#Data Aquisition

[divorce]

they're taking away monetization

protip, that was your competitive edge over all other social media

[lets-try-some-writing]

The Grim Dark Archives: Statement #006 The Children

[Statement taken from [Redacted] on [Redacted: Sensitive data] regarding the Autobots acquisition of three human children. We do not know why or how the Autobots collected the children considering they actively avoid human contact when possible. However, they recently came into aquisition of three human wards and Optimus made it quite clear he will not be giving them up.

The Prime offered many logical and sound reasons as to why he and his team should be made guardians, and unfortunately, since we do not know the situation, command made the decision to allow it. We cannot risk the Autobots losing their wariness of us. Command was willing to sacrifice three civilians for the sake of our long term survival.

It's a [Redacted] situation, but there's not a lot we can do. [REDACTED] was asked to offer any insight he might have regarding why the Autobots gained and interest in the children to begin with. The statement he gave was... unsettling.

Statement begins.]

══════════════════

Three human children huh? I've looked over their files, and I gotta say I agree with your higher ups when it comes to this. There really isn't a lot you can do for those kids. If Prime personally chose them, it means he's got plans. And whenever Prime has plans... let's just say it doesn't end well for whoever is involved. I would know. I... was a close friend to him before the Archives took him away.

No I won't be addressing that little tidbit right now. Just consider it a little lore from your dear agent [REDACTED] alright?

Look, I don't claim to know Prime's mind, but I did know Orion before and after the Archives took him as one of theirs. And based on what these reports are telling me, I think I have a rough understanding of what Optimus is trying to do with them. You said Jack was the first, right? Arcee found him at his place of work and skidded away with him on her alt mode. Strange. She would have normally just bucked a passenger that she didn't like right off.

I think he was an accident. Arcee is still grieving the loss of Cliffjumper. The urge to latch onto another must be quite strong for her right now. I imagine that when Jack hopped on, her instincts clicked with him despite the species difference. He's young, he's not anywhere near as strong as even a newspark, and he willingly came to her even if he did not know it. He checked all the boxes, its no wonder she kept him then.

He is likely in the least danger out of the three when all things are considered. Arcee is incapable of creating a cold forged from him since he is organic, and so she won't threaten the team with her parasitic bonding. Jack will be alright so long as he doesn't anger her. She will guard him with her life and viciously fight to protect him from everything, including himself. She will be toxic, she will gaslight him, and she absolutely will try and pull him away from everyone else in his life. She will want to own him completely in order to begin the process of creating a cold forged from him. Of course this is impossible since he is no Cybertronian, but she will follow her rituals all the same.

I imagine Optimus wants to keep Jack since he ensures Arcee remains a loyal ally without the threat of her nature. Jack will never be physically harmed so long as she is near. Although I would be careful. Maybe give the boy a briefing so that he never mentions another female in Arcee's presence. Femmes are notoriously territorial. I would not put it past Arcee to go and kill any female classmates or even Jack's mentor- mother? Yeah that's the term. Simply put, keep her away from any "competition" and Jack should be fine, well, he won't be mentally fine but being alive is better than being dead I guess.

The one called Miko though? She's got it infinitely worse and I don't think she knows it based on the reports. Her status with the Wreckers is highly concerning. Wreckers are not naturally aggressive toward other species, but they do get bored easily. Perhaps that is the wrong word. They are so strange that even I don't really get them. But basically, when a Wrecker isn't given much to do, they start causing problems. BIG problems mind you. If there isn't a mission or objective to complete, they will create problems to solve and even revolt against their faction just to have something to do. Being trapped on Earth must be its own special kind of torture. I can bet you a hundred shanix that the only reason Bulkhead hasn't lost his fraggin mind and burned down a city is because he's hunting down that rogue Wrecker still.

What's shanix? It's our currency back on Cybertron- Wait, that's beside the point. Quit getting me off track here.

Miko is being used as a distraction to put things lightly. Wreckers like to see how far they can go, constantly testing the limits. Miko's personality and the fact that according to this, she wants to be "Just like Bulkhead" tells me that she's in for a rough ride. She probably won't be augmented or anything like that. It would be way too much effort for Bulkhead to bother. But you can bet that Miko will be thrown into any and all dangerous situations just so that Bulkhead can watch and see if she makes it out alive. He will probably try to play hero too. Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

Yeah, that girl is as good as dead. Well, at least if Optimus stops advocating for her life. Keep an eye on her and give her a quick briefing. I wouldn't tell her anything important, the calmer she is, the better things will be for her. However I would recommend combat training for her, or at least some of that Navy SEALS stuff you squishies have going on.

And then there's Rafael...

Honestly, I pity the boy. He's got Prime's direct attention. Rafael understands Bumblebee too. Frag he's honestly better off throwing himself off the nearest cliff. If Prime hasn't started the augments, he sure as pit will soon. I won't sugar coat it a ton since I know you lot are mature. So listen closely when I say that Optimus wants data. He always wants data. That child, Rafael... he has what we call outlier abilities. His mind is just different enough that he can pick up on our EM fields. He isn't actually understanding Bumblebee's words, he's understanding Bumblebee's intents and automatically translating them. A "Vibe check" kind of thing.

What I am getting at is that Rafael is one of the few who could handle Cybertronian data. Prime isn't dumb, he can see that. He's always looking for new optics to add to the Archive. My best guess is that he's going to bring Rafael into the fold, make him one of the Archive so that Optimus can have data regarding humans up and personal. The fact that the boy was given to Bumblebee only confirms that. Rafael is to be Bumblebee's newest gift and Rafael will feed Optimus information on anything and everything as soon as the augments are impanted.

You will know when the augments are done. When you know, don't talk to him. Don't say anything to Rafael. Don't let him SEE anything. Rafael cannot be allowed to know anything as soon as he joins the Archives. Everything he will see is something Optimus will also see. Not to mention Bumblebee... he's an adolescent. He has a desire to mentor a newspark, just like all our kind do at that age. If he has Rafael, he will be sure to guard Rafael and treat him very kindly. The cost is of course, that Rafael will belong to Optimus and Bumblebee in all but spark, or perhaps soul.

The only saving grace for the boy is that he will likely never know. Things that hurt will eventually fade away. His personality will shift, his mind will wander, and one day, he will wake up and not care anymore. The distress will be limited once he is fully one with the Archives. Bumblebee being there is likely also an attempt to keep him calm while the process is being completed.

I wouldn't have put it past Ratchet to have requested human subjects either. Keep a close eye on your young. That medic might try and steal a few now that Optimus has allowed for three to be taken.

══════════════════

[Statement end.

Those kids... I wish I could do something for them, but [REDACTED] has made it quite clear that acting could destroy us. The children keep the Autobots from harming more civilians, and as much as it pains me to say... letting three die is better than having whole cities burn.

We will keep an eye on the children and brief them as best as we can. The science department is going to want Rafael for their own, I'm sure. They can try, but if [REDACTED] is right, any agent they send won't make it out again.

On another note, up until now [REDACTED] had refused to take an alternate mode. But in light of recent events, he settled on a Martini Porsche, a racing model no less. A strange choice, but one that feels fitting for him. He's been opening up more and picking up on Earth lingo left right and center. But considering all he's said about adaptation, I am not inclined to fully buy his laid back persona, especially after his first few months with us where he was shaking like a leaf.

We can only hope these aliens get off our planet sooner rather than later.

Agent Witwicky signing off.

Recording ends.]

[arrowpoint]

Arrow Point Market Research and Insights Solutions is a professionally managed firm offering wide range of Market research, insights, business intelligence, market intelligence, analytics, field work, data collection and acquisition services to clients from India and International horizons.

[ahmedferradj]

Data mining

1.What's Data mining ?

Datamining is the process of extracting and discovering patterns in large datasets involving methods at the intersection of machine learning, statistics and database systems. Datamining is interdisciplinary subfield of computer-science and statistics with overall goal of extracting information (with intelliegent methods) from a data set and transforming the information into a comprensible structure for further use. Data mining is the analysis step of The KDD process "Knowledge discovery in database".

2.What's KDD process ?

KDD process is known as "Knowledge Discovery in Database".It"s a multi-step process of finding knowledge from large data sets and emphasizes the high-level application of particular datamining methods.It's of interests to researchers in machine learning, pattern recognition, databases, ststistics, artificial intelligence, knowledge aquisition for experts systems and data-visualization. The picture below defines the different steps of KDD process and each of those steps have an input and output entity. The KDD process can't be executed without beginning on data.

3.What are the different steps of the KDD process ?

The overall process of finding and interpretting patterns from data involves the repeated application of the following steps mentioned in the graph above :

Selection : we create a target data set by seecting a part of the overall data set as a sample then focusing on a subset of variables on which discovery is to be performed. The result of these step is a subset of data considered as a sample.

Preprocessing : These step of the KDD process takes the target data set as an input then it applyes data cleaning by removing the noise from the input data set then restucturing the data set. The output of these operation is a preprocessed dataset that can be able to be transformed in the next step.

Data transformation : These step takes the preprocessed data as input and tres to find some useful features depending on the goal of the task and reducing dimension to execute an effective learining datamining.

Data mining : in this phase we will descide whether the goal of KDD process is classification, regression, clustering ...etc. Discover the patterns of interests.

Interpretation : Interpretating mined patterns and consolidating discovered knowledge.

4.What are data mining tasks ?

There are several steps that are defined in the sub-process of KDD especially in datamining steps. In Data mining, there are 02 types of data mining that are :

Predictive mining: predective data mining is the analysis done to predict a future event or other data or trends and to predict something will happen in the near future. Predective data mining offers a better future analysis and to make better decisions to add a value in predective analytics like for example predecting the future customer of a defined service, define the future price of oil and gaz in the world market, define the next ill of an international pandemic, define the future political conflict ... etc. There are 4 types of descriptive data mining tasks which are :

Classification analysis : It is used to retrieve critical and pertinent data and metadata. It categorizes information into various groups. Classification Analysis is best demonstrated by email providers. They use algorithms to determine whether or not a message is legitimate.

Regression Analysis : It tries to express the interdependence of variables. Forecasting and prediction are common applications.

Time Serious Analysis : It is a series of well-defined data points taken at regular intervals.

Prediction Analysis : It is related to time series, but the time isn’t restricted.

Descriptive mining : descriptive data mining is to describe data and make data more readable to human beings, it's used to extract information from previous events and data and to discovering an interesting patterns and association behind data. It's also used to exract correlations, relationships between features and finding new laws and regularities based on data. There are four different types of Descriptive Data Mining tasks. They are as follows :

Clustering analysis : It is the process of determining which data sets are similar to one another. For example, to increase conversion rates, clusters of customers with similar buying habits can be grouped together with similar products.

Summerazation analysis : It entails methods for obtaining a concise description of a dataset. For example, summarising a large number of items related to Christmas season sales provides a general description of the data, which can be extremely useful to sales and marketing managers.

Association rules analysis : This method aids in the discovery of interesting relationships between various variables in large databases. The retail industry is the best example. As the holiday season approaches, retail stores stock up on chocolates, with sales increasing before the holiday, which is accomplished through Data Mining.

Sequence discovery analysis : It's all about how to do something in a specefic order. For instance, a user may frequently purchase shaving gel before purchasing razor in a store.It all comes down to the order in which the user purchases the product, and the store owner can then arrange the items accordingly.

5.Links :

[neuncopharma]

Navigating the Complexities of Comparator Sourcing for Successful Clinical Trials

Introduction

In the dynamic landscape of clinical trials, securing reliable comparator medications is paramount for robust study design and accurate data interpretation. Comparators, whether active or placebo, serve as crucial benchmarks to assess the efficacy and safety of the investigational drug. However, sourcing these comparators can present significant challenges, ranging from supply chain complexities to regulatory hurdles. This article explores the critical aspects of comparator sourcing within the context of clinical trial supplies.

The Importance of Comparator Sourcing

Ensuring Study Validity: Comparators are essential for establishing a valid comparison between the investigational drug and a known standard of care or an inactive control. This comparison is fundamental to determining the true therapeutic benefit of the new drug.

Data Integrity: The quality and consistency of the comparator directly impact the reliability of the trial data. Any variations in the comparator's source, formulation, or manufacturing process can introduce bias and undermine the study's integrity.

Ethical Considerations: Ethical obligations demand that participants in placebo-controlled trials receive appropriate care. When an effective comparator is available, using a placebo may not be ethically justifiable.

Challenges in Comparator Sourcing

Supply Chain Disruptions: Global supply chains are intricate and vulnerable to disruptions, including manufacturing delays, geopolitical events, and natural disasters. These disruptions can significantly impact the availability and timely delivery of comparators.

Regulatory Hurdles: Obtaining regulatory approval for the use of commercially available medications in clinical trials can be a complex process. Navigating varying regulatory requirements across different countries and regions adds another layer of complexity.

Authenticity and Quality: Ensuring the authenticity and quality of sourced comparators is crucial. Counterfeit medications and substandard products pose significant risks to patient safety and data integrity.

Cost Considerations: The cost of acquiring and managing comparator supplies can be substantial, particularly for long-term trials or those involving large patient populations.

Integrating Contract Manufacturing:

"In the intricate web of clinical trial supplies, comparator sourcing plays a pivotal role. However, the complexities are compounded by factors like supply chain vulnerabilities and stringent regulatory demands. To navigate these challenges effectively, many sponsors are turning to comprehensive solutions that include pharmaceutical contract manufacturing and licensing services."

"Pharmaceutical contract manufacturing and licensing services can provide crucial support in ensuring a consistent and reliable supply of comparator drugs. This can involve manufacturing comparators to specific formulations, managing licensing agreements for existing medications, and providing flexible production capabilities to meet fluctuating trial demands."

Enhancing Supply Chain Reliability:

"By leveraging pharmaceutical contract manufacturing, companies can gain greater control over the production and quality of comparator drugs. This is particularly valuable when dealing with specialized formulations or when ensuring a consistent supply across multiple trial sites. Furthermore, Licensing services can help to ensure proper legal aquisition of needed comparator medicines."

Adding to the Challenges Section:

"The challenges in comparator sourcing can be further exasperated by the need to find contract manufacturers with the correct certifications, and capacity. Also ensuring the correct licensing is in place can add to the time and cost of sourcing."

Adding to the strategies section:

"When choosing vendors, companies should look for those that can provide not only the comparator drugs, but also offer pharmaceutical contract manufacturing and licensing services. This can streamline the supply chain and reduce the risk of delays."

How This Integration Works:

Connection to Sourcing:

It emphasizes that contract manufacturing can be a strategic solution to sourcing challenges, especially for custom formulations or when dealing with supply shortages.

It highlights the importance of licensing, when dealing with branded comparator medicines.

Supply Chain Enhancement:

It shows how contract manufacturing contributes to a more robust and reliable supply chain.

Comprehensive Solutions:

It positions pharmaceutical contract manufacturing and licensing services as part of a holistic approach to clinical trial supplies.

Conclusion

Successful comparator sourcing is a critical component of clinical trial success. By carefully addressing the challenges and implementing robust strategies, researchers can ensure the availability of high-quality comparators, thereby enhancing the validity, integrity, and ethical conduct of their studies.

[crispypaperpersona]

How Elon Musk’s xAI Acquired X? Check the US$33B Deal Details

Based on the information gathered, here's a breakdown of Elon Musk's xAI acquisition of X:

Key Deal Details:

Acquisition:

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has acquired the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Deal Structure:

The acquisition was an all-stock transaction.

Valuation:

The deal values X at $33 billion.

xAI's valuation is placed at $80 billion.

It is important to note that when including the debt that X has, the value of X is closer to 45 billion dollars.

Strategic Rationale:

The move aims to integrate xAI's AI capabilities with X's extensive user base and data.

Musk emphasizes the "intertwined" futures of xAI and X, aiming to combine their data, models, computing resources, and talent.

The aquisition gives xAI total control of the data produced by X, that can be used to train its AI models.

This also allows X to have Grok, xAI's chat bot, more fully integrated into the X platform.

Financial Implications:

X investors now hold shares in xAI, a potentially higher-growth AI venture.

The deal has been structured in a way that allows Elon Musk to consolidate his control over both companies.

Key Points to Consider:

Integration of AI and Social Media:

The acquisition signals a push towards AI-driven social media experiences.

Data as a Strategic Asset:

X's vast data pool is a valuable resource for training AI models, giving xAI a potential competitive advantage.

Musk's Vision:

The acquisition aligns with Musk's broader vision of integrating AI across his various ventures.

Investor impact:

Investors who had stakes in X, now have those stakes moved into xAI, which is seen as a very positive move.

In essence, this acquisition represents a significant step in Elon Musk's strategy to merge AI technology with social media, potentially reshaping the future of online interactions.

[mavenschronicles]

The Human Experience

I recently took a trip and in one of the cities I stayed in I visited a local museum. Now I had been led to believe that it was an art museum. It was not. It was a science, technology, and art museum. It was also much smaller than I am used to museums being. It contained three exhibits, an art piece, and had an attached bookstore. One of the exhibits I would like to share with you was an exhibit about ai.

When I first arrived and was purchasing my ticket to the museum the lady at the front desk informed me that the ai exhibit had an opening video and that the next showing would be in 15 minutes. This gave me some time to wander around and see some of the art on display beforehand.

Now I already, generally, speaking am not a fan of ai. But I knew this museum had an exhibit on it and it was near the end of the exhibits run, so I thought I would give it a shot and see what it was about exactly.

So, I get to the room just as the video is starting. The room is large and oddly shaped. There are chairs in a single row in the center of the room and the video is being projected on all the walls as well as onto the floor. Thankfully the overhead floor projectors did not cover the entire floor as the video contained, just an absurd amount of rapidly moving images and flashing lights. Certainly not seizure/sensory friendly.

It is also important to note here that I am the only person in the room. I am experiencing this completely alone. There wasn’t even a staff member there.

So, I take a seat in the center of the room. Initially, I am sitting under one of the projectors but would eventually move out from under due to feeling motion sick and disoriented.

The video opens with a female voice intending to represent an ai. The first section was Recognition. The voice talks about self-recognition from the perspective of a self-aware ai. I thought this was an odd place to start but was willing to roll with it. In fact, it gave me a bit of hope for the exhibit as I started to wonder if this would be an exploration of what makes us human and why we continuously strive to create a living ai. Is it a desire to play God? Do we have something innate in us to participate in the act of creation? Is this a way for us to explore our own meaning and purpose in life? What drives us to create ai?

Alas my hopes would not last.

The second section was Knowledge Aquisition. Now I was confused. Ai starts with learning and then theoretically moves onto self-awareness. Regardless, I was still hopeful if not confused.

The third section is when it started to break down for me: Control. It discussed this “utopia” where ai would be integrated into all aspects of life, from the stock market to the water flow of dams. Personally speaking, I don’t want ai to control natural resources. Perhaps I am biased though. When I think of ai I think of what we currently have which is a broken, inadequate machine that cannot think for itself and is constantly making mistakes. Even fictional ai’s, my thoughts jump to HAL-9000, who is iconic, yet I would not want him to be in charge of my life. Even take Data from Star Trek, a wonderful companion but I would not want him to be charged with controlling the water supply for the whole world or even just a country. Perhaps I am too fearful.

Also fun to note that the second section is when they started using ai generated videos and heavily contributed to a sort of uncanny valley feeling.

The third section I fear I can’t remember the name of and I wish I had written it down at the time. This section delves into the integration of ai into healthcare. It discussed the eradication of diseases and disabilities. They joyfully talked about creating the “perfect human”.

In short it was advocating for eugenics.

The fourth section consisted of two parts, the first dystopia and the second utopia. Part one was, obviously, what if everything goes wrong. It was quiet the tonal shift though I was so horrified from the previous section that it seemed apropos. The second part was of course what if it all goes right. And it ended with this idea that the future is what we make, and we have the choice to choose between these two endings.

The videos end and you are left in a stark white room, disoriented, confused, and horrified. I walked through the room to the other end, and it led into a typical exhibition of technology. The rest of the short exhibit showcased information on how ai works and what goes into programming ai. All the images were of course ai generated. The section on ethical usage of ai was a short paragraph that sums up to the idea that we should be ethical when using ai. what do they mean by be ethical? who knows. At no point does it talk about the environmental impact of ai, the replacement of human creative labor, or the way that it contributes to online exploitation.

I wish I had a better way to end this. The experience of the exhibit has stuck with me and I was left with too many thoughts and questions to really be coherent for a while. I had to sit with it and really think about everything. How did I want to tell this story? What was the point of sharing about it? Did I have a message?

Perhaps I simply wanted to share in the experience with others.

I don’t dare to think I know what makes us human. I’m too young and haven’t experienced enough of life to really know anything. Yet the desire for human connection, the myriad of ways in which we communicate with each other, our yearning to be known and loved, this is fundamental to humanity.

[powered-by-prower]

Flashback: Gamma - Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2

It took him a couple of days figuring out how to repair the code - while most of it was there, trying to reassemble it in a manner that made it workable was another story. Something about the fight on the bridge of the Egg Carrier had caused the data transfer to become corrupted.

Not that this would stop Tails for very long - even if Gamma had some blank spaces in his memory, he was eventually functional. It was time to get some answers.

Click!

The computer hummed as it loaded the program. E-102 was about to awaken for the first time in a few months. No weapons, no orders, not even a physical body... but the AI was now in a state where it could emulate the same environment that Eggman's robots operated in.

The program would cease loading. Silence. Tails raises an eyebrow before tapping on a microphone, leaning close.

"...Uh... can you hear me?"

"This is not my body."

Tails wipes the sweat from his brow. Okay, so he was active. A good sign.

"Y-yeah, you were... kinda blown up." He lets out a nervous chuckle.

"...What happened to Beta?"

Tails was quiet for a moment, clearing his throat. "...He, uh... he didn't make it. I was only able to recover your programming; all of the other E-100 Series robots were wiped of any free will. Any data I have of him is just... directives and final reports. You're the only one I saved."

The AI seemed to be... internalizing this reality. He didn't know how to deal with loss. He didn't even know if he was supposed to feel that sense of loss.

"...The E-100 Series robots. Are they... finally free?"

That part caught Tails' attention. He knew fully well that it was the intent of Gamma in his final moments to liberate the E-Series from Eggman's control, even if it meant taking the nuclear option... which it almost certainly did.

"...Yeah, buddy. You did it. But... I do have some questions about that."

"I do not need to answer any questions."

"I-I'm not arguing that fact, Gamma. But... you were a friend of Amy's, weren't you? I'm just... wondering what led you to befriend her. You're one of Eggman's robots - at least, you were... and she managed to get through to you somehow, even standing up to Sonic."

"...The hedgehog with the bird?"

It was obvious that Gamma remembered this moment - Amy was arguably the catalyst that set him on his road of vengeance. It would be hard for him to forget her.

"...She had shown kindness to that bird. It was inferior to her in every way, and instead of throwing it aside when I had requested its aquisition... she put herself in harm's way for it. She would then do the same for me. It was... illogical."

"Yeah, that sounds like Amy alright," Tails would remark.

"It reminded me of when Doctor Robotnik had pit me against the other E-100 Series robots. Someone like you would refer to them as family. I am not programmed to have such feelings toward the other robots."

"...And yet you still felt it was necessary to free them?"

"Affirmative."

"So if you aren't programmed to think of them as family... how do you see them?"

Silence from the AI for a moment. Tails thought maybe it had crashed, but it would soon come back;

"...Data not found. This does not compute."

The fox couldn't help but smile. "...You know, Gamma? I think you're more like us than you let on. Even as a robot, you had a family." he says, lightly punching the mouse of his computer as though it were Gamma's shoulder.

"...What is the purpose of these questions? Am I intended to be deleted like my brothers?"

"Brothers?" Tails was a bit caught off guard, as he was just told that he didn't feel this way about them. Perhaps Gamma wasn't entirely sure of his feelings on the matter.

"The E-100 Series. Though they are not my family, you seem more comfortable implying that I share a familial--"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it ya' buncha' bolts." Tails says with a small laugh. "I'm not going to delete you. In fact... I wanna ask for your help. We may not be able to bring your family back... but we can at least stop Eggman from tearing apart any other families."

Silence from the AI for another moment. It seemed to be weighing its options, Tails thought to himself.

"...I have no body, and therefore no bolts. However, if your mission is to stop Eggman, then I shall offer whatever services I am able."

The fox grins, placing his hand on the computer screen. "Alright then, Gamma! From this point on, you're part of the team! Welcome to the family, buddy!"

"I hope that I can properly be of service."

[aitoolswhitehattoolbox]

Senior Data science Engineer

Data Aquisition Platform is meant to acquire unstructured data from various sources such as financial documents, news…, websites etc. All this data needs to be mapped, processed and extracted using AI/ML and then exposed to downstream system… Apply Now

[runningupthatvecna]

the way i had to look up what 'BDE' means (i'm grandma) and of course the first thing i get as a result is 'Betriebsdatenerfassung' which is the german word for 'operational data aquisition' and that made me giggle because it perfectly describes this country lol

-> Geta just gives off BDE

[cloudimax-blog]

Advanced Technology and Services for all your Industrial Needs

We Come up with Upgraded Software for Small and Large Scale Industries.

In the Technological Development, we come up with our Upgraded Products, we have our own Hardware, Software and Support Team. For all the Industrial Needs, 

such as, - Industrial data Aquisition for Energy Saving and Production line. - Human Resource Management System & Employee In/Out Tracking. - Canteen Food Token system with QR and Bar Code(Bio / RFID). - Web App Dashboard for Data Analytics with Backend API. 

For More details visit: https://www.cloudimax.com

[soraka-in-warhammer40k]

T'au-Commander Types you might encounter in the wild

So I did some research on how to build my model, and now it'd be a shame to forget all that information - I better write it down here so maybe someone has a use for it. So if you ever wanted some options on how to build your commander, here you go!

(Pictured: a Coldstar Commander with his iconic jetpack and his direct superior to the left)

Alright, for the basics, there's two types. Essentially 3 but Crisis Commanders don't count really. So we got the Enforcer and the Coldstar. One is tough as nails and the other is fast as fuck. Their inherent abilites are not that special, the Enforcer reduces incoming damage by 1 (to min. 1) and the Coldstar has 14'' movement and a once-per-game teleport move, and they both get a specific Crisis Suit buff, but tbh that's not why people pick it, if anything its a bonus.

The key part of those units is how customizable are in terms of weapons and system loadouts. In fact the power that comes from this versatility is so insane, unless you are playing Farsight Enclaves you are limited to 1 per detachment.

Each of them has one special weapon the other does not have. The Enforcer sports the Cyclic Ion Blaster, which is pretty lame even when overloading if you ask me, but is fine threatening stuff like Marines and the Coldstar gets the High Capacity Burst cannon, which is essentially the regular Burst Cannon but with 10 shots instead of 6 and Ap-1.

Both draw from the same list of weapons all of the Assault type, those being

T'au Flamer 12'' A.D6+2 S4 Damage 1, Autohits

Plasma Rifle 30'' A.1 S8 AP-4 Damage 3

Missile Pod 30'' A.2 S7 -2 Damage 2

Fusion Blaster 18'' A.1 S8 AP-4 Damage D6, D6+2 when half range

Burst Cannon 18'' A.6 S5 Damage 1

Airburst Fragmentation Projector A.D6 24'' S4 Ap-1 Damage 1 Blast + Indirect Fire

Looking at it that sure feels weird. Why does a model with a Ballistic Score of 2+ that has no need to rely on auto-hits need a puny little flamer? It's because you can upgrade EVERY SINGLE ONE of these with a Prototype System. However, you only get one of such systems per unit, cost extra points, and only upgrade ONE of the weapons, even when you have multiple of the same.

Generally you can take up to 4 of these except for the exclusive guns in any combination, altough duplicate weapons cost extra points, or you can drop a weapon and take a support system. Target Lock is installed for free without taking a slot, but most people just take a Shield Generator just to protect their high value unit better.

But wait, there's more! Not Customizable enough? Well in addition to that, Commanders can take a Warlord Trait AND a Relic! That opens up the door to a lot of options, and I will present some of them now, starting with the most common one:

Note: all are either accompanied by 2 Shield Drones or in case of example E by 2 Markerlight Drones.

EXHIBIT A: "The Melee" (Any Sept)

We are not sure if it is because they slept through all of combat training, but apparently they did not get the meme that they are supposed to be bad at melee combat. Here's the recipe to kick ass and make someone bear the mark of shame that they lost to T'au in melee:

Commander Type: Coldstar

Warlord Trait: Precision of the Hunter - (Reroll all Hit- and Wound rolls)

Relic: Onager Gauntlet - (Melee weapon with S12 AP-4 D3, punches a hole through vehicles)

Prototype System: Thermoneutrenic Projector. (The Flamer loses its autohit ability, but gets -2 AP and one more points of damage, but the key part is that it can be used it melee. Same AP, same Damage, but the bearer makes D6+2 ADDITIONAL ATTACKS, on top of the 4 you usually have. )

Other Slots: High Capacity Burst Cannon for general purpose, Fusion Blaster to ensure whatever you charge at actually kicks the bucket, and of course a Shield Generator.

You need to clear hordes? Flamer and Burst Cannon got you covered, even in melee, and every vehicle except the really big things need to be careful, because this thing will just go absolute ham on them.

Exhibit B: "The Tank" (T'au Sept)

Commander Type: Enforcer

Warlord Trait : T'au Sept "Strenght of Conviction" (5+ ignore damage)

Relic: T'au Sept Vectored Maneuvering Thrusters +2 Movement, once a round when you get charged, just say no and go away just outside of their range.

Prototype System: Novasurge Plasma Rifle AP-5 and prevent invul. saves means those 3 damage are definetly going to stick.

Other slots: Cyclic Ion Blaster, Shield Generator, Fusion Blaster

Remember the thing where it reduces all incoming damage by one? Now imagine if that one damage also had a 33% chance of just not happening - and when it comes to melee, it just says no, so an entire phase where it will not get damaged. Meanwhile being in T'au Sept means you will hit those Plasma shots for sure, and a lack of movement is not a problem if you found your spot combined with long range weaponry.

Exhibit C: "Borkan goes BRRRRR" (Bor'kan Sept)

Commander Type: Coldstar

Warlord Trait: Seeker of Perfection (+1 AP on all guns, 6s create up to 3 mortal wounds)

Relic: Overdrive Power System (Pick 2 weapons, those get +1 to wound when shooting in half range)

Prototype System: "DW-02 Advanced Burst Cannon" (+1 S and +2 shots and AP-1 when compared to the regular cannon, but most importantly it ignores rules that make enemies ignore the damage).

Other Slots: High Output Burst Cannon, Shield Generator, Fusion Blaster

This thing shreds. By picking the two burst cannons, this can turn even vehicles into swiss cheese, and half range is easy given how Borkan gives 4'' bonus range on all weapons. Good against hordes due to the high number of shots, but +1 to the wound roll is strong. Suddenly these guns with all their shots start punching WAY above their weight class, and the mortal wounds on top are just the icing to get things done. When in doubt that this is not enough to bust a tank, shoot the Fusion Blaster and laugh.

Exhibit D: Melee 2.0 / No, I am not getting out of this chair (Sacea Sept)

Commander Type: Enforcer

Warlord Trait: Strategic Conqueror (Give Out Obsec)

Relic: Grav-Inhibitor Field (Enemies around you fight last, Melee hit -1)

Prototype System: Themogenic Projector (again. Hey, we don't have many melee options)

Other Slots: Cyclic Ion Raker, Shield Generator, Fusion Blaster

Sacea is a weird one, the entire Sept wants you to run Infantry and Infantry-Battlesuits that use Heavy Weapons. We only got Broadsides for that, the rest of the list will most likely be Fire Warriors or Pathfinders, and maybe some small crisis suits for the Enforcer's inherent buff. When played smart and the map is in your favor, that objective secured perk will be able to hold multiple points at once.

Usually a bunch of Non-Suit units on an objective are just hostile charge fodder, luckily our Commander will be a walking brick wall who will defend the point until the very end. Even when the enemy tries to flood the point with units, with Obsec it still belongs to you. You essentially advance this in turn 1 towards whatever point you claim belongs to you together with some support units, and your opponent will not be able to do much about it

Exhibit E: The Sneaky Git (Dalyth Sept)

Commander Type: Coldstar

Warlord Trait: Perfection of the Hunter

Relic: Dynamic Mirror Field (5+ Invul, Cannot be targeted unless closest or enemy within 12'')

Prototype System: Resonator Warheads (Missle Pod Upgrade, reduces enemy movement of Infantry, Beast, or Cavallary by 50% until next turn)

Other Systems: Velocity Tracker/High Capacity Burst Cannon, Plasma Rifle, Plasma Rifle

Now we are entering the exotic territory. While the Enforcer sticks around due to being tanky, this thing here will live forever simply because youe opponent will never get to target it EVER. If you play Dalyth that usually means the field is flooded with Kroot anyways, and as long as it is not the nearest unit and 12'' away it mostly just cannot be shot.

Add to that the Coldstar's mobility, and you got a heavy hitter that never dies, screws up enemy plans with the movement reduction (hey, nice melee only unit you got there lmao), and is very adept at doing something Dalyth lists with Kroot will always struggle against: removing aircraft and vehicles. Double Plasma Rifles plus Precision of the Hunter is plenty to blast these off the board. The velocity tracker is just a bonus against aircraft and other flying units that could bypass your hordes of Kroot. If the Velocity tracker is deemed unnecessary due to a lack of aircraft in your local meta, either add the High Capacity Burst Cannon back on or a 3rd Plasma Rifle.

---

There's probably many others, and some do not require their own entry, because seriously what's to say about Farsight Enclaves besides "short range"?

Of course there's also always the option of just loading the Commander up with 4 Fusion Blasters, warping into the enemy zone turn 1, do 32 damage with precision of the hunter, and then die. But that's a waste, we got Ghostkeels for exactly that purpose.

Aside from that the T'au Codex has some tricky tools to use, like the Coldstar's Engine Burn or Viorla's defense system - but tbh using a Signature System or Relic slot for maybe some mortal wounds in a game that you even need to roll for, that's not worth it.

Alright, hyperfocussed wall of text is done! Let's see if anyone can get any use out of it lol

[ejaz-talentscout]

Are you passionate about data science but not sure where to start?

Here are some of the key capabilities that are important to get into this field.

Mathematics: Strong foundation of Statistics, Algebra.

Learn to code: To start with learn Python and R and later learn Spark, Scala as per requirement.

SQL: You must be very strong in structure query language and analytical functions using SQL

Exploratory Data Analysis: Learn Data Wrangling / Data Crunching/ Data Aggregation.This you can do with the help of R, Python, and SQL.

Data Visualization: Learn how to Visualize data- using any visualization tool.

Learn the Art of Storytelling.

If you are good with all the above skills then get in machine learning algorithms, never directly jump into deep learning as you may get distracted.

Hope this helps.

[sere-ness-ima]

okay, i rethought it. i'll allow it but only if they get kidnapped and experimented on by mad linguist scientists to find proofs supporting the nativistic universal grammar theory (I'm looking at you @NoamChomsky) and use the obtained data for advanced language aquisition studies? Additionally people study this language even though it never became lingua franca, just because they think it's cool.

Hope I made it less boring

i am once again reminding the fandom that it's been canon since 2008 that the nations have their own universal language

[mrakftech]

KF TECH - Industrial Automation Solutions using #Supervisory #Control And #Data #Aquisition (SCADA). #SCADA is a perfect choice for creating large distributed industrial automation systems. #SCADA runs on #servers, #embedded #computers and in the #cloud. SCADA #nodes #exchange #information between themselves, and interact with external #databases in real time. #Applications of SCADA are following : - #Industrial #Automation #Systems - #IIoT systems - #Process #control #systems - #Energy #accounting #systems https://www.instagram.com/p/CXRpb1xq0DJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Podcasting "Big Tech Isn't Stealing News Publishers' Content"

This week on my podcast, I read my Medium column, “Big Tech Isn’t Stealing News Publishers’ Content,” on how the news industry’s focus on charging tech firms to link to them is totally misguided, and misses the real issue: the rigging of the ad market.

https://doctorow.medium.com/big-tech-isnt-stealing-news-publishers-content-a97306884a6b

Countries all over the world — France, Australia, Brazil and now Canada (Bill C-11)- have fallen in love with the idea that the answer to the news media’s woes is to create a new licensable copyright over “snippets” of news that users post to social media.

Every country’s copyright system has a suite of “limitations and exceptions” (like fair use and fair dealing) that ensure that copyright is compatible with free expression. The right to quote the news historically fell squarely in this category: after all, it’s only the news if we’re talking about it (otherwise it’s a secret).

For decades, our public squares have been moving online. The pandemic accelerated and cemented this process. Today, when we talk about the news, we probably do so on an online platform, and, thanks to monopolization, the number of platforms where this takes place is vanishingly small and they are extraordinarily profitable.

Governments (correctly) observe that democracies need a free press, and they (correctly) observe that the news media is in trouble, and they (correctly) conclude that monopolies in the tech sector have something to do with this.

Then they come to the (alarmingly wrong) conclusion that the way to resolve all these issues is to create a new paracopyright that lets news companies charge for the right to talk about the news.

What’s wrong with this conclusion? Well, it’s a disaster from a human rights perspective, for starters. Remember, if you have the right to license discussion of the news, you have the right to withhold that license — that is, the right to decide who can debate, explain and analyze your own reporting.

But it also seriously misapprehends the way that tech firms rip off the news business. Quoting the news isn’t a copyright violation, so it’s just wrong to say that Big Tech is stealing the news companies’ content. Not just wrong, but badly misguided, because the reality is that Big Tech is stealing publishers’ money.

I’m talking about ad-fraud. The ad industry has been cornered by the Facebook/Google duopoly, through a blatantly illegal process that remains a thoroughly criminal enterprise to this day:

Anticompetitive aquisitions:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2020/12/ftc-sues-facebook-illegal-monopolization

Extinguishing privacy-respecting rivals:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3247362

Universal, nonconsensual surveillance, including surveillance of people who never signed up for or use their services:

https://ico.org.uk/media/about-the-ico/documents/4019050/opinion-on-data-protection-and-privacy-expectations-for-online-advertising-proposals.pdf

Clandestine agreements to rig the ad-bidding market:

https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/11/google-meta-jedi-blue-eu-uk-antitrust-probes/

Routine accounting fraud about every fact of ad-tech (who pays, how much, for what, how many times ads are shown, to whom):

https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/09/well-this-puts-a-nail-in-the-news-video-on-facebook-coffin/

That puts nearly half of the ad spending into the pockets of these two Big Tech companies. It’s the biggest fraud on the internet, worth more than all the crypto rug-pulls and ransomware attacks combined. If publishers were able to participate in a fraud-free ad market, they’d get lots more money, and it would be money that they deserved.

How would we unrig the ad market? There are lots of steps that governments and regulators could take right now, interventions that won’t take years or decades the way breakups will (though breakups are also a good idea!):

Ban ad transactions where a single company acts as the agent for both the buyer and seller;

Create Sarbanes-Oxley-style criminal penalties for accounting frauds;

Mandate audited transparency reports disclosing the true facts of ads — how much was collected and disbursed, and for what;

Create a meaningful statutory damages regime for ad fraud, including bid rigging;

Mandate open header bidding;

Ban surveillance advertising, thus eliminating Big Tech’s “data advantage” at the stroke of a pen, and kickstarting a new market in contextual ads (based on what’s being read, not who’s reading);

Mandate disclosure of the criteria used to uprank or downrank news material in search results and social media feeds.

Doing this stuff will pay all publishers, without having to create the dangerous right to license discussion of the news. So why are the big media companies so disinterested in it?

In a nutshell: because Big News is every bit as rotten as Big Tech, and the news giants have been gripped by corrupt financial mania for even longer than the tech sector. Long before the commercial internet, an orgy of corporate raider buyouts hollowed out the newspapers, merging them, killing local reporting, consolidating sales, laying off national beat reporters. The new corporate owners raided the companies’ cash reserves and sold off their physical plant to pay themselves, exposing the papers to rent shocks.

That’s how the newspapers — which weathered the telegraph, radio, TV, cable and satellite — went into the internet era with no cash reserves to experiment with, precariously dependent on the landlords they’d sold their buildings to.

The ensuing, inevitable failure of the news companies to adapt to the internet made them vulnerable to still more rapacious finance fuckery. Private equity rollups have turned once-great papers into glorified grocery store fliers with skeleton news crews operating out of remote brick bunkers the size of a Chipotle:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/16/sociopathic-monsters/#all-the-news-thats-fit-to-print

The billionaires who are looting the husks of our papers aren’t patricians from local wealthy families with a sense of civil duty. They’re far-flung vampires who have raised prices, lowered quality, smashed their unions and slashed wages:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/alden-global-capital-killing-americas-newspapers/620171/

These far-right ideologues front for kettles of vulture capitalists whose shamelessness knows no bounds. They are capable of devoting whole issues to extolling the virtues of completely unregulated capitalism:

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/the-capitalist-manifesto-in-energy-we-need-more-free-markets-not-more-socialism

Even as they are demanding government bailouts:

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/andrew-coyne-its-when-you-read-details-of-media-bailout-that-the-chill-sets-in

They style themselves as saviors of the news, but then they buy up national newspapers and refashion them as promotional vehicles for their online casino businesses:

https://www.canadaland.com/the-star-gambles-with-ethics/

The modern media baron is no defender of democracy; they’re a threat to democracy:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/03/media/reliable-sources-biden-murdoch-fox-news/index.html

And these eminently guillotinable hatemongers love snippet taxes. Take Rupert Murdoch, who used Australia’s snippet tax as leverage to cut a private sweetheart deal with Google and Facebook. That deal left the regional indie papers — filling the vacuum left behind when Murdoch bought and killed the local papers — out in the cold:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-56410335

In France, the biggest media companies arranged a snippet tax system that required newspapers to opt into Google Showcase, increasing the importance of Google to the news companies’ futures:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-google-deal-with-french-publishers-hold-pending-antitrust-decision-2021-06-29/

So why don’t big news companies want to unrig the ad market? Why are they focused on snippet taxes? Because they know that fair ad markets will benefit everyone, including the independent press — while snippet taxes are a fine basis for arranging cozy deals between media and tech monopolists.

Big Tech isn’t the answer to the news crisis. A snippet tax doesn’t promote the democratic function of the press — rather, it helps Big Tech and Big News consolidate their positions, keeping smaller news and tech companies at bay.

After all, any snippet tax that’s hefty enough to make a difference to the news is a snippet tax that a new tech company — say, a co-op or a nonprofit — can’t afford to pay.

It may feel like unrigging the ad market is an impossible tax, but there’s never been a better time to do it. Public sentiment has turned against commercial surveillance. Advertisers have wised up to the fact that the ad market is ripping them off, too.

But we need news workers to get onboard. The snippet taxes in Europe and Australia never would have succeeded without independent media outlets and beloved journalists promoting them. They got snookered: making media giants more profitable won’t translate into raises for reporters or new revenue for indies.

We have to get past the pathology that’s plagued the culture industries, in which workers resign themselves to the idea that the best they can hope for is to cheer on their own monopolists, who might drop a few crumbs as they gorge on their winnings.

We can — we must — hope for more than a slightly different division of the loot among tech and media monopolists.

Here’s the podcast episode:

https://craphound.com/news/2022/04/17/big-tech-isnt-stealing-news-publishers-content/

And here’s a direct link to the MP3 (hosting courtesy of the Internet Archive; they’ll host your stuff for free, forever):

https://archive.org/download/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_423/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_423_-_Big_Tech_Isnt_Stealing_News_Publishers_Content.mp3

And here’s a link to my podcast feed:

https://feeds.feedburner.com/doctorow_podcast

[Image ID: A row of newspaper boxes on a lonely sidewalk; their windows are filled with the 'falling binary' Matrix waterfall effect.]