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underthewingsofthblackeagle · 4 years ago

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“Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Dom und Parlamentsplatz“ by tap5a

“We only do this for Fergus!” is a short Outlander Fan Fiction story and my contribution to the Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3: Fake Relationship AU: Jamie Fraser wants to formally adopt his foster son Fergus, but his application will probably not be approved… unless he is married and/or in a committed relationship. Enter one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) to this story) @outlanderpromptexchange

Chapter 6: Absence. The state of not being physically present (2)

When Claire turned around, she looked into the face of Mrs. Curtius.

"Claire, I understand that you are queasy about this task. I know how much Mr. Fraser loves his son and ... now you have the responsibility for Fergus. It's not easy. But I assure you, we will support you in everything."

The housekeeper gently put her arms around Claire and huged her.

When they had disengaged from each other again, Claire replied:

"You're right. It's like he put a 100-carat-diamond in my arm and said, 'Take good care of it!" However, this little diamond is very much alive and not always controllable ..."

Mrs. Curtius smiled.

"That's very much to the point. Believe me, the last time I had to watch him, I didn't breathe a sigh of relief either until Mr. Fraser came back."

The two women looked at each other for a moment, smiling. Then Mrs. Curtius continued:

"Will you come with me to the kitchen? I have to prepare breakfast for the security people, and if you'd like, you can join me for a cup of coffee?"

“Kitchen” by shadowfirearts

Claire nodded and followed the housekeeper. She had been living in the house for a few months, but until now she had never had a chance to talk to the housekeeper in a quiet and detailed way. Shortly thereafter, she sat on one of the raised counter stools at the kitchen counter in front of a steaming cup of coffee, watching Mrs. Curtius prepare huge portions of scrambled eggs and fried ham in large cast-iron pans. It looked as if the housekeeper had never done anything else, so easy seemed her work. She was a joy to watch and Claire suddenly wished she had similar skills. She followed the individual steps with interest, noting also how easy it seemed for the housekeeper to carry on a conversation on the side.

Claire had already emptied her second cup of coffee when, at 6:40 am, the alarm on her smartphone reminded her that she had to wake Fergus in twenty minutes. She thanked Mrs. Curtius, then set the dining room table for Fergus and herself.

The day went almost exactly as she had expected. After breakfast, she took Fergus to school, accompanied by two bodyguards. Afterwards, she lay down again to catch up on some lost sleep. Around noon, she picked up the boy from school, again accompanied by two bodyguards.

At lunch with Fergus, she watched him closely. But the little curly-haired boy was bright and chipper as ever. After a short break, they set about doing his homework together. An hour later, Claire noticed his concentration waning. She suggested they take a nap now. When they got to Fraser's apartment, she showed the boy that she had set up in the guest room for herself and that if he woke up during the night, he would find her there.

"Where's Papa today?" asked Fergus, to Claire's surprise.

"Today and tomorrow your Papa is in Iceland. He should have arrived by now, he may even be in his first meeting. But we'll find out when he calls us tonight."

“Island - Green Rush” by KarinKarin

"Are you taking a nap too, Claire?"

"No, or I won't be able to sleep tonight. I'm going to sit here in the living room and read some more. And when I wake you up, we can play a game together."

"What kind of game?"

"It's a surprise."

Fergus gave her a slightly annoyed look and rolled his eyes.

"Ooch Claire!"

"No way! There are two surprises today. But not until there's time."

A little reluctantly, Fergus crawled into his bed. Claire handed him the little beige bear that Jamie had purchased at a Swedish furniture store and brought back for the boy from his last business trip. Clearly, "Stuffy" had become Fergus's favorite stuffed animal. Claire closed the window blinds. Then she stroked Fergus's hair once more.

"Sleep now. You still have a lot of growing to do. That's sometimes exhausting and you need time to rest every now and then. I'll wake you up later and after tea we'll play. I promise."

Quietly she closed the door of Fergus' room. When she reached the hallway, she stood indecisive for a moment. Then she checked the door to the stairs again. It was locked. Good, she wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. Claire decided to take a little tour of the rooms on Fraser's floor. To the right of Fergus' room was the library, which also served as Fraser's study. From Fergu's room and from the library, one could access a narrow balcony on the south side of the house. But this balcony was very rarely used. A window also led out to the garden from the side of the room used as a library.

“Library” by moritz320

Claire closed the door behind her. On the left side of the hallway now followed the door to the stairs and then an open space - open to the hallway with a window facing the west side of the house. She stopped for a moment and looked at it. I wonder what it was for? What reason had there been for not providing another room here? She took a few steps to the window. From there she could look down to the street in front of the house. Once again she looked around. What sense this free space should have, she did not understand, but she took it upon herself to ask Jamie about it. On the right side now followed Fraser's private living room, which was also called the 'fireplace room'. She passed it and reached the door to the guest room on the left, where she had made herself comfortable for the time of Fraser's absence. Then she stood in front of Fraser's bedroom. She looked for the matching key on the key ring he had given her, opened the door and turned on the light. What Claire saw next amazed her. While most of the rest of the house was modern and decorated in bright colors, she now had the impression of having entered a museum. The focal point of the room was a four-poster bed made of dark wood. The bed was the size of a marriage bed and clearly came from another century. She estimated that it dated from the beginning or middle of the 18th century. Two antique chairs stood in front of a large window whose view led out into the garden. To the right, Claire spotted a table with a mirror that was clearly the forerunner of what was called a 'dressing table' in the present time. On the opposite wall was a narrow, tall chest of drawers, richly carved. At the foot of the bed had been placed a chest whose iron fittings indicated that it was much older than any of the other pieces of furniture. Claire ran her hands over the wood and over the hardware. From its shape and texture, the chest appeared to be at least one hundred years older than everything elese in this room. All of the furnishings were crafted of dark wood. The only other color in the room was blue. This was the color of the wallpaper, as well as the bedding. As Claire looked more closely at the wallpaper, she realized that it only gave the impression of being as old as the furniture. A layman would certainly not have noticed the difference, but Claire had spent too much time at her Uncle Lambert's side, and as the niece of the noted Oxford historian, she noticed the difference immediately. This wallpaper was a very accurate reproduction of a wall painting that was at least two to three centuries old. But why did a man of Fraser's age have wallpaper made that showed such a wall painting? Was he desperate for wallpaper that matched the antique furniture in his bedroom? And why had he furnished his bedroom with furniture of this type in the first place? Slowly, she walked around the large bed until she came to a stop in front of the nightstand on the side where Fraser was obviously sleeping. Next to a bedside lamp, which was of more recent date but also in antique style, was a book. On the dark blue cover was written in white letters "The Complete Poems of John Donne." Without thinking further, she reached for the book and was about to open it. Then she saw that there was a bookmark sticking out of the top of the book. She opened the book at that point and read:

That Time and Absence proves Rather helps than hurts to loves

ABSENCE, hear thou my protestation

Against thy strength,

Distance and length:

Do what thou canst for alteration,

For hearts of truest mettle

Absence doth join and Time doth settle.

Who loves a mistress of such quality,

His mind hath found

Affection's ground

Beyond time, place, and all mortality.

To hearts that cannot vary

Absence is present, Time doth tarry.

My senses want their outward motion

Which now within

Reason doth win,

Redoubled by her secret notion:

Like rich men that take pleasure

In hiding more than handling treasure.

By Absence this good means I gain,

That I can catch her

Where none can watch her,

In some close corner of my brain:

There I embrace and kiss her,

And so enjoy her and none miss her.

That Time and Absence proves

Rather helps than hurts to loves

ABSENCE, hear thou my protestation

Against thy strength,

Distance and length:

Do what thou canst for alteration,

For hearts of truest mettle

Absence doth join and Time doth settle.

Who loves a mistress of such quality,

His mind hath found

Affection's ground

Beyond time, place, and all mortality.

To hearts that cannot vary

Absence is present, Time doth tarry.

My senses want their outward motion

Which now within

Reason doth win,

Redoubled by her secret notion:

Like rich men that take pleasure

In hiding more than handling treasure.

By Absence this good means I gain,

That I can catch her

Where none can watch her,

In some close corner of my brain:

There I embrace and kiss her,

And so enjoy her and none miss her.

In the second paragraph, all the lines had been underlined with a pencil. Once again, she quietly read the entire poem. It was not unfamiliar to her. Her uncle had owned a complete edition of John Donne's works. But it did surprise her a little to find such a book on James Fraser's bedside table. And why had he underlined that verse? Was there a woman in Fraser's life after all? Claire took a deep breath, then closed the book and put it back the way she had found it. Once again she looked over the bed. Then she carefully stroked the covers and looked around. A door contrary to the bed led from Fraser's bedroom into his bathroom. Claire looked through the open door, but did not enter. This room too, was held in blue and withe. She left the room, locking the door behind her.

When it was time for tea and she went to wake Fergus, she found the boy playing in his bed.

"Do I get my surprise now?" asked Fergus firmly.

"Now first there's cocoa for you, tea me, and fresh sandwiches for both of us."

"Oh yes!"

A moment later, when hunger and thirst were satisfied, Claire removed a box from a burlap bag.

“A game of Settlers of Catan” by Yonghokim - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77327301

"What's this?"

"It's a game, it's called 'The Settlers of Catan' and there are many versions of it. This is the edition that fits your age and look what this is on the box."

"It's a parrot. He's wearing a pirate tricorn and he's got a map in his claws."

"You did a good job of recognizing that," Claire praised the bright boy.

"Yes, I know parrots from the zoo. In Dresden. I've been there with Papa. The zoo is huuuuuuge!"

Fergus stretched his little arms as far apart as he could - to make it clear to Claire that the zoo was really ‘huuuuge’.

Claire nodded with a smile. Then she unpacked the game and explained the rules to Fergus.

After 40 minutes, they had finished the first round of the game.

"Well, shall we play another round?"

"Do we have that much time? When is Papa going to call?"

"Yes, we still have quite a bit of time. Your Papa can't call until after dinner, and before that there's another surprise for you."

"Another surprise?"

"Yes, but not until after dinner."

Fergus rolled his eyes while Claire rearranged the game pieces.

When they finished the second round as well, Claire let the boy play with his train set some more while she went into the kitchen to help Mrs. Curtius set the dinner table.

After dinner and a shower afterwards, Claire took Fergus to his room.

"Do I get my second surprise now?"

"Yes, you little rascal, but you'll have to move aside to get it."

Fergus made room and Claire sat down next to him on the bed. Together they sat leaning against the wall of the room when Claire pulled out her tablet and asked:

"Do you know 'The Show with the Mouse,' Fergus?"

"No, what is it?"

"The mouse is a cartoon character and there are shows with the mouse for kids on TV."

"No, I haven't seen that yet. Papa doesn't like me to watch too much TV. Are we going to watch a show like that now?"

“Children and The Mouse at the WDR broadcasting studio” at the launch of the first podcast episode - Von Superbass - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84390983 Source: Von Superbass - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84390983

"No, but the mouse also has a podcast for some time, a kind of radio show, and that's where the mouse tells goodnight stories."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, and tonight and every night as long as your Papa is on his business trip, we'll listen to one of those good night stories."

"Aren't you going to read to me from our book?"

"No, we'll do that when your Papa gets back. Otherwise he'll miss so much, won't he?"

Fergus nodded in agreement, then asked:

"What story are we going to hear tonight?"

Claire tapped on her tablet and the page 'Goodnight with the Mouse' came up. She pointed to it and read aloud:

"Today we're going to listen to a program about trees - with forest workers at work, a tree in the rainforest, and, of course, the mouse. Are you ready?"

Fergus nodded and Claire pressed the button.

The last chords of the podcast's closing music had just faded away when that familiar sound announcing an incoming video call was heard.

"Papa! It's Papa for sure!" exclaimed Fergus excitedly.

Claire opened the app and moments later Jamie appeared on the screen. He too smiled when he saw Fergus and Claire. Fergus waved enthusiastically and Jamie waved back.

"How are you, Papa," Fergus asked.

"I'm fine and how are you?"

A stream of information immediately poured out of Fergus' mouth, starting with today's experiences at school, to the new game he had tried with Claire, to of course listening to 'The Show with the Mouse' together, from which he had learned many new things about trees.

Jamie followed his son's report with great interest. He wanted to ask something, but before he could, he was bombarded with questions by the boy. Witty, but at the same time careful and descriptive, Fraser tried to answer his son's questions.

Twenty minutes later they said goodbye to each other and Fraser promised, if he had the chance, to call again the next evening.

Claire wrapped Fergus in his bedclothes, stroked his hair, and gave him a light kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep well, Fergus. If anything is, you know I'll either be in your father's living room or the guest room. There's a bottle of water next to your bed and I'll leave that little string of lights on."

"Hmmm."

"Good; I'll see you in the morning then."

Claire turned to go.

"See you in the morning. ... Claire?"

"Yes, Fergus?"

"Thank you for the nice day."

Once again, Claire walked back. Smiling, she looked at the child and stroked his head once more.

"I was happy to do that for you."

Then she left, closing the door behind her. She stood listening for a moment longer, but all remained quiet in Fergus' room. Claire looked down the hall, considering for a moment how to spend the rest of the evening. Then she made the decision to sit and read in Fraser's living room for a while longer. When she entered the room, it was still warm, although there were only embers glowing in the fireplace. Claire glanced at the small round side table that stood near the small seating area in front of the fireplace and held a selection of Fraser's whiskeys. It was tempting to help herself to it, and Fraser wouldn't have minded, she knew. But the responsibility she bore for Fraser's son held her back. Claire had just sat down in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace when the tablet she was still holding reported the arrival of another skype call. She opened the app, and to her surprise, Jamie appeared on the screen.

#We only do this for Fergus #Outlander #Outlander Fan Fiction #Outlander Modern AU #Berlin #Potsdam #Germany #Jamie Fraser #Claire Beauchamp #Fergus Fraser #Ian Murray #Jenny Murray #Ned Gowan #Frank Randall

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pierrehardy · 5 years ago

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The Looming Tech Schism

We rely on global cooperation to innovate on modern technology. This is because most modern tech relies on network effects: the product gets better only if more people use it. Think, Facebook. It’s useless if you’re the only one using it, but awesome when all your friends do; at least it was awesome. The same goes for setting standard formats and conventions. Like, say, electricity. It would be insane if every country has its own different voltage coming out of their sockets.

But what we see now is a trend away from this kind of integration. The most significant tech leaders now are the West and China, and if you’ve seen the news, you’d know that they haven’t been the best of buds for a long time now, especially with America. People have been predicting that their souring relationships will lead to two disconnected tech bubbles in the world: a Chinese one and a Western one.

But is it, though?

If you look at how things are right now, it’s hard to believe that statement. The world is burning, but that’s precisely what enabled the tech industry to have its own golden age. Both the Chinese and Western tech companies are enjoying rising stocks, with the global market capitalization of tech industries reaching ¼ of the pie worldwide.

Apple sales in China are still going strong. Huawei has been posting record revenues. The adoption of 5G and sudden demand for telecommuting has been a boon to the tech industry. So are we really sure that we’re headed to such a gloomy outlook technologically? Well, maybe. Hear me out.

The cracks

Let’s start to enumerate the little things because they do add up. A lot of tiny cracks can make a house collapse.

Let’s start with a couple of small ones: Facebook and Microsoft temporarily suspended cooperation on data sharing with Hong Kong police after China passed their draconian National Security Law over HK. Facebook doesn’t stand to lose much since they have little business there, but more so for Microsoft. The other crack is America’s mulling over banning TikTok, a Chinese app. India also banned TikTok plus other Chinese apps in retaliation to their little Himalayan skirmish.

Here’s a bigger crack, and also what spurred me to write this piece: the British are reversing their earlier commitments to let Huawei build some of their 5G networks. This U-turn is not an easy decision since Huawei is the leader in 5G technology. The next alternative would be Nokia or Ericsson, who are pretty behind and would delay everything by a few years.

The UK’s official reason is that its Government Communications Headquarters recommended canceling the plans because of upcoming American sanctions towards China. These sanctions, they say, will make Huawei’s supply chains more vulnerable and would make them less confident that they can fulfill their contract to the UK. Reasonable, but that’s probably not the only reason.

Lately, relations between the UK and China have been bumpy. The British offered Hong Kongers paths to citizenship after the passage of the National Security Law. They also bolstered the screening of foreign investments to prevent or hamper the Chinese shopping spree of international companies. Some lawmakers also wanted to put Carrie Lam, the CEO of Hong Kong, into the country’s own version of the Magnitsky list.

The Magnitsky Act is an American bill dedicated to Sergei Magnistky, who was a thorn in the side of corrupt Russian oligarchs. He was arrested and tortured to death in prison. The Magnitsky Act sanctions individuals with gross human rights violations. People in this list, mostly Saudia Arabian and Russian, can have their assets frozen in the country and be barred entry.

There has also been more mounting pressure for the British to go cold on Chinese relations. As mentioned, China’s law in Hong Kong was a blatant violation of the handover treaty between the two countries. British politicians were also appalled by the repression of Muslims in Xinjiang. There’s pressure from allies (the Five Eyes, an Anglo intelligence alliance, between America, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).

Historically, when James Cameron was the prime minister of the UK, and when Boris Johnson was the mayor of London, they were warm and optimistic towards China. By being closer to them, the British thought they can influence China to be more liberal, just like a girl wanting to be with a bad boy because she can change him. Sorry to disappoint, but China just got more repressive since then.

To be fair, China also assumed wrongly about the UK. After Brexit, Chinese negotiators mentioned that they expect the British to be more billable and malleable. They expected the British to be scrambling and desperate to make trade agreements with the rest of the world and are easier to bend to their will. Safe to assume that’s now unlikely to happen. China has already started to react angrily, regarding the Huawei reversal and the Hong Kong citizenship thing.

China will probably follow its usual thing whenever a country displeases them. Step one, cancel all meetings with that country. Step two, apply the pain through economic sanctions, which is potent given China’s trading heft. They were never afraid to use it to bully other nations. Especially with the fact that 5% of British trade is with the Chinese, making it their 3rd largest trading partner. China has plenty of leverage.

Probable targets are British whiskeys, cars, and insurance. But most vulnerable would be big British banks with colonial ties with China like HSBC and Standard Chartered. Those two earn more than or equal to half of their profits in China.

Personally, however, I hope this doesn’t deter the British from standing their ground on morals they personally value. After all, these pains are usually temporary. Profit is profit to businessmen, even to the Chinese. The real costs though, are the opportunity costs and the blunting of British competitiveness in the world. They do have the virus, Brexit, and now a spat with China going for them.

Before I end this part, I want to talk about another sizable crack: the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMCI). This company is China’s bet on being the champion for Chinese semiconductors. It recently delisted in the New York stock exchange and instead raised capital in the Shanghai stock exchange. That’s a pretty obvious sign of the oncoming division.

The capital raised by SMCI is defense from the sanctions that America imposed on the company. America just cut off its American supply of high tech components. This move is to hurt Huawei, which uses SMCI chips for their phones. This is also disastrous for SMCI since if they can’t provide for Huawei, that’s 20% of their revenue source is gone.

So its fate depends on whether SMCI can catch up to the leaders like the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Investors seem to think it has a chance. Last time I checked, it has a high Price/Earnings ratio of 73 (industry average is 21). This means that investors believe in its idea and its future benefits even though it’s not earning a lot at the moment. It does have the complete backing of China, and others seem to interpret US attacks against it as acknowledgement of a real threat.

How bad will it hurt?

The next thing to talk about is how technologically entangled China and the West is in the first place? In other words, how badly will it hurt?

Well, software-wise, not so much. American stocks only earn 3% of their profits in China. Banning TikTok won’t hurt any workers, except the teens who use it. I mean, really, China censors the internet from the very start. They never had the chance to couple together from the very beginning.

Maybe except Google. They did offer Android for Huawei until America said nope to that. This spurred Chinese developers to make their own marketplace and apps, though, further dividing the world.

Hardware would be another thing, though. The supply chains of computers are so entangled all across China. Most prominent is Apple, with its Chinese made iPhones. But as with the SMCI push, works are underway for a slow untangling.

What will happen to us?

So what even is going to happen if all of these predictions come true? Why should you care?

Firstly, technological advancement will take a hit. Innovation, as I mentioned, benefits from network effects. Just imagine this extreme example, if everybody in the world used Tesla, this will give Elon a buttload of data to improve their products. If more researchers are studying a particular field and are on the same page and are freely sharing notes, we get new technology faster. And also better technology as everyone works and improves on the same thing.

Second, the resulting world will be more divided. There would just be a giant wedge between all the computers in the world. Like half of the world’s networks can’t speak to the whole other half. This is an extreme case, but we can expect something like that. Incompatibilities would be rampant, giving us inferior tech. Network effects are prevalent today, and it affects this too. Your future technology would suck more than it should.

Finally, this will be another source of geopolitical issue, as if we needed another one. Smaller countries would have to pick which side to go to. Maybe India will make their own sphere since they don’t like America so much either. But smaller and weaker countries won’t have that choice. Separating countries into allegiances are literally what separates wars from world wars. Do we really need to increase the chances of getting another one of those?

#economics #international business #current affairs #politics #britain #business

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ellenzone · 8 years ago

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Why the Switch Can’t Spy

Could this Switch be covertly tracking how long this user is playing Skyrim? No, not really.

Earlier, a writer on The Verge wrote a piece about the burgeoning jailbreak procedures for Nintendo’s new Switch console, detailing how certain hackers were using known exploits in the older version of WebKit used by the console’s heavily limited browser to take further control of the system. This is nothing new - crackers have been using WebKit exploits in outdated browsers on Nintendo hardware to execute third-party software for years, with hacks like this easily accessible on both the Wii U and all models of the 3DS.

Reporting on this development is fine, though the system is so new that it’s not quite clear what jailbreaking would be useful for. This kind of thing is, as mentioned, relatively common for Nintendo consoles, and has in the past been used for both legal and illegal activities. Hacking has allowed owners of Nintendo consoles to run homebrew games, create backups of their digital content, access third-party emulation software, and, of course, run pirated games. The Switch and its respective jailbreak are new enough that the possibilities of such hacking are still theoretical. It’s unclear that these techniques will even work moving into the future or what exactly they will do.

The piece itself posits, in its conclusion, that hackers could theoretically turn the Switch into a surveillance device, a buried lede which Verge-adjacent Polygon decided to run with in a tweet promoting the piece. It’s irresponsible to run with such a loaded statement considering the actual facts of the Switch’s jailbreak and the history of Nintendo cracking. The idea that the Switch could be some sort of surveillance device is nearly as absurd as Kellyanne Conway’s laughable statement on microwave espionage.

It’s pretty clear that, compared to its home console brethren, the Switch is a relatively limited device. It has no camera, no microphone, and a browser only suitable for entering passwords into one’s social media services. Its most sophisticated networking operations are the eShop for buying digital games and online gaming. The console’s forthcoming paid online service is slated to have online chat functions, but those will occur through and app on one’s smart device, not on the actual device.

Due to these limitations, the jailbreak procedure is one that must be run manually by pulling some tricks within the console’s browser. This means that, as of now, these “hacks” can’t be executed remotely. As of now, the jailbreak that exists doesn’t even have kernel access to the system. This means that running sophisticated software using exploits is, at least for now, off-limits, and it’s unclear whether this outdated version of WebKit will be what the console runs into the future.

Nintendo’s history does tell us that they’re notoriously bad at handling and blocking exploits like this, but even then, jailbreaking the Wii U or the 3DS has been an arduous ordeal, one that requires explicit user input and has several limitations. While hackers have had kernel access on those systems and are able to execute sophisticated software, at this point, those hacks are unable to do things crucial to espionage such as spoofing official software or key logging. A user can execute basic tricks, such as tricking the 3DS eShop to believe that a pirated copy of a given game is legit and was purchased by that user, or forcing their region locked system to run international games, but advanced espionage techniques such as keylogging or hijacking of the systems’ on-board cameras and microphones are not yet possible.

To suggest the Switch can be used as a surveillance device assumes that it has surveillance capabilities in any capacity. Not only does the history of Nintendo system hacks show that worrisome techniques haven’t been an issue, but the realities of the console’s hardware and features make advanced surveillance eminently less possible or impossible entirely. It’s not as if the 3DS has been hijacked in any way to be a portable 3D espionage unit using its outward-facing cameras, for example. The Switch has no microphone and no camera. The absolute worst that could be done is using a keylogger to capture users social media passwords upon Facebook/Twitter login or Nintendo account creation, or capturing their credit card numbers in the eShop, but without kernel access or historical example it’s blatantly irresponsible to pretend these things are even theoretical. Further, any jailbreaks executed on the Switch need to be done with direct user supervision - “hackers” can’t just break into your system and control it without your input, as is possible on internet-connected televisions and refrigerators and older versions of Android.

Ultimately, in today’s climate, where hacking and espionage are commonplace on consumer devices, and users’ refrigerators are being used to commit DDOS attacks, it’s the responsibility of tech outlets to be reasonable and realistic in their reporting on technological surveillance. It’s clear at this point in time that the Switch can’t be used to spy on users, and suggesting as much is simply irresponsible clickbait.

#nintendo switch #nintendo #video games #technology #surveillance

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macabrecabra · 8 years ago

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Okay, so I really love Yut, because of his design and character traits and stuff, but I really hate him too because he ruins a lot of lives, but in general, he's such a great antagonist in your stories. I know you've got some long stories going on, but is it okay to write a fic where Reaper finally snaps because Yut wants him to kill McCree and the wraith destroys the Omnic? I just want to see Reaper being done with all this shit Yut puts everyone through, especially Genji.

-wipes a tear away- My OverwatchVillain OC....getting hated and loved. He's all grown up now! I'malways surprised when I get prompts with Yut but I can provide c:Gave a bonus teaser at the end of a character that will be joiningteam Talon in the chapter after next one in the long fic > u >just a tiny teaser...For anon! Title: Pass the Pointof No ReturnRating: PG-13Relationship: Reaper and Yut havinga clash

Yut always knew and Yut always had a contingency plan in place for any perceived problem that could arise.Despite that, Reaper knew that it was impossible for even the omnicto plan for every second of his life and have something in place to dispel an attack.

There were points where he wasvulnerable.

Reaper leaned against the wall in therec room, his posture tense, paying only half a mind to the Talonagents quietly talking around him. His attention was focused on thetick of the old clock on the wall. It would be four hours until hewas expected to go on a mission against Overwatch, a mission in whichhe had been told to make sure McCree was brought in dead or Reaperhimself was to be consider a liability. The sort f mission thatReaper knew Yut was sending him on just to entertain his own cruelfancies, as usual, but also to “test” Reaper's sense of“humanity.” The thought of it all made Reaper's handsclench and his shoulders hunch. Never in all the world had a moredespicable piece of hardware than Yut been crafted.

Today though, Reaper was going to makesure the bastard was put down like he should have been years ago.

The minute hand on the clock seemedto be ticking slower and slower with each click and all the while,Reaper felt his nerves grow. His mind was abuzz with whisperedworries, that no matter how well he planned this, Yut would stillknow somehow. He always knew. Another part of him though was pushingthose thoughts down. It was all a part of the persona Yut builtaround himself, that idea that he was omniscient like some sort ofgod.

Mind tricks, after all, were Yut'sforte. Reaper knew the moment he let any sort of apprehension or fearsink its claws into him was the moment he would hesitate for thesingle second that would throw everything into disarray. Yut didn'tknow anything of what was to come. He had to believe that.The clock finally hit theappointed time and Reaper pushed himself off the wall where he hadbeen brooding and moved swiftly into the hallway. No one spared him asecond glance, they never did. To anyone in the base, he seemed to begetting ready for his mission. He paused for a moment , pressing tothe side of a corridor, just out of sight as a battalion of troopsmoved by with Widowmaker in the lead. Picking up the rear of thegroup was the hunched figure of their newest “recruit”. Yut's“prodigy” as it were, his little assassin stolen from the Shimada and his loyal student.

That was two individuals far from Yutwhen he was brought down and the two most likely to interfere withthis whole plot of treachery Reaper was about to enact. No one neededto get hurt, no one but Yut. Reaper didn't try to hide his presence as he entered the room, that wasn't part of the plan. Eventhough the fallen monk didn't know everything, he was more than alittle sensitive to even the tiniest noise, even a breath was enoughto have the omnic aware of an intruder within his vicinity. Thiswhole plot hinged on playing Yut at his own game of deception,approaching as an ally and revealing his hand only at the lastpossible moment.

Yut stood with his back to him, at easeas watching the screen flicker and move faster than any human mindcould perceive. The omnic didn't even bother to turn around toaddress Reaper when he spoke, his voice a soothing, calm almost kindsounding hum.“I thought you had a mission to go on?” Heasked idly.“I do but you didn't give all the details, didyou?” Reaper responded, crossing his arms. “Oh? Whatdetails do you think I left out?” Yut asked, now turning around,head tilted curiously.Reaper kept his arms crossed andposture lacked, cocking his head to the side, “What is the realpoint of having us go after McCree? The man is a drunk. Barelyfunctional. Yet you have us chasing him when we got bigger targetslike Jack Morrison or the Overwatch to be concerning ourselves with.Doesn't make sense tactically,”

“He is part of Overwatch and what yousay may be true, humans, Reaper, are emotional creatures. Some peoplemay not be useful, but they mean a lot to so many. McCree is afulcrum in their group, one who holds them together,” The omnicfolded his hands together, his tone chiding, “Are you finding itdifficult to kill him? My word, you've grown so very soft. First withGenji, now with McCree,”He was being mocked and Reaper felthis shoulders tense but he didn't drop his arms from where they werecrossed overh is chest, staring down the wretched bastard before him,“What you said can be true of anyone in Overwatch. They are allclose,”“Ah, that is true! A little close-knit family,”Yut chuckled, “Something we are lacking in Talon, aren't we? We allseem to not trust each other so fully!”The monk turnedaway, back to the console and reached to idly press a few keys, “Butreally your concerns matter not Reaper. You have your orders and youhave an American stereotype to put in the ground or are you going tobail on this one like you did with the cyborg?”Yut onlyglanced a bit over his shoulder, watching Reaper as the mercenaryshifted, dropping his arms to his side and turning towards the door,“Genji was different,”“Different because you developedmisplaced feelings for him. I think you should realize that riskingyour life to protect others is foolish,” Yut drawled, turning backto his work, “Martyr are over-rated. It is better to live as the wise man than die the foolish hero,”

“Let go of your humanity,” Reaperdrawled, his tone bitter as he quoted what Yut said more often thennot as he made his way to the door, “How about you try and findsome for a change,”The words caused Yut to begin to turn, almost curious at the sudden lash back. As he did, Reaper was alreadyturning away from the door, shotgun in hand and firing off a barrageof bullets. The fallen monk managed to avoid a few but two shotsconnected, one in the right shoulder and the other into his torso.For a human, the second shot would have been lethal but an omnic hadno organs or critical systems that would bleed out from such hits. Ifanything, all it did was cripple Yut. That was not to saythat made it any easier to kill him. The monk didn't botherto speak, fury crackling in his form as he gathered up energy abouthim, electricity crackling at his finger tips ready to be unleashedas Reaper already threw himself forward into a roll, barely dodgingthe arch of lighting that lashed out where he had been before. Theomnic, wounded as he was, simply began to levitate, already moving onthe attack.“I can't say this is surprising,” Yut finallysaid as he launched another attack at Reaper, “I expected you to bethe rebel of the group, the one who couldn't let go of the past.Unable to commit again to any cause just like in Blackwatch,”Reaperducked behind cover as he tossed his used up shotguns away andsummoned up a pair of new ones. He didn't respond to Yut's words,knowing that the bastard was trying to get him to make a mistake andget him to slip up. He was looking to exploit every weakness he couldto put Reaper down.

The mercenary wasn't about to let Yuthave a chance to try. He rolled out and opened fire, Yut shifting back to avoid the shots as he sent energy towards thewraith. Reaper pushed forward, ignoring the singes of energy againsthis skin, burning lizard away and leaving burned wounds. He chargedforward even as the clip emptied and threw the empty guns forward.The weight was enough to send Yut off balance, the fallen monkletting out a sibilant guttural sound that only a machine couldproduce before Reaper had tackled him against the wall, a gun pressedto his temples.“You talk too much,” Reaper snarled.Yutlaughed. The bastard just laughed in his face as if this wholesituation was amusing to him, his posture slack and with no hint thathe even cared that he was about to die. He lifted a hand only forReaper to slam the hand not holding a gun against it , digging talonsinto wiring and metal, feeling satisfied as it shrieked andcrumpled. Yut jolted but that did nothing to cause him toshow any hint of fear. The omnic only tilted his head, staring atReaper, “I talk too much, but you hesitate too much,” He returnedidly, “and you might kill me now, blow me away, but you aren'tgoing to stop me. I don't leave my plans simply in my ownhands,”Reaper growled, leaning in, “Still doesn't changethe fact watching you die is going to give me insurmountablejoy,”“I know,” Yut chuckled and tilted his head, as ifleaning into the gun as he spoke again, “I leave what happens nextin your hands,”The gun went off and the bullet tore throughhis head, destroying the delicate processors that stored the datathat had convulsed into the monster known as Amartya Yut. The body jolted as the lights flickered off and the whole body fell to thefloor with a soft groan. Reaper stood panting some over the body,feeling the tremors of fatigue and the slight burn of his wounds.Yut's last words though were cryptic, as if he wasn'tspeaking to-The hiss of the door closing behind him hadReaper whirling about, weapons raised only for his entire body tostiffen, both guns falling from his hands as he stood there, cursinghimself for once more playing the fool. The twin blades werethrough his chest and into his very core already, black ichor oozingout as whatever poison was tipped on the blades was starting to undohis form. A carefully prepared assassin that knew what was about tohappen.

Yut always knew, didn't he? Always knewand prepared.The young woman at the end of the blades movedto lean beside him, wrapping an arm about Reaper's waist as she easedhim to the floor even as he wheezed and started to come apart. Shechuckled softly as she reached to place an armored finger against hismask, trailing the digit down over the white mask, shushing himsoftly, “Don't speak,” she whispered, “You can sleep easy,Reaper. My master said it would eventually fall to me to finish hiswork, to wipe out this world. I’ve prepared. I know I can do it,” Even if he wanted to speak,Reaper couldn't his throat filling with that same black ichor as heclutched at her. She left the weapons buried in his body as shebrought up another hand to cup his head as his world began to growblack.The last words he heard were a horrific promise as shechuckled, tilting her head, “Don't worry... I'll send chichi to yousoon in hell. He’ll want to be with you so terribly he’ll die quickly for me I bet,” she giggled, trembling a bit as if the thought excited her before she shushed herself loudly, her tone becoming chiding, “Be patient. Be patient. That is what master alwayssaid. Must be patient. But yes, I'll send chichi and everyone else to keep you company soon,”

Then she began to laugh, as all pretense of kindness left her and she let Reaper hit the floor hard, gripping her weapons digging into him even as life bled out of him.

Yut was dead but now, there was no oneto hold the chain of the apprentice he had taken, the secret weaponof the Shimada clan that had been forged for one purpose in life and stolen into Talon’s care to craft into a true demon.“Bastard...” the word was a final curse as he went slackin the embrace of the monster that held him.

Yut always knew. Yut always prepared.

It was never that easy to terminate hiswill.

#Overwatch #Overwatch fanfiction #Shipping Snacks for Hungry Shippers #spoilers some #for my long fic Stand and watch the whole world burn #implied Reaper/Genji #Overwatch OCs #Reaper #Gabriel Reyes #Amartya Yut #new secret OC #character death

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globalmediacampaign · 5 years ago

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MySQL Transactions - writing data

Using the framework for testing we created in earlier articles, let’s try to modify some data. We are writing a small program that increments a counter. Our table looks like this, and contains 10 counters: CREATE TABLE `demo` ( `id` bigint unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, `counter` int NOT NULL DEFAULT '0', UNIQUE KEY `id` (`id`) ) INSERT INTO `demo` VALUES (1,0); INSERT INTO `demo` VALUES (2,0); ... INSERT INTO `demo` VALUES (10,0);We are using some very simple programming to increment a counter: @sql.command() @click.option("--name", default="demo", help="Table name to count in") @click.option("--id", default=0, help="Counter to use") @click.option("--count", default=1000, help="Number of increments") def count(name, id, count): """ Increment counter --id by --count many steps in table --name """ for i in range(0, count): cmd = f"update {name} set counter=counter+1 where id = {id}" c = db.cursor() c.execute(cmd) db.commit()Incrementing a single counter, 1000 times In this code, we run the SQL update demo set counter=counter+1 where id=3 or similar in order to increment a counter, and commit immediately. The loop will run 1000 iterations, and we can time it. The speed of the loop is completely dependent on how fast our hardware can commit data to disk. $ ./counter.py truncate Table demo truncated. $ ./counter.py setup --size 10 $ time ./counter.py count --id 3 real 0m14.457s user 0m0.146s sys 0m0.037s14.4 seconds for 1000 commits are 14ms per commit, to an old SATA SSD - not very fast at all, but this is 10 years old hardware. This is slow, because the db.commit() issues a single fsync to the Redo Log, waiting for it to return - we have shown this in an earlier article. We can globally reconfigure MySQL to write to disk unsafely: $ mysql -uroot -p -e 'set global innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit=2' Enter password: $ ./counter.py truncate Table demo truncated. $ ./counter.py setup --size 10 $ time ./counter.py count --id 3 real 0m6.240s user 0m0.126s sys 0m0.032s In this configuration, MySQL will on commit still write the data into the file system buffer cache, but will no longer force the buffer cache to disk, foregoing the disk write and the wait for its completion. The server will flush data to disk in the background in 1s intervals. Should the database server process crash, but the server hardware does not, nothing is lost: The file system buffer cache will eventually be written out do disk. Should the server hardware crash, up to one second of data is being lost, but the database will still be consistent - just not at the transaction everybody expects. Relaxing the disk write constraints speeds up writing considerably, because we no longer have to wait for the slow disk to acknowledge the writes. Further relaxing the disk write constraints does not make things faster, just more dangerous: (venv) kris@server:~/Python/mysql$ mysql -uroot -p -e 'set global innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit=0' Enter password: (venv) kris@server:~/Python/mysql$ ./counter.py truncate Table demo truncated. (venv) kris@server:~/Python/mysql$ ./counter.py setup --size 10 (venv) kris@server:~/Python/mysql$ time ./counter.py count --id 3 real 0m6.101s user 0m0.118s sys 0m0.032s In this mode, the database server will not even push data into the file system buffer cache on commit, but only once per second initiate a batch write and fsync. On any crash, up to one second of data will be lost, but at least it will be at a transaction boundary. To make things more interesting, we will now run multiple copies of this programs in various ways. Incrementing two counters concurrently, 1000 times each $ ./counter.py truncate Table demo truncated. $ ./counter.py setup --size 10 $ time ./counter.py count --id 3 & time ./counter.py count --id 9 & [1] 728954 [2] 728955 $ real 0m20.450s user 0m0.164s sys 0m0.019s real 0m20.454s user 0m0.131s sys 0m0.056s [1]- Done time ./counter.py count --id 3 [2]+ Done time ./counter.py count --id 9 $ mysql -u kris -pgeheim -e 'select * from demo where id in (3, 9)' kris +----+---------+ | id | counter | +----+---------+ | 3 | 1000 | | 9 | 1000 | +----+---------+We can see the program counted correctly, both counters have the expected target value. We can also see how the program took a lot longer to execute: While we have multiple cores, and are running two copies of Python and two thread in the database concurrently, there is still interference between the two threads, and things are slower (20.4 seconds instead of 14.4 seconds). Incrementing the same counter with two processes, 1000 times each $ ./counter.py truncate Table demo truncated. $ ./counter.py setup --size 10 $ time ./counter.py count --id 3 & time ./counter.py count --id 3 & [1] 730874 [2] 730875 $ real 0m25.306s user 0m0.159s sys 0m0.038s real 0m25.311s user 0m0.162s sys 0m0.033s $ mysql -u kris -pgeheim -e 'select * from demo where id = 3' kris +----+---------+ | id | counter | +----+---------+ | 3 | 2000 | +----+---------+ What happens here is that we are running two instances of the script concurrently, each of which is incrementing the same row id=3. As updating a row will also exclusively lock it, the second writer has to wait a bit until the first one commits (which will also drop the lock). Then the second writer can get access, and do its thing while the first writer has to wait. Execution time goes up further, from 20.4s to 25.3s. Read-Modify-Write, gone wrong We can query the database differently, in a two stage process, allowing for more complex updates. Here we read a value from the database into the application (read phase), change it applicationn side (modify phase) and then write the changed value back. Doing this is called a read-modify-write cycle. @sql.command() @click.option("--name", default="demo", help="Table name to count in") @click.option("--id", default=0, help="Counter to use") @click.option("--count", default=1000, help="Number of increments") def rmw_false(name, id, count): """ Increment counter --id by --count many steps in table --name """ for i in range(0, count): # read cmd = f"select counter from {name} where id = {id}" c = db.cursor() c.execute(cmd) row = c.fetchone() # modify counter = row["counter"] +1 # write cmd = f"update {name} set counter = {counter} where id = {id}" c.execute(cmd) db.commit() In this piece of code we again count to 1000, but we are doing it in a three step process, called a read-modify-write cycle. We also implemented it wrongly for demonstration purposes: The read phase is done with a SELECT statement that retrieves the current counter value from the database. The modify phase increments the counter, application side, in memory. This can in real applications be an arbitrarily complicated process that takes a non-trivial amount of time and maybe even connects to different backend systems and services. The write phase then uses UPDATE to write back the previously read value to the database. There is no error handling, and - for the purposes of demonstration - no locking. We are running this, standalone, and then in multiple copies: $ ./counter.py truncate Table demo truncated. $ ./counter.py setup --size 10 $ time ./counter.py rmw-false --id 3 real 0m13.331s user 0m0.207s sys 0m0.106sThis is not slower than the single update statement, despite the fact that we have to talk to the database in two round trips instead of one. But, when we are running this twice, we can see that due to the missing locking the results are wrong: $ ./counter.py truncate Table demo truncated. $ ./counter.py setup --size 10 $ time ./counter.py rmw-false --id 3 & time ./counter.py rmw-false --id 3 & [1] 1521914 [2] 1521915 $ real 0m13.361s user 0m0.235s sys 0m0.069s real 0m13.362s user 0m0.240s sys 0m0.069s [1]- Done time ./counter.py rmw-false --id 3 [2]+ Done time ./counter.py rmw-false --id 3 $ mysql -u kris -pgeheim -e 'select * from demo where id = 3' kris +----+---------+ | id | counter | +----+---------+ | 3 | 1000 | +----+---------+ The way we write this code, we extract the value from the database into the application, getting a value - say 10, and increment that. Meanwhile the other instance also reads the database, and gets the same value, also 10. We increment, and write back the new value, 11. Then the other instance does the same, and also writes back 11. Two increment events in two processes have been executed, but the counter has been incremented effectively only one step, because the rmw-cycles overlapped. We need to lock the row id=3 when we take out the value from the database into the application like we would take out a book from the library. We can give up the lock when we write back and commit. The second process, attempting to take out the same value we just took out, would stall and hang, waiting for the (new) value to become available, and only then can proceed. Read-Modify-Write, done right We modify the program to use SELECT ... FOR UPDATE instead of a simple SELECT when taking out the value during the read phase of the rmw operation. SELECT ... FOR UPDATE is a read statement, but locks the rows it fetches as if it were a write statement. In doing that, it anticipates the UPDATE operation that is to follow. What happens is that the SELECT ... FOR UPDATE creates X-locks on at least the rows it returns. An X-lock or exclusive lock is a lock that guarantees that only one thread (us) can access the row while the lock is being held. All other attempts to read that row are stalled and have to wait until the lock is released, at COMMIT. Our program now counts correctly. Locks mean waiting, so of course it is slower. $ ./counter.py truncate Table demo truncated. $ ./counter.py setup --size 10 $ time ./counter.py rmw-correct --id 3 & time ./counter.py rmw-correct --id 3 & [1] 1523980 [2] 1523981 $ real 0m26.284s user 0m0.293s sys 0m0.097s real 0m26.293s user 0m0.292s sys 0m0.099s [1]- Done time ./counter.py rmw-correct --id 3 [2]+ Done time ./counter.py rmw-correct --id 3 $ mysql -u kris -pgeheim -e 'select * from demo where id = 3' kris +----+---------+ | id | counter | +----+---------+ | 3 | 2000 | +----+---------+And this is what the code looks like: @sql.command() @click.option("--name", default="demo", help="Table name to count in") @click.option("--id", default=0, help="Counter to use") @click.option("--count", default=1000, help="Number of increments") def rmw_correct(name, id, count): """ Increment counter using rmw logic """ for i in range(0, count): # I would rather have a START TRANSACTION READ WRITE # but MySQLdb does not offer this natively. db.begin() # read, with FOR UPDATE cmd = f"select counter from {name} where id = {id} for update" c = db.cursor() c.execute(cmd) row = c.fetchone() # modify counter = row["counter"] + 1 # write cmd = f"update {name} set counter = {counter} where id = {id}" c.execute(cmd) db.commit() https://isotopp.github.io/2020/07/30/mysql-transactions-writing-data.html

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the-fitsquad · 7 years ago

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Workstation Desk

A lot of operate environments now are open plan, with only a couple of senior managers possessing offices of their personal. All of the user computers connected to a network are called workstations. As noted above, a second processor would let the user add a second PCIe slot riser that would let for two extra PCIe Gen3 x16 cards. Our factory and manufacturer refurbished computers, servers, PCs, tablets and laptops are not previously owned by customers and so will function, and look, like new merchandise. Because mobile workstations are so specialist – and come with such a higher price tag tag – locating one particular that suits your enterprise wants is crucial, and we’re here to support with this list of the very best mobile workstations in 2017. Handles Closed Handles to objects have been automatically closed as a outcome of the requested operation. Common graphics is the Visualize EG These machines use the Dino GSC to PCI adapter which also supplies the second serial port in place of Wax they optionally have the Wax EISA adapter.

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paginacinco-blog1 · 8 years ago

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davidegbert · 8 years ago

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HTC U11 Review: The “more and the less” conventional flagship

The argument in 2016 is that smartphones were getting boring, and one of the companies that used this as the main purpose for its then flagship was HTC. We can’t really say that the HTC 10 addressed any of the boredom that HTC claimed, but one thing it did do is prove that HTC was back. The company we once admired for making great smartphones made a solid comeback with that device.

Now, 2017 is a very interesting year for flagships. We have companies experimenting with taller displays and new aspect ratios, and we’re one digital assistant short of forming a basketball team. All of this is cool. Yes, we need flagships to continue pushing the bar of innovation, but like with every new thing, it’s clear that some of these features are still solutions in search of a problem.

As a result, and given the price hike of some of these devices, some people actually don’t like anything about this new approach. Be it cool or not, some people just want a conventional flagship that’s powerful, capable, and beautiful enough. If you’re looking for a more conventional approach, there’s pretty much just one flagship this year that does address some of the problems already in need of a solution, but in ways that are actually not conventional. We’re talking about the HTC U11, and it’s time for our full review.

Hardware

The HTC U11 is a very interesting approach to hardware design. Notice I didn’t begin this review giving you the typical sob story of how bad things are for HTC, or how the HTC U Ultra didn’t really do more than become a source for mockery.

Actually, the U11 is a very different animal. More the result of a company that has matured in many ways over the years. Just set this phone on its front over a table, and you’ll understand what I’m talking about. This phone is gorgeous, eye catching, and an immediate call for admiration. This 3D formed glass finish that HTC is dubbing liquid design is a very different approach to curving glass. Instead of making it about adding features, the whole purpose is to make this rather large phone feel pleasant in the hand, and that it definitely is.

The curves extend to the glass front, leading to this pebble-like shape that’s easily noticeable. I also love that HTC chose to stick to a black finish at the front, regardless of what color option you pick. I find black bezels to be more immersive for content consumption. The company decided to wait on the whole trend of 18.5:9 displays, and you know what, I’m not going to complain. As it stands pillar boxing is what I hate most about competing devices. There is still a good list of apps that’s not ready to support new aspect ratios, and whatever more pixels you would’ve gained are compensated by the dedicated capacitive buttons on the U11.

This is a Quad HD Super LCD 5 with punchy color and decent blacks. It does get very bright, up to the point of offering good visibility in direct sunlight, even if you’re wearing polarized sunglasses. The only problem is that oddly, if you launch the camera while wearing polarized lenses, you have to view the display from an angle for the UI to be visible. About my only complaint is the size of these bezels, leading to a 71% screen to body ratio, at a time when competitors that stick to 16:9 like the OnePlus 3T go above 80.

Precautions that I would recommend with this phone is not setting it on its front over a table as the curves seem notorious to minor scratches from dirt, and also be ready to clean this phone constantly, as the reflective coating in the back really loves fingerprints and smudges.

Tucked inside the shell we have almost everything a flagship needs. Snapdragon 835, 4 gigs of RAM, 64 gigs of expandable storage, and my review unit includes the bonus of dual-SIM capabilities if I ditch the microSD. We also get IP67 water and dust resistance, another crucial feature you should look up to in 2017.

Software

HTC Sense makes a return to power all the hardware of the U11. This is a combination of HTC design, and a commitment with Google to avoid bloat. As a result, there’s just one Calendar, one Calculator, Google Photos supersedes the Gallery, and so on and so forth. The result is a phone that manages RAM far better than competitors, and all leading to zippy performance all around.

Graphics intensive games launch quickly and work like a charm. Even this proprietary launcher and services like BlinkFeed work without a stutter, something devices like the Galaxy S8 fumble with in the basics.

The HTC Sense Companion finally started working for me, but the implementation still feels hit or miss. One day it noticed I had an early appointment and suggested I set an alarm in the morning, something I honestly appreciated. The only problem is that every other time, all it does is tell me I use my phone too much… like really?

HTC’s Edge Sense is one of those new features that I’ve come to love and hate. I seriously love the simplicity of squeezing lightly to get the Google Feed, as OEMs continue to ignore it, or the long squeeze to launch the flashlight. I still consider this hidden button to be genius. The problem if you set the sensitivity to light, you’ll find the phone activating the feature when you don’t want it to, and going the opposite direction makes the gesture feel awkward on borders this thin. You can always just switch this off. It’s a nice little convenience, but I honestly don’t see the point in going through all this trouble instead of simply adding another button.

Camera

The camera experience on the HTC U11 only gets better if you compare it to its predecessor. DxOMark claims this to be the best camera of 2017, and even if I won’t go as far as to call this my favorite, it does a great job.

I love the color saturation and detail provided during the day, and at night it shines as a solid performer. Even with the Ultra Pixels being reduced to 1.4 microns, the bump in aperture does compensate. Juan’s real camera review should shed some more light on our final verdict for how this camera competes.

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I love features like the 3D audio recording for video, making the experience more immersive as the camera captures audio from the direction of the source.

My only complaints are the death of stabilization on the front facing shooter, and how it also stepped back the Ultra Pixel hardware approach brought by the U Ultra.

Performance

I’ve been using the HTC U11 for nearly two weeks between New York City and Honduras. There are things in which this phone is great, and others where it’s simply the expected performance of a flagship. For example, this phone has proven to be a champ in retaining to Wi-Fi and Cellular signal, even when compared to other 2017 flagships. Oddly I feel that call quality over the ear piece has gotten slightly tinier compared to the HTC 10, even if the speakers have gotten louder. As of the moment of this review this is the only 2017 flagship with dual-firing speakers, but more on that in Juan’s Real Audio Review.

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My biggest problem with Audio is the death of the headphone jack. Yes HTC, all 2017 flagships have one, except the U11. This feels like the time when HTC kept insisting that 4 Ultra Pixels was all you needed in a smartphone camera. Minimalism in design makes sense, but not in features. Yes, I do get the point of HTC U Sonic, and yes, I love the acoustic noise cancellation that can only be provided by having these headphones draw power from the phone and use the four microphones. It’s not as great as on my PXC 550s, but far better than any headphones I’ve tested that came bundled in the box. The problem is the need to be carrying this specific dongle everywhere else, since like with all the current cases of phones requiring them, these are proprietary, meaning the dongle on a Moto Z won’t work on this phone. Why does this matter so much? Well if OEMs gave us two USB-C ports, that would be awesome, but try to charge this phone on a long flight while listening to music. Yeah, forget it.

And then you’ll stay that there is amazing fast charging on this phone, and that the battery is amazing. Sadly, charging your phone is something you’ll be doing quite often. I had very high hopes for the optimizations on Android 7.1.1, but as it stands, the 3000mAh power pack on the U11 is just average, barely scratching to the end of day of moderate use.

We received a lot of heat in our video review given the “awake” indication on our battery stats. As it stands, our experience has been the same with or without this “awake” indication being shown as you’ll see in the screen shots, and remember this review is focused on consumers, so hacking anything to fix that isn’t something we can discuss as part of this review.

Pricing and Availability

As of the time of this review, only Sprint had picked up the HTC U11. Every other carrier requires you to buy the unlocked variant, and yes, this even includes Verizon. At $649, this is definitely not an affordable device, but if you think of the fact that you’re getting a lot more bang for your buck than paying that same amount of money for a 32GB iPhone 7, and yes, the small iPhone 7, then you’ll understand why we don’t complain about the price tag at all.

Conclusion

To conclude, there’s a lot to like about the HTC U11. This is gorgeous hardware, matched by up to date specs, and with a set of unique features like U Sonic, and Edge Sense, that help this phone stand apart from the standard set of competitors out there.

I’d even say that my experience using the U11 has been delightful enough for me not to miss devices like the Galaxy S8 or the LG G6. The only reason why I’ve ended up drifting back to these other devices is because I wish HTC and other OEMs would stop copying Apple in the things they shouldn’t. Removing the 3.5mm headphone jack is not innovation, nor courage. If anything it’s lack of ingenuity in solving a problem. The day Bluetooth grows up to support better quality audio, and the day OEMs agree on a solution to avoid proprietary dongles, and also the day smartphones can last more than a day on a charge, then I’d say it’s time to move on. Sadly as it stands, proprietary solutions are always an exercise in frustration in the long run.

Even with its short comings, I have no problem in recommending the HTC U11. This is definitely a great phone in absolutely everything else. The question is if you’d be willing to give HTC another chance? Make sure you share your final thoughts in the comments down below.