#Distributed systems architecture

[projectchampionz]

Explore These Exciting DSU Micro Project Ideas

Explore These Exciting DSU Micro Project Ideas Are you a student looking for an interesting micro project to work on? Developing small, self-contained projects is a great way to build your skills and showcase your abilities. At the Distributed Systems University (DSU), we offer a wide range of micro project topics that cover a variety of domains. In this blog post, we’ll explore some exciting DSU…

[francescolelli]

Phd or Postdoc in Switzerland for International Students: On Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

This is a short preview of the article: Do you have a fresh master or PhD and are you considering Phd or Postdoc in Switzerland? The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship offers young researchers from around the world who have completed a master’s degree or PhD the opportunity to start or continue their research careers in S

If you like it consider checking out the full version of the post at: Phd or Postdoc in Switzerland for International Students: On Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

If you are looking for ideas for tweet or re-blog this post you may want to consider the following hashtags:

Hashtags: #BigData, #CloudComputing, #DigitalDecisionMaking, #DistributedSystems, #Fellowship, #HumanBehaviourInformatics, #InternetOfThings, #IoT, #PhD, #PostDoc, #ServiceOrientedArchitecture, #Swiss, #Switzerland, #VirtualReality

The Hashtags of the Categories are: #BigData, #CloudComputing, #InternetofThings, #Job, #Job/Fellowship, #MachineLearning, #Programming, #Research, #SoftwareEngineering

Phd or Postdoc in Switzerland for International Students: On Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships is available at the following link: https://francescolelli.info/job/phd-or-postdoc-in-switzerland-for-international-students-on-swiss-government-excellence-scholarships/ You will find more information, stories, examples, data, opinions and scientific papers as part of a collection of articles about Information Management, Computer Science, Economics, Finance and More.

The title of the full article is: Phd or Postdoc in Switzerland for International Students: On Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

It belong to the following categories: Big Data, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Job, Job/Fellowship, Machine Learning, Programming, Research, Software Engineering

The most relevant keywords are: Big Data, Cloud Computing, Digital Decision Making, Distributed Systems, fellowship, Human Behaviour Informatics, internet of things, IoT, PhD, Post-Doc, Service Oriented Architecture, Swiss, Switzerland, Virtual Reality

It has been published by Francesco Lelli at Francesco Lelli a blog about Information Management, Computer Science, Finance, Economics and nearby ideas and opinions

Do you have a fresh master or PhD and are you considering Phd or Postdoc in Switzerland? The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship offers young researchers from around the world who have completed a master’s degree or PhD the opportunity to start or continue their research careers in S

Hope you will find it interesting and that it will help you in your journey

Do you have a fresh master or PhD and are you considering Phd or Postdoc in Switzerland? The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship offers young researchers from around the world who have completed a master’s degree or PhD the opportunity to start or continue their research careers in Switzerland. The scholarship supports research endeavors for a…

[vindaloo-softtech]

Difference Between A Standalone SoftSwitch And A Distributed Softswitch Architecture

A SoftSwitch, as its name suggests, is a software-based solution that utilizes hardware that is common in the business. In Voice over IP (VoIP) networks, a SoftSwitch offers call control intelligence for initiating, maintaining, routing, and terminating sessions. Initially, service providers used SoftSwitches as a component of their next-generation IP network initiatives. Compared to outdated monolithic telephony equipment based on proprietary technology, SoftSwitch systems have inherent economic advantages.

Standalone SoftSwitch Architecture:

Centralized Control: In a standalone SoftSwitch architecture, all call control and switching functions are concentrated within a single, central SoftSwitch unit. This central unit manages call routing, signaling, and other related tasks for the entire network.

Simplicity: Standalone SoftSwitches are relatively straightforward to set up and configure. They are well-suited for smaller or less complex telecommunications networks where centralized control suffices.

Scalability Challenges: As the network grows or experiences increased traffic, standalone SoftSwitches may face scalability challenges. Adding more capacity typically means upgrading the central unit, which can become expensive or impractical.

Redundancy and Failover: Ensuring redundancy and failover capabilities in a standalone architecture can be complex. It often involves configuring backup systems and failover mechanisms to minimize service disruptions in case of a central SoftSwitch failure.

Maintenance: Maintenance and software upgrades may require downtime or careful planning to avoid network interruptions, as all critical functions are consolidated in one location.

Distributed SoftSwitch Architecture:

Decentralized Control: In a distributed SoftSwitch architecture, call control and switching functions are distributed across multiple interconnected SoftSwitch nodes or devices. These nodes collaborate to manage call routing, signaling, and other tasks.

Scalability: Distributed architectures are inherently more scalable. As network traffic grows or new services are added, additional SoftSwitch nodes can be introduced, making it easier to expand the network’s capacity.

Redundancy and Failover: Distributed architectures often offer better redundancy and failover capabilities. If one node fails, the workload can be shifted to other nodes, reducing service interruptions and enhancing network reliability.

Maintenance: Maintenance and software upgrades can be performed on individual nodes without affecting the entire network. This makes it easier to manage and maintain the network while minimizing downtime.

Cost-Effectiveness: While distributed architectures may have higher initial costs due to the need for multiple nodes and interconnectivity infrastructure, they can be more cost-effective as the network scales because they provide better reliability and flexibility.

In conclusion, the need for the communications network and the unique requirements determine whether a standalone SoftSwitch architecture or a distributed SoftSwitch architecture is better for any organization. While distributed systems have superior fault tolerance, scalability, and redundancy than standalone architectures, the latter are better suited for bigger, more complicated telecommunications infrastructures. Standalone architectures are simpler and better suited for smaller networks. The choice should be made in light of variables such as network size, growth projections, dependability needs, and financial limitations.

If it is a daunting task for you to select a SoftSwitch that can give you comprehensive solutions fitting into any VoIP network, opting for CloveKonnect will be the right choice for your organization. 

Whether yours is a small growing organization or already a big and established one, whether you need a standalone architecture or distributed architecture, Clovekonnect can be an answer to all your needs.

Centralized Dashboard

Invoicing and Integrated Billing (Prepaid/Postpaid)

Multiple carrier management

Multiple codec and protocol support*

Rates Plan Management

DID management

SMS and SMS API support

Additional minute Addon support

Payment Gateway (PayPal/ Stripe)

Reports (CDRs, MDRs, Audit log report, Payment report, Low Balance Notification, etc.)

Multiple User Permissions

Completely Cloud-based Web App Solution

In addition to these, a few business advantages you can leverage by using Clovekonnect are:

A complete remote solution enabling you to access VoIP SoftSwitch from anywhere

Select the SoftSwitch for standalone or distributed architecture 

Smart call management lets the calls be automatically routed through the least expensive route

Bringing down the cost of calls becomes easier 

A reliable communication process that is completely safe and secure

Enjoy ease in day-to-day operations and management by cost-effective calling architecture 

Top quality class 4 SoftSwitch that can fit in any VoIP network

Write us at info@vindaloosofttech.com if you want to take a free demo of CloveKonnect- a web app that can simplify your billing process.

[teecupangel]

I just finished watching the anime Overlord and I had conflicted feelings about Ainz the entire time like "YES DON'T EXPLOIT WORKERS AND GIVE THEM EQUALITY" and "WHY DID YOU LET DEMIURGE EAT THE CHILDREN!?!?" so to cope a little, what would be your take on Desmond reincarnating in that world? Another possible scenario I kinda want to see would be Desmond actually being one of the Supreme Beings and getting Isekai from the start of the series

Oh, nonny. You reminded me that I really need to watch the new season. I’ve been putting it off because I’m so weak for Albedo that, had it not been for my RL situation, I would have been severely tempted by these.

Anyway, let’s lay some ground rules.

The world that the anime Overlord is set in would be more or less a typical magical world. It’s ‘unique’ setup is the fact that the main character is isekai’ed in that world together with the NPCs he and his guild members created for their guild. They become pretty much the villain in this situation and the main character loses some of his humanity because he became a lich.

Sooooo… let’s fuck Desmond up and put him in a similar situation.

.

Let’s say that the game exists in his world and it’s globally published by Abstergo Entertainment, using a lite version of the Animus. It loads longer and extremely bulky compared to the Animus console in Black Flag and it’s the predecessor of the console that would be used to distribute Liberation (the version Abstergo edited).

During her free time, Rebecca messed with her Animus and made it possible to play the game (named YGGDRASIL in Overlord and we can keep it, make hints of it being connected to the actual Yggdrasil device Odin used) but, because of how her Animus works, only Desmond can go into the game. She noticed how Desmond was more relaxed playing it so she made NPCs for him because it’s a (illegal) private server. Shaun made one or two as well.

And it became Desmond’s downtime activity before leaving the Animus. It actually lowers the chance of him having a Bleeding Episode after leaving the Animus because he can go into the game and the NPCs would call him “Desmond”. It gives him time to remember who he is while still feeling the same realistic but alien sensation that the Animus gave him.

He also starts messing with the world. Well… the small kingdom that they created anyway.

They based it on the guild system with Desmond as the leader. At first, Rebecca created two NPCs based on her and Shaun to help Desmond get used to the control.

Afterwards, they started filling up their base with other NPCs that would work as bosses for each levels. Rebecca had to mess with the setting because there was no players to attack their base so she made NPCs and monsters from outside the base attack it randomly. This gives Desmond more to do.

What Desmond enjoyed though was managing the headquarters and upgrading the buildings and facilities. Shaun joked that this was because of Ezio and maybe it was.

Before long, Desmond was making his own NPCs and no one had the heart to tell him that he was making NPCs based on his ancestors and people they know (especially after Rebecca painfully elbowed Shaun before he could say anything the first time Desmond presented them with his first NPC)

After they got to the Grand Temple, Desmond used the game more like a coping mechanism, making their home impregnable with the best facilities he could think of (even going as far as research architecture and stuff)

By the time they got the key from Connor Davenport’s grave, Desmond had:

Created an underground tower with more than a hundred floors or so with their own themes and ‘gameplay mechanics’.

His first NPC has become the second in command, based on a homebrew race that Rebecca could only describe as ‘like human with divinity in them but with more omph!’. He’s based and named after Altaïr and is so OP that Rebecca actually says that he’s pretty much unbeatable. Desmond doesn’t care, it’s not like he was playing the game to play it with other people after all. Altaïr is magic-focused with maxed out magic and speed. His favorite attack is to rain down the stars in the sky and turn the lands into a cacophony of explosions.

Desmond’s second NPC isn’t any better. He’s based on Ezio and there’s actually three of them, each based on the three major points in Ezio’s life that Desmond relived. He’s in charge of the second to the last level, not that anyone has gotten that far to be honest. All three of them have different focus. One focuses on physical melee, one focuses on long range physical attacks, and the other focuses on magic. His level is actually the most populated because it’s filled with ‘cannon fodders’ that Desmond named after people Ezio recruited.

There’s a lot more NPCs that are bosses. Ratonhnhaké:ton is actually one of the ‘youngest’ NPCs created and Desmond barely managed to optimize his skill set. He’s a shapeshifter and, just to be a dick to anyone who want to go explore their base, he’s not a boss but a ‘traveler’. If the intruders have been in the same level for more than the specified (secret) time limit, Ratonhnhaké:ton would teleport to the floor and randomly take the shape of one of his forms. A wolf with a pack of ghost wolves, a large and fast bear with high self-healing stat or a large eagle that can phase through walls, all of which are picked at random. (In other words, Ratonhnhaké:ton works like the Reaper of the latter Persona games)

There’s a Malik NPC who acts more like a secretary and is in charge of Desmond’s level if he’s ‘offline’. (Does this mean Malik is Desmond’s Albedo? Uuuhhh… let’s just say he shares the same occupation as Altaïr in this case).

Shaun’s NPC is the boss of the library level where everything and anything is stored. In the Animus, this is actually Shaun just cramming every information he sees into the game because, hello, it actually has a bigger size than his laptop’s hard drive. A lot of shit in there was taken through… the ‘high seas’.

Rebecca’s NPC is the boss of the topmost (first) level. She wanted her NPC to act more like a tutorial guide and honestly? Being the first level boss means her NPC gets a lot of ‘screen time’.

Haytham is also a boss in one of the lower levels and his stage is set in a cathedral. He’s only one of the few NPCs that have a holy attribute.

Desmond doesn’t know it but the other NPCs he made are actually based on AC characters he will never meet (Edward, Arno, Shay, Jaocb, Evie, etc). He just thought he was filling up the roster and making different themes (Viking, Ancient Greece, Steampunk) because he was bored.

Oh. The last NPC Desmond created is a dragon egg he named Clay. Whether this Clay is an actual NPC dragonling or is actually Clay’s digital avatar that will get screwed up by his new draconian lineage is up to you XD

When he dies after saving the world, he wakes up in a bed that he recognized as the bed he always teleports into whenever Rebecca switches the Animus to the game for his downtime.

He knows something is wrong because his body feels weird but he would never understand how badly he’s fucked because his body composition stops him from seeing it as a fuck up.

Because Desmond’s player character?

The race of his character is a homebrew God race.

And Desmond is a god that cares for those who worship him and sees those who do not as dirt on the road.

.

In other words, Desmond and his ‘guild’ gets transported at the opposite side of where Ainz was transported. Also, Desmond’s base is underground so it took a bit of time before people realized they were there.

Enough time for Desmond to realize how the world he was in right now needed the guidance of a god who will be merciful to those who worship him.

[autotopic]

1938 Mercedes-Benz W154

In September 1936, the AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus), the governing body of motor racing, set the new Grand Prix regulations effective from 1938. Key stipulations included a maximum engine displacement of three liters for supercharged engines and 4.5 liters for naturally aspirated engines, with a minimum car weight ranging from 400 to 850 kilograms, depending on engine size.

By the end of the 1937 season, Mercedes-Benz engineers were already hard at work developing the new W154, exploring various ideas, including a naturally aspirated engine with a W24 configuration, a rear-mounted engine, direct fuel injection, and fully streamlined bodies. Ultimately, due to heat management considerations, they opted for an in-house developed 60-degree V12 engine designed by Albert Heess. This engine mirrored the displacement characteristics of the 1924 supercharged two-liter M 2 L 8 engine, with each of its 12 cylinders displacing 250 cc. Using glycol as a coolant allowed temperatures to reach up to 125°C. The engine featured four overhead camshafts operating 48 valves via forked rocker arms, with three cylinders combined under welded coolant jackets, and non-removable heads. It had a high-capacity lubrication system, circulating 100 liters of oil per minute, and initially utilized two single-stage superchargers, later replaced by a more efficient two-stage supercharger in 1939.

The first prototype engine ran on the test bench in January 1938, and by February 7, it had achieved a nearly trouble-free test run, producing 427 hp (314 kW) at 8,000 rpm. During the first half of the season, drivers such as Caracciola, Lang, von Brauchitsch, and Seaman had access to 430 hp (316 kW), which later increased to over 468 hp (344 kW). At the Reims circuit, Hermann Lang's W154 was equipped with the most powerful version, delivering 474 hp (349 kW) and reaching 283 km/h (176 mph) on the straights. Notably, the W154 was the first Mercedes-Benz racing car to feature a five-speed gearbox.

Max Wagner, tasked with designing the suspension, had an easier job than his counterparts working on the engine. He retained much of the advanced chassis architecture from the previous year's W125 but enhanced the torsional rigidity of the frame by 30 percent. The V12 engine was mounted low and at an angle, with the carburetor air intakes extending through the expanded radiator grille.

The driver sat to the right of the propeller shaft, and the W154's sleek body sat close to the ground, lower than the tops of its tires. This design gave the car a dynamic appearance and a low center of gravity. Both Manfred von Brauchitsch and Richard Seaman, whose technical insights were highly valued by Chief Engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut, praised the car's excellent handling.

The W154 became the most successful Silver Arrow of its era. Rudolf Caracciola secured the 1938 European Championship title (as the World Championship did not yet exist), and the W154 won three of the four Grand Prix races that counted towards the championship.

To ensure proper weight distribution, a saddle tank was installed above the driver's legs. In 1939, the addition of a two-stage supercharger boosted the V12 engine, now named the M163, to 483 hp (355 kW) at 7,800 rpm. Despite the AIACR's efforts to curb the speed of Grand Prix cars, the new three-liter formula cars matched the lap times of the 1937 750-kg formula cars, demonstrating that their attempt was largely unsuccessful. Over the winter of 1938-39, the W154 saw several refinements, including a higher cowl line around the cockpit for improved driver safety and a small, streamlined instrument panel mounted to the saddle tank. As per Uhlenhaut’s philosophy, only essential information was displayed, centered around a large tachometer flanked by water and oil temperature gauges, ensuring the driver wasn't overwhelmed by unnecessary data.

[racefortheironthrone]

What differs a Bronze Age Monarchy from a Feudal or Modern State Monarchy? For whatever reson I have always been given the impression that Bronze Age Monarchy is the ancient version of either the former or the later, but that does not sound right.

Yeah, that would be a major misconception.

Bronze Age monarchies:

were far more centralized than medieval monarchies, with large, year-round palace complexes that functioned not just as fortresses but also as judicial centers, religious centers, storehouses, state planning apparati, and so on. To operate all these various functions, they employed a large bureaucracy that had, if not a monopoly, something of an oligopoly, on literacy, numeracy, and higher learning.

were highly involved in planning the economy, from organizing irrigation and other labor-intensive farming practices to keeping detailed records on production and taxation to coordinating the complex network of international trade that regulated the flow of both key commodities like tin but also luxury goods.

had more of a monopoly on military force, especially when it came to elite units like chariots. Training an archer and a driver to work in unison with a team of horses specifically bred to the task and custom chariots was a long and expensive process that only a monarch could provide the necessary surplus food and other resources for.

were not Christian. I can't stress enough how important this was as a structural force - Bronze Age monarchs did not have to deal with a large, European-wide, literate bureaucracy, with immense cultural power, that owned more land than they did. This isn't to say that there was no interaction between the temples and the state - I've talked recently about the tendency of Bronze Age monarchs to either be god-kings or priest-kings - but that the terms of interaction between the two much more heavily favored the state.

By contrast, medieval monarchies - and I'm aware that the term is something of a moving target, because what it meant to be a king in CE 600 is very different from what it means in CE 1100 or CE 1600 - were:

decentralized. They had small, peripatetic courts, and initially almost no bureaucracy. Governing power was much more broadly distributed down to the regional and local level through feudal contracts, and it was a long and very fraught process for the monarchs to gradually wrestle that power back.

much less engaged in the economy. Aside from tariffs and monetary policy, which is important, you don't really see medieval monarchs telling peasants when to plow and which fields (outside of the monarch's own personal fiefs), because that was an interference with the decentralized manorial system. You see fewer and smaller building projects, in no small part because the monarch usually couldn't afford to do them.

had less of a monopoly on violence. While the feudal exchange was supposed to give kings military service in exchange for land, in practice feudal levies could be slow to form, quick to disperse, and very fractious about their terms of service. This meant in practice that the nobility could exercise more hard power than their nominal overlords, which is why noble revolts were a common feature. Similarly, it took a long time for the monarchs to establish the necessary fiscal architecture for assembling professional armies and then eventually turning those professional armies into standing armies and then eventually turning those armies against the nobility - and by that point, we're not really talking about the Medieval period any more.

were Christian. And while there could certainly be exceptions of Emperors who picked Popes (instead of the other way around) or kings who could weirdly judo-flip their piety into Galician-style control of their national church, over time the pendulum definitely swung in favor of the Church having more power than any one monarch. They were wealthy, their wealth tended to grow over time because they were a corporate institution that invested their profits back into the company, they had huge amounts of cultural power, they had huge amounts of political power, and so on.

[utopicwork]

Ive been thinking about a generic public services architecture for PierMesh. A BBS, a digital library, an event calendar/registration system and a small publishing platform for media. I think these would be easy to make distributed/widely accessible through both typical technologies and LoRa/Halow. It should be technically simple so almost any device can access it and I think you could run a read only/text only site along with a more robust version easily. I think this might be where I focus for the one box mesh deployment idea. It's very much in line with the idea of disaster preparedness that's part of why I'm so into PierMesh.

[archinform]

Lost Chicago Building 7 - Grand Central Station

Grand Central Station, Chicago

Grand Central Station was a passenger railroad terminal located at 201 W. Harrison St.in downtown Chicago. Designed by architect Solon Spencer Beman for the Wisconsin Central Railroad, the station was completed by the Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad. The station served passenger rail travel from 1890 to 1969. In later years, as it sat unused, Sitting unused, Grand Central Station's value as an architectural and engineering masterpiece was ignored by its railroad owner, who favored redevelopment of the site. The track system was dismantled and the entire terminal razed by the railroad in 1971.

Constructed in 1890, Chicago’s Grand Central Station was the brainchild of the Chicago & Northern Pacific Railroad, a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Central Railroad (WC), which was itself owned by the Northern Pacific Railway (NP). It served as a major terminal for numerous rail lines, linking Chicago with various destinations across the United States.

(Lost Chicago, David Lowe, page 57)

Architect Solon S. Beman, the designer of the Pullman company town, as well as the Pullman building in the Loop, designed the station in the Norman Castellated style,  with construction of brick, brownstone, and granite. The structure measured 228 ft. along Harrison Street and 482 ft.  along Wells. A series of arches faced Harrison Street, and its most notable feature was a 247 ft. tower at the northeast corner of the structure.

Beman, an early advocate of the Floating raft system to solve Chicago's unique swampy soil problems, designed the tower to sit within a floating foundation supported by 55 ft (17 m) deep piles.[2] Early on, an 11,000 lb (5,000 kg) bell in the tower rang on the hour. At some point, however, the bell was removed, but the tower (and its huge clock, 13 ft (4.0 m) in diameter—at one time among the largest in the United States, remained.

Solon S. Beman, architect

The interior of Grand Central Station was decorated as extravagantly as the exterior. The waiting room, for example, had marble floors, Corinthian-style columns, stained-glass windows and a marble fireplace, and a restaurant. The station also had a 100-room hotel, but accommodations ended late in 1901.

Wikipedia

Further description is provided by the HABS historic description of the station:

"Over 15,000 piles were driven for the supporting foundation. The 247 foot bell tower, weighing 6,000 tons, had its weight distributed so each pile bore the weight of 24 tons. 50-foot piles were driven under the tower and 30- foot piles under the balance of the structure. These piles were capped with 12' x 12' oak timbers, and the inter-vening spaces filled, with 12 inches of concrete, overlaid with 12 inch timbers, 4 inches apart, and this overlay also filled in with concrete. On top of this base another 18 inches of concrete was poured. Over the years no evidence of settling of the building has occurred. This speaks for the fine engineering done. "Originally an 11,000 lb. bell tolled the hours of the clock, with its 13-foot dial—then the second largest clock in the country. In later years the bell was removed. "Grand Central Station is Norman castellated architecture, extending 228 feet on Harrison Street and 482 feet on Wells Street, with six stories in the tower and four in the wings. The Stylobate is Connecticut brownstone, extending upward 26 feet in the tower, surmounted by a coronal moulding device, with brown brick above that. Brownstone also extends upward for 8 feet in the wings, and has brick above. "The shafts forming the arches are of polished gray granite. The flooring in the station is variegated red and white Vermont marble. The wainscoting of the walls is pink Tennessee marble, with a skirting base of dark Tennessee marble. The imposing staircase to the restaurant is of Knoxville marble. The specially created hardware by Orr & Lockett, of Chicago, was the subject of wide news comment, because of its beautifully created motifs, and nothing created more comment than the marbeleite columns, 25 feet high, reproducing Sienna marble. These are encased iron pillars and they were made by the Art Marble Company of Chicago by processes that are trade secrets.

Grand Central Station Historical American Buildings Survey Report HABS No. ILL-101

The former site of the station is now occupied by the a mid-rise residential development known as Alta Grand Central. Nearby is the Bertrand Goldberg-designed River City. A series of arches, however, can still be seen at Harrison and Wells, remnants or reconstructions of the original train station. The arches sit rather uncomfortably beside the futuristic River City development.

Images from HABS Survey and Ryerson and Burnham Library, AIC:

Entrance column

Waiting room

Stairs to the restaurant

Train shed

Waiting room view

Window details

SOURCES / LINKS:

American Rails.com

Grand Central Station (Chicago) - Wikipedia

Grand Central Station Historical American Buildings Survey Report HABS No. ILL-1016

Grand Central Station - Chicagology

Chicago YIMBY - Preservation Chicago

Explore Chicago Collections

Grand Central passenger station. Inland architect and news record. 1893 Apr., v. 21. plates

Grand Central Station, Chicago, Illinois. Inland architect and news record. 1893 May, v. 21, pl. fol. p. 54. col. ill

Grand Central Station, Chicago. Prairie school review. 1974 1st quarter, v. 11, n. 1, p. [1]-[3], 5-19. ill, plan [Follow link for full issue]

Central station, Wisconsin Central Railway, corner Fifth Avenue and Harrison Street, Chicago. Inland architect and news record. 1889 Feb., v. 13, n. 1, pl. fol. p. 14.

richard nickel images documenting demolition of s.s. beman's grand central station

[jgthirlwell]

Top 10 Cats 2024

Top 10 Cats 2024

by Dora Blount

Scratch and Sniff, Brooklyn Scratch and Sniff, world’s best cats, had an exciting year. They moved to new digs for the first time since being adopted. They weren’t too sure about it at first- there were a lot of new noises to get used to. But now they love it, they can spread out more, there are a variety of spaces for hanging out, hiding or sleeping, windows to look out of, and sun beams to catch all day.

Sir Indiana Bones, Skulls Unlimited International, Oklahoma City,OK Sir Indiana Bones is a superstar black cat with 74k followers on Instagram. He lives in the office behind the Museum of Osteology on the outskirts of Oklahoma City. He has a line of merch available in the museum gift shop and his own page on their website. We were lucky that he was receiving visitors when we stopped by and we got to go to the back and meet him. We signed his visitor log and he gave us two buttons! Thank you for your service, Sir Indiana Bones.

Little One (Losash), East Village, Manhattan The kitten formerly known as Losash, now referred to as “little one,” is a Devon Rex who came from Russia with his own passport and a stylish wardrobe, though his true origin may be an unknown dimension or galaxy in another universe. He now lives in the East Village but doesn’t have a proper name yet. According to Wikipedia, the Devon Rex is a “tall-eared, short-haired breed of cat that emerged in England during the late 1950s.” The breed is known for its atypical appearance, with an oddly shaped head, large eyes, and a short, wavy coat with whiskers and eyebrows that are crinkled and twisted. He’s a cool little alien dude.

Flower Market Cats, Marché aux Fleurs, Paris This charming and beautiful flower market has been located on the Ile de la Cité for over 100 years. Among the market’s wrought iron and glass pavilions, and abundance of flowers and plants and good smells, we found two cats in one of the shops.

Alice, Le Petit Prince Store, Paris We happened upon Le Petit Prince store in the Latin Quarter, stopped in to check it out, and were delighted to discover the shop cat Alice on her chair! Even though a fox, not a cat, is a character in the Little Prince, Alice is very good a reminder of the book’s themes of unconditional love and the preciousness of friendship. The velvet chair is appropriately regal for Alice.

Dove, Brooklyn Cat Café, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn The Brooklyn Cat Café is a volunteer-run storefront providing cat interaction, as well as coffee, tea, and snacks. All the cats are available for adoption so the cat distribution system can work efficiently.

Harmonica, Health Food and Vitamin City, Chelsea, Manhattan Harmonica is the Queen of 23rd Street. Enough said.

Zuzu & Winston, Kansas City, KS Zuzu (charming ginger tabby) and Winston (gray beauty) are Kansas City kitties who live in a picturesque Victorian gothic manor high on a hill overlooking Downtown KC.

Smokey, Treasures and Books, Guthrie, OK Smokey manages the Treasures and Books antique store in downtown Guthrie, Oklahoma. Smokey is long-haired chocolate-colored beauty with a lion’s mane who likes to catch sun beams in the storefront window. She came in off the street as a little lonely kitten on a cold day in 2018 and the kind owner of the store took her in and helped her learn to trust people. Now she lives a comfortable life where she is very loved and treasured.

Siete & Nueve, Marvel Design Studio Annex, Tribeca, Manhattan Siete (tabby) and Nueve (black) live in Marvel’s studio annex space in Tribeca. They are two amusing rescue cats who enjoy corporate sabotage and office hijinks. They bring a refreshing element of chaos to otherwise staid professional meetings, of which I approve. Marvel is an architectural and urban design studio based in New York and San Juan that designed the new Animal Care Centers of NYC adoption, clinic, and office facility in the Bronx, currently in construction. So Marvel is doing good work for animals at both the micro and regional scales. Thanks Marvel!

[usafphantom2]

Lockheed Martin Will Integrate Next-Generation Infrared Defensive Sensors on F-22 Raptor

The F-22 will receive an embedded set of TacIRST sensors as part of the Infrared Defensive System to enhance aircraft survivability and lethality.

Stefano D'Urso

F-22 Infrared Defensive System

Lockheed Martin announced on Jan. 22, 2025, that it has been awarded a $270 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to integrate a system of next-generation infrared defensive sensors on the F-22 Raptor. The system, known as the Infrared Defensive System (IRDS), will add a distributed set of embedded TacIRST sensors to enhance the F-22’s survivability and lethality.

The F-22 will receive an embedded set of TacIRST sensors as part of the Infrared Defensive System to enhance aircraft survivability and lethality.TacIRSTF-22 upgrades

TacIRST

TacIRST, or Tactical Infrared Search and Track, is a next-generation sensor developed by Lockheed Martin which allows to detect and track airborne threats with weapon-quality accuracy, says the company. The multifunction sensor, which can be used for both reconnaissance and threat-warning, features a compact design with a very small form factor and is based on an open architecture.

“We understand the need for advanced and versatile infrared systems like IRDS that will make pilots’ missions more survivable and lethal against current and future adversaries,” said Hank Tucker, vice president of Missions Systems at Lockheed Martin. “We’re committed to supporting the Air Force through continuous innovation of capabilities to deter and defeat evolving threats.”

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor prepares to be refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Oct. 10, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Willis)

Compared to traditional IRST which features round windows, TacIRST is based on a smaller staring sensor much more similar to the windows of the F-35’s Distributed Aperture System. This makes it ideal for installation on the F-22 as the sensors will be flush with the surfaces of the aircraft, since the statement from Lockheed Martin mentions that the system will be embedded in the F-22 instead of pods.

In the past, there were unconfirmed reports about the technology behind TacIRST possibly being related to upgrades to the F-22’s current AN/AAR-56 Missile Launch Detector (MLD). Given the sensitivity of the F-22 program, the statement does not delve into details, so it is unclear if the IRDS will completely replace the AAR-56 or just its sensors.

F-22 upgrades

The F-22 is receiving a plethora of upgrades as part of an improvement campaign that calls for $7.8 billion in investments before 2030, which includes $3.1 billion for research and development and $4.7 billion in procurement. While the Air Force previously planned to retire the oldest Raptors, the service now appears to be reconsidering that plan and focusing on sustaining an air superiority combat capability for a highly contested environment.

Some of the upgrades expected for the F-22 Raptor were unveiled in the Fiscal Year 23 budget request documentation and in an official artwork shared by Gen. Mark Kelly, then Commander of Air Combat Command. In the artwork we can see three Raptors loaded with new stealthy external fuel tanks, two underwing faceted pods and a new unknown air-to-air missile, but there are even more novelties in the documents, which unveils a previously undisclosed relationship between the F-22 and the development of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD).

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor performs a sharp aerial maneuver above the flight line during the 2024 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Airshow in San Diego, Sept. 28, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Seferino Gamez)

Two years after the upgrades were announced, we might have gotten, earlier in 2024, the first glimpse of the new stealthy external fuel tanks being developed for the F-22 Raptor. The aircraft was, in fact, spotted near the Mojave Air and Space Port and shows the Raptor with two fuel tanks, whose shape is reminiscent of the one shown in 2022.

The new tanks are officially known as Low Drag Tank and Pylon (LDTP) and designed to be stealthier and more aerodynamically efficient than the current 600-gallon fuel tanks. In the FY2023 budget request, the Air Force mentioned that the F-22 LDTPs are advanced technological designs providing increased persistence and range while maintaining lethality and survivability, critical to future mission execution and to maintaining Air Superiority.

The low drag tanks are intended to reduce drag, facilitate supersonic flight with external tanks and extend the range of the F-22. The pylons are equipped with smart rack pneumatic technology to accurately control ejection performance and smooth wind swept surface for minimum drag without stores.

The two pods installed under the outer underwing hardpoints have already been spotted during flight testing on an F-22 at the Air Force’s Plant 42 facility in Palmdale, California, in February 2022. The latest budget documents mention an InfraRed Search and Track (IRST) sensor being developed for the F-22, which is now confirmed to be the sensor housed inside the two pods, although they could host also other capabilities in addition to the IRST.

In July 2024 we got an up-close look at one of the pods installed under a Rockwell Sabreliner 65 testbed after a test campaign at Nellis AFB, Nevada. It would have been expected to see some kind of transparent surface associated with the IRST, however the surfaces on the nose of the pod appeared to be opaque. We still cannot exclude that there are two different variants of the pod, depending on the equipment inside.

F-22 new sensors

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors assigned to the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and Philippine Air Force FA-50PH light jet fighters conduct joint combined exchange training, above Basa Air Force Base, Philippines, on Aug. 9, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mitchell Corley)

The last upgrade featured in the artwork is a new unknown air-to-air missile. While there are a number of air-to-air missile programs in the works, it is possible that the one in the image could be a representative design, which may or may not correspond to the real deal, for the highly secretive AIM-260 missile. So far, the missile has never been depicted in any kind of image and details about the program are very scarce.

The development of the AIM-260, also called Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, was first unveiled in 2019 and has been in the works at least since 2017. The goal of the new long-range air-to-air missile is to replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) and counter the threat posed by the Chinese PL-15 missile, while avoiding any foreign threats being able to outrange the AIM-120.

Among the few known technical details, the new missile will be compatible with the AMRAAM dimensions, but obviously with greater range, and is planned to be carried in the F-22 weapons bay and on the F/A-18 at first, with the F-35 to follow. Flight tests are already in progress and the missile is expected to be fielded by next year. Because of these reasons, it would be reasonable to suppose that the one shown in the image could be at least a hint at the AIM-260.

Other upgrades mentioned in the budget request are a Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), Link 16 and Multifunction Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS), a new Operational Fight Program, advanced radar Electronic Protection, Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) Modernization (EGI-M), Open System Architecture (OSA), new encrypted radios.

A new helmet is also being tested by F-22 pilots, as part of the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet program to replace the current HGU-55P helmet, which has been the standard issued helmet for the last 40 years. The goal is to provide pilots a more comfortable, stable, and balanced platform to accommodate helmet-mounted devices usage without imposing neck strain and discomfort to the user.

F-22 Indonesia

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors assigned to the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, conduct Dynamic Force Employment operations at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Air Force Base, Indonesia, on Aug. 6, 2024. Through bilateral training, the U.S. and Indonesian Air Forces work together to promote interoperability, thus furthering our investments and strengthening our relationships. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mitchell Corley)

Despite various integration efforts in the past, the F-22 is not equipped yet with a helmet that provides the essential flight and weapon aiming information through line of sight imagery: the shape of the Raptor’s canopy, optimized to preserve Low Observability, doesn’t allow enough range of motion and minimum visibility to a pilot wearing the JHMCS or the Scorpion.

In 2024, during the Life Cycle Industry Days conference, Brig. Gen. Jason D. Voorheis, Program Executive Officer for Fighters and Advanced Aircraft mentioned that the F-22 conducted six flight test efforts to demo advanced sensors. He also added that the service is planning for a rapid prototyping effort to get these sensors fielded quickly in the near future.

@TheAviationist.com

[karrakincavalrycollege]

What are YOUR favorite classes here at the Karrakin Cavalry College?

Our roster of courses includes;

The Tactical Syllabus: With exciting classes such as Tactical Doctrine, Standard Adversary Chassis, Nonstandard Adversary Chassis, Combined Arms Approaches, Zero G Combat, Combat Gunnery, High Density Environments, Adverse Conditions, Loadout Analysis and Pushing the Envelope!

The Technical Syllabus: With intellectually stimulating pursuits such as Running Hot, Custom System Integration, Field Servicing In Practice, Distributed Systems. Electronic Warfare, Threat Systems, Intelligence Analysis, Failure Modes, Paracausal Analysis, and Copilot Systems!

The Noble Arts Syllabus with refined courses of study such as From Dynasticlade to Federation: a history of Calendula’s political reforms, High Passacaglian architecture and the Neo-Laurentian Movement, Corporate statecraft and diplomacy with non-traditional polities, Ontologies of Personhood: the philosophical implications of non-human intelligences, The Great Seven Formal Dances and their variant. First Contact: Union influences on New Federation-era literature, Ornamental flower hybridization and selecting characteristics through transgenic modification, Passions Across Worlds: cross-Concern comparative analysis of bond readings and divination ceremonies, Modern developmental psychology and its influence on rapidfax and traditional facsimile cloning program, and Words of Heritage: the influence of Apollonian languages on modern Karrakin

[francescolelli]

Phd or Postdoc in Switzerland for International Students: On Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

Do you have a fresh master or PhD and are you considering Phd or Postdoc in Switzerland? The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship offers young researchers from around the world who have completed a master’s degree or PhD the opportunity to start or continue their research careers in Switzerland. The scholarship supports research endeavors for a period of one year, or up to three years for…

[heart-ghost-studyblr]

This week was a productive one. I've been studying microservices to better understand distributed systems. At the bus company where I work, we use a monolithic system—an old-school setup style with MySQL, PHP, some Java applications, localhost server and a mix of other technologies. However, we've recently started implementing some features that require scalability, and this book has been instrumental in helping me understand the various scenarios involved.

In the first chapters, I've gained a clearer understanding of monolithic systems and the considerations for transitioning to a distributed system, including the pros and cons.

I've also been studying Java and Apache Kafka for event-driven architecture, a topic that has captured my full attention. In this case, the Confluent training platform offers excellent test labs, and I've been running numerous tests there. Additionally, I have my own Kafka cluster set up using Docker for most configurations.

With all that said, I've decided to update this blog weekly since daily updates it's not gonna work.

[ultimate-worldbuilding]

[🔗Building a Diverse Culture] [🔗Elements of culture] [🔗Cultural Iceberg]

🗺️Geographic Distribution

Why knowing where your culture is important:

Enviroment ➡️ Materials from the enviroment ➡️ affect their clothes, food, weapons etc.

Enviroment ➡️ Certain resources are limited ➡️ plays into their values

Areas, planets where the culture is primarily found

Migration patterns throughout the world

Influence of the environment on their everyday lives

🍵 Values, Beliefs and Traditions

Values and Beliefs:

Core values and principles that guide the culture's behavior and decision-making

Moral and ethical codes that shape their interactions with other cultures and their environment.

Beliefs about the universe, spirituality, the afterlife, and the nature of existence.

Customs and Traditions:

Rituals, ceremonies, and traditions that are significant to the culture's culture

Celebrations, Festivals, holidays, or coming-of-age rituals.

Customs related to birth, marriage, death

Belief Systems and Religion:

Religious or spiritual beliefs practiced by the culture

Deities mythologies and legends

Rituals, ceremonies connected to their faith

sacred sites

👯Relationship and Communication

Social Structures:

Hierarchies and social classes within the culture

Systems of governance, including monarchies, democracies, councils, or communal decision-making. [see government template]

Gender roles, family structures

Interactions between different generations or age groups

Language and Communication:

Unique language(s) spoken by the culture

Dialects and variations within the language

Non-verbal communication, gestures

Written scripts, alphabets, or symbolic systems used for recording and transmitting knowledge.

Relationships and Interactions:

Protocols and etiquette for social interactions, greetings, and forms of address.

Values placed on community, cooperation, or individualism.

Attitudes towards outsiders, including hospitality, suspicion, or xenophobia.

Education, training, and knowledge transmission practices

🪐History and Origins

Mythology or creation stories related to the culture

Historical events that shaped their culture and identity

Moments of triumph, struggle, or transformation in their history.

Conflicts, wars, or alliances that influenced their development and interactions with other Cultures.

How do they prerve the past? (Art, oral traditions, written texts, artifacts, monuments ?)

Are there any guardians of historical knowledge? (historians, scholars?)

Historical Figures and Heroes:

Notable individuals who played pivotal roles in their history

Legendary figures of inspiration within their culture.

Stories and folklore surrounding these historical figures and their impact on the culture

Cultural Revivals (If there was any)

Periods of cultural revivalthat brought about significant artistic or intellectual growth

Factors that sparked these revivals, like social movements, political changes, natural disasters or technological advancements.

How much of these revivals are still affecting them today?

Where do they keep their cultural items?

Interactions with Other Ethnicities/Cultures:

Relations with other culture in the past (conflict, alliances, trade, etc.)

Cultural exchange, assimilation, or integration with other groups

Prejudices, stereotypes, or tensions between different culture bleeding from past events

Are they welcoming?

🎨Art and Architecture

Arts and Entertainment:

Describe their forms of artistic expressions: visual arts, music, dance, storytelling, theater, etc.

Cultural appreciation for literature, poetry, oral histories.

Clothing and Fashion:

Traditional clothing styles and attires specific to the culture, fashion trends

Materials, colors, or patterns commonly used in their garments

Dresscode, Clothing related to social status, ceremonies, events (symbolic accesories, wedding gown, mourning attires, etc.)

Symbolism or cultural significance of specific garments and accessories

Architecture and Built Environment:

Unique architectural styles, construction materials, design principles.

Landmarks, sacred sites, structures of cultural importance.

Adaptations to their homeworld's environment ,technological advancements in their architecture

🎙️ Economics and Technology

Economic Systems:

Modes of production, distribution, and trade

Economic practices (bartering, currency, communal sharing)

Attitudes (or even predujices) towards wealth, resources, material possessions.

Economic activities and industries prominent

Currency, barter systems

Technology and Advancements:

Technological prowess specific advancements

How their technology shapes their way of life and cultural practices

Interaction between traditional and advanced technologies

🍱 Food

Traditional dishes, cooking techniques, culinary customs

Staple foods, spices, ingredients

Rituals and etiquette associated with food preparation, sharing, and dining

Sacred abd holiday dishes.

Impact of environmental conditions on their culinary practices

🏦 Law and Leadership

Political systems or governing structures within the culture

Leadership roles, decision-making processes, and power dynamics

Forms of governance (monarchy, democracy, tribal council, etc.)

Conflict Resolution and Justice:

Methods of conflict resolution

legal systems

Cultural attitudes towards justice, punishment, and rehabilitation.

Traditional systems of governance, decision-making in matters of conflict

[echoweaver]

So, I played the Riffins for the first time since I dunno. The first serious time on the new computer, definitely.

I have a bunch posts worth of screenshot backlog for all of my saves, I think, so in theory I could start posting again now. It's really just a matter of doing it.

What follows is some geeking that may interest nobody, but this is just how I roll.

The first silly thing is that I now have screenshots in 16:10 aspect ratio. On my old computer, I ran Windows at a low resolution partly for performance and partly because I could keep the 4:3 aspect ratio, i.e. a much narrower display for the same height. My reasoning is that when you post pics, either on Wordpress or here, the width of the image determines the size you see. A wider aspect ratio gets sized down to the width of the dashboard you're looking at, and everything is smaller. In my current setup. I pretty much have to run at a higher screen resolution, and it looks awfully nice honestly. Sims 3 doesn't have any 4:3 aspect ratio options for modern computer resolutions. I may see if I can hack it in the options file. If I can't, it'll be reeeealy obvious when I move on to the new gameplay 🤷‍♀️.

For technical nerds, if in fact there are any reading this, I'm experimenting with playing the game on Codeweavers Crossover, a distribution of wine, which in turn is an implementation of Windows API for Mac users. I have traditionally played the game on a Windows virtual machine in Parallels. Running an entire second operating system in order to play one game is a bit much, but you do what you can do. I have messed around in Mac 64-bit, and it does really super smoothly for a new game, but it doesn't support core mods (no ErrorTrap or UntranslatedKey), and existing saves (at least modded ones) have not for me without crashing.

I tried Sims with Crossover on my old Intel Mac (man that thing was so top-of-the-line six years ago), and it ran delightfully fast and crashed within 10 minutes. Crossover has done a lot of updates to its 32-bit support since then, but only for the newer Mac architecture. Now that I have one of these fancy Apple Silicon doohickies, I tried again. The play was not as dizzyingly fast as it was on Intel, with the advantage that it played smoothly with all mods for an entire session of about 1.5 hours. Sooooo.... maybe this will work? I don't want to jinx it. I do have Parallels+Windows to run some other stuff if this doesn't cut it.

I'm not even going to try Reshade. It's too exciting that this no-Windows approach might actually work at all. Plus with the higher resolution and the lack of Windows, the game just looks better to me anyway.

I haven't tried to play the Samples yet with all their weird skintones and custom everything. The decades history challenge might even be worse in that regard. The Riffins at least run in an EA world. We. Shall. See.

[superpsychedelicdbd]

About Me

————————————————————————————————

Hey! I'm SuperPsychedelic, and I'm a writer on AO3!

I write exclusively M/M or Gen fics for Dead by Daylight with a focus on dark, emotionally heavy, angsty, plot-driven stories with non-con and recovery elements, but I'm not opposed to writing smutty one-shots, fluffy slice of life fics, or just straight up character studies! As long as the idea is engaging, I'm down for it!

My current ships are David/Felix (Dalix) & GhostFelix, but I'm not opposed reading the occasional Riconti or Kingfield fic!

The characters I mainly write for, or want to eventually write about: David, Felix, Ghostface, Gabriel Soma, Pyramid Head, Dwight... and maybe others, we'll see!

My inbox is always open, so if you have some feedback for me, or an idea for a fic that might be interesting, or whatever, I'd love to hear it!

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy! 😄

———————————————————————————————

Current Works Showcase:

WIP - Call of the Void - Felix/David, Felix/Ghostface - Explicit — Ghostface takes an unsettling interest in Felix. David only sees that his unrequited Love is falling into a dangerous depression, and can't understand why.

WIP - David Encounters the Cat Distribution System - David King/OC - Teen — David rescues a very cute but very feisty kitten from the streets of Manchester. Fluffy shenanigans ensue.

WIP - BLOOD/LUST - Felix/Ghostface - Explicit — Danny gets a job at the prestigious architectural firm, Richter & Golder. He can't get his new boss out of his head.

More to come...