#5 new javascript features

[kawaoneechan]

I can't decide 🎵

Okay, let's have a good think about scripting languages that I might use in Project Special K. I wrote about this before, but really I'm just trolling for comments and suggestions.

Option 1 - Lua

Relatively easy to implement, especially with something like Sol on top.

Well known, often used for game scripts.

I have no earthly clue how to handle multiple objects running their own scripts simultaneously, let alone the whole "wait for some other object to signal back" that I described before.

Option 2 - JavaScript

Could be a nice challenge to implement, maybe with something like Duktape?

Well known, but not as often used for game scripts as Lua.

The third point is exactly the same as for Lua.

Option 3 - bespoke Lisp-like

Tricky to implement, but I've done it a bunch of times now to varying degrees.

Not as well known nowadays, I suppose, compared to JS and Lua.

I already know how to allow for cooperative multi-threading and waiting for other objects to finish, as described before. Just gotta implement the whole thing.

Option 4 - Event Flow

The script engine used in Animal Crossing New Horizons, Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and probably many other Switch games.

This option is a joke to make the list longer.

Obviously supports waiting for outside things.

Option 5 - Something else

Who knows, maybe one of you reading this has a better idea?

As a reminder of what I kept referring to, there would be several things running simultaneously like villagers, gift balloons, bugs, the hourly weather and chime thing, the player, and the UI. When you talk to a villager, they stop what they're doing and run a script. That script can then cause a dialogue box to appear by spawning in a new game object. The script should then sit and wait until the dialogue box is dismissed, all while the villager sits and waits until the script signals it's done, while the dialogue box and script can trigger animations to play on the villager and player alike... all while all these other objects still process in the background, and may themselves run scripts.

I'd rather not start on implementing something as in-depth as a script system, let alone with a feature such as that, without being certain it's not a very bad idea.

Doesn't need to be the best idea. Just not a very bad one.

[liberate-women-now]

Full Vulture Article on Neil Gaiman's Disgusting Crimes

This is the entire thing minus the featured images. You can also get past the paywall to the Vulture article by turning off javascript in your browser and refreshing.

Scarlett Pavlovich was a 22-year-old drama student when she met the performer Amanda Palmer by chance on the streets of Auckland. It was a gray, drizzly afternoon in June 2020, and Palmer, then 44, was walking down the street with the actress Lucy Lawless, one of the most famous people in New Zealand owing to her six-season stint portraying Xena the warrior princess. But Pavlovich noticed only Palmer. She’d watched her TED talk, “The Art of Asking,” and was fascinated by the cult-famous feminist writer and musician — by her unabashed self-assurance.

On the surface, Pavlovich appeared to be self-assured as well. A local girl, she had dropped out of high school at 15 to travel to Europe, Morocco, and the Middle East on the cheap, pausing in Scotland — where Tilda Swinton gave her a scholarship to attend her Steiner school, Drumduan — and London to work in the cabaret scene. Eventually, her visa expired and she ran out of money and so, in 2019, she returned to Auckland, where she enrolled in an acting school and took a job at a perfumery. Pale and dark-haired and waifish, she favored bold colors and outrageous outfits. On the day she met Palmer — on most days then — she’d painted a triangle of translucent silver beneath her lower lashes so it looked as though she’d been crying tears of glitter. It was Pavlovich who approached Palmer on the sidewalk outside the perfumery. She was surprised when Palmer texted her a few days later. “It’s amanda d palmer,” she wrote. “Your new friend.”

Palmer, an obsessive chronicler of her own life in songs, poems, blog posts, and a memoir, got her start as half of the punk cabaret band the Dresden Dolls, but she is perhaps more famous for her ability to attract a tight-knit and devoted following wherever she goes. In 2012, she became the first musician to raise more than $1 million on Kickstarter and later became one of Patreon’s most successful artists. As Palmer explained in her book The Art of Asking — part memoir, part manifesto on the virtues of asking for assistance of various kinds — she had built her entire career on “messy exchanges of goodwill and the swapping of favors.” Out of this mess, she argues, a utopian sort of community formed: “There was no distinction between fans and friends.”

Over the following year and a half, Palmer and Pavlovich occasionally met for a drink or a meal. Palmer offered Pavlovich tickets to her shows and invited her to parties for the Patreon community at her house on nearby Waiheke Island, a lush bohemian retreat with vineyards, golden beaches, and more than 60 helipads to accommodate the billionaires who vacationed there. Sometimes Palmer asked Pavlovich for favors — help running errands or organizing files or looking after her child. Pavlovich was happy to assist. She had a crush on Palmer. She didn’t mind that Palmer only occasionally discussed paying her, even though Pavlovich was always strapped for cash. For Pavlovich, who was estranged from her family and without a safety net, Palmer filled a deeper need. In November 2020, Palmer invited her to hang out at her place for a weekend with a group of local artists. At the gathering, Palmer asked Pavlovich to babysit while she got a massage. Early the next morning, Pavlovich wrote a diary entry about the easy intimacy she’d felt in Palmer’s sun-drenched home, where she’d read to Palmer’s son, who was 5 at the time, their limbs entwined. “The years absent of touch build up like a gray inheritance,” she wrote. “I’m hungry. I am so fucking famished.”

On February 1, 2022, Palmer texted Pavlovich and asked if she wanted to spend the weekend babysitting, which would mean bouncing back and forth between her house and her husband’s. Pavlovich had never met Palmer’s husband, from whom she was separated, though of course she knew who he was: Neil Gaiman, the acclaimed British fantasist and author of nearly 50 books, including American Gods and Coraline, and the comic-book series The Sandman, whose work has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Gaiman and Palmer had arrived in New Zealand in March 2020, but just weeks later, their nine-year marriage collapsed and Gaiman skipped town, breaking COVID protocols to fly to his home on the Isle of Skye. Now, he’d returned and was living in a house near Palmer’s on Waiheke. Their previous nanny had recently left, and they needed help. Pavlovich agreed and was pleased when Palmer offered to pay her for the weekend’s work.

Around four in the afternoon on February 4, Pavlovich took the ferry from Auckland to Waiheke, then sat on a bus and walked through the woods until she arrived at Gaiman’s house, an asymmetrical A-frame of dark burnished wood with picture windows overlooking the sea. Palmer had arranged a playdate for the child, so not long after Pavlovich arrived, she found herself alone in the house with the author. For a little while, Gaiman worked in his office while she read on the couch. Then he emerged and offered her a tour of the grounds. A striking figure at 61, his wild black curls threaded with strands of silver, the author picked a fig — her favorite fruit — and handed it to her. Around 8 p.m., they sat down for pizza. Gaiman poured Pavlovich a glass of rosé and then another. He drank only water. They made awkward conversation about New Zealand, about COVID. Pavlovich had never read any of his work, but she was anxious to make a good impression. After she’d cleaned up their plates, Gaiman noted that there was still time before they would have to pick up his son from the playdate. “‘I’ve had a thought,’” she recalls him saying. “‘Why don’t you have a bath in the beautiful claw bathtub in the garden? It’s absolutely enchanting.’” Pavlovich told Gaiman that she was fine as she was but ultimately agreed. He needed to make a work call, he said, and didn’t want Pavlovich to be bored.

Gaiman led Pavlovich down a stone path into the garden to an old-fashioned tub with a roll top and walked away. She got undressed and sank into the bath, looking up at the furry magenta blossoms of the pohutukawa tree overhead. A few minutes later, she was surprised to hear Gaiman’s footsteps on the stones in the dark. She tried to cover her breasts with her arms. When he arrived at the bath, she saw that he was naked. Gaiman put out a couple of citronella candles, lit them, and got into the bath. He stretched out, facing her, and, for a few minutes, made small talk. He bitched about Palmer’s schedule. He talked about his kid’s school. Then he told her to stretch her legs out and “get comfortable.”

“I said ‘no.’ I said, ‘I’m not confident with my body,’” Pavlovich recalls. “He said, ‘It’s okay — it’s only me. Just relax. Just have a chat.’” She didn’t move. He looked at her again and said, “Don’t ruin the moment.” She did as instructed, and he began to stroke her feet. At that point, she recalls, she felt “a subtle terror.”

Gaiman asked her to sit on his lap. Pavlovich stammered out a few sentences: She was gay, she’d never had sex, she had been sexually abused by a 45-year-old man when she was 15. Gaiman continued to press. “The next part is really amorphous,” Pavlovich tells me. “But I can tell you that he put his fingers straight into my ass and tried to put his penis in my ass. And I said, ‘No, no.’ Then he tried to rub his penis between my breasts, and I said ‘no’ as well. Then he asked if he could come on my face, and I said ‘no’ but he did anyway. He said, ‘Call me ‘master,’ and I’ll come.’ He said, ‘Be a good girl. You’re a good little girl.’”

Neil Gaiman in 2002, with estranged wife Amanda Palmer in 2010, and with Henry Selick and Dakota Fanning at the Coraline premiere. Photo: Getty.

In The Sandman, the DC comic-book series that ran from 1989 to 1996 and made Gaiman famous, he tells a story about a writer named Richard Madoc. After Madoc’s first book proves a success, he sits down to write his second and finds that he can’t come up with a single decent idea. This difficulty recedes after he accepts an unusual gift from an older author: a naked woman, of a kind, who has been kept locked in a room in his house for 60 years. She is Calliope, the youngest of the Nine Muses. Madoc rapes her, again and again, and his career blossoms in the most extraordinary way. A stylish young beauty tells him how much she loved his characterization of a strong female character, prompting him to remark, “Actually, I do tend to regard myself as a feminist writer.” His downfall comes only when the titular hero, the Sandman, also known as the Prince of Stories, frees Calliope from bondage. A being of boundless charisma and creativity, the Sandman rules the Dreaming, the realm we visit in our sleep, where “stories are spun.” Older and more powerful than the most powerful gods, he can reward us with exquisite delights or punish us with unending nightmares, depending on what he feels we deserve. To punish the rapist, the Sandman floods Madoc’s mind with such a wild torrent of ideas that he’s powerless to write them down, let alone profit from them.

As allegations of Gaiman’s sexual misconduct emerged this past summer, some observers noticed Gaiman and Madoc have certain things in common. Like Madoc, Gaiman has called himself a feminist. Like Madoc, Gaiman has racked up major awards (for Gaiman, awards in science fiction and fantasy as well as dozens of prizes for contemporary novels, short stories, poetry, television, and film, helping make him, according to several sources, a millionaire many times over). And like Madoc, Gaiman has come to be seen as a figure who transcended, and transformed, the genres in which he wrote: first comics, then fantasy and children’s literature. But for most of his career, readers identified him not with the rapist, who shows up in a single issue, but with the Sandman, the inexhaustible fountain of story.

One of Gaiman’s greatest gifts as a story-teller was his voice, a warm and gentle instrument that he’d tuned through elocution lessons as a boy in East Grinstead, 30 miles south of London. In America, people mistakenly assumed he was an English gentleman. “He spoke very slowly, in a hypnotic way,” says one of his former students at the fantasy-writing workshop Clarion. He wrote that way, too, with rhythm and restraint, lulling you into a trance in the way that a bard might have done with a lyre. Another gift was his memory. He has “libraries full of books memorized,” one of his old friends tells me, noting that he could recall the page numbers of his favorite passages and recite them verbatim. His vast collection was eclectic enough to encompass both a box of comics (Spider-Man, Silver Surfer) from his boyhood and the works of Oscar Wilde he received as a gift for his bar mitzvah. For The Sandman, a forgotten DC property he had been hired to dust off and polish up, Gaiman gave the hero a makeover, replacing his green suit, fedora, and gas mask with the leather armor of an angsty goth, and surrounded him with characters drawn from the books he could pull off the shelves in his head, from timeless icons like Shakespeare and Lucifer to the obscure San Francisco eccentric Joshua Abraham Norton. Norman Mailer called it “a comic strip for intellectuals.”

Gaiman and the Sandman shared a penchant for dressing in black, a shock of unruly black hair, and an erotic power seldom possessed by authors of comic books and fantasy novels. A descendant of Polish Jewish immigrants, Gaiman had gotten his start in the ’80s as a journalist for hire in London covering Duran Duran, Lou Reed, and other brooding lords of rock, and in the world of comic conventions, he was the closest thing there was to that archetype. Women would turn up to his signings dressed in the elaborate Victorian-goth attire of his characters and beg him to sign their breasts or slip him key cards to their hotel rooms. One writer recounts running into Gaiman at a World Fantasy Convention in 2011. His assistant wasn’t around, and he was late to a reading. “I can’t get to it if I walk by myself,” he told her. As they made their way through the convention side by side, “the whole floor full of people tilted and slid toward him,” she says. “They wanted to be entwined with him in ways I was not prepared to defend him against.” A woman fell to her knees and wept.

People who flock to fantasy conventions and signings make up an “inherently vulnerable community,” one of Gaiman’s former friends, a fantasy writer, tells me. They “wrap themselves around a beloved text so it becomes their self-identity,” she says. They want to share their souls with the creators of these works. “And if you have morality around it, you say ‘no.’” It was an open secret in the late ’90s and early aughts among conventiongoers that Gaiman cheated on his first wife, Mary McGrath, a private midwestern Scientologist he’d married in his early 20s. But in my conversations with Gaiman’s old friends, collaborators, and peers, nearly all of them told me that they never imagined that Gaiman’s affairs could have been anything but enthusiastically consensual. As one prominent editor in the field puts it, “The one thing I hear again and again, largely from women, is ‘He was always nice to me. He was always a gentleman.’” The writer Kelly Link, who met Gaiman at a reading in 1997, recalls finding him charmingly goofy. “He was hapless in a way that was kind of exasperating,” she says, “but also made him seem very harmless.” Someone who had a sexual relationship with Gaiman in the aughts recalls him flipping through questions fans wrote on cards at a Q&A session. Once, a fan asked if she could be his “sex slave”: “He read it aloud and said, ‘Well, no.’ He’d be very demure.”

On Late Night With Seth Meyers in 2016 and accepting the Visionary Award in 2024. Photo: Getty.

This past July, a British podcast produced by Tortoise Media broke the news that two women had accused Gaiman of sexual assault. S​ince then, more women have shared allegations of assault, coercion, and abuse. The podcast, Master, reported by Paul Caruana Galizia and Rachel Johnson, tells the stories of five of them. (Gaiman’s perspective on these relationships, including with Pavlovich, is that they were entirely consensual.) I spoke with four of those women along with four others whose stories share elements with theirs. I also reviewed contemporaneous diary entries, texts and emails with friends, messages between Gaiman and the women, and police correspondence. Most of the women were in their 20s when they met Gaiman. The youngest was 18. Two of them worked for him. Five were his fans. With one exception, an allegation of forcible kissing from 1986, when Gaiman was in his mid-20s, the stories take place when Gaiman was in his 40s or older, a period in which he lived among the U.S., the U.K., and New Zealand. By then, he had a reputation as an outspoken champion of women. “Gaiman insists on telling the stories of people who are traditionally marginalized, missing, or silenced in literature,” wrote Tara Prescott-Johnson in the essay collection Feminism in the Worlds of Neil Gaiman. Although his books abounded with stories of men torturing, raping, and murdering women, this was largely perceived as evidence of his empathy.

Katherine Kendall was 22 when she met Gaiman in 2012. She was volunteering at one of his events in Asheville, North Carolina. He invited her to join him a few days later at an after-party for another event, where he kissed her. The two struck up a flirtatious correspondence, emailing and Skyping in the middle of the night. Kendall didn’t want to have sex with Gaiman, and on one of their calls, she told him this. Afterward, she recorded his reply in her diary: “He had no designs on me beyond flirty friendship and I believe him thoroughly.” She’d grown up listening to his audiobooks, she later told Papillon DeBoer, the host of the podcast Am I Broken: “And then that same voice that told me those beautiful stories when I was a kid was telling me the story that I was safe, and that we were just friends, and that he wasn’t a threat.”

With Kendra Stout in April 2007. Photo: Courtesy of Kendra

Gaiman had been having sexual encounters with younger fans for a long time. Kendra Stout was 18 when, in 2003, she drove four and a half hours to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to see Gaiman read from Endless Nights, a follow-up to The Sandman. She met him in the signing line. Gaiman sent her long emails and bought her a web camera so they could chat on video. Around three years after they met, he flew to Orlando to take her on a date. He invited her back to his hotel room, put on a playlist of love songs, and held her down with one hand. Gaiman didn’t believe in foreplay or lubrication, Stout tells me, which could make sex particularly painful. When she said it hurt too much, he’d tell her the problem was she wasn’t submissive enough. “He talked at length about the dominant and submissive relationship he wanted out of me,” she tells me. Stout had no prior interest in BDSM. She says Gaiman never asked what she liked in bed, and there was no discussion of “safe words” or “aftercare” or “limits.” He’d ask her to call him “master” and beat her with his belt. “These were not sexy little taps,” she says. When she told him she didn’t like it, she says he replied, “It’s the only way I can get off.”

Gaiman told Stout he had been introduced to these practices by a woman he’d met in his early 20s who had asked him to “whip her pussy.” At the time, he claimed to Stout, he was such a naïve Englishman that he thought she meant her cat. Then she handed him a flogger and told him to use it on her vagina. “‘This is what gets me off now,’” Stout recalls him saying. A similar anecdote shows up in an interview Gaiman gave for a 2022 biography of Kathy Acker, the late experimental punk writer Gaiman befriended in his 20s, but he offers a different account of how it affected him. When Acker asked him to “whip her pussy,” he found it “profoundly unsexual,” he told the interviewer. “I did it and ran away.” He identified himself as “very vanilla.”

In 2007, Gaiman and Stout took a trip to the Cornish countryside. On their last night there, Stout developed a UTI that had gotten so bad she couldn’t sit down. She told Gaiman they could fool around but that any penetration would be too painful to bear. “It was a big hard ‘no,’” she says. “I told him, ‘You cannot put anything in my vagina or I will die.’” Gaiman flipped her over on the bed, she says, and attempted to penetrate her with his fingers. She told him “no.” He stopped for a moment and then he penetrated her with his penis. At that point, she tells me, “I just shut down.” She lay on the bed until he was finished. (This past October, she filed a police report alleging he raped her.)

February 2022: The bathtub in Gaiman’s garden where Scarlett Pavlovich alleges he raped her, which Gaiman denies. February 5, 2022: Pavlovich the morning after the bathtub incident. Photo: Courtesy of Scarlett Pavlovich.

After Gaiman got into the bathtub with Pavlovich, she retreated to Palmer’s house, which was vacant at the time. She sat in the shower for an hour, crying, then got into Palmer’s bed and began to search the internet for clues that might explain what had happened to her. She Googled “Me Too” and “Neil Gaiman.” Nothing. The only negative stories she found were about how he’d broken COVID lockdown rules in 2020 and had been forced to apologize to the people of the Isle of Skye for endangering their lives.

At the end of the weekend, Palmer texted Pavlovich to say how pleased she was to see Pavlovich and her child get along. “The universe is a karmic mystery,” Palmer wrote. “We nourish each other in the most random and unpredictable ways.” Palmer asked if she could babysit again. She needed so much help. Would Pavlovich consider staying with them for the foreseeable future?

Pavlovich was living in a sublet that was about to end. She was broke and hadn’t been able to find a new apartment. She’d been homeless at the start of the pandemic, when the perfumery closed, and had ended up crashing on the beach in a friend’s sleeping bag on and off for the first two weeks of lockdown. The thought of returning to the beach filled her with dread.

She didn’t consider reaching out to her own family. Her parents had divorced when she was 3, and Pavlovich had grown up splitting time between their households. Violence, Pavlovich tells me, “was normalized in the household.” One close family member beat her with a belt. Another would strangle Pavlovich when she got upset and slap her across the face until her cheeks were raw. She began to regularly cut her arms and wrists with a knife when she was 11. She became bulimic, then anorexic. By 13, Pavlovich had grown so thin that she ended up in a psychiatric unit at Auckland Children’s Hospital and spent weeks on a feeding tube. When she was 15, she left home and never went back.

In the years since, she had been looking for a new family, but many of the people she’d encountered in that search turned out to be abusive as well. “After all of this, Amanda Palmer was an actual creature sent from a celestial realm. It was like, Hallelujah,” Pavlovich tells me. Palmer was famous for speaking out about sexual abuse and encouraging others to do the same. In songs and essays, she had written of having been sexually assaulted and raped on multiple occasions as a teenager and young woman. Pavlovich didn’t think someone like that could be married to someone who would assault women.

Sexual abuse is one of the most confusing forms of violence that a person can experience. The majority of people who have endured it do not immediately recognize it as such; some never do. “You’re not thinking in a linear or logical fashion,” Pavlovich says, “but the mind is trying to process it in the ways that it can.” Whatever had happened in the bath, she’d been through worse and survived, she thought. And Gaiman and Palmer were offering her the possibility of a shared future. Palmer’s vision of herself as the central figure of a utopian community could, according to some of her friends, make her careless with the young, impressionable women she invited into her and her husband’s lives. “Her idealism could blind her to reality,” one friend says. (Palmer declined to be interviewed, but I spoke with people close to her.) Palmer told Pavlovich they might travel to London together, and to Scotland, where Gaiman was shooting the second season of Good Omens. Pavlovich had wanted to leave New Zealand — her “epicenter of trauma” — for as long as she could remember. These conversations filled her head with fantasies “of finally being on solid ground in the world.”

After Palmer’s offer, Pavlovich texted Gaiman: “I am consumed by thoughts of you, the things you will do to me. I’m so hungry. What a terrible creature you’ve turned me into.” The following weekend, she packed up her sublet and boarded the ferry to Waiheke.

Throughout his career, Gaiman has written about terror from the point of view of a child. His most recent novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, tells the story of a quiet and bookish 7-year-old boy. Through various unfortunate events, he ends up with a hole in his heart that can never be healed, a doorway through which nightmares from distant realms enter our world. Over the course of the tale, the boy suffers terribly, sometimes at the hands of his own family. At dinner one night, the boy refuses to eat the food his nanny has prepared. The nanny, the boy knows, isn’t really a human but a nightmare creature from another world. When his father demands to know why he won’t eat, the boy explains, “She’s a monster.” His father becomes enraged. To punish him, he fills the tub, then picks up the child, plunges him into the bath, and pushes his shoulders and head beneath the chilly water. “I had read many books in that bath,” the boy says. “It was one of my safe places. And now, I had no doubt, I was going to die there.” Later that night, the boy runs away from home; on his way out, he glimpses his father having sex with the monstrous nanny through the drawing-room window.

In various interviews over the years, Gaiman has called The Ocean at the End of the Lane his most personal book. While much of it is fantastical, Gaiman has said “that kid is me.” The book is set in Sussex, where Gaiman grew up. In the story, the narrator survives otherworldly evil with the help of a family of magical women. As a child, Gaiman had no such friends to call on. “I was going back to the 7-year-old me and giving myself a peculiar kind of love that I didn’t have,” he told an interviewer in 2017. “I never feel the past is dead or young Neil isn’t around anymore. He’s still there, hiding in a library somewhere, looking for a doorway that will lead him to somewhere safe where everything works.”

While Gaiman has identified the boy in the book as himself, he has also claimed that none of the things that happen to the boy happened to him. Yet there is reason to believe that some of the most horrifying events of the novel did occur. Gaiman has rarely spoken about a core fact of his childhood. In 1965, when Neil was 5 years old, his parents, David and Sheila, left their jobs as a business executive and a pharmacist and bought a house in East Grinstead, a mile away from what was at that time the worldwide headquarters for the Church of Scientology. Its founder, the former science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, lived down the road from them from 1965 until 1967, when he fled the country and began directing the church from international waters, pursued by the CIA, FBI, and a handful of foreign governments and maritime agencies.

David and Sheila were among England’s earliest adherents to Scientology. They began studying Dianetics in 1956 and eventually took positions in the Guardian’s Office, a special department of the organization dedicated to handling the church’s growing number of legal cases, public communications, and intelligence operations. The mission of this office, as Hubbard wrote, was its “covert use in destroying the repute of individuals and groups.” On the side, the Gaimans ran the church’s canteen, lodged foreign Scientologists in their home, and opened a vitamin company in town, where they supplied courses of supplements for Scientology’s “detoxification” programs, a business that grew exponentially alongside the expansion of the church. By the late ’60s, David was the church’s public face and chief spokesperson in the U.K.

It was a challenging job, to say the least. The U.K., following the example of a handful of other governments, had issued a report declaring Scientology’s methods “a serious danger to the health of those who submit to them.” Hubbard would routinely punish members of the organization who committed minor infractions by binding them, blindfolding them, and throwing them overboard into icy waters. Back in England, David gave interviews to the press to smooth over such troubling accounts. The church was under particular pressure to assure the public it was not harming children. In his bulletins to members, Hubbard had made it clear that children were not to be exempt from the punishments to which adults were subjected. If a child laughed inappropriately or failed to remember a Scientology term, they could be sent to the ship’s hold and made to chip rust for days or confined in a chain locker for weeks at a time without blankets or a bathroom. In his book Going Clear, Lawrence Wright recounts the story of a 4-year-old boy named Derek Greene, an adopted Black child who stole a Rolex and dropped it overboard. He was confined to the locker for two days and nights. When his mother pleaded with Hubbard to let him out, he “reminded her of the Scientology axiom that children are actually adults in small bodies, and equally responsible for their behavior.” (A representative for the Church of Scientology said it does not speak about members past or present but denies that this event occurred.)

David used Neil as an exhibit in his case to the public. In 1968, he arranged for Neil to give an interview to the BBC. When the reporter asked the child if Scientology made him “a better boy,” Neil replied, “Not exactly that, but when you make a release, you feel absolutely great.” (A release, in Scientology lingo, is what happens when you complete one of the lower levels of coursework.) What was happening away from the cameras is difficult to know, in part because Gaiman has avoided talking about it, changing the subject whenever an interviewer, or a friend, brings it up. But it seems unlikely that he would have been spared the disciplinary measures inflicted on adults and children as a standard practice at that time. According to someone who knew the Gaimans, David and Sheila did apply Scientology’s methods at home. When Neil was around the age of the child in The Ocean at the End of the Lane, the person said, David took him up to the bathtub, ran a cold bath, and “drowned him to the point where Neil was screaming for air.”

As a teenager, Neil worked for the Church of Scientology for three years as an auditor, a minister of the church who conducts a process some have likened to hypnosis. One former member of the church who worked with Gaiman’s parents and was audited by Gaiman recalls him as precocious and ambitious. It was unusual for a teenager to have completed such a high level of training, he tells me. But the Gaimans were like “royalty,” he says. In 1981, David was promoted to lead the Guardian’s Office, making him one of the most powerful people in the church. But the same year, he fell from grace. A new generation of Scientologists, led by David Miscavige, who eventually succeeded Hubbard as the church’s leader, had Hubbard’s ear, and David was “caught in that grinder,” as his former colleague puts it. A document declaring David a “Suppressive person” was released a few years later. It accused him of a range of offenses, including sexual misconduct. David, the document claims, put on a “front” of being “mild mannered and quite sociable,” adding that his actions “belie this.” His greatest offense, it seemed, was hubris. “Gaiman required others to look up to him instead of to Source,” it reads, referring to Hubbard.

In the ’80s, David was sent off to a sort of rehabilitation camp. It was around this time that Gaiman set out to make a living as a writer. Charming and strategic, he used the contacts he developed as a journalist to break into the business of genre writing, endearing himself to the giants of that world at the time: Douglas Adams, Arthur C. Clarke, Clive Barker, Terry Pratchett, Alan Moore. “When I was young, I had unbelievable chutzpah,” Gaiman says in the documentary Neil Gaiman: Dream Dangerously. “The kind of monstrous self-certainty that you only get normally in people who then go on to conquer half the civilized world.”

Gaiman and Palmer met in 2008, when she was 32 and he was 47. Both were at a turning point in their lives and careers. Gaiman was in the midst of finalizing a divorce from his first wife, with whom he had three children, and on the verge of breaking into Hollywood (nine of his works have been turned into movies or TV shows); Palmer was in a fight with her record label that would culminate in a split. Palmer had a collection of photos of herself posing as a murdered corpse and wanted Gaiman to write captions to go along with the pictures. Gaiman liked the idea, and the two met to work on the project, a book tied to her first solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer. As Palmer described in The Art of Asking, they were not attracted to each other at first. “I thought he looked like a baggy-eyed, grumpy old man, and he thought I looked like a chubby little boy.”

Gaiman was the first to propose a romantic relationship. In an interview, he later said, “I got together with her because I couldn’t ever imagine being bored.” Palmer could. Ever since she’d gotten her start as a street busker, painting her face white and standing on a crate in Harvard Square dressed as a silent eight-foot-tall bride, she prided herself on a low-rent, bohemian lifestyle, couch-surfing when she toured, playing random shows in the living rooms of her fans. She had no savings and didn’t own a car, real estate, or kitchen appliances. Gaiman owned multiple houses. He was too rich, too famous, too British, too awkward, too old. And they didn’t have great sexual chemistry. But he appeared to be kind and stable, a family man, and they shared a dark, fantastical aesthetic. She also felt a little sorry for him. He seemed lonely, in spite of his fame, and Palmer found herself hoping that she could help him. “He’d believed for a long time, deep down, that people didn’t actually fall in love,” she wrote in her book. “‘But that’s impossible,’” she told him. He’d written stories and scenes of people in love. “‘That’s the whole point, darling,’ he said. ‘Writers make things up.’”

They wed in 2011 in the Berkeley home of their friends Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, the novelists. Their union had a multiplying effect on their fame and stature, drawing each out of their respective domains of cult stardom and into the airy realm of tech-funded virality. They became darlings of the TED talk circuit and regulars at Jeff Bezos’s ultrasecret Campfire retreat. Gaiman introduced Palmer to Twitter, which he had used to become fantasy’s most beloved author of 140-character bons mots. Palmer, in turn, leaned into her growing reputation as a crowdfunding genius. Online, they flirted, went after each other’s critics, and praised each other’s progressive politics. In an interview with Out magazine in 2012, Palmer said that the main “other” relationship in both of their lives was with their fans: “Sometimes when I’m with Neil, and go to the other room to Twitter with my followers, it feels like sneaking off for a quick shag.”

This wasn’t strictly a metaphor. During the early years of their marriage, they lived apart for months at a time and encouraged each other to have affairs. According to conversations with five of Palmer’s closest friends, the most important rule governing their open relationship was honesty. They found that sharing the details of their extramarital dalliances — and sometimes sharing the same partners — brought them closer together.

In 2012, Palmer met a 20-year-old fan, who has asked to be referred to as Rachel, at a Dresden Dolls concert. After one of Palmer’s next shows, the women had sex. The morning after, Palmer snapped a few semi-naked pictures of Rachel and asked if she could send one to Gaiman. She and Palmer slept together a few more times, but then Palmer seemed to lose interest in sex with her. Some six months after they met, Palmer introduced Rachel to Gaiman online, telling Rachel, “He’ll love you.” The two struck up a correspondence that quickly turned sexual, and Gaiman invited her to his house in Wisconsin. As she packed for the trip, she asked Palmer over email if she had any advice for pleasing Gaiman in bed. Palmer joked in response, “i think the fun is finding out on your own.” With Gaiman, Rachel says there was never a “blatant rupture of consent” but that he was always pressing her to do things that hurt and scared her. Looking back, she feels Palmer gave her to him “like a toy.”

For Gaiman and Palmer, these were happy years. With his editing help, she wrote The Art of Asking. They toured together. And when Palmer was offered a residency at Bard College, Gaiman tagged along to give some talks, then ended up receiving an offer to join the faculty as a professor of the arts. After they’d been together for a few years, Palmer began asking Gaiman to tell her more about his childhood in Scientology. But he seemed unable to string more than a few sentences together. When she encouraged him to continue, he would curl up on the bed into a fetal position and cry. He refused to see a therapist. Instead, he sat down to write a short story that kept getting longer until it had turned into a novel. Although the child at the center of the story in many ways remains opaque, Palmer felt he had never been so open. He dedicated the book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, “to Amanda, who wanted to know.”

In 2014, the cracks in Gaiman and Palmer’s marriage began to show to those around them. While they were at Bard, they decided to buy a house upstate. Palmer would have preferred to live in New York City, but Gaiman liked the woods. Eventually, he picked a sprawling estate set on 80 acres in Woodstock. It was Gaiman’s money, a friend who accompanied them on the house hunt says, “and he was going to have the say.”

Later that year, Palmer got pregnant. She and Gaiman were spending more time at home together and talked about slowing down and devoting their attention to their marriage. She wanted to close the relationship, and he agreed. But when she was eight months pregnant, Gaiman came to her with a problem: He had slept with a fan in her early 20s, taking her virginity. Now, Gaiman told her, the girl was “going crazy.” He promised to change, and they met with a couples counselor. Gaiman was prone to panic attacks and had never been in treatment. “Amanda was shocked at how traumatized Neil was, given his public persona and the guy she thought she’d married,” a person close to them says.

One of the people in whom Palmer confided about her marital issues at the time was Caroline Wallner, a potter who, along with her builder husband, Phillip, had been living on the Woodstock property and working as a caretaker. Gaiman had made them an offer that seemed too good to be true. They would build an addition on one of the cabins on the land at Gaiman’s expense, and in exchange, Gaiman would sell them a five-acre parcel, allowing them to put up a barn-style home to share with their three daughters. They tended to the garden, ran errands for guests, and rehabilitated the buildings, which needed plumbing and electrical work.

At lunch one day, Palmer told Wallner she hated living in the woods and was disturbed by what she was learning about her husband. “‘You have no idea the twisted, dark things that go on in that man’s head,’” Wallner recalls Palmer saying. Palmer said she wished her marriage were more like Wallner and Phillip’s, but their marriage of 11 years was falling apart, too. In 2017, Phillip moved out of their house. Wallner, 54, spent her days in bed crying and drinking. She stopped eating and, for the most part, stopped working. It was then that Gaiman began paying attention to her. He would bring juices up to her cabin and fret that she was losing too much weight. The first time he touched her, in December 2018, she was sitting on his couch next to him, crying from exhaustion. Gaiman told her, “You need a hug.” She stood and he hugged her, then slid his hands down her pants and into her underwear and squeezed her butt. She does not recall saying or doing anything in response. “I was stunned,” she says.

Over the next two years, they had a series of sexual encounters, always when Palmer was away. When Gaiman wasn’t around, they occasionally engaged in phone sex. At first Wallner, who hadn’t been with anyone since Phillip left, went along willingly. But at the end of their second encounter, she remembers asking Gaiman what Palmer would think about their romance: “He said, ‘Caroline, there is no romance.’” After that, she tried to keep her distance from him, darting away when she saw him on the estate. He was difficult to avoid. He kept an egg incubator in Wallner’s cabin and would come down and check on it, entering without texting first. On one of these visits, he found her crying by the fireplace. He walked over to her, stuck his thumb in her mouth, and twisted her nipples. She told Gaiman the arrangement was making her “feel bad.” She recalls him replying, “I don’t want you to feel bad.” But nothing changed. Wallner had no income at the time and was borrowing money from her sister to get by. She worried that if she didn’t appease Gaiman, he’d kick her out of her house and then she and her three daughters would have nowhere to go. “‘I like our trade,’” she remembers him saying. “‘You take care of me, and I’ll take care of you.’”

Sometimes she would babysit. Once, Wallner and the boy, then 4, fell asleep reading stories in Gaiman and Palmer’s bed. Wallner woke up when Gaiman returned home. He got into bed with his son in the middle, then reached across the child to grab Wallner’s hand and put it on his penis. She says she jumped out of the bed. “He didn’t have boundaries,” Wallner says. “I remember thinking that there was something really wrong with him.”

In April 2021, Gaiman informed Wallner that the land he’d promised her was no longer available. That summer, she stopped responding to his attempts to engage in phone sex and Gaiman increased the pressure on her to leave his property. One night in December 2021, Gaiman’s business manager, Terry Bird, called Wallner and offered her $5,000 to move immediately if she’d sign a 16-page NDA agreeing to never discuss anything about her experience with Gaiman or Palmer or to take legal action against Gaiman. Wallner recalls saying to Bird, “What am I going to do with $5,000? I need therapy. This is maybe $300,000.” Looking back, she says she didn’t know how she came up with that number, but Gaiman agreed to it, and she signed. (Gaiman’s representatives say Wallner initiated the sexual encounters and deny that he engaged in any sexual activity with her in the presence of his son.)

Two months later, Pavlovich arrived on Waiheke. By then, Palmer and Gaiman were divorcing. According to Palmer’s friends, she asked for a divorce after Rachel called to tell her that she and Gaiman were still having sexual contact, long past the point when Palmer thought their relationship had ended. She was hurt but unsurprised. “I find it all very boring,” she later wrote to Rachel, who recalls the exchange. “Just the lack of self-knowledge and the lack of interest in self-knowledge.” In late 2021, Palmer found out about Wallner, too. “I remember her saying, ‘That poor woman,’” recalls Lance Horne, a musician and friend of Palmer’s in whom she confided at the time. “‘I can’t believe he did it again.’”

By the time she asked Pavlovich to babysit, Palmer was fed up with Gaiman’s behavior, but “she still had some faith in his decency,” a friend says. Still, she knew enough to warn Gaiman to stay away from their new babysitter. “I remember specifically her saying, ‘You could really hurt this person and break her; keep your hands off of her,’” the friend says. And Palmer still hoped, according to those close to her, that she and Gaiman would be able to negotiate a peaceful co-parenting arrangement. She found a school for their child and the two houses on Waiheke. “She was going to do her best to keep Neil as a presence for her son,” one friend says.

One evening, Palmer dropped Pavlovich and the child off with Gaiman and retreated back to her own place. Pavlovich was in the kitchen, tidying up, when he approached her from behind and pulled her to the sofa. “It all happened again so quickly,” Pavlovich says. Gaiman pushed down her pants and began to beat her with his belt. He then attempted to initiate anal sex without lubrication. “I screamed ‘no,’” Pavlovich says. Had Gaiman and Pavlovich been engaging in BDSM, this could conceivably have been part of a rape scene, a scenario sometimes described as consensual nonconsent. But that would have required careful negotiation in advance, which she says they had not done. After she said “no,” Gaiman backed off briefly and went into the kitchen. When he returned, he brought butter to use as lubricant. She continued to scream until Gaiman was finished. When it was over, he called her “slave” and ordered her to “clean him up.” She protested that it wasn’t hygienic. “He said, ‘Are you defying your master?’” she recalls. “I had to lick my own shit.”

Afterward, she got into the shower and tried to wash her mouth out with a bar of lavender soap. It had a grainy texture and tasted of metal, acid, and herbs. She noticed blood swirling down the drain. He hadn’t used a condom, and she worried she might have gotten an infection. She had a migraine, and her whole body ached. But she didn’t consider leaving. She’d hated herself her whole life, she tells me, “and when someone comes along and hates you as much as yourself, it is kind of a relief, without it always being consent.” She says she understands how Scientologists might have felt when they were sent to the Hole, a detention center where they were forced to lick the floor as punishment. She’d heard of how some would stay in the room even after they were allowed to leave. “People keep licking the floor in that horrible room,” she says.

The nights with Gaiman blurred together. There was the time she passed out from pain while Gaiman was having anal sex with her. He made her perform oral sex while his penis had urine on it. He ordered her to suck him off while he watched screeners for the first season of The Sandman. In one instance, he thrust his penis into Pavlovich’s mouth with such force that she vomited on him. Then he told her to eat the vomit off his lap and lick it up from the couch.

A week or so into Pavlovich’s time with the family, their son began to address her as “slave” and ordered Pavlovich to call him “master.” Gaiman seemed to find it amusing. Sometimes he’d say to his child, in an affable tone, “Now, now, Scarlett’s not a slave. No, you mustn’t.” One day, Pavlovich came into the living room when Gaiman and the boy were on the couch watching the children’s show Odd Squad. She joined them, sitting down next to the child. Gaiman put his arm around them both, reached into Pavlovich’s shirt, and fondled her breasts. She says he didn’t make any effort to hide what he was doing from the boy. Another time, during the day, he requested oral sex in the middle of the kitchen while the boy was awake and somewhere in the house. “He would never shut a door,” she says.

On February 19, 2022, Gaiman and his son spent the night at a hotel in Auckland, which they sometimes did for fun. Gaiman asked Pavlovich if she could come by and watch the child for an hour so he could get a massage. It was a small room — one double bed, a television, and a bathroom. When he returned, Gaiman and the boy ate dinner, takeout from a nearby delicatessen. Afterward, Gaiman wanted to watch a movie, but the child wanted to play with the iPad. The boy sat against the wall by the picture window overlooking the city, facing the bed. Pavlovich perched on the edge of the mattress; Gaiman got onto the bed and pulled her so she was on her back. He lifted the covers up over them. She tried to signal to him with her eyes that he should stop. She mouthed, “What the fuck are you doing?” She didn’t want the child to overhear what she was saying. Gaiman ignored her. He rolled her onto her side, took off his pants, pulled off her skirt, and began to have sex with her from behind while continuing to speak with his son. “‘You should really get off the iPad,’” she recalls him saying. Pavlovich, in a state of shock, buried her head in the pillow. After about five minutes, Gaiman got up and walked to the bathroom, half-naked. He urinated on his hand and then returned to Pavlovich, frozen on the bed, and told her to “lick it off.” He went back to the bathroom, naked from the waist down. “Before you leave,” he told Pavlovich, “you have to finish your job.” She went to the bathroom, and he pushed her to her knees. The door was open. (Gaiman’s representatives say these allegations are “false, not to mention, deplorable.”)

February 26, 2022: In Gaiman’s bed after he left for Edinburgh. March 8, 2022: After telling Palmer about her ­experience with Gaiman. Photo: Courtesy of Scarlett Pavlovich.

Ten days after Gaiman left New Zealand, Pavlovich went to Palmer’s house for dinner. She asked Palmer if she could tell her something in confidence and made her promise not to tell Gaiman. She begged for reassurance that she would still keep her job as the child’s nanny. Palmer assured Pavlovich her employment was not in danger. Sitting in the kitchen, Pavlovich told Palmer that Gaiman had made a pass at her. She told Palmer about the bath. “I didn’t have any choice in the matter,” she said. “He just did it.” She said he had been having sex with her ever since. She withheld some of the most brutal details and did not describe her experience as sexual assault; she didn’t yet see it that way.

Palmer did not appear to be surprised. “Fourteen women have come to me about this,” she said. She mentioned that Gaiman had slept with another babysitter during his first marriage, and that she’d heard from other women who were disturbed by their experiences with him. Pavlovich waited until the end to tell Palmer about the child being present in Auckland. Afterward, she recalled, Palmer was silent. She appeared shocked. Palmer insisted that Pavlovich spend the night in her guest room. She told her, “I’ve had to do this before, and I can do this again. I will take care of you.” Pavlovich lay down in the bed and heard Palmer pacing back and forth in her room upstairs until 3 a.m.

Palmer called Gaiman that night. According to Horne, the musician, she asked Gaiman whether their son had been wearing headphones while he and Pavlovich were in the hotel room. He replied “no,” then hung up. The following day, Palmer emailed Gaiman and their couples counselor, a man named Wayne Muller, a minister and “a sort of marital companion,” as he put it to me. According to Muller, who relayed the contents of the email to me, Palmer wrote that Gaiman needed psychiatric treatment and had finally agreed to seek it. “Everyone was trying to make the best of what was clearly a difficult situation,” Muller tells me. Palmer then flew to Edinburgh, where Gaiman was staying with their son, whom she collected. Meanwhile, Pavlovich received a text from Gaiman: “Amanda tells me that you are having a rough time and you are really upset with me about what we did. I feel awful about this. Would you like to talk about it? Is there anything I can do to make anything better?” Pavlovich didn’t respond immediately. “My reflex was to fix the situation,” she tells me. The next day, she wrote, “Hey. We’ll speak soon … hope you are doing good.”

In the days and weeks after Pavlovich’s revelation, Palmer was solicitous, checking in frequently over text and sending warm notes: “From the minute you entwined your fate with mine on ponsonby road i’ve been glad i met you. That is tenfold so now.” She helped Pavlovich find a temporary apartment and invited her over for meals. In late March, Palmer sent a message to a friend of Pavlovich’s, a 41-year-old ceramicist named Misma Anaru, in whom Pavlovich had confided about Gaiman. “I’m glad she had you to take care of her,” she wrote. “It’s been a rough month for everyone.” Anaru’s partner, Kris Taylor, was a doctor of psychology who had lectured at the University of Auckland on coercion, consent, and rape. Although Pavlovich had never used the words rape or sexual assault to describe what had happened to her, both Anaru and Taylor believed Gaiman had raped her repeatedly. Anaru felt Palmer bore a share of the blame. Replying to Palmer, she wrote that “the majority of my rage is directed at Neil.” But she couldn’t understand why, with all Palmer knew about Gaiman, she had sent Scarlett into that situation. “Did you not see this coming a mile away?” She added, “And yes I know you asked him not to do that to her, but honestly, the fact you even felt that was something you should ask is fucked up in ways that defy comprehension.”

Around the same time, Pavlovich followed up with Gaiman. “I had a very intense dream about you last night,” she wrote. “Are you doing okay?” In his reply, he made a reference to something that had happened two weeks earlier. In a session with Muller, Palmer had said that Pavlovich was telling people he had raped her and was planning to “Me Too” him. “I wanted to kill myself,” he wrote. “But I’m getting through it a day at a time, and it’s been two weeks now and I’m still here. Fragile but not great.” He expressed dismay at Anaru’s message, which Palmer had told him about. “I’m a monster in it,” he wrote, “and Amanda seems to have bought it hook line and sinker.” Apologizing for “bringing any upset” into Pavlovich’s life, he wrote, “I thought that we were a good thing and a very consensual thing indeed.”

Pavlovich remembers her palms sweating, hot coils in her stomach. She was terrified of upsetting Gaiman. “I was disconnected from everybody else at that point in my life,” she tells me. She rushed to reassure him. “It was consensual (and wonderful)!” she wrote. Anaru had been “triggered by something I think,” she added.

“I am so glad that you messaged me,” Gaiman wrote. “I thought you were a monster.”

Gaiman asked Pavlovich to speak with Muller. “Knowing that you would be prepared to say, ‘It’s not true, it was consensual, he’s not a monster,’ makes me a lot more grounded,” he wrote. Muller reached out to Pavlovich to offer a “safe harbor.” When they spoke on the phone, Pavlovich told Muller what Gaiman, who was paying for the session, had asked her to say. After listening to Muller’s “esoteric, spiritual claptrap,” she felt worse. “I really felt it was all my fault.” Muller, for his part, tells me that ethical boundaries prevent him from sharing anything about his sessions with Gaiman, but he apparently felt comfortable sharing details of his conversation with Pavlovich. “What she called to speak with me about was feeling pressured — from very diverse, mostly older women in her community — to take action that she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable taking. I accompanied her on a journey to help her figure out the answers for herself to that issue.”

In the weeks that followed, Muller connected Gaiman with the Austen Riggs Center, a psychiatric facility in Massachusetts. According to Muller, Gaiman had several preliminary phone calls with the facility and was considering entering a six-week inpatient evaluation process. But Gaiman never followed through. “I don’t remember why not,” Muller says.

Pavlovich grew suicidal. She hoarded zopiclone and aspirin and walked around the city surveying bridges. She decided she’d take the pills and told Palmer about her plan. At Palmer’s urging, she checked into an emergency room. “You are loved,” Palmer texted. After a few days in a respite center, feeling slightly better, Pavlovich reached out to Palmer to ask if she could resume working as the child’s nanny. The apartment Palmer had set her up with was temporary, and she needed a place to stay. “It would be really good for me I think to have something to do and people to be around,” she wrote. Palmer argued that it was not the time for her to take on the responsibility of caring for a child. “Your job is to care for you,” she replied. She proposed they get together when Pavlovich got out, promising to help her get back on her feet, and suggested in the meantime she go home to her parents. This infuriated Pavlovich. “There is a reason I have divorced my parents,” she wrote. “I’m starting to feel very much on my own and like I hate everyone.”

“I can’t offer you exactly what you want from me,” Palmer wrote, “but i can still be here. remember this.”

“Babe I am more alone than I’ve ever been in my life,” Pavlovich replied. She wished she’d never agreed to be their nanny: “If I hadn’t gotten on that first ferry I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

That night, Pavlovich texted Gaiman. “Amanda keeps saying she will help but it seems more philosophical rather than actually like she will help.” Two minutes later, she added, “I’ve been thinking of you so much.” Gaiman replied that he’d be happy to help in a tangible way. Pavlovich then received an NDA dated to the first night of her employment, when he had suggested she take a bath. She signed it. A month later, she received a bank transfer from Gaiman: $1,700 for her babysitting work. Two months after that, she received the first of nine payments totaling about $9,200.

Over the course of the year, Pavlovich’s perspective changed. “As he faded away, I began to let other voices in,” she says. Friends connected her with women who were experienced in dealing with sexual assault and abuse, including Zelda Perkins, a former assistant of Harvey Weinstein’s and an advocate for ending the “misuse of NDAs to buy women’s silence.” (Wallner and Pavlovich broke their NDAs when they spoke out about Gaiman.) These women encouraged her to go to the police.

In January 2023, Pavlovich filed a police report accusing Gaiman of sexual assault. At the station, she gave a formal interview about the case. After she told the officers her story, one of them told her that Palmer’s cooperation would be essential for the case to move forward. Pavlovich assured them Palmer would participate. “I said to them, ‘She’s a public feminist, and she knows what happened. She’ll want to protect me. I’m sure she’ll speak.’”

May 16, 2022: From a video message to Pavlovich. January 20, 2023: A text to Pavlovich after she filed a police report. Photo: Courtesy of Scarlett Pavlovich.

This past fall, Pavlovich began studying for a degree in English literature at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. As it happens, the university had awarded Gaiman an honorary degree in 2016. In December, Pavlovich approached the head of the university, Dame Sally Mapstone, to share her experience and ask the university to review the decision to honor Gaiman. Mapstone was sympathetic but indecisive; some on the board, she told Pavlovich, would likely want evidence of prosecution to rescind his degree. As far as the police report goes, the “matter has been closed,” a spokesperson says. Gaiman’s career, meanwhile, has been marginally affected. A few pending adaptations of his novels and comics have been put on hold or canceled. But the second season of The Sandman is set to premiere on Netflix this year, as is Anansi Boys on Amazon Prime. (Amazon did not return a request for comment.) He and Palmer are entering the fifth year of an ugly divorce and custody battle. Gaiman has “bled her dry” in the divorce proceedings, according to someone close to her. She’s moved back in with her parents in Massachusetts. (Gaiman’s representatives alleged that Palmer was a “major force” driving this story in light of their contentious divorce.)

In December, Pavlovich flew to Atlanta to meet some of the other women who had made accusations against Gaiman. They had been unaware of one another’s existence until they’d heard the podcast. Since then, they had formed a WhatsApp group and grown close. “It’s been like meeting survivors of the same cult,” Stout tells me. “It’s impossible to understand unless you were there.” On New Year’s Eve, Pavlovich, Stout, and Wallner gathered around a bonfire at the Athens home of the musician Michael Stipe, an old friend of Wallner’s. Kendall joined them on FaceTime. With their dark hair and delicate features, they looked like they could be sisters. Around 11 p.m., they wrote down their intentions for the year and cast the scraps of paper into the fire. Pavlovich had written that she wanted to “release the yoke of victimhood” and “invite in self-acceptance.” The next morning, she woke before the others, made coffee, cleaned the kitchen, and sat on the porch in the winter sun. “Am I happy?” she wrote in her journal. “No.” But she also noted that she wasn’t alone. “There is no need to feel abandoned anymore.”

[souhaillaghchimdev]

How to Build Software Projects for Beginners

Building software projects is one of the best ways to learn programming and gain practical experience. Whether you want to enhance your resume or simply enjoy coding, starting your own project can be incredibly rewarding. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started.

1. Choose Your Project Idea

Select a project that interests you and is appropriate for your skill level. Here are some ideas:

To-do list application

Personal blog or portfolio website

Weather app using a public API

Simple game (like Tic-Tac-Toe)

2. Define the Scope

Outline what features you want in your project. Start small and focus on the minimum viable product (MVP) — the simplest version of your idea that is still functional. You can always add more features later!

3. Choose the Right Tools and Technologies

Based on your project, choose the appropriate programming languages, frameworks, and tools:

Web Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, or Django

Mobile Development: Flutter, React Native, or native languages (Java/Kotlin for Android, Swift for iOS)

Game Development: Unity (C#), Godot (GDScript), or Pygame (Python)

4. Set Up Your Development Environment

Install the necessary software and tools:

Code editor (e.g., Visual Studio Code, Atom, or Sublime Text)

Version control (e.g., Git and GitHub for collaboration and backup)

Frameworks and libraries (install via package managers like npm, pip, or gems)

5. Break Down the Project into Tasks

Divide your project into smaller, manageable tasks. Create a to-do list or use project management tools like Trello or Asana to keep track of your progress.

6. Start Coding!

Begin with the core functionality of your project. Don’t worry about perfection at this stage. Focus on getting your code to work, and remember to:

Write clean, readable code

Test your code frequently

Commit your changes regularly using Git

7. Test and Debug

Once you have a working version, thoroughly test it. Look for bugs and fix any issues you encounter. Testing ensures your software functions correctly and provides a better user experience.

8. Seek Feedback

Share your project with friends, family, or online communities. Feedback can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improvement. Consider platforms like GitHub to showcase your work and get input from other developers.

9. Iterate and Improve

Based on feedback, make improvements and add new features. Software development is an iterative process, so don’t hesitate to refine your project continuously.

10. Document Your Work

Write documentation for your project. Include instructions on how to set it up, use it, and contribute. Good documentation helps others understand your project and can attract potential collaborators.

Conclusion

Building software projects is a fantastic way to learn and grow as a developer. Follow these steps, stay persistent, and enjoy the process. Remember, every project is a learning experience that will enhance your skills and confidence!

[dubaiwebsitedesignss]

Which Is A Better Website Development Option – WordPress Or HTML/CSS/JS?

When you want a web design UAE, then you must know the best platform on which to base your website on. The choice becomes difficult when you know practically nothing, which means you are a novice here. Someone suggests WordPress website design and someone suggests HTML/CSS/JS and now you are totally confused.

But relax there will be no confusion once the air is cleared and you know the differences and pros and cons about the two. So gear up now for it.

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is just about one of the easiest ways to design a website on. It gives the users the benefit of creating, managing and modifying any website content from the post of an admin. It means there is easy access. It is created and designed so that it is very user-friendly. You need no knowledge of coding to get going on it.

This is the reason why more than 30% of all websites designed and hosted on the internet are done so using WordPress. But here you must take note that there are two types of WordPress website development. They are:

WordPress.org — It is an open source content management system wherein you can download the software to avail of the numerous themes and plugins that come free. If you are innovative and creative, then this is the one for you.

WordPress.com — This is a self-hosted edition of WordPress. It is very easy to use but you have to make do with some limitations. If you have no objections here, then you can go ahead with it.

The Pros Of WordPress

There are many pros here that could lead you to it. They are:

WordPress website development is one of the easiest and smoothest ways that you can begin with while web development Dubai. Here you need no technical knowledge or ideas. It is so convenient that a website can be designed in just 5 minutes which is very little and inexpensive at all. You can easily manage your daily routine tasks of maintaining your website. Here you can create, update pages and contents, customize the appearance and manage and improvise the SEO.

You can easily customize by adding various free plugins and themes that already exist. The plugins are very strong and numerous in number. There is a lot to choose from. You can increase the efficiency of your site by using the plugins.

It is continually evolving because of its open source nature. Any person can mend issues that are troubling it. Another liberty you get here is that you can make your own personal plugins. The website can be designed very quickly.

This may be one reason why some Web Development Dubai Companies, prefer to use WordPress.

What Is HTML/CSS/JS?

HTML is the shortened version of Hyper-Text Markup Language where tags are employed to classify various components on a website. And HTML is never used alone. It is used in a combination with CSS and JS or JavaScript. HTML gives the fundamental structure of the website and the enhancement is done by CSS and JS.

CSS gives an appealing look to the website and takes control of the layout of the content. It is formatted before showcasing to consumers.

JavaScript makes the website synergistic. It also controls the behavioural pattern of the content components when used by users.

But remember that HTML and CSS are programming languages, rather they speak about the structure of the content and gives information on its style. But JavaScript is a programming language that is based on logic.

The Pros Of HTML/CSS/JS

There are many pros associated with this way of developing a website which again is used as a way of Web Development in Dubai. They are:

HTML is a static site and thus requires very little backup. You only need a backup when you make certain changes to your site. You even do need many updates. So less time can be invested for these.

You are the commanding authority when using HTML. Access and modifications to your website are easier than WordPress in fact. So it becomes more flexible when you want to incorporate certain new features or extras ones.

Very few resources are tapped while using HTML. It easily runs on cheap servers, unlike WordPress.

How To Choose The Optimum Way Of Designing Websites?

Now that you know a little about both the methods and their pros, you are in a much better position to choose your own way of web development Dubai.

When you do not need to regularly update or change your site or add up additional content, then HTML/CSS/JS is the better option. But for the growth of a business website where regular alterations and additions are required, then WordPress is the choice.

WordPress has very little expenditure as it can be maintained by you without technical skills. So it is low on maintenance also. You can always keep on creating different content and extra pages whenever the need arises. So it all depends on what your purpose is and what method you want to apply while creating a website.

WordPress is very fast and more secure than HTML. And since no coding language is required by WordPress, it becomes a more preferred choice by millions of consumers who are always more comfortable with cheap and low maintenance products. This is one reason why Web Design in UAE is mostly being done by WordPress.

Conclusion

But again you must mind the limitations of both the methods of designing websites. WordPress is perfect for light and personal information sharing. But if you want a business website designed, then it is always advisable to use HTML/CSS/JS to get the job done properly. Then you also you should get in touch with professionals for the job.

[izicodes]

woah! just saw your bio change to software engineer. how did you transition? is it any different than web dev?

i also went on a TikTok rabbit hole and people are saying it’s useless to learn html/css and it’s not an actual language. honestly idk why I thought it would be easy to learn html > css > javascript > angular > react and somehow land a good paying job…

it’s gonna take YEARS for me to have a career, i feel old… especially with no degree

Hiya! 🩶

This is a long reply so I answered your question in sections below! But in the end, I hope this helps you! 🙆🏾‍♀️

🔮 "How did you transition?"

So, yeah my old job title was "Junior Web Developer" at a finance firm, and now my new title is "Frontend Software Engineer"! In terms of transition, I didn't make too much of a change.

After I quit my old job, I focused more on Frontend technologies that were relevant, so I focused on React.js and Node.js. I used YouTube, books, and Codeacademy. My first React project was >> this Froggie project <<~! Working on real-life projects such as the volunteering job I did (only for a month) where they used the technologies I was learning. So basically I did this:

decides to learn react and node 🤷🏾‍♀️

"oh wait let me find some volunteering job for developers where they use the tech I am learning so I can gain some real-life experience 🤔"

experienced developers in the team helped me with other technologies such as UI tools, and some testing experience 🙆🏾‍♀️

I did the volunteering work for both fun and learning with experienced developers and... I was bored and wanted to feel productive again... 😅

So for transitioning, I focused on learning the new technologies I wanted to work in and got some work experience (though it was volunteering) to back up if I can work in an environment with the tech. I still live with my family so I could do the volunteering job and have time to self-study whilst being okay financially (though I was tight with money haha) 😅👍🏾

🔮 "Is it any different than web dev?"

The old job was focused on using C# and SQL (including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript but fairly small) to make the websites, they were fairly basic websites for clients to use just to navigate their information needed. They weren't fancy cool web design because they didn't need to be, which was what made me bored of the job and wanted a change.

I am only a week into the job and have been working on small tickets (features for the site), but I think after a month or two into the job I will make a proper judgment on the difference~! So far, it's kind of the same thing I did in my old job but with new workflow tools, React-based projects, and funny people to work with 😅🙌🏾

🔮 "People are saying it’s useless to learn HTML/CSS and it’s not an actual language."

Yes HTML is a markup language and CSS is a stylesheet but they are the foundation of like 90% of the websites on the internet, I wouldn't ever call them "useless". Frameworks such as React, Django, Flask, etc still require HTML and CSS code to make the website's structure and styling. CSS frameworks like Tailwind and Bootstrap 5 still use CSS as their base/foundation. Not useless at all.

Don't focus on what other people are doing and focus on your own learning. I repeat this all the time on my blog. Just because one or a couple people online said one technology is useless doesn't mean it is (this is applied to most things in tech). Someone told me jQuery was entirely useless and no bother learning it - I did it anyway and it helped me better understand JavaScript. Anyhoo, try things YOURSELF before listening to what people say - make your own judgment. Not going to let a random Tech bro online whine about how annoying Python or C or whatever is to ruin my want to learn something. (This is all coming from a girl who loves web development very much's point of view :D)

🔮 "I thought it would be easy to learn html > css > javascript > angular > react and somehow land a good paying job"

Web Dev route, I love it! That's literally the same steps I would have taken if I had to start again~! For each new tech you learn, make a bunch of projects to 1) prove to yourself that you can apply what you've learned 2) experience 3) fill that portfolio~! 😎🙌🏾

With Angular and React, I would pick one or the other and focus on being really good at it before learning another framework!

I also recommend volunteering jobs, freelancing, helping a small business out with free/paid m

Lastly, you do not need a degree to get a job in Web Development. I mean look at me? My apprenticeship certificate is the same value as finishing school at 18, so in the UK it would be A-Levels, and I completed it at the ripe age of 21! I have no degree, I applied for university and got a place but I will give that space up for someone else, I'm not ready for university just yet! haha... (plus erm it's expensive at the end, what? even for the UK...). Sure, I used to avoid the job postings that were like "You need a computer science degree" but now if I were job searching I would apply regardless.

People switching careers in their 40s going into tech instead are making it, you can switch anytime in your lifetime if you have the means to! (everyone's situation is different I understand).

I'm not too good at giving advice but I hope in the rambling I made some sense? But yeah that's all! 😎

[not-toivo]

So, a month ago I finally got a job as a frontend dev, so, hooray,🥳, I now get to enjoy ✨Vue✨ and ✨Nuxt✨ 5 days a week and get paid for that. But since I've been unemployed for a very long time, this sudden change means that I'm even more tired to learn new things in my spare time, and also that there isn't much spare time now. I haven't posted much here before and so it seems I'm unlikely to be more active here in the future. Sad.

I did, though, try to read the 1st book on the list from the website Teach Yourself Computer Science, the one called Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (the reason for me to do that is because I don't have any STEM background, and, I guess, if I want to continue a career in a sphere rapidly encroached by AI, it's good to have some fundamental knowledge). I read about a ⅕ of the book, finally understood what it means for Haskell to be called a "lazy" language, but the exercises at the end of the chapters are too hard and math-heavy for me. Also, sad.

The book uses a programming language from the LISP family, called Scheme. I thought I could get by by installing Clojure instead, but that journey ended with the VS Code extension for Clojure, called Calva slowing down and then completely corrupting (?) WSL connection, so that I had then to reinstall my WSL "instance". (Yes, I use Windows, because I'm not a programmer). Which is sad, because the extension looked good and feature-heavy, it just couldn't function well in WSL environment for some reason…

After that, I installed Racket (another LISP) on the freshly reinstalled WSL distro, but then I couldn't pick up the book again and continue learning for, like, a week and a half, which is where I am at now. (Racket allows to define arbitrary syntax/semantics for the compiler, which in turn allows developers to create new domain specific languages distributed simply as Racket packages, with one of those packages being the dialect of Scheme used by SICP, the book mentioned earlier).

There is also the PureScript book, Functional Programming Made Easier by Charles Scalfani, which I'm unlikely to finish ever. The language is neat (it's very similar to Haskell, but compiles to JavaScript), but a bit overcomplicated for a simple goal of making interfaces. I do think, however, that I might try learning Elm at some point: the amount of time I've spent at work, trying to understand, why and at what point the state of some component mutated in a Nuxt app is, honestly, impressive, and I want to try something built around the idea of immutability.

[aiwikiweb]

5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Divi AI for Your Website Projects

Divi AI comes packed with features to help you build beautiful websites quickly. Here are some tips to maximize the potential of Divi AI and create stunning websites that stand out.

Tip 1: Use AI to Generate Layouts Instantly

Explanation: Let Divi AI create entire website layouts based on your prompts. This is perfect for getting a head start on new projects, saving you hours in design work.

Tip 2: Define Your Brand’s Styles for Consistent Designs

Explanation: Set your brand’s colors and fonts in Divi AI to ensure every layout it generates is on-brand and cohesive, reducing the need for manual adjustments.

Tip 3: Automate Content Writing with AI

Explanation: Use the AI-powered writing tool to generate engaging content for your web pages, such as headlines, paragraphs, and calls to action, without worrying about writer’s block.

Tip 4: Modify Images with AI for a Perfect Fit

Explanation: Use Divi AI to generate custom images or modify existing ones to match your website's visual style, saving time on photo editing.

Tip 5: Generate Custom Code for Advanced Features

Explanation: Add advanced features like animations or interactive elements by using Divi AI to write custom HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, making your website stand out without extensive coding knowledge.

Enhance your website projects with these Divi AI tips. Start building visually stunning and functional sites today with ease!

[ranidspace]

"I cant switch to firefox because..."

"It's too much effort to switch"

If you install firefox, it will ask if you want to import your browsing history, bookmarks, saved passwords*, and in a as of october of this year your extensions as well.

*dont use your browsers built in password manager. they're very much not as secure, even firefox's. read about passwords here

You can't import cookies for security reasons, but external tools can do that for you (try to avoid this. if you do have some data you need moved over, usually websites have their own "export data as file" option)

Everything else that you may need to fully complete the switch will come up naturally over time, the initial setup can be half an hour, or if you're happy with how it is at the start, less than 5 minutes.

"They don't support [website]"

Firefox is entirely up to date on current HTML, CSS, and Javascript standards. Theres a bunch of websites that compare all the features that firefox supports compared to chrome and stuff and they're often just, wrong? I've used some MANY of the features that firefox supposedly doesn't support. Plus they're constantly updating it for added support of new and old features. anything they refuse to add is due to security reasons, and nobody uses those features anyway.

In my experience i've never had to switch to chrome to avoid a website breaking. Sometimes it was because of an extension* but thats a very easy fix. Firefox has profiles built in and really good troubleshooting features.

*(stop using privacy badger/possum, please, it's built into firefox now, most of all privacy addons are completely useless because firefox already does it for you!!! ublock is safe tho i love u bbg)

If a site tells you "switch to chrome to see this site as intended" they're lying, and you can use a user agent switcher to trick them into thinking you're on chrome

"i need chrome for work or school"

i'd say 4 times out of 5 you don't, they say you have to use it but in reality it's just that they have better control over what you can do with it.

My high school had a shit ton of extensions automatically installed on chrome, including some shit that was literally spyware, it reported to teachers and staff all of your tabs you have open at any given time, and they could force shutoff tabs and force things open. They had absolutely no control or ability to monitor me when i switched to firefox, and there werent any problems that arose from it.

You can also just use chrome for school/work and use firefox for your personal web browser. separate your work life and personal life, you can do this with two different firefox profiles as well.

"I don't like change"

The only thing that's different about firefox in a day to day usage is the bar at the top, which is entirely customizable. Right click, customize toolbar, and you can mess around with it to make it the same layout as chrome. you can also get rid of those weird empty spaces to the left of the search bar they add by default for some reason. mozilla pls fix. You can further use themes to make it even look even more similar to chrome, I did that with my school profile to differentiate them.

When I switched, there wasn't anything I missed, I didn't have any of the "ugh i dont like how [blank] is in a different spot", or "ugh they dont have [this]". it just worked. It's a web browser, it works and does everything it needs to be. I didn't miss chrome at all, nothing felt different and the adjustment period to the new browser was LESS than what i felt when chrome updated the design in 2018.

"I have no reason to switch"

If you care about privacy at all (which you should), i could list hundreds of reasons why you should switch. Google removed "don't be evil" from their code of conduct for god sake lmao. Every new change they do is a ploy to get as much data from you and feed you as many ads as possible.

The dumping of Manifest V2/dynamic filtering not only makes most adblockers useless, it makes any sort of content blocking worse. Blocking trackers, malware, intrusive and annoying website features, these are things ublock does for you which chrome is doing its best to get you to stop doing. They want you to be exposed to predatory ads and malware so they can get more money.

If you have issues with ram usage and performance issues, firefox includes a lot of (lesser known) features to monitor RAM and CPU usage. While it seems as it may use more RAM, it automatically releases it when more ram is needed by other programs, effectively using less. It also uses much less ram in total in cases where there's 10+ tabs open.

Firefox can automatically block sites from auto-playing videos whenever you go on them

As mentioned firefox has so many more customization features than chrome, allowing you theme and move around everything to your hearts content

While on desktop, Chrome and Firefox are very close in functionality, on mobile, Firefox is working to add full extension support to mobile, it already has a small catalogue of extensions you can use, such as uBlock Origin. It has all of the desktop privacy features as well.

Firefox, only has about 3% of the market share. Other than that, chromium controls over 70% of all browsers, with apple controlling over 20%. The less people use firefox, the more control TWO companies have on the very act of using the internet. The Mozilla Foundation is a fully non-profit organization, with full ownership over the mozilla corporation, they don't have shareholders, and prioritize an open, safe, and private internet. Don't let them die.

"but what about..."

there's probably other reasons but the last of my advice:

you can have multiple browsers at once, install firefox and don't get rid of chrome. try firefox, see if there's anything you don't like, and try to fix it, and whenever you feel the need to, you can go back to the browser you already had.

[mansab-hashim]

Top 10 Front-End Frameworks and Libraries for 2024

As the web development landscape continues to evolve, staying updated with the latest front-end frameworks and libraries is crucial for any developer. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, knowing which tools to use can significantly impact your productivity and the quality of your projects. In this post, we’ll explore the top 10 front-end frameworks and libraries that are set to dominate in 2024.

1. React

React remains one of the most popular front-end libraries, known for its simplicity and flexibility.

Key Features of React

Component-Based Architecture: Reusable components make development efficient and manageable.

Virtual DOM: Enhances performance by minimizing direct DOM manipulation.

Strong Community Support: A vast ecosystem of tools, libraries, and tutorials.

2. Angular

Angular, backed by Google, is a powerful framework for building dynamic single-page applications (SPAs).

Why Choose Angular?

Two-Way Data Binding: Synchronizes data between the model and the view.

Dependency Injection: Improves code maintainability and testability.

Comprehensive Documentation: Extensive resources for learning and troubleshooting.

3. Vue.js

Vue.js has gained popularity due to its gentle learning curve and versatility.

Advantages of Vue.js

Reactive Data Binding: Simplifies state management.

Single-File Components: Encapsulate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in one file.

Flexibility: Can be used for both large-scale and small-scale applications.

4. Svelte

Svelte is a relatively new player that compiles components into highly efficient vanilla JavaScript at build time.

Svelte’s Standout Features

No Virtual DOM: Directly manipulates the DOM for better performance.

Less Boilerplate: Cleaner code with minimal overhead.

Ease of Use: Intuitive and straightforward syntax.

5. Bootstrap

Bootstrap is a front-end framework that provides pre-designed components and a responsive grid system.

Benefits of Using Bootstrap

Responsive Design: Ensures your site looks great on all devices.

Pre-Styled Components: Saves time with ready-to-use UI elements.

Customizable: Easily customize with Sass variables and Bootstrap’s extensive options.

6. Tailwind CSS

Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework that allows for rapid UI development.

Tailwind CSS Features

Utility-First Approach: Use utility classes directly in your HTML.

Customizable: Extensive configuration options to suit your project’s needs.

Consistency: Enforces a consistent design language across your project.

7. Ember.js

Ember.js is a robust framework for building ambitious web applications.

Why Ember.js Stands Out

Convention over Configuration: Reduces the amount of decision-making and boilerplate code.

Strong Routing: Powerful routing capabilities for managing application state.

Productivity: Focuses on developer productivity with built-in best practices.

8. Alpine.js

Alpine.js offers a minimal and lightweight way to add interactivity to your websites.

Key Features of Alpine.js

Lightweight: Small footprint with only a few kilobytes.

Declarative Syntax: Similar to Vue.js, making it easy to understand and implement.

Ease of Integration: Can be easily integrated into existing projects.

9. Next.js

Next.js is a popular React framework that enables server-side rendering and static site generation.

Benefits of Using Next.js

Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Improves performance and SEO by rendering pages on the server.

Static Site Generation (SSG): Pre-renders pages at build time for fast load times.

API Routes: Allows you to create API endpoints within your application.

10. Lit

Lit is a simple library for building fast, lightweight web components.

Advantages of Lit

Web Components: Embraces the web components standard for reusable, encapsulated HTML elements.

Performance: Lightweight and highly performant.

Simple API: Easy to learn and use with a minimal API surface.

Conclusion

Choosing the right front-end framework or library can significantly impact your workflow and the quality of your projects. Whether you prefer the flexibility of React, the structure of Angular, or the simplicity of Svelte, there's a tool out there to suit your needs.

Final Tips for Selecting a Framework or Library

Project Requirements: Consider the specific needs of your project.

Community and Support: Look for frameworks with strong community support and documentation.

Learning Curve: Choose a tool that matches your current skill level and the time you have available to learn.

By staying informed about the latest tools and trends, you can ensure that your skills remain relevant and that you can deliver the best possible results in your projects. Happy coding!

Remember, the best tool is the one that helps you get the job done efficiently and effectively. So, dive into these frameworks and libraries, and take your front-end development skills to the next level!

Share Your Thoughts

I'm curious to know your thoughts on these front-end frameworks and libraries. Have you used any of them in your projects? Which one is your favorite, and why? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below.👇

[mercyjuliet1512]

Unleashing the Potential of Selenium Automation: An In-Depth Exploration

Introduction: In the dynamic realm of software development, efficiency and reliability are non-negotiable. With the proliferation of web applications, the demand for robust testing solutions has reached new heights. Enter Selenium – a versatile open-source test automation framework that has transformed the landscape of software testing. In this comprehensive exploration, we'll delve into the multitude of advantages offered by Selenium automation and delve deeper into why it has become the preferred choice for testers and developers worldwide.

1. Seamless Cross-Browser Compatibility: Selenium automation stands out for its seamless cross-browser compatibility feature. Testers can effortlessly execute tests across various web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. This ensures uniform performance across different platforms, minimizing compatibility issues and enhancing user experience.

2. Platform Flexibility and Independence: A standout feature of Selenium automation is its platform flexibility and independence. Tests crafted with Selenium can be run on diverse operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This versatility empowers teams to conduct testing on their preferred platforms, fostering collaboration and efficiency.

3. Multilingual Support for Enhanced Productivity: Selenium offers support for multiple programming languages including Java, Python, C#, and JavaScript. This multilingual support enables testers to write automation scripts in their language of choice, maximizing productivity and leveraging existing programming expertise.

4. Promoting Reusability and Ease of Maintenance: Selenium promotes code reusability and ease of maintenance through modular test design and adoption of design patterns like the Page Object Model (POM). By breaking down tests into smaller, reusable components, testers can streamline maintenance efforts and enhance scalability.

5. Accelerating Regression Testing Processes: Automation with Selenium significantly accelerates regression testing, allowing testers to detect and rectify bugs early in the development cycle. Seamless integration with continuous integration (CI) pipelines enables automatic execution of test suites, ensuring software stability and quality.

6. Comprehensive Test Coverage for Robust Applications: Selenium enables testers to achieve comprehensive test coverage by automating repetitive scenarios, edge cases, and boundary conditions. This meticulous testing ensures thorough validation of application functionality and user interactions, resulting in more robust software products.

7. Scalability and Parallel Execution Efficiency: Selenium facilitates parallel execution of tests across multiple browsers and environments, enabling teams to scale automation efforts effectively. By distributing test execution across different machines or virtual environments, testers can expedite the testing process and achieve faster feedback cycles.

8. Streamlined Integration with CI/CD Pipelines: Seamless integration with continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines enables automated testing as an integral part of the software delivery process. Automated build verification tests (BVTs) and regression tests ensure software stability, facilitating faster and more frequent deployments.

Conclusion: In conclusion, Selenium automation offers a plethora of advantages that empower testers to streamline testing efforts, enhance software quality, and expedite the development lifecycle. From cross-browser compatibility and platform independence to scalability and CI/CD pipeline integration, Selenium has redefined software testing in the modern era. By harnessing the power of Selenium, organizations can achieve faster releases, superior software quality, and heightened customer satisfaction, gaining a competitive edge in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

[lunarsilkscreen]

JavaScript Frameworks

Step 1) Polyfill

Most JS frameworks started from a need to create polyfills. A Polyfill is a js script that add features to JavaScript that you expect to be standard across all web browsers. Before the modern era; browsers lacked standardization for many different features between HTML/JS/and CSS (and still do a bit if you're on the bleeding edge of the W3 standards)

Polyfill was how you ensured certain functions were available AND worked the same between browsers.

JQuery is an early Polyfill tool with a lot of extra features added that makes JS quicker and easier to type, and is still in use in most every website to date. This is the core standard of frameworks these days, but many are unhappy with it due to performance reasons AND because plain JS has incorporated many features that were once unique to JQuery.

JQuery still edges out, because of the very small amount of typing used to write a JQuery app vs plain JS; which saves on time and bandwidth for small-scale applications.

Many other frameworks even use JQuery as a base library.

Step 2) Encapsulated DOM

Storing data on an element Node starts becoming an issue when you're dealing with multiple elements simultaneously, and need to store data as close as possible to the DOMNode you just grabbed from your HTML, and probably don't want to have to search for it again.

Encapsulation allows you to store your data in an object right next to your element so they're not so far apart.

HTML added the "data-attributes" feature, but that's more of "loading off the hard drive instead of the Memory" situation, where it's convenient, but slow if you need to do it multiple times.

Encapsulation also allows for promise style coding, and functional coding. I forgot the exact terminology used,but it's where your scripting is designed around calling many different functions back-to-back instead of manipulating variables and doing loops manually.

Step 3) Optimization

Many frameworks do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to caching frequently used DOM calls, among other data tools, DOM traversal, and provides standardization for commonly used programming patterns so that you don't have to learn a new one Everytime you join a new project. (you will still have to learn a new one if you join a new project.)

These optimizations are to reduce reflowing/redrawing the page, and to reduce the plain JS calls that are performance reductive. A lot of these optimatizations done, however, I would suspect should just be built into the core JS engine.

(Yes I know it's vanilla JS, I don't know why plain is synonymous with Vanilla, but it feels weird to use vanilla instead of plain.)

Step 4) Custom Element and component development

This was a tool to put XML tags or custom HTML tags on Page that used specific rules to create controls that weren't inherent to the HTML standard. It also helped linked multiple input and other data components together so that the data is centrally located and easy to send from page to page or page to server.

Step 5) Back-end development

This actually started with frameworks like PHP, ASP, JSP, and eventually resulted in Node.JS. these were ways to dynamically generate a webpage on the server in order to host it to the user. (I have not seen a truly dynamic webpage to this day, however, and I suspect a lot of the optimization work is actually being lost simply by programmers being over reliant on frameworks doing the work for them. I have made this mistake. That's how I know.)

The backend then becomes disjointed from front-end development because of the multitude of different languages, hence Node.JS. which creates a way to do server-side scripting in the same JavaScript that front-end developers were more familiar with.

React.JS and Angular 2.0 are more of back end frameworks used to generate dynamic web-page without relying on the User environment to perform secure transactions.

Step 6) use "Framework" as a catch-all while meaning none of these;

Polyfill isn't really needed as much anymore unless your target demographic is an impoverished nation using hack-ware and windows 95 PCs. (And even then, they could possible install Linux which can use modern lightweight browsers...)

Encapsulation is still needed, as well as libraries that perform commonly used calculations and tasks, I would argue that libraries aren't going anywhere. I would also argue that some frameworks are just bloat ware.

One Framework I was researching ( I won't name names here) was simply a remapping of commands from a Canvas Context to an encapsulated element, and nothing more. There was literally more comments than code. And by more comments, I mean several pages of documentation per 3 lines of code.

Custom Components go hand in hand with encapsulation, but I suspect that there's a bit more than is necessary with these pieces of frameworks, especially on the front end. Tho... If it saves a lot of repetition, who am I to complain?

Back-end development is where things get hairy, everything communicates through HTTP and on the front end the AJAX interface. On the back end? There's two ways data is given, either through a non-html returning web call, *or* through functions that do a lot of heavy lifting for you already.

Which obfuscates how the data is used.

But I haven't really found a bad use of either method. But again; I suspect many things about performance impacts that I can't prove. Specifically because the tools in use are already widely accepted and used.

But since I'm a lightweight reductionist when it comes to coding. (Except when I'm not because use-cases exist) I can't help but think most every framework work, both front-end and Back-end suffers from a lot of bloat.

And that bloat makes it hard to select which framework would be the match for the project you're working on. And because of that; you could find yourself at the tail end of a development cycle realizing; You're going to have to maintain this as is, in the exact wrong solution that does not fit the scope of the project in anyway.

Well. That's what junior developers are for anyway...

[xero-fox]

hi! sorry for the random ask, but I'm sending this to you because of your comment with that PWA guide for Android users from a couple months ago? I followed the instructions and it worked like a charm this entire time, except for just now! I opened up tumblr thru my PWA and lo and behold, tumblr live is back at the top of my dash and I don't know how or why! do you know how to get rid of this new instance?

Sorry for the late response!! Glad to know that guide helped some people (it's here for anyone who hasn't seen it).

If you just want to know the fix then I'll add the line down at the bottom so you can copy/paste, but seeing as you did ask why it came back I'm going to hijack your ask for an educational opportunity.

Webpages are structured using HTML (HyperText Markup Language). Examples of HTML elements are <h1>, used for the main heading of a page, <p>, used for paragraphs, and <div>, used for separating content into sections. A very basic webpage might be written like:

<html> <body> <h1>My Webpage</h1> <p>This is my webpage!</p> <p>This is my very first webpage.</p> <p>I hope you like it :)</p> </body> </html>

A webpage for sure, but a pretty ugly one, and it definitely doesn't have all sorts of cool funtionality like the tumblr site does. To make a webpage do cool stuff, we need to use JavaScript, and to make it look nice, we need to style it using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).

Let's have a go at some CSS! For example, what if I wanted to make all my paragraphs (the <p> elements) red? Let's see:

p { color: red; }

Awesome! But what if I just wanted, say, my first paragraph to be red? How would I do that? Luckily, in my HTML, I could give that first paragraph an id, and then I could use that id in the CSS, like so:

<p id="subtitle">This is my webpage!</p>

#subtitle { color: red; }

(Using a # symbol in the CSS tells it to look for an element with the id of subtitle).

Ok, but now let's say that I wanted to color my other paragraphs green. I could do something like this:

<p id="para1">This is my very first webpage.</p> <p id="para2">I hope you like it :)</p>

#para1, #para2 { color: green; }

And this would work! But it's pretty bulky to write, and that's only with 2 paragraphs! Imagine if I had 5, or 100!

Luckily, another feature we can use is classes. Classes work a bit like ids, but you can apply them to more than one element, so you can style a bunch of elements at once! Elements can also have more than one class, if they need to. Let's see:

<p class="green">This is my very first webpage.</p> <p class="green">I hope you like it :)</p>

.green { color: green; }

(Using a . symbol in the CSS tells it to look for elements with the class of green).

Ok, this is great and all, but what's it got to do with blocking the Tumblr live stuff? I'm now going to show you the line you need to add to your content blocker to remove the Tumblr Live element:

tumblr.com##.KDMTE.wQ2Ma

It looks a little different, but this is actually using CSS syntax! The first part tells our content blocker which site to apply the rule to, and the ## tells it that we're about to give a styling rule, but look at the bit after:

.KDMTE.wQ2Ma

We know what the .s mean - it's just specifying classes! This line is telling our content blocker to block any elements that have the classes "KDMTE" and "wQ2Ma", which are the classes given to the <div> element that contains all the Tumblr Live stuff.

Cool! But why did these classes change from before? And who calls a class something like "wQ2Ma" anyway????

The answer is that a human didn't name a class "wQ2Ma", a computer did. With large sites like Tumblr, it's very common to design the site using something called a framework. I'm not a professional web developer and have never really used frameworks personally, but the way I understand them is that it provides a kind of interface between the programmer and the low-level HTML code, which can speed up development a lot. However, it does mean that class names get kind of randomly generated, so you end up with stuff like "wQ2Ma". This is also why the class names have changed from before - when the latest update to the user interface was deployed, all of these class names would have been generated again, meaning the old blocking rules wouldn't work anymore.

So there you go! That's why Tumblr Live came back! Here's the line you need to add to your content blocker if you didn't want to read my whole spiel (I don't blame you lol):

tumblr.com##.KDMTE.wQ2Ma

[askzenixtechnologies]

Node.js Development Services: Building Fast, Scalable, and Modern Applications

In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses need applications that are not only powerful but also scalable and capable of delivering real-time performance. Node.js development services have gained significant traction for precisely these reasons. Known for its speed, flexibility, and event-driven architecture, Node.js is widely used to build modern web, mobile, and enterprise applications.

This article delves into what Node.js development services offer, the core benefits of this technology, its ideal use cases, and why partnering with a specialized Node.js development company is a smart move for businesses.

What Are Node.js Development Services?

Node.js development services involve the design, development, deployment, and maintenance of applications using Node.js — a highly efficient, open-source JavaScript runtime environment built on Google Chrome’s V8 engine. These services cover a range of solutions aimed at creating lightweight, high-performance, and scalable applications for diverse business needs.

Key offerings typically include:

Custom web and mobile application development

API development and integration

Real-time application development (chat, live collaboration tools, gaming apps)

Enterprise software solutions

E-commerce application development

Cloud-based and serverless applications

Plugin and module development

Application migration and modernization

Ongoing support and performance optimization

Why Choose Node.js for Application Development?

Node.js has emerged as a preferred choice for building next-generation applications due to its unique advantages:

1. Exceptional Speed and Performance

Powered by the Chrome V8 engine, Node.js converts JavaScript into highly efficient machine code, ensuring fast execution and responsive application performance.

2. Non-Blocking, Event-Driven Architecture

Node.js can handle numerous concurrent requests without blocking, making it perfect for applications that require real-time data processing and high concurrency.

3. Scalability for Growing Businesses

The lightweight, modular nature of Node.js allows applications to scale horizontally and vertically, accommodating growing user bases and feature expansions without performance issues.

4. Unified Codebase

Using JavaScript on both the client and server sides simplifies the development process, improves maintainability, and reduces development time.

5. Extensive Package Ecosystem

The Node Package Manager (NPM) hosts thousands of libraries and modules, enabling rapid development and easy integration of new functionalities.

6. Real-Time Application Support

Whether it’s messaging platforms, streaming services, or collaborative tools, Node.js efficiently handles real-time communication and data updates.

Common Use Cases for Node.js Development

Node.js is a versatile technology that supports a variety of application types, including:

Real-Time Chat and Collaboration Tools: Instant messaging, video conferencing, and live collaboration apps

Streaming Services: Media streaming applications for video, audio, and live broadcasts

Microservices Architecture: Distributed systems where applications are built from small, independently deployable services

E-Commerce Platforms: Fast, scalable online shopping experiences with dynamic content delivery

API Development for Mobile and Web Applications: Secure, efficient, and scalable APIs

Enterprise Applications: Large-scale business solutions with seamless real-time data handling

Advantages of Professional Node.js Development Services

Collaborating with a dedicated Node.js development team ensures:

Customized, Business-Aligned Solutions: Applications tailored to your unique operational and market requirements

Faster Development and Deployment: Agile workflows and reusable modules accelerate project delivery

High Scalability and Performance: Applications built to handle increasing traffic and complex processes without performance drops

Robust Security Measures: Adherence to the latest security protocols and coding standards

Comprehensive Support: End-to-end services covering consulting, development, testing, deployment, and post-launch maintenance

Why Partner with a Node.js Development Company?

While Node.js is known for its flexibility, leveraging its full potential requires technical expertise and strategic implementation. A specialized Node.js development company offers:

Extensive experience in Node.js frameworks like Express.js, Koa, and NestJS

Proven delivery of scalable, high-performance applications for various industries

Expertise in API development, real-time systems, and microservices architecture

Access to skilled developers, UI/UX designers, and QA specialists

Agile project management ensuring transparency and adaptability

Working with a professional team guarantees optimized application performance, reduced operational costs, and future-ready digital solutions.

Final Thoughts

As businesses increasingly demand responsive, scalable, and real-time applications, Node.js development services have become indispensable. Its unmatched performance, modularity, and real-time processing capabilities make it an ideal choice for a wide range of applications — from dynamic e-commerce platforms to collaborative enterprise tools.

Partnering with an experienced Node.js development company ensures your application is designed with precision, built for scalability, and aligned with your long-term business goals. Whether you’re building a new platform or modernizing an existing one, Node.js offers the agility, power, and performance to help your business succeed in a digital-first world

[transcuratorsblog]

The Complete Timeline of a Web Development Project, Explained

Building a professional website or web application isn’t a one-week job. From planning and design to development and deployment, a successful project moves through multiple stages—each requiring time, collaboration, and precision.

Working with a Web Development Company helps streamline this timeline, but it’s still important for business owners and marketing teams to understand what happens behind the scenes. Whether you're launching a brand new website or rebuilding an existing one, here’s a complete breakdown of the typical web development project timeline.

1. Discovery & Requirement Gathering (1–2 Weeks)

Every successful project starts with a solid foundation. In this initial phase, the development team learns about your business, audience, goals, and technical needs. It includes:

Stakeholder interviews

Competitor research

Target audience analysis

Site goals and KPIs

Content inventory

You may also receive a project brief or proposal outlining the scope, budget, timeline, and deliverables.

2. Planning & Strategy (1 Week)

Once the goals are set, the agency maps out a strategy for execution. This involves:

Information architecture (sitemap planning)

Feature prioritization

Tech stack decisions (CMS, frameworks, integrations)

Timeline finalization

This is also when timelines are broken down into milestones and dependencies.

3. UX Wireframing & UI Design (2–3 Weeks)

Before development begins, the design team translates ideas into wireframes—basic layouts showing page structure and user flow. Once approved, they create high-fidelity UI designs, which reflect:

Brand identity and colour palette

Typography, buttons, and icon styles

Desktop and mobile responsiveness

You’ll typically review these designs through Figma or Adobe XD.

4. Front-End & Back-End Development (3–6 Weeks)

Once designs are locked, development begins. This is usually the most time-intensive phase and may include:

HTML/CSS/JavaScript coding for the front-end

Framework integration (React, Vue, Next.js, etc.)

Server-side logic, database setup, and CMS configuration

API development and third-party tool integration

Developers often work in sprints, especially for large projects.

5. Content Migration & SEO Optimization (1–2 Weeks)

If you're revamping an old website, content migration is a critical step. Even in new builds, SEO is baked in at this stage:

Migrating blog posts, media, and product pages

Adding meta tags, alt text, canonical URLs

URL mapping and redirection strategy

Page speed improvements and schema markup

Good agencies align this with SEO goals to prevent traffic loss post-launch.

6. Quality Assurance (QA) & Testing (1–2 Weeks)

Before going live, the site is tested across:

Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

Devices (desktop, mobile, tablet)

Screen sizes and resolutions

Functionality (forms, login, search, checkout, etc.)

Agencies also perform performance testing, accessibility audits, and security reviews at this stage.

7. Client Review & Final Revisions (1 Week)

Once QA is complete, the client is invited to review the staging site. This is your opportunity to:

Test the site internally

Flag any issues or edits

Ensure all content is accurate and brand-aligned

A final round of tweaks is made based on feedback before moving to deployment.

8. Deployment & Launch (1–3 Days)

When everything is greenlit, the website goes live. This involves:

DNS updates and domain pointing

Hosting configuration and SSL setup

Backend logins and access control

Real-time analytics and conversion tracking setup

A soft launch or phased rollout may be used to reduce risk.

9. Post-Launch Support & Maintenance (Ongoing)

Your relationship with the development team doesn’t end at launch. Ongoing services include:

Bug fixes and patch updates

CMS training and admin access

Plugin and theme updates

Security monitoring and backups

Performance optimization

Some companies also offer retainers for regular content updates or feature enhancements.

Conclusion

From discovery to deployment, a web development project can take anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks depending on complexity, content readiness, and collaboration speed. When planned properly, each phase builds on the last to deliver a site that performs, converts, and scales with your business.

Partnering with a Web Development Company ensures each stage is handled by experts—reducing delays, avoiding common pitfalls, and launching a product that aligns with your goals from day one.

[kamalkafir-blog]

Russian attacks on Ukraine continue as Odesa hit by drones – Europe live | Europe

Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Norway backs new 5% Nato defence spending target, prime minister says Speaking at the press conference, Jonas Gahr Støre declared Norway’s support for the 5% target proposed by Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte. In his opening statement, Støre explained the target is divided into 3.5% on “clblockic defence”…

[softvisioncorp]

How to Build a Website and Application from Scratch

In the modern digital landscape, a professionally crafted website or application is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity for businesses, brands, and startups alike. Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or managing a growing company, understanding how to build a website and application from the ground up can empower you to bring your ideas to life and reach a wider audience.

Define Your Goals and Requirements

Before you start designing or coding anything, it's critical to clearly define your objectives:

What is the purpose of the website/app?

Who is your target audience?

What features are necessary?

Will it be a static website, dynamic platform, or full-stack web app?

Pro Tip: Create wireframes or sketches of the user interface (UI) to visualize your idea.

2) Choose the Right Tech Stack

Depending on your project, select the technologies that suit your needs. Some popular stacks include:

Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (React, Vue, Angular)

Backend: Node.js, Python (Django), PHP, Ruby on Rails

Database: MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL

Mobile App: Flutter, React Native, Swift (iOS), Kotlin (Android)

Tip: For startups, using open-source tools or low-code platforms can reduce costs and time.

3) Register a Domain and Choose Hosting

Your domain name is your digital identity. Choose a name that reflects your brand, and register it through a reliable provider like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Google Domains.

For hosting, consider:

Shared Hosting for small websites

Cloud Hosting (like AWS, Azure, DigitalOcean) for scalable applications

4) Design the User Interface (UI/UX)

An intuitive, mobile-responsive design increases user engagement and conversions. Tools like Figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch can help you prototype the layout before development.

5) Begin Development: Frontend and Backend

Start with building the frontend using frameworks like React or Vue.

Develop the backend API to handle business logic, databases, and server interactions.

Ensure proper data validation, security, and error handling.

6) Integrate Features & APIs

Add features like:

User registration/login

Contact forms

Payment gateways (Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal)

Third-party APIs (Maps, SMS, etc.)

7) Test Thoroughly Before Launch Conduct:

Unit Testing (for individual components)

Integration Testing (for connected modules)

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to get feedback from real users

Tools: Jest, Selenium, Cypress, Postman

8) Launch and Monitor

Deploy your app/website using tools like:

CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins)

Monitoring tools (Google Analytics, Hotjar, Sentry)

Announce your launch across social media, email lists, and digital forums.

9) Market Your Product

Use SEO, content marketing, paid ads, and social media to promote your new platform. Don’t forget to collect user feedback and iterate.

Conclusion

Building a website or application Development from scratch may sound complex, but with the right plan, tools, and mindset, it becomes a structured process. Whether you choose to DIY or hire expert developers, understanding each phase helps ensure a smooth journey from idea to launch.