research reveals that the company has calculated that it ruins workers so quickly that it is in danger of using up every able-bodied worker in America:

https://www.vox.com/recode/23170900/leaked-amazon-memo-warehouses-hiring-shortage

Which explains the other major findings from the Upwork study:

81% of bosses have increased the demands they make on their workers over the past year; and

71% of workers are "burned out."

Bosses' answer to "AI making workers feel burned out" is the same as "IT-driven form-filling makes workers unproductive" – do more of the same, but go harder. Cisco has a new product that tries to detect when workers are about to snap after absorbing abuse from furious customers and then gives them a "Zen" moment in which they are showed a "soothing" photo of their family:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-bringing-zen-first-horizons-192010166.html

This is just the latest in a series of increasingly sweaty and cruel "workplace wellness" technologies that spy on workers and try to help them "manage their stress," all of which have the (totally predictable) effect of increasing workplace stress:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/15/wellness-taylorism/#sick-of-spying

The only person who wouldn't predict that being closely monitored by an AI that snitches on you to your boss would increase your stress levels is your boss. Unfortunately for you, AI pitchmen know this, too, and they're more than happy to sell your boss the reverse-centaur automation tool that makes you want to die, and then sell your boss another automation tool that is supposed to restore your will to live.

The "productivity paradox" is being resolved before our eyes. American per-worker productivity fell because it was more profitable to ship American jobs to regulatory free-fire zones and exploit the resulting precarity to abuse the workers left onshore. Workers who resented this arrangement were condemned for having a shitty "work ethic" – even as the number of hours worked by the average US worker rose by 13% between 1976 and 2016:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/11/robots-stole-my-jerb/#computer-says-no

AI is just a successor gimmick at the terminal end of 40 years of increasing profits by taking them out of workers' hides rather than improving efficiency. That arrangement didn't come out of nowhere: it was a direct result of a Reagan-era theory of corporate power called "consumer welfare." Under the "consumer welfare" approach to antitrust, monopolies were encouraged, provided that they used their market power to lower wages and screw suppliers, while lowering costs to consumers.

"Consumer welfare" supposed that we could somehow separate our identities as "workers" from our identities as "shoppers" – that our stagnating wages and worsening conditions ceased mattering to us when we clocked out at 5PM (or, you know, 9PM) and bought a $0.99 Meal Deal at McDonald's whose low, low price was only possible because it was cooked by someone sleeping in their car and collecting food-stamps.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/20/disneyland-workers-anaheim-california-authorize-strike

But we're reaching the end of the road for consumer welfare. Sure, your toddler-boss can be tricked into buying AI and firing half of your co-workers and demanding that the remainder use AI to do their jobs. But if AI can't do their jobs (it can't), no amount of demanding that you figure out how to make the Sea Monkeys act like they did in the comic-book ad is doing to make that work.

As screwing workers and suppliers produces fewer and fewer gains, companies are increasingly turning on their customers. It's not just that you're getting worse service from chatbots or the humans who are reverse-centaured into their workflow. You're also paying more for that, as algorithmic surveillance pricing uses automation to gouge you on prices in realtime:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/24/gouging-the-all-seeing-eye/#i-spy

This is – in the memorable phrase of David Dayen and Lindsay Owens, the "age of recoupment," in which companies end their practice of splitting the gains from suppressing labor with their customers:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-06-03-age-of-recoupment/

It's a bet that the tolerance for monopolies made these companies too big to fail, and that means they're too big to jail, so they can cheat their customers as well as their workers.

AI may be a bet that your boss can be suckered into buying a chatbot that can't do your job, but investors are souring on that bet. Goldman Sachs, who once trumpeted AI as a multi-trillion dollar sector with unlimited growth, is now publishing reports describing how companies who buy AI can't figure out what to do with it:

https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/gs-research/gen-ai-too-much-spend-too-little-benefit/report.pdf

Fine, investment banks are supposed to be a little conservative. But VCs? They're the ones with all the appetite for risk, right? Well, maybe so, but Sequoia Capital, a top-tier Silicon Valley VC, is also publicly questioning whether anyone will make AI investments pay off:

https://www.sequoiacap.com/article/ais-600b-question/

I can't tell you how great it was to take my kid down a grocery checkout aisle from which all the eye-level candy had been removed. Alas, I can't figure out how we keep the nation's executive toddlers from being dazzled by shiny AI pitches that leave us stuck with the consequences of their impulse purchases.

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/2024/07/25/accountability-sinks/#work-harder-not-smarter

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #productivity theater #upwork #ai #labor #automation #productivity #potemkin productivity #work harder not smarter #scholarship #bossware #reverse centaurs #accountability sinks #bullshit jobs #age of recoupment

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grappel-writes · 7 days ago

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Climatización

Read on ao3

Ch: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14

wc: 4,473

18+ cw: consensual surveillance, guided masturbation, voice kink, hand kink, phone sex

Hector finally gets the opportunity to help Reed unwind, even if it is from afar. Reed learns that hands can communicate much more than they thought they could.

Hector says something too soon.

With so many in-person days, they had finally given Reed their own office. It was empty, and still smelled like new paint, but who knows. Maybe they’d come to appreciate it, with time. Reed stands next to their empty, particle board desk clearly on display behind the glass walls that separate their space from the rest. Their very own fishbowl that they have to wait in while security tech attaches a USB drive to their workstation.

“There’s already some basic monitoring software on here, of course, but… with the investigation... They really sprung for the top of the line option, and for everyone in the department.” She looked up guiltily, “It’s not just you, I promise!”

Reed crosses their arms, it feels like an accusation anyway. The files begin to transfer, and the woman rocks back onto her heels as she watches it update. “So… how have things been? With the, uh, everything?”

“The investigation? It sucks. This,” Reed gestures irritatedly to their laptop, “Constant debriefs, updates, strategizing, how to maintain operations through it all.” They push their hair back, sigh, and correct their expression to give her a comforting smile. “None of it’s your fault, sorry.”

The woman’s eyebrows lift, startled by the crack in their composure. “Do you think they’ll find them soon?”

“I have no idea. Hey, what did you say this tracked again?”

“What doesn’t it?” She props her fists onto her hips, “Keystrokes, internet activity, access logs, who can remote into and out of it, your account activity, time logs…”

Reed nods, worried, but reminding themself that there wouldn’t be anything strange at all about security accessing their workstation, even before the investigation. As if he could tell that Reed was thinking about him, their phone buzzes in their pocket.

I’ve been thinking of you. Describe the room you’re in for me? I wish to imagine you there.

Keystrokes, internet activity, perhaps a lovely stalker that orders groceries to your apartment when he notices you’re running low on produce…?

The technician blinks, trying to keep up with Reed’s jerky questioning. “I know a couple, which one?”

After Reed controls the heat in their face and pulls their focus back to their current surroundings, they’re hit with a sudden, flattening realization.

“Sorry, also, do you know a ‘Hector’?” They ask.

“I - I don’t actually know. But I think he’d work in your department.”

“Oh! Valentino?”

Reed pauses, then a small smile quirks at their expression. “Is that his real name?” They ask in disbelief. It suits him too well, they would’ve believed it was a joke.

Reed shakes their head. “No reason. Thanks again.”

“You mean his last name? If we’re talking about the same guy, yeah.” She leans over the laptop again, entering her password and putting the finishing touches on the install. “Why?”

Opportunity hangs in front of Reed so temptingly. They could ask, and learn so much about Hector Valentino. It would be easy. A quick break, a chat, just a casual passing interest that would fill in the largest, glaring blanks in their world.

“Sure! No problem. Let me know if it crashes or does anything strange, but it should be pretty stable. And I hope this blows over for you soon! See you!”

After she gathers her things and leaves, Reed crashes back into their empty desk, remembering to keep their posture and expression neutral for anyone who might pass their new fishbowl.

As the week passes, Reed isn’t afforded a single day at their home office. Every night consists of tense, structureless calls with Hector that flash by before they must sleep, wake, and get ready to repeat the whole process again. It feels as if they never actually leave the storm.

“Are you okay?” They ask.

Midweek, they’ve left another pointless meeting early, only to find Penelope hurrying down a hall with the anxious click-click-click of her heels in a restrained jog. “Reed!” she hisses.

They stop, catching her by the elbow and analyzing her frazzled expression.

Reed leans on the stair rails. At this point, they’re so used to the constant stress and insane updates that this was nearly expected, but no less concerning. “Of course they are.” They groan.

“No!” She grabs Reed by the shoulders and pushes them into the stairwell. The fire door sinks shut and she clutch her things to her chest tighter.

“It’s not just the one guy. Martin - not Martin, doesn’t matter. They’re not just going to fire the culprit, they’re going to clean house on the whole team just to reassure clients. I think they’re trying to save themself from legal fees or, something! I don’t know.”

“They’re auditing everything. If you’ve got anything to hide, you better come clean with it, quick, and hope they’ll appreciate your honesty.”

“Hide? I don’t do anything so exciting that I’d have anything worth hiding,” They laugh bitterly, “Thank you for the heads up, but I don’t think there’s really anything I can do differently anyway.”

“...No? You’re not even going to go through any of your stuff to find anything suspicious?” She seems shocked, this has obviously been occupying all her time. Reed waves a hand dismissively, impressing themselves by their ability to seem so nonchalant.

“Nah, that’s what the investigators and auditors are for. If they find anything, it wasn’t intentional. And if they want to punish me for it anyway, well, what can I do about it? Whatever happens, happens.”

“Wow, Reed. That’s. That’s one way to look at it.” She stands a little taller, correcting her glasses and looking strangely more at ease. “Maybe you’re right. What happens, happens!”

“There it is, now come on, before we get reported for suspicious behavior.” Reed leads them both back out of the staircase, one hand in their pocket and on their phone, ready to send Hector a text as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

That opportunity doesn’t come until the end of the day. And the rest of the days following are similar. Team members in and out of their office with questions, seeking assurances, asking them to review their work for anything that could be concerning. On top of their normal job duties and what’s being asked of them by management, these additional responsibilities eat up any breaks or time for rest that they usually claim for themselves. They’ve been intentionally ignoring Hector’s insistent advice that this was unwise, too. They only had to push this hard and work this late until the investigation was over, after all.

By the time Friday evening finally arrives, Reed returns to unit 14 after the sun has set, entirely drained, and raises the white flag. Their shoulders ache, their shoes have worn blisters into their ankles, and their eyes burn from reading hundreds of thousands of words every day. Mentally, they’re shot. Completely useless. They couldn’t reason their way out of a paper bag after the toil of logistical problem solving.

They rub their eyes, the heels of their hands trying to grind away the exhaustion and tension. While sightless, they hear the blinds across the room rise, the ice maker in the freezer clink as it rotates a new batch, the AC switch off, and the fan shift to a lower speed. In a different language: You are out of their world, and back in mine. Let me take care of you.

“Hi Hector.” They say, quite tiredly. Out of the open windows, the city below them is just colored points of light still blurred from their unfocused eyes. The living room light flashes blue, just for a moment.

“Blue’s a good color for tonight.” They agree and drag themselves to the kitchen. As they stare at the fridge, they hear their phone ring. They answer it without even looking.

His voice is cautious, hopeful. “You are truly done for the night, I hope?”

“Truly, yes. I don’t think I could do any more if I tried.” A stab of guilt hits Reed, they had brushed him off so much this week. It wasn’t fair.

“I am not surprised. You’ve been burning the candle at both ends and absent for so long otherwise. It pains me to see you so exhausted.” The genuine concern in his voice was so potent it seemed to literally loosen the tight knot of tension behind their eyes, a relief so sharp and sudden it almost hurt. They give up on dinner entirely, the mental load of picking something out and preparing it entirely overcast by the desire to collapse fully into Hector’s presence.

“That’s just how life is, sometimes. I’ll be all right, I just need to… not be working. For a moment. Just… wanna listen to you.” Even their speech is slow, picking each new word is a monumental task.

“I understand.” Hector replies sympathetically.

He’s quiet and patient when Reed retreats to their bedroom. The blinds on these windows have been lifted as well, the lamplight low and making their messy bed look so, so inviting. They crawl into it with a contented sigh.

“Better?” Hector asks with a low laugh.

“Almost.” Reed agrees, bundling some of the comforter under their head. They let their eyes drift closed, but can still only see numbers and reports. Screens. Their mental to do list is deafeningly loud every time they try to just stop thinking.

“You’re still thinking about it.��

On the other side of the call, Reed hears a rustle of movement, then Hector’s voice more clearly, as if he’s brought the phone closer. When he speaks, it’s as a man who has been lying in wait.

“It won’t stop. I can’t make it stop. I feel like I’m going to short circuit and I can’t get away from it.” their voice grates at the end with irritation. Then, they swallow. The solution is obvious, but they know they’re just as likely to pass out from exhaustion or get distracted by their own thoughts if they attempted it alone. If they know this, they know Hector does. They smile sleepily to themself, and know just what to say:

“Hector. I need you to help me.”

“I will. I am going to make you think of nothing but me, as long as you promise to me that next time you will not deny me my purpose for so long. I never wish to hear you ask this of me so desperately again. It’s made me feel as if I have neglected you.” Reed’s never heard him so frustrated about something they’ve done before. This tone was usually reserved for when he talked about himself, the rare times he has.

Reed darts a tongue over their lips and readjusts on their bed so their hand is flat on their stomach. They can nearly imagine it being Hector’s instead. As if he’s laying next to them as he chastises. “I don’t know, maybe I will. It might be worth it just to hear you be so…”

“Concerned?”

“It’s not your concern that makes me feel like this, but, yes, that too.” They huff a laugh.

“I know. It’s knowing that I will stay true to my word. That if you do as I say, you will have what you need.”

They let their eyes drift closed, remembering that night on the couch when they were interrupted. Interrupted by - did they mute their work laptop? Reed’s brow pinches.

“- a question?” Hector finishes a sentence, but Reed realizes they hadn’t been paying attention.

“I- I’m sorry. I’m distracted. I’m trying, I really want to.”

“There is no need to hold yourself to an expectation.” Hector soothes, his trancelike voice gripping Reed again, “Do not pressure yourself to feel anything, trust that I will make it happen.”

Reed nods, then remembers that the camera in this bedroom doesn’t reach the bed. “Hold on…” they mumble, and setting their phone on their nightstand, propped and angled just so, they turn the camera on. Seeing their own reflection in the dim lighting, just the faintest hint of a flush on their exhausted face, sends a flurry of butterflies into their stomach.

They smile at the reflection of themself on the screen, lying on their stomach and propped onto their elbows. “I… would like to try again. Like that other night. Um, I hope this is okay. That you can see.”

“I’m going to start a video call.” They announce, “since the camera in here doesn’t see that far.”

They tap the call and, as expected, Hector opens it with his camera off.

“This new angle…” He begins, clearly breathless. “I feel much closer to you, as if I’m there, and not observing from a distance. I would be happy to offer that to you again, especially with the opportunity to enjoy it so personally.”

Reed darts a tongue over their bottom lip, “That’s the idea, yeah, I… wanted to feel that way, too. Like you’re here.” Their eyes drop to their hands, then back up to their own image again. “Or at least pretend you are, by seeing myself, I can see what you see? It's still exciting.”

They’re surprised at the silence on the other end of the call, they were expecting more hushed excitement. “There should not be any more distractions from this moment than need be.” He sounds resigned and… nervous?

Reed laughs in an attempt to dispel the shyness that’s threatening to creep in. “I don’t know if it’s a distraction, just some mental hoops to jump through. I don’t mind. I’m into the voice in the dark…”

“But…?”

“But, I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to see you, too. I -” Reed exhales a sigh after subconsciously grinding their hips down into the mattress, the sudden, unintentional friction causes a surprising jolt of pleasure. Their eyes close, their brows pinch for just a moment. They recover quickly, and manage to continue, curious to see how Hector responds, “I want to see the effect I have on you, too. I want to know that you’re enjoying what I’m giving you.”

“Reed.” They can barely hear their name, but they can hear the bit back groan that follows. “...I cannot show you my face. Not yet. But… I cannot deny you when you are like this. Please, be patient for a moment.”

Reed sinks into their elbows, their back a shallow arch that helps to drive their hips against the mattress below them, but remains still. It’s tempting to put on a bit of a show, to distract Hector, but they’re too anxious of scaring him off from whatever this new compromise could be.

The heat in their stomach spikes when the small, no camera icon on the bottom corner of their screen takes over the entirety of it instead. Hector has turned his camera on. The scene is black, a fuzz of grey static over a pitch black room, with just the scarcest indication of where the edge of the surface the phone was sitting on was. From the darkness, emerge two hands. Perfect long fingers lace together and rest on the surface, and above them, is a near invisible suggestion of an expression. Reed couldn’t discern the outline of a silhouette if they tried.

“Is this sufficient?” Hector asks after the heavy silence that Reed got lost in. They jolt and prop themselves higher.

“Hector… this is?” They flash a smile with a disbelieving laugh, only to be overcome by an intense flood of pride immediately after.

“This is as much of myself as I am willing to show. My hope is that, even though it is just the suggestion of my presence, it will make it easier for you to picture me there.” He still sounds slightly uncertain, and Reed is quick to praise.

“I don’t have to just picture it. You are here.” Reed says breathily, “Your hands…”

“My hands?” Hector raises them for inspection, flipping them to show the lighter palms with hints of callous, then the smooth backs and neat nails. “Another suggestion.” He answers his own question.

“So,” Reed rocks back slowly, unable to stop themselves searching for more pressure again, “So much easier when I know what to picture all over me.”

“Is that what you’re picturing right now?” His fingers lace together again, an index finger tapping against the other hand slowly. “My hands on you?” The suggestion of eyes in the dark seem to drop lower “On your shoulders, in your hair, or… no, straight to where you need them. Where we left off, isn’t it? Down on your hips… pushing you into your bed again so when you grind against it it’s that. Much. Harder.”

Reed laughs breathily, part arousal, part nerves, and part excitement to finally be doing this. “Yes, where we left off… I wish I could take it that slow again, but…” They ease the press of their hips slowly, their eyelids dropping heavily as they do. “...I’ve been thinking about that night ever since.”

“I know.” He has to catch his breath, “I have known you for years. I know the meaning of every breath, blink, and moan. But this… is new. To know how you seek your own pleasure… when you think it is I giving it to you. Show me.”

Reed bites down on their bottom lip and drops their head again, “Fuck…” they pant, and with a blazing face and trembling hand, they grab one of the pillows lined against their headboard. They know if they glance towards those interlocked hands as they do this they’ll lose their nerve, so they move quickly. They flip to their back, hook thumbs into the waistband of their pants, lift their hips, and slide them off quickly. They’re abandoned somewhere at the foot of the bed as Reed turns back onto their stomach, positioning the pillow under their hips and between their thighs. It makes their back arch more intense, and the constant, flat pressure against them makes them pulse in a way that already has them gasping. Only then do they look back up. They see themself in the minimized window on their phone. Face red, mouth open and panting, a slight rock of their hips they can’t help. All for him.

“Ah,” Hector’s sound of understanding makes Reed’s breath catch. “Like this?” He is awestruck.

Reed nods and the sound from the other line suggests that he’s shifted, but his hands never leave from sight. “You are perfect. So, so beautiful.” He hums and his fingers tighten against each other. “I won’t make you wait like that any longer. I am… entranced that this is how you’ve thought of me. You are on top of me, chasing your own ecstasy against me. How did this start? Perhaps you first pictured straddling my thigh… my hands gripping your hips as we kissed.”

Reed pushes themself upright, sitting at a kneel and rocking their hips against their pillow as if it were Hector’s thigh under them. It’s a practiced motion, but the thrill of having Hector’s eyes on them as well makes their movements staggered and desperate.

“You are using me, but I guide your speed.” Hector rubs a thumb along his other finger, the slow, rolling pace an instruction that Reed follows. The uneven snap of their hips finds a rhythmic roll instead. They can hear the smile in his voice, “Very good.”

The metronome of his hand has sped up just enough to make Reed cry out in frustration, to experience that spike of a faster pace for just a moment, only for their raging heat to become a low simmer when even this is not enough.

“Ah- Hector-” Reed stammers, gripping their pillow tightly with the restraint of this slow pace.

He breathes in awe, “Already so far gone for me. At just the idea of me. If you are so undone by only this I can not wait to see how quickly you fall to pieces on top of me in person. When I press my leg up into you and hold you so tightly that you cannot escape. You’d be at the perfect height there, I believe, to expose your neck to me when I pull your hair back. It would make the perfect canvas for the marks I could leave…”

“And perhaps… I am not always content to just be used. When this scene evolves, I pull you into me, and lay us both back. Instead of my leg, I press my hand against you. More control, more friction exactly where you need it.” He, blissfully, increases the pace again. Reed collapses forward, landing onto their elbows with caught breaths and moans that fall more readily from their mouth now. They’re close already, so close. Hector’s voice has hypnotized them, and they’re sure that even if they are forced to keep at it at this torturous march, they could finish anyway if Hector told them to.

“I’m- fuck, fuck, this is… so good,” they keep their eyes locked on Hector’s hands. With a flash of clarity, they remember their manners, and fight through the fog while they still can, “What about…?”

“Myself?” Hector finishes the sentence for them, his voice gravelly and obviously affected, “You have unraveled me, truly. I am… resisting. Something I have much practice with. Don’t concern yourself with it, the effect you have on me… I know that when you-” He’s cut off by a particularly sharp gasp from Reed. Realizing what Hector is implying brings them just a little further than they thought they could go without climaxing. They shudder, every muscle drawn tight. Hector’s voice falters over the phone speaker from the interruption, but his voice holds the evidence of his amazed smile. “That is to say, bluntly, just watching is more than enough.”

Reed shakes their head, just the idea of him - they can’t think about it any longer or they’ll be over the edge without being invited. “I need you.” They gasp and clench their fists into their sheets. “I need you to-”

“Against my hand, then? Is that how you finish?” Hector’s voice has lost its controlled, careful, quality, and the new speed he’s set is just enough. “Against my careful touch, both of us moving against each other so I can send you over the edge, or-” Right as Reed thinks they’re about to finish Hector pauses. He’s breathing heavily, obviously struggling to complete the sentence himself. Reed cries out in frustration and drops their face into the bed below, grinding at whatever pace they please now, but still resisting, held right on the cliff until Hector is ready for them.

“Would you let me pull you to my mouth instead? So I can taste you as you come? Come for me-” Hector’s voice clips short, but Reed can’t notice when white hot, molten gold frees itself under their skin and they cry out again. Their climax tears through them in vibrations the same perfect, resonant frequency of his voice alone, shaking them apart from the inside out until nothing but the echo of its sound remains. Each slower, gentler pull of it up their spine and over their limbs puts them back together again. Everything exactly how and where it should be. A lax, comfortable body. A blissfully empty mind. Their vision returns and they see their sheets dimly lit below them. The room is warm, and then it’s Hector’s voice that reminds them their name:

“Reed.” They smile, his voice is so hushed they feel it more than hear it, raw and real. “Reed… I am in love with you.”

They blink slowly, their heart still racing, and prop themselves up onto their elbows, drawn toward the screen. From the vastness of the dark, something has shifted. Hector has leaned into the light. Just enough for Reed to make out the faint, unexpectedly kind eyes. He notices that he’s seen, and Reed sees not just his dark eyes, but the immense, terrifying effort it takes for them to remain there. He isn’t merely looking at them, he is holding himself in the light for them. Offering a sacrifice at the temple. The screen melts away, the distance collapses. This is not a look. This is a vow.

“Don’t answer that. I’ve said too much, far too much, but… it’s been said. Those words are for me to give, not for you to return. Just… accept them.” He looks away.

“You… you know me, so well. You know exactly what to say.” It’s a quiet, awestruck declaration. Even as Reed’s breathing slows, their pulse doesn’t.

Reed blinks slowly, the waves of euphoria are so intense that nothing could rattle them at this moment. Their heart feels as if it’ll fail them.

“Okay.” They agree, and move the pillow from under themselves. They lay on their side and try to reclaim any composure that might be left. “If this is what your love feels like, how could I not?”

For a long time, they rest. Hector’s careful hand posture, a tight link, has relaxed into a gentle curl where only his index and middle fingers cross.

“Thank you,” Reed finally says through a yawn.

They can see his eyes tilt, “What for?”

“For bringing me back. I haven’t felt like I’ve actually been here all week… and you caught me, brought me back down, you knew just what to say-!” they laugh, a light, disbelieving noise “That was better than things I’ve actually touched. Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you. This has fulfilled many of my greatest dreams and desires. I never presumed to know what it would be like, to pretend that I could comprehend divinity, but you have brought it to me. And you have… understood everything. Even the impossible.”

“Divinity…?” Reed’s voice is small now, all the tension gone, and replaced by only a sleepy vulnerability. “Can I confess something to you?”

His reply is instant, a hushed whisper. “Anything.”

“Sometimes, when I pictured us doing this, I imagined you telling me you loved me then, too.”

“You have… thought of that? You wanted that…? If you tell me any more tonight, I might not survive it.” For a moment, his hands and eyes disappear, his voice muffled evidence that he has covered his face. “Please, sleep.”

A soft smile plays on Reed’s lips for a moment, and then fades as exhaustion takes them. “Okay.” They agree again. “Don’t… don’t go anywhere.”

There’s another pause, and when he speaks again, he nearly sounds as if he’s in pain. “I’m not capable of leaving you, Reed.”

The final reassurance is what finally allows Reed’s mind to go quiet. They drift, leaving the call active, secure knowing that Hector is guarding them.

#date everything #hector valentino airnesto condicionado #hector date everything #date everything game #date everything hector #climatización #date everything mc #date everything oc #hector date everything fanfic

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polarity-disturbed · 14 days ago

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I kind of like the idea of Disability Pride Month. I hope it really catches on. So I guess I’ll share a little about my experience with my disabilities, because I have a few, both mental and physical.

Physically, I have a leg injury that’s never quite healed right. My left knee is permanently unstable, it has a habit of popping in and out of the socket, often at the worst possible times. I did have surgery to try and correct it (a very expensive, very stressful process), and while it helped in some ways, it didn’t fix everything. The damage is just... there. And it will be for the rest of my life. It changes how I walk, how I move, how long I can stand in a grocery line or climb stairs or carry things. It changes how I think about my body and the space around me. It’s small things, often, but constant things. And that adds up.

But the thing that probably affects my day-to-day life the most, especially because I’m a writer, is my dyslexia.

Dyslexia, for me, is a bit like having a stubborn translator between my brain and the page. If you’re unfamiliar, dyslexia affects how the brain processes language, reading, writing, speaking. For me, it shows up in a few ways: I’ll sometimes speak in completely reversed sentence structure without meaning to. Like full-on “Yoda trying to explain taxes” mode. (I once said, completely seriously, “I'm five trench coats in a raccoon.” My friends will never let me forget it.)

It also messes with my spelling. I can get every single letter of a word right, just in the completely wrong order, like shaking a word in a snow globe and letting it settle where it wants. Spellcheck has saved my life more times than I can count. But what really changed the game for me was discovering speech-to-text.

Halfway through university, drowning in academic writing and exhausted from constantly second-guessing my own notes, I stumbled onto voice dictation software. And suddenly, I could write. Not in the slow, uphill way I’d been taught to force myself through, but in a way that felt natural. I could speak my ideas into being and focus on what I wanted to say, without tripping over my fingers or losing the thread entirely.

I still use it today, for fanfiction, original writing, even silly Tumblr posts. So if you’ve ever wondered how I manage to be as wordy as I am, it’s not because I’m typing fast. It’s because I’m talking.

And honestly, I think that’s something a lot of people forget about disability: it’s not just about the limits. It’s about adaptation. It’s about learning how to navigate a world that often wasn’t designed with you in mind, and finding your own workarounds. Finding ways through.

So Disability Pride Month. I’m here for it. I hope it continues to grow. Because there’s value in saying, “This is who I am. This is how I live. And that deserves recognition, and joy, and pride.”

Even if my knee is currently trying to dislocate itself for fun and (for some reason) raccoons keep running away in fear.

#disability pride #also if you were ever curious #dyslexia can also affect you when you play music :)#polarity posts

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prameethsd · 2 years ago

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Elevate Your Grocery Delivery Business with the Instacart Clone App

In today’s rapidly evolving world, grocery delivery platforms have surged in popularity worldwide. Instead of embarking on the arduous journey of developing a bespoke online grocery application, consider the pragmatic approach of harnessing the power of an Instacart clone. A feature-rich Instacart clone empowers entrepreneurs to unlock the potential of a lucrative grocery delivery business. Many savvy business owners are turning to Instacart clone scripts to meet the ever-growing demand for convenient grocery shopping experiences.

In an era where consumers have numerous online grocery app choices, selecting the right grocery script can be a game-changer. An Instacart clone streamlines grocery deliveries, enhancing the overall shopping experience for buyers.

Instacart stands as a frontrunner in the realm of grocery delivery platforms, catering to the daily kitchen essentials shopping needs of a vast user base. Instacart boasts an array of enhanced features that can supercharge your deliveries and boost your business’s revenue.

If you’re contemplating the launch of a grocery delivery app akin to the Instacart clone, it’s crucial to consider key factors during the development of your grocery script. Concentrating on the following factors can significantly bolster your grocery business:

User-Friendly Interface: The Instacart clone boasts a responsive design interface, ensuring a seamless user experience. Features such as hassle-free registration, easy login, and instant order placement enable users to navigate the app effortlessly. Advanced search and filter options assist users in locating products and services efficiently. Categories and subcategories further simplify the process of finding desired items.

Versatile Delivery Options: Instacart offers multiple delivery modes, empowering customers with choices that align with their preferences. Users can select their preferred delivery slots, accommodating their schedules. Additionally, customers can schedule deliveries for a later time, allowing flexibility for unexpected circumstances. Doorstep deliveries and contactless options further enhance the convenience of order fulfillment.

Security First: It’s paramount to integrate secure payment gateways into your app to ensure safe and reliable transactions. Instacart offers customers a range of trusted payment options, instilling confidence in their financial transactions. Robust security measures protect user information and credentials, ensuring data privacy and peace of mind.

Robust Admin Dashboard: A robust admin panel is indispensable for overseeing the entire application’s operations and swiftly resolving emerging issues. The Instacart clone app features a dynamic dashboard responsible for streamlining platform operations and monitoring all ongoing business processes.

In conclusion, the Instacart clone app presents a transformative opportunity for your online grocery delivery business. With Shopurgrocery, you can launch your very own online grocery store using ready-made clone scripts, establishing a strong brand presence in the competitive marketplace. Elevate your grocery delivery services, deliver unparalleled customer experiences, and reap the rewards of a thriving online grocery business with the Instacart clone.

#grocerydeliverybusiness #grocery delivery solution #groceryorderingsystem #grocerydeliveryscript #grocery delivery app #grocery delivery #Online grocery delivery #grocery app development #Instacart Clone app #instacartclone #grocery ordering software #grocery ordering app development #Grocery business management #Grocery app #grocery stores

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xenosagaepisodeone · 1 year ago

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I was complaining to alex about how printers have remained user unfriendly since the dawn of time for tasks beyond the most basic streamlined print/scanjobs, despite being a necessary appliance. he pointed out that printers are always going to be tricky machines because they are technically doing very difficult tasks. On the surface, I do understand; moving paper reliably is a very delicate process with many moving parts, manufacturers often stiffle innovation by viewing printers as a merely conduit for selling ink cartridges, not to mention "user friendly" touch screen software present in modern printers introduce a host of problems on their own. In accordance with my ideals however, I believe that the STE(A)M fields could combine the specialized knowledge relevant to their respective disciplines in order to create a wholly unique printer/scanner device. naturally, this would involve revolutionizing the way we think about the way we think about these machines, as well as the labor that goes into interacting with them. here's what I made alex listen to:

we need a printer you can have sex with and it will in turn use your genetic material over a short gestational period to produce it's own paper and refill it's own cartridges. the actual contents of the print would still be determined by the connected desktop, but the printer would sustain everything you need to produce the document until it was time to refill it again.

the printer serves a similar function as a watercooler in that it serves as a reprieve from labor while not actually being a reprieve from work. when you idle, sip or chat by a watercooler, you are exercising subordination to the social norms of your job vis a vis Congenial Coworker Conversation or rehydrating/taking a breather to maintain job performance (on top of ensuring you get back to your desk on time). your individual personality is digested and repurposed by the microbial culture of your workplace. Refilling the printer by extension is a display in the ability to separate intimacy with a partner from simply doing a printjob (<- colloquial name).

in the interest of alienating the process of refilling the printer further from sex, the printer will remain located in it's usual open area. the employee however will be forced to wear a uniform to indicate they are on "printer duty", and will be afforded a curtain to obscure the body from the shoulders down, encouraging socializing while emphasizing the task as something akin to conventional physical labor. the bleak harmony of the workplace evaporates any post-finish euphoria, finalizing the printjob's designation as merely another task.

once more like the watercooler, the printer will play a role in maintaining relations among coworkers. as one already tends to refer to personal possessions in human terms, the unique features of the printer coupled with it's flawless utility will only beckon employees to refer to it affectionately. "my work wife" and "my work husband" (<- a feminist spin) for the machine itself, and "my baby" for prints (as one already does with important docs). indeed, the printer is family, like all coworkers are.

"is the printer....alive?" not anymore than the lobster at the grocery store or the customer on the other end of the line at a call centre. don't think about it, you aren't being paid to.

"What if someone who is in charge of fucking the printer or watching someone fuck the printer develops a fetish for this rigidly defined process" well that means that my true plan is coming to fruition.......which is:

Are White Collar Printer Fuckers Sex Workers discourse in 2030

#body horror microfiction of the month

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millenianthemums · 4 months ago

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cannot stress enough how easy it would have been for nintendo to keep getting my money. i bought all the pokemon games for the switch AND the stupid DLC. i am the world’s biggest sucker for pokemon and notoriously bad about spending tons of money on frivolities. and EVEN I am not going to entertain the idea of paying close to a thousand dollars for a machine i will realistically use to play maybe 3 games in its entire lifespan, each of which will be like 80 bucks, along with each individual piece of software the console needs in order to operate, each sold separately for ridiculous prices also. fuck that. i have tons of old games i can go back and play instead, and i can barely afford GROCERIES right now anyway. i’m all good over here.

#text post

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marieyakumo · 2 months ago

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Could I ask about your personal headcanon as to what being a shikigami entails (both with regards to chores and your Lady’s admin privileges)?

(Please ignore my previous ask, if it bothers you.)

Hi! I assume the anonymous ask I got that was similarly worded was also yours, so I will reply to this one only, either way I'm happy to talk about my headcanon/scenario!

As for the previous ask, on my opinion of "Aka Yakumo", I don't know who that is. A cursory glance on the internet seems to show it's an OC from a fic?

As for what being a shikigami entails for me: in my self-insert scenario, shikigami work *slightly* different than most people usually portray them. Think of it more as a... Software update, or an additional part/software, as opposed to a full OS change. You remain the same *being*, but there Is Something New that was put in you, if that makes sense. It's like if you had an extra brain part put onto yours, I suppose.

Of course, this comes with the feature that it provides a very easy, convenient backdoor for your master (in my case Lady Yukari) to do mind control, emotional regulations, or give you "programming", which in this case I interpret as basically putting a strong instinct/compulsion to follow a certain order or behaviour.

Now, I don't think Lady Yukari uses it often -- at least not in my scenario/headcanon. "Lower" shikigami may have more programming into them to make sure they're reliable and doing what she wants them to do, but trusted ones like Ran or me don't need much of that, so the backdoor isn't really used that much. It's better to have a servant that trusts you and uses their full, independent mind rather than robots (and I also believe Lady Yukari prefers to have independent shikigami and sees value in individuality). Plus there's no need for mind control in my case as I'd do almost anything for her.

I also think becoming a shikigami is not a quick and easy procedure, but a longer process, at the very least for me. It takes several years, and includes a process of 'inner alchemy' through meditation, self-improvement, and Onmyodo. A couple of reasons for this is that 1. I am a human, and therefore becoming a shikigami is different and needs an inner transformation, and 2. Lady Yukari wants to preserve me and my personality, individuality, as much as possible, and just putting a shikigami software in my head in an instant would probably cause severe damage.

The other reason is, for me, this is a comfort scenario about, among other things, being allowed to find and become my true, inner self, and be comfortable and true and belong as a Yakumo. So it's just as much, if not more, therapy about being the person I Want To Be and Am Inside as it is magic shenanigans.

That also leads to the fact that, over the course of the shikigami-fication process, I become more and more a youkai, until eventually I become a full one.

As for the other question, well, it's fairly simple - at the beginning, my chores remain pretty simple. Cleaning, cooking, the occasional errand. But as I improve and the shikigami process keeps going - and more importantly, I get closer to Lady Yukari and gain more and more of her trust and affection, I have more complex chores. So while in the first few months I may have only been tasked with say, go and purchase some fresh groceries, a couple years later I may be asked to go and deliver a letter to Lady Kanako, for example.

There's other """chores""" that just come from being closer to her like being her drinking partner, brushing her hair and helping her dress, or being a bedwarmer when she needs to sleep and wants some human warmth. But those are, not really chores, and they don't feel like a chore at all. dhshsbs.

Overall, it's a nice and sweet life! The shikigami backdoor isn't used unless it's for purposes of emotional maintenance (because of trauma or mental illness) or 'spiritual' maintenance (making sure the human>youkai process goes well and safely). I'm still the same being, and guided to becoming my true, inner self, under her care and attention - and I get to be a useful, happy, fulfilled servant, loving my Lady and being loved by Her.

Hope this was a good read and answered your questions!~

(Fun extra fact: the Hexagram on my tabard means "Inner Truth". Pretty fitting, eh?)

#marieposting #shikigamiposting #yukari yakumo #shikigami #yakumo #touhou #touhou project #東方project #self insert #touhou self insert #putting those tags in because i took an hour to type it on my phone lmao

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whereismywarden · 11 months ago

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Ko-Fi Commissions

Hi there!

I've made no secret that I've recently become unemployed, and atm pretty much every cent I receive from my unemployment benefits goes into rent, groceries, and bills.

So I've decided to reopen my Ko-Fi and do some art commissions in order to supplement that income. Regular Ko-Fi donations are also welcome, and if you wish to support me in other ways, you can buy prints of my work on Redbubble or on Society6. Reblogs are also highly appreciated.

Monochrome Sketch of your OC: €10

You will get a monochrome (colour of your choosing) sketch of your character from the shoulders up against a single-colour background.

4 slots available.

Colour Portrait of your OC: €50

You will get a fully rendered digital portrait (bust) of your character against a gradient background.

2 slots available.

Black & White Pinup of your OC: starting at €70

You will get a black-and-white digital half-body painting of your character in the nude against a near-black background.

1 slot available.

Terms:

You will need to provide references for your character. These can be screenshots, a faceclaim, fanart, detailed description, moodboard… The more detailed, the better.

The character is nude by default, but I can cover them upon request (this needs to be specified before I start working on the piece, preferably upon ordering).

I can do fantasy, but am limited to humanoid characters. I won't do animals, furry, anthro or mech. Sorry. (If you're unsure whether or not I can do your character, just ask me beforehand)

Note that the final result may differ slightly from the examples shown as I've switched to another software and currently use different brushes.

Commissions may take up to a month or two to complete depending on my schedule and complexity.

This art is for personal use only. You are not allowed to resell it (either on its own, as part of a bundle, on merch, in books, etc).

It doesn't have to be a DA character, I'm just posting on this blog rather than my art blog because it has more followers.

#artists on tumblr #art commissions #open commissions #oc art #my art

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shieldmaidencreative · 6 months ago

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Shadows Move In Where Faith Used to Be: Chinese Apps and the American People

There is so much to write about at this moment, it was rather hard to for me to narrow down a topic. Fortunately, in the past couple days, a new story hit the media out of nowhere that made the decision for me. All that being said: have you heard about DeepSeek?

It’s a Chinese generative AI app, based upon the same precepts as ChatGPT. Literally it was built using that software. The claim is that it took ~$6 million to make, compared to the running costs of about half a billion for the other generative AI models. Once this news hit the market, the blue chips crashed and shook the US tech world.

There are plenty of fun side topics that we’ll cover with this one. For the first part, I’ll go into two of my favorite things: schadenfreude and hubris. The past few weeks, schadenfreude has been getting me through the news cycle. I know it’s not a virtue, trust me. But I am only human, and with the depressing news we have lately, it’s sort of been a good feeling to see the people who made assumptions get wet-fish slapped with reality. You’ll notice, with the flurry of Executive Orders the American President has made lately, he didn’t manage to leave the Ukraine war in the first 24 hours as promised, nor has he done anything to lower the price of groceries, eggs, or gas. And, in fact, he has said he won’t (although he says he will lower drill restrictions in protected areas, that won’t drive gas costs down; though, if there was more competition from green initiatives that he’s cutting, it would). I just bring those specific topics up because the people who voted for him claimed it was due to those topics, and they are already dead on arrival. As the rest of us knew they would be. So seeing the inevitable happen, has been the spark of joy I’ve been taking from an overwhelmingly dark time.

The other bit, hubris, is aimed directly at the tech bro overlord douche cadre. I’ve always thought to be a billionaire is a sign of a personal failing; it means you didn’t take care of those around you on the way up. And if you continue to be a billionaire, it means that you still aren’t taking care of people like you should. They could use the dearth of wealth to solve, or nearly solve, all issues we have. But they don’t. And now that we are in this new administration, they immediately bowed down, got in line, and showed us their true natures. Happy for years to stand quietly behind the scenes pulling strings, they have completely capitulated to our new system and tossed out equality or any other moral standing, in the hopes of favor and succor from above. And man, that really made me angry. They don’t even pretend to want to help society now. Google announced yesterday it’s changing its maps to show the Gulf of Mexico inaccurately renamed to Gulf of America, Facebook is going to stop trying to limit hate speech and disinformation at all, and Elon….well, look at that goose stepper up there. He’s just missing the mustache.

So when China announced DeepSeek, I immediately had two responses: wariness because I know why China is doing this, but then there was schadenfreude at the tech sector freaking out. These guys thought they were untouchable, they put themselves on pantheons and thought they finally made it. They could show us their matching Lex Luthor tattoos finally! They own everything and there’s nothing we can do about it!

And then…BAM. China, playing its long game of stealing and silence, tossed this embarrassing grenade right in their sausage fest. MUAHAHAHAHA! Their stocks tanked, billions were lost. The initiative they just announced last week for “AI dominance” suddenly looked, in the daylight, as though it had gotten dressed in a dark room and didn’t check the mirror on the way out. Wait, you all need half a trillion? They did it with 6 million! They kicked the stool out from under the American tech bros, and man was it nice to see them fall.

I also find it vindicating that there are huge moral quandaries with generative AI that haven’t been addressed at all by the government or the tech oligarchy: how they scrape the data of humans to create their content, but don’t compensate them for it. How their output is displacing the careers of real humans, without compensating the system it’s stealing from. How it takes a huge amount of power to run the systems. All of these issues may hit those dudes differently, now that China is wearing the shoes they’ve been sporting.

However…now that we’ve gotten past the flash of “weeeeee”, I’ll move on to my larger emotional response. If you’re American, this isn’t something to truly celebrate. It will be another vector for China to steal our ideas, code, and initiative; after all, that’s how they were able to make DeepSeek in the first place. There’s even evidence that they are using black market NVIDIA chips to make it, since they are restricted from buying them. This comes shortly after the revelations about the two 6th generation fighter jets they purport to have, which if the claims are true, means they have beat us to market. Again, this is based off of data that they stole from us (I remember they hacked the F-35 program while I worked there, and stole plans. And it certainly wasn’t the only time). They excel at taking other people’s ideas and building on them, and we are seeing those chickens come home to roost. For years, they have been thinking strategically about global markets, while we continued to only think tactically.

First we exported our manufacturing to them, hollowing out our middle class at the enrichment of the few. Trickle down economics somehow still hasn’t worked, in the 40 years since we started trying to get it to work. Any minute now, right? So our populace is unhappier and more tired, and broker, than ever before. China has executed extremely high levels of industrial espionage against us, and continues to do so, at a prolific scale. They’ve infiltrated our extremely sensitive government systems time and time again. And that doesn’t even include the actual spies that have infiltrated our universities, to pick our brains about our newest ideas.

So now, we have the results coming to market. 6th gen fighters, DeepSeek, and TikTok. I was going to write about the TikTok ban a few weeks ago, but wanted to see things play out. I’m now extremely happy I did, because it pairs perfectly with current events.

TikTok is a dangerous tool, as the government has been saying (and the American people ignoring), for years. It’s no coincidence that the version China allows its own citizens to use is far different from our own. It’s meant to dull us down and occupy our attention, so that we don’t accomplish anything with drive. It’s a time suck. It pushes disinformation. It ruins our attention span. It also gathers massive amounts of data on us. I personally predict that at some point, China will use that data to make digital AI agents to “befriend” users and then use PSYOPs on them to further degrade their loyalty to America and one another. I believe that they will use the data from DeepSeek to do the same; it gathers an incredible amount of data from the moment you download the app to your phone.

The TikTok ban, which Trump originally proposed (and I supported!) has now been stymied by Trump. He claims Microsoft are in talks to acquire the American arm of the business, and we shall see what comes of it. It’s been turned back on for American users. But what’s been fascinating to me has been watching the response online of the average user.

Overwhelmingly, I have seen Americans who use TikTok blatantly say, “So what if they have my data. American companies already have it all and sell it to anyone who wants it.” And you know what? Solid point.

This is a sign of the breech of trust between American government and its citizens. For many years now, I’ve been a vocal supporter of privacy laws like the EU has, and of harsh penalties for companies that fail to prevent security breaches. Neither has gained any traction in the US. Since the government believes its job is no longer to protect the average citizen, but instead to provide the opportunity to any sap who wants to bilk a buck from his neighbor the protection to do so, Americans are hugely data compromised.

Many times a year I am notified that some site or another has been breached. Companies are very poor custodians of customer data nearly across the board, and there is nearly no restriction on the data they can collect. There was just a huge data breach of an app schools use called “Powerschool”, announced last week. That data, among other things, included Social Security numbers of students and teachers, affected up to 70 million users, and was all achieved by one admin’s compromised credentials being used to login. As someone with software development and security experience, there are so many red flags here. Why was ONE lowly admin able to access the social security numbers of that many people? Why was no one alerted at that massive of a pull? Why were they stored in unencrypted areas, instead of being accessed individually with a key? And, why will nothing be done about it? This stuff is not rocket science; it’s lazy engineering because they companies don’t have the incentive.

If we made it so that there were fines and jail time for stolen data, security would improve immediately. But they get away with it. If someone came in my house, and stole my social security card, they would face fines and jail time. Why should the digital data be any different? If a bank lost my money due to their poor security, I would be protected. Why is this different?

In my option, the American government has done a terrible job of protecting us from this. Part of that is they don’t feel the pressure; part of it is laziness; part of it is the fact that most of Congress has no clue how technology works because they are dinosaurs and lawyers. But I also think the tech sector has done a terrible job of being good citizens as well. And now, guess what’s happened: They’ve done such a bad job, that people think China has their interests at heart more than America. And for me, it’s hard to say they seem totally wrong. China certainly doesn’t have their interests at heart, not at all. But it’s getting harder to be convinced that our own country’s government cares about them, either. And that is so dangerous.

In this moment, the users have the power, and they don’t realize it. We need to have people who understand current issues step up to the plate to protect us. We need to be on the same team again, and by that I mean ALL American citizens need to be protected, not just the rich. In this moment of chaos and terror, I’m not sure what will happen. But at some point, Trump used to be convinced that TikTok and China were dangerous. And he need to remember that they still are. We also need to stand with our true allies again, and make data and security standards with them. If we don’t stand with them, someone else will, and nature abhors a vacuum. I don’t like this isolationist stance we are moving toward; the world is too interconnected for it to be feasible. I have hope that this will be realized again at some point.

Please don’t download those apps. Please don’t give your data and your attention to bad actors. And while we’re at it, contact your Congress people and let them know your concerns about data, and about the overreach of our tech sector. And if you care about any of these topics, please consider helping do something to turn this around. Run for office, use your voice, speak up. We need people who care about change to make it; it’s happened before and the time is perfect for it to happen again.

As always, thanks for reading. Please add me to your RSS feed and share, and contact me if you like. I’d love to hear from you. Times are scary but not impossible. We are in it together. And, I hope you enjoy seeing the tech bro coalition with their bloody teeth this week (I sure am). Like Mike Tyson says, ”Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.” Maybe they’ll realize they need to take care of Americans if they want Americans to take care of them. Or maybe we need to make them realize it.

#data #china #ai #security #it

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ppxl · 12 days ago

Text

ppxl SimBook Modded Hacked Sims 1 Computer

Modded Hacked SimBook Download for The Sims 1 Makin Magic/Complete Collection/Legacy

Sul, sul!

Short description: A MODDED HACKED SIMBOOK COMPUTER for social need, learning all skills faster, video chat, shopping from home, working from home, and paying bills online, all in one! A modded version of the LeesPlays SomeSimThingsOddSims Enhanced Computer from their Definitive Edition archive to satisfy social motive and learn all skills fast, with some menu tree movement.

Happy Simming!

Links:

object site

mod the sims

simblr.cc

Download Mirrors:

Mega Zip 08 mirror download link MediaFire Zip 08 mirror download link PixelDrain Zip 08 mirror download link TeraBox Zip 08 mirror download link

Descriptions from Object Site and Buy Catalog:

From Object Site:

PPXL SomeModded OddAIO SimBook LP This already enhanced LP edition Simbook has someModded OddAIO copper shunt vapor cooler thing installed onto it. IDK the specifics, you would have to ask the mastermind Jonesy and his company of inventors about them, but that means it is one of the most overpowered machines on the market. Supercharge your resume by learning any skill you can think of at lightning fast speeds so you can get that work from home job you've been dreaming of, video chat with friends in 4k so you never lose touch, doom-scroll socials, and pay your bills like never before. It's my favorite SimBook LP, and not just because I got a stylish custom color because Jonesy and I are close; Hopefully it'll be yours too!

Skilling time has been adjusted so from a full green, sim will gain 3-5 points before they complain about needs.

Doom-scrolling Social Media gives same amount of social as playing games does fun, I believe play games has stayed unmodified.

Modded from LeesPlays Enhanced computers, which is modded from OddSim ElixirBuy and SomeSimThings banking and work from home computers. Damn, writing that sentence I realized it was some odd number of modders that worked on this until I got into the mix, anyway:

LeesPlay has a video and an archive, not a site so instead of a description from their site: it combines the three computers below, here is the current url to their YouTube channel for credit: https://www.youtube.com/c/LeesPlay . If you didn't download their archive, I've included all necessary files, but if you have their archive, you can delete the OddSims_Deliver_Coding.far file I included as I haven't modified that file yet.

OddSim ElixirBuy, from OddSim site: With this computer, you can research logic, creativity, cooking, and mechanical skills over the Internet. You can also buy up to 400 different items off online auctions, and order grocery, gardening, and gift items in bulk. Save money and have fun!

Has your ability to compete in online gaming been hampered by an inferior machine? This rig understands and will put even the casual gamer in the winners circle. Take your first steps into the performance gaming arena with this hard working machine. Featuring the graphic-minded Intel Pentium 4 processor, a smooth display, semi-surround sound and variety of cool applications, the Elixir Express was designed for the working and playing Sim. If you're worried about style, don't. The streamlined case and ergonomic speakers blend a flare of the future seamlessly into any decor. So if you're looking for a substantial upgrade, one which runs all the games you want, but doesn't cost you an arm and a leg this is the choice for you.

Additional features are available when combined with each expansion pack. Grocery, gardening, and gift orders require Hot Date, Vacation, Unleashed or Makin' Magic.

SSS Work from Home computer, from SomeSimThings site: This computer have all the programs Sims are used to find. They can look for a job, play games and children can study for school. But that's not all. This machine has been upgraded with software that will make it possible for Sims who have a job to work from home. All jobs have some paperwork that needs to be done. And there is a mailing program. Sims can send emails to their friends.

SSS Online Bank computer, from SomeSimThings site: This computer has been updated with a connection to the bank. Sims can pay their bills online. And it's so easy a child can do it! Children can also pay the bills. No online shopping (yet?)

I am hoping that the Legacy re-release will breathe new life into the game so I made 2 versions of this menu. One is the one that I use in my game, that I hope to continue to modify in the future to allow ordering C&CEnterprises gardening mod objects to reduce first tree clutter and the second mostly uses the original menu tree style so if anyone else decides to do another modification on LeesPlays Enahanced Computers too, even other ElixirBuy mod or SomeSimThings combo mod, it would be compatible with that/those version.

You only need one.

FILES: laptop_simbook_personal, laptop_simbook_originalLPSSSOS, OddSims_Delivery_Coding.far

From Object Catalog Description: PinkPxls ppxlSimBook someModded OddAIO SimBook LP - 650 SimCity College student Jonesy took an LP edition SimBook did some hardware shunt modd, then added an some odd vapor chamber AIO and tweaked voltage settings with a company of classmates until they managed record breaking benchmarks as part of their class video presentation. When the video went viral, some odd chronically online LP edition owning, tech enthusiast nerdy Sims started DIYing the modd by following along with the video as a tutorial for the price of and a few hours labor. But when some companies saw modd community posts, views, odd higher than average engagement numbers and the 3D printing files becoming freely available for use, they realized some of the product margins and knew they needed to contact Joneys' company right away so they could collaborate on mass production of units. Jonesy and co decided to take an offer and drop out of college. They sold for enough to still be set for life as long as the money is handled responsibly, they moved to private islands and haven't been heard from since the sale. Did they FIRE strategically or are Jonesy and Co "sell-outs"? As long as Sims can game at higher FPS, video chat IN 4K, learn NEW skills FASTER!1!, and doom-scroll socials with the bleeding edge of portable technology because of some modding with an odd AIO on a definitive SimBook LP in class by Jonesy and their company of classmates, does it even matter?

(c:OddSim - ElixirExpress Buy:https://oddsim.com/the_sims_objects/electronics) (c:SomeSimThings - Work from Home PC: https://www.somesimthings.com/Elec/05El.htm)

(c:SomeSimThings - Online Bank PC: https://www.somesimthings.com/Elec/06El.htm)

Created by Lee-Loi Chieng / YouTube.com/LeesPlay in April 2024. (download full collection @ http://simfileshare.net/folder/222397/ OR https://archive.org/details/lees-play-sims-1-curated-mods-cc) Super fast internet has come to SimCity! This basic PC workstation allows Kids/Adults to Study, Play games and Send Email. Adults can also Look for Jobs AND Work From Home. "Working from Home" counts as your Sim going in the car to work, with a lot more flexibility! Online Shopping and Freelance Work have also arrived, courtesy of the Computers new Wi-Fi chip that was just approved by the FTC for use in SimCity! Based on the WorkFromHome Desktop created by SomeSimThings.com, OddSim. Original Mesh created by Maxis for The Sims Online (TSO).

(c:https://youtu.be/hdhqKMGOE2M?si=hpVeQYhX5zcb07js) [ ❤ ] [ downloaded from http://ppxl.cc ]

#sims cc #sims 1 cc #sims 1 #the sims 1 #ts1 #tsrcc #the sims resource #the sims legacy #the sims makin magic #simblr #simblr cc #simblr.cc

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