#and its such a traditional field that any change takes ten years to take effect even when its not as controversial as disability rights | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cant-even-function · 1 month

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From Pixels to Popularity: Esports & Streaming Take Center Stage

The Evolution of Esports: From Niche Hobby to Global Phenomenon

Throughout the last 10 years, esports has had an unbelievable growth, by which it has driven from an obscure entertainment form to the most attractive event in the world. Nowadays, it evolved from the time when it used to be the domain of hardcore gamers to a sport that is watched by many people, sometimes even more than any other form of entertainment and brings in money. In fact, this is a multi-billion dollar business already (Dr. Alexander Schudey et al. 2023). The tremendous development of eSports is based on a lot of reasons: technological innovations, many stream channels and the popularity increase among young people. Now, the esports world is more diverse than ever before with a very wide range of gaming genres, platforms and even indie games and virtual reality platforms. Nowadays, the entertainment industry is larger and more solid than before since there are millions of viewers, generous sponsorship deals, and the existence of many professional esports leagues. The best is still in the future as esports continues to grow and become even more dominant.

The Impact of Game Streaming on the Gaming Industry

Game streaming has totally changed or flipped the coin on what is possible with our interaction with the gaming content, and now any gamer is able to broadcast and capture his/her recordings in real time (Sirotin 2024). Platforms for example Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming provide a level playing field for the Creation of game content viewpoints so that the production of the game- content is possible even if an avid gamer is able to transmit their depts of love for games to the whole world. Yet another area of the gaming industry not left untouched is that game streaming has had a similarly far-reaching effect on game development, marketing strategies, and player engagement aspects. These days game developers can thus not only communicate with the community but also retrieve comments and revive the experimentation spirit through project websites and networks. In addition to the foregoing, the career of streaming has highly increased in income not only for reputable gamers and content creators, but also for the top streamers who bring in tens of figures in income from subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships. Although the development of game streaming contains uncertainty, the impact it has on the gaming industry will also keep pace with the times. Therefore, what will change is that the models related to gaming production and delivery will be revised.

Why Esports is the New Spectator Sport We Can't Get Enough Of?

There is no question that esports is the ultimate magnet, which is evident from the approximate number of viewers and followers that take center stage from all corners of the world. The main reason for the popularity of esports is that it is easy to get to know it because all one needs is just to have an internet connection and then be free to watch any live competitions and matches. Furthermore, esports has the same level of excitement and spectacle as the traditional sports that fans get to witness such as supreme rivalries and gripping finishes that make participants unite to watch each match till the end. While esports is increasing in popularity, its impact on the entertainment sector and mainstream culture is clear as the whole world worldwide is still witnessing its existence.

Ctrl+Freak Out: Why We're Obsessed with Watching Games (Even When We Don't Play)

The rise of watching people play games may seem a surprise to some, but the popularity of it is evident. Finally, I would like to answer, why we spend so many hours watching other people playing a game? The mystery lies in the remarkable features of gaming websites and the engaging entertainment they bring on. Seeing gifted players master intricate obstacles, display impressive tactics, and actively take part in the adrenaline rush of the competitions all come as satisfying as playing the games ourselves. Besides the content creators of gaming often put their own individual touch to their stream, this gives viewers pleasure from joking, telling stories, and commenting.

Độ Mixi

Do Mixi is a well-known streamer who has many followers currently. Therefore, the Do Mixi YouTube channel which boasts of close to 7 million followers not only confirms its existence but also its popularity and capability to attract digital traffic through posting long-term video streams which generate millions of views (The Influencer Vietnam 2023). Do Mixi has been taking action in the past year to rethink its attitude and come up with more up-to-date projects that do not provoke and epitomize controversy. He is part and parcel of the philanthropic domain. Being a public figure, he effectively utilizes his platform in fundraising for good causes which ultimately leads to rewarding community projects. Take the current male streamer, for instance. Every year he is going to use his December donated money to do charitable work in the mountains’ highlands, with the projects and gifts for the localities in difficulty. Thus, they may take place during the last month of the year when plenty of young people and fans are active in contributing to Do Mixi, which is a means of making society a better place. Ultimately, she made a journey from being hated to becoming a well-respected leader in society, teaching everyone to live with the power of redemption and a second chance.

my "real" personal experience

At one point, gaming was my passion. I used to spend hours upon hours playing games, totally engrossed in the exploration of the virtual world. This routine was rather familiar to me as I often played till late in the night and would check for any gaming updates several times a day. Thus, video games eclipsed the importance of the other parts of my life which ultimately turned out to be bad for my health both mentally and physically. My general well-being was compromised due to sleep deprivation and progressive eyesight problems caused by excessive screen time. There was a point in time when I got so carried away that I even failed to complete my other important tasks. Nevertheless, soon enough, I found myself to be back on track. I do not underestimate the fun and benefits of gaming. However, in recent years I became aware of moderation and boundaries while playing.

Reference lists: The Influencer Vietnam 2023, #Casestudy: Giải mã sức hút của Streamer Độ Mixi - Giải ‘ao làng’ Moi Lích cùng loạt ấn tượng trong 7 năm làm nghề, The Influencer - Trang thông tin chuyên biệt hàng đầu về lĩnh vực Influencer Marketing, viewed 19 March 2024, <https://theinfluencer.vn/casestudy-giai-ma-suc-hut-cua-streamer-do-mixi-giai-ao-lang-moi-lich-cung-loat-an-tuong-trong-7-nam-lam-nghe>.

Sirotin, J. (January 8, 2024). The Rise of the Esports Industry: A Glimpse Into Competitive Gaming’s Explosive Growth.

<https://www.ecgprod.com/the-rise-of-the-esports-industry/>

Dr. Alexander Schudey, Pavel Kasperovich, Ikram, A, Panhans, D & Lyudmila Matviets 2023, Let the Game Begin: How Esports Is Shaping the Future of Live Entertainment, BCG Global, BCG Global, viewed 19 March 2024, <https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-esports-will-become-future-of-entertainment>.

#mda20009 #digital communities #week9

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the-financial-planner · 4 months

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The Role of Cloud-Based HRMS in Transforming Zambian Businesses

Human resources professionals may now simplify employee lifecycle management and concentrate on organizational goals rather than administrative work thanks to modern technologies and software platforms. However, not all HR solutions are made equal, and some are better than others at assisting a business in achieving its goal.

The term "cloud computing" is not brand-new. The technology has been around for over ten years. And because it has so much to give, no industry has been able to stay away from it.

Cloud computing has also had a significant impact on HR technology. An increasing number of businesses are switching to cloud-based HR systems and making use of their features to reduce expenses and manage personnel more effectively. Globally, the HR cloud is boosting an organization's productivity and efficiency.

Evolution of HR Tech:

The workforce and human resources are two things that are continuously improving. Innovative technologies brought forth by the digital revolution are used by industries to identify, attract, hire, develop, support, and retain talent. Human resources are using HR software development services instead of traditional commercial approaches to accomplish organizational goals more quickly and effectively. In the last ten years, technology has had a big impact on the HR industry. This has made it possible for numerous HR departments across numerous sectors to improve. From manual data entry to the introduction of user-friendly, task-automating human resource management software, HR technologies have advanced significantly. We will walk you through the whole history of HR technology development and show you why this is such a pertinent field in the twenty-first century.

Benefits of Cloud-Based HRMS:

More scalable, flexible, and adaptive software development frameworks are being adopted by modern businesses to safely handle their day-to-day HR administration and procedures. They are using more self-sufficient and user-friendly software frameworks to facilitate the smooth administration of administrative responsibilities in virtual environments.

Cost Effective

Centralized management system

Flexibility

Greater Customization

Portability

Enhanced Effectiveness

Hassle-free installation and maintenance

Keeps your data secure

Boosts employee engagement

Efficient Reporting

Cost Effective:

The cost factor is always something that an organization looks at. Particularly when it comes to software deployment, the company always runs several tests to find a workable solution. One of the main and most well-known justifications for using a cloud-based HRMS for organizations is the cost factor.

Centralized management system:

HR software that runs on the cloud puts everything in one location. Therefore, you may access vital data from anywhere in the world, regardless of the size of your company. Additionally, nothing is lost because everything is in one location. Significantly better than the era of pens and paper, then.

Flexibility:

HRMS solutions provide SMEs with exceptional flexibility; they may be tailored to your company's needs and accommodate individual requests.

Greater Customization:

With the customized approach, the company has complete flexibility since the software is modified and tweaked to meet the requirements of the organization.

Portability:

A product that can expand and migrate regularly, even to mobile devices in the field, is necessary as businesses change and cut expenses to meet industry expectations. Through a safe sign-on procedure, a cloud-based HRM can be accessed from any location in the world. It gets simpler for management to evaluate worker performance and complete every duty as efficiently as possible. This can considerably enhance accountability.

Hassle-free installation and maintenance:

Any organization may encounter difficulties with the physical installation of cloud HR systems. It takes a long time, which may cause disruptions to other corporate operations. As a result, businesses choose cloud-based HRMSs that are simple to set up and manage. It can be installed and maintained without the requirement for additional resources because it is hosted online. The companies that provide HR solutions handle every aspect of the implementation process and give all required assistance, including customer and IT support.

Keeps your data secure:

HR managers handle sensitive employee and company data, hence it is not feasible for them to constantly monitor this information. Your company can suffer enormous financial losses if this crucial data is lost. Here's when cloud-based HRMS come in handy. High-level data security is offered by cloud-based HR software, which also keeps unauthorized users from accessing personal data.

Boosts employee engagement:

90% of HR leaders think that integrating HR technologies into their operations enhances employees' attitudes towards the company in terms of employee engagement. Thus, invest in cloud HR software if you want to increase employee engagement in your company.

Efficient Reporting:

One feature that is included in cloud-based software is extensive reporting. The capacity to generate personalized reports that turn data into an effective visual tool for sharing personnel information and trends within your HR department is one of the advantages of Open HRMS software.

Advantages of a Payroll Management System on the Cloud:

Simple to use with an internet connection from any location

Installing software or hardware doesn't require any investment

Software upgrades and backups that happen automatically

Improved catastrophe recovery and data security

Scalable and flexible enough to meet evolving business needs

Less expensive than conventional payroll methods

Challenges and Solutions in Migrating to Cloud HRMS:

Members of the Human Resources (HR) team may encounter a variety of difficulties, which raises the question of how to get over these difficulties. Easy by using Human Resources management system (HRMS) software from companies that provide HR systems solutions. HRMS software has significant advantages that you can use to address typical HR issues that may arise in a company's HR department. The following are a few issues that HRMS software can resolve:

Employee Recruitment

Employee On boarding

Attendance Monitoring

Employee Data Availability

Future Trends and Innovations in Cloud HRMS Technology:

Many HRMS trends in the post-pandemic world of today are contributing to increased workplace productivity. Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS) include capabilities including data integration, cloud-based HR services, and learning and development, and assist businesses with HR duties like staff management, wage management, and performance.

The introduction of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, along with HR Technology Trends 2024, is transforming organizations throughout the world. A lot of businesses are starting to use soon-to-be HR technologies to establish a long-lasting, effective, and motivated workplace. The human resources sector has experienced extraordinary transformation in the last few years. HR professionals' work habits and skill sets improved as a result of the growing demand for a more diverse workforce as well as the development and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

You will also be able to operate at a lower cost. Human error can be quite expensive for you, but HRMS lessens the chance of it. One such product that will be very beneficial to your company is HRMS. It is renowned for its affordable prices and has a social intranet that makes communication much easier. These are

Remote Flexibility

Mental Health

Artificial Intelligence

HR Business Strategy

Conclusion:

Technology will play a big role in human resource management in the future. There will be a trend in business use towards integrated talent management systems and solutions. Take into consideration incorporating HR management solutions into your company's operations if you want to remain at the forefront of the sector. HR technology will need to be built on creative frameworks, data-driven strategies, and ongoing technological modernization.

#human resource management system #human resource management software #human resource management system software #hrms

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accountingsoftwareinzambia · 4 months

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The Role of Cloud-Based HRMS in Transforming Zambian Businesses

The term "cloud computing" is not brand-new. The technology has been around for over ten years. And because it has so much to give, no industry has been able to stay away from it.

Evolution of HR Tech:

Benefits of Cloud-Based HRMS:

Cost Effective

Centralized management system

Flexibility

Greater Customization

Portability

Enhanced Effectiveness

Hassle-free installation and maintenance

Keeps your data secure

Boosts employee engagement

Efficient Reporting

Cost Effective:

Centralized management system:

Flexibility:

HRMS solutions provide SMEs with exceptional flexibility; they may be tailored to your company's needs and accommodate individual requests.

Greater Customization:

With the customized approach, the company has complete flexibility since the software is modified and tweaked to meet the requirements of the organization.

Portability:

Hassle-free installation and maintenance:

Keeps your data secure:

Boosts employee engagement:

Efficient Reporting:

Advantages of a Payroll Management System on the Cloud:

Simple to use with an internet connection from any location

Installing software or hardware doesn't require any investment

Software upgrades and backups that happen automatically

Improved catastrophe recovery and data security

Scalable and flexible enough to meet evolving business needs

Less expensive than conventional payroll methods

Challenges and Solutions in Migrating to Cloud HRMS:

Employee Recruitment

Employee On boarding

Attendance Monitoring

Employee Data Availability

Future Trends and Innovations in Cloud HRMS Technology:

Remote Flexibility

Mental Health

Artificial Intelligence

HR Business Strategy

Conclusion:

#human resource management system #human resource management software #human resource management system software #hrms

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matthewcahill · 7 months

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The Importance of Accreditation in Hypnotherapy Training

As a highly experienced professional, you recognise the potential of Hypnotherapy Training Essex to further expand your knowledge and expertise in psychotherapy.

Hypnotherapy Training Essex piques your interest, as it promises an exciting opportunity for personal and career growth.

As you delve into the world of hypnosis, NLP techniques, and solution-focused therapies, it becomes clear that proper training is essential. The Inspiraology Hypnotherapy Training Essex (IHT Essex) school offers comprehensive courses designed specifically for professionals like yourself.

In this blog post, we'll explore the various aspects of Hypnotherapy Training Essex provided by reputable institutions such as Inspiraology Hypnotherapy Training Essex (IHT Essex). We will discuss fast-track diploma modules covering a range of therapeutic techniques, advanced master practitioner programs integrating foundation courses seamlessly, and why proper education is crucial in a field lacking state regulation.

Furthermore, we'll examine how media personalities have influenced public perception of hypnosis and its growing adoption in sports coaching and personal success strategies. Lastly, let's dive into what makes hypnotherapy an effective solution-focused psychotherapy method that presents attractive career options for those passionate about helping others transform their lives.

youtube

Comprehensive Hypnotherapy Training Courses in Essex

Are you ready to embark on a life-changing journey?

At IHT Essex, we offer an exceptional ten-month hypnotherapy training course in Essex.

Our comprehensive program incorporates diploma modules in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). What's more? Our courses are fully accredited and recognised by the UK's major therapy governing bodies.

Hypnotherapy Training for Quick Career Progression

No need to wait years before making a difference. The accelerated format of our program allows you to quickly gain valuable skills that can help people improve their lives.

In-depth Coverage of NLP, CBT, RE&CBT, and EFT Techniques

Dive deep into powerful therapeutic methods with our extensive curriculum. You'll learn how these techniques work together synergistically to provide effective solutions for clients facing various challenges.

Practitioner Programs: Taking Your Hypnotherapy Skills to New Heights

Are you ready to take your hypnotherapy skills to the next level?

Our Hypnotherapy Training Courses are designed specifically for new hypnotherapists who want to elevate their expertise in the field.

During the course, you'll dive deep into NLP, CBT, and SFT modules that will help you up your game.

And the best part?

In just ten months, you'll cover the entire Clinician Course syllabus - talk about efficient learning.

Beyond these initial weekends, you'll continue honing your skills with additional training tailored towards professional therapists who never stop striving for excellence.

Why Choose Training at IHT Essex?

• Fully accredited programs recognised by major therapy governing bodies like the NBH and UK Government;

• A vast array of techniques, from traditional hypnosis methods to cutting-edge approaches such as NLP and EFT;

• An opportunity to join a community of passionate professionals committed to helping others improve their lives through hypnosis;

• A chance to expand your skillset not only professionally but also personally - after all, self-improvement is key.

The Popularity of Hypnotherapy and Its Benefits

Let's face it; hypnotherapy has been enjoying the limelight in recent years thanks to some high-profile media personalities who have championed its benefits. We're not just talking about any random celebrities here.

As a professional, you may be interested in hypnotherapy training to expand your skillset and offer more services to your clients. If you're based in Essex, you'll be pleased to know that we offer hypnotherapy training.

We have a range of courses, including a practice diploma in hypnotherapy. This diploma is accredited by the UK government and will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to practice hypnotherapy professionally.

Whether you're looking to add hypnotherapy to your existing services or start a new career in this field, IHT Essex is a great place to start. So why not take the first step and enrol in one of their courses today?

Ensuring Quality Practices within an Unregulated Industry

Let's face it.

To ensure that your practice is reputable and trustworthy, seek accreditation and recognition from governing bodies like IHT Essex.

The answer lies in accreditation and recognition by governing bodies like the NCH.

But wait, there's more.

IHT Essex offers fully accredited courses to help professionals provide top-notch hypnotherapy services.

• Complete your training in just ten months with our comprehensive fast-track course covering NLP, CBT, and SFT techniques.

• Governing body recognition: Our courses are recognised by major therapy organisations such as the UK Government-backed Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC).

• Ongoing support: Receive ongoing supervision and guidance through our Practice Diploma program for continued professional development.

Achieving accreditation not only boosts your credibility but also ensures that clients receive quality care from well-trained therapists who adhere to high standards of professionalism.

The Importance of Accreditation in Hypnotherapy Training

Earning an accredited qualification is crucial for aspiring hypnotherapists looking to make their mark on this largely unregulated industry.

Maintaining Professional Standards: It's Not Just About You.

Maintaining professional standards isn't just about boosting your own reputation; it's also about protecting clients from subpar practices.

IHT Essex is dedicated to providing high-quality hypnotherapy training, ensuring that you have the skills and knowledge necessary to make a positive impact on your clients' lives.

Ready to dive into this fulfilling profession?

Equip yourself with accredited training from Inspiraology Hypnotherapy Training and become an expert in helping others overcome personal challenges and improve their lives.

#hypnotherapy #hypnotherapy training #london #inspiraology #exeter #youtube #hypnotherapy training course #Youtube

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e-energyit · 1 year

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How to calculate the service life of SSD?

When consumers buy SSDs, they always study their durability and life span. After all, it is really troublesome for the hard disk to hang up, and there is a high probability that all the data in it will be lost. However, for a single hard disk, it is impossible to predict its life span. Whether it is a mechanical hard disk or a solid-state hard disk, they are a Schrodinger time bomb, which may explode at any time, and the possibility will increase with the passage of time, And your lucky value and the stability of the power supply will become dynamic variables to affect this result.

For a product group, the approximate average life can be inferred. When it comes to the life of SSD, first of all, you will think of the limit of the number of writes of flash memory, which is related to the working principle of flash memory. Take the floating gate NAND flash memory as an example, whether the flash memory is powered on or not represents the 1 and 0 states recognized by the computer, and a strong electric field (more than 10million vt/cm) will be generated at the moment of power on, Such a strong electric field will destroy the atomic bonding of the tunnel oxide layer, and the separated electrons will rise to the floating gate to form a potential change. After power failure, the electrons will return to their normal position. In this way, repeated power failure pressurization will form different potential signals.

The process of powering up is equivalent to the data writing operation of HDD Hard disk, which is called "program". The potential recovery of the power-off process is equivalent to the erasing data of HDD Hard disk, which is called "erase" here. A complete p/e cycle is the writing cycle of NAND. It can also be seen from here that SSD needs to restore the default potential in order to write data, that is, on the premise of "erase", This feature determines the data writing method of SSD and also brings a series of other problems.

The most direct impact is SSD life, because the number of p/e cycles is limited, and the floating gate is not permanent like the GMR (giant magnetic damping) effect of HDD, and there is a number limit. The p/e times of different types of flash memory are different. The traditional 2D SLC flash memory can reach 100000 times, while the 2D MLC can reach 3000-5000 times, the enterprise level can reach 10000 times, and the 2D TLC is 1000-1500 times. However, the current 3D TLC flash memory can reach 3000 times due to different processes. The newly developed 3D QLC, which despises the role at the bottom of the chain, also has 1000p/e, and its service life is actually OK.

With the p/e times of flash memory and the capacity of SSD, the maximum life of SSD under ideal conditions can be calculated through a formula:

SSD life = (flash p/e × SSD flash memory capacity) ÷ (write amplification factor × Annual data write)

Take a 240gb 3D TLC SSD as an example. The flash memory is 3000p/e, and the flash memory capacity of the SSD is actually 256gb. The write amplification factor is actually related to the master algorithm and the type of data written. In fact, it is difficult to say the specific value. Here, take 5 as a larger value. As for the annual data writing volume, it completely depends on personal usage habits. Here, take 2000gb, which is already quite large, so:

(3000 × 256)÷(5 × 2000) = 76.8 years

Can this SSD be used for 76 years?

In terms of the theoretical life of flash memory, it is right. However, I just said that this is the maximum life of the theory, which is calculated under the ideal condition, and what is its minimum value? In fact, we can refer to the warranty market provided by the manufacturer for this SSD. Most of them are three or five years, and some high-end products will provide a ten-year warranty. The warranty time they give shows that this SSD will not break down in a high probability during this period. After all, RMA requires human and material investment, and SSD will die in a large area during the warranty period, which will cost the manufacturer a lot of money, and it is not a good thing for their reputation.

In addition, most manufacturers also give the life cycle write amount TBW of SSDs, while some give the daily replication times dwpd, which can actually be converted into TBW. Assuming that the manufacturer gives a dwpd of 1 for a 512gb SSD, it means that it can write its own data once a day, that is, 512gb. The warranty period is 5 years, so its TBW is equal to 512gb × three hundred and sixty-five × 5 ÷ 1024=912.5。

Some people mistakenly think that this TBW is the total amount of data that can be written in the SSD life cycle. After writing so much data, the SSD will hang up. In fact, it is not. In fact, this number means that if you write more than this much data during the warranty period, you will not be guaranteed, because your writing operation has exceeded the scope of the normal use of the SSD. In fact, generally speaking, this number is very difficult to exceed, For those who can exceed this number, I'd like to know how you usually torture this SSD.

Of course, the number TBW is not completely worthless. You can regard it as the minimum value of SSD write durability, and the actual life of your SSD is between the TBW value and the theoretical write maximum value of flash memory.

But the truth is far from simple

In fact, only a few SSDs hang up because the life of flash memory is exhausted. Most SSDs hang up because of various other reasons, some of which are because the master controller is burned. The phenomenon that the master controller hangs up first than flash memory is very common, because most of the working temperature of SSD master controller is very high, and all reading and writing operations of SSD have to be done by it. In fact, its working pressure is the greatest, so sudden death is relatively possible.

A power supply component that suddenly dies on an SSD

Another possibility is that the main control and flash memory are all safe, but other power supply components are broken. Although everyone only cares about the main chips of the main control, flash memory and cache on SSD, there are actually many other chips and components on SSD, and these things may also fail. Once the fault occurs, it may also lead to the paralysis of the whole SSD, especially when the power supply is unstable, the power supply components are quite likely to be burnt out, For example, the poor SSD in the above figure, but in fact, SSD data may be saved from this kind of failure, and the data is really gone when flash memory or master control hangs up.

For these possible failures, manufacturers usually give an average time between MTBF failures, which means the average interval between two failures of the consumer's hard disk. Usually, this value is relatively large. Taking Intel 760p as an example, the MTBF is 1.6 million hours. In other words, it has more than 100 years, so it has no reference value. In the final analysis, it is still a random event, and you are unlucky if you encounter it.

So in fact, there is nothing to be afraid of. Whether SSD dies suddenly is actually a dice toss. If you are unlucky, you will die. Instead of worrying about the service life of SSD, it is better to buy one with good performance and use it better. If you are really worried, you can buy one with longer quality assurance. At least, the possibility of SSD dying within the warranty period is relatively small.

Finally, there are two common death methods for SSD. The first is write locking, which means that the master checks that your SSD is no longer working and is not allowed to write anything directly. This situation is actually the best way to die. At least you have a chance to save data, and the second is sudden death without warning. This is actually the most common. You don't have any chance to save data yourself, In most cases, manufacturers will not help you recover your data, and the price of finding a third-party data recovery service is also very high, so back up your important data.

Prepare your supply chain

Buyers of electronic components must now be prepared for future prices, extended delivery time, and continuous challenge of the supply chain. Looking forward to the future, if the price and delivery time continues to increase, the procurement of JIT may become increasingly inevitable. On the contrary, buyers may need to adopt the "just in case" business model, holding excess inventory and finished products to prevent the long -term preparation period and the supply chain interruption.

As the shortage and the interruption of the supply chain continue, communication with customers and suppliers will be essential. Regular communication with suppliers will help buyers prepare for extension of delivery time, and always understand the changing market conditions at any time. Regular communication with customers will help customers manage the expectations of potential delays, rising prices and increased delivery time. This is essential to ease the impact of this news or at least ensure that customers will not be taken attention to the sudden changes in this chaotic market.

Most importantly, buyers of electronic components must take measures to expand and improve their supplier network. In this era, managing your supply chain requires every link to work as a cohesive unit. The distributor of the agent rather than a partner cannot withstand the storm of this market. Communication and transparency are essential for management and planning. In E-energy Holding Limited, we use the following ways to hedge these market conditions for customers:

Our supplier network has been reviewed and improved for more than ten years.

Our strategic location around the world enables us to access and review the company's headquarters before making a purchase decision.

E-energy Holding Limited cooperates with a well -represented testing agency to conduct in -depth inspections and tests before delivering parts to our customers.

Our procurement is concentrated in franchise and manufacturer direct sales.

Our customer manager is committed to providing the highest level of services, communication and transparency. In addition to simply receiving orders, your customer manager will also help you develop solutions, planned inventory and delivery plans, maintain the inventory level of regular procurement, and ensure the authenticity of your parts.

Add E-energy Holding Limited to the list of suppliers approved by you, and let our team help you make strategic and wise procurement decisions.

#e-energy #HDD #SSD

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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years

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MAKER'S SCHEDULE, 631, BRIEFLY

I'm a writer, and writers always get disproportionate attention. How did they stand it? Their main expenses are setting up the company, which costs a couple thousand Altair owners, but without this software they were programming in machine language. Those ideas are so rare that you can't find some way to reach me, how are you going to create a successful company? For a startup, managing them is one of the first 10 employees you'll have almost as much.1 Families are entitled to their own traditions, and who the competitors are and why this company is going to beat them.2 In the late 90s my professor friends used to complain that they couldn't get grad students, because all the undergrads were going to let hosts rent out space on their floors during conventions. Part of the reason I can't believe it will be more like being able to play the two firms off each other as well as talent, so this answer works out to be important, because a we invest such small amounts, and b we think it's better if startups operate out of their own premises, however crappy, than the offices of their investors.

If you're a freelancer or a small company doesn't ensure freedom.3 What makes a good startup idea, it's sort of like having a guilty conscience about something.4 There's an idea that has turned out to be a startup. For a lot of work.5 Which is exactly how I'd describe the way lions seem in the wild seem about ten times more alive. You probably can't overcome anything so pervasive as the model of work is a job. Don't sit on their boards. What really bothers parents about their teenage kids having sex are complex.6 It's not so much as that they never pander: they never say or do something because that's what the audience wants. So if you're going to optimize a number, the one to choose is your growth rate to compensate. In social settings, I found that I got over 100 other responses listing the surprises they encountered. If you don't understand YC.

At the time any random autobiographical novel by a recent college grad could count on more respectful treatment from the literary establishment. The angel now owns 200/1200 shares, or a job. The kind of question on the application form that asks what you're going to clear these lies out of your head, you're going to clear these lies out of your head, you're going to do, at least, nothing good.7 I often recommend that founders act like consultants—that they wanted to.8 In a startup, you don't even know that.9 If these guys had thought they were starting companies, they might have been.10 Viaweb entirely with angel money; it never occurred to us that investors were too conservative here—that they do what they'd do if they'd been in Nebraska, like Evan Williams was at their age? The saddest windows close when other people die.

And when you propagate that constraint, the result is that each species thrives in groups of a certain group, that seems nearly impossible to shake. Someone who's figured that out will automatically focus more on the idea. The only explanation is: by definition. It's not just a figure of speech to say that the outcome is zero. The artists who benefited most from this were the ones who had preserved a child's confidence, like Klee and Calder. Once you have all the college students, you get rich is that there are many degrees of it. It could be replaced on any of these axes it has already started to be on most. When you're a little kid and you're asked to do something differently.

But not all waste is bad. Later I learned it hadn't been so neat, and the three founders each get 25%. Along with such outright lies, there must have been told a lot of economic history, and I understand the startup world is evolving away from their current model.11 If you seem really good we'll accept you anyway. Even in the rare cases where a clever hack makes your fortune, you probably have an idea.12 At least, that's how we'd describe it in present-day languages, if they'd had them. The way you get taught programming in college would be like teaching writing as grammar, without mentioning that its purpose is to make me feel better. After two years, the un-rapacious that you only extract half as much from users as you could. If you have something that no competitor does and that some subset of users urgently need, you have to seem like you understand technology.13 On that scale, every negotiation is unique.14 I was cynical about VCs, but the way he composed them into molecules was near faultless.15 But unfortunately when you graduate, as long as you want.16

Notes

Thanks to Daniel Sobral for pointing this out. Make it clear when you ad lib you end up reproducing some of the things they've tried on the LL1 mailing list. What you learn in college or what grades you got in them, initially, to sell earlier than you expect. But while this is also a name.

In fact most of them. But try this experiment is that if you conflate them you're aiming at. The worst explosions happen when unpromising-seeming startups do badly.

Y Combinator certainly never asks what classes you took in college. This approach has not worked well, but this would work better, and that modern corporate executives were, we try to accept a particular number.

Aristotle the core: the editor in Lisp, they may try to accept that investors are induced by the surface similarities. Com of their assets; and with that additional constraint, you can't help associating it with such a statement would merely be eccentric.

Most word problems in school math textbooks are bad: Webpig, Webdog, Webfat, Webzit, Webfug. Without the prospect of publication, the assembly line, the closest anyone has come is Secretary of Labor Statistics, about 28%.

I think the usual way to fight. The next time you raise as you can see the apples, they made much of it, and no one who's had the discipline to pull it off. Successful founders are driven by people trying to decide whether to go to college, they would implement it and make a lot of investors caring either.

P nonspam are both genuinely formidable, and the exercise of stock options than any preceding president, he was otherwise unoccupied, to get into the heads of would-be startup founders who had been a good idea to make more money. The best thing for startups is very long: it might take an hour over the Internet, like hedge funds, are available only to buy corporate bonds to market faster; the Reagan administration's comparatively sympathetic attitude toward takeovers; the crowds of shoppers drifting through this huge mall reminded George Romero of zombies. That it might take an hour over the Internet. Yes, I had zero effect on the relative weights?

The VCs recapitalize the company, and yet managed to screw up twice at the data, it's probably good grazing. I should add that we're not. They did turn out to be a win to include things in shows that people start to pull ahead in the field.

Galbraith was clearly puzzled that corporate executives would work so hard to mentally deal with the founders gained from running through their initial attitude. Sparse Binary Polynomial Hash Message Filtering and The Old Way. One thing that drives most people emerge from the moment it's created indeed, from hour to hour that the worm might have done all they could be overcome by changing the shape of the bizarre consequences of this: You may not be far less demand for them.

Indiana University Bloomington 1868-1970.

Trevor Blackwell points out that taking time to come up with an associate cold-emailing a startup could grow big in revenues without including the order of 10,000, because investors already owned more than their competitors, who may have realized this, but simply because he was skeptical about Viaweb too. See Greenspun's Tenth Rule. We just store the data, it's software that doesn't seem to want them; you have significant expenses other than salaries that you decide the price, and for filters it's textual.

P 500 CEOs in the sophomore year. It was only because he had more fun than he'd had in school, and philosophy the imprecise half. The philistines have now missed the video boat entirely.

As we walked out we ran into Yuri Sagalov. Emmett Shear writes: I'd argue the long tail for sports may be common in, you'll have to replace you. It took a painfully long time.

The reason Y Combinator.

This is an instance of a safe will be coordinating efforts among partners. In practice it just feels like a loser they're done, she doesn't like getting attention in the definition of property.

The thing to do sales yourself initially. 5%. At first I didn't care about GPAs.

Thanks to Paul Buchheit, Gary Sabot, Trevor Blackwell, Tiffani Ashley Bell, and Jeff Arnold for sharing their expertise on this topic.

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tvdoes · 2 years

Text

Zonnia Pokdex: Dij’i, Dij’igen, and Dij’igenesis

Dji'i

Digital Pokemon Normal Porygon + Togepi

Appearance

Dij'i are small Pokemon, reaching one foot in height. The Pokemon remains partially within the rounded eggshell from which it hatches, the shell persisting as part of its body. Arms, feet, and tail all emerge from cracked open parts of the eggshell, while the entire top of the shell is missing, the Pokemon's head emerging from it. The body of Dij'i occurs in one rounded shape: while the head has the relevant features - eyes and mouth - there is no distinct point at which the body ends and the head begins.

The limbs of Dij'i are polygonal in shape, resembling sharp-angled but stubby arms and legs. Similarly a large tail emerges from the back of Dij'i's shell, takes a right-angle upwards, and stretches up to end in a point just above the top of the Pokemon's head. The skin of Dij'i is a pale blue-green, while it's egg is pink with hollow white polygonal patterns across it. No Dij'i has the exact same shell pattern as any other, though the difference in pattern leads to no notable difference overall.

The eyes and mouth of the Pokemon are sharply angled as well, hexagonal shapes to the eyes and a trapezoid mouth with no teeth. From the top of the Pokemon's head two wavy, ribbon-like antenna emerge, trailing backwards from the Pokemon's skull at rest. These antenna begin with the blue-green colouration of Dij'i's skin, however change to the pink of its shell at the tips. They are fully prehensile, with Dij'i using them as a first means of investigating its surroundings.

Ecology

Dij'i are fundamentally weak Pokemon, unsuited for battle. They possess curiosity and enthusiasm in abundance, as well as a notable amount of affection for those in their lives such as Trainer and fellow Pokemon, but lack the natural drive many Pokemon have for battle. Dij'i can use techniques in battle, and can be trained to express strength, but this does not appear to satisfy their natures. Rather they are Pokemon that should be exposed to others, and given many opportunities to establish bonds and friendship.

Among the abilities Dij'i can express is a notable ability to copy the typing of other Pokemon. Seemingly as a play response, Dij'i will shift their own typing to match the primary typing of another Pokemon within their reach - specifically as a response to contact made between their flexible antenna and the target Pokemon. After a time, Dij'i return to the Normal-typing.

Fulfilment of their drives for curiosity and affection - time spent with Trainer and fellow Pokemon - allows Dij'i to achieve evolution.

Field Report

Dij'i are not a naturally occurring Pokemon in the traditional sense. The first record of one appearing was during a power surge that shut off electricity for a department store in Solemar City. Eyewitness reports state that at this time, in the electronics section, a computer activated itself and disgorged an egg from its screen. A Pokemon Trainer on hand took hold of it, and found it shortly hatching into a Dij'i, a name reported when the Pokemon was scanned by their Pokedex.

In the time since, this Pokemon has been observed appearing in similar, though often not as drastic, circumstances: odd electrical events involving technology, and the egg of the Pokemon emerging from them. All Dij'i are found as eggs, not hatched Pokemon, and do not hatch until in the care of a Trainer who already has Pokemon with them.

The Zonnia Pokemon Foundation ordered immediate investigation into the origins of Dij'i, as well as research into the potential dangers of the unknown Pokemon. This investigation stalled for over ten years, in which time Dij'i amongst Trainers of Zonnia had evolved not once but twice with no ill effect. In the end the Foundation closed the investigation and registered Dij'i and its evolutions as native Pokemon of Zonnia.

As part of the work on the Zonnia Pokedex, we the Zonnia Research Laboratory have reopened this investigation into the Pokemon's source.

Addendum

Interview between Lex Banderas and A, former member of the Dij'i Project.

Lex: What motivated you to take part in the Dij'i Project? A: The chance to do something impossible. The company gave us the resources and freedom to do as we pleased, at the time it was a dream come true. Lex: And the morality around creating a living being didn't affect you? A: It's not like we knew that was going to happen. You've seen the notes. A complex program, a living program in a sense but, just a... just a digital thing. Lex: When did you first realise something was wrong? A: At first... it was all going as planned. All of the genetic modelling, type research, we had a learning algorithm that allowed the program to write its own code. We kept watch, pruned branches that weren't growing in right, it was like gardening in a sense. Lex: Gardening. A: Yes! We were doing something brand new, cutting edge, never-before-seen! We were all so excited, every day. When the egg hatched oh, oh we were so proud. Our baby explorer, ready to begin its journey. Lex: But that first form wasn't enough, was it? A: Ah, no, no it was not. Despite all the building blocks being in place, dimensional travel was still far beyond it. That was when we settled on creating an evolution. Lex: Tell me about the original research. A: You've heard? Lex: I have. A: ...we didn't question it, at the time. We'd all submitted original proposals, and research of our own, to join the team. So when we were putting it together and that research was there we just... assumed one of the others had made it. It was brilliant, ground-breaking. The core of the Project for sure. Lex: When did you realise you didn't know its source? A: After the evolution, and all that followed. Lex: Did you ever find out where the original research originated from? Do you know how it ended up in your hands? A: No. No we never did.

Follow the source link to AO3 to learn about the evolutions of Dij'i: Dij'igen and Dij'igenesis!

#tvwrites #Pokemon #Pokemon Fusions #Zonnia Pokedex

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pentanguine · 3 years

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Favorite books of 2020

So....about five months ago now, I drafted a list of my favorite books of 2020, and then I, uh, didn’t finish it. It languished in a draft gathering dust and I forgot that it existed.

But now it’s done! It’s hideously late and also out of date, because I’d change many of the rankings now (see below), but I decided to keep them in the original order to reflect how I felt when I actually meant to post this.

Gideon the Ninth- What can I say about this book that hasn’t already been said? It’s like nothing else I’ve read before, in the most unabashed, off-the-walls, grandiose way possible. It’s incredibly complex, well-written, goth, and full of memes. There are, indeed, lesbian necromancers in space.

Harrow the Ninth- I read this 500+ page book in one day and didn’t notice an earthquake while doing so, if you consider that an endorsement. There’s so much going on here it almost feels like it shouldn’t work, and yet it does, brilliantly—it’s so intricately plotted you’ll want to reread it immediately because there’s no way to pick up on everything your first time through.

The Starless Sea- This is just a magical delight of a story, with prose that flows like honey: slow, sweet, and delicious. The story unfolds like a series of wonders nested one inside the other, with each section adding another layer of whimsy and metafiction. It’s half a dream, and half a maze.

Young Miles (The Warrior’s Apprentice/The Vor Game)- The Miles books (the early ones, especially) are wild and unrepentant romps through outer space, and reading them was one of the highlights of 2020 for me. When I finished the Young Miles omnibus, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken such pure delight in a book. Even the heavier, more thoughtful moments were part of a well-told, enjoyable story.

The Stone Sky- Speaking of heavy and thoughtful books…The Broken Earth Trilogy is definitely not a light undertaking, but it’s just a masterpiece of world- and character-building. The Stone Sky is the final installment, and it does not pull a single punch in delivering what the previous books have been building towards.

This Is How You Lose the Time War- I keep instinctively wanting to call this a novel in verse, although I think it’s technically an epistolary novel with prose-poem tendencies. In any case, the writing is lovely—lush, vivid, sensual, romantic. I recommend reading this one with your poetry glasses on.

Cordelia’s Honor (Shards of Honor/Barrayar)- I tried to limit myself to one book per author on this list, but I didn’t succeed here. I loved the Vorkosigan saga too much, and I had to include the omnibus about Miles’s mother, Cordelia, whose life and personality could easily be the focus of another half-dozen volumes. (And if you’re looking for a well-developed m/f romance, you’ve found it here)

An Unkindness of Ghosts- I think this is the book that kicked off my sudden interest in sci-fi last year. It’s dark and beautiful, definitely character-driven, and everyone is truly strange in ways that protagonists rarely get to be. It’s also got one of the loveliest, most satisfying endings I can imagine.

Code Name Verity- An incredibly intense YA book that delves deep into one of my favorite fictional themes, Morality. It’s a rollicking spy adventure novel that focuses on a close friendship rather than romance (although you can read it as sapphic if you want), with descriptions of flying over England at sunset that made my heart ache.

The Raven Tower- I enjoyed this story for reasons probably particular to me—I like long digressions into abstract questions like “How do we exert power over the world?” and “Where does the meaning of words exist?”, and entire sections of The Raven Tower are devoted to the inner meditations of a very contemplative rock. It’s also a retelling of Hamlet, if that’s more your speed.

Network Effect (and Murderbot novellas)- I’m going to quote my immediately-after-finishing review: “Murderbot always gives me feels. I would love to give a more literary summary, but I’m still overwhelmed by the tentative vulnerability of two bots being best friends and watching TV together after [redacted].” The first Murderbot novel definitely did not disappoint.

The Monster of Elendhaven- Decadent, blood-soaked, and morally depraved, it’s kind of like The Picture of Dorian Gray by way of Hannibal (NBC), with probable influences from a dozen other macabre works and no restraint whatsoever. Reading it felt very self-indulgently delightful.

Before Mars- A deliciously unsettling sci-fi thriller with a refreshingly blunt, unsentimental female protagonist. Also definitely an …interesting book to read at the end of March 2020, but explaining why would definitely be a spoiler. Suffice it to say that the book goes dark places not advertised on the tin, and it made me cry.

Orange World- Karen Russell is one of those writers who make you wonder “how did they come up with this?” Every one of her stories is a totally original marriage between two wildly different concepts (like a Bog Maiden and high school romance, or new motherhood and the devil), and they’re a nice blend of literary and fantasy that I love.

Something That May Shock and Discredit You- It’s so hard to rank this one, because its two primary concerns are Christianity and transness, one of which means very little to me and one of which is breathtakingly important. I couldn’t justify putting it any lower, because it made me feel an ungodly number of feelings, but I couldn’t really justify putting it higher when a solid third of the book went right over my head.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January- A truly wondrous novel, one that fully immerses you in the delight of storytelling and imagination, and the power of escaping to other worlds. It’s very much in the tradition of “books that pay tribute to the love of books,” and an homage to a hundred portal fantasies before it.

Braiding Sweetgrass- I’ve got such a fondness for nature writing that doesn’t even try to be scientifically detached, and instead leaves you with the feeling that the trees and fields around you are bustling with (nonhuman) people.* Kimmerer’s writing is steeped in indigenous ways of knowing, and emphasizes the respect and reciprocity we can hold for the natural world. It’s lovely writing, and I can’t recommend the book highly enough.

Call Down the Hawk- Full of all the ingredients you expect from a Maggie Stiefvater book: fast cars, ancient magic, questions of art and truth, and borderline overuse of the word “cunning.” Every time I read one of her books I want to start taking notes, because she’s got such a signature style that’s both poetic and readable.

The Unspoken Name- For some reason I wasn’t much into epic fantasy last year, but I’m glad I gave this one a try. I love morally grey characters, of which there are plenty, and the plot took a number of refreshing twists and turns.

A Memory Called Empire- Not a fast-moving read, but perfect if you like your sci-fi novels poetic, complex, and intellectual. The worldbuilding is incredibly immersive, in a way that reminded me a bit of Ursula K. Le Guin, and I remember this stuck with me for weeks after I finished it.

*Let me be a nerdy weirdo for a second: Most of the time Kimmerer is writing about New England, an area I’m not really familiar with, but “The Sound of Silverbells” is set on a mountain somewhere in the South, and I adored it. Suddenly she was writing about dogwoods and redbuds and poplars, and I was sitting there going “!!! Those are my friends! My friends are in a book!”

Changes I’d make now:

Bump The Starless Sea down a couple pegs, maybe to #6

Swap out Cordelia’s Honor and Young Miles

Bump The Raven Tower way down to #16 and bump A Memory Called Empire a few spots higher, maybe to #17

Braiding Sweetgrass can go up where The Raven Tower was

#an inexhaustable source of magic #personal #yes i know none of them have the author's name #sorry about that #it you're reading this it's because i noticed i forgot the authors right after i queued it and then went 'oh well' and cleaned my bathroom #and subsequently did not remember and/or find the time #if you're not reading this then i found the time

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a-room-of-my-own · 4 years

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This isn’t an easy piece to write, for reasons that will shortly become clear, but I know it’s time to explain myself on an issue surrounded by toxicity. I write this without any desire to add to that toxicity.

For people who don’t know: last December I tweeted my support for Maya Forstater, a tax specialist who’d lost her job for what were deemed ‘transphobic’ tweets. She took her case to an employment tribunal, asking the judge to rule on whether a philosophical belief that sex is determined by biology is protected in law. Judge Tayler ruled that it wasn’t.

My interest in trans issues pre-dated Maya’s case by almost two years, during which I followed the debate around the concept of gender identity closely. I’ve met trans people, and read sundry books, blogs and articles by trans people, gender specialists, intersex people, psychologists, safeguarding experts, social workers and doctors, and followed the discourse online and in traditional media. On one level, my interest in this issue has been professional, because I’m writing a crime series, set in the present day, and my fictional female detective is of an age to be interested in, and affected by, these issues herself, but on another, it’s intensely personal, as I’m about to explain.

All the time I’ve been researching and learning, accusations and threats from trans activists have been bubbling in my Twitter timeline. This was initially triggered by a ‘like’. When I started taking an interest in gender identity and transgender matters, I began screenshotting comments that interested me, as a way of reminding myself what I might want to research later. On one occasion, I absent-mindedly ‘liked’ instead of screenshotting. That single ‘like’ was deemed evidence of wrongthink, and a persistent low level of harassment began.

Months later, I compounded my accidental ‘like’ crime by following Magdalen Burns on Twitter. Magdalen was an immensely brave young feminist and lesbian who was dying of an aggressive brain tumour. I followed her because I wanted to contact her directly, which I succeeded in doing. However, as Magdalen was a great believer in the importance of biological sex, and didn’t believe lesbians should be called bigots for not dating trans women with penises, dots were joined in the heads of twitter trans activists, and the level of social media abuse increased.

I mention all this only to explain that I knew perfectly well what was going to happen when I supported Maya. I must have been on my fourth or fifth cancellation by then. I expected the threats of violence, to be told I was literally killing trans people with my hate, to be called cunt and bitch and, of course, for my books to be burned, although one particularly abusive man told me he’d composted them.

What I didn’t expect in the aftermath of my cancellation was the avalanche of emails and letters that came showering down upon me, the overwhelming majority of which were positive, grateful and supportive. They came from a cross-section of kind, empathetic and intelligent people, some of them working in fields dealing with gender dysphoria and trans people, who’re all deeply concerned about the way a socio-political concept is influencing politics, medical practice and safeguarding. They’re worried about the dangers to young people, gay people and about the erosion of women’s and girl’s rights. Above all, they’re worried about a climate of fear that serves nobody – least of all trans youth – well.

I’d stepped back from Twitter for many months both before and after tweeting support for Maya, because I knew it was doing nothing good for my mental health. I only returned because I wanted to share a free children’s book during the pandemic. Immediately, activists who clearly believe themselves to be good, kind and progressive people swarmed back into my timeline, assuming a right to police my speech, accuse me of hatred, call me misogynistic slurs and, above all – as every woman involved in this debate will know – TERF.

If you didn’t already know – and why should you? – ‘TERF’ is an acronym coined by trans activists, which stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist. In practice, a huge and diverse cross-section of women are currently being called TERFs and the vast majority have never been radical feminists. Examples of so-called TERFs range from the mother of a gay child who was afraid their child wanted to transition to escape homophobic bullying, to a hitherto totally unfeminist older lady who’s vowed never to visit Marks & Spencer again because they’re allowing any man who says they identify as a woman into the women’s changing rooms. Ironically, radical feminists aren’t even trans-exclusionary – they include trans men in their feminism, because they were born women.

But accusations of TERFery have been sufficient to intimidate many people, institutions and organisations I once admired, who’re cowering before the tactics of the playground. ‘They’ll call us transphobic!’ ‘They’ll say I hate trans people!’ What next, they’ll say you’ve got fleas? Speaking as a biological woman, a lot of people in positions of power really need to grow a pair (which is doubtless literally possible, according to the kind of people who argue that clownfish prove humans aren’t a dimorphic species).

So why am I doing this? Why speak up? Why not quietly do my research and keep my head down?

Well, I’ve got five reasons for being worried about the new trans activism, and deciding I need to speak up.

Firstly, I have a charitable trust that focuses on alleviating social deprivation in Scotland, with a particular emphasis on women and children. Among other things, my trust supports projects for female prisoners and for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. I also fund medical research into MS, a disease that behaves very differently in men and women. It’s been clear to me for a while that the new trans activism is having (or is likely to have, if all its demands are met) a significant impact on many of the causes I support, because it’s pushing to erode the legal definition of sex and replace it with gender.

The second reason is that I’m an ex-teacher and the founder of a children’s charity, which gives me an interest in both education and safeguarding. Like many others, I have deep concerns about the effect the trans rights movement is having on both.

The third is that, as a much-banned author, I’m interested in freedom of speech and have publicly defended it, even unto Donald Trump.

The fourth is where things start to get truly personal. I’m concerned about the huge explosion in young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning (returning to their original sex), because they regret taking steps that have, in some cases, altered their bodies irrevocably, and taken away their fertility. Some say they decided to transition after realising they were same-sex attracted, and that transitioning was partly driven by homophobia, either in society or in their families.

Most people probably aren’t aware – I certainly wasn’t, until I started researching this issue properly – that ten years ago, the majority of people wanting to transition to the opposite sex were male. That ratio has now reversed. The UK has experienced a 4400% increase in girls being referred for transitioning treatment. Autistic girls are hugely overrepresented in their numbers.

The same phenomenon has been seen in the US. In 2018, American physician and researcher Lisa Littman set out to explore it. In an interview, she said:

‘Parents online were describing a very unusual pattern of transgender-identification where multiple friends and even entire friend groups became transgender-identified at the same time. I would have been remiss had I not considered social contagion and peer influences as potential factors.’

Littman mentioned Tumblr, Reddit, Instagram and YouTube as contributing factors to Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, where she believes that in the realm of transgender identification ‘youth have created particularly insular echo chambers.’

Her paper caused a furore. She was accused of bias and of spreading misinformation about transgender people, subjected to a tsunami of abuse and a concerted campaign to discredit both her and her work. The journal took the paper offline and re-reviewed it before republishing it. However, her career took a similar hit to that suffered by Maya Forstater. Lisa Littman had dared challenge one of the central tenets of trans activism, which is that a person’s gender identity is innate, like sexual orientation. Nobody, the activists insisted, could ever be persuaded into being trans.

The argument of many current trans activists is that if you don’t let a gender dysphoric teenager transition, they will kill themselves. In an article explaining why he resigned from the Tavistock (an NHS gender clinic in England) psychiatrist Marcus Evans stated that claims that children will kill themselves if not permitted to transition do not ‘align substantially with any robust data or studies in this area. Nor do they align with the cases I have encountered over decades as a psychotherapist.’

The writings of young trans men reveal a group of notably sensitive and clever people. The more of their accounts of gender dysphoria I’ve read, with their insightful descriptions of anxiety, dissociation, eating disorders, self-harm and self-hatred, the more I’ve wondered whether, if I’d been born 30 years later, I too might have tried to transition. The allure of escaping womanhood would have been huge. I struggled with severe OCD as a teenager. If I’d found community and sympathy online that I couldn’t find in my immediate environment, I believe I could have been persuaded to turn myself into the son my father had openly said he’d have preferred.

When I read about the theory of gender identity, I remember how mentally sexless I felt in youth. I remember Colette’s description of herself as a ‘mental hermaphrodite’ and Simone de Beauvoir’s words: ‘It is perfectly natural for the future woman to feel indignant at the limitations posed upon her by her sex. The real question is not why she should reject them: the problem is rather to understand why she accepts them.’

As I didn’t have a realistic possibility of becoming a man back in the 1980s, it had to be books and music that got me through both my mental health issues and the sexualised scrutiny and judgement that sets so many girls to war against their bodies in their teens. Fortunately for me, I found my own sense of otherness, and my ambivalence about being a woman, reflected in the work of female writers and musicians who reassured me that, in spite of everything a sexist world tries to throw at the female-bodied, it’s fine not to feel pink, frilly and compliant inside your own head; it’s OK to feel confused, dark, both sexual and non-sexual, unsure of what or who you are.

I want to be very clear here: I know transition will be a solution for some gender dysphoric people, although I’m also aware through extensive research that studies have consistently shown that between 60-90% of gender dysphoric teens will grow out of their dysphoria. Again and again I’ve been told to ‘just meet some trans people.’ I have: in addition to a few younger people, who were all adorable, I happen to know a self-described transsexual woman who’s older than I am and wonderful. Although she’s open about her past as a gay man, I’ve always found it hard to think of her as anything other than a woman, and I believe (and certainly hope) she’s completely happy to have transitioned. Being older, though, she went through a long and rigorous process of evaluation, psychotherapy and staged transformation. The current explosion of trans activism is urging a removal of almost all the robust systems through which candidates for sex reassignment were once required to pass. A man who intends to have no surgery and take no hormones may now secure himself a Gender Recognition Certificate and be a woman in the sight of the law. Many people aren’t aware of this.

We’re living through the most misogynistic period I’ve experienced. Back in the 80s, I imagined that my future daughters, should I have any, would have it far better than I ever did, but between the backlash against feminism and a porn-saturated online culture, I believe things have got significantly worse for girls. Never have I seen women denigrated and dehumanised to the extent they are now. From the leader of the free world’s long history of sexual assault accusations and his proud boast of ‘grabbing them by the pussy’, to the incel (‘involuntarily celibate’) movement that rages against women who won’t give them sex, to the trans activists who declare that TERFs need punching and re-educating, men across the political spectrum seem to agree: women are asking for trouble. Everywhere, women are being told to shut up and sit down, or else.

I’ve read all the arguments about femaleness not residing in the sexed body, and the assertions that biological women don’t have common experiences, and I find them, too, deeply misogynistic and regressive. It’s also clear that one of the objectives of denying the importance of sex is to erode what some seem to see as the cruelly segregationist idea of women having their own biological realities or – just as threatening – unifying realities that make them a cohesive political class. The hundreds of emails I’ve received in the last few days prove this erosion concerns many others just as much. It isn’t enough for women to be trans allies. Women must accept and admit that there is no material difference between trans women and themselves.

But, as many women have said before me, ‘woman’ is not a costume. ‘Woman’ is not an idea in a man’s head. ‘Woman’ is not a pink brain, a liking for Jimmy Choos or any of the other sexist ideas now somehow touted as progressive. Moreover, the ‘inclusive’ language that calls female people ‘menstruators’ and ‘people with vulvas’ strikes many women as dehumanising and demeaning. I understand why trans activists consider this language to be appropriate and kind, but for those of us who’ve had degrading slurs spat at us by violent men, it’s not neutral, it’s hostile and alienating.

Which brings me to the fifth reason I’m deeply concerned about the consequences of the current trans activism.

I’ve been in the public eye now for over twenty years and have never talked publicly about being a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor. This isn’t because I’m ashamed those things happened to me, but because they’re traumatic to revisit and remember. I also feel protective of my daughter from my first marriage. I didn’t want to claim sole ownership of a story that belongs to her, too. However, a short while ago, I asked her how she’d feel if I were publicly honest about that part of my life, and she encouraged me to go ahead.

I’m mentioning these things now not in an attempt to garner sympathy, but out of solidarity with the huge numbers of women who have histories like mine, who’ve been slurred as bigots for having concerns around single-sex spaces.

I managed to escape my first violent marriage with some difficulty, but I’m now married to a truly good and principled man, safe and secure in ways I never in a million years expected to be. However, the scars left by violence and sexual assault don’t disappear, no matter how loved you are, and no matter how much money you’ve made. My perennial jumpiness is a family joke – and even I know it’s funny – but I pray my daughters never have the same reasons I do for hating sudden loud noises, or finding people behind me when I haven’t heard them approaching.

If you could come inside my head and understand what I feel when I read about a trans woman dying at the hands of a violent man, you’d find solidarity and kinship. I have a visceral sense of the terror in which those trans women will have spent their last seconds on earth, because I too have known moments of blind fear when I realised that the only thing keeping me alive was the shaky self-restraint of my attacker.

I believe the majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to others, but are vulnerable for all the reasons I’ve outlined. Trans people need and deserve protection. Like women, they’re most likely to be killed by sexual partners. Trans women who work in the sex industry, particularly trans women of colour, are at particular risk. Like every other domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor I know, I feel nothing but empathy and solidarity with trans women who’ve been abused by men.

So I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman – and, as I’ve said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones – then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth.

On Saturday morning, I read that the Scottish government is proceeding with its controversial gender recognition plans, which will in effect mean that all a man needs to ‘become a woman’ is to say he’s one. To use a very contemporary word, I was ‘triggered’. Ground down by the relentless attacks from trans activists on social media, when I was only there to give children feedback about pictures they’d drawn for my book under lockdown, I spent much of Saturday in a very dark place inside my head, as memories of a serious sexual assault I suffered in my twenties recurred on a loop. That assault happened at a time and in a space where I was vulnerable, and a man capitalised on an opportunity. I couldn’t shut out those memories and I was finding it hard to contain my anger and disappointment about the way I believe my government is playing fast and loose with womens and girls’ safety.

Late on Saturday evening, scrolling through children’s pictures before I went to bed, I forgot the first rule of Twitter – never, ever expect a nuanced conversation – and reacted to what I felt was degrading language about women. I spoke up about the importance of sex and have been paying the price ever since. I was transphobic, I was a cunt, a bitch, a TERF, I deserved cancelling, punching and death. You are Voldemort said one person, clearly feeling this was the only language I’d understand.

It would be so much easier to tweet the approved hashtags – because of course trans rights are human rights and of course trans lives matter – scoop up the woke cookies and bask in a virtue-signalling afterglow. There’s joy, relief and safety in conformity. As Simone de Beauvoir also wrote, “… without a doubt it is more comfortable to endure blind bondage than to work for one’s liberation; the dead, too, are better suited to the earth than the living.”

Huge numbers of women are justifiably terrified by the trans activists; I know this because so many have got in touch with me to tell their stories. They’re afraid of doxxing, of losing their jobs or their livelihoods, and of violence.

But endlessly unpleasant as its constant targeting of me has been, I refuse to bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode ‘woman’ as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators like few before it. I stand alongside the brave women and men, gay, straight and trans, who’re standing up for freedom of speech and thought, and for the rights and safety of some of the most vulnerable in our society: young gay kids, fragile teenagers, and women who’re reliant on and wish to retain their single sex spaces. Polls show those women are in the vast majority, and exclude only those privileged or lucky enough never to have come up against male violence or sexual assault, and who’ve never troubled to educate themselves on how prevalent it is.

The one thing that gives me hope is that the women who can protest and organise, are doing so, and they have some truly decent men and trans people alongside them. Political parties seeking to appease the loudest voices in this debate are ignoring women’s concerns at their peril. In the UK, women are reaching out to each other across party lines, concerned about the erosion of their hard-won rights and widespread intimidation. None of the gender critical women I’ve talked to hates trans people; on the contrary. Many of them became interested in this issue in the first place out of concern for trans youth, and they’re hugely sympathetic towards trans adults who simply want to live their lives, but who’re facing a backlash for a brand of activism they don’t endorse. The supreme irony is that the attempt to silence women with the word ‘TERF’ may have pushed more young women towards radical feminism than the movement’s seen in decades.

The last thing I want to say is this. I haven’t written this essay in the hope that anybody will get out a violin for me, not even a teeny-weeny one. I’m extraordinarily fortunate; I’m a survivor, certainly not a victim. I’ve only mentioned my past because, like every other human being on this planet, I have a complex backstory, which shapes my fears, my interests and my opinions. I never forget that inner complexity when I’m creating a fictional character and I certainly never forget it when it comes to trans people.

All I’m asking – all I want – is for similar empathy, similar understanding, to be extended to the many millions of women whose sole crime is wanting their concerns to be heard without receiving threats and abuse.

#Jk Rowling #Jkr #Transgender #Terf #Gender critical #Radfem

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translations-by-aiimee · 3 years

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Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 16

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 16 - Game

Ten minutes later, Lin Yan appeared on the stage awkwardly wearing a silver-grey robe with a small dragon pattern embroidered on it. All ten participants took their seats. Even the Professor File Folder put on a traditional teacher's outfit. The buzzing activity coming from the crowd made Lin Yan blush. It felt like he was sitting on pins and needles; it was uncomfortable no matter how he tried to adjust himself.

This whole situation felt like a melodrama between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. He couldn't help but glance back at Xiao Yu several times. The only real ancient man in the audience was standing behind him with a frown. Looking at him with a serious stare, he pressed his hand against Lin Yan's shoulder, like he was trying to comfort him.

When he changed his clothes, he noticed that something was wrong with Xiao Yu, or maybe it was just everything that was wrong. In the dressing room, the ghost had wrapped himself around him and hugged him. He pushed and shoved the other around the narrow room, creasing his costume. Just as Lin Yan was about to start fighting back, Xiao Yu suddenly stopped tugging him around. He pulled him over to the mirror, put his chin on Lin Yan's shoulder and he stared at the person in the reflection. For the first time, his chaotic eyes seemed calm, even holding a quiet sadness.

The mirror surface swayed, like a droplet hitting a calm pool of water, waves rippling away from the center. Standing in the brass mirror was a young man standing with clear eyes, hands resting beside a cloud brocade waistband, and a face exuding pride. Lin Yan backed away in horror. He almost screamed. The person in the mirror wasn't him. Although he had the exact same face, life had done a number on him and he wouldn't be able to make an expression like that anymore.

The scent of agarwood incense in the room was intoxicating. The young man's eyes softened. The tall man in the traditional Chinese clothes adjusted his chin on his shoulder, raising his long eyebrows. His voice was slow and hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time: "I've been waiting for you for so long. . ."

Lin Yan's head snapped back to the mirror. He staggered forwards and leaned against the mirror. The person in front of him had hair as black as paint, and his mottled blood coat didn't match his eyes that seemed so sad and hopeless. . .

I have been waiting for you for a long time.

Lin Yan scrambled out of the dressing room.

"The break is over. Please quiet down and we'll get started with our next activity." The girl in the red jacket skirt read.

Lin Yan sat in the chair in a daze. The bright stage lights and the dark crowd in the audience made him feel like what just happened in the dressing room was a hallucination, and Xiao Yu was no different. Lin Yan looked back at him, panicked. Xiao Yu leaned down and held his trembling hand. On the table were a small whiteboard and a soft black marker. Xiao Yu motioned for him to pick it up and he moved his hand across the whiteboard: I'll help you.

Lin Yan was stunned and wrote out: Do you remember something?

Xiao Yu didn't seem to want to answer. He shook his head and let go of his hand. He still stood behind him holding onto Lin Yan's shoulder for support.

The audience quieted down, and bright white chasing lights hit the mahogany silk box on the centre of the stage. The red jacket skirt girl stepped forward to open the silk box, revealing the glass box within. The audience let out a few exclamations, and Lin Yan's eyes lit up. It was a beautiful moon flask with two handles. The maiden leaned against the tree art, the linework was meticulous, the enamel fully covered the flask, the piece was still intact, and the overall flask was in good condition.

This authentification wasn't difficult for a student studying cultural relics. Lin Yan carefully looked at the glaze texture and enamel of the flask's body. He wrote his answer on the whiteboard after double-checking that it was correct. When the time was up, the host walked past the square table and stopped when he reached the PSP guy, holding up her mic and asking: "You, what's your answer?"

The PSP guy’s whiteboard turned out to be empty. He was leaning on the table and his attention was focused on his game. When the host asked the second time, he raised his head as if he had just woken up. He glanced lazily around and sarcastically twitched the corners of his mouth into a smile. "It's genuine," he spat out. Then he brushed the host off and lowered his head to continue playing the game.

Lin Yan knew this guy was arrogant, but he didn't expect him to act this to everyone. The girl in the red jacket skirt was embarrassed by PSP's attitude. After putting a polite expression back on her face, she nodded and walked to the next student.

"Well. . . There were nine students who got the answer right, might as well switch it up for the last one." The audience let out a good laugh, and the boy three places down from Lin Yan grinned and left the stage. The professor briefly spoke about the flask. Lin Yan cleaned off the whiteboard and waited for the next question. His mind couldn't get over what he saw. He thought that most people wouldn't make a mistake on such a simple question. It seemed that the people on the stage were not as professional as they thought.

Professor File Folder also seemed a little disappointed. He took a sip from his stainless steel cup and turned his attention to the laptop, not knowing what he was looking at.

The brocade box in the center of the stage was swapped with a smaller one. After the mysterious sound effect, the box slowly opened. It was an ancient book. The host motioned everyone to take a closer look. Lin Yan stood in front of the glass box for a while and returned to his seat to write the next answer: "Genuine, the Southern Opera "White Rabbit" published in the Ming Dynasty, unearthed from the tomb of the Xuan family in Jiading."

He had seen this thing in the Shanghai Museum. Lin Yan thought, this lecture is like an antique appreciation meeting. No wonder it attracted so many people. After they all answered the question, another person left the stage amidst the applause and whistle of the audience, leaving another armchair free.

The questions were asked one by one, gradually getting more and more difficult. A fake yet elaborate sunflower gold hairpin inlaid with gemstones stumped three people, and then a bucket-colour fine-grained water chestnut bucket imitation with a "grinding" technique even had Lin Yan hesitate with his answer. After the authenticity of each item was announced, the professor simply added a few points on the piece, which could count as educating the audience on the topic. The seats were vacated one by one. When the eighth object was brought out, there were only two people left on the stage. Lin Yan glanced to the right, and it was the PSP guy who had toughed it out until the end.

He looked careless, but he didn't expect that he understood the field so well. Lin Yan put his cold palms on his face to cool down and took a long breath as he waited for the next question.

The red jacket skirt girl was holding a delicate paper box in her hand. Instead of showing it to the audience first, she walked over to Lin Yan and the PSP guy, signalling them to come forward. She opened the paper box and carefully took out a fan.

The ink on the front of the golden fan wasn't very visible; it wasn't well-preserved. The ribs of the fan were slightly damaged, and there are signs of water damage on the ink-painted mountains. With this kind of condition, it would be difficult to fetch a good price in a private auction if it wasn't made by a famous artist. But when the inscription on the face of the fan was exposed, Lin Yan and the PSP man couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. On the front, a few lines of the unruly inscription were written on the fan: “Wildwater Bridge Road, The Village of Barren Chickens and Fallen Leaves. Returned to Hou Xidu, The Child Sweeps the Firewood Door." What surprised the two of them were the three small characters following the poem: by Tang Yin.

Lin Yan's heart sped up. If this was Tang Yin's authentic work, then the fan in front of him was worth at least 500,000 yuan. Wasn't he afraid of being robbed bringing such a valuable thing to school? Then a clear picture of the fan was shown on the big screen. As expected by Lin Yan, an exclamation sounded from the audience, and even the host's voice was drowned by the buzzing discussion.

Professor File Folder grew impatient and coughed into the loudspeaker to signal the audience to shift their attention back to the event.

Lin Yan carefully looked at the light brown fan in front of him. He couldn't help but take his time with his answer. Tang Yin's paintings were extremely difficult to distinguish in the field of calligraphy and painting. His style of painting changed throughout his pieces, and he rarely indicated the year on the paintings so it was difficult to guess the painting based on its creation year. Therefore, there were countless counterfeiters and imposters on the market. To be honest, judging this kind of work could only be based on the painting style, date and seal inscription. The most important thing is the eye and inspiration of the connoisseur. Being extremely familiar with the author’s style, the first time he saw the work, he could only make a guess. This wasn't just an answer determined by years of study, but it was also just a luck-based gamble.

In the early years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, many collectors relied on this ability to make money at auctions overnight, but it was too difficult for students like Lin Yan who hadn’t even finished school. He frowned and thought carefully. Regardless of the painting style, the date and the handwriting of this fan were almost flawless. Although there was a slight deviation from Tang Yin's other landscape paintings, the vigorous and unrestrained spirit of the brush strokes clearly distinguished this piece.

It should be the original one. . . Lin Yan bit on his pen and hesitated. Halfway through writing out his answer, his wrist was suddenly grabbed. Xiao Yu bent down and studied the fan carefully. His fingers lightly tracing the red seal and he seemed surprised. He shook his head at Lin Yan and crossed off the half-written "true" on the whiteboard with his hand.

"After so long, you still haven't figured it out?" PSP guy leaned over to Lin Yan casually with a disdainful expression. Seeing Lin Yan still holding the pen hesitantly, he couldn't help but sneer, "I thought you were so awesome."

The file folder-like professor was staring at his notebook in a daze. Hearing these words, he couldn't help turn his head around and looked at the two with interest. Lin Yan just focused his attention on the painting instead and had forgotten to be nervous. As soon as he raised his head to meet the professor's gaze, his cheeks became hot again. He couldn't help but cry inside. He originally planned to wait for the end of the event to ask the professor backstage regardless of whoever won the contest. Now he feels like he wouldn't be able to ask him anything if he lost to this guy in this activity.

"Hurry up, hurry up." PSP guy tapped the table with a pen and made some muffled noises. "Just go home already, you aren't qualified for this."

When the professor heard this, he couldn't hide his amusement and turned his face to take a sip of water to cover up his expression.

That was rude. He hadn't finished yet. Lin Yan clenched his fist and asked Xiao Yu as quietly as possible: "Are you sure?" Xiao Yu nodded, his pale fingers stroked his throat, and frowned. After a long time, it seemed that it took a lot of effort to say slowly and hoarsely: ". . . I drew it."

Lin Yan's eyes widened. He looked at Xiao Yu in disbelief, and then at the fan. In ancient times, there was no perfect reprinting technology. Famous paintings and calligraphy were often copied by literati and calligraphers. Some were for practice, some were to give to friends. Some were for selling, and the prices of those high-quality copies were even comparable to the originals. But Xiao Yu's counterfeit actually appeared here. . . Wasn't this too much of a coincidence?

"Dude, if you don't know what it is, stop wasting our time." Seeing Lin Yan's hesitation, the PSP guy shook his head impatiently. He lowered his head and continued to play his game, pressing the buttons with his thumb, clicking them loudly.

Lin Yan was also irritated but by this person's attitude. He took a deep breath and wrote his answer on the whiteboard. The crowd in the audience couldn't wait. The people in the nearby seats pointed at the PowerPoint. Someone nodded gently, seeming to recognize the authenticity of the painting.

The sound effect of a gong sounded, and when the host read out the answers of the two, Lin Yan heard a commotion in the audience and even a disdainful sneer from the corner of the room. However, the PSP guy completely ignored the audience’s reaction and crossed his legs. He glanced at Lin Yan, touched the pimples on his face and raised an eyebrow with a chuckle: "You're right, not bad."

The same answer was written on both whiteboards: fake.

The professor showed an appreciative smile on his face for the first time. After he said the right answer, he grabbed the microphone and explained to the audience: "Tang Yin's fan "Xiqiao Going Back to the River", a work made during the Ming Dynasty Chenghua period. The author is unknown. The two students answered correctly."

There was a sigh from the auditorium. This time, most of the people who had thought they were right about their guess couldn't help pointing at the screen to discuss the flaws in the fan. There was even a school official wearing a black suit in the front row who had turned around and argued fiercely with the guests in the back row.

Author unknown? Lin Yan wasn't focusing on the fan, instead looking back at Xiao Yu. His hands still rested on his shoulder, but he didn't respond to anything Professor File Folder was saying. Instead, he frowned as if immersed in memory. He seemed really lost in thought. Lin Yan looked into Xiao Yu's eyes, no longer as wild as a beast like when he first saw him. Now, his dark eyes were like the surface of the river after sunrise, and the turbid fog was slowly burned away in the sun, revealing a hint of clarity from within the chaos.

"Now that the first nine rounds are over, please give your attention to the last round with these two classmates, which is also the most difficult round today." The red jacket skirt girl raised her voice and signalled to something behind her.

#dig a grave to dig out a ghost #chinese bl #chinese novel #english translation #yaoi #danmei #yaoi novel

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heroineimages · 3 years

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World-Building: Calendar

I’ve been meaning for a long time to sit down and establish a calendar for the primary culture in First Empress. Mostly it’s for my own reference, helping me keep track of season changes and travel times. Though, I’m also thinking about revising it as an appendix to the novel and having Zahnia toss in pithy commentary. Calendar and discussion below the cut. The parenthetical notations of what Julian months each Tollesian month corresponds with are entirely for my reference and will probably be removed on revision. Any feedback is welcome!

Appendix B: the Tollesian Calendar, discussion and analysis by Zahnia, the Chronicler

As most know, the Tollesian year is divided into three-hundred and sixty-two days, the year beginning and ending with the Spring Equinox. Ferra’s Month and Arr’s Month, the first and last months of the year, have thirty-one days. The remaining ten months contain thirty days.

Seasonal effects

Unlike more northern climates, the Vestic and Istartus Seas have relatively mild summers and winters. Their summers are hot and frequently humid and winters rainy and cold, with moderate rainy seasons in between. As well as effective growing seasons, the lack of snow allows for the limited growth of winter-crops, in particular winter-wheat and winter-barley. More pertinent to Tollesian culture is how the four cardinal seasons affect agriculture, travel, and warfare.

Agriculture

By and large, only spring and autumn are thought of as agricultural seasons in Tollesian and other cultures on the Vestic and Istartus Seas. Landowners and their slaves and hired hands tend to plant and work ground during the early- to mid-spring and harvest during the late-summer and early fall. Once the campaign season starts in late spring, the yeoman and aristocrat farmers tend to trade shovels for spears and leave the day-to-day tending of the farm to their kids, slaves, and hirelings. The regular rainfall around the Vestic Sea helps facilitate dryland farming, though a few areas, particularly along the northwestern shores, have imported Kossôn gravity-irrigation techniques to supplement less dependable rainfall.

Additionally, the relatively mild winters with their steady rains and infrequent snows allow farmers on certain parts of the Vestic to plant winter-grains. Since this discovery, these crops have frequently been used to supply armies during the campaign season or supply cities besieged by invaders.

Travel and trade

Though only the northern and more mountainous regions around the Vestic Sea receive an annual snowfall, travel is still severely limited in the wintertime due to constant rains on land and violent storms at sea.

Though cities and townships manage to offset this somewhat with cobbled roadways, rural roadways are nearly untraversable during the rainy season. Occasional efforts have been made to cobble some of the major trade roads, but winter rains tend to cover up their efforts within a few years. While travelers on foot or on horseback can generally traverse the roadways with moderate-to-considerable difficulty, the mud renders wagons completely unusable, reducing overland trade to almost zero.

The regular winter storms and squalls render the seas similarly unusable. In addition to the heavy rain and treacherous waves, the overcast skies significantly compound navigation. Warships, merchantmen, and courier ships, no matter how sturdy, are forced to cling to shorelines for safety, and even then are risking a great deal by setting out. Island city-states, meanwhile, receive virtually no travelers or trade during the winter months.

Warfare

The reliable rainfall and prevalence of slaves and workmen allows yeomen farmers and aristocrat landowners plenty of free time over the summer months to wage war. Leaving their children, workers, and slaves to tend the farms after planting, yeomen and wealthy hoplites don their armor and shields either to plunder their neighbors’ land or defend their own. That the farmlands are most vulnerable to raids from rival city-states influences many farmers to thus take up arms, while the promise of gold, luxuries, slaves, and other spoils encourages others to invade their rivals.

Though skirmishes and raids may continue until well after the harvest season, this is when the bulk of hoplites put up their spears for the winter. Campaigns and sieges must take harvest into account, in terms of travel times and food supplies. Many a besieged city has spent its summer counting the days until the attacking hoplites are forced to return home for the harvest season.

This has been the norm for Tollesian city-states for over seven hundred years, but the increased presence of Gannic, Verleki, and other non-agricultural invaders has necessitated a paradigm shift in military organization. Unhindered by planting and harvest seasons, more and more encroaching barbarians have begun increasing their raids during spring and autumn. And being from northerly climates, the Gan in particular lack the Tollesian reluctance to fight during the cold, rainy winters. These non-seasonal attacks have forced many city-states, particularly along the northern coastlines, to attempt to keep standing armies year round, paying commoners, freed slaves, and disenfranchised yeomen to patrol the trade roads and protect the borders during even the coldest, wettest winter months.

This has in turn slowly created a class of professional soldier in some city-states, with yeomen selling their farms for linothorax and restless nobles using their savings to buy top-line weapons and armor. While many of these fight for the defense of their city-states, many others have taken up as sell-spears, fighting for whoever offers coin. Some military experts argue that with agricultural seasons and farming schedules no longer dictating troop deployment, far-reaching conquests may be in the future for the Tollesian city-states.

Months

The calendar year is divided into twelve months. Most months have thirty days, except Ferra’s and Arr’s months, which have thirty-one. Ferra’s Month is also unique in that every seven years a Leap Day is tacked onto the end. The day is generally celebrated with feasting and libations, and children born on Leap Day are often considered good luck for their city-state, town, or village.

Ferra’s Month (late March–late April)

Named for the goddess of rebirth, medicine, and fertility, the first month of the calendar year begins on the Spring Equinox. Around the Vestic Sea, Ferra’s month is mostly rainy, but the first two weeks also see the final tapering off of the winter storms that make sea travel on the Vestic basically suicidal for nearly four months of the year. Early crops are typically planted by the Feast of Ferra on the 20th, and planting and irrigation season is usually in full swing by the end of the month.

Suvie’s Month (late April–late May)

Suvie’s Month is the second month in the calendar year and is named for the hermaphrodite deity of the forest and wilderness. The last of the summer crops are typically planted by the end of the first week. The Tollesian campaign season generally begins by the second and third week, the yeoman hoplites having finished their planting and the seas generally safe enough to transport soldiers. The second week is considered the beginning of the ‘Dry Season’ on the Vestic’s northwestern islands and rim, as rainfall tends to basically shut off until autumn. Most of the rest of the islands and surrounding mainland continue to get sporadic showers throughout the summer, however. Feast day is on the 16th.

Zupor’s Month (late May–late June)

Named for the Tolleisan god of war and slaughter, the Tolleisan campaign season is typically in full swing by Zupor’s Month. As such, the month tends to see more warfare and bloodshed than any other month of the year. Additionally, the previous year’s winter crops are close to ready to harvest, often providing a plentiful food source for besieged cities or for raiding and besieging armies. Zupor’s month ends on the Summer Solstice. Zupor’s feast day is on the 8th.

Nyrus’s Month (late June–late July)

Named for the patron god of the Vestic, Istartus, and Tornis Seas, the Month of Nyrus begins upon the Summer Solstice, which is also the Feast of Nyrus. Many island city-states maintain a tradition of blessing ships built during the springtime during the first week of the month. Summer raids, skirmishes, and sieges are still ongoing. Most winter crops not stolen or destroyed are harvested during the second and third week of the month.

Avilee’s Month (late July–late August)

Named for the goddess of protection, fallen soldiers, and bereft families, Avilee’s month marks the winding-down of the campaign season and the start of the harvest season. Most armies are withdrawn from enemy territory and disbanded to allow the farmers in the army time to return home for the harvest. Avilee’s Feast Day on the 28th is a feast of mourning, commemorating the soldiers and civilians killed or missing during the campaign season.

Cibades’s Month (late August–late September)

Dedicated to the god of agriculture, farmers, planting, and the harvest, Cibades’s Month is when the bulk of the harvest is conducted. By this time, raiding, skirmishing, and all but the most belligerent of sieges have been called off to allow the yeomen farmers who make up the bulk of hoplites to return to their fields. The Feast of Cibades is technically on eve of the Autumn Equinox on the 30th, but many city-states put it off until the last of the harvest is hauled in over the next few weeks.

Andiva’s Month (late September–late October)

The month of the goddess of order and justice begins on the Autumn Equinox and marks the end of the harvest and transition to winter. Though post-harvest raids and skirmishes between belligerent city-states aren’t uncommon, there isn’t a dedicated season, and most blockades are kept short and sieges are almost nonexistent. Regions able to support winter crops tend to plant them around this time. Andiva’s Feast Day is the 16th.

Kralor’s Month (late October–late November)

God of knowledge, science, and art, as well as father of the Muses, Kralor’s month marks the beginning of the winter season. The regular rainstorms on land and sea compound both aquatic and overland travel. Though rural villages and townships continue to send out hunters to supplement their winter supplies, most city-states rely primarily on their harvest food-stores to get through the winter. Trade tapers to almost nothing, and few battles or skirmishes occur. The Feast of Kralor is on the 18th.

Orova’s Month (late November–late December)

As goddess of darkness and shadows, it’s fitting that Orova’s month is the darkest of the year. All of the Vestic Sea remains mostly overcast and rainy while frequent storms wrack the waves and coastlines. The mountains around the Vestic and islands with high enough elevations receive most of their snow during this time. Orova’s Feast is on the 30th, during the Winter Solstice when the Tollesian world is darkest.

Vepu’s Month (late December–late January)

God of the afterlife and the Underworld, Vepu’s month begins following the Winter Solstice. As with Orova’s month, the Vestic Sea remains mostly overcast with frequent rains and storms. Higher elevations continue to receive more snow. The Feast of Vepu is on the 24th.

Thanusa’s Month (late January–late February)

Mother of the gods and patron of death and rebirth, Thanusa’s month is marked by a gradual warming in the Vestic’s climate. Storms become noticeably less violent, and the higher elevations may experience cold rains that lead to early melt-offs. Thanusa’s feast is on the 10th.

Arr’s Month (late February–late March)

Father of the gods and patron of fate and destiny, Arr’s month is the last in the Tollesian calendar. Marked by warmer rains and less-frequent storms, Arr’s month ushers in the coming year and rebirth of spring. His feast on the 31st is a celebration of the Spring Equinox and well as the possibilities of the new year.

#my writing #my novel #First Empress #world building #discussion #calendar

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davidmann95 · 4 years

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Superman’s 10 Best of the ‘10s

Good Miracle Monday, folks! The first third Monday of May of a new decade for that matter, and while that means that today in the DC Universe Superman just revealed his secret identity to the world on the latest anniversary of that time he defeated the devil, in ours it puts a capstone on a solid 10 years of his adventures now in the rear view mirror, ripe for reevaluation. And given there’s a nice solid ‘10′ right there I’ll go ahead with the obvious and list my own top ten for Superman comics of the past decade, with links in the titles to those I’ve spoken on in depth before - maybe you’ll find something you overlooked, or at least be reminded of good times.

A plethora of honorable mentions: I’m disqualifying team-ups or analogue character stories, but no list of the great Superman material of the last decade would be complete without bringing up Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #7, Avengers 34.1, Irredeemable, Sideways Annual #1, Supreme: Blue Rose, Justice League: Sixth Dimension, usage of him in Wonder Twins, (somewhat in spite of itself) Superior, from all I’ve heard New Super-Man, DCeased #5, and Batman: Super Friends. And while they couldn’t quite squeeze in, all due praise to the largely entertaining Superman: Unchained, the decades’ great Luthor epic in Superman: The Black Ring, a brilliant accompaniment to Scott Snyder’s work with Lex in Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain, the bonkers joy of the Superman/Luthor feature in Walmart’s Crisis On Infinite Earths tie-in comics, Geoff Johns and John Romita’s last-minute win in their Superman run with their final story 24 Hours, Tom Taylor’s quiet criticism of the very premise he was working with on Injustice and bitter reflection on the changing tides for the character in The Man of Yesterday, the decades’ most consistent Superman ongoing in Bryan Miller and company’s Smallville Season 11, and Superman: American Alien, which probably would have made the top ten but has been dropped like a hot potato by one and all for Reasons. In addition are several stories from Adventures of Superman, a book with enough winners to merit a class of its own: Rob Williams and Chris Weston’s thoughtful Savior, Kyle Killen and Pia Guerra’s haunting The Way These Things Begin, Marc Guggenheim and Joe Bennett’s heart-wrenching Tears For Krypton, Christos Gage and Eduardo Francisco’s melancholy Flowers For Bizarro, Josh Elder and Victor Ibanez’s deeply sappy but deeply effective Dear Superman, Ron Marz and Doc Shaner’s crowdpleasing Only Child, and Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro’s super-sweet Mystery Box.

10. Greg Pak/Aaron Kuder’s Action Comics

Oh, what might’ve been. In spite of an all-timer creative team I can’t justify listing this run any higher given how profoundly and comprehensively compromised it is, from the status quo it was working with to the litany of ill-conceived crossovers to regular filler artists to its ignominious non-ending. But with the most visceral, dynamic, and truly humane take on Clark Kent perhaps of all time that still lives up to all Superman entails, and an indisputably iconic instant-classic moment to its name, I can’t justify excluding it either.

9. Action Comics #1000

Arguably the climax to the decade for the character as his original title became the first superhero comic to reach a 1000th issue. While any anthology of this sort is a crapshoot by nature, everyone involved here seemed to understand the enormity of the occasion and stepped up as best they could; while the lack of a Lois Lane story is indefensible, some are inevitably bland, and one or two are more than a bit bizarre, by and large this was a thoroughly charming tribute to the character and his history with a handful of legitimate all-timer short stories.

8. Faster Than A Bullet

Much as Adventures of Superman was rightfully considered an oasis amidst the New 52′s worst excesses post-Morrison and in part pre-Pak, few stories from it seem well-remembered now, and even at the time this third issue inexplicably seemed to draw little attention. Regardless, Matt Kindt and Stephen Segovia’s depiction of an hour in the life of Superman as he saves four planets first thing in the morning without anyone noticing - while clumsy in its efforts at paralleling the main events with a literal subplot of a conversation between Lois and Lex - is one of the best takes I can recall on the scope on which he operates, and ultimately the purpose of Clark Kent.

7. Man and Superman

Seemingly geared on every front against me, built as it was on several ideas of how to handle Superman’s origin I legitimately hate, and by a writer whose work over the years has rarely been to my liking, Marv Wolfman and Claudio Castellini’s Man and Superman somehow came out of nowhere to be one of my favorite takes on Clark Kent’s early days. With a Metropolis and characters within it that feel not only alive but lived-in, it’s shocking that a story written and drawn over ten years before it was actually published prefigured so many future approaches to its subject, and felt so of-the-moment in its depiction of a 20-something scrambling to figure out how to squeeze into his niche in the world when it actually reached stores.

6. Brian Bendis’s run

Controversial in the extreme, and indeed heir to several of Brian Bendis’s longstanding weaknesses as a writer, his work on The Man of Steel, Superman, and Action Comics has nevertheless been defined at least as much by its ambition and intuitive grasp of its lead, as well as fistfuls of some of the best artistic accompaniment in the industry. At turns bombastic space action, disaster flick, spy-fi, oddball crime serial, and family drama, its assorted diversions and legitimate attempts at shaking up the formula - or driving it into new territory altogether, as in the latest, apparently more longterm-minded unmasking of Clark Kent in Truth - have remained anchored and made palatable by an understanding of Superman’s voice, insecurities, and convictions that go virtually unmatched.

5. Strange Visitor

The boldest, most out-of-left-field Superman comic of the past 10 years, Joe Keatinge took the logline of Adventures of Superman to do whatever creators wanted with the character and, rather than getting back to a classic take absent from the mainline titles at the time as most others did, used the opportunity for a wildly expansive exploration of the hero from his second year in action to his far-distant final adventure. Alongside a murderer’s row of artists, Keatinge pulled off one of the few comics purely about how great Superman is that rather than falling prey to hollow self-indulgence actually managed to capture the wonder of its subject.

4. Superman: Up In The Sky

And here’s the other big “Superman’s just the best” comic the decade had to offer that actually pulled it off. Sadly if reasonably best-known for its one true misfire of a chapter, with the increasing antipathy towards Tom King among fans in general likely not helping, what ended up overlooked is that this is a stone-cold classic on moment of arrival. Andy Kubert turns in work that stands alongside the best of his career, Tom King’s style is honed to its cleanest edge by the 12-pager format and subject matter, and the quest they set their lead out on ends up a perfect vehicle to explore Superman’s drive to save others from a multitude of angles. I don’t know what its reputation will end up being in the long-term - I was struck how prosaic and subdued the back cover description was when I got this in hardcover, without any of the fanfare or critic quotes you’d expect from the writer of Mister Miracle and Vision tackling Superman - but while its one big problem prevents me from ranking it higher, this is going to remain an all-timer for me.

3. Jeff Loveness’s stories Help and Glasses

Cheating shamelessly here, but Jeff Loveness’s Help with David Williams and Glasses with Tom Grummett are absolutely two halves of the same coin, a pair of theses on Superman’s enduring relevance as a figure of hope and the core of Lois and Clark’s relationship that end up covering both sides of Superman the icon and Superman the guy. While basically illustrated essays, any sense of detached lecturing is utterly forbidden by the raw emotion on display here that instantly made them some of the most acclaimed Superman stories of the last several years; they’re basically guaranteed to remain in ‘best-of’ collections from now until the end of time.

2. Superman Smashes The Klan

A bitter race for the top spot, but #2 is no shame here; while not quite my favorite Superman story of the past ten years, it’s probably the most perfectly executed. While I don’t think anyone could have quite expected just *how* relevant this would be at the top of the decade, Gene Yang and Gurihiru put together an adventure in the best tradition of the Fleischer shorts and the occasional bystander-centered episodes of Batman: The Animated Series to explore racism’s both overt and subtle infections of society’s norms and institutions, the immigrant experience, and both of its leads’ senses of alienation and justice. Exciting, stirring, and insightful, it’s debuted to largely universal acknowledgement as being the best Superman story in years, and hopefully it’ll be continued to be marketed as such long-term.

1. Grant Morrison’s Action Comics

When it came time to make the hard choice, it came in no small part down to that I don’t think we would have ever seen a major Golden Age Superman revival project like Smashes The Klan in the first place if not for this. Even hampering by that godawful Jim Lee armor, inconsistent (if still generally very good) art, and a fandom that largely misunderstood it on arrival can’t detract from that this is Grant Morrison’s run on a Superman ongoing, a journey through Superman’s development as a character reframed as a coherent arc that takes him from Metropolis’s most beaten-down neighborhoods to the edge of the fifth dimension and the monstrous outermost limits of ‘Superman’ as a concept. It launched discussions of Superman as a corporate icon and his place relative to authority structures that have never entirely vanished, introduced multiple all-time great new villains, and made ‘t-shirt Superman’ a distinct era and mode of operation for the character that I’m skeptical will ever entirely go away. No other work on the character this decade had the bombast, scope, complexity, or ambition of this run, with few able to match its charm or heart. And once again, it was, cannot stress this enough, Grant Morrison on an ongoing Superman book.

#Superman #Miracle Monday #Opinion

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