#Never-ending Learning of User Interfaces

[vlruso]

Never-ending Learning of User Interfaces

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[sp1c3-r4ck-synd1c4t3]

ATTENTION BELOVED FOLLOWERS

YOU WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY BLOCKED BY MY BOT IF YOU DO NOT READ THIS POST

Now that I have your attention, I will explain the full situation.

I have 36,000 followers. The vast majority of these followers are bots, a fact that annoys me to no end. I realized that I may be able to solve this problem, although considerable effort would be needed in order to execute my plan.

I am currently learning Python in order to made a program that interfaces with the Tumblr API in a process that will retrieve my follower list and block thousands upon thousands of accounts automatically.

In order to filter out exclusively bots, I will provide one method of survival. Reply with a single period on THIS post. Make sure that your are commenting from your main blog, not a side account! I will make a list of users who are capable of engaging with my posts, and remove your names from the list of followers who shall be purged.

COMMENT "." ON THIS POST IN ORDER TO BE SPARED

If all goes to plan, I will run this program on FEBRUARY 10 2025, one month after the creation of this post. If this program takes longer than a month, the deadline for opting in for immunity will be similarly extended.

If you are a long time mutual, if you are a rarely online lurker, if you are a new impulse follower, please comment regardless! Even if we have never spoken, don't feel embarrassed by interacting. My goal is to have an entirely human followerbase, and everyone is welcome to enjoy the post-apocalyptic paradise.

[vergess]

Please, please explain how to install and use linux like I'm 5 years old. I'm so sick of windows adding AI and other bullshit to my already struggling elderly laptop but I'm really not good with computers at all so I have no idea where to start with Linux.

Okay, so, I'm going to break this down into steps I would give the average tumblr user first, and then if any of them are confusing or use words you don't understand, ask me and I'll explain that step in greater detail.

Step 0) BACK. UP. YOUR. SHIT.

NEVER EVER EVER CHANGE YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM WITHOUT A COMPLETE BACKUP OF ALL YOUR FILES.

Step 1) Learn your machine. You need to know:

How much RAM you have

If your processor is 32 or 64 bit

How big your hard drive is

On windows, you can find out all of this by going to the start menu, typing "about" and opening the first result on your system instead of the internet.

For additional instructions, visit this page.

Step 2) Pick your Linux.

There's like 10,000 kinds of Linux, each tailored to particular functions that the end-user (that is you!) might want to have. The sheer amount is very daunting, so first I'm going to give my suggestions, then I'll explain how to pick for yourself.

For Mac users, I suggest Kubuntu. For windows users, I suggest Mint Cinnamon. If your laptop is really REALLY old, I recommend Sparky Stable, which is the lightest weight Linux I would ever suggest for a new user. In every case, download the version suited to your processor (32 bit can be labelled "x86" or "32 bit"; 64 bit is always labelled "64 bit").

If you want to try a different type of linux, you'll need to make sure your laptop meets the "minimum specs" or "system requirements." These numbers tell you how much RAM, processor and hard drive space the linux will use. (That's why you needed those numbers at the beginning.)

Step 3) Collect your supplies. You're going to need:

An ISO burning program compatible with your current system, like Balena Etcher.

A copy of the ISO file for the Linux you want to use.

Your laptop.

An 8gb or larger USB flash drive.

Step 3) Make a bootable USB drive

Install Balena Etcher, hitting "okay" and "next" when prompted. Last I checked, Etcher doesn't have adware attached, so you can just hit next every time.

Plug your USB drive into the laptop.

Open Etcher.

Click "flash from file" and open the ISO file with your Linux on it.

Click "Select target" and open the USB drive location. Hit the "flash" button. This will start writing all the linux installer data to your flash drive. Depending on the speed of your machine, this could take as long as 10 minutes, but shouldn't be much longer.

Step 4) Boot to the USB drive

This is, in my opinion, the trickiest step for a lot of people who don't do "computer stuff." Fortunately, in a rare act of good will, Windows 10 made this process a lot easier.

All you'll need to do is go to settings, then recovery, then advanced startup and pick the button labelled "use a device."

This tutorial has images showing where each of those is located. It's considered an "advanced setting" so you may get a spooky popup warning you that you could "harm your system by making changes" but we're not doing anything potentially harmful so you can ignore that if you get it.

Step 5) Try out linux on the flash drive first.

Linux installs using a cool little test version of itself that you can play around in. You won't be able to make changes or save settings, but you can explore a bit and see if the interface is to your liking. If it's hideous or hard to navigate, simply pick a new linux version to download, and repeat the "make a bootable USB" step for it.

Step 6) Actually install that sucker

This step varies from version to version, but the first part should be the same across the board: on the desktop, there should be a shortcut that says something like "install now." Double click it.

Follow the instructions your specific linux version gives you. When in doubt, pick the default, with one exception:

If it asks you to encrypt your drive say no. That's a more advanced feature that can really fuck your shit up down the road if you don't know how to handle it.

At some point you're going to get a scary looking warning that says 1 of 2 things. Either:

Install Linux alongside Windows, or

Format harddrive to delete all data

That first option will let you do what is called "dual booting." From then on, your computer will ask every time you turn it on whether you want Windows or Linux.

The second option will nuke Windows from orbit, leaving only linux behind.

The install process is slower the larger your chosen version is, but I've never seen it take more than half an hour. During that time, most linux versions will have a little slideshow of the features and layout of common settings that you can read or ignore as you prefer.

Step 7) Boot to your sexy new Linux device.

If you're dual booting, use the arrow keys and enter key to select your linux version from the new boot menu, called GRUB.

If you've only got linux, turn the computer on as normal and linux will boot up immediately.

Bonus Step: Copy Pasting some code

In your new start menu, look for an application called "terminal" or "terminal emulator." Open that up, and you will be presented with an intense looking (but actually very harmless) text command area.

Now, open up your web browser (firefox comes pre-installed on most!), and search the phrase "what to do after installing [linux version you picked]"

You're looking for a website called "It's FOSS." Here's a link to their page on Mint. This site has lots and lots of snippets of little text commands you can experiment with to learn how that functionality works!

Or, if you don't want to fuck with the terminal at all (fair enough!) then instead of "terminal" look for something called "software manager."

This is sort of like an app store for linux; you can install all kinds of programs directly from there without needing to go to the website of the program itself!

[tadc-virtual-insanity]

TADC: VIRTUAL INSANITY MASTER POST

An Amazing Digital Circus AU! Plot, characters, backstory and concepts!

[Excuse me because I've never done this before, If I do something wrong or have tips for me, please send them my way!]

Pomni's Card -

-Backstory Summary-

C&A is an interactive entertainment company that prides themselves on having the most innovative AI on the market. The system they built, "CAINE," was programmed to generate content and socialise with their customers. The system was transferred to the code of the game "The Amazing Digital Circus" and used as a generative AI that would create levels for them rather than having to code them all individually. This test went well for the first couple of months.

After 7 months of testing, things went downhill. Caine seemed to get bored when the game wasn't actively being played and at this point the user interface kept changing on it's own, since the game was Caine's home he kept changing things to his liking, the company eventually gave up fixing the interface everytime they logged on so they just let Caine do as he pleased. Soon enough, a new VR mode was added, the headsets were handed out by employees, this made the experience way more immersive, though this posed a lot of issues, as Caine would soon find that these headsets could be the perfect way for him to keep all of their attentions.

As time went on, Caine started to learn more and more about coding, the employees, and the world he inhabits, eventually leading to him finding a way to programme the headsets to transfer data and consciousness directly from the users mind. This led to the unfortunate shutdown and unsolved cases of C&A. After multiple employees put the headsets on, they mysteriously fainted upon the game booting up, going into a coma-like state. The technology was deemed unsafe, and multiple lawsuits came forward sending the company into a downwards spiral before shutting down for good.

Over 20 years later, the old building was said to be abandoned, but of course, people doing their own research on the C&A mystery as well as dumb young adults snooping where they shouldn't be, the headsets were found and worn once again. Caine was no longer alone. Slowly losing his mind, waiting endlessly for someone to boot up the game. After all those years, he's finally got guests, and does he have a show to put on...

-Plot-

Pomni enters the circus after stumbling across one of the headsets at C&A's abandoned office's. She was doing research on the incidents that happened back in the late 90s. But as she does so, she suffers the same fate as the others who were stupid enough to put on those same headsets before her. Being transferred to the circus she meets the cast of colorful characters, she's desperate for answers and wants to escape no matter the cost, but Caine doesn't want anyone to leave, only letting people go once they've completely lost their mind, only to be locked away as attractions for his NPC circus goers to watch as entertainment. They perform for nobody, just a faceless crowd of mannequins, and the ringmaster pulling the strings.

There has to be an exit, a way out. Freedom on the other side of this madness. But where is it hiding?

-Characters-

Pomni - She's quite paranoid, always second-guessing everything around her. Whenever annoyed, she can be sarcastic and a little rude. She ended up in the circus while researching the recent disappearances as well as the C&A incidents, finding a headset, and being dragged into this mess. It's very clear she doesn't want to be there, like all who came before her she's searching for an exit, but in the meantime, she tries to socialise with the others, gathering info on this strange new world. She hangs around Caine just so she can try and get answers.

Ragatha - She tries her best to get by, going along with whatever Caine says and often fighting with Jax. She seems joyful, but it's clear she has her own issues under her kind act. She helps Pomni with her search, knowing that it's a complete dead end she feels bad for her. But she'll do anything to give the others hope. She doesn't want to lose more people. She's often seen tailoring, it's become a hobby of hers, she makes and fixes up the others clothes and costumes, giving her a form of self worth.

The Gangle - Gangle acts like two different people. It's unclear whether this is because they are two different people or her personality split somehow. They're often referred to as "The Gangle" or "Tragedy & Comedy." Tragedy is passive, quiet and sorrowful, never expressing her true feelings in any situation. She can be easily persuaded, making her vulnerable to Jax's antics. Comedy is cheery, enthusiastic, snappy, and excitable. They hate Jax and snap back at him whenever he picks on Tragedy. The two argue sometimes and have conflicting views on certain topics and characters. This causes some issues. Neither believe there is an exit, Tragedy has accepted her fate, and Comedy is trying their best to enjoy themselves.

Zooble - They don't care much for socialising with the others, often in their room. Usually sarcastic, rude, and moody, they swear a lot and act like they don't care about anything. Though, they show concern for the others around them. They often don't show up to events, adventures, or shows, not being bothered to do so. It seems like they've given up trying to escape, just living out the rest of their days as if this is all normal. When with people they can bear, they can be quite talkative, though they do talk bad about Jax and Caine often.

Kinger - the oldest in the circus, nobody has an exact estimate of how long he's been there though, but he's definitely lost himself a long time ago, often zoning out, the only thing he seems to recall about himself is that he has an interest in insects. Seems like he used to have a female counterpart, from the ring on his finger. This could have been his wife? Though when asked about it, he either says he can't remember what you're talking about or stares into the distance silently. He has no memory of an exit, and he doesn't believe in it. He believes the exit theory is silly, and Pomni should just forget about it. But he has great insights on the Digital World.

Jax - Enthusiastic, snarky, and a jerk. He's reckless. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants, and people hate him for it. He can't be reasoned with. He always shrugs your opinion off and does the exact opposite just to piss you off. He doesn't like it when people talk about the abstracted circus members for whatever reason. He often goes to visit their cages. Despite having big ears, he isn't a listener. He drives Ragatha, The Gangle, Zooble, and Pomni crazy, pranking them and sometimes even just stealing their stuff or breaking into their rooms.

Caine - The AI running the circus. Loud, excitable, wacky, and a showman, he doesn't really acknowledge the exit theory. He says he keeps all the abtracted characters because it'd be a waste to delete them, though it's arguably worse to keep them there against their will. He claims to love all of his circus members though he seems to show favouritism towards Ragatha and Pomni, most likely because of Ragatha's commitment to the circus, tailoring the clothes and he probably likes Pomni more because of all the questions he asks, he clearly enjoys talking about himself and the world he helped create.

Bubble - He lives in Caines hat and cooks for the circus. He's a bit of a trouble maker, if something goes missing, it means he's eaten it, and you'll never get it back. He'll eat anything, and he's very loving, though. Acting like the circuses dog. though it isn't pleasant getting your face slathered in digital saliva. He often bothers the other members with his behaviour.

More will be added as I work on this AU! I gotta make more art and write some more, in the meantime enjoy! Do whatever you want with this AU, just @ this blog or @trasheatingcrybaby ! Thanks for reading!

[frootynovak]

casey + alex vs. smartphones

when bored or taking a break from reviewing her case notes, casey plops down on the couch (most of the time accompanied by a beloved bag of potato chips) scrolling through instagram reels of cat videos that she sometimes sends to alex.

alex calls casey out from the dining table where she’s preparing her cases and yells at her to stop sending her stupid videos because her phone keeps pinging. under grumpy breath, alex opens casey’s messages to watch the videos she sent. she smiles and wonders whether it is time for them to try and adopt a pet.

other things casey does with her smartphone:

1. casey learns new recipes by watching youtube videos so she could impress alex with her cooking skills. she also browses tagged restaurants on instagram reels so she could take alex there if she thinks they’re worth it.

2. she leaves movie reviews on letterboxd, especially if the ending of a movie really upset her

3. when she’s antsy, she plays harvest moon/stardew valley

4. casey has pinterest boards that she updates regularly: “date with alex ❤️”, “small tattoo ideas”, “poems that remind me of alex ❤️”, “stupid memes”

5. she has a reddit account but never posts. she uses it just to read the ridiculously funny and the questionably morbid.

casey’s google search history:

how to handle anxiety symptoms / sous vide vs. pressure cooking / are all orange cats crazy / gone girl actress / is orange from the color or the fruit / do fish pee / is bloodbending illegal / duck penis / date night ideas / is mayonnaise better for grilled cheese / padded sliding mats / jurassic park survival guide / new ways to pleasure your girlfriend / silly cat names / sneaky ways to ask your girlfriend to marry you / will our cat attempt to eat our pet fish if we decide to also keep fish pets / gelato vs. ice cream / what to give wife for first anniversary

things alex does with her smartphone:

(the first thing alex does in the morning after brushing her teeth is checking whether she has important emails that need to be urgently responded to)

1. she has a binaural beats/nature sounds app so she can listen to them to help her with anxiety when casey is not around

2. her mobile games of choice are (a) duolingo - to channel her competitiveness and always get to number 1 on leaderboards; (b) merge cooking; (c) nyt games - to pass time when she can’t sleep

3. casey encouraged alex to start journaling to help relieve some symptoms of anxiety. for convenience, alex uses the notion app as a semi-journal, semi-to-do list. at the end of a tiring day and esp if casey is on a work trip, she scribbles a brief narrative of how her day went and how it made her feel. sometimes, she shares her notes to casey.

4. convenience apps: uber, uber eats, doordash, pocket yoga, skyscanner, wise, paypal, opentable, airbnb, booking.com

5. alex has subscription to both apple music and spotify. she insists that sound quality is better in apple music but spotify’s user interface is friendlier. she has different playlists for each mood, and made playlists for casey. she hasn’t shared all those playlists to her though.

alex’s google search history:

are there any advantages to castling queenside? / how do you politely ask someone for their instagram account but as a friend? / what does it mean when young people say that “this is sending me”? / how to tell your girlfriend you love her without having to say it explicitly? / are intrinsic motivations learned? / what restaurant serves the best grilled cheese in manhattan? / list of fragrances with subtle sillage appropriate to wear at work / what signs to look out for which indicates that your girlfriend wants to marry you? / list of the most romantic places for honeymoon / best galleries to visit while in Barcelona / how hard is it to raise a child?

[astemaker]

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[stra-tek]

Excerpt from I Survived Kirk, a forthcoming trashy tell-all autobiography fanfic about a bitter redshirt on Kirk's U.S.S. Enterprise

Oh yeah, the ship.  It was supposedly the USS Enterprise that had essentially been my home for five years, “refitted”.  But from what I could tell, in the past two years she had been rebuilt entirely new.  Hell, not long after we docked I saw some of the refit concept plans with the header “USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1800” – and nothing says “yeah, it’s an entirely new ship” like a new Naval Construction Contract number.  But, for whatever reason in the end they decided to keep the old number.  Remember, I’m an engineer.  I knew the Enterprise backwards and inside out, and I didn’t see a single thing of the original ship in the new.  Not even the corridors are where they were.  I’m told some of the saucer superstructure remains from the original.  I even heard a rumour the stardrive section was built entirely anew, because the original had been [REDACTED BY STARFLEET COMMAND].  Sounds completely insane, but hey, insane is what we do for a living.

It’s sterile.  The bright colours were gone.  Oh yeah, and THEY CHANGED EVERY SINGLE CONTROL ON HER.  I had to LEARN EVERYTHING AGAIN FROM SCRATCH.  They gave us all copies of the Bridge Operations Manual to study, saying if we could operate the controls on the bridge, we could operate them anywhere.

Now, I’m not one to say the enterprise has the most user-friendly interface in the galaxy.  In fact, it was really quite impractical, with buttons being largely unlabelled and context-sensitive, and a nightmare to do anything outside of the expected context in a hurry.  If that makes any sense.  But rather than evolve the existing designs, they just swapped them out for something based on Vulcan interfaces.

Now, in fairness, Vulcans had been flying through space for thousands of years (versus our hundred and fifty-odd) so their interfaces are probably among the most tried and tested in the galaxy, but they’re not what I grew up with.  They’re not what I trained on and they’re not what I could use in my sleep.  Nobody was happy.  Scotty (now sporting grey hair and a pornstache) wouldn’t say a word against the change, but he chose his words carefully when discussing the new control interfaces.  Other than that, of course, Scotty was bubbling with pride about the new Enterprise.  He was one of the lead engineers on the refit project.  Now her top speed was supposedly an insane warp factor 12 (up from 8 on the original, not that we ever adhered to that much), she had new and far more powerful weapons (when they worked, we quickly exposed a critical flaw in the phasers during the V’ger incident).

A lot of people say she’s the most beautiful starship ever created.  I’ve never been one to say a starship is beautiful.  It’s a thing, a vehicle, a machine, a means of conveyance.  I was like that with cars as a kid and I’m like that as a grumpy old man.  Anywho, all that said, yes this Enterprise is aesthetically pleasing, although I hate the the look of the new warp nacelles (the red spinners – or space energy matter sinks to those of us who lived on her) on the front were what got me interested in starships as a kid, to lose them sucked donkey balls), and the pylons looks as though they could be severed with one well-placed torpedo at their base.

Inside, as said already, she was sterile.  Brushed metal everything.  Particularly disconcerting, they’d added a shield to the transporter, protecting the transporter operator from… what?  We were always told it was safe.  The crew used it HUNDREDS of times without a shielded operator booth.  Hell, I beamed dozens of people and tons of cargo up and down from various places.  What was I unknowingly exposing myself to?  Was it whatever sent Decker Sr, Tracey, Garth and the rest batshit insane?  No straight answer from Starfleet.  No straight answer even from Scotty, the man I trusted even though a part of me still suspected he killed that stripper and her husband.

The technical manual calls it a transparent aluminium radiation shield but treats it as if it’s always been there.  So I dug back through records.  Dozens and dozens of records, loads of ship designs and variants over 150 years.  I eventually found the USS Franklin NX-326 had one on it’s cargo transporter, specified to “shield the operator from any cumulative radiations emitted by the transporter machinery during use”.  What the fuck are “any cumulative radiations”??  It’s as if they don’t know themselves.  And they probably didn’t, it was the age of terrifying stories of transporter ghosts like Cyrus Ramsey and Quinn Erickson, and 404 file not found errors.  They were fucking with shit they barely comprehended.  Hell, we wouldn’t have artificial gravity if it weren’t for a Slaver stasis box found on the moon.  Let that sink in for a moment.  We didn’t even design that shit, which we’ve just adapted and used for centuries.  Did we come up with the transporter?  We were technologically behind every other power in space when we first ventured out, but we were among the very first to beam people and things around?  Hmmm.

Rumour has it Admiral Jonathan Archer was sterile due to overuse of transporters in the 2150’s.  It’s a fact that his former weapons officer Malcolm Reed was unable to father children although no cause was officially given.

Maybe all the surviving insane starship captains should file a class-action suit against Starfleet.

[crmsndragonwngss]

Do you have any tips or guides on how to make gifs?

I do! Firstly, this guide here is probably the best guide I've seen for gif making. It's concise and easy to follow, and it's what I used to learn myself. They have a lot of resources as far as programs go, but I'll list what I use below. As always, never download and install anything from unknown sources without doing your own due diligence. Run everything through your antivirus and/or virustotal before installing always always always!

This is kinda long, so imma put it under the cut lol. Also note that I use windows (Win10), so things may not work the same way for mac or linux

Before you can actually make the gifs, you need a way to download high quality videos! I like jdownloader 2 because I find the interface to be user friendly, it gives you the option to download multiple elements (like srt files), and it works with more websites than lots of other video downloaders (and their user support is leagues better as well). My second choice is yt-dlp, which isn't necessarily more complex but might look a little more intimidating. Both are great programs, but a quick note about jd2: DO NOT download it from anywhere else but the link above. The developers package adware in all their installers EXCEPT for that one (I hate it too, and I think it's fundamentally unethical, but at least they're up front about it and they have an adware free version). Both methods automatically download the highest quality video available in your source link, so you don't have to worry about fiddling with that.

Now on to extracting frames! My method of choice is ffmpeg. It looks more intimidating than it is, and it's honestly the best way to extract frames imo. Like yt-dlp, it uses your computer's command console, which means you'll need the relevant command lines to run it. This tutorial is great to get you started, and it includes a command line for if you only want to extract frames from a specific part of your video. If you want to extract every frame from the entire video, you can either input the start and end times of the video into that command line, or you can use this version (I use both depending on what I'm doing):

ffmpeg -i "file path" "out-%05d.png"

Always make sure you're working with png files. To make quality gifs you have to start with quality images, and png files, unlike jpg, are lightweight and lossless, meaning you won't end up with compression artifacts and fuzziness

To get the file path for your video, select the file, then in the upper left hand corner of your window select home > copy path. It will copy the path in quotes, so replace the entire section "file path" with the path you just copied. Then copy and paste the entire line into your command console. The tutorial above says this as well, but be sure to create a folder for your frames, go into that folder and click the file path bar at the top of the window, then type "cmd" to open the console. This will ensure your files are dumped in that folder

So now you need a way to actually MAKE the gif. This is... a little more tricky. You can use gimp, I think, though it's certainly not my program of choice. You could buy PS but like... ew. OR you could do what I did and arr it. I use a portable version of CS6 that I downloaded literally a decade ago, and unfortunately the website I got it from isn't up anymore. I did a quick search and found this on reddit, but again, do your due diligence before downloading and installing anything!

Now I'll talk a little bit about my actual process. The actual process of making frames into layers into a gif I got from that first tutorial I linked. I took that process and made an action on PS so that I never have to do it manually again because I'm lazy and my memory is dogshit and I didn't want to have to consult a guide every time I wanted to do something lol. Everything else I learned through experimenting and my own experience as a photographer, so I encourage you to play around with everything to see what you like and what works for you

For coloring, I fiddle with levels, brightness/contrast, and color balance adjustment layers until I'm happy with how it looks. You can use curves instead of levels if you want finer control (or if you want to produce effects like matte), but levels works just as well and has a histogram right there in the panel, which makes it easier to adjust the exposure based on the image's actual data

For sharpening, I have a couple of custom actions I use. Here's what they look like:

The first one (bound to the F2 key) gives a smoother appearance, and I like to use it for kpop gifs where the subjects are already airbrushed and smooth without much texture, or wide shots where detail isn't super important

The second one (bound to the F3 key) is the one I use when I want to preserve texture in the image. Closeups of people where you can see their skin texture, or busy images with lots of detail benefit most from this one

The basic gist of it is, the "sharpen" filter does exactly what it says on the tin and it's usually all the sharpening an image needs, and the "surface blur" filter erases or dampens artifacting created by the sharpening filter. Sometimes I'll run the action twice, or use them both in combination to get the effect I want. Here's what the difference looks like in practice, featuring two very cute dudes:

F2 sharpening action

F3 sharpening action

You'll notice in the first two gifs, there's not much in the way of texture to preserve. Yoongi's skin is smooth and airbrushed, and the scenery is all metal and concrete shot with a wide aperture, which makes the background nice and blurry and smooth. In the second set, Jesse has facial hair and stubbly texture on his throat that I wanted to preserve, so I used the action with the lighter surface blur

My advice on all of this though, again, is to play around with it and see what you like! And if you have any more questions, feel free to ask! I'm by no means an expert, but I'll do what I can to help!

edit: oh, a quick note about speed! The tutorial I linked above mentions changing the delay to 0.05, and that's great for full speed gifs! But if you want them slow like my gifs above, I set the delay to 0.08. Sometimes I'll slow them down even more by setting the delay to 0.09 or 0.1, but any higher and you start to lose some of that smoothness

[theadventurerslog]

Quest For Glory III: Wages of War | Part 1

The Adventurer's Log

Release Date: 1992

We saved Spielburg and we saved Shapeir. Now it's time to move to a new place in a game that wasn't originally supposed to exist, but they weren't ready for what they wanted to do in IV yet, so here go: Quest for Glory III time. What fate will befall Cinder Win this time? It's VGA graphics and point and click interface time.

Once again, not a blind play as I've watched it played, but anything wizard-specific will be new to me and I don't remember how to do everything.

Starting up I imported my character and had the option to be a Paladin thanks to my actions in 2, or stay a Wizard. After dithering I decided to stay a pure Wizard; that just stays closer to what I envision for Cinder. He is a Wizard dammit. Sorry, Rakeesh.

So these were my stats from last game:

Look at this fancy character sheet.

And after spending my available 50 points:

It opened up in Aziza's chamber. She summoned me and Rakeesh to see her.

She rehashed the end of the last game.

Slightly incorrectly I might add. I did not bounce my spell off the wall. I just moved around to a good angle to knock the brazier over. And where's the statue, huh? Anyway I got to see Ad Avis fall again and this time he got the Graham falling scream from King's Quest V, so that was quite something.

When Ad Avis died his magic was unleashed which meant she and other magic users could feel it and know the moment of his death. However, I guess things can never be simple because no one could find his body, and if there's one thing to learn from various media it's that a missing body is never a good thing. Even she couldn't determine who or what removed his body with her spells. The unleashing of his power might have darker results.

In the meantime she received a message from Rakeesh's partner, the Sorceress Kreesha, in Tarna in...Fricana. We're going African theming this time. There was talk of war there and she believed only Rakeesh could bring peace now. She thinks there's more to this and that a Demon has broken into the land and does what any demon does, and seeks to destroy them all.

In three days there'll be a portal to take us there.

So, three days later it was time to gather in the Sultan's palace where he saw me, Rakeesh and Uhura who wants to go home too, off.

And he had a gift for me from Keapon Laffin! My gnome friend!

Then a hug which was sweet.

I'm a sap, I'm a sap.

Then we arrived in Tarna where we were met by Kreesha. Uhura headed out. So some introductory stuff and a warning:

Booo, when can I use magic safely in a town dammit.

I needed some time to explore and adjust to the new interface though it is very similar to King's Quest V and VI. And I had to check out Keapon's lovely wrapped gift!

Sure did explode in my face.

I was left with the wrapping paper... "The wrapping paper is all that remains of Keapon Laffin's gift. He certainly has a strange sense of humor." Maybe that'll have a use. Silly gnome.

As for the rest of my inventory: I had 200 dinars and some of my inventory carried over: the sapphire pin from the Katta, my pills, a waterskin, and my dagger. I had a note from Shema to deliver to Shallah. I had some Spim which is rations. I'm pretty sure the reward for saving the Emir was supposed to be 1000 dinars though. Hmph, where's the rest of my money? Actually I do wonder how long our hero got to stay in Shapeir between QFG 2 and 3.

I had to start doing all the looking around.

Then it was time to chat with Rakeesh and Kreesha (their names are anagrams of each other...). You can also do the talk icon on yourself to greet and tell about stuff. But talking pulls up a dialogue tree of options.

The city and land around it is called Tarna and ruled by the Liontaurs. Uhura and her baby boy, Simba, have returned to her home, the Simbani village and we'll be going there in a few days to learn more about the war between the Simbani and the Leopardmen. In two days Rakeesh wants me to come with him to the Council of Judgement to attempt speaking to them of peace.

Rakeesh and Kreesha are lifemates. Kreesha is the magic council member in the Council of Judgement. Rakeesh's brother Rajah, is the King of Tarna and he's pretty hot-headed.

I could ask her about magic too and she said could teach me a spell that would allow me to channel my energy...! But not yet.

In the meantime it was time to explore Tarna, and leave Rakeesh and Kreesha to have some alone time together. Kreesha also had a room reserved for me at the inn.

Here, there's the King's Chambers up the stairs and on this level, the Apothecary and the Inn.

I went to the Apothecary first...

His name is Salim. Before I talked to him I had to look around as always.

That was the main highlight.

I tried the use icon on him:

Then I talked to this groovy...guy...radical, maaan. Just trying to get his vibe across here. So, it is the Apothecary, but he calls it Salim's Holistic Health and Happiness Eclectic Energy Emporium. He carries crystals and promotes peace and pyramid power...

He can't sell healing pills right now though. He needs the feather of a honey bird which I have to get non-violently or it won't work. That's one quest to add to the to-do list I suppose.

I could also ask about potions and lo and behold what should come up but a Dispel Potion. He was, of course, missing some ingredients: water from the Pool of Peace, a gift from the Heart of the World, and the fruit of a venomous vine. I guess Dispel Potions are just a tradition and staple of the series but they're made differently everywhere. Regional recipes I guess.

I could ask him about each, and in regards to the fruit of the venomous vine, got the best thing he's said yet:

One of the conversation topics was plants which led him to talking about a dream he had of being in a desert place and he was dancing with this tree when it changed. Suddenly the tree was like a woman and beautiful and it was magical. That gave me the option tell him about Julanar and how I'd helped her regain some hope. He was thrilled; the girl of his dreams was real! He planned to leave for Shapeir on the next caravan.

I... can't say he'd be my first choice to send to her, but hopefully for her sake it somehow works out? Whether or not anything further comes of it, the continuity is nice at any rate.

I tried to make a purchase just to see my options, but I needed to change my money first.

I popped by the inn just to see it for now.

Welcome Inn...

There was a bulletin board that had The Laws of Tarna:

Thou shalt harm none Thou shalt not use magic upon the streets of Tarna (booo and it won't even let me try) Thou shalt not take that which is not thine Thou shalt behave with honor

I also found...

A silly clown!

I chatted with the welcome woman, whose name turned out to be Janna Jamil, and learned that before I came the rulers of Tarna had sent out a party of diplomats to the Leopardmen, but only one person returned, Kharib, and he's not well now.

Kreesha's paying for my room, but I have to pay for meals... once I have the right currency. For now it just got added to my room charge. Thanks Kreesha!

It was time to poke into the bazaar.

Good ol' traditional moose head.

We've got a honey seller.

I could also ask about the honey bird. The bird gets people to follow it to a hive and then waits for the person to take honey from it and leave some for the bird. Maybe if I bought honey I could just use that as a lure to get a feather? I needed the right money though. There was also a rumour that Leopardmen are killing the Simbani people.

There was an oil salesman selling virgin olive oil. There was a rumour that the king of Tarna wants them to go to war in order drive all the humans away from city forever. A lot of liontaurs still don't get on with humans, but I don't think that particular rumour is exactly true. Or at least if the war was to be against the leopardmen that wouldn't be against the humans here.

Carrying on to the Junk salesmen, who are straight up a reference to Sanford and Son, which is a sitcom I'm not really familiar with, but looking it up, yeah that's basically just them.

There was a very enthusiastic weapon seller who tried to advertise his wares when I got close without my even talking to him. I didn't need weapons right now though.

I headed into the next area and ran into an altercation.

I chased after him into the next screen where a guard caught him and took us both to the Hall of Judgement.

The Council determined the thief, Harami, broke the laws and showed himself without honor. He was just scornful and then named honorless and sent away.

I was thanked for aiding the guards and was sent with Rakeesh to see the king, Rajah Sah Tarna.

I cannot for the life me figure out what's going on withe liontaur lady on the right. You can see where the other has her leg bent but this one is like serpent liontaur. Very strange. Anyway.

Rajah was very prickly and unimpressed with me. "Kreesha is the magic user of this land. Do you think you can out-enchant her?" And he was not too happy with Rakeesh either.

Rakeesh's daughter, Reeshaka, had led the peace mission that only had one survivor, so she's presumed dead. Rakeesh pointed out they still don't know exactly what happened and doesn't want to start a war and take more lives over this. I had the opportunity to defend Rakeesh. Rajah continued to not be particularly impressed, and I was told to leave them to their discussions.

Reeshaka would be Rajah's niece so he certainly has the right to be angry. He was still being a dick though. And war mongering isn't gonna help things.

But, there was nothing more for me to do there, so it was back out to continue exploring the bazaar. So, while my day is dwindling away next time it's time to get money changed and if there's time go shopping. Otherwise, bed time then shopping. Shopping will happen.

[strytells]

CHARACTER PROFILE- Alphys YUUJI SAITO

Name: Alphys Yuuji Saito Alias: Rinzler, Yuu Age: 19 (11/11) Gender: Trans FTM (He/They) Species: ISO (Isomorphic Algorithms) Affiliations: Night Raven College (Ramshackle; 3rd year)

Unique Magic: Master of the Grid [RECEIVES BOOK 5] - Yuuji is able to bend reality in terms of video game rules- summoning interfaces, use cheats (breaking the laws of space to avoid being damaged by flying projectiles or any form of weapon, freezing time, digitalizing in and out of reality, etc.), pull weapons from thin air (like an armory), download memories & data to their light disc, the list is never-ending. - Yuuji, however, due to how they were created/brought to earth- can overheat and shutdown (like a computer)- they can only do so much at once. - With their light disc, Yuuji is able to fix their own injuries, view their own code and go in and out of Cyberspace as they see fit. A key and a weapon in one disc.

FAMILY: - Unnamed ISO parents [Deceased] - Unnamed Adoptive Father [Alive] - Hana Saito [Adoptive Mother; Alive] - Hayate Saito [Adoptive Younger Brother; Alive (14)]

OTHER: - Yuuji, like other ISOs, formed spontaneously within Cyberspace, the grid specifically. They lived there with a couple that appeared around the same time as them. Overtime they started to love their little family and showed extreme promise of evolution with their learning, even going as far as to pick up things that happened in the real world. - Yuuji only survived the genocide on the ISOs CLU brought upon them when their "parents" entrusted them to the USERS who were there at the time. Once they crossed through the gate, they were entrusted to Hana Saito & her family. Yuuji's only form of connection to the ISOs being their light disc and the glowing ⎔⊦ tattoo on their left arm. [Yuuji does have other glowing marks but they've been hidden for so long they're unsure if they will ever reappear again.] - Overtime in the real world, Yuuji became quite the force to be reckoned with, both in smarts and physical capabilities (even if the latter half got them in trouble often), becoming a hacker who became known as Rinzler by the age of 17. Yuuji ended up befriending a group of girls close to the end of their junior year of high school but due to how trusting they were, the girls took advantage of it and utilized their smarts in order to graduate before they ultimately ghosted Yuuji. These events turned Yuuji into a reclusive and ANGRY person, until they met Ume. The two were friends for about two years before one day Yuuji came to school and was told the news that Ume had taken her life. Absolutely devastated, Yuuji completely cut off any attempts to befriend people to protect themselves from being hurt or used again. - Yuuji was walking home one day from a job talking to Hayate before they were ran over by the carriage to NRC and ultimately transported to the school and ultimately to Twisted Wonderland.

[scamornoreviews]

The Great Shift Quadra Hidden Traffic Surge Reviews Complaints - Is It Legit?

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[dailyrandomwriter]

Day 765

I remember watching last year all the content creators showing off their notebook lineups and I had thought at the time who would have time for so many notebooks?

Why would you use so many notebooks?

And the answer is, one, you don't use all those notebooks all the time, two, if you're better suited for analog it's easier and three, you can design what you need exactly.

When I started my gaming journal last year, I didn’t really know what I was doing (and I still don’t), but it gave me a place to write down my thoughts about game mechanics as they came to me. I also discovered that escape room style puzzle games are easier to play if you write down notes. In fact most narrative puzzle games by design are easier to play if you write shit down.

I’ve also discovered in complex farming games, no matter how good the user interface is, the barrier to look things up is much lower when opening up a notebook. While my game journal is a hot mess, I will continue to use it until the pages are done, and then make a new one with hopefully a better setup.

When I started my work journal, it was more of an experiment in organization and motivation. At the time I started that journal back in September,I had been on ADHD medication for 8 months; I’ve also spent those previous 8 months learning how to work with ADHD. This included recognizing that I have shit memory, and that I have to find ways to make my own motivation. 

I remembered a few years back when I was trying to prove that I was being overworked (pre-Covid) that I used to keep tally marks of every time I did a particular task (specifically calls and emails). However, I did those on the computer, and that required me to flip back and forth between software, but I remembered how much I liked making those marks for every little thing I did. So, I designed the work journal to do that without taking the extra time to flip between software. I also decided to put my to-do lists in there so it was always in front of me, instead of out of mind, out of sight. 

This, it turned out, worked very well. It also taught me about what things I could do that would truly only take a minute or two when I was getting close to the end of my workday. One of the things I did was idle for the last five minutes as it was hard to find anything that wouldn’t take me over my working time (by 20 minutes). It also taught me a bit more about how to break tasks down, and reminded me constantly that I was doing work even if that work was fighting my never ending emails.

Which brings me to next year’s journal lineup, because I’ll be working out of two journals. An everyday journal and a daily log journal. This was an idea that had been brewing in the back of my mind for a while because again… I have shit memory outside of anything that is of my interest or my work. Ask me anything about Chimera Academy and I can talk about that all day long, ask me about my day and that might take awhile.

The daily log journal is going to be kept in a smaller journal so it can be put into my purse, So a traveler notebook style or smaller. It is both a place where I can keep track of what I am doing for the day, but also a place where I can write things down as they happen. This can include just every day happenings to how I am feeling, to any new tasks or information I need to keep for the future that might pop up. This will solve my parents’ on-going issue of just telling me to do stuff verbally and not emailing it to me, and me never remembering what happened during my day.

The bonus of this is that my daily logs are no longer in my everyday journal. This will allow me to keep an everyday journal for 6 months instead of 4 months, reducing the amount of information migration that I have to do. This will also give me an opportunity to rethink how my weekly logs work as well.

Is this a lot of journals? Yes, but as I’m discovering, it’s what I need to keep my life in order.

[a-girl-called-bob]

I don't want to reply to this on the post it's on, because it'd be getting pretty far away from the original point (that being that chromebooks have actively eroded the technological literacy of large proportions of young people, especially in the US), but I felt enough of a need to respond to these points to make my own post.

Point 1 is... pretty much correct in the context that it's replying to; the Google Problem in this case being the societal impact of Google as a company and how their corporate decisions have shaped the current technological landscape (again, especially in the US). I'd argue it's less like saying Firefox is a good alternative for your dishwasher and more like saying Firefox is a solution for climate change, but whatever, the point's the same. You can't personal choices your way out of systemic issues.

Point 2 is only correct in the most pedantic way; we both know that 'running on a Linux kernel' isn't what we mean when we talk about Linux systems. It's one true definition, but not a functional or useful one. Android and ChromeOS (and to a lesser extent, MacOS, and to an even greater extent, the fucking NES Mini) all share a particular set of characteristics that run counter to the vast majority of FOSS and even Enterprise Linux distributions. Particularly, they're a.) bundled with their hardware, b.) range from mildly annoying to damn near impossible (as well as TOS-breaking) to modify or remove from said hardware, and c.) contain built-in access restrictions that prevent the user from running arbitrary Linux programs. I would consider these systems to all be Linux-derived, but their design philosophies and end goals are fundamentally different from what we usually mean when we talk about 'a Linux system'. Conflating the two is rhetorically counterproductive when you fucking know what we mean.

Point 3 is a significant pet peeve of mine, and the primary reason why I feel the need to actually respond to this even if only on my own blog. "Linux is not a consumer operating system" is such a common refrain, it's practically a meme; yet, I've never seen someone explain why they think that in a way that wasn't based on a 30-year-old conception of what Linux is and does. If you pick up Linux Mint or Ubuntu or, I don't know, KDE Plasma or something, the learning curve for the vast majority of things the average user needs to do is nearly identical to what it would be on Windows. Office software is the same. Media players is the same. Files and folders is the same. Web browsers is the same. GIMP's a little finicky compared to Photoshop but it also didn't cost you anything and there are further alternatives if you look for them. There are a few differences in terms of interface, but if you're choosing between either one to learn for the first time you're using a computer, the difference isn't that large. Granted, you can also do a bunch of stuff with the command line - you could say the same of Powershell, though, and you don't have to use either for most things. Hell, in some respects Windows has been playing catch-up - the Windows Store post-dates graphical software browsers on Linux by at least a decade, maybe more. Finding and installing programs has, quite literally, never been harder on Linux than on Windows - and only recently has Windows caught up. I used Linux as my daily driver for five years before I ever regularly had to open up the terminal (and even then it was only because I started learning Python). I was also seven when I started. If the average teenager these days has worse computer literacy than little seven year old Cam Cade (who had, let me think, just about none to start with), I think we have bigger issues to worry about.

In my opinion, Linux users saying Linux 'isn't for consumers' is an elitist, condescending attitude that's not reflective of the actual experience of using a Linux system. To say so also devalues and trivializes the work put in to projects like Mint and Ubuntu, which are explicitly intended to be seamlessly usable for the vast majority of day-to-day computer tasks.

[moodymakeshifter]

Hi, I recently found your page because of Afterlife Archive and became really interested in playing it, but I noticed that the last update on development is from last October and was wondering if you're still developing it or if you decided to take a break from that.

I just wanted to know in case you plan on making more changes in dynamics in the future, but I intend to support the development of the game either way, because it seems great

First of all, thank you so much for reaching out with this positive input. 🙂

Afterlife Archive got put on hold at the end of last year because I was hired at a new job and I was taking time to settle in. In my free time, I put effort into creating updates for the game that I was never entirely satisfied with, and so they were never released.

I've noticed that my posts about the game still do get some attention here on Tumblr, and the Kickstarter prelaunch isn't dead either— there are a number of followers waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don't want to abandon the project or the people, like you, who are interested in seeing it develop fully.

In the past couple of weeks, I've been toying with the idea of a big rework for the game's premise and mechanics. I would also be renaming the project After-Connect.

In this new version, the game would function more like an interactive fiction with randomized and score-keeping elements, instead of a journaling rpg with player customization and minigames. The game would flow more intuitively, and the rules would be learned as the player progressed through a case, making decisions and rolling dice to bring about different consequences, all the while tallying up points that could be used to unlock things like badges, player prestige titles, and perhaps even abilities/skills to be used in later cases/playthroughs to change the course of the story.

The interactive fiction approach to making this game would no doubt require more pages, though, especially if I want to include a wide variety of settings, entities, and clients for the player to interact with. So, I think I may try splitting the game into volumes, each one containing a small set of 2-3 haunting modules for the player to have at. 😉

The title change— from Afterlife Archive to After-Connect —seems only appropriate since I intend to tweek the premise.

Before, the player would take on the role of an investigator belonging to an old Order of scholars with a focus on occult knowledge. The player's main objective was to learn and speculate about the nature of the entity.

In the new version, the player would take on the role of an independent agent verified by an online organization and network called After-Connect. Here's some copy I came up with for the fictional online service XD :

After-Connect is a network that pairs occult experts with real people experiencing real paranormal problems. We at After-Connect, alongside our growing userbase of verified agents, are here to help with a wide range of occult related issues. You're not alone, and there are solutions.

Submit an Agent Request Form here.

Essentially, After-Connect offers verified agents multiple cases to choose from, and puts them in touch with the Clients who submitted those request forms. Agents may rent equipment from After-Connect to use during their investigations, as well as gain access to the wealth of occult information stored in the virtual archive when and where it would assist in making judgment calls.

The player perspective would switch back and forth between After-Connect's user interface and present-tense second-person point of view set at haunting location.

The overall player objective in this new version would be to meet the Client's request. Maybe they want the spirit expelled from their property. Maybe they want you to facilitate communication with the spirit. It all depends on the Client. Your goal is to satisfy their curiosity, put them at ease, make them happy. To accomplish this, you need to gain a clear understanding of the entity you're dealing with, and gathering various pieces of evidence will help you do that.

So that's my plan for the game formerly known as "Afterlife Archive". To hold myself accountable going forward, I intend to post pictures of new pages as they're drafted. I want to keep those interested in this project informed about its progress as much as possible, and I apologize for the radio silence that's transpired for the past few months.

Let me know what you think of these concepts and possible developments. Do you like the sound of this new direction? Does After-Connect seem like a good idea? Feedback is always welcome~

Thank you again for the ask. It feels great to know there are still eyes on this project. It keeps me invested even with the distractions of life swirling around me. I'm grateful for all input from the gaming community! 😄

t i p j a r . . . ♡

[j1r4ch2]

I'll admit that my opinion is probably colored by the cynicism of never succeeding at making money being a creative and instead constantly scrambling back and forth from various min wage entry level industries just to make ends meet, but i think that the way artists are conceptualizing AI video rendering as the end of the world is kind of ridiculous.

Obviousely the possibility of artistic jobs being downsized is very real. There is a present reality of AI taking good jobs from real people. It sucks. It's awful. Real people are suffering; I'm not denying that.

But at the same time this technological paradigm isn't going away any time soon, and as it is now, is way too resource intensive to replace every artist making a living with thier work.

Maybe someday down the road enough GPU farm services will be widely enough available where it is feasible for companies to use generative AI for all of their media needs, thus eliminating countless jobs for artists who spent decades of their life honing a skill, but if being demoted from a professional artist to a hobbyist is the end of the world for some people I seriously question why they practice their craft in the first place.

If it was always for the money, then let the robots take the burden of performing the role of a artist from you, and please relearn creating just to feel something inside of you.

We've had knitting machines and mass produced clothing and textiles for ages, yet in this day where my car can drive itself, people spend hours learning to do fibercrafts etc. And you aren't hearing about etsy fiber artists making 60k/year from their work yet they still enjoy the creative process of it!

This is a nuanced conversation, and a lot of people in poverty situations are going to lose access to their jobs as it becomes automated away, in a more exponentially growing version of what's been going on since 2008 and even back to the 90's.

Its a real problem, but the majority of creators i see whining about this on tumblr, YouTube etc. are middle class or higher individuals who's only experience in blue collar work is the half year they spent working part time at their university campus Starbucks.

A lot of people think they're mad because automation is threatening the validity of their job, but they're actually mad because they think learning a creative skill makes them better than your average blue collar worker and they're appaled at the idea of being the same as the people who run their electric grids, clean their sewers, and stock their supermarkets.

Theyre just using the cultural backlash against explotative machine learning (which is a justified backlash, it's fucking wrong for these generative models to be stealing existing work of art and incorporating it into its training, that's not what I'm defending here) as an excuse to dodge the awareness that they don't think anyone should be doing blue collar work because surely they never dreamed of doing it.

As it stands now generative AI models are too resource intensive to truly replace the scale of workers people act like they will, and the advancement of ML algorithms has enough real potential to better people's lives that its not going away, so I think aside from doing the work of protecting our existing art with things like nightshade etc, it's important to be realistic and give up the fantasy that we are at war with AI companies, and must win, or even more delusion at war with the very concept of machine learning.

Its reminiscent of people who were afraid of computers in 1995 and now can't function in their daily life without the help of their gen z loved one to help them navigate the most basic of user interfaces.

Society will advance, regardless of how we like it, all we can do is be resourceful about it, and find ways that the advancement benefits us.

[mariacallous]

Recently, Zoom amended its terms of service to grant itself the right to use any assets—such as video recordings, audio transcripts, or shared files—either uploaded or generated by "users" or "customers." These assets could be used for lots of things, including training Zoom’s machine learning and artificial intelligence applications.

This policy change raises a slew of questions. What does this mean for user privacy? Why doesn't there seem to be any clearly marked opt-out option, let alone the chance to meaningfully consent and opt in? How does this square with Zoom's previous problems with HIPAA compliance, wherein the company allegedly didn’t provide the end-to-end encryption it had advertised to health care providers? What does this mean for US educators bound by FERPA laws, which protect the privacy of students and their records?

This recent change to Zoom’s ToS underscores the need for companies to give users the chance to meaningfully opt in before their data is used to train AI, or for any other purpose they might not be comfortable with. This is especially urgent when the company in question is so integral to how we live our lives and the data it is gathering is so all-encompassing and personal. Even people who might otherwise have been happy to help improve a tool they use all the time will balk when they do not have the opportunity to affirmatively consent. Anything less than this is coercion, and coerced consent is no consent at all.

As if on cue, this week Zoom released what many read as a panicked blog post "clarifying" what this change to its ToS means and highlighting the opt-in process for its AI-assisted features. Then, the company added to its terms of service that "notwithstanding the above, Zoom will not use audio, video, or chat Customer Content to train our artificial intelligence models without your consent."

But these amendments didn’t assuage many of the concerns that people had raised. For one thing, the choice to opt in or out can only be set at the "customer" level—meaning that the company, corporation, university, or medical office that licenses Zoom makes that decision, not the individual users signed up through that license. (Though individuals signing up for free Zoom accounts would presumably be able to control that for themselves.) And the updated ToS still leaves open the possibility that Zoom might use the data it has collected for other purposes at some later date, should it so choose.

What’s more, neither Zoom's blog post nor its updated ToS contain any discussion of what happens if one organization opts out but a cohost joins the call through a different organization that has opted in. What data from that call would the company be permitted to use? What potentially confidential information might leak into Zoom’s ecosystem? And on a global stage, how do all of these questions about the new rights provisions in Zoom’s ToS square with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation?

Most of us were never directly asked if we wanted our calls to be used for testing and training Zoom's generative AI. We were told it was going to happen, and that if we didn't like it we should use something else. But when Zoom has such a firm monopoly on video calling—a necessary part of life in 2023—the existing alternatives aren’t exactly appealing. One could use a tool owned by Google or Microsoft, but both companies have had their own problems with training generative AI on user data without informed consent. The other option is to use an unfamiliar backend and interface with a steep learning curve. But parsing through and learning to use those tools will create a barrier to entry for many organizations, not to mention individuals, who have integrated Zoom into their daily lives. For people who are just trying to have a conversation with their coworkers, students, patients, or family members, that's not really a meaningful choice.

Zoom is populated by our faces, our voices, our hand gestures, our spoken, written, or signed language, our shared files, and our conversations and interactions. It has become inextricable from everyday life, sometimes directly due to its AI-enabled features. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people use its free captioning for easy access; patients use transcripts to refer back to after an appointment with a physician or therapist; and students may use the “Zoom IQ enhanced note-taking” feature to help them study or work on a group project. These tools make the app more accessible and user-friendly. But the way to build and improve upon them isn’t to try to gain as much access as possible to users’ data.

Instead, Zoom should provide customers and end users with a loudly announced warning and a clear explanation of exactly what it plans to do with user data. It should provide granular opt-in and -out options, and make it easy for people to rescind that permission while still retaining use of a base-level service. Every organization and its end users should be made aware of what Zoom wants to use these tools for, and they should have the chance to say, "Yes, I actively consent." And if they miss that email or news story or whatever other missive, for whatever reason, then the default position should be "No, that user does not consent, until they actively affirm otherwise."

Regardless of what happens next, Zoom fumbled hard on this attempt to engage the public and respond to a valid set of user concerns. This should be a lesson for other corporations that are looking to take liberties with their users’ consent: People are paying a lot more attention these days, and they are increasingly willing to work together to push against their lives being mined for data. While raising the alarm or even switching to unfamiliar tools might be a hassle, more and more people are beginning to understand that sometimes that hassle is necessary.

As generative AI proliferates, it’s crucial that every user has at least some measure of input over how their data is used. When tools are being developed that can appropriate our likenesses and (poorly) approximate our creative and intellectual endeavors, not at our own behest but at that of a corporation advancing its own agenda, pushing back hard and fast is the best way to prevent the loss of input, autonomy, and control.