#however it seems that all the webpages are dead

[california-112]

I'm going for the S1 DVD-ROM game...

This is so 90s. I don't think I've smiled so much all week.

NOOO

Fellas there's something missing here... :(

I can't get the game to work at the moment, but I shall leave you with more screenshots.

I'm not going to give up. I can't give up. Not as long as the truth game is out there.

[sapphicjackal]

Bingyuan Soulmate au 5

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Shen Yuan told himself he would wait until the next day to read the web novel he found, Proud Immortal Demon Way. The web novel had only been uploaded for 20 days now, making it fairly new and unknown. It was probably only because Shen Yuan had searched with keywords that the exact webpage came up. So far it only had 4 chapters, each one being a reasonably sizable length.

Normally, this was the kind of story that Shen Yuan would truly enjoy.

It seemed intriguing and held great promise. The bits of world building that had already been sprinkled in were captivating and promising. Shen Yuan could see the makings of a great premise.

However-

The protagonist is named Luo Binghe, and this is a story of his suffering. 

The first chapter starts with a baby, one abandoned to float down the freezing Luochun river during the coldest night of winter. Named Luo Binghe, the unwanted orphan lived on the streets. How he survived infancy was left vague, but he was eventually taken in by a poor washerwoman who had little to provide other than the love in her heart.

Luo Binghe wanted for nothing, even while having so little. He was spat on and bullied by the masters that his adoptive mother worked for, but he was content purely because he had his mother. She taught him to cook and she brushed his hair while telling him stories of peerless immortal cultivators. 

She worked tirelessly to provide for him, all without a single complaint and wearing a warm smile. She saved meticulously for a long while to be able to afford a jade Guanyin pendant for her son, only to find out that the jade was fake. The heartbreak of it all took its toll, especially when there was no extra money for food and her health began to take a turn for the worse.

Luo Binghe had to beg for food to give her, and work to get her medicine. On the day she died, he went out to beg in order to get her a bowl of watery congee. He was beaten for the right to have a cold bowl of food, and by the time he returned, she was already dead.

From there, he lived another two and a half years on the streets until he turned 10, the minimum age requirement to take the test for the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect. Renowned as the top cultivation sect in the world, it was also the only sect open for anyone to join so long as they had potential and were chosen by a Peak Lord. 

Luo Binghe traveled up the countless stairs and threw all of his effort into digging a hole, wishing with all his heart to be chosen. He was overjoyed when a peerless immortal cultivator stopped before him, one who looked distinguished and elegant, dressed in greens and white. Luo Binghe was the only one chosen for the second highest ranked peak, Qing Jing Peak.

This should have marked the turning point for Luo Binghe’s miserable luck, the beginnings of something good.

The first chapter ends with Luo Binghe’s tea ceremony, with his new Master dumping hot tea over his head with a cold look of disdain. Luo Binghe’s tears mixed with the dripping tea while his Shizun scoffed at him, proclaiming him a worthless Beast. Shen Qingqiu tossed him his manual, telling him with a sneer to learn it well before kicking him out.

Things don’t get better.

The next day, Luo Binghe received his materials from the Head Disciple, Ming Fan. He was only given the worst of what they could offer, and he was barred from being allowed inside of the Disciple Dormitory. Luo Binghe was forced to find shelter in the woodshed which became his home.

It marked the start of the relentless bullying from Ming Fan and the other disciples. Shen Qingqiu had clearly marked the boy as a pariah, meaning the whole Peak left him to fend for himself. He was kicked out of lessons with some Hallmasters, and given endless chores that kept him from attending the classes he was allowed in. The only person who treated him kindly was Ning Yingying, but this only drew further ire from Ming Fan who had a crush on her.

Life was miserable, but Luo Binghe did his best to rise above it. He did his work, and he learned what he could. It took months for him to even be able to read his manual, but once he could, Luo Binghe threw himself into studying cultivation. Only. He didn’t know that the manual was a fake. One made to look genuine, but would waste the years of greatest potential for a cultivator, and could even lead to death.

The fourth chapter left off on Luo Binghe being whipped for hours because Ming Fan blamed him for messing something up. Luo Binghe was left bleeding in the dirt while his scum Shizun walked away.

Shen Yuan finished reading with a foul taste in his mouth, staring blankly at his phone screen long enough that it turned off automatically. Normally, this kind of narrative was one that Shen Yuan enjoyed. One where a protagonist starts from nothing and climbs their way to the top, then slaps their faces and takes revenge on everyone who had pushed them into the dirt when they were at their lowest. Shen Yuan liked YY stories, it was easily his favorite genre to read.

Maybe once this could have been the start of Shen Yuan’s favorite story.

Instead he felt nothing but sick.

His soulmate had told him pieces of this information, accompanied by all of the feelings that went along with it. Binghe had told him that his mother died close to three years ago, and how much he missed her. 

Maybe if he found the story first, he would have seen Binghe as a protagonist first. Maybe he would have found it cool to be soulmates with a fictional character. It wasn’t even that hard for Shen Yuan to wrap his head around. He knows tropes very well, and a modern guy finding out he’s soulmates with a fictional character is a popular genre.

But-

Shen Yuan has spent hours writing to his soulmate for the past few days, in those snatches of time that Binghe manages to steal. He’s spent a few days getting to know his Bing-er in all of his earnest and sweet glory. Binghe was a true white lotus, born in the muck yet managing to remain pure despite it all.

Shen Yuan has spent 15 years loving his soulmate. 

Ever since he knew of the concept from his parents. He’s been writing to his soulmate since he could hold a pen, first it was nothing but the sloppy scrawls and doodles of a child, but he learned quickly to write. Literacy had extreme importance in society, and children were taught to read and write as soon as possible so they could communicate with their soulmate, especially among those with wealth.

Binghe has been at the end of every message. 

Even if they’ve only known each other for a short time, Shen Yuan has cared for his soulmate his entire life.

Binghe is more than a protagonist. 

Shen Yuan didn’t manage to sleep a wink. The first half of his night was spent reading, and the second half spent waiting for Binghe to wake up. He knew Binghe rose with the sun, and so he only had a few more hours to kill while waiting. He flipped through tabs on his phone, opening and closing apps restlessly. 

Shen Yuan doesn’t think about his soulmate being abandoned at birth. He doesn’t think about years of getting tormented by those around him. He doesn’t think about a confession laced with pain. This one likes Qing Jing Peak. Qing Jing Peak does not like this Binghe.

No.

Shen Yuan doesn’t think about it at all.

He lost track of time, flinching in surprise when he finally felt the tingling swipe of a brush on skin. Shen Yuan sat up in bed and turned on his lamp, fumbling for his marker. He couldn’t help his smile at Binghe’s words even if he tried. All of the suffocating heaviness was lifted all at once, leaving him feeling light and unburdened.

“Wishing Yuan-ge a happy day!” Binghe had written, his brushstrokes precise and careful, words filled with happiness. 

“Good morning Bing-er.” Shen Yuan responded, returning the sweet greeting of his little white lotus of a soulmate. 

Shen Yuan bit his lip, staring down at his arm. He had thought about what to say for hours now, so he pushed back his strange hesitation and began to write. “You told me you had trouble cultivating, I thought about it last night. The most important part of learning is cross referencing. Is there any way you could look at someone else’s manual?”

“Yuan-ge?” Binghe wrote, shining with innocent curiosity.

“Make sure your material is real. People could be trying to hurt Bing-er with fake material.” Shen Yuan asked, full of worry and suspicion. 

“This one will check.” Binghe responded, he felt faintly skeptical, but completely truthful. It took a heavy weight off of Shen Yuan that he didn’t even realize he was carrying.

“Thank you, Bing-er. I hope I’m wrong.” Shen Yuan wrote, feeling utterly relieved though it was threaded with an underlying anxiety. 

Shen Yuan went through the rest of his day with Binghe’s situation lingering in his mind. He ate breakfast the chef made with his mother and meimei, both his father and his older brothers already left for work. He went back to his room and did his schoolwork.

Technically, Shen Yuan attends the best private academy in Beijing. However, he doesn’t actually go onto the campus because of his health concerns. His parents worked it out so that all of his work is sent to the house and his tests are administered by teachers who come to him instead. 

Shen Yuan used to resent it when he was younger, wishing that he could go to class with other kids and make friends, but now he’s glad he does have to spend most of his day surrounded by other teenagers.

In addition to his standard curriculum, his mother also has him tutored in the four arts. It was something that Shen Yuan actually enjoyed though his siblings found it to be tedious. Now he would have to take it even more seriously and learn more outside of his lessons so that he could teach it to his soulmate. 

Hours earlier than he expected, Shen Yuan feels a brush on his skin. He can immediately tell something is wrong, the feelings are overwhelming, upset, and heartbroken. Shen Yuan excused himself from dinner and went to his room, checking his wrist.

“You were right, Yuan-ge. It was fake.” Binghe wrote, full of helpless anger, bitterness, and pain.

Shen Yuan swallowed heavily, feeling furious for Binghe. The confirmation that his soulmate's life is at the very least connected to the web novel was something that Shen Yuan would need to think about later. For now, he needs to comfort his soulmate.

“I’m so sorry, Bing-er. You deserve better.” Shen Yuan wrote, wishing that he could do more for Binghe to keep him safe. If everything is true in that web novel, then right now his soulmate was living in a woodshed. A fucking woodshed. He was being hurt by everyone around him and doesn’t have a single good thing to his name. 

Binghe deserves nothing but the best and now Shen Yuan is all too aware that Luo Binghe has been forsaken by those around him. Shen Yuan wants to find the author and thrash them until they answer why Luo Binghe has to suffer. Why did they do this the the sweetest person that Shen Yuan has ever met? How can they stand to hurt Luo Binghe who has never done anything wrong but had the whole world against him from the start?

“Yuan-ge.” Binghe wrote, his brushstrokes shaky and filled with desperation, longing, loneliness, and pain.

Shen Yuan choked on secondhand pain, feeling his heart break for the overwhelming betrayal that Binghe has suffered. Shen Yuan wishes nothing more than to be there for his soulmate, but all he can do is write. 

Shen Yuan concentrates on sending comfort and love, writing messages one after another to his Binghe.

“My Bing-er, I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

“We’ll figure this out, Bing-er, I’ll help you.”

“I’m so sorry Bing-er, you deserve better than this.”

“Bing-er deserves the world, I would give it to you if I could.”

“I’m here, Binghe.”

Shen Yuan runs out of space on their left arm, so he leans over to begin writing on his leg. He choses one sentence, the most important truth he wants to impart onto his soulmate. He writes small, repeating the line uniformly spaced out one on top of the other until it fills the skin from his ankle to his knee. 

When Binghe still hasn’t responded, Shen Yuan starts writing a symmetrical series of lines on his other leg.

“Binghe is precious.”

He had nearly finished on his second leg when he finally received a reply from Binghe, right above their knee.

“I wish Yuan-ge was here.” Binghe wrote, his words containing fathomless amounts of yearning.

Shen Yuan grit his teeth, wishing he could fulfill Binghe’s wish. He wanted nothing more than to give Binghe everything. Everything he deserves, all the love he should receive. Shen Yuan feels useless, but he pushes that away.

All he can do is try his best to help Binghe in any way he can.

That day, Shen Yuan subscribes to Proud Immortal Demon Way, and he never misses reading an update as soon as it is uploaded. He leaves comments criticizing the author for making Luo Binghe’s life so needlessly miserable. He hopes the author will listen and lessen Binghe’s suffering.

[keystonepublishing]

Psychological Warfare of the Malayan Emergency by Herbert A. Friedman (Ret.)

Have you ever been taught a version of history at school that seems weirdly simplistic? And then years later, you find more evidence that shows the whole affair was a giant, complicated mess?

Guess what I learned over the past few months about the Malayan Emergency.

For context, the Malayan Emergency was a conflict that raged in the British colony of Malaya from 1948 until the 1960s between communist forces and the British government, later continued by the independent Malayan government. The government forces won, but any school teachings of the conflict was presented in a manner that simplified the complex (and often, grey) nature of the Emergency.

I knew since then that a lot of truths were hidden away, but I didn't realize that there was a psychological aspect to the Emergency until I stumbled upon this webpage by a retired military officer about it. Given the length of the information provided and that it's the only one of it's kind — and therefore at risk of information loss if deleted, I sought to bookbind it. Pictures and all.

Given the amount of information contained and the sheer number of images, this project took about a month!

I had to divide the continuous stream of information in the webpage into readable chapters.

Then, I had to layout the images with the text, which was actually harder than expected — the size of the image could shift relevant text into the following pages, so it was a process of balancing image size to textual placement.

In-between that was the regular work of typesetting, but also of formatting quotes and examples, of which there were a lot.

And then there were pages that required special attention. For example, these pages:

The pages on the right was relatively simple — a double-sided leaflet that could be showcased in a double-page spread, with contextual information in the following pages.

On the left however, to create the list of dead / living people, I had to finagle a table in Microsoft Word and constantly adjust the cell size to make the long names and positions fit. The whole endeavor was an exercise in patience.

Leafing through the pages, there are some parts I am annoyed with, such as pictures on the right page with their annotated message in the following left page. But as it is, I'm just glad this is done.

Special thanks to SGM Herbert A. Friedman (Ret.) for compiling this information that astonished me to create this bookbind.

[neige-leblanche]

this is Not something that i'd ideally have as a public post but ventapp is dead so whatever. i think im starting to realize the reason why i always felt a little uncomfortable w ppl getting me china-related stuff as gifts when i was in middle school/high school/college was bc it felt for lack of a better word fetishistic. like the sentiment felt very often like "they'll like it just bc it's chinese, not because of the item/contents itself" which like. while obviously not as bad as appropriative consumer trends or fetishization of people it feels like part of the same thing.

for context i'm white & studied mandarin chinese all that time. i was very vocal about my love for the language, and i *did* get to learn a lot abt chinese culture & history during that time which if uve learned any language for a while u know comes with the territory. and i really did think the cultural stuff was exciting so i feel like i'm being a bit judgemental towards my relatives who got me these gifts

but like. first & most obvious . gift contents. i wouldn't like getting a historical nonfiction book if it weren't about china so why would i like one about china. i don't like rubber stamps so why should i like rubber stamps of chinese characters. c'mon.

secondly i know this is/was a hot topic but the western appropriation of chinese characters as aesthetic objects. i am aware that this is v much a two-way street; my main purse is actually a canvas messenger bag i got in beijing with some just-barely-coherent english phrases on a patch on the front. however a lot of western-made objects with chinese characters on them do feel kinda like,, idk sleazy. bearing in mind i'm not an expert i've only been to china once & i havent been in school for almost two years now, i see 和平 written on western objects very often (direct translation of "peace") and i'm pretty sure i've never seen it as aesthetic calligraphy on an asian-made item (though i used to have a chinese-made button with calligraphy that included the word 平安, which means closer to "safety" but has connotations of peace too), but western hippie-adjacent people like the word "peace", so they want it on their stuff.

^ and this is a very inconsequential example that isn't morally charged like cultural differences often are, but it stands in rlly harsh contrast to a time my chinese friend got me a souvenir with calligraphy about filial piety, and when i translated it to my family they all started laughing. which made me think about how they probably would not have laughed if it said "faith," or "destiny," or any other christian cultural value, even though my family doesn't practice christianity, just like my friend probably doesn't conscientiously adhere to confucian teachings every day either. which in turn makes me want westerners who appreciate chinese characters to try just a little bit harder. like there *are* characters associated with good luck, and there are common words and phrases written to reflect their cultural values, and you can probably find scores of english-language webpages explaining them all. obvs don't pick any you don't personally like, but given that they exist, don't you think just throwing your personal favorite words into google translate so you can have them in The Oriental Language With The Pretty Writing System seems a little sleazy? like?????

[shopweb]

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[dispatchesfromunknownkadath]

Writing - A Post That Hit Me Hard: Human Moments

Hello, my name is Justy.

I'm resurrecting this old dream journal blog of mine (again) because I have thoughts and dreams that I really want to get down, because, well, have you ever had a thought or a dream that you thought was really great, but when you try to remember it, it was gone? I feel like that sometimes. Looking back over my old dreams, some are clear as day, others are fuzzy, and others still I can't remember dreaming. However, since I wrote them down on here, I can remember them even though I don't remember them.

That brings me to the Bluesky post up at the top here. I was scrolling Bluesky this morning while I was eating my post-workout breakfast, saw this post from someone I followed, and my scrolling came to a dead stop. Like the title says, it hit me hard. It made me recall a bunch of Internet things from the 1990s-2010s that, at the time, felt like fluff--silly Flash games, forum threads, chat rooms, dead fora run by friends as a lark and then forgotten about, pictures, experiences in MUDs, the MUDs themselves, whole webpages and webrings, even custom maps in games like Counter-Strike and Warcraft 3--but that are basically gone forever.

It didn't make me feel like I wasted my time. Far from it, I remember these moments I had with other people online fondly, but... those moments are gone. Maybe some of my real life friends recall a few of them but for the most part, I'm the only one that does. That made me indescribably sad in a way that, to describe it clinically, my poor expressive capabilities make hard to articulate.

Yes, there is the Internet Archive, but as I kept thinking about it, I thought of the refrain I heard most growing up around the Internet: everything on the Internet was permanent. As I replied to the post above, we're collectively learning that that's not the case. The Internet has been siloed off from the 1990s Wild West of bad HTML and Geocities pages to comment pages and platforms that can be easily turned off. Pages can be deactivated. Patreons can be closed.

And that's just at the amateur level! Whole platforms and sites filled with uncountable man-hours of hard work can be bought by people who don't understand them and degraded/denuded into irrelevance. Articles can be migrated from platform to platform until they break. Art like movies or TV shows can be lost to licensing squabbles or horse trading between streaming services until it can only be viewed either on an (itself-degrading) physical medium or pirated.

As I finished my breakfast and went to take my shower so I could get ready for work, I thought about all this as it relates to A.I. and got more upset. Multiple times over the holidays I saw that Coca-Cola ad made by A.I. and I just had this visceral revulsion to it. It was--like all A.I. images or movies I've seen--too slick, too clean. A regurgitated facsimile of human creativity to simulate warmth that did the exact opposite and left me dispirited. There was also the news that Meta was coming out with A.I. profiles, with the one they proudly touted on Instagram being a queer POC A.I. posting A.I. pictures of donating fake coats to a fake clothing drive. Disgusting. Totally disgusting.

I thought about all this in the shower, and well... I confess: I cried a bit.

I'm not doing too well lately mentally, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that during the low parts of my life, it was some of these (sometimes-silly, sometimes-meaningful) human moments online that brought a smile to my face. These moments sustained me during emotional downturns in my real life, and I feel like the rulers of the Internet now are trying to actively prevent these interactions.

As I prepped for the work day, I felt like I really had to write this all down somewhere or tell someone about it, just to get the thoughts out of my head. But where?

So I came back to my dormant dream journal Tumblr.

While lots of animals seem to dream, I feel as though ascribing meaning and feeling to dreams is a human thing and thus writing my reactions to the post above here felt the most human. I want to get back into recording my dreams, as wild and chaotic (and boring to others, admittingly) as they are. It makes me feel things. It makes me feel human.

When I got to work, I texted my wife to tell her I loved her. I saw another Bluesky post from someone I followed that desperately needed $20 for bus fare and a charging cable. I donated. I went on Discord to the Discord I use to talk to my friends and said I hoped they had a good day. I said the same thing on another Discord I'm on with some people from Bluesky (all of us previously from Twitter and previously from SomethingAwful's forums). I went on an Evangelion Discord (Evageeks, I'm a huge Evangelion fan) I'm on and said that, while I've seen the main Evangelion releases multiple times, that I can't always put into words the things I'm seeing or the questions I have, and expressed appreciation to the members that they're friendly and tolerant when I attempt.

I don't know.

Human moments online.

New ones to make up for the ones only I remember.

[theaceofwords]

I got to the comment page and stopped dead without any idea of what I wanted to tell them, so here’s what I said. I would definitely recommend trying to type the idea out in your own words--I worry that they might start to disregard comments if they get swamped with too many copy-paste suggestions. That said, feel free to rephrase this however you want if it helps to comment. We writers and creators need your help here!! “Language models, art generators, and the (currently experimental) video generators which are named "AI" are trained by exposure to data sets. In order for an AI to produce coherent, cogent, and lifelike results, those data sets must be language OR artwork OR video produced by real humans. In the case of most of the dominant "AI" available on the internet today, these data sets were produced by "scraping," the process of moving from one webpage to the next in search of publicly available information--I stress, publicly available, but NOT COPYRIGHT FREE. As a result, it seems apparent right out of the gate that these "Artificial Intelligence" models cannot be trusted produce material that can be copyrighted.

"Artificial Intelligence" is not like an artist. It cannot produce an original work. If it produces a drawing of an orange, that drawing is inexorably and inextricably linked to all the other (likely copyrighted) pieces of art from which the AI learned. As a consumer and as and a producer of writing and digital artwork, I cannot overstate how strongly I oppose even the idea of "AI" generated content being allowed anything even approaching copyright, because "Artificial Intelligence" as it now stands cannot create--it can only reproduce what it has seen.

Anything an AI makes cannot be copyrighted. Anything made by an AI should be ipso facto non-restricted public domain unless modified significantly (arbitrary number, modified by 50% or more) by a human. Further, there must be some way for humans to "opt out" of inclusion in AI training data sets. There should be significant financial and potential civil penalties for companies who trawl the web indiscriminately to rob from writers and artists around the world. Thank you for your time, and please make the right decision to ensure that future generations will be able not only to create, but to envision a life and secure a livelihood as creators.“

The US Copyright Office is opening a public comment period around AI

American friends! The US Copyright Office (which we know exerts huuuge influence in how these things are treated elsewhere) wants to hear opinions on copyright and AI.

"The US Copyright Office is opening a public comment period around AI and copyright issues beginning August 30th as the agency figures out how to approach the subject."

We can assume that the opposing side will definitely be using all of their lobbying power towards widespread AI use, so this is a very good chance to let them know your thoughts on AI and how art and creative content of all kinds should be protected.

[theuxuidesigner]

How to Choose A Website Design Company That Is Perfect for You?

Did you know that a user forms an opinion of your website in 0.5 seconds?

As per Hook Agency, 94% of impressions on a webpage are due to its design. That means, if your WWW site doesn’t seem appealing to the viewer, they may as are cryptocurrency flash loans a method of hacking? well press the ‘backspace’ key in less than 1 second. Hence, it’s vital to choose a website design company that does not just fulfill your requirements but also adds their opinions to drive more traffic to your webpage.

Strategies related to web design change every day. Unless you are a web developer or a techno freak, it won’t be possible for you to keep track of this field’s latest developments.

By hiring a company that makes use of the strategic approach and website design software is the best option to go about it. And I write this with a lot of confidence because after trying my hands on building my website using website builder apps, I hit a dead-end very soon. And then the hunt began!

Now that I am acquainted with every possible area where you could go wrong, I’ve curated a step-by-step process that may help you choose a perfect website design company in just a few minutes.

Let’s get started!

Selecting A Prospective Web Design Company

It is the first and the most challenging move. Prepare a list of agencies that are on top of their respective fields that require research and diligence. But with the help of Google My Business, things have been made easier for us.

All you need to do is type in the relevant keywords, such as “Top 10 web design companies in India 2021”. You may also try to find a company based on their digital marketing expertise as we can talk about ‘Mad Brains’ having a team of well-experienced web designers whose sole main objective is to provide the best IT solutions in India.

Remember, the right keyword lands you in the right place. So, choose your keywords carefully.

Establishing the First Contact

Sending an email is the first thing that we do to get in touch with a professional organization. And I sure did that too!

However, I found that communicating via email is very slow. Hence, I started calling them. Surprisingly, talking to a website design company gets your job done faster.

Ensure that you talk to such agencies over the phone, ask them a list of questions (which is the next step), and then if you like them, ask them to send an official email with a quote and further details.

How much does it cost to design a website?

Wondering about how much cost you have to incur for a website. Always remember that a good website can make you money. And there are several factors involves in the website designing process including the number of pages, design style, database integration, e-commerce functionality, Content Management System (CMS), and many more.

The estimated cost of maintaining a website varies from $10,000 to $130,000 per year. You can also get instant quotes by contacting our web design agency ‘Mad Brains’ where our representatives will assist you at their best.

The Questionnaire

Yes, this is where the fun begins. Once you’ve got hold of the list of web design companies you want to interview, here are some questions that will help you choose the perfect one for you.

What Industries Have You Previously Worked For?

Is User experience important to you? If yes, then what’s your approach towards the same?

Do you use WordPress as your content management platform? Or do you have your own/some other CMS?

Explain the steps that you would take to make this project a success?

Are you available to make amends after the project is complete?

Does your company also specialize in (additional skills such as digital marketing)?

What website design software do you use?

How much does it cost to design a website?

Only 4 out of the 10-website design companies that I’d selected were able to answer all of the above questions.

The Final Step

Once you’ve chalked down the list based on the appropriate answers, the final step is to ask for an official email. The email is an essential part of the job as it lays out ground rules, strategy, time span, and cost.

In the end, I was able to find just the agency that could perfectly design my website. And I did not hit any dead ends there.

After all, to get a perfect website, you need to leave the job at the hands of the perfect website design company. For any query, you can mail us at themadbrainsinfo@gmail.com.

Website - The Ux Ui Designer

[realcatalina]

Unknown lady from Kunsthistorisches Museum-who is this?

Little while ago I found on Mutualart.com 19th century portrait of unknown lady, labelled as in manner of Hans Holbein the elder. Clearly it is in manner of Hans Holbein the Younger and the outfit became of immediate interest to me, due to colour of the dress and undersleeves-which are in purple/violet.

Also the medailon appear to show a bird, which two of Henry VIII’s wives had as emblem.  But clearly this is 19th century copy, so I had to first find the original(and hope it still existists). Luckily it was on Pinterest and I know now it is located Kunstishhistorie Museum in Wienna, which also has famous portrait of Jane Seymour. (But being located within same collection doesn’t prove it is same sitter and the medalion doesn’t show bird, but religuous scene.)

On their webpage it looks like this:

But who is she? And is this purple gown also? Because if it is, we’re looking at unidentified portrait of Tudor royal! 

And I have to warn you. The colours within the painting might not be as they should. 1st of all, I’ve seen how portrait of Jane Seymour looks on their webpage, and they use filter which reveals details rather well, but also gives entire painting completely different hues and somehow succeseeds in making her grey eyes turn into vivid green! 

It doesn’t seem to be case with this one. Still I cannot be certain of it.

Another issue is that the undersleeves clearly are supposed to depict crimson velvet(on right is how it is supposed to look):

The colours are very washout and entire painting is very dark.

Gown currently has this shade, but what was the original colour I can only speculate.

There are more photos of the painting online, and the shade of gowns, imo goes to dim purplish tones:

Especially this one:

But you might disaagree and think it is just wishful thinking. Perhaps it is.Problem is there is no real way to check conclusively if the gown is purple. Or rather what Tudor people would consider purple.

I am preparing post about purple dye and there were many types sea snails used to dye fabrics, and results varied greatly even at same cities.

Colours went from bright blue! Or dark violet. Or to dark or bright red, to pink! To light lilac or to dark deep purple! Or to dim colours. Really wide spectrum of colours and shades, all done by using sea snails! And majority was then called purple! Or one of their names included word purple.  

So i cannot dismiss this colour because it is not the purple you imagine! 

Perhaps I am wrong and it isn’t supposed to be purple.

However if I am right, then who the heck is the sitter?!

During Henry VIII’s reign there were several Acts of Apparel(sumptuary laws were passed in 1510, 1514, 1515, 1533.

One specifically said that only the King and his immediate family (the Queen, the King’s mother, King’s children) the King’s brothers and sisters could wear cloth of purple silk. (and presumably anything dyed purple, even if it was from other materials.)

Elizabeth of York was dead, as was prince Arthur.

Margaret Tudor never visited England while Holbein was there and as far as I know there is no record of him being in Scotland.

While I’d love to exclude Mary I immediately on account of having strawberry blond hair into golden, rather to red, I cannot exclude possibility that just as hair of Elizabeth I, her hair changed the shading as she aged. 

(But as child she was golden strawberry blond and as adult she was too.)

But I think Mary had longer forehead, but i cannot be certain:

While Mary was young in 1530s, she also had health issues already. And if this was made just after she recovered from illness, she could look much older than when fully recovered.

Given the style of French hood, we’re looking at 1538+.

So that excludes also Mary Rose, Queen of France(Henry’s sister), she died in 1533 and would never wear such style. 

Anne Boleyn’s french hood had different style (I am preparing posts about it), Jane didn’t like French hoods(so it is highly unlikely to be her) and even forbade her ladies from wearing them while at her service, and they made comeback only after she died(jumping Anne’s style immediately to one we consider 1540s). She died in late 1537. Hence 1538+ dating. 

Elizabeth is simply too young to be the sitter. The sitter is definitely older than child she was in late 1530s/early 1540s.

...

Who are we left with? (In 1538+ timeframe)

Princess Mary(future Mary I) and last 3 of Henry VIII’s wives:

(Holbein died in October/November 1543, Catherine Parr became Queen in July 1543, so he had chance to paint her!)

Which is nightmare scenario for me. 

Henry’s type was his mum, and all his wives resembled her to degree. They had similiar features( and Mary resembled her grandmother a bit too).

It’s not really that easy to tell Henry’s wives apart, ideally you’d look at the fashion to tell them apart. But in this case you can’t, because it is bound to look alike. It’s too close together.

By the way Anne of Cleves was by Henry VIII treated as his sister fallowing annulment of their marriage, so she could wear purple.

But for some reason the style seems to me purely english. Except I don’t recall any other english painting where we would have parlet black on both inside and outside. I give up. I admit defeat. I don’t know who it is nor indeed if the gown is purple. All the research proved inconclusive.

So let me know what you think about the matter. Am I chasing ghosts or am I upon something? I hope you’ve enjoyed it.

[spareseratoninplz]

More Than Pain Bakugo x Y/N reader insert Ch. 2

“Miss…? Excuse me, miss…?” I was gently shaken awake by a hand, and when I woke up a friendly looking gentleman was smiling down at me.

“You’re miss (L/N), right?” He asked, and I nodded.

“Yes… how is my mother?” I asked, my brow immediately furrowing. He placed a hand on my shoulder to keep me from getting up, and took a seat across from me after pulling up a chair to sit on.

“Your mother is in stable condition… her case however… well, it’s uncertain.” He said, and my heart dropped.

“Case…? Uncertain…?” I echoed, and he cleared his throat.

“Your mother had a very serious seizure. Her brain was deprived of oxygen for too long, and this has caused her to slip into a coma. As I said, she’s in stable condition, but if she’s going to have any sort of chance of recovery, we’ll need to perform surgery…” He said the last few words very carefully, and I swallowed a lump in my throat.

“H-How much…?” I asked, and he hesitated before sighing deeply.

“54,200,000 ¥…*” The doctor spoke, and I felt my mouth go dry.

“Your mother’s insurance will pay for her accommodations here at the hospital until the money for surgery can be raised… with any luck, then surgery won’t be necessary. And she’ll simply wake up. Still, there’s the topic of muscle atrophy, and getting her the physical and psychological therapy to recuperate afterwards…” His voice faded out as my brain grew numb with the same question. How in the world am I supposed to raise that much money? As a middle school student I’m not allowed to have any sort of part time job. Not only that, but how was I supposed to pay for rent, power, water, and food when I had absolutely no income whatsoever?

“Miss (L/N)?” The doctor called out my name, and I snapped out of my stupor.

“Did you hear what I said?” He asked, and after a moment of hesitation, he realized I hadn’t.

“There is a program- a temporary service if you will- one that will place you in the care of a foster home… at least for the time being.” I nodded quietly, not really knowing what else to say.

“Come with me and I’ll introduce you to the program’s coordinator.” He ushered me along, and I followed blindly, my eyes growing heavy with exhaustion.

*One day later*

“Here we are! Oh, you are absolutely going to love this couple!” The coordinator opened the door for me to step out with nothing but my backpack on.

“Oh dear… are you certain that’s all you wanted to bring?” She asked.

“I don’t plan on being here for very long.” I said, walking passed her towards the front door. She followed me quickly, and rang the doorbell as I examined the outside structure of the house. It was rounded at the top with a subtle but elegant grey stone layout. The windows were large and somewhat tinted to reflect the incoming sunlight, and I couldn't help but think how clever that was of the designer to come up with. My attention was grabbed when the front door slowly opened to reveal a tall, muscular  man with spiky brown hair, glasses, and the slightest hint of  a mustache.

“Oh? Hey, you must be (F/N)! Mitsuki, she’s here!” He called behind him, and I could hear the sound of fast footsteps as she made her way to the front door, and nearly knocked the man over in the process.

“Who is it Masaru? Did you say (F/N)?” She asked. She poked her head out, and my eyes immediately focused on two distinctive features, her eyes and hair.

“(F/N)! It’s so good to meet you!” She exclaimed. Before I knew what was happening, she’d already pulled me inside.

“Katsuki! Come meet our guest!” She called out, and the moment she shouted that name, my blood ran cold.

“GO TO HELL!!!” He shouted back in response. Mitsuki only smiled at me briefly as the tension settled in the air. After a moment she turned to me with the same smile on her face.

“Wait right here dear, I’ll  be right back.” She spoke softly and gracefully ascended the stairs to what I could only assume was Katsuki’s room. There were a few light knocks on the door before it sounded like the ceiling was falling in.

“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT YOU LITTLE SHIT!” She screamed. She then proceeded to drag Bakugou down the stairs by his ear, much to his protest, and tossed him onto the floor in front of us. My eyes locked onto a coat rack in the corner near the door, and I didn’t dare tear my eyes away for a moment. He stood to his feet and swung around as though he were going to strike his own mother, but instead she smacked the back of his head, and he fell to his knees right in front of me. I jumped back, and accidentally met his eyes. If looks could kill, I’d already be dead.

“(F/N) Is going to be staying here for a little while, and I want you to be the one to show her to her room.” Mitsuki ordered, and Katsuki simply glared at me before sliding his hands into his pockets and walking back towards the stairs.

“You comin’ or not?!” He demanded, looking at me sideways as though I were supposed to read his mind. I glared back, unimpressed before following behind him up the stairs.

We took an immediate right, and he placed his foot against a door before roughly kicking it open and stepping inside. I followed him in, and took a look around. Everything was so neat, tidy, and fresh smelling. They had even changed the bed linens and had a fluffy black bathrobe neatly folded on the bed along with a set of clothes. What was this place? A hotel? “What the fuck are you doing here?” He demanded, and I glanced at him over my shoulder.

“Your parents didn’t tell you what’s going on?” I asked, and he scoffed.

“All they said was we’d have a guest for a couple months. They never said anything about it being some dumb bitch.” He said, expecting to get a rise out of me, but I remained quiet.

“I’ll stay out of your way.” I said, giving him a cold look that he seemed taken aback by.

“The hell’s your problem?” He asked, and I exhaled slowly through my nose before neatly placing my backpack on the back of a nearby chair.

“Why? So you can degrade me on that too?” I asked, my tone just as cold as my icy glare. For once he had nothing to say as he stood there with the same angry look on his face.

“I get that you don’t like me, and I’ll stay out of your way while I’m here, so, just go do… whatever.” I said, my tone bland as I turned to  start unpacking things from my bag. After a moment of silence I assumed he had just left, so when I heard the shuffling of feet, and suddenly found myself pinned up against the desk as his hands gripped the edges at my hips, trapping me in place. His body and face were both very close to mine, and radiating heat that I didn’t know could be generated from a human body.

“Listen here you, don’t come into my fucking house thinking you’re better than me just because you have some stupid-ass quirk, you got it?” He hissed, and my brow furrowed.

“What did I say to insinuate that I think I’m better than you?” I asked, pressing my hand against his chest to move him away, but he quickly caught my hand and gripped it tightly, maybe even painfully if pain was something I could feel.

“What was that shit you pulled the other day in the hallway, huh?” He asked.

“Let go of me.” I hissed, and he smirked in an almost challenging way.

“Make me.” He growled. I felt something swelling up within me. This anger that I wasn’t at all familiar with coupled with something else. I felt my body begin to shake, and I forcibly grabbed his wrist with the hand that he was holding me, and his eyes widened for a split moment before I flipped him onto his back. He grunted as I stood up and moved away from him, looking down at my own two hands as though they weren’t mine.

“Shit…” Bakugou cursed under his breath before sitting up, and rubbing at the back of his head. He shot me a bewildered look before standing straight up and marching over to me. He looked me over expectantly before clicking his tongue, and heading for the door. He froze just before walking through, and glanced back at me over his shoulder.

“Bathroom’s down the hall on the left… dinner’s at 5:30… and don’t touch any of my shit!” He spat before shutting the door behind him roughly. I sighed before shaking my head, and pulling my laptop from my bag. I settled in on the bed, and began surfing the web in hopes of winding down, and ignoring what had just happened with my quirk. I had never been able to use it that way before… then again, no one has ever made me feel so frustrated before either.

“Hm?” I hummed in thought as my eyes caught a glimpse of a flashy headliner. I clicked on the link as the webpage opened completely.

“UA RECOMMENDATION EXAM REPORTED TO BE REWARDING HIGHEST RANKING ENTRANT 55,300,000!”

All I could do was stare at the screen with my mouth hanging open, unable to think or speak. 

It seemed all too easy, enter the exam, pass with the highest score, and win the money that I would need to get mom the surgery she needed… an additional  1,152,320¥ never hurts either… I quickly began looking up anything and everything that I could about this exam, and found out quite a bit about it relatively quickly.

“Let’s see… consists of a written exam, practical exam, and an… interview…? Alright, no problem, but… what would I do about references? That would be the main thing I need, right?” I mumbled to myself and groaned before flopping backwards onto the bed.

I can’t believe I’m even playing with thoughts like these. To think I’d even stand a chance against anyone who’s recommended to UA? It may seem like easy money, but now that I think about it, there’s no way it would be that easy. There was suddenly a gentle knock at the door, and I quickly stood from the bed to answer it.

“Mrs. Bakugou, I’m sorry was I being too loud?” I asked, and she chuckled before waving me off, and shooting me a smile.

“Not at all dear! I just came up to check and see how you were getting settled.’ She said, and I nodded before giving her a thankful smile.

“Oh yes, I’m fine. You have a beautiful home.” I said, and she smiled even brighter.

“Aren’t you the sweetest, thank you!” She giggled before banging her fist once against the door directly behind her before shouting.

“YOU HEAR THAT, KID?! WHY CAN’T YOU BE SWEET LIKE HER?!” Mrs. Bakugou shouted.

“WOULD YOU SHUT IT, YOU OLD HAG?! I’M TRYIN’ TO STUDY!” Bakugou shouted back. So, his room was directly across from mine…? Good to know. I thought sarcastically.

“WHY YOU-” I cut her off before she had a chance to shout again. She looked as though she were about to break down his door.

“Bakugou is actually a pretty nice guy at school!” I blurted out before I could think. She froze, and turned to me with a skeptical look.

“That’s not what I’ve heard…” She said, her brow furrowing.

“What? No, really. He helped me to find my locker and the cafeteria on my first day of school, and he’s always willing to help out when I need a partner during study period.” I said. It wasn’t a complete lie. He had helped me find my locker and the cafeteria on the first day… he just wasn’t super polite about it. As for the study partner thing, really we had just been paired up together by the teacher, and did our own work silently.

“He may seem a little harsh at first, but Bakugou is someone who is really very dedicated to his goal of becoming a pro hero. I admire him for not being afraid to speak his mind about things… it’s a quality I wish I had.” I admitted, and I suddenly found myself wondering why I was suddenly singing Bakugou’s praises when I didn’t really know two things about the guy.

“You’re too sweet, (F/N)... by the way, you’re welcome to call me Mitsuki.” She offered, and I nodded politely. She turned towards Bakugou’s door again, and lifted her hand ready to bang on it once more, but after a moment her body seemed to relax as though she had second thoughts, and she lightly knocked instead.

“Supper will be ready in about an hour, hon.” She said gently. After a moment of silence, Bakugou responded. “Whatever…” His voice sounded tired almost, but it held no anger. Mitsuki smiled gently before giving me a small nod, and heading downstairs. Somehow I felt good about what I did, and turned to return to my room, only to be met by the sound of Bakugou’s door creaking open.

“So what’s your deal, huh?” He asked. I looked up to see him leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, and a bored expression on his face. I shrugged before resting my elbow against the doorframe, and pushing my hair back out of my eyes.

“I don’t know… I guess maybe you just don’t hear it as much as you should.” I said. His eyes lowered to the floor as though he were considering something.

“Hear what?” He asked. I swallowed hard, knowing what it was I was wanting to say, but I wasn’t sure how he would react.

“You’re a good guy, Bakugou… and I know you’ve built this reputation as the school’s hot head or whatever, but… I can tell by how hard you work that you truly do want to be a hero… and I don’t think you’d want to be a hero if you didn’t like people.” I said, and he remained silent, now resting his head against the door frame, and looking off down the hall.

“You’re so full of shit.” He spat, somewhat taking me by surprise, but I didn’t let it show.

“The other day, you were telling me to ‘grow up’... saying shit like ‘you’re not very heroic’- such bullshit.” He hissed, and for some reason an unfamiliar sensation hit me directly in the center of my chest before spreading to the rest of my body.

‘Is this… pain…?’ I thought to myself. Without realizing, my hand had come up and grabbed my shirt directly over my chest. My breathing began to increase, and my skin began to feel warm and flush.

“What is it? Just now realizing I’ve called you out on your bullshit?” He asked, crossing his arms again and smirking in an unnerving way.

“What? No, that’s not-” My breathing only increased, but it felt like all the air in my lungs had left me. I felt my eyes begin to burn as tears began to slide down my cheeks uncontrollably.

“Wh- hey. What’s wrong with you?” He asked, and I felt my body begin to shake as sobs began to rack my body.

“Shit, hey-” He kneeled beside me, and I hid my face from him. I’d never felt this way before in my life. As though someone had lit a fire at the center of my chest, but the rest of my body remained cold as Ice. How is it even possible to be freezing, and yet sweat at the same time?

“Calm your breathing and relax.” He said, his voice lower, and I felt him rest his hand on my back awkwardly, not knowingly exactly where to put it. After a moment I seemed to calm down, but I was still in shock at what had just happened.

“Wh-what… what was that…?” I mumbled to myself.

“You just had a fucking panic attack.” Bakugou said, now sitting on the floor next to me, and resting his head back against the wall. I could feel him watching me carefully, and after a moment he sighed.

“Look I… I’m sorry. Okay? I didn’t think sayin’ that would… cause a panic attack alright? I always thought you didn’t have emotions.” He said.

“I… I usually don’t feel anything. Pain, anger, fear, sadness… I can absorb it back into my body, channel it and use the energy to heal myself or others…” I said, and suddenly realized I hadn’t ever really explained how my quirk worked before.

“So that’s what happened the other day? You didn’t block my attack, you absorbed it?” He asked, and I nodded.

“And that’s how you healed yourself?” He asked, and again I nodded.

“Yes… the stronger the quirk, the faster I heal.” I said, and he just stared ahead at the wall.

“Well… it’s not the shittiest quirk I’ve ever heard of.” He said, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. We sat in silence for a bit longer before I spoke again.

“I need to get into UA on recommendation.” I said, and his entire body stiffened.

“WH- THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!” He demanded, and I sighed.

“It’s not what you think okay, so don’t blow a fuse.” I said. I passed him my phone with the headline on it, and his eyes quickly skimmed over it.

“Yeah, I heard about that… so then what’s the deal? I thought you weren’t tryin’ to be a hero.” He said, and I ignored the fact that he knew that about me, and took my phone back from him.

“I… I just need the money, alright?” I admitted. I pulled my knees to my chest before resting my arms on top, and then my chin.

“What do you need with a shit-ton of cash like that?” He asked, and I laughed humorlessly. He didn’t respond after a moment of silence, so I sighed, and felt my brow furrow.

“Katsuki, (F/N) dinner’s ready!” Mitsuki called.

“HOLD YOUR HORSES WE’RE COMIN’!” Bakugou shouted back, but I was already standing.

“We should go eat. School in the morning.” I said, and he looked up at me with a stoic expression before standing himself and walking towards the stairs. I walked past him at the top of the stairs, and he grabbed my arm to stop me before I could continue.

“We’re not done yet.” He said, holding my gaze for several moments before turning away, and descending the stairs. I lightly brushed my fingers across my arm where he’d grabbed me, and felt an odd tingling sensation where his hand had been.

“I’m losing my mind…” I mumbled to myself before descending the stairs, and stepping into the dining room.

“Here you go (F/N) I’ve saved you a spot right next to Katsuki.” Mr. Bakugou said whilst drying his hands on a kitchen towel as Mrs. Bakugou finished placing the final plate of food on the table. I nodded silently before taking the seat I had been offered.

“The coordinator gave us a list with some of your favorites, so I made you some kakitama jiru!*” She exclaimed, very pleased with herself.

“It looks great, thank you Mrs. Bakugou.” I said, smiling kindly as I spooned it into a bowl along with some crispy noodles and a spoonful of green onions on top. The aroma was intoxicating, and I felt myself relax somewhat at the familiar smell.

“Would you like some Beef?” Mr. Bakugou offered, holding the plate out to me. I nodded before plucking a few pieces out, and placing them neatly on my plate before adding some steamed veggies and rice. Everything looked and smelled amazing. I couldn’t recall eating in the last few days, so this was more than welcomed.

“Have you had any news on your mother?” Mrs. Bakugou asked, and I felt the color immediately drain from my face. Any appetite I previously had was gone now. I lowered my chopsticks from my mouth before I could take a bite of food, and felt my hand shake slightly.

“Oh… uh… no ma’am. Nothing yet.” I said plainly, hoping she would just drop it.

“Oh… well, I’m very sorry to hear about what happened. We really hope she gets out of the hospital soon.” She said, and I felt my eyes drop to the table, suddenly intently focused on the pattern of the tablecloth, and nothing else. I wanted everything to fade away, and be silent. I wanted to be by myself where no one could see me like this because it was all new to me as well.

“Um… th-thanks…” I silently cursed myself for stuttering. They probably couldn’t tell I was uncomfortable since my body language wasn’t showing it. Would it be disrespectful to tell them that I was uncomfortable?

“Hey, we’re gonna eat upstairs.” Katsuki spoke up suddenly, his voice breaking through the haze of my hectic thought process.

“Huh? But you’ve already sat down.” Mrs. Bakugo said, dejected.

“I’ve been havin’ some trouble with English lately… she said she’d tutor me, so…” He lied, but I kept my mouth shut. Mrs. Bakugou looked utterly dumbfounded, but quickly smiled.

“Oh, of course!” She said gleefully. Katsuki grabbed his bowl, and I grabbed mine. I said my goodbyes as we ascended the stairs once more, and he all but forced me into my room. I placed the bowl down, and took a few deep breaths.

“Shit…” I mumbled to myself once my breath had come back.

“What’s going on with you? Why do you keep freaking out?” Bakugou scoffed, and I swallowed hard.

“Look, I’m not used to feeling emotions like this, okay?” I said, a bit more anger behind my tone than I had probably intended.

“Turn your shitty quirk back on then…” He said, as though it were the easiest thing.

“I… I can’t… I don’t know why but for some reason, I can’t.” I said, and he lifted an eyebrow.

“What you said before… when you said I’m ‘full of shit’... I don’t know how, or why, but for some reason or other, it caused my quirk to dissipate. That’s why I freaked out.” I said.

“So… you turn off your quirk, and you have a panic attack, or what the hell?” He asked, and I shook my head.

“No, no… look, I’ve had my emotions shut off since I was a child… sometimes they slip out, but I’ve always been able to keep them under control until a little while ago. At that time, I dunno…” I trailed off, taking a few breaths before continuing.

“I guess all the emotions that I’ve been holding back hit me at once.” I concluded, and Bakugou continued to sit there in silence.

“Why turn them off?” He asked, and the question caught me off guard.

“What?” I asked.

“Your emotions. Why turn them off?” He asked again, slightly annoyed this time at having to repeat himself.

“Oh… I dunno. It just seemed easier I guess.” I answered honestly. After a moment Katsuki stood with his bowl in hand, and headed for the door.

“Whatever… I’m goin’ back to my room.” He said, and something made me ask. “Bakugou…?” I called out, and he stopped to turn and look back at me.

“How did you know I was having a panic attack… I mean- how did you know how to handle it?” I asked, and his eyes widened momentarily before his brow creased in its usual pissed off manner.

“What the hell kinda question is that, dumbass!” He huffed before throwing the door open and storming out before shutting it behind him. I blinked a few times before sighing and shaking my head. I’ll never understand how this guy’s brain works… but maybe that’s for the best. I sat at the desk with the bowl of soup in front of me, and sighed as I picked at it with my chopsticks. The noodles were mush at this point, and the broth was surely cold. I pushed the bowl away, and stepped towards the bed. After moving my laptop and the clothes aside, I curled myself up on the comforter with my head resting against the plush pillow, and felt my eyelids growing heavier by the second. After a few deep breaths, I felt my body relax into the mattress, and sleep finally found me.

[brandan-forman]

Reading and Response 2

The webpage twohundredfiftysixcolors is a really simple but fascinating concept for a webpage. As far as the Gif goes it is clearly the text that says "twohundredfiftysixcolors" that is a gif and makes for a great addition to the page because it gives purpose to the name of the website. It is really pleasing that this gif is consistent throughout the webpage for the most part. On the first page that we see, and I don't know if anyone else noticed this but the clock restarts every time you go back to that page. The clock is really weird in my mind because it is a clock but I'm not sure if this is also a gif because all clocks even digital keep rotating, but not all clocks can reset themselves so this makes me think that this is also a gif. Everything else seems boring other than their tumblr page which they seem to have replicated in one way or another as it reflects their actual tumblr page except for the color. https://www.guggenheim.org/blogs/the-take/all-that-glitters/ In the article "All that Glitters" on the Guggenheim website we get a brief history of the GIF. It is discussed that GIFs in the '90s weren't great, although, it was because of the origin of the GIF that we now have the tools and graphics such as the Glitter Graphics generators. These kinds of tools are referred to as such because they are meant to create graphics that shine, which has sparked the inspiration for web pages, music videos, and many other purposes. As for the rest of the page, it seems somewhat weird that they would have an article like this. I say somewhat because it seems like the page is a blog but then they also have another portion of the page that showcases art and a place where you could buy tickets. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a21457/the-gif-is-dead-long-live-the-gif/ Now with the article "THE GIF IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE GIF" on the webpage "popular mechanics" we are immediately met by a GIF. However, this web page requires us to sign up to actually view the article, which I was not willing to do. Although, if I'm analyzing the article title and subheading correctly then I believe that this article talks about how eventually the GIF will be replaced by a better file format, still a GIF nonetheless. If the article isn't about this then I think it could also be discussing how the GIF is replacing another file format. I think these two educated guesses about the article could be accurate since the initial link is titled "why after thirty years the gif is still unkillable". https://hyperallergic.com/19769/how-do-you-sell-an-animated-gif/ In the article"How to sell an animated GIF" by Hrag Vartanian from Hyperallergic we don't get a lot of information, in fact, we only get four paragraphs and each of them is only a few sentences long. Now the article is supposed to be about how someone can sell an animated GIF, but most of the paragraphs promote Lauren Cornell and the GIFs that she sells. By the time we get to the actual point of the article, the article kinda just ends on a cliffhanger despite the fact that Vartanian states that he has an anwser on how you can sell a GIF. https://www.wired.com/2013/10/would-you-pay-2000-for-a-youtube-artwork-someone-did-last-week/ In the article "An Art Breakthrough: $90,000 for Youtube Video, Animated GIF, and Other Internet Experiments" by WIRED it is stated that their was an auction where multiple bids were placed for everything being sold, which totaled out to $90,000. Now while this explains the title of the article it's actually not the main focus. After this the article goes on to question what it means to buy and own a website. For the rest of the article this question remains the main focus and asks other questions that relate to the inititial question. However, their isn't much about GIFs other than the fact that it was mentioned as one of the things that was purchased. The article also mentions the use and rendering of 3D graphics but dosen't specify the type of 3D graphic, so this could also be indirectly mentioning GIFs because GIFs don't just have to be

two-dimensional. https://readwrite.com/how_gif_trash_became_internet_culture_glue/#awesm=%7Eovwusn356HMjQR In the article "How GIF Trash Became Internet Culture Glue" by Alicia Eler from readwrite dives right into the topic at hand. Eler immediately talks about how GIFS are an internet staple and how they are made and die off every day. With this said she also talks about how anything can be GIFified. Additionally, the point is made that a GIF can captivate an audience more than an image or a full-length video. Now ELer makes a lot of points in this article but I feel that these are some of the most crucial details that need to be discussed, I know that these points are basically from her first few paragraphs but I see these as the most important points made because they really give us insight into how GIFS have been important to internet culture and the impact that they have. As far as the actual webpage goes, it seems beautifully laid out and had a lot of information to back up the claims being made. Its also kinda funny because Eler linked the Tumblr page that belongs to twohundredfiftysixcolors which was a previous article and page we had to analyze. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/a-brief-history-of-animated-gif-art-part-one-69060 In the article, "A Brief History of Animated GIF Art, Part One" by Paddy Johnson from "Art Net News" we get exactly what the title promises us, what the history of GIF art looked like. In this article we get to see GIFs that were made in 2006, 2003, 1995, and a GIF that took from 1997-2008 to make. The first featured GIF is a diagram that is meant to show how art can be manipulated through an image/diagram. The next GIF is one that was made in 1995 and was made to represent the artists. It was artists like this that were commissioned to make splash pages for certain sites. For the rest of the article Johnson talks about how beautiful, nostalgic, and how sites were created for exchanging GIFs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9By07fzkCms&ab_channel=HragVartanian In the video "How Do You Sell An Animated GIF" from the youtube channel "Hrag Vartanian" the biggest things we find out about GIFs are of course the fact that they are bought in its "unique" file format, but we also learn that digital works can be bought in different ways. Either way once someone purchase a piece of digital work they are typically given a USB stick with what they purchased on it and a certificate to prove that they own the rights to that file. At one point toward the end of the interview Vartanian asks the exhibitor if when a file is purchased if the new owners name becomes embedded in the code for the file, Now, we don't get a specific anwser but I imagine that this isn't the case since the buyer recieves documentation of their ownership. Animated GIFs: The Birth of a Medium | Off Book | PBS Digital Studios In the video "Animated GIFs: The Birth of a Medium | Off Book | PBS Digital Studios" by PBS Off Book we learn a lot about GIFs. To summarize the general idea of this video it talks about how GIFs were really popular and eventually died off but was resurrected in the late 2000's and people started seeing the capabilities of the animated GIF. Going into more detail when the GIF came back in 2008 people started exploring what could be done with GIFs. This creativity didn't really have a limit, GIFs made it possible to do whatever you wanted, including bringing images to life. This is somewhat where we are now in life. Of course our capabilities when creating GIFs has grown since this video was made (back in 2012), but the video leaves off with the quote "were figuring it out" and I despite how long it's been since this video was uploaded I still believe this holds true, because, with any medium their is almost limitless possibilities when getting creative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgTWPkK5wvo&t=1s&ab_channel=TheArtAssignment In the video "Make an Intimate, Indispensable GIF | The Art Assignment | Toyin Odutola" by "The Art Assignment" we get a unique look at what the GIF is. For instance,

we the video analyzed some of the first motion pictures that were made and essentially labeled them as GIFs, which according to the idea of a GIF makes this statement true, especially since the first few motion pictures utilized a system like the zooproctoscope which would limit the number of images you could have in a system and loop them over and over. As far as Toyin Odutolas work goes, she actually does traditional work (paper medium) and then scans them and ports them over to photoshop which then allows her to make her GIF utilizing the timeline tool, this shows us that a GIF doesn't have to purely be digital but can also be a multimedia piece of work. https://chicagoist.com/2012/03/14/animated_gifs_invade_the_mca_an_int.php In the article "Animated GIFs Invade The MCA: An Interview With TAGTEAM" by Steven Pate from the "Chicagoist" makes a lengthy point on how GIFs have become a flashy component of the Internet. Pate also makes the point about how GIFs are a form of expression (but what isn't) and how they can be used to communicate so much ranging from jokes or political messages. Pate then goes on to give us an example of this by talking about Jake Myers project of letting the general public to broadcast their GIFs on a cinematic scale to allow people to express themselves whether that be in a form of a joke or a message of sorts. but here we do also start getting introduced to the trashiness and creative side of the GIF. After this the point that the general person can almost think in GIFs, this is proven when the statement about how when people go and see a movie that their not just enjoying the movie but also think about how a moment in a movie can make a great GIF.

[whiterosebrian]

Quick and Basic Explainer on Occultism, Neopaganism, and New Age

Many of my followers—along with many other people who happen across my page—might not understand what I’ve been talking about whenever I write about neopaganism, occultism, and even the apparent New Age umbrella. For their benefit, I have typed and posted an explainer. It’s just as well—I’m personally utterly convinced that more people need more mystic influences in their lives.

Neopaganism simply refers to revivals of pre-Christian European religions. There is Nordic neopaganism, Celtic neopaganism, Hellenic or Italic neopaganism, Slavic neopaganism, and even Kemetic neopaganism. The main reason why neo-pagan paths are considered open practices is that they faded into such obscurity that they were considered dead, even if traces could be found in later writings, oral traditions, and archeological finds. The reason why there’s some tension between those who try to reconstruct the old practices and those who simply find inspiration in them is that there’s only so much that is still left behind by these pre-Christian communities. You may have heard of Wicca, which has sometimes been purported to be a primal religion—though in fact Gerald Gardner cobbled it together in the 1950s based on his pet theory of a pan-European witch-cult, and he has come under more scrutiny lately. Many witches and neopagans endeavor to clarify that they aren’t Wiccan, however much Gardner’s work may have influenced their crafts and practices.

Occultism is, surprisingly enough, a somewhat broad topic. The term doesn’t have to carry the sensational connotation that Christian preachers and pulp fictions often give. It simply refers to something like hidden knowledge. Throughout history there are a number of people who have sought hidden knowledge and hidden power—yes, some sought them for personal gain, but others were motivated by an earnest desire to bond with the divine and the universe and to serve the entire web of life. I trust that I am among the latter. Whether I can be sure of that is a totally fair question to ask—double-checking my own motives and thinking is important to remaining humble and sane. I’ve been beaten down by a superficially privileged but evidently stagnant life and I’ve long pondered whatever is beyond simply avoiding a premature death.

The New Age movement is a loose amalgamation of ideas that grew in the 1970s in hopes of a united, mystical earth in the astrological Age of Aquarius, hence the name. It might be partially attributed to the more esoteric aspects of the 1960s hippie counterculture as well as pre-existing modern occultism. It may seem silly and childish at first blush, but the desire for genuine spirituality is most certainly there. I still frequently shop at a place called “New Age People”, mostly for lightly sweetened caffeinated drinks, to support a local business; my first serious looks into alternative spiritualities also stemmed from shopping trips to that store. Anyone who wants to begin anew with alternative spirituality might start with a local New Age shop—but that would only be a starting point and occasional resource.

The New Age movement can be credited for bringing alternative spiritualities more into the mainstream. Nonetheless, it also faced justified criticism for unintentional colonialism—that is, grabbing aspects from various religions and traditions, including those of highly marginalized communities, and repackaging them for middle- and upper-class white people. The term “plastic shamanism” is sometimes thrown at those who appropriate indigenous spiritualties. The sentiment that people are fundamentally united is laudable, but I’ve become convinced that throwing things together in a blender is not the right way to go. I myself could have fallen into the trap of randomly throwing spiritual traditions together in that manner. I was starting to lean towards Kabbalah, as I wanted a genuine path towards the one source of all creation after an acute crisis of faith, but some Jewish practitioners whom I’ve spoken with convinced me to leave it alone. I became convinced to simply lean more into my own heritage by going into neopaganism.

Theories and opinions within occult and neopagan cultures can be startlingly widely varied—and some might be less well-grounded than others. One reason for putting together a grimoire as a magician is that I’ve been looking to many different books and webpages in order to synthesize something thoughtful, coherent, and workable. I’m still at the beginning of learning my craft, which is all the more reason to learn from other practitioners.

I’m certainly aware that occultism can be turned towards toxic ends. The Nazis of the twentieth century showed some interest in the occult and had some influence from it, even if that has apparently been exaggerated by pulp fictions. An article on the website Medium, entitled “Nazi Hippies”, discusses that—as well as how some New-Agers are drawn into deadly conspiracy theories such as Q-Anon. On a roughly related side note, a purported Christian mystic in Tsarist Russia was among the first people to publicize the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Today’s right-wingers might sometimes use “Satanic elites” or “global elites” as codes for “Jews”, reinforcing why any demonizing reference to elites is a cause for concern, no matter what one speaker or another has in mind. Serious occultists and neopagans have a grave responsibility to stand against conspiracism and neofascism. I’m very pleased to see some of that pushback on the social media sites that I frequent.

There are plenty others who give earnest spiritualism a bad name and make it look absolutely unhinged. The YouTube channel called Spirit Science has been called out especially for one pseudo-historical video about human origins. That video has been described as a crack-addled Dungeons and Dragons campaign at best and deceitful reactionary fascist propaganda at worst. I’m pleased to see occult and pagan practitioners who actually look to quality scholarship and history to inform their practices. I wish to be historically rooted in my practice myself for reasons such as what I’ve mentioned here.

I could potentially say more. However, I don’t want to waste your time, and I don’t even know what to fit into a journal entry that I wrote during a Friday afternoon. This is a simply a quick and basic explainer for the benefit of those who aren’t familiar with occultism or neopaganism. Did I help you better understand what I’ve increasingly mentioned throughout my postings to the web?

[cannibal-wings]

One of the upsides of being probably one of the oldest fans of Outlast still participating in the fandom, is that I remember or have saved really old pieces of canon or subcanon.

In the latest update of my fic, I mentioned an article that Miles wrote about Murkoff before the games took place. It’s about a water scandal involving Murkoff in Ghana. Originally it was a bit of promotional material released before Outlast came out in 2013, if I’m remembering right Red Barrels had a mock webpage for it containing the article, but I could be remembering that bit wrong and it was just sent out as a general bit of promotional material.

Anyways, way back in 2013 when I started drafting Survivors I saved this article to my reference document, and some people in the comments expressed that they wanted to read it for themselves. So I’m going to post the article in full and link this post in the comments and in the author notes of the fic. The wiki used to link to the article, or at least mention it, but it seems to have been long deleted, maybe it’s not “canon” enough, though I don’t see why it can’t go in the trivia section. Or maybe perhaps the webpage it was hosted on is also, long deleted. 

“THE DEVIL’S BARGAIN How Murkoff Turned the Global Water Crisis into a Billion Dollar Revenue Stream By Miles Upshur

May 9, 2013 2:19pm ACCRA, GHANA

Nine-year old Akosua stands before the water-vending machine with its bright “ALSAB” logo, a few bills clutched in her small hand. You can still see the blank place on the machine’s hull where the words “Freeflow Global Charities” was pried away last year.

She explains that 2 cedis (about $1) will buy her five liters of purified water, which her Cholera-afflicted mother desperately needs. But 17 cedis at the Worldfree Clinic would buy her mother the course of antibiotics that would shorten the disease’ course and possibly save her life. It’s a terrible choice for a child to make, and one facing more and more of the world’s 1.6 billion inhabitants without access to clean drinking water.

More than a quarter of Accra’s citizens buy their water from Wellspring Industries, either monthly through their taps, or directly from the ubiquitous, bright yellow Alsab machines. What few Ghanians know, however, is the hidden connection between Wellspring Industries, Alsab, Freeflow Global Charities, and Worldfree Clinics.

All of them are subsidiaries of the multinational Murkoff Corporation.

In an increasingly clear partnership between Western Capitalism and Third World corruption, the Murkoff Corporation has used its dozens of subsidiaries to open back doors into selling the source of life to drought-starved populations in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.

Here’s how it works: a newly-started charity, fueled largely by donations, establishes a water supply and sewage systems for communities whose well water has been rendered non-potable by industrial runoff. Murkoff gets the tax write-off for charitable spending, while their subsidiary Alsab gets the profits for building and installing the system. When the cost of running the system becomes too great, the charity (in Ghana’s case, Freeflow Global) declares bankruptcy and abandons the project. Then Murkoff subsidiary Wellspring Industries (or another Murkoff shell company) steps in and offers the local government completion and maintenance of the project in return for the construction fee and complete deregulation of the water supply, allowing Wellspring/Murkoff to name the price of the population’s water.

As Murkoff is also the owner of the three most active pharmaceutical manufacturers to the Third World, they’ll profit nicely whether the locals choose clean water or cholera.

It’s only the latest in Murkoff’s near-century long history of playing both sides against the middle, maximizing profits at the cost of human rights. Whether licensing aggressively pollinating, genetically-modified rice with a built in “suicide gene” to India, flipping blood diamond real estate in Angola and Sierra Leone, or peddling amphetamines to the Nazis in World War II, you can’t swing a dead cat in an arena of human suffering without knocking over a Murkoff piggy bank.

Water is fast becoming the new oil, an issue largely ignored by the developed world, by wealthy Americans and Europeans comfortable with their hot showers and iced drinks.

But earlier this year Murkoff subsidiary Heartland Springs Charity began construction of three Alsab-built water purification plants in Detroit. Welcome to New World Water.”

[jeffthesadone]

What Are Aura Goggles, really? Part 1

Aura Goggles claim to be able to see people's aura. Consider this an analysis and debunking. I originally found out about these on/x/. I looked up the name of the product on the box that the /x/ post showed. This lead to an Amazon listing. The full product name is "AURA GLASSES ADVANCED: SEE AURAS INSTANTLY WITH PRANA VIEWING GOGGLES, A WONDERFUL DISCOVERY OF MODERN DAY METAPHYSICS BASED ON THE WORK OF THE RESEARCHER WALTER J. KILNER. TRAIN YOURSELF TO SEE SPIRIT (THE ETHERIC DOUBLE, CHI, ENERGY) CHAKRAS, AND GHOSTS, AND DEVELOP YOUR NATURAL ABILITY TO SEE AURAS. A GREAT GADGET FOR REIKI PRACTITIONERS (HANDS OF LIGHT), DOWSING LEYLINES, PSYCHICS, MEDIUMS, CLAIRVOYANT PEOPLE, OCCULT NEW AGE TOY COLLECTORS, SKEPTICS AND BEGINNERS AS A WAY TO LEARN HOW TO SEE AURAS INSTANTLY. WITNESS PARANORMAL ACTIVITY THROUGH THESE RARE MYSTICAL AURA GLASSES. VERY POPULAR ON EBAY, SEE FEEDBACK FOR EVIDENCE THAT THESE WORK. SEE AURAS INSTANTLY OR YOUR." (I did not cut that off myself, the title is just like that. You can see it here: https://www.amazon.com/AURA-GLASSES-ADVANCED-METAPHYSICS-PRACTITIONERS/dp/B00SDUVZPI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8). Also, for some reason, the picture is a shoe.

Since the Pranaview goggles are unavailable on Amazon, there is no price displayed. However, a pair of glasses claiming to do the same thing is available for $89.99 USD. These are made by a company called AvieW (seen here https://www.amazon.com/Aura-Glasses-See-auras-Instantly/dp/B07ZTLSF8P).

According to an artical by Katie Heaney for the Pacific Standard Magazine (https://www.tumblr.com/edit/jeffthesadone/661893318820626432), the Prana View goggles were available for about $200. That makes me wonder, what are these things made of? Why are they so expensive? I was curious about what these were made of. Fortunately, one reviewer had a theory.

So, I looked into diffraction grating. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT6v_sJFrHs However, this appeared to be a dead end. The Aura Goggles, at least based on the videos I had seen, did not appear to use diffraction grating (at least not this brand). I was able to find a video showcasing the Pranaview goggles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Uq-wPYTH0

The video shows that the goggles give everything a blue or purple tint. The video poster claims that " The goggles are made of a series of filters that only pass through a very narrow frequency of light," and that " All green plants are seen as bright red, and the rest of the environment or viewing area as purple."

I was able to find a supposedly "official" website for the AuraView glasses. The page background doesn't fit the entire screen, and it looks more like an uploaded poster than an actual webpage. It also says "copywrited 2021", so somebody has updated it at least once this year. This website claims that the glasses "work by blocking out 95% of the color spectrum by using a synthetic version of Dicyanin (natural Dicyanin is illegal) and a photothermal chemical compound." It also claims to have a "trustpilot 5 star review", without any links or evidence that it actually got that review. https://officialauraglasses.com/ (don't worry, the VirusTotal scan came out completely clean)

Another website also claimed to be selling aura glasses for $49.99 USD. There were 6 reviews on the page ,and 3 of them are only 1 star. (checked again writing this, and now there are only 2 reviews).

https://www.aurasight.com/AuraSight_Pro_Aura_Glasses/p2904538_13139126.aspx

These goggles seem to be using the "Killner Screen." The American Psychological Association(ADA) dictonary says,"Kilner screen a special viewing apparatus that allegedly reveals the invisible auras emitted by human beings. "https://dictionary.apa.org/kilner-screen

According to the book Capturing the Aura: Integrating Science,Technology, and Metaphysics By C. E. Lindgren, because dicyanin is hard to get a hold of, "cobalt blue and purple glass may be substituted" for the dicyanin. https://books.google.com/books?id=yEUSTkxY158C&source=gbs_navlinks_s

What I understand so far: These goggles make things purple for the low, low price of $200.

Part 2 coming soon.

[shopweb]

5 Instant Methods To Get More Readers To Your Content

You've placed in long periods of hard work composing that next new blog entry for your webpage. It's an impeccably created piece of content. It's something your intended interest group will slurp up. You feel like you're giving the fans precisely what they need. Then, at that point, it goes live and nothing. There's no footing by any means. Where are the guests? What have you fouled up? How would you get more perusers to your substance?            

Blog entries take a ton of time and exertion to compose, and it very well may be unquestionably debilitating to sink hours into a post that goes essentially no place. Trust us, each content essayist has been there at some point.

In any case, there are some truly basic arrangements! Getting new guests to peruse your blog doesn't take as much legwork as you'd anticipate. A couple of little changes and changes will get your readership up in the blink of an eye. Notice our accommodating guidance and greater crowds will be coming in your direction before you know it! 

The queen is dead: headlines count

How about we start from the top – in a real sense. You need to catch your crowd from "go". Or on the other hand "how". Or then again, whatever word your title begins with, truly. That feature title is the initial feeling, the SEE, the snare to get them snared. It's horrible having ten sections of top-quality composing when the title is dull off – nobody will see the rest!

Make it fun, make it interesting, make it charming, or more all, make it real.

Several beginning stages for a decent, appealing feature: summarize what you intend to accomplish in the post in a short, punchy design. Pose the inquiry you intend to reply to or call us to action. "Instructions to do *insert things here*" is an extraordinary one, with no guarantees "x approaches to do *thing*" – which you can likely tell from the title of this post. There is something in particular about realizing what's to come, particularly when it's a set number of subparagraphs, that the crowd will feel energetic about burning through.

Get it on the google: make it SEO-accommodating

Website design enhancement means "site improvement" and it fundamentally implies how well your post can do on web indexes like google'

For instance, if the point of your post is "get more perusers to your substance", you'll presumably need to incorporate that line no less than a few times in the body of your blog, as we've done just there. At the point when somebody looks through that term in their internet searcher of decision (cough*google*cough), it'll be bound to seem higher up in indexed lists if the SEOtitle is referenced a few times.

What will likewise build the post's perceivability is connected words – for our situation, nonexclusive words like "crowd", "blog entry", and "expressing" are significant ones we would need to focus on. There are a lot of apparatuses out there that can help you with the great world. Be careful, however, as these devices are not unquestionably the book of scriptures for what you need to compose. Sticking your post loaded with catchphrases with little respect to appearing well and good may harm your clarity, and could even adversely affect your SEO score.

Keep it real: readability matters

The meaningfulness is so significant, even though you probably won't think it is given our present environment of augmenting clicks.

Get   to  the   point: conciseness is key

Assuming you need to take the meaningfulness to a higher level, the most ideal way is to think about transforming your article into a rundown. Shot pointed or numbered records draw in easygoing perusers who need to get however much out of the post as could reasonably be expected in a restricted time oversaturation, we do think there are exercises to be learned inside the organization.

There are different advantages to projectile points, as well. In case you're fortunate, google may eat it up and spotlight it as a highlighted scrap. 

In outline (and to make our statement):

•           bullet focuses are acceptable 

•           they make an effectively readable rundown to rapidly pass on thoughts 

•           you can undoubtedly take care of reduced down pieces to your crowd 

•           you're bound to get the article connected as a highlighted piece on google.

Carry it to the socials: post-it across social media

Whenever you have the article at its close to perfect, it's an ideal opportunity to augment your perspectives and show it off across your socials. While it sounds straightforward, ensuring you advance your blog in the correct manner relating to every web-based media stage can see a colossal take-up in perusers, or the inverse whenever took care of inaccurately. Zero in on fitting your presents on every stage:

•           Facebook – can be a little heavier on the book, highlight a progression of pictures and a connection. Perhaps incorporate an inquiry to impel conversation among supporters, and finish by loving and remarking on reactions. This can be an extraordinary method to get devoted perusers and adherents to your site!

•           Instagram – picture-based, so make the pic no joking matter! Light on text, a lot of hashtags in the principal remark (not in the actual post), and put the connection in the bio – it will not work in the body of the post!

•           Twitter – light on text (280 characters, recollect!) And can incorporate connections. Up to four pictures can be incorporated and are prescribed – anything to make it stand apart on the always evolving timetable.

•           Linkedin – can be like Facebook, however, recall that the tv here will in general be somewhat more formal. It's loaded with working people. 

In summary

Among all the other things, simply persist. Long-structure composing can be debilitating, tedious and torment to find time for when you have numerous errands on your plate. Over the long haul, it *is* awesome! Has content on your site, regardless of the sort of page, brand, or organization you're running. Whenever you have an abundance of content on the web, you can begin to receive the benefits when traffic is being produced for your website with insignificant everyday exertion for your sake. You'll genuinely feel the result when you get a crowd of new perusers to your blog, and in making a local area of blog perusers, you can further develop dedication to your organization, image, or webpage! For more information visit the best Digital Marketing Company in Bhubaneswar.

[sciencespies]

These shameless birds steal hair from live predators like it's no big deal

https://sciencespies.com/nature/these-shameless-birds-steal-hair-from-live-predators-like-its-no-big-deal/

These shameless birds steal hair from live predators like it's no big deal

Birds’ nests are snug little places: safe, warm, and lined with soft materials to keep the vulnerable babies comfortable and protected.

For the tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) and its closest relatives, that material is often the fur of mammalian carnivores, which scientists had thought pillaged from dead animals, or opportunistically snagged when the animals shed.

New observations, however, have revealed that this is not the case: the feathered filchers frequently purloin the fur right off the backs of living, breathing predators.

“The titmouse I saw was plucking hair from a live animal,” said ecologist Jeffrey Brawn of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“This was from a live raccoon with claws and teeth. And the raccoon didn’t seem to mind because it didn’t even wake up.”

Brawn saw the behavior quite by chance while conducting a bird count in Illinois, and was so intrigued that he went looking for an explanation.

He and colleagues, led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Mark Hauber and Henry Pollock, found that fur theft has been mentioned only sparsely in the scientific literature – but YouTube videos uploaded by bird enthusiasts turned out to be a rich resource indeed.

In these videos, tufted titmice were seen plucking fur from domestic dogs and cats, and even a porcupine. In addition, several other videos showed other bird species stealing fur, in whom such behavior had not been scientifically documented.

But, although the literature may have scant records, other resources suggest that birds stealing fur from living mammals is quite well known among the general public: Tufted titmice are described as occasional fur thieves on the Cornell Lab webpage for the species, and in Australia, yellow-faced honeyeaters purloin fuzz from snoozing koalas.

The researchers have named the behavior kleptotrichy, from Greek for “theft” and “hair”.

Interestingly, the YouTube searches also yielded many instances of birds retrieving shed animal fur from the environment, suggesting that theft isn’t their main source for the material.

Which raises the question: why take the risk of stealing the hair at all?

Animal fur can, of course, help insulate a nest and keep it warm, but the researchers believe that fur particularly from predators may have some other benefits.

“There’s a local species called the great crested flycatcher, which, like the titmouse, is a cavity nester, that actually puts shed snakeskins into its nest, possibly to deter predators,” Brawn said. Finches in Africa exhibit a similar behavior, using predator feces as a deterrent (and wouldn’t it just).

It might even be possible that the fur helps repel parasites, which can rapidly kill tiny hatchlings. Some birds line their nests with plant materials that can keep such interlopers at bay, although it’s unclear whether mammal fur has similar properties.

Further research will be needed in order to figure out what benefit the birds are getting from the fruits of their misdeeds, but preliminary geographic analysis conducted by the team suggests that kleptotrichy is more common in higher latitudes. This, in turn, suggests that the fur is gathered for keeping nests warm first and foremost.

Having actual scientific documentation of kleptotrichy is an important step towards figuring it out, because it lays out important basic information other researchers will now be able to build upon.

“Unexpected interactions such as these remind us that animals exhibit all types of interesting and often overlooked behaviors and highlight the importance of careful natural history observations to shed light on the intricacies of ecological communities,” Pollock said.

The research has been published in Ecology.

#Nature