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dj-of-the-coven · 7 months ago

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How to Burn Your Own CDs - a guide for Windows users

Are you--yes, you!--tired of paying money to stupid shit like spotify for your music? Do you hate the way that the music industry takes almost all the profit that bands make through streaming and leaves them with pennies? Have you ever wanted to fire up that old CD-Radio in the corner of your bedroom, only to be stopped because all you have on CD is Weezer's blue album and a copy of Kidz Bop 16 that you don't remember buying? Well this guide just might be for you!

Materials you'll need:

A computer. Can't do it without this one.

A CD drive. It can be internal or external, but you'll need one either way. You can find them at Office Depot for fairly cheap and I've heard that some Walmarts carry them.

A pack of CD-Rs. CD-Rs, or CD Recordables, come in packs of 20, 50, or 100. A proper 100-pack should cost you no more than $30, so unless there's some special shortage in your area, don't buy from anywhere selling them at a markup. CD blanks are literally 50c a piece.

CD cases. Sold wherever CD-Rs are, but you can also find these at thrift stores pretty easily.

A sharpie or some kind of permanent marker

Software you'll need:

Jdownloader. You can acquire mp3s through Bandcamp if you're dedicated to righteousness, but for everyone else, install jdownloader or some other kind of open-source download program. I will be proceeding as if you have jdownloader available.

Windows media player. This should open automatically when you insert a CD-R into your CD drive.

Fre:ac audio converter. This is only for the occasion that you encounter OPUS or mp4a files that cannot be interpreted by your CD player.

Note: If you're very determined not to download software onto your computer, you can use free youtube downloaders and audio converters, but these are subject to viruses and other issues such as download speed. I will be proceeding as if you have the programs I listed.

The process:

Decide what you want to burn--anything goes, but keep in mind the time limit on your CD-Rs. Most will record 90 minutes or less.

Open jdownloader, switch to the linkgrabber tab, then paste youtube links in any order until you have all the music you want. I'd personally recommend doing it song-by-song instead of a full album stream, because a massive file will require a lot of work to separate back into searchable tracks.

De-select all files except audio on the right-hand side options menu.

Make a folder inside the music folder of your laptop and label it with the name of your mix CD.

In the properties tab of each song on jdownloader, change the destination folder to the folder you've just created.

Hit "start all downloads".

Once finished, open each folder. If everything is an .mp3 or a .wav, skip the next 2 steps.

Open Fre:ac audio converter to convert all audio files that aren't .mp3 or .wav into .mp3 or .wav.

Drop the converted files next to the unconverted files in your folder. If you wish, you can delete the originals to make the folder easier to browse.

Put your blank CD-R into the CD drive. If external, plug in your CD drive first or the tray will refuse to open.

Windows media player will open automatically. On the right-hand side, you will see the tracklist of your CD-R (which should be blank). On the left, you will see the audio that your computer is able to find in the music folder. Put your selected tracks IN ORDER onto the tracklist.

Listen to the beginning and ending of each track to make sure there isn't a significant time gap. This also prevents accidentally burning a youtuber's stupid outro if you missed it before.

When satisfied, hit "start burn".

On an external drive, the CD tray will open upon completion. You can reinsert it to ensure that the burning went smoothly.

Once satisfied, remove the CD from your drive. With your sharpie or permanent marker, write the name of the album on the front, then store safely inside a CD case.

you did it👍

Ask me if you run into any issues.

Legal disclaimer: this guide is purely for educational purposes and I do not admit to or take responsibility for any piracy committed using the instructions given.

Illegal disclaimer: cops suck my dick

#diy #diy or die #cds #old tech #cd burning #how to

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catboybiologist · 1 year ago

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Oh hey since I mentioned sci hub again

I'd love to hear people's stories about small things that radicalized them in benign ways. I'll start.

I was already pretty leftist at this point, but being associated with academia so long means I've gotten free access to a variety of scientific journals, software, and more for... Basically my entire adult life. On campus, all of those systems have automatic logins. But off campus, usually there's janky, half-functional systems associated with actually inputting your credentials into these sites. Scientific journals especially are really and at tracking logins, and oftentimes have to link back to your uni's generic login page, which they're bad at pinging. Software installation usually requires

So instead of using services that the university had already paid for, for me to freely use, like adobe, journal logins, and Microsoft products, I started using free equivalents. Sci hub, gimp, libre office, Ubuntu... Not because I was invested in open source and free access mentalities at the time, but because they were literally quicker and simpler to use.

And then I started thinking about all of the little bits of tech infrastructure I was using to access my "free" stuff.

Someone coded those systems.

Some tiny portion of a server is devoted to handling those pings an login requests.

Someone spent hours upon days of work moving office 365 and adobe from actual pieces of software that fully live on your computer into stripped down versions of themselves that now have to verify

Someone made the payment system for Nature.

So. Much. Wasted. Labor. Just to block people from already existing services. That have alternatives. That are as good. For free. And they can be free largely because they don't have all of the bullshit associated with locking them down and keeping them proprietary.

Tech and science are of course what I have the most experience in, but I feel like once you start realizing that in one sector, you start seeing it everywhere.

Anyways this is a barely focused unmedicated ADHD ramble but I'd love to hear other examples

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rasberrybabez · 22 hours ago

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let’s get some love for Kyle mf Garrick ༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

⛧°. ⋆༺as always mdni~18+༻⋆. °⛧

like realistically, in my head, if you met any of the 141 irl, Kyle (in my humble opinion) is OBJECTIVELY the greenest flag of the bunch.

now I love all of the men, but I am also a writer who knows how unhinged they can be. And I’m saying that Kyle/Gaz could too, probably is too actually but not in the way you would automatically know. So I raise you:

🗝️⋆｡𖦹°‧★Bf!Kyle:

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

You and Kyle met on a dating app, cliche I know.

But it wasn’t intentional. Your profile was more of a gag one, set up on a drunken night with too many mimosas and too many friends telling you that maybe, you just need a man.

Your bio was short, sweet, with a little bit too many spelling errors for most guys to swipe right on. The picture? You on a beach, this one had won the most votes from your friend. Cute little hearts here and there, just your age and name. Nothing special.

What you didn’t expect, however, is for the absolute 10/10 that is Kyle Garrick to message you on some random Friday night.

Hey, saw your profile sweetheart… drinks tomorrow at 8:00? I can pick you up. ;)

And from then on, you were Kyle’s. Whether you knew it or not at the time, you were his. From the second he ended up at your doorstep and you stepped out in that little red dress? All dolled up for him?

That was it.

Drinks went smoothly, and you talked about a lot, especially for a first date. One date of overhearing turned into two, two dates into three and a kiss, four into the most mind blowing sex you’ve ever had.

Sure, he could have just left it at that, moved along at whatever pace felt right at the moment. But no, Kyle Garrick is a gentlemen. Showed up to your house to whisk you away to the beach, roses in the sand with the sunset overhanging it all.

Will you be my girlfriend, sweetheart? I promise I’ll make you so happy…

And that was that.

You moved into his flat after a couple of months, Kyle arguing that he needed to know that you were safe during his deployments. What was once a bachelor’s pad was now furnished with flowers and a feminine touch, new paintings of poppy fields and beach waves crowding the hall.

You’d lost count of how many dates you two had been on, the memories overwhelming and pure. Lego in the living room, baking on the kitchen, out at a restaurant or on the beach, always together.

You had your fair share of fights, of course. All couples do… but Kyle made sure he was always the first to apologize.

Because at the end of the day, he’d rather lay down his pride for the love of his life than return the shiny ring tucked away in the back of his drawers.

🗝️⋆｡𖦹°‧★Unhinged!Kyle:

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Kyle Garrick is a force to be reckoned with, on duty and off of it.

You never meant to fall in love, and you definitely shouldn’t have, either. Because a man who confidently starts to show up everywhere you go is never there for a good reason.

Kyle had been tracking you ever since a mission hit a little bit too close to home. A staged robbery gone wrong, originally set up by a much larger crew to cover up the fact that they were looking for government files. You, the soft spoken bank teller, were one of the lucky ones.

Your boyfriend wasn’t.

But then again, Kyle never thought he was good enough anyways. And what would have happened if he had survived, and Kyle walked onto the scene and hadn’t seen you sitting on the curb, puffy eyed and crying?

Sweet, sweet thing you were… he doubted you’d ever remember him, just the man in a cap and glasses, staring a little bit too close.

Since then, he couldn’t get you out of his mind. Ended up looking back on the case files to find your IDs, and may have down a little bit of digging. What was government issued software used for if not dedication and devotion to a woman Kyle was sure could be his?

Day by day for months, he tracked you. Watched you, memorized your schedule. Showed up at the coffee shop Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays because those were the days that you frequented.

He dropped off roses every other Sunday and Saturday, at different times so that you wouldn’t catch him. The man could pick a lock too, and if he used that skill to creep inside your house and find out what groceries you needed… no harm no foul, right?

And when he finally worked up the courage to ask you out, you don’t know why you said yes. It had only been a few months since your boyfriend’s death, but Kyle just seemed so… kind. So familiar. It was easy with him, he seemed to know you inside and out already, knew everything you’d ever need.

You shouldn’t have been surprised that when he took you to bed, he knew everything there too. Like he had been waiting for this moment.

Because a part of you knew he had. You had seen him, caught glimpses of the tall, brooding man that was everywhere you were, like he didn’t exist if not in your presence. The way that any man that threatened you had wound up tossed up somewhere, Prison or an early grave… cases usually covered by the British SAS.

Maybe you just had bad luck, criminals and scum making their way into your life. The darker parts of society creeping in.

Or maybe, you already had your own dark angel that refused to share.

🗝️⋆｡𖦹°‧★Jealous!Kyle:

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Kyle Garrick does not share his pretty things.

And definitely not you.

Because at the end of the day, it’s your hand that holds his as you walk down the street, fingers linked and swinging as you laugh, and all he can do is watch. Sure, your lips are moving and yeah, he probably should be paying more attention to what you’re saying, and not just the way your cheeks flush in the evening chill.

But who can blame a man for doting on his spoiled little dove? You wanted salmon tonight, with thyme and lemon and crispy skin, specifically. Now Kyle may love you, but he sure as hell isn’t any special chef.

So your favorite restaurant will have to do.

It’s bustling and crowded on a Friday night, wide ceilings and white brick walls that glow with the soft whiskey colored lights hanging low over tables. Men and women on dates, a group of young lads by the bar.

Even the sight of another man who has the privilege of seeing you sets his heckles arise.

Nonetheless, you convince him to sit down, frowning as you recognize the telltale sign of his notorious jealousy. It’s better on other days, where you’re not dressed up in some skimpy little skirt for all the world to see in a crowded place with men already eying you up.

You huff, brows pinching at his tensed shoulders. He relaxes, reluctantly.

The night goes relatively well, and you squeaky with soft happiness at the sight of your salmon. All Kyle can do is watch you with a wide smile, hands constantly on you. Thighs, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, whatever. He just needs to feel your skin.

It’s a nice date night, up until you’re about three-quarters of the way done with your meal. Kyle reminders, because that’s always when you offer him a bite.

It’s just when he reaches for the fork, as the voices approaching the two of you start to get louder, louder than most of the busy restaurant, in fact, which had filled out completely with your time there.

Kyle looks up to see a group of drunk men, presumably the ones from the bar earlier, moving towards your table. They have to be drunk, he thinks, because no sober person would walk up to a table with a couple clearly in a date, with a man who clearly looks like he wants to kill them.

And the words that come out of their mouth only spurs him on.

“A’ lass who ain’t afraid ‘da get a lil messy, eh? Wanna put it to ‘ta test wit me an ma mates, eh?”

The man’s words re slurred as he leans over the table, a few of his friends chuckling and patting his back. They lean uncomfortably close into your space, leaving you wide eyed and red cheeked, scooting closer into Kyle with a squeak. Kyle’s jaw ticks as the grip on his steak knife tightens, and he squeezes your thigh whilst tugging you to his side.

His response is immediate.

“She’s already got somethin’ to test it on, and it’s my dick, so no thanks. Oh, and if you want to lose yours, feel free to keep talking.”

The man’s face falls a little, and he grunts to turn to him. His mates, previously jeering and supportive, now go quiet. Some looks round nervously, one proceeds to back away.

The man grunts, looking Kyle up and down. Broad chest and tall form, even when sitting, hugging you close and protectively to his side. He leans back against the booth of the table in a way that feigns nonchalance, but the tick of his jaw and his grip on his steak knife say otherwise.

“…tha’ right, tough guy? Or do ya’ dove just need a real man ta’-”

Kyle is out of his seat before the man can even finish, the tables surrounding the two of you wide eyed and shocked. A woman even brings her phone out.

Kyle slams the man into the wall next to the booth, his powerful form much taller and larger up close. The man’s eyes go wide, bloodshot, threatening to pop out of his head.

Kyle just chuckles.

“I assure you, my dove is just fine. In fact, she’d be better if you can go and wanker off somewhere else, or preferably rid the world of the waste of oxygen that your mother put in it.”

He leans in closer, a few of the staff members calling out, running over to see what the fuss is.

“Yeah? Because I’d hate for something bad to happen to a guy like you. But if it would make my dove feel better…”

The man cries out as Kyle is pulled off of him, just for him to land a left hook to his face. He goes down with a wail, blood spurting from his nose and bruising appearing around his eyes.

You sit, slack jawed and wide eyes in the booth, a little bit shaken up from what just happened. You should be used to it by now, Kyle’s done much more to a guy for much less.

But he pulls away from the waiters, jaw still ticking with jealousy as the manager demands the men leave. But all it takes are a few whispers and a couple of bills, and Kyle is back beside you in the booth. The man he attacked is dragged out, drunken ass still blubbering on and on, not that Kyle cares.

Because at the end of the day, it’s the smile that you try to hide Heaney your scolding look, and the kiss he can plant to your head despite some bloody knuckles.

🗝️⋆｡𖦹°‧★Fussy!Reader x Fussy!Kyle:

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

They were all out of your favorite sushi.

It was annoying, because you and Kyle both knew that you only like one type. The salmon platter, but nothing spicy. You could never handle it as well as Kyle could.

Today was definitely not your day.

You started off every morning with the same, solid and strict routine, because that’s how you liked it. Alarm set for 7:30, so that you were up in time to take out your heartless curls. Skincare with Kyle, always, sometimes even doing eachothers. Only because Kyle was the only person who knew exactly how to do it right. It’s what he did every morning to.

But today, your alarm has gone off late. In the hurry through your bathroom cabinets, you had dropped your bottle of serum on the ground and it shattered. Kyle had to pull you back from tears, especially when you had stepped on the glass and cut your toe.

Breakfast couldn’t happen like normal either.

Your toast had burnt, your eggs were expired, and your milk had also curdled away in the fridge. A busy week was to blame with your lack of ingredients, which is how you had dragged Kyle to the store for food and groceries, only for him to find you with tears in your eyes, standing over the sushi counter.

You whine softly as he sighs and walks over, pulling you close to rub your back.

“oh lovey…”

he whispers, because he knows how important your schedule is. You can’t function without a few specific things, because you only liked a few specific things, and Kyle knows that best of all.

He presses a firm kiss to your temple, sighing softly and tubbing your back.

“Wait here, I’ll be back.”

And Kyle Garrick is not the type of man to let the woman he loves have a bad day just because things go wrong. So he picks up his basket filled about halfway full of groceries, and walks over to the meats counter. Grabs the attention of the butcher, asks if there’s anything in the back he can look at, the sushi

It takes a few wads of cash, but Kyle walks back with his head held high, salmon sushi platter in his hand, putting it in your barren basket.

“See lovey? Nothin’ to worry about… got it just the way ya’ like.”

Because Kyle knew best of all how you liked your day to go, because that’s how he liked his to. Fussy or not, he’d do anything to keep those pretty tears away.

🗝️⋆｡𖦹°‧★Sick!Reader x Kyle:

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

You never liked being sick, and you hated admitting it even more.

But Kyle could always tell.

Your coughs and sneezes had gotten worse throughout the day, and you seemed more disgruntled than usual. Snappy and whiny, and tired. So, so tired.

All it took was the back of his hand on your forehead for him to know, your feverish skin practically burning him. He clicks his tongue and pulls you close, rubbing your back.

“Sweetheart…”

He whispers, ushering you off to bed against your will. Strips you down and controls himself at the sight of your soft body, tucks you into bed and forces a glass of water to your lips. You argue with him, of course, but take the medicine he passes you anyways.

Because it’s hard to keep up your independence when your no duh can’t even keep itself working. You’re constantly burning up, and your head has been pounding all day.

But you have a report due by Monday, and you really need to finish it. Your cold doesn’t care.

Kyle keeps you tucked into bed, fussing over you like some mother duck. Suddenly he has no mind about his gaming or the fact that he was supposed to visit Price’s later on today, and in a few quick calls he’s cleared both of your schedules for the next five days.

You try to protest, but he silences you with soup and tissues and water, leaving your side for five minutes max. Gets you in a cold shower when your fever spikes, holds you up and washes your body, massage a your sore muscles.

Let’s you lay right back down and use him as your own huge, muscular, lumpy hot water bottle. He doesn’t mind, though.

And when you as him why he’s doing it, being so thorough when he could have just gave you some meds and left? He just smiles.

“Practicing for when you’re pregnant, love… first trimester will be a bitch.”

🗝️⋆｡𖦹°‧★Hybrid!Reader x Kyle:

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

All you’d ever known before Kyle Garrick entered your life was steel bar and carbon fiber cages.

Testing until your fluffy white dog ears were marred with blood, and your tail was no better. The testing lab that you had grown up on was no different to hundreds of hybrid labs around the country, all mutating and messing with human and animal genes to create a new species.

Hybrids.

Some were more horrific than others, messed up in a way that you didn’t want to look at. You got it good compared to others, just an extra pair of fluffy white ears and a matching bushy tail. But you were scared out of your mind half the time, for a good reason.

Until Kyle.

He came along with the rest of the team, stormed the illegal lab you were being tested under. And from the minute you tumbled out of your cage and into his arms, he was the human you had imprinted on.

It started off small. Following him around base, never leaving his side like the skitter little shadow you were. Took your lunch right by his side, lived in the spare room of his quarters.

The non that you two had was natural, easy, instinctual. The way you two drifted towards eachother, the way Kyle welcomed you with open arms and a constant reassurance.

You’re safe, sweetheart.

You started wearing his clothes, since you had none of your own. During thunderstorms, he would keep you company on the couch, didn’t want to overwhelm you and force you into bed. But he never opposed it when you chose to.

Kyle couldn’t deny what he felt for you. The skittish, malnourished, jumpy little thing that deserved just as much love and affection as anyone else. It made swell with hope at the way you trusted him so easily, bared yourself open to him with wide, trusting eyes. He could never hurt you, not when you look at him like that. Like he hung the fucking stars in the sky.

So when you let him in like you have no other man? Let him lay you down on his bed and turn sex into a worship at your altar?

He’s never been happier. He wants to make it up to you, all the abuse that you’ve faced, whispering praises as he rocks into you, never hard. Not unless you want it. He treats you like a porcelain doll that he knows is strong, but shouldn’t need to handle her cracks by herself.

That’s what he’s here for, sweetheart.

｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡

Also-thanks to Expired-Goth-Juice for some tips and ideas! Looking forward to some more help in the future lol ‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🍒 ⋅ ˚✮

#I hope you guys know what post/creator this is targeted to #I’m not a big creator so my word doesn’t carry as much weight #But in my opinion I don’t like the way the creator responded to being called out on it #And ik I haven’t written much about Kyle either so I too am slightly guilty #But I admit my faults and I want to release a new fic with him #So yeah I love Kyle Garrick and you should too 🫵#Kyle “Gaz” Garrick #Sargent Kyle “Gaz” Garrick #Sargent Kyle Garrick #Gaz #cod #Kyle Garrick COD #Gaz COD #kyle gaz garrick #gaz garrick #gaz call of duty #cod mw2 #Kyle Garrick x fem!reader

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grison-in-space · 6 months ago

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Hey hey! Wyrd told me you trained your dog to help with executive dysfunction stickyness/ repetitive action and I would LOVE to know how you trained this. I am training my pet to do a few in-home things before I get my prospect in hopefully this year

Oh, hi! There's a longer post about this topic elsewhere in my Matilda tag you might want to check out.

A lot of my training approach is informed by the experimenting I did with alarms that interact with other senses besides acoustics during COVID. I got completely nonresponsive to phone alarms and things, and I was under a truly catastrophic amount of stress related to my PhD at the time, so my general functioning wasn't great and I really NEEDED external cues to trigger basic daily tasks. Unfortunately I have a pretty impressive ability to hyperfocus right past obnoxious alarms, and worse, I am very very good at absently turning alarms off or mimicking paying attention without actually pulling my focus away from the subject of my attention. You get a 5-30sec buffer of retained information for the purposes of holding up a conversation which I am continuously dumping. I am not necessarily doing it consciously, but that doesn't make it not frustrating. Especially because if a human does get my attention, many years of RSD tends to set me at hyper defensive right out of the gate. That's not ideal for a bunch of reasons.

Anyway, I found that vibration or tactile stimuli, as well as visual stimuli (I rigged a disco lamp to turn on at hourly intervals in a desperate attempt to track the passage of time), worked quite well to capture my attention and let me step out of hyperfocus enough to do the next thing. I figured eventually I would have to see humans in their meat suits again and people get weird about shit like this, so I needed something relatively discreet and quiet that shouldn't be disruptive to anyone else. I started thinking about building myself aids.

So the first idea I had was to just program a series of alarms into a smartwatch that could automatically attach them to alerts from my gcal, but it turns out that they don't have an api function that hooks up to stuff like "make watch buzz" and I ran out of bandwidth to deal with it. It eventually just seemed easier to train an entire dog to respond to a quiet alarm than to fight with the hardware and software to make a really good buzzwatch. I use a couple of different alarm ring tones to cue different actions just as you might train any dog to a word: this one means we go to the bedroom, that one means that if you take meds I get candy, and so forth. The actual sound of the alarm is a cue in its own right. I have some discussion in that other post about how I encouraged my dog to essentially play a game with me where she had to figure out how to get my attention without hurting (aka NO SCREAMING WITH YOUR VERY LOUD HIGH PITCHED BARK). Essentially, I'm shaping that out of whatever behaviors she offers me that successfully catch my attention, defined operationally to her as "standing up + sustained eye contact."

In terms of catching me when I'm tending to get stuck on something or stationary without moving, that one is less "Yes I and my dog are amazing and I've trained her to read my mind" and more "I don't make eye contact when I'm dissociating and I almost always am staring into my phone." So if Matilda catches me drifting across the kitchen glued to phone, she knows that if she rockets up and nudges me into paying attention to my body, she'll get a reward. Consequentially, she's a bit enthusiastic about this one and will sometimes ram passersby with her nose, so definitely figure out your failure modes before you teach the dogs anything.

#matilda #australian cattle dog #2 years

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molsno · 9 months ago

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one response I've seen to discussions of privacy settings on the devices and apps we use is "don't complain when these free services are worse because you disabled settings used to improve your experience", and I find the very premise of that argument flawed. my problem is not that these apps collect my data. because yes, data collection can actually be hugely beneficial, as it enables services to be more personalized for your specific needs.

my problem is with the way that my data is used. as it stands, I have to assume that any and all data collected about me is going to be transmitted to a company's servers and used to show me more targeted ads. and that's the best case scenario. I actually have no idea what else they could be using it for, as even with regulations in place, companies break the law all the time. they could be selling it to third parties, or even sharing it with the police or other government authorities.

and there's really no reason that this needs to happen, other than that I live under capitalism and thus every product and service that exists needs to be profitable first and foremost. if this wasn't the case, the developers of this software would have no need to use my data in this way. more often than not, there are ways of collecting my data to improve my user experience that don't involve invading my privacy for the profit motive, and there are even situations where my data doesn't need to be collected at all.

let me give you an example. just a few minutes ago, I opened my weather app to check the temperature outside, and it prompted me to enable precise location tracking in order to continue. there is absolutely no reason why a weather app would need to track my location to begin with. is it useful? sure, it is nice if it can tell me what the weather is like where I currently am without any input from me, but that should be an optional quality of life feature. if I don't want it to do this, which I don't, considering I have no idea who is receiving this data and what they're doing with it, then I should still be able to check the weather by simply inputting the name of the city I'm in.

in the same vein, it's not that I inherently don't want my navigation app to track where I've been in the past. I could think of some cases where that might be useful, such as if I needed proof that I was at a particular place at a particular time. but as it stands, enabling that functionality means google will track my every move, and they can do whatever they want with it, from selling it to the businesses I visited to show me ads, to informing police of my location. if I could be certain that my location data would only be stored locally on my device, and would automatically be deleted after a set amount of time, I might be fine with enabling it.

the problem is that I'm not given the option to maintain my privacy while also benefitting from these services. these apps are designed in such a way that infringing on my privacy is the mandatory default. this is an intentional decision on the part of the companies who develop these apps in order to maximize profitability, and barring you from these services altogether if you disable data collection is designed to frustrate you so that you'll enable it again. under capitalism, you have no rights. you are not respected. so even if it makes things less convenient, I will disable as much data collection as I possibly can.

#txt

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flowaceai · 1 year ago

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The Positive Impact of Flowace Employee Monitoring Software

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Flowace makes goal-setting and progress tracking straightforward. By setting clear objectives and regularly monitoring progress, employees remain motivated and engaged. This feature not only helps employees stay on track but also allows managers to identify areas where employees may need additional support or training, ensuring everyone is aligned with the company's goals.

Provide Personalized Feedback and Coaching

Flowace provides detailed data on employee performance, enabling managers to offer personalized feedback and coaching. Specific, actionable feedback helps employees make meaningful improvements and feel supported in their professional development. Personalized coaching based on real data can lead to significant enhancements in performance and job satisfaction.

Cultivate Accountability and Ownership

With Flowace, employees know their work is being monitored, which encourages them to take ownership of their tasks and responsibilities. The software tracks progress and identifies areas for improvement, helping employees feel accountable for their work and proud of their accomplishments. This sense of ownership can lead to a more engaged and motivated workforce.

Use Data for Informed Decisions

Flowace provides valuable insights into employee productivity and work habits. Managers can use this data to make informed decisions about workflow, training, and resource allocation. By relying on data to drive decisions, companies can create a more efficient and effective work environment, optimizing resources and processes for better outcomes.

Celebrate Successes and Achievements

One of the most impactful features of Flowace is its ability to highlight and celebrate successes and achievements. By tracking progress towards goals and providing regular feedback, managers can easily recognize when employees make significant improvements. Celebrating these milestones boosts morale and fosters a positive work culture, encouraging employees to continue striving for excellence.

Conclusion

Flowace Employee Monitoring Software is more than just a tool for tracking productivity; it’s a catalyst for creating a positive work environment. By fostering transparency and trust, encouraging goal-setting and progress tracking, providing personalized feedback and coaching, cultivating accountability and ownership, using data for informed decisions, and celebrating successes, Flowace helps companies build a supportive, engaging, and productive workplace. When implemented transparently and ethically, Flowace can become an invaluable asset, transforming workplace culture and enhancing employee engagement.

#software #flowace #productivity #automatic time tracking software #remote employee monitoring

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ahleidreams · 3 months ago

Text

my lexicon apparatus

one of my main priorities in conlanging from the start is creating a sense of a rich etymological history. that kind of fractal complexity is fiendishly hard to keep track of though (especially for me), and the lexicon apps i've tried in the past haven't really served my purposes, so i've been working on this ridiculous tool in Sheets to keep track of my etymologies without regard to the actual word forms. this would be so much easier if i knew how to do software design but eh. anyway i thought i'd share a bit on how it works.

first i have a basic sheet just for inputting proto roots. i'm very non-committal about my word forms at this stage; many are still blank and most that aren't were auto-generated by Monke (which is great btw). most important is the keyword, which is how i look up entries.

under the hood i have a sheet sorted by keyword which is where the actual lookup happens.

here's where the magic happens. on this sheet i can just build forms using up to three etymon (haven't needed a fourth yet). i just enter the keyword for each etymon into the dropdowns and it looks up the rest of the form, then auto generates a new form that just concatenates the three morphs. this auto-generated form will be the output unless i override it, as we'll see next.

moving right to left, we see how the output is generated: by default, it just outputs the entry data of etymon 1, since in most cases we're only dealing with one morph. however i can use the checkboxes here to enable manual input for the new form. in this image we have a few compound words being created which naturally have new meanings, so we input them manually. it will use the auto-concatenated form unless i need direct control over how the concatenation happens, or in the case of reduplication (i'm not gonna try to automate reduplication). i haven't used the "intermediate forms" columns so much, but it's there just to write notes for irregular sound changes. the "export" columns are the final forms that get sent to their own sheet, again, sorted by keyword. also, this whole time, we've been building up (in hidden columns) a string of text that lets me visually see a summary of the etymology. this gets exported to the sorted sheet as well.

and this process is recursive, i have copies of this sheet for the other stages of my language that take in the data from the previous one.

. . .UNFORTUNATELY . . .

even when using only native Sheets functions, this process can be INCREDIBLY slow. i've split my data into five documents so far, but it only helps so much. it also means i have to manually copy/paste the export data from one document to another all down the line which is more than a little tiresome.

but i think what i have to show for it is more than worth it so far. the modern lexicon has some 200+ entries right now (nowhere near the ~10,000 it would need to be, like, a real language, but a good start). what's more, the forms retain the memory of their etymological history, so i can have forms like this:

that final column is the summary string that's been automatically built up over each stage of the language (though it's less complicated than it looks and the parentheses don't nest properly yet), but i can just look at it and see that this word is the imperfective stem of a transitive verb that means "return" (which is made using a no-longer productive causative suffix on an intransitive root), all with a dative suffix. and i don't have to remember that, and i can change the word forms whenever i please.

this is my most recent addition, which is just a little sheet where i can make sentences and visually see how it breaks up. i've been writing a little fable (which is something i *highly* recommend trying btw, i've made *so* much progress on my lang this way), but i sometimes make mistakes and sometimes forget how the sentence is put together, so having a visual aid like this i think will help me a lot.

it's not a perfect system. the hardest part i think is how slow it is, but it also sucks that when i change a form it can't exactly notify me about everything that will be affected by doing that, especially if i've manually entered a form at some point in that chain. the summary columns make these glitches easy to catch though.

overall this tool has been serving me well, and likely will continue to, so long as it runs at a tolerable speed.

#conlang #conlanging

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velkynkarma · 10 months ago

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The book you binded looks so cool!!! I've been meaning to get into book binding as well, especially for One Piece fics and I love the format you did it in with Zoro's logo. How did you edit it? Would you be willing to share tips on how you did it? Did you watch book binding YouTube videos?

Thanks, anon! I'm glad you enjoyed! And I'm absolutely willing to share what I learned!

For the general book-binding, I used a couple book binding how-to videos.

Turning Fanfiction Into the Hardcover Book it Deserves by Jess Less

This one helped with:

How to use an old book cover/used book for the cover of the fanfic (you can also MAKE covers, and she has another video on this as well, but I love the idea of recycling old unwanted books into something new and loved)

The basics for formatting the pages (her bit about adding a compass design for the chapters is what inspired me to use Zoro's flag logo)

How to print and prep the pages/signatures

How to finish putting the whole thing together and add some interesting design elements

I especially liked this video because it's very beginner-friendly and casual, which helped the whole project feel a little less daunting. You can get special tools for book binding (there are kits online) but as shown, it's also simple enough to do with a thumbtack and some corkboard if you're low on cash.

That said, I found the stitch in this video a bit confusing, so I used the stitch from this video instead:

Folding & Sewing - Rounded and Backed Cased Book // Adventures in Bookbinding by DAS Bookbinding

Stitch prep is specifically around 7min in if you just want to skip to that. But the whole thing is an interesting watch too. This is more professional bookbinding and he has a lot of other interesting videos if you want to do some more complex things. However I found this stitch to be very straightforward and easy to follow and assemble, so I ultimately used this one when I put together Seven Deaths.

As for my personal tips and things I learned while doing this project?

Turns out Google Docs is kind of useless for this. You'll want actual word processing software like Microsoft Word. If you don't have the cash to spend on Microsoft's ridiculous subscription policy, you can use LibreOffice which is free (I did, and it works very well).

Fics are way longer on paper than they are digitally. Seven Deaths is 'only' about a 50K fic (less, in fact). But it still makes a 200+ page book. Pic a smaller fic to start with while you figure out everything you want to do.

Do some research on good book fonts for the body of your text. You can get crazy with other things (chapter headers or title pages) but pic something recommended for your text body so it's legible.

To add character symbols (like Zoro's flag) you'll need a transparent copy of it to save as a png. Once you pull it into the word doc you can resize and arrange as needed.

Also look at other "real" books you have lying around for ideas for things to add to your book! I turned an author's note into a "Forward", added an "about the author/publisher" section at the back, put in a table of contents, etc. There's other things I want to experiment with next time. Go wild! Have fun!

Test print a couple pages before printing the full project, just to be sure it's actually the right page size, your font is legible and spaced well, etc. If you don't have a printer and you don't want to pay a print shop for some expensive test pages, try your local library! Many let you use their computers and printers for an extremely low cost.

If you don't have a printer (or not one that can do quality printing for 200+ pages) you'll need to go to a print shop. DON'T bother with places like Staples or OfficeMax. I tried this, but their machines automatically staple "booklets" out of your signatures, which messes up your paper and costs extra for this "service." Instead, track down a local print shop in your area. It's easier to talk to them directly about what you want and the quality is better anyway.

On that note, this is an expensive hobby! Printing for Seven Deaths was about $87USD. The quality was worth it, but definitely do not start if you don't have your own printer or a little bit of spending money.

You do not need as much glue or thread as you think you need. Go less. Waste not.

A lot of the end stages is just...waiting...for...glue...to...dry.

You will inevitably, invariably, mess things up on your first project. I sure did! I underestimated the sharpness of some tools and put holes places I didn't mean to; some things glued in a bit sloppily; I didn't set up my page organization exactly right my table of contents ended up on the left page when I envisioned it on the right. But you know what? It doesn't matter! Because at the end of the day you have a book that YOU MADE. And it's still fucking awesome! And now you've learned some things for next time. Do it anyway and have fun with it!

Happy crafting, anon. I hope you are able to add some personal favorites to your bookshelf soon :)

#Velkynkarma answers #ficbinding #fanbinding #bookbinding

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commodorez · 1 year ago

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What kind of work can be done on a commodore 64 or those other old computers? The tech back then was extremely limited but I keep seeing portable IBMs and such for office guys.

I asked a handful of friends for good examples, and while this isn't an exhaustive list, it should give you a taste.

I'll lean into the Commodore 64 as a baseline for what era to hone in one, let's take a look at 1982 +/-5 years.

A C64 can do home finances, spreadsheets, word processing, some math programming, and all sorts of other other basic productivity work. Games were the big thing you bought a C64 for, but we're not talking about games here -- we're talking about work. I bought one that someone used to write and maintain a local user group newsletter on both a C64C and C128D for years, printing labels and letters with their own home equipment, mailing floppies full of software around, that sorta thing.

IBM PCs eventually became capable of handling computer aided design (CAD) work, along with a bunch of other standard productivity software. The famous AutoCAD was mostly used on this platform, but it began life on S-100 based systems from the 1970s.

Spreadsheets were a really big deal for some platforms. Visicalc was the killer app that the Apple II can credit its initial success with. Many other platforms had clones of Visicalc (and eventually ports) because it was groundbreaking to do that sort of list-based mathematical work so quickly, and so error-free. I can't forget to mention Lotus 1-2-3 on the IBM PC compatibles, a staple of offices for a long time before Microsoft Office dominance.

CP/M machines like Kaypro luggables were an inexpensive way of making a "portable" productivity box, handling some of the lighter tasks mentioned above (as they had no graphics functionality).

The TRS-80 Model 100 was able to do alot of computing (mostly word processing) on nothing but a few AA batteries. They were a staple of field correspondence for newspaper journalists because they had an integrated modem. They're little slabs of computer, but they're awesomely portable, and great for writing on the go. Everyone you hear going nuts over cyberdecks gets that because of the Model 100.

Centurion minicomputers were mostly doing finances and general ledger work for oil companies out of Texas, but were used for all sorts of other comparable work. They were multi-user systems, running several terminals and atleast one printer on one central database. These were not high-performance machines, but entire offices were built around them.

Tandy, Panasonic, Sharp, and other brands of pocket computers were used for things like portable math, credit, loan, etc. calculation for car dealerships. Aircraft calculations, replacing slide rules were one other application available on cassette. These went beyond what a standard pocket calculator could do without a whole lot of extra work.

Even something like the IBM 5340 with an incredibly limited amount of RAM but it could handle tracking a general ledger, accounts receivable, inventory management, storing service orders for your company. Small bank branches uses them because they had peripherals that could handle automatic reading of the magnetic ink used on checks. Boring stuff, but important stuff.

I haven't even mentioned Digital Equipment Corporation, Data General, or a dozen other manufacturers.

I'm curious which portable IBM you were referring to initially.

All of these examples are limited by today's standards, but these were considered standard or even top of the line machines at the time. If you write software to take advantage of the hardware you have, however limited, you can do a surprising amount of work on a computer of that era.

#computer history

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