#collaboration benchmarks

[hranalytics]

What is Slack Used For?

Slack is a dynamic communication tool widely embraced by businesses and organizations to streamline their internal communications and workflow management. As a platform, Slack facilitates both synchronous and asynchronous interactions, making it a vital tool for modern, often remote or hybrid, workplaces. This blog explores the multifaceted uses of Slack, highlighting how it supports a variety of workplace functions.

Enhancing Team Communication

The primary use of Slack is to improve team communication. The platform allows users to create channels for different topics or projects, making it easy to organize conversations and keep relevant stakeholders in the loop. These channels can be open for anyone in the organization to join, or they can be made private for specific team members. This structure helps reduce email clutter and ensures that important information is accessible and centralized.

Furthermore, Slack supports direct messaging, which provides a quick way to reach colleagues for immediate questions or discussions. This feature helps maintain a steady flow of communication without the formality of emails, fostering a more dynamic and responsive work environment.

Streamlining Workflow with Integrations and Analytics

Slack's ability to integrate with a multitude of other tools and services is another reason for its widespread use. Whether it's project management software like Asana or Trello, version control systems like GitHub or CRM tools like Salesforce, Slack brings all these functionalities into one interface, enhancing productivity and minimizing the need to switch between apps.

Additionally, Slack analytics play a crucial role in optimizing team performance and engagement. By analyzing usage patterns and engagement levels within channels, organizations can gain insights into team dynamics, identify bottlenecks in communication and improve overall efficiency.

Conclusion

In summary, Slack is used for much more than just messaging—it's a comprehensive tool that supports efficient communication, project management and team collaboration. Through its powerful integrations and insightful Slack analytics, it helps organizations of all sizes maintain agility and foster a culture of openness and efficiency.

Read a similar article about software engineering productivity reporting here at this page.

[govindhtech]

Amazon Nova Premier: The Ultimate Model For Complex Tasks

Amazon Nova Premier, the most powerful model for complex operations, and a model distillation teacher expand the Amazon Nova family of foundation models introduced at AWS re:Invent.

Nova Premier adds to Amazon Bedrock's understanding models. Like Nova Lite and Pro, Premier processes text, pictures, and videos but not audio. Nova Premier's comprehensive features make it ideal for complex tasks that need multi-step planning, accurate execution across several tools and data sources, and context awareness. Nova Premier can handle lengthy texts or code bases with its one million token context.

Nova Premier with Amazon Bedrock Model Distillation can build powerful, affordable, and low-latency Nova Pro, Lite, and Micro for your needs. Nova Premier streamlined Nova Pro for complex tool choices and API queries. Nova Pro's speed and cost benefits allowed the distilled Nova Pro to match the teacher's performance and have 20% higher API invocation accuracy than the basic model.

Amazon Nova Premier benchmarking

Amazon benchmarked Nova Premier on agentic workflows, visual intelligence, and text intelligence. The figure below compares the Nova Premier against 17 benchmarks and shows it is the best Nova model.

Nova Premier matches or exceeds half of these criteria and is comparable to the best non-reasoning models in the industry. The technical report details these assessments.

Nova Premier is Amazon Bedrock's fastest and cheapest intelligence model.

Amazon may also be used to teach distillation, transferring its advanced features for a use case to smaller, faster, and more effective versions like Nova Pro, Micro, and Lite for production deployments.

With Amazon Nova Premier

To use Nova Premier, request model access on the Amazon Bedrock dashboard. Navigate to Nova Premier, choose Model access, and toggle.

Once you have access, enter user-assistant messages into the Amazon Bedrock Converse API to utilise Nova Premier. Messages can contain videos, photos, and text. Example of a basic AWS SDK for Python (Boto3) call:

This example shows how Nova Premier can explain complex technical questions. Premier excels in managing complicated procedures.

Multi-agent cooperation use case

Let's analyse a more complex example to show Nova Premier's multi-agent collaboration architecture for investment research.

Equity research often involves finding relevant data sources for specific investments, obtaining the essential information, and synthesising the data into actionable insights. This process becomes more sophisticated when working with stock indexes, specific stocks, and currencies.

Nova Premier powers the supervisor agent that manages the process, so multi-agent cooperation may construct this application on Amazon Bedrock. Example: “What are the emerging trends in renewable energy investments?” The supervisor agent studies, breaks down into logical phases, picks specialist subagents, and synthesises the final response.

To create a system with these components:

Supervisor powered by Nova Premier

Nova Pro powers several financial data-focused subagents.

Tools that connect market analysis applications, financial databases, and other relevant data

The Nova Premier-enabled supervisor agent does the following when asked about new renewable energy investments:

Analyses the query to determine topics and sources.

Selects subject- and source-appropriate subagents.

Each subagent gathers technical analysis, market sentiment data, and economic data.

This data is compiled into a detailed report by the supervising agent for financial professionals.

Nova Premier in a multi-agent cooperation architecture streamlines financial professionals' work and accelerates investment analysis. The video below shows this.

Nova Premier's precision in managing complex processes ensures that the right data sources are consulted in the right order and that each subagent receives the right input for their task, resulting in high-quality insights.

Model-distilled multi-agent collaboration

Nova Premier is the most accurate model in its family, however production settings may want to reduce latency and costs. Nova Premier's distilled teaching power is noteworthy here. Amazon Bedrock Model Distillation can change Nova Micro from Nova Premier results for this investment research use case.

Model distillation simplifies data collection and generates high-quality training data by having a teaching model give the outputs, unlike fine-tuning, which requires human input and tagged examples.

Distilling a model involves these steps:

Synthetic training data is created by running Nova Premier over various financial assets.

This data can be used to fine-tune a Nova Micro.

Comparing the modified Micro model's performance and latency

Customised Micro model manufacturing supervisor agent

Data preparation may be simplified with Amazon Bedrock and invocation logs. To do this, enable model invocation logging and set the log destination to an Amazon S3 bucket.

[lesmana-enterprise-ltd]

Lesmana Arta International School, High School and Auditorium Lot (NO CC)

About Lesmana Arta International School

Lesmana Arta International School (LAIS) is a premier, corporate-backed institution dedicated to academic excellence and global education. Offering world-renowned curricula from SB to SGCE, LAIS provides students with a rigorous yet innovative learning environment. With state-of-the-art facilities, top-tier faculty, and a commitment to shaping future leaders, this elite school ensures that every student is equipped to thrive in an ever-evolving world.

Unrivaled Educational Facilities at LAIS

At LAIS, we are committed to providing an unparalleled learning environment equipped with world-class facilities to foster academic excellence and creativity. Our cutting-edge classrooms are designed for interactive and immersive learning, featuring the latest educational technology to enhance student engagement. The expansive library offers a vast collection of international resources, digital archives, and quiet study spaces, ensuring that students have access to knowledge at their fingertips.

For the creatively inclined, LAIS boasts specialized music rooms with professional-grade instruments, state-of-the-art art studios that encourage artistic expression, and fully-equipped science laboratories for hands-on exploration in STEM fields. From innovation hubs to collaborative study areas, every aspect of our campus is designed to inspire, challenge, and support students on their journey to academic and personal success.

Elite Sporting Facilities at LAIS

At LAIS, we believe that excellence in academics goes hand in hand with physical well-being. Our state-of-the-art sports facilities set the benchmark for athletic development, offering students access to a world-class indoor swimming pool, a professional-grade gymnasium, and a private tennis court, all designed to foster discipline, teamwork, and peak performance. Whether training for elite competitions or engaging in recreational activities, LAIS provides the perfect environment for students to push their limits, stay active, and excel beyond the classroom.

A Culinary Experience Like No Other at LAIS

At LAIS, dining is more than just a meal—it’s an experience. Our state-of-the-art cafeteria offers a premium breakfast and lunch buffet, meticulously crafted by Lesmana Resorts-grade chefs, ensuring that every dish meets the highest standards of quality, nutrition, and taste. Students enjoy a diverse selection of gourmet meals, featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients and international cuisine tailored to various dietary needs.

From wholesome breakfasts to energize the day to balanced and delicious lunches that fuel academic and athletic performance, LAIS prioritizes student well-being through exceptional dining services. Whether it's a quick bite or a full-course meal, our culinary team is dedicated to providing a five-star dining experience that nourishes both the body and mind.

Adi Lesmana Hall: A Legacy of Excellence

Standing as a tribute to the visionary founder of Lesmana Enterprise, Adi Putro Lesmana (1915–1988), the Adi Lesmana Hall is the heart of grand occasions at Lesmana Arta International School (LAIS). This concert-grade auditorium is designed to host the school’s most prestigious events, from elegant proms and career expos to inspiring graduations and academic symposiums. Equipped with state-of-the-art acoustics, professional lighting, and a spacious seating arrangement, it offers an unparalleled venue for both formal ceremonies and artistic performances. More than just a hall, it is a space where milestones are celebrated, talents are showcased, and the legacy of excellence continues to inspire future generations.

Tuition Plans

Early Bird Discount

Enroll your kids today, and make them the leaders of the Sim world tomorrow.

Students enrolled until February 2025 intake is eligible for a semester discount, reducing 1st to 2nd Semester tuition from §115,000 to §110,000 per semester.

Lesmana Enterprise Privilege Plan

Parents who are currently employed in Lesmana Enterprise are eligible to apply for their children's 25%-50% tuition discount *Terms and conditions applies.

Download (SFS)

Lesmana Arta International School : Download Adi Lesmana Hall : Download Adi Lesmana Hall (Career Day) : Download Adi Lesmana Hall (Prom) : Download Adi Lesmana Hall (Graduation) : Download

Get Your LAIS Polo Uniform Here!

Stay in Our Dormitory, the LAIS House!

[bizsolution]

5 Proven Strategies to Attain Intranet Excellence

Modern businesses invest heavily in company intranets to boost workplace productivity, collaboration, and operational efficiency. Certainly, it helps gain a competitive edge over industry peers. However, evaluating the existing intranet settings against the standard best practices becomes crucial to maximizing the investment.

'Intranet benchmarking,' the process of assessing the intranet's features, effectiveness, and performance, proves beneficial to understand if your intranet is aligned with the organizational goals and caters to your industry-specific requirements.

Let's explore five proven strategies to get the best out of your intranet ecosystem.

Come up with a user-centric design

An easily navigable mega menu, engaging home page, robust search mechanism, and interactive web parts make it easy for employees to perform their tasks better, eventually contributing to enhanced productivity and overall satisfaction. Conduct thorough research on what your employees need the most and customize the platform accordingly. Help your employees stay updated with the latest organizational happenings, access documents, share information, and easily engage with coworkers to match the requirements and preferences of the users.

Focus on creating a collaborative workplace

To what extent is your intranet fostering workplace collaboration? Enhancing workplace collaboration is undoubtedly one of the primary reasons for organizations opting for a digital solution. However, having a centralized place for employees to organize, co-author, share documents, assign, and track tasks, and access uninterrupted communication channels can contribute to higher employee engagement and a sense of responsibility with shared goals.

Design automated and streamlined workflows

Redundant and repetitive tasks are prone to errors and are time-consuming. At the same time, an intranet automating standard workflows can be a game changer for organizations striving for enhanced workplace productivity. Try automating the approval processes for standard documents and forms, reminders and notifications for hassle-free task tracking, feedback, employee onboarding, and more, reducing manual intervention and improving overall efficiency.

Opt for a solution with seamless integration capabilities

Integration capability is a key benchmark while opting for a robust intranet solution. An intranet that seamlessly integrates with various applications and databases facilitates efficient data flow and helps users leverage powerful features without even leaving the intranet ecosystem. A SharePoint intranet integrated with Microsoft 365 productivity applications allows users to access Teams, Outlook, Delve, Power BI, and more, making it easy for them to perform various tasks with utmost ease.

Ensure proper user training and support

An intranet goes through functional issues and needs proper maintenance, security audits, and a performance optimization plan for continuous improvement. So, opting for a reliable service provider too becomes crucial while benchmarking your intranet solution. For nearly all technologies, including the intranet, adequate user training is imperative to ensure high user adoption rates and proficiency. However, SharePoint-based intranet requires less training due to its intuitive user interface, consistency across applications, unified collaboration platform, and familiar Microsoft 365 environment.

The intranet serves as a backbone for modern organizations. However, achieving intranet excellence is a strategic process that can only be achieved with a balanced approach. From clean and navigable design to timely maintenance and support, every aspect contributes together to create a robust intranet platform that drives collaboration, productivity, and innovation, ensuring overall organizational success.

[reasonsforhope]

"Sodium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage are moving toward the mainstream. Wider use of these batteries could lead to lower costs, less fire risk and less need for lithium, cobalt and nickel.

On Nov. 18, CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, announced its second-generation sodium-ion battery, mass production of which would begin in 2027. The China-based company said the new battery has an energy density of 200 watt-hours per kilogram, which is an increase from 160 watt-hours per kilogram for the previous generation that launched in 2021. Higher energy density in an EV battery translates into more driving range.

On Nov. 21, a consortium of seven U.S. national laboratories announced a new initiative in which they would spend $50 million to foster collaboration to accelerate the development of sodium-ion batteries. The partnership is led by Argonne National Laboratory in the Chicago area.

The two announcements are part of a larger shift as governments, researchers and companies look for alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, the dominant technology for EVs and energy storage.

For now, there are no passenger cars or trucks sold in the United States that use sodium-ion batteries. Some sodium-ion models are available in China and countries that import vehicles from China. 

“The reason we’re pursuing this is very simple,” said Venkat Srinivasan, a battery scientist at Argonne and the director of the new collaboration. “It’s because the huge demand in lithium-ion batteries has meant that we have a supply-chain constraint.

“We have a problem with cobalt. We have a problem with nickel,” he said, naming two of the metals often used in lithium-ion batteries.

Cobalt, nickel and lithium carry a variety of concerns, including the environmental damage of mining. [Note: Which is massive, and so are the human rights issues associated with lithium mining, which involves horrible conditions and is exacerbating conflict and civil wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo.] ...

In contrast, a sodium-ion battery relies on an element—sodium—that you can find in table salt and ocean water...

Also, a sodium-ion battery has much lower risk of fire. When lithium-ion batteries sustain damage, it can lead to “thermal runaway,” which triggers a dangerous and toxic fire.

The process of manufacturing sodium-ion batteries is similar to that of lithium-ion batteries, or at least similar enough that companies can shift existing assembly lines without having to spend heavily on retooling.

But sodium-ion batteries have some disadvantages. The big one is low energy density compared to lithium-ion. As a result, an EV running on a sodium-ion battery will go fewer miles per charge than a lithium-ion battery of the same size...

The national labs’ initiative has a five-year timeline, with a goal of developing sodium-ion batteries with energy densities that match or exceed those of today’s iron phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries. Researchers would do this by finding various efficiencies in design and materials.

The project is happening alongside the labs’ ongoing work to develop and improve other kinds of batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries dominate today’s market...

However, sodium-ion battery production is growing, and is projected to reach 140 gigawatt-hours by 2030, about 13 times its current level, according to Benchmark. Lithium-ion production also is projected to nearly triple by 2030.

“The key market driver for sodium-ion batteries is their potential to be cost competitive with lithium-ion batteries,” said Catherine Peake, an analyst for Benchmark...

Most of the push by battery companies to build sodium-ion systems is happening in China, but some of it is happening in other markets, including a plan by California-based Natron Energy to open its first large plant in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Natron made its announcement about the $1.4 billion project in August and has not given a timeline for when the plant would be online.

Meanwhile, researchers and companies continue working on other battery technologies.

I asked Srinivasan how sodium-ion batteries fit into this larger picture. He said sodium-ion will likely gain market share over the next few years as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

Near the end of the decade, solid-state batteries will begin to become available, which would allow for higher energy densities and longer driving ranges. Solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid or gel. The electrolyte is the substance through which ions move as they go from side to side during charging and discharging.

The technologies can coexist in the market, Srinivasan said.

He thinks solid-state batteries will initially be most common in high-end models and popular with people who want the longest possible ranges.

He expects that sodium-ion batteries will be more common in low-cost EVs for people who live in cities or suburbs and don’t place a high premium on driving range.

“It will not be a fringe player,” he said, about sodium-ion. “It will actually be a fast-growing segment.”"

-via Inside Climate News, December 6, 2024

[theunsinkableship1]

Is the nonchalant man in the room with us?

⚠️Disclaimer: This is a Lukola space. Do not invade, skip if you don't believe. You've been warned.

Oops! She did it again. Every time I want to take a break from Lukola, there’s something new to pull me in. When Nicola briefly liked and then quietly unliked a Bustle post that features a bold quote of Poison Peach on X: “Why would I date a nonchalant man? I like my men how I like my thong”, The post is playful and has a strong underlying message about wanting emotionally expressive, enthusiastic men, men who show up, both physically and emotionally. It's about rejecting passivity or detachment in favor of affection, presence, and devotion. A nonchalant man is someone who appears emotionally detached, indifferent, or unconcerned, especially in situations where warmth, passion, or involvement is expected. He often projects a cool, effortless attitude that can come across as: Unbothered or hard to read, puts low effort in communication or affection, is avoidant of emotional depth or vulnerability, seems distant physically or emotionally. And seems more committed to looking elsewhere. While some people find this “coolness” mysterious or attractive at first, it often becomes frustrating especially for those who crave emotional clarity, initiative, and expressive love. This metaphor isn’t just cheeky, it’s powerful. A thong is tight , it clings. It holds close. There’s no looseness or ambiguity. You don’t wear a thong by accident. It’s a choice usually for a reason, often one that signals confidence, attraction, or intimacy. It’s physically the most intimate undergarment, literally the closest one can get. You feel it. It may not always be visible, but it makes itself known. Thongs aren’t about comfort; they’re about statement, confidence, edge. When someone says, “I like my men how I like my thong,” they’re saying: I don’t want someone nonchalant, half-there, emotionally distant, or cool just for the sake of it. I want someone who’s right up close, fully engaged, impossible to ignore, and confident in their desire for me, someone who chooses intimacy and presence with the same intention I put into choosing a thong. The accompanying images give flesh to the metaphor they’re a visual manifesto of presence, passion, and playful intimacy, showing exactly what it looks like when a man is anything but nonchalant. If that’s the emotional benchmark, if that’s what “not nonchalant” feels like, then anything else however well-behaved or convenient will fall short. There’s a beautiful and meaningful layer to the photos accompanying the tweet when you consider how several of the couples blur the line between collaboration and connection. Some are confirmed couples, others long rumored or playfully ambiguous, but all carry that emotionally charged tension between professional chemistry and personal closeness.Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were longtime friends and collaborators before their romance began. Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are engaged. They have been in a romantic relationship since June 2023 and have collaborated professionally on several music projects. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, while not creative collaborators in the traditional sense, embody the fantasy of two public figures from vastly different worlds, Martin Short and Meryl Streep have long been industry icons, and while they’ve an unconfirmed romantic relationship, their recent public appearances, cheek-to-cheek, laughing, physically affectionate have set imaginations on fire. It feels like friendship transcending into something warmer, richer… even if only in the collective heart of the public. These aren’t just images of couples being cute, they’re portraits of comfort, familiarity, and emotional access, often built over time through trust, play, and shared creative space. They embody the antidote to “nonchalant.” They say: We know each other, we’ve worked beside each other, we’ve laughed off-camera and now we’re here, close, warm, and unafraid to show it.

What Nicola may have liked about the quote is its unapologetic clarity: It’s bold, funny, and cuts through emotional ambiguity. For someone who’s often celebrated for her wit, depth, and emotional intelligence, a line like this could feel both empowering and relatable. It also mirrors something she herself embodies intensity, specificity, and emotional immediacy. Nicola has often spoken about valuing depth, chaos, vibrancy, never passivity. A nonchalant partner wouldn’t just bore her; he’d misalign with how she moves through the world. What she may have liked about the photos is how they embody the quote visually. They represent relationships that look like felt connection, not just appearances. Love that’s embodied, visible, unmistakable. Nicola may have seen in these photos a reflection of what she values in love: not performative gestures or perfect images, but proximity, enthusiasm, and undeniable chemistry.

However, the timing and subtext couldn’t be ignored, especially following a wave of criticism aimed at her boyfriend’s detached body language during recent public appearances with her. In this light, the like becomes an indirect clapback, a gentle “don’t reduce my partner to a meme” without actually addressing the issue head-on. Given how sharply some viewers critiqued him pointing out his lack of eye contact, stiff posture, nervousness, disinterested attitude and sunglasses as emotional distance, it’s plausible Nicola felt protective. Liking a post that mocks the “nonchalant man” might be her way of saying:

“He’s not nonchalant. He’s just quiet, composed. And that doesn’t make him less worthy.”

It's public without being confrontational. She may have been trying to reclaim the narrative by subtly shifting the spotlight away from appearance and toward intent.

But that doesn't explain the deletion.

At the same time, Nicola, who is expressive and lively might genuinely crave a more demonstrative kind of affection. A partner who doesn’t just help with her purse or takes photos, but someone who looks at her, connects with her, makes her feel magnetic just by being present. So even as the like could have been a defense, it may also have been a moment of truth slipping through. A quiet acknowledgment that:

“Yes, I need more than quiet support. I want someone who is all in, who burns for me.”

In that context, the like becomes both reassuring and revealing. A contradiction in motion.

This moment may have surfaced because Nicola’s emotional reality doesn’t line up with what we’re seeing. For a Lukolashipper, when Nicola is with Luke, their dynamic is unmatched rich with subtle and effortless synchrony: Mutual eye contact that lingered, natural closeness, intuitive mirroring. Shared laughter and a softness that didn’t need to be declared, it just is. The unforced intimacy of two people completely attuned to each other.

It’s possible Nicola quickly realized the like could be read as a shade toward her partner, implying he is nonchalant, and that she was passively airing dissatisfaction. Or more painfully perhaps she realized it might look like a subtweet, a nostalgic dig at Luke.

But Luke is never nonchalant. In every public interaction, he is: Focused on her, involved, playful, physically present, always showing up emotionally even when the world is watching. That’s one thing that we like about them.

So if that like was intended to throw shade at Luke which I personally don’t believe, it misfired. Because Luke doesn’t fit the mold of the “nonchalant man.” In fact, he might be the very opposite. Thus, the unlike may not have come from second-guessing the message, but from realizing the message didn’t land cleanly. It blurred too many lines, hinted at too many things, maybe even things she wasn’t ready to say out loud.

Who would have thought that a simple like and unlike could carry so much weight? It's all about the context. It could mean nothing or everything. But when a like is followed by an unlike within just a few hours, it's deliberate. The like speaks to a fleeting impulse, a regret perhaps, while the unlike is a quiet correction. Interpreting these actions, we begin to understand the original message and the silent shift in tone, echoing the complexity of what is unsaid between them. It’s a subtle dance, one that’s as much about what’s hidden as it is about what’s revealed.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

American education has all the downsides of standardization, none of the upsides

Catch me in Miami! I'll be at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Jan 22 at 8PM.

We moved to America in 2015, in time for my kid to start third grade. Now she's a year away from graduating high school (!) and I've had a front-row seat for the US K-12 system in a district rated as one of the best in the country. There were ups and downs, but high school has been a monster.

We're a decade and a half into the "common core" experiment in educational standardization. The majority of the country has now signed up to a standardized and rigid curriculum that treats overworked teachers as untrustworthy slackers who need to be disciplined by measuring their output through standard lessons and evaluations:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Core

This system is rigid enough, but it gets even worse at the secondary level, especially when combined with the Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which adds another layer of inflexible benchmarks to the highest-stakes, most anxiety-provoking classes in the system:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Placement

It is a system singularly lacking in grace. Ironically, this unforgiving system was sold as a way of correcting the injustice at the heart of the US public education system, which funds schools based on local taxation. That means that rich neighborhoods have better funded schools. Rather than equalizing public educational funding, the standardizers promised to ensure the quality of instruction at the worst-funded schools by measuring the educational outcomes with standard tools.

But the joke's on the middle-class families who backed standardized instruction over standardized funding. Their own kids need slack as much as anyone's, and a system that promises to put the nation's kids through the same benchmarks on the same timetable is bad for everyone:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/11/28/give-me-slack-2/

Undoing this is above my pay-grade. I've already got more causes to crusade on than I have time for. But there is a piece of tantalyzingly low-hanging fruit that is dangling right there, and even though I'm not gonna pick it, I can't get it out of my head, so I figured I'd write about it and hope I can lazyweb it into existence.

The thing is, there's a reason that standardization takes hold in so many domains. Agreeing on a common standard enables collaboration by many entities without any need for explicit agreements or coordination. The existence of the ANSI/SAE J563 standard automobile auxiliary power outlet (AKA "car cigarette lighter") didn't just allow many manufacturers to make replacement lighter plugs. The existence of a standardized receptacle delivering standardized voltage to standardized contacts let all kinds of gadgets be designed to fit in that socket.

Standards crystallize the space of all possible ways of solving a problem into a range of solutions. This inevitably has a downside, because the standardized range might not be optimal for all applications. Think of the EU's requirement for USB-C charger tips on all devices. There's a lot of reasons that manufacturers prefer different charger tips for different gadgets. Some of those reasons are bad (gouging you on replacement chargers), but some are good (unique form-factor, specific smart-charging needs). USB-C is a very flexible standard (indeed, it's so flexible that some people complain that it's not a standard at all!) but there are some applications where the optimal solution is outside its parameters.

And still, I think that the standardization on USB-C is a force for good. I have drawers full of gadgets that need proprietary charger tips, and other drawers full of chargers with proprietary tips, and damned if I can make half of them match up. We've continued our pandemic lockdown tradition of my wife cutting my hair in the back yard, and just tracking the three different charger tips for the three clippers she uses is an ongoing source of frustration. I'd happily trade slightly sub-optimal charging for just being able to plug any of those clippers into the same cable I charge my headphones, phone, tablet and laptop on.

The standardization of American education has produced all the downsides of standardization – a rigid, often suboptimal, one-size-fits-all system – without the benefits. With teachers across America teaching in lockstep, often from the same set texts (especially in the AP courses), there's a massive opportunity for a commons to go with the common core.

For example, the AP English and History classes my kid takes use standard texts that are often centuries old and hard to puzzle out. I watched my kid struggle with texts for learning about "persuasive rhetoric" like 17th century pamphlets that inspired anti-indigenous pogroms with fictional accounts of "Indian atrocities."

It's good for American schoolkids to learn about the use of these blood libels to excuse genocide, but these pamphlets are a slog. Even with glossaries in the textbooks, it's a slow, word-by-word matter to parse these out. I can't imagine anyone learning a single thing about how speech persuades people just by reading that text.

But there's nothing in the standardized curriculum that prevents teachers from adding more texts to the unit. We live in an unfortunate golden age for persuasive texts that inspire terrible deeds – for example, kids could also read core Pizzagate texts and connect the guy who shot up the pizza parlor to the racists who formed a 17th century lynchmob.

But teachers are incredibly time-constrained. For one thing, at least a third of the AP classroom time seems to be taken up with detailed instructions for writing stilted, stylized "essays" for the AP tests (these are terrible writing, but they're easy to grade in a standardized way).

That's where standardization could actually deliver some benefits. If just one teacher could produce some supplemental materials and accompanying curriculum, the existence of standards means that every other teacher could use it. What's more, any adaptations that teachers make to that unit to make them suited to their kids would also work for the other teachers in the USA. And because the instruction is so rigidly standardized, all of these materials could be keyed to metadata that precisely identified the units they belonged to.

The closest thing we have to this are "marketplaces" where teachers can sell each other their supplementary materials. As far as I can tell, the only people making real money from these marketplaces are the grifters who built them and convinced teachers to paywall the instructional materials that could otherwise form a commons.

Like I said, I've got a completely overfull plate, but if I found myself at loose ends, trying to find a project to devote the rest of my life to, I'd be pitching funders on building a national, open access portal to build an educational commons.

It may be a lot to expect teachers to master the intricacies of peer-based co-production tools like Git, but there's already a system like this that K-8 teachers across the country have mastered: Scratch. Scratch is a graphic programming environment for kids, and starting with 2019's Scratch 3.0, the primary way to access it is via an in-browser version that's hosted at scratch.mit.edu.

Scratch's online version is basically a kid- (and teacher-)friendly version of Github. Find a project you like, make a copy in your own workspace, and then mod it to suit your own needs. The system keeps track of the lineage of different projects and makes it easy for Scratch users to find, adapt, and share their own projects. The wild popularity of this system tells us that this model for a managed digital commons for an educational audience is eminently achievable.

So when students are being asked to study the rhythm of text by counting the numbers of words in the sentences of important speeches, they could supplement that very boring exercise by listening to and analyzing contemporary election speeches, or rap lyrics, or viral influencer videos. Different teachers could fork these units to swap in locally appropriate comparitors – and so could students!

Students could be given extra credit for identifying additional materials that slot into existing curricular projects – Tiktok videos, new chart-topping songs, passages from hot YA novels. These, too, could go into the commons.

This would enlist students in developing and thinking critically about their curriculum, whereas today, these activities are often off-limits to students. For example, my kid's math teachers don't hand back their quizzes after they're graded. The teachers only have one set of quizzes per unit, and letting the kids hold onto them would leak an answer-key for the next batch of test-takers.

I can't imagine learning math this way. "You got three questions wrong but I won't let you see them" is no way to help a student focus on the right areas to improve their understanding.

But there's no reason that math teachers in a commons built around the (unfortunately) rigid procession of concepts and testing couldn't generate procedural quizzes, specified with a simple programming language. These tests could even be automatically graded, and produce classroom stats on which concepts the whole class is struggling with. Each quiz would be different, but cover the same ground.

When I help my kid with her homework, we often find disorganized and scattered elements of this system – a teacher might post extensive notes on teaching a specific unit. A publisher might produce a classroom guide that connects a book to specific parts of the common core. But these are scattered across the web, and they aren't keyed to the specific, standard components of common core and AP.

This is a standardized system that is all costs, no benefits. It has no "architecture of participation" that lets teachers, students, parents, practitioners and even commercial publishers collaborate to produce a commons that all may share and improve upon.

In an ideal world, we'd get rid of standardization in education, pay teachers well, give them the additional time they needed to prepare exciting and relevant curriculum, and fund all our schools based on need, not parents' income.

But in the meanwhile, we could be making lemonade of out lemons. If we're going to have standardization, we should at least have the collaboration standards enable.

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/16/flexibility-in-the-margins/#a-commons

[goldenhickeyss]

BTS'S RETURN IS EXPECTED TO RESET AND REDEFINE THE K-POP INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE

“‘Seven Superstars’ BTS, Still Unchanged… Let’s Continue

June 1, 2025. By Lee Jae-hoon, Newsis

The global supergroup BTS members will complete their military service this month and move forward together once more.

According to the K-pop industry on June 1, RM (Kim Nam-joon) and V (Kim Tae-hyung) will be discharged on the 10th, followed by Jimin and Jungkook on the 11th. Suga (Min Yoon-gi), currently serving as a social service agent, will be released from service on the 21st. Jin (Kim Seok-jin), the eldest, and J-Hope have already been discharged and are actively engaged in solo activities However, the group will not immediately return as a full unit upon completing their service.

HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang stated at the company’s 20th general shareholders’ meeting in March:

“The company is preparing with top-tier composers, but the artists themselves need time to reflect and prepare.”

Typically, artists go through songwriting, album releases, and then tours. But as BTS members are already global top-tier artists, discussions about their vision and future are ongoing. Lee added,

“Aligning directions and maturing those plans is essential.”

For instance, Jin is set to kick off his first solo fan concert tour “RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR” on June 28–29 at the Goyang Stadium Auxiliary Field.

Other members are expected to follow their own individual schedules post-discharge. The general industry expectation is that full group activities will resume in earnest later this year.

There is also speculation that surprise events might occur during J-Hope’s “HOPE ON THE STAGE FINAL” on June 13–14 or the nearby “2025 BTS FESTA” commemorating their 12th debut anniversary.

Seven Superstars Emerge During the Group’s Military Hiatus

BTS entered a group activity hiatus following the release of their anthology album Proof in June 2022. Their last group concert prior to the hiatus was Yet to Come in Busan, held in Busan in October of the same year.

The BTS members and their agency BigHit Music made a wise decision by narrowing the psychological distance with their fandom, ARMY, through staggered solo activities during this period.

Popular music critic Lim Hee-yoon, a selection committee member of the Korean Music Awards, noted, “Because the members continued to release solo albums and independent content throughout the ‘military hiatus,’ the actual sense of absence was less than the physical separation. This allowed fans to continue engaging with the BTS brand.”

Notably, each BTS member solidified their solo presence through customized productions that suited them individually—turning the already superstar group into something akin to a seven-member Avengers team.

This transformation can be verified through chart performance alone. Several BTS members successfully entered the Billboard Hot 100—the main U.S. singles chart and a global pop benchmark—as solo artists.

BTS made history in 2020 with their first English-language track Dynamite, which became the first song by a Korean artist to top the Hot 100. They followed with Life Goes On, the first Korean-language song to reach No. 1 on the chart. Other No. 1 hits included Butter, Permission to Dance, Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat, in collaboration with Jason Derulo), and My Universe (with Coldplay), totaling six No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 as a group.

As solo artists, Jimin and Jungkook also reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 with Like Crazy and Seven (featuring American rapper Latto), respectively.

Jungkook charted seven songs on the Hot 100, including Seven; J-Hope also had seven entries, including On the Street and Mona Lisa; Jimin had six, including Like Crazy; Suga, under the moniker Agust D, had four songs including Daechwita; V had six entries, including Love Me Again; Jin charted three songs, including The Astronaut; and RM appeared twice, including Wild Flower.

More important than the chart performance is that each member firmly established their identity as a solo musician during the group’s hiatus.

Jungkook has risen to the ranks of global pop stars by focusing on his "performer skills" and discovering high-quality songs rather than his own production. Jimin won praise for appealing to both fans and the general public, notably with Who, which remained on the Hot 100 for 33 weeks—the longest stay for a K-pop track.

Suga showcased his strength as a producer by building a narrative universe through his Agust D series. J-Hope demonstrated the tight synergy between his albums and performances, staying true to his street dancer roots. V boldly embraced elements of pop R&B and jazz—his musical preferences—delivering sounds rarely attempted by K-pop idols. Jin has proven that his heart for this music is not ulterior but genuine, by exploring various rock genres.

Lee Ji-young, a research professor at the Semiosis Research Center of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and author of BTS Art Revolution: BTS Meets Deleuze, commented on the members’ solo activities, stating, “The solo projects were a way for each member to fully express their individual musical desires, which they hadn’t been able to completely fulfill through group activities.”

She added, “Through that process, the members likely experienced deeper musical growth. I believe they’ve also developed a clearer understanding of what can be best expressed through solo work versus group work.” She predicted, “Future group activities, built upon this growth, will be musically and message-wise more mature than before.”

Content strategist Jo Hye-rim, also a selection committee member of the Korean Music Awards, noted, “BTS expanded their musical spectrum through each member’s solo journey and are now fully prepared to return as a complete group. Their comeback—where distinct identities converge—will mark a pivotal moment in the evolution of the BTS brand. The fandom's anticipation is not just about a return, but about the beginning of a new narrative.”

The synergy created when these individually evolved members reunite as a team is expected to be immensely powerful—difficult even to estimate.

The members’ unwavering affection for the team and for ARMY adds tremendous weight to that power. Jimin recently wrote on the global fan community platform Weverse, “What kind of story will our next album tell? What kind of journey will my 30s be? I hope to perform for a long time without getting hurt.”

Professor Lee further commented, “Given the short lifespan of most K-pop idol groups, they are often used as a stepping stone to solo careers or other entertainment industry roles. BTS, on the other hand, continues to evolve and function as musicians, potentially serving as a new model for K-pop idols.”

BTS’s return is also expected to serve as a major boost to the K-pop industry, which has faced challenges like declining album sales. Their album releases and tours alone have significant direct and indirect economic ripple effects. In 2022, the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute estimated that a single BTS concert could generate nearly 1 trillion KRW (around $750 million USD) in economic impact. Their return is likely to reignite global interest in K-pop and create a trickle-down effect throughout the industry.

Jo Hye-rim emphasized, “BTS’s return is not just the comeback of a group—it’s a reset for the entire K-pop industry. It will reignite the narrative of K-pop in the global market and is expected to have a massive economic impact across albums, tours, and content. BTS remains the strongest proof of K-pop’s global legitimacy.”

Critic Lim Hee-yoon also pointed out, “The return of a landmark artist responsible for K-pop’s largest revenue will undoubtedly have a significant quantitative and practical impact on the industry’s annual revenue. Qualitatively, their comeback is expected to reignite global attention on the K-pop genre, leading to a ‘trickle-down effect’ that benefits other K-pop artists as well.”

[librarycards]

what did you mean about being blackpilled about reading as a hobby because i think i have similar feelings, and i haven't quite been able to articulate them?

i think that reading - not specific books or series, but the idea of reading - has been fandomized to the extent that books are presented more as accessories and aesthetics to display and consume rather than...actual vessels for stories. this is how you get these specialty overpriced book boxes and themed candles and bookmarks and other merch that no one needs. it's also how you get a contingent of book social media people whose primary goal is not to communicate their opinions or recommendations, but to arrange their reading-related accoutrements, receive promotional packages (this style of consumption is supported and bankrolled by big 4 publishers), and advertise both their "hauls" and the meeting of arbitrary reading benchmarks (reading 50, 100, 200, etc. books a year).

taken together, this turns the hobby of reading from something based on reading the works one enjoys and talking about them, to a competition based on metrics of material and imagined intellectual consumption. it's no longer an enjoyable hobby, but a task or job to "get through" and "get done", and one on which a reader can "come up short" if not efficient or wealthy enough. it's one people can face judgement for if they consume the "wrong" (less popular/buzzy) books, books that do not contain the requisite keyword "tropes," or in the wrong form/medium. there is such an infatuation with the idea of being a reader & stylizing one's identity around this nebulous status that the actual practice becomes unimportant.

i think that this is tied directly to the lack of critical thinking skills so many self-styled readers come to texts with. the idea of "being a reader" is separate from being someone who reads, and the former does not require someone to stretch their thinking skills at all. instead, it rewards excess buying, skimming, and competing with rather than collaborating and discussing stories.

[commiepinkofag]

the death of rainbow capitalism

witness the death of rainbow capitalism with the stroke of a pen.

performative ally-ship will be made more transparent with the sharp hypocrisy of former corporate sponsors to Pride™ that now rescind workplace protections for POC and the LGBTQIA+ community. the most egregious offenders have done so without mandate of unjust law.

June’s luster will grey as storefront displays languish in stock rooms, and branded products lay waste in landfills. the multi-color transformations of logos of June yore will memorialize the demise of rainbow capitalism. no longer can we don their gay apparel without irony.

despite legal precedent, corporations are not people. they can feel no shame; thus, an assault to their purse-strings is vital.

shareholders, policymakers, ‘DEI-snitches’ & CEOs should bear a brutal shame. the individuals complicit in the campaign of hate, division and exclusion must be held accountable for their actions or lack thereof.

boycotts of goods and services are in order for any business that supports fascism to any extent. this should include their divestment from all services which cater to or support discriminative policies.

without public declaration and visible actions to ensure equity in the workplace, any business should be vulnerable to target.

this is not a call to enshrine rainbow capitalism, or use it as a benchmark of success. the inherent exploitation in pink- & white-washing cannot continue.

businesses that collaborated with fascists during World War II should have never been allowed to remain in operation. as such, businesses which do not support and improve quality of life in an equitable society should no longer exist.

justice has no value under capitalism.

[muppet-facts]

Muppet Fact #1061

Late Friday, the Writers Guild of America confirmed that the writers at Sesame Workshop have reached a new five-year contract with the company. The negotiation company said in regards to the news:

“We are so proud to work for an organization that values its writers, and we believe this new contract will positively impact writers throughout the children’s media landscape. ‘S’ truly is for Solidarity. We are glad to have a contract in place that allows Sesame to do what it does best – lead."

A spokeswoman for Sesame Workshop said:

"This agreement is a testament to our dedication to our creative talent, and we appreciate the WGA’s collaboration in working with us to establish this new industry benchmark."

Source:

Earl, William. “Variety.” Variety, April 19, 2024. https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/sesame-street-writers-strike-contract-1235977139/.

[8thhousepriestess]

Horoscopes - Black/New Moon in Capricorn [ Dec. 30, 2024 @ 5:27 PM ET. ]

————————-

While every black moon is a new moon, not every new moon is a black moon….

🌚 New Moon:

Represents new beginnings, fresh starts, & the planting of seeds for future intentions & goals.

🌑 Black Moon:

While it carries the same foundational significance as a new moon, it is often seen as having amplified or intensified energy due to its rarity. It’s a powerful time for manifesting intentions & embracing new opportunities.

🌑✨ Capricorn Black Moon on December 30, 2024 is the final New Moon of the year. Notably, there will be no New Moon in Capricorn in 2025. The subsequent New Moon in Capricorn is anticipated in early 2026.

This lunation aligns with Saturn, amplifying themes of discipline, responsibility, & long-term goals. Saturn’s influence encourages hard work, perseverance, & a realistic approach to challenges. Here’s how it may affect each zodiac sign:

♈️ Aries - Career & reputation

This New Moon urges you to commit to your professional goals. Saturn encourages you to set realistic benchmarks & be patient as you climb the ladder of success. It’s a great time to develop new strategies for long-term stability.

♉️ Taurus - Education & expansion

You may feel inspired to broaden your horizons, perhaps through higher education, travel, or spiritual exploration. Saturn’s alignment encourages disciplined study or a structured approach to personal growth & exploration.

♊️ Gemini - Finances & transformation

This lunation highlights shared resources, debts, or investments. Saturn prompts you to take a serious look at your financial strategies & make long-term plans to manage or grow your assets responsibly.

♋️ Cancer - Relationships & commitments

With the New Moon in your opposite sign, partnerships take center stage. Saturn asks you to evaluate your relationships & invest in those with long-term potential. Set boundaries & clarify your shared goals.

♌️ Leo - Health & daily routines

Saturn encourages you to create sustainable habits that enhance your health & productivity. This New Moon is perfect for starting a disciplined routine or organizing your workspace for better efficiency.

♍️ Virgo - Creativity & self-expression

Saturn urges you to take your creative pursuits seriously. Whether it’s a passion project or romantic connection, this is a time to set long-term goals & commit to what brings you joy and fulfillment.

♎️ Libra - Home & family

This lunation invites you to focus on your home life & personal foundations. Saturn encourages you to set practical goals around real estate, family matters, or emotional stability. Create a plan for long-term security.

♏️ Scorpio - Communication & learning

The New Moon highlights your communication style, writing, or educational goals. Saturn’s influence helps you focus on mastering a skill or developing a structured approach to sharing your ideas effectively.

♐️ Sagittarius - Finances & values

This is a time to reevaluate your financial priorities. Saturn asks you to be disciplined with money & focus on building lasting stability. Set budgets, save strategically, & invest wisely in your future.

♑️ Capricorn - Personal growth & identity

This is your New Moon! Saturn empowers you to redefine your goals and recommit to personal development. Take steps to align your actions with your long-term ambitions, focusing on self-discipline & leadership.

♒️ Aquarius - Inner healing & rest

The New Moon encourages you to slow down & focus inward. Saturn’s influence supports disciplined spiritual practices like meditation or journaling. Reflect on what you need to let go of to move forward.

♓️ Pisces - Friendships & community

This lunation highlights your social networks & goals for the future. Saturn prompts you to invest in meaningful connections & take a practical approach to your aspirations. Collaborate on projects with a long-term vision.

[jazzandothersounds-blog]

Hank Mobley & Grant Green

(English / Español / Italiano)

One of the most notable examples of the collaboration between Hank Mobley and Grant Green can be found on the Blue Note Records album "Workout" (1962). Recorded on 26 March 1961 at the iconic Van Gelder Studio, this album brings together the melodic expressiveness of Mobley's tenor saxophone with the sensuality and distinctive groove of Grant Green's guitar. Together with a stellar line-up that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums, the session stands as a benchmark of hard bop, highlighting the chemistry and interplay between their performances.

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

Uno de los ejemplos más notables de la colaboración entre Hank Mobley y Grant Green se encuentra en el álbum "Workout" (1962) de Blue Note Records. Grabado el 26 de marzo de 1961 en el emblemático estudio Van Gelder, este disco reúne la expresividad melódica en el saxofón tenor de Mobley con la sensualidad y el groove distintivo de la guitarra de Grant Green. Junto a una alineación estelar que incluye a Wynton Kelly en el piano, Paul Chambers en el bajo y Philly Joe Jones en la batería, la sesión se erige como un referente del hard bop, destacando la química e interrelación entre sus interpretaciones .

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

Uno degli esempi più notevoli della collaborazione tra Hank Mobley e Grant Green si trova nell'album della Blue Note Records "Workout" (1962). Registrato il 26 marzo 1961 presso l'iconico Van Gelder Studio, questo album mette insieme l'espressività melodica del sassofono tenore di Mobley con la sensualità e il groove distintivo della chitarra di Grant Green. Insieme a una formazione stellare che comprende Wynton Kelly al pianoforte, Paul Chambers al basso e Philly Joe Jones alla batteria, la sessione si pone come punto di riferimento dell'hard bop, evidenziando la chimica e l'interazione tra le loro performance.

Workout Listen here

Source: Pasión por el Jazz y Blues.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Astronomers find ‘missing’ matter

Astronomers have discovered a huge filament of hot gas bridging four galaxy clusters. At 10 times as massive as our galaxy, the thread could contain some of the Universe’s ‘missing’ matter, addressing a decades-long mystery.

The astronomers used the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton and JAXA’s Suzaku X-ray space telescopes to make the discovery.

Over one-third of the ‘normal’ matter in the local Universe – the visible stuff making up stars, planets, galaxies, life – is missing. It hasn’t yet been seen, but it’s needed to make our models of the cosmos work properly.

Said models suggest that this elusive matter might exist in long strings of gas, or filaments, bridging the densest pockets of space. While we’ve spotted filaments before, it’s tricky to make out their properties; they’re typically faint, making it difficult to isolate their light from that of any galaxies, black holes, and other objects lying nearby.

New research is now one ofthe first to do just this, finding and accurately characterising a single filament of hot gas stretching between four clusters of galaxies in the nearby Universe.

“For the first time, our results closely match what we see in our leading model of the cosmos – something that’s not happened before,” says lead researcher Konstantinos Migkas of Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands. “It seems that the simulations were right all along.”

XMM-Newton on the case

Clocking in at over 10 million degrees, the filament contains around 10 times the mass of the Milky Way and connects four galaxy clusters: two on one end, two on the other. All are part of the Shapley Supercluster, a collection of more than 8000 galaxies that forms one of the most massive structures in the nearby Universe.

The filament stretches diagonally away from us through the supercluster for 23 million light-years, the equivalent of traversing the Milky Way end to end around 230 times.

Konstantinos and colleagues characterised the filament by combining X-ray observations from XMM-Newton and Suzaku, and digging into optical data from several others.

The two X-ray telescopes were ideal partners. Suzaku mapped the filament’s faint X-ray light over a wide region of space, while XMM-Newton pinpointed very precisely contaminating sources of X-rays – namely, supermassive black holes – lying within the filament.

“Thanks to XMM-Newton we could identify and remove these cosmic contaminants, so we knew we were looking at the gas in the filament and nothing else,” adds co-author Florian Pacaud of the University of Bonn, Germany. “Our approach was really successful, and reveals that the filament is exactly as we’d expect from our best large-scale simulations of the Universe.”

Not truly missing

As well as revealing a huge and previously unseen thread of matter running through the nearby cosmos, the finding shows how some of the densest and most extreme structures in the Universe – galaxy clusters – are connected over colossal distances.

It also sheds light on the very nature of the ‘cosmic web’, the vast, invisible cobweb of filaments that underpins the structure of everything we see around us.

“This research is a great example of collaboration between telescopes, and creates a new benchmark for how to spot the light coming from the faint filaments of the cosmic web,” adds Norbert Schartel, ESA XMM-Newton Project Scientist.

“More fundamentally, it reinforces our standard model of the cosmos and validates decades of simulations: it seems that the ‘missing’ matter may truly be lurking in hard-to-see threads woven across the Universe.”

Piecing together an accurate picture of the cosmic web is the domain of ESA’s Euclid mission. Launched in 2023, Euclid is exploring this web’s structure and history. The mission is also digging deep into the nature of dark matter and energy – neither of which have ever been observed, despite accounting for a whopping 95% of the Universe – and working with other dark Universe detectives to solve some of the biggest and longest-standing cosmic mysteries.

TOP IMAGE: This image shows the new filament, which connects four galaxy clusters: two on one end, two on the other. These clusters are visible as bright spots at the bottom and top of the filament (four white dots encircled by colour). A mottled band of purple stretches between these bright dots, standing out brightly against the black surrounding sky; this is the filament of X-ray-emitting hot gas that had not been seen before, and contains a chunk of ‘missing’ matter.  The purple band comprises data from Suzaku. The astronomers were able to identify and remove any possible ‘contaminating’ sources of X-rays from the filament using XMM-Newton, leaving behind a pure thread of ‘missing’ matter. These sources can be seen here as bright dots studded through – and removed from – the filament’s emission. Credit ESA/XMM-Newton and ISAS/JAXA

LOWER IMAGE: A simulation of the ‘cosmic web’, the vast network of threads and filaments that extends throughout the Universe. Stars, galaxies, and galaxy clusters spring to life in the densest knots of this web, and remain connected by vast threads that stretch out for many millions of light-years. These threads are invisible to the eye, but can be uncovered by telescopes such as ESA’s XMM-Newto. Credit Illustris Collaboration / Illustris Simulation

[hd-hurtcomfort-fest]

Fate's Caveat

Creator: Squibnation10 Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy,  Rating: E Word count: 43.4k

Warnings/Tags: Major Character Death, Angst, Fate, Terminal Illness, Fighting Fate, Soulmates, Choice, I think it's a happy ending but I have weird benchmarks, minister of magic draco, Running for Minister, election, Not Political Heavy, werewolf sanctuary, Liberal Uses Of Portkey Magic, Unspeakables, Department of Mysteries, do you believe in fate?, Inspired by The Adjustment Bureau, Good Draco, harry is lonely, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, you might get upset, Coming Out anxiety, cooking fluff, domestic fluff, birthday fluff, confessions of love, chase and running, slow burn, explicit sex scenes

Summary: Draco Malfoy had evolved far beyond the boy who once had no choice. Now poised to become the Minister of Magic, he embodied the principle that everyone holds the power to shape their own destiny. A chance encounter will test everything he believes in.

Author's Note: Thank you to the wonderful mods. You lifted me up when I was falling. The idea of the fest is ingenious. I can't wait to read everyone's work. Thank you to L (it was fun collaborating with you) and T (you took my story so seriously, and I am so grateful for all your help. You are a gem), my beta readers who helped whip my story to shape. Any mistake is mine alone!

***LAST BIG FIC FRIDAY*** A final big fic to close the fest!

*banner art by @basiatlu

[burlveneer-music]

Jlin - Akoma - new album on Planet Mu features guest spots from Björk, Philip Glass, and Kronos Quartet

Jlin’s detailed and meticulous exploration of rhythm’s inner and outer reaches has made her one of the most distinctive and recognisable voices within both the electronic and new music worlds. Her compositions are consistently appealing and have an accessibility to them, yet often defy expectations. She exists within her own locus solus - no matter the collaborator, no matter where sounds ultimately lead her. Whatever the situation – from composing the Pulitzer Prize shortlisted ‘Perspective’ for Third Coast Percussion, to ‘Godmother’ her AI-powered collaboration with Holly Herndon, Jlin always expresses her outlook to the fullest.   Her new album ‘Akoma’ sets a new benchmark in her personal road map, not only since the album features guest appearances from Björk, Philip Glass and Kronos Quartet but for her continued sonic persistence and resistance. Jlin does what Jlin does and it’s beloved across genres, across scenes and across generations. ‘Akoma’ is a new entry point into her sound and a new approach for both those who have been following diligently and those who are just now entering her world.