#tech start

[koobiie]

i call this one "hatsune miku if she was one of those transparent controllers from the early 2000s"

[zaana]

On the last Bad Batch eve, thank you from the bottom of my heart to the creators, the fandom, and the wonderful people i've met ❣️ TBB and these characters mean more to me than i could ever put into words, and they will stay a part of me forever

[technically-human]

i loved seeing the moment of stone realising he was going to stick with robotnik (─‿‿─) could we see the moment ROBOTNIK realises stone is here for good?

Robotnik isn't used to people being happy to see him

[ceilingfan25]

Can you draw Danny Fenton as Chat Noir and Valerie Gray as LadyBug?

I love this kinda crossover!!!!! One of my favorite pass times is taking 2 shows I like and assigning characters roles from the other show, also drawing characters in other characters' outfits, so this was fun to ponder!!

[alltheglowingeyess]

nico being somehow more technologically in tune than will because his decades in the casino -- while not a fantastic place for exposure to the latest technologies -- allowed him to interact with all kinds of devices that allowed for gaming/entertainment

meanwhile will "raised in the confines of chb since age eight" solace is crashing out trying to figure out how to take a picture on a phone without turning on the flashlight

[kidovna]

can I pretty please ask for prom lesbyler? I'd give you my firstborn and everything

i will give it to you for free if no one ever threatens me with a child in this economy again

[reasonsforhope]

Federal regulators on Tuesday [April 23, 2024] enacted a nationwide ban on new noncompete agreements, which keep millions of Americans — from minimum-wage earners to CEOs — from switching jobs within their industries.

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday afternoon voted 3-to-2 to approve the new rule, which will ban noncompetes for all workers when the regulations take effect in 120 days [So, the ban starts in early September, 2024!]. For senior executives, existing noncompetes can remain in force. For all other employees, existing noncompetes are not enforceable.

[That's right: if you're currently under a noncompete agreement, it's completely invalid as of September 2024! You're free!!]

The antitrust and consumer protection agency heard from thousands of people who said they had been harmed by noncompetes, illustrating how the agreements are "robbing people of their economic liberty," FTC Chair Lina Khan said. 

The FTC commissioners voted along party lines, with its two Republicans arguing the agency lacked the jurisdiction to enact the rule and that such moves should be made in Congress...

Why it matters

The new rule could impact tens of millions of workers, said Heidi Shierholz, a labor economist and president of the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. 

"For nonunion workers, the only leverage they have is their ability to quit their job," Shierholz told CBS MoneyWatch. "Noncompetes don't just stop you from taking a job — they stop you from starting your own business."

Since proposing the new rule, the FTC has received more than 26,000 public comments on the regulations. The final rule adopted "would generally prevent most employers from using noncompete clauses," the FTC said in a statement.

The agency's action comes more than two years after President Biden directed the agency to "curtail the unfair use" of noncompetes, under which employees effectively sign away future work opportunities in their industry as a condition of keeping their current job. The president's executive order urged the FTC to target such labor restrictions and others that improperly constrain employees from seeking work.

"The freedom to change jobs is core to economic liberty and to a competitive, thriving economy," Khan said in a statement making the case for axing noncompetes. "Noncompetes block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand."

Real-life consequences

In laying out its rationale for banishing noncompetes from the labor landscape, the FTC offered real-life examples of how the agreements can hurt workers.

In one case, a single father earned about $11 an hour as a security guard for a Florida firm, but resigned a few weeks after taking the job when his child care fell through. Months later, he took a job as a security guard at a bank, making nearly $15 an hour. But the bank terminated his employment after receiving a letter from the man's prior employer stating he had signed a two-year noncompete.

In another example, a factory manager at a textile company saw his paycheck dry up after the 2008 financial crisis. A rival textile company offered him a better job and a big raise, but his noncompete blocked him from taking it, according to the FTC. A subsequent legal battle took three years, wiping out his savings. 

-via CBS Moneywatch, April 24, 2024

--

Note:

A lot of people think that noncompete agreements are only a white-collar issue, but they absolutely affect blue-collar workers too, as you can see from the security guard anecdote.

In fact, one in six food and service workers are bound by noncompete agreements. That's right - one in six food workers can't leave Burger King to work for Wendy's [hypothetical example], in the name of "trade secrets." (x, x, x)

Noncompete agreements also restrict workers in industries from tech and video games to neighborhood yoga studios. "The White House estimates that tens of millions of workers are subject to noncompete agreements, even in states like California where they're banned." (x, x, x)

The FTC estimates that the ban will lead to "the creation of 8,500 new businesses annually, an average annual pay increase of $524 for workers, lower health care costs, and as many as 29,000 more patents each year for the next decade." (x)

Clearer explanation of noncompete agreements below the cut.

Noncompete agreements can restrict workers from leaving for a better job or starting their own business.

Noncompetes often effectively coerce workers into staying in jobs they want to leave, and even force them to leave a profession or relocate.

Noncompetes can prevent workers from accepting higher-paying jobs, and even curtail the pay of workers not subject to them directly.

Of the more than 26,000 comments received by the FTC, more than 25,000 supported banning noncompetes. 

[foldingfittedsheets]

In the VFX class I'm auditing the professor showed us all how to do a small spinning light effect in class, and then expected us to know how to create a dust devil with vertical spinning tunnel of particles based only on that. When we've never used the system.

Another alum is in the class and also has not managed to get a working effect.

Instantly lost respect for the professor when I asked in class if he'd be giving feedback or a demo and he said he wouldn't because it would be, "giving us all the answers."

[lonelybeeart]

attempted to color and clean up that last tech sketch. he's angry cause i was thinking about that one scene where hunter yells at him and he makes that face

and a bonus sketch cause i also wanna squish his cheeks, but i think he'd only tolerate it for a minute

[nappi]

so late to this party but here's Tech

[the-bi-space-ace]

Echo hates medbay. He hates going. He hates being hooked up to machines and he will avoid it if given the option. He hates it so much the batch starts going with him just to make sure he actually attends.

When Tech comes with him he chats the whole time. He distracts Echo while the medics work and he clarifies and asks questions when he feels the need. Tech is an excellent distraction that Echo would gladly take any day of the week.

Wrecker treats medical visits like a game. He plays with supplies and makes faces over the medic’s shoulders to make Echo laugh. The medics always know there’s some shenanigans going on (they’re too smart not to) but at least Echo isn’t squirming and scowling at everything they want him to do so they’ll consider that a win. Echo is grateful when Wrecker comes with him because he’s never bored.

Crosshair makes every medbay visit feel like a mission. He stands quietly in the corner and watches diligently. Echo’s never felt quite so observed before. If Echo even looked uncomfortable Crosshair would square up like a particularly prickly guard dog. He turns into such a hover hen when the medic even implies something might be wrong. ‘Is it because you haven’t eaten since last night? Someone get a ration bar.’ ‘I bet it’s because you took Wrecker’s night shift last night. Don’t look at me like that I know you did.’ Echo loves him but also wants to throttle him.

Hunter questions everything. ‘Is it really necessary to take his blood today?’ ‘You’re not our usual medic. We’d like the usual medic.’ ‘We have a mission in one rotation we’ll need to make this snappy.’ The second the medic is gone to run labs, ya know do his job, Hunter leans in so no one else can hear them and is like ‘I’ll break us out of here don’t you worry.’ Echo rolls his eyes but mumbles a grouchy ‘thank you’.

Echo used to bulk at them coming with him but he never refuses them now. Whether it’s a check up or physical or illness or injury. He hates medbays. But he loves the batch.

[technically-human]

Here's a wip! Do you guys think I should keep working on this or nah?

Song: Enamorado tuyo by El Cuarteto de Nos

Very questionable captions by me, of course

[here-comes-the-moose]

Tech: I no longer have a twin! I do not acknowledge him and I will be leaving him at the next stop. *slams door*

Echo: What’s up with him?

Hunter: Crosshair ate the slice of cake that Tech was saving so now Tech is disowning him.

Echo, thinking back to when Fives did that to him: That’s valid.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Dungeon Meshi: The RPG

[showrunnerihardlyknowher]

One giant in a sleek spacesuit falls in love with another in a clunkier, less advanced design during a planetary exploration, completely unaware it's actually a mech suit piloted by someone 1/10 their size