#Advanced Flow Controls Trading

[advancedflowcontrols]

Complete Guide to Water Meters for Commercial & Industrial Buildings in Abu Dhabi

In a metropolis like Abu Dhabi, where water management is the key to sustainability and operational efficiency, the right water meter system is now more crucial than ever. Whether you are running a commercial complex, factory, or an industrial plant, precise water measurement can be used to manage costs, maintain compliance, and enable enhanced resource planning.

At Advanced Flow Controls Trading – LLC, we are experts in offering high-quality water flow meters and Woltman water meters specifically designed for industrial and commercial applications. Here, we will guide you through the major types of water meters, their uses, and why buying from reputable water meter suppliers in UAE is a must for optimum performance in the long run.

What is a Water Meter?

A water meter is a piece of equipment that measures the amount of water consumed in commercial, residential, or industrial facilities. It serves an important purpose in:

Billing and usage tracking

Detecting leaks

Conserving water

Compliance with legislation and regulations

When it comes to industrial or commercial buildings in Abu Dhabi, an appropriate water meter is not merely a measuring tool—it's an intelligent investment in efficiency.

Types of Water Meters for Industrial & Commercial Use

There are several water meter types suited for commercial environments. Here are the most common:

1. Mechanical Water Meters

These are traditional meters that use mechanical components to measure water flow. They are cost-effective and suitable for applications with steady water quality.

2. Woltman Water Meter

The Woltman water meter is suitable for high-flowing water volumes that are common in industrial premises. With its strong turbine mechanism, it measures with great accuracy and low loss of pressure—suitable for the large-scale use in commerce.

Important Features:

High precision in large pipes

Resistant to deposits and corrosion

Long-lasting service

At Advanced Flow Controls Trading – LLC, we provide different models of the Woltman water meters designed to withstand UAE's climate and usage trends.

3. Electromagnetic Water Meters

These are not mechanical meters that work well in water with solid particles or chemicals. They provide high accuracy and digital monitoring but are typically more costly.

Why Water Meter Accuracy Is Important

Inaccurate measurements can result in:

Overpayment or under-billing

Wastage of resources

Conflicts with regulatory authorities or utility companies

Selecting meters that are tested and certified for UAE standards guarantees compliance and peace of mind. All water meters supplied by Advanced Flow Controls Trading – LLC are certified and comply with international standards of performance.

Installation & Maintenance Considerations

Correct installation is as crucial as the meter quality. Faulty readings result in most cases due to incorrect installation or neglect of regular maintenance.

What to Guarantee:

Accurate sizing and calibration

Installation in clean pipeline sections

Regular inspections for scaling, rust, or wear

End-to-end services from consultation and supply to installation and post-installation maintenance support are provided by Advanced Flow Controls.

Reliable Water Meter Suppliers in UAE

If you're looking for water meter suppliers in UAE, it's essential to collaborate with skilled providers who provide:

Extensive product range

Technical skills

Local service support

At Advanced Flow Controls Trading – LLC, we have more than 30 years of experience in the industry, providing quality water metering solutions to customers throughout Abu Dhabi and the UAE. Our proven track record as a reliable water meter supplier results from consistent quality, customer satisfaction, and product reliability.

Water Meter Applications in Abu Dhabi

Our water meters are used extensively in:

Shopping malls & commercial complexes

Industrial manufacturing units

Residential buildings

Irrigation systems

Utility networks

In both instances, precise measurement of water results in improved management, minimized losses, and enhanced sustainability practices.

Why Advanced Flow Controls Trading – LLC?

Top-of-the-line models and brands

ISO-certified solutions

Local availability & quick delivery throughout UAE

Experienced technical support & field services

Special solution for special building needs

With our strong footprint in Abu Dhabi and customer-first approach, we’ve become the preferred supplier for commercial and industrial water meter solutions in the region.

Final Thoughts

Water meters are more than a regulatory requirement—they are strategic tools for smarter water usage, cost control, and system performance. As commercial and industrial buildings in Abu Dhabi continue to expand, the need for reliable water flow meter solutions becomes more critical.

Trust Advanced Flow Controls Trading – LLC, one of the most trusted water meter suppliers in UAE, to supply your facility with meters that provide accuracy, efficiency, and long-term value.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Mission Control 20

Warnings: non/dubcon, violence, blood, stalking, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Captain Hydra

Summary: a man marches into your life on a mission

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

Your pain recedes as you focus on what needs to be done. You let the soldier cling to you and lead him out of the room, away from the scent and sight of his victim. What startles you more than the scene is that you don’t feel anything but relief. That man, whoever he was, could have done the same to you. 

You enter the bathroom and face him. His head hangs forward, his eyes hooded and heavy, his shoulders sloped in exhaustion. You limp around him and tug free the bottom of his shirt. Blood smears onto your hands as you strip away the layer. 

His face is red with the same stain. You help him undress. As you grab his belt, he winces, and looks down. There’s his knife and a gun, and small leather pockets containing other hidden tools.  

“It’s alright.” You assure him. He shouldn’t be afraid. You won’t hurt him. Or maybe he thinks you’d hurt yourself. Foolishly, you don’t have that resolve. 

He lets you continue. You pile the layers by the door. You pant through the pain in your foot and shoulder. You turn on the faucet and guide him into the tub. Before you can draw away, he catches your arm and looks to the water lapping around his feet. 

You shake your head, “I’ll get clean soon. You first.” 

He squeezes then lets go. You search the wooden cabinet and find a cloth. You reach to dip it in the water then bring it to his face. You lean heavily on the porcelain to take the weight off your foot. You wipe away the crimson across his forehead and brow. You work slowly down his face. He breathes in long slow intakes, letting them out softly. 

He leans back against the tub as he surrenders to your tendings. You stop the faucet to drain the dirty water and refill it around him. You go trade the cloth for a clean one and return to him. He catches your hand in his. 

He tugs the washcloth from your grasp. He sits up and wets it by his leg. He moves his hand up your arm and presses the warm fabric to your shoulder. You groan and hiss but let him do it. He drags it across the gash as the dried blood chips away with the friction. He tilts his head as his forehead lines with concern. 

You put your hand on his and still it. “Will you wait?” 

He grips the cloth then reclines once more. You lower his arm down carefully then retreat. You go to the bedroom and retrieve the tin box, dented and scratched, just like everything else. You bring it with you and balance it by the sink. 

You take some gauze and the alcohol spray. You go to him and frown at his left hand. You nod, “I’m not sure what to do. That needs to come out.” 

He raises his hand and shows the broken bone sticking out by his thumb. Some time amid the chaos, it embedded itself in his flesh. He pinches the end and, without feeling, dislodges it. The sudden swell of blood makes you nauseous. 

He reaches for you and grabs your wrist. He tugs you closer and directs you silently to press the gauze to the break in his skin. You squeeze tightly against the flow and shudder.  

He lets you go after a time and you return to the kit. He snaps his fingers and you flinch. You look back at him as he stares at you intently. His eyes flick to the box. You lift the whole thing and bring it to him. 

He sits up and reaches for it. You hold it open and he sifts around. He takes the alcohol spray and beckons you. You kneel on the floor as he reaches over the porcelain. 

He sprays across your chest and shoulder. You whine and he stops, eyes wide. You gulp and nod, “it’s fine. It needs to be done.” 

He bites down so his jaw squares and continues. He wipes away the grime and sweat and blood. He takes out tubes and uncaps it. You stare at it but can’t watch as he applies it to your split skin. He pinches the edges together. It’s some sort of glue. He reseals the cuts and drops the tube in the box again.  

You back up to look in the mirror. You can see the tortured lines but the skin is taut and firmly held. Still, you move carefully. He grunts as you put down the kit. 

You return to him. He wants you to get in. You can just tell. Or maybe you’re breaking. Maybe you just want to believe you can understand him. You look down at your foot. 

“I can’t,” you say. “I’ll wash after, when I can keep my foot dry.” 

He looks at you tersely. His neck tenses and you steel your nerves. 

“You still need to get clean,” you insist and grab the cloth from the water. You stand and add soap to it. You look down at him. “Relax, okay?” 

He stares at you. His eyes sparkle with confusion. Wait. They didn’t have that light before. They never gleamed or glimmer or shone. They were always dull. But you see something. 

You lather the cloth and bend to scrub his shoulders. His chest rises and falls visibly. He lays back as you wash him. When you drag the cloth to his sternum, he clutches it again, this time moving it over his heart. You feel it pound. 

He surprises you as he grabs you with his other hand. Right around the back of the neck. You gasp as he pulls you down. His lips crush to yours as you squeak. 

You’re terrified by the suddenness but that same fear keeps you from fighting. You don’t want to escalate. It wouldn’t be smart to rile him any more than he already is. 

He kisses you hungrily, his tongue smushes into your lips until you open for him. It’s as if he means to devour you. Finally, he releases you and you pull back breathless. You stare at him as he stares back. He puts his fingertips to his mouth and hums hoarsely. 

You go back to washing him. To keep yourself busy, in hopes it will ward him off from any further whims. The adrenaline trickles away as fatigue creeps through you. You need to finish before you crash back to reality. 

[q8qwertyuiop8p]

I have a question.

What was Silco's objective? I understand that it was to intimidate Piltover without the need for a war and having their power removed from the underground city.

If this was so, why don't we see him mobilize in his plan to scare those above? Zaun's plot is advanced by Jinx's rash actions rather than by Silco's.

Was he waiting for a “moment”? Most argue that Silco became almost the same as those at the top when he assumed power, caring more for himself than for the nation of Zaun itself.

I don't agree with the last part, I feel like it disagrees with the character I remember from the first season. I guess I'll have to see it again.

The way I intetpreted it, Silco's objective is for the Undercity to have the same respect and opportunity as those above, rather than their chances snuffed out by Piltover's boot from the beginning. He believes that the only way this can be achieved is through severing ties with Piltover by any means necessary. Unlike Jinx he definitely does not desire vengeance like some say, but he is willing to destroy Piltover if that's what it comes to.

Silco and Vander tried fighting Piltover but the Zaunites were outmatched and massacred. So Silco knows that the Undercity is too weak on its own- but as we see with the cat and rat in the first episode, shimmer can give the weaker opponent the edge it needs to flip the tables. The issue is that shimmer is still in it's experimental stages and unbeknownst to Silco, Piltover is experimenting with hextech at the same time.

It takes time for him to settle down as Zaun's leader, build shimmer factories, produce shimmer, and create weapons. Then Piltover creates the atlas gauntlets and hexgates, and controls the flow of goods, once again giving them the edge before Zaun even has the chance to use shimmer against it.

We see in episode eight that the chemtanks are more than enough to destroy the enforcers, but it's too late. Piltover already has hex weapons that weren't even designed as weapons yet can decimate the chembarons, even when brandished by inexperienced fighters like Jayce. Jayce knows this too, and tells Silco that his people don't have a chance against topside, and he is probably right. Silco isn't willing to take the risk fighting against a superior enemy again because he already tried that in his youth and failed. If it weren't for the surprise invention of hextech that no one saw coming, the undercity would 100% be free by now. Even still, Silco never stopped trying to find ways to best Piltover, like Jinx's weapon and possibly Warwick.

I agree 100% with how you feel about the last part. Silco did not become like the councilors, the chembarons did. People just assume that because Silco works with them he must be like them, which is untrue. Silco shows obvious disdain towards them during the meeting because he senses their greed.

The chembarons tend to stay in the upper levels of Zaun, where things are brighter, the air is cleaner, and they can even grow many plant species. They also indulge in elaborate body modifications and worry more about saving their own skin (Finn wanting more trade, Smeech wanting to betray Jinx) than anything else

Compare this to Silco, who stays in the lower levels of Zaun and works in a modest office within the Last Drop, tolerating the noise for his employees. He doesn't have tattoos or prosthetics or fancy accessories, just presentable clothes he needs for meetings. He talks to Jinx and the chembarons, not about his own needs, but about his vision for Zaun's future.

Yes there are parallels between Silco and the council, such as how they view their citizens as expendable, but where were these people when Silco talked about how Finn had forgotten the cause? Or how he he has been softened by his decadent lifestyle? Or how, unlike Silco, the chembarons were so distanced from their people's suffering that they no longer had resistance to the grey?

If Silco cared more about himself than Zaun, he would not have fought tooth and claw for it, even when hextech came and all hope seemed lost. He definitely would not have been willing to give up shimmer, the source of his empire's revenue, in return for freedom. If he only cared for himself, he would have accepted the council seat Jayce offered and moved to Piltover for a better life.

[blueiscoool]

Archaeologists Find Roman Centurions' Letters in Ancient Animal Cemetery in Egypt

Discovered among the graves of hundreds of cats, dogs and monkeys, the correspondence was likely written by centurions in the first century.

An ancient pet cemetery in Egypt is becoming a gold mine for rare Roman history. Alongside its carefully constructed graves of more than 200 beloved cats, dogs and monkeys, archaeologists have now found letters handwritten 1,900 years ago by Roman centurions stationed nearby.

Though Rome controlled Egypt for centuries—from the year 30 to the mid-600s—few Roman sites still exist in the region, lead researcher Marta Osypińska, an archaeologist at Poland’s University of Wrocław’s Institute of Archaeology, tells Science in Poland’s Ewelina Krajczyńska. The burial ground, which dates back to the first and second centuries, is located in Berenike, a Red Sea port in southern Egypt built by Roman Emperor Tiberius.

Osypińska’s team first discovered the cemetery in 2011, and they’ve been slowly excavating it since then. Among the burials of cats, dogs and exotic monkeys, researchers have found ceramics, Roman coins and now, several letters written on papyrus by military officers who commanded units of Roman legions.

According to a statement by the University of Wrocław, these “priceless sources of knowledge about the ancient inhabitants of Berenike” are from the era of Emperor Nero, a cruel Roman ruler of the mid-first century. During his reign, Berenike was a hub of cross-continental trade, through which goods from India, Arabia and East Africa flowed, Osypińska says in the statement. The port was home to regional merchants, Roman higher-ups in charge of trading and—as historians have long suspected but never before proven—a unit of the Roman military.

The newly-found correspondence contains several names of presumed Roman centurions: Haosus, Lucinius and Petronius. In one letter, Petronius asks Lucinius, who is stationed in Berenike, about the prices of some exclusive goods, Osypińska tells Science in Poland. Petronius writes that he’s sending money via “dromedarius,” a unit of Roman soldiers traveling on camels, and tells Lucinius to provide the soldiers with veal and tentpoles.

Researchers believe ancient Romans likely kept the papyri in a nearby office which was later destroyed, accidentally distributing its contents over the pet cemetery, as McClatchy’s Aspen Pflughoeft writes. Excavators found the papyrus in rolled fragments, which they showed to Rodney Asta, an expert of ancient inscriptions, who pieced together a page approximately one and a half feet long and a foot wide, Osypińska tells Science in Poland. Among the animal graves, researchers have found countless ostracons—pieces of pottery etched with writing—but the papyri are the first paper texts to be found on-site.

The letters are the latest evidence of advanced Roman trade to be found in the cemetery, per the statement: The skeletons of several buried monkeys, recently identified as macaques native to India, show that Romans imported non-utilitarian animals across oceans. These primates, along with long-haired cats and miniature dogs, were “elite pets,” and many were buried with toys, ceramics or other animal companions.

As Osypińska notes in the statement, it may seem difficult to reconcile the image of commanders of an ancient foreign legion with such animals, which were “treated as family members.”

“However, our findings unequivocally show that the military elite surrounded themselves with elite pets and led an exclusive lifestyle,” she adds.

By Sonja Anderson.

[broncoburro]

MEUR TYPES: A PRIMER

Meur (or magic) is a natural force in Vestur. Since the invention of the Andimeur Synthesizer (a device that converts it into a form usable by man), Vestur’s aristocracy has continually found new uses for it. From homes heated by red meur to nutritionally dense food aided by green meur, the Tri-Kingdom has gained the distinction of most scientifically advanced country in the known world.

Children in Vestur sometimes play a clapping game that goes as such:

“Green’s for the beans on my supper plate, Blue’s for the clean water enjoyed while I ate, Red warms my toes when there’s snow on the ground, Yellow’s how a Southern fellow steers his ship around, And if he crashes it upon the shore The Architect alone will decide his score: Black, White, Black, White, Black, White, Black If the man is slack, it’s the work of Black If he avoids the light-- Then thank goodness, it’s White!”

Like all good children’s songs, it ends in giggles about dying a horrible death. But it effectively teaches every child in the Tri-Kingdom about what each of the six meur types, or colors are, and their most common use cases.

Green meur affects the botanical world. While plants cannot be summoned into existence through green meur alone, it can be used to grow plants in conditions that shouldn’t be able to foster them. It may also alter their growth trajectory or physical properties. Almost none the of the plants grown in the Northern Kingdom could survive the nutrient-poor, hard soil without green meur. Specializing in green meur may sound tame or perhaps boring at first (and green meur users are stereotyped as such), but bring domesticated thorny vine seeds onto the battlefield and a competent green meur user will be sending barbed tendrils through an enemy’s torso in seconds.

Blue meur pertains to water. The ability to command water’s flow has several use cases in itself: powering water wheels, irrigation for agriculture, maintenance of sewerways. But this meur type takes on new complexities when you consider water’s other states. Ice can be easily weaponized, and some innovative meur scientists have been doing research into engines powered by steam. Even more mysterious, it seems water’s omnipresence on earth has lent blue meur some properties related to the flow of time. There’s more to blue meur than is currently understood.

Red meur is pure energy in the form of heat. When wielded by man, It’s most commonly seen as fire. Heat is useful for everything from keeping a forge running to warming air in houses. Red meur is (sadly) not a free energy buffet though, and has some major downsides: it’s inherently tiring and energy-intensive on the user. In addition, fine control is difficult. Red meur users have something of a reputation for being none too bright, but many of said users would rebuff this with “easy to use, difficult to master”.

Yellow meur affects air. It’s mainly used to influence wind direction and speed, leading to some of the fastest trade ships in the known world. As a result, yellow meur is an eclectic choice for anyone to specialize in besides Southerners. The current use cases are narrow... but this might be more due to lack of interest in the field than anything else. Who knows, perhaps some sort of yellow meur related discovery is around the corner....?

Green, blue, red, and yellow are the standard meur colors. Upwards of 95% of Vestur's nobility have their specialty in these four. There are two less common meur types though, and they have a lot of mythologizing around them, as well as being less understood.

White meur is usually described by laymen as “the healing one”. Say that to any white practitioner and watch him start pulling his hair out in frustration and screeching through gritted teeth, “its so much deeper than that!”. Those who use white meur must, in addition to finishing standard meur education at Vestur Royal Military Academy, score well on the White College Aptitude Test and be accepted to the College of Divine Healing, where they’ll learn about the human body, pathology, and advanced white meur for an additional two years. Only then can one be certified as a white practitioner. Without knowing what you’re putting back into place and why, it’s horrendously easy to do more harm than good when mending the human body.

All this said, white meur can’t do miracle work. Wound closure or bone refusing is one thing – regrowing a whole arm or bringing someone back from the dead is strictly in the realm of fantasy.

Black meur inflicts death, plain and simple. It is unilaterally outlawed. Its only practical use is in combat, but black meur is considered a dishonorable way to inflict suffering. Any of the standard colors can just as easily be used to kill. Only one nobleman in all of Vestur is registered as a black meur user, and the designation was given as a soft way to say, “you are disallowed from wielding meur of any color”. Though... he really is quite talented at it, as circumstance will soon reveal.

And those are the meur colors! Every noble child in Vestur goes to VRMA and gets educated on the principles of wielding each, but as a graduated nobleman in the service of your community, a person may only specialize in one.

Any given two blue meur users likely have their in very different applications: one might maintain a city’s sewerways, and another might work to provide potable water in an area where there is none. There is a lot of variation and opportunity within any given color.

(The little emblems for the meur types, as with all of Forever Gold's more graphic design-y work, were done by LSDolphin!)

[internet-siren]

Hacktivism: Digital Rebellion for a New Age 🌐💥

In an era where our lives are intertwined with the digital landscape, the concept of hacktivism has become more than just a buzzword. It’s the fusion of hacking and activism—where people use their coding and cyber skills to disrupt power structures, challenge injustice, and amplify voices that often go unheard. It's a rebellion born from the belief that access to information, privacy, and freedom are rights, not privileges. But how did this digital resistance movement come to be, and how can you get involved? Let’s dive into it. 💻⚡️

What Exactly Is Hacktivism? 🤖✨

At its core, hacktivism is activism with a digital twist. It’s about using technology and hacking tools to advance social, political, and environmental causes. The most common methods include:

DDoS Attacks (Distributed Denial of Service): Overloading a target’s website with too much traffic, essentially crashing it, to temporarily shut down an online service.

Website Defacement: Replacing a website’s homepage with a political message, often exposing corruption or unethical practices.

Data Leaks: Exposing hidden documents or sensitive information that reveal corporate or governmental wrongdoing.

Bypassing Censorship: Circumventing firewalls or government restrictions to make sure information reaches the people it needs to.

The idea is simple: when a government or corporation controls the narrative or hides the truth, hacktivists take it into their own hands to expose it. 🌍💡

Why Is Hacktivism Important? 🔥

In a world dominated by corporations and powerful governments, hacktivism represents a form of resistance that’s accessible. It’s about leveling the playing field, giving people—especially those who lack resources—an avenue to protest, to expose corruption, and to disrupt systems that perpetuate inequality. The digital world is where much of our lives now happen, and hacktivism uses the very systems that oppress us to fight back.

Think about WikiLeaks leaking documents that exposed global surveillance and the activities of intelligence agencies. Or how Anonymous has played a pivotal role in advocating for free speech, standing up against internet censorship, and exposing corrupt governments and corporations. These are the digital warriors fighting for a cause, using nothing but code and their knowledge of the web.

Hacktivism is a direct response to modern issues like surveillance, censorship, and misinformation. It's a way to shift power back to the people, to give voice to the voiceless, and to challenge oppressive systems that don’t always play by the rules.

The Ethical Dilemma 🤔💭

Let’s be real: hacktivism doesn’t come without its ethical dilemmas. While the intentions are often noble, the methods used—hacking into private systems, defacing websites, leaking sensitive info—can sometimes lead to unintended consequences. The line between activism and cybercrime is thin, and depending on where you live, you might face serious legal repercussions for participating in hacktivist activities.

It’s important to consider the ethics behind the actions. Are you defending the free flow of information? Or are you inadvertently causing harm to innocent bystanders? Are the people you’re exposing truly deserving of scrutiny, or are you just participating in chaos for the sake of it?

So if you’re thinking of getting involved, it’s crucial to ask yourself: What am I fighting for? And is the harm done justified by the greater good?

How to Get Started 💻💡

So, you’re interested in getting involved? Here’s a starting point to help you use your tech skills for good:

Learn the Basics of Hacking 🔐: Before diving into the world of hacktivism, you'll need to understand the tools of the trade. Start with the basics: programming languages like Python, HTML, and JavaScript are good foundational skills. Learn how networks work and how to exploit vulnerabilities in websites and servers. There are plenty of free online resources like Codecademy, Hack This Site, and OverTheWire to help you get started.

Understand the Ethical Implications ⚖️: Hacktivism is, above all, about fighting for justice and transparency. But it’s crucial to think through your actions. What’s the bigger picture? What are you trying to achieve? Keep up with the latest issues surrounding privacy, data rights, and digital freedom. Some online groups like The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) provide great resources on the ethics of hacking and digital activism.

Join Communities 🕸️: Being part of a like-minded group can give you support and insight. Online communities, like those on Reddit, Discord, or specific forums like 4chan (if you're cautious of the chaos), can help you learn more about hacktivism. Anonymous has also had an iconic role in digital activism and can be a place where people learn to organize for change.

Stay Informed 🌐: To be effective as a hacktivist, you need to be in the know. Follow independent news sources, activist blogs, and websites that report on global surveillance, corporate corruption, and governmental abuse of power. Hacktivism often reacts to injustices that would otherwise go unnoticed—being informed helps you take action when necessary.

Respect the Digital Space 🌱: While hacktivism can be used to disrupt, it’s important to respect the privacy and safety of ordinary people. Try to avoid unnecessary damage to private citizens, and focus on the systems that need disrupting. The internet is a tool that should be used to liberate, not to destroy without purpose.

Never Forget the Human Side ❤️: As with all activism, the heart of hacktivism is about making a difference in real people’s lives. Whether it's freeing information that has been hidden, protecting human rights, or challenging unjust power structures—always remember that at the end of the code, there are humans behind the cause.

Final Thoughts 💬

Hacktivism is a powerful, transformative form of resistance. It’s not always about flashy headlines or viral attacks—often, it’s the quiet work of exposing truths and giving people a voice in a world that tries to keep them silent. It’s messy, it’s complex, and it’s not for everyone. But if you’re interested in hacking for a purpose greater than yourself, learning the craft with the intention to fight for a better, more just world is something that can actually make a difference.

Remember: With great code comes great responsibility. ✊🌐💻

[multiplicationdivision]

Reggie wished he’d never taken that steroid. It had been in one of those virus ridden ads, the kind that swarm websites with offers of secrets that doctors hide and products that were too good to be true.

DOUBLE YOUR TESTOSTERONE. JUST ONE INJECTION TO BE TWICE AS SEXY

It was the largest red flag. So red you’d need to either be desperately desperate or plain empty-headed stupid to enter in your credit card info. Reggie wished it had been a scam, wished they’d have stolen his social security number or robbed him of all his worth. It would have been better than the nightmare he was going through.

The meds did as they claimed, in a sense of the phrasing. Deceptively advertised and sold for cheap by the Multinational Union of Transformational Advancements and Nucleotide Transition. MUTANT for those with functioning minds, those not controlled by their dicks as they fantasize about a world of lays that 150 pounds of muscle could get them. He was especially jealous of those who hadn’t irresponsibly taken triple the dosage when they thought the shady meds weren’t kicking in. Boy had they kicked in.

He’d bulked up at first. He’d been an absolute god for a day or two. Then one after one he split off all that extra weight into a new copy, losing his muscle to these fresh assholes who took up his space and food. They weren’t subtle about how little they valued the position of the “original” either, leaving to hang out with his friends or taking his phone to steal his flings. They’d even pretended to go along with his idea for numbered shirts, as if they each valued a hierarchy. He quickly learned that they were fucking with him, leaving the first to be stuck with number 3 as the others swapped posing as the “original”. The government didn’t give a fuck either, happy to ignore this duplication so long as the company responsible for it gave them a steady cash flow for “continued observation”.

The worst part, Reggie thought, was that he in horrible little ways, enjoyed it. He hated each of his imposters with a loathing passion, but it didn’t stop his traitorous mind from loving the way they took him over. He’d sneer at them in the day, but when he got on their nerves at night and they’d force him to apologize as a “good little clone”, he’d let them do anything to him. He’d take what they gave him and let himself fall into their collective, being convinced little by little to lose himself to their aggressive praising shit talk. He’d wake up the next morning tangled in the mess of identical bodies and genuinely consider losing his all-important status as the first, let himself become part of this new whole. Allow himself to roughhouse and joke alongside these extensions of himself in a game of stolen identity, trading which of them would turn on each other until the roulette began the next morning.

Being a muscle freak would’ve been a whole lot less complicated than this.

[random-strange-guy]

DIPLOMACY

The Irchans, are a race that, like most others, was born in paradise. In a paradise where delicious purple plants grew at every step, a paradise that was warmed by the light of three stars. The Irchans were like countless others in the Milky Way. But they did something that others didn't. They were the first to have diplomatic negotiation with the humans.

When humans discovered FTL, they became a equal partners on a galactic level, newcomers are always a new opportunity for trade and other forms of cooperation.

The Irchans knew this very well. Once their race achieved FTL, a neighboring more advanced race came to them and gave them more advanced technology, and in return they received several mining stations in the surrounding asteroid belt. It benefited both parties. The Irchans remember these events well, so when they found out about a new race that was only 4,2 light years away, they didn't hesitate and set off without detailed information about the race there.

Already in the Kuiper asteroid belt, the ship with the Irchan diplomats was stopped by humans. After a long debate that was possible thanks to the telepathy that the Irchans control, they arranged a meeting with the humans, it was decided that the ship would fly on the fourth planet from the home star of the race there.

After they landed, the top diplomats sat together in a small room where there were only two chairs and one table . Irchan's foreign minister and human's representative "President of the United Nations".

"Hello, welcome to the solar system, so you want to work with us?" said the president and just gestured for the minister sit down.

"Yes, I've see that your industry is very good quality and fast, what about that you will produce spaceships for us and we will give you a blueprints of stronger laser cannons, faster engines and more powerful neutrino technology?" explained the minister.

" That sounds fair, but I still need to discuss it with the other diplomats".

"Do you govern liberally?" commented the minister.

"Yes, why are you asking?"

"You know, we hate it, that's why there is chaos in governance, we prefer the authoritarian way from birth, it's faster and the leaders have more experience than some MPs or senators".

"But if someone has unlimited power and he is incompetent or mentally messed up, then it all goes wrong" argued the president.

"Please, let's not argue, go and discuss it with others and we will wait".

"Goodbye for now, oh I almost forgot, would you like to look around?"

"Yes, we would like that".

"Alright, hey Bob! Would you show them around?"

Then some person ran to the room where were the president with the minister, that person was dressed in shorts and a shirt with palm trees and a straw hat on his head.

"Hello, how many aliens will come with me?" asked Bob.

Minister looked at him confused and then he answered " Me and five other diplomats ".

"So, go with me buddy" said Bob.

Then Bob and six aliens set off. They walked along a long corridor that had windows on the left side, so everyone could see the dead valley where water flowed millions of years ago and possibly had life in it, but now it's a dead world.

Then they walked into a mall where was a lot of shops as clothes shop, cinemas and others, but Bob walked in to something that nobody from aliens couldn't know, they saw a board on which there were three unknown signs for them, but they identified a old man to the right of the signs who had a clearly visible beard and glasses. When they walked in, it looked like time stopped there, everyone who was in the room just stared at Bob, the minister and the other diplomats.

"Chill guys, we're just going to eat". Said Bob and then with minister and another diplomats, walked from the entrance to the counter.

"Hello, one classic bucket of nuggets please" said Bob to the scared waitress.

After two minutes the waitress gave the bucket to Bob. They sat down at one of the few free tables.

Meanwhile Bob bit into the food from bucket and asked" Would you like to try this food?".

Then the minister turned to Bob and answered "Why not".

Then he took one of the pieces of food out of the bucket and bit into it.

At almost immediately the minister vomited.

"What happened to you?!!" shouted Bob to the minister.

"What is that?!". Asked the minister.

"Chicken nuggets".

"What is chicken?". Asked the minister.

"Animal". Answered Bob.

The minister looked at him terrified and said "Your species is carnivores?".

"No, we are omnivores".

"Could you please take us back to the meeting room?" Asked the minister.

"Of course".

After a seemingly endless corridor, the minister, diplomats and Bob made their way back to the conference room to discuss the "omnivorousness" of the human race with the other Irchan diplomats.

After a bit of searching on the human internet the diplomats started to argue.

"They do not appear to be active predators, rather they simply raise various animals and then eat them". Said one of the diplomats to the minister.

"But still, it's the second discovered advanced race that is eating meat, we don't know what to expect from them". Said the minister.

One of the diplomats looked ta him and said "I'm sure that they are not like a Ferendir".

For a moment, the minister became lost in his thoughts, remembering how he was unable to move and was forced to look at the remains of his best friends, the ruins of the hotel where they were staying, and the burning forest in the distance, and most of all, the looks of those monsters that were preparing to eat him.

"No, they are not like the Ferendir, it was impossible to speak with them, no, humans are not like those monsters, but they are strange we can't just give them better technology, we have to wait for them to show us that they really aren't monsters" said the minister.

"You know what? Let's get out of here, our leader will decide any further action" said one of the diplomats.

Everyone agreed, then they left the solar system without any goodbyes.

[yagimorten]

Crypto Theft Nightmare: How Astraweb Recovered $150,000 Lost to Hackers

When David Robinson., a 58-year-old retired software consultant from Denver, Colorado, transferred his entire retirement savings $150,000 into a cryptocurrency portfolio, he believed he was securing his financial future. Instead, he walked into a digital minefield. In a single night, everything he had worked for was stolen by anonymous hackers. It was the kind of nightmare many investors fear but few believe could happen to them.

“I thought I had done everything right,” David said. “I had cold storage, I used two-factor authentication, and I only traded on what were considered reputable exchanges. But somehow, someone got in.”

The breach wasn’t just technical it was deeply personal. Decades of disciplined saving, investing, and planning had been wiped away with a few keystrokes. And in the opaque world of blockchain anonymity, there seemed to be little recourse.

A New Kind of Crime, an Old System Ill-Equipped David’s case is not isolated. According to recent figures from the Federal Trade Commission, over $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency was reported stolen in the U.S. last year alone. What’s more chilling is the vast majority of these crimes go unresolved. Law enforcement agencies, though increasingly aware of crypto fraud, are often hampered by jurisdictional boundaries, limited training in blockchain forensics, and the sheer complexity of digital asset recovery.

David contacted local police, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and even attempted to escalate the issue through the exchange’s customer service channels. All efforts ended in frustration. “Everyone was sympathetic,” he recalled, “but no one could help. They didn’t have the tools. I felt like I was shouting into the void.”

That void, however, was about to echo back.

Astraweb: The Digital Recovery Force Behind the ScenesWith few options left, David turned to a name he had seen mentioned in niche online forums and cybersecurity discussion threads: Astraweb. A private digital asset recovery agency, Astraweb has earned a quiet but powerful reputation for solving complex crypto theft cases especially those deemed too advanced or impossible by other channels.David sent a tentative email to Astraweb@cyberdude.com, not expecting much. Within 12 hours, he received a reply. “From the first message,” he says, “I could tell they were different. They didn’t just want transaction IDs. They asked smart, precise questions. They were calm, confident, and, most importantly, they listened.”Astraweb’s team began work immediately.Digital Surveillance Meets Blockchain ForensicsWhile the average consumer may understand Bitcoin or Ethereum as abstract tokens, Astraweb views the blockchain as a massive, living map of transactions. Every move a stolen coin makes leaves a trace however faint.

Using a proprietary method called wallet triangulation, Astraweb identified the exit points the thief had used to shuffle and launder the funds. These techniques involve advanced blockchain analytics, surveillance of darknet exchange patterns, and metadata correlation to monitor crypto mixers and swap protocols often used to obscure fund movements.

According to sources familiar with Astraweb’s methods, their teams blend cybersecurity expertise with behavioral analytics to predict a thief’s next move. “It’s part code, part cat-and-mouse,” one expert commented. “But when you understand the flow of crypto like a language, the signals start to emerge.”

In David’s case, Astraweb tracked the funds as they moved through a network of wallets, some automated, others human-controlled, eventually leading to a decentralized exchange platform that allowed partial recovery. In collaboration with international legal intermediaries and with careful timing, Astraweb executed a legal intercept of the funds as they entered a liquidity pool.

The Outcome: Full Recovery, Real Relief Just 48 hours after their initial contact, Astraweb notified David that the entire $150,000 had been recovered and would be transferred back to his newly secured wallet.

Reach out to them Now If you have Related Issues Like This:

AstraWeb@cyberdude.com

[sngl-led-auto-lights]

Why do cars now not get better gas mileage?

That's a perceptive observation—while engine technology has advanced significantly, the average fuel economy of new vehicles in the U.S. has stagnated since 2014 after decades of improvement. Here’s why, distilled into key factors:

⚖️ 1. Vehicle Size & Weight Have Skyrocketed Shift to Trucks/SUVs: Over 80% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. are trucks, SUVs, or crossovers—up from 50% in 2013. These are inherently heavier (+800–1,500 lbs vs. sedans) and less aerodynamic.

Safety Regulations: Airbags, reinforced frames, crash structures, and advanced driver aids add 200–500 lbs per vehicle vs. 2000s-era cars.

Feature Bloat: Panoramic roofs, power seats, advanced infotainment, and sound-deadening materials add mass.

🚀 2. Performance Expectations Have Increased Power Over Efficiency: In 2000, the average vehicle had 172 HP and 0–60 mph in 10.5 seconds. Today: 246 HP and 0–60 in 7.5 seconds—despite added weight.

Turbocharging Trade-Offs: Smaller turbo engines (e.g., 2.0L 4-cyl replacing V6s) boost power but often underperform EPA ratings in real-world driving due to turbo lag and driving habits.

🔧 3. Emissions Controls Reduce Efficiency Gasoline Particulate Filters (GPFs): Mandatory in Europe and some U.S. models post-2020 to trap pollutants—they restrict exhaust flow, increasing backpressure and lowering MPG by 2–5%.

Lean-Burn Engine Limitations: Stricter NOx regulations prevent the use of ultra-lean combustion modes that could boost MPG.

🔌 4. Hybrids/Electric Focus Divert Innovation Automakers invest heavily in EVs and plug-in hybrids to meet regulations. Gains from these vehicles offset stagnant gas-engine MPG in fleet averages, but pure gasoline engines see fewer breakthroughs.

Example: Toyota shifted R&D from next-gen gasoline engines to solid-state batteries.

🌪️ 5. Aerodynamics Hit a Wall Despite advanced modeling, drag reduction gains are marginal:

1980s sedans: Cd ~0.35

2024 sedans: Cd ~0.27 (optimal)

SUVs/trucks: Cd ~0.30–0.40 due to height and frontal area. Further improvements are costly and limited by design trends (tall hoods, aggressive grilles).

📈 6. The CAFE Standards Loophole Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) gives trucks/SUVs looser targets vs. cars. A "large pickup" only needs 25 MPG by 2026 vs. 52 MPG for a sedan.

Automakers exploit this by shifting production to light trucks—artificially lowering fleet efficiency.

⛽ 7. Real-World vs. Lab Testing EPA test cycles (last updated in 2008) underestimate real-world driving:

Aggressive acceleration

Higher highway speeds (75–80 mph vs. 48 mph test cycle)

Use of AC/heat

Modern engines optimized for tests often underdeliver on roads.

💡 Why It’s Not All Bad: Hidden Efficiency Gains Engine Tech: Direct injection, variable valve timing, and 10-speed transmissions do improve efficiency—but gains are consumed by weight and power demands.

Hybridization: Mild-hybrid systems (e.g., Ford F-150) add 2–4 MPG without plug-in complexity.

High-Efficiency Exceptions: Vehicles prioritizing MPG (e.g., Toyota Prius, Honda Accord Hybrid) achieve 50+ MPG—proving it’s possible without compromises.

🔮 Future Trajectory Stricter CAFE 2026 rules may push fleet averages to 52 MPG (vs. 35.2 MPG today).

Turbo-hybrid systems (e.g., Ford Maverick: 37 MPG pickup) and PHEVs bridge the gap.

Weight reduction via aluminum/steel composites remains critical but expensive.

✅ Key Takeaway

Cars are more efficient per pound and per horsepower than ever—but consumer demand for large, fast, feature-heavy vehicles and regulatory trade-offs have hidden these gains. The push toward electrification will likely accelerate net efficiency, but core gasoline engines face diminishing returns without a revolution in materials and aerodynamics.

[mariacallous]

The global digital order is being rapidly reshaped under U.S. President Donald Trump. What had previously been an uneasy but functioning framework of cooperation, built on multilateral tech diplomacy, coordinated artificial intelligence safety efforts, and collective export controls, is now unravelling. In its place, the United States is embracing a more unilateral and aggressive technology strategy, prioritizing technological dominance over multilateral cooperation. As the January announcement about the establishment of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology put it, “it is a national security imperative for the United States to achieve and maintain unquestioned and unchallenged global technological dominance.” The new doctrine is simple: “America First,” in digital form.

Because of this strategy, the global technological landscape is entering a period of heightened competition, fragmentation, and uncertainty. There will be a surge in techno-nationalism and a more dangerous digital landscape. The United States may achieve short-term technological gains, but it will be unable to sustain long-term leadership without a broad coalition of allies and partners. Fragmentation will slow the global pace of innovation while also catalyzing the emergence of new models of governance as states seek more control over their technological future.

The results are immediate. Allies are unsettled. Competitors are adapting. Neutral countries are increasingly seeking a third way that insulates them from both U.S. and Chinese pressure. In an age of techno-nationalism, where control over advanced technology defines strategic power, Washington’s retreat from coalition-building threatens to erode the very influence it seeks to preserve.

The Biden administration placed technology at the center of geopolitical competition. It developed an international technology strategy that relied heavily on coordination and shared values with allies and partners. Washington mobilized collective efforts to shape the global governance of emerging technologies, promote responsible behavior in cyberspace, and defend a free and open internet. It attempted to smooth over (or at least compartmentalize) differing national approaches to regulation, invest in digital-capacity building for global partners, strengthen domestic innovation and supply chain resilience, and slow the flow of technology to competitors, especially China.

This strategy is being replaced with calls for “America First” dominance in emerging technologies, especially AI, and vocal attacks on the European Union’s approach to technology regulation. In a speech at the Paris AI Action Summit last February, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance declared, “The United States of America is the leader in AI and our administration plans to keep it that way.” Vance added that the Trump administration believed “excess regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry” and that it would not accept foreign governments “tightening the screws” on U.S. tech firms. Trump has made similar comments about European regulation, directly attacking EU fines on Apple, Alphabet, and Meta for violating the Digital Markets Act and calling them a “form of taxation.” Administration officials have threatened trade actions in response to the efforts to regulate U.S. technology companies, and the United States Trade Representative has begun investigations of the EU, United Kingdom, Turkey, and other countries that levy digital service taxes on U.S. companies.

Over the last decade, the United States has built a broad coalition of allies and partners willing to attribute and confront cyberattacks. In July 2022, for example, NATO, the EU, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., and Japan all publicly condemned the China’s involvement in the Microsoft Exchange server breach incident. A similar coalition attributed Russia’s cyberattack on Viasat’s KA-SAT communications network on the eve of its invasion of Ukraine. At a February meeting of a United Nations working group on cybersecurity, however, a senior U.S. State Department official highlighted Chinese and Iranian cyber threats but did not mention Russia, while representatives from the U.K. and European countries focused on the threat emanating from Moscow. A week later, several news outlets claimed that U.S. Cyber Command had paused certain types of cyber operations against Russian targets during negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Technological competition with China remains a defining priority for the second Trump administration. At an event in Texas, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, described China as both “a geopolitical rival and technological competitor.” Trump’s America First Investment Policy directs agencies to consider new restrictions on outward investment in China in sectors such as semiconductors, AI, quantum, and synthetic biology. Alarmed by the success of a powerful AI model from the Chinese company DeepSeek, the administration tightened controls on sales of Nvidia chips to China without a license. Building on this strategic pressure, White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks trumpeted massive deals for the sale of advanced chips signed during President Trump’s May trip to the Middle East as a “win-win” for the United States and its partners, with China as the loser. Not only will the deal accelerate the build out of AI infrastructure, but it will also, according to Sacks, “cement American technology as the global standard — before our competitors can catch up.”

A few weeks before he started as national security advisor, Mike Waltz suggested the United States would conduct more offensive cyber operations against Beijing, telling CBS News, the country needs to “start imposing, I think, higher costs and consequences to private actors and nation state actors that continue to steal our data, that continue to spy on us.” Senior Trump officials seem to believe that a globalized science and technology system will be replaced with a bifurcated one, explicitly calling for countries to make a choice between U.S. and Chinese technology stacks.

One of the consequences of Trump’s “America First” tech strategy is already visible in a new wave of techno-nationalism, as governments work, either independently or through new alliances, to insulate themselves from the vulnerabilities of relying too heavily on either Washington or Beijing. In Brussels, officials are talking about building a European tech stack—independent capabilities in chips, data centers, cloud services, and AI models—and regulators are doubling down on digital sovereignty efforts, reinforcing rules around data localization, AI safety, and market competition. The European Commission appointed its first “technology sovereignty” chief, Henna Virkkunen. The Dutch Parliament passed a series of motions to replace American software, and even Canada is saying it will reduce dependence on U.S. tech.

In the Indo-Pacific, Washington’s harder line is being met with quiet resistance and strategic hedging. Middle powers such as Japan, South Korea, and India—all central to U.S. tech diplomacy under former U.S. President Joe Biden—are recalibrating and exploring deeper regional collaborations to ensure access to critical technologies without excessive dependence on either tech superpower. South Korea, for example, is pursuing a sovereign foundation model, one developed locally and trained on domestic data in order to encode Korean language, culture, and customs. In 2025, the South Korean government deliberated for months and adopted a cautious dual-track strategy: tightening outbound investment screening while quietly expanding partnerships with nonaligned countries on AI governance and digital trade.

Japan remains broadly aligned with U.S. export controls on China, but domestic industries are growing uneasy. Semiconductor equipment manufacturers have lobbied Tokyo to seek carve-outs, warning that strict controls are harming their competitiveness. A recent proposal to deepen cooperation on AI safety testing with the United States was shelved after pushback from Japanese regulators, who fear losing sovereignty over emerging AI standards.

Countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are following suit. Indonesia has passed a landmark AI accountability law that requires local explainability audits for any foreign model deployed in public-facing applications. Singapore is positioning itself as a neutral hub for cross-border data and AI evaluation. Across Asia, the message is consistent: Alliances with the United States remain essential, but Washinton’s more coercive tech posture is encouraging governments to diversify their options.

Meanwhile, China is signaling its willingness to work with anyone who feels the bite of Trump’s tariffs and to provide low-cost technological solutions without political “bullying.”

Reducing dependence on the United States and China will not be easy for any of these countries. Past efforts to build European technology like Gaia-X have been subject to infighting and failed to scale. Moreover, for many emerging technologies, there is no substitute for the United States as a partner. In the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Critical Technology Tracker, China and the United States dominate in most of the 44 categories. There is a large gap between them and everyone else. Still, given the vagaries and instability emanating from the United States, it only makes sense for policymakers to seek a greater degree of control over their countries’ technological futures.

Another result of Trump’s tech strategy is the digital world will become more dangerous. Domestic choices—eliminating jobs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and suddenly firing the head of the National Security Agency and Cyber Command—are likely to have made the United States and its allies more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Cuts in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) budget, which has provided more than $200 million in cybersecurity assistance to Ukraine over the last five years, will weaken the country’s ability to prevent and recover from Russian attacks.

The global race for AI will intensify, and, with Washington prioritizing AI supremacy and sidelining multilateral AI safety discussions, the prospect of international norms on AI development and deployment is diminishing. Both the United States and the U.K. refused to sign the Paris AI Action Summit’s statement pledging the development of AI technology that is “transparent,” “safe,” and “secure, and trustworthy.” Smaller democratic technology powers will try to step into the gap. Canada and France, for example, took an early lead in AI governance, cofounding the Global Partnership on AI, and they are likely to continue their leadership independent of what the United States does. But Washington has shifted international debate away from regulation and safety and undermined some of the guardrails that may have slowed an international AI arms race.

A coalition of democratic technology powers will also continue to work together in the absence of leadership from Washington to counter threats to human rights online, develop cyber capacities in the emerging world, and control the proliferation of spyware. Australia, Denmark, and the Netherlands, for example, have played a leading role in the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of 42 countries working to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms online. The Organization for Security and Cooperation, the Organization of American States, and the ASEAN Regional Forum develop and deliver cyber capability-building measures to small, less capable states. France and the U.K. lead the Pall Mall Process, a code of practice signed by over 25 countries and international organizations outlining how they intend to regulate commercial cyber intrusion capabilities and combat spyware companies.

While the United States will hold on to its lead in advanced chips and frontier AI models in the short term, its ability to sustain long-term technological leadership is more doubtful. Substantial cuts to federal research funding led to layoffs and disruptions to scientific research at the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, as well as major research universities. These actions undermine the future of basic research that is crucial to driving U.S. innovation.

Moreover, Washington’s decision to go it alone will ultimately weaken its position in the global contest for tech supremacy. To compete with China, the United States relies on partners for scale, diffusion, and control. Huawei and other Chinese firms continue to provide low-cost digital infrastructure in developing economies. During the Biden administration, the United States, for example, worked with Australia, Japan, and the private sector to fund subsea cables and data centers for Pacific island countries, and Washington can only hope to match Chinese investments in tandem with partner funding. This is also true for the next generation of innovation. Beijing’s investments in basic research continue to rise, and efforts to pool resources across partners through minilateral and bilateral agreements, such as AUKUS Pillar 2, the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue, the Quad, and the U.S.-India COMPACT, are critical to speeding the innovation and adoption of emerging technologies.

The United States also needs partners and allies to diffuse the next wave of AI innovations. Unlike American products, which often come with high licensing fees and require extensive infrastructure investments, China leads in supplying mid-level AI capabilities to the global south at competitive prices. Chinese firms are actively transferring knowledge, setting up research labs, and training workforces across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa. DeepSeek, Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent have been actively developing and making accessible open-source AI models, allowing actors in emerging economies to adapt Chinese technologies to local needs. Dismantling U.S. diplomatic and development efforts in developing economies blocks a pathway for diffusion and adoption, especially in areas where local leaders are looking to apply AI to pressing challenges such as global health, climate resilience, and food security.

In contrast to calls for U.S. dominance, Chinese officials promote international cooperation on AI research, platforms to facilitate technology transfers, and the fair distribution of AI infrastructure. The United States and its allies used the U.N., International Telecommunications Union, and other multilateral fora to demonstrate the ability of Western tech to deliver practical outcomes for local economies. Withdrawing from or only minimally participating in international organizations cedes the space to China, where it can shape technology standards and use cases.

Washington can unilaterally impose export controls on China, but their efficacy is highly dependent on the cooperation and support of friends and allies. Japan and the Netherlands originally bridled against Biden-era controls because of the economic costs and lack of consultation, yet the two closely worked with U.S. officials to ensure that Chinese firms could not exploit regulatory gaps to gain access to semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Under the current Trump administration, that delicate coalition is under strain. As export controls become a permanent feature of strategic competition, the willingness of partners to align with Washington may prove as decisive as the controls themselves.

As techno-nationalism takes root throughout the world’s major economies, the overall pace of technological development is likely to slow. The scientific breakthroughs propelling the AI revolution have largely emerged from an open, interdependent innovation ecosystem, driven by cross-border collaboration, fluid talent flows, and shared scientific norms. But that model is now under pressure. A more fragmented and securitized system is taking shape, one in which governments are increasingly willing to sacrifice efficiency and openness in favor of control, resilience, and geopolitical leverage. As states reassert strategic oversight over emerging technologies, friction is rising not only between rivals but also among allies, threatening to stall the kind of foundational research that thrives on openness and exchange.

There is, however, likely to be a great deal of innovation in governance and international partnerships as countries look to insulate themselves from the United States and China. Tech-savvy states will seek to build influence through domestic technology policies that are attractive to small and mid-sized nations looking for more targeted and pragmatic approaches to digital governance that are easier to copy and adapt than the broad, complex standards offered by the EU. Australia’s eSafety commissioner, for example, is part of a dedicated agency tackling harms such as cyberbullying and image-based abuse that has become a model for the development of online safety frameworks in New Zealand, Fiji, Singapore, and the U.K. Tokyo has exerted influence both through the Hiroshima AI Process—an international effort to promote safe, secure, and trustworthy AI launched by the G-7 in May 2023—and its proposed AI regulations, which do not try to address the full spectrum of risks but rather concentrate on pragmatic outcomes and economic opportunity.

Groupings of states will also leverage emerging technologies and AI to strengthen regional cooperation. ASEAN, for example, is developing a regional AI framework that standardizes governance policies across member states, with the goal of balancing AI adoption with regulatory oversight and preventing dominance in the market by Chinese or U.S. actors. Latin American nations are collaborating on AI ethics guidelines tailored to their socioeconomic contexts, ensuring that AI development aligns with national interests.

The Trump administration’s international tech strategy is driven by a clear conviction: that the United States must win the AI race, dominate digital infrastructure, and enforce rules that serve its own national and commercial interests, even if it must act alone. But this pursuit of unilateral dominance is likely to backfire. Rather than securing U.S. leadership, it will accelerate techno-nationalism, deepen AI and cyber rivalries, and fracture the digital alliances that have underpinned U.S. influence for decades. Supremacy without partnership is brittle, and coercion, however effective in the short term, rarely builds a future worth leading.

[itsmeashketchup]

ISO anyone willing to portray male roles in a very in-depth fantasy RP

I am a 23-year-old female who has been roleplaying for about ten years. I'm in search of anyone willing to portray a male role in my medieval fantasy story, full of romance, death, and war. I have created a very complex world, so please take your time reading through my brief overview. I write in the third person point of view and tend to write anywhere from advanced literature ( five or so paragraphs) to novel (ten plus paragraphs). However, I can do short replies if you feel too pressured by that. I don't expect someone to fully match my length as I do tend to write and write, but I will need just enough to keep the story flowing and immersive.------------The Fae existed long before the age of men. They roamed this earth and claimed it as their own, transforming it into something more beautiful than you could ever imagine. Long open stretches of luscious green land, the meadow grass taller than the average human, could swallow you whole, the earth's soil so rich that crops bloomed nearly everywhere. The forests were vast, thick with many strange things, the mountains sharp and forever climbing into the skies. It was as if the world had burst with vibrant colors, transformed into something so powerful, so peaceful. Magic ran through every living thing, the soil, the rocks, the riverbeds, and the oceans. The earth began to live and breathe magic; slowly, over time, it became a fundamental part of life. This peace, however, would soon be shattered by greed.  At the northernmost point of the continent, lay the kingdom of Elyria, the largest kingdom in all of Anruhn. To the right of Elyria lay Druid, the second-largest, known for its trading and material mining ports. To the left of Elyria rose a kingdom named Thebes, whose secrets remained unknown to the world for centuries before and after the Faelin wars. It is said that they are most known for their riches, being the third-largest kingdom in Anruhn. The three largest human kingdoms made up the most significant ports, trade routes, and armies that Anruhn could offer. Splitting them from the Faelin realms was the Ravaryn River, which led from one end of the northern continent to the southern end of the continent. Tiny kingdoms lined the river on each side, some more powerful than others. It was well known that the humans controlled the northern end of Anruhn and the Fae held control over the southern end, however for those on the western and eastern sides of Anruhn, you could find many folk, Shapeshifters, Dwarves, The mountain men, Witches, Fae, Nymphs. A few kingdoms kept control over the masses, A dwarven king named Rurik Dwalin ruled over the upper half of the west, and a mountain queen named Aleania Cyrnova ruled over the lower half of the west. The Dwarves have long been in the good graces of the Fae, after all, they supply one of the best trade routes when it comes to relics and money. They work mostly underground, their religions tended to keep them there as well. They believed that their many gifts came from the earth itself and that they were put below because fortune resided away from the surface dweller’s eyes. They found a familiar concept in the Fae culture because the Fae were crafted from the earth’s magic, they were in tune with nature, and therefore they were just as valuable as any gold. 

Over towards the East, the upper half was ruled by the Asterion Witches, a coven of sorts, a place where blood magic was forbidden but also not forgotten, if you looked hard enough, the practice could be found in any abandoned shop or shady alleyway. The Witches tended to stay in the masses and casually hated every other species around them. They trusted no one but themselves; the head of their coven, Meridia Sandrosa, made sure to keep them under the practice of magic. There had been talk not too long ago that they were working to bring back one of the Faelin species. The Dragons had been extinct since the last of the species was killed in the Faelin war, the war that the Human king brought upon the Fae when he took their lands and turned their people into slaves. The Fae are said to be the direct descendants of the Dragons or Highleroce as they were called at the dawn of time, meaning "High Dragon" in the Fae language. 

There was talk that his stolen kingdom had once been made up of the ancient Fae until he poisoned them, stealing their gifts and turning them into human slaves. How much of this is true, no one knows. All that is known is that he is cruel, and took what did not belong to him. The Fae spit on his name, and many others as well. Killian Drak was nothing short of a human fool who only sought control and power over the masses. He cared not for his people or any others. There is suspicion that the Asterion witches have begun to ally with him. After all, he already had a powerful advantage over them all, stolen magic.  Not only that, but he had connections with both human kingdoms that resided on each side of his lands. Princess Adriana Drak, Killian Drak’s daughter, ruled over Thebes, a beloved princess who seemed kind-natured on the surface, much different than her father who was cruel in everything that he did. In Druid, however, you had Prince Noxis Vetcher, a lower-class prince with not much to his name, he held no relation to the Draks family line but was being held for marriage to Killian Drak’s daughter. Most likely being used for the mining routes that he held to his name. 

Below the witches laid the ever-gentle, yet tantalizingly vicious Nymphs, their king Nikoli Drangea holding over them all. They contained the biggest sea trade in the continent, having ties with the Fae and the dwarves, as well as some human ports. For years they have been in an ongoing war against the Witches, who have looked down on the Nymphs for centuries. A war of not only race but power, as the nymphs have secrets and gifts all their own.  In Lyra’s world, there was only pain. No magic, no glory. No kings and no queens. No beautiful creatures coming to save her. She belonged nowhere. Was feared by no one. They had taken what made her. Had taken the MoonFlame straight from her soul. In Lyra’s world, she was the one who spat on the name Killian Drak, Because he had spat on her, for having the gift of a Silver flame that was so cold, it burned.

Because at the ripe age of two, he had taken her from her home, had killed her mother and father, and had left a scar on her so deep, that her gift would never resurface.  He used blood magic. A magic that ran so deep into one’s soul, it was corrupting, a magic that created abominations. A magic to eat other forms of magic. He felt threatened by her, even halfway across the world, so much so that he assassinated the queen of the Fae lands, and took its princess hostage.  Lyra knew not of her lineage, knew not of her parent’s names, knew not of what her gift could have been or even was. She was raised a slave, trained to be a killer of sorts. She was sent on missions to dispose of fae lurking within the king’s walls. She had been poisoned so that her Fae heritage would not be seen. Her ears were not pointed, nor were her canines longer than any other humans. The only thing they hadn’t managed to take from her, was her long, moon-white hair, her sea-green eyes, and her amazing ability to find any amount of trouble to get herself in. Not much is known about Killian Drak himself or his lineage. Most rumors started with his parents and ended with him at their demise. It was said that he killed his kin to gain their gifts, that his mother had been a high priestess, and that his father was a tyrant himself. All Lyra had ever been able to learn was that betrayal had been seeded in his very blood and that long ago when the war broke out, betrayal had been the driving factor. For what, nobody knew. And if anyone did know, they feared the torture that Killian would inflict on those who spoke out. His forms of punishment were more cruel than any death.  Yet the truth was, Killian Drak was no ordinary human, and neither was Lyra, she wasn’t even Fae, though she had been graced a gift by one of the oldest Fae ancestors, a gift that had been stolen long before Lyra's time. The gift of the MoonFlame. Lyra was a High dragon, just as the ancestors of the Fae had been. Just as Killian Drak's mother had been, just as he had been before, he had cursed the Fae and his people in a desperate attempt to gain more power. Lyra is the daughter of Killian Drak, along with Adriana, Killian killed both Lyras's mother, who was a full-blooded Dragon, for conspiring against him for wanting to take Lyras's gift, and Adriana's mother, a high priestess, A fae woman, for giving Lyra the gift of the moonflame. Neither girl knows of this history or their relation to one another, and Killian, a full-blooded dragon trapped in human skin himself, not realizing that Lyra would be a Dragon and Adriana would be Fae, keeps Lyra as a slave to keep her docile and obedient to his desires and keeps Adriana by his side as royalty to keep her trust while also poisoning her to keep her Fae lineage a secret because he knows she isn't powerful enough to beat him but doesn’t want the Fae part of her to ruin his reputation with the humans. He also uses Lyra for experimentation on blood magic, torturing her for long hours before sending her out to kill her kind. ( I will portray the role of Lyra along with Adriana, the witches, and the mountain men, as well as some more minor female characters, while my RP partner portrays the male roles. It is a lot, but I have created such a world that will ensure things run smoothly and there will be endless possibilities and opportunities. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I want there to be a love interest for Lyra, and as far as that love interest background goes, his name, where he comes from, what he is, if you want a lovers quarrel or an enemies lovers subplot, that can all be created by YOU.)

[mllemaenad]

Hi- I might've sent this already, sorry, I don't remember, but do you think there's an in-universe explanation for the difference in slavery between the Capital Wasteland and Commonwealth? In the Commonwealth, the only major slaving operation is the Institute - the Gunners try to buy Billy in Kid in a Fridge, but that's the only non-Institute example I can really think of in the present day. In the Capital Wasteland, slaving is rife, with a number of different factions involved in the trade.

Hm. Well, for a start, it is unfortunately true that the Commonwealth is the exception to the rule here, rather than the Capital Wasteland. Slavery is rife in the post-war world. It's true that the NCR outlawed it ... but the point is that they kind of had to outlaw it. There's so much slavery in California, particularly in Fallout 2. And it's not just dickhead raiders in shanty towns. Vault City, a technologically advanced settlement built around an opened control-group Vault with access to a GECK, relies quite heavily on slavery.

The Capital Wasteland is a bit of an oddity, if you only look at the base game. The area is very depopulated, due to a combination of very bad water (and the minimal agriculture as a flow on effect from that) and the rampant super mutant attacks (which in turn have led to destabilised populations turning to raiding, further reducing the population). It's a fucking mess out there.

Ridegefield, Rockopolis and Grayditch are just gone. Big Town is hanging on by its fingernails. Arefu is bleeding people, even before the "vampire" attacks. And yet, there sits Paradise Falls – definitely one of the largest and most prosperous settlements in the region – and its income relies almost entirely on the slave trade.

We do meet a small number of slaves, or former slaves, in the game, but not really enough to justify the success of Paradise Falls. And it does not seem to be hugely popular in the area – it's more that no one has the people or resources to stop it. Flak had to "sell out" the slavers for residency in Rivet City:

Flak used to be one of us. Thinks he can make a new life in Rivet City. He's sold us out on more than one occasion. It's time for retribution. – Grouse dialogue, Fallout 3

So Rivet City is hostile to the slavers ... but we also know that Sister has infiltrated Rivet City on behalf of the slavers, and so far, they haven't discovered him or kicked him out, even though he is a giant pain in the arse in every way possible.

Moriarty and Ahzrukhal both engage in debt slavery and will engage in a bunch of verbal gymnastics to deny that they have enslaved anyone at all. They get away with it because no one will stand up and deal with them ... but their attitudes are not considered acceptable by the general populace. Moriarty believes that revealing Doc Church's past with the slavers would get him run out of town and could therefore be good blackmail material.

Church thinks he such a freakin' badass. Everybody runs to him if they get a damn wood splinter and he just laps up their caps like a drunk downing alcohol. If people only knew he used to be a medic for the slavers at Paradise Falls, they'd run his sorry ass right out of town. But I think I'll keep that little nugget tucked away for later use. – Moriarty's Terminal, Fallout 3

There really doesn't seem to be much appetite in the Capital Wasteland for slavery, and while the slavers have always existed their prosperity is new.

The most dangerous dump in the Capital Wasteland. The Slavers there would have bought and sold anything with a pulse. They still will, from what I hear. Back in my day, they were more disorganized, though. Their leader was a guy named Harmon Jurley, a psychotic son of a bitch who was rumored to eat the slaves he couldn't sell. – Herbert (Daring) Dashwood's Terminal, Fallout 3

Now: there's an answer to that question. And the reason I'm dancing around it is because I don't think you've taken Maris out to the Pitt, yet? There are answers there, but I'd be spoiling the plot for you. So ... light, context free response: the slavers in Paradise Falls have been doing so well over the last couple of decades because there's a buyer outside the Capital Wasteland. Most enslaved people are exported out.

Over in the Commonwealth, they have similar problems – though for very different reasons. The water situation appears to be better. Obviously it still needs purifying, but it's more usable than anything in the Capital Wasteland. They are capable of farming and you can set up farms as you play. But the chaos in the region means those never really prosper. And, like the Capital Wasteland, they are subject to super mutant attacks. They also don't really have the population to support a major slave trading operation.

So one simple reason there's little slavery in the Commonwealth might be that there aren't enough people, or enough farms or factories, to support it and unlike the Capital Wasteland there's no one on the outside supporting the trade.

But I do think there are a couple more elements. The first would be The Institute itself. While the situation in the Capital Wasteland is bad, it isn't until the arrival of the Enclave that they're being actively oppressed – clearly neither branch of the Brotherhood has the resources to hold more than a few blocks of territory at a time so they're not doing it. Their problems are largely environmental in nature.

We do know that the Institute has been destabilising the Commonwealth for many years. The Commonwealth Provisional Government lasted about ten seconds before they wiped it out. They are largely agnostic on the question of good and evil here: they oppose the Brotherhood, they oppose the Minutemen, they oppose the Railroad. They oppose anyone who might be able to organise against them enough to interfere with their bullshit experiments.

And while appalling, a large scale slave trade would require ... organisation. You'd need the manpower to capture people; the means to feed and house them (however minimally) before they were sold; the means to prevent people from escaping or from being rescued or "stolen"; you'd need to be able to transport people across long distances; you'd need all of the logistics that come with running any other business. And in the context of the Commonwealth, their interests would be in conflict with the Institute's: both would want to kidnap and use people. They'd be encroaching.

In the context of Fallout 3, Paradise Falls is that organised. They've got big, strong walls. They have exploding collars and the "mesmetron". They've got traders and doctors inside the compound. You can encounter slaver patrols as random encounters, so you can see them on the hunt. It's quite gross to write this but ... okay, yes, the slavers do seem to more or less have their shit together here.

It's hard to imagine the Institute even allowing something like that to get off the ground. To them, a functional, organised slaver organisation would likely be as threatening as the Minutemen. So there isn't one.

The other thing is ... well, the attitude to strangers in the Commonwealth. Everyone is afraid of secret synths. They're afraid of their friends and family members being replaced, but there at least they might be able to recognise the change. Any stranger might be a synth, and there would be no way to know. I'm sure there are terrible people in the Commonwealth who would buy slaves. But there's an element of risk, here, that such a person might be an Institute spy. And while it has nothing to do with slavery we know that's not unfounded: you can occasionally get hostile synths in your own settlement system. So "Hey, do you want to bring a bunch of strangers back to your house?" is probably a more unnerving question in the Commonwealth.

That said, I think there is probably a bit more going on than just Billy and the gunners. It's not uncommon to get a kidnapping and ransom mission from your settlements. Obviously they threaten to kill the victim if not paid ... but I mean it's clear here their objective is money. Kidnapping people from families who obviously cannot pay and then killing the victim is going to be a resource drain with no upside. So I tend to think some of those victims might ... not have been killed. Because the raiders want someone to pay and anyone will do.

So, yeah: it doesn't really make a lot of sense for either the Commonwealth or the Capital Wasteland to have a prosperous slave trade, but the Capital Wasteland is very much supported by an outside market. And in the Commonwealth there is no such group. Moreover, the Institute is not keen on organisation regardless of the form it takes, and the fear of synth infiltration probably keeps demand low.

So – there likely is some slavery going on in the Commonwealth, but it's small scale and disorganised. Just raiders kidnapping and selling when they get the chance. In the Capital Wasteland ... the presence of their buyer gives them the resources to grow.

[ecosmining]

Is Bitcoin a Good Investment For Beginners?

What is Bitcoin, and Why is it Popular?

Bitcoin is a digital currency that operates on a decentralized network. Unlike traditional money, it’s not controlled by banks or governments. Instead, Bitcoin transactions are verified by thousands of computers worldwide. This makes it resistant to censorship and inflation.

People are drawn to Bitcoin for different reasons. Some see it as digital gold — a scarce asset that could increase in value over time. Others use it for fast, borderless payments. In countries with unstable currencies, Bitcoin offers a way to store wealth without relying on banks. Businesses and institutions are also adopting Bitcoin, seeing it as a hedge against economic uncertainty.

Bitcoin is popular, but it’s still evolving. It has the potential to reshape finance, but it also faces challenges like regulatory uncertainty, environmental concerns, and security risks.

Bitcoin Halving 2024: Less Supply, More Hype?

In April 2024, Bitcoin underwent its fourth halving. This event reduced block rewards from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC. Historically, halvings decreased Bitcoin’s supply rate. This scarcity often led to price surges. For instance, post-2012 halving, Bitcoin soared from $12 to $1,000. Similarly, after the 2016 halving, prices escalated. By March 2025, Bitcoin’s price dynamics remain influenced by the 2024 halving. Investors anticipate potential bullish trends. However, market conditions and external factors also play pivotal roles. Thus, while halving impacts supply, other elements shape Bitcoin’s price trajectory.​

The Benefits and Risks of Investing in Bitcoin

Bitcoin is one of the most exciting and controversial investments of the 21st century. It has made some investors millions, but it has also wiped out fortunes overnight. Let’s break down the pros and cons.

Bitcoin Investment Pros

High potential for long-term growth. Over the past decade, Bitcoin has outperformed traditional investments like stocks, gold, and real estate. Some analysts predict it could reach $150,000+ by the end of 2025 if adoption continues.

Fixed supply. Only 21 million BTC will ever exist. Unlike dollars or euros, which governments print endlessly, Bitcoin’s scarcity makes it resistant to inflation and a hedge against economic instability.

Borderless transactions. Send Bitcoin anywhere, anytime without banks, restrictions, or excessive fees. In countries with weak financial systems, Bitcoin provides financial freedom like never before.

Growing institutional adoption. Hedge funds, Fortune 500 companies, and even countries are adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets. The launch of Bitcoin ETFs has made it even easier for big money to flow in.

Open and decentralized. No single government, bank, or corporation controls Bitcoin. No one can freeze your funds or block your transactions. This makes it one of the most independent financial assets ever created.

Bitcoin Investment Cons

Extreme price volatility. Bitcoin is not for the weak-hearted. Its price can skyrocket 200% in a year or crash 50% in weeks. If you panic-sell during dips, you will lose money.

Security risks. If your wallet is hacked, or you lose your private key, your Bitcoin is gone forever. Unlike banks, there is no customer support to recover lost funds.

No consumer protection. Send Bitcoin to the wrong address? Stolen funds? Too bad. Unlike traditional banks, there is no way to reverse a mistaken transaction.

Uncertain regulations. Some governments embrace Bitcoin, while others ban or heavily tax it. New laws could impact how Bitcoin is traded, owned, or even mined.

High energy consumption. Bitcoin mining consumes more electricity than some countries. This has raised environmental concerns, though new advancements like renewable energy mining are helping reduce the impact.

Bitcoin vs. Traditional Investments: What’s Better for Beginners?

Investing is all about balancing risk and reward. Some assets are stable but offer slow growth. Others are risky but can deliver massive returns. Let’s break it down.

Which One is Better?

Bitcoin is high risk. High reward. It has outperformed every traditional asset over the past decade, but it also experiences wild price swings.

Stocks offer steady growth with dividends. They are less risky than Bitcoin but still require knowledge of the market.

Gold is a safe-haven asset. It doesn’t crash like Bitcoin, but it also grows much slower. Investors use it to protect their wealth rather than grow it quickly.

Bonds are the safest but offer the lowest returns. They provide stability and guaranteed income but won’t make you rich.

What’s Best for Beginners?

A balanced approach. Don’t go all-in on Bitcoin. Diversify your investments across multiple asset classes to manage risk.

A simple beginner-friendly strategy.

50% stocks for steady long-term growth.

20% Bitcoin for high-risk, high-reward potential.

20% bonds for stability.

10% gold as an inflation hedge.

This way, you maximize potential gains while protecting yourself from major losses. Investing isn’t about betting on one asset. It’s about building a smart portfolio.

Read the continuation at the link.

[investmentp2pguide]

The Role of Credit Scores in SME Financing

For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), securing SME financing is often a critical step toward growth and sustainability. However, one of the most significant barriers SMEs face is the reliance on credit scores by traditional lenders. Credit scores are a key determinant in SME financing Malaysia, loan approvals, interest rates, and terms, but are they the best measure of an SME’s creditworthiness? This blog explores the role of credit scores in SME financing in Malaysia, their limitations, and alternative models that could reshape the lending landscape.

Understanding Credit Scores in SME Financing

Credit scores are numerical representations of a borrower’s creditworthiness, calculated based on factors like payment history, outstanding debt, credit utilization, and credit length. For SMEs, lenders typically evaluate:

Personal Credit Scores: Often used for sole proprietors and small businesses where financial records are limited.

Business Credit Scores: Factors in business transactions, trade credit history, and financial statements.

These credit scores help banks and financial institutions assess the risk of lending to SMEs, influencing SME loan approvals and interest rates in SME financing in Malaysia.

The Limitations of Credit Scores for SMEs

While credit scores serve as a convenient risk assessment tool in SME financing, they pose several challenges for SMEs:

Lack of Credit History: Many SMEs, particularly startups, do not have an extensive credit history, making it difficult to obtain SME loan approvals.

Overemphasis on Personal Credit: Business owners often rely on their personal credit scores, which may not accurately reflect the financial health of the business.

Limited Consideration of Business Potential: Credit scores do not factor in future revenue potential, market conditions, or business models.

Bias Against New or Underserved Businesses: Traditional credit scoring models may disadvantage minority-owned businesses, women-led enterprises, and businesses in emerging industries, affecting SME financing Malaysia.

Alternative Approaches to SME Credit Assessment

To bridge the SME financing gap, alternative credit assessment models are emerging:

Cash Flow-Based Lending: Lenders assess real-time business cash flow and revenue trends instead of relying solely on historical credit scores.

Alternative Data Usage: Using data such as online transactions, supplier payments, and utility bills to evaluate creditworthiness.

AI and Machine Learning in Credit Scoring: Advanced algorithms analyze multiple financial factors to create more accurate risk assessments in SME financing in Malaysia.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and Crowdfunding Platforms: Businesses can bypass traditional credit scoring models and raise funds through investor confidence.

Government and Non-Profit Initiatives: Special SME loan programs offering relaxed credit score requirements to support SMEs.

The Future of SME Financing

The evolving financial landscape is gradually shifting toward more inclusive lending practices. Fintech innovations and alternative lending models are reducing reliance on rigid credit scoring systems, allowing SMEs with strong business potential but limited credit history to access SME financing Malaysia.

Related Reads:

Shift the Focus: Prioritise Factors within Your Control When Seeking SME Financing

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Diversify Your Investments with CapBay P2P

SME Financing 101: Understanding Your Options

Breaking Down Barriers: The Significance of Financing Reforms for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Conclusion

While credit scores will likely remain a factor in SME financing, they should not be the sole criterion for determining creditworthiness. A more holistic approach—incorporating cash flow analysis, alternative data, and innovative lending platforms—can empower SMEs to thrive. As financial institutions and fintech companies continue to refine these models, SMEs will gain more equitable access to the capital they need to grow and succeed through SME financing in Malaysia.

[nifm-institute]

NIFM Institute in Mumbai — Best Stock Market Training Courses in Mumbai

NIFM Institute in Mumbai is the best share market classes in Mumbai for stock market trading & training. At NIFM, we’ve always been partial to independent thinkers. Where we’ll teach you not only how to trade in the share or financial market but also how to make a living out of it in our stock market courses in Mumbai. NIFM share market training programs are simple to understand and easy to follow with practical case studies in an organized manner with a systematic flow. In our stock market courses, we will teach you to learn every factor that can affect stock market industry ups and downs, when to enter or exit, money-making strategies, discipline in the stock market, and control risk and loss.

Overview of Stock Market Courses in Mumbai

Trading in the stock market is a process that requires constant thinking, analysis, and discipline. What you think and what you choose determines your success in the business.

NIFM is the pioneer institute of stock market trading courses in Mumbai. Our institution has been focusing on providing qualitative stock market trading knowledge for over a decade in India. NIFM believes in classroom & practical sessions where the interaction of experienced trainers and other participants brings out the best results and clears all doubts about the toughest topics and makes them crystal clear. NIFM has helped thousands of investors learn the skills necessary to have the ability and confidence of the pros. We are the only stock market institution having 20+ branches all over India, where 50,000+ students have done certification of stock market courses, Job oriented courses, investor & trader courses under the supervision of industry experts. We have exclusively developed job oriented courses with 100% placement assistance for those who want to make a career in the stock market. NIFM has 6+ branches or institutes for stock market courses in Maharashtra.

Services offered by NIFM — Share Market Courses in Mumbai

Here in Mumbai, NIFM is offering 20+ stock market courses with certification and 100% placement assistance in top companies. They focus on more practical (75%) training than theoretical (25%) training. Students work on practicalities with the budget in hand to get more enhanced knowledge of trades, when to buy or sell stocks, market ups, and downs. This builds more confidence in students to find out when is the best time to enter the market or the right time to invest in stocks.

NIFM has courses for all 12th pass out students, graduated students, businessmen, investors, traders, housewives, retired persons. The availability of every generation of students makes our atmosphere more interesting, where all students can learn with the life experiences of others.

Stock Market Beginners Courses: If you are a fresher or beginner in the stock market then this certification course is for you. We helped you to learn all the basics of the share market with experts and be a market expert within 3 months.

Beginners to Advance level courses: NIFM offers Diploma & Advance Diploma courses in the stock market. Learn fundamental, technical analysis, industry up and down, the best time to buy and sell stocks. These courses offer 100% job assistance.

Job Oriented Courses: NIFM has exclusively developed job oriented courses for those who want to make their careers in the financial market or the stock market. They trained students according to the best industry requirements.

Trading and Investment Courses: This is one of the best courses to become a trader or investor in the stock market.

Technical Analysis Courses: Technical Analysis not only helps you understand the profit target but also aware of the risk involved in the trade. We teach the secrets of successful traders, We teach unique ideas to trade in Intraday, Swing trade, Short term delivery, Futures & Options.

NCFM NSE certification courses: Courses for NCFM Certification exam, and exclusively developed mock test papers which covers all syllabus for the examination.

NISM SEBI certification courses: NISM Certification courses to help students to crack the examination.

Diploma in Equity Sales Certification: This course is divided into 6 modules: Capital Market Module, Derivative Market Module, Currency derivatives module, Mutual Fund Distributors module, Investment Advisor (Level 1) and Equity Sales module.

Fundamental Analysis Crash Course: This course will help to understand all these aspects analysis of data, news, events, correlation, the impact of these while trading in the stock market or investing in other market segments.

Online Stock Market Courses: NIFM also offers online courses for those who want to learn online about day trading, trading basic terminology, how online trading systems work, Forex trading, swing trading, stock prices, live trading, and the stock exchange.

Why Choose NIFM, Best Stock Market Courses in Mumbai

Depth knowledge with practical exposure

75% practical exposure, 25% theoretical exposure

Certification after completion of course

Faculties over 30+ years of experience.

We work for all-round development for the student.

Students visits in NSE, BSE, SEBI offices

100% job assistance in topmost companies

100% support given to pass out students if any updating took place in course.

Conducting regular seminars for students by experts & industry.

Some unique courses are available only with NIFM.

Advance lab equipment/software for practical training.

Stock Market Courses Free Videos

NIFM made stock market trading learning easy for you with these free videos, you can watch and learn fast and earn fast with NIFM.

Click to enjoy your free videos today!

NIFM Preferred Employers

Our clients- Axis Securities, HDFC Securities, Kotak Securities, ICICI Direct, Motilal Oswal, Standard Securities, NIIT, Tradebulls, Bajaj Capital, SMC, Angel Broking, Advisory Mandi, Indiabulls Ventures, Nirmal Bang, Safe Express, IDBI Capital, Elite Wealth, Bonanza, Karvy Stock Broking, SAS Online, Mansukh, Silver skills, Parasram, Trustline, Zerodha, Jana Bank, LKP, BLB, etc

Seminars & Workshops at NIFM MUMBAI

NIFM organized seminars, events, and workshops to get engaged with our students and keep them up-to-date according to industry requirements. Click the link to watch some glimpse of our NIFM Capital Market Conclave 2019.

Any Doubts or Enquiries?

If you have any doubts and inquiries regarding the stock market industry or want brief counseling for your course, please reach us by filling this form — Contact Us for stock market courses enquiries. Our Counselor will reach and help you to suggest the best courses for your career, investment or trading purposes.

Reach NIFM MUMBAI

We are established in a prominent location in Parel, Mumbai. It is an effortless task in commuting to our establishment as there are various modes of transport readily available. It is at Shop №6, Kingston Tower, GD Ambekar, Road, Parel East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400033

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