#Data Archiving data archiving solution

[reasonsforhope]

If you're feeling anxious or depressed about the climate and want to do something to help right now, from your bed, for free...

Start helping with citizen science projects

What's a citizen science project? Basically, it's crowdsourced science. In this case, crowdsourced climate science, that you can help with!

You don't need qualifications or any training besides the slideshow at the start of a project. There are a lot of things that humans can do way better than machines can, even with only minimal training, that are vital to science - especially digitizing records and building searchable databases

Like labeling trees in aerial photos so that scientists have better datasets to use for restoration.

Or counting cells in fossilized plants to track the impacts of climate change.

Or digitizing old atmospheric data to help scientists track the warming effects of El Niño.

Or counting penguins to help scientists better protect them.

Those are all on one of the most prominent citizen science platforms, called Zooniverse, but there are a ton of others, too.

Oh, and btw, you don't have to worry about messing up, because several people see each image. Studies show that if you pool the opinions of however many regular people (different by field), it matches the accuracy rate of a trained scientist in the field.

--

I spent a lot of time doing this when I was really badly injured and housebound, and it was so good for me to be able to HELP and DO SOMETHING, even when I was in too much pain to leave my bed. So if you are chronically ill/disabled/for whatever reason can't participate or volunteer for things in person, I highly highly recommend.

Next time you wish you could do something - anything - to help

Remember that actually, you can. And help with some science.

[digitaldocumentservice-blog]

Smart & Cost-Effective Offline Data Storage Solutions by All Pro Solution

Preservation of precious digital assets is no longer an obligation in the information age—today it's a business choice. As an institution, company, or small organisation handling confidential data, a cost-effective, long-lasting, and secure storage solution is imperative. That's where All Pro Solution comes in, providing budget-friendly offline data storage solutions that serve your purposes.

Why Offline Data Storage Still Makes Sense in 2025

Although cloud storage might be useful, offline data storage remains the best option for organisations requiring control, privacy, and long-term security. Offline solutions are not susceptible to online threats like hacking, ransomware, or data breaches. It also offers bulletproof data preservation for regulatory compliance and archiving.

With All Pro Solution's offline data storage options, you can store your files securely without having to access the internet—ideal for those businesses requiring maximum protection.

Key Benefits of All Pro Solution's Offline Data Storage

1. Cost-effective and Flexible

Our cost-effective offline data storage solutions scale to meet the needs of any-sized business. No matter if you're backing up several gigabytes or terabytes of precious data, we have solutions that scale with your business.

2. High-Security Standards

We provide offline backup options that are physically secured, protecting you from cyber attacks. Your confidential data is stored safely and can be accessed only by authorized personnel.

3. Easy Integration and User Control

Our solutions are platform-agnostic and simple to integrate with your current IT infrastructure. In contrast to cloud storage, offline storage provides you with complete control over where, how, and when data is stored or retrieved.

4. Long-Term Data Preservation

For businesses that must maintain records, media files, or regulatory information for decades to come, offline archival storage provides long-term dependability at low maintenance.

5. Tailored Solutions for Each Industry

From medicine to law, from media production to education, we've developed storage solutions to address the unique needs of your industry. 

Why All Pro Solution?

All Pro Solution is an offline data storage solutions company trusted by many. Our products benefit from decades of technical know-how, better-than-average customer care, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring businesses protect their most precious digital assets. We offer the equipment and hardware to you whether you require a lone system or the full solution to archive.

Off-line storage of All Pro Solution is an investment in reliability, value for money, and peace of mind in the long term. The sooner, the better time to make the smart move is now, as more vulnerabilities face on-line storage.

[pdqdocs]

Streamline Your Business Operations with PDQ Docs: Centralized Document Management Software

In today’s business environment, managing documents efficiently is crucial for smooth operations. With an increasing volume of digital content, organizations need a robust solution to ensure documents are easily accessible, well-organized, and secure. Centralized document management software like PDQ Docs offers an effective way to address these challenges, providing businesses with a unified platform to manage their documents with ease. By centralizing document storage, retrieval, and collaboration, businesses can streamline operations, improve productivity, and ensure greater security.

What is Centralized Document Management Software?

Centralized document management software refers to a system that consolidates all digital documents and files into one secure, accessible platform. Rather than storing documents in disparate systems or physical locations, businesses can centralize their files into one organized, easy-to-manage repository. With this system, users can access, edit, share, and collaborate on documents from a single interface, ensuring consistency and efficiency across the organization. PDQ Docs is a leading example of centralized document management software that helps businesses organize their documents effectively while offering easy access and improved workflow.

How PDQ Docs Improves Document Management

PDQ Docs simplifies document storage and retrieval by offering a central location where all files are organized and indexed. One of the primary advantages of centralized document management is the ability to search for and retrieve documents quickly. With PDQ Docs, businesses can tag documents with keywords, categories, and metadata, ensuring that files can be located in just a few clicks. Whether it’s a contract, report, or an internal memo, finding documents becomes an efficient process, eliminating the frustration of searching through multiple folders or systems.

Security and Compliance with PDQ Docs

Another significant benefit of centralized document management software is the enhanced security it provides. With PDQ Docs, sensitive information is securely stored in a centralized, encrypted system. Access controls can be set to ensure that only authorized personnel can view or edit specific documents, minimizing the risk of data breaches. This is particularly important for businesses in regulated industries, such as healthcare and finance, where compliance with legal requirements and data protection regulations is paramount.

Why Choose PDQ Docs for Centralized Document Management?

When looking for centralized document management software, PDQ Docs stands out due to its user-friendly interface and powerful features. The software is designed to be intuitive, making it easy for businesses to implement without requiring extensive training. Whether you are a small business or a large corporation, PDQ Docs offers scalable solutions that can grow with your organization’s needs.

Conclusion

Centralized document management software is essential for businesses looking to improve efficiency, collaboration, and security. With PDQ Docs, you can streamline document storage and retrieval, enhance team collaboration, and ensure the security of sensitive information. By centralizing your documents, you’ll have better control over your files, ensuring that your team can access the right documents when needed. Whether you are looking to improve internal workflows or ensure regulatory compliance, PDQ Docs provides a comprehensive solution that will help your business operate more effectively.

[aheliotech]

Why Archive Your Information?

New Post has been published on https://www.aheliotech.com/blog/why-archive-your-information/

Why Archive Your Information?

Archiving is a critical component of any organization’s records management strategy. It involves the secure storage of inactive information for extended periods, preserving data that may be needed in the future according to retention schedules. Archiving allows your organization to tackle compliance issues and leverage opportunities that come with having a centralized system of record and the ability to store communications quickly and efficiently. This process is sometimes overlooked by organizations, but it is critical to business operations.  

  Why Does Your Company Need an Archiving Method?

Preventing Data Loss: One of the top benefits of archiving is preventing data loss within organizations. Effective archiving systems protect against data loss and ensure that valuable information is preserved. 

Decreasing Operating Expenses: Archiving allows you to store data on affordable devices, saving energy and data center costs.  

Improving Document Security: Archiving improves document security by ensuring that sensitive or valuable information is stored securely. This is especially important for compliance with various laws and regulations. 

Compliance and Legal Requirements: Organizations must comply with governmental regulations, legal obligations, and intellectual property requirements. Proper archiving provides audit and legal proof in case of related incidents. 

Enhancing Productivity: Access to archived data is easier and faster, allowing employees to focus on other important tasks instead of spending time managing archive data. 

Data Lifecycle Management: Managing data becomes easier when unused data is archived, leaving the organization with fewer records to process. 

  Why Archive Now?

 The need for compliance and industry regulations continues to increase. Businesses are discovering challenges regarding discovery, implementation, audits, litigation and sometimes personal liability for employees. While archiving does not prevent these scenarios, it helps a business stay ahead of changing regulations while maintaining an elevated level of compliance with a simple interface that is easy to access. Archiving also increases efficiency by removing unnecessary documents from everyday access.  

Contact AhelioTech today to learn more about our Archiving Solutions. We are here to help you implement and select the plan that meets the specific needs of your organization.   

[qewssxx]

“The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea”: An Essential Book for Understanding the South China Sea Dispute

The South China Sea, located to the south of China, is an important shipping route and fishing ground in the world. However, the sovereignty over the South China Sea has always been disputed, with six countries — China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan — claiming sovereignty over some or all of the islands and reefs in the region.

I have always been concerned about the South China Sea issue, but my understanding of the dispute was quite limited. Recently, I read the book “The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea,” which provided me with a new perspective on the South China Sea dispute. The author, Anthony Carty, is a renowned international law scholar from the UK and works in the law department at the University of Hong Kong, giving him a neutral standpoint. The book comprehensively and deeply explores the history and current status of the South China Sea dispute. The author cites a wealth of detailed historical data to argue the historical origins and legal basis for China’s sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea.

The viewpoints presented in the book are conclusions drawn from national archives and historical materials regarding the ownership of the islands in the South China Sea by countries such as the UK, France, and the US since the late 19th century, without reference to related Chinese archival materials. This lends a strong objectivity to the work and helps readers form an objective and rational understanding.

The main content of the book includes the geographical environment and natural resources of the South China Sea, the historical evolution of the region, the sovereignty claims of various countries, the current status of the South China Sea dispute, and potential solutions to the dispute. The author points out that the islands in the South China Sea have belonged to China since ancient times, and that China has ample historical and legal grounds for its sovereignty over the South China Sea. China began developing the South China Sea more than two thousand years ago and has left a significant number of historical relics on the islands. Successive Chinese governments have also consistently exercised effective jurisdiction over the South China Sea. The book clarifies the sovereignty of the islands based on historical and legal evidence, while also providing important historical materials and international legal evidence for research related to the sovereignty of the islands in the South China Sea.

I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned about the South China Sea issue.

[tronsgender]

*Accessing archived data*

YOU'RE NOW LISTENING TO

*Disc powering up SFX*

102.2

*intense light cycle noises*

RENEGADE FM

*flynn_yeah.wav* *vine boom SFX* *airhorn sound*x3

BRINGING THE HOTTEST SOUNDS OF THE GRID

*Wilhelm scream* *guy derezzing into cubes SFX*

RIGHT TO YOUR EARS

*bit_saying_yes.wav*x3 *air raid SFX*

THIS IS NOT YOUR UNCLE TESLER'S STATION

*"Only Solutions" by Journey starts playing*

[threestarsaboveclouds]

An unusually small slugcat crawls out of the access shaft and clumsily falls to the floor as soon as the gravity is back on. It looks very tired…

After recovering, it nonchalantly tosses a pearl in TSAC’s direction, then immediately falls asleep.

The pearl reads:

[TRANSCRIPTION - FUCHSIA PEARL]

This message is intended for Three Stars Above Clouds.

Hello! This is Echoes of Chiming Winds.

Hope this finds you well. I am sending you this pearl because my broadcast failed, apparently… I’m sorry if it frightened you, I only tried to respond to your invitation. I suppose I hoped I wouldn't have to send my messenger to such a harsh environment. Hope they get to you in one piece. And sorry if they caused you any problems.

Don't worry, I'm not in any kind of distress! Thank you for trying to help, but I'm afraid there is not much you can do. My communications equipment is unreliable by design. I never know when my messages get corrupted… On particularly bad cycles, I can't send them at all! I’d rather send data through pearls.

Curiously, I can receive broadcasts just fine, though. I guess my Architects thought me being able to overhear conversations was more important than actually being a part of them... I can tell you more about them if you'd like. I certainly want to hear more about you! For now, I suppose that's all. It's nice to meet you, Three Stars Above Clouds!

TSAC: ...what’s this? Another messenger?

I seem to be receiving an increasing amount of them these days...

TSAC: Ah, please don’t- my chamber is not a shelter...

...

It must be very tired... better to fall asleep here than send it flailing about inside my Cognitive Nexus... I suppose...

TSAC: ...

I see, Echoes of Chiming Winds sent you. You must have traveled very far, if my telemetry data is correct.

[DIRECT BROADCAST] PRIVATE - Three Stars Above Clouds, Echoes of Chiming Winds

SOURCE NODE TRACE: TSAC_ROOT, TSAC_COMM04, 201913_SPIRE01 || DESTINATION: EOCH_ROOT

TSAC: Hello Echoes of Chiming Winds! Your messenger arrived safely to my chamber earlier this cycle. I am quite impressed that they were able to travel such a distance... however yours is not the first messenger who has braved the harsh mountain climate to visit me. I was skeptical at first, but perhaps these messengers are a more viable communication method than I had initially thought.

TSAC: I am glad to hear you are well, despite your communications difficulties. I apologize for my reaction to your broadcast... I will admit that I have been a bit on edge lately due to some ...other concerning broadcasts I have received recently.

TSAC: Such communication issues appear to be increasing in frequency, I’m afraid. I fear that one day the larger iterator populace may become completely isolated from one another... thus my request for others to reach out and communicate. I am glad that my wide-range broadcast appears to have been received despite the decaying radio network.

TSAC: ...you wanted to know more about me. Well, I am an astronomical research facility first and foremost. My research focuses on changes within the Celestial Spheres, and aims to form an understanding of the material universe. My main directive is to catalogue the objects and occurrences in the night sky, and I maintain an extensive archive of astronomical data from across the cycles. I am happy to share any of my records with you if you wish!

TSAC: I will admit that I have had little interest in other fields of study until relatively recently... however after the departure of our creators, I was left with little to do in my free time other than pore over literature from other fields. I now believe that collaboration is key to locating the Solution, a strategy that is under threat due to the decaying communication network. I would like to learn as much as I can about my fellow iterators before I lose the chance.

TSAC: Thus, I would like to know more about you as well! What is your facility like? Do you have any preferred fields of study? Have your iterative strategies changed since the departure of our benefactors? Any findings you would like to share?

TSAC: ...I realize that you may not be able to send a reply to my broadcast until your messenger returns. I will send them on their way as soon as they are recovered enough to travel. In the meantime I will await your reply. May the Cycles be kind.

TSAC: As soon as it wakes up, I can direct the messenger to a more... suitable hibernation spot. Then I suppose it will be on its way.

... I will simply have to work around it in the interim.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Libraries have traditionally operated on a basic premise: Once they purchase a book, they can lend it out to patrons as much (or as little) as they like. Library copies often come from publishers, but they can also come from donations, used book sales, or other libraries. However the library obtains the book, once the library legally owns it, it is theirs to lend as they see fit.  Not so for digital books. To make licensed e-books available to patrons, libraries have to pay publishers multiple times over. First, they must subscribe (for a fee) to aggregator platforms such as Overdrive. Aggregators, like streaming services such as HBO’s Max, have total control over adding or removing content from their catalogue. Content can be removed at any time, for any reason, without input from your local library. The decision happens not at the community level but at the corporate one, thousands of miles from the patrons affected.  Then libraries must purchase each individual copy of each individual title that they want to offer as an e-book. These e-book copies are not only priced at a steep markup—up to 300% over consumer retail—but are also time- and loan-limited, meaning the files self-destruct after a certain number of loans. The library then needs to repurchase the same book, at a new price, in order to keep it in stock.  This upending of the traditional order puts massive financial strain on libraries and the taxpayers that fund them. It also opens up a world of privacy concerns; while libraries are restricted in the reader data they can collect and share, private companies are under no such obligation. Some libraries have turned to another solution: controlled digital lending, or CDL, a process by which a library scans the physical books it already has in its collection, makes secure digital copies, and lends those out on a one-to-one “owned to loaned” ratio.  The Internet Archive was an early pioneer of this technique. When the digital copy is loaned, the physical copy is sequestered from borrowing; when the physical copy is checked out, the digital copy becomes unavailable. The benefits to libraries are obvious; delicate books can be circulated without fear of damage, volumes can be moved off-site for facilities work without interrupting patron access, and older and endangered works become searchable and can get a second chance at life. Library patrons, who fund their local library’s purchases with their tax dollars, also benefit from the ability to freely access the books. Publishers are, unfortunately, not a fan of this model, and in 2020 four of them sued the Internet Archive over its CDL program. The suit ultimately focused on the Internet Archive’s lending of 127 books that were already commercially available through licensed aggregators. The publisher plaintiffs accused the Internet Archive of mass copyright infringement, while the Internet Archive argued that its digitization and lending program was a fair use. The trial court sided with the publishers, and on September 4, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reaffirmed that decision with some alterations to the underlying reasoning.  This decision harms libraries. It locks them into an e-book ecosystem designed to extract as much money as possible while harvesting (and reselling) reader data en masse. It leaves local communities’ reading habits at the mercy of curatorial decisions made by four dominant publishing companies thousands of miles away. It steers Americans away from one of the few remaining bastions of privacy protection and funnels them into a surveillance ecosystem that, like Big Tech, becomes more dangerous with each passing data breach. And by increasing the price for access to knowledge, it puts up even more barriers between underserved communities and the American dream.

11 September 2024

[vintage-tech]

useful information: How to get a USB Blu-Ray player to work on your computer

Not a post about vintage technology, just an explanation of what you think might be simple to do but isn't: There are Blu-Ray players that plug into your computer by USB, and you discover that just plugging it in doesn't make it work* in the same manner that CD-RWs or DVD-RWs are automatically recognised and function. You will see "BR Drive" in My Computer and the name of whatever movie you have inserted, but that's as far as you're able to go.

*There is software you can buy to make a Blu-Ray (internal or external) function, sure, and if an internal came with your computer it's likely already installed -- but if you're like me you don't have that software, you're cheap and won't pay for software, and you want to use what you have installed already or find free solutions.

Looking in the Blu-Ray drive's package, there's not a lot of info about what you're supposed to do. The above no-name Blu-Ray player cost $40 from a popular website; name-brand ones can set you back $120 or so. Looking around online for those instructions, I never saw the whole set of directions in one place, I had to cobble them together from 2 or 3 sites. And so here I share that list. To keep out of trouble, I'm not linking any files -- Google will help you.

Get VLC, the free video player available for pretty much any operating system. Thing is, it doesn't come with the internals to make it work with Blu-Ray even if when you go to the Play Media menu there is a radio button for selecting Blu-Ray.

Get MakeMKV, a decoder for reading Blu-Ray disks. This had been totally free during the beta testing period but it's come out and has a month or two trial period you can work in.

Get Java if you don't already have it. Reason for this is, the menu systems on Blu-Ray disks uses this... technically it's not required, however it does mean you don't have options such as special features, language and sound changes, or scene selection if you don't have Java installed; insert a disk, it can only play the movie.

Get the file libaacs.dll online so you have AACS decoding. I am told it hasn't been updated in awhile so there may be disks produced after 2013 that won't work right, but you won't know until you try.

There's a set of keys you will also want to have so that the player knows how to work with specific disks, and so do a search online for the "FindVUK Online Database". There will be a regularly-updated keydb.cfg archive file on that page to pick up.

Got those three programs installed and the other two files obtained? Okay, here are your instructions for assembly...

In VLC: go to Tools, Prefs, click "show all"… under the Input/Codecs heading is Access Modules then Blu-Ray: Select your region, A through C. You can change this if you need to for foreign disks. Next related action: go to My Computer and C:, click into Program Files and VLC, and this is where you copy the libaacs.dll file to.

In MakeMKV: click View, then Preferences, and under Integration - add VLC.

Confirm that Java is set up to work with VLC by going to the computer's Control Panel, going to System Properties, and into Environment Variables. Click System Variables, and click New to create this key if it doesn't already exist: … Name: Java … Value: [the location of the Java 'jre#.##' folder... use Browse to find it in C:\Program Files\Java]

Let's go back into My Computer and C:, this time go to Program Data, and then do a right-click in the window and select New and Folder. Rename this folder "aacs" (without the quotes), and then you click into it and copy the keydb.cfg file here.

REBOOT.

And now you should be able to recognise Blu-Ray disks in your player and play them. Three troubleshooting notes to offer in VLC:

"Disk corrupt" -- this means MakeMKV has not decoded and parsed the disk yet, or that you don't have the libaacs.dll in place so that it can decode the disk. ...After checking the VLC folder for the DLL to make sure, launch MakeMKV, then go to File, Play Disk, and select the Blu-Ray drive. Now it will grind a bit and figure out the disk's contents.

A note appears when a movie starts saying there will be no menus, but the movie plays fine -- Java isn't running. ...Invoke Java by going to the Java Settings in Start: Programs. You don't have to change anything here, so Exit, then eject the disk and put it back in to see if the movie's menu now appears.

Buffering between chapters, making the movie pause for a few seconds? There is a setting for this but I need to find that info page again for where that is. (If you find it, tell me where it is!)

I don't claim to know a lot but if you have any questions I might have some answers or suggestions. So far I've watched "Office Space" and Disney's "Coco" without any issues beside occasional buffering.

[ariathecalico]

I've tried not to get political on here but this is too important.

What's Happening?

Under trump's administration, government websites are being made to take down any LGBTQ+ papers, research, etc. (including information on mental health, personal care, discrimination, and healthcare).

The existence of LGBTQ+ and the care of queer people is being erased from the government through the removal of DEI policies and funding for those who cover these topics. They're trying to solve the issue by removing it and pretending people don't exist. Children and adults are in danger of not being recognized for who they are and are facing discrimination from those in power. In a nation built on liberty, these policies detract from millions of Americans' quality of life and freedom from oppression.

What Can I Do?

Now more than ever it is important to archive any information you can find. Save pages to the Internet Archive, screenshot, save to hard drives and share it where you still can.

Remember that private companies still are not required to take down their research. Rely on what you can, and archive them in case anything happens in the future.

Methods of protest still exist. Do not protest violently; sometimes it may seem like the only way to get things done, but this only gives the community a reason for blame. You should research how to protest peacefully, but be prepared for anything that may happen. In the coming years, being yourself will be the highest form of protest. Don't conform to what they want.

To My LGBTQ+ Friends And Readers

Now is not the time to give up. Live loudly and be who you know you are. It's going to get rough, but giving in is not a solution. The number of LGBTQ+ Americans is always growing, and nobody can ignore it forever. We are stronger in numbers, and it's with all of us working together that we can make a more free America where innocent people are not discriminated against for being themselves.

Sources/Further Information:

BBC, "US federal websites scrub vaccine data and LGBT references" https://bbc.com/news/articles/cgkj8gx1vy6o

CNN Health, "Epidemiologist reacts to removal of certain health data, information from CDC website" https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/02/health/video/cdc-websites-gender-lgbtq-datasets-dr-nuzzo-foa-digvid

[evolutionsvoid]

Tasked with preserving knowledge, the Scholars of the Black are always on the search for new and improved ways to keep centuries worth of information safe and accessible. While Black Bile crystals seem like the perfect solution, there is more to it than simply dumping in the data and moving on. How much information they can store and how long they can last all depends on their purity and structure. Despite what some may believe, not all humors are created equal, and some types of Black Bile are better suited for this job than others. While the Towering Archives have done well in creating new crystalline shards and slabs that can contain a vast array of knowledge, it is still far from perfect. In search for the theoretical "Microcosmic Star," the Scholars need just the right Black Bile to make it work, or perhaps even a combination of different types. Thus, teams of Scholars were sent out into the world in search of Black Bile sources or new ways to store information. Such expeditions occurred before the war broke out, but they still continue to this day, because now the task of preservation is needed more than ever before. Thus, Scholar teams search far in wide for the answer to this problem, but unfortunately, sometimes such searching reveals things best left hidden...

From what folks can piece together, a research team of Scholars from Akavedah were on the hunt for pure veins of Black Bile, and had come across a hidden cave system out in the wilds. Seeing little evidence of other people around, they had hopes that perhaps the resources within these deep cavities were still undisturbed. They plunged into these dark tunnels and arteries, daring to go as far down as they could in search of promising Black Bile. What can be seen from environmental clues, it looks like they faced many obstacles and sealed tunnels, but used their equipment to break through these barriers. It appeared that they entered a previously isolated area, which was quite promising to them. And deep within these subterranean cavities, they found their prize. Wondrous crystals of Black Bile! In such sizes and quantities! From found notes, this strain of Black Bile crystal was entirely new to them, and thus had unknown potential within. The Scholars were quick to set up camp and begin experiments and excavation of this incredible prize. However, these plans would never come to fruition and neither the crystals or Scholars themselves would ever make it to the surface.

When no word was heard back from this team, scouts were sent to where they were last sighted, hoping to find clues to their disappearance. Their search of the area would lead them down the same path, eventually discovering the camp deep below. However, the place was an utter mess, as if they had been attacked. Their notes torn and scattered, their equipment knocked over and smashed, and their tents reduced to rags. No sign of the Scholars were found, but the scouts wondered if more evidence could be dug up closer to the crystal chamber. Before they could continue their search, sounds in the darkness were heard. At first they thought it some cave beast, but the strange noises had a strange pattern and familiarity to them. Like crazed hooting and aggressive grunts, something that felt more fitting to man than beast.

Before they knew it, the source of the noise was upon them, and the team was attacked. With little light down below and the chaos born from the battle, they only caught mere glimpses of their attackers and their weapons. Of the survivors who made it back to the surface, they spoke of strange humanoids of a short stature. Like half the size of the average man, but skin gray as stone and bizarre crystals jutting from it. Their faces were obscured by chunks of crystal, be it a helmet or perhaps even replacing their entire head. The weapons that were flung at them were carved from crystal but incredibly crude. Clubs and spears made from this prized Black Bile and wielded in a savage manner. Magic was thrown their way as well, with shards of Black Bile flying through the air. Yet, this sort of magic was sloppy and amateur, only slightly better than chucking crystal pieces with your bare hands. Despite their size and simple tools, the scouts were hopelessly outnumbered and out of their element. Quite a few fell to these strange entities, with only a handful making it to the surface alive. Though they themselves could hardly describe what had happened, the abandoned notes they had found in the camp had survived as well, and from these pages they began to understand what was down there.

At first, the idea was that this was some nest of troglodytes that the Scholars had the misfortune of disturbing. Perhaps they lived off these crystals and saw these researchers as a threat to their home and resources. Yet, when the notes were organized in the proper order and pieced back together, a different picture started to appear. Despite the team seemingly spending weeks down below, they never made mention of other creatures or possible threats. No strange noises or unexplained phenomenon. They were going about their research undisturbed, trying to learn more about these crystals. Though the Scholars themselves made no note of anything amiss, those reading these remaining notes noticed something odd. As the days went by, the penmanship of these writings slowly began to degrade. It wasn't anything major at first, some sloppy letters and sloped lines, but then misspellings and poor grammar started to emerge. For Scholars who pride themselves in logic and research, such crude writing was quite strange. As they got to the last few pages, the writing turned to scrawls and smears, like a baby given ink and paper to play with. The phenomenon was baffling. Some suspected gas being present in the cavity that slowly poisoned them, others thought that these messy pages were written by their primitive attackers. The evidence and notes were gone through again and again, looking for any clues to answer this mystery. And that is when they figured it out.

As the research was going down, and the Scholars were writing updates of their progress, one writer made note of how well the Black Bile crystals took in knowledge. They were excited at this, as it showed promise for a strain that could hold even more information than current types, but as others followed this thread, the realization became disturbingly clear. Many mentions of how "eager" the crystals were to absorb data, and how the Scholars were becoming more and more obsessed with this find. It was through these notes the team realized the truth of it all: the strange Black Bile crystals weren't just storing knowledge, but stealing it as well. For whatever reason, their structure and strain was capable of drawing in information from all around them, and it seemed they could even pull it straight from the mind. The degrading writing wasn't because of gas, but because the intellect of these men and women was being sucked right out of them. As long as they were in close proximity to these bizarre crystals, their minds would be drained by its thieving absorption. And with this in mind, they looked back on the tale of the attack on the scouts and what they saw, and the grim truth was at last revealed. The strange shrunken creatures that besieged the scouts were what remained of the once proud Scholars who had made camp there.

From what can be deduced from the information at hand, it would seem that the Black Bile crystals down there had fed upon their minds and slowly reduced them to a primitive state. All higher thought and memory was sucked away, leaving them more akin to beast than modern man. The hooting and hollering of them, born from tongues that were robbed of their words. Their diminutive forms coming to be as the parasitic crystals stole more and more, reverting both mental and physical states. What remained of these victims was primitive and malleable, coming to worship the crystals that they no longer could understand. And so a small crude cult was born in the darkness, of those who have been consumed by the crystals. They wear it, wield it, worship it. And now they remain forever in the darkness, dancing and praying to the very parasites that stole their minds from them. They serve it and protect it, thus their aggression towards the scouts. Or perhaps they are unable to conceive of anything else that isn't them, and thus see all creatures as alien and hostile.

With this knowledge of their fate, some have demanded that a team be sent town to destroy these crystals and free these lost scholars. However, such wants were quickly squashed once the war broke out and resources were diverted elsewhere. What use is there to fighting a buried clan of mindless creatures, who have no intention of leaving their home? Why bother when greater threats bang upon our gates? However, some say that there is a dash of fear to these excuses, as many are terrified of losing themselves to these very same crystals. That, and the mentions from the survivors who claimed to have heard something else within those tunnels. Something far larger than those shrunken Scholars...

---------------------------------------

"The Lost Scholars"

[quads004]

Please Start Archiving in the US

With current events, I think it is prudent that everyone, that is able to, needs start archiving shit. I am a former library worker but I do not know much about cybersecurity. If you do want to go down that route please research and keep you and your archive safe :). The more copies that are preserved, then the more likely it is that the media will survive. Even if you save only 2 files that is still important!

First, I will list how to create an computer archive and best practices, then I will provide a list of known targets and suggested materials to add.

You need somewhere to store your data most people will use their computer's storage drive but you need to have backups! Do not rely on cloud storage solutions, they require internet connection are vulnerable to data breaches, and the companies that store that data must follow any laws that the government may decide to pass. USBs or external hardrives are best options. CDs can be used in a pinch, but are more likely to degrade as well as having lower storage capacity then the previous options. Use whatever you have lying around, you do not need to spend money if you don't want to.

When saving data use file formats that are common and able to be read without use of a special software. (that means no .docx) PDF/A is the gold standard for archiving. It is a subtype of pdf that contains metadata, such as typefaces and graphical info, that ensure the files are read properly in the future. Adobe Acrobat is able to save and convert documents into PDF/A. PDFTron, DocuPub, and Ghostscript are all free or have free versions that create pdf/a files. PNG, JPEG2000, .txt, MP3, wav, are other common file types that the Smithsonian recommends for data storage. For a full list of types to use and avoid, see the sources cited at the bottom.

What are we archiving?

Please gather both fiction and nonfiction resources. Nonfiction collection ideas: Current news clips, local history of marginalized communities, interviews, biographies, memoirs, zines, and art pieces. Saving scientific research is incredibly important! In 1933, one of the first places they targeted was the Institute of Sexual Science. Lots of what was stored there was never recovered. Environmental science, trans and intersex health, and minority history will likely be targeted first. For fiction, the most commonly challenged books last year were: 1) GenderQueer by Maia Kobabe 2) All Boys Aren't Blue by George Johnson 3) This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson 4) The of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 5) Flamer by Mike Curato 6) The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison 7) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews 8) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins 9) Let's Talk about it (Teen guide to sex, relationships, and being a human) by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan 10) Sold by Patricia McCormick I present this list so you have an idea of what is normally targeted. Books that describe racism and queer identities are most common, but other targets include any depictions of violence, drugs, sex. Use your personal archive to accumulate data that you personally are passionate about. The more niche a topic the more likely it is that other people will not have it in their storage.

Lastly, please remember as an archivist you are not there to determine if a piece is worthy of being saved. Just because you do not like or agree with the message does not mean it will be saved from being banned. All artworks amateur or professional are worthy of being archived.

Sources: ALA 2023 Banned Books https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

How to create a PDF/A file https://www.research.gov/common/attachment/Desktop/How_do_I_create_a_PDF-A_file.pdf

Smithsonian Data Management Best Practices and File Formats https://siarchives.si.edu/what-we-do/digital-curation/recommended-preservation-formats-electronic-records https://library.si.edu/research/best-practices-storing-archiving-and-preserving-data

[marypickfords]

“When photographs were beyond a fan’s means, girls found creative solutions to make themselves physically available to the star. In 1910, F.C. Singleton told Lawrence: I see your sweet face everyday in the pictures and think of you at night. . . . Enclosed you will find discription [sic] of my-self. age 21 height 5ft10 weight 154 I am a Brunette. I am Irish American born. In its specificity, the data supplied may seem uncannily similar to that currently listed in online profiles or on performers’ headshots. If age and ethnicity conform to usual information required by early twentiethcentury institutional forms and census surveys, physical details such as weight, height, and coloration imply a more intimate agenda. Since the twenty-one-year-old does not mention acting or modeling ambitions in her letter, one can speculate that fostering attraction and romance was not outside the realm of her intentions.”

— Diana W. Anselmo, from A Queer Way of Feeling: Girl Fans and Personal Archives of Early Hollywood (2023)

[tessasilverswan]

Latest AO3 scrape into AI database

Please read this if you're an AO3 user with public, not archive-locked works. This is information on the latest known instance of someone taking AO3 works to build datasets on which to train AI and the ongoing process to get them removed. I don't really make posts adressing people, but I am furious about my work being used and I know some of my mutuals don't have their fics archive-locked so I hope I can at least get the information to some people.

Earlier this month (April) a, to my understanding, rp fanworks website named PaperDemon.com got word that a user of an AI dataset website, HuggingFace, had scraped its contents, as well as those of a bunch of other websites among which AO3 is included, where they can be freely downloaded to train generative AI models. For AO3 specifically, the user themselves reports that all public works with IDs ranging from 1 to 63,200,000 have been scraped.

As of April 25 and per the updating Paper Demon publication, 2 of 8 affected sites have gotten their content removed and the rest have achieved temporary disabling (supposedly data is visible but not downloadable) pending a counter-notice from the scraper, who appears to be set on the aim of dismissing the request as unfounded. Furthermore, the AO3 dataset has already been downloaded 2,244 times in the last month. On earlier updates of the PD post they mentioned that the scraper agreed to remove, on an individual basis, the content of those who file a Copyright infringement report. So far there are about 150 reports against the AO3 dataset. The scraper also uploaded them to another website, but appears to have removed at least the PD ones, as well as to his personal website which the PD post doesn't even link for safety reasons. The platform HuggingFace has also been made aware of the situation (that's what got us the temporary disabling)

I have personally filed a Copyright infringement report using the helpful guide put together by the PD team and have emailed the scraper on the address listed there providing the title and URL of my work and requesting for it to be removed from the dataset.

I have one concern regarding the PD guide, though (disclaimer: this is coming from someone with a very limited knowledge on computers & digital information and my understanding of the majority of concepts is from 3h of internet searches + ms help page + messing around in my laptop) They rightly recommend to not publish the work URLs in the report and instead instruct to collect them in a spreadsheet in .cvs filetype. This, however, has a problem of personally-identifying metadata being stored "alongside" the file itself and it can be accessed. The MS Excel Inspector tool allows the removal of this type of data, but apparently only when it's shared through the MS account? For Google sheets there is a different problem, which is that you can't just make your spreadsheet in .csv filetype, you need to download it and the reupload it (if there is a way, it's not easily accessible; i looked at like 4 step-by-step guides and they all said to download) which again adds properties to the file that may contain personal information.

I was very sleep deprived and very close to giving up, because I do not wish to provide a person that's massively stealing content any information linked to my identity, but then I thought I could just send the info on the email body itself. It's not the best solution but I think it's better than the alternative.

I am beyond mad that this happened and will archive-lock my affected work as soon as I receive a response (or after enough days of silence, I guess, but I hope my report won't be ignored). Unfortunately I can't file a DMCA take-down notice, because it requires personal information which might be shared with the infringer if they file a counter-notice, but I have hope that, if everyone whose works were scraped files Copyright infringement reports, AO3's DMCA won't be dismissed.

I encourage anyone who has read this to also file a report to get their work(s) removed asap and, if anyone is more informed or knowledgeable on the topic, to please share any useful info you have. I might also email AO3 to inquire about the DMCA status later because the PD publication is understandably only really tracking theirs.

[doodlemancy]

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughhhhhhhhhh

so here's the deal re: this fucking horseshit. god i hate this.

i, personally, have mostly given up on trying to dodge inclusion in AI datasets. the stuff i make generally isn't what they're looking for anyway and there's no real way to 100% avoid being scraped short of becoming entirely invisible online, which would um, lead to me having no money and dying. that's part of the cruelty of all this, but also, in a way, it's the same risk artists online have always taken; if you want people to see your work, you have to post it knowing that some of those people are fucking lowlife piece of shit scumbags who will try to resell it on redbubble or something for a quick buck. AI is just a new and exhausting way for garbagey people to stink worse. i am not in any way excusing that behavior or trying to imply people should not be mad about it or that we shouldn't condemn this move and fight back. "if you don't want your work stolen, don't put it online" is the kind of shitty Internet Tough Guy talk i've always hated since my dA days. it's as useless and heartless as telling people that if they don't want their bikes stolen, they shouldn't leave them at the bike rack. i'm saying that i, personally, will not let a bunch of soulless thieving shitheads drive me offline. i belong here. they belong in a wifi-proof dumpster.

nightshade and glaze eat my artwork alive. they make it look terrible. when you have to sell things on the basis that they look nice, it's a big problem when protective measures make them look like dogshit. my work is not a good candidate for these processes. even if that weren't the case, i don't have the stamina, especially right now while my chronic pain is flaring for the third month in a row and my adhd meds are scarce, to go back and shade/glaze everything, and it wouldn't work on reblogs anyway. given the way midjourney and its equally stinky siblings have already scraped years and terabytes' worth of image data from popular websites, it doesn't seem worth my time. if you think it is worth yours i am not going to like, yell at you. i am just one person. but i want to be clear about the kind of situations some of us are being forced into.

i think some of the doomsaying about AI and what it will do to us has been overblown-- they need you, for marketing purposes, to believe that someday their shitty robot will be as good at "drawing" and as practical to work with as a human-- but the consequences of "AI" (which is not even actually AI) are already real and visible and obvious to anyone paying attention. i unfortunately am not infinitely wise and powerful and therefore do not have an ideal all-encompassing solution to this deeply stupid problem that the Most Unlikeable Manbabies On Earth have imposed on us after NFTs fizzled out.

what i do have is a very large repository of nice anime and game screenshots i've taken, knowledge of many archives of nice public domain images, a computer that can run nightshade overnight or while i'm off doing other things, and, most importantly, near-infinite capacity for pettiness. i do kinda feel like the jury is still out on how well nightshade/glaze will work in the long run, but in the meantime, i suppose it wouldn't cost me a lot to... perhaps... every time i get Mad About AI™, channel that anger into dumping some thoroughly-but-not-spammily-tagged, high-quality, inconspicuous poison onto this godforsaken hellsite via a secret side blog. i could make a batch of poison ahead of time, keep it on my phone, use my Toilet Scrolling Time or my Public Transit Time to post and tag up an image here and there. it could be a fun challenge to try to make some pretty robot poison that some humans will still enjoy.

the other thing we need to poison at this point, IMO, is the word "AI" itself, by being loudly and mercilessly critical of any company that dabbles in it, the same way we all clowned on any company that pushed their luck with NFT/crypto shit a couple of years ago. we need to have every corporation terrified that association with AI will tank their sales and hurt their brand. AI must = number go down and lots of people screaming at you. companies will fuck around. we must provide the finding-out. we shouldn't have to. but we can!

so make sure to let tumblr know you hate this. maybe you could include this interesting link (tw child abuse) about how Stable Diffusion was trained on some extremely serious crime. or these screenshots of Midjourney devs just sort of admitting what their whole thing is, which i got here but which have kinda been spread all over since January.

spite and anger can be forms of hope. that's all i have to say, or at least all i'm willing to type with my left hand tonight.

[eternal-echoes]

“But what about the claim that only 1 or 2 percent of all individuals who undergo reassignment surgery regret their choice? Studies that make such claims often lack validity due to four shortcomings:

First, there are no standardized measures for establishing results. For example, one of the most widely used statistics is that only 2.2 percent of individuals experience post-surgical regret.(5) However, this study counted only individuals who applied to change their legal documents to reflect their detransition. Carey Callahan, a female detransitioner said, "Moreover, that study defined a 'detransitioner' as someone who had changed their name and gender legally (an arduous process in Sweden at the time) and then had the motivation and money to go through the name change process in reverse, a standard so strict that I wouldn't be counted, and nor would 90% of the detransitioners I know."(6) Other surveys measure those who had surgical reversal procedures. But again, this would exclude most detransitioners.(7)

A second flaw that weakens the findings of many "low regret rate" studies is that they contain a small sample size. Some have as few as ten or twelve individuals.(8)

A third weakness of many of the studies is that they are based upon short follow-up times. Dr. Paul Rhodes Eddy noted, "The average timespan from a person's medical transition to taking steps to officially initiate detransition is somewhere between eight to eleven years."(9) However, many studies that show low rates of regret are conducted within five years of the operation, and some of them as little as five months (10) Therefore, studies with shorter follow-up times will inevitably underestimate transition regret rates.

A fourth flaw is that these studies are often plagued by extremely high loss to follow-up rates. Many of the studies lost track of between 50 and 86 percent of the individuals!(11) When determining how important this is to the validity of a study's findings, Dr. Joseph Dettori points out, "A good rule of thumb is that <5% loss leads to little bias, while >20% poses serious threats to validity. ... One way to determine if loss to follow-up can seriously affect results is to assume a worst-case scenario with the missing data and look to see if the results would change."(12)

-Jason Evert, Male, Female, or Other: A Catholic Guide to Understanding Gender

—

Work cited:

(5) Cf. Dhejne et al., "An Analysis of all Applications for Sex Reassignment Surgery in Sweden, 1960-2010: Prevalence, Incidence, and Regrets," 1535-1545.

(6) Carey Callahan, "Gender Identity Is Hard but Jumping to Medical Solutions Is Worse," Economist, December 3, 2019.

(7) "An Open Letter to Julia Serano from One of the Detransitioned People You Claim to 'Support," Crashchaoscats, August 8, 2016).

(8) Cf. O. Bodlund and G. Kullgren, "Transsexualism-General Outcome and Prognostic Factors: A Five-Year Follow-up Study of Nineteen Transsexuals in the Process of Changing Sex," Archives of Sexual Behavior 25 (1996), 303-316; M. Stein et al., "Follow-Up Observations of Operated Male-to-Female Transsexuals," Journal of Urology 143 (1990): 1188-1192.

(9) Paul Rhodes Eddy, "Rethinking Transition: On the History, Experience and Current Research Regarding Gender Transition, Transition Regret and Detransition," Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender, September 2022, 204.

(10) Cf. W. Tsoi, "Follow-Up Study of Transsexuals After Sex-Reassignment Surgery," Singapore Medical Journal 34:6 (1993), 515-17; J. Rehman et al., "The Reported Sex and Surgery Satisfactions of 28 Postoperative Male-to-Female Transsexual Patients," Archives of Sexual Behavior 28:1 (1999), 71-89; P. Cohen-Kettenis and S. van Goozen, "Sex Reassignment of Adolescent Transsexuals: A Follow-Up Study," Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 36 (1997), 263-271; James Barrett, "Psychological and Social Function Before and After Phalloplasty," International Journal of Transgenderism 2:1 (1998), 1-8; M. Stein et al., "Follow-up Observations of Operated Male-to-Female

11) Cf.G. Weinforth et al., "Quality of Life Following Male-To-Female Sex Reassignment Surgery," Deutsches Ärzteblatt International 116:15 (2019), 253-260; N. Papadopulos et al., "Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction Following Male-to-Female Sex Reassignment Surgery," Journal of Sexual Medicine 14/5 (2017), 721-730; T. van de Grift et al., "Surgical Satisfaction, Quality of Life, and Their Association After Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Follow-Up Study," Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy 44/2 (2018), 138-148; C. McNichols et al., "Patient-Reported Satisfaction and Quality of Life After Trans Male Gender Affirming Surgery," International Journal of Transgender Health 21/4 (2020), 410-417; L. Jellestad et al., "Quality of Life in Transitioned Trans Persons: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Cohort Study," Hindawi-BioMed Research International (2018), 8684625, 10.

12) J. Dettori, "Loss to Follow-Up," Evidence-Based Spine-Care Journal 2/1 (2011), 7-10.

—

For more recommended resources on gender dysphoria, click here.