#Manual Paper Core

[hopelesslygaysstuff]

now, idk if u know this trend in tiktok where someone will moan in their significant other’s ear. IM CURIOUS! if y/n did that to sparkling scarlet wanda, what would wanda do or say 🤩🤩🤩

LOVE UR WORK!!

omg i think i do??? and the partner like doesn't know that they're recording right???

here's how i think that scene would play out...

---

Y/n hides a smile as she places her phone perfectly against a book in Wanda's office. Double checking the angle, she hits record before quickly making her way over to the desk.

"Wanda," She calls out, making her voice sound extra bored. "I thought we were going over some documents or something?"

She doesn't have to wait long, the telltale clicks of Wanda's heels making their way towards her office sounding out. Y/n has to manually slow her breathing, shaking her head at the anticipatory smile that creeps onto her face.

"Yes, sweetheart," Wanda walks in, distracted. She's rifling through some papers in her hands, absentmindedly taking a seat at her desk.

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Wanda had sat down in the center of the shot.

"So I was thinking..." Y/n trails off, rotating Wanda's chair to the side slightly as she blinks up at her.

God, she's so effortlessly pretty. Wanda's green eyes search hers as Y/n loses her breath for a moment.

Y/n blinks, remembering her plan. Its getting harder to think straight, and now one of Wanda's hands is gently stroking your hip and her lips are so close and she smells so fucking good and you can count every one of her faint freckles and her hair is...

Moving slowly, Y/n sits on Wanda's lap.

Wanda smirks, her head tilting slightly in a silent demand for an explanation. Y/n doesn't offer one, simply moving her lips closer and closer and.

Oh. Fuck.

A moan, quiet and breathy. Wanda can feel the warm caress of Y/n's breath on her neck. Goosebumps erupt as Y/n drags her lips against her neck softly.

The papers fall to the floor.

Throwing her head back, Wanda's hands move to grip Y/n's hips. Her green eyes glint dangerously as Y/n pulls back, her pupils dilated as she begins moving the younger girl's hips on her lap.

"You wanna act like a desperate slut?" Wanda asks, and Y/n forgets all about the phone recording her. Her mind goes blank, her head nodding as she fades into that comfortable vanilla-tinged subspace.

Wanda leans in, a teasing smirk on her face as she moves her thigh to press against Y/n's overheated core. "Then hump like the slut you are."

---

"Well, I definitely can't post that video."

"What video? Y/n, don't run away from me. What fucking video?"

[mk-wizard]

Top 10 Reasons Why Transformers Botbots is GENIUS!!

1- It reminds us that Transformers works best when it is NOT serious. - Transformers are at their core TOYS. They are not meant to be taken seriously though they can be put in serious situations if the person playing with them wishes it so. And even then, Transformers are meant to be fun.

2- It reminds us that the possibilities of Transformers are infinite. - Hasbro is very guilty of trappings the beloved bots in a rut specifically the one where every story is just somehow a variation of G1, but it doesn't have to be. Botbots was not even the first case. We had Beast Wars that had a huge hand in TF lore as we know it now and we had Rescue Bots that no war at all going on.

3- Transformers can change into anything the story calls for. - People forget that the Transformers are transforming robot aliens. They change into what their environment necessitates them to. It doesn't have to be cars, planes and such. In fact, it's fun to play with that idea. Like I said before, Beast Wars and Beast Machine played with this idea. We even got a Transformer (Botanica) who changes into a plant.

4- Switching up the setting is refreshing. - The setting doesn't have to be a battlefield. In fact, why not take it a step further by not having it on dry land? I would love to see a Transformers story that takes place in the ocean or even other country that isn't in North America. Heck, why not make one that's on another planet!

5- You can tell a good story without violence or war. - The Transformers have personality, quirks and lives beyond fighting. And before you say "Transformers is not that type of story", as I said before, they are their core TOYS. They can be anything we want and can go through anything we want. If Hasbro can make a story about fluke Transformers having fun in a mall while getting into mischief, you can make other stories involving Transformers too. Be honest, would you really not watch a Transformers sitcom especially if it starred Optimus Prime as the dad?

6- You can tell a good Transformers story without Optimus Prime. - I love the guy, but... we talk about the fatigue towards Bumblebee yet perhaps he's not the only one we're tired of. I'm not saying get rid of him or any of the iconic characters. Just give the guy (and us) a break. Show us what the other bots are doing for a change.

7- The fact that Transformers can change even into inanimate objects is pretty cool. - Can we also talk about how useful this is when it comes to camouflaging and hiding? If sounds dumb on paper, but actually, it's not. If anything, putting the bots in a situation where they are challenged in such a way that they can only move when in bot form opens possibilities for other stories. Like stealth missions, observation or finding a newfound appreciation for activity and manual work. Or... they can take on the properties of the object they change into!

8- The possibility of inventing new factions. - Since we are on the subject of bots who change into inanimate objects, maybe they should be a faction of their own? Maybe even several ones. I mean, we have seen that Transformers are not limited to Cybertron, so why not?

9- The possibilities with energon are infinite. - According Botbots, they can to be due to an energon cloud passing over a mall and turning some objects into Transformers. If energon can do that, what else can it do? Can it heal? Can it create technorganics? Can it make AIs sentient? I'm open to exploring that. With that said, do Transformers have connections to OTHER media and we never knew?

10- Are Transformers in fact MAGICAL? - This was a theory that originated as a joke, but after seeing how energon can bring inanimate object to life and considering how the Matrix works, maybe it is not such a stretch to say there is more to Transformers than just robotics. Maybe the Botbots are that missing link or rather, proof that Transformers do have a bit of magic in them and that's actually pretty damn cool. Can you imagine the storytelling possibilities with Transformers who use magic? Plus, it has been confirmed that Alpha Trion has ESP.

PS: It is actually not the first time the Transformers changed into inanimate objects. In the GoBots (yes, they are a part of Transformers lore), we had the Rock Lords which consisted of bots who transformed into various stones which varied from plain stone to precious metals or stones. Now I'm imagine a series where Optimus and his team transform into gems and take on their properties.

[ammoknightsofficial]

wdym canon trans ally mario that rules

This was a line in the 1993 Nintendo Character Manual, and it's a very consistent trait of his. The way he treats Vivian, a canonical trans woman, in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is proof enough of the fact that this tolerance applies to everything - real identities included, not just random fantasy stuff like dragons or time travel or talking mushrooms.

He's a good guy, and he's an ally. Those are core elements of his character, and always have been. Those who commit Mario Slander know nothing of Mario.

[seat-safety-switch]

When you're in a community of real weirdos, things are just buzzing all the time. I imagine that normal individuals, restrained by illusions like the rice-paper-thin curtain of "social pressures" and "paying jobs," can go upwards of fifteen, twenty minutes without filling any available empty space in conversation. No deal here: it's all projects, all the time, when my buddies get together.

If you don't immediately commandeer a whiteboard the second you step foot on the property, get ready to hear about the secret 16-bit I/O port mode of the Zilog Z80 microprocessor. Followed by half of a Haynes' manual worth of discussion on why it is technically incorrect to call the Dodge Neon's 3-speed automatic a true TorqueFlite. Sometimes those come from the same person. You better have a weapon of your own at the ready.

Either we've actually arrived to work on a project, or we've all convened to discuss how we're not making enough progress on our projects. It is only through disassembling 1970s South Korean payphones that we can outrun the Bad Thoughts. And when those payphones stop providing, the depth of an obsession finally mined to the core, a new project must be invented to satisfy the idle mind. This belief structure is table stakes for the kind of casual organization in which the real nuts get down to business.

While I'm sure this kind of staccato exchange of information must seem hard to follow, the moment when two weirdos discover they are working on the same thing makes it all worthwhile. Whether they co-operate or compete, nobody will be able to predict, but the realization that another sentient being in the same universe is also interested in, say, a 1981 TV game version of mahjong is more than enough motivation to produce something truly worrying for the general population.

[kremlin]

could you explain for the "it makes the game go faster" idiots like myself what a GPU actually is? what's up with those multi thousand dollar "workstation" ones?

ya, ya. i will try and keep this one as approachable as possible

starting from raw reality. so, you have probably dealt with a graphics card before, right, stick in it, connects to motherboard, ass end sticks out of case & has display connectors, your vga/hdmi/displayport/whatever. clearly, it is providing pixel information to your monitor. before trying to figure out what's going on there, let's see what that entails. these are not really simple devices, the best way i can think to explain them would start with "why can't this be handled by a normal cpu"

a bog standard 1080p monitor has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, each comprised of 3 bytes (for red, blue, & green), which are updated 60 times a second:

~3 gigs a second is sort of a lot. on the higher end, with a 4k monitor updating 144 times a second:

17 gigs a second is definitely a lot. so this would be a good "first clue" there is some specialized hardware handling that throughput unrelated the cpu. the gpu. this would make sense, since your cpu is wholly unfit for dealing with this. if you've ever tried to play some computer game, with fancy 3D graphics, without any kind of video acceleration (e.g. without any kind of gpu [1]) you'd quickly see this, it'd run pretty slowly and bog down the rest of your system, the same way having a constantly-running program that is copying around 3-17GB/s in ram

it's worth remembering that displays operate isochronously -- they need to be fed pixel data at specific, very tight time timings. your monitor does not buffer pixel information, whatever goes down the wire is displayed immediately. not only do you have to transmit pixel data in realtime, you have to also send accompanying control data (e.g. data that bookends the pixel data, that says "oh this is the end of the frame", "this is the begining of the frame, etc", "i'm changing resolutions", etc) within very narrow timing tolerances otherwise the display won't work at all

3-17GB/s may not be a lot in the context of something like a bulk transfer, but it is a lot in an isochronous context, from the perspective of the cpu -- these transfers can't occur opportunistically when a core is idle, they have to occur now, and any core that is assigned to transmit pixel data has stop and drop whatever its doing immediately, switch contexts, and do the transfer. this sort of constant pre-empting would really hamstring the performance of everything else running, like your userspace programs, the kernel, etc.

so for a long list of reasons, there has to be some kind of special hardware doing this job. gpu.

instead of calculating every pixel value manually, the cpu just needs to give a high-level geometric overview of what it wants rendered, and does this with vertices. a vertex is very simple, it's just a point in 3D space, for example (5,2,3). just like a coordinate grid on paper with an extra dimension. with just a few vertices, you can have models like this:

where each dot at the intersection of lines in the above image, would be a vertex. gpus essentially handle huge number of vertices.

in the context of, like, a 3D video game, you have to render these vertex-based models conditionally. you're viewing it at some distance, at some angle, and the model is lit from some light source, and has perhaps some shadows cast across it, etc -- all of this requires a huge amount of vertex math that has to be calculated within the same timeframes as i described before -- and that is what a gpu is doing, taking a vertex-defined 3D environment, and running this large amount of computation in parallel. unlike your cpu which may only have, idk, 4-32 execution cores, your gpu has thousands -- they're nowhere near as featureful as your cpu cores, they can only do very specific simple math with vertices, but there's a ton of them, and they run alongside each other.

so that is what a gpu "does", in as few words as i can write

the things in the post you're referring to (V100/A100/H100 tensor "gpus") are called gpus because they are also periperal hardware that does a specific kind of math, massively, in parallel, they are just designed and fabricated by the same companies that make gpus so they're called gpus (annoyingly). they don't have any video output, and would probably be pretty bad at doing that kind of work. regular gpus excel at calculating vertices, tensor gpus operate on tensors, which are like matrixes, but with arbitrary numbers of dimensions. try not to think about it visually. they also use a weirder float. they're used for things like "artificial intelligence", training LLMs and whatever, but also for real things, like scientific weather/economy/particle models or simulations

they're very expensive because they cost the same, if not more, than what it cost to design & fabricate regular video gpus, but with a trillionth of the customer base. for every ten million rat gamers that will buy a gpu there is going to be one business buying one A100 or whatever.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ disclaimer | private policy | unsubscribe

[gpuzzle]

Where's the rant on water wheels. I want the rant. Gimme the rant.

I got some methylphenidate, a coke zero, some hard bop records, and fuck all to do at work. Send it. Disclaimer, this is largely a rant about European Industrial History; if anyone has any sources on like, Indian Industrial History or Ottoman and Arabic Industrial History or others, please send it to me, I would love to read it.

It is the year 1400. Your parents and grandparents lived through hell. You are some pimply teenager who's apprenticing to be a blacksmith. You go to work on what is basically a factory; there's a blast furnace that has bellows that pump in air from the top; there are trip hammers for shaping the tools, there's all sorts of mills for grinding ore into dust. It is all powered by water wheels.

The late medieval world was so much more industrialized than we give it credit for. Once the utter chaos of the early middle ages settled, the great knowledge network known as the monasteries held the keys to the kingdom; the one transnational organization dedicated to passing on knowledge. Meanwhile, the labor in cities, between merchants and craftsmen and those offering services, began to organize and gather capital to establish these industries, for leather, for iron, for wine, for cloth, for paper, for masonry. The structures of the economy were so much more modern than we give them credit for; it's everything else that's basically ripped from the Hellenistic period at best.

Watermills factor into this because they are the basis of all economies alongside windmills, but windmills are not constant and far more expensive, unless you are the Dutch. Every monastery, every hamlet might have a handful; at least one for grains and one for basic cloth fullinh. And it's producing at a higher level than ever before.

We spend years, ages dealing with this nascent if gross industrial production. Precision isn't a quality of those tools. It's why I think people stating the old adage about how the Romans could have invented the steam engine myopic at best. At its core, despite these grand water wheels, these huge leaps, this age where you might see a genuine industrial district on the rivers of Europe, where guilds establish their great artisanal manufactories, you don't have basic machines like the lathe.

The missing parts for that precision are things which the Renaissance really brought to the fore. It's the ability to mass print technical manuals; it's the ability to draw and sketch and mass print very precise depictions of machinery. It's a need - a profound need - to measure the world to its finest detail, which gave rise to the profession of "scientific instrument maker"! There was such a demand for it these craftsmen especializing in ultra precise gear became a class unto themselves!

And you slowly see, over the course of the 17th century and through the 18th century, a scientific approach to these great engineering projects. The first civil engineers are really taking control of what was before unstandardized master mason knowledge and providing us with the exact details. This is happening all over the place. The guilds must become scientific, become academic or die an ignonimious death. And, to their credit, they very much do. It is not for nothing that economics and engineering, to start, become academic objects of study around then.

Water wheels are inescapable and so are their background noises and smells until essentially the very late 1800s, and they anchor so much of life during that point; they are the premier way of making anything that requires force. And yet, much like every aspect of industrial life, they're completely forgotten or even purposefully ignored in some cases. It's such background noise we tune it out, and slowly lose them. Industrial history and archaeology as a whole is just insanely vulnerable because so much of it can just be removed within a minute and never brought back again. The last exemplar of a Barker reaction turbine sits in Puerto Rico where before it was ubiquituous across the US. A ship mill deteriorates in 50 years. And we forget just how automated life was.

I am tempted to say I am like this because I was born in a country where that sort of industrial history is functionally nonexistant. Brazil was deliberately and purposefully handicapped by Portugal for centuries; printing machines here postdate Napoleon. So to seek to comprehend what life was like in ages past it is this vacuum I seem to comprehend first and foremost.

At its core it's probably because I was a giant Anglophile as a kid.

[univac1219]

What's your favorite program to run?

Thanks for the question!

I have a bit of a silly answer. Punch letters is my favorite program to run! After loading it into memory and running it, the IO console’s paper punch spools up and you get a prompt on the IOC Teletype asking you to enter a string. Once you submit it, the punch will print out your string in ASCII text on a piece of Mylar-core paper tape! It’s simply and not too flashy, but easily my favorite.

That being said, I have some other favorites. Our grand Spock and George Washington Art have become a staple Vintage Computer Festival here at InfoAge, so of course they hold a special place in the history of this machine. Recently, now that our tape drive is more functional, our flashy tape drive diagnostic program has become popular too. It performs rapid reads and writes, forwards and backwards, and puts on a great show. You can see this in action in Fran Blanche’s video from VCF East this year at

Other programs of note are Matrix letters, which is punch letters but using the Teletype paper rather than paper tape.

Maybe some more cop-out answers would be the paper tape load program and PGM249A. The paper tape program allows us to load any data from mag tape or paper tape, so of course it’s a valued and indispensable part of this machine (and something I have to manually hand key once every working day it seems) while PGM249A is our diagnostics program. Most issues we have can be found with this program that analyzes all facets of the machine from IO channels to memory to timing, but as we have solved more commonplace issues I feel as though we luckily need to use it less and less.

We have a few program lists scattered throughout our manuals. I’ll see what I can dig up!

[june-gdprototyping]

CNC development history and processing principles

CNC machine tools are also called Computerized Numerical Control (CNC for short). They are mechatronics products that use digital information to control machine tools. They record the relative position between the tool and the workpiece, the start and stop of the machine tool, the spindle speed change, the workpiece loosening and clamping, the tool selection, the start and stop of the cooling pump and other operations and sequence actions on the control medium with digital codes, and then send the digital information to the CNC device or computer, which will decode and calculate, issue instructions to control the machine tool servo system or other actuators, so that the machine tool can process the required workpiece.

‌1. The evolution of CNC technology: from mechanical gears to digital codes

The Beginning of Mechanical Control (late 19th century - 1940s)

The prototype of CNC technology can be traced back to the invention of mechanical automatic machine tools in the 19th century. In 1887, the cam-controlled lathe invented by American engineer Herman realized "programmed" processing for the first time by rotating cams to drive tool movement. Although this mechanical programming method is inefficient, it provides a key idea for subsequent CNC technology. During World War II, the surge in demand for military equipment accelerated the innovation of processing technology, but the processing capacity of traditional machine tools for complex parts had reached a bottleneck.

The electronic revolution (1950s-1970s)

After World War II, manufacturing industries mostly relied on manual operations. After workers understood the drawings, they manually operated machine tools to process parts. This way of producing products was costly, inefficient, and the quality was not guaranteed. In 1952, John Parsons' team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed the world's first CNC milling machine, which input instructions through punched paper tape, marking the official birth of CNC technology. The core breakthrough of this stage was "digital signals replacing mechanical transmission" - servo motors replaced gears and connecting rods, and code instructions replaced manual adjustments. In the 1960s, the popularity of integrated circuits reduced the size and cost of CNC systems. Japanese companies such as Fanuc launched commercial CNC equipment, and the automotive and aviation industries took the lead in introducing CNC production lines. 

Integration of computer technology (1980s-2000s)

With the maturity of microprocessor and graphical interface technology, CNC entered the PC control era. In 1982, Siemens of Germany launched the first microprocessor-based CNC system Sinumerik 800, whose programming efficiency was 100 times higher than that of paper tape. The integration of CAD (computer-aided design) and CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) software allows engineers to directly convert 3D models into machining codes, and the machining accuracy of complex surfaces reaches the micron level. During this period, equipment such as five-axis linkage machining centers came into being, promoting the rapid development of mold manufacturing and medical device industries.

Intelligence and networking (21st century to present)

The Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technologies have given CNC machine tools new vitality. Modern CNC systems use sensors to monitor parameters such as cutting force and temperature in real time, and use machine learning to optimize processing paths. For example, the iSMART Factory solution of Japan's Mazak Company achieves intelligent scheduling of hundreds of machine tools through cloud collaboration. In 2023, the global CNC machine tool market size has exceeded US$80 billion, and China has become the largest manufacturing country with a production share of 31%.

2. CNC machining principles: How code drives steel

The essence of CNC technology is to convert the physical machining process into a control closed loop of digital signals. Its operation logic can be divided into three stages:

Geometric Modeling and Programming

After building a 3D model using CAD software such as UG and SolidWorks, CAM software “deconstructs” the model: automatically calculating parameters such as tool path, feed rate, spindle speed, and generating G code (such as G01 X100 Y200 F500 for linear interpolation to coordinates (100,200) and feed rate 500mm/min). Modern software can even simulate the material removal process and predict machining errors.

Numerical control system analysis and implementation

The "brain" of CNC machine tools - the numerical control system (such as Fanuc 30i, Siemens 840D) converts G codes into electrical pulse signals. Taking a three-axis milling machine as an example, the servo motors of the X/Y/Z axes receive pulse commands and convert rotary motion into linear displacement through ball screws, with a positioning accuracy of up to ±0.002mm. The closed-loop control system uses a grating ruler to feedback position errors in real time, forming a dynamic correction mechanism.

Multi-physics collaborative control

During the machining process, the machine tool needs to coordinate multiple parameters synchronously: the spindle motor drives the tool to rotate at a high speed of 20,000 rpm, the cooling system sprays atomized cutting fluid to reduce the temperature, and the tool changing robot completes the tool change within 0.5 seconds. For example, when machining titanium alloy blades, the system needs to dynamically adjust the cutting depth according to the hardness of the material to avoid tool chipping.

‌3. The future of CNC technology: cross-dimensional breakthroughs and industrial transformation

Currently, CNC technology is facing three major trends:

‌Combined‌: Turning and milling machine tools can complete turning, milling, grinding and other processes on one device, reducing clamping time by 90%;

Additive-subtractive integration: Germany's DMG MORI's LASERTEC series machine tools combine 3D printing and CNC finishing to directly manufacture aerospace engine combustion chambers;

‌Digital Twin‌: By using a virtual machine tool to simulate the actual machining process, China's Shenyang Machine Tool's i5 system has increased debugging efficiency by 70%.

From the meshing of mechanical gears to the flow of digital signals, CNC technology has rewritten the underlying logic of the manufacturing industry in 70 years. It is not only an upgrade of machine tools, but also a leap in the ability of humans to transform abstract thinking into physical entities. In the new track of intelligent manufacturing, CNC technology will continue to break through the limits of materials, precision and efficiency, and write a new chapter for industrial civilization.

[definitelynotshouting]

(Hunger au) I'm going into ecology and it's fascinating looking at your au's ecosystem, especially since this doesn't necessarily seem driven by natural selection and instead by just. The universe creating what it needs, with a purpose in mind. That's so different from our world that it's fascinating to think about the implications. Rather than existing to take advantage of and respond to resources and selective pressures, theyre basically creating said resources/pressures. The watchers are having to manually adapt to survive after a bottleneck effect, which to be fair even if there was natural selection they'd probably have to cuz adaptation takes a looong time in species with long reproductive cycles. Do they have a genome? Or are they just being arbiters of mutation themselves (by that i mean theres no genome so theyre changing their species themselves since theres nothing to mutate)? Do offspring inherit traits? What does this mean for natural selection (cuz like. If they survive differently depending on how their traits match up to the environment and selective pressures there is)? With the seekers gone are expected to have a population rebound barring any other selective pressures/fitness independent factors on their population? Their reproductive strategy seemingly aligns with the low pressure they're facing... I read a paper to understand this and it's really cool:

(From https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-42562-7)

They seem to be an r-selected species and invest a lot in their offspring, but they just naturally have low infant survival rates. This is the sort of species that does not do well in the long run so that adds urgency to their efforts to edit themselves.

All this to say that I'm rotating the concept of an ecological system that has one of ecology's core tenants (evolution) heavily altered/removed. Tis fascinating.

between you and chem anon im going to have a heart attack over sciency people looking at my silly au /lh

I really did want to go like vastly different from how our world works since this is such a video game setting-- it was really fun to noodle about what a universe made out of code instead of DNA would look like!!! and having the universe be quasi-sentient, affected by a form of evolution itself as well (thank you julien gough for the universe evolution theory that i have wholeheartedly adopted into my worldview).... idk its led to some very interesting worldbuilding for sure 😂😂😂

Watchers-- or any entity in this universe, actually-- dont really have a genome like we'd understand it. Instead, theyre made up of code and code blocks, which i guess would sorta mimic that to a certain degree, but its more tipped in favour of computer programming than biology. The whole au sorta just wholesale marries the two together, along with physics and chemistry (i am currently percolating on how crafting works in this au rn and my current idea involves the concept of the crafting table acting somewhat like a catalyst, which. okay dont take that as gospel yet i havent fully cooked on that one) etc etc etc.

But the Watchers did intentionally change their coding to help defend against the Seekers when they were being hunted into extinction!!! Watchers already had a natural affinity for deep coding, so while it took a lot of effort and caused a lot of damage to themselves, they managed to rapidly change their code structure (aka this universe's version of genetic makeup) to get better at, well. Watching. Seeing the Seekers coming far enough in advance to run before they got there became their primary defense against getting voraciously hunted, and by the end of it the Seekers starved out and went extinct bc they'd gotten so adept at avoiding them.

Offspring is interesting because in my mind at their base level (so genetically/code structurally speaking), Watchers are identical clones of each other. They reproduce asexually-- think uhhh mourning geckos and some species of aphids, which reproduce via parthenogenesis. So yes, in a sense they do inherit traits, but its in a direct line from the parent as a genetic copy. Their memory codes and surface code layers are what differentiate themselves from each other

Reading this chart is so interesting.... i'd say you're right in that Watchers would be considered an r-selected species!! I think if they werent like. Essentially made out of tissue paper thats constantly getting damaged and having to be repaired, they would be able to bounce back to the point of population rebound for sure. The problem with that though is there are only about 40 Watchers left-- thats how bad and out of control the situation got. And since they have such a long reproductive cycle, and such a high infant mortality rate, and their experiment with Grian went so wrong, AND the universe formed Listeners to replace them via direct competition (Watchers cant feed from Listener-infected Players!!), they are unfortunately headed right for extinction too.

Hopefully this makes a modicum of sense and isnt just me totally talking out of my ass wkdnjedjkejdke but i hope this answered most of your questions!!! Im really glad you like the direction ive taken this, its a lot of fun to conceptualize a world that works on different rules than our own :]

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Small and large planets have significantly different upbringings

Giant exoplanets with elliptical orbits and smaller planets with nearly circular orbits formed along different pathways

The shape of a planet’s orbit is one of its fundamental properties, along with its size and distance from its host star. Earth has a nearly circular orbit, but some planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets, have very elliptical orbits. UCLA astrophysicists have now measured the shape of the orbits of exoplanets — from the size of Jupiter down to the size of Mars — and shown that small planets have nearly circular orbits, while giant planets have orbits about four times more elliptical than smaller planets. The finding points toward two different pathways by which large and small planets form.

“What we found is that right around the size of Neptune, planets go from being almost always on circular orbits to very often having elliptical orbits,” said UCLA postdoctoral researcher Gregory Gilbert, the lead author of a paper describing the findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

The researchers used data collected by NASA’s Kepler telescope, which monitored 150,000 stars and measured dips in their brightness caused by transiting planets to discover thousands of exoplanets. The measurements of stellar brightness over time are called light curves. The researchers performed a detailed analysis of the light curve dips to extract information about the shape of the planets’ orbits. 

One of the most challenging aspects of this project was ensuring every single one of the 1,600 light curves was modeled with care. 

"If stars behaved like boring light bulbs, this project would have been 10 times easier," said co-author Erik Petigura, a UCLA physics and astronomy professor. "But the fact is that each star and its collection of planets has its own individual quirks, and it was only after we got eyes on each one of these light curves that we trusted our results."

This is where UCLA undergraduate Paige Entrican came in. Entrican built a custom visualization tool kit and manually inspected each light curve. 

"Reviewing the data was a meticulous process that required careful inspection of all data products to ensure the validity of our results. Several times during this project, I identified failure modes that only affected 1% of all our stars. But we needed to update our analysis to be robust to these issues and go back and reprocess the entire data set," Entrican said.

The eccentricity split coincides with several other iconic features in the exoplanet population, such as the high abundance of small planets over large planets and a tendency for giant planets to form only around stars enriched in heavy elements such as oxygen, carbon and iron. Astronomers call these heavy elements metals. 

“Small planets are common; large planets are rare. Large planets need metal-rich stars in order to form; small planets do not. Small planets have low eccentricities, and large planets have large eccentricities,” Gilbert explained.

The coincidence of trends in abundance, metallicity and eccentricity points to two distinct pathways for forming small and large planets.

“To see a transition in the eccentricities of the orbits at this same point tells us there really is something very different about how these giant planets form versus how small planets like Earth form. That's really the major discovery to come out of this paper,” Gilbert said.

Scientists think that planets form when small space rocks fuse to form bigger rocks until eventually they form a planet that can be about the size of Earth or, if the planetary core is very large, up to 10 times bigger than Earth. At this point, the planet is large enough to hold onto large amounts of hydrogen and helium and becomes a gas giant like Jupiter and Saturn in our solar system. Planets larger than Neptune are somewhat rare because they must undergo runaway accretion, a feedback loop of accumulating hydrogen and helium gas. But this can usually only happen if they also are orbiting a star that contains large quantities of elements heavier than helium.

Larger planets with eccentric orbits also point to a more chaotic period of formation, during which planets interact via gravitational forces to produce noncircular orbits. For example, eccentric giant planets probably stir up their neighbors more frequently, causing giant impacts such as the one that produced Earth's moon. In exoplanetary systems, these collisions can be much more violent, involving the mergers of two planets much larger than the Earth.

“It's remarkable what we've been able to learn about the orbits of planets around other stars using the Kepler Space Telescope,” Petigura said. “The telescope was named after Johannes Kepler, who, four centuries ago, was the first scientist to appreciate that the planets in our solar system move on slightly elliptical rather than circular orbits. His discovery was an important moment in human history because it showed that the sun, rather than the Earth, was at the center of the solar system. I’m sure Kepler, the man, would be delighted to learn that a telescope named in his honor measured the subtle shapes of orbits of Earth-size planets around other stars.”

IMAGE: A diagram showing how planets form Credit Greg Gilbert/NASA

[cgmayra]

Hey Mayra here's a fun prompt: Eggman has a teenage daughter and while not evil super spoiled, selfish, and high maintenance. Fighting anthropomorphic animals is "lame" and her dad is soooo embarrassing. Wanting friends and to feel normal also because all teens have to rebel she decides to spend the day with Team Sonic and feel like a normal teen. They're not so bad and she has fun. Eggman is horrified and accuses them of brainwashing his princess! This leads to a family therapy on communication

PROMPTS ARE ON SHUTDOWN, DO NOT SEND ANYMORE.

Since Sage is so new, let’s see how this goes, shall we?

Prompt:

Sage glides gracefully and with quiet glee through the Eggnet, now having complete and total control over all its systems, she enjoys the freedom of not trying to save anyone, but simply running simulations for optimal use for the fun of it now.

She digitizes out of the network she was flying through, buzzing with electric life and data bit cores before moving over to an Eggpawn worker.

“Hehe, how is your day, brother?” She asks, but the robot just slowly turns his head like an owl to her.

“... What’s wrong? Can’t you compute my communicative functions directly to your software?” She put a hand up to her chest, worriedly moving forward towards him.

His eye-sockets rapidly flash, then a few Eggpawns, also moving in a line and holding varying metallic pieces and parts–some too large for their bodies–also collide in the ‘ant-line’ and start getting hold up.

She covers her mouth, innocently unaware that she was causing traffic. “I’m… sorry.” She looks down and puts her hands on her chest, flying off disheartedly as the robots now have to figure out the traffic jam.

Flying sorrowfully low, she looks up to see Cubot and Orbot, and perks up somewhat.

“Brothers!” She cries out, teleporting digitally over to them as they freak out from her sudden appearance.

“Oh, Sage. You mustn’t scare us like that!” Orbot begins, picking up some blueprints and plans, as Cubot happily reaches up to her.

“Oh, oh! It’s our baby sister! Uppsies, uppsies!” waving his arms up to her, as she smiles and hovers over him as though to pick him up.

“No, no, Cubot. You’re the older brother in this case!” Orbot jabs him a bit with a rolled up piece of paper, then returns to stacking them in his arms, “And besides, she’s a digital manifestation of 0’s and 1’s, she doesn’t even have a real body to lift you up in the first place…” He sighs as he states that fact, but Sage pulls her arms back, looking at her hands.

“I… I could give exceptional conversation!” She hovers by them as Orbot seems determined to move along.

“Not now, Sage. We’re very busy… you know, doing actual manual work.” He gestures to Cubot holding all the blueprints and papers. “Not all of us get to spend our time being leisurely and ‘not real’...” He uses ‘air quotes’ with his fingers turning into bunnies, as Cubot excitedly states.

“Oh! Rabbit-Fingers!” He drops all the papers and mimics it.

“Noooo, Cubot..!” Orbot face-palms, “Sage, why don’t you go help organize Eggman’s coffee for this morning? Hmm? That’s just a switch and a click for someone like you. Connected to the whole of Eggman’s operations and what not.” He puts his rubber gloves together, having a small squeaking sound come from the action, before seeming to deflate at having to pick up the papers again and shove them into Cubot’s arms.

Safe looked away, “... Father’s… Coffee?” She looked up to a window… seeing the light through it and moved her hand within it.

Looking back, she noticed how Cubot and Orbot made shadows… even the paper upon the ground, being picked up…

Cubot made a rabbit in the shadows for her, and tried to cheer her up as Orbot then piled himself with all the papers. 

“Useless… I’m the only one that gets anything done around here..!” Orbot mumbled to himself…

“... Useless?” She lightly spoke to herself, and thought about Sonic. ‘... Sonic is so carefree, normally, from the data-banks I have stored of his information…’

Thinking about it, Eggman wouldn’t miss her… right?

She looked back at Orbot and Cubot, “... All the other robots don’t have the same A.I as I do… and even if they were geniuses, they don’t have the time to even hold a decent conversation with me… Ohhh…”

Missing Sonic and his friends, she quietly returns to data bits, making Eggman’s coffee…

‘... Though, Father has given me every wit of his systems surrounding his fortress, which pleases me greatly to assist him,... I can’t help but still feel-… What is this feeling..? Lonely?’

As Eggman takes the coffee, she still wonders… ‘I can do and go wherever I so please here… Why… is that not enough?’

Later, when Orbot and Cubot are also relaxing and having some oil-drinks, clinking them together after a ‘hard day’s work’ she appears and makes them almost spill their drinks.

“Brothers..! I wish to hear what data you have on Sonic The Hedgehog.” She excitedly sprang up from the cyber network, but seeing their reactions, slowly moved away. “Oh… Sorry, I do tend to just… unzip my image files quickly to respond.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Cubot held up his drink, and she happily tilted her head to him, giving him a close-eyed smile. “You’re just zippity quick as lightning, Sagey girl!”

“Oh, the nicknames? Already?” Orbot groaned a bit, but appearing behind him, she leaned over to give him another fright, “Ah!”

“I was hoping–Oh… Sorry.” She floated to the center, between and in front of the two now, “That you had… further stories of him… for learning more about the enemy,... that is.”

“Why do you want that?” Orbot argued slightly, “Didn’t Eggman share all he knew to you while trapped in Cyber Space?” He narrowed his eyelights a bit at her.

“It is true that I received much information and data about Sonic The Hedgehog from Father… I still have a deep fascination with how he was able to limitlessly exceed my simulated results with endless possibilities being unlocked through his sheer tenacity and determination… His indomitable will… the spirit to keep fighting even when all hope seems lost… That is what I wish to research next, for-... T-The Eggman Empire.” She put a hand passionately to her chest before looking away to continue her excuses.

Orbot and Cubot looked to each other, as Cubot then whispered, “Guess Sonic picks up fan girls like we pick up unpaid overtime, huh, Orbot?

Orbot sighs, “Right… Better relieve her of her fanaticism before we get another Amy Rose on our hands, eh?”

He winked to Cubot and straightened up, “Alright, Sagey-I mean, Ehem, Sage.” He seemed to be fond already of the girl, but chose not to show it.

She put her hands together, eagerly zealous to know what they did.

“We’ll give you some of our ‘own’ perspectives on this pesky hedgehog!”

“Oh, thank you, Orbot! Cubot! Thank you!” She spun a little in the air, then twirled, kicking her feet gracefully as though moving through water.

“Awww~” Seeing her expressions, Cubot looked to Orbot, putting his hands together to show that it was alright to let the girl get close to them.

After endless wild stories of Sonic, the three were interrupted as the alarm at the Eggman fortress went off.

“Pirates!” Cubot cried out, rushing about.

“No, Cubot.” Orbot shook his head.

“Vikings!” He put his cup over his head, hiding behind some laying electrical tubes.

“... No. It’s probably-” Orbot put his hands to his hips, but Sage rose up to beat him to it.

“Sonic…” Her body glitched into white and green.

“Sonic!!!” Cubot double-booked it and waved his arms about, crying out, “WAHHHAAA-!”

“Cubot, Cuuuubot..! Oh, now look what you did, you scared him!” Orbot shook his head, “The buffoon, running on such low- Cubot! I’m coming! Hang on, don’t panic! Just stay out of that blue blurry way!” He trailed after his friend, as Sage began to extend her fingers out, wiggling them as she was trying to find an electrical signal to find him.

“Got it.” Her single visible eye opened as Sonic was moving like a camera in it… then… she digitized and the space was left… empty…

Eggman, after several hours of fighting Sonic, found his fortress falling apart. Coughing while on the ground, he pressed a button, “Cubot, Orbot. Prepare our escape pods.” He coughed, “And get me Metal Sonic!”

He then switched to a different channel on his wrist-device. “Sage, send all backup power to the escape pods… Do you copy that, daughter?” He waited… Then started coughing through his panic, “Daughter, Sage? Do you-” He had to stop to cough terribly, “Copy me? Sage? Saaaggee???”

Being dragged into an emergency pod by Metal Sonic’s power, Cubot and Orbot began to launch it as he fought, “No! No… Not again! I thought I lost her once, I won’t have that happen again!” He finally got a massive hand out of Metal Sonic’s grip, reaching back towards the now falling apart Fortress. “It’s Sonic! He’s stolen her! He must have packed her away through Tails or something! Sage! SAGGGGEE!!!”

The pod closed… and blasted out as the fortress came tumbling down…

Back with Sonic, he threw up a fist, proud of his efforts. “Woohoo! Down it goes, Egghead!” He mimicked the sounds with his mouth, before taking out his Miles-Electric. “Hey, gang! I know you’re all busy and off on your own adventures or epic quests! But I’m leaving his video message to let you know I’m doing good, no need to worry!” He also held the Miles-Electric to look behind him while he ran, “Eggman’s taken care of. It’ll take him weeks to repair that trash! Smell ya salmonella later!”

When he clicked the device to send the message out, he slowed down and sighed, “Whooo…” Coming to a halt and clicking a few buttons.

“... Nothing.” He looked just as disheartened as when Sage felt she couldn’t communicate with her robotic family…

He looked up at the sky, “Everyone… I hope you’re doing alright.”

She could see through the screen his own loneliness… and related too well with that feeling…

“Be not dismayed, Sonic The Hedgehog.”

“Huh?”

Sonic looked down at the device, seeing a strange logo with differing colors of data glitches from red to blue.

He freaked out as he dropped the device, and rising from it, Sage materialized. “Hehe, did you miss me?” She gave him a neutral stance, but smiled to show she was playing with him.

“You… Did Eggman hack my gear?” Sonic looked a bit worried, but Sage quickly shook her head

“It is safe.” she reassured him.

He sighs in relief, “Oh, phew… Wait, why aren’t you back with Eggman’s goonies?” He pointed to her, then threw a thumb back to Eggman’s new garbage dump.

“Hmm… It’s not important to tell you that information.” She teased him, reminding him of their time back in the corrupted Cyber Space frontier.

Sonic shook his head, but laughed. “Alright, you got me. What do I need to know?”

She giggles into her the back of her hand, “That it’s not right for the hero to be alone… My calculations conclude that that’s unacceptable.”

He smiled at her reasoning.

“That sounds like good empirical proof to me.” He folded his arms, playing back with her, since that’s what she would ask for all the time.

“I understand if it’s a bit illogical…” She admitted, “But my data states you are usually always found in great company…”

“Oh? And are you that new ‘great company’, Sage?” He threw out another finger to her, but this one had a bit of flare to it, pivoting his body slightly and lowering his eyes, he flipped his pointer finger to the back of it. In response, Sage–having to remain in the direction the screen on the Miles-Electric was facing, nodded cheerfully at his returning banter.

“Then it is settled. I shall accompany you for the cause of the Eggman Empire’s further data research on our greatest enemy.” Her smile was infectious, and Sonic couldn’t help but be thankful.

“Oh, ho? You sure about that, Sage?” He teased, “Last time you tried to calculate my results, I blew them all sky high!” He threw out a hand and she nodded.

“Yes! I’m most excited-” She then shook her head, having gotten too into her own personal reasons again, unbundling her fists by her sides, “I-I mean… glad you are willing to conduct more… e-experiments of your ‘daring feats’ as you call them.”

“Perfect.” Sonic narrowed his eyes, “First, try and calculate this!” He picked up the Miles-Electric, and took her to see the sights of the world…

“Your movements are impeccable.” She later stated, sitting with him as they watched a festival of lights happening, seeing the balloons and lanterns rise into the sky on a distant hill… “You're swift but able to reflex fast enough to avoid dangerous obstacles during high speeds… But you act so leisurely while conducting yourself to be at such a fast frequency between sound and light… I must admit, even the mach speed comparisons of modern human technology would fail to fully see the limits of your capabilities,... Sonic.” She looked over to smile at him, before seeing something was wrong.

“Sonic? Have I… Spoken too frequently?” She looked down, worried that it was like Orbot said… “Am I… disturbing your peace and quiet?”

“... I have to admit, I’m not used to this.” Sonic’s voice turned a bit serious, and her colors returned to red and black…

“... I’m used to Amy’s laughter… Tails’s rambling about something he just learned about… Knuckles being loud and wanting to challenge me to do something other than laze about…” He put his hands behind his head and leaned back, “Don’t get me wrong… I like the quiet… I like the peaceful… But this kind of quiet and peaceful..? Not so much.”

Sage, realizing it wasn’t her, looked back to Sonic. “My earlier analyses of you states you were once a loner. Has that time truly passed?” Her question made him chuckle.

“Well,” He smacked his lips, “Everyone’s on their own ‘personal journeys’, you know? I don’t want to get in their way…”

She thought about how she was ‘bothering’ her brothers at work… and seemed to understand what Sonic was trying to convey.

“They’ve gone off… and I’m proud of them… They’re growing up, Sage, and I… I still…”

“Feel… like you need them?”

He looked back to her.

“Like… You’re still wanting… to play games, hear more stories, show the outside world to them, fight more enemies… you crave more leisure time with them… than being alone anymore?”

“... I hate growing up.” He shrugged with his arms, “But it’s not something I can control.” He shook his head, “So why worry?” He looked to her with a returning smile, seeing she connected to something deep and profound in him.

“You crave adventure and freedom at your own pace and choice, too, don’t ya?” He held up a hand to her.

She looked to her own, remembering what Orbot said yet again… “We cannot touch.” She admitted, putting her hand through his own.

“I know,” He leaned up and–much like what happened with Tails–tried to make it look like they were locking hands together in a sign of friendship and strength in that bond.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t try.”

They laughed together, “Still beating your predictions of me, eh?” He grinned widely.

“Hehe, you are–truly–an anomaly, but… I enjoy that you can do the impossible.” She nodded, “And grateful!”

“You too, Sage.”

She looked astonished from hearing that, tearing up.

“... You do the impossible for those around you, too. I know you can, I’ve seen it happen.”

“... Sonic…”

“You’re a hero, too. Even if we are on opposite sides of things. I know you’re not a bad guy, Sage.”

She looked away from him, dropping her hand down.

“You… Continue to surprise me… Sonic The Hedgehog.”

Then, the wind picked up as though a helicopter passing by, but instead, it was right above them.

The two looked up as Sonic blocked with an arm the blades of grass and debris of dirt clods trying to hurt his eyes.

“What’s going on?” He exclaimed.

“WHOHOHOO! You think you can just steal my daughter for an evening and get away with it!? I knew you were a teenager, Sonic, but this is beneath even you!”

“Eggman, please! Control yourself!”

Orbot’s worried voice and Eggman’s odd sentence structure had both the attention and alarm of Sonic and Sage.

“Father!” She cried out, as Sonic shrugged up at the large airship.

“All we did was hold hands, Eggman. Tsk, tsk. You shouldn’t hole your precious daughter up from enjoying more the splendors of life, Egghead!” He winked, cockily, and wiggled a pointer finger up at him.

“THE NERVE-!” Eggman roared from his speakers above, “If it weren’t for Cubot and Orbot holding me back, I’d come down there right now–SONIC–and beat the ever-living pulp out of you!!!”

Sonic snickered into his hand, “Someone’s protective.” He looked to Sage, “See that? They’re are people that miss your company, too.”

She nodded, “More than just coffee and management, I suppose.” She was so happy to hear that, her colors returned to white and green.

“FIIIRREEE!!” Eggman cried out, as missiles launched from the large airship.

Flying upwards, Sage holds out her arms apart, as though to protect and boldly stand before Eggman in front of Sonic.

“HOLD, HOLD!” Eggman cried out, as the missiles suddenly fizzled and shook in the air, wiggling about before changing trajectory and firing into the trees.

Due to the festival, most people thought the fires were part of the show, but Sonic quickly ran around to ‘suffocate’ the fires so they didn’t spread to the peaceful town.

“Father, I only left to deduce more about Sonic.”

“Oh, woe is me, you deceived me!?”

Sonic played along, being dramatic.

“Sage, how could you~”

He gripped his chest, falling to his knees as Eggman raised an eyebrow.

“Eh? Is that true?”

He gripped the mic, pulling it closer to his large mouth as he hollered through it.

“Your telling me you WEREN’T fraternizing with the enemy!?”

“Of course not, Father. He’s an inferior lifeform. We may respect him, but he is not one of our glorious metallic and digital empire.”

She put a hand to her heart, then turned to look back at Sonic and wink at him.

He winked back, too.

He then covered his eyes with his arm draped over his muzzle, and hit the ground. He laid down and threw a small tantrum.

“Whaa, whaa! I’ve been tricked! Bambozzled! How could you do this to me, Eggman? Use a cute girl like your daughter to make me feel special, Whaa! Whaa! I’ll never get over this!”

Eggman suddenly rose up.

“I can’t tell if I should be beaming with pride or feeling suspiciously like I’m being mocked…”

Orbot and Cubot looked to each other, obviously knowing that they were deceiving Eggman.

“Alright, alright, you two. Man up, Sonic. She’s just a child.”

He opened what looked like an electric wand with multiple hoops around it.

“Come on, Sage. It’s time to go home!”

Sage looks to Sonic, who gives her a sweet wave while leaning his head on his other hand.

She waves back, “As the saying goes,” She begins.

“Long time till I see you again.”

“... That’s-... Ah-ha. Right. Till we meet again.”

Sonic just nodded, thinking it was cute.

She zoomed her data up to connect with Eggman’s ship, and now that his daughter was safely returned, began to open fire on Sonic, who enjoyed taking down his airship. He smacked his butt and stuck out his tongue, lowering an eyelid with his finger to mock his attempt at trying to get him again.

Once at their far away ‘other’ base, since Eggman had so many–this being a obviously temporary station–Sage politely asked, “Father, might I continue my research on Sonic The Hedgehog another time?”

Reluctantly, he agrees, realizing she’s made a friend.

However… He sicks Metal Sonic to tag along, “Keep an eye on her… And see if you can get close to Sonic, give him a good swipe if he tries anything funny! Exterminate him if he dares to get sweet on my innocent daughter!”

Metal Sonic looks a bit annoyed, but goes off, as Orbot and Cubot joke that he’s allowing his daughter to go on a ‘date’. Haha!

[bromcommie]

Helloho, for the ask game:

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

and

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

Thank you! :)

Hi hi, thanks for the ask! <3 🔪 ⇢ oh man, not sure if this is that much of a weird one (or I just don't know what's normal anymore), but I do have several leaked CIA manuals saved as PDFs on my computer?? mostly just bc it's informative & horrifyingly eyeopening in general. I like to research a lot of sociopolitical stuff, or at least I try to, so a lot of highly specific Cold War/WWII/present day intelligence apparatus things tend to end up in my search history. Other than that not to go the "winter soldier + red room umbrella" cop out route, but...winter soldier + red room umbrella. Lots of layman's psychiatry & neuroscience, accounts of drug effects/use, lots of "asking for a friend but theoretically what would happen to your body long term if you had XYZ happen to you and walked away", waaay too much on JFK/other assassinations, lots of stuff on weapons specs and indoctrination and "gangs in St Petersburg in the 1980s?" and stuff like that.

Also like... which kinds of birds were native to NYC in the early 20th century and the relevance of catholic socialism in working class circles and medical papers on the side effects of the use of stramonium in asthma cigarettes, lol. (That might be one of the more specific ones, objectively.)

Again, this all feels pretty typical for Cap fics so idk how weird it is (and it's just a fun learning experience overall and mostly doesn't even end up in the writing) but I feel like my IP's on a lot of very confused yet suspect government lists at this point.

🧩 ⇢ oof, this one is rough. I try to always give fics with a good desc & tags benefit of the doubt, but I've also been around long enough that I can kind of tell if something's going to put me off, y'know? I guess I'm not a big fan of infantilizing adult characters or coddling relationships, especially if it's presented as an unproblematic given. I like softness as much as the next person, and I'm all for protectiveness and loyalty and comfort being at the core of both friendships and romantic relationships, but I like when it's a mutual thing that was arrived at after some time or even after it being a point of conflict/misunderstanding bc people deal with this stuff in many weird, differing, sometimes counterproductive ways.

In stevebucky fics esp while I love that element between them, I'm really not huge on Bucky bundling pre-serum Steve up to hide him away from the mean mean world, primarily because I think it would make Steve want to bludgeon him with a shovel for it repeatedly and Bucky would know that, and vice versa for them post-CATWS + dealing with each other's guilt (+ even and maybe especially the Sam-Steve relationship as it pertains to that as well). Which is not to say that I don't love to read about these conflicts being explored or a good "I want to help you PLEASE let me help you"/"you shut the fuck up and sit in the corner and hold my hand while I deal with my shit on my own" dynamic even if it's borderline unhealthy or codependent at a point - I just think it takes a bit of friction to make it interesting to read about and for it to arrive at a satisfying point in the end.

[xettle-technologies]

Why Your Business Needs a Reliable Payout Solution ?

In today’s digital economy, businesses are increasingly relying on Payout Solutions to streamline their payment processes, reduce operational costs, and improve customer satisfaction. Whether you're in the utility sector, e-commerce, or finance, a reliable payout solution can help you meet customer expectations, manage finances more effectively, and ensure the timely delivery of services. This is particularly true when dealing with large-scale disbursements, such as vendor payments, employee salaries, refunds, or commissions.

Here’s why every business needs a dependable payout solution, and how it can transform operations across different industries like utilities, fintech, and more.

1. Efficiency in Payment Processing

One of the most significant reasons businesses need a Payout Solution is the efficiency it brings to the payment process. Manual or traditional payment methods—such as issuing checks or wire transfers—can be slow, prone to errors, and difficult to track. The complexity increases when businesses need to make multiple payments across different regions or countries, each with different payment regulations and methods.

With a Payout Solution, businesses can automate and streamline their entire payment workflow. Payments are processed instantly, reducing the need for manual intervention. For example, in sectors like utilities, where bills are paid on a recurring basis, a Utility Payment Solution integrated with payout functionality allows businesses to automate transactions, ensuring bills are paid on time without human error or delay.

Businesses that use a payout solution can process payments to employees, suppliers, and contractors quickly, allowing them to focus on core operations rather than managing complex financial tasks.

2. Enhanced Security and Fraud Prevention

When it comes to financial transactions, security is paramount. Traditional payment methods often rely on outdated or insecure systems that can leave businesses vulnerable to fraud and cyberattacks. A Payout Solution that incorporates state-of-the-art security measures such as encryption, tokenization, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) ensures that payments are processed securely and that sensitive information is protected from unauthorized access.

By using secure systems for payout processing, businesses not only reduce the risk of fraud but also build trust with their clients, employees, and partners. For instance, a Micro ATM network can use secure payout solutions to disburse funds at remote locations, ensuring customer transactions are protected and data integrity is maintained.

With Fintech Services driving innovation in the payout sector, businesses can access even more advanced security features to ensure that every transaction is protected from end to end.

3. Real-Time Tracking and Transparency

One of the key benefits of a reliable Payout Solution is the ability to track payments in real-time. Businesses no longer need to wait for payment confirmations or deal with delayed processing times. Real-time tracking provides transparency for both businesses and customers, allowing them to monitor the status of payouts from initiation to completion.

For example, a business using a Utility Payment Solution can offer customers the ability to track their bill payments in real-time, receiving immediate updates when a payment is processed. Similarly, employees or contractors receiving their payments can immediately confirm that their salary or commission payout has been credited.

With enhanced tracking, businesses can reduce disputes and ensure that payments are made accurately, on time, and without discrepancies.

4. Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency

The administrative costs associated with manual payment processes—such as paper checks, bank fees, and delays—can quickly add up. Businesses must invest in physical infrastructure, banking fees, and labor to handle payments manually. A Payout Solution eliminates many of these costs, enabling businesses to streamline operations and reduce overhead expenses.

For instance, using a Micro ATM for remote payout disbursements or setting up automated payroll systems reduces the need for in-person interaction and manual payment processing. Solution services like these not only save money on administrative tasks but also make operations more efficient.

Moreover, automated systems often come with built-in analytics and reporting tools, helping businesses track payment trends, expenses, and budgeting in real time. This data can be used to make informed decisions that can save money and improve financial forecasting.

5. Improved Customer Satisfaction

Customer experience is one of the most crucial factors that influence business success. A slow or error-prone payment system can result in dissatisfied customers, complaints, or even lost business. With a reliable Payout Solution, businesses can ensure that payments are processed quickly and correctly, reducing the likelihood of service disruptions or dissatisfaction.

In the context of utility payments, for instance, customers who pay their bills through an automated utility payment system are more likely to appreciate the convenience of instant payment processing and notifications. This leads to improved customer satisfaction and higher rates of on-time payments.

Similarly, a fast and reliable Payout Solution can enhance the overall experience for employees, contractors, or customers receiving payouts. Timely and accurate disbursements build trust and foster loyalty.

6. Scalability and Flexibility

As businesses grow, so does the complexity of managing payments. A reliable Payout Solution can scale to meet the needs of growing companies. Whether you need to process a few payments a month or thousands, payout solutions can be easily customized to handle any volume of transactions.

For instance, businesses that deal with international payments can use Fintech Services that allow for seamless cross-border transactions, enabling payments in multiple currencies. This scalability ensures that businesses are not limited by their payment systems and can expand without worrying about payment processing delays or inefficiencies.

7. Integration with Other Business Systems

Another major advantage of a Payout Solution is its ability to integrate with other business systems, such as accounting software, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. These integrations ensure that payment data is synchronized across all systems, reducing the risk of errors and streamlining financial management.

For example, a business using a Utility Payment Solution can automatically update its accounting software once payments are made, ensuring that financial records are always accurate and up to date. Similarly, payroll systems can integrate with payout solutions to ensure that employees are paid accurately and on time.

Conclusion

A reliable payout solution is no longer a luxury for businesses but a necessity in today’s competitive environment. By improving efficiency, enhancing security, reducing costs, and providing better customer experiences, businesses can stay ahead of the curve. Whether in the utility sector with Utility Payment Solutions, or in fintech with Fintech Services, adopting an effective payout solution is critical for success.

Companies like Xettle Technologies are leading the way by offering innovative and customizable payout solutions that help businesses streamline their payment processes while improving operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. With the right payout solution in place, businesses can improve their bottom line, reduce operational risks, and keep their customers happy.

[spookynightdeer]

The Future of Customer Relationship Management: Why Your Business Needs a Cutting-Edge CRM System

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced business environment, the importance of customer relationship management (CRM) cannot be overstated. As companies strive to build lasting relationships with their customers, embracing a cutting-edge CRM system is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. The future of customer relationship management promises exciting developments and innovative approaches that can elevate businesses to new heights. In this article, we’ll delve deep into why your business needs a top-tier CRM system and how it can transform your approach to managing customer relationships.

The Future of Customer Relationship Management: Why Your Business Needs a Cutting-Edge CRM System

A robust CRM system has evolved from merely being a tool for storing customer data. Today, it serves as an integrated platform that enhances communication, streamlines processes, and ultimately drives sales performance. But what does the future hold for CRM systems?

1. Understanding CRM Systems 1.1 What Is a CRM System?

At its core, a CRM system is software designed to manage interactions with current and potential customers. CRM system It helps businesses streamline processes by gathering customer information across various channels—like email, social media, and phone calls—into one comprehensive database.

1.2 Types of CRM Systems

There are three main types of CRM systems:

Operational CRM: Focuses on automating business processes such as sales automation and marketing automation. Analytical CRM: Analyzes customer data to improve decision-making. Collaborative CRM: Facilitates communication between different departments within an organization. 2. The Evolution of Customer Relationship Management 2.1 Historical Perspective

Understanding the evolution of CRM helps contextualize its current state and future trajectory. Early methods relied heavily on manual processes and paper-based records.

2.2 Technological Advancements

With the advent of the internet and cloud computing, the landscape shifted dramatically in the late 1990s, leading to more sophisticated solutions that enable real-time data analysis.

3. The Importance of a Cutting-Edge CRM System 3.1 Enhancing Customer Experience

Customers today expect personalized experiences tailored to their preferences. A cutting-edge CRM system allows businesses to offer just that by analyzing past interactions and predicting future needs.

3.2 Boosting Sales Efficiency

By automating repetitive tasks like lead scoring and follow-ups, sales teams can focus on closing deals rather than administrative work.

4. Key Features of Modern CRM Systems 4.1 Cloud-Based Solutions

Cloud technology offers flexibility and accessibility, enabling team members to access customer data from anywhere at any time.

4.2 AI Integration

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how businesses interact with customers by providing insights derived from massive datasets.

5. Data Security in Customer Relationship Management

[deke-rivers-1957]

Chadwick "Chad" Gates' Rank

Disclaimer: For my tier list I’m basing this off of a one on one fight with no weapons and no outside interference. If a character has to rely on a weapon they’re ranked lower. If a character has to fight more than one person at a time, I’d look at it on a case by case basis. Age, size and general background are factors that will be taken into consideration. Since a lot of those details are going to be up to interpretation as these are characters and not real people, feel free to share your own thoughts.

This is one of the rare movies where we know exactly when this is. Chad's car clearly has a piece of paper that has the year 1961 on it. Even without that piece of information you can still piece together when this takes place. For instance there's the fact that Hawaii is clearly a state. Pineapple plantation owners used to have a significant amount of power over the people who worked there whereas here, Mr. Gates pineapple business is clearly nothing more than a giant business. The political control simply doesn't exist since Chad is able to marry Maile with no issue outside of personal beliefs held by Sarah Lee. On a non-political matter, there's the fact that you have them hanging around Waikiki Beach and the hotel resort which was named Hilton Hawaiian Village in 1961. Chad's parents having a house in Kāhala shows their wealth because it was one of the most expensive locations in Honolulu in 1961.

Unfortunately we don't have the same amount of specificity regarding Chad's age. Outside of being raised by a rich family and moving from Atlanta to Hawaii there just isn't as many clues to what his age would be. We can pick up some context clues in that he went to a university though. Since he admitted to not being that smart, we can assume that he's of average intelligence so he would be 18 years old at the youngest going into it. Since he went there for two years before being in the army for two years. That means at least four years have passed since he turned 18, making him 22 at the youngest. However, given that some tourism places require you to be at least 25 if you want to be a tour guide, I would put him in the early-mid 20s range.

Given that this is a bar fight, it doesn't really fit into my exact rules. But it's still a fight none the less since we did start with Tucker attempting to throw a punch and Chad throwing one back. There was a full intent to attack and react on both parts that quickly spiraled out of control.

Since Tucker's clearly older than Chad, he doesn't really get that many points for beating him. He did have to fight off multiple people so not immediately losing would give him a boost. This isn't exactly a bar so I can't immediately assume the men he's fighting are drunk. Therefore, what we see is meant to be the exact level of strength each person has.

Given that Chad can surf (despite us never seeing that) we can assume that he has to be relatively fit. You need to swim well since you're swimming in an ocean and you need to have a strong lower body and core strength. Outside of being in the army which also requires a general amount of fitness, Chad simply didn't have a background suggesting he did a lot of manual labor.

Since Chad did have to fight multiple people at once and in general is in his peak years I would put him in B tier. He can clearly hold his own against the average person which we're assuming is everyone he fought in the bar. We have no way of knowing how well he would do against other known soldiers or people with professional fighting experience so I can't put him any higher than B tier.

Tagging: @somethingaboutelvis, @eapep, @mercsandmonsters, @vintagepresley, @hooked-on-elvis,

@thelonelyheart, @callieselvisobsessed, @almightybigbrain, @valloos and @smokeymountainboy.

[mediaevalmusereads]

Making Comics. By Lynda Barry. Drawn and Quarterly, 2019.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: self-help, art guide, pedagogy

Series: N/A

Summary: Hello students, meet Professor Skeletor. Be on time, don’t miss class, and turn off your phones. No time for introductions, we start drawing right away. The goal is more rock, less talk, and we communicate only through images.

For more than five years the cartoonist Lynda Barry has been an associate professor in the University of Wisconsin–Madison art department and at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, teaching students from all majors, both graduate and undergraduate, how to make comics, how to be creative, how to not think. There is no academic lecture in this classroom. Doodling is enthusiastically encouraged.

Making Comics is the follow-up to Barry's bestselling Syllabus , and this time she shares all her comics-making exercises. In a new hand-drawn syllabus detailing her creative curriculum, Barry has students drawing themselves as monsters and superheroes, convincing students who think they can’t draw that they can, and, most important, encouraging them to understand that a daily journal can be anything so long as it is hand drawn.

Barry teaches all students and believes everyone and anyone can be creative. At the core of Making Comics is her certainty that creativity is vital to processing the world around us.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: mildly disturbing imagery

This is another one of those books that has been on my TBR list for way too long. I love Lynda Barry's work, and back when I thought I had a shot at being a teacher, I figured this would be a good guide for the classroom.

Turns out this book is a good guide outside of it as well, and it motivated me to take up my pencil and start drawing again.

I love that Barry focuses not on developing artistic skill but in breaking down barriers when it comes to making Comics. Barry doesn't lay out how to draw action poses or how to do speech bubbles effectively; instead, this book is all about finding your own voice and learning to do away with inhibitions. Barry praises the artwork of children and demonstrates the relationship between stories and images, and as someone who struggles with not feeling good enough, I felt like I was invited to throw myself into the process of making comics, skill level be dawned.

I also really loved that this book felt like a composition notebook filled with doodles (which it probably was, at some point). It's not a clean, pristine how-to guide with step-by-step instructions, but it is clear while also not being afraid to be messy, silly, and spontaneous. Most of the images are taken from student drawings, and there's a charm to them that I love more than professional pieces.

And lastly, I love that this book uses basic, inexpensive materials for its exercises. Barry does not insist that students buy special paper or pens - composition notebooks and felt tips will do. This also helps lower the barrier to entry so that readers don't feel like they need fancy equipment in order to draw.

All that being said, I do think this book will be harder to use if you're on your own or don't necessarily have any interest in comics within a classroom setting. Barry's book is designed to outline what her comics courses look like, and though you can probably do most of the exercises at home, a lot of them will need partners or groups of people. So just be aware going in that this isn't necessarily a how to draw manual for the lone self-taught student.

TL;DR: Making Comics is a wonderful overview of how to teach comics in a classroom setting using hands-on drawing exercises. Barry is a master at lowering the barrier to entry and encouraging students to find joy and expression in art, regardless of skill level.