#Virtual Micro-Learning

[sahiseo]

In the dynamic landscape of workforce training, SAHI Inc. continues to lead the way with innovative solutions tailored to meet the needs of blue-collar workers. Our latest exploration delves into the profound impact of ILBT (Instructor-Led Blended Training) and Virtual Micro-Learning on enhancing the skills and efficiency of blue-collar workers.

Visit https://sahi.ai/impact-of-ilbt-and-virtual-micro-learning-for-blue-collar-workers/ to explore more about SAHI's ILBT and Virtual Micro-Learning solutions. Request a demo to witness firsthand how our innovative approach can transform the training landscape for your blue-collar workforce.

[lareinarata1960]

Batfam + JL (where the Justice League finds out about the Batfam by accident)

To long for a one-shot but not really a micro-fic, anyway ENJOY:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a virtual meeting with the LJ Batman "disconnects" the camera... Except he does something wrong and now he thinks none can see or hear him but everyone on the JL it's watching him in the Batcave from a huge screen.

Wonder Woman: Maybe we should tell him... Or at least turn the tv off...

Flash: WAIT!!! Don't you wanna know what the bat does when he thinks nobody is watching????

Superman (trying not to sound to enthusiastic): Well maybe we could just take a quick look... :)

Here is a list of things the JL saw or found out because of this:

1) Batman taking off most of his armour and his mask and start working in some case in his desk in front of the computer (the angle of the cámara doesn't let see his face not OH GOD it lets se his huge pecs and arms in nothing but a gray underwear shirt

Flash: Well LOOK AT THAT, I always knew he was well build but that's a great look in so many ways

Green Lantern: No shit... This is making me realize some things about myself

Wonder Woman: ... I have better arms

Superman (2 seconds about to have a stroke): oh yea... Well... I'm just gonna... *Takes a picture with his phone*

2) A general panic gets on the JL when a dark skinned toddler enters the screen and tries to climb THE BATMAN

*Through the screen*

Toddler Duke pulling Batman's arm: *baby noises*

Batman looking away from his work to see the kid (his face still not visible on the camera): Oh hello chum, what are you doing here?

The JL incredibly confused and estranged because of that sweet voice they NEVER heard before:

Batman pulling Dukes up and carrying him on his chest while he keeps working: It's ok baby, your siblings we'll be back soon

The LJ:

Flash: HE'S A FATHER??!!!

Wonder Woman: this actually explains a lot of things

Superman (with his heart about to physically melt): ...oh... That's cute

3) A sassy teenager arriving home

Batman, still with the kid on top of him and still working, when a black haired boy enters the screen and throws a backpack on the ground

Batman: How was school?

Tim, annoyed: Boring, they keep teaching me thins I already know

Batman: Well what do you wanna learn about?

Tim (pulling a bunch of folders and papers out of his school bag): The Gotham strangulator...

Batman:...

Batman (surprisingly calm) : Did you steal a case from my desk?

Tim: I solved a case from your desk, you welcome

Batman (sighing): ok fine, put it with the others you solve that I have to present to the JL next week

Tim (putting in the desk a huge bunch of archives): oki doki

Flash: Wait so a kid do his paperwork????

Marcian: Wait so a kid SOLVES his cases???

Wonder Woman: Do you think that maybe is Robin? I mean I have never seen him from close but it could be...

Superman: I honestly need a brake

Batman *standing up with Duke on arms*: I'm gonna put your brother to sleep DONT DO ANYTHING

Tim (without even looking up from his phone): mhmh...

4) After a while of just watching Tim on his phone a little menace decides to show up

Tim (on his phone not paying attention):

Litle Damian arriving and standing with a straight face in front of the computer:

Flash (a little bit terrified): Can he see us??!!!

Wonder Woman: He shouldn't be able... But if that's Batman's kid, who knows

Damian (with the most serious voice a 8 year old can make): Computer, show me funny videos of cats

The computer *unresponding*

Tim: Dad told you not to play with the computer

Damian: Well father is not here right now, and if you tell him I'll tell him you just call him "dad"

Tim: no I didn't!

Damian: yes you did!

Tim: he's just my legal guardian!!!

Damian: But you call him dad just now!!!

Tim: you...

*Tim and Damian fighting and rolling in the floor*

Aquaman: oh so this is what having siblings is like?...

Superman: IS THAT A FREAKING COW??!!

*Batcow on the back of the image watching the kids fight without giving a fuck*

Wonder Woman: IS THAT A SWORD??!!!!

*Also Damian pulling a sword put of nothing to fight Tim and the JL freaking out*

*A teenage girl appears out of nowhere and grabs Damian as if it was nothing*

Cass: What are you even doing?!

5) A terrifying ballerina scolds her brothers (by this point the JL already has popcorns and bets on the table)

This ballerina girl who magically appears and stops the little psico stares at them in confusion

Cass: Why are you even fighting about???

Tim: None of your business

Damian: Timothy is a jerk

Cass: I already know that

*A notice from the computer catches everybody's attention*

(Batman calling them from the computer in a way the JL can only hear his voice but the kids and Batman can definitely see each other)

Batman *on the speaker phone*: Why is everyone at home so early?

Cass: My ballet class is over

Damian: I didn't go to school today, I didn't want to

Batman (exasperated): We will discuss this later, I had to go out there is an emergency in the city, DONT GO OUT! DONT KILL EACH OTHER! AND DAMIAN GET THAT COW OUT OF THE BATCAVE

Damian: But what if something happens to her???!!!!

Cass: Hate to interrupt but I have a good and a bad new

Batman: Just go ahead with the good news

Cass: I GOT A ROLE IN THE NUTCRACKER!!!

Batman (who has no idea what the Nutcracker is about but is trying to be a supportive father) : Honey that's great!! Are you gonna be some pretty candy princess or something?

Cass (who is actually gona be the rat king and is really excited about it): sure... Wana hear the bad news??

Batman: shot

Cass: Jayson is in jail

Batman:

Cass: Again

Tim and Damian trying not to laugh:

Batman: that's it *pointing to Tim* ho upstairs and babysit your brother, Cassandra and Damian I want you out of the Batcave until I'm back and someone call Richard so he can get your brother out of jail

*The JL losing their shit in confusion and laug*

+

Batman eventually finds out about this little incident but decides to ignore it and pretend it never happened. The LJ is amused

[goddessinnerglow]

Become Your Best Version Before 2025 - Day 14

Career and Purpose

After diving into financial planning yesterday, let's talk about something that's deeply connected to both our financial and emotional wellbeing, our career and sense of purpose. And no, I'm not going to tell you to "follow your passion and the money will follow" because real life is usually more complicated than that!

You know that feeling when someone asks "What do you want to do with your life?" and your brain just goes blank? Yeah, me too. The truth is, finding your purpose isn't like ordering from a menu, it's more like cooking a meal from scratch, with lots of experimenting and adjusting along the way.

So how do we start untangling this career and purpose puzzle? Instead of throwing inspirational quotes at you, I'm going to share some practical steps that'll help you gain clarity. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't, and adapt everything to your unique situation.

Understanding Your "Why"

Take a moment to think about what lights you up. Not what looks good on LinkedIn or what your parents want – but what makes YOU come alive. Maybe it's:

Solving complex problems

Helping others learn and grow

Creating beautiful things

Building connections between people

Making systems more efficient

Notice I didn't say "become a teacher" or "be an artist." We're starting with the essence, not the job title.

The Values Compass Exercise

Grab a piece of paper and write down:

Three times you felt truly fulfilled at work or in a project

What specifically made those moments special

The common threads between these experiences

Bridging the Gap

Maybe you're in a job that doesn't perfectly align with your purpose right now. That's okay! Here's how to work with that:

Find small ways to incorporate your values into your current role

Start a side project that feeds your soul

Learn new skills that move you closer to your goals

Network with people in fields that interest you (coffee conversations can be virtual!)

The Purpose Puzzle Pieces

Your career doesn't have to fulfill ALL your purpose needs. Sometimes having a stable job that you're good at can give you the foundation to pursue meaningful activities outside of work. Think about:

Volunteer opportunities

Mentoring others

Community involvement

Creative hobbies

Personal projects

Taking Action (Without Quitting Your Job Tomorrow)

The Skills Audit: Make two lists

What you're good at

What you want to be good at Then pick ONE skill to develop this month

The Micro-Experiments Approach: Instead of making huge leaps, try small tests:

Shadow someone in a role you're curious about

Take an online course in a new field

Volunteer for projects that stretch you

Start a tiny side project

The Network Garden: Plant seeds for future opportunities:

Reach out to one person doing work you admire

Join online communities in your areas of interest

Share your learning journey on LinkedIn or other platforms

Offer to help others whenever you can

Remember, purpose is a Journey, Not a Destination. Your sense of purpose might evolve over time, and that's beautiful! The key is to stay curious and keep taking small steps forward.

The "Not To-Do" List

Sometimes knowing what you DON'T want is just as valuable as knowing what you do want. Give yourself permission to:

Say no to opportunities that don't align with your values

Let go of career paths that others chose for you

Change your mind as you learn and grow

Take time to figure things out

Your mission for today

Write down three activities that make you lose track of time

Think of one small way to bring more of these elements into your current work

Reach out to someone whose career path interests you

See you tomorrow for Day 15! Don't forget, your career is a huge part of your life, but it doesn't define your whole worth. You're already valuable, purpose or no purpose. We're just working on expressing that value in a way that feels meaningful to you.

♡ ☆:.｡ Keep glowing, babes! ♡ ☆:.｡ With love, Goddess Inner Glow.

[argumate]

*sniffs* Let's consider Tumblr, this peculiar digital phenomenon, through the lens of ideology and psychoanalysis. Tumblr, you see, it's not just a website; it's a microcosm of our broader societal structure, a manifestation of the Lacanian Real in the virtual domain.

On the surface, it presents itself as a bastion of self-expression and creativity. Users are free to post, to reblog, to engage in discourse. But what is really happening in this space? It's a relentless struggle, a constant negotiation of identity and desire. The user is perpetually bombarded with an overload of signifiers: memes, gifs, text posts. But what do these signifiers signify? Is the meaning not always, in a way, deferred, displaced?

And consider the nature of the Tumblr aesthetic. It's a pastiche, a bricolage of postmodern excess. The very notion of authenticity is subverted, turned on its head. What is proclaimed as a space for genuine expression is, in fact, a labyrinth of simulacra, where the hyperreal supplants the real.

Then, there's the dimension of the Tumblr discourse. It's a fascinating, tumultuous arena where ideological battles are waged. Every post, every tag, is a micro-aggression, a Freudian slip, revealing the deep undercurrents of our collective unconscious. It's not merely social justice discourse; it's the very fabric of our ideological reality being woven in real-time.

In this sense, Tumblr is not an escape from our reality; it is a direct, albeit distorted, mirror of it. It's a symptom, if you will, of our late capitalist society, where even our dissent is commodified, packaged back to us in the form of cute cat pictures and fandom wars.

So, what can we learn from this? Perhaps that in the endless scrolling through Tumblr, we are, in fact, scrolling through the deepest recesses of our own psyche, confronting the contradictions of our existence, the discontents of our civilization. It's a place where the super-ego and the id dance together, not gracefully, but desperately, each trying to lead. And in this dance, the question remains: who, indeed, is leading whom? *sniffs*

[Zizek on tumblr as imagined by ChatGPT]

[webpinosoftwares]

Top Organic Social Media Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Audience Without Paid Ads

In today’s competitive digital landscape, growing a social media audience without paid ads is a key goal for many businesses. Organic growth fosters authentic connections, boosts long-term engagement, and builds trust. Below are some essential social media marketing tips to grow your audience organically:

1. Create Share-Worthy Content

To attract attention and encourage sharing, your content must stand out. Highly visual and emotionally engaging content is more likely to be shared, expanding your organic reach.

How to create share-worthy content:

Use eye-catching visuals like infographics, videos, and memes.

Evoke emotions — funny, inspiring, or thought-provoking content performs better.

Offer value by educating or entertaining your audience.

2. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content is a powerful way to expand your audience authentically. Encouraging customers to share their experiences builds trust and extends your reach.

How to leverage UGC:

Run contests or giveaways encouraging followers to tag your brand.

Share or repost customer reviews, photos, or testimonials.

3. Optimize Your Profile for Conversions

Your social media marketing strategy should start with optimizing your profile. A well-crafted profile can convert casual visitors into followers.

Profile optimization tips:

Write a clear, keyword-optimized bio.

Include a call-to-action (CTA) and website link.

Use branded visuals for your profile picture and cover photo.

Read More: Social Media Profile Optimization Tips — Learn how to craft a high-converting social media bio.

4. Post Consistently

Consistency is essential for keeping your audience engaged. Platforms reward active accounts with more visibility, so regular posting helps grow your audience.

Steps to maintain consistency:

Use a content calendar to schedule posts.

Experiment with posting times to discover when your audience is most active.

Mix up content types with images, videos, and stories.

5. Engage Directly with Your Audience

Engagement is a cornerstone of effective social media marketing. Directly interacting with followers strengthens relationships and encourages further interaction, boosting visibility.

Ways to increase engagement:

Respond to comments, mentions, and DMs quickly.

Ask questions or start conversations in your posts.

Host polls, surveys, or live Q&A sessions.

You’ll Love: Top Engagement Strategies for Social Media — Proven tactics to increase follower interaction.

6. Use Hashtags Wisely

Hashtags help improve the discoverability of your content. However, the key is using them strategically rather than overloading your posts.

Best practices for hashtags:

Use tools to find relevant, trending hashtags.

Create a branded hashtag for followers to use.

Combine broad and niche hashtags to reach different audience segments.

7. Collaborate with Micro-Influencers

Micro-influencers, with their smaller but highly engaged audiences, are an excellent way to grow organically. Collaborations with them help you tap into their dedicated followers.

How to collaborate with micro-influencers:

Partner for giveaways or joint promotions.

Invite them for a social media takeover.

Co-create content that appeals to both audiences.

8. Cross-Promote on Different Platforms

Don’t limit yourself to one platform. Cross-promotion helps you expand your audience by sharing content across multiple social channels.

Cross-promotion strategies:

Share content on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn with tailored messages.

Promote your social channels in blog posts, emails, and YouTube videos.

9. Foster a Community Around Your Brand

Building a community is vital for audience retention. By creating a sense of belonging, you inspire loyalty and encourage followers to spread the word about your brand.

Tips for building a community:

Create private groups on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Host live events, webinars, or virtual meetups.

Be authentic and responsive to your followers.

10. Measure and Adjust Your Strategy

Tracking your performance is essential to improving your social media marketing tips. Use analytics to monitor key metrics and adjust your strategy based on data.

Metrics to track:

Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares).

Follower growth over time.

Content performance to see which formats work best.

By using these social media marketing tips, you can grow your audience without relying on paid ads, while building a strong, loyal community around your brand. @webpinosoftwares

[anthony1davis]

Your Guide To The Latest Trends Dominating Cosmetic Dermatology

The cosmetic industry is growing rapidly and the study of aesthetic sciences has to evolve alongside. The top schools of cosmetology are deploying advanced methodologies and technologies to cater to the prevailing cosmetic market demands, bringing about a transformational change in beauty education. While exploring the latest trends influencing cosmetology courses, let us remember that these developments are not only about fashion but also about empowering the future generation of beauticians. We will now delve deeper into the emerging trends in aesthetic medicine education.

1)Technologies are being integrated

Technology is playing a key role in cosmetic dermatology courses. The various cosmetology institutes are using a combination of hands-on training and technological approaches. Virtual reality and AI-based tools are being used for training the budding beauty professionals. Also, students are getting training on advanced treatments, such as laser hair removal, micro-needling, and chemical peels.

2)Focus on Sustainability is only rising

There is growing awareness about ecological concerns, which has brought sustainability to the fore in the cosmetology industry. That’s why many dermatology institutes are promoting eco-friendly practices, which include initiatives such as zero waste policy, recycling, and environment-friendly products.

3)Natural and Organic Products are much in demand

The demand for natural and organic products is rising significantly. Consumers are moving away from products containing harsh chemicals and embracing sustainably sourced beauty products. Tapping into this market by offering healthier alternatives and eco-friendly products is the way ahead.

4)Personalized Training is Taking Over

Each student has their own way of learning and they come with various education goals. That’s why more and more cosmetology courses are shifting towards personalized learning approaches. This makes it possible for the budding dermatologists to align their education with their career aspirations. Depending on whether they want to specialize in makeup, hair styling, or skincare, they can pursue the chosen streams.

5)Soft Skills are Getting Priority

Cosmetology training is focusing more on developing the various soft skills of students. Leadership, communication and client service skills are gaining prominence in beauty education. Besides becoming technically proficient, graduates are learning about how to maintain relationships with customers to drive their businesses to success.

6)Global Outlook is becoming important

Dermatology institutes have started embracing a global perspective nowadays. Doing so has become important because beauty trends transcend boundaries, regions, and cultures. Learners are now studying international techniques, standards, and beauty products, driving them to become global leaders in the world of fashion.

7)Holistic Wellness is gaining prominence

Intertwining beauty with overall wellness is now the way forward. The curriculums of the aesthetic medicine courses have started incorporating holistic wellness programs. This way, they are highlighting the importance of mental and physical health, helping to attain individualized beauty goals.

8)Industry Collaborations are becoming Stronger

Educational institutions and the cosmetic industry are collaborating much more. Guest lectures by industry leaders are being organized frequently. Also, students are getting internship opportunities with reputed salons. This approach of the cosmetology institutes to provide real-world exposure ensures that the students receive a good balance of hands-on experience and theoretical studies via experiential learning.

9)Men’s Grooming is growing in popularity

The market for men’s grooming is steadily rising and there is higher demand for grooming services catering to the menfolk. Hence, many cosmetology colleges are offering specialized courses in men’s grooming services, which include beard trimming and hair styling.

10)Specialized Services are getting precedence

The beauty industry is fiercely competitive, which is why it becomes important to differentiate your business from others. A good way of setting yourself apart from your competitors is by providing specialized services to serve specific niches. Hair extensions, skincare, and bridal makeup are some specializations you can dabble in.

11)Continuing Education is Key

Remaining competitive in the beauty industry is vital to survive. New technologies and techniques will keep emerging. This makes it important to stay updated on the latest practices and trends. Therefore, cosmetic dermatology institutes encourage students to continue their training and practice to keep up with fashion and serve their clientele better.

What Sets KAAM Apart?

At Kosmoderma Academy, we are the frontrunners of these evolving trends, imparting the best dermatology courses to shape the future of cosmetic education. We adopt a mix of traditional learning and advanced methodologies to prepare our students for the ever-changing beauty industry.

Our dedication to quality beauty education is displayed in our cutting-edge infrastructural facilities, qualified faculty members, and ongoing efforts to enrich the learning experience. From strong industry partnerships to global perspectives to holistic wellness to personalized training, our courses are aligned with the aspirations of modern beauty professionals.

CONCLUSION

The future of cosmetic education is full of opportunities. The cosmetology and dermatology institutes are adapting to the changing trends to prepare students to lead the beauty industry with confidence.

KAAM takes pride in being part of this transformation by imparting courses that adhere to the highest quality standards of this profession. Join us as we navigate through the changes in cosmetic education while you pursue your passion of becoming a world-class cosmetologist.

[naonums]

Navigating the Evolving Travel Trends: Past, Present, and Future✈️

The past five years have seen the travel industry undergo a seismic shift, shaped by unforeseen circumstances, evolving priorities, and technological advancements.

Past Trends (2019-2024):

1. Rise of Staycations and Local Travel: With global uncertainty, people sought comfort in familiar surroundings, boosting local tourism and staycations. This trend also fueled the popularity of unique, nearby experiences like glamping or micro-adventures.

2. Experiences over Destinations: Travelers craved deeper connections and immersion, prioritizing authentic experiences over simply ticking off landmarks. This led to a surge in cultural tours, voluntourism, and off-the-beaten-path adventures.

3. Bleisure Travel: The lines between business and leisure blurred as remote work options became more prevalent. Travelers extended business trips to include leisure activities, driving demand for flexible booking options and co-working spaces in tourist destinations.

4. Sustainability in Focus: Environmental consciousness grew, leading to a rise in eco-friendly travel choices. Travelers sought out sustainable accommodations, responsible tours, and destinations committed to conservation.

5. Tech-Driven Transformation: Technology played an increasingly crucial role, from AI-powered travel recommendations to contactless payments and immersive virtual tours. This trend also fueled the growth of travel apps and online booking platforms.

Possible Future Trends (2024-2029):

1. Hyper-Personalization: Travel will become increasingly tailored to individual preferences, with AI and machine learning creating bespoke itineraries and experiences based on unique interests, travel styles, and budgets.

2. Wellness & Retreats: The focus on mental and physical wellbeing will continue, with travelers seeking destinations and experiences that promote mindfulness, relaxation, and holistic rejuvenation.

3. Transformative Travel: The desire for personal growth and self-discovery will drive demand for transformative travel experiences, such as volunteering, cultural immersion programs, and journeys focused on personal development.

4. Space Tourism: As technology advances and costs decrease, space tourism could become more accessible, offering a unique and futuristic travel experience for a select few.

5. Metaverse Travel: Virtual and augmented reality experiences will continue to evolve, potentially offering immersive travel simulations that allow people to explore destinations without physically being there.

The past five years have painted a dynamic picture of travel trends. Driven by changing lifestyles, social values, and technological advancements, travelers have embraced experiences over mere sightseeing, pursued self-discovery through solo adventures, and sought responsible, personalized journeys.

Looking ahead, several exciting possibilities emerge. Hyper-personalization will be key, with tech facilitating highly customized itineraries that resonate deeply with individual aspirations. Wellness and retreat travel will boom, as people seek mental, physical, and spiritual rejuvenation. Additionally, destination stewardship will take center stage, with travelers actively partnering with locals to preserve cultures and environments.

This evolving landscape presents both challenges and opportunities. The travel industry must adapt to offer personalized experiences at scale, cater to the growing wellness market, and integrate sustainable practices seamlessly. Travelers, meanwhile, have the power to choose wisely, supporting responsible tourism and contributing to positive change.

While technology will play a vital role, human connection will remain paramount. Authentic interactions, cultural immersion, and meaningful experiences will be the true differentiators in this new era of travel. Ultimately, the future of travel promises a deeper, more personalized, and responsible way to explore the world, driven by our collective desire for connection, transformation, and discovery.

These are just a glimpse into the ever-evolving world of travel. As we move forward, sustainability, personalization, and transformative experiences will likely take center stage, while technology will continue to reshape how we plan, book, and experience travel. The future of travel promises to be exciting, diverse, and deeply attuned to the evolving needs and desires of travelers worldwide.

[dmc1962]

#4-3: I have no idea what role SM will play because, well, I am at the point where my future ideal career is some part-time side hustle I enjoy doing, and I have yet to find it. I mean, I really have no idea what I want to do. Having said that, I am a little troubled by the fact that AI is now considered to be a major—if inevitable—corruption of Social Media. I’ve seen estimates that roughly 40% of SM content is AI generated, and that is expected to go up to between 48% by 2026

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240715761320/en/Nearly-Half-of-All-Social-Media-Content-Created-by-Businesses-Will-Be-AI-Generated-by-2026

to perhaps 90% of SM posts will be AI generated:

https://thelivinglib.org/experts-90-of-online-content-will-be-ai-generated-by-2026/

And if that seems unrealistic, consider that AI influencers are already normal and being marketed:

That means Social Media is rapidly on its way to being controlled by the same people who make hundreds of millions a day off algorithms they write to predict and engage in micro-transactions in the stock market.

In short, the people who write the bots will ultimately take control of Social Media content creation, eliminating the need for unreliable humans to generate content.

[hauntnowpod]

Season 3 crowdfunding update

Hey ghouls,

This is just to say...

Wait, why do I suddenly want plums? Anyway, this is an update to tell you about perks--including one that just dropped like 3.5 minutes ago!

Haunted Hall of Fame $2

Everyone who supports The Way We Haunt Now season three at this level will be listed on our Haunted Hall of Fame and receive a digital copy of the song "Ghosts (Here's the Thing)" from season one!

NEW: Ghost in the Machine $10

Everyone who supports The Way We Haunt Now season three at this level will receive a Digital Swag Pack, including:

Alicia's How-To Guide to Warding Your Apartment (audio)

Ghosts (Here's the Thing) by Actual Pants

Digital Wraith Raccoon Art

A digital Season Three cast & crew poster

Our Death Poetry Salon (from the season 2 campaign)

Paranormal Penpals $15

Everyone who supports at this level will receive a You Haint Seen Nothin’ Yet postcard with a micro-length ghost story written especially for you by creator and showrunner, Courtney Floyd.

Spectral Sticker Pack $30

Supporters at this level will be listed on our Haunted Hall of Fame and receive five (5) The Way We Haunt Now vinyl stickers: the show logo sticker, the haunted phonograph sticker, a glow in the dark phonograph sticker, the wraith raccoon sticker, and a ghoulishy glittering phonograph sticker. Individual stickers also available as add-ons.

Phantasmal Friends $100

Supporters at this level will be listed on our Haunted Hall of Fame and receive the following physical swag: You Haint Seen Nothin’ Yet postcard with a micro-length ghost story written especially for you by creator and showrunner, Courtney Floyd; all four vinyl show stickers; and a 7X7 print of our exclusive season three show poster.

Haunted by the Details Class $100

Have you ever daydreamed about starting your own audio drama, only to be immediately overwhelmed by the nuts and bolts of the process? This is your opportunity to attend a virtual class taught by The Way We Haunt Now creator and showrunner, Courtney Floyd, who has 10 years of teaching experience & works as a learning designer in higher ed.

Spooky Sponsorships $750

Sponsor the entire cost of production for one episode of The Way We Haunt Now’s final season. Supporters at this level will be listed on our Haunted Hall of Fame and in their episode’s audio credits and will be given a pre-roll ad spot (subject to showrunner approval).

[react-js]

Javascript Frameworks

Absolutely, JavaScript frameworks are the backbone of modern web development, empowering developers to create robust, interactive, and responsive web applications. From Angular and React to Vue.js and beyond, these frameworks have revolutionized how we build web applications. Let's delve deeper into the world of JavaScript frameworks and explore their significance, popular choices, and their impact on web development.

Evolution of JavaScript Frameworks

JavaScript frameworks emerged to streamline the development process, offering predefined structures, libraries, and functionalities. They simplify complex tasks, making it easier to create feature-rich web applications.

Angular:

Angular, developed by Google, introduced the concept of a structured front-end framework. Its two major versions, AngularJS (1.x) and Angular (2+), introduced improvements in performance, modularity, and enhanced features like two-way data binding.

React:

React, maintained by Facebook, revolutionized front-end development with its component-based architecture. Its virtual DOM implementation significantly improved rendering efficiency, making it a go-to choice for building dynamic user interfaces.

Vue.js:

Vue.js gained popularity for its simplicity and flexibility. Its progressive framework allows developers to integrate it into existing projects seamlessly. Vue's gentle learning curve and adaptability have attracted a large community of developers.

Why Use JavaScript Frameworks?

Productivity: Frameworks provide reusable components, tools, and patterns, speeding up development.

Performance: Optimized rendering, virtual DOM, and efficient data binding contribute to faster applications.

Community Support: Active communities offer resources, libraries, and solutions to common problems.

Scalability: Frameworks often come with built-in features for scaling applications as they grow.

Choosing the Right Framework

Selecting a framework depends on project requirements, team expertise, scalability needs, and community support.

Angular: Ideal for large-scale applications requiring a complete framework solution with a structured architecture.

React: Suited for building dynamic, high-traffic applications, leveraging its virtual DOM and component-based structure.

Vue.js: A versatile choice, especially for smaller to medium-sized projects, due to its simplicity and easy integration.

The Future of JavaScript Frameworks

The landscape of JavaScript frameworks continues to evolve with updates, new releases, and the emergence of alternative frameworks. There's a trend toward optimizing performance, reducing bundle sizes, and improving developer experience.

Web Components and Micro-Frontends:

The rise of Web Components and micro-frontends is changing how developers architect applications. These technologies enable building modular, reusable components that can be utilized across frameworks and projects.

Framework Agnosticism:

Developers are exploring ways to combine different frameworks or use libraries like Svelte and Alpine.js to achieve optimal performance and flexibility while minimizing the constraints of a single framework.

Conclusion

JavaScript frameworks have significantly shaped the web development landscape, offering diverse options to cater to varying project needs. As technology evolves, the emphasis shifts towards performance, scalability, and adaptability, driving innovation in the realm of JavaScript frameworks.

Ultimately, the choice of a framework depends on the project's specific requirements, team expertise, and long-term goals. Understanding the strengths and trade-offs of each framework empowers developers to make informed decisions, ensuring the successful creation of modern, efficient web applications.

[northwest-cryptid]

Curious about the VRChat equality thing

Oh boy time to get into weird shit about how capitalism infects the brain through being able to benefit from it and how despite the stigma, even pirates and communists believe people deserve fair compensation for goods and labor but what is fair is an often debated topic.

So this is going to be a really long post if I'm actually being entirely honest, and as such I will give you a tl;dr up front, however I will say that if all you read is the tl;dr you're going to maybe understand about 15% of the overall situation on this and that's merely because there's no way to explain everything without giving a ton of context and information first and then going into dumb details about it all.

TL;DR essentially people took a model of a communist utopia, learned they could profit from it; and then capitalism took hold and is now destroying not only an entire application through basically micro dosing on micro-transactions, but also through creating extremely hefty barriers of entry to an already expensive hobby that once existed in a way that equalized people.

Now to actually get into the meat and potatoes of what I'm actually talking about here. If you've followed me for any amount of time you likely know the drill by now, I'm putting a "Keep Reading" here to save everyone's dashboards in case you don't already use the feature that automatically scrunches long posts since this is likely going to be pretty hefty as I'm fairly passionate about it and have a lot to say.

I ask that if you've made it this far, and actually clicked the keep reading button; that you stick with me and don't go skipping all over the place. I say this because I'm going to start off pretty boring and seemingly off topic but I promise this is all important for understanding my views on this topic; if you don't agree with me that's totally fine but I ask that you at least try to understand how I'm looking at this from my specific viewpoint.

Point 1 - We are all equal in the eyes of the Internet.

The internet, yea? It's kind of weird to talk about the internet because different people will see it as a different thing. Some of us may see it as nothing more than a collection of data that can be updated, called, and sent between a shared network all over the world. That alone is pretty cool, but others of us may see it as a visible extension of cyberspace. I'm somewhere in the middle myself, I feel as though people ask too much of cyberspace. While I won't get into it here, I have a lot of thoughts on the topic of things like "phantom sense" as VR becomes more of an accessible thing for people, I've found that specific subcultures begin to pop-up, and among them there are people who desperately want Virtual Reality to simply drop the "virtual" and become akin to meatspace.

Now if you're asking me, I personally think that much of the appeal of cyberspace comes specifically from the "cyber" part. Virtual Reality is inherently Virtual and there's nothing actually lesser or wrong about that. People gauge much of Virtual Reality AGAINST Physical Reality, which is dumb. They're both their own reality, why do we want them to be functionally identical, we could make use of so much of what Virtual Reality has to offer if we embrace that it's Virtual. Let's take a quick moment and think about that, what does it mean to be Virtual? To exist within a digital realm?

Well here's a thought experiment for you, let's say I take you and 9 other willing participants and put you all inside different rooms. In these rooms you have nothing but a computer and a desk. On that computer you can access a virtual chat room, there are no profiles, no images or avatars; you merely choose a name to represent yourself and are dropped into a chatroom with 9 other people.

How old are the other participants? Are they around your age group? Are you even aware of their age? Does it matter to you? Did it matter before I asked?

Following this line of thinking, let's look at some other features, are they all the same gender, or different genders? How tall are they? Do they come from a wealthy family? Do they have a job? Are they perhaps disabled at all, in any way? Do they make a lot of money if they do have a job?

I do ask these questions genuinely, so to make this little thought experiment easier to manage let's have you think of this; narrow the number from 10 participants to just 3, you're 1 of them so there are two other people here with you. You cannot physically see them, and everything from their usernames to their appearance is up to your personal interpretation. So I ask you to look over those questions and give them even a baseline answer, it doesn't need to be elaborate; you don't need to give it a lot of thought. You're not making a D&D character with a lengthy backstory. For anyone who said "I'm not doing that" I'll do it as well right here for you, you can ignore this if you wish to do this yourself; I do believe it's important to making my own.

The first other participant other than myself will be an older woman in her late 50s who works as a butcher, she lives a fairly average life; she has a roommate to help pay the bills as she is lower middle class. Even living in a fairly average home, renting no less; she has to save up for any purchases that aren't absolutely necessary for survival.

The other individual I am in this chatroom with is a younger nonbinary individual who claims to be 23, they don't currently have a job as they're studying and attending law school. They come from a wealthy family and while not rich; do enjoy a life as an upper middle class household. Despite their hefty schooling costs they're never short on money to pay for things they want.

Alright cool, now I know who I'm here with; and you know who you're here with, so here's the most important question to ask.

...Does any of that really matter here?

This isn't a deep philosophical conversation, it's a very simple question. Let me elaborate.

Does age define knowledge? Not really, it can help understand something better if you've spent a lot of time with a specific field of study, and yes our brains pick up knowledge better at certain age ranges, but overall it has no real merit over how well we can navigate something. If a 50 year old and a 20 year old are both passionate about learning how to model an avatar, script a code; or exist within a VR space they'll both be able to do so roughly just as well as the other. Sure we're all human and have our own quirks we work through, someone might pick up something far easier than someone else. However the capability to learn is always there.

Does money carry any weight in a digital world? Well, here in this chatroom no. It really doesn't. There's no pay to win system in a social setting like this. Having $1 to my name, or a million doesn't make a difference. I'm not able to see what computers everyone else has, perhaps someone has a really fancy, fast, nice computer; while I'm working with something a little more "run of the mill" but at the end of the day they both access the same internet data.

Things like money, age, physical ability, even social or economic standing; they have no real sway over the virtual. Not unless you account for third party outside influences.

Point 2 - But you know what I like more than materialistic things? Knowledge.

So now let's go back to a simpler time on the internet, when VR was still new and we all had to pay upwards of $200 - $300 and even sometimes $400 to strap an oversized projector to our face so we could experience what it's like to have a monitor not even inches from our face. Applications like VRChat were all the rage because most VR applications and games felt more like tech demos, people didn't know how to use the tech yet and most actual home VR headsets were development kits.

VRChat was fairly open source at the time, lending most of it's success to a community building assets, systems, and avatars for their own use within the application.

As with any good open source application a lot of the files and thus the understanding for how things worked were being shared around and people began to notice a pattern as with any form of labor.

Not everyone wanted to put in the time and effort to actually learn. In fact plenty of people who were purchasing VR headsets were fairly wealthy people, sure not everyone; some people got them as gifts or saved up money over the course of a long time; or they'd use large sum of money given during tax returns or holidays as a means to purchase a VR headset while they were on sale.

However yes, a lot of people had a lot of money sitting around and wouldn't mind throwing a couple bucks your way if you were willing to go through the trouble of making them an avatar, world; or asset.

Now, this isn't anything bad on the surface; but it poisoned the well and it began the conflict.

"So you're saying artists commissioned work is bad and it should all be free and artists should starve." Only as much as I'm saying we should piss on the poor. Which is to say, no I'm not saying that; but if you jumped on that train immediately I don't blame you for thinking I'm going there, but bear with me.

As time went on and we developed more and more for VRchat's main engine; we also developed tools like Udon; a scripting language made for VRChat specifically. The ways in which we could customize avatars, worlds, and even assets was ever changing and it seemed like it was only getting more and more complex.

So what happened? Did people provide tools, lessons; and understanding to those around them in hopes there were others who would pick up the knowledge and create brilliant things to continue the ever exponential progress?!

No. Well yes, but mostly no. See some people did in fact provide easy to follow tutorials! You can find plenty out there, at least for basic things; but many saw the chance to really make a point with this.

A point that they understood the system, and you did not.

A point that you were better off paying them for the things they know and you don't.

A point that you should never question them, and that if you fuck up it's your own fault and maybe next time you'll listen.

If you think I'm exaggerating you should consider yourself lucky to have not come face to face with the truly disgusting underbelly of asset sales.

See I don't mind selling goods and services; I am an artist myself and I believe fair compensation is important! If someone likes what you're selling and deems it a fair price that's great, that's a win win; everyone's happy.

However what if the person purchasing your wares doesn't understand their value?

Asset flipping is something we see a lot of, done entirely legally through fair use mind you. People will buy assets along with their commercial license, and then quickly and easily slap those assets onto an amalgamation of other cheap gimmicks only to sell the new model at a profit from it's component parts.

"But that's how things are sold Cryptid, what's so weird about that?"

Well, okay let's look at how sales in physical space works right?

If I buy a single banana, and that costs me $1; then to turn a profit I'll need to sell it for something like $1.25 this is literally just because once you buy my banana, I don't have any more bananas to sell.

So if I sell the banana for $1 I'm at a net neutral, I don't have the ability to generate any additional funds off the single banana I've bought. So let's say I buy 4, I sell each for 1.25 and all 4 sell, now I can buy an additional 1 and I've only made .25 cents.

Well shit, it looks like I need to hike the price by a decent margin if I'm actually going to make any sort of sustainable income from selling bananas right?

But what happens if we say, I have 1 banana that generates infinite bananas. I bought my infinite banana generator for $25 + Tax. Now I could say I want to sell my bananas for $30 because I had to pay $25 to get this one.

However, I can also make infinite bananas, and if my bananas are good quality; they should sell out; or at least sell a decent amount. So rather than pricing a single banana higher than the original price, I should logically sell my bananas a lot cheaper; let's say I sell them for a simple $1.25 same as before. Once I've sold about 20-ish bananas I'll have not only made my money back, but I'll likely have made a small bit of profit.

"But Cryptid, you could have made way more from selling even one single banana at $30! Why gamble on 20 people buying a banana instead of just selling the one!?"

Because if I sell my banana at $30, but you can buy an infinite banana generator for only $25, what's stopping you... wait... what's stopping you from-

No. Hold on you don't know how it works! You couldn't possibly use the banana generator like I can!

NO DON'T GO LOOKING AT THE SOURCE SALES, SURE I LEGALLY HAVE TO CREDIT THE BANANA GENERATOR BUT-

Listen to me it's a very difficult device to understand! You don't have the years of understanding I do! You should pay me instead! You'll only fuck it up! You'll WASTE YOUR MONEY if you buy it from the original creator!

IT'S ME BOY THE PS5!-

Ahem, sorry I got a little sidetracked there. My point with all of this is how digital sales work far differently given that I'm not actually giving up any resources when I make a sale, the product is infinite; and I could sell it over and over again. So selling it for less than it's component parts is essentially saving my buyers some money over buying each individual part and putting it together themselves. I save them time as well since I'd likely have put together all the shaders, blend trees for emotes, menus and submenus for toggles- oh no... hold on why is that still pink? OH MOTHERFUC-

Point 3 - Missing and Outdated scripts, assets, shaders, and best of all fear mongering!

See a big part of this whole sales concept for virtual good comes from the idea that if I sell you an avatar, world, or asset; I'm selling you a completed product. Something I devoted my time and expertise to that you may not have to devote to it. So then what happens when I no longer allow you to contact me for support, and half the product is missing? Well there's no refund policy on the website I use so uh, tough.

This is unfortunately very common. Outdated scripts never being updated while assets still remain up for sale with scripts in them that will absolutely DESTROY your project unless you specifically dedicate time to going through your files with not only an understanding of what each file controls, but also the surgical precision to remove the files in such a way that doesn't accidentally trigger a chain reaction.

Because believe it or not, most of the avatars, worlds, and assets for sale are not ACTUALLY quality made models.

"But Cryptid, the artist sets the price and the consumer deems it fair when they purchase the goods!"

Correct! However, at what point do we argue for false advertisement?

Not only are many of the avatars, worlds; and assets for sale priced at insane prices (we're talking upwards up $150 - $460 for some) but most of these avatars, worlds, and assets do not disclose important information about their products that consumers should be allowed to know prior to purchase. Like how in some cases a file is so big that it can take more than 2 real life days of uninterrupted loading and then still crash unity. Enjoy your $460 world map that doesn't have active support, says you're shit out of luck if you fuck up importing it at all; and doesn't actually load because don't forget, there's no refund policy.

So let's say an avatar, world, or asset DOES actually import correctly.

Once you get through all the fear mongering about how you need to import the model, and no I'm not joking; people are openly lying in their readme files to scare people into following useless instructions.

i.e according to one readme if you import the shaders after the avatar your entire project will become corrupt beyond saving and you'll need to restart from scratch. In reality shaders automatically update if a model calls for them; so importing the shader at any point would simply just update the model to use the correct shaders. In that same vein let's address "YOU NEED TO START A NEW PROJECT, DO NOT IMPORT THIS AVATAR INTO AN EXISTING PROJECT OR IT WILL FUCK UP AND I WILL NOT HELP YOU" guess what? I tested it, like any other avatar/model importing the unity package at any point in the project just, you know; imports it.

I have also heard stories of people saying there are scripts in the unity files that can corrupt your computer's core files if you don't follow their instructions SPECIFICALLY, which A. isn't true; and B. why are you selling what you basically call a potential trojan?

So anyways, once you get through all the fear mongering about how you clearly can't do anything on your own (literally one of the readmes had a link to visit the site that tells you how to log into your account. For reference/context you're not even allowed to get to this point and upload an avatar/world until you've logged into VRChat and been an active user for about a week. They talk down to you and treat you like you're stupid because they rely on you NEEDING them to tell you exactly how to navigate this "super scary" application otherwise you wouldn't pay them upwards of $80 for a model they basically took from other people and used a plugin to glue together.) You can now look over your avatar/world, since you've managed to do the unthinkable and import a unity asset pack correctly!

Not all assets are made equal, and I think it's very important to understand that while yes the artist and consumer enter into an agreement over price that they both deem fair; it's important to understand how capitalism comes in many forms.

In this case I've noticed that Gumroad recycles almost all of their assets from other people on the website, and their models are extremely sub par when you compare them with far cheaper models on Booth. While some Gumroad shops do link back to their Booth counterparts, a lot seem to want this to remain a eldritch knowledge.

So on the off chance everything just works, you're good to go; congratulations I genuinely hope you enjoy your likely overpriced avatar because ultimately that's what matters, if you're happy with what you paid for then there's no harm done.

However in more cases than I care to admit, the readme will tell you to go buy various other plugins and asset packs to make the thing you just bought work.

Now as an example of how to do this right, and it's still shitty; but at least I think it's done right. There's a fishing system for sale that directly mentions in it's website based description that you'll need two other asset packs, those both being linked. Here's the hard part to justify though, for the system itself is about $23 after conversion, the other two asset packs are respectively $50 and $10, so in total something you thought would only be $23 is about $83 if you want it to actually be functional.

Now again in that case everything is listed on the website clear as day and this is at least generally how I see things being listed which is okay with me. However I've seen more cases than I care to admit where this information is advertised as "this avatar has XYZ" and then in the readme says "you'll need to purchase XYZ from [User] to get the XYZ system working!" So now we have false advertisement AND hidden fees?!

When avatars can cost more than $250 and not be a unique model of your own OC or something commissioned and still be missing additional features, sometimes shaders; which require a monthly patreon subscription to access. Only to then see that the avatar/world/asset comes with a ton of stipulations and regulations of use? It's all very hard to figure out what "fair" is anymore.

It may just be my opinion, but when someone sells me something I expect it to be a complete thing that I then own, not something I'm not "legally allowed to edit" or that isn't entirely completed and that I'd need to go purchase additional things for.

Important reminder here, all of this is for a VR application where you just kinda vibe and hang out in a virtual space. People are happy to pay expensive prices for good quality, but few people are willing to deliver good quality; fewer without a ton of rules and restrictions.

Literally not but a week ago my partner was looking at an avatar that specifically said VIEWING the blend shapes was "breaking terms of service" so that's cool. For the record blend shapes are literally just adjustable values most people use for editing an avatar without needing to mess with the mesh. It allows you to hide parts of the avatar so that clothing will fit over the mesh without clipping, or lets you easily adjust face shape to better manage your expressions or facial features.

Can we also quickly touch on the fact that I was helping a friend edit something on their avatar, and found out that the person they bought it from had positioned an entire 3D watermark of their username inside the head of the model which;

they bought the base from someone else. they bought the clothing from someone else. they bought the gimmicks and additional features from someone else. All they did was actually slap it all together.

"Yea but that takes effort" no it really doesn't see that's the thing about Avatar creation, the more you know the less any of this makes sense!

There's a plugin called Modular Avatar, it basically does all the work for you, all you have to do is select the clothing, hair, whatever you want to add to your model; right click it and select modular avatar's "setup outfit" button. It then manages all the bones for you!

This person put more effort into branding the model than they put into putting the avatar together!

I know this because while working on adding one thing to the model, one of it's core outdated scripts fucked up and caused a bunch of issues that we managed to work around by literally never allowing the avatar to enter play mode. Which makes it significantly harder to work with, so we're using two variations of the same project open at the same time, one of which is entirely fucked; but lets us nab values from the avatar while it's in play mode; the other can never enter play mode and must continue to contain a broken and outdated script; because removing it causes the blendshapes to entirely fuck up.

This would be like if I went to google images, found a bunch of pictures of anime characters; slapped one of their heads on another ones body, took another one's hair and slapped it over top, poorly merged all the layers together and then aggressively plastered my signature on it while also totally admitting where I got all the art.

Now I do admit there's a little bit of weird grey area here, see no one is commissioning these avatars; they're just up for sale. So someone who buys it is saying they feel like purchase of this avatar as it is, is entirely fair for the price. Whether or not that's true is besides the point because you could argue that the buyer wasn't forced to pay for something if they didn't want it.

But like, let's do a quick simulation...

Hi welcome to my Gumroad shop, $30 please.

What do you mean you do not want... uh... Shipiku my totally original avatar I made (with assets from other creators) for like $30?! HE HAS GIMMICKS.

...Okay yea looking at that image is physically painful to me, I have created something truly horrific. We should move on, to my favorite part of all of this which is-

Point 4 - The Eroticism Elitist-ism of the Machine!

With the Oculus Quest being a more budget friendly VR Headset for people to pick up more and more people got into VR and thus VRChat by extension. So how did VRChat respond? By making the Unplugged Quest basically the standard for "good quality" which means that a ton of worlds and avatars just won't be accessible to the VR equivalent of taping a chromebook to your face; and yet that will be the new norm. This created a pretty sizable divide in how things function. Now you have a camp of people who refuse to even permit entry to their private worlds unless your avatar is rated "good" because of "performance issues" but why would they care about cramming so many people into their world?

Oh... it's because they are monetizing access. Yea, of course they want everyone to have access to their world, the only way to get in is to know someone who's already in, or sleuth around until you find their discord; then you need to boost their discord and more often than not pay either micro-transactions inside VRChat (because that's a thing now) or pay directly through patreon/donations to the world creator.

On the other hand you have some creators who outright refuse to let quest users access their world. Even though technically the world is optimized enough that a quest user COULD access the world, there are scripts that have been implemented into various worlds that are outright hostile towards quest users, where if it detects you're using a oculus quest headset that isn't plugged into a computer; you'll essentially not be able to interact with the world. There are many ways this is accomplished, in some cases it's literally just having hostile entities that cause you to constantly respawn, other times it's more directly just moving your spawn point to a box way off the map so you're effectively locked behind a prison you can't respawn out of.

As you can imagine there's a good bit of elitism on both sides. Which yes, is just another way people are gatekeeping VR behind a paywall. Not only do you need an expensive headset, but you better buy "the right one" not to mention you'll likely want to/need to pick up full body tracking, and pay a considerable entry fee or upkeep fee to a good handful of private worlds.

"but Cryptid, people are allowed to charge for access to things they create, that's just business!" Yea I'm not saying it's not allowed, I'm saying it's shitty.

I don't insert these blurbs as though I feel like you, the reader; are ALWAYS aggressively saying these things while reading my post. I put these here because they're things I've been told before, and they're things I want to address. So please understand that these aren't hypothetical cases of arguments in my head; nor are they meant to project any personality onto you.

That in mind, let's address this; I'm not saying people aren't allowed to seek capital investment in their hobbies. Obviously as a streamer I would love if people donated to me. However this is more akin to locking my streams behind a paywall, again; totally legal and totally allowed but still kind of a dick move. Why do I have so much problem with it? Well let me explain it this way

I work at an escape room, my CEO once asked my manager what the difference between a group of 7 and a group of 2 was. My manager confidently responded "we make more money from a group of 7" to which the CEO corrected him "no, there is no difference. We do not use any more or less resources, we don't take more time to reset the room; there is no difference." We have also been asked if a group of 2, and a group of 7 come in at the same time; who do we prioritize? The answer? Whoever booked first.

What's the core concept here? Well it's a simple ideology, if we don't use any resources hosting a group, there is no difference between groups; if someone took the time to book with us earlier, we see to them earlier. It's basic logic that we take into account the care that someone has put into being here, and also what we lose in providing them the service of our escape room.

So let's apply this to a private VRChat world.

Remember, VRChat hosts these servers, so I'm not paying any upkeep costs for having an active world. Considering how scripts and programming work I have little need to pay someone to monitor or moderate my world; especially considering I do not take responsibility for the acts of those who visit my world.

Then what is the difference between a private and a public instance of my world?

Well, I'll tell you because there actually IS a difference here.

See private worlds have two very special properties.

Public display, whether streamed to an audience or done in a public world; of any NSFW imagery or behavior will result in a ban. The important take away here is if this is done in PUBLIC. Private worlds and instances are exempt from this. VRChat doesn't care what you do in private as long as it's not being streamed publicly.

Likewise, Private worlds require access to be granted via someone already in the world, and the only people who can access the private world are it's creators. Meaning that if someone wants into my world they HAVE to go through me. If I make it public, then anyone is allowed to access the world, and even host their own private instances of my world. There's one more thing about this that people don't like but we'll get into that a bit later because that's going to be a pretty lengthy discussion.

So what IS the difference? Is it just that you can partake in NSFW shit in a private world? Well, kind of; but it's more that second point that's important.

People understand that VRChat as a whole is a very, let's just say passionate place when it comes to ERP. I have no judgement on the topic, but I think the exploitation of it is a bit unnecessary. By which I mean the hosting of private worlds designed specifically to be clubs, sex parties, or otherwise exclusive NSFW events that people must pay to access. Now obviously any NSFW world is going to be private, but not all require the use of financial compensation to access.

If you're wondering how I know all this:

A. I frequent NSFW communities, my side gig is literally adult animation. Who cares. B. I have a lot of friends who participate in that sort of thing, I personally live with my partner and while I do understand the appeal of that sort of thing, it doesn't really interest me.

Regardless, it's not exclusive to NSFW worlds, more so that those are the ones I've seen asking extreme prices.

More often than not it's done through patreon, you are given a special role in a discord or you're given access to secret worlds if you pay enough monthly, with some worlds stating that for $100+ a month you can have your picture in the world. Yes, a picture; of your avatar; in an exclusive paywalled world... for $100.

Again I know this goes back to "if the consumer and the seller deem it fair blah blah blah" but if you're still arguing that, you're missing the grander point here.

If that's the case allow me a moment to try to make sense of a summary:

the internet is a place where we leave behind any inequality; a place where you and I, no matter our background, financial situations; or social standing, are equals. We bear no difference in status; only in interests. That is, unless I have access to parts of the internet you do not.

So you pay $499.99 for a headset, congratulations; you had to get a cheaper model because it's what you could afford. Now you're the target of much harassment and general dislike as you bought "the wrong headset" without consideration for how you'd be treated for it. You can't access much of the virtual net, so you decide to spend even more money to buy a few accessories; a cable that will link you directly to your computer for example (or better wifi if you use the wifi link, which yes; good internet also costs money and isn't available to everyone depending on their location. Again it's inequality.)

Now you blend in, you appear to be a PC user like anyone else, congratulations you now have access to almost just about everything, except you don't. You try to join me in a world only to see I'm in a "private instance" and my social obligations say I'm not allowed to answer your invitation request because you didn't pay to be here. I send you a discord link, it's to some random group you've never heard of, you need to join this if you want access to this one world. You can live without it, so you don't click it.

The next day you see I'm again, in a private world. You go to a few public worlds and find they're mostly populated by younger children, random people who don't want to talk to you; and most only have 1 - 2 people, with most instances of even the popular worlds being set to private. So what do you do? You ask to join me, and I again; send you a different link this time. A patreon link, that states you can gain access to the world I'm in for $10 a month, payment up front; and then you'll need to get approved through a discord.

Oh but you can't show up like this, your avatar quality is "poor" you'll need to optimize that. Looking it up online most people say to buy something off Gumroad or Booth, so you look; most avatars are extremely sexualized; the ones you can find aren't "good" quality nor are they optimized and some are outdated by a few years.

Eventually you find one that's not horrible; it's an extra $25. At this point you're paying the following, grabbing these numbers directly from the internet mind you:

$499.99 for a headset. $79.99 for a link cable (it doesn't even charge the headset) $24.99 for an avatar that is allowed on the world. $10 a month for access to the world. Oh but wait, you're not assured a slot in the private world; it can only support up to 30 people per instance and if you want to reserve a spot you need to boost the discord server, so let's tack on nitro as well, and extra $9.99 per month.

Even if you only do these as a one time payment to access this world once. Here's what you're out, in total: $624.96 before even factoring in taxes.

All of this, so you can experience a few hours of hanging out with a friend. Well, was it worth it? Let's see;

In America, the average hourly wage (not minimum, average) across all 50 states is $29.81 as of December 2020. You can look that up if you'd like I found this number via Indeed so grain of salt and all that.

But let's go ahead and say it's $30 an hour. Now for the record, most people I know work for far less, but we're not concerning ourselves with minimum wage just yet, but we will.

So if you're making $30 an hour, and you need to reach a total of (again rounding to be fair here) $625 and we're not accounting for tax eating half your pay, we're looking at:

((30 an hour * 8 hours per day) * 5 days a week)

or 240*5 = $1200 a week.

Well hey that's not so bad! You make enough in a WEEK to almost buy this all twice o-oh no. I didn't think about cost of living...

Well no this is fine let's just check the average rent!

A quick internet search will tell us "The average rent for an apartment in the U.S. is $1,718."

Well... okay, that sucks. How much is gas right now? Right okay well Forbes says "today's average price of gas in the U.S. is $3.47 per gallon" and I need about 30 gallons per tank, and I need to get gas about twice a month, I live about 15 minutes from my work and I drive a fairly fuel efficient car but that's still roughly $208 I'm spending on gas each month.

What about groceries? Again a quick search says "on average, Americans spent $779 per month on food in 2022" which means we're looking at, without even factoring in utilities, taxes, or ANY leisure activities a grand total of roughly $2,705 per month?!

This mind you, is the AVERAGE. We're low balling some of those prices and not even caring about taxes, fees, and utilities.

But hey it's okay we're making 1,200 per week! So we take that number and multiply it by 4! That means before taxes we're left with 4,800!

Hey speaking of, how does that work? Let's do another average!

Well it turns out because of how taxes work averages are hard, but I'm seeing that about 13.3% is a safe bet, so let's go with that.

13.3% of 4800 = 0.133 × 4800 = 638.4

okay, that's not TOO bad right? That leaves us with 4161.6 and then we can pay the monthly costs which leaves us with $1,456.6

Alright so now we can afford rent, gas, groceries, taxes, the works! Plus we have enough left over to pay for our fancy headset, an avatar, and access to a world, plus nitro and... jesus that's a lot isn't it?

What are we left with after all of this? $831.64

I sure hope you don't have any student loans, no credit card payments; no other obligations.

You're left with less money for the month than you made in a day of work.

"Okay sure, but the bulk of that comes from the headset!" Correct again!

One of the cheaper headsets available at that!

But did you notice that the average person would only be able to scrape by if they went out of their way to purchase something and jump through all these hoops? All for what? Paying an extra roughly $45 (20 of which renews every month) for basic access to the thing they bought the $500 headset for? That's considering the avatar you bought was actually only $25, actually still functional; and has everything included with it.

I won't make us run all the numbers again, but I want you to consider that minimum wage in America is $7.25 or just $290 before tax PER WEEK.

Let's contextualize that...

an avatar that costs $25? That's 3.44 hours. $10 access to patreon? 1.37 Tack on another 1.37 for nitro boosting.

Total cost for that $45? 6.18 hours of work before tax.

Now if you're lucky enough to have a full time job, that's not TOO bad; but this is also just for one singular world. For one singular avatar.

Remember, the cost of living stays the same; the price of gas doesn't change just because you don't get paid as much as the guy at the pump over from yours.

Working at minimum wage you'll make $1,160 a month again; before taxes. That's not even enough to cover the average cost of rent.

So if you don't make enough money to splurge on patreon and discord access, I guess you're just going to have to stick to public lobbies.

Again, it's possible; and it's legal, and that's all fine and whatever.

It's not about whether you CAN; it's about whether you should HAVE TO.

Not only is it true that not everyone can, but I genuinely don't believe anyone should have to.

It's not that I don't believe people should be paid for their hard work, or that some work doesn't "deserve compensation" rather I believe equality extends to things like paywalls.

There have been studies that prove that piracy drops the second people can afford a product. Using a piracy as a "try before you buy" format is one of the most popular; and we see this being so prevalent because for so many people, money is just so tight they can't afford the luxury of leisure activities.

Technically speaking you can access VRChat without the need for a VR Headset, however most worlds are designed around the headset and hand controls. Furthermore, arbitrary rules being held by people with private worlds allow creators to literally make the demand that you use a VR Headset and in some cases you'll not be allowed in the main instance of a private event unless you have full body tracking; which can cost upwards from $300+

Which yes, does in fact mean that gatekeeping doesn't just stop at the paywall, it extends to the disabled.

Imagine if you will, being turned away from a private event that you paid money to go to; just because of the fact you happen to be in a wheelchair and not have the ability to use leg tracking. You love to see ableism slipping into "quality control" don't ya?

Okay so what all do we know now? Let's quickly recap before I get to my last point because boy is this one gonna be a doozy and I want to make sure we're all on the same page before I break that ice and dive into that iceberg never to be heard from again.

For starters we understand that, as far as the internet is concerned; we're all equals. Money, social standing; even your background don't really mean anything here. You're an identity you put forward, allowed to be whoever and whatever you want. Chatrooms, forums, blogs, video games; these things DO but shouldn't; gatekeep their communities by putting up paywalls quite often. This is generally frowned upon more often than it's not, even when it's understood.

We know even when a company states they need to charge membership for the sake of keeping a game running or keeping a website up; we still frown upon the idea of a company gatekeeping content or usability behind a paywall. Yet in spaces like VRChat this gatekeeping is often disguised behind the idea of fair market trading and "supporting indie developers" which in some cases, is actually what's going on, and in others is sleazy cover from the likes of people like me who will point out when putting up a paywall and making demands of your users is, while totally legal and technically allowed; STILL just as shitty.

Which brings us to our next point, which is that even among that market; we have extremely overpriced and broken avatars, worlds, and assets; many of which don't come as a complete package requiring you to obtain other goods and services from other creators to get them working; most of what you can find is a jumbled mess of other people's stuff, haphazardly thrown together and thrown at you for a quick buck, a typically overpriced quick buck at that. With extremely predatory fear mongering designed to keep you from exploring unity and the VRChat Creator Companion to possibly find out how to do things yourself, because remember that this is all absolutely just wizard magic and if you fuck it up your computer will catch on fire and open a portal to hell and then slenderman will come out and Jeff the kill you! Or... you might need to restart unity or something, yea that's more likely... Oh and speaking of actually using VRChat!

Most of the actual populated worlds are hidden behind discords, patreons; or other paywalls. With most public worlds including additional features only available via patreon or by purchasing a subscription through in app micro-transactions. With costs for something as simple as having your picture presented in a world costing as much as $100 per month in same cases. If you attempt to go the route of using the non-VR app you'll likely face elitist gatekeeping where map creators do not want "ugly default posing avatars" in their private worlds they charge people to get into, so you'll still not be let in unless you buy a proper headset, and no; they don't mean the cheap ones, unless you're willing to purchase an additional attachment to make it function just like the $1,000 alternatives. Even then you may STILL be kept from the "main" instance if you don't have additional $300+ full body tracking in some cases.

So then, what do you do?

If you want to enjoy the absolute brilliance of VR in the modern era, if you want to see what it's like and experience it before capitalism chokes even more life out of it where are you to turn?

Point 5 - AHOY! WE BE COMMUNIST PIE RATERS ON THIS HERE INTERNET, TAKE YOUR CAPITALISTIC ASS BACK TO YOUR 9-5!

I have never seen such hatred and fear for anything like I have for piracy in the VRChat community.

Now this might largely stem from the idea of "rippers" people who literally rip assets live, this is why a lot of people won't put their worlds up for the public. Because they fear someone will come along and just reupload their world; and I think that's really silly because if you pay attention, it happens and it doesn't change anything because the people who are actually going to publicly available worlds continue to access the same publicly available worlds they've been going to, rather than reuploads. Most people use favorites lists or find a world through a creator, so reuploading the world will only really fool maybe a small handful of new first time users into maybe actually spending some money on a micro-transaction for a reuploaded world. Which can easily be remedied by getting rid of micro-transactions and instead maybe relying on a direct donation system if anything.

People are very up in arms about people ripping avatars and assets; and the reasons for this branch from "that's stealing" to "it's a violation of someone's personal identity!" Which sure, I can understand that somewhat.

So here's the other thing to consider, the majority of models; including "unique models" are actually just pretty simple edits or whatever of existing models.

You may not believe me, so here's a quick example:

Popular Vtuber and Twitch personality Filian!

Great model, absolutely stellar work on this one; and I am not joking, I'm not being sarcastic. Yea, I love Jingo's work... what? You thought Filian made that herself? Oh no wait you likely thought it was commissioned right? Like she had this made specific for her?

Nah she's using a Rindo base!

AND THAT'S NOT A BAD THING!

JINGO is a great avatar maker, and Filian has done some minor edits to the $46 avatar:

Oh huh? Yea no you heard me correctly, Rindo is only $46 USD.

She comes with a few toggles for outfits, she has plenty of blendshapes (and JINGO won't yell at you for adjusting them), she even comes with her own custom emojis and voice clips! Really easy to edit features and tons of clothing that is very affordable you can easily set up using modular avatar.

If you're not a fan of her base, you could use a Moe, or maybe a Selestia base fits you better, or a Kikyo; oh you want a male avatar? Try Minase he's pretty good as a base, he's the male counterpart of the female base; Shinra! All of these base models come complete with everything you need baked right in, or if they do need a shader; it's entirely free for download and the link is provided; the prices for these? Roughly range around $50 entirely affordable, easily editable; you can make your own entirely unique avatar right now using any of these as a base.

"Cryptid I thought you were talking about Rippers! Where's the PIRACY!"

Oh well, do you remember what I said before? When you make something affordable people will still buy it. There's a ton of places where these models are available for download whether or not you wish to buy them from their proper respective shops. However most people I've spoken to admit they go back and purchase the base after making their model with it because "it's affordable, a fair price for what you're getting; and the bases are very good quality!" Couldn't agree more.

But I also say this because if we humor the idea that someone rips Filian's avatar, what do they really get? They get a free Rindo with minor changes. They didn't hurt Filian, they hurt JINGO if anything; and even then "piracy is a victimless crime" applies here as well.

I will say I don't really endorse the idea of ripping things live, but the idea that live ripping is any different than piracy is also a little silly if I'm being honest.

When you build a 10 foot paywall to entry, people are going to build an 11 foot ripping tool to get over it. That IS the internet, and I wouldn't care if there wasn't such a big stink about rippers and piracy in general when it came to VRChat.

There's this idea that if you pirate something you're stealing from a small indie creator uwu and that's bad because now they can afford to eat because you were greedy! Or this concept that by pirating something and using it on your avatar, in a world; even if they'll never know, even if you're only using the models privately, you have in some way violated their privacy and commit identity theft.

As someone who has actually been the victim of identity theft multiple times, let me tell you right now, unless someone uses my avatar to specifically open another 5 Verizon accounts in my name I don't really care.

This is the only time in my life I've seen the internet HATE piracy so fervently and it made me wonder why; until I recognized that the loudest people were in the readmes of those gumroad avatars, the loudest voices weren't the creators of popular bases or models like Rindo, Kikyo, or Selestia; they were people on gumroad who fear monger and spread this message that "if you didn't pay for this avatar I will block you from my discord, ban you from ever accessing my world, and you'll never be able to buy from me again!" Like okay man I'll just go directly to the source you buy everything from get over yourself, guess I won't give you money for another overpriced avatar with awful optimization then.

When I listen to the way people talk about piracy in VRChat it's never seen as a victimless crime, it's never seen as being a normal thing the internet does, it's seen as a vile, evil; horrible soulless act of devilish greed! But they all share a common word that being "my" or "your" when people talk about it they say "yea rippers will reupload YOUR world without any care" or "yea someone took MY asset and reuploaded it on a file sharing site"

It's personal.

"Okay what about you Cryptid wouldn't you be mad if-" No.

Let me make this abundantly clear, if I ever made something for VRChat, an avatar, a world, whatever. I don't care what it is; if I made something and I put it out there on a site for like $5 and then I saw it on a website with someone saying "hey does anyone have this? I want it buy I can't afford it/don't want to pay for it." I am NOT fucking with you, I would simply answer the post myself and say "yea here ya go, if you need any help getting it set up let me know; I made it. If you ever feel like tossing me a donation or tip I'd appreciate it but don't worry if you can't afford it."

BECAUSE THAT'S COMMUNISM BAY-BEE.

I have, in the past; and even now, benefit from piracy. I'm pretty sure most people have. The only way I will ever listen to someone tell me piracy is wrong and bad and evil, is if they have literally NEVER benefit from any form of piracy, communism, or sharing of files and information; and even then I will simply understand that their opinion comes from a place of privilege.

I don't at all find it surprising that most of the people complaining about rippers and pirates come from:

Countries with good economies where they can actually afford shit (such as Norway)

Sites where they're allowed to sell the models at an extreme premium and offer no refund policy.

And that my friends, is just the tip of the iceberg of shit that goes on in Virtual Reality spaces regarding paywalling; gatekeeping, and general capitalistic bullshit.

Remember, piracy is all well and good when it benefits me, but if you want to take what I'm selling for significantly too much money, you're a soulless vile creature and I will make sure everyone knows it!

^ That's sarcasm if anyone out there has the "piss on the poor" reading comprehension.

I'm going to go eat a burger and touch grass.

[createncodewebtechnologies]

Best Web Design and Hosting for Small Business 2024

Small organizations might take the following crucial actions to guarantee that they have the best web design and hosting for small business 2024:

Make User Experience (UX) a priority : To create dynamic, engaging experiences, include the newest UX-focused web design trends, such as scrolling animations, micro-interactions, and micro-animations.

Make sure the material on your website is easy to read, has a clean, minimalist style with lots of white space, and is navigable. Make sure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly to ensure a consistent user experience on all devices.

Use State-of-the-Art Technologies : To improve the user experience, consider including cutting-edge technologies like interactive 3D models, voice-activated interfaces, and augmented reality (AR). Create websites that are personalized, adaptive, and responsive to the unique interests and behaviors of each user by leveraging AI and machine learning. Use interactive narrative and gamification components to increase interest and promote exploration.

Website Objectives: Clearly state what the main goal of your website is. Do you want to create leads, sell goods online, or promote your services? Who is the target audience that you are attempting to reach? Your website's functionality and appearance are influenced by your understanding of your target client. material Strategy: Do you already have material on your website, or do you need assistance writing effective copy? Technical Proficiency: Do you require continuous assistance, or are you able to handle website updates on your own? Financial Restraints: Regarding what you can afford, be reasonable. The price of web design and hosting varies greatly based on features and complexity.

Working together yields the greatest online design and hosting option. Select a business that puts your business objectives first, communicates clearly, and pays attention to your needs. By taking these actions and making an investment in a well-designed and well-hosted website, you can create a solid online presence and set yourself up for success in 2024's rapidly changing digital environment.

Websites with responsive and adaptive design guarantee the best possible viewing experience on all kinds of devices.

Benefits :

Makes ensuring that different devices and screen sizes are compatible. Enhanced User Experience: Offers a consistent experience on PCs, tablets, and smartphones. Benefits of SEO: Search engines appreciate mobile-friendly design, which raises SEO rankings.

Adoption of speech-activated interfaces and voice search capabilities: Best Web Developer in Indore are implementing voice user interfaces (VUI) in response to the growing popularity of voice-enabled devices in order to offer a more user-friendly and convenient experience.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) features integration: Indore web developers are utilizing these technologies to create immersive experiences and increase user engagement, especially for e-commerce companies.

Application of AI-powered tools and personalization: Top Indore web development companies are using AI to design websites that are adaptive and can be customized to the tastes of individual users. Examples of these tools include heatmaps, content generators, and website builders.

[zooplekochi]

 The Future of Digital Marketing: Exploring Emerging Trends and Strategies

In the dynamic world of digital marketing, being ahead of the curve is critical for efficiently reaching and engaging audiences in a continuously changing marketplace. As we look ahead, new technologies, changing customer behaviors, and inventive techniques are defining the future of digital marketing. Let's look at some developing trends and strategies that are likely to shape the future of this intriguing field.

Personalized Marketing

Personalization will continue to be a key component of successful digital marketing campaigns. Marketers can create highly personalized experiences tailored to individual interests and behaviors by leveraging massive volumes of data and advanced analytics. From personalized email campaigns to dynamic website content and targeted advertising, organizations will use personalization to increase customer engagement and conversions.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming digital marketing by enabling automation, predictive analytics, and real-time personalization. AI-powered chatbots improve customer care, while predictive analytics help marketers anticipate consumer wants and optimize advertising. As AI evolves, its position in digital marketing will only grow, providing marketers with strong tools for streamlining operations and delivering more effective campaigns.

Voice search optimization

Voice search is growing increasingly popular as virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant gain traction. Optimizing content for voice search necessitates a shift in SEO tactics, with a focus on conversational keywords and brief, straightforward responses to frequent requests. Marketers must respond to this trend by optimizing content for voice inquiries to ensure exposure in voice search results.

Video Marketing Dominance

Video content continues to dominate digital platforms, catching the audience's attention and increasing interaction. Short-form videos on sites such as TikTok and Instagram Reels are especially popular with younger audiences. Live streaming is also growing in popularity, providing authentic and participatory experiences for viewers. Incorporating video into marketing efforts will be critical for organizations seeking to connect with viewers in meaningful ways.

Influencer Marketing Evolution

Influencer marketing is moving beyond traditional endorsements to prioritize authenticity, transparency, and long-term connections. Consumers demand authentic recommendations from relatable personalities; therefore, micro-influencers with narrow followings are becoming more popular. Brands will need to work strategically with influencers to develop authentic content that resonates with target audiences and is consistent with brand values.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)

AR and VR technologies are altering customer experiences by enabling marketers to provide immersive and interactive content. From virtual try-on experiences in the cosmetics business to virtual tours of real estate properties, AR and VR are transforming product presentation and narrative. As these technologies become more widely available, marketers will use AR and VR to increase engagement and drive conversions.

Sustainability and purpose-driven marketing

Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that value sustainability and social responsibility. Purpose-driven marketing that supports environmental or social causes appeals to conscious consumers. To gain the trust and allegiance of socially conscious customers, brands must legitimately integrate sustainability into their marketing strategy, emphasizing transparency and accountability.

Conclusion

The future of digital marketing is dynamic and diverse, fueled by innovation, technology, and shifting customer behavior. By embracing emerging trends and implementing innovative methods, brands can navigate this changing landscape more effectively than ever before. As we move ahead, tailored experiences, AI-driven analytics, immersive content, and purpose-driven initiatives will shape the future of digital marketing, allowing organizations to make meaningful connections and generate long-term success in the digital age. Embrace these trends and methods to stay ahead in the fascinating journey of digital marketing transformation. If you want to become a digital marketing expert, then you can study Zoople Technologies three-month digital marketing course.

To read more content like this visit https://zoople.in/blog/

Visit our website https://zoople.in/

[sundae-meringue]

I really really really love/hate the internet.

It never ceases to amaze me when I remember it was created by human beings. It seems like a bunch of images/concepts/shouts into the void, and yet behind every single element there's a person. And that's so terrifying and amazing because it's like nearly everything that we've created as a species ends up here in some form or another. And if it somehow hasn't yet, there are groups working hard to make sure it does.

I am unique from many in my generation (born 2003) because I spent a large portion of my formative years with very little internet access. As a kid I was all over those kids MMOs and virtual pet games, and as a teen I was really into tiktok, instagram, and youtube. But in between those times, after I had developed the curiosity to venture outside of neopets dot com, but before social media took over everyone's life and the internet was more than like 6 websites, I wasn't able to explore and really see what's out there. I never ran the gauntlet, stumbled upon bestgore, saw porn at age 10, was groomed on kik, or any of those experiences that so many of gen z seem to identify with. So when I gained access to the internet, all I really wanted to do was use social media and message my friends like every other kid my age was doing at the time.

Then I discovered something called elsagate. I was thrown into this rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, deleted youtube videos, and insane reddit posts about this bit of youtube that nobody except children knew about - until a few parents realized what the fuck their kids were watching and alerted the press about it.

Around the same time, I got into iceberg videos, I researched youtube drama, I talked to randos on omegle, I spent time lurking on the incel forums, I read about subreddits that had been banned, I listened to podcast episodes about real-life crime that got it's start on obscure fetish forums, I read wikipedia pages for fun, and I found some of the weirdest porn that the internet has to offer.

The truth is, I'm obsessed with the internet. And yet, there aren't a ton of books about the cultural aspect of things. Not much freely accessible research on the various fandoms, subcultures, fetish groups, micro-religions, and communities that are unique to the internet. That sucks for someone like me who wants to learn more without having to find everything from primary sources, but it's also great because that means I have a niche to fill and a hobby besides living vicariously through my sims.

I wanted this blog to be a neocities website but alas, I am a dumbass with no desire to learn basic HTML, or at least no drive to do it at the moment. I might figure it out and move everything over there but for now I'm just gonna keep things here where it's user-friendly and doesn't make me type these things <<<>>> all the time.

I'm going to write a bunch about a subject I think is interesting, do lots of research, and include my sources at the bottom. I will be using wikipedia and youtube as sources because A) aforementioned lack of secondary sources about shit like otherkins and femcels, and B) it's a tumblr account, not a college essay. I dropped out of college for a reason, I'm not about to subject myself to MLA APA format hell because I wanna write about the cultural impact of coolmathgames.

Posts will be coming whenever I am motivated to write, but hopefully I'll have something every other week or so. If you want to suggest a topic/nag me to post more/ask for more info my ask box is open. I'll also try to keep a masterlist of posts + links pinned for easy access ✭

[modnexus]

AI and VR for Better Employee Learning

Introduction

Training employees has always been crucial, but today’s workplaces need smarter, more engaging ways to upskill teams. That’s where AI and VR step in. By blending intelligent automation with immersive learning environments, companies can now deliver training that’s not only effective but also enjoyable.

In this blog, we’ll explore how AI and VR are changing employee learning, making it more personalized, hands-on, and results-driven.

Why Traditional Training Falls Short

Most traditional training methods—like manuals, slideshows, or even in-person sessions—can feel outdated. They often lack interaction, real-time feedback, and adaptability. Employees may end up forgetting what they learned or struggle to apply it in real situations.

Enter AI and VR—technologies that bring training to life in real time and context.

How AI and VR Improve Learning Outcomes

1. Immersive Real-World Simulations

Using VR, employees can step into realistic job scenarios:

Practice safety procedures in virtual factories

Train customer service in simulated stores

Rehearse complex tasks without any real-world risk

2. Personalized Learning Paths

AI can track performance and customize content:

Identify strengths and weaknesses

Adapt lessons based on progress

Suggest refresher modules when needed

3. Engaging, Hands-On Learning with AI and VR

AI and Virtual Reality together make learning interactive and fun:

Gamified modules with real-time feedback

Performance scoring and dynamic challenges

Hands-on practice instead of passive reading

4. Scalable Training Across Locations

Whether you have 10 employees or 10,000, AI and VR offer scalable solutions:

Train remote teams simultaneously

Maintain consistent training quality across branches

Reduce the cost and time of physical workshops

5. Data-Driven Insights

With AI, companies can track learning metrics:

Time spent on tasks

Mistakes and improvements

Completion rates and success scores

This data helps refine the training process and improve future outcomes.

Real-World Examples of AI and VR in Employee Training

Healthcare

Surgeons practice procedures in VR while AI offers performance feedback, helping them improve precision and safety before working on real patients.

Manufacturing

Factory workers use VR to learn machine operations, while AI identifies areas needing more practice, reducing accidents and downtime.

Retail

Employees in retail environments engage in role-play scenarios with virtual customers. AI assesses soft skills like communication and problem-solving.

Aviation

Pilots and ground crew train in high-risk simulations using VR. AI monitors stress levels and decision-making to improve response under pressure.

Challenges and Considerations in AI and VR

While AI and VR offer powerful benefits, companies must consider:

Upfront costs for hardware and content creation

Ensuring employees are comfortable with new tech

Data security and privacy, especially with AI tracking

The Future of Workplace Learning Using AI and VR

As more organizations adopt AI and VR, we can expect:

Fully immersive onboarding programs

On-the-job guidance through smart wearables

Continuous micro-learning through AI-driven platforms

These technologies will make learning a seamless part of everyday work, not a one-time event.

Conclusion

AI and VR are no longer futuristic buzzwords—they’re here, and they’re transforming how employees learn. From hands-on practice to intelligent coaching, these tools are helping companies build stronger, smarter teams. If you want to keep your workforce competitive, now’s the time to invest in better training.

Want to explore how AI and VR can supercharge your employee learning programs? Contact Modnexus for tailored solutions that work.

[andrewbgould]

Yes, I Got a Cloud Server for Free Forever Here’s How You Can Too.

Let me tell you a little secret: I'm running a cloud server right now—for zero dollars. No tricks, no expired trials, no surprise bills. Just forever free. And the best part? You can do it too.

This isn’t one of those “free for 12 months” offers that quietly auto-bills you after a year. This is 100% free forever, and I’ve been using it to host websites, run experiments, and even power a personal VPN.

Here's how I did it—and how you can get your own cloud server for free too.

🧠 First, Why Would You Even Want a Cloud Server? If you’re a dev, student, entrepreneur, or just someone who wants to mess around with tech, a cloud server is basically your Swiss Army knife. You can:

Host your own blog or portfolio

Deploy web apps

Run bots or automation scripts

Set up a secure VPN

Tinker with Docker, Node.js, Python, and other cool tools

Learn cloud infrastructure (and impress your next job interviewer)

But traditionally, cloud servers cost money. Not a lot—but still enough to be annoying if you’re bootstrapping.

🧨 The Hack: Free-Tier Cloud Servers (Yes, They’re Legit) Here’s the part most people don’t realize: some major cloud providers offer "always free" tiers. These aren’t trials. They’re permanent free resources designed to bring developers into their ecosystem.

Let me break down the best ones:

🟢 Oracle Cloud - The Real MVP What You Get (Always Free):

2 Arm-based virtual machines (VMs)

1 GB RAM each, up to 4 vCPUs

200 GB storage

10 TB/month of data transfer

👉 This is what I'm using. It’s not just a toy—this thing can run websites, apps, and even a Minecraft server (with some optimization). It’s shockingly good for something that costs nothing.

Pro Tip: Choose the Ampere A1 (Arm) VM when signing up. They're the magic machines that stay free forever.

🔵 Google Cloud Free Tier 1 f1-micro VM (in select regions)

30 GB HDD + 5 GB snapshot storage

1 GB outbound traffic

It’s more limited, but solid if you want to dip your toes into Google’s ecosystem. Great for small side projects or learning.

🟠 Amazon AWS Free Tier 750 hours/month of a t2.micro or t3.micro EC2 instance

5 GB S3 storage

Other bonuses like Lambda and DynamoDB

⚠️ This one’s only free for the first 12 months, so set a calendar reminder unless you want to wake up to a surprise bill.

Honorable Mentions (For Web Devs & Hobby Projects) Flyio – Run full-stack apps with generous free bandwidth

Render / Railway – Deploy static sites, APIs, and databases with ease

GitHub Student Pack – If you’re a student, you unlock a TON of free cloud goodies

⚠️ A Few Quick Warnings Before you go server-crazy:

Stick to free-tier specs (e.g. Oracle’s Ampere A1, Google’s f1-micro)

Watch bandwidth usage—10 TB sounds like a lot, until it isn’t

Avoid regions that aren’t free (yes, it matters where your VM is located)

Set up billing alerts or hard limits if the provider allows it

So… What Can You Actually Do With a Free Server? Here’s what I use mine for:

✅ Hosting my personal website (no ads, no downtime) ✅ Running a WireGuard VPN to stay safe on public Wi-Fi ✅ Testing code 24/7 without killing my laptop ✅ Hosting bots for Discord and Telegram ✅ Learning Linux, Docker, and server security

Basically, it’s my own little lab in the cloud—and I didn’t pay a dime for it.

Final Thoughts: Cloud Power in Your Pocket (For Free) In a world where subscriptions are everywhere and everything feels like a money grab, it's refreshing to find real value that doesn’t cost you anything. These cloud free tiers are hidden gems—quietly sitting there while most people assume you need a credit card and a corporate budget to get started.

So go ahead. Spin up your own free cloud server. Learn. Build. Break things. And have fun doing it—on someone else’s infrastructure.

🔗 Want to try it?

Oracle Cloud Free Tier

Google Cloud Free Tier

AWS Free Tier