#also kahn was tribal

[trekkiehood]

Ok I really do like Benedict Cumberbatch as Kahn. It was great but someone please explain how

THIS

Turned into

THIS

[fatehbaz]

“Wildfires and record temperatures in Canada are generating ‘fire-breathing’ pyrocumulonimbus thunderstorms.”

“Absolutely mind-blowing wildfire behavior in British Columbia. Incredible & massive storm-producing pyrocumulonimbus plumes.” [From: Dakota Smith,  Dakota Smith, meteorologist at Colorado’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, 30 June 2021.]

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“Pyrocumulonimbus: a new word to learn in 2021. It means fires so big and hot they create storm clouds, which shoot out lightning that starts new fires.”

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Excerpt:

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The Pacific Northwest’s hell is just beginning. After being seared by record heat, the fires arrived with a roar.

In what is one of the most unprecedented displays of fire weather on record, lightning lit up British Columbia on Wednesday [30 June 2021]. Data shows a staggering 710,117 lightning bolts -- 5% of all of Canada’s lightning in an average year -- formed over the province and parts of Alberta. The concentrated display was caused in part by fires already burning on the ground that were so intense, they created their own weather system. [...]

“The potential for things to burn there is extreme if it gets dry enough,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said. “It’s bloody well dry enough. The one thing we were all hoping wouldn’t happen happened. It’s a little hard to wrap the numbers around.” [...]

Things turned for the worse late on Wednesday. Lytton, a town that became famous in the preceding days for breaking Canada’s all-time high temperature three days in a row, burned to the ground. [...]

Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist and lightning applications manager at Vaisala, said in an email that the 710,117 lightning events captured by sensors on the ground that are part of the North American Lightning Detection Network included “nearly 113,000 cloud-to-ground strokes.” Some of that lightning was generated by the fires already burning, which created pyrocumulonimbus clouds. [...]

That’s what happened on Wednesday at a scale that’s honestly hard to comprehend. The most recent notable example of a lightning-driven firestorm occurred in California last August [2020]. But even that’s not really a great analog; Vagasky noted that, during that storm, “there were about 20,000 cloud-to-ground strokes” over a four-day period -- a fraction of what happened in Canada on Wednesday [113,000 cloud-to-ground strokes in one day]. The heat then was also nowhere near as extreme as what the Pacific Northwest just saw.

Swain said some of the satellite imagery shows the clouds reached heights near 60,000 feet (18,288 meters) above the Earth’s surface. That allowed them to punch through the tropopause, a boundary that delineates the lower atmosphere from the stratosphere, and pump smoke into the upper atmosphere. This is extremely rarified fire behavior. “It essentially looked a lot like a pretty significant volcanic eruption,” Swain said. [...]

“This is going to affect a bunch of tribal areas and Indigenous lands that don’t have the same relatively minimal level of resources these incorporated towns have in BC,” Swain said. 

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Excerpt from: Brian Kahn. “‘'I Suspect It Will Get a Lot Worse': Firestorm in British Columbia Helps Spark 710,000 Bolts of Lighting.” Gizmodo. 1 July 2021.

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Imagery of pyrocumulonimbus developing in British Columbia, with smoke blanketing the entirety of interior British Columbia (Okanogan and central valley systems in brown color in the middle of the imagery; Pacific coastline and Coast Range to the left; Northern Rockies and Alberta to the right.) Illuminated flashes indicate lighting. Imagery by Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere and NOAA.

[ladiesofnrc]

Everyone seems to make a tiger-man eventually, so why the hell not?

*tosses yet another OC into the fire*

Keep warm with my creations!

Art done by https://www.deviantart.com/ozaya

Profile template by @unfinished-projects-galore

Love Interest: Cornelius ‘Neely’ King & Davey James (two of @azuls-octobussy’s OCs)

Twisted Inspiration: Shere Khan (Jungle Book)

Voice Claim: Zhongli (Genshin Impact) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpx760zyOIQ

Info

The third son to a family of lesser nobles, Kahn was raised as a knight to the Afterglow crown since he was old enough to fight. While he does possess skills with a sword, his specialty is hand-to-hand combat. He has studied numerous fighting styles from around the world, even those from the far east Hungsu. If asked his favorite, he'd say it's a tie between kickboxing and caporea. While he's expected to be a knight under the crown one day, and he's not against the idea, he's more focused on the praise and attention the job nets him.

Kahn is a bit of a whore, seeking the lustful eyes of both men and women as much as he can. He's very attractive naturally, and he's very aware of just how good he looks. A bit of a pillow prince, he seeks his own pleasure and validation above his partners. The only time this isn't the case is if he actually grows to truly care for his partner, dare he say love them. While he's mostly taken female lovers in the past, he actually prefers men due to the social dynamics of Afterglow’s gender roles.

As a knight, Kahn doesn't shy from an honest challenge. While he might not always call out cheating if he sees it, he'll never directly participate in it himself. He also can't stand bullies or those who don't know when to cut a joke. He may tease his friends and/or lover playfully, but he knows when to stop. Heaven help anyone who hurts those he cares about, or who are under his protection.

Seeing how he already has a career set up for him, Kahn really doesn't take his studies too seriously. He'll try, but he's not going to get himself worked up over test scores and the like. This doesn't mean he's dumb, he's actually surprisingly clever in the right circumstances. But this does make him most likely to be in detention for sleeping in class, or flirting with the professor.

Notes

He has tattoos of tiger strips over his shoulders and around his hips. He says he also has a tribal tattoo of a roaring tiger on his dick.

[jairemmett]

Name: Wakan Tanka Tribal affiliation: Sioux Alternate spellings: Wakantanka, Wakan-Tanka, Wakataka Pronunciation: wah-kahn tahn-kah Also known as: Great Mystery Type: High god, Creator Related figures in other tribes: Wakonda (Omaha), Earth-maker (Ho-chunk), Gitche Manitou (Ojibway) Wakan Tanka is the great Creator power of the Lakota and Dakota tribes. Wakan Tanka is an abstract, omnipresent creative force who is never personified in traditional Siouan legends, and in fact did not even have a gender before the introduction of English with its gender-specific pronouns.

Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka can be interpreted as the power or the sacredness that resides in everything, resembling some animistic and pantheistic beliefs. This term describes every creature and object as wakȟáŋ ("holy") or having aspects that are wakȟáŋ.[8] The element Tanka or Tȟáŋka corresponds to "Great" or "large".[9]

Prior to the Christianization of indigenous Americans by European settlers and missionaries, the Lakota used Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka to refer to an organization or group of sacred entities whose ways were considered mysterious and beyond human understanding. It was the elaboration on these beliefs that prompted scholarly debate suggesting that the term "Great Mystery" could be a more accurate translation of such a concept than "Great Spirit".[10] Activist Russell Means also promoted the translation "Great Mystery" and the view that Lakota spirituality is not originally monotheistic.[8]

Chief Luther Standing Bear (1868-1939) of the Lakota Nation put it thus:

From Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, there came a great unifying life force that flowed in and through all things - the flowers of the plains, blowing winds, rocks, trees, birds, animals - and was the same force that had been breathed into the first man. Thus all things were kindred, and were brought together by the same Great Mystery.

[sebastianshaw]

Let's go wide and predictable... Tell me about the different WoD incarnations for Shaw. :>

OK SO First thing I am glad you are also a nerd for this so I don’t don’t to explain all these terms. Secondly wow I need to be better about tagging/organizing, I couldn’t find all the other posts on this I was SURE I wrote. SO HERE’S A BIG FAT POST, RIP YOUR EYES

VAMPIRE Lasombra: This is the clan I typically default to in answers for him AS YOU HAVE NOTICED. I mean, they’re dark aristocrats who are all about Social Darwinish, preying on the weak, and the strong reigning. They primarily enforce this subtly through political games, but they have NO PROBLEM throwing an elegant Potence-backed punch. While one would think that these proud predators demanding sniveling obedience---and one would, in a way, be right---they certainly don’t RESPECT it, and it can even induce violent rage in them. Fits Shaw to a T. Sure, the Catholicism/Church control and Spanish origins and attraction to the sea and Abyss mysticism aren’t for him, but hey, he fits the outlook of the Clan perfectly aside from the religious aspects, and no one fits EVERY stereotype of a clan anyway.  Most Lasombra are Sabbat, and he could be too, but he would be in it for personal power, not true belief in being the Sword of Caine. I can equally easily see him going antitribu for the political power and stability of the Camarilla.  My other choices for him are VENTURE which is pretty obvious, but also Gangrel, which sounds counterintuitive but I HAVE A REALLY GOOD ARGUEMENT FOR IT! WEREWOLF Shadow Lord. Total Shadow Lord for pretty much all the same reasons as Lasombra. Like just LOOK AT THIS QUOTE: “ The Shadow Lords are a fictional tribe of Garou (werewolves) in White Wolf Game Studio’s Werewolf: The Apocalypse role-playing game.   […]  The Shadow Lords’ lives are like a daily game of chess and a constant struggle for power […] Shadow Lords respect power and condemn weakness, any cub who’s not strong enough in their eyes is banished from the tribe [… ] None of the other tribes like them very much, or at all, but even the ones who hate them most don’t question their ability to get things done. […] perhaps the largest camp, the Lords of the Summit tend to be the stereotypical Shadow Lords - power-hungry, manipulative, ambitious, and arrogant. This by no means makes them less dangerous foes.” And like. . . .they focus on political and intellectual power FIRST, and that sort of character is typically physically weak. But as with the Lasombra, nope, the Shadow Lords had bodily power too; they’re described as looking more like over-muscled pit bulls in lupine form than wolves. So....yeah, that’s perfect. Because Shaw does fight “smart” first, he ideally never touches his opponent, but when he has to? BOY CAN HE PULVERIZE. So, Shadow Lord Shaw is a Homid, probably an Ahroun but maybe a Philodox, and he has a lot of Glass Walkers following him as well as fellow Shadow Lords; he finds great use in their technological talents and ability to adapt to an urban environment and OWN it (rather than just SURVIVE in its fringes like a Bone Gnawer, as he sees it) and they organize themselves in a corporate-like structure where he takes a natural lead.  While the Shadow Lords are stereotypically/traditionally Eastern European, they can be of any race today. Shaw’s dad is English, but since we never see his mom in canon, for this version I’m saying his mom was a great big Eastern European Shadow Lord, and that’s why he never knew her, because the Garou aren’t typically raising their own young. He’s just. . . .big brutal wolf boy. And has like a billion puppies/Kinfolk kids. I DREW HIM FERA Ok, so I picked a BUNCH of Fera for Shaw, and you know why? I could. Literally just because I could. I don’t have a DM to tell me no! I even picked extinct ones, BECAUSE I WANTED TO! Cat-wise, I like him as a Khan or a Khara. Are the Khara extinct? Yes. Do they really suit him, the way they’re described less as warriors and more just secret-gatherers? Not at all. I picked them because I just like the idea of him turning into a massive, massive black smilodon. Because I think it’s cool and I don’t have to respect canon here. He can be the last of the Khara and not fit them at all if I say so. And hey, he LOOKS like a prehistoric man already! As for the Khan. . . .of the extant Bastet, the Simba and Khan fit him best. And if I am being honest? The Simba probably are a better fit for him. And I’m fine with that. I’m fine with Shaw as a big ol werelion with a black mane. But I also just really, really like the Khan. And as I have made clear, I am running this show. So my first choice for him that isn’t a Shadow Lord, is a Khan. They’re most typically Indian, Chinese, or (due to breeding with colonizers in India) English, so he could be one of the English Khan, and hey, fighting the Wyrm gives him a good outlet for. . . himself. Their human forms are also typically tall and HUGE, upwards of 300 lbs, and they’ve sired some of the most beautiful kittens and powerful bloodlines. T “ The Simba may declare themselves nobility, but the weretigers fit the title. Regal hunters and warriors, these Bastet evoke the respect the lions demand. From the snowy mountains of Asia to the cities of India, the weretigers hunt the spawn of Asura and defend the last of their Kin. They’re solid, dependable, smart and strong. Their weaknesses, such as they are, come from being too trusting or too sure of themselves. Khan are straightforward and action-oriented, not clever schemers. Whatever a Khan does, he does full-tilt — fighting, romancing, hunting, studying, even contemplating. These Bastet throw themselves into all tasks with vigor and passion, and their bodies, in any form, bristle with vitality. Most Khan love company; though few of them can stand the presence of another of their kind for long, they often enjoy companions. And who would deny a tiger’s friendship? It’s said the Khan were brought forth to battle demons, and many of them take that charge literally. Vampires, Asura and fomori have few enemies more relentless than a tiger. Perhaps that’s why the Khan have been brought to the verge of extinction: They made too many of the wrong kind of enemies.” “ The tribe’s traditional cultures stress honor and obedience. The treachery of Nagda was worsened by the stain it put on the tigers’ pride. While solitary in nature, most Khan establish protectorates where they defend a given family or land against corruption. The fact that “defense” occasionally includes killing certain people doesn’t detract from the tribal purpose. The Kahn were created to war against demons. Those who court the darkness must die “ “ While many Khan tend to be bad-tempered and aggressive, others love company of all kinds (and are powerful enough to demand respect). “ So, is that ALL Shaw? No. He’d be a particularly nasty, scheming Khan, in fact, a little unusual for his breed. But that’s hardly unheard of. After all, the famous English Khan named Lord Clouster “had cobras for a heart; he tossed his own kuasha beneath the wheels of a train, fed his wife to a suttee fire by pretending to be dead, then killed his children when he found they did not carry the Changing Touch.” And another Khan, the Indian sultan Nagda, got into a feud with another Khan and “ taken over by his rage, the Sultan Nagda betrayed his race and used a tribal secret. During an eclipse, his assassins struck all over Asia, slaying nearly 100 Khan and many Kinfolk outright.” So, Khan can be bad too.  But not as bad as the Simba. “ “The Lords of Sunlight.” That’s what they call themselves. Like the blazing mane around the heads of their kings, werelions liken themselves to the sun. All things have a place and an order and rebels must be reminded of this fact. The real fact, of course, is that the other tribes dislike the lions; the Simba may call themselves “Lords of Sunlight,” but many other cats give them another name: “The Dark Kings,” an unflattering comparison to the Khan. The Simba aren’t villains; they’re magnificent lords, slayers of demons. Things are simply out of order. When the balance is  restored, when the humans know their place and the cities become graveyards, the lions will be proven right. The demons of the modern age can be traced to the end of the Impergium and the laxity of the Changing Breeds. The Simba mean to put things in order, and if that requires bloodshed, so be it. Warfare is the sport of kings” “ Werelions value strength and order. Despite their bloody reputation, Simba adore their loved ones, and watch their Kinolk closely. Children and kittens are raised within the pride and must constantly prove themselves to survive. “ “ Each pride has one Mtolo (“father”), or dominant male, and several Kirii (“wives”) and Anwana (“young hunters”). Small prides defer to larger ones, and may owe allegiance to a Chakuva (“High King”) like Black Tooth. “ So, Simba are very patriarchal, very hierarchal, and want to run everyone else and feel they’re entitled to do so by birthright,  and the more I talk the LESS it sounds like Shaw actually? Like don’t get me wrong, he’s proud and power-hungry AS YOU KNOW, but what sets him apart from Apocalypse or Magneto or Xavier is that Shaw has never sought to have mutantkind follow him. He has his own ideologies, but he has never sought to lead others or enforce it on them. So really, the Simba mentality of “we should be in charge because it’s us” DOESN’T work for him, nor does the idea of being entitled to do so, as Shaw’s “power first” mentality is all about EARNING your position, not deserving it automatically. It’s all very Fabian though! So I’ll leave that here as a bonus for you instead of going back and deleting it lol. yEAH HE’S A BAD KHAN, BASICALLY And his Pyrio, no matter what cat type he is, would be Night.  Each Bastet has a “Pyrio” meaning a classification of their general personality and what fields they’re likely to pursue and be talented in. “Like the Dark Father Cahlash, the favor of the Night indicates a sinister or hidden nature. Most Bastet with this Pryio tend to withdraw from others, concentrating on their own business unless interrupted. Although they might not be actively malignant, they have short tempers and quiet ways, and fiercely guard their privacy. Night Bastet prefer occupations such as assassin, scholar, scientist and dark mystic. In the wilderness, the Night cats are hidden hunters and man-eaters, with nasty dispositions and an eerie reputations. These are the cats whose deeds are told around campfires for years to come. If you’ve got a disposition toward the Night, activities that cause others discomfort, reinforce your private space or protect some valuable secret from outsiders can refresh your Willpower.” So yeah. Shaw is a night kitty.  Rats are not the type that fit him the MOST, but I drew him as a RATKIN WARRIOR anyway. Because rats. Also while I drew him as a Warrior, he could also be an Engineer or a Plague Lord (specifically sylphyllis; every Plague Lord contracts with a disease spirit and embodies its most horrific symptoms and I just love the idea of this hideous terrifying syph-ridden Shaw) And hey, he can get into the “culling humanity” and “survive so that you may breed” deal! Most wererats also have very little kindness towards the weak either, despite being the underdogs of the Fera themselves. Likewise, hyenas aren’t the breed that fit him the most but I kinda dig the idea of him as an Ajaba? Their role was choosers of the slain, tasked with culling the sick, dying, and unfit. They were called rainmakers because of the tears their task brought to others, and they did not spare even their own. Then, the Simba came to their lands, and enacted genocide against them. They left Africa and spread across the globe, now breeding indiscriminately to survive and can be any race. What holds them together now first isn’t any duty, but the desire to simply stay alive. And both those things---culling weakness, and being knocked off his pedestal and now forced to fight for scraps in the shadows to survive---seem fitting for Shaw. The philosophy is obviously what he’s always had, and the degraded position reflects where he currently is in canon. He’s not usually the underdog, but he is here---but doubtlessly a brutal one, the Fera equivalent of a gang leader, recruiting  Also they’re matriarchal and I kinda like the idea of him having to deal with that, as....that kind of fits too? Shaw was the only MAN of note in the Hellfire Club. All the other most iconic, powerful, threatening members were women, and Shaw’s never really had a chance (or tried to fuck with) any of them. He’s USED to being around a ton of badass ladies who are calling the shots, that’s just TUESDAY for him.   Finally---FINALLY-- I could see him as the odd human-born Rokea. A Great White, of course. Again, it was probably his mother who was the Fera, some monstrous creature who came on land and mated with his human father, only to spawn this boy while still out of the water. All Rokea are ugly in their human state, but Shaw looks better than most due to being born on land and as a human, and he is also able to move through---and thrive---in human society. Since he is seen as a Betweener---one of the Rokea who “betrays” the Sea by living on land instead---stepping into what should be his natural habitat is always risky for him, as other Rokea WILL kill Betweeners on sight. And the single-minded nature of sharks leaves little room for explaining oneself.  Oh did I say finally SURPRISE I HAVE ONE MORE. The peaceful, matchmaking, extinct Apis don’t really fit SHAW aT ALL, and they’re EXTINCT, but I love the idea of him turning into a HUGE BLACK BULL. So here’s my explanation. The deal with the Apis is that when their numbers reached the single digits, a last handful of young Apis called Last Hope went into the Deep Umbra and haven’t been seen since. The “hook” in the 20th anniversary Changing Breeds book for their return is that maybe they finally came out the Umbra and back to the physical world. My idea is that he and HAVEN are mebers of Last Hope who have re-emerged in modern times to bring back their kind---something that rests entirely on SHAW’S shoulders, since Haven’s womb was cursed by the Wyrm. So it’s up to him to just breed with as many women and cows as possible. So he’s got an excuse! And as for why he’s so un-Apis, my explanation is that the trauma of their species being wiped out and the time that was allowed to fester in them during their long sleep in the Deep Umbra, drove Haven and Shaw to two extremes of Apis behavior. Haven took on the gentle caretaker side to the extreme, becoming so pacifistic she can’t fight or defend herself. Shaw went the other end, becoming so enraged and resentful that he’s become more like a bloodthirsty predator himself.  Eventually, they both fall to madness after re-emerging, but in the opposite ways that everyone expect. It’s the sweet gentle Haven who ends up Frenzying other of control in a berserker rage, rampaging across the city in massive bovine form, causing untold death and destruction until she’s put down. . . .while the cruel violent Shaw falls to a “cow version of Harano” sinking into a depression so profound he goes catatonic up until Haven’s own loss of sanity, at which point he throws himself on her horn. The story ends with the last of the Apis truly dead, but with a new hope for the species living on in Shaw’s children, who are showing signs of being Kinfolk or Apis themselves.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Treat Your S(h)elf

The Places In Between by Rory Stewart

“I offered Asad money but he was horrified. It seemed a six-hour round trip through a freezing storm and chest deep snow was the least he could do for a guest. I did not want to insult him but I was keen to repay him in some way. I insisted, feeling foolish. He refused five times but finally accepted out of politeness and gave the money to his companion.Then he wished me luck and turned up the hill into the face of the snowstorm." 

- Rory Stewart

Just weeks after the fall of the Taliban in January of 2002 Scotsman Rory Stewart began a walk across central Afghanistan in the footsteps of 15th Century Moghul conqueror Emperor Babur and along parts of the legendary Silk Road, from Herat to Kabul. He'd find himself in the course of twenty-one months encountering Sunni Kurds, Shia Hazala, Punjabi Christians, Sikhs, Kedarnath Brahmins, Garhwal Dalits, and Newari Buddhists. He said he wanted to explore the "place in between the deserts and the Himalayas, between Persian, Hellenic, and Hindu culture, between Islam and Buddhism, between mystical and militant Islam." He described Afghanistan as "a society that was an unpredictable composite of etiquette, humour, and extreme brutality."

The Places in Between is Stewart's account of walking across Afghanistan from Herat to Kabul in January 2002. The book was the winner of the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Award and the Spirit of Scotland Award and shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize and the Scottish Book of the Year Prize.

I first read the book as a teenager a few years after it came out when I was spending a few months doing voluntary work for an Afghan children’s charity in Peshawar, Pakistan with my older sister who was a junior doctor at the time.

I read it on the rocky bus ride from Peshawar, Pakistan and into Afghanistan from Jalalabad to Kabul with my sister and her colleagues. I avidly read the book because I already knew the author through my oldest brother but from a distance because of our respective ages. Little did I realise then that I would be back in Afghanistan a few years later but this time in uniform doing my tour in Afghanistan flying combat helicopters against the Taliban.

I had the book with me (but a newer copy) and it took on a greater prescience precisely because as soldiers, even from the most senior officers on down, we privately questioned what the hell were we really accomplishing in a country ravaged by war since the Soviet invasion in 1979 (and that’s being generous given how history has buried empires into the graveyard of Afghanistan as a testament to their hubris).

Maybe it was hubris or perhaps it was that adventurous strain that needs to be scratched that led Rory Stewart to undertake his madcap journey. Stewart did the entire journey on foot, refusing any other form of transportation (and at one point going back and redoing a section of the walk when he couldn't turn down a vehicle ride). He took an uncommon route straight through the centre of the country and the heart of the mountains, instead of the more common route through the south that bypasses the dangerous mountain passes. This choice was partly because it was shorter, partly because the south was still partially controlled by the Taliban, and partly I suspect (though he doesn't say this explicitly) because it's the less-discussed and less-known route, even today.

This is, therefore, a sort of travel book, describing places that 99.99% of readers in the Western world are very unlikely to ever go. It's also unavoidably political, since Afghanistan is unavoidably political. However, unlike many travel books and many books with political overtones, it's carefully observational, documentary, and quietly understated in a way that gives the reader room to analyse and consider. Stewart focuses on his specific journey and concise, detailed descriptions of what he encountered and lets any broader implications of what he saw emerge from the reader's evaluation. He describes how he reacts to the remarkable natural beauty and almost-forgotten ruins that he encounters, giving the reader a frame and a sense of the emotional impact, but he's not an overbearing presence in the book. The story is clearly personal, but he doesn't dominate it. This is a very difficult line to walk, and I don't recall the last time I've seen it walked as deftly.

Instead there is a real sense that the author has gotten over the novelty of travelling and is more focused on the fundamental circumstances he encounters. The book overall is a fascinating read and there is much to be learned about the epistemologies driving the Afghan people and how different interpretations of Muslim teachings (and likewise, any teachings) can create small, but significant differences between neighbours. He has a gift for vividly describing the people and the landscape without injecting himself too much into the scene.

I suspect every reader will take different things from The Places in Between.

For some readers unaccustomed to the culture of Afghanistan, they would find it distressing to read how dogs are treated in Afghanistan. It's said Prophet Muhammad once cut off part of his own garment rather than disturb a sleeping cat. Unfortunately, he didn't feel equal affection for dogs, and they're "religiously polluting." They're not pets, and they're never petted. A quarter of the way in his journey Stewart has a toothless mastiff pressed upon him by a villager and he named him Babur. The evidence of past abuse could be seen in missing ears and tail, and someone told Stewart the dog was missing teeth because they'd been knocked out by a boy with rocks. Stewart found the dog a faithful companion and said he'd call him "beautiful, wise, and friendly" but that an Afghan, though he might use such terms to describe a horse or hawk would never use it to describe a dog.

But I knew all this growing in Pakistan and India as a small girl. Friends would look perplexed that we Brits - or any Westerners - have dogs or cats as pets and even see them as part of the family.

For me though two big themes stuck out when I first read the book.

One of the things that struck me most memorably is the spider’s web of personal loyalties, personal animosities, different tribes and history, and complexity of Afghan politics that Stewart walks through. Afghanistan is not coherent or cohered in the way that those of us living in long-settled western countries assume when thinking about countries. While there are regions with different ethnicities or dominant tribes, it doesn't even break down into simple tribal areas or regions divided by religion. The central mountain areas Stewart walked through are very isolated and have a long history and a complex web of rivalries, differing reactions to various central governments, and different connections. Stewart meets people who have never traveled more than a few miles from their village, and people who can't go as far as his next day's stop because they'd be killed by the people in the next village. It becomes clear over the course of his journey why creating a cohesive western-style country with unified national rule is far less likely and more difficult than is usually portrayed in the Western news media. The reader slowly begins to realise that this may not be what the Afghans themselves want, and some of the reasons why not.

A large part of that recent history is violent, and here is where Stewart's ability to describe and characterise the people he meets along the way shines. It is a tenet of both Islam and the local culture to give hospitality to travellers, which is the only thing that makes this sort of trip possible. Stewart is generally treated exceptionally well, particularly given the poverty of the people (meat is extremely rare, and most meals are bread at best), but violence and fighting fills the minds and experiences of most people he meets. He memorably observes at one point that one of his temporary companions describes the landscape in terms of violent events. Here, he shot four soldiers. There, two people were killed. Over there is where they ambushed a squad of Russians. It's striking how, after decades of fighting either for or against first the Russians and then the Taliban shapes and marks their mental map of the world. It's likely that few of the people Stewart meets are entirely truthful with him, but even that is an intriguing angle on what they care to lie about, what they think will impress him, and how the Afghan people he encounters display status or react to the unusual.

The second big theme that stuck out for me on a personal note was how Stewart respectfully weaves the wonder of history with the sad lament of the destructive loss heritage on his travels. In the book, Stewart followed roughly the same path as Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, did in 1504 at roughly the same time of year. He quotes occasionally from the Baburama, Babur's autobiography, which adds a depth of history to the places Stewart passes through. The Minaret of Jam in the mountains of western Afghanistan is one of the (unfortunately rare) black and white pictures in the centre of this book, and Stewart describes the legendary Turquoise Mountain, the lost capital of a mountain kingdom destroyed by the son of Genghis Kahn in the 1220s, of which the minaret may be the last surviving recognisable remnant. He describes the former Buddhist monasteries at Bamyan in Hazarajat (the region of central Afghanistan populated by the Hazara) and the huge empty alcoves where giant statues of the Buddha had stood for sixteen centuries until destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. This book then is full of history of which  is described with a discerning eye for necessary detail.

How Afghanistan's precious historical and cultural legacy was being destroyed even back in 2002 is heart breaking to read. I think many Westerners certainly know about how the Taliban dynamited the giant Bamiyan Buddha statues over a millennium old because they considered them "idols." Just as profound a loss is discovered by Stewart in his travels. There is a legendary lost city, the "Turquoise Mountain" of the pre-Moghul Ghorid Empire. Archeologists couldn't find it - but when passing through the area, Stewart had found villagers who had, and were looting artefacts with no care for the archeological context or the damage they were doing to the site, selling the priceless wares for the equivalent of a couple of dollars on the black market. This is what he tells us about his discussion with the villagers about the lost city:

"It was destroyed twice," Bushire added, "once by hailstones and once by Genghis." "Three times," I said. You're destroying what remained." They all laughed.

Even as I write this I can’t help but think this episode eerily echoes the madness gripping us in Britain, Europe, and the US (albeit for different reasons) in defacing and pulling down historical statues in wanton in acts of extreme ideological vandalism.

Overall I enjoyed the ‘peace’ of this book as there is a constant tone of a simple purpose. There are some moments along the way that are quite confronting and even frustrating, but so many that are warm and celebratory of the Afghan belief in hospitality.

Perhaps others will differ but I didn’t find too many irritating passages that wax-poetic on the evolution of the traveller. Stewart’s writing style is clinical; completely void of sentimentality, he never allows his own initial or personal meditations on these places overtake his observations, written with much hindsight. Whether being harassed by local soldiers or struggling through snowdrifts Stewart does not bridge a gap with the reader to really get a sense of who he his, as if his own story would detract from the crucial timing of his recordings of this landscape and its people.

His own biography is something out of John Buchan. The son of Scottish colonial civil servant who was born in Hong Kong and grew up in the Far East (and subsequently the second most senior official in the British secret intelligence) before being packed off back to England to Dragon School, Eton and onto Balliol, Oxford to study PPE. A short stint with the Black Watch regiment (as his father and uncle before him) before joining the British Foreign Office and work in some hot spots of the world, including a stint as deputy governor in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq after 2003. He went on to work at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard before returning to the UK to successfully run as a Conservative MP in his native Scotland. Served as a minister in different ministries under Prime Minister Theresa May’s government and improbably came close to upsetting the coronation of Boris Johnson as the next leader of the Conservative party. He resigned from the party rather than be purged and made an unsuccessful bid to run as an independent candidate for London Mayor. He continues to writer and author travel books and front documentaries. He has a storied background but he wears it very lightly.

Of course there is a conceit to the book which in a sense all travel books of this kind that largely goes unquestioned. I don’t think it’s wrong to question a certain kind of entitlement that pervades these kind of books, no matter how much I enjoy reading them especially about countries you have traveled to and know a little bit about. Stewart after all embarks on a journey ‘planning’ to rely on the proverbial kindness of strangers because that is an Islamic cultural and religious value. Try planning a trip anywhere in Western Europe or the USA and Canada. I cannot imagine anyone walking across America, or England and Scotland for that matter, who would believe that he was entitled to expect food, shelter and assistance because he asked for it.

And he does it - as have countless travellers before and after him. Because Stewart succeeds in his journey, he is evidence of an astonishing degree of Afghan Muslim hospitality and generosity. As a back packer who has done it rough not just in Afghanistan but also neighbouring Central Asia as well as Pakistan, India, and China I can see why it might rub some up the wrong way. But I also think it’s not cultural or some sort of colonial arrogance on Stewart’s part. It’s hard to articulate but it’s really a kind of cultured sensitivity of people and lands you already are familiar with or know well from childhood.

Certainly for Rory Stewart - and myself - didn’t exclusively grow up in England and Scotland but in the Eastern post-colonial countries of the ex-British Empire that afforded a privileged childhood (privileged as in a real cultural engagement and immersion) that left a deep appreciation and respect for those countries cultures and traditions. I believe for the vast majority of Western back packers who take adventurous treks across these lands they do so partly out of genuine respect and understanding of different cultures.

For instance, the legacy of this book has been that Rory Stewart has spear headed a long term project called Turquoise Mountain. Alongside his partners, they have been re-creating the "downtown" river district in Kabul and restoring it to it's former glory. They have opened schools for people to re-learn the ancient arts of carving, weaving, architecture, etc. They have supported efforts to restoring city blocks that have been covered in a mountain of trash, and restoring homes where families have lived for centuries. And all for free. The Afghan have never been sure why someone would be doing this out of the goodness of their hearts, but that the poignant irony is that the goodness began with them through their hospitality of the stranger.

The kindness to strangers is a real thing in this part of the world. Kindness to strangers has it roots in fear that the strangers might be gods or their messengers alongside the pragmatic need that strangers in a strange land might need assistance. I sometimes wonder how is it we cannot show the same unabashed kindness to strangers to our homes?

However you slice it, you have to admire Stewart for his mostly un-aided walk across Afghanistan. It does take a certain kind of ballsiness to do it. He carried just his clothes and a sleeping bag (and money), trusting that the villagers along the way would put him up for the night and feed him. He got very sick (diarrhoea and dysentery), was at constant risk of freezing to death in the mountains, and had some very unpleasant encounters with Afghan soldiers in the last few days, after rejecting very strong advice not to walk through this section.

Strangely though nothing about this book is breathtaking of ‘Oriental exoticism’ beloved of Western imagination. Indeed nothing in this book is romanticised and nothing is placed on a pedestal. Stewart writes openly and honestly of all the people he met, those friendly, and those that would've preferred to rob him and leave him dead in a ditch. He's truthful and humorous, and I found myself walking alongside him, a sort of ghost following his rugged trail through mountains, valleys, and Buddhist monasteries.

Re-reading this book when I was doing my tour in Afghanistan with time to kill between missions, I wished George W. Bush and Tony Blair - and all the other Western leaders since these two - could have taken that walk with Stewart and learned the lessons he did. Stewart gives you a sense of the complexity and diversity of the culture and of Islam - and just how ludicrous and ignorant were the assumptions and goals imposed on the country by the invading Westerners. Indeed at the very end of his walk, Stewart reaches Kabul, the heart of the western intervention in Afghanistan and the place where all the political theorists and idealists came to try to shape the country. He describes the impact of seeing draft plans for a national government, which look ridiculous in the light of the country that he just traveled through.

It's a rare bit of political fire in the narrative that's all the more effective since it's one of the few bits of political commentary in the book. Indeed it’s all the more rich and relevant given its emergent commentary and background for the current war being fought there. Stewart necessarily tells only part of the story of Afghanistan, but he tells far more of the story than most will know prior to reading it. It should be mandatory reading for anyone making decisions about how to proceed in that region.

I would recommend anyone take a walk with Rory Stewart.

[cooldididesign]

"quasi things” in architecture, an insight from tony sofian of tsds #storyofdesign

if life is all about the real and ethereal, so does in design and architecture. designing or building architecture is more than just planning, concept-ing, and channeling them to fieldwork that meet particular needs. 

an illustration of quasi things - rainfalls

it is no longer arguable that every architect and designer is required to create an intimacy between particular structure to the surrounding; say the nature or cultural aspects, which at the same time appealing for the eye. yet what they often forget is that they spent too much time coupling tectonics in materials—leaving each of them unable to express their immateriality aspects, the quasi things. 

an brick-based architecture building by louis kahn

so do adolf loos ever stated that,"every material possesses its language of forms, and none may lay claim for itself to the forms of another material"

or what louis kahn ever remarked a very thoughtful statement as,"when you are designing in brick, you must ask brick what it wants or what it can do."

the design story team, in continuation of the previous talk with tony sofian of tsds ia, have further conversed for a more philosophical and insightful perspective. to tap the untapped, and to see the possibility of architecture in the future.

so we have all agreed that architecture is all about materiality. say it should be solid, stable, and reassuring - physically, socially, and bonded to each other.

an illustration of wood as tangible material

yet, do we humans ever wonder how the material could speak their age and history? how do you know that a building is hundreds of years old, and what lays behind their historical elements? have you ever noticed that there is a world of realm that you never thought of before but formlessly existed?

"yes, so there is something in architecture. something in between materiality and immateriality. the things that you don't see." said tony. 

an illustration of quasi things

"i'm not talking about dreams or fantasy. but have you ever heard a sound of a drop of water falling to the floor, right from the bathroom... and you find it disrupting, you can't continue to sleep, right?" he, later on, questioned us. 

"this is it, the sensibility that i'm talking about. once it taps a particular object, it reacts and creates quasi things effect - you can't see it, but you can sense it through your ears. and now i'm telling you that this quasi thing is part of architectural elements." 

an illustration of quasi things

"let's take the tribal tribe, for another example. they live nomadically since long ago, moving places, and they go hunting to survive and keep living" he added.

also read: 

tony sofian of tsds talk the future of architecture in sensibility and materiality #storyofdesign

sustainable effort at northern site of borneo by tsds ia

complete projects by tsds interior architects

"when the night comes, they would collect woods and make a shelter out of it. on top of that, the wood that they used for building a shelter is also used to light a fire. so here, we can see how a material can transfer two values at the same time; one is in the form of architectural building "the shelter" where they sleep, and the other one is the "campfire" they are making to feel warm at night. creating such energy combustion that they can take everywhere along the journey. just as comfortable as how the shelter keeps them safe throughout the night." explained tony. 

an illustration of quasi things - fireburst

"so this is the quasi things, and how this has become architectural elements. it is intangible, unseen, but we can sense it, and merit how much needed is this quasi thing in our life."

"the question is, how do architects comprehend this architectural scheme... how do they manage to blend quasi things in their projects."

"there are still a few architects in the world that have tapped quasi things in their project. perhaps because it is yet too early to be focused on? but the possibility to have it lingering our life is here. this intangible part of quasi things will become a significant issue in the future of architecture and designs. see how corona has impacted our lives since early 2020. we cannot see its physical form, but we have been the prisoner of fear from getting infected and terminated from living a normal life. all of us, with no exception."

jonathan hills on his "immaterial architecture" book once told us that immaterial is the less absence of matter than the perceived absence of matter. 

this has brought us to furtherly questioning how far have architecture and design industry made it to incorporate the two inseparable terms.

perhaps if we try to evaluate, today's standard construction is often strengthened by a weakened sense of materiality. this shows a partial effect to indicate how successful a project is. while too flat can result in a devastating mental impact, hence immateriality is needed. for the five senses we could not visualize, the message without form or substance, a comfortable nuance which probably can be expressed through a phenomenon, lights, feelings, smell, or touches. something beyond building or space as an object, the quasi things.

courtesy of the design story interview with tony sofian of tsds interior architects  on april 2020 | photo source tsds ia

[rcajackhardiker]

Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences - Geoffrey C. Bowker and Susan Leigh Star

This has been an important book for my project, returning me to the topic of classification. The book explores the role of categories and standards in shaping the modern world. It investigates a variety of classification systems, including the classification of diseases, the Nursing Interventions Classification, race classification under apartheid in South Africa, and the classification of viruses. The book touches on points covered in my dissertation such as information black-boxes, and the issues raised by Haraway around objectivity. The book also takes a similar archeological approach to my dissertation. It’s quite surprising and depressing that this book was written in 1999. It feels like very little has progressed in terms of people’s wariness of classification - which is especially concerning in light of ongoing AI developments. 

I began transcribing important moments in the book...the list got rather long!

Remarkably for such a central part of our lives, we stand for the most part in formal ignorance of the social and moral order created by these invisible, potent entities. p.3

Information scientists work every day on the design, delegation, and choice of classification systems and standards, yet few see them as artefacts embodying moral and aesthetic choices that in turn craft people’s identities, aspirations, and dignity. p.4

Foucault’s (1970; 1982) work comes the closest to a thoroughgoing examination in his arguments that an archaeological dig is necessary to find the origins and consequences of a range of social categories and practices. p.5

No one, including Foucault, has systematically tackled the question of how these properties inform social and moral order via the new technological and electronic infrastructures. Few have looked at the creation and maintenance of complex classifications as a kind of work practice, with its attendant financial, skill and moral dimensions. p.5

Every link in hypertext creates a category. That is, it reflects some judgment about two ore more objects: they are the same, or alike, or functionally linked, or linked as part of an unfolding series. p.7

In this, a cross-disciplinary approach is critical. Any information systems design that neglects use and user semantics is bound for trouble down the line - it will become either oppressive or irrelevant. p.7

- Who does what work? We explore the fact that all this magic involves much work: there is a lot of hard labor in effortless ease. Such invisible work is often not only underpaid, it is severely underrepresented in theoretical literature (Star and Strauss 1999). We will discuss where all the “missing work” that makes things look magical goes. p.9

Classification: A classification is a spatial, temporal, or spatio-temporal segmentation of the world. A “classification system” is a set of boxes (metaphorical or literal) into which things can be put to then do some kind of work - bureaucratic or knowledge production p.10

The system is not complete. With respect to the items, actions, or areas under its consideration, the ideal classification system provides total coverage of the world it describes. So, for example, a botanical classifier would not simply ignore a newly discovered plant, but would always strive to name it. A physician using a diagnostic classification must enter something into the patient’s record where a category is called for; where unknown, the possibility exists of a medical discovery, to be absorbed into the complete system of classifying. No real-world working classification system that we have looked at meets these “simple” requirements and we doubt that any ever could. p.11

It is a struggle to step back from this complexity and think about the issue of ubiquity rather than try to trace the myriad connections in any one case. The ubiquity of classifications and standards is curiously difficult to see, as we are quite schooled in ignoring both, for a variety of interesting reasons. We also need concepts for understanding movements, textures, and shifts that will grasp patterns within the ubiquitous larger phenomenon. The distribution of residual categories (“not elsewhere classified” or “other”) is one such concept. “Others” are everywhere, structuring social order. pp.38-39

An Aristotelian classification works according to a set of binary characteristics that the object being classified either presents or does not present. At each level of classification, enough binary features are adduced to place any member of a given population into one and only one class. p.62

Goodwin (1996) provides an elegant description of working student archaeologists matching patches of earth against a standard set of colour patches in the Munsell colour charts. He argues that earlier cognitive anthropological work on colour assumed a universal genetic origin for colour recognition, but failed to examine the kinds of practices that informed the ways in which colour tests were designed and carried out in the course of this research. p.65

The classification system that is the ICD does more than provide a series of boxes into which diseases can be put; it also encapsulates a series of stories that are the preferred narratives of the ICD’s designers. pp.77-78

One of this book’s central arguments is that classification systems are often sites of political and social struggles, but that these sites are difficult to approach. Politically and socially charged agendas are often first presented as purely technical and they are difficult even to see. As layers of classification system become enfolded into a working infrastructure, the original political intervention becomes more and more firmly entrenched. p.196

“If you’re black and pretend you’re Coloured, the police has the pencil test.” “The pencil test?” “Oh, yes, sir. They sticks a pencil in your hair and you has to bend down, and if your hair holds the pencil, that shows it’s too woolly, too thick. You can’t be Coloured with woolly hair like that. You go to stay black, you see.” (Sowden 1968, 184) p.212

In the early pre-apartheid days, it was easier to change race category than it became later. Kahn notes that “between 1911 and 1921… some fifty thousand individuals disappeared from the coloured population rolls” (1966, 51). Many families living in the categorical borderlands went to great length to establish themselves as white, keeping photos (sometimes fabricated) of white ancestors (Boronstein 1988, 55).

Language and Race as Conflicting Categories: There are thousands of ironic and tragic cases where classification and reclassification separated families, disrupted biographies, and damaged individuals beyond repair. The rigid boxes of race disregarded, among other things, important linguistic differences, especially among African tribal languages. p.218

The Case of Sandra Laing - “Ten-year-old Sandra Laing slipped unnoticed into the school cloakroom. She made sure she was alone, then picked up a can of white scouring powder and hastily sprinkled her face, arms and hands. Remembering the teasing she had just endured in the schoolyard during recess, she began scrubbing vigorously, trying to wash off the natural brown colour of her skin.” (Ebony 1968, 85)m - p.221

Invisible Categories - an anecdote related to  literary critic Alice Deck: In the 1930s, an African-American woman travels to South Africa. In the Captetown airport, she looks around for a toilet. She finds four, labeled: “White Women”, “Colored Women,” “White Men,” and “Colored Men.” (Colored in this context means Asian.) She is uncertain what to do; there are no toilets for “Black Women” or “Black Men,” since black Africans under the apartheid regime are not expected to travel, and she is among the first African Americans to visit South Africa. She is forced to make a decision that will cause her embarrassment or even police harassment. p.245

Three social institutions, more than any others, claim perfect memory: the institutions of science, the law, and religion. p.275

Scientific professionals, thought, have often claimed that by its very nature science displays perfect memory. p. 275

Information, in Bateson’s famous definition, is about differences that make a difference. Designers of classification schemes constantly have to decide what really makes a difference; along the way they develop an economy of knowledge that articulates clearance and erasure and ensure that all and only relevant features of the object (a disease, a body, a nursing intervention) being classified are remembered. In this case, the classification system can be incorporated into an information infrastructure that is delegated the role of paying due attention. A corollary of the “if it moves, count it” theory is the proposition “if you can’t see it moving, forget it.” The nurses we looked at tried to guarantee that they would not be forgotten (wiped from the record) by insisting that the information infrastructure pay due attention to their activities. p. 281

This final part of the book attempts to weave the threads from each of the chapters into a broader theoretical fabric. Thought the book we have demonstrated that categories are tied to the things that people do; to the worlds to which they belong. In large-scale systems those worlds often come into conflict. The conflicts are resolved in a variety of ways. Sometimes boundary objects are created that allow for cooperation across borders. At other times, such as in the case of apartheid, voices are stifled and violence obtains. p.283

Assigning things, people, or their actions to categories is a ubiquitous part of work in the modern, bureaucratic state. Categories in this sense arise from work and from other kinds of organised activity, including the conflicts over meaning that occur when multiple groups fight over the nature of a classification system and its categories. p.285

One of the interesting features of communication is that, broadly speaking, to be perceived, information must reside in more than one context. We know what something is by contrast with what it is not. Silence makes musical notes perceivable; conversation is understood as a contrast of contexts, speaker and hearer, wonders, breaks and breaths. In turn, in order to be meaningful, these contexts of information must be relinked through some sort of judgement of equivalence or comparability. This occurs at all levels of scale, and we all do it routinely as part of everyday life. pp.290-291

Consider, for example, the design of a computer system to support collaborative writing. Eevi Beck (1995, 53) studied the evolution of one such system where “how two authors, who were in different places, wrote an academic publication together making use of computers. The work they were doing and the way in which they did it was inseparable from their immediate environment and the culture which it was part of.” To make the whole system work, they had to juggle time zones, spouses’ schedules, and sensitivities about parts of work practice such as finishing each other’s sentences as well as manipulating the technical aspects of writing software and hardware. p.291

The marginal person, who is for example of mixed race, is portrayed as the troubled outsider; just as the thing that does not fit into one bin or another gets put into a “residual” category. p.300

The myriad of classifications and standards that surround and support the modern world, however, often blind people to the importance of the “other” category as constitutive of the whole social architecture (Derrida 1980).

Such “marginal” people have long been of interest to social scientists and novelists alike. Marginality as a technical term in sociology refers to human membership in more than one community of practice. p.302

Marginality is an interesting paradoxical concept for people and things. On the one hand, membership means the naturalisation of objects that mediate action. On the other, everyone is a member of multiple communities of practice. p.302

“I am an East Ender therefore I must talk like this; and I must drink such and such a brand of beer.” Aided by bureaucratic institutions, such cultural features take on a real social weight. If official documents force an Anglo-Australian to choose one identity or the other - and if friends and colleagues encourage that person, for the convenience of small talk, to make a choice - then they are likely to become ever more Australian, suffering alongside his or her now fellow country people if new immigration measures are introduced in America or if “we” lose a cricket test. The same process occurs with objects - once a film has been thrown into the x-rated bin, then there is a strong incentive for the director to make it really x-rated; once a house has been posted as condemned, then people will feel free to trash it. p.311

“Similarity is an institution” Mary Douglas (1986, 55) p.312

In this book we demonstrate that classifications should be recognised as the significant site of political and ethical work that they are. p.319

In the past 100 years, people in all lines of work have jointly constructed and incredible, interlocking set of categories, standards, and means for interoperating infrastructural technologies. We hardly know what we have built. p.319

The moral questions arise when the categories of the powerful become the taken for granted; when policy decisions are layered into inaccessible technological structures; when one group’s visibility comes at the expense of another’s suffering. p.320

The importance lies in a fundamental rethinking of the nature of information systems. We need to recognise political values, modulated by local administrative procedures. These systems are active creators of categories in the world as well as simulators of existing categories. p.321

Often using innovative techniques such as imaginary devices, but not traditional formulaic means, they achieved the right answer the wrong way. One child called this “the dirt way.” p.321

We have suggested one design aid here - long-term and detailed ethnographic and historical studies of information systems in use - so that we can build up an analytic vocabulary appropriate to the task. p.323

- Rendering voice retrievable. As classification systems get ever more deeply embedded into working infrastructures, they risk getting black boxed and thence made both potent and invisible. By keeping the voice of classifiers and their constituents present, the system can retain maximum political flexibility. This includes the key ability to be able to change with changing natural, organisational, and political imperatives. p.325

This integration began roughly in the 1850s, coming to maturity in the late nineteenth century with the flourishing of systems of standardisation for international trade and epidemiology. p.326

On a pessimistic view, we are taking a series of increasingly irreversible steps toward a given set of highly limited and problematic descriptions of what the world is and how we are in the world. p.326

We have argued that a key for the future is to produce flexible classifications whose users are aware of their political and organisational dimensions and which explicitly retain traces of their construction. In the best of all possible worlds, at any given moment, the past could be reordered to better reflect multiple constituencies now and then. p.326

In this same optimal world, we could tune our classifications to reflect new institutional arrangements or personal trajectories - reconfigure the world on the fly. The only good classification is a living classification. p.326

[theghumakkads]

8 Indian Cities Every Architectural Enthusiast Must Visit!

“We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.” ― Ray Bradbury To travel is to make a journey; but what would a journey be, if the traveler doesn’t grow through it? Wouldn’t that be equal to just moving from one place to the other, without really gathering a thing? It is more than just an experience; more like understanding the transition of spaces: how one space segues into the other. Architecture and travel, they go together like apple and pie. Shoes and laces. Paper and pencil. Living in the diverse nation that we do, various architectural styles have come up, owing to the various cultures and rich history. Here is a list of Indian cities that pack a punch when it comes to design, style and architecture.

India's French Colony: PONDICHERRY

French Colonial Architecture This quaint little town tucked away in the Eastern part of Southern India oozes French charm and a distinct 'joie de vivre' reminding visitors that it is a former French settlement. Famous for its Colonial French and Franco-Tamil architecture, the influence of the French culture can also be seen in street art around the town and in the decor of most houses.  Don't miss: It’s impossible to come to Pondicherry and not visit Auroville. It is a bold, utopian experiment in spiritual and sustainable living. Go there to observe the ongoing experiments in building materials and to experience an alternate lifestyle based on life-work balance and community living.

The Overlooked Architectural Gem: KASHMIR

Heritage architecture showcase inhabitants’ culture. Known for its unparalleled natural beauty, Kashmir has equally alluring style and design of its houses. Both vernacular and colonial architecture in the valley celebrate the historical skill of Kashmiri craftsmen. Also demonstrate how traditional homes adapt to geography by utilizing local stone, wood and brick. The earthquake resistant vernacular construction systems of Kashmir is something every architect and builder should know of. Don't miss: Don't forget to visit Leh-Ladakh. Dotted with ruins of  old castles and forts across its vast mountainous terrains, the architecture here has a strong influence of religion, geography and climate.

The City Beautiful: CHANDIGARH

Example of mid-century modernism One of India’s first planned cities and characterized by the seal of Le Corbusier, Chandigarh is one of the best experiments in urban planning and modern architecture in the twentieth century in India. . This city feels both futuristic and retro. It’s a time capsule of Mid-Century Modern and Brutalist architecture set in the foothills of the Himalayas. In 2016, the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making these incredible modern buildings a must-see! Don't miss: While here, don't forget to go and visit Virasat-e-Khalsa in Anandpur Sahib. Designed by Moshe Safdie, it is a mammoth museum chronicling Sikh history.

A City Older than History: VARANASI

Ancient architectural buildings and temples along the Ganges river ghat. Believed to be a crossing place between this world and heaven, Varanasi is also a epicenter of cultures from India and beyond. Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism have coincided their paths with this city, which has also witnessed Mughal intrusion connecting it to Islam as well. As a result, the architecture here have diversity in construction, detailing and pattern. It is the perfect place to witness the colors and chaos of an Indian city! Don't miss: Take a rickshaw for an exhilarating 8 mile ride through Varanasi’s busy, hot streets to sacred Sarnath for some fresh air. Also see where Buddha preached his sermon in the Deer Park; the spot is marked by a stupa.

Blend of the Ancient and Modern: HYDERABAD

Charminar: Arc de Triomph of the East The architecture of this city is a good source of astounding stories, adventure, and legend. Dotted with architectural masterpieces of different eras and styles, this city has embraced the modern steel-and-glass structures with equal ease. The historic relics in confluence with sumptuous skyscrapers create a bewitching panorama of ancient and modern times. Don't miss: Combine this trip with a stop at Warangal, a 3 hour ride away, a place of great religious, historical as well as cultural significance. It is a complete package for a family and group outing.

A Gharana of Architecture: AHMEDABAD

Scenic gardens at Sabarmati riverfront The possible Design capital of India, Ahmedabad is a playground of the most amazing architects of India: Le Corbusier, Charles Correa, Louis Kahn and BV Doshi, all in one city. The modern architecture is juxtaposed against ancient temples, mosques, forts, step wells and lakes. Wandering through the streets lined with ancient Ahmedabad housing known as pol, the sights and sounds of this city will surely broaden your perspective and fill your soul. Don't miss: Around 75 km from here in Lothal, you can visit the remains of the commendable Indus valley civilization and experience what great town planners we were 4500 years ago!

A Historical Story Tale: HAMPI

The jewel of Vijayanagara empire: Hampi The boulder-strewn hills of Hampi are a traveler's paradise - with royal pavilions, ancient markets, aquatic structures, a museum and monkeys! This place is an splendid example of Dravidian architecture with adoption of elements from Indo Islamic Architecture. If you find joy in heritage, history, architecture, art and stories, it is the right place for you! Don't miss: While there, a trip to Bijapur and Badami is equally imperative!

City with a Past: BHOPAL

The largest mosque in India: Taj-ul-Masajid Charles Correa played an important role in giving Bhopal its modern architectural vocabulary where he designed many iconic structures. From ancient tribal kingdoms to Hindu kings to Muslim dynasties, the city has been witness to changing times, destruction and resurgence, all of which have left their imprint behind in the form of built heritage. Don't miss: Bhopal is surrounded with many places that deserve your attention: Jhansi, Sanchi, Bhimbetka, Khajuraho Temples... Architecture is the only thing which can never be eradicated from the list of travel. It is the art of culture, living and lifelong era. Read the full article

[fullspectrum-cbd-oil]

As Trump Returns to the Road, Some Democrats Want to Bust Biden out of His Basement

While President Donald Trump traveled to the battleground state of Arizona this week, his Democratic opponent for the White House, Joe Biden, campaigned from his basement as he has done throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Those optics have some Democrats increasingly concerned.

The freeze on in-person campaigning during the outbreak has had an upside for Biden, giving the former vice president more time to court donors and shielding him from on-the-trail gaffes.

But the coronavirus lockdown also has deprived Biden of chances to showcase what allies see as his major asset contrasting with Republican Trump in a time of crisis: his empathetic personality.

“I personally would like to see him out more because he’s in his element when he’s meeting people,” said Tom Sacks-Wilner, a fundraiser for Biden who is on the campaign’s finance committee.

With Biden badly overshadowed by Trump and a few national opinion polls showing his lead ahead of the Nov. 3 election slipping, some Democratic operatives are urging the Biden campaign to boost his profile, worried the broadcasts from his basement in Delaware are falling short.

Onetime campaign advisers to former President Barack Obama penned two op-eds this week calling on Biden to raise the tempo of his campaign through more robust digital operations and help from celebrities, former rivals and Democratic governors at the forefront of the pandemic response.

Several allies also are encouraging Biden’s team to consider visits such as to essential workers, if those could be done safely and in line with public health guidance.

“The Biden campaign is going to have to think about ways in which they can drive the news every day, and that is a challenge during the crisis,” said Joel Benenson, a pollster who worked for Obama and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. “The president has the bully pulpit.”

Biden, a classic retail politician whose social media following pales in comparison with Trump, himself has expressed frustration with the limitations of communicating with voters remotely.

At the same time, he has routinely bashed Trump’s push to reopen the U.S. economy more quickly despite the concerns of public health experts who fear a second wave of coronavirus cases if social distancing is relaxed too soon.

Though his team wants to campaign in person as soon as doing so is safe, no imminent public appearances are planned.

“The health and safety of our supporters, staff and the American people is our top priority, and our decision-making on how to campaign will be guided by public health experts with that in mind,” said Biden campaign spokesman TJ Ducklo.

‘CANDIDATE OF SANITY’

While Trump’s stop in Arizona on Tuesday was not an official campaign trip, it demonstrated the advantages the presidency affords him.

As he pledged more than $600 million in coronavirus response aid to two Native American nations, standing with tribal leaders in person, Biden’s campaign sent a message on Facebook pledging to “stand with” native people in their fight against sex trafficking.

Trump was heavily criticized, however, for not wearing a mask while greeting workers in Phoenix at a mask-making facility, where a sign noted masks were required. A video of his appearance at the factory, as the song “Live and Let Die” played in the background, went viral.

Trump’s overall popularity has been mostly flat throughout the crisis, with the number of adults who approve of him wavering between 40% and 45% from March to May, according to Reuters/Ipsos national opinion polls.

Despite mounting economic damage that saw 20.5 million Americans lose jobs in April, most Americans have consistently said in polls they want to maintain social distancing to protect themselves from the virus.

“Trump has decided to go all-in, risk the death,” said John Morgan, a Florida trial lawyer who has raised money for Biden.

Biden, he said, has to be the “candidate of sanity and security.”

Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said Trump has a duty to protect both the safety of Americans and the economy.

“We have to get moving again when and where it’s safe, because long-term economic inactivity comes with its own set of problems,” Murtaugh said.

‘REFERENDUM ON TRUMP’

Biden advisers said the more critical months for the campaign would be in the fall, when more voters will be paying attention than they are during the pandemic that has infected more than 1.25 million in the United States and killed over 76,000 people.

Meantime, Biden has made near daily appearances virtually, for media interviews, fundraisers, late-night comedy shows and Instagram events with famous people such as soccer star Megan Rapinoe. He has begun to film on the property outside his home, providing a more varied set of backdrops.

The Biden campaign’s video content was viewed 113 million times online in March and April, a campaign official said.

On Thursday, Biden was interviewed by news outlets in battleground state Florida, held an event on Zoom with black leaders in Jacksonville and hosted a virtual rally for Tampa voters.

His campaign also again denied an allegation by former Senate staff assistant Tara Reade, who in March accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993 and on Thursday said he should drop out of the White House race.

With no travel schedule, Biden has spent more time calling donors, aiming to close the approximately $180 million gap he had with the Trump campaign at the end of March.

Biden held several fundraisers since mid-April that took in more than $1 million each.

“There’s a huge cash deficit to make up right now,” said an adviser for a former rival Democratic presidential campaign. “If Joe Biden has the luxury of sitting in a room and calling 100 rich people a day, do it.”

Biden campaign advisers say another immediate goal is to find more ways to put Biden’s personality on display.

His campaign recently tweeted a video in which Biden’s eyes well up with tears as he speaks on a call with an intensive care nurse who describes herself as “tired” and “scared every day.”

Jim Margolis, a Democratic Party ad maker, said there is only so much Biden can do from home while Trump gets non-stop coverage. But with scientifically questionable medical advice and frequent misstatements, Trump’s unfiltered media appearances have done more harm than good, Margolis said.

“At the end of the day, this campaign should fundamentally be about Donald Trump,” Margolis said. “It needs to be a referendum on Donald Trump.”

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Elizabeth Culliford and James Oliphant; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax, Steve Holland and Chris Kahn; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Soyoung Kim and Grant McCool)

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[thegroovethief]

#TGTfeature 004: Doctor Jeep [Trouble & Bass, Tumble Audio, ENCHUFADA: New York City, USA] Following last month’s Afrofunk excursion with Denver band ATOMGA, #TGTfeature 004 returns to low-end theory with the man to call if the bass isn’t ill enough: Doctor Jeep! This and forthcoming #TGTfeature articles will highlight dedicated musical talents by featuring their recent work as well as an in-depth interview. Undeterred by tempo and style, Doctor Jeep is well-regarded from techno to dubstep to dnb. Speaking via phone prior to his return to the Denver stage on March 2nd, the good doctor discusses the challenges of being a multi-genre specialist, his own crucial musical experiences, how he gets his bass so massive, and much more. Special note: Make sure to tune in late-night this Sunday evening Feb 26 at midnight MST for my next live “Pomegranate Sounds” radio show on KGNU Community Radio (Boulder/Denver). A Doctor Jeep feature will be on just after 1am (on Monday), with an exclusive chance to win tickets! A bit about Doctor Jeep: - a leading voice in the New York City bass scene, DOCTOR JEEP is known for rocking a range of bpms - has stacks of remixes under his own name as well as his DJ Bark Lee alias; his latest production release, the half-time dnb DISSOCIATE EP, came out mid-2016 on Aufect Recordings - HEADLINING this Thursday, March 2, at The Black Box with Snubluck and Kompra, presented by Sub.mission

TGT: You’re an artist who works within multiple styles and tempos, yet there’s always a clear focus on the low-end. How did you first get into bass music, and why has it become such an important part of your life? DJ: Basically, I went to a record store near my college when I was a freshman, and I bought a CD with an interesting looking cover, even though I had never heard of the artists or label. It ended up being Caspa and Rusko’s Fabriclive mix. That just opened my eyes to dubstep in general, and from there I just went through my usual process of how I found new music nowadays, which is just Googling every artist and/or label that was mentioned in the track list, and just kind of going in a wormhole from there… that was nine or ten years ago at this point. Weirdly enough, it took a while to get back into dubstep properly. Somehow after listening to that Fabriclive mix, I got really into Hessle Audio and Hemlock, and the kind of more techno-y stuff for the rest of my college experience. A few years later, I started going to a party in New York called Reconstrvct - basically its initial iteration was an all-UK dubstep party. They were bringing in these crazy lineups…like six or seven DJs from the UK and then one or two other residents. And it was just super insane because you would never see these producers in the US, ever, outside of that one party since it was fairly underground people for the most part. I think one of the defining moments that solidified my love for bass music was their two-year anniversary that had Kahn & Neek, their side project Gorgon Sound, Vivek, Youngsta, and Amit, all on the Tsunami Bass soundsystem which is probably one of, if not the best soundsystems in New York. I guess as for why that kind of music is important to me: it’s an escape from real life and the stuff I like makes me feel like I’m going back to my ancestral tribal roots. Sometimes when I’m in the dance, it gives me this feeling like we’re in the Stone Age dancing around a fire with like a shaman guiding us… it’s really cool to think about it in that way, knowing that people around me are also on the same wave length and it’s a meditative, trance-like experience. You’re feeling this energy in your chest and it’s so different than listening to music at a house party or in your headphones or something. Not to be too hippy-dippy about it, but bass is healing, and it allows you to mentally recharge and let go after a long week – I just love going to parties and dancing and, you know, getting into it… if I’m paying $15 to see some DJ, I’m gonna dance, I’m not just gonna stand there and cross my arms and nod my head! [laughs] Finding this community in New York was really important to me, because for all my life prior to that I felt like an outsider who just liked weird music. It’s really great to go out somewhere and spend a few hours with your friends every weekend doing what makes you the happiest.

TGT: So what challenges do you face as an artist whose work isn’t defined by a single genre? DJ: I make so many different kinds of music that I think it’s important to have certain distinctions as to what’s Jeep stuff versus other small side projects, because… I feel like if I’m making techno as Doctor Jeep, and I’m making drum ‘n’ bass as Doctor Jeep, people don’t really know how to book me, or where to book me, and that’s a huge issue. Because if I was, you know, [Berghain resident and legendary techno DJ] Marcel Dettmann or something, and I primarily played one or two fairly similar types of music, people would know what to expect when I came to play a party. At any gig, I have the ability to play rap or dancehall or UK garage or jungle or whatever, but some crowds know me for my older 130bpm productions, some crowds come for the newer drum ‘n’ bass side of me, and it’s like a divided crowd where I can’t appease everyone, and it’s definitely more difficult than if I was able to go into it with a clear game plan every time. It’s all situational. After I play a party once, I generally know the vibe. These days I’m super into a lot of electro and ’90s hardcore, but I know that’s not what fits the vibe at Sub.mission for example, so I’ll focus more on the dubstep and halftime side of things. I guess that is the benefit of playing a lot of different kinds of music, I can hone it in if I know what the crowd tends to like. At the end of the day if I’m getting paid to fly somewhere and play music for two hours, my job is to make the crowd happy, regardless if I just got a bunch of sick tracks from a totally different style the weekend beforehand [laughs]. That being said, I enjoy the challenge of figuring out what works on any given night. I think that there are some situations in which a change of vibe within the set is welcomed, and this kind of ties back to that Reconstrvct two-year anniversary. At some point in Youngsta’s set he went from a deeper dubstep section to a more hype halftime dnb part, and that was one of the first times I ever saw someone play a hybrid set like that and do it super well. And it made me think, damn, these two tempos are separated by 30bpm – which is a pretty big jump – but are stylistically quite similar in sound design and the sound palette, and people really fuck with both. I mean, it was just another one of those times where I was like ‘wow, you can really go all over the place, and still keep the crowd with you,’ so that was really inspiring for me, and definitely a very formative experience where I was like alright, that’s how you connect the dots from very different tempos. You find stuff that has similar textures or atmospheres or whatever, and you kind of go from those tracks. You’re not just slamming in a totally different track or doing a backspin and then just throwing in something from left field. That will kill a crowd, but you just gotta think of it kind of intellectually: where’s this set going? Basically, long story short, I think it’s tough as an artist who likes to make different kinds of stuff to get booked as much as if I only specialized in one genre. On the other hand though, I do think it’s important to experiment as much as possible and try new things. I mean, every time I’ve tried consciously to make a different style than I normally do, I learn a new production technique just by fucking around with the software or using a sample in a different way. I do think it’s important to experiment, but at the same time you have to have a consistent sound. I feel like over the years I’ve found the quote-unquote ‘Doctor Jeep sound,’ and it’s not necessarily a genre thing, but it’s more so just a general vibe or the samples I use or the way I use certain vocal samples or whatever… I’ll give a quick example: I really like weird, disembodied vocal chants or little cut-ups of a vocal that aren’t full words. There’s that, and I also really like running full vocal phrases through a vocoder and having them sound like a robot. Just things that kind of remind you of the human voice but aren’t exactly that, because it’s important I think to have a human element in the music too.

TGT: You’ve dropped some heavyweight remixes within the past few years, notably including a recent “Topper Top” rework (under your DJ Bark Lee alias), a mix of Benga & Coki’s “Night,” and a personal favorite of mine, “Back to Africa” by Tour De Force. What’s your approach when remixing to truly make tracks your own, and any tips for producers on how to get the bass banging properly? DJ: It’s funny you mention that [“Back To Africa”], because actually I think that’s the track that’s statistically done the poorest of any track I’ve ever uploaded, in terms of number of listens or comments, so it’s kind of heartwarming knowing at least one person liked it [laughs]. One thing that really bums me out is when an artist remixes something else and doesn’t use the main elements of the track. They might use like a tiny vocal before the drop, and then suddenly it shifts into a different song with no samples from the original… for me, it’s really important that if I’m doing a remix, it has to, at the very least, remind you of the track or even better, be obviously identifiable as being a flip on this song. I guess my approach to it all is to have the remix be different enough where I’m putting my stamp on it, but still paying tribute to the original artist. I’ve had remixes done for me (that ultimately never were released) where I’ve been like ‘uh.... [chuckles] so where’s the parts of my track – this isn’t really a remix, it’s just your track that has my name on it.’ It’s just so weird you know? Getting back to the second half of your question - I know people that have a million VSTs and 10 types of EQs, and I’m sitting here only using the Ableton plugins because my philosophy is just mastering what you’ve got. In terms of instruments, I only use the VST MASSIVE, that’s what I build my sounds out of primarily except for occasionally manipulating samples. It’s the first one I learned, and I feel very comfortable with it at this point, and for me to learn a totally different software instrument would just be frustrating. I just know how to get the sounds I want with MASSIVE, and I now associate the Jeep sound with the basses I make with it, so I just go with that for now. So my tip is: get good at one or two things and stick with it. Your creativity can lead you to make sounds that you didn’t think were possible with that specific instrument.

TGT: You’ve spoken before about the role tribal percussion plays in your production, while the just-released freebie “Adianta” brings in a similar vibe via a choice vocal. What’s your view on sampling? DJ: In general I think sampling is super important for music, especially if you look at any of the major developments in terms of the way dance music has evolved. I think back to one of my favorite genres – early ‘90s rave music – and they’re throwing so many different elements in the pot: breakbeats from old funk or hiphop records, synthesizers, vocals from sci-fi movies, or straight up just sampling other people’s tracks unashamedly [laughs]. That was the most exciting period of music for a short period of time because they had so many different influences and elements. Even nowadays, a lot of the stuff I like is just re-contextualized old music. With that track you mentioned, “Adianta,” - basically I heard this ‘70s bossa nova tune on a Brazilian compilation I got (my family is from there so I listened to that kind of music all the time growing up), and I really wanted to do a side project that was all remixes of Brazilian tracks. I had four tracks lined up for it, but three of them were just not as good as I really wanted, so I decided to give away the one decent track. The main sample is an eight-bar loop from the original, Trio Mocoto’s “Nao Adianta”. A funny thing happened, where basically I put this track out, and a promoter who booked me once shared my track with this someone she knows and she said ‘hey, check out this kid’s music, I think you might like it, you guys should connect for a coffee or something.’ In a very weird coincidence, it turned out that the guy she sent it to runs a label that the band I sampled was signed to. We actually ended up meeting up and talking shop about a potential new project, so I’ll probably create another alias in the next year or two that’s dedicated to that and that’s very focused on sampling Brazilian music and reinterpreting it in a modern context. I think my parents would be quite proud [laughs]. I mean, honestly, my take on that is don’t be dumb and sample something that’s on Sony or some major label that is gonna go after you. Don’t take an obvious, long sample from something really well known. The strategy is just do it in such a manner that it may pay homage to the original track but it’s not a total rip-off. I would be insane to take more than a few seconds of a Drake vocal and put it into a song and try and sell it – I think if you’re giving it away for free that’s one thing, if you’re trying to make money off it that’s where you’re going to come into some issues. TGT: Not necessarily connected, but which artists’ musical influence do you view as crucial to the Dr. Jeep sound? DJ: For me, it’s not so much specific artists as much as it is experiences. When I was in college I had a six-month long internship in London. And on the third day I was there, I went to Fabric, and it was a Hessle Audio night. This one moment I remember really specifically was Ben UFO (or Blawan, I can’t remember) playing Head High’s remix of Joy Orbison’s “Ellipsis”. It’s just a really cool, groovy tune – it’s a breakbeat techno track that’s not 4x4, it has an odd rhythmic pattern to it, and just very drum-oriented, but hearing that was just like ‘damn, this kind of shit sounds awesome in a proper club sound system.’ I think that really influenced the way I like to program drums these days. It’s all about rhythm. In the same night actually, Jackmaster did a set from 5-6am, and he played a Burial “Archangel” – and that was really bizarre because I never thought I’d hear that track in a club. It was just so crazy hearing such a raw powerful song in a nightclub full of people that are on all kinds of mind altering substances and seeing how much it really affected them. I think that was one of the moments where I was like ‘alright, I want my music to – even if it’s not this emotional – have this visceral impact’ … I don’t think my music is at that point yet, but that’s the kind of goal… if I can get one person to say ‘this is an insanely good track,’ then I think I’ve done my job. I heard Kode9 do a mix for FACT magazine, that’s pretty much all mid 90’s jungle, and that was definitely a point where I was like ‘I really enjoy this kind of music.’ You know, uptempo, breakbeat music. That mix got me going down the drum ‘n’ bass wormhole, which I now very much enjoy. You can tell he actually grew up in the era when that music was being made, and it’s really cool to see an artist’s influences, even if it’s not what they’re primarily known for nowadays.

STAY LOCKED IN WITH DOCTOR JEEP: Facebook Soundcloud Twitter Instagram Event: Thursday, March 2 Image Credit: Rachel Amico

[allcheatscodes]

fallout new vegas pc

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fallout new vegas pc

Fallout: New Vegas cheats & more for PC (PC)

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Get the updated and latest Fallout: New Vegas cheats, unlockables, codes, hints, Easter eggs, glitches, tricks, tips, hacks, downloads, achievements, guides, FAQs, walkthroughs, and more for PC (PC). AllCheatsCodes.com has all the codes you need to win every game you play!

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Genre: Shooter, First-Person Shooter Developer: Obsidian Entertainment Publisher: Bethesda Softworks ESRB Rating: Mature Release Date: October 19, 2010

Hints

Hollow Rock Locations

1. Northern PassageOn the eastern rock wall, near the grave and “The Sun Is Killing Me” graffiti. 2. Ruby Hill MinePart of the rock wall, just to the right of the door. 3. Charleston CavePart of the rock wall, just to the right of the door, by the heart graffiti. 4. Silver Peak MinePart of the wall, just to the right of the shack through which you enter. 5. Vault 22On the north bank, across from the “Keep Out” sign, by the entrance. 6. JacobstownJust outside the perimeter, to the right of the main entrance, where the Super Mutants stand guard. 7. Remnants BunkerAbout 10 feet north of the entrance, part of the rock wall. 8. Chance’s MapAdjacent to the dirt map, with “The Sun Is Killing Me” graffiti on it. 9. Bloodborne CaveJust to the right of the cave entrance. 10. Cannibal Johnson’s CaveJust to the right of the cave entrance. 11. Fisherman’s Pride ShackBy the campfire, north-west of the shack. 12. Camp GuardianNext to the Camp Guardian population sign, at the base of the path up to Guardian Peak. 13. Follower’s OutpostBuilt into the steps of the signal box structure. 14. Boulder Beach CampgroundBy the side of the road, north-west of the jetties, with “The Sun Is Killing Me” graffiti. 15. Cazador NestPart of the rock wall, on the east side of the nest alcove, facing back towards the alcove. 16. Tribal VillageAt the start of the Ravine Path, close to the corpses and tents. 17. Makeshift Great Kahn CampOn the west side of camp, near the desert plants. 18. Yangtze MemorialAt the base of the south steps, with the peace symbol graffiti. 19. Goodsprings CaveJust to the right of the cave entrance. 20. PrimmAttached to a large rock, near the scattered chems and the rock perimeter, above the concrete support wall. 21. Jack Rabbit SpringsSouth of the pools of radiation, on the shore of the Dry Lake. 22. Morning Star CavernBy the entrance to the cavern, by the bones and the explosive crate. 23. Crescent Canyon WestIn the canyon, on the west exit slope, adjacent to a rusting car husk. 24. Crescent Canyon EastOn the east exist slope, just after the rail bridge. 25. Vault 11Just to the right of the entrance. 26. Black Rock CaveJust to the north of the fallen radar dish. 27. El Dorado Dry LakeWest of the Savaged Brahmin, in the sands of the Dry Lake. 28. Hidden ValleyWest of the eastern bunker, with the “no missile” and heart graffiti. 29. Powder Ganger Camp EastNext to a Honey Mesquite Tree, around 20 to 30 feet south of the camp. 30. Primm PassClose to the Brahmin bones, on the western end of the pass. 31. Dead Wind CavernOn the south rock wall slope, around 20 to 30 feet from the entrance. 32. Hidden Supply CaveTo the left of the cave entrance, with the “no missile” graffiti. 33. Walking Box CavernAround 20 to 30 feet east of the cavern entrance. 34. Broc Flower CaveAt the foot of the entrance slope, with “The Sun Is Killing Me” graffiti. 35. Abandoned BoS BunkerWith the small cluster of rocks and shale on the slope leading up to the bunker grating. 36. Techatticup MineTo the right of the entrance, with the white blocks graffiti. 37. Lucky Jim MineSlightly beyond the shack, near the wooden cart. 38. Searchlight North Gold MineOn the flat rock bank to the south of the entrance hole. 39. Searchlight East Gold MineSoutheast of the entrance; climb on the pile of rock and shale to reach it. 40. Cottonwood CaveOn the road between the two sets of crucifixion poles, with “The Sun Is Killing Me” graffiti. 41. Bradley’s ShackOn the west side of the entrance, by the small valley landslide. 42. Fire Root CavernAt the foot of the entrance slope, on the left.

Weapon Locations

.357 Magnum Revolver – LuckyIn Primm, in the floor safe inside the cashier’s area of the Vikki and Vance Casino. .44 Magnum Revolver – Mysterious MagnumOwned by the Lonesome Drifter, by the Sunset Sasparilla Billboard, close to El Dorado Dry Lake. 9 Iron – Nephi’s Golf DriverCarried by a Fiend named Driver Nephi, in his territory. 9mm Pistol – MariaOn Benny, when you kill him. 9mm Submachine Gun – Vance’s Submachine GunIn Win’s Hideout, inside the safe. Alien BlasterAt the Hovering Anomaly. BB Gun – Abilene Kid LE BB GunInside the Fiend’s Shack, lying on a shelf. Bladed Gauntlet – Cram OpenerIn Camp McCarran, owned by Little Buster. Boxing Gloves – Golden GlovesInside Lucky 38 Casino, on the upper bar of the casino floor. Bumper Sword – Blade Of The EastIn Legate’s Camp, carried by Legate Lanius. Cleaver – ChopperOn the stove of Wolfhorn Ranch. Combat Knife – Chance�s KnifeIn Chance’s Grave. Cowboy Repeater – La Longue CarabineIn Camp McCarran, carried by Corporal Sterling. Displacer Glove – PushyInside the Ruby Hill Mine, on the body of a Jackal Gang member. DogTag Fist – Recompense Of The FallenIn Aurelius’ desk, on the upper floor of the main building in Cottonwood Cove. Euclid’s C-FinderOn the Freeside Streets, carried by Max, in and around Nick and Ralph’s. Fat ManIn Quarry Junction, near the skeleton by the southern silt pool. It is also occasionally found on prospector corpses. Fire Axe – Knock KnockIn the Camp Searchlight Fire Station, in the restrooms. Frag Grenade – Holy Frag GrenadeIn Camp Searchlight, in the basement of the eastern church. Wild Wasteland must be taken. Gauss Rifle – YCS/186At the Mercenary Camp; Wild Wasteland trait must not be taken. Grenade Machine-gun – MercyOn the floor of Dead Wind Cavern, near a dead BoS Paladin. Grenade Rifle – Thump-ThumpAt the Nellis Array, lying on the floor near the Ant mound. Hunting Shotgun – Dinner BellAt the Old Nuclear Test Site, inside the shack. Laser Pistol – Pew PewAfter completing “The Legend Of The Star” quest, it will be on the body of Allen Marks. Laser Rifle – AER14 PrototypeInside the Vault 22 Common Area, on the blocked stairwell only accessible from the Food Production level. Lead Pipe – The Humble CudgelInside the Sealed Sewers, near the Prospector Corpse. Machete – LiberatorIn Nelson, carried by Dead Sea. Minigun – CZ57 AvengerIn the Devil’s Throat, inside, at the back of the container trailer, by the dead body. Missile Launcher – AnnabelleIn Black Rock Mountain, carried by the Nightkin Sniper on Black Rock Summit. Marksman Carbine – All-AmericanIn the Armory Cache, Vault 34, on the floor, on an upturned table. Oh, Baby!In the deepest part of Charleston Cave, near a Chewed Stealth Boy. Plasma Rifle – Q-35 Matter ModulatorIn the locked shipping room of REPCONN HQ, in a pod casement. Pulse GunIn the Armory Cache, Vault 34. Sawed-Off Shotgun – Big BoomerIn Gibson Scrap Yard, carried by Old Lady Gibson. Sniper Rifle – Gobi Campaign Scout RifleIn the footlocker of the Sniper’s Nest, overlooking the Cottonwood Cove. Spiked Knuckles – Love and HateIn Bonnie Springs, on the Viper Gang Leader. Straight Razor – FigaroIn the back of King’s School of Impersonation, owned by Sergio. Tesla Cannon – Tesla-Beaton PrototypeOn the ground near the crashed Vertibird. That GunIn Novac, on a shelf in the locked storage room inside the Dino Bite Gift Shop. This MachineAt the end of the “Dealing With Contreras” quest, it will be a reward from Contreras for not turning him in. Varmint Rifle – RatslayerInside the Broc Flower Cave, propped up against the desk. Zap Glove – Paladin ToasterIn Black Rock Cave, near the body of the dead prospector.

Snow Globe Locations

Goodsprings – Goodsprings Cemetery : Near the water tower is a patch of upturned soil by a small, rectangular grave marker. The Snow Globe is sitting in front of the marker. Hoover Dam – Hoover Dam : Search the visitor center for a terminal near two curved desks. The Snow Globe can be found on a desk here. Nellis AFB – Nellis Air Force Base : Pete’s makeshift museum holds this Snow Globe. It’s on a table in the corner under a mural. Mormon Fort – Old Mormon Fort : Julie Farkas has an office inside a tower at the fort. The Snow Globe is on top of a bookcase here. Mt. Charleston Snow Globe – Jacobstown : In the lodge, search the entrance and reception area. This Snow Globe is sitting on a curved desk by some terminals. Test Site – Lucky 38 Casino : Head to the cocktail lounge and look for the cash register. It’s across from the entrance. The Snow Globe is behind the register. The Strip – Vault 21 : After you access Sarah’s locked bedroom, grab this Snow Globe off of the table between the two beds.

Cheats

Fallout Cheats

To enter cheat codes, press the tilde key (~) to open the console, and then you can enter the codes below.

player.setav # Sets skill level to #. Max 100. this sets all skill bonuses but those from gear, tag skills, or attributes.QQQ :Quits game fast.tcl :No clippingSexChange :Changes sextmm 1 : All mapmarkersaddspecialpoints # :add # special pointsadvlevel : Advance one levelplayer.additem 000000F (number of caps) : Bottle capsunlock : Unlocks any selected physical lock (doors, chests, etc) and terminals.tgm : God modeplayer.setav # (max 100): sets the skill bonuses.

Full Cheat List

Add # of sunset sarsaparilla blue star bottle caps : player.additem 00103b1c add # special points : addspecialpoints # Add Debug MegaPistol (Most powerful pistol.) : player.additem 001465A6 1 Add Perks : player.addperk (perkcode) Advance one level : advlevel All mapmarkers : tmm 1 Bottle caps : player.additem 000000F (number of caps) change all face options : ShowPlasticSurgeonMenu change all hair options : ShowBarberMenu Change faction reputation : SetReputation [Faction ID] [0/1] [1-100]changes leve to #, doesn’t affect anything else. : player.setlevel # Changes sex : SexChange Closes All Menus : CloseAllMenus Create gamesave with desired title : Save [what you want the save to becalled]Debug-like filter/mode : tcg Gives x karma points(use negative values for negative karma) : RewardKarma x God mode : tgm HP cheat : player.modav health # Increase the Gamespeed of all NPCs & the User (Default is 4) : setgsfmoverunmult # Increases maximum carry weight by number specified : player.modav carryweight# Infinite health : tdm Kill every NPC in area : killall Kill selected NPC or enemy : kill No clipping : tcl Opens door without unlocking it. : activate Perfect VATS Aiming : SetGS fVATSHitChanceMult 100 Player can wear power armor : setpccanusepowerarmor 1 Player health and Limb Health will be restored : player.resethealth Quits game fast. : QQQ Remove Perk : player.removeperk [Perk ID]Removes all items of selected NPC : removeallitems Repair items. : player.srm Restore health and limb health : player.reset health Resurrect selected dead NPC or enemy : resurrect Save and quit : saq Set ownership of selected item : Set Ownership Set S.P.E.C.I.A.L. level : setspecialpoints [number 1-10]Set skill level : modpcs [skill name] [number 1-100]Set the scale of a NPC ( 1 = normal) : setscale 1 Set the scale of yourself ( 1 = normal ) : player.setscale 1 Sets ownership to a item(must select item first) : setownership Sets player jump height (default is 64) : setgs fJumpHeightMin # Sets skill level to #. Max 100. this sets all skill bonuses but those fromgear, tag skills, or attributes. : player.setav # Sets your currently equipped weapon’s condition to 100. :player.setweaponhealthperc 100 Teleports player to quest target : movetoqt Toggle detection : tDetect Toggle Free Camera Mode : tfc Toggle gore : bDisableAllGore=0/1 Toggle leaves : tlv Toggles fog of war in local map : tfow Toggles Grass display : tg Unlocks any selected physical lock (doors, chests, etc) and terminals. :unlock Unlocks door, safe or computers.(must click the objet first, may causeglitches) : Unlock

Glitch: Infinite XP

If you can get your speech skill to at least 50 or higher, you can persuade Old Ben to offer his escort services to the local bar. If you succeed in his Speech Challenge, you gain 61 XP. If you follow him back to the bar afterwards and wait until he sits down, you can speak to him again and redo the same Speech Challenge over and over again for unlimited XP. You can find Old Ben sitting by a fire close to the King headquarters in Freeside.

Unlockables

Currently we have no unlockables for Fallout: New Vegas yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Easter eggs

Currently we have no easter eggs for Fallout: New Vegas yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Glitches

Currently we have no glitches for Fallout: New Vegas yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Guides

Currently no guide available.

Currently no guide available.

Currently no guide available.

Currently no guide available.

Currently no guide available.

Currently no guide available.

Currently no guide available.

Achievements

Steam Achievements

Ain’t That a Kick in the Head – Complete Ain’t That a Kick in the Head.

All or Nothing – Complete All or Nothing.

Arizona Killer – Complete arizona killer.

Artful Pocketer – Pick 50 pockets.

Assemble Your Crew – Recruit Dean Domino, Christine and Dog.

Blast Mastery – Cause 10,000 damage with energy weapons.

Caravan Master – Win 30 games of Caravan.

Cash Out – Confront Father Elijah in the Sierra Madre’s Vault.

Come Fly With Me – Complete come fly with me.

Crafty – Craft 20 items.

Desert Survivalist – Heal 10,000 points of damage with food.

Double Down – Play 10 hands of Blackjack.

Eureka! – Complete eureka!

For the Republic – Complete For the Republic.

G.I. Blues – Complete g.i. blues.

Globe Trotter – Discover all snow globes.

Hack the Mojave – Hack 25 terminals.

Hardcore – Play the game from start to finish in Hardcore Mode.

Having a Ball – Complete the Sierra Madre Gala Event.

In a Foreign Land – Scout the Zion Valley for signs of the White Legs.

Jury Rigger – Repair 30 items.

Know When to Fold Them – Win 3 games of Caravan.

Lead Dealer – Cause 10,000 damage with Guns.

Little Wheel – Play 10 spins of Roulette.

Love the Bomb – Cause 10,000 damage with Explosives.

Master of the Mojave – Discover 125 locations.

May my Hand Forget its Skill – Evacuate Zion.

Mod Master – Install 20 weapon mods.

New Kid – Reached 10th level.

New Vegas Samurai – Cause 10,000 damage with melee weapons.

No Gods, No Masters – Complete no gods, no masters

No Tumbler Fumbler – Pick 25 locks.

O Daughter of Babylon – Crush the White Legs.

Ol’ Buddy Ol’ Pal – Recruit any companion.

Old-Tyme Brawler – Cause 10,000 damage with Unarmed weapons.

One Armed Bandit – Play 10 spins of Slots.

Outstanding Orator – Make 50 Speech challenges.

Render Unto Caesar – Complete render unto caesar.

Restore Our Fortunes – Resupply Daniel and the Sorrows.

Return to Sender – Complete Return to Sender.

Ring-a-Ding-Ding – Complete ring-a-ding-ding.

Safety Deposit Box – Trap Father Elijah in the Sierra Madre’s Vault.

Sierra Souvenir Aficionado – Collect 500 Sierra Madre Chips.

Stim-ply Amazing – Heal 10,000 points of damage with Stimpaks.

Talent Pool – Complete talent pool.

That Lucky Old Sun – Complete that lucky old sun.

The Boss – Reach 30th level.

The Courier Who Broke the Bank – Get banned from all the Strip’s casinos.

The House Always Wins – Complete the house always wins.

The Legend of the Star – Complete The Legend of the Star.

The Whole Gang’s Here – Recruit all companions.

They Went That-a-Way – Complete they went that-a-way.

Up and Comer – Reach 20th level.

Veni, Vidi, Vici – Complete veni, vidi, vici.

Volare! – Complete volare!

Walker of the Mojave – Discover 50 locations.

When We Remembered Zion – Arrive at Zion.

Wild Card – Complete wild card.

You Run Barter Town – Sell 10,000 caps worth of goods.

You’ll Know It When It Happens – Complete you’ll know it when it happens.

[mthrynn]

On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order that bars citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations entry to the United States for at least 90 days, kicking off a swift and strong reaction from the science and technology community. High-profile tech companies, Apple, Google, HPE and others, have issued statements opposing the ban. That same ripple of concern is rushing through the scientific community.

As reported in the Washington Post on Monday, thousands of academics, including 50 Nobel laureates, have joined together to protest the ban. A petition denouncing the action was signed by 14,800 verified US faculty members and more than 18,000 supporters as of Wednesday morning.

The Association for Computing Machinery, the world’s largest scientific and educational computing society, also expressed its concern over President Trump’s order and urged an end to the ban. In a statement issued Monday, the ACM said it “supports the statute of International Council for Science in that the free and responsible practice of science is fundamental to scientific advancement and human and environmental well-being, [and] such practice, in all its aspects, requires freedom of movement, association, expression and communication for scientists. All individuals are entitled to participate in any ACM activity.”

To capture the rising chorus of voices on this issue, we reached out to the HPC leadership community and found a number of people willing to go on record and others who declined, citing wariness about possible reprisals; one person spoke to us on the condition of anonymity. We also collected some of the sentiments from the larger tech community.

Thomas Sterling, Director, Center for Research in Extreme Scale Technologies, Indiana University

“Science discovery, knowledge, and understanding is reserved for no single self-selected elitist group but is a shared fabric of all societies as are their benefits to all of humanity. Only artificial barriers such as political boundaries, restrictive belief systems, and economic obstacles impede the dissemination and free flow of ideas and their creative application to common challenges among all peoples such as health, climate, food production, and lack of want. HPC is a tool, both a product and enabler of the universal culture of science and engineering, and ultimately human knowledge. Where any one body is precluded from the natural exchange of concepts and the advancement of methods such as HPC, all suffer to a degree due to limits on creativity and human productivity.

“The HPC community as it impacts a diversity of fields is an international body exemplified by the dynamics of cooperation through the movement of peoples in all directions whether of senior experts for short forums around the world, students for extended stays at universities across continents for periods of study, or the immigration of trained practitioners residing permanently in new adopted lands. This ebb and flow of human capital enriches all societies and refreshes their capabilities. The last week has seen a disruption of international communities and cooperation including science and engineering.

“In April, I and others from a number of countries were to be invited to participate in an international forum on topics related to computing including HPC in Tehran, Iran. Building bridges with our colleagues there and welcoming them into our world societies without borders is a wonderful opportunity to facilitate the likelihood of world prosperity and is a responsibility of all thought-leaders contributing to advances of our shared civilization. Now this small step is being withdrawn with both the US and Iran blocking travel of each other’s citizens to their respective nations. The acts precipitating these circumstances are neither noble nor of any profit. They satisfy only narrow views of small minds with short horizons, without perspective or vision of a better world nearly in our grasp but possibly lost for a generation as we drift back into our tribal caves, dark and dank without enlightened images of a greater world.”

Unnamed source, a prominent and long-time member of the HPC community with experience in the federal government, in private industry and academia

“It’s a 90-day ban, and there are all kinds of court challenges that have already started. It’s not clear what implementation long-term would even look like. I think people are upset and that’s probably a good thing, that’s what keeps a balance in our political system. But I think it’s not clear, to me at least…it’s a 90-day ban, there’s a lot of things changing right now, we don’t know enough to say anything helpful. So I feel like everybody is sort of, they were waiting for something to be upset about and here we are. So they’re all ready to go. But I’m not sure it’s the right thing.

“I don’t know if it’s an overreaction, it’s an early reaction. It’s too early. We just don’t know enough for people to be this upset in high end computing. Now maybe in other areas, such as civil rights or areas of the business community where travel is a lot more fluid. Maybe they do know enough and have already seen enough where it’s already impacted them. But for us, half of these countries are on the terrorist counties Watch List anyway, or at least some of them. And for government HPC facilities, those people we’re already not permitted to participate. Countries like Iran are already severely restricted in terms of what they can do in the defense and security space, which is where a lot of the supercomputers are.”

“For people who were tired of things being the same, they might get a little relief from that emotion. Things will change, I just think it’s too early to know whether they’ll be on balance good or bad, and I’m willing to wait and see. A lot of people around me aren’t, they are very excited.”

Steve Conway, Research Vice President in IDC’s High Performance Computing group

“I have worked for large technology companies in the U.S., and in order to compete they have to be able to hire the best and the brightest from around the world. If there are any restrictions that aren’t necessary, that really inhibits American companies’ ability to compete globally, and they can fall behind. We have to be able to hire the best and the brightest from anywhere in the word. And of course all employers in all countries have the right to exclude people who have proven that they are not trustworthy, and so forth, and that’s OK. But a ban can be too broad and too unspecific if it really filters out people who can really help the U.S. economy.

“I’ve said this in meetings in Washington, that arguably the single biggest advantage America has in the whole area of business competition is our university system, particularly at the graduate level. There’s nothing in the world that compares with it. And it’s a magnet, it attracts not just people from the U.S. but people from all over the world. That’s an investment by our country, and we ought to be able to hold onto as many of the best people coming out of our educational system as we can. If they want to contribute to our economy, we certainly shouldn’t be turning them away.”

John Gustafson, Visiting Scientist, A*STAR – Agency for Science, Technology and Research, inventor of Gusatfon’s law

“After 18 months in Singapore, I can say with confidence that Singapore is a model for how to handle immigration and travel. Of the 5.5 million people living in Singapore, 2 million are not Singaporeans, the highest non-citizen percentage of any country. The Singapore government is on good terms with the rest of the world, but it is very selective and careful with who is allowed in as a long-term resident, with screening that takes months by the Ministry of Manpower. They have just the right balance between caution and openness. Despite the amount of time they take, they are actually quite efficient and effective, and no one malicious ever seems to make it through that filter. Once you get the corruption out of government, it’s amazing what it is able to accomplish.”

Bob Sorensen, Research Vice President in IDC’s High Performance Computing group

“Throughout its history, US high technology capabilities in the academic, government, and commercial sectors have always benefitted from access to the best and brightest minds in the world. Indeed, the ability to attract highly skilled scientists and engineers from around the world is one of the US’s most important competitive advantages.  Any barriers that impede the free flow of those people, and the intellectual capability they engender, can only diminish the ability of the US to remain at the forefront of global scientific and technological development, which is the long run could have serious implications for both US national security concerns and its global economics competitiveness.”

Shahin Kahn, Founding Partner, OrionX.net & Founder, StartupHPC.com

“I usually take several steps back on these things and try to see them in the larger context while remaining sensitive to immediate issues.

“The supercomputing community has always been a model of how government, academic, and industrial organizations can cooperate to advance humanity, not just in science and technology but also in business and policy. This is especially important if we look at current global challenges in the context of the transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. There are left-over problems of Industrial Age: most notably climate change, but also some social and economic constructs; and there are new problems stemming from digitization: automation, globalization, awareness, and digital mistrust. The shear complexity of these old and new grand-challenge problems, and to solve them while avoiding unintended consequences, demands supercomputing and its unique cooperative model.”

The Tech Industry Response

Amazon

“We’re a nation of immigrants whose diverse backgrounds, ideas, and points of view have helped us build and invent as a nation for over 240 years,” wrote Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in a company wide email. “No nation is better at harnessing the energies and talents of immigrants. It’s a distinctive competitive advantage for our country—one we should not weaken.

“To our employees in the US and around the world who may be directly affected by this order, I want you to know that the full extent of Amazon’s resources are behind you.”

Google

“It’s painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a memo to employees. Google reports more than 100 employees are affected by the order, according to Bloomberg.

Microsoft

“As an immigrant and as a CEO, I’ve both experienced and seen the positive impact that immigration has on our company, for the country, and for the world,” wrote Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, in a LinkedIn post. “We will continue to advocate on this important topic.”

HPE

Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and chairperson of HP, sent an email to HPE employees on Monday morning (source: Axios):

“HPE will continue to support its diverse and global family of employees through these challenging times. We are in this together. We will also continue to advocate for immigration policies that recognize America’s core principles and the contributions immigrants make to our collective strength and prosperity. Even while securing its borders, America must not turn its back on the ideals that have motivated generations and inspired the world.”

IBM

“IBM has long believed in diversity, inclusion and tolerance. As we shared with IBMers this weekend, we have always sought to enable the balance between the responsible flow of people, ideas, commerce and information with the needs of security, everywhere in the world,” IBM said in a memo (link).

“As IBMers, we have learned, through era after era, that the path forward – for innovation, for prosperity and for civil society – is the path of engagement and openness to the world. Our company will continue to work and advocate for this.”

Intel

The note that Brian Krzanich shared with all its employees was documented by The Oregonian.

Intel Employees,

I wanted to get a note out to you that goes beyond the statement on our Policy blog or my latest tweet, about the recent directives around immigration. First, as the grandson of immigrants and the CEO of a company that was co-founded by an immigrant, we believe that lawful immigration is critical to the future of our company and this nation. One of the founding cultural behaviors at Intel is constructive confrontation where you focus on the issue, and not on the person or organization. The statement we submitted today does just that. It focuses on the issues. We will continue to make our voice heard that we believe immigration is an important part of making Intel and America all that we can be. I have heard from many of you and share your concern over the recent executive order and want you to know it is not a policy we can support.

At Intel we believe that immigration is an important part of our diversity and inclusion efforts. Inclusion is about making everyone feel welcome and a part of our community. There are employees at Intel that are directly affected by this order. The HR and Legal teams are working with them in every way possible and we will continue to support them until their situations are resolved. I know I can count on all of you to role model our culture and support these employees and their families.

I am committing to all of you – as employees of what I believe to be the greatest company on the planet – that we will not back down from these values and commitments. There will always be forces from outside of the company that will try and distract us from our mission. The key to our success will be our unrelenting focus. As our founder Robert Noyce said: “Do not be encumbered by the past, go out and do something wonderful today.” Each of us can go out and do something wonderful to role model our values.

As mentioned in Quartz, some companies and tech leaders were noteworthy for their silence. “Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Trump advisors IBM CEO Ginni Rometty and Oracle co-CEO Safra Catz, and Google cofounder Larry Page were notably absent from those speaking out,” said Quartz.

A broad coalition of tech companies has also formed to challenge the new immigration order that restricts immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations. A group of technology firms was expected to meet yesterday (Tuesday) to plan a legal challenge to the travel ban. Github organized the meeting, according to Reuters, and Google, Netflix, Yelp, Salesforce and SpaceX were among the companies invited.

The post Here’s What HPC Leaders Say about Trump Travel Ban appeared first on HPCwire.

via Government – HPCwire