#Modems for sale

[mannequinjoints]

had a return book in for me at work 3 hrs before I was supposed to come in so I woke up early & showered & got dressed and while I was literally waiting at the bus stop heading over she canceled 😭 and now my manager canceled my whole shift so I'm just sitting here fully dressed and made up for work...

[seat-safety-switch]

My job? Piss cop. I make sure that nobody stands next to you at the urinal and tries to make conversation. When I told my dad what I was doing, he was upset. Sixties radical, hated every cop. Didn't trust them. Came to work with me one day to see if I was a fascist. Tears in his eyes the first time I smashed a truncheon filled with lead shot across a Bay Street banker's face for ignoring my third warning. I was wrong, son, he cried. This is so beautiful.

Now, don't get confused about why I'm there. I don't care who uses the urinal, so long as you don't use it right next to someone else. Stalls are a bit of a grey area, admittedly. Most of my beat only has two stalls, and sometimes both of those are just gonna fill up. You better not try to sell someone on a timeshare while you're there, though. Polite requests for additional toilet paper can go through me.

You might also wonder about sinks. The media's been real confused about sink etiquette lately, probably because one of the officers in 7th Precinct – it's always Seventh – beat up a state senator's aide for trying to talk about the weather. He actually got his ass whupped for not washing his hands at all, and trying to leave. You really want some guy with pee hands wandering around out there?

Rest assured, sink rules are very loose indeed, not like in Germany. You can chat about whatever you want at the sink, but you can only make incidental eye contact through the mirror, and the conversation is ten seconds max. Having a whole conversation about modem sales? Save that kind of business talk for the hallway, where way fewer people are trying to pee.

Critics should keep in mind that we're protecting you from the real scum of the earth: insurance salesmen. Once, in a more primitive era, they would lurk inside every bathroom, ready to entrap you during your most vulnerable periods of urination to talk about how cool it would be if your widow got five thousand dollars when you died. That dark time is long past. Sure, the system isn't perfect, but it also lets me pee in comfort. Now wash your hands and get out.

[charl0ttan]

Thank you for (indirectly) introducing me to the most spectacular artist bio I've ever seen:

Sabrina Spellman was mixing dope beats in the other realm, which she recorded onto her inherited heirloom tape machine, made with her carboot-sale drum machines and charity-shop synthesizers, and decided to import them into her eMac. She was pleased with how they sounded, and used Bias Peak to bring them in-line with ITU BS.1770 standards. Suddenly, after a rousing game of chase-and-mouse, the housecat (Salum) ran into her bedroom with his typical brusque countenance. "Hey, who's been raving out to some GROOVY tunes?", and SaylemCat suddenly started dancing on the keyboard of the computer. All was quite funny, when Salem the CAT hit upload by accident and sent the tracks raining from the New England attic onto Soundcloud in the future, via inter-timeal-dimentional-modem-travel. Now the tracks are being uploaded and the social media is updated by Salem the cat, from an old colonel dutch-house, somewhere in 1996.<br>

really really amazing. i assume u also sent the ask about if i listen to her? i started charmed but got distracted many such cases! need to finish it:)

[the-sun-station]

god damn I fucking hate ISPs dude

there's an ISP in my line of work that's been peddling "100x100 fiber anywhere in North America" and someone in my company, somehow, fucked around, fell for this scam, and started ordering this for problem sites.

we're now in the finding out phase where it turns out they're just fucking cellular modem resellers like you'd get from those terrible T-Mobile home internet ads??? we've had at least a couple dozen sites all report issues with internet speeds in the 256kbps range making the store non-functional.

their solution if their shitty resold SIM cards don't work? fucking Starlink, baybee. which they still market as fiber service in their sales material lmfao

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Business / Tech

Apple launches the iPhone 16e, a cheaper new version of the iPhone 16

By Lisa Eadicicco, CNN

4 minute read

Updated 11:55 AM EST, Wed February 19, 2025

People walk by an Apple store at the Westfield UTC shopping center on January 31, 2025 in San Diego, California.Kevin Carter/Getty Images North America/Getty Images CNN  — 

Apple on Wednesday announced a cheaper new version of the iPhone 16 called the iPhone 16e, signaling a renewed push into the budget smartphone market for the tech giant. It��s also the first iPhone with a cellular modem designed by Apple, and the cheapest iPhone Apple currently sells that supports Apple Intelligence.

The iPhone 16e costs $599 and launches on February 28.

Adding Apple Intelligence on a cheaper iPhone could be crucial for putting the company’s AI tools in the hands of more consumers. Apple has faced increased competition from Google and Samsung in recent years, both in the budget smartphone market and in the AI space. Google’s cheaper Pixel A-series of phones have been well received, for example, and both Google and Samsung have prioritized updating Android devices with new AI features over the last year.

The launch also marks a shift away from the iPhone SE, the budget iPhone line Apple debuted in 2016 and last updated in 2022. The iPhone SE made up only a sliver of Apple’s iPhone market share, according to research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, which reports it accounted for just 5% of US iPhone sales as of December 2024.

The iPhone 16e, despite being more expensive than the SE, could be more appealing to those who want a device that feels more like Apple’s more recent phones. The iPhone SE was the last iPhone with a traditional home button and fingerprint sensor on the front, a longtime staple that Apple began shifting away from with the iPhone X in 2017.

Apple announced the iPhone 16e on February 19.Apple

What the iPhone 16e can do

Apple claims the new 5G modem in the iPhone 16e is the “most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone.” The new modem is arriving more than five years after Apple acquired the majority of troubled chipmaker Intel’s smartphone modem business in 2019. Using its own modems makes Apple less reliant on partners and suppliers, giving it more control over product development and launch timing.

The iPhone 16e marks a long-awaited overhaul to Apple’s cheaper iPhone. The $429 iPhone SE, while less expensive, looked like the seven-year-old iPhone 8 and lacked features found on most new phones, such as face unlock and a nearly borderless screen. After Wednesday’s announcement, the iPhone SE is no longer available on Apple’s online store.

Unlike the iPhone SE, the iPhone 16e has a lot in common with the iPhone 16, bringing it up to speed with Apple’s current lineup. Both phones have a 6.1-inch screen, Face ID, a 48-megapixel camera and the Action button for programming shortcuts. However, the iPhone 16e is cheaper and it lacks a dedicated second camera for capturing wider shots and the Camera Control button for quickly accessing the camera.

It’s powered by the same processor as the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup, enabling it to run Apple Intelligence.

Apple Intelligence, which until now has only been available on the iPhone 16 family, 2023’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and certain iPads and Macs, is a blanket term that refers to a handful of AI-powered tools – such as the ability to generate emojis and images with a prompt, summarize notifications, and remove objects from photos as well as ChatGPT integration with Siri.

The popularity of ChatGPT following its late 2022 release sent a shockwave through the tech industry, prompting companies such as Microsoft, Google and Samsung to incorporate generative AI into their products.

But Apple was largely considered to be a latecomer to consumer-facing artificial intelligence. Like many tech companies, Apple has long used AI to power backend features, like camera modes, but didn’t begin rolling out Apple Intelligence until last fall. Apple Intelligence’s arrival on a cheaper device like the iPhone 16e signals the company sees AI as being a core part of its products moving forward.

Tech giants have positioned generative AI and chatbots as the next major evolution in how consumers use and interact with technology. Yet it’s unclear whether AI tools like Apple Intelligence will be compelling enough to drive smartphone upgrades, with Apple’s iPhone revenue falling short of Wall Street’s expectations in its fiscal first quarter of 2025.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Enshitternet

Going to Burning Man? Catch me on Tuesday at 2:40pm on the Center Camp Stage for a talk about enshittification and how to reverse it; on Wednesday at noon, I'm hosting Dr Patrick Ball at Liminal Labs (6:15/F) for a talk on using statistics to prove high-level culpability in the recruitment of child soldiers.

On September 6 at 7pm, I'll be hosting Naomi Klein at the LA Public Library for the launch of Doppelganger.

On September 12 at 7pm, I'll be at Toronto's Another Story Bookshop with my new book The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.

This week on my podcast, I read "Enshitternet: The old, good internet deserves a new, good internet," my recent Medium column about building a better internet:

https://doctorow.medium.com/enshitternet-c1d4252e5c6b

As John @hodgman is fond of reminding us, "nostalgia is a toxic impulse." It is easy for an old net.hand like me to fall into the trap of shaking his fist at the cloud. Having been on the other side of that dynamic, I can tell you it's no fun.

When I got on BBSes in the early 1980s, there was an omnipresent chorus of grumps insisting that the move from honest acoustic couplers to decadent modems was the end of the Golden Age of telecommunications:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_coupler

When I got on Usenet shortly thereafter, the Unix Greybeard set never passed up an opportunity to tell us newcomers that the Fidonet-Usenet bridge allowed the barbarian hordes to overwhelm their Athenian marketplace of ideas:

https://technicshistory.com/2020/06/25/the-era-of-fragmentation-part-4-the-anarchists/

When I joined The WELL in the late 1980s, I was repeatedly assured that the good times were over, and that we would never see their like again:

https://www.well.com/

Now that I'm 52, I've learned to recognize this dynamic, from the Eternal September:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September

to the moral panic over menuing systems replacing CLIs:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/02/gopher-when-adversarial-interoperability-burrowed-under-gatekeepers-fortresses

to the culture wars over what would happen when the net got a normie-friendly GUI:

https://www.dejavu.org/1993win.htm

And yeah, I've done it too, explaining "Why I won’t buy an iPad (and think you shouldn’t, either)":

https://memex.craphound.com/2010/04/01/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-you-shouldnt-either/

But there's a key difference between my own warnings about the enshittification that new "user friendly" technologies would engender and all those other AARP members' complaints: they were wrong, and I was right.

As Tom Eastman reminded us, the internet really was better, back before it became "five giant websites filled with screenshots of text of the other four":

https://twitter.com/tveastman/status/1069674780826071040

The underlying pathology of that enshittification wasn't the UI, or whether it involved an app store. As the Luddites knew, the important thing about a technology isn't what it does, but who it does it for and who it does it to:

https://locusmag.com/2022/01/cory-doctorow-science-fiction-is-a-luddite-literature/

The problem wasn't which technology we used. There is nothing inherent about touchscreens that makes them into prisons that trap users, rather than walled gardens that protect them.

Likewise, the problem wasn't who made that technology. We didn't swap wise UUCP Monks for venal tech bros. The early tech world was full of public-spirited sysops, but it was also full of would-be monopolists who tried – and failed – to get us to "stop talking to each other and start buying things":

https://catvalente.substack.com/p/stop-talking-to-each-other-and-start

If it wasn't the technology that killed the old, good internet, and if it wasn't the people who killed the old, good internet, where did the enshitternet come from?

It wasn't the wrong tech, it wasn't the wrong people: it was the wrong rules. After all, the Apple ][+ went on sale the year Ronald Reagan hit the campaign trail. Consumer tech was the first industry born after antitrust was dismantled, and it created the modern monopoly playbook: buying and merging with competitors. The resulting unity of purpose and anticompetitive profit margins allowed tech to capture its regulators and secure favorable court and legislative outcomes.

The simultaneous drawdown of antitrust enforcement and growth of tech meant that tech's long-standing cycle of renewal was ended. Tech companies that owed their existence to their ability to reverse-engineer incumbent companies' products and make interoperable replacements and add-ons were able to ban anyone else from doing unto them as they did unto the giants that came before them:

https://doctorow.medium.com/let-the-platforms-burn-6fb3e6c0d980

The pirates became admirals, and set about creating a "felony contempt of business model":

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/03/painful-burning-dribble/#law-of-intended-consequences

They changed the rules to ensure that they could "disrupt" anyone they chose, but could themselves mobilize the full might of the US government to prevent anyone from disrupting them:

https://locusmag.com/2019/01/cory-doctorow-disruption-for-thee-but-not-for-me/

The old, good internet was the internet we we able to make while tech was still realizing the new anticompetitive powers it had at its disposal, and it disappeared because every administration, R and D, from Reagan to Trump, yanked more and more Jenga blocks out of the antitrust tower.

In other words: the old, good internet was always doomed, because it was being frantically built in an ever-contracting zone of freedom to tinker, where technologies could be operated by and for the people who used them.

Today, the Biden administration has ushered in a new era of antitrust renewal, planting the seeds of a disenshittification movement that will tame corporate power rather than nurturing it:

https://www.eff.org/de/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby

In other words, we are living in the first days of a better nation.

In other words, rather than restoring the old, good internet, we should build a new, good internet.

What is a new, good internet? It's an internet where it's legal to:

reverse-engineer the products and services you use, to add interoperability to them so you can leave a social network without leaving your friends:

https://www.eff.org/interoperablefacebook

jailbreak devices to remove antifeatures, like surveillance, ink-locking, or repair-blocking:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/17/have-you-tried-not-spying/#coppa

move your media files and apps from any platform to any device or service, even if the company that sold them to you objects:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/07/audible-exclusive/#audiblegate

A new, good internet gives powers to users, and takes power away from corporations:

https://doctorow.medium.com/twiddler-1b5c9690cce6

On a new, good internet, companies can't practice algorithmic wage discrimination:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

They can't turn search into an auction between companies that match your query and companies that want to sell you fakes and knockoffs:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/28/enshittification/#relentless-payola

They can't charge rent to the people whose feeds you asked to read for the privilege of reaching you:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/10/e2e/#the-censors-pen

In fact, a new, good internet is one where we euthanize rentiers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

On the new good internet, your boss can't use bossware to turn "work from home" into "live at work":

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/24/gwb-rumsfeld-monsters/#bossware

And on top of that, you have the right to hack that bossware to undetectably disable it (and hackers have the right to sell or give you that hack):

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/tech-rights-are-workers-rights-doordash-edition

On the new, good internet, we stop pretending that tech is stealing content from news companies, and focus on how tech steals money from the news, with app taxes, rigged ad markets, surveillance ads, and payola:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/saving-news-big-tech

The new, good internet is an internet where we seize the means of computation. It's an internet operated by and for the people who use it.

Hodgman is right. Nostalgia is a toxic impulse. The point of making a new, good internet isn't to revive the old, good internet. There were plenty of problems with the old, good internet. The point is to make a new, good internet that is the worthy successor to the old, good internet – and to consign the enshitternet to the scrapheap of history, an unfortunate transitional stage between one good internet and another.

Here's a link to the podcast episode:

https://craphound.com/news/2023/08/21/enshitternet-the-old-good-internet-deserves-a-new-good-internet/

and here's a direct link to the MP3 (hosting courtesy of the Internet Archive; they'll host your stuff for free, forever):

https://archive.org/download/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_448/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_448_-_Enshitternet.mp3

and here's a link to my podcast's RSS feed:

https://feeds.feedburner.com/doctorow_podcast

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/22/the-new-good-internet/#the-old-good-internet

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[oldwebmlp]

"In this day and age, Ponyland is the Internet."

From: http://web.archive.org/web/20021006051312/http://www.geocities.com/kalavista/info.htm

Longer excerpt below the cut (or follow the link above to the Wayback Machine's archive of the page):

The Internet Connection

In this day and age, Ponyland is the Internet. You can't do much collecting if you don't have easy access to the 'Net. Ponies in thrift shops and at garage sales are few and far between these days. During the '80's, ponies abounded everywhere ~ brand new and secondhand. But it's been almost twenty years since ponies first appeared, and they are beginning to disappear.

A few years ago I discovered pony collecting on the Internet, and it opened up a whole new world of opportunity for me. I got out my checkbook, fired up my modem, and started buying in a frenzy. I spent way too much on ponies before I discovered the marvels of trading. I could actually exchange my duplicates and unwanted ponies for rare foreign ponies and mail-order ponies!

Basically, on the Internet, you can get any pony you want. All you need is either cash, or some great connections. I had both, but my connections proved most valuable, getting me great trades and even a few good buying deals.

I have several pony pen-pals around the world ~ Germany, Sweden, Austria, Canada, and England ~ and through them, I have made some really fantastic pony deals, which I'll brag about later.

[beardedmrbean]

French lawmakers Monday adopted a bill making it easier to open a bar in villages without one, with backers saying it would revive rural socialising, but critics warning of health risks.

France had some 200,000 cafes in 1960, often serving as the social centre of gravity for communities around the country.

By 2015, that number had fallen to just 36,000, with most closures in rural areas, according to a 2017 report from the France Boissons industry body and the CREDOC consumer studies agency.

The new legislation, which would loosen strict restrictions on new bar permits to sell hard liquor, does away with “an old and obsolete legal framework", said the centrist lawmaker behind the bill, Guillaume Kasbarian.

He and other lawmakers argued the change was needed to bring back cafes and bars to remote countryside areas, thus cementing social ties, boosting local economies and creating jobs.

The drinking spots in question “are, above all, places for people to come together in very rural areas and in a society where people have a tendency to close in on themselves", one parliamentarian, Fabien Di Filippo, said.

Under French law, a type-4 alcohol licence in a bar or bistro allows the consumption of alcoholic beverages, including those containing more than 18 percent alcohol, such as spirits.

But no new such permit can be created, and aspiring bar managers must often wait until another type-4 bar closes permanently to acquire their licence from them.

The new legislation would allow cafe owners in rural municipalities with less than 3,500 inhabitants that do not already have a type-4 bar to request a brand-new permit instead of waiting for an old one to become free. The local mayor would have the right to approve – or deny – the request.

The measure was adopted nearly unanimously by the French parliament, with 156 lawmakers backing it and just two voting against. It now has to be approved by the Senate.

Additional bar

While the original idea of the bill was to allow just one type-4 bar to open in a village lacking one, an amendment added by the centre-right MoDem party gave municipal authorities the power to approve one additional bar.

It is difficult to estimate how many villages could benefit from the law, but 31,000 out of 35,000 rural municipalities have fewer than 3,500 inhabitants, according to the association of French mayors.

Detractors of the bill fear a rise in alcohol consumption in areas where social services to help people fight addiction are not readily available.

They have questioned why the law needs to allow the consumption of spirits in villages, and why a type-3 licence that allows the selling of beer and wine is not sufficient.

Some lawmakers also expressed concern the new legislation might be broadened in the future to allow bigger villages or towns to authorise more bars selling spirits.

Supporters have said the measure is important to draw residents out of isolation, and that hard liquor is available for sale at nearby supermarkets anyway.

Alcohol causes 49,000 deaths each year, according to the French health ministry’s website.

[y2klostandfound]

Professional special "attack" team - Jet Set Radio on Game Players magazine Vol.132 (Video game magazine)(Hong Kong)(29/07/2000)

Translation in English:

DC Manufacturer: SEGA Price: 5800 Capacity: GD-ROM X 1 Memory: 4 BLOCKS Release date: on sale 1P/ETC/MODEM, VMS, vibration PACK, VGA BOX correspondence

JET SET RADIO

Raiders of the first phase of explosive machine

In the last issue, I introduced the strategy method of the first level of the game, and this issue will continue the rest of the strategy for you (I didn’t lie to you!), and now I won’t say more, let’s start the strategy immediately!

New companions join (1)

There are ten characters that can be used in the game. In addition to the three characters in the player’s hand, there are seven characters that will appear in the game. The method of using them is very simple, as long as you keep passing the level, because every one or two levels of the game, there will be challengers to challenge the player. In the speed race, players must defeat them with strength to become companions; after completing the first level, there will be a challenger EVENT, this challenger is called コ ン ボ (COMBO), he, like Gum and Corn, requires the player to successfully perform three specified actions to become a companion. The three actions that COMBO gives the players are very simple, and it should not be difficult to complete.

First encounter with the Red Heart Party (Love trap)(Stage 2)

After successfully recruiting new companions, you can proceed to the second level, in fact, the second level players can choose on their own, because at this time there are already two logos appearing on the map, the editor's strategy is to first choose the red heart logo of the level, this area with the red heart logo is one of the game groups "Red Heart Party (Love Shockers)" and the other is the Mechanical Corps(Noise Tanks); this Red Heart Party's version of the map is divided into the park, the road and the broken flyover in three parts and the protagonist's starting point is the place where he just competed with COMBO; The editor's strategy is that it is best to complete the six graffiti targets in the park first, and then go to the rear to break the three targets of the bridge, pay attention to the broken bridge that is separated on both sides, one side is easy to reach behind the park, and the other side should use the crane arm or sliding wall on the side of the bridge to fly over the opposite side, when the three targets on the bridge are completed, the remaining four targets on the road can be left, Because when dealing with the two targets beside the road first, there will be traffic police to stop it, The editor thinks that it is not a good idea to use this method of deducting a little physical strength to complete the targets, but if the targets on the park and the broken bridge is processed first, there will inevitably be a group of riot police to cast tear gas on the player, but as long as the park and the rear are processed before dealing with the target on the road, because there is riot police and the target on both sides of the road will not have any obstruction, but a small number of riot police will appear in the two targets under the tunnel to obstruct, as long as the last two graffiti targets in the tunnel will be completed.

Strange Group (The monster of Kogane)(Stage 3)

When you choose the number of levels, you will find that there is an additional skull logo on the map. This is actually the third group in the game, the "Strange group(Poison Jam)", in fact, the strategy at this time is the Mechanical Corps(Noise Tanks), because the editor presses the button more and chooses this action map, so now take this as the second strategy target, the player will start on a wooden bridge, first walk forward to remove the spray paint along the way, and then turn into the house in front and walk all the way forward (help people tear down houses…) Go to the other side, and then walk up the stairs to the concentration of graffiti targets, in fact, this level is easy to pass, Just pay attention that when three to four targets are completed, the Captain Onishima will come out with a group of police dogs, but this is not important, the most important thing is that when the graffiti reaches about six targets, the military helicopter appears, it will launch tracking missiles to attack the player, although the tracking power of the missile is not very strong, but it is best to shoot it down, everyone just need to jump on the railing where you came up the stairs and jump up to spray paint on the helicopter, everyone just need to jump on the bar where you came up the stairs and jump up to spray paint on the helicopter, when the helicopter is sprayed paint, it will no longer attack the player, so that you can continue to complete the remaining objectives, and then you can pass the level.

New companions join (2)

After passing two levels, a challenger will appear on the stage. This person's name is GARAM, The condition for him to join as a companion is still to repeat it once according to his three finger movements, The first one or two movements will not be too difficult, but the third will be a little difficult , in the third move, the player must see the position of the third and fourth jumps, as long as the position is clearly seen, it should not be a problem to attract him.

Fighting the Strange Group (No.540)(Stage 4)

This time, the editor chooses another base of the Strange group, This time, the map is based on a site. The terrain of this site is like a construction site moving down layer by layer, The player will be at the top at the beginning, but there is no spray paint nearby to take, the only place where spray paint is taken is in the workshop at the lowest part of the hillside, all the way down to the workshop to get spray paint should be the same layer of graffiti targets first, after processing, a group of parachute gunners will appear, after replenishing the spray paint, go up to the first floor to process the four targets, at this time there should be a small number of machine gunners attacking the player, but don’t worry about it, as long as you don't stop, you won't be hit at all, when you finish the second layer of four targets, the gunner will disappear and then three helicopters will appear, continue to go to the top of the first appearance to deal with the three targets and then move to the last target, now there should be a lot of time, it is best to solve the three helicopters, because the terrain here is hillside, so as long as you jump up, you can level with the helicopter. It is not a problem to solve them, and finally the level will be over after painting the target on the top of the workshop.

Dueling the Strange Group (Kogane Circus)(Stage 5)

Before you know it, it is the third time to fight with the strange group, and it is also the last time. this time, the player is fighting the boss of the group, but the method is still spray paint as the combat method, the gameplay of this level is that the player has to spray the backs of three strange bosses with spray paint, but not once but spray into a pattern, about six to seven times, the map will be in a sewer that separates the two sides; Many players who play for the first time will just follow one of the bosses until they solve him and then chase the second one, which is a very time-consuming method, in fact, as long as everyone pays attention to it, you will see that the three bosses have a certain walking route, and the three people's walking route will stand still in several places, as long as they clearly know each person's walking route, they can stand near their stopping position in advance and attack (spray paint) to solve the three people. The most important thing to pay attention to is the character's stamina, because there is only one item to replenish stamina in the entire map, so don't often collide with the head or fall into the water and consume stamina.

New companions join (3)

After clearing the level, another challenger will appear when you choose the location of the raid, this time the challenge is a woman named BIS, who also needs to do it again according to the three actions she made, the first and second moves are easy for players who already have some skills, especially the first one who doesn't have to follow her left and right at all, Jump on the right two sides and then spray paint, but the third one is more troublesome. You have to see clearly the position of BIS when it landed at the end, and you must land according to this position, otherwise the action will be judged to be a failure.

First encounter with the Mechanical Corps (Benten Boogie)(Stage 6)

The map of this level is composed of various buildings and a small number of streets, although this level seems to be very complicated, in fact, it is very, very simple, The player will start on the top of a large building. Now the first thing to do is to deal with all the targets on the ground , because there will be police on the ground to obstruct the work, so first solve the targets on the ground, when all four targets on the ground are solved, you can find a way back to the roof, first swallow the four corners of the target and then go to a corner to doodle the last target to complete the level.

New companions join (4)

Another challenger appears, this timem the challenger is also a woman, her name is KIYUGO(CUBE), she still only requires the player to follow her action once again to recruit her, this time in addition to the first specified move is easier, the second one is also starting to have some difficulty, the second is to let the player go through two very thin sliding passages from the top of a large building to the top of another building, because the weather of the map at night so the picture will be darker, the player must see clearly before jumping to another passage; the third action to pay attention to is the problem of sliding up the ramp to the top and then sliding to that foothold, and the player must be very consistent to pass.

Fighting the Mechanical Corps (Graffiti high)(Stage 7)

The map of this operation is the place where the previous competition with KIYUGO(CUBE), at the beginning the player will be on a train (it will not move, please rest assured), jump off the right side to take all the spray paint, and then move forward to the dome square, when you reach the dome square, you see that there are a total of ten graffiti targets here, and the first thing to deal with is the two objectives that can only be completed through the dome, because if these two more troublesome targets are not dealt with first, then it will be difficult to complete when the tank comes out, when the upper two objectives are completed, you can deal with the eight very simple targets below, and a group of machine gunners will appear in the third space-time, don't bother with them and complete the eight objectives as soon as possible, then you can leave the area through a truck and go towards the store area; after reaching the store area, complete two more targets and the opponent's tank car will appear, but you don't need to bother, just complete the remaining objectives and you can pass the version.

The end of the Mechanical Corps (Noise Reduction)(Stage 8)

This is the last battle with the Mechanical corps (Noise Tanks). this time, the mission is also to spray paint the backs of the three bosses of the Corps, This time, the map is there are multiple pedestrian bridges above, and there are cars on the road below, this time, the bosses are much easier to deal with than the bosses of the previous Strange Group (Poison Jam), they will only jump around on the various attack bridges, the player only has to wait a little quietly in front of the bridge ladder for a day, and when there is a boss next to him and start chasing, he slides down the stairs with the player slides down the stairs with him, and at this point, he will be opened wide to let them be killed, and it's not difficult to defeat them in this way.

New companions join (5)

After defeating the mechanical corps (Noise Tanks), there will be a new challenger to challenge the player, this time the editor does not know whether he is male or female, only know his name is YOYO, this time the competition is no longer redone according to the specified action, but a speed race with YOYO, and the player only needs to go faster than YOYO to the doodle point to paint the target to win; At first, both of them are on the train tracks, go straight to the dome square, and then use the truck to go through the passage to the shop area , and then go to another shop area from the sky bridge above the train, pass through the tunnel and then pass a large building and slide along the wooden board to the top of a large building to get the spray paint and complete the goal to win.

The final battle with the Red Heart Party (Love attack)(Stage 9)

Now that only the Red Hearts Party(Love Shockers) have not been solved by the three major gangs, this is the time for them to solve everything, this time it is a head-to-head battle with the Red Hearts, and the backs of the three are also spray-sprayed to pass the level; this time, this is the third head-to-head battle, and I thought they would be more interested than the first two gangs, who didn't know that they turned out to be the weakest! , because they will get together most of the time, only to see the player come and start to leave, and then it is not difficult to catch up with them if they start to leave, but sometimes they run on the hillside at an amazing speed, such a sloping hillside can be so fast and strong, but the player doesn't need to run with them, The player just needs to keep jumping to follow them easily, and after a round of chasing, the three bosses are finally eliminated.

Bomb maniac (Explosion)(Stage 10)

The game is coming to an end, and this is the first meeting with the final boss, this time it is not too difficult, but the territory is huge! Because this time, the territory of the three strongholds of the Red Heart Party (Love Shockers) was merged, so when the player completes the graffiti targets in one area, he has to go to the other area, and the tip is to deal with the graffiti target on the ground before dealing with the target above, because as long as the player completes a certain number of targets, a group of bomb maniacs will appear to block the player, they will not be afraid to sacrifice to rush up and die with the player, the player should be careful of their lifeless combat method, and the editor gives you a hint, that is, each graffiti target is equipped with a bomb, as long as the player gets close will hear a BB sound, at this time everyone should go away as soon as possible, wait for the bomb to explode before going to the graffiti, it is a sure thing, as long as the graffiti targets in the three zones are all completed and you can pass the level.

New companions join (6)

After two battles, another challenger will appear, this time the challenger is a woman, named SIYUGA (SUGAR), and the last woman in his companions, his competition method is also speed race, this time the road should be familiar to everyone, it should not be difficult to complete, the only thing to note is that the operation position will be messed up when passing through the tunnel from the bus stop area at the beginning, so it is best to jump through this blind spot when passing, as long as you spray paint the graffiti target one step faster than SIYUGA(SUGAR) to make her a companion.

Battle of the Flying Forces(Fight or Flight)(Stage 11)

This time the battle map is composed of three bases of the Monster Army (Golden Rhinos), which is also very large, and all the passages are very narrow and complicated, and there are often sudden broken roads, so this level is very testing the player's vigilance; This level starts in a place full of houses, the player is standing on a roof, there are five graffiti points in this roof, four on the roof and one on the ground, first deal with four targets on the roof, and finally deal with one target on the ground, but be careful that the target on the ground is guarded by someone with a gun, so be careful, After solving the target on the ground, you will rush to the back of the house, After rushing, you will go to the second area, this is the first time that there is a helicopter level, all the graffiti targets in this level are on the roof below, and there is only one at the white oil depot, when the six or so targets are completed, a group of gunmen wearing flying equipment will appear, they will continue to shoot at the player, the player has to avoid their bullets while completing the graffiti, when even the objective at the oil depot is completed, you can go to the last area of the construction site through the underground waterway, After entering the sewer, you will go to the place where you fight with the leader of the Monster group(Golden Rhinos), there are also graffiti targets to deal with here, I don't have much trouble here, but the previous flying gunners will follow the same, and they will continue to hinder the player's progress, after processing all the targets in the sewer and then you can jump to the other side through another sewer entrance to leave the construction site, there are not too many tragets on the construction site, there are only four, as long as the last four targets are completed, then this level will be over.

New companions join (7)

The last challenger, named SODO(SLATE), this time the test method is also a speed race, as long as the track is the longest of all the characters, the fastest walk and then the goal can be painted, the editor gives you some tips, you can let the computer start first, and when entering the sewer just use the oblique positions on both sides to throw him away.

The last level of the map for joint supply(Benten Burning)(Stage 12)

This is the last time to combine the three zone maps for the game, and this time I won't introduce it much, because this time is the same as the previous strategy in the same area, except that there will be some enemies with high attack power at the last flyover, but their alertness is very low, as long as they slowly approach the graffiti point they guard, they can complete the goal without anyone noticing.

Flying over the corner (Behind the mask)(Stage 13)

The mission of this level is to fight the three bosses, just by spraying their backs with paint to pass the level, and like the waterway battle, they seem to be walking around, but in fact there are several places where they will stop for a while, and the player only needs to stop at some points to solve them.

The last battle (Final Groove)(Stage 14)

Finally came to the decisive battle site of the final battle, this place can not see the map, but it does not matter if you can't see it, because the whole terrain is clear at a glance, the combat method of this battle is to surround with the four graffiti points around the final boss, as long as the four graffiti points are dealt with, the protective device in the middle will be destroyed, and then the player can use the rails that the protective device flies out to slide up, as long as the successfull slide up and then the last hit (spray paint), the game is officially over, after which the explosion screen is completed. But the last twilight will certainly not be so easy to break, players should pay attention to the following points: the rotation speed of the four discs will be faster every time the middle disc is destroyed, when the player goes to the graffiti point, a big hippopotamus will jump out from a distance to spit fire at the player, but since its attack power is not high, you can ignore it,and finally leave immediately after completing a graffiti point, because the foothold will start to disappear after the graffiti point is completed.

To this end, I have finally completed the simple strategy introduction of the game, but the editor has not yet shown you the location of all 90 JET SET logos in the game. If there is a chance, I will definitely send you the final data set in the next issue.

[nfumbewalk]

What is it?

Tell me, what exactly is regular ppl's fascination with necromancy? It's not mine. I'm not fascinated. I'm called, I'm wired for it. It's my place in the world. I love muertos and they 💖 me back. Hmm. Like, Tolkien mentioned the necromancer once in the Hobbit book? And the movie overdid it. WTH?

I think it's ppl's interest in either talking to muertos like they did during the spiritualist phases in America or it's just the thought of some life after death. I wonder why we don't see anymore huge sales of Ouija boards anymore? Too antiquated? Maybe folks just don't believe the same things anymore. I think the internet was more of a curse than a blessing. It ruined a lot of simplicity that we had as well as robbing innocence. Ppl found information just fine without the internet.

Though, I wouldn't have met my husband. That was in 2003 though. No social media, just Yahoo and Aol. I was still on dial up internet! You know modulator demodulators - aka modems.

Anyway, I'm fucking tired and loopy, totally spun and need sleep!

Necromancy is such a rich & loaded word to just mean "divination with the dead" in Greek. Yes, studied medical Greek. I'm familiar with suffixes & combining forms, prefixes & all...very good at it, 4.0 grades. Though I need to dig out my Greek & Roman necromancy book & take a perusal. I'm more into local (American) & Latino culture, not European, Greek, or Roman culture. Egyptian is overdone. Not my potato.

Ppl on Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) bitched about having a Necromancer build for five years until they added one! My husband kicks ass as a Dark Elf Dragonknight girl character. She's magicka based. His legacy build is a Wood Elf Nightblade girl that's all stam based who used to kick major ass playing in ball groups. But..that was 7-10 years ago. He just plays at leisure now. Should see his fucking dungeon trophies! Lol! I just like ESO. Sorry! Just manic from being spun. Dangerous combo. Oh yeah, he's AD. Not a Smurf or a Red. So, why does he play girl characters? He'd rather look at a female ass when he's on his mount (riding animal). His words! Rofl! 😂

Back to necro...so sorry! Why do you think ppl love the necromancy mystique? I'm directly involved but can only see what I mentioned above. Do you think my analysis is accurate?

M.M. 💖💀💖

[govindhtech]

Genio 510: Redefining the Future of Smart Retail Experiences

Genio IoT Platform by MediaTek

Genio 510

Manufacturers of consumer, business, and industrial devices can benefit from MediaTek Genio IoT Platform’s innovation, quicker market access, and more than a decade of longevity. A range of IoT chipsets called MediaTek Genio IoT is designed to enable and lead the way for innovative gadgets. to cooperation and support from conception to design and production, MediaTek guarantees success. MediaTek can pivot, scale, and adjust to needs thanks to their global network of reliable distributors and business partners.

Genio 510 features

Excellent work

Broad range of third-party modules and power-efficient, high-performing IoT SoCs

AI-driven sophisticated multimedia AI accelerators and cores that improve peripheral intelligent autonomous capabilities

Interaction

Sub-6GHz 5G technologies and Wi-Fi protocols for consumer, business, and industrial use

Both powerful and energy-efficient

Adaptable, quick interfaces

Global 5G modem supported by carriers

Superior assistance

From idea to design to manufacture, MediaTek works with clients, sharing experience and offering thorough documentation, in-depth training, and reliable developer tools.

Safety

IoT SoC with high security and intelligent modules to create goods

Several applications on one common platform

Developing industry, commercial, and enterprise IoT applications on a single platform that works with all SoCs can save development costs and accelerate time to market.

MediaTek Genio 510

Smart retail, industrial, factory automation, and many more Internet of things applications are powered by MediaTek’s Genio 510. Leading manufacturer of fabless semiconductors worldwide, MediaTek will be present at Embedded World 2024, which takes place in Nuremberg this week, along with a number of other firms. Their most recent IoT innovations are on display at the event, and They’ll be talking about how these MediaTek-powered products help a variety of market sectors.

They will be showcasing the recently released MediaTek Genio 510 SoC in one of their demos. The Genio 510 will offer high-efficiency solutions in AI performance, CPU and graphics, 4K display, rich input/output, and 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connection for popular IoT applications. With the Genio 510 and Genio 700 chips being pin-compatible, product developers may now better segment and diversify their designs for different markets without having to pay for a redesign.

Numerous applications, such as digital menus and table service displays, kiosks, smart home displays, point of sale (PoS) devices, and various advertising and public domain HMI applications, are best suited for the MediaTek Genio 510. Industrial HMI covers ruggedized tablets for smart agriculture, healthcare, EV charging infrastructure, factory automation, transportation, warehousing, and logistics. It also includes ruggedized tablets for commercial and industrial vehicles.

The fully integrated, extensive feature set of Genio 510 makes such diversity possible:

Support for two displays, such as an FHD and 4K display

Modern visual quality support for two cameras built on MediaTek’s tried-and-true technologies

For a wide range of computer vision applications, such as facial recognition, object/people identification, collision warning, driver monitoring, gesture and posture detection, and image segmentation, a powerful multi-core AI processor with a dedicated visual processing engine

Rich input/output for peripherals, such as network connectivity, manufacturing equipment, scanners, card readers, and sensors

4K encoding engine (camera recording) and 4K video decoding (multimedia playback for advertising)

Exceptionally power-efficient 6nm SoC

Ready for MediaTek NeuroPilot AI SDK and multitasking OS (time to market accelerated by familiar development environment)

Support for fanless design and industrial grade temperature operation (-40 to 105C)

10-year supply guarantee (one-stop shop supported by a top semiconductor manufacturer in the world)

To what extent does it surpass the alternatives?

The Genio 510 uses more than 50% less power and provides over 250% more CPU performance than the direct alternative!

The MediaTek Genio 510 is an effective IoT platform designed for Edge AI, interactive retail, smart homes, industrial, and commercial uses. It offers multitasking OS, sophisticated multimedia, extremely rapid edge processing, and more. intended for goods that work well with off-grid power systems and fanless enclosure designs.

EVK MediaTek Genio 510

The highly competent Genio 510 (MT8370) edge-AI IoT platform for smart homes, interactive retail, industrial, and commercial applications comes with an evaluation kit called the MediaTek Genio 510 EVK. It offers many multitasking operating systems, a variety of networking choices, very responsive edge processing, and sophisticated multimedia capabilities.

SoC: MediaTek Genio 510

This Edge AI platform, which was created utilising an incredibly efficient 6nm technology, combines an integrated APU (AI processor), DSP, Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, and six cores (2×2.2 GHz Arm Cortex-A78& 4×2.0 GHz Arm Cortex-A55) into a single chip. Video recorded with attached cameras can be converted at up to Full HD resolution while using the least amount of space possible thanks to a HEVC encoding acceleration engine.

FAQS

What is the MediaTek Genio 510?

A chipset intended for a broad spectrum of Internet of Things (IoT) applications is the Genio 510.

What kind of IoT applications is the Genio 510 suited for?

Because of its adaptability, the Genio 510 may be utilised in a wide range of applications, including smart homes, healthcare, transportation, and agriculture, as well as industrial automation (rugged tablets, manufacturing machinery, and point-of-sale systems).

What are the benefits of using the Genio 510?

Rich input/output choices, powerful CPU and graphics processing, compatibility for 4K screens, high-efficiency AI performance, and networking capabilities like 5G and Wi-Fi 6 are all included with the Genio 510.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[ejointech]

What is GSM modem and how it works?

A GSM modem is a device that allows electronic devices to communicate with each other over the GSM network. GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications, and it is the most widely used cellular network standard in the world.

GSM modem work by connecting to the GSM network using a SIM card. A SIM card is a small, removable card that contains your mobile phone number and other subscriber information. Once the SIM card is inserted, the GSM modem can start sending and receiving SMS messages and data.

GSM modem use a variety of protocols to communicate with the GSM network, including:

SMS (Short Message Service): SMS is used to send and receive text messages.

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service): GPRS is used to send and receive data packets.

EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution): EDGE is a faster version of GPRS that can be used to send and receive data at speeds of up to 384 kbps.

GSM modem can be used in a variety of applications, including:

Home automation: GSM modems can be used to control home automation devices, such as thermostats, lights, and security systems, using SMS messages.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication: GSM modems can be used to send and receive SMS messages between machines. For example, an SMS modem could be used to send an SMS message from a vending machine to its owner to alert them that it is running low on stock.

Business messaging: GSM modems can be used to send and receive bulk SMS messages to customers. For example, a business could use an SMS modem to send SMS messages to customers about sales and promotions.

Emergency alerts: GSM modems can be used to send emergency alerts to people in a specific area. For example, a government agency could use an SMS modem to send SMS messages to people in a hurricane evacuation zone to warn them about the storm.

GSM modem are a versatile and affordable way to communicate. They are used in a variety of applications, from home automation to business messaging to emergency alerts.

Here is a simplified explanation of how a GSM modem works:

The GSM modem connects to the GSM network using a SIM card.

The GSM modem sends and receives data and SMS messages using a variety of protocols, including SMS, GPRS, and EDGE.

The GSM modem communicates with other electronic devices using a variety of interfaces, such as USB and serial.

To use a GSM modem, you will need to:

Insert a SIM card from a mobile phone carrier.

Connect the GSM modem to your computer or other electronic device.

Install and configure the necessary software.

Once the GSM modem is set up, you can start sending and receiving SMS messages and data.

[cromcrux]

I use to work in credit card security and or trainer told us a story about this guy who went to a restaurant every day for a week. Just set up with his laptop, had a bite to eat, a cup of coffee. Turned out he was skimming their credit card sales exactly this way. Some part of their fish tank hooked up to the WiFi their credit card machines used when processing charges.

Moral of this story was to keep your important stuff running through a different modem or have really robust internal firewall.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Picks and Shovels Chapter One (Part 3)

Picks and Shovels is a new, standalone technothriller starring Marty Hench, my two-fisted, hard-fighting, tech-scam-busting forensic accountant. You can pre-order it on my latest Kickstarter, which features a brilliant audiobook read by Wil Wheaton.

This week, I'm serializing the first chapter of my next novel, Picks and Shovels, a standalone Martin Hench novel that drops on Feb 17:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865908/picksandshovels

The book is up for presale on a Kickstarter that features the whole series as print books (with the option of personalized inscriptions), DRM-free ebooks, and a DRM-free audiobook read by Wil Wheaton:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/picks-and-shovels-marty-hench-at-the-dawn-of-enshittification

It's a story of how the first seeds of enshittification were planted in Silicon Valley, just as the first PCs were being born.

Here's part one:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/09/the-reverend-sirs/#fidelity-computing

Part two:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/10/smoke-filled-room-where-it-happens/#computing-freedom

And now, onto part three!

The logo for the Computing Freedom was a stylized version of an inverted Fidelity Computing logo, colored magenta, just a few shades off of the mauve of the Fidelity family of products.

Their catalog was slimmer than Fidelity’s, omitting the computers themselves. Instead, it was filled with all the things that went with the computers: printers, ribbons, paper, floppy drives and disks, RAM and modems. Unlike the Fidelity catalog, the CF’s catalog had prices. They were perfectly reasonable prices, maybe even a little on the high side.

“Our computers, they’re a system,” Bishop Clarke said. “We provide everything, and guarantee that it will all work together. Our customers aren’t sophisticated, they’re not high-tech people. They’re people who organize their lives around their faith, not chasing a fad or obsessing over gadgets.”

“We hold their hands,” Rabbi Finkel said. “There’s always someone who’ll answer the phone and help them, whatever problem they’re having. It’s like a family. One of their computers breaks, we send them another one! That way, they can keep working. We know the system is important to them.”

“It’s not cheap,” Father Marek said. “That kind of customer service isn’t cheap.”

“We filed suit as soon as we found out,” Bishop Clarke said. “We didn’t want to.” He looked sad. “What choice did we have.” It wasn’t a question.

CF managed to fly under the radar for a couple of months. They started with sales calls, cold calls to their old contacts, their best customers, explaining that they had created a new business, one that could supply them with high-quality, interchangeable products for their Fidelity systems. The prices were much lower than Fidelity’s, often less than half.

“Sure they were less than half,” Father Marek said. “When you don’t have to pay a roomful of customer-service people, you don’t have to charge as much.”

The customers were happy, but then a San Antonio stake president was invited to dinner at the home of a local prominent businessman, the owner of a large printshop who relied so heavily on Fidelity systems to run his business that he kept one at home, in his study, with a modem that let him dial into the plant and look at the day’s production figures and examine the hour sheets and payroll figures.

The president noticed the odd-colored box of fanfold printer paper behind the congregant’s desk, feeding a continuous river of paper into the printer’s sprockets. He asked after the odd packaging and the parishioner gave him a catalog (CF included a spare catalog with every order, along with a handwritten note on quarter-sized stationery thanking the customer for his business).

The president assumed that this was some kind of new division of Fidelity, and he was impressed with the prices and selection in the catalog. Naturally, when he needed a new box of floppy disks, he asked one of the girls in his congregation for a box of the low-cost items—

“Why would he ask a girl in his congregation? Didn’t he have a Fidelity sales rep?” I’d filled much of my little steno pad with notes by this point. It was quite a story but I wasn’t quite sure where I fit in with it.

Bishop Clarke started to answer, but Father Marek silenced him by clearing his throat in a loud and pointed way. The priest stared at me for a long time, seeming to weigh me and find me wanting. I can’t say I liked him, but he fascinated me. He had such a small bag of tricks, those glares and noises, but he was a virtuoso with them, like a diner cook who can only make a half dozen dishes but prepares them with balletic grace.

“Mr. Hench,” he said. He let the words hang in the air. “Mr. Hench,” he said again. I knew it was a trick but he performed it so well. I felt a zing of purely irrational, utterly involuntary anxiety. “We don’t have a traditional sales force. The sales groups are small, and their primary role is Empowerment.” He leaned so heavily on the word that I heard the capital letter.

“Our sales groups travel around, they meet people in each place who know their communities, people who have the knack for technology, who need a little side business to help them make ends meet. The sales groups train these people, teach them how to spot people who could use our systems, how to explain the benefits to them. They use their personal connections, the mutual trust, to put our machines where they can do the most good.”

Bishop Clarke could see I wasn’t quite following. “It’s like the Avon Lady. You know, ‘ding-dong Avon calling’? Those girls are talking to their neighbors, helping them find the right products. Their friends get the best products for their needs, the girls get a commission, and everyone is happy.”

I got it then. Fidelity was a pyramid scheme. Well, that was a waste of time. I almost said so, but then I held my tongue. I didn’t want to get into an argument with these men, I just wanted to leave.

“We’re not a pyramid scheme,” Rabbi Finkel said. Had it shown on my face? Maybe rabbis got a lot of practice reading people, hearing the unsaid words. “We follow the rules. The Federal Trade Commission set the rules in 1979 and we’ve always followed them. We are a community-oriented business, serving faith groups, and we want to give back to them. That’s why we pay commissions to local people. It’s our way of putting some of our profits into the communities that depend on us.”

“That’s so well said,” Bishop Clarke said. “So well said. Perfect, in fact.”

“Perfect,” Father Marek said, with a scowl that made it clear he wasn’t happy to have been interrupted.

Check out my Kickstarter to pre-order copies of my next novel, Picks and Shovels!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/11/socialism-for-the-rich/#a-lighter-shade-of-mauve

[robertnelson2-blog]

Networking Troubleshooting Solutions

Networking has been a specialty of Expert Infotech. We have gained a reputation for providing creative connectivity solutions that will increase business productivity and hence profitability.

As the New Zealand household changes, technology is changing with it. Powerful personal computers, high-speed Internet access, and "smarter" electronics components and appliances are giving consumers more control over their environment, as well as better ways to process, manage, transport and store information. Networking Troubleshooting solutions

One of the best ways to tap that potential at home is to network, or "connects," your computers. It's a broadband-based way for you and the rest of your household to share Internet access, printers, modems, files, applications and multimedia games. Home networking eliminates the bottleneck created when several members of the household using different computers try to go online, print or whatever at the same time -- the same problem that forced businesses and corporations to set up their own networks years ago. Online electronics devices Sales and Services

Until recently, home-networking approaches -- patchwork solutions at best -- were riddled with bugs. They also required new wiring and a Ph.D. in networking. Things, however, have changed. Today's home-computer users can choose from several relatively inexpensive options to create reliable, cohesive networks that deliver several benefits:

Benefits:

Household members can access the Internet at the same time using one Internet service provider (ISP) account.

Each household member can share the same printers, modems and peripherals from any computer in the house.

Kids can play video games against each other, as well as with other out-of-the-house online users, on the Internet.

Cable modem and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connections not only deliver the fastest Internet links, but let household members talk on the phone while they're online.

[grinly]

Most of the more nonsensical craftless modern art was produced as a CIA psyop to counter the beautiful but highly structured art made in the USSR at the time. (The presence of former Nazis in the CIA likely contributed to the spread of barren modern buildings as a style.)

I think the argument becomes much easier and clearer when we separate craftsmanship or skill of artistry from art. I could line trace any of Hitler's works from a photo. It's easily reproducable with no real skill.

I could also duplicate any work of modem art made with large splashes or geometric shapes.

Anything that requires context to be art is a fine performance piece that requires the artist to be there explaining it to remain art, because the art is really in the sale.

In contrast there are some quite ugly things I could never copy that are definitely art because real skill was involved in their making. Even if there is deep flaws in their construction real thought went into them, emotion, care.

Is AI art art? The AI itself is a brilliant work of art by skilled programmers, but it's art in the same way a twisted mirror can be art. Real skill and time was involved in it's making, but what it reflects is just us and I for one am no work of art.

my issue with the argument that "disliking ai art is inherently reactionary" is that it acts like pro-ai art people are somehow less reactionary on their views on art, when like the majority of defense's of ai art as like a higher form art are indistinguishable from the arguments people use to defend the art of like. hitler