#Model Context Protocol

[bluetickconsultants]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and with it, the need for seamless integration between AI applications, tools, and data sources has become more critical than ever. Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open protocol developed by Anthropic that is poised to remodel how AI systems interact with external tools and data. In this blog, we’ll dive into what MCP is, why it matters, and how it’s shaping the future of AI applications and AI agents.

[blahideiasquefuncionam]

O Que é o MCP (Model Context Protocol) e Como Funciona

MCP é a sigla para Model Context Protocol, um protocolo inovador que permite a comunicação estruturada entre modelos de linguagem (LLMs) e sistemas externos através de contextos especializados e dinâmicos. Para Que Serve o MCP? O MCP foi criado para fornecer uma camada de orquestração e contextualização de interações entre IA, APIs e dados em tempo real. Ele permite que modelos de linguagem…

[procurement-insights]

The Relationship Between1998 RAM's Agent-Based Model And 2025's Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Despite my 40-plus years in high-tech and procurement, I am always curious, so I value the insights I gain from the people in my extended community. Today’s post is inspired by a comment from Hervé Legenvre in one of my most recent LinkedIn posts. How does a procurement professional use or interact with Model Context Protocol, and what improved outcomes does it achieve? How Procurement…

[mlearningai]

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Anthropic Claude desktop.

Step by Step Quickstart

[nostalgebraist]

I typed out these messages in a discord server a moment ago, and then thought "hmm, maybe I should make the same points in a tumblr post, since I've been talking about software-only-singularity predictions on tumblr lately"

But, as an extremely lazy (and somewhat busy) person, I couldn't be bothered to re-express the same ideas in a tumblr-post-like format, so I'm giving you these screenshots instead

(If you're not familiar, "MCP" is "Model Context Protocol," a recently introduced standard for connections between LLMs and applications that want to interact with LLMs. Its official website is here – although be warned, that link leads to the bad docs I complained about in the first message. The much more palatable python SDK docs can be found here.)

EDIT: what I said in the first message about "getting Claude to set things up for you locally" was not really correct, I was conflating this (which fits that description) with this and this (which are real quickstarts with code, although not very good ones, and frustratingly there's no end-to-end example of writing a server and then testing it with a hand-written client or the inspector, as opposed to using with "Claude for Desktop" as the client)

[mariacallous]

On Boxing Day pro-Palestine demonstrators met customers at the Zara sale in the Westfield shopping centre, in Stratford, east London. They were not there to wish them the compliments of the season.

‘Bombs are dropping while you’re shopping,’ they chanted, as police stood by to make sure the protests did not turn violent. ‘Zara is enabling genocide,’ their placards read.

Quite what they wanted bargain hunters to do about the Israeli forces bombing the Gaza Strip, they never said. Lobby their MPs? Politicians are on their Christmas holidays. Join the Palestinian armed struggle?  It was unclear whether the shopping centre had a Hamas recruitment office.

But on one point the demonstrators were certain: no one should be buying from Zara. Even though the fashion chain has not encouraged Israel’s war against Hamas, earned income from it, or supported Israel in any material way, it was nevertheless “exploiting a genocide and commodifying Palestine's pain for profit”.

Zara, in short, has become the object of a paranoid fantasy: a QAnon conspiracy theory for the postcolonial left.

The Zara conspiracy is an entirely modern phenomenon. It has no original author. Antisemitic Russians sat down and wrote the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in the early 20th century. There was an actual “Q” behind the QAnon conspiracy: a far-right activist who first appeared on 4chan message boards in 2017 to claim that a cabal of child abusers was conspiring against Donald Trump.

The Zara conspiracy was mass produced by social media users: an example of the madness of crowds rather than their supposed wisdom. The cause of the descent into hysteria was bizarre.

In early December Zara launched an advertising campaign featuring the model Kristen McMenamy wearing its latest collection in a sculptor’s studio. It clearly was a studio, by the way, and not a war zone in southern Israel or Gaza. McMenamy carried a mannequin wrapped in white fabric. The cry went up that the Spanish company was exploiting the suffering of Palestinians and that the mannequin was meant to represent a victim of Israeli aggression wrapped in a shroud.

The accusation was insane. No one in the photo shoot resembled a soldier or a casualty of war. Anyone who thought for 30 seconds before resorting to social media would have known that global brands plan their advertising campaigns months in advance.

Zara said the campaign presented “a series of images of unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio and was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craft-made garments in an artistic context”. The idea for the studio setting was conceived in July. The photo shoot was in September, weeks before the Hamas assault on Israel on 7 October.

No one cared. Melanie Elturk, the CEO of fashion brand Haute Hijab, said of the campaign, ‘this is sick. What kind of sick, twisted, and sadistic images am I looking at?’ #BoycottZara trended on Twitter, as users said that Zara was ‘utterly shameful and disgraceful”’.

To justify their condemnations, activists developed ever-weirder theories. A piece of cardboard in the photoshoot was meant to be a map of Israel/Palestine turned upside down. Because a Zara executive had once invited an extreme right-wing Israeli politician to a meeting, the whole company was damned.

Astonishingly, or maybe not so astonishingly to anyone who follows online manias, the fake accusations worked. Zara stores in Glasgow, Toronto. Hanover, Melbourne and Amsterdam were targeted.

What on earth could Zara do? PR specialists normally say that the worst type of apology is the non-apology apology, when a public figure or institution shows no remorse, but instead says that they are sorry that people are offended. Yet Zara had not sought to trivialize or profit from the war so what else could it do but offer a non-apology apology? The company duly said it was sorry that people were upset.

“Unfortunately, some customers felt offended by these images, which have now been removed, and saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created,” it said on 13 December, and pulled the advertising campaign

That was two-weeks ago and yet still the protests in Zara stores continue. On 23 December activists targeted Zara on Oxford Street chanting , 'Zara, Zara, you can't hide, stop supporting genocide', even though Zara was not, in fact,  supporting genocide. On Boxing Day, they were at the Stratford shopping centre.

Zara has apologised for an offence it did not commit. There is no way that any serious person can believe the charges against it. And yet believe them the protestors do. Or at the very least they pretend to believe for the sake of keeping in with their allies.

Maybe nothing will come of the protests. One could have argued in 2017, after all, that QAnon was essentially simple-minded people living out their fantasies online. Certainly, every sane American knew that there was no clique of paedophiles running the Democrat party, but where was the harm in the conspiracy theory?

Then QAnon supporters stormed the US capitol in January 2021. Will the same story play out from the Gaza protests? As far as I can tell, no one on the left is challenging the paranoia. I have yet to see the fact-checkers of the BBC and Channel 4 warning about the fake news on the left with anything like the gusto with which they treat its counterparts on the right.

To be fair, the scale of disinformation around the Gaza war is off the charts, and it is impossible to chase down every lie. But when fake news goes from online fantasies to real world protests, from 4chan to the Capitol, from Twitter to the Westfield shopping centre, it’s worth taking notice.

Sensible supporters of a Palestinian state ought to be the most concerned. No one apart from fascists, Islamists and far leftists believes that Israel should not defend itself. And yet the scale of its military action in Gaza is outraging world opinion. Mainstream politicians, who might one day put pressure on Israel, remain very wary about reflecting the anger on the streets.

They look at the insane conspiracy theories on the western left and see them as no different from the insane conspiracy theories that motivate Hamas, and they back away.

The Palestinians need many things: an end to the Netanyahu government, and an end to Hamas. But they could also use allies in the West who do not discredit their cause with dark, gibbering fantasies.

[velvetinks]

Fault Lines - Heat

~

The hangar was freezing. Not in temperature—no, the First Order kept its environments regulated within strict tolerances—but in atmosphere. The chill didn’t come from the air but from the silence, from the rigid way troopers marched and engineers spoke in clipped tones. No one lingered. No one slouched.

You liked it that way.

You moved like you belonged, toolbelt clipped tight around your hips, sleeves rolled to your elbows, a hydrospanner clutched in your gloved hand. You were covered in grease, grime, and flecks of scorched carbon—proof that you’d been elbows-deep in starship guts all morning.

This was your kingdom. A mess of wires, panels, circuits, and systems. Machines made sense. Orders were followed. Laws of physics didn’t lie.

People, on the other hand—especially the one whose ship you’d been assigned to—didn’t make any damn sense at all.

Kylo Ren’s personal shuttle sat in the center of Hangar Bay A—sleek, black, ominous. You’d been working on it for a week now, cycling through diagnostic after diagnostic, trying to track down a glitch in the hyperdrive cooling matrix. It was nothing that would kill him—not immediately. But long-term? It could cause catastrophic failure. The ship was fast. Fast enough to outpace every model in the First Order’s fleet, but it ran too hot.

Much like its owner.

You hadn’t met him yet. Not face to face. You’d only seen him at a distance once—a tall, black silhouette, helmet glinting under overhead lights, stalking past stormtroopers like a dark god among mortals. Everyone had gone stiff at his approach, including you.

Still, you weren’t intimidated. Not exactly. Cautious, maybe. Focused. You couldn’t afford fear when you were the only one trusted to keep this ship from tearing itself apart.

You wiped your forehead with the back of your hand and slid under the belly of the shuttle, flashlight clamped between your teeth. Panels were still open from your earlier reroute. You muttered to yourself as you worked, fingers moving fast and practiced.

“Should’ve rerouted the coolant lines through the secondary manifold days ago,” you hissed. “But no—‘protocol’ says the Supreme Leader needs to approve every modification like he personally birthed the damn ship—”

A quiet sound broke through your grumbling. Not boots, not troopers. Something quieter. Heavier. You paused.

The air shifted. Not in temperature. In pressure.

You knew before you even rolled out that he was behind you.

You wiped your hands quickly, stood, and turned.

Kylo Ren was taller than you remembered. Without context, he might’ve looked sculpted—dark robes over broad shoulders, mask glossy and unreadable. But with context? With the stories whispered across the decks and the way he held his silence like a blade? He was a storm contained in a man.

And he was looking right at you.

“Who authorized this access?” he asked.

His voice was low. Filtered. Unreadable.

You didn’t flinch.

“Lieutenant Oro,” you replied, evenly. “I was assigned to run diagnostics on your shuttle. You’ve been experiencing thermal instability in the hyperdrive.”

A long pause.

“You bypassed three safety protocols,” he said.

“I had to,” you said, resisting the urge to cross your arms. “The override commands weren’t responding through standard channels. If I hadn’t rerouted the coolant, the core could’ve overheated during your next jump.”

“And what makes you qualified to override safety procedures?”

“Fifteen years in propulsion systems,” you said. “And the fact that no one else wanted to touch your ship without written approval. I chose not to wait until it exploded.”

Silence.

You felt it stretch between you like taut cable. He wasn’t reacting. Not visibly. No head tilt. No shift of weight. Just… stillness.

It was unnerving.

Finally, he said, “You’re the one they call the Fixer.”

You blinked. “Excuse me?”

“The engineer who takes impossible repairs and makes them work,” he said. “Even when it breaks protocol. Even when it’s reckless.”

You didn’t answer. There was no way to know if that was praise or warning.

Kylo turned away.

“I want you to stay assigned to this shuttle,” he said. “No one else. Just you.”

Your throat went tight. “Yes, sir.”

He paused halfway up the ramp, glancing back over his shoulder.

“Don’t touch anything without telling me first.”

And then he disappeared into the ship.

You exhaled.

Only then did your heart start beating again.

You didn’t expect to see him again for at least a few days. Most commanding officers left the dirty work to their subordinates. You assumed Kylo Ren would do the same.

You were wrong.

The next day, he returned.

And the next.

He didn’t speak often. He watched. Close. Still. Like he was waiting for something. Every time you adjusted a panel, every time you accessed a console, you could feel his presence—just out of sight but impossible to ignore.

At first, it rattled you.

Then it started to piss you off.

Because he never offered assistance. Never asked questions. Just watched.

He was testing you.

You told yourself it didn’t matter. You’d worked under pressure before. But pressure didn’t usually have a lightsaber.

It wasn’t until day five that something changed.

You were on your back again, deep in the guts of the main thruster when something sparked.

“Shit—” You jerked back, hitting your head against the interior casing. Sparks rained down from above.

“Don’t move,” said a voice.

He was right there.

He knelt beside the ship, reaching for the power relay. You hadn’t even heard him approach.

He cut power to the circuit in one smooth motion. The sparks died. The glow from the console flickered and dimmed.

You blinked up at him, stunned.

“Thanks,” you muttered.

He didn’t respond. Just stared at you from behind the mask.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to get your hands dirty,” you added, pushing yourself up to a seated position. Your tone was light. Testing.

“I don’t like wasting time,” he said. “If you die under this ship, I have to wait for another one of you.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Wow. Touching.”

Silence.

Then

“You’re not afraid of me.”

It wasn’t a question.

You looked at him. Really looked. His helmet was still on, but something about the way he said it felt… vulnerable. Not soft. Just raw.

You swallowed. “Should I be?”

Another long pause.

“No.”

He stood and walked away.

You didn’t realize your hands were shaking until he was gone.

You tried not to think about the way your skin felt warmer when he was close. You tried not to notice how he always lingered just long enough to unsettle you—but never long enough to explain why.

And when he finally spoke again—on the seventh day—you weren’t prepared for what he said.

“Why did you take this post?”

You looked up from your console. “What?”

“This assignment. You had others.”

You tilted your head, narrowing your eyes. “Are you reading my file?”

“I don’t need to,” he said.

You stood up. “Why does it matter?”

He took a step forward.

“Because every other engineer avoided this post. But you volunteered.”

You shrugged. “I like a challenge.”

He stepped closer. “That’s not all.”

“No,” you agreed, your voice lower now. “It’s not.”

He stared at you. Helmet inches from your face.

And then—

“Report to the bridge in one hour. I want you to see what your work is keeping in the sky.”

Then he was gone again.

You reported to the bridge. And everything changed.

You saw what he saw.

Star charts. Battle plans. Orders in motion. Entire systems bent to his will. The kind of power few ever glimpsed, let alone touched.

And you realized

He didn’t just want an engineer.

He wanted someone who understood.

Someone who saw the way he held the galaxy in his hands… and didn’t flinch.

When he turned to look at you across the bridge, eyes hidden but presence unmistakable

You didn’t look away.

[magnus-marmot]

Needed a sideblog

Spoiler warning: You can generally expect spoilers for all of the Magnus Archives and however much of the Magnus Protocol is out at the time of writing. Each post will be tagged with "written after TMAGP[xx]" to give context for the general timeframe.

I have also started to tag posts with #tmagp salt, #tmagp mercury, #tmagp sulphur, #tmagp luna and #tmagp sol to mark which principles are relevant to the post.

Some of my working theories are summarised under the cut.

My original Tria Prima theory in a nutshell

(original post here, but the ideas are ever-changing)

The metaphysics of TMAGP aren't based on fears but on the three principles: Salt, Sulphur and Mercury. When balanced, it's business as usual. If unbalanced, weird things start to happen.

Salt 🜔 (Corpus, Body): The principle of stability, rigidity and stagnation. The physical, concrete body of a human or any matter. It's what remains after putrefaction. Vulnerable to corruption. Too much salt could lead to both literal and metaphorical stagnation, rigidity or crystallisation. Getting stuck or locked in place. Infectious corruptions, decomposition, death and preservation of bodies. TMA connections: Buried, Flesh, Corruption, End, maybe Dark (as per nigredo or the putrefying stage).

Mercury ☿ (Spiritus, Mind): The principle of volatility, solubility, dissolution, liminality and dualities. Water, air and things that flow. The human mind, or thoughts, knowledge, ideas and rationality. The collective unconscious that holds within it all concepts, ideas and collective feelings. Represents change and infinite possibilities. Too much mercury leads to general weirdness, confusion, physical and mental limits being blurred and dissolved, fluid transformations, people losing their identities and becoming mass. TMA connections: Spiral, Stranger, Vast, Lonely, Eye, parts of Web.

Sulphur 🜍 (Anima, Soul): The principle of combustion, burning (literally and figuratively), transformation and change. The consciousness that bridges mind and body. The emotions, feelings and passions, the driving force. Too much sulphur (or if sulphur corrupts), and it becomes an agent of destruction. Passions become obsessions, yearning becomes an insatiable hunger, people are driven to violence and destructive acts. Catalyses transmutations, actualises mercurial concepts into the physical reality. TMA connections: Hunt, Slaughter, Desolation, other parts of Web.

Additional forces: Sol and Luna

Not yet sure how these fit, but the symbolism is clearly present.

Sol ☉ (Sun, Gold, Celestial Niter): The active principle, associated with fire, light, reason, passion, the Animus archetype, and both the noble ideals and the destructive qualities of humanity. Governs over the heart. It's the source of life and growth, but also the source of destruction. Gold is the purest and most perfect metal, and discovering the solar fire within oneself is often the goal of spiritual alchemy. Also seen as the pure form of sulphur. Should be balanced by the forces of the moon lest it consume everything.

Luna ☽ (Moon, Silver, Celestial Salt): The passive principle, associated with water, coldness, reflectivity, darkness, secrets, motherhood, the Anima archetype, emotional needs and sensitivity, the unconscious, and the dark, suppressed thoughts and desires. Governs over the brain. Often seen as a mirror into the personal and collective unconscious. Silver is the pure form of mercury, and it needs to be unified with gold to produce the Philosopher's Stone. Personally, I associate Luna with the recurring themes of Hunger and internal voids that are reflected on the reality.

My model for DPHW

This model is still unfinished and quite possibly wrong, but it's the best I've got right now. I base this model on the quaternity in the middle of the OIAR logo:

D = Death/Tod ?? = Salt: A passive force, perhaps measuring the prevalence of physical remains where the volatile elements have been separated. This is still the biggest question mark in the theory.

P/S = Power/Stärke = Sol: An active ego-driven force that exposes secrets and makes people go mad with power or the need to be seen. (Kind of like a monkey's paw where you're actively making the wish.)

H/H = Hunger/Hunger = Luna: A receptive force, perhaps representing the personal unconscious, that manifests your inner/secret/unconscious thoughts into reality. (Like a monkey's paw where you don't even know you're making a wish.)

W/U = Weird/Unheimlich = Mercury: A liminal, omnipresent and intangible force that reacts to collective thoughts and dissolves boundaries between realities (including between material/immaterial). Represents the collective unconscious. (Like an AI that reflects its training data but in the most unsettling ways.)

The four Sulphur signs at the corners could symbolise the consciousness/perception of ordinary people, and how they affect each of the four variables by manifesting reality. (I'll have to thank @thanatos-zagreus-shagreus for this idea)

[38sr]

I know this is gonna be a strange one, but I do have an industry question;

I've been looking for a job for the last 4 years post-grad, I've tried every bit of advice I've gotten over my 6 years in school and 4 years out. Is it too late for me?? Or more so what advice would you have at this point?? I'm starting to feel really negatively about this venture, and getting a day job has been just as difficult;;

Hello Sky! Hope it's okay to call you that. Ah post-grad job hunting.....I don't miss that period of my life at all. Before I begin, just want to preface that what I say going forward is strictly from my perspective/experience. I am not the absolute of the animation industry so if what I say doesn't align with you, you do not have to follow it haha. Alright, advice for post grad job hunting.... Well, I think I want to start off giving a bit of context for the animation landscape these past 4 years that has been rough for everyone (trust me it'll come back around to your question): 1.) COVID Pandemic

This one might be a confusing for some people because when COVID hit in 2020, the only facet of entertainment that was able to keep going was animation. If you remember, during this time streaming numbers went up because people were stuck at home, every studio was launching their own streaming platform (HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock, etc.) and celebrities were given animated shows because live-action had stopped dead in its tracks. This period allowed artists outside of California state to get hired because what's the point of capping the talent to the local area when we're already working remotely? In short, it was a boom. But an exponential boom rather than a gradual boom. You never wanna grow too fast because you'll crash out quicker (and harder) which leads us to our second factor.... 2.) Netflix's first ever round of layoffs in summer 2022, streaming actually isn't profitable?????

In short, this year is when Netflix's growth finally stopped and was the beginning of The Great Animation Contraction. Other studios who were looking to Netflix as a the new model of distributing/creating entertainment had realized Netflix wasn't invincible. As well as their business model. So naturally, they got scared and and take action (aka layoffs). I was affected by these layoffs while working at Marvel Studios and many artists got laid off at studios to save face from the mistake that was streaming (though at this point studios were still double downing on it). Also, around this time live-action was slowly restarting thanks to vaccines and social distancing protocols. So those celebrity studded animated productions dwindled down (and also they caused so much havoc for us animation workers because most of those celebrities had no animation production experience). Which now leads us to...

3.) Mergers everywhere! Yeah, uh, mergers fucking suck. People kept losing their jobs because companies kept absorbing into each other and multiplying their debts to ungodly dollars amounts! Apparently no one took a math class and understood if you multiply any number by zero you will always get a zero. These merger also caused more shows to get shelved and canned, making the job market even slimmer. And by then we get to 2023 and the....

4.) WGA, SAG and TAG Contract Negotiations By now, studios have realized that streaming is losing them money because it costs a butt load of money to not only create a streaming site, but also maintain it, update it, create new media for it, acquire established franchises for it, and maintain the current library. Streaming shows aren't being advertised like they used to on cable so shows don't last beyond one or two seasons. Worker contracts are becoming shorter and shorter (I had a co-worker who had a 3 month contract! Isn't that insane?). And what happens in the midst of this streaming meltdown?

WGA, SAG and TAG are gearing up for their contract negotiations. And as we know SAG (actors) and WGA (writers) did strike which good for them! But now there are no live-action jobs and once again, animation (TAG) is the only one running because our negotiations don't officially start until 2024. At this point, so many animated productions have been cancelled left and right for the sake of "saving money and cutting costs". And the effects were very much being felt in the animation work force. Some animation workers were starting to leave the state of California to more affordable cities, some getting day jobs as baristas, hell some leaving the industry all together. It didn't help that studios were kind of withholding production greenlights 'cause 1) they're greedy corporations 2) these strikes were putting pressure on them. And when we did enter 2024 for our contract negotiations, that contraction was at the tightest. The job market for animation had become so bone dry that you have director-level talent taking entry level jobs to stay afloat. But because of that new, emerging artists are blocked out from breaking in. Anytime a job listing would go up people would go in a frenzy and try every thing they could to get the job. That's how little shows were in production this year specifically. Of course, by now it is public that TAG has ratified the contract (meaning we will not strike). But up until then, studios were quite literally waiting with baited breath for the duration of negotiations. A ton of stuff was in development but nothing was getting a greenlight in fear of a strike. So many animation workers at this point have been laid off for at least 2 years, got priced out of LA county, or got so burned by the industry that they left for a more sustainable paycheck. At this point of the post you're probably thinking, "Why is she talking about all of this and not answering my question?"

And the reason for that is because I what to highlight you didn't miss your chance. You unfortunately graduated at a time where the circumstances were not good for breaking in for the past 4 years.

I'm not saying this to deter you from animation either. I just want to be transparent and honest about the current state of animation because it really has been bleak for the past 4 years. So it's not your fault but rather the industry was just in a seriously bad drought. Both emerging and veteran artists have been struggling to find work and when they do it didn't even last for 6 months. Hopefully, with the renewed contract studios will start greenlighting productions again so everyone isn't fighting for one job opening. But I can't tell 'cause I am not Raven Baxter haha. But what advice can I give during this tough time? Start developing your own projects. Things may be pretty dry right now but now is the time when you can create and develop your own original stuff that can be used in your portfolio. Short or long form, showing progress videos, just create. Because once you start working it's gonna be hard to find that personal project time (trust me I'm going through that right now haha). Also, you'd be surprised how just doing your own thing can garner the attention of someone who does have the power to hire you. How do you think I got to work on the shows I have in the animation industry? Almost all of my jobs happened because I was just creating my own thing and it just happened to match the sensibilities of a show produced by a Hollywood studio. And if I had any additional advice... it would probably be don't think that Hollywood is the only way you can tell your stories.

This one is more of....a recent revelation I've had after going through a pretty bad work experience but Hollywood isn't the only way you can be a storyteller. Whether it's comics, games, streaming, animation, or film....the Hollywood system isn't the end all be all. And by Hollywood system I'm referring to breaking into a big studio like Disney, Nick or something and trying to get your own movie/tv show to win an award or something. That system often works for a certain group of people and fails other groups. That's why I say develop and create your own thing because you might find something that fits your creative voice more than Disney or any other Hollywood studio. Maybe that's inconsiderate of me to say as someone who's been incredibly lucky to work in the animation industry for almost 8 years now....but I still wanna be honest that there are other avenues that isn't the Hollywood way. All in all, please don't give up or beat yourself up. The current state of animation within America was out your control and resulted in many artists struggling to find a job. You aren't too late. In fact, I would say now is your time to do your thing in preparation for when that hiring boom comes again (or you can just take another route to tell your stories). I hope that answered your question!

[edutainer2022]

I'm tinkering again with the idea of the Tracies making the life of Counterterrorism/Special Ops difficult. This bit is probably more pertinent to UNREQUITED. Tempers fly. More context could be found, but is not strictly necessary, in PERSON OF INTEREST TOO and COUP DE GRÂCE. All the thanks to @janetm74 for bearing with me.

DA 18*

"So, given the circumstances, I have to INSIST on protective custody."

*baffled murmur all around*

"With the GDF?! What do you mean?!"

"I mean, MISTER Tracy, that you need to close operations and sit tight, till we catch him."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"Scott, wait! If the threat is legit..."

"I just spent half an hour briefing you how legit it is, Ms. Kyrano!"

"If the threat is legit we can invoke the lock down of the Tracy Island and take it from there."

"I'm afraid, none of the Tracy properties hold up to my team's security standards."

"EXCUSE ME!"

*indignant murmur all around*

"Well, let's see - your secure venues and systems have been breached and overtaken on multiple occasions by an international crime ring leader Belah Gaat, his know accomplice, wanted for acts of terrorism, the Mechanic, and a Cognitive Transformer Model, aka Eos, which, in turn, had been compromised on at least two recorded occasions. Not exactly a stellar track record of security protocols."

"How do you know about Eos?!"

"Dr. Simpson?"

"The neural network, incorporating elements of an open source code Dr. Tracy left behind on Harvard servers a while ago, has been trained on curated datasets, before escaping containment. The model has been accessing data and training in unsupervised conditions ever since. Last known hosting - Thunderbird Five server."

"Thank you! But I'm still more worried about breaches in perimeter on the Island and Grand Roca ranch."

*blue glare* *jade glare*

"You DO NOT suggest there's a mole in the IR!!!"

"Now, now! I'm sure Captain here makes no such allegations."

"No, Colonel Casey. I'd still rather be safe than sorry."

"Do you stipulate my security protocols are insufficient?"

"Let's see... No extra recon, Ms. Kyrano: how many assault points are in this room?"

"Door, windows, ventilation, possibly the holo drive or carry on devices."

"Very good. But not good enough."

*blue glare* *jade glare*

"Of those present, at least Colonel Casey and myself are carrying firearms."

*gasps*

"Everyone in this room has been extensively vetted!"

"You see, Ms. Kyrano, the problem is you keep thinking like a bodyguard. To protect Mister Tracy, you need to start thinking like an assassin."

"I'm sitting right here!"

"No. You're not. I just shot you point blank."

*toppled chair clanking* *glare off*

"This is ridiculous! I will NOT shut down IR and cower just because there's possibly a psycho from Bereznik on the loose!"

*blue glare down*

"Caramba, Scott! Stop being so obtuse AGAIN and LISTEN! He doesn't want your money, he doesn't want your tech, he doesn't give a damn about your Thunderbirds, he doesn't want to make a statement about your father's legacy! He wants you to suffer and he wants you GONE! And he will get to you, by any means necessary. By ANY means! Do you think he'd care how many brothers he'd have to eliminate first?!"

*glare around*

*heavy breathing*

*hard swallow*

"What do you suggest?"

"Obrigada mãe Maria! For starters, let's get going! Right now I'm the only person I trust with your life."

*jade glare*

"Well, I DON'T!"

"Good, Ms. Kyrano! Now you're really learning something."

----

* highest level of Danger Assessment

[astronomalyy]

Mouthwashing notes/analysis: Chapter 2 (Part 1)

Mouthwashing is a fundamentally different experience on its initial playthrough. This chapter doesn't just introduce the cast — it encourages the player to form assumptions surrounding the crew, which will be interrogated as the game progresses.

Jimmy is established as something of an anti-hero. He's been dealt a bad hand and placed in a position of authority he never anticipated, but he's willing to fix things through any means necessary. This description isn't strictly accurate, but it's the impression the player receives.

One of his first lines has him standing up for Daisuke. It's a small but significant gesture. Not only is there nothing immediately wrong with Jimmy, we're given a reason to side with him over Swansea.

The ship's mechanic has an altogether different introduction. Swansea's model is locked in a permanent scowl, his aggressive demeanor juxtaposed with Jimmy's comparative calm. His main priority is the crew's collective salary. Given their working-class status, he's less shallow than he first appears, but it's hardly an agreeable sentiment.

As we'll later learn, Swansea has a troubling relationship with death. This line is the first indication of his passively suicidal tendencies.

He's unnecessarily harsh towards Daisuke, a trend which continues throughout the game. Without further context, the player initially interprets this as pure animosity. Coupled with his mocking description of Curly, this makes Swansea come across as bitter and spiteful.

In contrast with his mentor, Daisuke is immediately likeable. His first lines establish his naivete — his ignorance may be a character flaw, but coupled with his relative youth, it's more than a little endearing. He's been training under a dystopian corporation for almost seven months and he's still surprised by their open callousness.

His undue optimism is the game's main source of levity. He sincerely believes accidentally hitting a teammate with a baseball bat qualifies him to bash in a metre thick steel door.

Daisuke wears his uniform under his signature Hawaiian shirt. He's yet to integrate into company culture, although he's desperate to contribute.

Although Jimmy will later frame Anya as cowardly and incompetent, she's consistently shown to be vigilant and resourceful. He's ostensibly the captain, but Anya, the ship's full-time nurse, is the one reading the safety protocols.

Her proposal is entirely reasonable, but Swansea cuts her off mid-sentence. The crew rarely take her seriously.

Confining the story to the same six rooms creates both a sense of claustrophobia and ample space for environmental storytelling.

The Tulpar's lounge was hypothetically designed for the comfort of the crew, but corporate incentives have taken priority. Pony Express's branding is omnipresent, from the posters on the walls to the insignia on the table. This blurs the boundary between work and rest, paralleling the company's sleep-deprivation policy.

Fittingly for the ship's 'twilight voyage', the window screen is now trapped in sunset mode. The crew's last days have been artificially extended, continuing the theme of delaying the inevitable.

The lounge now doubles as improvised sleeping quarters. The crew have lost access to all private space; they can no longer escape each other.

Swansea sleeps by the kitchen unit — he keeps himself distant from his coworkers. Daisuke, meanwhile, is trusting and sociable — his mattress is next to Jimmy's. Anya sleeps opposite, facing her abuser, unable to let her guard down.

Her futon sits in front of the voice-activated Polle statue. She converts it from an extension of the ship's hostile architecture to a makeshift protector. Jimmy warps the mascot to represent her fetus, but during the final hallucination sequence, it will once again adopt this role.

Given the map's geography, Daisuke is the first character most players will choose to interact with. The room's high ceiling and the empty sunset background frame him to look smaller. He's aimless and vulnerable, still unaware of the situation's gravity. Still waiting for rescue to arrive.

Of all the crew members, Jimmy harbours the least hostility towards Daisuke. His superficial kindness is contrasted with Swansea's superficial cruelty; the game's turning point will reframe both dynamics.

Daisuke is emotionally intelligent enough to understand Swansea's animosity is performative, but fails to realise why he strikes a nerve with his mentor. Swansea believes he wasted his life in pursuit of a respectable career. He's approaching retirement in a dying industry, watching his unwanted apprentice take the first steps towards the same fate.

We'll soon learn Daisuke never wanted to board. He's feigning enthusiasm to make the best of a bad situation. As the youngest, least experienced and least qualified, he looks to his superiors for guidance and reassurance. Swansea is unwilling to provide these. He feels a responsibility to shepherd Daisuke out of Pony Express — showing affection would mix this signal.

However, Daisuke can't quit until the haul's over. As Swansea grows increasingly erratic, the ship's acting captain will become his primary authority figure.

Although the lie begun as self-defence, Jimmy genuinely blames Curly for everything that transpired. His pent-up hatred now socially acceptable, it becomes an honest reflection of his worldview.

Class is the defining aspect of Jimmy's identity. He views himself as a beaten-down worker at the bottom of the ladder, Curly mocking him from above. This individualistic framework ignores the fractional divide between the two and the overarching oppression that traps them both. They're victims of capitalism, of Pony Express, quite literally on the same boat. Systemic thinking requires solidarity Jimmy is unwilling to express.

Swansea turns this against him — despite his denim coveralls, Jimmy is no longer 'blue-collar'. On a spiritual level, he's spurned his colleagues by usurping their Captain's position of authority.

He's still no paragon of class-consciousness. At this point in the timeline, Anya is carrying a greater burden than anyone else on the ship. Both Jimmy and Swansea lack basic first aid training — their 'so-called nurse' is singlehandedly keeping Curly alive.

Swansea veils this as an insult, but he's still comparing Daisuke to his own children. Freighter hauling has forced them both away from their families — as their chances of rescue diminish, Swansea tries to adopt a fatherly role. It's worth noting Daisuke never quite reciprocates this dynamic. He thinks he'll see his parents again.

Much of Swansea's anger is directed not at Daisuke himself, but at his presence on the Tulpar. Daisuke has no skills to offer and no obligation to provide for his family. He was a last minute addition — Pony Express never even thought to allocate him a cryopod. Swansea may not like Daisuke, but he's protective over the intern. He fails, but he tries.

[kurios-development-hell]

I'm taking a break to stretch my legs. I has been cooking the model from noon to... what? is already 1 AM? 😢

Context: This is the "Dark Fountain Awards" badge Kurio received some time in the past. He's not particularly proud of it, and just wearing it out of protocol, as reminder for himself that truths should be disclosed always in small doses and tucked behind askew lines for the proper people to find them. It's just a commentary on how censorship (namely Queen) if not evaded well, it can ruin your entire career. Is not that he's partial to Queen (even less after he finished his entire report on the EXCEPTION Crisis end, which is what gave him a few accolades and awards), it's just that he needs to keep the statu quo if he wants to keep giving the Cyberians the historic information they all crave. But more about that backstory of his in the writing that I plan to upload to AO3 because:

I got the invitation at last! But dang, I has so many things to do yet before I can indulge in some spot of narrative... Anyway, back to the grind 🧊

[prismsoup]

hi helloo i was thinking about spears and was wondering why it is docile around ancients (if that fact is still canon idk) is he programmed to be like that or is it just how he is?

i wasn't sure if this fits with your askblog or not so i just put this here

Hi !! Yeah asking the question here is better because the ask blog is a bit inactive I need to like- remake it and stuff

As for why he's so docile, here's an old lil pearl text I made first :

Docility Protocols - This pearl contains a scrapped bit of code for a docility protocol. Docility protocols are meant to put heavy restrictions on the mind of a freshly constructed Iterator as to force it to build its mindset around the glorification of its creators - or at least deny it the ability to criticize them in any shape or form. The protocols are meant to be eventually overridden, though remnants remain as to keep the Iterator in check. Some considered those to be highly unethical, and not many Iterators were built with such high restrictions.

Basically it's hardcoded into him. But it is also partially taught behavior, enough so that even if you removed the protocols now, the behavior would remain (although it would risk spiralling into something more dangerous and obsessive than it already is).

The Docility Protocols work along the internal taboos (so that following the protocols doesnt accidentally cause it to bypass a taboo- a Benefactor cannot lead him to cross himself out for example) and the Order of Priority (an internal classification of the Benefactors : Creators > Clients > citizens (other) in his case) The Order of Priority dictates the base intensity of the Docility Protocols' programmed behavior depending on the individuals the iterator is interacting with. A Creator will be worshipped as a God, but a Client or citizen (other) will be regarded as merely god-like (and the iterator may behave in a neutral manner towards them).

The high intensity of Twenty Long Spears Pierce the Sky's specific version of these Protocols + the way he was taught to behave lead him to develop a sort of obsession over some Benefactors (which worsened as less and less of them visited his structure- he is not a "city handler" so he possesses no real Citizens (thus why his Order of Priority doesnt contain the Citizens class and only has citizens (other)), meaning he relies mostly on Creators and Clients for interactions).

Side note : a Client (in his context) is a Benefactor who visits the structure with an interest in investing in similar projects / iterator models or wishes to collaborate on related products with the House of Concerns (TLSPTS' House). A citizen (other) is a non-Client Benefactor visiting the structure, for any reason. A Creator is never classified as Client or citizen (other).

[liminalweirdo]

over 20,000 people in the United States died of Covid-19 since the beginning of 2024. Millions who avoided death are nonetheless still living with Long Covid, and this number grows each month. We are still in crisis.

Most importantly, though, implementing accessibility measures during an active pandemic is the right thing to do, as it makes events safer for everyone. Black communities, people of color, the disability community at large, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and low-income communities continue to be especially hard-hit by the pandemic and the abandonment of Covid-19 precautions. The pandemic reproduces the very forms of ableism, classism, and racism that existed before 2020. There are millions of already systemically marginalized people who are being further pushed out of public life. This is unjust, and we must do better. 

[However,] a blueprint for radical inclusion and living a full, safer life within the context of Covid-19 exists.

source

Install HEPA filters in your space. Installing a plug-in air purifier in your space is a great place to begin. Because almost all public spaces currently fall short of the ventilation needed for Covid-19 safety, it’s safe to assume that your space would also benefit from this efficient first step. Make sure it’s appropriately sized for your space and continuously running. If funds allow, upgrade your HVAC system to include HEPA filtration.

Practice mask requirements. Consider requiring and providing high-quality masks for everyone who will be in your space and attending your events. Contrary to popular belief, mask requirements do not deter guests in any meaningful numbers. Clean Air Club has been hosting Covid-safer events in Chicago for over a year, and a majority of the mask-required events sell out every time. If obtaining masks for your event is cost-prohibitive, check in with your local mask bloc for assistance.

Collect and share data on the safety of your space and region. Collect data on the ventilation in your space using a carbon dioxide (CO2) monitor. The higher the number, the more attention you need to pay to improving the ventilation and air purification in the space. Open windows and doors, crank up the HVAC, and plug in another purifier. You’ll know you’ve succeeded when the CO2 levels in your space are close to the levels expected outdoors in fresh air (around 400 ppm). As a bonus, this improved ventilation and purification will remediate poor air quality due to climate-change induced wildfires, improve concentration, and aid in accommodating disabling conditions such as asthma and allergies. Data collection should also include monitoring wastewater data, now our most accurate picture of the true prevalence of Covid-19 and other wastewater-monitored viruses in our population at any given time. We can use this data to increase the number of mitigation strategies adopted when wastewater levels are high. Consider creating an internal chart at your organization that lists protocols associated with different wastewater levels, reducing the burden of communication and oversight during higher periods.

Consider additional mitigation layers. Some of the other layers of protection from the swiss cheese model include: pre-event testing, far-UVC lights, providing options for virtual participation, and asking guests to stay home if they’re showing any symptoms of contagious or novel illness. Consider promoting individualized mitigation approaches within your organizations, such as the usage of nasal spray and CPC mouthwash. The key is to remain creative, flexible, and open to adding layers of protection in response to changing risk levels in the environment.

Open up lines of communication. As you implement mitigation layers, communicate them to your community. Ask them how they’ve been impacted by Covid-19 and give people space to share their access needs and ideas. This will provide a crucial why behind your actions and investments. Using the accessibility principle of designing for the highest possible need, your virus safety plan should accommodate the most vulnerable and impacted community members rather than those who have high risk thresholds or behave as though the pandemic is over. Part of effective pandemic communication includes providing accessibility and virus safety information in an Access Note or in an Accessibility Guide. This information should be repeated often in marketing and outreach materials.

Resources

[foundationsolution1]

Unveiling The Intricacies Of Excavation: Delving Deeper During Construction

Excavation: the simple term encapsulates a myriad of skills, procedures, and safety measures that contribute significantly to every construction project. Most construction work begins with the careful removal of earth, making a hole or channelling the ground to prepare for the erection of buildings or laying of pipelines. As commonplace as it might seem, excavation is a crucial part of construction that requires extensive planning, expertise and precision.

To begin with, what exactly is excavation? Technically, it’s the process of moving earth, rock or other materials from a site with tools, equipment, or explosives. It includes earthwork, trenching, wall shafts, tunnelling and underground. Yet, in the context of construction, excavation extends beyond mere digging. It modulates the terrain to suit the structural requirement, ensuring the safety and stability of the ensuing structure.

At the heart of every excavation project is the objective to create a stable, safe, and efficient worksite. Basic excavation work typically follows the same series of steps. First, a site assessment is undertaken to determine the composition and stability of the soil, presence of water or rock layers, and any potential hazards. The comprehensive analysis garnered from this assessment then directs the excavation strategy.

Next comes site preparation, which involves clearing the area of any vegetation, debris, or existing structures. This process ensures a clean slate for construction work while minimising the risk of accidents and disturbances during excavation. Benching or sloping techniques could also be implemented on the site to prevent collapse or landslide from happening, thus achieving safety protocol adherence.

The actual excavation work is executed in a carefully measured and precise manner. Whether it’s done manually with shovels and wheelbarrows or mechanically with bulldozers, excavators and backhoes, the work is always carried out meticulously. Technology has indeed become an integral part of excavation, with engineers using software to model excavations prior to deployment, minimising surprises or miscalculations.

Trench excavation is another common practice where a narrow excavation is crafted that is deeper than it is wide. Used mostly for laying pipes, cables and service lines, trench excavation greatly increases the safety of workers by preventing cave-ins and providing easy access to the worksite.

Wet Weather excavation is a challenging scenario frequently encountered on work sites. Here, strategic measures are taken to handle water accumulation. Pumps can be used to remove water, and dewatering methods may be deployed to minimize the water table level.

Post excavation work, structures are erected, pipes are laid, and soil is replaced around the new structure or channel. Again, this is done with extreme care to ensure the stability of the structure and prevent unnecessary exertion of pressure.

In every construction project, the importance of excavation can’t be overstated. It lays the foundation for a safe and successful build. Despite it being a process often overlooked or simplified by laymen, and sometimes perceived as the mundane act of digging, it is, in fact, a scientific procedure replete with precision and tactical stratagems, rivalling the complexity of the structure it prepares ground for.

From the analysis of soil composition to the final touch of replacing the removed dirt, excavation attests to the power of human intervention over nature, moulding the earth to suit the burgeoning demands of urban structures and infrastructures. Understanding its finer details, we may appreciate more deeply the caveats of the construction world and marvel at the impressive structures made possible by these complex and elemental earth movements.

Tagged Construction, Excavation, Foundation Solutions, Intricacies Of Excavation

[iviarellereads]

A note on coverage of The Murderbot Diaries

This one's perhaps even more of a departure from the initial expectations of the blog than the Neverending Story was, but all good things are... subject to change? No, that makes it sound like it's not as good.

The Murderbot Diaries are a series by Martha Wells, about a security construct (SecUnit, the name for the designated model type and, by extension, the name used by most of the people Murderbot encounters) that broke its own governor module (think DRM) and functions independently, though it pretends it's still good locked-down company property. It exhibits strong symptoms of social anxiety, making it one of the most relatable robots ever, and accidentally makes friends.

Murderbot itself has no gender. The audiobook narrator is Kevin R. Free, and the subject doesn't come up very often in the story, so a lot of people assume and assign masculinity. Despite that, Murderbot is and knows it is a construct accessorized with the most expedient biological parts, expresses no human gender, and uses it/its pronouns. This just doesn't get clarified until much later in the series, if at all, and I'd rather have everyone understand it up front so nobody accuses me of object-ifying a person who literally personally identifies as an object.

I think this series is really neat. It's so much an exploration of personhood, like your average robot story but with mental illness. Heck, don't mind if I make references all the way back to Rossum's Universal Robots, the (extremely readable or watchable! highly recommended by me) stage play that is the origin of the word itself in its modern context, or perhaps further back all the way to Frankenstein. Murderbot is in conversation with two hundred years of science fiction exploring what it means to be, and besides that, I think it does some really interesting things with the prose.

So, with the newest book coming out in a couple of months, I decided to merge my desire to reread it with my desire to pick it apart under a microscope the way this project allows. We'll be covering more or less in release date order, with the exception of the expanded edition of Compulsory recently released going back to back with the original to compare and contrast.

So please, instead of peace this time, give Murder(bot) a chance, and join me on this space adventure.

Link index:

All Systems Red

Artificial Condition

Rogue Protocol

Exit Strategy

Compulsory (Short story: Wired Magazine vs republished and expanded edition)

Obsolescence (Take Us To A Better Place collection)

Network Effect 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory

Fugitive Telemetry 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

System Collapse 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12