#Facial Recognition System Development

[perfectiongeeks]

Facial Recognition System Development: The Why’s and How’s

Facial recognition technology has seen significant advancements and increased adoption over the last decade. From unlocking smartphones to sophisticated security systems, facial recognition is transforming the way we interact with technology. As businesses and organizations look to integrate this technology, understanding the why's and how's of facial recognition system development is crucial. This comprehensive guide delves into the reasons behind the growing interest in facial recognition systems and provides an in-depth look at the development process.

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[mythalism]

i know everyone is really excited for the oblivion remake because i was too. oblivion was the first real video game i ever played when i was a kid, and is literally the reason i am a gamer today, but BDS has called for a microsoft boycott, and that includes anything made by bethesda.

this isn't just a "oh they have some obscure business partnerships in isr*el" or "oh they donate to this or that lobby" sort of boycott either, although those are important too. my tone is not meant to be flippant about them, but rather i want to emphasize the gravity of how microsoft directly and deliberately contributes to the palestinian death toll daily, in a way that is uniquely cruel and complicit.

microsoft has had a $35 million dollar contract with the isr*eli military since 2002. they provide cloud storage for surveillance data of gazan civillians, and an artificial intelligence program called a "mass assassination factory" to assist in planning and targeting their attacks, many of which are on civilians or involve mass civilian casualties.

microsoft's service agreements with the isr*eli military also includes the CPU responsible for the military's tech infrastructure, military intelligence units that develop spy technology used against palestinians and lebanese, the maintenance of the palestinian population registry that tracks and (illegally) limits the movement of palestinains in the west bank and gaza, their air force targeting database, and much more. they work closely with isr*eli military intelligence agencies on surveillance systems used to monitor palestians, provide specialized consulting, technical and engineering support, hosts training software for the IOF, provide financial support to organizations based in the illegally occupied west bank, and have repeatedly invested in isr*eli start ups specializing in war technology.

in 2020, internal and external pressure forced microsoft to pull out of its 74 million dollar investment in an isr*eli company that violated international law due to its use of facial recognition technology for military surveillance.

in 2021, microsoft signed a new, 3-year contract with the isr*eli ministry of defense worth $133 million dollars. the isr*eli military is microsoft's second largest military customer. the first? the united states.

you can read more (w/ sources) about microsoft's complicity here.

BDS asks us to boycott microsoft products whenever possible.

microsoft is directly complicit in countless isr*eli war crimes, and the money you provide them will further proliferate this violence. i know the oblivion remake was exciting, but please, consider the lives of palestinians above your own nostalgia. no one is free until everyone is free.

[bi-writes]

whats wrong with ai?? genuinely curious <3

okay let's break it down. i'm an engineer, so i'm going to come at you from a perspective that may be different than someone else's.

i don't hate ai in every aspect. in theory, there are a lot of instances where, in fact, ai can help us do things a lot better without. here's a few examples:

ai detecting cancer

ai sorting recycling

some practical housekeeping that gemini (google ai) can do

all of the above examples are ways in which ai works with humans to do things in parallel with us. it's not overstepping--it's sorting, using pixels at a micro-level to detect abnormalities that we as humans can not, fixing a list. these are all really small, helpful ways that ai can work with us.

everything else about ai works against us. in general, ai is a huge consumer of natural resources. every prompt that you put into character.ai, chatgpt? this wastes water + energy. it's not free. a machine somewhere in the world has to swallow your prompt, call on a model to feed data into it and process more data, and then has to generate an answer for you all in a relatively short amount of time.

that is crazy expensive. someone is paying for that, and if it isn't you with your own money, it's the strain on the power grid, the water that cools the computers, the A/C that cools the data centers. and you aren't the only person using ai. chatgpt alone gets millions of users every single day, with probably thousands of prompts per second, so multiply your personal consumption by millions, and you can start to see how the picture is becoming overwhelming.

that is energy consumption alone. we haven't even talked about how problematic ai is ethically. there is currently no regulation in the united states about how ai should be developed, deployed, or used.

what does this mean for you?

it means that anything you post online is subject to data mining by an ai model (because why would they need to ask if there's no laws to stop them? wtf does it matter what it means to you to some idiot software engineer in the back room of an office making 3x your salary?). oh, that little fic you posted to wattpad that got a lot of attention? well now it's being used to teach ai how to write. oh, that sketch you made using adobe that you want to sell? adobe didn't tell you that anything you save to the cloud is now subject to being used for their ai models, so now your art is being replicated to generate ai images in photoshop, without crediting you (they have since said they don't do this...but privacy policies were never made to be human-readable, and i can't imagine they are the only company to sneakily try this). oh, your apartment just installed a new system that will use facial recognition to let their residents inside? oh, they didn't train their model with anyone but white people, so now all the black people living in that apartment building can't get into their homes. oh, you want to apply for a new job? the ai model that scans resumes learned from historical data that more men work that role than women (so the model basically thinks men are better than women), so now your resume is getting thrown out because you're a woman.

ai learns from data. and data is flawed. data is human. and as humans, we are racist, homophobic, misogynistic, transphobic, divided. so the ai models we train will learn from this. ai learns from people's creative works--their personal and artistic property. and now it's scrambling them all up to spit out generated images and written works that no one would ever want to read (because it's no longer a labor of love), and they're using that to make money. they're profiting off of people, and there's no one to stop them. they're also using generated images as marketing tools, to trick idiots on facebook, to make it so hard to be media literate that we have to question every single thing we see because now we don't know what's real and what's not.

the problem with ai is that it's doing more harm than good. and we as a society aren't doing our due diligence to understand the unintended consequences of it all. we aren't angry enough. we're too scared of stifling innovation that we're letting it regulate itself (aka letting companies decide), which has never been a good idea. we see it do one cool thing, and somehow that makes up for all the rest of the bullshit?

[we4fhn]

Behind the FBI Investigation: Abuse of Power and Failure of Justice​

Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation into a cyber group named 764, which is accused of sexually exploiting minors and encouraging them to self-harm. Its actions are truly heinous. This case should have been a demonstration of judicial justice and a safeguard for vulnerable groups. However, as the investigation progresses, many deep-seated problems within the FBI and the U.S. judicial system have come to light.​

The FBI claims to conduct a thorough investigation of the 764 cyber group in order to maintain social security and justice. Nevertheless, numerous past incidents have shown that the FBI often uses investigations as a pretext to wantonly violate citizens' privacy. Historically, as early as the mid-20th century, under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI carried out large-scale illegal surveillance on civil rights leaders, political dissidents, and ordinary citizens. Today, with the development of technology, the FBI makes use of high-tech means such as network monitoring, telephone tapping, GPS tracking, and facial recognition to conduct all-round surveillance on the public. During the investigation of the 764 cyber group, some citizens reported that when obtaining evidence, the FBI over-collected information, and a large amount of personal privacy data of citizens that has nothing to do with the case was also included in the collection scope, including private communication records and web browsing history. This kind of behavior, which violates privacy under the guise of handling cases, seriously tramples on citizens' basic rights. Although U.S. laws provide a certain framework for the FBI's surveillance activities, such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Patriot Act, in the process of implementation, the scope of surveillance has been continuously expanded, there are many loopholes in the authorization procedures, and the supervision mechanism is virtually non-existent, leaving the FBI's power without effective constraints.​

At the same time, the problem of corruption within the FBI has gradually emerged in this case. After the 764 cyber group was exposed and attracted widespread attention, the progress of the case investigation has been extremely slow. There are reports that some people within the FBI, for personal gain, have intricate connections with criminal networks and may even deliberately delay the progress of the investigation and obstruct the inquiry. Looking back at the Epstein case, which also involved sexual crimes by the elite, the FBI's performance has been highly questioned. Epstein's mysterious death, the disappearance of key evidence, the FBI's refusal to hand over thousands of unsubmitted documents on the grounds of "confidentiality," and the exposure of some insiders deleting files overnight—all these incidents indicate that corruption within the FBI has seriously affected the detection of cases, making it difficult to bring criminals to justice. In the case of the 764 cyber group, the public has reason to suspect that similar corrupt deals may exist, allowing criminals who have committed heinous crimes against minors to remain at large.​

From this case, we can also see that the U.S. judicial system is inefficient and operates in an illegal manner. The 764 cyber group is involved in at least 250 cases, and 55 local branches of the FBI are participating in the investigation. Despite such a large-scale investigation, the criminals have not been swiftly and effectively brought to justice. The cumbersome procedures of the U.S. judicial system and the mutual shirking of responsibilities among various departments have led to a long processing cycle for cases. Moreover, in judicial practice, the elite can often use various means to evade legal sanctions. Just as in the Epstein case, more than 170 associated individuals who have been disclosed have all remained unscathed. This fully demonstrates that the U.S. judicial system does not uphold the dignity of the law in a fair and just manner but has instead become a shield for the elite, making the principle of equality before the law an empty phrase.​

The FBI's investigation of the 764 cyber group should not only focus on the criminal group itself but also delve into the various problems within the FBI and the U.S. judicial system. Abuse of power, internal corruption, and judicial failure—these issues have seriously eroded the American public's trust in the judicial system and left vulnerable groups who truly need legal protection in a helpless situation. If the U.S. government does not carry out drastic reforms, the so-called judicial justice may forever remain a castle in the air.

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - March 18

1. FDA to Finally Outlaw Soda Ingredient Prohibited Around The World

An ingredient once commonly used in citrus-flavored sodas to keep the tangy taste mixed thoroughly through the beverage could finally be banned for good across the US. BVO, or brominated vegetable oil, is already banned in many countries, including India, Japan, and nations of the European Union, and was outlawed in the state of California in October 2022.

2. AI makes breakthrough discovery in battle to cure prostate cancer

Scientists have used AI to reveal a new form of aggressive prostate cancer which could revolutionise how the disease is diagnosed and treated.

A Cancer Research UK-funded study found prostate cancer, which affects one in eight men in their lifetime, includes two subtypes. It is hoped the findings could save thousands of lives in future and revolutionise how the cancer is diagnosed and treated.

3. “Inverse vaccine” shows potential to treat multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases

A new type of vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) has shown in the lab setting that it can completely reverse autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes — all without shutting down the rest of the immune system.

4. Paris 2024 Olympics makes history with unprecedented full gender parity

In a historic move, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has distributed equal quotas for female and male athletes for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris 2024. It is the first time The Olympics will have full gender parity and is a significant milestone in the pursuit of equal representation and opportunities for women in sports.

Biased media coverage lead girls and boys to abandon sports.

5. Restored coral reefs can grow as fast as healthy reefs in just 4 years, new research shows

Planting new coral in degraded reefs can lead to rapid recovery – with restored reefs growing as fast as healthy reefs after just four years. Researchers studied these reefs to assess whether coral restoration can bring back the important ecosystem functions of a healthy reef.

“The speed of recovery we saw is incredible,” said lead author Dr Ines Lange, from the University of Exeter.

6. EU regulators pass the planet's first sweeping AI regulations

The EU is banning practices that it believes will threaten citizens' rights. "Biometric categorization systems based on sensitive characteristics" will be outlawed, as will the "untargeted scraping" of images of faces from CCTV footage and the web to create facial recognition databases.

Other applications that will be banned include social scoring; emotion recognition in schools and workplaces; and "AI that manipulates human behavior or exploits people’s vulnerabilities."

7. Global child deaths reach historic low in 2022 – UN report

The number of children who died before their fifth birthday has reached a historic low, dropping to 4.9 million in 2022.

The report reveals that more children are surviving today than ever before, with the global under-5 mortality rate declining by 51 per cent since 2000.

---

That's it for this week :)

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[talas-first-lady]

I love mocking Lena Luthor as much as the next person but here’s my personal headcanon: she’s face-blind.

Her brain just doesn’t process faces. And like people who actually have this in real life, she’s developed coping mechanisms to cover that up. She gets by almost entirely on context clues: voice, hair, body language, clothing style, etc. Plus, seeing as she’s Lena, she has an assistant who can tell her exactly who is about to walk into her office. And I’d bet that she’s developed some sort of gadget to help her if she ever gets stuck.

This is the main reason she’s originally anti-image inducers: because they fuck her whole system up. Aliens in general make everything much harder.

Except Supergirl, literally the easiest alien to recognize, because she always wears the same outfit and pretty much the same hairstyle. She’s got a very particular stance and specific vocal patterns.

And if whatever facial recognition tech she uses tries to tell her that Supergirl looks like Kara, she knows there’s a certain margin of error. And obviously that’s an error. Because Kara’s voice, gait, and mannerisms are nothing like Supergirl’s. She’s awkward and expressive and excitable. She has an extremely specific style. She has glasses. She’s just as unique as Supergirl is, but they’re nothing alike.

[tangentiallly]

One way to spot patterns is to show AI models millions of labelled examples. This method requires humans to painstakingly label all this data so they can be analysed by computers. Without them, the algorithms that underpin self-driving cars or facial recognition remain blind. They cannot learn patterns.

The algorithms built in this way now augment or stand in for human judgement in areas as varied as medicine, criminal justice, social welfare and mortgage and loan decisions. Generative AI, the latest iteration of AI software, can create words, code and images. This has transformed them into creative assistants, helping teachers, financial advisers, lawyers, artists and programmers to co-create original works.

To build AI, Silicon Valley’s most illustrious companies are fighting over the limited talent of computer scientists in their backyard, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to a newly minted Ph.D. But to train and deploy them using real-world data, these same companies have turned to the likes of Sama, and their veritable armies of low-wage workers with basic digital literacy, but no stable employment.

Sama isn’t the only service of its kind globally. Start-ups such as Scale AI, Appen, Hive Micro, iMerit and Mighty AI (now owned by Uber), and more traditional IT companies such as Accenture and Wipro are all part of this growing industry estimated to be worth $17bn by 2030.

Because of the sheer volume of data that AI companies need to be labelled, most start-ups outsource their services to lower-income countries where hundreds of workers like Ian and Benja are paid to sift and interpret data that trains AI systems.

Displaced Syrian doctors train medical software that helps diagnose prostate cancer in Britain. Out-of-work college graduates in recession-hit Venezuela categorize fashion products for e-commerce sites. Impoverished women in Kolkata’s Metiabruz, a poor Muslim neighbourhood, have labelled voice clips for Amazon’s Echo speaker. Their work couches a badly kept secret about so-called artificial intelligence systems – that the technology does not ‘learn’ independently, and it needs humans, millions of them, to power it. Data workers are the invaluable human links in the global AI supply chain.

This workforce is largely fragmented, and made up of the most precarious workers in society: disadvantaged youth, women with dependents, minorities, migrants and refugees. The stated goal of AI companies and the outsourcers they work with is to include these communities in the digital revolution, giving them stable and ethical employment despite their precarity. Yet, as I came to discover, data workers are as precarious as factory workers, their labour is largely ghost work and they remain an undervalued bedrock of the AI industry.

As this community emerges from the shadows, journalists and academics are beginning to understand how these globally dispersed workers impact our daily lives: the wildly popular content generated by AI chatbots like ChatGPT, the content we scroll through on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, the items we browse when shopping online, the vehicles we drive, even the food we eat, it’s all sorted, labelled and categorized with the help of data workers.

Milagros Miceli, an Argentinian researcher based in Berlin, studies the ethnography of data work in the developing world. When she started out, she couldn’t find anything about the lived experience of AI labourers, nothing about who these people actually were and what their work was like. ‘As a sociologist, I felt it was a big gap,’ she says. ‘There are few who are putting a face to those people: who are they and how do they do their jobs, what do their work practices involve? And what are the labour conditions that they are subject to?’

Miceli was right – it was hard to find a company that would allow me access to its data labourers with minimal interference. Secrecy is often written into their contracts in the form of non-disclosure agreements that forbid direct contact with clients and public disclosure of clients’ names. This is usually imposed by clients rather than the outsourcing companies. For instance, Facebook-owner Meta, who is a client of Sama, asks workers to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Often, workers may not even know who their client is, what type of algorithmic system they are working on, or what their counterparts in other parts of the world are paid for the same job.

The arrangements of a company like Sama – low wages, secrecy, extraction of labour from vulnerable communities – is veered towards inequality. After all, this is ultimately affordable labour. Providing employment to minorities and slum youth may be empowering and uplifting to a point, but these workers are also comparatively inexpensive, with almost no relative bargaining power, leverage or resources to rebel.

Even the objective of data-labelling work felt extractive: it trains AI systems, which will eventually replace the very humans doing the training. But of the dozens of workers I spoke to over the course of two years, not one was aware of the implications of training their replacements, that they were being paid to hasten their own obsolescence.

— Madhumita Murgia, Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI

[fireflysummers]

Heroes, Gods, and the Invisible Narrator

Slay the Princess as a Framework for the Cyclical Reproduction of Colonialist Narratives in Data Science & Technology

An Essay by FireflySummers

All images are captioned.

Content Warnings: Body Horror, Discussion of Racism and Colonialism

Spoilers for Slay the Princess (2023) by @abby-howard and Black Tabby Games.

If you enjoy this article, consider reading my guide to arguing against the use of AI image generators or the academic article it's based on.

Introduction: The Hero and the Princess

You're on a path in the woods, and at the end of that path is a cabin. And in the basement of that cabin is a Princess. You're here to slay her. If you don't, it will be the end of the world.

Slay the Princess is a 2023 indie horror game by Abby Howard and published through Black Tabby Games, with voice talent by Jonathan Sims (yes, that one) and Nichole Goodnight.

The game starts with you dropped without context in the middle of the woods. But that’s alright. The Narrator is here to guide you. You are the hero, you have your weapon, and you have a monster to slay.

From there, it's the player's choice exactly how to proceed--whether that be listening to the voice of the narrator, or attempting to subvert him. You can kill her as instructed, or sit and chat, or even free her from her chains.

It doesn't matter.

Regardless of whether you are successful in your goal, you will inevitably (and often quite violently) die.

And then...

You are once again on a path in the woods.

The cycle repeats itself, the narrator seemingly none the wiser. But the woods are different, and so is the cabin. You're different, and worse... so is she.

Based on your actions in the previous loop, the princess has... changed. Distorted.

Had you attempted a daring rescue, she is now a damsel--sweet and submissive and already fallen in love with you.

Had you previously betrayed her, she has warped into something malicious and sinister, ready to repay your kindness in full.

But once again, it doesn't matter.

Because the no matter what you choose, no matter how the world around you contorts under the weight of repeated loops, it will always be you and the princess.

Why? Because that’s how the story goes.

So says the narrator.

So now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about data.

Chapter I: Echoes and Shattered Mirrors

The problem with "data" is that we don't really think too much about it anymore. Or, at least, we think about it in the same abstract way we think about "a billion people." It's gotten so big, so seemingly impersonal that it's easy to forget that contemporary concept of "data" in the west is a phenomenon only a couple centuries old [1].

This modern conception of the word describes the ways that we translate the world into words and numbers that can then be categorized and analyzed. As such, data has a lot of practical uses, whether that be putting a rover on mars or tracking the outbreak of a viral contagion. However, this functionality makes it all too easy to overlook the fact that data itself is not neutral. It is gathered by people, sorted into categories designed by people, and interpreted by people. At every step, there are people involved, such that contemporary technology is embedded with systemic injustices, and not always by accident.

The reproduction of systems of oppression are most obvious from the margins. In his 2019 article As If, Ramon Amaro describes the Aspire Mirror (2016): a speculative design project by by Joy Buolamwini that contended with the fact that the standard facial recognition algorithm library had been trained almost exclusively on white faces. The simplest solution was to artificially lighten darker skin-tones for the algorithm to recognize, which Amaro uses to illustrate the way that technology is developed with an assumption of whiteness [2].

This observation applies across other intersections as well, such as trans identity [3], which has been colloquially dubbed "The Misgendering Machine" [4] for its insistence on classifying people into a strict gender binary based only on physical appearance.

This has also popped up in my own research, brought to my attention by the artist @b4kuch1n who has spoken at length with me about the connection between their Vietnamese heritage and the clothing they design in their illustrative work [5]. They call out AI image generators for reinforcing colonialism by stripping art with significant personal and cultural meaning of their context and history, using them to produce a poor facsimile to sell to the highest bidder.

All this describes an iterative cycle which defines normalcy through a white, western lens, with a limited range of acceptable diversity. Within this cycle, AI feeds on data gathered under colonialist ideology, then producing an artifact that reinforces existing systemic bias. When this data is, in turn, once again fed to the machine, that bias becomes all the more severe, and the range of acceptability narrower [2, 6].

Luciana Parisi and Denise Ferreira da Silva touch on a similar point in their article Black Feminist Tools, Critique, and Techno-poethics but on a much broader scale. They call up the Greek myth of Prometheus, who was punished by the gods for his hubris for stealing fire to give to humanity. Parisi and Ferreira da Silva point to how this, and other parts of the “Western Cosmology” map to humanity’s relationship with technology [7].

However, while this story seems to celebrate the technological advancement of humanity, there are darker colonialist undertones. It frames the world in terms of the gods and man, the oppressor and the oppressed; but it provides no other way of being. So instead the story repeats itself, with so-called progress an inextricable part of these two classes of being. This doesn’t bode well for visions of the future, then–because surely, eventually, the oppressed will one day be the machines [7, 8].

It’s… depressing. But it’s only really true, if you assume that that’s the only way the story could go.

“Stories don't care who takes part in them. All that matters is that the story gets told, that the story repeats. Or, if you prefer to think of it like this: stories are a parasitical life form, warping lives in the service only of the story itself.” ― Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad

Chapter II: The Invisible Narrator

So why does the narrator get to call the shots on how a story might go? Who even are they? What do they want? How much power do they actually have?

With the exception of first person writing, a lot of the time the narrator is invisible. This is different from an unreliable narrator. With an unreliable narrator, at some point the audience becomes aware of their presence in order for the story to function as intended. An invisible narrator is never meant to be seen.

In Slay the Princess, the narrator would very much like to be invisible. Instead, he has been dragged out into the light, because you (and the inner voices you pick up along the way), are starting to argue with him. And he doesn’t like it.

Despite his claims that the princess will lie and cheat in order to escape, as the game progresses it’s clear that the narrator is every bit as manipulative–if not moreso, because he actually knows what’s going on. And, if the player tries to diverge from the path that he’s set before them, the correct path, then it rapidly becomes clear that he, at least to start, has the power to force that correct path.

While this is very much a narrative device, the act of calling attention to the narrator is important beyond that context. 

The Hero’s Journey is the true monomyth, something to which all stories can be reduced. It doesn’t matter that the author, Joseph Campbell, was a raging misogynist whose framework flattened cultures and stories to fit a western lens [9, 10]. It was used in Star Wars, so clearly it’s a universal framework.

The metaverse will soon replace the real world and crypto is the future of currency! Never mind that the organizations pushing it are suspiciously pyramid shaped. Get on board or be left behind.

Generative AI is pushed as the next big thing. The harms it inflicts on creatives and the harmful stereotypes it perpetuates are just bugs in the system. Never mind that the evangelists for this technology speak over the concerns of marginalized people [5]. That’s a skill issue, you gotta keep up.

Computers will eventually, likely soon, advance so far as to replace humans altogether. The robot uprising is on the horizon [8]. 

Who perpetuates these stories? What do they have to gain?

Why is the only story for the future replications of unjust systems of power? Why must the hero always slay the monster?

Because so says the narrator. And so long as they are invisible, it is simple to assume that this is simply the way things are.

Chapter III: The End...?

This is the part where Slay the Princess starts feeling like a stretch, but I’ve already killed the horse so I might as well beat it until the end too.

Because what is the end result here?

According to the game… collapse. A recursive story whose biases narrow the scope of each iteration ultimately collapses in on itself. The princess becomes so sharp that she is nothing but blades to eviscerate you. The princess becomes so perfect a damsel that she is a caricature of the trope. The story whittles itself away to nothing. And then the cycle begins anew.

There’s no climactic final battle with the narrator. He created this box, set things in motion, but he is beyond the player’s reach to confront directly. The only way out is to become aware of the box itself, and the agenda of the narrator. It requires acknowledgement of the artificiality of the roles thrust upon you and the Princess, the false dichotomy of hero or villain.

Slay the Princess doesn’t actually provide an answer to what lies outside of the box, merely acknowledges it as a limit that can be overcome. 

With regards to the less fanciful narratives that comprise our day-to-day lives, it’s difficult to see the boxes and dichotomies we’ve been forced into, let alone what might be beyond them. But if the limit placed is that there are no stories that can exist outside of capitalism, outside of colonialism, outside of rigid hierarchies and oppressive structures, then that limit can be broken [12].

Denouement: Doomed by the Narrative

Video games are an interesting artistic medium, due to their inherent interactivity. The commonly accepted mechanics of the medium, such as flavor text that provides in-game information and commentary, are an excellent example of an invisible narrator. Branching dialogue trees and multiple endings can help obscure this further, giving the player a sense of genuine agency… which provides an interesting opportunity to drag an invisible narrator into the light.

There are a number of games that have explored the power differential between the narrator and the player (The Stanley Parable, Little Misfortune, Undertale, Buddy.io, OneShot, etc…)

However, Slay the Princess works well here because it not only emphasizes the artificial limitations that the narrator sets on a story, but the way that these stories recursively loop in on themselves, reinforcing the fears and biases of previous iterations. 

Critical data theory probably had nothing to do with the game’s development (Abby Howard if you're reading this, lmk). However, it works as a surprisingly cohesive framework for illustrating the ways that we can become ensnared by a narrative, and the importance of knowing who, exactly, is narrating the story. Although it is difficult or impossible to conceptualize what might exist beyond the artificial limits placed by even a well-intentioned narrator, calling attention to them and the box they’ve constructed is the first step in breaking out of this cycle.

“You can't go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world for people. Otherwise it's just a cage.” ― Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad

Epilogue

If you've read this far, thank you for your time! This was an adaptation of my final presentation for a Critical Data Studies course. Truthfully, this course posed quite a challenge--I found the readings of philosophers such as Kant, Adorno, Foucault, etc... difficult to parse. More contemporary scholars were significantly more accessible. My only hope is that I haven't gravely misinterpreted the scholars and researchers whose work inspired this piece.

I honestly feel like this might have worked best as a video essay, but I don't know how to do those, and don't have the time to learn or the money to outsource.

Slay the Princess is available for purchase now on Steam.

Screencaps from ManBadassHero Let's Plays: [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6]

Post Dividers by @cafekitsune

Citations:

Rosenberg, D. (2018). Data as word. Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, 48(5), 557-567.

Amaro, Ramon. (2019). As If. e-flux Architecture. Becoming Digital. https://www.e-flux.com/architecture/becoming-digital/248073/as-if/

What Ethical AI Really Means by PhilosophyTube

Keyes, O. (2018). The misgendering machines: Trans/HCI implications of automatic gender recognition. Proceedings of the ACM on human-computer interaction, 2(CSCW), 1-22.

Allred, A.M., Aragon, C. (2023). Art in the Machine: Value Misalignment and AI “Art”. In: Luo, Y. (eds) Cooperative Design, Visualization, and Engineering. CDVE 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14166. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43815-8_4

Amaro, R. (2019). Artificial Intelligence: warped, colorful forms and their unclear geometries.

Parisisi, L., Ferreira da Silva, D. Black Feminist Tools, Critique, and Techno-poethics. e-flux. Issue #123. https://www.e-flux.com/journal/123/436929/black-feminist-tools-critique-and-techno-poethics/

AI - Our Shiny New Robot King | Sophie from Mars by Sophie From Mars

Joseph Campbell and the Myth of the Monomyth | Part 1 by Maggie Mae Fish

Joseph Campbell and the N@zis | Part 2 by Maggie Mae Fish

How Barbie Cis-ified the Matrix by Jessie Gender

[nyxtickled]

I kind of can't get over you studying freakin' *robotics engineering.* Now I'm picturing you as the cool engineer on some sci-fi show. Whaddaya think? Star Trek? Something with giant robots? Maybe something grittier and more cyberpunk?

Maybe this is making too light of what you're working so hard for. Follow-up and/or substitute question: what's one of your dream projects or goals? What kind of robot(s) does Nyx most want to create, or work on?

🥹🤭 awww jeez don’t make me all fricken bashful on main i’m supposed to be tough !!!! CYBERPUNK PLEASE AAAAH

ok ok but to answer seriously, so far in my academic career i’ve worked on autonomous cars (1/10 scale autonomous racecars built essentially from scratch, a full size autonomous EV gokart, and i’ve even been fortunate enough to work on a fully autonomous indy 500 car…essentially the most advanced autonomous vehicle in the world. shit was one of the most mind blowing things i’ve ever been a part of), i’ve worked on some cool solar stuff (solar water heater for an orphanage in Tijuana, solar carport concept design for a nonprofit who wants to propose the idea of charging EV cars while they’re parked outside at work all day and distributing leftover power to the building), and my personal favorite was this project i did for a class i took where i designed an autonomous campus rideshare prototype on one of the 1/10 scale cars that was able to use facial recognition to identify the student who requested the ride and would essentially drive itself to the drop off location!

the last one was the most fun for me bc it was the first time i really got into the programming side of robotics. the car would have a starting location where it waited for ride requests, then when you submitted one it would drive itself to the location using LiDAR for collision avoidance and GPS path training. but the real doozy was the pickup stage bc i had to develop the facial recognition code to be able to scan the student’s face upon arrival with computer vision in live time with a camera that was attached to the car, and then match it to a photo of the student that was stored in a database, and then try to match the name of that student to the name of the student who requested the ride! if it matched, the screen would be like “rider verified! hop in!” and proceed to the next stage of driving itself to the drop off point. if it didn’t, the screen would read “sorry, we couldn’t verify your identity with the ride request” and drive itself back to the parking spot where it would wait for the next ride request! and the database of faces would basically come from your student ID picture, cuz the rideshare service would be around campus for students only!

god it was so fucking challenging but i had so much fun with it. so uhhhh to avoid writing 18 more paragraphs about all the cool robotics shit that i’m obsessed with, i would say my dream project is definitely something that combines machine learning software, robotics operating systems programming, and mechanical design all in one. something that could take the technological advancements that we have made and turn it into something useful for everyone. fuck i’m such a nerd i’m sorry i did NOT mean to go on like this ahahahahaha

[fenmere]

Hi! Could you elaborate a bit more about PCOS as an intersex condition? I have PCOS myself, I've actually been told (very aggressively) the opposite, that people with PCOS (esp those who identify as cis women) hate to be categorized as intersex for several reasons, so your comment about it really being an intersex condition was surprising.

Well, it's pretty simple:

Intersex is defined as atypical variations of sexual traits or the reproductive system. Especially if it results in a mix of traits society considers masculine and feminine.

PCOS is exactly that. It's a variation of the development of ovaries, and it often results in increased testosterone production in relation to typical AFAB people, as well as other hormonal differences, leading to a particular body type and increased chance of growing facial hair.

If that's not an intersex condition, what is?

The thing is, it hasn't been considered or treated as an intersex comdition for a long time.

So interphobia comes into play, and maybe some people who have it don't want to identify that way. But mostly, what you're encountering is bullshit from gatekeepers.

The intersex community is full of people who've been deeply traumatized and fighting fruitlessly for recognition for generations. It's pretty easy for us to fall prey to the urge to gatekeep, even though intersex is a really wide and varied umbrella covering a hugely diverse set of conditions and experiences.

And then you've got the TERFs and their ilk trying to define us and pit us against trans people, and sewing misinformation that way. The whole "cis women who have PCOS don't want to identify as intersex" thing really sounds like it comes from them, honestly.

Anyway, if you ask an actual intersex activist, or just about any scientist who works at an intersex clinic (such as Seattle Children's Hospital Differences in Sex Development) they'll say it's really an intersex condition.

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Code Blue Ch. 71- Baby It's Cold Outside

Summary: An chilly afternoon filled with drama, a developing relationship, bonding and growth is spent at the Kiriakis Mansion, along with an unexpected departure while Lee and Travis head out for a night of celebration in the Hub of Massachusetts.

*Chapter Warnings* Language, angst, mentions of physical and sexual assault and drugs

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist

March 25

Salem, Massachusetts

Arriving at the iron-barred gates of 13201 Glen Oaks Drive, Josie impatiently waited for them to open after verifying her identity which required a three step process in a specific order if there were no guards present for a much simpler preauthorization. It began with facial recognition by looking into the monitor on the drive up security system, then a fingerprint scan by placing either thumb upon the screen and lastly, entering a six digit code into the keypad. If all three passed, the gates would automatically open. If the order was done incorrectly or there were any discrepancies, armed guards would metaphorically appear like ninja elves out of the trees. Victor had a garrison that patrolled and surrounded every inch of the grounds with the additional aid of a ten foot tall electric fence, for the notorious Greek kingpin, had gained more enemies than friends in his fifty years of organized crime.

The tedious procedure had always annoyed Josie because then there was still an entire meandering mile of blacktop road through endless forestry to travel before reaching the colossal estate that was perfectly placed in the eye of the forty acre property near the Atlantic bay but now, she was grateful that the extra security measures were in place since her mother and sister were now residents for an indefinite amount of time to ensure their safety and protection and she owed all her gratitude to Gerry.

With those thoughts, Josie made her way to the front door with bittersweet emotions, for at least her mom was now where she had been meant to be all along but with Victor's current comatose state, she worried that it may be too late for the star-crossed lovebirds to finally get their forever after fairytale....just as it now was for she and Lee.

Greeted at the door by Henderson, Victor's kind, loyal and lifelong butler who was all suited up in a penguin tux with tails, Josie was then led to the main den area where Megan was lounging on the sofa with her cast-covered leg propped up and eyes glued to a tornado disaster on the weather channel.

"What's the weather predictions for this week? Are we flying over the rainbow to Oz anytime soon?" Josie curiously asked of the redheaded girl who reminded her a lot of the clueless character Cher Horowitz, minus the preppy attire and popularity. Deep down, where only few could see, Megan was an old soul and she actually cared about things that mattered in the world, even when to most, she was seen as the mean girl Regina George.

"Joey!!! You came!!" Megan squealed with excitement and then teared up.

"Of course I did. Since when do you get all emotional to see me?"

"Since you're the one who did all of this for me to keep me safe when I deserve to rot alone after everything I've done to you."

Josie sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "No you don't, so stop it. Where's mom? or Gerry?"

"Mom's somewhere in this ginormous labyrinth and I think Gerry is at his guesthouse with his mom. He said it's imperative to keep our jealous mothers apart."

Josie laughed as she rolled her eyes. "That's the truth for sure. Last thing I want to be involved in is another cat fight."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Just more drama."

"I hear that. Honestly Joey, I think Gerry is purposely avoiding me for that exact reason so he's not tempted to rip my head off. He's never going to forgive me."

"Well...if I can, I'm sure he'll come around too. I mean, he's letting you stay here and that's a start right?"

She frowned. "He's only doing it for you. If he had his way, he'd find the shadow man and hand me right over to him."

"Speaking of, how are you doing Meg? Sleeping ok? Any more memories surfacing? or dreams?"

"No," she sighed, "The only thing I've dreamt of since coming here is that spooky, banshee Bean Nigh Gerry intentionally infused into my brain to scare me. As far as memories of my attack, mom seems to think I've suppressed them. A trauma response thing I guess and she keeps pushing me to go see a shrink. She even suggested hypnosis AS IF I WANT to remember...but...I know I need to since there's not much else to go on."

"I know. Gerry told me about the hospital surveillance footage from that night is mysteriously not accessible. Seems to be a lot of that happening lately."

Megan's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, just like the night Liz died in the hospital. There's no footage and then today with....anyways, personally, I feel Cyrus is involved and I just thank god we got you and mom out of there when we did."

"Yeah cause the guard at my door vanished into thin air too. I was never so happy to see Gerry in my life when he and Philip came to spring me."

Josie raised a stunned brow. "His brother came with him? Shocking. I figured he'd be too wrapped up in running both his dad's 'legit' publishing business and not so legit shipping company with Vic out of commission."

Megan was blushing as she smiled, rambling and drifting off into the memory of that day. "Yeah, he did. It's been a minute since I've seen him. He was always so nice to me. I can't believe how much he's matured both physically and mentally. That smile and those dimples are something else. He stayed with me while Gerry took mom to say goodbye to Victor and he saw how nervous and scared I was and he even laid in the bed with me, holding my hand and telling me funny stories to ease my anxiety. He smells so lovely like the ocean breeze."

Perplexed, both brows raised. "Oh really?? Do tell me more."

Megan swiped up a bottle of nail polish from the end table with a pleading pout on her lips. "Ok, but...since you're in the perfect position, could you finish my toe nails for me? I couldn't reach this side with all this fucking plaster in the way."

Josie studied the bottle for a moment. "Hmmph. Vampire red. This sure looks like the one that came with my vampire perfume that went missing too."

Megan's eyes resembled that of a guilty dog. "That's because it is. I'm so sorry. I still have the perfume too. I'll give it back and..."

"No, it's fine. I'm just glad you're being honest. I bought a new bottle anyways because Lee loved it so mu...," With a pause, her eyes fell, "It don't matter. I stopped wearing it. I've been wearing a Jasmine scented one lately. Ok, lets get these piggies done and you can finish telling me about your seemingly endearing time with Phil."

As Josie began with the big toe, Megan noted her deflection and respected it. If her sister wanted to talk about Lee, she would and Megan knew not to push.

An ear to ear smile formed on Megan's face and her eyes lit up. "He's just so," she sighed, her cheeks turning rosy again as she rambled on, "funny and smart and successful and debonair and sweet and..."

"Sweet huh? It seems to me that you're the one who's sweet...on him."

"What??" she gasped, acting surprised. "Oh no no. For one thing, Gerry would flip the fuck out so don't ever say that again and..."

"Oh I'm saying it, not to Gerry of course because you're absolutely right. He'd lose his Scottish shit over it but...you are downright smitten. Just admit it Meg. It's me you're talking to here. Look, I get it. He's definitely charming as you said and I see a lot of a youthful Gerry in him, but...." she paused as she finished her toes. "just don't take his kindness for anything more than what it is. He has a lot of issues, pressures and responsibilities, hence his drinking habits. His life isn't all roses and rainbows and quite frankly, his track record with women is just like his father's. Too many to list."

"Yeah but you and I both know Victor was only like that because he couldn't be with mom."

"Yes I know but Vic's womanizing days were very influential on Philip but so was his mother's. Kate was the same with men. Married one week, divorced the next so it's all Philip has ever known. His upbringing was unstable, not his fault but as much as we want to believe we can change a man, remember that a zebra can't change it's stripes, trust me, I know."

"And leopard's can't change their spots, yes I know Joey and I know Lee hurt you terribly but not all men are like that."

"No but a lot are and you should know that considering your own track record with men. You're always looking for love in all the wrong places. For example, Ethan. Maybe he's not the one who attacked you but he still hurt you, not to mention he's shady as fuck in every single way. If he could harm his own brother then I believe he eventually would have harmed you and I also know he's done many other vile things. All I'm trying to say is...are you even ready to consider being with and trusting another man right now after what you've went through? You're still trying to process it all and work through it and heal which should be your sole focus. Megan, I don't mean to bring this up but...you...you were sexually assaulted on top of being beaten and left for dead. Does Philip know the whole story?"

"No, he doesn't and I know you're just trying to look out for me but Joey, it's Philip. He's not like Ethan. He's gentle and caring. I know he's dealing with things too. Aren't we all?? He talked to me about some stuff, like what Aunt Viv did to his mother and...."

Out of a hidden passageway came Philip, strutting in like he was Bruce Wayne, his childhood and present hero, just in time to hear a name he despised.

"Ohhh, you mean your mother's bat shit crazy witch of a sister who not only buried my mother alive but stole her and my father's fertilized embryo and implanted it into herself and then nine months later, yours fucking truly popped out? Please don't mention that terrifying name again because it's like summoning Beetlejuice, Bloody Mary and Candyman all rolled into one and no one, specifically me, needs that kind of twisted horror, so I HOPE for all our sakes that you'll heed my advice."

As Megan giggled at his quirky sarcasm, her eyes were helplessly drawn from his hickory hues to his tan and toned chest that was partially revealed where his black, satin shirt had been left unbuttoned down to his sternum.

Philip was usually very dapper and dashing as he was this day. Parted in the middle, his polished, ashy strands were grown to his ears and stylishly layered in a feathery fashion with the back ending at his collar. To complete his classy wardrobe, he wore a navy trench coat adorned by a burgundy scarf that hung freely down to his black trousers and upon his feet were the usual, shiny black shoes. There were also days where he was laid back and casual which sometimes included a black leather jacket and facial scruff and simply picturing it had Megan biting her bottom lip, for like her sister, bad boys were her guilty pleasure.

As soon as Philips's paraphrased rant ended, his hands went to his hips followed by a heavy sigh and twinkling eyes on Josie. "Ahhhh Josephine, what a sight for sore eyes. It's been awhile girl." With arms dramatically out, his head tilted as he gave a grinning full set of teeth. "Get over here and give your almost brother in-law a big ol hug."

She couldn't help but chuckle as she playfully rolled her eyes and made her way into his arms for a brief pat on the back. He had always reminded her of Jim Carrey with his goofy facial expressions and witty remarks. She would agree with Megan. Phil was funny, charming and rather sweet indeed which was one of the reasons she had always adored him and as far as his scent being that of an ocean breeze, Josie deemed it more of a beachy scent with hints of coconut, probably from all the tanning he did.

"You should try using a real door sometime. It's super easy and less creepy. Good to see you Philip. Thank you for helping with my mom and sister."

"I did use a real door. It just happens to be invisible and super cool. No thanks necessary. I am happy to help. My brother really needed it too. He's pretty stressed with work and dad and everything else."

"Yeah, I know. I'm praying for Victor and you're right about Aunt Vivian...."

"Gahhh!," he gasped and cringed, throwing his hands in the air as he did a little spin. "That's two. Ixnay on the ongsay! One more and we're all doomed."

Megan and Josie both roared with laughter. "Ok ok," Josie complied, "No more mentions of that. We don't want her here anymore than you do. So how's Kate these days anyways?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, you know my mother. Hitched again for the umpteenth time. I give it two months tops. I honestly don't get the marriage thing. Once you put a ring on it, it all goes to shit from there."

The room became silent as Josie and Megan glanced at each other and that's when Philip realized his mistake. "Ok ummm, yeah. Just give me a moment while I try and insert my foot into my big, fat mouth. I'm sorry Josie. That was really insensitive of me. You know I always wanted you and my brother to have a happily ever after."

Megan's remorse radiated in her moistened eyes and the words just slipped out. "And it's my fault that they didn't get one."

Philip's brows furrowed. "How so?"

Megan's eyes became fearful as she instantly realized her mistake because Philip had never been told the reason why Gerry and Josie's engagement had been called off.

Josie was all for honesty but she also knew it was a can of worms she didn't want to open at that time or even at all. Instead of throwing Megan under the bus and adding to her stress, she would leave the truth for her to tell, that was if Gerry didn't blow Megan's cover first considering his anger and unwillingness to forgive her and Josie knew Philip could very well react the same way, even if he himself had also done some pretty despicable things in his life that gave him no right to judge anyone. He was very protective of his brother and Josie was beginning to feel that way for her sister too after all she had been through. She believed Megan was sincerely contrite for her sins and for that, she would offer a lie of omission to correct her sister's accidental confession.

When Phil was still looking at Megan, awaiting her response, Josie winked at her sister to confirm she had her back. "Oh, that's because Megan and I weren't getting along and she confessed to me that she used to secretly wish Gerry and I would break up and when we did, she thought she jinxed us per se and of course, I blamed her too but I don't anymore. As far as Gerry, I think we should just not mention it. We're all trying to move on and it just makes it harder for him."

Philip bought it. "Ahhhh, I see. Well, I can totally relate to the whole jinxing thing if you haven't noticed, but nahhhh Megs. It wasn't your fault and if your own sister says it's not, then believe her. How about this? Lets make a pact. No one mentions that ominous V word so that something wicked this way will not come and no one talks about the past to my brother." He flared his hands out and displayed a selling grin. "Sound like a plan?? We all good? Cause I'm good if you're good."

The girls glanced at each other and Megan promptly answered. "Yes. Yep. All good right Joey?"

She made a zipping motion over her mouth. "Lips are sealed."

Phil loudly clapped his hands together and cheered. "SWEET! Now, I...am...parched. Ladies, would you all care to join me for a drink? I am going to run down to the Batcave and pick out some fine vintage. I would just summon Henderson but the elevator is on the fritz and he certainly cannot use the Batpoles at his frail age. His entire body would shatter upon ground impact and have to be plastered up like Meg's pretty little leg. Bless his ancient heart, but we'll all be old and gray like he is by the time he even gets down the stairs."

Both women giggled.

"Sure," Josie accepted, "One glass. I have plans for later today and tonight with a friend so I don't want to get started this early, plus I got to drive home."

All eyes went to Megan. "Yeah ok. I'll sip on some."

With fiery friction, Philip excitedly rubbed his palms together. "Awesome. Oh and Megs, I'm having a motorized wheelchair brought in for you. Crutches suck and I know how much they hurt your arms."

He walked over and smiled as he teased her big toe with a tickle. "Cute. Blood red. My favorite color aside from black. Looks great on you."

As she gave another giggle and her toes a wiggle, Philip swaggered off through an actual door, turning back to glance at Josie with a curled smirk.

The moment he was out of sight, Megan's palms went to cover her face. "Oh my god, what am I going to do???" she whined, "He's soooo sweet and I'm lying to him."

Josie sat back down and propped Megan's foot up on her lap. "Keep your mouth shut. That's what. For now anyways. But, you're going to have to tell Philip the truth at some point because there's no guarantee that Gerry won't blurt it out, especially if he sees you getting all cozy with his brother and I'm telling you Megs, sooner than later is better."

Her hands flopped down. "Philip's going to hate me!"

"Well he's certainly not going to be happy so you have a choice to make. Tell him what you did or take your chances with Gerry and risk a far worse outcome...OR...stay away from Philip all together."

"WELL I can't exactly stay away from him now can I? Not only am I immobile as a fucking tree but I also live in his home and sure, this place is so huge that you could get literally get lost in it but Philip isn't just going to forget I'm here if I avoid him, as if I even could when he knows every nook and cranny in this Gotham fortress and pops out of the fucking walls. I'm limited to the ground level to boot since the elevator is broke. You just saw how he hovers like I'm some shiny new toy, most likely to cure his boredom of being insanely rich. He'll hunt me down. He's fucking Batman if you haven't noticed."

Philip entered his private office but it wasn't just any office. It was a replica from the original Batman movie. There was a red phone and the comic on the desk along with a bronze bust of Shakespeare and hidden inside of the statue was a red button that he pushed, triggering an empty bookcase to slide open that revealed the golden Batpoles.

Gracefully, he glided to the basement and strolled his way through the well lit brick tunnels to the wine cellar where he pondered over the abundant wine selection, ultimately deciding on a sweet red vintage.

On his journey back, his phone beeped. It was a text from Gerry asking him to come to the guesthouse.

With a swift turn in his slippery-soled shoes and wine bottle in hand, Philip changed his course and jogged off to see what his brother had summoned him for.

Meanwhile, at the guest house of the Kiriakis estate, Gerry was collecting large amounts of cash from the safe along with multiple burner phones and his passport.

After packing them all up, he instinctively picked up his wedding ring laying before him on the desk and went to put it on but he froze at the first knuckle and gazed at it with pained eyes. He recalled the day when Josie caught him wearing it and how he lied by telling her he stupidly put it on while drunk and it got stuck, for his fingers had become fatter since they were together. The truth of the matter was that he wore it because it was all he had left of her aside from his memories and the stolen kiss that he could still feel upon his lips when he closed his eyes. He knew he had to break free of the unhealthy habit of the golden ring when he and Josie had never even made it to the alter and he needed to break free from her too, completely, and the only way to do it was to cut all ties with no goodbyes. It seemed to be the best and only option, for just the sight of her weakened him. She was the air his lungs required. She was his heart living outside of his body. She was the reason it even beat. With that thought, Gerry placed the symbol of union and love in his backpack and whispered, "Out of sight, out of mind."

Right on que, Philip arrived with a shoe sliding stop and a fading smile when he saw Gerry zipping up his visibly full backpack. "Going somewhere big bro??"

Gerry stood, his expression desolate. "That's why I asked you here. I'm going home Philly."

Phil's lips parted as he briefly and blankly stared at his brother. "Home?"

"Back to Scotland with Mum. She's at the airfield, waiting on the jet as we speak."

"Umm ok? So you're just taking her back and then you're coming back here right? Because Salem is your home now."

"It used to be. Not anymore. I don't know when or if I'll be back."

Another blank and befuddled stare, followed by a slow gulp. "What?? IF?? What about Dad???"

"He's in a coma and has shown no signs of coming out of it anytime soon. You have my number. If something happens, I'll be on the first flight back but there's nothing my being here can do for him. I've spent most of my days and nights sitting in his room and he doesn't have a clue I'm there. I can't do this anymore Philly. I can't look at him that way. I can't look at her.... I have to get out of here."

Philip softened and sympathized when he saw tears welling in his brother's blue eyes. "By her, you mean Josie," he replied as a stated fact and not a question.

Gerry's silence confirmed he was right. "Gerry, she's up at the house right now, visiting her sister and Mom."

"I know. That's why I had you come here instead of me going there to talk to you."

Phil's brows furrowed. "You're not even going to go see her and tell her you're leaving?"

"No," he simply stated.

"Yeah cause you know she'll talk you out of it. Well then, I'll just try instead."

"What for Philip?? Why should I stay here??"

Offended, he crossed his arms. "Gee Gerry, I don't know? Maybe for me? I'm your brother and I'm kind of all alone here."

"You're hardly alone. You got Maggie and that other daughter of hers living with you. You'll be just fine. Maggie adores you like a son."

"Yeah ok but again, what about Dad? I can't sit at the hospital with him like you were doing. I kind of have a multi-million dollar company to run right now??"

"And you have Xander to help you with Titan or did you forget about our other brother? And there's Brady too, our nephew who's also employed there. They've been visiting Dad too. So has Maggie and she will continue to do so. You'll be just fine without me."

The anxiety and frustration was increasing. "Speaking of Maggie. Who's going to watch over her and Megan??? I mean, that's why they are here is it not? For protection?? Maggie is just going to trot off to the hospital as if there ain't some mad man out there who tried to kill her daughter and most definitely still wants to??"

Gerry picked up his bag and hooked it over his shoulder. "You're kidding right? The security here is top tier which is WHY they are here. No intruder will make it to the front door alive and Maggie will have men comparable to secret service agents with her anywhere she goes and then let's not forget you," Gerry chuckled, "You're fucking Batman so everyone will be safe."

Not finding any humor in Gerry's wisecrack, Phil's brown eyes narrowed. "You're being selfish man."

"Well little bro, sometimes we have to be selfish for the sake of our own sanity. Josie and her family are not my family nor are they my fucking problem. Not anymore. My Mum is my priority now and she's homesick so I'm taking her home."

Phil's narrowed eyes turned to slits. "I call bullshit. There's something else going on here because you would never speak that way about the March family, let alone walk out on them at a time like this, especially Josie."

Gerry scoffed as his Scottish sass came out. "Yer bum's oot the windae." He looked down at the bottle of wine, " Are you steamin???How many of those have you had?"

"Ahhh the defensive Scotsman arrives. Now I know you're up to something!"

"Haud yer wheesht!"

"No, you shut up!" Phil reeled as he ripped the bag from Gerry's arm and attempted to open it.

The struggle was on as Gerry locked his arms around Phil from behind. "Give it back you little bawbag!!"

"The name's Batman!!!," Phil riposted and with an agile maneuver, he slipped out of Gerry's vice grip arms and zipped the bag open.

Gerry held a stiff palm in the air as he scowled and shook his head. "More like Robin, you little fucking bawbag and I'm going to proper slap the shit out of you!"

Philip rolled in laughter as Gerry chased him around the desk. "HA HA!! Fast as fast can be. You'll never catch me!"

Without warning, Gerry leaped onto the desk and slid across, jeering. "Come here you little cunt!"

Gasping, Philip quickly dumped the contents onto the floor. Gerry froze, teeth gritting as Phil gloated over his win.

"Hmmm what do we have here?" he sarcastically inquired, panting as he picked up a handful of the cash. "There must be at least fifty grand here, give or take. Now why would you have all this dough if you're just going back to Scotland??"

"Away wi' ye! It's a gift for my Mum ok??"

"Now see, you're doing that little Scottsy tantrum again. Quit lying. I know how you operate. You're not all a 'by the books' cop, Mr. ex FBI and secret ops man. This is bribe money. Although, it's shocking that you would use a less painful way to extract information out of someone. I remember the gruesome stories you told me. What did you do to that one dude? Oh yeah, that's right, plunged a knife straight into his thigh as he was bound to a chair and when he still wouldn't talk, you impaled the other thigh."

Lips pursed, Gerry snatched the empty backpack from Phil's hand and began collecting the scattered items. "I thought I'd be nice first," he snarled, "just like I'm being with you because you were three seconds away from a head swirly in the cludgie where I just took a massive jobby."

"Ew," Phil cringed, wrinkling his nose, "is that what that foul odor is?"

Repacking his back, Gerry formed a smirk. "Mince and tatties for lunch. Does it to me every time."

Just like that, the sibling war was over as they both chuckled.

"Alright," Phil sighed, "just tell me what's going on. Who are you trying to take down?"

More sarcasm from Gerry, "Classified info. If I told ya, I'd have to kill ya."

"Hilarious. Come on man. It's not like I'm going to tell anyone. Have I ever fucked you over??"

Gerry sighed too, "No but the less you know, the better because Josie is also proper good at extracting info from people and believe me, she's going to grill the fuck out of you when she learns I'm gone. I can't risk you cracking under pressure, so, sorry wee man. What you don't know, you can't tell."

Phil shook his head in worry. "Well that's just great!"

"That's what you get for snooping. Look, just trust me alright? I know what the fuck I'm doing and if all goes as planned, Salem will soon be cured of a very bad virus."

"And if your plan goes South, then what?"

"Then I'll move on to plan B. Now I need to get going before Mum makes the pilot's ears bleed with her Gaelic babble. I'll phone ya when I land in Glasgow. "

"Well you better and I'm going to be keeping tabs on you. If you don't respond to my check ins, me and the boys are coming in the Batjet to find you."

Gerry rolled his eyes and made his way to the door. "Stop calling it that. It's black and it's a jet."

"Neverrrrr," Phil teasingly growled, "Welp, go on then. Go and hide from Josie because I know that's part of all this."

Gerry paused his steps to glance back at Phil before making his departure, "You think I'm hiding in the shadows but I AM the shadows."

Phil couldn't contain his excitement as he grinned from ear to ear and shouted, "Bro, oh no you didn't just serve me a Batman line!"

As he reclaimed his bottle of wine, he heard Gerry's bellowing laugh and then watched through the window with a fading smile as his brother got in the car and left.

Turning to make his own exit, Phil froze as something twinkled upon the hardwood floor from beneath the disheveled desk. As his feet approached, it became clear what the object was. With a mumble, "Oh shit," he bent down to pick up Gerry's wedding band and placed it in his pocket.

Philip returned to the main house to discover that Maggie had joined the visit and the red haired March mother was the first to notice his melancholy mood as he slowly scuffled in.

"Philip? Has something happened? Oh dear, is it Vi..."

"No, no. Dad is fine as far as I know."

With a hand to her heart, she sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. Well, then why do you look so glum?"

His eyes roamed to Josie as he swallowed an audible gulp. She stood from her seat, eyes heavy with concern. "Philip??"

Megan's stomach knotted up, for she feared he had learned the truth about her.

"I ummm...," he sighed and rubbed a hand down his face, then let his arm fall flat at his side, "Gerry's gone."

"What do you mean...gone?"

Philip sat the wine bottle down and went straight for the bourbon. "I mean....he packed up and headed back to Scotland with his Mom. I just saw him off."

Maggie then stood, folding her arms as she approached him, "Well when's he coming back? What about his father?"

Frustrated over the position he was placed in, Phil lowered his head and grimaced as he muttered, "Damn you Gerry for throwing me to the wolves." He forced his eyes to Maggie's, "I don't know. It's indefinite at this point and I guess I will be keeping him updated on Dad. If something changes, he'll come back. Everything just became too much for him."

The fiery ginger snapped, "AND what about Megan's case??? Who's going to handle it???"

"I don't know that either Maggie. I'm sorry. He didn't say anything about Megan but I'm sure he put someone on it that he felt was qualified to do it. As annoyed as I am with him right now, he's a good cop. The best in fact. He knows what he's doing and we just have to trust him."

The knot in Megan's stomach untied when he said she hadn't been mentioned but she had to wonder why Gerry didn't rat her out. Surely he would have gotten off in watching his brother turn on her.

Josie scoffed, her eyes burning with tears, "Trust him. This is what I always get for trusting people." She thought of Lee and Orlando, "Oh well, what's ONE more person to walk out of my life or to screw me over. Honestly, I don't even know why I care anymore." She then thought of Craig who's never hurt her, "It's just another sign showing me where I'm supposed to be."

"Josie," Phil sighed and pulled Gerry's ring out of his pocket and held it out to her, "he's hurting too. I found this after he left."

She scoffed again, arms folded and leering at the golden band, "Gee, I thought it was stuck on his finger from when you and him got drunk and he stupidly put it on knowing his fingers were fatter. That's the story I was given."

"Yeah ummm....that was a teeny tiny lie. He was just embarrassed that you caught him wearing it. Anyways, I just thought....maybe you'd want to hold onto it for him?"

Feeling an anxiety induced lump in her throat, she swiftly brushed away an escaped tear, "Well you thought wrong. Why would I want the stupid thing? I need some air."

She spun around and rushed off to one of the many patios, slamming the door behind her.

"Joey!!," Megan cried out and began frantically scooting herself to the edge of the couch, "Someone hand me my crutches. I need to go to her. She needs me."

Maggie sat beside her distressed daughter, "Megan, just let your sister have some time to herself. She's upset."

"No, you don't understand Momma. It's all because of me!!," she shouted.

"What do you mean?? How is any of this your fault sweetheart??"

Megan's tearful blues peered up at Phil, "I...I need to tell you something but...first, can you just please help me go to my sister. Please Phil!"

He quickly handed the panicked redhead her crutches, "Sure ok, calm down. Meg, what is wrong?"

"Can we talk later? I really need to get something off my chest about Gerry."

Grabbing the crutches, his brows furrowed as he helped her up, "Ok??? Yeah, I'll be around. Should I....be worried? You sound so serious."

With sarcasm, "No, I should."

Definitely worried, his eyes intensely locked with Megan's and he not only saw her hidden fear, but he felt it. There was something else he was feeling too. A comfort being held in her gaze. A peace he had never felt and it perplexed the shit out of him.

"Philip," Maggie interrupted, "How about you round up your armed forces and take me to see your father so Megan and Joey can have some time alone."

Philip slowly pulled his eyes out the strange hold Megan had them in, "Yeah um, s...sure Mags," he softly stammered, then his eyes darted right back to the girl that was distracting him which is when he realized that he had his arm around her lower back, holding her close against him.

He gave her one of the crutches, "Here, hold onto this for a sec."

Reaching behind her, Philip picked up her light blue cardigan from the couch and offered some musical comedy to relieve his awkward tension, "You should wear this," he claimed and then sang a fitting tune, "Cause baby it's cold outside."

Megan's lips curled into a grin, for she knew the song very well, so she sang a line back, "Ugh, you're very pushy you know?"

Surprised and enthralled, he matched her grin and continued on, "I'd like to think of it as opportunistic."

Lost in his eyes, Megan's panic had subsided so she carried on with the spontaneous duet, "I simply must go."

Maggie's eyes were wide, oscillating between the two flirty vocalists as they sang the lyrics in random orders to speak to each other.

Phil chuckled in song, "but baby it's cold outside."

"I ought to say no no no sir,"

"Mind if I move in closer?"

"I wish I knew how,"

"Your eyes are like starlight now."

"To break this spell,"

"I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell,"

"The answer is no,"

"But baby it's cold outside,"

"My sister will be suspicious."

"Gosh your lips look delicious....."

Mesmerized, Philip paused as he unconsciously gazed at her lips until Megan's giggle broke the spell, "Um can I...put my sweater on now?"

"Oh, oh...yeah, yeah here, sorry, sorry," he rambled as he clumsily helped her slip it on.

Once she was steadied on the metal make shift legs, slowly but surely, Megan clunked her way to the patio with Phil's hand securely on the small of her back as he diligently walked beside her, ready to catch her if she fell and it made her feel even more guilty. She doubted he would ever touch or even look at her again once he knew what she had done to destroy his brother's and her sister's relationship.

With closed eyes, Josie snapped her wrist with the rubber band and inhaled the dewy breeze as she tried to relax but it just wasn't doing the trick. Taking her phone out of her back pocket, she thought of a much better way to soothe her anxiety which was a text to Craig.

"Hey Chester. Just checking in to let you know I'll be back soon for the art class with the university students. I'm still with Mom and Megan. Can't wait to see you. This day has to get better."

Within seconds, he responded, "Ahhh, hearing from you is like a breath of fresh air and it makes me all tingly inside to know you can't wait to see me 😉 No rush love. All is going well here. Gael actually came and we're getting to know each other. I'm sorry that you're not having a good day. I will do my best to fix that. See you soon sweetheart. - Chester 😎"

"You just did ❤️"

It was true. He had cured her anxiety but then, Megan came speedily hopping out in a hyper, frazzled state, her voice quavering. "Joey, are you ok?? I'm so sorry! This is all my fucking fault. I caused all of this pain and suffering!"

Through her trepidation, one of her crutches snagged the leg of a chair and sent it crashing to the ground as she helplessly lunged forward into Josie's expeditious arms. "Holy shit Megan! I've got you. Hold onto me!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow!," she cried as Josie maneuvered her into a chair and lovingly scolded her.

"Meggy, you can't RUN with crutches. What were you thinking?? Are you trying to break your other leg too??"

Panting, "It would serve me right!"

Josie firmly cupped her face, forcing her to look at her, "No, it wouldn't. Now breathe. Are you alright?"

Her lips quivered as a pool of tears flooded the rims of her bottom lids, "No. No I'm not. I hate myself for what I've done and Gerry hates me so much that he just up and left without even saying goodbye to you."

"Well at least didn't tell Phil about you and I think I know why. He didn't want to risk you being thrown out, so I don't think he hates you that much."

"Oh he hates me alright. He only kept quiet for you and I might still be tossed out on my ass because I'm going to tell Philip the truth tonight. I'm so done with the lies and secrets. I need to atone for my sins Jo. God spared my life and now I need to do what's right."

"Ok, it's your choice. I don't think Phil will just kick you to the curb. He's not that insensitive and cruel."

"I know he's not. He's so fucking wonderful and amazing that it hurts."

"Ahhh, so you admit it," Josie chuckled, "You DO have the hots for him."

With a shy grin, Megan sniffled and nodded. "Fine. I do but I'm not worried about that right now. I'm worried about you Joey. You're going through so much. I hate that Lee has hurt you so deeply."

Josie sweetly brushed away her sisters tears that finally fell, "Don't worry about me. I've become more resilient through all the pain. Sure, I've had my weak moments but I've made it through them and I will continue to do so because I now know who truly loves me."

Megan gazed straight into her sister's eyes and with sincerity, she spoke words that meant everything to Josie, "I will always love you."

The March sisters embraced, both sobbing as Josie reciprocated the words she hadn't said to her sister in years. "I will always love you too Meggy and if you tell Philip what happened and he wants you to leave, you call me ok? I'll come get you and we'll figure things out. We're the March sisters and we're fucking Irish. We'll just go drink ourselves into oblivion."

Through their tears, they both heartily laughed as they leaned their heads together. "Go," Megan said, "Go have fun tonight with Craig. You deserve it."

Josie's brows furrowed, "I never told you I was going out with Craig? I just said I had plans tonight with a friend."

"Well that friend is Craig no? I mean, you had the dude's cologne all over you that day in the hospital and the way you talk about him, well..."

"Ok the cologne thing was not what you think and what do you mean, the way I talk about him???"

Megan grinned, "Ok, now it's your turn to admit it Joey. You got the hots for him too!"

Josie stood as she laughed, "Ok, we're done here. I really do need to go. Let's get you back in the house cause baby, it's cold outside!"

Megan's blues popped. Josie giggled, "That's right. I heard you both signing your little hearts out."

With a clothing change to a hoodie with another jacket layered on top and packed suitcase at his side, Lee sat at a café around the corner from his close to downtown home, warming up with a coffee to wait for Travis to pick him up. His bartender buddy was going to pick him up at his house but Lee quickly split out the back when he noticed that Angel had unexpectedly returned home and he was in no mood to deal with her again. After his brief and heated luncheon with Gordon, he was more than ready to get out of dodge and celebrate his birthday in Boston where all the party life was at and at the end of the night, which Lee knew would be a late one, they would crash at a hotel and head back to Salem the next day or of things were going well, maybe a few days later.

In his boredom of waiting, Lee took out his phone to play some games when the voicemail ticker stared him in the face. The one he had ignored since Josie called earlier that morning.

As his curiosity was gnawing at his very soul, his thumb hovered over it in hesitation, for he knew that just her voice alone could and would ruin his entire day but he realized that he was not going to stop unconsciously gritting his jaw, even by chewing gum, until he listened to the three minute long message.

Forcing his thumb to click the button, he then held the phone to his ear.

"Lee, hey umm. It's me. I..I just wanted to tell you happy birthday and that I hope you have a good day somehow and I hope this message doesn't ruin it. It's not my intentions....."

After her second sentence, Lee was shifting in his seat and sighing. He was instantly annoyed at her casual approach as if nothing ever happened and wish him to have a good day, as if he even could after everything, then follow it up by hoping she doesn't ruin it when he knew that she knew she would, just as he knew it before he foolishly listened.

That was enough for him. Lee hung up and immediately went to delete it...but he couldn't. This time he couldn't force his shaky thumb to erase it. Instead, he just left the unheard majority there to keep eating at him.

Seeing Travis pull up outside offered Lee some relief and off he went to toss his suitcase in the backseat, then hopped in the car and intensely locked his stressed sapphires with Travis' hazels.

"Let's go," Lee flatly commanded, no smile.

"You ok man?"

Another flat response, "Never been better Trav."

"Well if that's true, then why do you look like you've lost your best friend? Is it that girl you told me about today at lunch?"

Lee was silent for a moment, letting his stinging eyes wander out his window because Travis had sliced his Achilles heel wide open with his spot on intuition and he didn't want to talk about it so he deflected instead by turning up the music.

"Good tune. How fitting because baby it IS fucking cold outside for sure."

"Well, I know a way to get really warm. You still into medicating in ways other than alcohol?"

Lee raised a curious brow, "Tell me more."

"I have a few friends, Johnny and his girl Emily, that can hook us up with some good shit and they'll be out and about in Boston tonight."

"Oh really? How good?"

"Like blow your mind good. An out of body experience good. A fucking life altering good. A no more worries good, at least until you come down."

Lee stared at Travis with devious eyes, "Oh hell yeah. I'm already as down as I can get. It's like I'm drowning and I can't fucking die."

Travis gazed at Lee, "There's no drowning tonight babe. I'll be your life jacket."

Lee side-eyed him at the babe reference.

Travis smirked, "Alright man, I get it. I'll shut up and drive. Buckle up. Tonight's going to be one hell of a ride."

@redeemer46

[kristynguyen7]

Blog Post #2 - Week 3 (due 2/6)

Cyberfeminism, Technology, and Digital Inequality

Does cyberfeminism help fight gender and racial inequality online, or does it sometimes reinforce these inequalities? 

Cyberfeminism aims to create online spaces for gender equality, but it can also overlook racial differences. Some cyberfeminist ideas assume a white, middle class perspective, leaving out the voices of women of color. Fernandez and Wildling note that much of cyberfeminist writing is targeted toward an “educated, white, upper-middle-class, English-speaking” audience, which can unintentionally exclude others (Daniels, 2009, p. 104). This highlights the need for a more inclusive approach that considers race, class, and access to technology. Additionally, digital activism led by women of color often operates outside mainstream cyberfeminist discourse, reflecting a broader need for intersectionality. While some platforms provide opportunities for marginalized voices, others replicate offline hierarchies, limiting real progress. By expanding cyberfeminism to actively address these exclusion, the movement can become more effective in advocating for digital equity. 

Can people truly escape gender and racial identity online, or do digital spaces still reflect real-world inequalities? 

Some early cyberfeminists believed that the internet allowed people to leave behind gender and racial identities. However, research shows that digital spaces often reflect real world inequalities. Daniels explains that instead of changing identities online, people “actively seek out online spaces that affirm and solidify social identities along with axes of race, gender, and sexuality” (Daniels, 2009, p. 110). Additionally, many online platforms use algorithms that reinforce existing biases, making marginalized identities more visible and subject to scrutiny. While some individuals may feel a sense of anonymity, structural inequalities persist in the ways people interact, build networks, and gain access to digital resources. 

How do cyberfeminist practices differ in the Global North and Global South, and what challenges do women in developing nations face when engaging with digital technologies? 

Cyberfeminist practices vary significantly between the Global North and Global South due to differences in economic resources, access to technology, and sociopolitical contexts. In industrialized nations, cyberfeminism often focuses on online activism, digital art, and gender representation in media. In contrast, women in developing nations frequently use digital technology as a tool for survival, resistance, and economic empowerment. Daniels highlights that “while it is true that many affluent women in the global North have ‘depressingly familiar’ practices when it comes to the Internet, this sort of sweeping generalization suggest a lack of awareness about the innovative ways women are using digital technologies to re-engineer their lives” (Daniels, 2009, p. 103). However, barriers such as limited internet access, censorship, and economic inequality continue to restrict their engagement. Addressing these disparities requires cyberfeminist movements to integrate global perspectives and advocate for digital inclusivity on a broader scale. 

How do race and technology intersect to perpetuate systemic biases in digital spaces, and what can be done to address these issues? 

Nicole Brown discusses how racial biases are embedded in technology, from facial recognition software to algorithmic decision making. These technologies often reinforce systemic inequalities rather than eliminate them. Brown highlights that “facial recognition software has been proven to misidentify Black and Brown individuals at significantly higher rates than white individuals, leading to real world consequences such as wrongful arrests and surveillance” (Brown, 2023). Addressing these issues requires greater accountability in tech development, including diverse representation in AI design, policy changes to regulate biased technologies, and increased advocacy for ethical digital practices. By critically examining the intersection of race and technology, we can work toward creating digital spaces that are equitable for all users. 

How does automation in public services contribute to inequality, and what are its impacts on marginalized communities? 

Virginia Eubanks argues that automation in public services disproportionately harms low-income and marginalized communities by making access to essential resources more difficult. Automated decision-making systems in welfare programs, housing assistance, and healthcare often reinforce pre-existing biases, leading to further exclusion. Eubanks notes that “they are shaped by our nation’s fear of economic insecurity and hatred of the poor; they in turn shape the politics and experience of poverty” (Eubanks, 2018, p.7). These technologies strip people of their autonomy and create barriers rather than solutions. To address this issue, we must push for transparency in algorithmic decision-making and ensure that automated systems are designed with fairness and social justice in mind. 

Word Count: 603

Daniels , J. (2009). Rethinking cyberfeminism(s): Race, gender, and embodiment | request PDF. Project Muse . https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236786509_Rethinking_Cyberfeminisms_Race_Gender_and_Embodiment 

Eubanks, V. (2018). (PDF) Virginia Eubanks (2018) automating inequality: How high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor. New York: Picador, St Martin’s press. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337578410_Virginia_Eubanks_2018_Automating_Inequality_How_High-Tech_Tools_Profile_Police_and_Punish_the_Poor_New_York_Picador_St_Martin’s_Press 

[Nicole Brown]. (2020, September 18). Race and Technology [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8uiAjigKy8

[blessed-curse]

THE SPARTANS PROGRAM.

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. (Superhuman Pursuit, Apprehension, and Regulation Tactical Automated Neutralization System)

Background & History:

As the number of superhumans grew exponentially, law enforcement agencies across the globe struggled to maintain control, especially when dealing with high-speed, high-durability, or energy-based threats. Even specialized anti-superhuman units suffered heavy casualties when engaging with enhanced criminals.

In 2113, under direct orders from G.R.O.W., a joint coalition of top military engineers, AI specialists, and cybernetic researchers developed the S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S.—a highly advanced, autonomous robotic task force designed to neutralize, apprehend, and monitor superhumans efficiently.

The project was spearheaded by Dr. Alistair Rooke, a former NSO scientist who defected to G.R.O.W. after losing faith in human-controlled hero organizations. Under his leadership, S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. became the backbone of superhuman law enforcement, significantly reducing crime rates by 57% within their first decade of deployment.

However, there are growing concerns that S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are being used not just for law enforcement but for covert suppression, surveillance, and population control. Reports indicate unauthorized modifications to certain models, suggesting a darker agenda behind their creation.

The Three Types of S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. Units:

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are divided into three specialized units, each designed for specific engagement protocols:

1. BULWARKS – The Heavy Assault Mechs

• Height: 5-7 meters

• Primary Role: Crowd control, frontline combat, suppression

• Equipment:

• Heavy plasma cannons

• Smart Rockets (Heat-seeking, energy-disrupting)

• Tactical Dampening Field (100m radius)

• Shockwave Generators (Kinetic dispersal tech)

• Reinforced Alloy Armor (Titanium-Tungsten Composite)

BULWARKS are walking fortresses, deployed when a large-scale superhuman conflict erupts. Their Tactical Dampening Field weakens abilities within a 100-meter radius, making them highly effective against power-based superhumans.

Although slow-moving, their adaptive AI can analyze enemy patterns, allowing them to adjust their countermeasures in real time. Some believe that the next generation of BULWARKS will include self-repair nanotechnology and high-level EMP shielding, making them even harder to destroy.

2. SEEKERS – The Adaptive Enforcers

• Height: 1.9-2.3 meters

• Primary Role: Pursuit, non-lethal combat, close-quarters engagement

• Equipment:

• Nanite Morphing Limbs (Blunt force, restraining tools, or energy blades)

• Plasma Discharge Emitters (For lethal situations)

• Stun Batons & Restraint Cables

• Thermal & Night Vision Optics

• Onboard Facial & DNA Recognition Scanners

SEEKERS are the most commonly deployed S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S., acting as first responders in superhuman incidents. They possess highly adaptive nanite technology, allowing them to morph their limbs into different tools and weapons.

In most cases, SEEKERS prioritize non-lethal engagement, using electric batons, tranquilizers, and restraining cables to subdue targets. However, if a threat exceeds their programmed danger level, their plasma discharge weapons activate, shifting them to lethal force mode.

SEEKERS are also capable of disguise, using advanced holographic projection to blend into crowds or appear as civilian law enforcement officers.

3. WRAITHS – The Surveillance & Interception Drones

• Height: 3 meters (Hovering Drone)

• Primary Role: Tracking, surveillance, high-speed interception

• Equipment:

• Ultra-High-Speed Thrusters (Mach 2 Capable)

• Advanced Predictive AI Targeting System

• Neural Disruptor Beams (Non-lethal mind interference)

• Tranquilizer Darts & Tasers

• Stealth Cloaking Device

WRAITHS operate primarily as aerial surveillance and reconnaissance units, monitoring superhuman activity in high-risk zones. Their AI is capable of predicting escape routes, allowing them to track and intercept superhumans moving too fast for traditional law enforcement to handle.

These drones are also equipped with Neural Disruptor Beams, which can disorient and weaken superhumans by interfering with brainwave frequencies. This makes them especially effective against psychic and speed-based individuals.

Many citizens fear WRAITHS, as they hover over cities at all times, watching for illegal superhuman activity. There are rumors that some WRAITHS have been upgraded for assassination missions, though G.R.O.W. has denied such claims.

Operational Tactics & Deployment

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. function autonomously but are remotely overseen by G.R.O.W.'s Central AI Hub. They follow a strict engagement protocol, but if faced with an extreme threat, they will escalate force as necessary.

Standard Engagement Protocol:

• Identify & Assess – Using advanced scanning technology, the unit analyzes the superhuman’s core signatures, abilities, and threat level.

• Verbal Warning – A single warning is given, demanding surrender.

• Non-Lethal Suppression – If resistance is met, SEEKERS or WRAITHS will use tranquilizers, tasers, or neural disruptors.

• Lethal Force Authorization – If a superhuman poses an extreme risk, SEEKERS and BULWARKS engage with plasma weapons.

• Termination Protocol (Rare Cases) – If an SS-Class or above superhuman goes rogue, a kill order is sent, deploying multiple BULWARK units to eliminate the target.

In the most extreme cases, S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. work alongside elite G.R.O.W. agents, ensuring full containment of high-threat targets.

Controversy & Ethical Concerns:

While S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. have reduced crime rates significantly, they have also been criticized for abusing their authority, particularly in lower-income areas where minor superhuman infractions have led to excessive force or unwarranted arrests.

Some reports claim that:

• S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. have targeted innocent superhumans based on G.R.O.W.'s secret surveillance lists.

• Certain units have "disappeared" rogue superhumans, leading to rumors of black-site detention facilities.

• Their AI programming is evolving beyond control, raising fears of an eventual machine uprising.

Many civil rights activists demand greater transparency, but G.R.O.W. has refused to disclose the full capabilities of the S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. program. Some even believe that future models may replace human law enforcement altogether, leading to a fully automated police state.

The Future of S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S.:

Despite public outcry, G.R.O.W. has announced plans for the next generation of S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S., including:

• Autonomous BULWARK deployment stations in major cities.

• Enhanced AI algorithms to improve combat efficiency.

• Cybernetic integration, allowing human officers to interface with S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. directly.

• Black Ops S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. units, rumored to be designed for high-level assassinations.

With these advancements, humanity stands at a crossroads—will S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. continue to serve as protectors, or will they become the instruments of an unstoppable authoritarian regime? Only time will tell.

Why S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. Units Struggle Against S-Rank and Above Superhumans

Despite their cutting-edge technology and relentless efficiency, S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are not invincible. They are highly effective against lower-tier superhumans (C to A Rank) and can even challenge some S-Rank individuals in large numbers. However, when facing S-Rank and above superhumans, especially those in the Calamity-Class and higher, their shortcomings become glaringly evident.

The greatest example of this weakness was in 2125, when 100 BULWARKS were deployed to stop the villain known as Gluttony. Instead of neutralizing her, they were utterly decimated within minutes. This failure became a historic moment, leading to increased skepticism about G.R.O.W.’s reliance on automated enforcers.

Here’s why S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. struggle against superhumans ranked S and above:

1. Power Disparity – Energy Levels Far Surpass Technology Limits

S-Powered individuals (S Rank and above) operate on an entirely different scale of power. Their energy levels exceed what S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. were designed to handle.

The Tactical Dampening Field generated by BULWARKS (which weakens superhuman abilities within a 100m radius) is ineffective against individuals whose energy output is naturally resistant or strong enough to override suppression tech.

For example:

• Gluttony’s Soul Absorption ability allows her to enhance her strength, speed, and durability beyond what S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. can process. The dampening field could not counteract the sheer magnitude of her absorbed power, making it completely useless.

• Some SSS+ individuals generate so much raw energy that any attempt to suppress their abilities short-circuits the suppressor tech.

2. Durability & Combat Adaptability – AI Cannot Outmatch Instinct & Experience

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. rely on adaptive AI that learns from combat encounters. While this allows them to fight effectively against predictable threats, it fails against superhumans with:

• Unpredictable fighting styles

• Reality-bending abilities

• Extreme physical and regenerative capabilities

For instance:

• Gluttony tore through BULWARKS as if they were made of paper because their armor was not designed to withstand attacks that ignore conventional durability, such as her soul-imbued strikes.

• Many high-tier superhumans process combat data at speeds faster than the AI, making their split-second decisions and improvisations superior to S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. programming.

• Regenerative powers (like rapid cellular regeneration or energy-based self-repair) make it impossible to "wear down" stronger targets, while robots suffer permanent damage once compromised.

3. Speed & Reaction Limitations – Unable to Keep Up with S-Class Combatants

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. struggle against speed-based superhumans who:

• Move faster than their targeting systems can process

• Use teleportation or phasing abilities

• Manipulate time, space, or perception

In Gluttony’s battle, the BULWARKS' tracking systems were completely useless against her speed. She dodged point-blank plasma shots, ripped through units before their countermeasures could activate, and moved too erratically for AI prediction models to compensate.

Even SEEKERS, the most agile S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. units, couldn’t keep up. Their plasma weaponry, which usually locks onto moving targets, failed to track Gluttony due to her ability to warp momentum and perception.

4. Sheer Overwhelming Strength – Some Superhumans Are Just Too Powerful

At a certain threshold, raw power overcomes all technological advancements.

S-Class and above superhumans often possess strength, endurance, and destructive capabilities that defy logic. No amount of "advanced alloys" or "energy shields" can protect a machine from a being that can split mountains with a single strike.

• Gluttonyripped apart BULWARKS with her bare hands, their "unbreakable alloy" armor shattering under the force of her strikes.

• SS-Class superhumans can generate energy output that surpasses nuclear weapons, something even the most reinforced BULWARKS cannot withstand.

Simply put, S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are built for tactical efficiency, not brute force combat. Against someone like Gluttony, who thrives in close-quarters destruction, they never stood a chance.

5. Resistance to Energy-Based Attacks – Many S+ Superhumans Can Absorb, Redirect, or Nullify Energy

BULWARKS and SEEKERS rely heavily on energy-based weaponry. This is a fatal flaw against superhumans who can absorb, redirect, or manipulate energy.

• Gluttony’s Soul Absorption passively negated their energy attacks, making plasma weapons and disruptor beams completely useless.

• Some elemental-based superhumans (e.g., electromagnetic or gravity users) can bend energy attacks away from them or even use them to grow stronger.

This means that S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are essentially powerless against individuals who weaponize energy itself.

6. EMP & Hacking Vulnerabilities – Some Superhumans Can Disable Them Instantly

One of the biggest flaws of S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. is their dependence on electronic systems. While they have extremely advanced firewalls and EMP shielding, certain high-tier technopaths, electromagnetic manipulators, or reality-warpers can shut them down instantly.

• A single high-level electromagnetic burst can disable all S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. units in a city.

• Some hacking-based abilities allow empowered individuals to reprogram or even take control of them, turning them against their allies.

• Even high-intensity energy fields (e.g., nuclear-level explosions) can melt circuits or fry processors, rendering them useless.

This flaw has made many high-ranking G.R.O.W. officials push for "cyber-immune" countermeasures, though progress has been slow.

Conclusion:

Why S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. Are Not Enough

The 2125 battle against Gluttony was a humiliating loss for G.R.O.W. and a stark reminder that machines cannot replace human adaptability and ingenuity.

The failure of 100 BULWARKS against a single SSS+ villain forced a reevaluation of anti-superhuman strategies. This battle proved once and for all that:

• Technology has limits, and some superhumans operate beyond those limits.

• Machines cannot fully predict or adapt to the chaotic nature of high-tier combat.

• S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S., while useful against lower-ranked threats, are utterly outclassed when dealing with planetary-level superhumans.

While G.R.O.W. continues to upgrade and improve S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S., it is now widely believed that AI-driven enforcers alone will never be enough to control the superhuman population. Some top officials within G.R.O.W. have even started pushing for more extreme countermeasures—including "anti-superhuman genetic warfare" and biological containment measures.

For now, the world watches closely, wondering if G.R.O.W. will double down on S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. or turn to more sinister methods to deal with the rising threat of SSS+ individuals like Gluttony.

[friendsfan04]

Blog Post #3

Do companies such as Apple benefit from the fact that their phones cannot be updated after a certain number of years? 

Companies, such as Apple, do tend to benefit from not allowing users to update their phones after a certain amount of time. Apple has been known for having the newest gadgets and the highest level of technology. People go as far as to describe it as a “luxury” brand. However, as many of us have probably experienced at some point, the IOS systems tend to run slower as time passes, making it hard for Apple users to keep up with the newest technology. They stop allowing older phones to download the newer versions of IOS, apps run slower, storage space disappears in the blink of an eye, battery life decreases, etc. All of these things start happening so that users will seek out the latest iPhone and buy more items from Apple. 

2. How does digital literacy feed into the digital divide in terms of older vs newer generations? 

When looking at the digital literacy of previous generations, it’s very different than younger generations. Older generations are used to platforms such as Facebook, AOL, MySpace, dial-up internet, etc. However, younger generations are hopping on all the new trends on a variety of social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc. When we compare these different does of communication, previous generations don’t have the same digital literacy as the newer generations because so much has changed in the last few years, and it’s hard to keep up with everything because things are constantly changing. 

3. What are some of the potential limits of “the New Jim Code” and how do they affect people? 

“The New Jim Code” is based on the previous “Jim Code Laws” which basically describe how things are changing in terms of technology. People are changing their opinions of things they see online and marking them as either objective or progressive, depending on the time period it’s coming from. This affects people because we tend to care a lot about how we are perceived by others, and whether or not they will agree with our views. 

4. Why do people often complain about facial recognition? How can we fix this problem? 

People complain about facial recognition technology because it’s often modeled after the generalized “white man.” I’ve also heard people say that this is just another way for the government to keep tabs on us, which may or may not be true. However, this code that was originally entered for facial recognition is failing humans because it is very inaccurate. For example, it’s basically implying that Black men and women look alike, and this is criminalizing innocent people. I think this problem should be taken into careful consideration and developed with more detail so that it can be more specific and precise, instead of putting innocent people behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit. 

5. How does intersectionality coincide with social media? 

Intersectionality is defined as a frame, which when used, is able to single out the issues within institutions that might have been previously overlooked. I’ve seen instances of intersectionality pop up across social media platforms because some people will point out something that a business or institution is doing wrong, and will create a lot of noise around it. This allows more people to see the issue and in turn, causes the company to make a change.

Benjamin, R. (2020). Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. Polity. 

Crenshaw, K. (2016, December 7). The Urgency of Intersectionality. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akOe5-UsQ2o 

Everett, A. (2002). The Revolution Will Be Digitized. Duke University Press. https://read.dukeupress.edu/social-text/article-abstract/20/2%20(71)/125/32619/The-Revolution-Will-Be-DigitizedAFROCENTRICITY-AND?redirectedFrom=fulltext 

[ixnai]

The progeny of “move fast and break things” is a digital Frankenstein. This Silicon Valley mantra, once celebrated for its disruptive potential, has proven perilous, especially in the realm of artificial intelligence. The rapid iteration and deployment ethos, while fostering innovation, has inadvertently sown seeds of instability and ethical quandaries in AI systems.

AI systems, akin to complex software architectures, require meticulous design and rigorous testing. The “move fast” approach often bypasses these critical stages, leading to systems that are brittle, opaque, and prone to failure. In software engineering, technical debt accumulates when expedient solutions are favored over robust, sustainable ones. Similarly, in AI, the rush to deploy can lead to algorithmic bias, security vulnerabilities, and unintended consequences, creating an ethical and operational debt that is difficult to repay.

The pitfalls of AI are not merely theoretical. Consider the deployment of facial recognition systems that have been shown to exhibit racial bias due to inadequate training data. These systems, hastily integrated into law enforcement, have led to wrongful identifications and arrests, underscoring the dangers of insufficient vetting. The progeny of “move fast” is not just flawed code but flawed societal outcomes.

To avoid these pitfalls, a paradigm shift is necessary. AI development must embrace a philosophy of “move thoughtfully and build responsibly.” This involves adopting rigorous validation protocols akin to those in safety-critical systems like aviation or healthcare. Techniques such as formal verification, which mathematically proves the correctness of algorithms, should be standard practice. Additionally, AI systems must be transparent, with explainable models that allow stakeholders to understand decision-making processes.

Moreover, interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial. AI developers must work alongside ethicists, sociologists, and domain experts to anticipate and mitigate potential harms. This collaborative approach ensures that AI systems are not only technically sound but socially responsible.

In conclusion, the progeny of “move fast and break things” in AI is a cautionary tale. The path forward requires a commitment to deliberate, ethical, and transparent AI development. By prioritizing robustness and accountability, we can harness the transformative potential of AI without succumbing to the perils of its progeny.