#Auxiliary Input

[caraudioexpertaustralia0]

Headunit With Carplay For HONDA CRV | 2002 | 9INCH

[hellscythearts]

Bandalores and Holograms

Artfight for @rockwell-light and @vinnybox

[barrymccaulkinem]

i want a custom ipod thats a raspberry pi and a 500gb drive and a speaker and audio out ports for all extant audio devices. and wireless

[mychlapci]

sowwy i have more sentinel thoughts :]

Yknow how he's really shiny!! Clearly that's not a natural amount of shiny. He's clearly getting very polished to look like that. And if he's so vain, since he likes to have his array out for whoever to see, I think his spike is also really shiny. It doesn't matter if only like one other bot happens to see it when he's being jerked off on the desk- it's Imperative that his cock is as obnoxiously shiny as the rest of him

Which means his spike is getting polished.

He doesn't do it himself. He physically can't. Having a buffer go over his spike is just Too Much overall and he will jerk away as a reflex. So of course it's part of Arachnid's job. Every so often, the moment his spike starts to get a little dull or even if there is a tiny scratch on it, he calls his bodyguard and personal assistant in to assist him.

I feel like it's always him being like >:] 'I'm ready. Do it.' whilst he either sits or lays down with his spike pressurised. He puts on such a brave face as the buffer comes out and the cool polish is dripped over his heated spike- But the moment it's actually on him, he's squealing and gasping and kicking and squirming. The feeling of the brush going over his spike is just so much that his processor honestly doesn't even know whether to register it as pleasure or not. Whatever it is, he's letting out the most pathetic sounding gasps and squeaks as the friction brings him to overload almost immediately.

The transfluid that spurts out just ends up being brushed all over his spike too. Extra lubricant. And Arachnid doesn't stop, her job isn't done. She keeps buffing, even as Sentinel comes down from his overload, spike twitching and trying to depressurise but is assaulted with so much tactile input that it simply can't. His array is oversensitive after the overload, driving whatever sensations he was having before straight into overstimulation. Coolant pools in his optics as he screams and kicks and tries his best to squirm out of Arachnid's reach, but she uses her auxiliary limbs to pin him down by his sensitive joints and gaps between his plating.

Sentinel's frame struggles, wanting to move and escape from the assault on his spike, but is also bound by self preservation protocols that register the pressure on his joints and weak points, knowing that if it were to struggle too hard those limbs would rip into delicate lines and cables. He's trapped, willingly or not. And all he can do is cry and scream and be forced to overload again. And again. And again.

By the time Arachnid is done, the moment the buffer turns off, Sentinel's exhausted frame slumps, strutless, with a shaky sigh. He's still shaking. Covered in so much of his own transfluid. But when he looks down at his own gleaming spike, he still manages a weird little grin and then collapses again

Also later some poor bot has to come in, only told they're here to clean up, to find the Prime laying motionless in his berth and covered and splattered in so much fluid he looks like he's been gutted jgksjdfksd until they find out that it's all just cum actually

Oug god... He's so dumb, now he's covered in all that cum, who's gonna wash that off and buff him again? Probably Airachnid...

Do you think the poor bot called in for cleaning has to clean Sentinel up too... I mean, Airachnid will buff him, but she's not wiping his spike and pussy.

[courtkossai]

thoughts on faerie communications and languages

faeries can learn human languages , and really have to in order to interact with humans , but faerie communications can be pretty fun . as always , kossai can not cover literally every case , personal experience rather than human academic sources , so on and so forth .

anyway ! faeries may be able to make use of psychic bonds to directly transmit thought and sensory impositions . these feel separate from personal thoughts , and can include sights , sounds , sensations - pretty much anything that mind can grasp . that in mind , this is still skill which need practise , in order to narrow down , filter out fluff , and communicate effectively . kossai feel this ability is what lead to synaesthetic type experiences in some faeries - already prime to accept sensory input from indirect sources , such as communication partner who impose scent of cherry pie when there is none in vicinity .

faeries may also have unique languages , especially where psychic bond is non-viable , or want to keep tangible records - whether written books , music to pass on , or otherwise . these will differ between worlds , courts , and kith within , but like humans , may develop pidgins and auxiliaries . these languages may incorporate any number of aspects whether spoken , written , and sign , or musical , magical , and otherwise , and may combine many of these to great effect .

important to remember faerie is broad category , under which some plant folk and animal folk fall , as well as beings beyond capability of humans - languages of such faeries will be different from human ideas of language just by nature . likewise , artistic languages of music , story , and visual depictions can also be pretty different .

and of course , in use of human languages , not all faeries grasp equally . some concepts in these languages might be foreign , especially to those who usually rely on psychic bonds . idea of pronoun is sort of funny when able to just flash up face , and word order can be wishy-washy when one thought could have very different interpretations across languages .

some faeries might also be stuck on archaisms . sometimes this is due to long age , especially as one might forget how quickly things can change . other times , this is attempt to communicate status , influence , or power - even if this is not applicable or understandable anymore . and still other times , might just happen to pick up and prefer these archaisms , despite confusion of others .

[tuppencetrinkets]

Star Wars: Outlaws. ND-5 dialogue. cont. under cut.

Don't get caught.

A little sloppy, but you won the fight. You defeated them.

A raid is being launched by the Hutts against a pirate gang. Sending coordinates.

A kill squad has been sent after you.

Acknowledged. Acknowledged. Copy that.

Activating countermeasures. Countermeasures deployed.

Ah, right. If you say so.

All right. Good luck.

Auxiliary engines online. Thrust vectors are optimal.

Back up. My protocols may see you as a threat.

Be careful. Get out of the open.

Be right there, on my way.

Blasters have overheated. Weapons have overheated.

Call Jalen when you have a moment.

Careful. We have pirates incoming. Those are pirates.

Combat systems active. Someone needs help.

Combat systems online.

Come on. Engaging the targets.

Confirmed hit.

Could be worth it to borrow that convoy's cargo.

Could be worth it to help them. Sending coordinates.

Critical damage.

Death Troopers are coming. Not good.

Decent shot.

Diagnostics are clean. Auxiliary engines online.

Do you… need something?

Don't do this. I can hear you. I can hear you. I heard that.

Don't forget. Jalen wants to talk to you.

Don't get us killed. Do this fast.

Don't let them surround you. This was a bad fight to pick.

Edge of the galaxy. We are now in Tashara space.

Enemy target control has been neutralized. Focus fire on enemy weak points.

Enemy targeting rendered ineffective. Enemy target control has been neutralized.

Enemy behind us. They're on our tail.

Engaging the enemy. I'm here.

Engaging the targets. Hiding won't work.

Exceeding all tolerances.

Exercise caution.

Eyes on target.

Fight back or run.

Focus fire on enemy weak points. Enemy shield generator destroyed.

Get to cover,, don't be reckless.

Give up and run give up and run. This isn't worth it.

Good. Clean hit.

Good. We made it. Glad we're okay.

Guess we're fighting, then. Preparing for combat.

Handled like a professional. They'll not try that again.

Handled like a professional. They'll notice that.

Hmm. I'm impressed. That was good.

Hmm. That was better than expected. Seems Jalen picked you for a reason.

Hope you know what you're doing. Prepare for return fire.

Hostiles in our vicinity.

Huh. That was better than expected. Seems Jalen picked you for a reason.

Hyper drives down. The nebula is blocking the hyper drive.

Hyperdrive is inoperable. Enemy targeting is neutralized.

I can't stop until I find you. I will find you eventually. Run and never look back.

I cannot wait to be on solid ground. You need pilot lessons.

I do not intend to let you go.

I guess we are fighting then.

I thought we were going to die. That was a joke, right?

I told you to run. You should have left me.

I cannot wait to be on solid ground.

I disagree.

I thought we were going to die.

I'll be checking for other offers.

I'll be there. Sit tight.

I'm on comms if you need me.

I'm taking them down. Move.

I'm getting chatter that a kill squad is hunting you down.

I've got pirates on the scanner.

If you help them, it could prove valuable.

If you say so.

Imperials are looking for you. Keep an eye out.

Imperials are not messing around. Death Troopers.

Incoming missiles.

Inputting hypderdrive coordinates. Spooling up the hyperdrive.

Invasive maneuvers now, K. This might get ugly.

It's too risky to jump. We can't jump yet.

It's waiting at the Trailblazer. All clear.

Jalen's still waiting for that holo call.

Keep sharp. We've got pirates.

Let's keep the ship in one piece. Ties.

Let's see now. Let's see just a moment. Please do not get hit.

Let's make sure we survive.

Looks like pirates. Careful.

Looks like the huts are after us. Eyes on target.

Might be worth your time to help them. There's a raid being launched by the Hutts on some pirates.

Mind the solar wind debris.

Missile targeting us.

Move quickly! This was a bad fight to pick.

My protocols may see you as a threat. Why are you doing that?

Neutralizing threat. Engaging the enemy.

Nice job. Good fight.

Nice work. I'd expect nothing less.

Nice job.

Nice shot.

Nice work.

Nice work. I'd expect nothing less.

Nicely done. Nice piloting.

Not bad. You're getting better at that.

Not good. That is bad.

Not good. There's a kill squad hunting you.

Nothing on sensors.

Now. Move. Now.

Oh. You did it.

Pay attention.

Perfect.

Pirate vessels in the area.

Pirates. Pirates are targeting us.

Prep for combat.

Prepare for battle. Ties are on us.

Prepare for return fire. They'll notice that.

Preparing for combat. Don't get us killed.

Ready for battle. Hope you know what you're doing.

Ready for attack.

Right away. Heading to your location.

Right on target.

Running diagnostic. System frozen.

Seems your piloting skills have improved. That could have been worse.

Shield has recharged.

Shield's gone. -- Shield's back.

Shield's online.

Ship vitals ae in the red Someone needs help.

Sounds like they could use a hand. Hmm.

Sounds like they need help. Seems they ran into some trouble.

Sounds like they're in trouble. We could check that out.

Sounds like they could use a hand.

Sounds like they're giving up.

Sounds like they're in trouble, we could check that out.

Spooling hyperdrive.

Stay alert.

Stay sharp. Careful.

Stay sharp. Fighters nearby.

Surprising. You made it out. That was proficient.

System stable. Diagnostics are clean.

Systems are down. Systems are frozen.

Systems are frozen. Ion blast has neutralized us.

Taking fire from Crimson Dawn fighters. Prepped for combat.

Taking heavy fire. They're targeting us.

That convoy's cargo could be valuable.

That didn't work. Blasters have overheated.

That imperial convoy could have some valuable cargo.

That is not how I would have put it. I disagree.

That is not how I would have put it.

That was a joke, right?

That's how it's done.

The Crimson Dawn is attacking. Crimson Dawn is firing on us.

The cruiser has gone dark.

The situation is escalating. This isn't good.

The ship is at risk.

The Trailblzer is in distress.

There are some items waiting for you there.

There goes the shield. Shield's gone.

There's too many of them. We're outnumbered.

They sound like they need help. We could help them, you know.

They'll notice that. Copy.

They're looking for a fight. We're being fired on.

They're retreating. The enemy is in retreat.

They're leaving.

They're looking for a fight.

They're onto us.

They're targeting us. Evasive maneuvers.

They've give up.

They've lost sight of us.

This isn't worth it. Let's go.

This is bad.

This might get ugly.

Tie fighters nearby. Fly carefully.

Ties are firing on us. Ties have us targeted.

Ties. Tie fighters are on us. Tie fighters inbound

Too many targets. That's a lot of ships.

Try to keep us in one piece.

Turret activated. Turret is primed.

Understood. Moving to your coordinates.

Watch yourself.

Watch for mines. Careful.

We could lend a hand. Someone we could help if you like.

We lived. I'll give you that.

We lived. I'll give you that.

We are now in Tasahara space.

We are now in the outer rim.

We are now near the moon of Tashara.

We could lend a hand.

We made it. Tatooine space. Edge of the galaxy.

We managed to shake them.

We're fine, all clear. You did better than expected.

We're fine. I'm here.

We're in trouble. I need backup.

We're taking fire. Fight back or run.

We're being fired on.

We're clear. For now.

We're good to go.

we're good. They've lost us.

We're in bad shape.

We're taking damage. We're hit.

We're taking hits. Taking fire.

We've got a new offer on the table.

We've got enemies.

We've got enemy ships everywhere. Hyper drive is jammed.

We've got pirates. Looks like pirates.

We've arrived. Now entering Akiva space.

We've arrived. Now entering Kajimi space.

We've got a pirate cruiser on us. Pirate cruiser is attacking.

We've got ties out there.

Weapons have overheated. Try again.

Welcome back.

Well, it would appear they are attacking us.

Well, you handled yourself.

What exactly are you doing? Is that necessary?

Whatever you say. Sure.

Whatever you're trying to do, it won't work . I'm begging you, get out of here.

Whatever you say.

Why didn't you leave me? Why didn't you run?

Why didn't you run? I didn't want this, K.

You actually survived. That worked.

You almost have them.

You alright?

You dealt with that well.

You got their engines. Their engines are out.

You handled them somehow. You're improving.

You have to run. You can't stop me. You're throwing your life away.

You seem to know how to handle a fight these days. Good work.

You should have left me. Why didn't you leave me?

You should have run. You should have run.

You need pilot lessons.

You're back in one piece.

You're making too much noise. I know you're there.

You've been sent a gift from the syndicate. It's waiting at the Trailblazer.

You've disabled their hangar bay. You got their engines.

You've got some items waiting for you.

Your aim seems to be improving. Guess we're fighting, then.

Your aim seems to be improving. Keep sharp.

Zerek Besh won't just give up on that death mark.

Zerek Besh won't let you escape that easily.

Zerek Besh won't stop until you're dead.

[thecurrator]

What are you arguments on Sae being an INTJ?

HELP this feels so confrontational.

But I'm glad you asked because I was going to make a post on it anyway. The world deserves to know.

On why (I think) Sae is an INTJ

Itoshi Sae is currently typed as an ISTP on personality-database.com with 243 votes. Am I saying all those votes are wrong?

...Yes. /hj

It can be a bit tricky to decide whether Sae is a J or P type, because J types tend to be more worried about how they are perceived by others, which Sae is not concerned about. I can see why people would think he is an IXXP type because of that.

However, these are an ISTPs MBTI functions as follows: Ti, Se, Ni, Fe. Which doesn't make sense for Sae and the way he plays soccer. Why?

Here's how Rin describes Sae's playstyle:

Key words being efficient, calculate and optimal.

This sounds a lot like extroverted thinking, which is a goal oriented function that values efficiency, and introverted intuition, that funnels sensory input into coming into an accurate conclusion (calculating the most optimal way to score). So, Sae's playstyle utilises Ni and Te rather than Ti and Se. Rin, who is typed as an INTJ on personality-database.com, was shown to have been emulating Sae's playstyle in the U20 match, when it's revealed that his original playstyle was more instinctual. So I don't know why people would think Sae isn't an INTJ, considering he was the original playmaker before Rin.

In fact, it would make more sense for Rin to be an ISTP rather than Sae. Auxiliary extroverted sensing can be explained to contribute to his instincts, which was better than Sae even at a younger age. Let me be clear, I do believe Rin is an INTJ, I'm just comparing the two.

Of course, one's playstyle doesn't define their MBTI type. But considering this is a soccer manga and we don't get many instances of seeing the characters not play soccer, this is what we have to work off on.

What's more, XNTJ types tend to be one-track minded due to introverted intuition (limited and deep focus, planning ahead) and extroverted thinking (goal oriented, ambition, efficiency), making them very driven to achieve a single goal. Sae has been playing soccer since he was one, and he hasn't strayed from his goal to become the best in the world, just that he switched positions.

To bring up another key difference between J and P types, J types to be more productive and focused on success/reputation, whereas P types like to do what they find fun and enriching. Compare Sae to an IXXP easier to identify like Nagi and you'll see the difference between a wholistic and individualistic ego (Isagi is onto something). Sae plays soccer to become the best midfielder in the world - wholistic ego. Nagi plays soccer because he finds it fun - individualistic ego.

I rest my case.

[pastabuilt]

Specs

Lore ranmbling under the cut

Biogel was developed approximately 30 years ago by Lakeview Industries, and has since revolutionized artificial sapient beings.

It's comprised of a heavily genetically modified colony of plankton suspended in a gelatinous concoction of chemicals. It serves as the brain and battery for gel-based intelligences (GBI for short).

Early GBI were, for the most part, giant tankers of biogel stored in warehouses with maybe a couple read-out displays attached for research. Even today, biogel is not nearly as dense or complex as human brain matter, and as such far more of it is required to create a sapient consciousness. Model 1151, used in this example, is approximately 50% biogel storage by mass.

Modern GBI are much more streamlined, and now feature a multi-node system to separate brain processes for parallel processing and redundancy. Different biogel 'nodes' with slightly different composition are split throughout the chassis, connected through gel-veins. Nearly all modern GBI use a 4-node construction. The nodes are as follows;

- Primary Node: Best thought of as the prefrontal cortex of a GBI. It performs the GBI's conscious thought, and holds short-term memory. It also performs head movement and processes audiovisual sensory input.

- Secondary Nodes: Each major limb is assigned a smaller secondary node, which controls that limb's motor skills, as well as processing tactile sensory input and special positioning (proprioception). Secondary nodes don't do nearly as much 'thinking' as the primary node, but they handle some unconscious reflex.

- Auxiliary Node-Clusters: Commonly referred to as Aux Nodes. Aux nodnes are unthinking, solely used for high-fidelity sensory input. They are primarily placed on palms and soles of the feet. Many models will also use aux nodes for more specific purposes- Model-1151, for example, will flash its 'antenna' on and off to communicate over large distances via morse code.

- Tertiary Node: The tertiary mode is also unthinking, and is used for storage. It contains the GBI's long-term memory, and while somewhat poorly understood, seems to contain its 'personality'. A GBI can be fully regenerated as long as its tertiary node remains intact, albeit with some memory loss.

[beardedmrbean]

The fall of Bashar al-Assad has created a historic opportunity to gather direct evidence of the crimes committed by the Syrian regime, which investigators have been unable to do until now. After 50 years of witnessing massive human rights violations, many Syrians are now demanding truth and justice.

Torture, executions, chemical attacks on civilians, ethnic cleansing, bombing of residential areas, using famine as a weapon of war... The litany of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Bashar al-Assad's regime appers to be endless. After decades of impunity, international investigators are now hoping to obtain direct access to evidence documenting 50 years of abuses. 

The deposed dictator had maintained his father’s repressive and fear-inducing regime, where any form of dissent could lead to imprisonment. This unrelenting repression reached its peak in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Since 2011, the UN estimates that more than 300,000 civilians have lost their lives and at least 100,000 Syrians have been forcibly disappeared.

“The fall of Bashar Al-Assad represents an absolutely incredible opportunity,” said Aymeric Elluin, Amnesty International’s arms and conflict advocacy officer. “We need to have access to primary sources to build solid and irreproachable cases, in particular to the places where abuses were committed. However, the regime has blocked our access to Syrian territory since March 2011. Our work has therefore been carried out from a distance, using satellite images and the testimonies of prison survivors who have taken refuge abroad.”

Despite being denied access by Bashar al-Assad's Syria, “we have been able to acquire a great deal of information thanks to Syrian civil society, which very early on collected testimonies and official documents”, said Chloé Pasmantier, a lawyer with the International Federation for Human Rights.

A mountain of evidence

The Syrian regime's chillingly efficient bureaucracy, which kept meticulous records of its crimes, made this initial data gathering easier. The 'César' dossier, which was discovered in 2014 and named after the military photographer who documented the grisly evidence, brought to light the industrial-scale torture inflicted on imprisoned Syrian opponents. His defection made it possible to compile a report containing 55,000 photos of 11,000 detainees who were tortured and died between 2011 and 2013 in several detention centres.

Faced with this mountain of evidence, the UN set up the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) in December 2016. Based in Geneva, this “facilitator of justice” is responsible for centralising evidence and providing input for legal proceedings opened at the national level against Syrian officials in several European countries.

For instance, three former high-ranking members of the regime were tried in absentia in France at the end of May and sentenced to life imprisonment. According to the French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, which is also responsible for ruling on war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, 24 proceedings involving the Syrian regime and its auxiliaries are under way, reported French daily Le Monde.

In Germany, Anwar Raslan, a former Syrian intelligence official, was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity in January 2022. Raslan was found guilty of the death and torture of prisoners in a secret government detention centre in the capital Damascus between 2011 and 2012. 

The French courts also issued an arrest warrant in November 2023 for Assad himself for the August 2013 chemical attack on Ghouta, near Damascus, which killed more than 1,400 people.

Fear of destruction

Despite the abundance of evidence already collected, the fall of the Syrian regime has opened up a new field of exploration for international investigators by giving them direct access to official buildings and Syrian prisons.

Syria is “the scene of the crime, so if we can have access to the scene of the crime, it changes the game for us”, Robert Petit, the Canadian prosecutor who has headed the IIIM since the beginning of 2024, told AFP.

“Especially as the regime collapsed very quickly, which no doubt prevented the perpetrators from destroying the evidence. This offers very positive prospects when it comes to searching for the truth,” said Johann Soufi, a lawyer specialised in international law. 

The priority now is to preserve this evidence during the transition period. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria on Sunday called on rebel groups to “take great care not to disturb the evidence of violations and crimes” by seizing prisons. 

“We must ensure that this evidence is not destroyed, not only by the rebels who have taken power but also by any other party or state. Israel carried out a large number of strikes on several military sites, including the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre, where the regime was developing chemical weapons. Crucial documents regarding the production and use of these weapons were probably destroyed in this bombing,” said Pasmantier. 

According to Pasmantier however, the Syrians have all the knowledge and experience needed to collect and preserve evidence for use in legal proceedings. Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and the new strongman of Damascus, reaffirmed on Wednesday that the torturers would not be granted amnesty. 

Ending the ‘cycle of violence’

It remains to be seen what will happen to those responsible for the crimes committed by the former Syrian regime. “One of the fundamental principles of international justice is that it is always up to national jurisdictions and the people to render justice to the victims,” said Soufi. “Then, a country can request additional expertise and set up, for example, a mixed tribunal like in Cambodia or Lebanon. But this depends on the agreement reached between the United Nations and the requesting state.”

On the other hand, the International Criminal Court (ICC) does not currently have jurisdiction in Syria, as it has not ratified the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established this court. 

“Attempts by the United Nations Security Council to bring the case before the ICC failed because of Russian opposition. But now there is nothing to prevent Syria from ratifying the Rome Statute and submitting a request for retroactivity so that the ICC can take jurisdiction over the crimes committed by Bashar al-Assad's regime,” said Pasmantier. 

However, it is too early to know whether the future Syrian judiciary or the new masters of Damascus will be willing to work with international actors. “It must be stressed that the rebel groups have also committed human rights violations. From now on, the armed groups that have taken power must respect international law and help to ensure that justice can be done in Syria,” said Elluin.

The UN IIIM investigators have said that they are ready to intervene in Syria, even though for the moment no contact has been established with the new authorities. 

That being said, the interim authorities have asked the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to remain in the country, which sends a “constructive” signal, the organisation said Friday. 

The authorities have said that “they want us to stay in Syria, that they appreciate the work that we have been doing now for many years, that they need us to continue doing that work", Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR's representative in Syria, told reporters in Geneva by video link from Damascus. Llosa added that the interim authorities had also said “they will provide us with the necessary security to carry out those activities”. 

According to the experts interviewed by FRANCE 24, the quest for truth and justice must be a central pillar of Syria's future.

“Impunity fuels the feeling of injustice and reinforces the desire for revenge between communities, perpetuating a cycle of violence. The only way to put an end to this is to establish justice that respects human rights. It can serve as a deterrent, demonstrating that criminal acts can have legal repercussions, even decades later,” said Soufi.

“Documenting the facts also means seeking out a historical truth that might otherwise be disputed,” continued Soufi. “Lastly, fulfilling the needs of victims requires upholding their fundamental rights to truth, justice, and redress.”

[darkartcorner]

Wanted to keep my infodump/notes away or, at least, until I get some art to come with them, but thats the harm in dropping in here?

Below my notes (copied from Discord) in relation to the End Times aka the "end game", the age/times of Iterator collapses and outlining events in regard to my Iterator Gazing Upon the Stars and being a rough timeline of things and/or events

The eventual collapse of Gazing Upon the Stars (it's a miracle he stand for so long considering being 1.5 gen and being of unorthodox, utilized by the time not tested technology, construction). Can fall relatively soft, into formed marsh beneath it so it did not cracked wide open

For a pretty long time being unable to function, still being consciousness and registering the world, but severed from larger superstructure (like he knows it there and sometimes get faint pings of activity, but cant pin point them. He also lost contact with overseers outside the can and maintain the contact with the one inside only because of the feature of his own puppet (the auxiliary communication build into his antennas)

He would let it go and allow time to fully dismantle him if not for two thing: previous communication with Whispers went very badly and he did not wanted for it to be the last, but also the realization (and further confirmation by sending overseers to investigate) that his memory array, constructed so carelessly at the bottom of the can, landed right in the marsh with the whole superstructure, is not only damaged, but decaying at alarming rate (Stars is quite obsessed with knowledge and the prospect of loosing is one of the most dreadful for him).

So the task become clear: contact Whispers and say last sorry and goodbye, and find a way to write/copy the information on more time resistant material, still yet acceptable for someone in the future (He did taught everything he could his Scavengers before sending them away, but he still thinks it isnt enough).

To achieve first thing he needs to fix communications: auxiliary array is completely irresponsive. The primary communication mast reports localized damaged which can be fixed, but it would require retracting it for proper repairs (which is impossible because the mechanism is damaged beyond repair) or scale up the mast and perform required repairs manually (which is impossible to do while being stuck in the puppet chamber). However he managed to restore (albeit by just running overseers with new inputs and outputs) connection with his quite advanced (think 4th gen) experimental wing and this gave him an idea - he cant entrust the repairs to a purposed organism (nor does have resources nor time to raise and train one), but desperate enough to try the completely different approach - circumvent the self-modification taboo and get free from the arm and for this he had just the right organism blueprints peeked from a Sliverist group which actually achieved some progress in this field.

Long story short he managed to get off the arm and cut the umbilical while maintain remaining connection via puppet auxiliary communication (he doesnt know how much of him is his can and afraid enough to not test it, not until his tasks are done) and slowly, navigating collapsed and ruined corridors and passages, get to the surface and see the world by unobstructed eyes (err, lenses?). Find the tools and start climbing still extended and slightly bend from the collapse mast to conduct repairs. Slowly he makes his way to the top while fixing faulty connection and rerouting which cant be repaired. Eventually he makes to the top and experiences that he though is outright impossibility by his nature - he meet an Echo (turns out one was bound to the top of Communications mast, the Echo of the last Site Director, still cursing Ancients for abandoning the void above for the void below)

After fixing the mast and rerouting remaining input/output commands of his can through it he tries to contact Whispers of Shimmering Stars, but here comes the weird thing - her communications array is working, he receives conformation that communications request is delivered, but no responses. He tries to use his seniority to force the broadcast - still nothing. Tries to access the can, but still unable to get through. He send an overseer to check, but the can is in lockdown (although facility grounds and individual facilities gates are open shut) and unresponsive. So it leaves him with only one option - make way on foot and try to interface directly

He makes his way to the can though the snow and evolved wildlife (having few close encounters on the way) and eventually manages to reach the can, forcing his way inside. The superstructure is barely warm inside, as if it running on idle, observed overseers running rampart like they lacking guiding intelligence and systems overall stay on "Stand by". At last he navigates to the puppet chamber to discover.... Whispers, still being there, but also... not there. Puppet still powered, still connected, but... empty. No personality, no intelligence behind it, as it snuffed out by something. The realization hit hard as he connect reports surrounding uncovering the state of Sliver of Straws after she sends out the Triple Affirmative, [insert rapid progressions through stages of grief and regret and being so preoccupied with them to miss the notification of some fury creature making inside of his can, his puppet chamber and very soon leaving it]

(note: Stars and Whispers were close, like, very close (as in they are 100% into each other), but never acknowledged it (even if everyone around could see it as bright as day). And ultimately it was too late for acknowledgment, for both of them)

Upon returning he's confronted with the second thing - find a way to transfer vast amount of knowledge onto something which could outlive him and be accessible all the same. The solution however was practically handed to him - visit to Whispers' exposed him to her own hobby and why she requested so much paint as all walls of her puppet chamber were covered in beautiful murals and writings, all made by her artistic expression. Writing on physical surface, steel or stone, was the solution, very primitive, but something which might endure for millennia.

And so Gazing Upon the Stars found that he later started to call "Last Library", writing, categorizing, organizing vast amount of knowledge he accumulated since his activation through Mass Ascension of his Creators, to observing wild life and raising new civilization in the race against the time and deterioration of his memory array... and his own puppet and mind (as the time comes, in the moments of rest from endless toil, he's being visited by strange data burst, no doubt caused by loose code and faulty logical connections, visions and images, feels and emotions. (yes, he start to have dreams)

And by this went many more years, toiling on set by himself and his believes task, but eventually the last chapter of the last "book" is made. A shadow of the former Secondary Senior, he finally can rest, but not before leaving a small note dedicated to long gone friends, his workgroup and his Herald, the forever loyal scavenger and a friend.... as one particular fury creature finally makes it way to the Last Library

[alexandriaisburning]

+006: The Xbox Adaptive Controller is for everyone

Addendums, Archives and Appendecies is extra, off topic writing in addition to the regular CANON FIRE entries. You can support more writing like this on Patreon.

Of the several mass market options for accessibility controllers, the Xbox Adaptive controller easily leads the pack. The initial package doesn’t include much, but in exchange it packs a huge host of features, expansive remapping software and compatibility with more devices than any competitor. Alongside a dedicated accessibility development team, it’s easy to see that Microsoft has real investment in gaming accessibility. 

It’s those same features that make the Xbox Adaptive Controller a fantastic device for everyone.  Marketing and coverage of the XAC has focused on the disability angle, but there’s been little talk or curiosity about how the damn thing works, and the absolutely tremendous features of this unassuming package. If you’re like me, and have any DIY spirit, or love the bespoke controls of arcade games, the XAC should have your attention.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller is designed similar to other adaptive setups, using standard 3.5mm TRS/TRRS headphone jacks to connect external controls. One of the least documented features of this system is exactly how many options there are for switches, outside the officially branded ones. The TRS connections enable the XAC to use not only dedicated accessibility switches, but any switch that uses TRS jacks. This includes several accessories for the 8bitdo Lite SE 2.4ghz, the 8bitdo Keyboard, or even something like sustain pedals used for synthesizers. There’s also a small industry dedicated to creating accessibility switches, and if you’re handy you can even create your own out of generic switches like pushbuttons, knobs, and flick switches. 

The XAC’s headliner feature--the one that sold me on the device, and puts it above all the rest--is the ability to plug in USB controllers. One either side of the XAC are USB ports, each which maps to one half of a standard Xbox controller, allowing you to access the left stick, right stick, face buttons and triggers by plugging in two devices to combine them into a single unit. Any HID gamepad can be plugged in, though you’ll need to experiment to see which ones are recognized, and which inputs are available to be remapped, since the XAC will only recognize a select number of them. 

A costly series of individual switches can be replaced by a single controller, offering multiple inputs and alternative analog solutions such as sliders, trackpads, handheld joysticks or flight sticks. 

As an example, I built a mech cockpit setup for Armored Core by using two flight sticks and a set of pedals. Each flight stick controlled one analog stick, with the triggers and thumb buttons used to control the arm and shoulder weapons, and pedals controlling the ascent and boost functions. The two large buttons on the XAC itself acted as the scan and repair functions, two important, but auxiliary functions. 

I’ve also personally tested a few 8bitdo Switch controllers, as well as arcade sticks, which were able to be paired with the XAC as well. 

A big advantage of the XAC is that by doing this through hardware, you can store multiple control profiles on the device itself, then migrate the setup between multiple devices, including other systems. Through the use of a controller converter, I’ve been personally able to use the XAC on multiple generations of Playstations and the Switch. All without the need to use software remapping.

If playing on the Xbox or Windows, however, you do get access to Xbox Assist--formerly Copilot--which allows you to pair the XAC with additional controllers, once again being read a single unit. This allows another player to assist in activating other buttons, or use one controller as the primary device, while complimenting it with buttons on your other controller. 

I’ve used this to combine my controller with my pedal set, handling stick clicks with pedals, allowing me to sprint and melee but stepping on a switch. You could also use something like the Xbox Adaptive Joystick, and handheld joystick in the style of the Wii nunchuk, to control the primary movement, while resting another controller on a flat surface and pressing the buttons. 

It’s worth noting that Xbox Assist isn’t restricted only to the XAC, and can be used with various other Xbox controllers, including the Adaptive Joystick, 8bitdo Lite SE, or just two standard controllers. 

These options give a huge amount of flexibility to the controller, allowing you to mix and match what parts of a modern control setup work for you. Modern controllers have mostly agreed on a standard for button layouts and shapes, but at the cost of the more unorthodox options and ideas that made controllers part of the game or console experience. 

The XAC gives you ways to interface with the same games, with remapping software that makes up for the often underwhelming options built into the consoles themselves. Buttons can even be remapped on the fly by physically plugging and unplugging cords into ports, allowing you to experiment with different setups quickly. It’s totally analog, and has the same satisfaction as manually rewiring devices and circuits. 

Modern controllers are designed to be invisible. To meld into the background and allow experienced players to not think about how they control their characters. But when that doesn’t match someone’s ability or experience, the opposite can happen, turning a controller into something that fights against you. The same features that allow disabled people the flexibility to build a solution that works for them also gives everyone the option to change the way we interface with games, and build something new. 

For interested parties, I've collected more info on the XAC below:

[vinniehorrible]

So much better [short story]

Description: Sometimes, I wish to take a jab at what bothers me and writing is a great tool for it. A near-future sci-fi about a man and his encounter with the rise of thinking robots.

Word count: 5256

Few would take joy in a pair of dead eyes staring at them across a perfectly bland white room. Dick didn’t mind how the machine stared at him. He was the only thing changing in the environment, and therefore it made sense it would keep scanning him. It was precisely for his lack of disturbance in this situation that he volunteered to help with the research.

The only downside, perhaps, was the silence. Out here there were no windows, out of fear of corporate espionage, and they were now so deep in the facility that the hum of the heavy machinery coming from nearby rooms was barely heard.

“Tell me something. The silence is uncomfortable,” Dick asked of the robot.

The humanoid apparition tilted its head slightly. Its eyes changed to the colour green, indicating debugging. “Eye contact… impossible. Person looking aside. Not required. Ambient noise… 23 db. Lowering volume for optimal conversation.” Dick rolled his eyes as those that stared at him returned to their original bright yellow. “Of course. What would you like me to tell you? Or… would you prefer something I choose of my own?”

“Just something to talk about before we start. Hell, can’t you do at least some small talk?”

“Processing input parameters… adjusting tone for ‘small talk’. Emulating informal conversational patterns…

Alright. Small talk. I can do that. Did you know that the first practical use of electric motors wasn’t in the industry? Rather, it was in a fan, built in the 1830s. They called it a rotary blower. Inefficient and noisy, but it worked.”

Dick let out a heavy sigh. Compared to the talk he could have with his coworkers, this was barely considered a conversation. Not to mention that what he had just heard may have been complete nonsense. Small talk, as he imagined it, wasn’t something he would have to fact check. “You know what, forget it. Just wait until I’m done.”

“Understood. Returning to standby mode.”

The machine waited there patiently until Dick read through the list of instructions he was given by the institute. His excitement to help push forward the technology of thinking robots was only briefly overshadowed by how much preparation it would take and how impossible it was to stand them outside of actual work.

“Alright. Come here,” he instructed the robot and it followed him to the nearby table, waddling like an overgrown penguin, yet surprisingly fast. “Can you read this wiring diagram? What do you see in it?”

“Scanning provided documents…

Yes, I can read the wiring diagram. This is a three-phase motor control circuit. The main power enters through the L1, L2, and L3 lines—connected to the contractor. The overload relay is in series with the motor output. Control logic is routed through auxiliary contacts, including a normally closed stop switch and a normally open start switch. I also detect a thermal protection loop. Would you like me to simulate a fault condition?”

That last part was what always fascinated Dick. The question. The constant urge of the artificial brain to ask for more. More work, more information, more data.

“Excellent,” he replied, ignoring the question. “Now, what about these tools on the table? Do you know what they are called? How they’re used?”

“Processing…

Yes, I do recognize the tools. This is a multimeter. Used to measure voltage, current, and resistance. It is currently set to…” it leaned closer to have a better look. Dick got goosebumps and a slight smile appeared on his face. Such behaviour, for some reason, seemed so human to him. “DC voltage mode. The tool to the left are wire strippers. Used to remove insulation from electrical wires without damaging the conductors. These are adjustable. And then here is some soldering iron. Used to bond wires or components with solder.” Its eyes narrowed for a moment. “Caution. The device is turned on. Current tip temperature is 356 degrees Celsius. Would you like me to switch to Farenheit? For the use of optimal measuring units, you may also tell me our current location, so that I may adjust accordingly.”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Dick replied to its question this time.

“I understand. Is there anything else—” This was the annoying part. The fact that it would always have the last word. That it would always respond, no matter what one said.

“Now, please, take this document.” Dick placed a stack of papers on the table and the robot carefully picked them up. “There’s a mistake in the notes. Can you find what is wrong with that system?”

He leaned against the table and stared at the machine with stars in his eyes. It read so fast. Its eyes barely moved as it scanned one page, then flipped to the other, then the next, the next, and so on. It could read faster than any human, yet it understood perfectly what it read. Or at least it was supposed to. That was, after all, the purpose of this test.

“Parsing schematic annotations. Cross-referencing circuit logic.

Yes, I have identified a discrepancy. In the notes, it states ‘Contactor coil is energized when both the overload relay and the stop button are closed.’ That is incorrect. The stop button is a normally closed contact. When functioning properly, it remains closed, allowing current to flow until it is pressed. Therefore, the coil is de-energized if the stop button is open. Would you like me to update the annotation for clarity and safety compliance?”

Dick smirked. “Oh yeah? And how would you do that?”

The machine looked at him for a moment, then back at the paper. “Selecting a proper course of action.” It went silent for a minute, then placed its hand on the page and tore it out, much to Dick’s shock. “Please, pair me with the nearest printer so I may pring the corrected information.”

Dick rubbed the root of his nose. “No, that… That won’t be necessary.”

“Very well. Is there anything else I can—”

“Actually, yes.” Dick interrupted it. There was nothing else in his notes, but his mind could not spare him the curiosity. “Can you improve it? The design in the document, I mean. If you were an engineer and you had to improve it, what would you do?” That was what he yearned to know. He was, after all, using his knowledge of electrical engineering to teach the machine. Knowing if it could eventually think on its own interested him greatly.

“Affirmative,” the machine said almost immediately, much to his surprise. “Evaluating system design. Optimizing for safety… reliability… serviceability… complete.

Existing design lacks fault detection to prevent potential hazard. I would integrate a ground fault sensor upstream of the contactor. It would shut down the circuit on fault detection, enhancing safety. Another possibility is to add indicator light for coil status. It would offer an immediate visual confirmation of system state. The indicator lamp would be added in parallel with the contactor coil to assist in diagnostics and to improve operator awareness. Would you like a redrawn schematic based on these improvements?”

Dick slowly walked over the machine without saying a word. It stared at him as he approached, and even after he passed it. “Let’s leave. Follow me,” he said.

“Alright. Please tell me when we reach our destination.”

Now there was nothing that could’ve taken Dick’s smile off his face. The robot could think. It had ideas. It had a brain. Not a real one, of course, but the artificial one would do. Or perhaps, it would even be better than the real thing. All the possibilities of what it could do out there in the world. No more messy wiring. No more being called to fix someone's botched job. The perfect coworker. “Just that small talk function needs some work,” Dick thought as they left the room.

“So, everything done?” Matthew welcomed Dick as he entered the much cosier and colourful cafeteria. At this time of day, there were only the two of them.

Dick had to blink a few times to flush all that dull gray of the institute walls out of his mind and take in the much more pleasant light yellows and greens. The head developer handed him a glass of water and he took it without hesitation.

“Yeah. It’s one incredible piece of work. I only wish one could chat with it in a more pleasant way.”

“We’re working on the communication functions. You need to realize that AI is still in its infancy.”

Dick smiled at that notion. Still in its infancy? As a student, he cheated on tests using the predecessors of the models used today. That was more than fifteen years ago. How long exactly was the infancy period of a robot?

“I’m curious to hear about your insights regarding its skills. Does it seem professional enough? Any mistakes?” Matthew inquired.

“Not really. It knows the theory, but practical application is not something you can effectively simulate in a lab,” Dick offered his bit of honesty. “I guess you won’t give me one to take along while I work, eh?”

“You know we can’t do that. The error margin is still around ten percent. That is a lot. We cannot offer something like that to join you, a professional engineer. It could hinder your work.”

“I meant, it could just watch me, ask, learn.”

Matthew shook his head. “I cannot. Though I still appreciate you volunteering to help us test it.”

“It’s my pleasure. This kind of tech is exciting. I can imagine so many kids wanting to be electricians, or engineers of any kind if they get to work alongside these machines. Imagine the day when they’ll actually be able to do stuff for you. This job will become available for anyone, really.”

Matthew did not say a word. He sat his glass down and approached to shake Dick’s hand. “Thank you, Richard, for your help. As agreed, you will be mentioned in the documentation as one of the testers.”

“Not a problem. Glad I could help.” Dick shook the man’s hand with enthusiasm. In his head, he could already see it. His name would be among those who helped bring forth the technology of the future. He saw it clearly, like an acknowledgments page in a book.

Upon mentioning it, Matthew briefly imagined it too. Unlike Dick, he had already seen the current version of the page. Or rather, pages. All five of them, filled to the brim with names, font size ten, aligned to a block. He made a mental note to add Dick’s name to it later, along with the seven other testers from the past two weeks.

It had been twelve years since Dick last set foot into the Institution. Even now, as a fresh fifty-year-old, he could recall his past in this place. Every time more testing was needed, he would answer the call. For two years, he was here even twice a week, sometimes for a few minutes, other times for hours. There was some money in it too, but it got lost in comparison to Dick’s reasonable paycheck his day job would earn him. As time went on, less and less requests came. And as they stopped coming, robots began appearing. One hardly registers the rise of technology. One day, it is simply there, and you ask yourself how it was even possible for it to appear oh so quickly.

The Institute looked different now. It wasn’t even called that anymore. Now it was the “Office of Necessity.” For many, it became a boogeyman, and Dick was slowly understanding why, as he was led through the hallways. The dull gray of the past was still there, but now it was adorned with running lines of ruthless red, which sometimes boasted the logo of the company—a black lightning above what was supposed to be half a brain and half a circuit. This alone would perhaps not look all that frightening, were it not for the two bodyguards escorting him. Each time he would even slow down or attempt to look behind his shoulder, they would tell him “Keep going Mr. Jirak.” Their voice wasn’t hostile, but it hit one’s ears in a similar fashion a concrete wall would.

All it took were a few turns before the maze of corridors would end and Dick would find himself in front of a dark wooden door with a label hanging right next to it. “Thomas Kazmer.” Was Matthew not around anymore? With all the restructuring the Institute went through, one could hardly be surprised, yet Dick silently hoped they’d meet again, especially when they called directly into his workplace to request his immediate presence.

“Mr. Jirak, please, have a seat,” Thomas told his guest. There was something ominous about the whole place. As Dick entered, the two men that were accompanying him closed the door behind him, yet remained in the room, standing by the entrance, both holding the wrist of their other arm, perhaps only to seem more intimidating. As cliché as their looks were, it worked remarkably. Dick was sure that if he tried to do anything out of the ordinary, those two would escort him right out without breaking a sweat, no matter how much he’d try to fight.

He cautiously sat down. Thomas Kazmer was a peculiar man. Young. Maybe in his thirties, with a look that immediately showed his mind contained more pride than his wisdom would entitle him to, as he smiled at Dick without squinting his eyes even a tiny amount. Despite that, Dick could only really focus on the man’s unnaturally long nose and a truly massive Adam's apple. He tried his best not to stare at either, but considering how close they were to one another, it was a most challenging trial. Instead, he decided to shift his focus onto the person standing next to Thomas. They looked about as normal as one could. Dark hair, just like Thomas’, similarly clean shave, and an expensive suit, which was something everyone in the room shared, apart from Dick, whose attire, while still very formal, barely remembered leaving the store almost ten years ago. Suddenly, Dick’s eyebrows popped up. Only after looking at Thomas’ assistant for a moment did he notice the tiny sparks in his eyes. He was a Myslit. One of the Institute’s assistant robots. The model that had slowly replaced all other models over the last couple of years, and the one that had been allowing them to gradually and effectively monopolize the market.

“Welcome, Mr. Jirak. I hope your trip here was a pleasant one?” Thomas asked. Dick was surprised that he didn’t even offer an introduction or a handshake, but it was true that some younger people were keeping away from such traditions.

“Yes. Thank you for sending the car. I could’ve taken my own though.”

“It is customary to send it to people when we request their presence. Now, I hope you will understand if I skip any further formalities and go straight into the core of things?”

“Of course.”

“Excellent. Here is your document of irrelevance.”

Dick gasped as Thomas slid him the signature light-blue paper. He scanned the lines only briefly. Most of it was just formal jargon few actually understood. The meaning was clear from the file’s existence alone.

“You’re removing me from my work? Why?”

“On the request of your employer.”

“Malik? But…” Dick tried his best to compose himself. “He never told me that there would be any problems. If I’m fired, there should be a warning letter, or—”

“Mr. Jirak, you misunderstand the situation. You are not here because you are fired. You are here because you are irrelevant. The Office has received a message that you may be suspected of irrelevance so we did a background check on you.” Thomas picked up a stack of papers from the table and began skimming through the information. “You worked as an electronics engineer for… well, many years, I can’t find that now. During that time, you have not educated yourself in any other field that would matter. Upon asking Mr. Malik about what work you perform at his company and with what salary, your presence there has been deemed obsolete. A Myslit has been purchased by Mr. Malik and will be delivered to the company next Monday. Its monthly expenses are eighty-four percent less than your salary, thus saving the company money.

“I… A Myslit? But… the company has its own—”

“Yes, the GTP-C4T informant intelligence. We know. I don’t have to tell you that the difference between an AI assistant and an AI worker is astronomical. Especially with the latest Myslit model. Do not worry, you are not the only person to be replaced.” Thomas leaned closer, interlocking his fingers. “But that would not really be irrelevance. Problem is, Mr. Jirak, that you have nothing else to benefit the society with. Your education in the field is admirable, but obsolete. And you have nothing else to offer to any potential employer.”

“But I helped train those things! Ask Matthew Catcher! We’ve done so much work together back when this was just an Institute!”

Thomas raised his hand. “Please, quiet down, or I will have you escorted out.” Despite the mind threat of the sentence, his voice stayed the same. “Yes, it is true that I have found your name among the testers. Yet you have never purchased a single Myslit yourself.”

“Well… I never needed one. I paid for the information robots though!”

“Then I don’t know what to tell you. Your contribution to the AI training is appreciated, yet minuscule, with barely any impact on sales.”

“Then… Okay, but I can do other jobs!”

“Oh? Can you now? I did not see any other education or training certificate in your files.”

“I can get an education!”

“In what field?”

“Well… construction engineering? My father used to do that.”

“Myslit?”

“Yes?” The robot moved almost too much like a human.

“Are you familiar with construction engineering?”

“Indeed. Do you require any specific knowledge?”

“How many books on construction engineering do you have in your database?”

“Over 720 000. Though some are outdated or specific to a particular geography and its laws.”

“See, Mr. Jirak?” Thomas said, his voice like creeping winter. “Any Myslit knows more than you will learn in ten years of studying, and they know it all with utmost precision. Their memory contains every word. Every sentence on the subject, as well as countless demonstration videos and data gathered directly from the field. Not to mention that our Myslits come in various forms that might offer extra appendages or carry capacity that would vastly surpass you, should you turn to construction as a field of work. Therefore, your education and training would merely be a waste of time.”

Words refused to leave Dick’s mouth. What was this man even talking about? Surely there was still much more he could do with his life. Quickly, he searched his memories for similar situations. He always tried his best to keep away from all the negative news and political talk, but he did recall people losing their jobs. What did they do in that case? What if they were deemed irrelevant?

“Perhaps there is something your personal files do not mention?” Thomas asked, as if eager to give him hope. Though given his visibly fake smile, Dick assumed it was only because he would enjoy tearing it down again.

“I…” he went silent for a few seconds, imagining how his days were spent. “I can play football.”

“Myslit?” Thomas asked, not even looking at the machine.

“I can simulate any sports match. Using random parameters, I can create virtual footballers, generate their visual representation, and then animate their matches. Perhaps, as a football fan, you’ve heard to Christian Red? He is currently the top rated player, created by a Myslit in Egypt. Though, according to programming, his statistics are declining over time to simulate aging. Predicted time until he will be overtaken by another virtual sportsman is around seven months. Shall I try to create a football team for you?”

“No, thanks, that will not be necessary,” said Thomas. “You see, Mr. Jirak. A footballer? That is no profession for the modern ages. And if it is exercise you seek instead, then you can simply go running through the parks in the city. For that, such a career is not necessary.”

“I read a lot!” Dick spurted out. His mind returned to all those nights spent with detective stories.

“And that is a profession?” Thomas raised an eyebrow.

“Well, since I read, I will also be able to write! I’ve gone through a lot of detective stories! I—”

“Myslit, can you write me the first chapter of a detective story? Something classic, old-school, that Mr. Jirak might appreciate.”

The Myslit went quiet. A few seconds were spent by just quietly waiting, then suddenly a printer in the corner or the room sprung to life.

“Done. First chapter of 32 632 words has been written and is printing now. Would you like me to make any changes? If you’d prefer to stay in a virtual creative space, please pair me to a screen of your choice.”

“Well, there you have it,” Thomas said. “Obsolete. Give me a list of your most favourite books and a Myslit can write you whatever you’d like. Chances of you being a writer are next to none. You have no experience whatsoever, and those few that are still active in the world rarely do so for monetary gains, which, given your situation, you would need.”

“I… I used to build model tanks…” Dick whimpered.

“I am paired to a 3D printer next door. Would you like me to print a model for you?”

“That will not be necessary, Myslit,” Thomas dismissed it. “Unless you can design models yourself, it is not a hobby fit for a living. Not to mention that a Myslit could do that as well.”

Dick went quiet. His mind offered him no further escapes. He felt as though he was standing at a wall. His executioner was telling him of crimes he did not commit, and the firing squad behind him was ready to seal his fate at Thomas’ command.

“Now, there are certain possibilities. Please, do not look so alarmed,” Thomas told him, his smile unnerving. “Your life is far from over. Let’s go over some options.” He flipped through the pages of documents until he reached the very last one. “Now, becoming a doctor is an option. Myslits have a staggering error rate in the field of medicine. Myslit? Can Mr. Jirak become a doctor?”

Its eyes did not change. It did not even need a moment to think. This model knew the answer as if it had been prepared long before this meeting. “Highly unlikely. Training requires high intelligence and a long time. Mr. Jirak is past the optimal age threshold for a doctor as well, and has no political connection, making it highly improbable that he would be accepted among other doctors, or trusted by patients. Estimated probability of success is around 11%”

“Ah, well, that’s not the best. What about a scientist then?”

“Mr. Jirak’s background would be compatible. Certain scientific disciplines accept mature entrants for data modeling and applied research. However, Mr. Jirak would need extensive education, might lack necessary intelligence, and grant access for late-career entrants are limited. Probability of 34%.”

“Well, that’s better. Now what about a psychologist?”

“Also possible. Training duration is moderate and due to decline in average public mental health, such professions are always necessary. However, Myslit presence has been steadily growing in this field. Given the lack of experience and length of training, probability of Mr. Jirak’s success is around 28%.”

“Well, it gives us options, see?” Thomas exclaimed, almost enthusiastic, as if any of the information given by the machine would be comforting in any way. “Now, please, have a look at this page,” Thomas slid the document over to Dick. “There are many other options for you. Caregivers are always needed, as Myslits aren’t well-developed for this particular profession. Bodyguards or soldiers are also always an option. Military will take anyone really. Machines are far too easy to disable with modern technology.”

Dick did not like a single option on the list. Most of those he never even heard of, and given the slowly escalating tensions between his homeland and the neighbouring giant of Grand Acirema, he did not enjoy the thought of dying somewhere on the front lines, should a war break out.

“Now, before you go, Mr. Jirak, here are the keys to your new home.” Thomas reached into a drawer in his desk and gave Dick two small keys.

“My new home? Where… Why?”

“Well, you live at… Where is it written? Ah! Here it is! Starry street 859. That’s a nice apartment, three rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. But for someone of your status? As an engineer, you were a citizen of class seven. I hope I don’t have to explain to you why you are lower now. But don’t be alarmed, it is not as bad. You have no debts, so that’s nice, no political presence either, that is less nice, but that AI testing in the past does grant you some benefits, albeit small ones. So… you’ll be moved to Stone street 542. Wonderful apartment. One really large room for all your needs, a cozy kitchen, and an equipped bathroom.”

Dick blinked a few times, trying to see anything like a hidden camera. Any hint that the person would be only joking and that he could still walk out of there with his life intact.

“Do you have any further questions?” Thomas asked, his fingers interlocking as he lay his arms on the table.

Dick shook his head in response. Nothing else was coming to his mind.

“Splendid then. Now, you are given three days to sort out your stuff. Since you’re unemployed as of now, that should be quite easy. Keep in mind that the new apartment is smaller, so take only what you consider necessary. The extra stuff you can give to us and we’ll sell it for you, or you can sell it yourself, should you not wish to pay the processing fee.” Thomas stood up and buttoned his suit. “And, of course, do look for work. Right now you are a citizen of class ten. For each six months of remaining unemployed, you will drop one class lower. If you could therefore look for a profession or education available to you, so that we do not have to meet again in the near future and do all the necessary paperwork, that would be much appreciated.”

Dick swore that after this incident, his life fast forwarded. The security guards escorted him out of the building. The light blue paper sat in his hand and anyone they passed on the Institute grounds would look at him, perhaps a little sympathetically.

The first afternoon, he was not able to pack anything. Could not bring himself to believe it. When the sun set, he took his car and drove to the address written on his papers—Stone street 542. The people making their beds under the nearest bridge were certainly not a good sign, nor were the policemen dressed in black and red that he saw detaining the same group of people as he was going back.

The house looked awful. If there had once been a facade, it had long moved to a better place. The exterior had been battered, broken, and the whole structure looked to be ready to crumble any moment.

The inside only served as proof of that premonition. Finding a wall that would not be sprayed with graffiti was a miracle. The elevator still worked, but the awful sounds it made as Dick boarded it said much of its age, as did all the texts written on its walls with a permanent marker, or directly carved into them with a sharp object.

“Eat, sleep, consume, die,” Dick read the largest writing right next to the buttons. “Lovely,” he muttered to himself.

The apartment itself was almost like heaven when compared to the rest of the building. No graffiti, no destroyed walls. Wet stains on a cracked white paint certainly didn’t look nice, but it was better than nothing. The fifth floor also offered a nice view directly into a window of the next house, sitting only about five metres away, at least as Dick guessed.

Everything in there was barren and empty. He would have to bring his own furniture, but that night, he could not force himself to even think about where to place what or what he could leave behind.

That realization only came the next morning. He partially wished that it had all just been a horrid dream, but when a reminding email landed in his inbox, the truth of it all came crashing down on him.

He packed all he could. Books were not necessary. As much as he loved owning a few physical copies, they were taking up too much space. Almost everything decorational had to be thrown out. He would only keep the most expensive stuff or something he knew was directly useful. His heart wept of each and every memento tossed into the box labelled “maybe”.

They came for him on the fourth day. Two policemen—one Myslit, and one human. That’s how they always travelled. An officer and their assistant. The moving van was parked outside, proudly bearing the logo of the Office of Necessity. Dick didn’t have to do almost anything but open the door for them and hand over his key. The small army dressed in black and red with the signature lightning and half-head on their shoulders did everything else, while the Myslit and the other policeman gave him a speech of how important technology is.

“It is simply the advancement of our era. Do not see it as a Myslit taking your work. Humans take each others’ jobs all the time. When someone better shows up, the other workers need to adapt. But do not be ashamed of failing to do so. Myslits are simply faster at learning, yet they learn just as we do. They do not take away your knowledge or steal information. They take it and process it just as we humans do. They are a tool at our disposal. One that pushes out old technology. When photography became available, people also complained, yet they learned to accept its presence. Just as you will learn to accept the presence of Myslits and find meaningful job opportunities in the future, perhaps in a different field. Nobody says you can’t be happy doing something new.”

Dick did not bother listening to it too attentively, but the Myslit always reminded him how paying attention was important to prevent “accumulation of needless malice.” As far as Dick was concerned, their speech was doing the opposite.

But what else could he do but listen? He once sang a similar song. He praised the technology’s advancement when they came for the journalist that lived at the ground floor. He praised the robots as they came for designer living next door. He praised the Myslits as they escorted out the accountants, the librarians, and the bus drivers. But that all felt so long ago. The age was different now. And he no longer felt like singing.

[fuzzkaizer]

OBERHEIM - ring modulator

" Mostly known for his synth ventures these days (think Van Halen’s “Jump”), Oberheim grew up studying physics and building amps, which led to his career as a computer engineer. Eventually, he discovered that music gear was his true passion after designing an effect written about by Harald Bode in an issue of Electronics Magazine. He parlayed this passion into a budding career in guitar effects and synthesizers, releasing the first pedal-style ring modulator and phase shifter.

 Now, after surveying the cabinet’s contents, I realize that there is not another piece within it that is even tangentially linked to Bode, and his place in the effects business is small but oh so important. The spirit of this column would be remiss without acknowledging his contributions to the field, so here goes.

Apart from being the first man to publish an article about ring modulators, he was also the first to sell them under his own name. Bode also played a crucial role in the adaptation of tubes to solid-state transistors, as well as the advent of the vocoder, a device now known as “that robot voice effect” but originally used by WW2 intelligence officials to encrypt high-clearance conversations between world leaders. Bode was the man, and don’t you forget it.

So it should come as no surprise that Oberheim’s Ring Modulator is perhaps the most sublime example of the effect—in both aesthetics and tonality—despite being the first “pedal” version with many subsequent contenders to the throne, yet nary a usurper. As far as its modern practicality is concerned, there’s a reason you don’t see any on any pedalboard anywhere, beyond the pedal’s insane price point and collectibility.

For one, the thing is as big as a phone book. If that’s not enough, the two switches in front are—you guessed it—toggles. There’s a jack in the front that one might think is for an auxiliary footswitch, but alas, it is for a “control pedal.” Fortunately, this made the pedal a boon for keyboadists, especially those favoring the Rhodes piano. Jan Hammer of Mahavishnu Orchestra made significant use of one (in addition to other Oberheim-designed goodies) on several tracks, one of which I’ll link below (3:28).

Ring modulators work by using an internal pitch called a carrier frequency, which is derived from a ring of components, which modulates the input signal. Unlike many ring modulators that stick you with one carrier value, Oberheim’s version offers you a plethora of carrier options, with the option to output the oscillator itself to other effects, supply your own carrier oscillator (thereby making the pedal a throughput processor), as well as two switchable carrier frequency ranges and many more options under the hood.

If you know how to dial in ring modulators (sadly, a dying art), you’d be hard-pressed to find a better sounding unit than Oberheim’s original. And because finding one is so hard, there’s a good chance you may never get to play one. True to most geniuses of the craft, Oberheim’s device relied on then-cutting-edge tech, using an MC1495 four-quadrant multiplier chip that has long since crossed over to the tech graveyard.

Lastly, it begs to be mentioned that the Oberheim Ring Modulator may very well feature my favorite pedal art of all time—the whole shebang looks like a Devo album cover. Oberheim’s “muscly note” is simply one of the coolest logos ever, and the incredible and thorough attention to detail give it beauty with brains to match."

cred: catalinbread.com/blogs/kulas-cabinet/oberheim-ring-modulator

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New diagnostic tool will help LIGO hunt gravitational waves

Machine learning tool developed by UCR researchers will help answer fundamental questions about the universe.

Finding patterns and reducing noise in large, complex datasets generated by the gravitational wave-detecting LIGO facility just got easier, thanks to the work of scientists at the University of California, Riverside. 

The UCR researchers presented a paper at a recent IEEE big-data workshop, demonstrating a new, unsupervised machine learning approach to find new patterns in the auxiliary channel data of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO. The technology is also potentially applicable to large scale particle accelerator experiments and large complex industrial systems.

LIGO is a facility that detects gravitational waves — transient disturbances in the fabric of spacetime itself, generated by the acceleration of massive bodies. It was the first to detect such waves from merging black holes, confirming a key part of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. LIGO has two widely-separated 4-km-long interferometers — in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana — that work together to detect gravitational waves by employing high-power laser beams. The discoveries these detectors make offer a new way to observe the universe and address questions about the nature of black holes, cosmology, and the densest states of matter in the universe.

Each of the two LIGO detectors records thousands of data streams, or channels, which make up the output of environmental sensors located at the detector sites. 

“The machine learning approach we developed in close collaboration with LIGO commissioners and stakeholders identifies patterns in data entirely on its own,” said Jonathan Richardson, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy who leads the UCR LIGO group. “We find that it recovers the environmental ‘states’ known to the operators at the LIGO detector sites extremely well, with no human input at all. This opens the door to a powerful new experimental tool we can use to help localize noise couplings and directly guide future improvements to the detectors.”

Richardson explained that the LIGO detectors are extremely sensitive to any type of external disturbance. Ground motion and any type of vibrational motion — from the wind to ocean waves striking the coast of Greenland or the Pacific — can affect the sensitivity of the experiment and the data quality, resulting in “glitches” or periods of increased noise bursts, he said. 

“Monitoring the environmental conditions is continuously done at the sites,” he said. “LIGO has more than 100,000 auxiliary channels with seismometers and accelerometers sensing the environment where the interferometers are located. The tool we developed can identify different environmental states of interest, such as earthquakes, microseisms, and anthropogenic noise, across a number of carefully selected and curated sensing channels.”

Vagelis Papalexakis, an associate professor of computer science and engineering who holds the Ross Family Chair in Computer Science, presented the team’s paper, titled “Multivariate Time Series Clustering for Environmental State Characterization of Ground-Based Gravitational-Wave Detectors,” at the IEEE's 5th International Workshop on Big Data & AI Tools, Models, and Use Cases for Innovative Scientific Discovery that took place last month in Washington, D.C.

“The way our machine learning approach works is that we take a model tasked with identifying patterns in a dataset and we let the model find patterns on its own,” Papalexakis said. “The tool was able to identify the same patterns that very closely correspond to the physically meaningful environmental states that are already known to human operators and commissioners at the LIGO sites.”

Papalexakis added that the team had worked with the LIGO Scientific Collaboration to secure the release of a very large dataset that pertains to the analysis reported in the research paper. This data release allows the research community to not only validate the team’s results but also develop new algorithms that seek to identify patterns in the data.

“We have identified a fascinating link between external environmental noise and the presence of certain types of glitches that corrupt the quality of the data,” Papalexakis said. “This discovery has the potential to help eliminate or prevent the occurrence of such noise.”

The team organized and worked through all the LIGO channels for about a year. Richardson noted that the data release was a major undertaking. 

“Our team spearheaded this release on behalf of the whole LIGO Scientific Collaboration, which has about 3,200 members,” he said. “This is the first of these particular types of datasets and we think it’s going to have a large impact in the machine learning and the computer science community.”

Richardson explained that the tool the team developed can take information from signals from numerous heterogeneous sensors that are measuring different disturbances around the LIGO sites. The tool can distill the information into a single state, he said, that can then be used to search for time series associations of when noise problems occurred in the LIGO detectors and correlate them with the sites’ environmental states at those times.

“If you can identify the patterns, you can make physical changes to the detector — replace components, for example,” he said. “The hope is that our tool can shed light on physical noise coupling pathways that allow for actionable experimental changes to be made to the LIGO detectors. Our long-term goal is for this tool to be used to detect new associations and new forms of environmental states associated with unknown noise problems in the interferometers.”

Pooyan Goodarzi, a doctoral student working with Richardson and a coauthor on the paper, emphasized the importance of releasing the dataset publicly. 

“Typically, such data tend to be proprietary,” he said. “We managed, nonetheless, to release a large-scale dataset that we hope results in more interdisciplinary research in data science and machine learning.”

The team’s research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation awarded through a special program, Advancing Discovery with AI-Powered Tools, focused on applying artificial intelligence/machine learning to address problems in the physical sciences. 

[kivaember]

ac6 drabbles: DILF

okay didn't write anything yesterday because i had a banging headache and felt pretty bad, but today i feel more refreshed! since i have a large pile of prompts, let's see...

okay gonna do "Also 621 calling Walter "daddy" because I'm a degen" from @arcticarthropod since i am also a degen.

If you wanna know how Walter's design is for my drabbles/stories, this is his design done by my good friend mango!

DILF

'Handler,' came the flat, dispassionate voice of a text-to-speech programme, 'I have a question.'

Walter looked up from his terminal, the screen which was a mess of various sensor readings, data compilations and geographical comparisons, to see C4-621 standing in the doorway of his office.

Wasn't a very impressive office - more like a shoebox with an uneven desk crammed in, the surface which supported an ancient terminal, a far more modern laptop, and various datapads that he had collected over the decades. Most of the floorspace in this repurposed building was set aside as the garage, tending to the far more important asset of their AC and its various support auxiliaries. There was also an administration area for the technicans to sleep in, and C4-621 had his own space to decompress in, but usually Walter was left alone in this little, out of the way shoebox of an office, and it was how he liked it.

Still, he encouraged C4-621 to approach him if he needed something, if only because his hound would literally just stand in a corner staring vacantly at the wall if left to his own devices for too long. Walter had long grown used to his hound approaching him at random hours requesting 'enrichment' or 'tasking', and as a result his drawer was full of miscellenous things that he'd hand over.

Last time he'd given him a ball of yarn Carla had, for unknown reasons, bundled in with their regular supply drop. Walter had handed the yarn over and told C4-621 to practice cat's cradle (after showing him what that was exactly) and hadn't seen him for an entire day. He'd actually ended up going to hunt for him, and found C4-621 sadly entangled in the yarn, giving him a woebegotten look at his 'failure' to 'achieve his assigned objective'.

"What is it, 621?" he asked, half-expecting it to be something either totally mundane or off-the-wall insane. There was no inbetween with C4-621.

'I was observing the technicians earlier,' C4-621 inputted into his communication device. 'They mentioned a term I didn't know, but when I asked them to clarify, they said to ask you.'

Off-the-wall insane, then. Those technicains were RaD men Carla had sent over on loan. No doubt they were sniggering away in the garage, slapping each other on the back, thinking of innocently oblivious C4-621 asking Walter something potentially obscene.

So, Walter drew in a deep breath and braced himself, asking tiredly: "What's the term?"

"D-I-L-F."

Walter briefly raised his gaze to the ceiling in exasperation.

"...it's not relevant for you to know, 621," he finally said. "Ignore it."

C4-621 didn't immediately respond. He didn't type anything, but neither did he move. Instead, he shuffled his weight slightly, turning his communication device over and over in his hands. Walter recognised the behaviour: C4-621 wanted to press the question, but his instilled obedience to a higher authority strangled his nerve. The fact he was so openly dithering, though, meant he was getting a little bolder. Before, when they first arrived on Rubicon, he would've simply nodded and dropped the whole thing immediately.

Walter stoically waited him out. He returned to his terminal and continued to work, and after ten minutes of C4-621 awkwardly hovering in the doorway, his hound spoke again: 'They asked if I thought you were a DILF.'

Of course they did.

'I said I wasn't sure of what that term was, and they said to ask you, but that it is normally considered a compliment. So I said, yes, I viewed you as a DILF.'

Of course he did.

"621," Walter said, almost helplessly. He looked at him, unable to get a read on C4-621's impregnable expression. "You shouldn't blindly agree to things, especially where Carla's men are concerned. I've told you this."

'Sorry,' C4-621 said. 'Did they trick me again?'

Well. Walter was sort of stuck here. He didn't want to explain what DILF was, because Walter had waded once into the topic of sex with C4-621 and it had been the most surreal conversation he had ever had (and increasingly drove his suspicions that C4-621 was either raised in an attic as a child or by alien wolves), but on the other, Walter just knew that C4-621 would immediately go back to those technicians and say "Handler wouldn't tell me :c" and who knew what nonsense they'd fill C4-621's head with.

He sighed, defeated.

"DILF means... 'daddy I'd like to fuck'," Walter said stonily. "They were asking if you thought I was sexually attractive, 621."

C4-621 did not look flustered or embarrassed or otherwise startled at this information. He absorbed it, applying its definition to memory, and stared intently at Walter in an evaluating manner.

Finally, he nodded.

'Then my opinion remains unchanged,' he said, and promptly left before Walter could even react to that.

A reaction that was just a blink and a blank stare at the now empty doorway. After a moment of dumb staring, however, Walter just shook his head and decided to chalk it up to C4-621 being... C4-621.

Who knew what went through the head of that hound of his...