#Epoch Exemplars

[gracebethartacc]

FINALLY. AFTER LIKE. A YEAR I FINISHED MY OCS REFS. YAYYYYYY

anyway woe the Epoch Exemplars be upon ye

[virtual-boy]

{🍋}{🍋}{🍋} {🧪}{🧪} {🦠}{🦠}{🦠}

chem copernicus from the epoch exemplars stimboard with green, limes, plasma balls, slime and vials of glowy liquid!

[requested by @gracebeth3604, tysm for requesting !!]

[determinate-negation]

“I had known Sigmund Freud, that great and austere spirit who, more than any other in our time, deepened and broadened our knowledge of the soul of man. When in Vienna, he was still appraised and opposed as an obstinate and difficult intellectual hermit. A fanatic for truth while yet fully cognizant of the limits of all truths, (once he said to me, "Absolute truth is as impossible as to obtain as absolute zero temperature,") he had estranged himself from the University and its academic scruples by his imperturbable venturing into heretofore unexplored and timidly avoided zones of the upper-nether realm of instincts, the very sphere on which the epoch had set a solemn taboo.

Unconsciously the optimistic-liberal world sensed that the well-spring psychology of this uncompromising mind utterly undermined its thesis of gradual suppression of the instincts by "reason" and "progress," that he menaced its method of ignoring whatever was uncomfortable by his relentless technique of disclosure. However, it was not merely the University nor the clique of old-school neurologists who resisted this inconvenient "outsider." It was the whole old world, the mind of another day, the "proprieties," it was the entire epoch that feared the unveiler in him. A medical boycott against him slowly took form and his practice dwindled; but as his theses and even the boldest of his theories were scientifically irrefutable they tried, Viennese fashion, to dispose of his theory of dreams by means of irony or by lightly distorting it to a humorous parlor game. Once a week a faithful group visited the solitary man and at those evening discussions the new science of psychoanalysis was molded into form. Long before I grasped the implications of the intellectual revolution which slowly shaped itself from Freud's first fundamental labors, I had yielded to the moral strength and steadfastness of this extaordinary man. Here, at last, was a man of science, the exemplar of a young man's dreams, prudent of statement until he had positive proof, but unshakable against the opposition of the world once he was satisfied that his hypothesis had become a valid certainty.

Here was a man of the most modest personal demands but ready to battle for every tenet of his teaching and faithful unto death to the immanent truth of the theories which he vindicated. A more intellectually intrepid person could not be imagined; Freud always dared to express what he thought even if he knew that his straight, positive declaration might disturb and distress; he never sought an easy way out by making even perfunctory concessions.”

Stefan Zweig, The World of Yesterday

[shape]

Zum fünften Todestag von Joachim Bruhn

Am 28. Februar 2019 starb der Kritiker Joachim Bruhn. Zur Erinnerung an ihn hat nicht nur die AG Antifa eine Veranstaltung organisiert (Freitag, 1. März, 19 Uhr, Ludwigstraße 37, Halle), aus Anlass seines fünften Todestages hat auch ein „Freundeskreis Joachim Bruhn“ ein Buch mit seinen besten, bisher noch nicht in Buchform veröffentlichten Texten herausgegeben. Wenn der Versand schnell genug ist, werden am Freitag Exemplare zum Verkauf vor Ort sein.

Joachim Bruhn: Materialismus und Barbarei. Pamphlete und Essays

Herausgegeben vom Freundeskreis Joachim Bruhn zu dessen fünftem Todestag, Amsterdam 2024, de Munter, 162 Seiten

Joachim Bruhn: Materialismus und Barbarei. Pamphlete und Essays

Herausgegeben vom Freundeskreis Joachim Bruhn zu dessen fünften Todestag, Amsterdam 2024, de Munter, 162 Seiten bruhn.noblogs.org

Bestellungen: freundeskreis_joachim_bruhn@posteo.net 1 Exemplar: 15 € Ab 3 Exemplare: 10 € / Stk. Ab 10 Exemplare: 8 € / Stk.

weitere Informationen: bruhn.noblogs.org

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Im Verlag De Munter (Amsterdam) erschienen ab 1965 in der sogenannten »Schwarzen Reihe« Raubdrucke der Studentenbewegung. Den Auftakt machte Wilhelm Reichs »Die Funktion des Orgasmus«, als Band 2 erschien Lukács' »Geschichte und Klassenbewusstsein«. Die Bände 3 und 4 enthielten Horkheimers »Zur Kritik der instrumentellen Vernunft«, »Autoritärer Staat« sowie »Die Juden und Europa«. Die größte Berühmtheit erlangte Band 5: Horkheimers und Adornos »Dialektik der Aufklärung«. Letztere Schriften waren zu dieser Zeit von den Autoren zurückgehalten worden; ihre spätere Neupublikation hat Horkheimer mit einem historisierenden Vorwort versehen, um zu verhindern, dass die Analysen 1930er und 1940er Jahre umstandslos auf die Gegenwart bezogen würden.

Vergleichbare Gründe für das bisherige Ausbleiben der Neupublikation von Joachim Bruhns Schriften dürfte es nicht geben – schon gar nicht von ihm selbst vorgetragene, denn er ist heute seit genau fünf Jahren tot. Dass seine Schriften mit ihm begraben wurden, ist dem Verlag zu verdanken, der sich in seiner letzten Joachim Bruhn betreffenden Wortmeldung rühmte, dass er »alle Rechte an seinen Texten ... nach Joachims Willen und Testament« besäße. Das ist viereinhalb Jahre her, in denen entgegen anderslautender Versicherungen keine Neupublikation von Bruhns Schriften auch nur angekündigt wurde.

Wie gut also, dass der Verlag De Munter offenbar wiederbelebt wurde und sich der Sache angenommen hat.

Sozialisierte Drucke und proletarische Reprints:

Kritik als Leidenschaft. Ein Abend für Joachim Bruhn

Freitag, 1. März 2024, 19:00 Uhr VL ― Ludwigstraße 37, Halle (Saale) facebook: fb.com/agantifaschismus

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Kritik als Leidenschaft. Ein Abend für Joachim Bruhn

Am 28. Februar 2019 starb der Verleger und Publizist Joachim Bruhn im Alter von 64 Jahren. Das Denken dieses „militanten Aufklärers“ (Clemens Nachtmann) war bereits „antideutsch“ geprägt, bevor der Begriff im Guten wie im Schlechten beliebt wurde. Joachim Bruhns Denken kreiste um das Glücksversprechen der Aufklärung, das in der Marx’schen Kritik ihren vollendeten Ausdruck wie eine der elaboriertesten Formen der Selbstkritik gefunden hatte, und dessen Dementi durch Auschwitz. Für Joachim Bruhn hatte mit dem Holocaust eine neue Epoche begonnen, die der Barbarei. An der vollkommenen Sinn- und Zwecklosigkeit der Vernichtung scheiterte das Denken der Arbeiterbewegung, darauf bestand er. Dennoch wollte Bruhn nicht von der Kritik der politischen Ökonomie lassen. Angesichts von Auschwitz versuchte er, mit Marx (und Adorno) gegen Marx zu denken. Aus diesem Denken folgte für ihn die bedingungslose Solidarität mit Israel. Gemeint war eine Parteinahme, die nicht an Bedingungen wie die Parteimitgliedschaft des israelischen Ministerpräsidenten, die Gesetzesvorhaben der Knesseth oder die Verteidigungsstrategie des israelischen Generalstabs geknüpft ist. Auch darauf zielt sein viel zitierter Ausspruch, dass jede Kritik am Staat Israel „glasklar“ antisemitisch ist.

Im Rahmen der Veranstaltung soll aus Anlass seines fünften Todestags an Joachim Bruhn erinnert werden. Zu diesem Zweck sollen ein Nachruf, vor allem aber einige seiner Texte vorgestellt und diskutiert werden. Im Zentrum steht seine Kritik des Antisemitismus, seiner außenpolitischen Form, des Antizionismus, und des Postnazismus, die aus gutem Grund nur polemisch zu haben war.

Eine Veranstaltung der AG Antifa

[growwithus12]

Unraveling the Enigma: AI's Capacity for Creative Thought

Table of Contents

The Quintessence of Creativity

The Evolutionary Tapestry of AI

The Current Nexus of AI and Creativity

Probing the Depths: Can AI Ponder Creatively?

The Fluidity Conundrum

The Flexibility Enigma

The Quest for Originality

The Paradox of Awareness

The Propulsion of Drive

A Comprehensive Evaluation: Is AI the Embodiment of Creativity?

Glimpsing into Tomorrow

Harnessing the Power of AI Today

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral facet of our contemporary existence, undergoing a remarkable metamorphosis within a compressed temporal span.

Recollections of playful banter on AIM or MSN Messenger with rudimentary chatbots like SmarterChild in the mid-2000s may linger in your memory.

Source Yakbots

Nowadays, AI-driven chatbots proficiently handle customer service inquiries with uncanny precision. The recently emergent Amazon Go stores adeptly discern your purchases and autonomously calculate charges, devoid of human intervention.

Efficiency and productivity characterize AI’s forte, particularly in the realm of monotonous and repetitive digital tasks. Yet, we embark on a more intricate inquiry: Can AI engage in creative cogitation?

DALL-E: Beyond Meme Crafting

Enthusiasts of memes and cyber culture may have experimented with the AI-fueled image generator, DALL-E Mini, crafting images that oscillate between the bizarre and the nightmarish. But does the ability to generate intricate images genuinely affirm AI’s capability for creative thought?

Many contend that creativity, in its essence, remains an exclusively human attribute. In simpler terms, skepticism looms over AI’s aptitude for creative thinking. However, a nuanced examination of the definition of creativity and an exploration into AI’s capabilities may yield surprising insights.

According to psychologist J.P. Guilford, creativity comprises five pivotal elements. These elements serve as our benchmark for evaluating whether AI possesses the cognitive capacity for creativity aligned with human standards.

The Five Facets of Creativity

Fluency

Flexibility

Originality

Awareness

Drive

Understanding AI’s cognitive processes unfolds as we dissect its functioning within the framework of creativity. Before delving into each facet, let’s take a succinct excursion through the annals of AI history and its contemporary implications.

The Epochs of AI Evolution

Recent decades have witnessed an unprecedented surge in technological advancements, seamlessly integrating into our daily lives. A watershed moment was the democratization of sophisticated technology, exemplified by major corporations like Canon, Nikon, and Fuji launching digital cameras in the early 2000s.

How AI Has Evolved Over Time

Presently, AI propels itself to greater heights, seamlessly integrating into tools that catalyze creativity without necessitating direct human involvement. In the domain of photography, AI-enhanced camera features empower even the technologically uninitiated to capture well-exposed and focused digital photographs. Your iPhone or Google Pixel silently leverages these features to conjure Instagram-worthy selfies.

AI-assisted camera features

AI’s ascendancy to an industry standard arises from its prowess in facilitating business scalability sans exorbitant marketing budgets or expanded teams.

Navigating the Current Landscape of AI and Creativity

In contemporary business realms, AI assumes a pivotal role in the creative process. While a human must devise the algorithm steering its actions, machine learning’s formidable potency lies in its ability to evolve and adapt the algorithm autonomously.

DALL-E 2, an AI research project by OpenAI, stands as an exemplar. Functioning as a virtual artist, it transmutes textual descriptions into original, lifelike images. Corporate entities, such as Cosmo magazine, have harnessed DALL-E’s creative prowess to fashion stunning magazine covers within a mere 20 seconds!

Though AI may not rival Picasso or DaVinci, it unequivocally contributes significantly to the creative process. Does this elevate AI to the pedestal of true creativity? Perhaps. Regardless, it emerges as an indispensable ally for businesses striving for rapid growth without deploying colossal budgets on protracted marketing endeavors.

AI furnishes an unparalleled avenue for crafting creative assets, meticulously scrutinizing audience responses through performance metrics like conversion rates. This wealth of data metamorphoses into actionable insights for the human creatives steering the ship.

Pondering the Question: Can AI Engage in Creative Thought?

Recall IBM’s Watson outsmarting humans on the TV game show Jeopardy? While the spectacle may have produced some comical missteps, Watson’s cognitive prowess has evolved considerably since its debut.

Is AI Fluid?

Historically, the prevailing notion was that AI and automation were confined to executing pre-programmed tasks, with credit for the outcome attributed to the human architecting the program. Yet, in contemporary times, dismissing AI as a mere tool devoid of creative cogitation has become antiquated.

Analyzing creativity through the prism of the five elements reveals the strides made by AI’s deep learning capabilities.

1. Is AI Fluid?

Let’s unravel a jest: What distinguishes currency from a fundament?

The punchline unfurls: One you conserve and deposit, the other you uncover and chastise.

Absurd as this joke may seem, its genesis lies in a computer program called JAPE (Joke Analysis and Production Engine), conceived in the late 1990s to craft puns. This exemplifies AI’s fluidity, encapsulated in its capacity to generate a multitude of ideas or problem solutions swiftly.

AI-driven tools like AdCreative.ai burgeon, streamlining and automating creative asset scaling for businesses. They produce hundreds of ad permutations in minutes, a task that would require weeks if executed manually. This not only amplifies volume but also expeditiously analyzes millions of consumer data points, optimizing the creative process without compromising quality.

The sophistication of AI resides in its seamless dual capability — simultaneously conducting analysis and production, adapting continuously to evolving circumstances. Consider subject lines for emails subjected to an analysis tool, predicting performance while suggesting enhancements or even generating subject lines autonomously.

In terms of fluidity, one might argue that AI surpasses human capacities.

2. Is AI Flexible?

Flexibility assumes paramount importance in the realm of creativity, signifying the ability to propose diverse approaches to a problem or adapt to shifting circumstances.

AdCreative.ai Creative Insights

Dystopian narratives often depict AI’s flexibility as a harbinger of chaos. Consider series like Westworld or the Disney Channel Original Movie, Smart House, where the adaptability of AI-powered technology leads to turmoil.

However, within the professional sphere, AI’s scalability and capacity to analyze vast data sets supersede traditional methodologies. Tools like AdCreative.ai conduct extensive A/B testing, facilitating rapid pivots and adjustments based on real-time insights.

Traditionally, discerning the resonance of a marketing campaign or designing varied banners contingent on audience reception posed challenges. AdCreative.ai streamlines this process, conferring ultimate flexibility to ad creation. Machine and deep learning models possess a unique trait — their ability to incessantly learn and adapt to evolving trends and markets at an unparalleled pace.

Is AI Original?

3. Is AI Original?

Originality stands as a cornerstone of creativity, denoting the capacity to birth innovative ideas.

AI-generated jokes and platforms like Twitter’s Magic Realism Bot, crafting Marquez-esque story prompts, exemplify AI’s originality. Combining tools like DALL-E with these bots foretells a future where AI crafts original content autonomously.

AI, cognizant of audience engagement nuances, ensures the creation of ideas that are not just replicative but genuinely unprecedented. Platforms such as AdCreative.ai, mining data and graphics, not only replicate past successes but also concoct novel possibilities for the future.

Asserting that AI lacks originality mirrors claiming a new painting lacks originality due to containing familiar elements. AI amalgamates millions of data points, birthing diverse and novel ideas at an unprecedented pace.

4. Is AI Aware?

Dystopian literature and movies consistently depict AI’s self-awareness as a harbinger of calamity. Westworld’s sentient robots embody this form of awareness, a facet some argue is inherently human.

Westworld Trailer

Awareness, in the context of AI, equates to the ability to synthesize and organize the details of an idea and implement it. AI-powered engines like AdCreative.ai exemplify this by organizing creative information, analyzing it comprehensively, and discerning why certain ad creatives prove effective.

AdCreative Color Picker

AI comprehends not just the creative aspects but also adapts to changing trends and consumer insights. Tools like AdCreative.ai actively contribute to designing superior digital assets, fostering creative calls-to-action, and enriching overall visual appeal.

5. Is AI Driven?

Drive — the impetus derived from a specific factor or sentiment — constitutes the ultimate determinant for considering AI a creative force. This element recurrently surfaces in literature, TV shows, and movies, exemplified by I, Robot with Will Smith.

Is AI Driven?

Critics contend that the human behind the algorithm dictates AI’s motivation. However, the presence of motivation remains indisputable. In essence, AI’s drive, arguably more potent than human motivation, emanates from diverse sources, ranging from familial ties to financial considerations.

AdCreative.ai simplifies the input process for business owners, channeling initial information and data toward desired outcomes. Once this foundational stage concludes, the AI-powered engine propels forward with unbridled drive.

Comprehensive Evaluation: AI and the Pantheon of Creativity

Scrutinizing the five facets of creativity unveils the modern AI landscape, propelled by machine learning and deep learning. Fluency, flexibility, originality, awareness, and drive — AI comprehensively satisfies each criterion, perpetually refining its capabilities.

AI emerges as a creative powerhouse, potentially rivaling or even surpassing human ingenuity. The prospect may evoke concerns, especially among those fearing the usurpation of designers’ jobs or the ominous rise of AI overlords. Yet, thus far, AI assumes the role of a benevolent creative ally, executing our directives and amplifying creativity in unprecedented ways.

Designers, ensnared in cycles of mundane tasks, witness liberation as AI takes charge of repetitive chores. Beyond merely freeing time, AI optimizes each step, empowering designers to concentrate on overarching objectives.

Charting the Course of Tomorrow

Two decades ago, proclaiming AI’s superior creative prowess compared to the human mind would have bordered on the absurd. Despite intimations of AI potentially outshining human creativity, history demonstrates that technological strides yield more advantages than drawbacks.

AI-powered engines like AdCreative.ai elevate creativity, urging businesses to continually elevate the standard of delivering compelling assets to their audiences.

See what the future of AI holds.

Seizing the Opportunities AI Presents Today

AI, having traversed an extraordinary journey, with tools like AdCreative.ai at its forefront, catalyzes rapid business growth. From automation to machine and deep learning, AI propels creativity to realms unimaginable two decades ago.

As markets intensify competition and scalability becomes the norm, creative AI emerges as an indispensable asset. The question no longer dwells on whether AI can be creative; rather, it beckons: “How can AI’s creativity propel you and your business forward?”

AdCreative.ai, steadfast in its mission to facilitate business scaling, extends a compelling offer — $500 in Google Ad Credits for new users!

[shristisahu]

Pioneering Procurement Excellence with Advanced AI Technologies

Originally Published on: SpendEdge |Transforming Procurement with Next-gen AI

Unleashing the Potential of AI Transformation

In the dynamic realms of contemporary business, the assimilation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into procurement processes marks a pivotal paradigm shift. This comprehensive exploration delves into the nuanced impact of AI on procurement, embracing crucial dimensions such as efficiency, decision-making, cost optimization, and risk management.

Revolutionizing Efficiency through Automation:

Core of Transformation

AI-driven automation revolutionizes procurement by streamlining routine tasks. McKinsey's research highlights a 30% reduction in operational costs through intelligent automation, showcased by the automated processes of Amazon Business.

Empowering Decision-Making with Predictive Analytics:

Insights that Empower

The integration of AI with predictive analytics empowers strategic decision-making, reducing excess inventory and enhancing forecast accuracy. IBM's Watson Supply Chain stands as an exemplar of proactive supply chain resilience.

Cultivating Collaboration through Sentiment Analysis:

Exploring New Frontiers in Supplier Relationships

AI introduces sentiment analysis to nurture transparent and mutually beneficial supplier relationships. SAP Ariba's integration fosters collaboration by providing insights into supplier performance.

Elevating Engagement through AI-Driven Negotiations:

Optimizing Negotiations

Next-gen AI introduces intelligent negotiation capabilities, achieving an average 15% cost reduction. Coupa's platform leverages AI for cost optimization and securing favorable terms.

Strengthening Defenses: Fraud Detection and Risk Management:

Building Robust Safeguards

AI fortifies procurement against fraud and risk, with PwC's research indicating a 40% reduction in fraud instances. Real-world success stories, such as SAS Procurement Fraud Detection, showcase the efficacy of AI technologies.

Navigating Challenges and Ethical Considerations:

Addressing Implementation Hurdles

AI implementation encounters challenges like data privacy and algorithmic bias. Establishing ethical frameworks becomes imperative for responsible AI use in procurement.

Future Trends and Ongoing Evolution:

Continual Progress in AI Integration

The future of AI in procurement promises sustained innovation, integrating with emerging technologies for increasingly refined processes.

Holistic Integration: A Strategic Imperative for Organizations:

AI Transcending Technological Advancement

AI in procurement transcends technological advancement; it becomes a strategic imperative. Organizations strategically embracing AI gain a competitive edge in the evolving business landscape.

Concluding the Epoch of Procurement Transformation:

Impactful Evolution

The impact of AI on procurement is profound, ushering in efficiency and strategic value. Real-world examples underscore tangible benefits, emphasizing the imperative of responsible and sustainable transformation. Organizations harnessing the power of AI stand at the forefront of innovation and competitiveness.

Contact us.

[yogeshblogs]

Qutub Minar: Unveiling the Majesty of Delhi's Timeless Icon

The panoramic expanse of Delhi, the capital city of India, is interspersed with architectural marvels that epitomize its rich historical tapestry. Among these landmarks, Qutub Minar stands tall as an iconic monument that embodies the grandeur, resilience, and cultural synthesis that define the heritage of Delhi. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, steeped in centuries of history and architectural magnificence, beckons travelers and enthusiasts of art and culture to embark on a captivating voyage through time. In this essay, we embark on an enlightening odyssey to unravel the enigmatic allure and profound aegis of Qutub Minar, delving into its historical significance, architectural nuances, and the enduring legacy that endears it to connoisseurs of heritage and heritage alike.

A Chronicle of History: Unveiling the Temporal Reverence

Qutub Minar, an exemplar of Indo-Islamic architecture, stands as a resplendent testament to the triumphs, tribulations, and transitions that have shaped the historical trajectory of Delhi. Its origins, rooted in the 12th century during the reign of the Delhi Sultanate, resonate with the resonant echoes of dynastic legacies, cultural confluences, and the resplendence of Mughal craftsmanship. The monument, originally conceptualized as a commemorative insignia of Islamic victory and cultural assimilation, has evolved over the centuries to embody the transformative epochs of Delhi's history, mirroring the ascendancy of empires and the transitions of architectural paradigms. Qutub Minar, with its venerable bears, soaring height, and ornate embellishments, serves as a veritable epitome of the city's historical continuum, entwining the strands of bygone eras into a resplendent showcase of temporal reverence.

Architectural Splendor: A Monolith of Artistry and Formidable Grandeur

The architectural edifice of Qutub Minar stands as a towering marvel of artistry, engineering finesse, and cultural amalgamation that captivates visitors with its resplendent form and intricate detailing. The monument, constructed predominantly of red sandstone intermingled with marble, reflects the fusion of Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural influences, yielding a seamless synthesis of diverse artistic traditions. The resplendent facade of Qutub Minar, adorned with intricate floral motifs, calligraphic inscriptions, and geometric patterns, bears testimony to the consummate craftsmanship and attention to detail that endow the monument with an aura of timeless magnificence. The minar, soaring to a height of approximately 73 meters, is sheathed in a spiral staircase with 379 steps, enabling visitors to ascend its hallowed ramparts and partake in the panoramic vistas that stretch across the historical landscape of Delhi.

The complex of Qutub Minar, embellished with verdant gardens, iconic edifices such as the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the Alai Darwaza, and the Iron Pillar of Delhi, exemplifies the valor of Mughal architecture, enshrining within its confines a quintessential ensemble that narrates the saga of confluence, conquest, and cultural transcendence. The architectural melange encompasses ornate calligraphy, filigree carvings, and decorative elements that embody the artistic paradigms of the Mughal epoch, transmuting the complex into an immersive tapestry of aesthetic, spiritual, and historical eloquence.

Historical Significance: An Odyssey Through Dynastic Legacies

The historical significance of Qutub Minar resounds with the chime of dynastic legacies, architectural ascendancy, and the transformative vicissitudes that have defined the course of Delhi's history. Commissioned by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate and the first Islamic ruler of Delhi, the construction of the minar was emblematic of his triumph over the Hindu Rajput dynasty, signifying the advent of Islamic dominion in Northern India. The subsequent expansions and embellishments carried out by subsequent rulers, such as Iltutmish and Firoz Shah Tughlaq, served to embellish the complex with architectural opulence and cultural resonance, imprinting upon it the imprimatur of successive dynastic legacies. As such, Qutub Minar stands not merely as a monumental colossus but as a living testament to the temporal continuum of Delhi's dynastic transitions, architectural finesse, and cultural confluences that have shaped its identity.

Cultural Extrapolation: A Symbol of Syncretism and Artistic Eminence

Qutub Minar, beyond its architectural grandeur and historical significance, serves as an emblem of cultural syncretism, artistic eminence, and spiritual symbolism that permeates the collective ethos of Delhi. The intricate calligraphy adorning the monument enunciates passages from the Quran, infusing the edifice with profundity of religious and intellectual reverence. Its proximity to the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, an erstwhile Hindu temple repurposed into a grand mosque, imparts a poignant testimony to the synthesis of diverse religious motifs and architectural heritages, yielding an edifice that resonates with the harmonic convergence of cultural diversity and spiritual sagacity. The towering edifice of Qutub Minar, with its inherent connotation as a symbol of Islamic victory, transmutes into an emblem of cultural assimilation, artistic refinement, and the enduring legacy of syncretic harmonies that permeate the historical milieu of Delhi.

Contemporary Reverberations: A Conduit of Artistic Inspiration and Historical Enrichment

Qutub Minar, imbued with centuries of historical resonance and architectural grandeur, serves as a perennial source of artistic inspiration, historical enrichment, and contemplative introspection for visitors and scholars alike. The monument's enduring presence transcends its historical provenance, resonating with contemporary artists, architects, and historians as an exemplar of architectural finesse, cultural resonance, and the timeless allure of Delhi's historical heritage. Visitors, drawn to the monument from across the globe, are enraptured by the palpable sense of antiquity, cultural confluence, and architectural opulence woven into the fabric of Qutub Minar, wherein each hallowed edifice becomes a testament to the enduring legacy of Delhi's historical continuum.

Preservation and Recognition: Safeguarding a Monumental Legacy

The conservation and safeguarding of Qutub Minar stand as imperatives that seek to uphold its monumental legacy, historical resonance, and architectural splendor for posterity. Various initiatives undertaken by governmental and non-governmental organizations have endeavored to preserve the structural integrity, aesthetic opulence, and historical significance of the Qutub Minar complex, thereby fostering a continuum of cultural stewardship and heritage valorization. The monument's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site underscores its global significance, impelling the collective efforts of conservationists, historians, and stakeholders to ensure the perpetual safeguarding of its illustrious heritage.

Epilogue: Embracing the Temporal Tapestry of Qutub Minar

In summation, Qutub Minar ensconces within its towering embrace the multitudinous facets of historical reverberation, architectural grandeur, cultural syncretism, and the timeless allure that endears it to the echelons of timeless architectural marvels. From its inception as a symbol of Islamic ascendancy to its contemporary resonance as a beacon of historical enrichment and cultural atemporality, Qutub Minar embodies the veritable essence of Delhi's historical tapestry. The monument's architectural finesse, temporal resonance, and cultural amalgamation emanate a transcendent allure, inviting travelers, scholars, and enthusiasts on an enlightening odyssey that unravels the enigmatic vistas of bygone epochs and artistic refinement. Qutub Minar, with its towering edifice, intricate detailing, and historical provenance, stands as a testament to the enduring majesty of Delhi's architectural heritage, enfolding within its precincts the resplendent echoes of temporal splendor and cultural convergence.   If you are live in jodhpur and you want to visit Delhi then, let me recommend you the best taxi service in jodhpur named as jodhpur cab service. Jodhpur Cab Service provides there customer best services by their chauffeur.

[askamnesiamoonjumper]

Also here’s oc art (specifically Star Stuff and some Exemplars)(and a small tutu in there )

and considering? Changing patts design? So here’s concept of that too!

but yeah here’s some oc content to balance out there not being much ask/comic content I need to start work on the next part soon

[th3-0bjectivist]

     I know it’s completely subjective, but you know how everyone has their top favorite band(s) of all time? I’ve got three; Nine Inch Nails, Tool and Deftones. While I’ll attempt to include nearly all musical genres on this page for the edification of my dear listener, my personal favorite kind is experimental metal, and the Deftones are a specifically great exemplar of what happens when you keep experimenting and create a catalog that is truly exceptional over nearly three decades. Now, most people (here in America anyways), have at least heard of this band, so I won’t bog this post down with an excessive group history although I know almost everything about them being one of their insane fanboys. I discovered this band nearly twenty-five years ago as a moody, heartbroken teen just getting over my first foolish time in love. I needed an alternative outlet for my dejected attitude, but something less fatalistic than tunes by NIN. Deftones was an up-and-comer in the late 1990’s and provided a sound that was occasionally somber and occasionally angry, and it came with lyrics that literally meant nothing to me to the point where I could just project whatever I imagined I was feeling unto the tune in question. Their lead singer, Chino Moreno, over the decades became my single favorite male lead vocalist, having an ASTOUNDING dramatic tenor range capable of reaching notes that sound almost alien or superhuman, especially live in concert. I have seen these gentlemen play live… I don’t even know how many times, and they sound even better when they’re in front of you. Melodic, hypnotic and with a catalog range that goes from hard to soft and vice versa, this group very early-on earned their way into my heart and stand like a monolith proudly atop my personal favorite musical performers of all time. This sound, Rocket Skates from 2010’s Diamond Eyes took a few YEARS to grow on me. But the song and the band have kept me coming back for nearly three decades and I’m always waiting with bated breath for another album! Smash play and listen to a group that started small and humble but became LEGENDS because of their ability to adapt their sound numerous times to the epoch of modern times.

[gracebethartacc]

I drew this June first but didn’t post it oops so here it is now <3

[virtual-boy]

{☠️}{☠️}{☠️} {🕯️}{🕯️} {⛓️}{⛓️}{⛓️}

adham o'kelly from the epoch exemplars stimboard with purple, candles, skulls, bandages and scythes!

[requested by @gracebeth3604, tysm for requesting !!]

[dustedmagazine]

Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog — Hope (Northern Spy)

Hope by Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog

Marc Ribot’s unorthodox right-handed playing style, developed under the tutelage of revered mentor, Haitian classical guitarist/composer Frantz Casseus and honed to a polished sheen during his storied stint as an R&B sideman, sounds quite natural at this point in his eclectically nomadic career. Given his technical fluency, Ribot is justly celebrated as a session player, but he is much more than that — intuitive enough to have profound influence as an esteemed collaborator, the unsung hero teasing out idiomatic layers in Tom Waits’ music and lending soulful texture to numerous Elvis Costello records, just to name two of his most enduring creative partnerships, and passionate and voluble enough to have pursued his own projects with singular focus.

For Ceramic Dog, Ribot enlisted Chess Smith, a percussionist who plays with ferocity and nuance, and Shahzad Ismaily, a versatile bassist capable of shifting between a mellifluous bebop style and assaultive punk minimalism, sometimes amidst the same track. For well over a decade, the trio has used the album format to stretch beyond the constraints of genre sonically and indulge both poetic and agit-prop impulses lyrically. At their best, the trio coalesces with verve, especially in the latter stretch of their new release.

Ribot emerged as a key contributor to the work of John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards and John Zorn during a time when NYC’s Downtown was establishing its own mythology, less high concept than today’s boutique-ridden landscape, but more spontaneously thrilling. He’s bohemian, and this aura, while perhaps a bit shopworn to some, is endearing and somehow revitalizing in the context of the current moment, imbuing these songs with an enduring quality after a year and a half of relative isolation and a pervasive feeling of loss.

He shows his thematic cards early, that is to say he’s outspoken and caustic, but sly, winking, tongue-in-cheek, as if he’s not taking himself too seriously. Polemical set opener “B Flat Ontology”’s verses can be overwrought and clunky, shoehorned in in their sheer verbosity — as Ribot laces doggedly into a world gone awry. Lines like “This one/vivisected a celebrity on YouTube” suggest a more acerbic Mark Knopfler. And yet the band must be applauded for unadulterated literary ambition, gleeful nihilism that also recalls the Dadaesque musings of indispensable Lower East Side bard John S. Hall, whose King Missile scored hilariously, epochally unlikely hits with “Jesus Was Way Cool” and “Detachable Penis” during a fruitful early 1990s stretch. The reggae-inflected “Nickelodeon”’s poesy comes across as more nonsensical, pleasantly banal, like elevated doggerel, but there’s an exuberant intensity to the performance, viscerally evoking the late, lamented Nuyorican Poets Cafe slams in their heyday. The melodies can be a bit rote, but they’re as beautifully rendered as you might expect from these artists, pleasurably out-of-time, not modish, trendy. 

“Wanna” cuts in with a more prickly, No Wave urgency. It’s an album of many hues, tonal shjfts, and Ribot and cohorts are nothing if not versatile. The track’s capaciously recorded with foreboding riffage that wouldn’t be out of place on an early 1990s Helmet record. Hope is as wildly eclectic as its name portends, and while the experimentation stagnates at times, it exhilarates more often — a tension that not only plays out holistically, but within the songs themselves. 

“I don’t accept any aspect/of capitalist society,” an unrepentant Ribot declaims to introduce “The Activist,” and just as his didactic screeds sometimes put us off, he reels us back in, beguilingly self-deprecating — the man knows whereof he speaks, being a venerable firebrand community organizer who earned his bona fides long ago. The piece closes with a burst of abrasive, serrated guitar, one of several late-album exemplars of potently distilled sonic virtuosity I would have liked to hear more frequently, as in the squalling sax, courtesy of Darius Jones, that introduces “They Met in the Middle,” and the shriek of catharsis that cleaves the song in half, erupting spontaneously, midway through, as well as the wryly-named “Bertha the Cool”’s lush jazz funk groove, reminiscent of the quietly influential Steve Coleman and Five Elements, refreshing after the verbal fusillades dominating the album up to that point.

Hope’s closing stretch is magisterial, resoundingly punctuated. “Maple Leaf Rage” might be named in homage to Joplin and ragtime, but a sense of the elegiac is the only discernible connection between the two compositions. The track arrives muted, tentative, with abundant negative space, becoming gradually more pointillistic as this keenly attuned trio establish themselves individually, but remaining reflective, hinting at stillness. The shouting and freneticism that characterized the first part of the record have dissipated, and the track breathes. Bandleader Ribot arrests the chaos, and Hope settles into place, at least momentarily, until the guitar kicks in, echoing the first passage with amplification and force, an avant-garde roundelay, and the song is deepened by this contrapuntal interplay. The record’s occasionally high-gloss production overwhelms its minimalist spirit here and there, and yet Ribot’s charm lies in his shapeshifting musical voice, as much a venerable journeyman professional as he is an irascible deconstructionist. So it is with the jagged guitar lines that tear this track open — impeccable and yet rawly emotive. It’s always a kick to hear Ribot solo. He conjures Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain” here, in the way this one sputters to a standstill, at last capitulates to silence, an echoing cavern of the mind. 

Michael Wiener

[cimberley]

Na linha de frente para um ataque chinês, Japão reforça defesas nas ilhas próximas a Taiwan.

Por Andrew Thornebrooke

O Japão anunciou no início deste mês que enviará entre 500 e 600 militares para a ilha de Ishigaki , no sudoeste, que fica perto de Taiwan, como uma medida que, segundo especialistas, consolidará o compromisso de defender Taiwan contra a agressão chinesa. A iniciativa também integra uma mudança mais ampla na política japonesa em direção a uma maior cooperação militar internacional com o objetivo de combater o Partido Comunista Chinês, de acordo com estudiosos.

Novas unidades de combate, que deverão estar em operação em 2022, virão de diferentes setores das Forças de Autodefesa do Japão (SDF) e incluirão mísseis terra-ar e terra-navio.

Um ex-oficial sênior do Departamento de Defesa australiano, sob condição de anonimato e familiarizado com a política de defesa do Japão, falou ao jornal The Epoch Times sobre essa operação.

“Acho que, embora o governo japonês tenha mantido a mentalidade de ‘autodefesa’, sempre houve o pensamento subjacente de que se a Coréia do Norte ou a China, ou a Rússia em menor grau, agissem agressivamente, essa posição mudaria muito rapidamente.”

Após sua derrota na Segunda Guerra Mundial, o Japão foi forçado a aceitar uma constituição que proíbe a guerra como meio de resolver disputas internacionais. Desde a aprovação da constituição em 1947, o exército japonês foi organizado e implantado apenas como uma Força de Autodefesa. No entanto, em 2014, o governo japonês reinterpretou a disposição para conceder às suas forças a capacidade de defender seus aliados próximos também.

De acordo com essa fonte, o planejamento para fortalecer a postura defensiva em torno de Taiwan vem acontecendo desde 2017, e mais elementos de combate aparecerão em breve. Isso inclui uma unidade de guerra eletrônica a ser estacionada na ilha mais ocidental do Japão, Yonaguni, até 2023, e uma base das Forças de Autodefesa a ser estacionada na Ilha Mageshima, um promontório desabitado a 21 milhas da ilha principal.

O fortalecimento da postura defensiva em torno de Taiwan ocorre em meio aos esforços crescentes dos aliados para deter a agressão chinesa no Indo-Pacífico, no Mar do Sul da China e no Mar da China Oriental.

“A guerra eletrônica envolve o uso de ondas eletromagnéticas para interromper os planos e operações do inimigo”, disse a fonte. “A unidade GSDF [Força de Autodefesa Terrestre] une-se à guerra espacial e à guerra cibernética como novas áreas de defesa nas quais o Japão embarcou nos últimos anos e tem como objetivo reforçar as capacidades defensivas do país no sudoeste em meio à postura cada vez mais vigorosa da China em águas da região.”

Os detalhes dos programas mencionados ainda não foram confirmados, mas o Japão reconheceu publicamente que está explorando financiamento adicional para novas unidades de guerra eletrônica na região e para aumentar as capacidades anunciadas no ano passado.

Além disso, em 2019, o governo japonês comprou a ilha de Mageshima por US$ 146 milhões de uma empresa privada. O Japão afirmou na época que a ilha seria usada como uma nova base para a realização de exercícios em coordenação com os militares dos EUA.

A nova base melhoraria os exercícios conjuntos com os Estados Unidos, já que as aeronaves americanas teriam apenas que voar cerca de 250 milhas até a Estação Aérea de Iwakuni, localizada na ponta sul da principal ilha japonesa, Honshu, para realizar os exercícios de pouso com porta-aviões aliados, ao invés de percorrer as quase 850 milhas até Iwo Jima, localizada a 750 milhas a sudeste da costa do Japão, onde tais exercícios estão sendo conduzidos.

As “ilhas perfeitas” para a defesa de Taiwan

Ishigaki e Yonaguni fazem parte das Ilhas Yaeyama, na região mais ocidental do Japão. Yonaguni fica a apenas 110 quilômetros de Taiwan, portanto sua localização é estrategicamente vital para os esforços do Japão em reforçar a defesa de Taiwan.

John Mills, ex-diretor de política, estratégia e assuntos internacionais de segurança cibernética do Gabinete do Secretário de Defesa dos Estados Unidos, falou sobre o valor estratégico desta região.

“Essas seriam ilhas perfeitas para servir de apoio logístico avançado ou bases de vigilância, para fornecer apoio de fogo a Taiwan”, disse Mills ao The Epoch Times. “Eles são extremamente importantes.”

Aproveitar as ilhas Yaeyama para fornecer fogo indireto, guerra eletrônica e apoio logístico parece ser exatamente o que o Japão pretende fazer em sua missão de deter a agressão e invasão chinesa no Pacífico, pela qual expressou crescente preocupação .

De acordo com a fonte anônima, a capacidade do Japão de agir como um posto avançado para seus aliados e causar desordem entre as forças do comunismo chinês pode ser útil para a capacidade de Taiwan de se preservar.

“No caso de uma invasão de uma ilha, a vigilância e interferência nas comunicações inimigas seria uma contramedida eficaz, já que as tropas e os navios de guerra do adversário se comunicam por sinais, durante a realização de operações militares”, disse a fonte.

Pesquisas recentes sugerem que o PC chinês está aumentando sua força militar com a intenção específica de expulsar os Estados Unidos do Indo-Pacífico, e também construindo um grande número de novos silos para mísseis nucleares, que podem ajudar em seus esforços para a competição entre grandes potências.

Nesse sentido, o compromisso do Japão em garantir que Taiwan consiga impedir o PC chinês de uma invasão pode ser uma boa ajuda para seus aliados. A localização estratégica de seus militares adicionará capacidade significativa ao impulso dos aliados para dissuadir os comunistas chineses de suas ambições de assumir o controle de Taiwan pela força.

Japão na “linha de frente” do teatro do Pacífico

De acordo com Mills e a fonte anônima, as mudanças graduais do Japão em direção ao abandono das proibições da era do pós-guerra às forças militares expedicionárias marcam uma evolução natural no pensamento do Japão sobre defesa e seu lugar na comunidade internacional.

“Não se trata de o Japão voltar a 1935”, disse a fonte. “É o Japão evoluindo em sua posição como um parceiro de segurança na região, que deseja que os padrões e valores internacionais sejam atendidos.”

Da mesma forma, Mills disse que o aumento da cooperação do Japão com as outras nações do Diálogo de Segurança Quadrilateral, ou “Quad” – Austrália, Índia e Estados Unidos – bem como com o Reino Unido e a França, foi baseada na busca por estabilidade geopolítica e direitos humanos.

“Acho que esta é uma reunião muito natural de repúblicas democráticas desenvolvidas que têm interesses semelhantes”, disse Mills.

“Acho que há uma crescente percepção de que há um conflito iminente, e é imperativo mostrar a capacidade máxima de dissuasão”, acrescentou.

Nesse sentido, a crescente militarização do Japão parece estar em linha com o “pacifismo pró-ativo ” cunhado pelo ex-primeiro-ministro Shinzo Abe, uma estratégia de segurança e defesa que se baseia na maximização da dissuasão por meio de estreita coordenação multilateral e maior preparação militar.

Esse pacifismo pró-ativo foi alinhado pela primeira vez, e abertamente, com a defesa de Taiwan no início deste ano, quando um livro branco da defesa japonesa reafirmou o compromisso da nação com sua aliança com os Estados Unidos e pediu que a situação fosse tratada com Taiwan “com senso de crise. ” O documento observa ainda que a estabilidade contínua de Taiwan é fundamental para a segurança nacional do Japão.

O esforço para desenvolver ainda mais as capacidades militares multilaterais anda de mãos dadas com o recente anúncio do Japão de que irá instalar novas unidades de mísseis em Ishigaki, de acordo com a fonte anônima, e o treinamento internacional para esse fim deve aumentar.

“Há uma coordenação crescente entre Austrália, Japão e Estados Unidos – tanto bilateral quanto trilateralmente”, disse a fonte. “Isso incluirá treinamento, construção de interoperabilidade entre exércitos, maior desenvolvimento de plataformas e capacidades comuns, intercâmbio de informações e assim por diante.”

“Acredito que veremos um reforço gradual e contínuo das capacidades defensivas e ofensivas ao longo da primeira cadeia de ilhas, bem como uma maior cooperação com os Estados Unidos, Austrália e outros aliados e parceiros, inclusive por meio do Quad”, acrescentou a fonte.

Mills também acreditava que o Quad, com a adição da França e do Reino Unido, seria uma forma exemplar de deter a violência do Partido Comunista Chinês.

“O Quad é uma estrutura perfeita para ajudar os países a se unirem para deter a agressão e o aventureirismo chinês”, disse Mills. “Entre [os Estados Unidos], [Japão], Austrália e Índia, nós quatro juntos podemos formar uma equipe formidável.”

Mills também observou que um grupo de ataque de porta-aviões do Reino Unido partiu recentemente para uma missão de sete meses no Pacífico e que a França estava começando a endurecer sua posição em face das ações agressivas do Partido Comunista Chinês.

Por enquanto, os esforços de cooperação de defesa do Japão com o Quad e outros países parecem estar consolindando uma sólida base para futuros acordos de segurança, mas Mills alertou que o legado de guerra do Japão na Segunda Guerra Mundial continuou a apresentar alguns problemas para a promoção de uma melhor coordenação com as nações asiáticas no Pacífico.

“É algo na história que não deve ser esquecido”, disse Mills, “mas temos que ser capazes de trabalhar com isso porque existe uma ameaça mortal urgente e real, que força a todos a nos concentrar nela.”

No entanto, para aqueles que não têm certeza da profundidade do compromisso do Japão com a estabilidade na região, ou a extensão da ameaça representada pelo PCC, Mills apontou comentários do vice-ministro da Defesa do Japão, Yasuhide Nakayama, em junho, nos quais o oficial declarou que a independência de Taiwan como nação democrática deve ser protegida a todo custo.

“Esse é um negócio sério”, disse Mills. “O vice-ministro da Defesa fez uma declaração muito forte porque os japoneses estão na linha de frente e sabem disso.”

“Eles percebem que esse é um perigo mortal”, concluiu John Mills.

Do The Epoch Times.

[sciencespies]

Humanity now lives in the Anthropocene. But what does that actually mean?

https://sciencespies.com/environment/humanity-now-lives-in-the-anthropocene-but-what-does-that-actually-mean/

Humanity now lives in the Anthropocene. But what does that actually mean?

In the last two decades, the Anthropocene has become an informal buzzword to describe the numerous and unprecedented ways humans have come to modify the planet. 

As the concept has become more widely adopted, however, definitions have begun to blur. Today, the very meaning of the Anthropocene and its timeline differs considerably depending on who is doing the talking.

To geologists and Earth system scientists, the Industrial Revolution is often considered the dawn of the Anthropocene – when human influence on Earth’s systems became predominant worldwide. 

Many anthropologists, historians, and archaeologists, however, consider the 18th century as more of a sunrise, when the era of humans truly began to heat up in some regions. Before that, there were already glimmers of human domination.

Since the Late Pleistocene, right through to the Holocene (our current epoch), humans have been producing “distinct, detectable and unprecedented transformations of Earth’s environments,” states a new paper on the subject.

And while these changes might not be enough to be technically defined as a new geological epoch, we need terms to describe this earlier influence, too. Because right now, people from various disciplines are using the term with subtly different meanings.

“Dissecting the many interpretations of the Anthropocene suggests that a range of quite distinct, but variably overlapping, concepts are in play,” says geologist Colin Waters from the University of Leicester in the UK.

Thousands of years before the boom of industrialization, globalization, nuclear bombs, and modern climate change, humans were already in the first stages of becoming a dominant planetary force.

The rise of crop domestication and hunting, the spread of livestock and mining, and the move to urbanization, for instance, have all caused great changes to Earth’s soil signature and its fossil record, setting us on a course to the modern day. 

As far back as 3400 BCE, for instance, people in China were already smelting copper, and 3,000 years ago, most of the planet was already transformed by hunter-gatherers and farmers. 

While these smaller and slower regional changes did not destabilize Earth’s entire system as more modern actions have, some researchers think we are underestimating the climate effects of these earlier land-use changes.

As such, some have considered using the terms “pre-Anthropocene” or “proto‐Anthropocene” to describe significant human impacts before the mid‐twentieth century.

Others argue a capitalized “Anthropocene” should represent the tightly defined geological concept of an epoch, while the uncapitalized version should be used for broader interpretations.

Even after the Industrial Revolution, when human influence is clear to see, some argue we need to define further advances of the Anthropocene.

The “Great Acceleration” of the mid-twentieth century, for instance, has been proposed as a “second stage” to the Anthropocene, when human enterprise and influence began growing exponentially. 

This second stage not only encompasses rapid geological changes, but it also refers to socioeconomic factors and modern biophysical processes that humans have also begun to alter with our actions.

“This shows an exemplar of ways in which ideas and terms move between disciplines, as is true for the Anthropocene,” researchers write.

It’s unclear what the next stage of the Anthropocene will look like, but many of the changes we have made are currently irreversible and may continue long after our species is gone. 

Still, the authors argue, one thing is clear. The exceptionally rapid transformations humans have made to our planet since the Great Acceleration “vastly outweigh” earlier climactic events of the Holocene.

“Given both the rate and scale of change marking the onset of the chronostratigraphic Anthropocene, it would be difficult to justify a rank lower than series/epoch,” the authors conclude.

The study was published in Earth’s Future.

#Environment

[joni400research]

Recognising different epochs approaches within these sugar and tea packages. I might use this as an exemplar in my presentation.

Industrial to now.