#market-based estimation

[asestimationsconsultants]

Valuing Intellectual Property | A New Challenge for Industrial Estimating Services

Introduction As industrial sectors evolve through digitalization, automation, and innovation, intellectual property (IP) has become one of the most valuable assets within a project. From proprietary software and patented designs to custom manufacturing processes and smart technologies, IP is reshaping how value is created and assessed. However, traditional industrial estimating services—built around physical materials, labor, and equipment—are now faced with a complex challenge: how to accurately estimate the cost and value of intellectual property within industrial projects.

This emerging frontier calls for a redefinition of scope in industrial estimating services, expanding their role to account for intangible assets that drive both performance and competitive advantage.

Why IP Matters in Industrial Cost Estimation In many modern industrial developments, especially in high-tech manufacturing, advanced energy systems, and Industry 4.0-enabled factories, intellectual property comprises a significant portion of overall value. For instance:

A custom automation algorithm embedded in a robotics line

Proprietary energy-efficiency systems in a chemical plant

Secure software platforms for controlling distributed manufacturing

These IP-driven elements often represent a large portion of R&D investment and are critical to long-term operational efficiency. An accurate estimate must include not just the cost to implement or license such assets but also the potential risk, return, and lifecycle value they bring.

Key Categories of Intellectual Property in Industrial Settings Understanding how IP appears in industrial projects is essential for accurate estimation. Common categories include:

Patents: Inventions or processes owned or licensed by the project owner

Trade Secrets: Confidential formulas or methods applied during production

Software and Algorithms: Custom-coded tools used in automation and process control

Design Rights: Proprietary architectural or engineering designs

Licenses and Royalties: Payments made to third parties for the use of protected IP

Each of these categories demands unique valuation methods and estimation strategies that differ from traditional capital expenditures.

Challenges in Estimating IP Costs Valuing IP in industrial settings is inherently complex due to:

Intangibility: Unlike steel or labor hours, IP has no physical form and often lacks clear benchmarks.

Variable Cost Structures: Licensing fees, development costs, and long-term support vary widely by industry and supplier.

Lifecycle Uncertainty: IP might evolve or become obsolete quickly, adding estimation risk.

Confidentiality: Many IP assets are guarded by NDAs or corporate secrecy, limiting estimator access.

As a result, industrial estimating services must blend financial modeling, legal review, and technical expertise to deliver accurate assessments.

Approaches to Integrating IP into Estimates To manage these complexities, forward-thinking estimating services apply several strategies:

Cost-Based Estimation: Involves calculating the original R&D or development costs and applying a markup based on projected use.

Market-Based Valuation: Uses comparative licensing or sales data for similar IP assets, when available.

Income-Based Modeling: Projects future cash flows generated by the IP (e.g., operational savings, productivity gains) and discounts them to present value.

Expert Collaboration: Engaging IP lawyers, technology consultants, and accountants to accurately categorize and value protected assets.

Case Example: Estimating an Advanced Robotics System A manufacturing client planned to install a robotics line powered by proprietary AI software developed in-house. While the hardware had clear market prices, the software’s value was harder to define. The industrial estimating service worked with internal developers and finance experts to model the cost of development, anticipated efficiency savings over ten years, and licensing potential if the software was reused across other sites.

By incorporating both direct and indirect value contributions, the estimate provided a holistic picture that helped justify a higher upfront investment.

Benefits of IP-Savvy Estimating Industrial clients gain several advantages when IP is accurately included in estimates:

More Realistic Budgets: Avoids underbudgeting by recognizing the full cost of IP integration or licensing.

Stronger Business Cases: Supports ROI projections for innovation-driven projects.

Better Risk Assessment: Helps identify where IP exposure (e.g., licensing dependencies) may affect project costs.

Investor Appeal: Demonstrates comprehensive valuation, which is critical for attracting investment in innovation-heavy projects.

New Tools and Trends As the demand grows, some industrial estimating platforms are adapting to include IP modeling features:

Digital Asset Registries: Help track owned or licensed IP within the project scope.

AI-Powered Valuation Engines: Use historical and market data to suggest value ranges.

Blockchain for IP Tracking: Ensures provenance and licensing status of digital IP in complex supply chains.

These innovations indicate that IP valuation is becoming a mainstream requirement in industrial estimating practices.

Limitations and Ongoing Development Despite advances, valuing IP remains a partly subjective exercise. The uniqueness of each asset and the lack of standard benchmarks can introduce variability. Moreover, legal changes—such as patent law shifts or tax implications—can alter value significantly.

Estimating services must remain adaptive, continuously updating models and methodologies to reflect both technical and legal developments.

Conclusion The rise of intellectual property as a strategic asset in industrial projects is reshaping the landscape for estimating services. No longer confined to bricks, pipes, and wires, estimators must now navigate code, algorithms, and trade secrets. By embracing this challenge, industrial estimating services not only improve budget accuracy but also elevate their strategic role in capital planning and innovation management. The result is a more holistic view of project value—one that aligns with the digital age.

[three-dee-ess]

o wise 3ds blog should i buy and mod the japan exclusive creeper edition 2ds

wait i didnt know the creeper edition was japan exclusive. thats messed up actually why would they deprive american children of such a wonderful design

[realtruefirms]

Read this helpful blog to learn the essential components of creating a strategic budget for staff augmentation services. Discover how to handle market prices, talent requirements, and Truefirms transparency to allocate costs effectively. Examine the subtleties of preserving adaptability, encouraging candid communication, and negotiating fees in order to optimize your budget. Learn the art of optimizing investments for good outcomes in staff augmentation strategies with professional advice on assessment and adaption.

[fatliberation]

they have a point though. you wouldn't need everyone to accommodate you if you just lost weight, but you're too lazy to stick to a healthy diet and exercise. it's that simple. I'd like to see you back up your claims, but you have no proof. you have got to stop lying to yourselves and face the facts

Must I go through this again? Fine. FINE. You guys are working my nerves today. You want to talk about facing the facts? Let's face the fucking facts.

In 2022, the US market cap of the weight loss industry was $75 billion [1, 3]. In 2021, the global market cap of the weight loss industry was estimated at $224.27 billion [2]. 

In 2020, the market shrunk by about 25%, but rebounded and then some since then [1, 3] By 2030, the global weight loss industry is expected to be valued at $405.4 billion [2]. If diets really worked, this industry would fall overnight. 

1. LaRosa, J. March 10, 2022. "U.S. Weight Loss Market Shrinks by 25% in 2020 with Pandemic, but Rebounds in 2021." Market Research Blog. 2. Staff. February 09, 2023. "[Latest] Global Weight Loss and Weight Management Market Size/Share Worth." Facts and Factors Research. 3. LaRosa, J. March 27, 2023. "U.S. Weight Loss Market Partially Recovers from the Pandemic." Market Research Blog.

Over 50 years of research conclusively demonstrates that virtually everyone who intentionally loses weight by manipulating their eating and exercise habits will regain the weight they lost within 3-5 years. And 75% will actually regain more weight than they lost [4].

4. Mann, T., Tomiyama, A.J., Westling, E., Lew, A.M., Samuels, B., Chatman, J. (2007). "Medicare’s Search For Effective Obesity Treatments: Diets Are Not The Answer." The American Psychologist, 62, 220-233. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2007.

The annual odds of a fat person attaining a so-called “normal” weight and maintaining that for 5 years is approximately 1 in 1000 [5].

5. Fildes, A., Charlton, J., Rudisill, C., Littlejohns, P., Prevost, A.T., & Gulliford, M.C. (2015). “Probability of an Obese Person Attaining Normal Body Weight: Cohort Study Using Electronic Health Records.” American Journal of Public Health, July 16, 2015: e1–e6.

Doctors became so desperate that they resorted to amputating parts of the digestive tract (bariatric surgery) in the hopes that it might finally result in long-term weight-loss. Except that doesn’t work either. [6] And it turns out it causes death [7],  addiction [8], malnutrition [9], and suicide [7].

6. Magro, Daniéla Oliviera, et al. “Long-Term Weight Regain after Gastric Bypass: A 5-Year Prospective Study - Obesity Surgery.” SpringerLink, 8 Apr. 2008. 7. Omalu, Bennet I, et al. “Death Rates and Causes of Death After Bariatric Surgery for Pennsylvania Residents, 1995 to 2004.” Jama Network, 1 Oct. 2007.  8. King, Wendy C., et al. “Prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders Before and After Bariatric Surgery.” Jama Network, 20 June 2012.  9. Gletsu-Miller, Nana, and Breanne N. Wright. “Mineral Malnutrition Following Bariatric Surgery.” Advances In Nutrition: An International Review Journal, Sept. 2013.

Evidence suggests that repeatedly losing and gaining weight is linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and altered immune function [10].

10. Tomiyama, A Janet, et al. “Long‐term Effects of Dieting: Is Weight Loss Related to Health?” Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 6 July 2017.

Prescribed weight loss is the leading predictor of eating disorders [11].

11. Patton, GC, et al. “Onset of Adolescent Eating Disorders: Population Based Cohort Study over 3 Years.” BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 20 Mar. 1999.

The idea that “obesity” is unhealthy and can cause or exacerbate illnesses is a biased misrepresentation of the scientific literature that is informed more by bigotry than credible science [12]. 

12. Medvedyuk, Stella, et al. “Ideology, Obesity and the Social Determinants of Health: A Critical Analysis of the Obesity and Health Relationship” Taylor & Francis Online, 7 June 2017.

“Obesity” has no proven causative role in the onset of any chronic condition [13, 14] and its appearance may be a protective response to the onset of numerous chronic conditions generated from currently unknown causes [15, 16, 17, 18].

13. Kahn, BB, and JS Flier. “Obesity and Insulin Resistance.” The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Aug. 2000. 14. Cofield, Stacey S, et al. “Use of Causal Language in Observational Studies of Obesity and Nutrition.” Obesity Facts, 3 Dec. 2010.  15. Lavie, Carl J, et al. “Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease: Risk Factor, Paradox, and Impact of Weight Loss.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 26 May 2009.  16. Uretsky, Seth, et al. “Obesity Paradox in Patients with Hypertension and Coronary Artery Disease.” The American Journal of Medicine, Oct. 2007.  17. Mullen, John T, et al. “The Obesity Paradox: Body Mass Index and Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Nonbariatric General Surgery.” Annals of Surgery, July 2005. 18. Tseng, Chin-Hsiao. “Obesity Paradox: Differential Effects on Cancer and Noncancer Mortality in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.” Atherosclerosis, Jan. 2013.

Fatness was associated with only 1/3 the associated deaths that previous research estimated and being “overweight” conferred no increased risk at all, and may even be a protective factor against all-causes mortality relative to lower weight categories [19].

19. Flegal, Katherine M. “The Obesity Wars and the Education of a Researcher: A Personal Account.” Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 15 June 2021.

Studies have observed that about 30% of so-called “normal weight” people are “unhealthy” whereas about 50% of so-called “overweight” people are “healthy”. Thus, using the BMI as an indicator of health results in the misclassification of some 75 million people in the United States alone [20]. 

20. Rey-López, JP, et al. “The Prevalence of Metabolically Healthy Obesity: A Systematic Review and Critical Evaluation of the Definitions Used.” Obesity Reviews : An Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 15 Oct. 2014.

While epidemiologists use BMI to calculate national obesity rates (nearly 35% for adults and 18% for kids), the distinctions can be arbitrary. In 1998, the National Institutes of Health lowered the overweight threshold from 27.8 to 25—branding roughly 29 million Americans as fat overnight—to match international guidelines. But critics noted that those guidelines were drafted in part by the International Obesity Task Force, whose two principal funders were companies making weight loss drugs [21].

21. Butler, Kiera. “Why BMI Is a Big Fat Scam.” Mother Jones, 25 Aug. 2014. 

Body size is largely determined by genetics [22].

22. Wardle, J. Carnell, C. Haworth, R. Plomin. “Evidence for a strong genetic influence on childhood adiposity despite the force of the obesogenic environment” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 87, No. 2, Pages 398-404, February 2008.

Healthy lifestyle habits are associated with a significant decrease in mortality regardless of baseline body mass index [23].  

23. Matheson, Eric M, et al. “Healthy Lifestyle Habits and Mortality in Overweight and Obese Individuals.” Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 25 Feb. 2012.

Weight stigma itself is deadly. Research shows that weight-based discrimination increases risk of death by 60% [24].

24. Sutin, Angela R., et al. “Weight Discrimination and Risk of Mortality .” Association for Psychological Science, 25 Sept. 2015.

Fat stigma in the medical establishment [25] and society at large arguably [26] kills more fat people than fat does [27, 28, 29].

25. Puhl, Rebecca, and Kelly D. Bronwell. “Bias, Discrimination, and Obesity.” Obesity Research, 6 Sept. 2012. 26. Engber, Daniel. “Glutton Intolerance: What If a War on Obesity Only Makes the Problem Worse?” Slate, 5 Oct. 2009.  27. Teachman, B. A., Gapinski, K. D., Brownell, K. D., Rawlins, M., & Jeyaram, S. (2003). Demonstrations of implicit anti-fat bias: The impact of providing causal information and evoking empathy. Health Psychology, 22(1), 68–78. 28. Chastain, Ragen. “So My Doctor Tried to Kill Me.” Dances With Fat, 15 Dec. 2009. 29. Sutin, Angelina R, Yannick Stephan, and Antonio Terraciano. “Weight Discrimination and Risk of Mortality.” Psychological Science, 26 Nov. 2015.

There's my "proof." Where is yours?

[reasonsforhope]

"Polish presidency of the EU Council announced breakthrough in early hours after marathon overnight talks on food waste reduction targets and measures to limit a throwaway clothing culture.

The EU has set its first ever legally binding targets for member states to cut food waste, with lawmakers agreeing on a 30% cut across retailers, restaurants, caterers and households by the end of the decade.

For food processors and manufacturers, the 2030 goal is a 10% reduction, with both targets based on the average in the three years to 2023. EU estimates suggest that over 59 million tonnes of food is shovelled into dustbins every year, representing a loss of €132 billion.

Reforms to the EU’s waste framework directive, agreed this morning [February 19, 2025] after a marathon negotiating session behind closed doors between MEPs and government delegates, also target the textiles industry.

New harmonised rules on extended producer responsibility (EPR) mean textile producers and fashion brands will have to pay a fee to help fund waste collection, sorting and recycling, based on how circular and sustainable their products are.

In a measure directly targeting ‘fast fashion’ practices such as cheap, almost disposable clothes from online platforms, EU governments are also empowered to adapt these fees based on the durability of garments.

“The rapidly growing e-commerce market brings many opportunities, but also represents a significant challenge, especially in terms of environmental protection,” the agreed text runs.

The legislation gives leeway to penalise aggressive marketing strategies that encourage clothes to be discarded before they are worn out, practices that according to the legislation are “likely resulting in an overconsumption of textile products and, consequently, an overgeneration of waste”.

Criteria that can be considered include the width of the product range offered by a retailer, and the provision or lack of a repair services and incentives.

Anti-waste campaigners welcomed EU action, but were disappointed by the level of ambition reflected in the headline targets.

“The EU and its member states committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 10 years ago, including a 50% reduction of food waste across the entire supply chain,” said Theresa Mörsen, a policy officer at the Brussels-based NGO Zero Waste Europe...

The agreement is provisional, subject to a rubber stamp from government ministers at an EU Council summit – a procedure which is normally a formality."

-via EuroNews, February 19, 2025

[probablyasocialecologist]

When President Donald Trump began yesterday’s announcement of the White House’s latest trade policy brandishing a novelty-sized cardboard sign labeled “Reciprocal Tariffs,” the immediate and nearly unanimous response was bafflement. Trump slapped a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports into the US, including from uninhabited islands, plus absurdly high rates on specific countries, supposedly based on “tariffs charged to the USA” — which didn’t match up to other, non-cardboard-sign-based estimates. Stock markets have plummeted and consumers are facing down sharp price hikes on potentially almost everything they buy. Where did these numbers come from? Apparently, an oversimplified calculation that several major AI chatbots happen to recommend. Economist James Surowiecki quickly reverse-engineered a possible explanation for the tariff pricing. He found you could recreate each of the White House’s numbers by simply taking a given country’s trade deficit with the US and dividing it by their total exports to the US. Halve that number, and you get a ready-to-use “discounted reciprocal tariff.” The White House objected to this claim and published the formula it says that it used, but as Politico points out, the formula looks like a dressed-up version of Surowiecki’s method. In case you weren’t sure, Surowiecki calls this approach “extraordinary nonsense.” So why did Trump’s team use it? Well, like plenty of people who’ve realized their homework is due in three hours’ time, it seems like they may have been tempted by AI.

3 April 2025

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hi, so i writing a book based in the 1800s like the cowboy eras can you please tell me somethings I should keep in mind about the society and stuff also I need a little motivation I have been loosing it all please and thankyou <<<333

Writing Notes: Cowboys

Cowboy

In the western United States: a horseman skilled at handling cattle, an indispensable laborer in the cattle industry of the trans-Mississippi west, and a romantic figure in American folklore.

Pioneers from the United States encountered Mexican vaqueros (Spanish, literally, “cowboys”; English “buckaroos”) on ranches in Texas about 1820, and soon adopted their masterful skills and equipment—the use of lariat, saddle, spurs, and branding iron.

But cattle were only a small part of the economy of Texas until after the Civil War.

The development of a profitable market for beef in northern cities after 1865 prompted many Texans, including many formerly enslaved African Americans, to go into cattle raising. (Though they have been almost entirely excluded from the mythology of the American cowboy, it is estimated that Black cowboys accounted for nearly a quarter of all cattle workers in the nascent American West during the latter half of the 19th century.)

By the late 1800s, the lucrative cattle industry had spread across the Great Plains from Texas to Canada and westward to the Rocky Mountains.

Vaqueros

In 1519, shortly after the Spanish arrived in the Americas, they began to build ranches to raise cattle and other livestock. Horses were imported from Spain and put to work on the ranches.

Mexico’s native cowboys were called vaqueros, which comes from the Spanish word vaca (cow). Vaqueros were hired by ranchers to tend to the livestock and were known for their superior roping, riding and herding skills.

By the early 1700s, ranching made its way to present-day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and as far south as Argentina. When the California missions started in 1769, livestock practices were introduced to more areas in the West.

During the early 1800s, many English-speaking settlers migrated to the West and adopted aspects of the vaquero culture, including their clothing style and cattle-driving methods.

Cowboys came from diverse backgrounds and included African-Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans and settlers from the eastern United States and Europe.

Cowboy Life

Cowboys were mostly young men who needed cash. The average cowboy in the West made about $25 to $40 a month.

In addition to herding cattle, they also helped care for horses, repaired fences and buildings, worked cattle drives and in some cases helped establish frontier towns.

Cowboys occasionally developed a bad reputation for being lawless, and some were banned from certain establishments.

They typically wore large hats with wide brims to protect them from the sun, boots to help them ride horses and bandanas to guard them from dust. Some wore chaps on the outsides of their trousers to protect their legs from sharp cactus needles and rocky terrain.

When they lived on a ranch, they shared a bunkhouse with each other. For entertainment, some sang songs, played the guitar or harmonica & wrote poetry.

Cowboys were referred to as cowpokes, buckaroos, cowhands and cowpunchers.

The most experienced cowboy was called the Segundo (Spanish for “second”) and rode squarely with the trail boss.

Everyday work was difficult and laborious for cowboys. Workdays lasted about 15 hours, and much of that time was spent on a horse or doing other physical labor.

Rodeo Cowboys

Some cowboys tested their skills against one another by performing in rodeos—competitions that were based on the daily tasks of a cowboy.

Rodeo activities included bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback bronco riding and barrel racing.

The first professional rodeo was held in Prescott, Arizona, in 1888. Since then, rodeos became—and continue to be—popular entertainment events in the United States, Mexico and elsewhere.

Joseph G. McCoy offered the wealthy cattleman's vision of the cowboy. He recorded a reasonably balanced, if slightly condescending, views in his 1874 treatise on the cattle trade.

He lives hard, works hard, has but few comforts and fewer necessities. He has but little, if any, taste for reading. He enjoys a coarse practical joke or a smutty story; loves danger but abhors labor of the common kind; never tires riding, never wants to walk, no matter how short the distance he desires to go. He would rather fight with pistols than pray; loves tobacco, liquor and women better than any other trinity. His life borders nearly upon that of an Indian. If he reads anything, it is in most cases a blood and thunder story of a sensational style. He enjoys his pipe, and relishes a practical joke on his comrades, or a corrupt tale, wherein abounds much vulgarity and animal propensity.

Black Cowboys

African American horsemen who wrangled cattle in the western United States in the late 1800s and beyond.

Though they were almost entirely excluded from the mythology of the American cowboy, it is estimated that Black men accounted for nearly a quarter of all cattle workers in the nascent American West during the latter half of the 19th century.

In the years following the Civil War (1861–65) and emancipation from slavery, a budding ranching industry promised freedom and prosperity unknown to most Black Americans, many of whom were formerly enslaved themselves or were the children of enslaved parents.

Texas became part of the United States in 1845, and, by 1860, enslaved people accounted for 30 percent of the state’s population. Among them were some of the first Black cowboys: skilled laborers with experience in breaking horses and herding stock. Many were given the autonomy to work unsupervised, and some even carried guns.

The cowboy lifestyle came into its own in Texas, which had been cattle country since it was colonized by Spain in the 1500s. But cattle farming did not become the bountiful economic and cultural phenomenon recognized today until the late 1800s, when millions of cattle grazed in Texas.

White Americans seeking cheap land—and sometimes evading debt in the United States—began moving to the Spanish (and, later, Mexican) territory of Texas during the first half of the 19th century.

Though the Mexican government opposed slavery, Americans brought slaves with them as they settled the frontier and established cotton farms and cattle ranches.

By 1825, slaves accounted for nearly 25 percent of the Texas settler population.

By 1860, fifteen years after it became part of the Union, that number had risen to over 30 percent—that year’s census reported 182,566 slaves living in Texas.

As an increasingly significant new slave state, Texas joined the Confederacy in 1861. Though the Civil War hardly reached Texas soil, many white Texans took up arms to fight alongside their brethren in the East.

While Texas ranchers fought in the war, they depended on their slaves to maintain their land and cattle herds.

In doing so, the slaves developed the skills of cattle tending (breaking horses, pulling calves out of mud and releasing longhorns caught in the brush, to name a few) that would render them invaluable to the Texas cattle industry in the post-war era. But with a combination of a lack of effective containment— barbed wire was not yet invented—and too few cowhands, the cattle population ran wild.

Ranchers returning from the war discovered that their herds were lost or out of control. They tried to round up the cattle and rebuild their herds with slave labor, but eventually the Emancipation Proclamation left them without the free workers on which they were so dependent.

Desperate for help rounding up maverick cattle, ranchers were compelled to hire now-free, skilled African-Americans as paid cowhands.

Freed blacks skilled in herding cattle found themselves in even greater demand when ranchers began selling their livestock in northern states, where beef was nearly ten times more valuable than it was in cattle-inundated Texas.

The lack of significant railroads in the state meant that enormous herds of cattle needed to be physically moved to shipping points in Kansas, Colorado and Missouri. Rounding up herds on horseback, cowboys traversed unforgiving trails fraught with harsh environmental conditions and attacks from Native Americans defending their lands.

African-American cowboys faced discrimination in the towns they passed through—they were barred from eating at certain restaurants or staying in certain hotels, for example—but within their crews, they found respect and a level of equality unknown to other African-Americans of the era.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Writing occasionally makes me feel like I'm losing it too! I find that taking a step back can be good. That time away from being a writer can be used to being the reader again, and to research your topic. And when your head's clear enough, you can go back & see if the story flows more freely, armed with information you collected to incorporate in your writing. Hope this helps <3

[rottenpumpkin13]

zack is dared he cant run a circle around midgar in one day how does it go

*Sephiroth strolls past Angeal's office and sees him in there, kicked back, magazine in hand, lemonade sweating on the desk, not a single damn being given*

Sephiroth: You're disturbingly relaxed. I kind of envy it.

Angeal: Mm. That's 'cause I dared Zack to run the perimeter of Midgar. Kid took the bait, and that bought me eight hours of peace. I've already filed reports, waxed poetic in my journal, and exfoliated.

*Enter Zack, bursting into the office. He's soaked with sweat, wearing an "I <3 Midgar" tourist tee, neon water bottle clipped to his belt, running shoes still squeaking*

Zack: WHOOO! Man, what a run! That was killer cardio!

Angeal: HUH?! You can't possibly be back already! I sent you out twenty minutes ago!

Zack: Oh, so you don't think I'm fast and strong enough to circle the entire city in under half an hour? Sephiroth! Back me up with science!

Sephiroth: Based on Midgar's outer perimeter—approximately 110 kilometers, you would've needed to run at roughly 340 km/h. That’s faster than a standard bullet train and incredibly impressive for your species.

Zack: Ha!

Angeal: You're a fraud! Sephiroth, back me up with science!

Sephiroth: Statistically speaking, Zack's calorie burn would exceed 12,000 in twenty minutes. his body would have cannibalized his organs by Sector 5. He'd be finishing the run with his spleen in his pocket. He'd liquefy his own kneecaps and turn his organs into a smoothie by Sector 4. So no. Scientifically, you did not run the entire perimeter of Midgar in twenty minutes.

Angeal: HA!

Zack: No no no, I did it, okay?! I even high-fived a guy selling grilled squid in Sector 8, petted the stray chocobo that lives near Wall Market, and got harassed by a sentient vending machine outside the scrapyard! You can't fake those! Sephiroth, back me up with science!

Sephiroth: Hm. Considering the variable layout of Midgar's sectors, average elevation shifts, and crowd congestion—plus your stride length and resting heart rate—I'd estimate a lap around the perimeter would take a seasoned SOLDIER, at peak conditioning, no less than three and a half hours with zero breaks.

Zack: I had an energy drink before the run.

Sephiroth: Yeah it'd take Zack 20 minutes.

Zack: :)

Angeal: No, this is impossible! You're not backing him up with science, you're just throwing equations around like glitter and hoping we're too dumb to question it. What, did Hojo build you without a sarcasm detector? No wonder you think Zack's superhuman. What does science say about that, huh??

Sephiroth: Science says you're a cunt.

Angeal:

[danieyells]

do we have canon ages for the TD boys? or like rough estimates? curious lolol

Nope! No canon ages or estimates, but we do know they're probably at least 19(if not 20.)

For starters an academy is a specialized teritary education facility--a college--and that's exactly what Darkwick is. An elite college that's secretly for the study of anomalies. In their fourth year they go on a sort of internship before they can graduate, which is unlikely to be done for high schoolers. I believe at least one ghoul has referred to himself as an adult. Many of them run businesses, which you need to be 18+ to do in Japan. If Yuri is actually legally a full on doctor he'd have to be like. . .26 at least? But he's probably not a full on doctor. Probably.

The first years are probably around 20 because Ritsu, someone who would surely not break the law, throws back a martini with little to no problem in Episode 8.

The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, so Ritsu, as a first year is likely at least that old. Of course he could have done it for dramatic effect/to make a point/keep Taiga's attention/play the part of someone who belongs at the auction, but regardless they're all at least 18 for certain as it's unlikely that they would have them be 20 and in high school.

If he's 20 then this is definitely a college, which means everyone is at least 18 as universities in Japan require you to be at least 18 to attend I believe.

With Alan having gone from juvie to basically being adopted by Darkwick two or more years prior he's also definitely above 20. On top of that we know he can drive which means he's probably got a driver's license which he has to be 18+ for. Other Vagastrom students drive around campus so the general students are also at least 18 unless they're driving without licences.

Tohma and Haku both seem to like cars, if we presume they have licenses they're at least 18.

Haku also said the PC seems to be around his age--while the game is 12+ or teen depending on what app store and language you're looking at I believe it is marketed more at a young adult audience, which means Haku--and presumably other third years--would likely be considered in their early or mid 20's.

Jin can drive a speedboat apparently according to one of his summer home screen lines, based on that he mentioned wanting to hear the waves i assume it's a first class small vehicle license that lets him go far enough in the eater to do that so 18+

Bonnie is described as being a large motorcycle. Assuming that makes her a heavy motorcycle by Japanese law, Sho needs to be at least 18 to drive her as he said he refuses to drive without a licence in episode 11. Licenses in Japan differ based on vehicle and its size and heavy motorcycle licenses(which don't cover cars, hence his refusal to drive a police car) are for people 18 and older.

. . .tl;dr, no age confirmations or estimations really, but we know they're at least 18~20 and older adults treat them like young adults so I'd say they're unlikely to be older than 35(but it's college so no age after 18 is impossible!)

[elwenyere]

The way class and money work in Austen is really interesting, and it's specific to the transition from a system of income and prestige based primarily on land ownership to a capitalist one where wealth increasingly circulated through commercialism and market exchange. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bennet is a member of the gentry: the only one in Meryton aside from Mr. Darcy whose source of wealth (a 2000-pound-a-year income from the family estate) is solely landed and generational (the Bingley sisters don't acknowledge it, but their fortune was acquired by trade, and Bingley's - and his father's - unfulfilled intention to purchase an estate at some point would be a way to acquire some old-money prestige). This is what makes Elizabeth, even by Lady Catherine de Bourgh's estimation, a "gentleman's daughter." This is also a key part of what puts the Bennet sisters in a precarious financial position. The family estate is entailed to the male next-of-kin (Mr. Collins), so none of the daughters can inherit it or plan to live on its annual income after Mr. Bennet's death. In the meantime they're still required to undergo certain expenses to keep up the social appearance that validates their status (keeping a carriage, having new gowns, etc.), but they cannot work for a salary without forfeiting their gentility, and the kind of education that would be allowed to them (even if their parents had hired a governess, which they didn't) would be limited to those "accomplishments" that increased their value on the marriage market and reaffirmed their class status (when Darcy and the Bingleys discuss what makes a woman accomplished, the list largely involves proficiency in deportment and the decorative and performance arts, and only Darcy includes improvement of the mind through reading). And while the public behavior of Mrs. Bennet, Lydia, and Kitty in particular takes an embarrassing toll on the family's social standing - and Lydia's running off with Wickham is potentially catastrophic for their moral standing - for members of the landed aristocracy like Lady Catherine de Bourgh (and to a lesser extent Darcy, as he admits the connection will hurt the Bennet sisters' prospects), it's the ties that Mrs. Bennet's family, including the Gardiners, have to trade and to commercial wealth that makes their social status suspect. As Lady Catherine says to Elizabeth when confronting her about the rumored engagement to Darcy: "You are a gentleman’s daughter. But what was your mother? Who are your uncles and aunts? Do not imagine me ignorant of their condition." In many of her novels Austen explores the tensions created by shifts in the early-nineteenth-century class structure, as a more capitalistic system of wealth generation and transfer emerged. In Pride and Prejudice the Gardiners play a key role in getting Elizabeth and Darcy together not only by physically bringing them into the same space again but also by serving as a morally laudable example of the new, trade-based and professional middle class, whose behavior wins Darcy's respect and helps overcome aristocratic prejudices. Austen also satirizes (including in the opening line of P&P) the way the marriage market made spouses into an asset of capitalist exchange, and she interrogates (more or less sympathetically, in the cases of Charlotte Lucas and Caroline Bingley) what it means for women to assent to commodifying themselves as marriage products.

The income Austen gives Darcy in P&P is fairy-tale level, in a novel that would otherwise be described as realist. He could certainly support an in-law or five, but beyond that it's interesting to consider what that kind of rarefied wealth means for Austen's attempt to imagine (through Jane and Elizabeth) a path for women to achieve financial stability without losing themselves.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) says up to 4.8 million new homes will need to be built over the next decade to restore affordability levels last seen in 2019, based on projected demand. The national housing agency released its latest supply gaps estimate report today, which says between 430,000 and 480,000 new housing units are needed per year across the ownership and rental markets by 2035. That would represent around double the current pace of home construction in Canada, with 90,760 housing starts recorded so far this year, through May.

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Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[newtonsheffield]

I think it’s time. Anthony can ask Kate out. Neddy called him daddy and he’s spending time alone with him.

Everything is going great, Anthony and Kate deserve the win.

Just wait until Kate comes home to find him and Neddy asleep on the sofa.

Two adorable little sleepy frowns tucked up together on the sofa. That’s when Kate knows she’s falling a little bit in love with Anthony.

And would that really be the worst thing? He’s hot and he’s a good Dad, not just the Dad kids love because they get away with anything. Anthony’s actually a good Dad. Anthony’s never not worn a cap when they’ve been outside since that day and he gives Neddy the money to pay for his juice and holds him up to the register gently saying

“Please and thank you, Neddy.”

Before Neddy nods, “Orange Juice, please and thank you.”

His first offer for Child support had Kate’s jaw on the floor while he blinked at her from across the table, his lawyer sat beside him.

“Is it too low? I’m sorry, I don’t know what Sophie’s salary is so I estimated what I think fair salary would be based on her degree and-“

“okay, I don’t pay her that much!” Kate squeaked

Anthony blinked mildly, “Oh, we should give her a pay rise. I’ve done a hit of research on the Nanny market and I really think she’s huge get for us.”

“I know that!”

Anthony seems like he’s in a way better place than he was when they met and he’s sweet and thoughtful. Would it be the worst thing if she liked him? Really?