#Online Computer Technical Support

[verilog-official]

I wonder if Half Life is so slow on my netbook because of Wine or because of the shitty GPU. It is slower on software rendering mode, but when in OpenGL mode it's not using 100% CPU.

[no1entertainmentandnews]

NeedTechAdvice Blog - Latest Tech Tips, Gadgets Reviews & Expert Tech Advice

Welcome to the NeedTechAdvice Blog, your go-to source for the latest tech tips, gadget reviews, and expert insights. Whether you’re exploring the newest gadgets, upgrading your devices, or seeking tech solutions, our blog offers valuable advice and in-depth reviews to keep you informed. From everyday electronics to car tech, dive into a world of smarter digital living with us. https://www.needtechadvice.com/index.php/our-blog/

[mareastrorum]

Reposting this post in the CR tags since I'm sure quite a few critters bought digital copies of the CR comics. This affects all digital copies of Critical Role comics accessible through the official publisher, Dark Horse Digital.

If you bought the official digital copies, you will lose access to all Critical Role comics later this year.

Text:

Effective February 24th, 2025, we have closed Dark Horse Digital. Sales are no longer offered on the DHD website. But, you can still log in and read the comics in your bookshelf. Support for the Dark Horse Comics and Plants vs. Zombies Comics apps for iOS will end March 31st, 2025. We encourage app users to download the books in their bookshelves by March 30th, 2025. The ability to download to your device cannot be guaranteed after that date. For access through the website, users without DHD accounts should create one and sync it to the app by March 30th, 2025. We appreciate our fans and regret the inconvenience and disappointment caused by this news. We know you have questions so please go to our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information. -- The Dark Horse Digital Team

[source] [link to FAQ]

Some further info from the FAQ (there is more in the FAQ, the below are just some quoted portions of it):

"Users can continue to log in to the website and read the comics in their bookshelves. We plan for online access to the DHD website to be available at least through summer, 2025." "Q. Did I lose access to my comics collection? A. You can continue to log in to the DHD website and read the comics in your bookshelf. We plan for online access to be available at least through summer, 2025. When the website is eventually retired, online access will end." "Q. Do I own the comics in my bookshelf? A. Technically, you do not. As with Kindle, Nook, and other e-book companies, you license the right to read the book on supported and authorized devices." "Q. Can I download comics from the website? Can you send me PDFs? A. Unfortunately, we are unable to allow downloads to your computer or provide PDFs." "Q. Can I get a refund? A. We are able to offer refunds for 2025 transactions made on the website. The deadline to request a refund is April 30, 2025."

[source]

[felassan]

Image from Dark Horse. Text in image reads:

"Effective February 24th, 2025, we have closed Dark Horse Digital. Sales are no longer offered on the DHD website. But, you can still log in and read the comics in your bookshelf. Support for the Dark Horse Comics and Plants vs. Zombies Comics apps for iOS will end March 31st, 2025. We encourage app users to download the books in their bookshelves by March 30th, 2025. The ability to download to your device cannot be guaranteed after that date. For access through the website, users without DHD accounts should create one and sync it to the app by March 30th, 2025. We appreciate our fans and regret the inconvenience and disappointment caused by this news. We know you have questions so please go to our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information. -- The Dark Horse Digital Team"

[source] [link to FAQ]

Some further info from the FAQ (there is more in the FAQ, the below are just some quoted portions of it):

"Users can continue to log in to the website and read the comics in their bookshelves. We plan for online access to the DHD website to be available at least through summer, 2025." --- "Q. Did I lose access to my comics collection? A. You can continue to log in to the DHD website and read the comics in your bookshelf. We plan for online access to be available at least through summer, 2025. When the website is eventually retired, online access will end." --- "Q. Do I own the comics in my bookshelf? A. Technically, you do not. As with Kindle, Nook, and other e-book companies, you license the right to read the book on supported and authorized devices." --- "Q. Can I download comics from the website? Can you send me PDFs? A. Unfortunately, we are unable to allow downloads to your computer or provide PDFs." --- "Q. Can I get a refund? A. We are able to offer refunds for 2025 transactions made on the website. The deadline to request a refund is April 30, 2025." --- "If you don’t’ have a DHD account, you can create one using this LINK. Note: The ability to create a new DHD account will end on March 31, 2025."

[source]

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

MY BEAUTIFUL FILES AND 32 BIT PROGRAMS ARE ALL BACK IN PLACE AND FUNCTIONAL AGAIN HALLELUJAAAAAAAH 😭 the process was as MISERABLE as i expected since there's so so many conflicting tutorials out there. but after 2 days and many hours/frustrations (between the many hours of Waiting as things transfer and install) i found a nice old man on youtube who explained every step and what to change for diff models/machines that WORKED FOR REAL. and he didnt even have comments turned on so i cant post a heartfelt thank you. oh well.

anyway! the state of things:

last backup was from March 21st, my computer went out April 10th, so I lost about 3 weeks in there

luckily i was busy both of the weekends in there so not much was actually lost

what i lost, writing wise: recent progress on the lavellan-gets-gifted-a-dog fic (which isn't posted anywhere at all, so that's whatever i guess. it was just a thousand words or so i think + some brainstorming/notes section. gonna pretend no more than that if not), edits and miscellaneous added paragraphs for But One Truth which is already SO overdue so that's annoying, some lines/notes for the Spite POV fic and the Lucanis Ossuary fic but those are both still so chaotic i cannot fully remember which sections it may have been in.

what i lost, photoshop wise: some progress on the Davrin embroidery pattern, but a section i was already messing with, so... that's annoying but fine. Also some edits I made to art of Juniper. annoying but i can redo in an hour probably. also files for a meme or two but I don't really need those psd's anyway if i have the images themselves sent via internet to recover.

my beautiful chrome tabs: i did lose the new tabs i opened in those 3 weeks but lucky me the backup did in fact save all 836 tabs i had open from March so yippee. stop gasping in horror. its fine. the computer fans are just purring. she likes it.

whatever else: uploaded photos from my phone which don't count bc i still have my phone and can just reupload them, screenshots consigned to eventually be deleted anyway, had to reinstall 2 programs i did manually update in those 3 weeks but they didnt give me issues with the liscence keys so that was painless enough

don't you have a real job: luckily i do have emailed copies of my grad school manuscript drafts and r code so those were surviving anyway. but it Would be a big pain to have to set everything up on my windows computer instead for version reasons and also just my sanity. so i'm glad i can keep working on this system instead

so anyway. I'M BACK IN BUSINESS. also general reminder to back up your data. this would have been so so so much worse if i did not do that fairly regularly. also dont trust the apple store to honor their word that they won't try to sneakily update your computer to "help".

no WIPs or tag game snippets or etc from me for a bit because my main computers ssd crashed/failed this week so 🙃 rip

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

Hi? Gosh how do I even start with this :'D

I know it's been ages since I've last popped up on here. I've been debating when to post this for a while, but I kept adding to my draft more and more and now it's the end of JULY omgg I felt so guilty disappearing with zero updates but then thought my birthday would be the best day to finally address this considering it'll feel less random? idk but Ive always celebrated my bday with you guys and I'd feel so bad answering your kind asks without me at least explaining why I was gone for months.

Truth be told, I was dealing with a lot of stuff irl. health issues and sudden declining grades that left me stumped and drained for months now- along with technical issues like having to replace some parts of my computer that took a while for me to find to even draw digitally, which I didn't have the time for anyway with how tired and weary I felt every day.

I'm frankly shaken up by a lot of shit rn and I don't know how to be active online with this burden on my chest- Especially as it's been a while since I've even looked at utmv related content and my motivation dwindled. I swear I'd hype myself up to post or reblog something- but I'd see just how much I've missed or the overwhelming amount of posts I'd need to go through and I'd feel so swamped with exhaustion and most importantly guilt, for not clearing the air up sooner to reassure you guys that I'm, y'know, alive, and not dead in a ditch somewhere. And I'd procrastinate cause typing it all out is hard and I'd give up halfway every time and it's just not fair to you all!

I thought I was handling it well when I started going out and socializing more, instead of staying cooped up at home on my computer all day. and in the first draft of this post I made months ago I was gonna detail some of the fun plans I had, for my life and for this blog :D but relaxing my strict study schedule and letting go a bit of my tight routine, thinking it was better than wringing myself dry to keep it up, backfired horribly, to say the least.

I know right?? so silly to be hung up on stupid shit like studies of all things! but this is a very important thing for me considering my career plans and the competitivity encouraged by everyone I'm surrounded by, the pressure of keeping up adding to my already stressful days. I had to fix myself up first and I couldn't handle the strain nor interact with people and thinking of jobs and exams sapped my energy so much it's frankly embarrassing. writing this feels so cheesy too and it frustrates me to know I could've come back a month earlier if it weren't for that, but I also know putting all of this into words then would just sound like incoherent venting (not that this is very different tbf) and I wasn't in the right headspace to address my absence, or anything really- I didn't want everyone to see me return when I couldn't muster up a genuinely positive message, let alone talk to anyone with a shadow of my usual cheer

I feel like a complete mess and It drives me up the wall how depressed I've gotten. I debated deleting this blog so many times 'cause the fear of disappointing my audience and my friends, for lack of a more fitting sentiment, made me feel even shittier. I'm constantly thinking if this wall of text is worth posting, or if it's better not to burden you all with all my sappy troubles as if it's the end of the world. Trust me, I'll be fine. I'm not trying to dramatize this situation, but I don't think I'm up to pretending I'm all sunshine and enthusiasm you're all accustomed to.

So sorry for worrying you all! I'll try to catch up, deliver some missed birthday gifts, and answer some asks while I'm at it! Again, I can't state how much I appreciate your support throughout the years. It's frankly a miracle I kept any of you around with how much I keep popping and leaving at random with no warning. I definitely can't promise for my stay to be without a hitch, and if you don't mind an inconsistent schedule you're free to stay of course, but I'm afraid I can't sustain the pace I had when I first started this blog. I'll keep posting art, but lower my activity in the fandom sphere to reduce the strain on my mental health. so fewer rants and walls of text, more art, and less stress overall. Love you all and thanks for waiting for this long <3

[silvermoon424]

is there any particular site/software you recommend for downloading videos from youtube?

Yes, I have 2 options that I've spoken about on here before! One is actual software and the other is a direct command-line program. Basically, that means that you're directly interfacing with your computer and telling it what to do through lines of text instead of through software. In macOS you use the Terminal app, whereas Windows has cmd.exe

Yt-dlp is the command line program. On top of letting you rip Youtube videos directly from the site, this program supports a huge array of other video/media websites. The program is highly customizable as well; I would highly recommend at least installing FFmpeg, which allows you to download videos in quality higher than the default 720p. Here’s a guide on how to do that for Windows and I wrote a guide here for Mac (I forgot to write in the guide that you should install FFmpeg via Homebrew).

If the Github page is overwhelming and too technical for you, don't worry, there are tons of guides you can look up online from tech websites/subreddits that use more approachable language. It took me a while to figure this out, lol. But I really do think this is an excellent tool.

However, if you are just looking for software, I can personally recommend the 4K Video Downloader. It's a fantastic application (compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linus) that allows you to save videos and mp3s from a huge variety of websites. You can download entire Youtube playlists, convert Youtube videos to mp3s, download videos with subtitles, etc. Most functions are free but a premium version can be bought for a one-time fee of $25.

[hiteshrivani]

The Rise of 5G and Its Impact on Mobile App Development

5G isn’t just about faster internet — it’s opening up a whole new era for Mobile App Development. With dramatically higher speeds, ultra-low latency, and the ability to connect millions of devices seamlessly, 5G is transforming how developers think about building apps. From richer experiences to smarter services, let's explore how 5G is already reshaping the mobile app landscape in 2025 and beyond.

1. Lightning-Fast Data Transfer

One of the biggest promises of 5G is incredibly fast data transfer — we're talking about speeds up to 100 times faster than 4G. For mobile apps, this means that large files, high-resolution images, and HD or even 4K video content can be downloaded or streamed instantly. Apps that once needed to compress their data heavily or restrict features due to bandwidth limits can now offer fuller, richer experiences without worrying about lag.

2. Seamless Real-Time Experiences

5G dramatically reduces latency, meaning the time between a user action and the app’s response is almost instant. This will revolutionize apps that rely on real-time communication, such as video conferencing, live-streaming platforms, and online gaming. Developers can create much more responsive apps, allowing users to interact with data, people, and services with zero noticeable delay.

3. The Growth of AR and VR Mobile Applications

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) apps have been growing, but 5G takes them to another level. Because of the high bandwidth and low latency, developers can now build more complex, interactive, and immersive AR/VR experiences without requiring bulky hardware. Imagine trying on clothes virtually in real-time or exploring a vacation destination through your phone — 5G is making this possible within Mobile App Development.

4. Smarter IoT-Connected Apps

The Internet of Things (IoT) will thrive even more in a 5G environment. Smart home apps, connected car apps, fitness trackers, and other IoT applications will be able to sync and update faster and more reliably. Developers can now integrate complex IoT ecosystems into mobile apps with minimal worries about network congestion or instability.

5. Enhanced Mobile Cloud Computing

Thanks to 5G, mobile cloud computing becomes much more viable. Instead of relying solely on local device storage and processing, apps can now store large amounts of data and execute processes directly in the cloud without latency issues. This allows users with even mid-range smartphones to experience high-performance features without the need for powerful hardware.

6. Revolutionizing Mobile Commerce

E-commerce apps are set to benefit greatly from 5G. Instant-loading product pages, real-time customer support, virtual product previews through AR, and lightning-fast payment gateways will enhance user experience dramatically. This could lead to higher conversion rates, reduced cart abandonment, and greater user loyalty in shopping apps.

7. Opportunities for New App Categories

With the technical limitations of mobile networks reduced, a whole new range of apps becomes possible. Real-time remote surgeries, autonomous vehicles controlled via mobile apps, and highly advanced telemedicine solutions are just a few examples. The doors are open for mobile developers to innovate and create applications that were previously impossible.

8. Better Security Requirements

With 5G’s mass connectivity also comes a bigger responsibility for security. As mobile apps become more connected and complex, developers must prioritize data protection, encryption, and secure authentication methods. Building security deeply into Mobile App Development workflows will be critical to maintain user trust.

9. More Demanding User Expectations

As 5G rolls out globally, users will expect every app to be faster, smoother, and more capable. Apps that fail to leverage the benefits of 5G may seem outdated or sluggish. This shift will push developers to continually optimize their apps to take advantage of higher speeds and smarter networking capabilities.

10. Preparing for the 5G Future

Whether you’re building entertainment apps, business solutions, healthcare tools, or gaming platforms, now is the time to adapt to 5G. Developers must start thinking about how faster speeds, greater device connections, and cloud capabilities can improve their mobile applications. Partnering with experts in Mobile App Development who understand the full potential of 5G will be key to staying ahead in a rapidly evolving digital world.

[anton-the-cock]

How to reduce your phone/social media usage

I achieved it (добився успєшного успєха) and I will share my tips with you!

(this post is actually for @will-ruadh I just realized writing it all in notes would be wildly uncomfortable and unreadable)

1) Make a realistic goal

This step has substeps because to make a realistic goal you need to a) look in the mirror and assess where you are now. To do so, you should track your usage. There are programs to do that but your phone might have an in-built feature like mine. When I started I spent around 9 hours every day on my phone (and on some days I spent more). It would be also useful to note which apps you spend the most time on

Then, we move on to b) setting the goal. You might be the kind of person to be able to quit your addictions cold turkey but then stop reading this post, and go watch this video instead. It's quite motivational. If you are not that kind of person, expect small progress. I think my first goal was not going above my average (so, like, 9 hours a day was a limit I set for myself). When I achieved that, I reduced it by an hour (you can reduce it by half an hour or ten minutes, whatever). Now my limit is 5 hours and I rarely break it and when I do I quickly return back to it

2) Praise yourself for progress!

Different people are motivated by different things so this step might be kind of vague and will need some individual work. But I feel like the most important thing is praising yourself for any progress you make. We often learn to be down on ourselves and most of us are not motivated by that so why do it??? Be happy with your little steps. You can reward yourself in different ways if that helps. You might ask for external validation from your friends, whatever works for you. But don't forget that you are doing great! And do not look too far ahead - thinking that "ugh my goal is so small, I spent 9 hours on my phone when I should have spent 5" IS NOT GOOD. Look straight ahead towards your first little goal and when you get there, set another little goal and praise yourself when you achieve it!

Some say it is better to praise consistency rather than "streaks". If you exceed your limits 3 times a month, it's a better result than being consistent the whole month and then relapsing for 2 months. But you can reward yourself for streaks too if you find it fun

3) Don't be too hard on yourself

People might get overwhelmed by regret or other negative emotions. "Ugh, why do I spend so much time doom-scrolling, I am wasting my time" - NOT HELPFUL thinking. Believe it or not, there are objective reasons why you developed this habit. Believe it or not, it must be helpful for your brain somehow. For example, I spend much more time online when I am in stressful situations. Social media feel safe and it distracts me from harsh reality. You have to understand yourself and forgive yourself. Accept yourself to change yourself

And if you fail and fall back into your habit, don't be too mad at yourself (you can be mad at yourself a little though). It's natural that your brain wants to do what it always did instead of restricting itself. You won't always be 100% consistent and it's alright! Get back up and try again

4) Use technical support

This is the part where I advertise dumb apps to you. But first, explore your phone's built-in features! Here's what I did just without installing any additional software:

(now that I wrote until this point I realise I didn't write this in mind that laptop or computer usage might be the problem ugh I am stupid)

Set hours in the morning and the evening when social media apps are not available - this is very helpful if you scroll in bed

Set a limit for general phone usage, specific apps or categories

But then I realised I wanted more features so I went hunting for apps:

StayFree - it is available for Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, Linux and as a browser extension for Chrome, Safari and Mozilla. It has a lot of options, probably the most out of all the apps I saw. It's helpful if you need specific limits that your basic phone functionality can't provide. It can also block things like the Reels tab in your Instagram and YouTube shorts. It is pretty heavy, though, I need to wait a bit before it opens on my phone

ScreenZen - this app has some functions the former doesn't. I use it to make myself do a little breathing exercise before entering my social media app. It is annoying as heck but sometimes I think to myself "I don't need this right now" and close the app before opening it. I also make it limit my usage by 15 minutes timeframe so every 15 minutes I have to do the exercise again and rethink my choices

With using any apps like this there might be privacy concerns since they need a lot of access to your phone to be able to do what they do. Do your own research etc etc. Both apps are free

You can find other ways to help yourself spend less time. They may differ from one person to another

5) OPTIONAL. Read How We Change (And Ten Reasons Why We Don't) by Ross Ellenhorn

Not like it's going to particularly help but I found this book very healing and insightful when it comes to changing your behaviours and your habits. It is not a practical guide but it is written with love and might help you understand yourself better. It certainly influenced the way I look at some things. My viewpoint is heavily inspired by it, honestly, I feel like I have to give credit where it's due

The End

I can go into more detail on various ways how I do things, so if you have questions you may ask. But honestly, people are so different, what works for me might not be perfect for you. You have to be curious and creative, looking at yourself with an unclouded mind, seeing your internet addiction as a task you are solving rather than a personal failure. The more heavy feelings you attach to it, the harder it is to be unbothered (moisturized, in your lane). Look at your triggers, look at how you respond to different strategies, look at what works and what doesn't. Be curious about the way your mind works. Idk man I love you I want everyone to be happy and pleased with themselves. I am so unbelievably happy I do not scroll all day long. It was so bad and now it is better and it took me two years, I think, maybe more. I believe in you

[pranjj]

Udaan by InAmigos Foundation:  Elevating Women, Empowering Futures

In the rapidly evolving socio-economic landscape of India, millions of women remain underserved by mainstream development efforts—not due to a lack of talent, but a lack of access. In response, Project Udaan, a flagship initiative by the InAmigos Foundation, emerges not merely as a program, but as a model of scalable women's empowerment.

Udaan—meaning “flight” in Hindi—represents the aspirations of rural and semi-urban women striving to break free from intergenerational limitations. By engineering opportunity and integrating sustainable socio-technical models, Udaan transforms potential into productivity and promise into progress.

Mission: Creating the Blueprint for Women’s Self-Reliance

At its core, Project Udaan seeks to:

Empower women with industry-aligned, income-generating skills

Foster micro-entrepreneurship rooted in local demand and resources

Facilitate financial and digital inclusion

Strengthen leadership, health, and rights-based awareness

Embed resilience through holistic community engagement

Each intervention is data-informed, impact-monitored, and custom-built for long-term sustainability—a hallmark of InAmigos Foundation’s field-tested grassroots methodology.

A Multi-Layered Model for Empowerment

Project Udaan is built upon a structured architecture that integrates training, enterprise, and technology to ensure sustainable outcomes. This model moves beyond skill development into livelihood generation and measurable socio-economic change.

1. Skill Development Infrastructure

The first layer of Udaan is a robust skill development framework that delivers localized, employment-focused education. Training modules are modular, scalable, and aligned with the socio-economic profiles of the target communities.

Core domains include:

Digital Literacy: Basic computing, mobile internet use, app navigation, and digital payment systems

Tailoring and Textile Production: Pattern making, machine stitching, finishing techniques, and indigenous craft techniques

Food Processing and Packaging: Pickle-making, spice grinding, home-based snack units, sustainable packaging

Salon and Beauty Skills: Basic grooming, hygiene standards, customer interaction, and hygiene protocols

Financial Literacy and Budgeting: Saving schemes, credit access, banking interfaces, micro-investments

Communication and Self-Presentation: Workplace confidence, customer handling, local language fluency

2. Microenterprise Enablement and Livelihood Incubation

To ensure that learning transitions into economic self-reliance, Udaan incorporates a post-training enterprise enablement process. It identifies local market demand and builds backward linkages to equip women to launch sustainable businesses.

The support ecosystem includes:

Access to seed capital via self-help group (SHG) networks, microfinance partners, and NGO grants

Distribution of startup kits such as sewing machines, kitchen equipment, or salon tools

Digital onboarding support for online marketplaces such as Amazon Saheli, Flipkart Samarth, and Meesho

Offline retail support through tie-ups with local haats, trade exhibitions, and cooperative stores

Licensing and certification where applicable for food safety or textile quality standards

3. Tech-Driven Monitoring and Impact Tracking

Transparency and precision are fundamental to Udaan’s growth. InAmigos Foundation employs its in-house Tech4Change platform to manage operations, monitor performance, and scale the intervention scientifically.

The platform allows:

Real-time monitoring of attendance, skill mastery, and certification via QR codes and mobile tracking

Impact evaluation using household income change, asset ownership, and healthcare uptake metrics

GIS-based mapping of intervention zones and visualization of under-reached areas

Predictive modeling through AI to identify at-risk participants and suggest personalized intervention strategies

 

Human-Centered, Community-Rooted

Empowerment is not merely a process of economic inclusion—it is a cultural and psychological shift. Project Udaan incorporates gender-sensitive design and community-first outreach to create lasting change.

Key interventions include:

Strengthening of SHG structures and women-led federations to serve as peer mentors

Family sensitization programs targeting male allies—fathers, husbands, brothers—to reduce resistance and build trust

Legal and rights-based awareness campaigns focused on menstrual hygiene, reproductive health, domestic violence laws, and maternal care

Measured Impact and Proven Scalability

Project Udaan has consistently delivered quantifiable outcomes at the grassroots level. As of the latest cycle:

Over 900 women have completed intensive training programs across 60 villages and 4 districts

Nearly 70 percent of participating women reported an average income increase of 30 to 60 percent within 9 months of program completion

420+ micro-enterprises have been launched, 180 of which are now self-sustaining and generating employment for others

More than 5,000 indirect beneficiaries—including children, elderly dependents, and second-generation SHG members—have experienced improved access to nutrition, education, and mobility

Over 20 institutional partnerships and corporate CSR collaborations have supported infrastructure, curriculum design, and digital enablement.

Partnership Opportunities: Driving Collective Impact

The InAmigos Foundation invites corporations, philanthropic institutions, and ecosystem enablers to co-create impact through structured partnerships.

Opportunities include:

Funding the establishment of skill hubs in high-need regions

Supporting enterprise starter kits and training batches through CSR allocations

Mentoring women entrepreneurs via employee volunteering and capacity-building workshops

Co-hosting exhibitions, market linkages, and rural entrepreneurship fairs

Enabling long-term research and impact analytics for policy influence

These partnerships offer direct ESG alignment, brand elevation, and access to inclusive value chains while contributing to a model that demonstrably works.

What Makes Project Udaan Unique?

Unlike one-size-fits-all skilling programs, Project Udaan is rooted in real-world constraints and community aspirations. It succeeds because it combines:

Skill training aligned with current and emerging market demand

Income-first design that integrates microenterprise creation and financial access

Localized community ownership that ensures sustainability and adoption

Tech-enabled operations that ensure transparency and iterative learning

Holistic empowerment encompassing economic, social, and psychological dimensions

By balancing professional training with emotional transformation and economic opportunity, Udaan represents a new blueprint for inclusive growth.

 From Promise to Power

Project Udaan, driven by the InAmigos Foundation, proves that when equipped with tools, trust, and training, rural and semi-urban women are capable of becoming not just contributors, but catalysts for socio-economic renewal.

They don’t merely escape poverty—they design their own systems of progress. They don’t just participate—they lead.

Each sewing machine, digital training module, or microloan is not a transaction—it is a declaration of possibility.

This is not charity. This is infrastructure. This is equity, by design.

Udaan is not just a program. It is a platform for a new India.

For partnership inquiries, CSR collaborations, and donation pathways, contact: www.inamigosfoundation.org/Udaan Email: partnerships@inamigosfoundation.org

[unichrome]

AI and the value of labour (but only if it's yours)

Few of you have missed the whole AI/AI-art/ChatGPT-debate by now and even though few have the technical literacy to actually know what it is and its implementations, it hasn't stopped people from having opinions on it, and wow they sure are Opinions. It's mainly about how it's art-theft and will put already struggling artists out of business because now there's a chance that their dandelion found in a deviantart furry artwork they made using GIMP once will now be seen made sort of in the same style on a 250x250 pixel generated picture from a free online generator. And now I'm going to be snarky about it but also highlight a problem seen from the other end of this - the value of labour, and I'm not talking about the artists labour here.

But first let's look back a little bit for some well-needed perspective:

The logic for this is nothing we haven't seen before; you can't copy art and have it made available for just everyone to use like this! In the early 2000's it put musicians out of business and destroyed music forever with the introduction of napster. Pirate bay is why movies no longer are being made. It has destroyed art as we know it when people tauntingly right-clicked on a cryptobro's NFT and clicked "save as" (which I assume is also very problematic for the people who are vehemently against AI art? It's a literal 1-to-1 copy of your work). Media corporations are dying because intellectual properties are no longer protected under the copyright laws after 70 or so years. In the 90's there was even some video star who literally murdered a radio star. With the introduction of vinyl, it even killed live music forever.

So technology has been destroying just about all forms of art as we know it for a while now and each time it's the same doomsday predictions from the newly formed kind of art-christianity where some art has soul (Good, Skilled Laboured artists) and others hasn't (Evil, of course).

Now for the informative part of the post:

In the 1970's, computers as we know them today began forming, and with it, the value of a computer programmers skill and labour. Alongside with this, they saw a growing problem: Corporations owned everything they made, and corporations will also have the whole say about what will be present on a computer and the price of everything present on it.

This was not very appreciated by neither the programmers, and nor the customers (although few saw this growing problem coming). So in a weird twist of fate, programmers became one of the most left-wing labour-rights occupation you could find by forming Free Software Foundation, GNU, and essentially setting the stage for you to be able to use the free GIMP software instead of buying a staggering price for Adobe's Photoshop. It enabled you to download firefox instead of buying a copy of internet explorer. Because yes, before this kind of software activism formed, and the general environment of software development became to make it as freely available as possible - and having an outright despise for corporations like Novell and Microsoft for taking such huge amount of money to their own pockets instead of the developers, literally every piece of software cost money. A LOT of money.

This kind of 100% for free software usage we're used to has also led to us no longer being appreciative of the work and skill that goes behind keeping a software not only developed and updated continuously for decades, but also spending money on keeping it hosted and delivered to you for free. We even joke and scoff about the mere thought of having to pay 0.99 Euro for an app we'd use daily and a developer spent 2 years in the making. Meanwhile, when someone offers to pay someone merely 10 euro or so for a handmade blanket, there's an outrage about the value of labour and skill. And rightfully so! I support that, and so should you, even if it's labour that you weren't the one making.

And it doesn't end there either - we all know corporations has no trouble finding new ways to charge you money. Organisations like Free Software Foundation, various Linux projects and Mozilla have campaigned for a freer usage in general, leading to fair-use laws, campaigning for the right to repair your technology instead of having to buy new one all the time, as well as preventing corporations from banning every other piece of software on a computer that they don't want you to have (from a competitor or free alternative of their software).

I mentioned Adobe specifically, because in the wave of anti-AI-art outcry, artists are campaigning for a ban on making software that uses other peoples artistic similarities (not copies mind you, similarities, meaning making it a copyright infringement to have art that is similar to yours, since that's what AI-art algorithms create), and I'm sure right off the bat many of you can see the huge problem with that, but Adobe sure isn't. They're also gladly in on this, because that would mean that free alternatives of Photoshop like GIMP would also become a copyright infringement. So would a lot of our other free software we use daily and take for granted.

That's all I wanted to say about this I think. The TL;DR version is basically to value labour even if it isn't yours, and to not take it for granted. As a final part to remember about AI is that it is a tool, and like any tool it can be used for good or evil. AI is what made it possible for us to make sense of the large hadron collider data and made enormous leaps in scientific discovery in just a few years, that would otherwise had taken 500 years to sort through by humans, and with a much higher rate of error.

[commodorez]

Revisited: Classic GVP & Amiga Hardware - Robert Miranda

"We, Robert Miranda & Pete Keretz, were in the trenches of Great Valley Products’ Technical Support from ~1989-1994 (combined). We were regular maintainers of the GVP BBS, and we frequented the online FidoNet discussion groups for the Commodore Amiga and GVP Tech Support. We tested many 3rd party hardware and software offerings as part of our day job. That fed our growing passion for computer technology. Stop by to see some of our collection of Amiga expansion gear, and feel free to engage us in the technical memories from the classic Amiga era."

VCF East XIX

[zeemakesthings]

To hell with Windows, hello Linux!

(Long, long 2 AM rant) I got an Alienware Area-51 Threadripper R6 from FB Marketplace last year. No, it's not my main machine, and don't hate me for it.

It was cheap, and it's nostalgic. I remember watching a bunch of tech videos growing up and this was one of my favorite computers. Did I understand any of the tech garble? No. But I thought it looked freakin' cool. So I saw it online and said why not. It'll make a good birthday present for myself, plus I can use it as a testbed of sorts for whatever computer projects I can think of.

It's treated me well despite my abuse. I've stress-tested it, done some rendering, ran some language models, and dabbled in crypto mining. One of the GPU's failed but i wasn't too surprised.

Throughout all of this, however, I've had three occasions where Windows decided to remove itself from the living realm. The first time I assume it was a driver error. I unplugged a device and it fully froze. After a restart, it would no longer boot. I'm not too worried since, it being a testbed, I don't have important stuff on it. So I reinstall Windows and move on. (Should I have had to do that in the first place, I don't think so.) The second time, it died after an update. A standard Windows update. Can't remember what exactly. But it stopped booting after the restart. This time, however, it appeared to also brick the firmware? Plugged in my installation media, turned on the computer, and I'm greeted with an empty drive list. It couldn't see the drives in my PC. Wack. Spent a few hours troubleshooting that one.

(I'm writing this at 2 AM, about to pass out, can't remember much details lol)

It's been smooth sailing for about four months. I'm having a blast, gaming, surfing, the like. I've started hosting a Minecraft server for my friends for the past two weeks. PC has been on for most of that time, with a few restarts to freshen up the system. Fast forward to yesterday (technically two days ago since it's past midnight). I do another restart, and before starting the server again I decide to check for any updated. Two pop up, I decide to let them install. Windows stopped booting. This time I'm stressed, since I'm hosting our server. I migrated it from Aternos so people can join whenever they want, so it has a months worth of progress on it.

I make an installation media (on a Macbook mind you, don't get me started on that process), and attempt to recover the windows install before I reset it. I spent four hours figuring it out on Tuesday, and couldn't even make it to the Setup screen. I gave up, hit the hay. Wednesday I got right back to it, going as far as to re-installing the BIOS. After that and some more, I finally get to the Setup screen, where I'm met with a new message: "Install driver to show hardware".

"awesome, a new challenge" the he sais to his self *he was then shot 74 times* I saw that message and knew this wasn't gonna end well. Luckily I had an NVMe adapter on hand so I could pull the server files from my drive.

Six hours were spent, wasted, on troubleshooting this error. I've gone through forums on at least half a dozen websites. Nothing worked. All hope was lost for Windows.

Then, a little penguin appeared in my head. I had to try. I've had Linux in the past, only temporarily. It's never given me any problems besides running games with anti-cheat. That's mainly why I haven't switched fully before. But developers have improved Linux support for games, and now Steam has their own Linux-based OS. So I said, why not. I created my Ubuntu flash drive, plugged it in and booted my PC. First try. It worked. Of course it would, it's Linux. It doesn't care if you install it on a literal potato fresh out of the ground. It's now Thursday midnight past, and I'm finally downloading my apps and programs.

At this very moment, I made a decision. I will never use Windows again, unless for the rare circumstance I need to run a Windows-only program. In that case, I'd rather dual-boot my machine than have it Windows-only. I've never had a bad experience with Linux. Is it challenging? Yes. Is it as user-friendly? It can be, as long as you don't need to do anything significant. But I'm fine with that. I'm willing to learn, and I have fun doing so. I'll finally rid myself of Microsoft's greedy and selfish products. And yes, I got the Minecraft server running on Linux. Only took me 15 minutes, and even that's because I've never done it before. It's a five-minute process.

[confessions-official]

Trying to find another job that doesn't require me to leetcode. I hate leetcoding. Looking at just technical support for now or any other job that doesn't require me to leetcode for a job interview. I've thought of doing an online degree for accounting but not entirely sure. I haven't told my family cause they like to take me around like a trophy cause I went to a top computer science school. And looking back now I feel like I only did what I did to make them proud not cause I like it. Honestly fuck leet code.

 

[jasmin-d55]

9/2 Blog Post Week #2

Why is there an importance to understanding the media's roles? 

The media's roles are important to know because they show how it shapes and reflects power relationships in society, changes how race and ethnicity are portrayed, and causes social change. According to Gonzalez and Torres (2011), the media shapes racial and ethnic identities mostly by sustaining prejudices and stereotypes, thereby reflecting their nature. By looking at the media's roles in the past and present, we can see how it supports injustice and how disadvantaged groups have used it to fight for social justice. To fix the continued issues of bias, underrepresentation, and inequality in the media (González & Torres, 2011), it is very important to understand this.

Reference: González, J., & Torres, J. (2011). News for all the people: The epic story of race and the American media. Verso.

2. How does media influence perceptions of different racial groups, and in what ways has social media transformed societal perspectives over time?

Using an example from the text, the writers looked at early examples of how different racial groups, such as Native Americans, African Americans, and immigrants, were portrayed in the media. These incidents demonstrate the extent to which the media has shaped racial and ethnic identities in the US. By making a range of voices and points of view more visible, social media has questioned accepted media narratives and preconceptions, therefore altering public perceptions. Over time, social media channels have enabled public understanding of racial and social issues, therefore impacting public opinion and behavior.

Reference: González, J., & Torres, J. (2011). News for all the people: The epic story of race and the American media. Verso.

3. Why are there people in power, as if there is a hierarchy within the internet? 

Fuchs explains that the internet like social media sites and other digital spaces is governed and looked over by strong governments and companies. Money is being made from user interactions towards these big companies which gives them an established financial standing. This is caused by the large amount of data that is gathered by these organizations which establish very strict platform policies that then bring in money from the users' interactions. The internet is viewed as open and in a very broad way democratic, which then offers social economic disparities to reinforce by that exact concept of power, this allows a small number of firms to dominate the online space. Although technically speaking everyone has power online due to the fact that they run their own platforms there is still a strong hierarchy. Online platforms tend to have specific content in favor due to mainly only financial gain. With this comes the marginalization or stifling of the voices of others which brings in a representation of the hierarchical structure within the social media world. The internet as a broad is reflecting as Fuch states, “real world power structures” where political and economic power justify knowledge and communication. 

Reference: Fuchs, C. (2014). Social media: A critical introduction. SAGE Publications.

4. What are the effects of social media's absence of user data ownership and management for online businesses?

In "Social Media: A Critical Introduction," explains that the lack of users owning and controlling personal data on social media platforms, is greatly affecting and overpowering internet companies. This form of dynamic brings in power which allows these companies to bring in and generate enough profits through targeted advertising and data sales. This is done while they leverage detailed use information to be able to attract advertisers. The immense amount of personal data allows there to be many advancements within the surveillance capabilities allowing them to monitor and analyze user behavior. Data control makes power imbalances which limits users privacy while making the computers influence greater and more prominent over information dissemination. This correlates to the class discussion where we spoke of the power dynamic this has that correlates to democratic processes where data manipulation can potentially influence public opinion and even elections. (Fuchs,2014)

Reference: Fuchs, C. (2014). Social media: A critical introduction. SAGE Publications.

[magicalgirlmindcrank]

Your new miku this week has reminded me I've been wanting to get into digital illustration, so I wanted to ask.

What drawing tablet and software do you use? And do you have any recommendations?

Sorry, we didn't see this just now! We currently have two tablets technically, though we don't use the old much outside of edits on PC. One is an Artist 12 pro, which plugs into the computer, and the one we use now is an S7 FE. We use Clip Studio Paint on both, though we own 1 on the PC and have a CSP 2 subscription for the tablet. They are largely compatible.

There are some issues with the S7 FE - it often claims it's running out of memory while drawing, and cites that it may crash. It never does, and auto saves like every two minutes, but the pop up is obnoxious. I can't seem to transfer any files directly off it to my PC, and Patreon doesn't let me upload from it either. If I try to upload an image to discord, discord crashes. Maybe these things have fixes we didn't find, maybe it's just that I bought an older tablet to save a bit of money. Who can say. It's probably our fault for drawing 300dpi on big canvases. I would suggest maybe trying the S9 FE or something else.

CSP is really good though, and we love it a lot. It has a ton of cool features we don't really know how to use cuz we're too lazy to learn them, and a bunch that we do understand! It also can use Photoshop brushes and has a pretty extensive online market of its own brush and asset wise. It's a really powerful program that can do whatever you want it to.

We've also heard great things about iPads for drawing, which also support CSP. We've never used Procreate but that's also really good we hear, and on both Android and Apple systems.

As for what we recommend, uhhh, a standalone tablet is expensive, but the ability to whip it out and doodle is hard to match. They are pretty expensive compared to something like the Artist 12 pro however. I think we paid 325 for the S7 FE and another 50$ for the s pen pro, vs like 100$ for the 12 pro, but one let's me draw at work or in bed or cuddled up, and the other needs me to be at my computer.

It really comes down to what you can afford and the screen size you want though - you can definitely get an older or refurbished iPad for cheaper and it will probably run just fine. The S7 FE we have is only 4gb memory and does great despite its whining. Of course, it's the only thing we use it for, especially when drawing, so ymmv.