#Streamline web development

[webeside101]

Webeside Technology: Transforming Your Business with Efficient Software Management

Webeside Technology offers innovative and efficient software management solutions to streamline your business operations. Unlock seamless integration, optimize performance, and drive growth with our expert services tailored to your needs.

[insurance-brokers-india]

What are the next steps after obtaining an insurance broker license, and how can you generate potential leads using Mzapp CRM software?

Congratulations on securing your insurance broker license! The journey doesn’t end here; it’s just the beginning of building a successful insurance brokerage. Here’s how you can proceed and leverage Mzapp CRM software to find potential leads:

Steps After Getting Your Insurance Broker License

Understand Your Market: Research your target audience (individuals, businesses, or specific sectors).

Develop a Business Plan: Set goals for client acquisition, revenue, and operational processes.

Build a Network: Partner with insurance providers and attend industry events to establish your presence.

Create an Online Presence: Build a professional website and maintain active profiles on social platforms.

Offer Value-Added Services: Educate customers on policies, claims management, and risk assessments.

Using Mzapp CRM Software to Generate Leads

Lead Capture: Utilize Mzapp’s integrated forms and web tracking tools to capture inquiries from your website or social media.

Automated Follow-Ups: Set up personalized email and SMS follow-ups to nurture leads effectively.

Lead Scoring: Prioritize leads based on their interaction history, ensuring you focus on high-potential prospects.

Data-Driven Campaigns: Use analytics to identify what works and launch targeted campaigns.

Seamless Policy Management: Impress leads by showcasing how smoothly you manage policies and claims through Mzapp.

Why Choose Mzapp CRM?

Mzapp CRM simplifies lead management, streamlines operations, and provides insights into customer behavior, making it easier to convert prospects into loyal clients.

Learn more about how Mzapp can transform your insurance business here.

[perfectiongeeks]

How AI Integration Streamlines Your Existing Mobile or Web Applications

In the fast-paced digital age, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to meet the ever-growing demands of users and stay ahead of the competition. Traditional software applications, although functional, often fall short of providing the dynamic, personalized experiences modern users expect. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into these applications has emerged as a transformative solution, revolutionizing how businesses operate and how users engage with their digital environment. This comprehensive exploration delves into the profound impact of AI integration in traditional software applications, elucidating its multifaceted advantages and how it reshapes the landscape of user experiences and operational efficiency.

Visit us:

[aaksconsulting]

Continuous Integration And Continuous Delivery (CI/CD): Streamlining Your Development Pipeline

Welcome to the world of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), where software development becomes a well-oiled machine, smoothly transforming ideas into reality. In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, staying ahead requires agility and efficiency in product delivery. That’s why understanding CI/CD is crucial for any developer or organization looking to streamline their development pipeline and revolutionize their workflow.

So buckle up as we embark on an exploration of this powerful methodology that promises shorter release cycles, increased collaboration, and endless possibilities for innovation. Get ready to witness how CI/CD can propel your software development process to new heights!

-WHAT IS CONTINUOUS INTEGRATION AND CONTINUOUS DELIVERY (CI/CD)?

Continuous Integration (CI) is a development practice that requires developers to integrate code into a shared repository several times a day. Each check-in is then verified by an automated build, allowing teams to detect problems early. Continuous Delivery (CD) takes CI one step further by automating the release process, making it easier and faster for changes to be deployed to production.

Both CI and CD are important DevOps practices that can help streamline your development pipeline and improve your overall application quality.

-WHY USE CI/CD PIPELINES?

The value of using CI/CD pipelines is that they provide a streamlined process for development teams to continuously integrate and deliver code changes. By automating the build, test, and deployment process, teams can release new features and bug fixes faster and more efficiently. Additionally, CI/CD pipelines help ensure that all code changes are properly tested before being deployed to production, which helps reduce the risk of application downtime or bugs.

-ADVANTAGES OF CI/CD

There are many advantages of using CI/CD to streamline your development pipeline. By automating the build, test, and deploy process, you can shorten the overall feedback loop and get new features and fixes to your customers faster. Additionally, using CI/CD can help improve code quality by automatically identifying errors and potential issues early on in the development process. By automating the deployments, you can remove the potential for human error and ensure that all releases are consistent.

-TYPES OF CI/CD PIPELINES

There are three main types of CI/CD pipelines: linear,forked, and hybrid.

Linear pipelines are the simplest to set up and are well suited for small projects with a single repository. In a linear pipeline, there is one sequence of steps that all changes must go through before being deployed. This gives you greater control over your release process, but can be slow if you have a lot of commits waiting in the queue.

Forked pipelines are more complex, but offer greater flexibility and scalability. In a forked pipeline, branches are created for each commit, and each branch goes through its own sequence of steps before being merged back into the main branch. This allows you to deploy changes faster, as you can parallelize the work across multiple branches.

Hybrid pipelines combine aspects of both linear and forked pipelines. In a hybrid pipeline, you can create multiple sequences of steps (called ‘stages’), and changes can be deployed to different stages at different rates. This gives you the benefits of both approaches: the flexibility of forked pipelines, with the control of linear pipelines.

-HOW TO SET UP A CI/CD PIPELINE

Assuming you have a codebase and a remote repository set up for your project, you will need to do the following in order to set up a CI/CD pipeline:

1. Choose a CI/CD tool. Some popular options are Jenkins, TravisCI, and CircleCI. 2. Set up your chosen CI/CD tool on your development machine as well as in your remote repository. 3. Configure your CI/CD tool according to your needs for this project. This will include specifying the build steps, testing approach, and deployment methodologies. 4. Add necessary plugins or scripts to your codebase in order to trigger the CI/CD pipeline when commits are made or new branches are created. 5. Test everything out by making some code changes and pushing them through the pipeline!

-BEST PRACTICES FOR SETTING UP A CI/CD PIPELINE

Setting up a Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline can help streamline your development process and save you time and money. Here are some best practices for setting up a CI/CD pipeline:

1. Define your workflow.

Before you can set up a CI/CD pipeline, you need to define your workflow. What steps do you need to take in order to get from code changes to a deployed application? Once you have defined your workflow, you can start setting up your CI/CD pipeline.

2. Set up a build server.

A build server is where your code changes will be built and tested before they are deployed to production. You will need to set up a build server that meets the requirements of your workflow. There are many different options for build servers, so choose one that fits your needs.

3. Configure your builds.

Once you have set up your build server, you will need to configure your builds. Build configuration includes specifying what tests should be run, what environment variables should be set, and how the application should be packaged for deployment. Be sure to document your build configurations so that they can be easily replicated in the future.

4. Set up Continuous Integration (CI).

Continuous Integration is the process of automatically building and testing code changes as they are made. This ensures that code changes do not break the application and catch errors early on in the development process. Many CI tools exist, so choose one that best fits your needs.

5. Set up Continuous Delivery (CD).

Continuous Delivery is the process of automatically deploying code changes to production. This ensures that code changes are tested and deployed quickly, providing faster feedback to developers and reducing downtime for users. CD tools also provide features such as rollbacks in case a deployment fails. Again, many CD tools exist, so choose one that best fits your needs.

6. Monitor your pipeline.

Once your CI/CD pipeline has been set up, you should monitor it regularly to ensure that it is running smoothly and efficiently. Monitor build times, test success rates, and deployment successes to identify potential issues and opportunities for improvement.

-TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES USED IN CI/CD PIPELINES

The primary tools and technologies used in CI/CD pipelines are automation tools, such as Jenkins and Bamboo, and version control tools, such as Git and Subversion. These tools work together to allow developers to automatically build, test and deploy their code changes.

In addition to these primary tools, there are a number of other supporting tools and technologies that can be used to further streamline the CI/CD pipeline. For example, configuration management tools, such as Chef and Puppet, can be used to manage the configuration of the environments that the code is deployed into. And artifact repositories, such as Nexus and Artifactory, can be used to store the built artifacts for future deployments.

By using a combination of these various tools and technologies, development teams can significantly speed up their release cycles and deliver new features and fixes to customers more rapidly.

-CONCLUSION

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) are two important concepts in the world of software development. When used together, they can help streamline your development pipeline and make it more efficient. In this article, we’ve looked at what CI/CD is, how it works, and some of the benefits it can provide. Hopefully, this has given you a better understanding of these concepts and how they can be used to improve your development process.

[narastories]

on the topic of writing software

I want to ramble at you about some writing software options. 98% of the time I'm perfectly content with LibreOffice Writer (and previously I used Word, back when Microsoft products were less shitty). But every now and then when I have a new project (like now - more on that later) I start looking for something shiny and new to try. And I fell down into another research rabbit hole lol

I usually don't talk a lot about this bc my needs are very simple, and not sure how useful my opinion is to others, but I enjoy the topic. It's an intersection of creative writing and tech nerdiness and I like both of those things. Also what writing software you prefer really depends on the type of writer that you are, and everyone has a slightly different writing process and I find that fascinating.

Now, as I said, I'm coming at it from a slightly tech-nerd angle. I don't care if the installation is clunky, I'm happy to see the words open-source, and the need to create an account will already mildly piss me off (:

Don't worry, I'm not as intense as the guy writing his novel in Vim. Though fucking respect. And I can't say I'm not tempted to try it even with the steep learning curve lmao (Seriously, if you don't know Vim is notorious among software developers.)

Anyway, things I've tried so far:

Manuskript: this was listed as an open-source Scrivener alternative (though I haven't tried Scrivener. so.). I gave it a go when I was writing heart worth the trouble and it was pretty nice. It helped me when I had to move scenes and chapters around. But overall I think it was made with plotters in mind bc it wants you to enter a lot of information upfront. I'm not a planner/architect type of writer so this type of software is a bit overwhelming for me. Still, the fact that it's open source and works on Linux gets kudos from me.

Wavemaker: I recently played around with this, and I actually surprisingly like the features it has. You can put multiple books in a project, which is very nice if you like to work on different things, like fanfic, novels, etc. The mindmap is a feature I liked, though it's a bit clunky bc it collapses the text fields when you exit, and once I added an image field by accident that I could never remove lol I do like a bit of a snowflake method, so that feature is cool, and the cards are pretty straightforward too. Usually, my problem with these apps is that I don't even want to touch half of the features so they are pointless to me, but the features of Wavemaker were kind of nice. It's a web app that you can download and use offline but it's still working from your browser if that makes sense. That was what I didn't really appreciate. Also, it doesn't give you a lot of options to back it up. You either save the wavemaker file, export it into a document (which is fine, but it adds an extra step to the backup process) or you sync with Google Drive *shudders*

Things I want to try out:

Calmly Writer: now this is just purely a text editor that focuses on being very zen, streamlined, distraction-free, etc. It's pretty and it has typewriter sounds. (Yeah, I'm not immune to a pretty UI and harmless fun features alright? I can contain multitudes :P) It has an online version, but you can also download it, and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. On paper, the desktop app requires a license, but the way they put it is that you can evaluate it for free and the evaluation doesn't have an enforced time limit... So. As good as free. (Though if I really like it, I would totally consider buying a license for 20usd that I can use on 3 computers, that seems fair. I appreciate a license over a subscription model for sure.) Honestly, I think this is the one I'm going to try next bc it just integrates perfectly into my writing process. That being: a multitude of messy, hand-written notes and notebooks + a document editor + backups on hard drive and GitHub (yes, really) ^^"

Shaxpir: This is on the opposite end of the spectrum basically, but out of the "fancy" ones, I kind of like the look of this the most. I like the statistics part in particular. But honestly, I probably won't try it bc it doesn't have a Linux version which would be a pain in the ass for me, and is cloud-based. I kind of don't really trust them, which is my biggest issue with these companies. (Although the creator's heart seems to be in the right place when it comes to AI. Basically, some of their features are based on machine learning and language models. For example, it will recognize passive voice, if it's an adverb with "-ly" or the emotion of a word. Which I think is all cool and fine and shouldn't be lumped in with generative AI. But he also had a website that did this analysis for already published works, and when people pointed out that it was sketchy, he took that down and I can respect that. I'm not sure how much it influenced the actual features of the app, maybe I'll just take a peek out of curiosity. The whole thing does make me have trust issues though lmao) If anyone has experience with it though, I'm interested to hear about it.

Obsidian: not a dedicated writing software, but rather an elaborate note-taking app. I heard good things about it from smart people lol If I really wanted to access my writing on my phone, I would probably use this bc it works on every platform and has end-to-end encrypted sync with version control. I heard you can also integrate it with GitHub which is always music to my ears lol But the setup probably takes a bit of time and I'm not particularly motivated to do that right now.

So yeah, those are the options that appeal to me right now. If anyone used these and has opinions, I'm all ears :D

[tribbetherium]

The Middle Rodentocene: 10 million years post-establishment

Sunlight at the Okay Coral: Coasts, Reefs and Shallow Seas of the Middle Rodentocene

The Middle Rodentocene is a time of great changes. While in the Early Rodentocene the first rounds of speciation first sprung up, as life first sought to exploit empty niches, now, 10 million years after life had arrived, the various established clades begin to take their foothold in the biomes across the globe, from tundras and grasslands to forest and deserts. But there was one collection of biomes the hamsters had not yet conquered: the sea. However, this was not to say the oceans of HP-02017 were barren, as, aside from just hamsters, a whole other array of living organisms were introduced to support the growth of ecosystems from the ground up: many of them in the oceans. And in the span of time since the beginning, they, too, have been subject to the evolutionary race, growing and changing to fill the gaps left vacant in an incomplete ocean.

Corals and sea sponges, predictably, form the structural foundations of these ecosystems, being filter-feeders trapping drifting masses of phytoplankton and tiny planktonic crustaceans and forming vast, intricate reefs making suitable shelter and habitat for countless other organisms. However, since then, some of the coral larvae have since neotenized, and instead of forming a hard, rocky exterior, have either matured into adulthood as semi-sessile polyps with trailing tentacles for catching food, becoming the anemoids, or evolving into free-swimming forms with transluscent bells, giving rise to the mockjellies. Small shelled sea snails similar to cowries, periwinkles, or whelks, accidental arrivals to the planet from dormant eggs hidden in marine coral, are generalist omnivores that graze on the abundant detritus and algae growing on coral surfaces and the seabed, while bivalves, descended from freshwater mussels, now expand into the seas and converge with clams and oysters, forming clusters on the ocean floor filtering out food particles and playing a role in cleaning the surrounding water of excess organic debris.

The most remarkable creatures of the sea, however, are the shrish: resembling fish, they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and number in a thousand or more different species. Some stick to the reefs, sporting brght colors and odd shapes, while others, more silvery-hued, display more streamlined forms and gather in the open seas feeding on plankton. Yet these are not the familiar piscine life of Earth's seas, for they are descendants of krill, an abundant oceanic lifeform forming the bottom of the food chain in their home planet: but here they are faced with no predators, no competition and plenty of vacant niches to fill, and so in a short span of time have exploded in diversity, with some even beginning to swim inland and conquer freshwater environments as well.

On the coasts, where sunlight is abundant, these reefs flourish, thanks to the suns' brilliant rays nourishing the microalgae and phytoplankton that form the base of the entire food web. While the main sun Alpha contributes the overwhelming energy partition, Beta's dim red light adds a tiny extra increment, with some phytoplankton developing dark black pigments as well, to absorb red light so they can continue photosynthesizing even during Beta-twilight.

These micro-producers in turn draw in tiny drifting zooplankton that feed on the phytoplankton, and are in turn food for shrish, mockjellies and anemoids, while algae feed the bottom-feeders of the sea floor, such as the bivalves and the gastropods. A few algae species even form a direct symbiosis with the coral itself, growing inside their tissues and providing then with energy via photosynthesis, in exchange for a suitable home in which to grow.

Such a thriving community with plenty of shrish feeding on a diverse selection of food, would eventually lead to the formation of higher rungs of the food chain. And nowhere would this originate from a fellow shrish itself: with sharp grasping forelimbs, scissoring against a jagged upper rostrum like a three-part, beak-like false jaw, these shrish would evolve to take advantage of the most abundant and unexploited food resource about: other species of shrish.

Known as the shrarks, these predators would only grow to about 9-12 inches at most: but they are formidable predators, ranging across small coastal reefs, where they prowl the crevices to catch unsuspecting prey unaware, to open oceans where they pursue the swarms and shoals of open-water shrish, relying instead on speed and agility. Here, these small, early shrarks are the biggest creatures of the seas: and as time passes, they will only get bigger, as far as their anatomy would allow.

Hamsters, so far, would not have ventured into the seas yet, but on the coasts and shorelines, where food is plentiful, a few experimental lineages make tentative steps into the alluring deep. Basal puffpaddles, swimming duskmice with webbed paws and inflatable extensions of their cheek pouches to help them keep afloat, venture across the exposed tide pools and even plunge into the shallows, to feed on easily-accessible aquatic plants and algae. These coastal species, compared to their lake and river cousins, have adapted to the salinity by developing more efficient kidneys to more effectively excrete the salt.

More specialized cousins of the puffpaddles, the beaver-like pondrats, also roam the coasts and swim from time to time when foraging or escaping enemies on land. These, however, lack the advanced salt excretion of their smaller relatives, and thus are unable to feed or spend much time in the sea, risking salt toxicity and osmotic dehydration if they did so. Thus, coastal pondrats are mostly restricted to the shores, where they supplement their diet with land plants as a source of fresh water, particularly the succulent-like grasses that grow on seaside outcrops which filter out the salt in the water they store inside their stems.

The carnivorous fearrets, too, have made their advancements toward the sea, and now are surprisingly good swimmers, using their long, musteloid bodies and short paddle-like feet to move through the water. While they may opportunistically go after coastal duskmice, much of their diet consists of sealife: while shrish are usually too fast for them, they go after slower sea creatures like snails, bivalves and coral polyps attached to rocks in the intertidal zones when the tides go out. Similar to puffpaddles, they are able to excrete excess salt in their urine, though by preference tend to frequent the open mouths of rivers where they meet the sea, as a source of fresh water from time to time to help flush out the salinity from their systems.

For now, while an abundance of invertebrate life flourishes in the oceans, the hamsters, dominant on land, are only afforded small, experimental tastes of the endless blue world beyond their reach. And as the earliest of the oceans's top predators, frequenting the shores to hunt, comes to recognize these soft-bodied early pioneers as ideal prey, it is a biome that will not yet be theirs for the taking, at least for the time being.

------------

[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Chordata

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Chordata is a phylum consisting of bilaterial animals that have, at at least some point in their development, a notochord and a dorsal nerve chord. It consists of the Cephalochordates (lancelets), Tunicates (sea squirts, salps, and larvaceans), and Vertebrates.

Vertebrates replace their notochord with a spine in early development, while tunicates only retain their notochord and dorsal nerve chord during their larval stage. Vertebrates and tunicates are more closely related to each other than they are to lancelets (first image), which are fish-shaped filter-feeders. They typically inhabit the sea floor, burrowing the bottom halves of their bodies into soft substrate. They have gill slits, but these are used for feeding on plankton rather than respiration. They have light-sensing organs, and one frontal eye. They do not have hearts or brains. They have two sexes, though hermaphroditism has been observed, as well as at least one instance of a lab-raised female transforming into a male. They breed by releasing eggs and sperm into the water synchronously. Larvae are asymmetrical, with the mouth and anus on the left side, and the gill slits on the right side.

Most tunicates are also filter-feeders, ranging from the sessile, sponge-like sea quirts (second image) to the planktonic salps. All tunicates start life as free-swimming, tadpole-like larvae with rudimentary brains and light sensors, before they metamorphize into their adult forms. Meanwhile, the larvaceans retain tadpole-like shapes and active swimming all their lives. Salps move by contracting, similarly to jellyfish, straining phytoplankton from the water. They have a complex life cycle, in which one generation of solitary individuals reproduces asexually by producing a chain of tens to hundreds of individuals, which are released from the parent at a small size. The next generation consists of a colony of salps (called blastozooids) remaining attached together while swimming, feeding, and growing. This generation reproduces sexually, first maturing as females and later transforming into males. Older chains of male blastozooids will fertilize the eggs of younger female chains. Growing embryos are called oozooids, and eventually detach from their parent blastozoids, to feed and grow as the next solitary, asexual generation. Meanwhile, some species of sea squirt live as solitary individuals, while others replicate by budding and become colonies of zooids. They are filter feeders with two tubular openings, called siphons, through which they draw in and expel water.

The most simple vertebrates are hagfish, which have a skull but no vertebral column. They are marine predators and scavengers who can defend themselves against larger predators by releasing copious amounts of slime from mucous glands in their skin.

Lampreys have an ambiguous position in the vertebrate tree of life, bearing a complete braincase and rudimentary vertebrae. They spend the majority of their life as filter-feeders. A small handful of species are known to be carnivorous as adults, boring into other fish to consume flesh and/or blood.

Chondrichthyes (“cartilaginous fish”) have skeletons composed mainly of cartilage. They breath through gills but lack opercula (gill coverings). They have internal fertilization and some species lay eggs while others give live birth. Chondrichthyans have tooth-like scales called dermal denticles or placoid scales. These usually provide protection, and in most cases, streamlining. Today, chondrichthyans are represented by sharks, rays, skates, sawfish, and chimaeras. All species are carnivores, though at least one species is omnivorous.

The majority of chordate species are Actinopterygians (“Ray-finned Fishes”). They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of skin webbings supported by thin bony spines. They are the most abundant free-swimming aquatic animals and can be found almost anywhere there is water. They come in a vast majority of sizes, shapes, colors, and behaviors, from the 8 mm (0.3 in) long Paedocypris to the 11 m (36 ft) long Giant Oarfish (Regalecus glesne). In most actinopterygians, males and females exist and reproduce through external fertilization. However, some species utilize sequential hermaphroditism, in which they start life as females and convert to males at some point. In a few species, they start life as males and convert to females. Some species give live birth, and some species self-fertilise. Actinopterygians have feeding strategies ranging from predatory to grazing to filter-feeding.

And lastly, the Sarcopterygians (“Lobe-finned Fishes”), named for the prominent muscular limb buds (lobes) within their fins. They are represented by the coelacanths, lungfish, and tetrapods. The vast majority of the rest of chordate species are tetrapods, a terrestrial clade of sarcopterygians who evolved air-breathing using lungs. They are highly diverse, with a large variety of forms, biological strategies, and ecological roles. Along with arthropods, they are the only other group of animals to have adapted to life in dry environments, and the majority of them live on land.

Chordata is one of the largest phyla of animals when it comes to species and is also one of the oldest phyla, known from as early as the Cambrian explosion.

Propaganda under the cut:

Lancelets naturally express green fluorescent proteins. They may use this green fluorescence to attract plankton towards their mouths.

Mentioned briefly above, the Bonnethead Shark (Sphyrna tiburo), a small species of hammerhead, is the only shark known to be omnivorous. While it feeds on crustaceans, molluscs, and small fish, it also ingests large amounts of seagrass, which has been found to make up around 62% of gut content mass.

The Mangrove Rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus), a species of killifish, mostly breeds by self-fertilization and can survive for about two months on land. Males are rare, and can only hatch from eggs kept below 19 °C (66 °F).

The largest chordate is the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus), which can reach a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 m (98 ft) and weigh up to 196 long tons; 219 short tons). While it’s not the longest, it is the largest animal known to have ever existed.

At least one of your favorite animals is probably in this phylum. Most of the animals people keep as pets are in this phylum. We are in this phylum.

I am tired, and there is no way I can write enough propaganda for this poll, so I trust you can supply your own.

[seriousfic]

Y instead of X, C instead of Y

I was discussing the upcoming Superman movie on Discord lately, talking about how refreshing it was that Superman's iconic supporting cast was simply given new iterations ("Here's the new Lois Lane! Here's the new Jimmy! Here's the new Lex!") instead of being in-name-only'd as Spider-Man's iconic supporting cast has been in the last two reboots. Lois is still a hard-nosed reporter. Jimmy is still a goofball. Lex is still a rich megalomaniac.

Compare to the Spider-Man characters as of the most recent reboot. Mary Jane is a black Daria. Flash Thompson is a snooty rich kid. Ned Leeds is Ganke. J. Jonah Jameson is Alex Jones. And I got into how it seems that it's not enough for Sony/Marvel to just update the characters, they have to completely change them if they've been used before.

And as I was talking about this, I hit on the statement: It's like Marvel says "well, we already did X, so now let's do C instead. Not even Y. C."

As per usual, someone didn't understand, so here's a handy guide.

X is widely agreed upon source material canon. Superman is secretly Clark Kent, raised by Kansas farmers, now working at the Daily Bugle. Wonder Woman is from the island of Themyscira which is exclusively female. Peter Parker uses mechanical webshooters.

Y is functionally the same as X, but changed for the sake of streamlining continuity and allowing cinematic storytelling in the adaptation. Peter Parker has organic webshooters, for instance. This is not change for the sake of change, it's change that helps take advantage of the new medium.

For instance, Tobey Maguire's organic webshooters makes for humorous scenes of his webbing malfunctioning as he discovers his powers and his webbing not working when he loses his powers.

I had some hypotheticals to further illustrate what I meant. What if the Daily Planet was a cable news network and Lois Lane was a correspondent and Jimmy Olsen was her cameraman?

If you're like me, the Daily Planet not being a newspaper and Lois Lane not typing up articles is just bonkers. But, functionally, it's mostly the same and you could probably come up with some cinematic scenes that take advantage of them now being TV reporters.

What if Mary Jane, instead of aspiring to be an actress or model, wanted to be a singer? Functionally the same: she still wants to be a glamorous celebrity, she still probably does photoshoots and fashion stuff, but singing and performing on an instrument could allow you to do things that are more cinematic than her performing in a play or posing for a photographer. She could busk on the sidewalk as Spider-Man swings by, she could be practicing her instrument while Peter develops his tech to parallel their arcs... it takes advantage of this Spider-Man story moving and having a soundtrack instead of being still comic panels.

Which brings me to C, which is just the complete left-field stuff that makes no sense as an adaptation. Mary Jane being a reporter, for instance, even though that's not compatible with her attention-loving personality. Lex Luthor as an undercover Kryptonian in the CIA even though he's usually motivated by hating aliens (this one nearly happened thanks to J.J. Abrams). Jimmy Olsen as a CIA operative who's immediately executed even though he's usually not executed in most comics (what is it with DC and the CIA?). Just radically reinventing the canon for no other reason than "This ain't your dad's Superman movie!"

So I try to accept Y changes, no matter how weird it would feel to have Lois Lane be a TV reporter, but I won't apologize for not accepting C, because C is only done out of shame about not being the first adaptation of the source material.

[dinoflwer]

^^ this is a shortfin mako shark!! cute, right?

it belongs to the family of lamnidae, also known as mackerel sharks or isurids. lammidae are large, aggressive and powerful sharks that live in tropical to cold, temperate waters globally. there's only 5 species of shark belonging to this family: white shark, shortfin mako, longfin mako, porbeagle and the salmon shark.

its the fastest shark species with cruising speeds of 45mph (faster than a running horse!!) to astonishing speeds of 60mph! these gorgeous speed demons are able to be so magnificently agile due to their strong muscles and a streamlined body which allows them to power through water in fast bursts.

also, same as their lamnidae family, shortfin mako’s have specialised blood vessels that regulates their blood temperature to be higher than the surrounding water by producing heat metabolically. this is referred to as a heat exchange circulatory system and makes them one of the few endothermic sharks! their warms blood enhances their agility, allowing them to move at greater speeds, and being able to swim intensely for longer periods of time and reside in colder waters.

primarily, their diet consists of bluefish, swordfish, tuna, marine mammals and few other sharks. as they are aggressive predators near the top of the marine food web, this speedster doesn't have many predators, just commonly other larger sharks when shortfin's are still juveniles.

shortfin mako's habitat is near the surface of tropical and temperate oceans. juveniles are commonly located in coastal waters and adults are more likely found offshore. however, they are still highly migratory and are incredibly capable of swimming long distances across entire oceans!

these guys are certainly no where near being the largest shark species, the whale shark, by averaging size of 1-2 metres (6-7 feet). mako's suit the average shark lifespan (20-30 years) by being capable of living up to and over 30 years.

their reproduction doesn't happen until later in life. males at 8 years of age whilst females 20. a female shortfin shark's pregnancy lasts 15-18 months and they give birth to live young. their offspring ranges from 4-16 pups and, at birth, the pups range from 68-71cm (27-28 inches). also, each female will give birth to the ranged amount of pups every 3 years, due to their reproductive cycle. mating occurs from summer to autumn where eggs are fertilised internally and then develop inside the mother.

unfortunately, according to the 2019 stock assessment, shortfin mako sharks are overfished and subject to overfishing due to their coastal and temperate latitude across all oceans, making them an easy target. they are either targeted commercially, caught purposely to create a profit, or captured accidentally in fisheries. shortfins are valued for the quality of their fins and meat.

thankfully, NOAA fisheries implemented regulations to protect the shortfins after they were determined "critically endangered" in 2019, after being up-listed from "vulnerable" and "near-threatened" back in 2007. this rebuilding plan promotes population growth.

[sleeplesssmol]

Mermaids: The Arcanists of the Depths

Transcription from UTTU's Spotlight Chronicles

Primitive mermaids inhabit the deep sea and hunt like traditional sea creatures, with a thick layer of subcutaneous fat and dark skin. Their humanoid arms are strong and powerful, with webbed fingers and sharp nails. They use arcane skills in a powerful and almost savage manner to tear apart their prey. Due to early Arcanists hunting them and the gradual development of fishing industries, primitive mermaids have all but disappeared, with no clear evidence indicating they established a transmissible civilization.

Pureblood mermaids are arcanists with at least 50% mermaid blood purity. They have a human upper body and a fish-tail lower body, with gills on their necks and sharp teeth, and a dorsal fin along their spines. They are adept at hiding their fish features, transforming their tails into human legs, and using their voices and gestures to lure and enchant prey, evolving into the "mermaid" image in the legends that beguile humans.

Hybrid mermaids have less than 50% mermaid blood purity. Their appearance and skin texture are almost indistinguishable from humans, but they can have some fish characteristics, such as scales, gills, fins, and webbed fingers, depending on the individual. Hybrid mermaids can use arcane skills to create a fish tail in water, but this transformation only lasts about 10-14 hours. Over time, some scholars have begun to study the race of Rusalka, which has led to a gradual reduction in the demonization of hybrid Rusalki.

Arcanists with mermaid blood (between 50%-75%) are often labeled as "impure blood" by their race and abandoned, later mostly adopted by the St. Pavlov Foundation. Those with less than 50% mermaid blood show genetic traits such as swimming ability, cold resistance, and streamlined body shape.

Editor's Acknowledgements:

To our vast readership, and a pioneering teacher from a small northern town.

[webeside101]

Webeside Technology: Transforming Your Business with Efficient Software Management

Webeside Technology offers innovative and efficient software management solutions to streamline your business operations. Unlock seamless integration, optimize performance, and drive growth with our expert services tailored to your needs.

[felix-it]

Which tools every UIUX designer must master?

Gaining proficiency with the appropriate tools can greatly improve your workflow and design quality as a UI/UX designer. The following are some tools that any UI/UX designer has to know how to use:

1. Design Tools:

Figma: One of the most popular and versatile design tools today. It’s web-based, allowing real-time collaboration, and great for designing interfaces, creating prototypes, and sharing feedback.

Sketch: A vector-based design tool that's been the go-to for many UI designers. It's particularly useful for macOS users and has extensive plugins to extend its capabilities.

Adobe XD: Part of Adobe's Creative Cloud, this tool offers robust prototyping features along with design functionalities. It’s ideal for those already using other Adobe products like Photoshop or Illustrator.

2. Prototyping & Wireframing:

InVision: Great for creating interactive prototypes from static designs. It’s widely used for testing design ideas with stakeholders and users before development.

Balsamiq: A simple wireframing tool that helps you quickly sketch out low-fidelity designs. It’s great for initial brainstorming and wireframing ideas.

3. User Research & Testing:

UserTesting: A platform that allows you to get user feedback on your designs quickly by testing with real users.

Lookback: This tool enables live user testing and allows you to watch users interact with your designs, capturing their thoughts and reactions in real time.

Hotjar: Useful for heatmaps and recording user sessions to analyze how people interact with your live website or app.

4. Collaboration & Handoff Tools:

Zeplin: A tool that helps bridge the gap between design and development by providing detailed specs and assets to developers in an easy-to-follow format.

Abstract: A version control system for design files, Abstract is essential for teams working on large projects, helping manage and merge multiple design versions.

5. Illustration & Icon Design:

Adobe Illustrator: The industry standard for creating scalable vector illustrations and icons. If your design requires custom illustrations or complex vector work, mastering Illustrator is a must.

Affinity Designer: An alternative to Illustrator with many of the same capabilities, but with a one-time payment model instead of a subscription.

6. Typography & Color Tools:

FontBase: A robust font management tool that helps designers preview, organize, and activate fonts for their projects.

Coolors: A color scheme generator that helps designers create harmonious color palettes, which can be exported directly into your design software.

7. Project Management & Communication:

Trello: A simple project management tool that helps you organize your tasks, collaborate with team members, and track progress.

Slack: Essential for team communication, Slack integrates with many design tools and streamlines feedback, updates, and discussion.

[perfectiongeeks]

How AI Integration Streamlines Your Existing Mobile or Web Applications

In the fast-paced digital age, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to meet the ever-growing demands of users and stay ahead of the competition. Traditional software applications, although functional, often fall short of providing the dynamic, personalized experiences modern users expect. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into these applications has emerged as a transformative solution, revolutionizing how businesses operate and how users engage with their digital environment. This comprehensive exploration delves into the profound impact of AI integration in traditional software applications, elucidating its multifaceted advantages and how it reshapes the landscape of user experiences and operational efficiency.

Visit us:

[tearlessrain]

Making Tumblr Less Bad: A Short Guide

with the Twitterfication finally hitting the last survivors, I wanted to post something like this because I'm realizing a lot of people are either new and unaware that all these tumblr extensions exist, or aren't aware of some of the most current ones and still use New Xkit.

New Xkit isn't broken or anything, but its development is pretty much dead in the water for a bunch of reasons so it's likely to break in the future with all the changes being rolled out. Fortunately there are alternatives.

I use Firefox, so I know all of these extensions work for it, but I have no idea about other browsers. If you're still using a chromium browser for some reason godspeed.

Xkit Rewritten

this is an even newer offshoot of New Xkit created by one of the developers, it includes pretty much all of New Xkit's features but lives in your addons bar, has a streamlined UI, and as far as I know is still getting updates/support.

Palettes for Tumblr

a better alternative to Old Blue, one of the few features not brought over from New Xkit. If you're like me and have an aversion to highly saturated/high contrast web design, or you just liked tumblr better in 2016, this extension is your new best friend. It's got a good number of preset options including a couple older versions of tumblr, but you can also create your own.

Dashboard Unfucker

a Tampermonkey script that reverts tumblr's layout to its pre-Twitterfied state, allowing you to bask once again in the peaceful blue void of your dash. it also has a lot of other nice features like disabling that obnoxious "don't forget to add tags so people can find your Content uwu" popup that shows up when you post now, and receives regular updates.

I know there are alternatives to some of these, but these are the ones I use/can vouch for. Go forth and experience a less bad website.

[aropride]

listened to a podcast from tumblr ceo matt mullenweg abt his plans for tumblr and such and wrote down some quotes i found Interesting . (some are not word for word bc auditory processing + memory etc but i tried to stick to what he said as much as i could)

(on being ceo of a social network) "it is as hard as being the leader of a country"

"it needs to do a good job at showing you things you want to see- so both the people you follow but maybe also exposing you to new things you don't know about yet"

"people want their own home on the web, they want it to be something reflects them, not the needs of an advertiser"

"how do we make this amazing and really give the tumblr community what they deserve, and also give the world an alternative from these closed-proprietary advertisement-driven social networks?"

"you can have custom themes, you can customize it every little bit .. what we wanna do is making it be the best of both worlds, giving you the full customization that u currently have on tumblr, that u also have on wordpress, but still provide a streamlined interface, particularly on mobile ... you kind of move in and out of that full customization"

"that's ultimately what we're about, is giving power in the hands of users"

"what people really want isnt what they say they want ... its kind of like expressed preferences vs stated preferences ... thats probably why [other social medias] dont give u total control over ur algorithm"

"i want to have a path where you can start with, call it 'just' a tumblr ... but if you want to turn that into an e-commerce store, or customize it in a different way, or build a newsletter, or a mailing list, or create a membership site- these are all things that are supported by wordpress today"

"tumblr's userbase are primarily young .. more women than men which isnt common in technology .. its a very safe place and vibrant community for lgbt+, i think its over a quarter of the userbase.. kind of a place for art and artists"

"how do we make that a path to the wordpress open source community ... excited about ..bringing a younger demographic into wordpress"

"[the amount of new users from twitter/reddit are] less than you would think in the long term"

(to reddit/twt migrants) "give us feedback! what do you miss from the old thing when you move over?"

"i'd definitely like it to be as big as twitter or instagram"

"for tumblr for example i think [AI] could make our developers a lot more productive, their coding could be checked/tested by ai, .. that'll allow us to do a lot more .. maybe our pace of development could increase."

"ai can be a huge help in assisting on moderation, if it could help flag things before people even report them, that someone could look at and review."

"the algorithm [for the feed/dashboard] is a form of ai- its really machine learning, people use the terms interchangeably- if we could make the feed a lot better, we could tweak it and really learn the things u want to see and the people u want to follow"

"it could provide some really cool tools, when u think of the generative ai stuff, whether its dall-e or midjourney. so much of what people do on tumblr is expressing art and creativity, and theres some people who are resistant to this, but im actually hearing far more artists that are like 'wow! this is another tool in my toolbox!' its not just like using it instead of doing ur work, it's helping with the first draft, or helping u come up with new ideas, or maybe accelerating part of a workflow. so i see it like a new type of paintbrush, or new colors they can use. they see it as a new way to express their creativity. to me that's also the future. .. just like any other tool, like when we moved from typewriters to word processors."

(asked if generative AI worries him) "bad actors using ai to do more bad things .. that's definitely smth that's gonna happen, that's true with any new technology. if u rob a bank before, u used to have to get away on a horse, now you can get away on a car [laugh]. so like, think of it like that. we don't say "oh, banks are gonna be robbed so much more cuz now people can drive away faster". the good guys have cars too, so the police have cars .. it becomes something that is part of society .. there's more good people than bad people"