#computing platforms

[morganbritton132]

Steve is unknowingly popular in teacher spaces online despite not having social media because his students keep posting videos of him on Tiktok.

Every now and again, a video will break containment and reach a wider audience - like the time one of his students used ‘girl math’ to justify their wrong answer and Steve responded with an exhausted ‘math is non-binary’ - but it’s always a flash-in-the-pan kinda thing. The lasting power isn’t there.

Or well, it wasn’t before famed rockstar Eddie Munson started randomly quoting some of the dorky shit ‘Teacher Steve’ says in those videos.

Someone puts together a compilation of Eddie quoting videos that have less than one hundred views. Now Eddie has to admit that he’s kinda obsessed with the guy and suddenly Steve is famous everywhere online (still doesn’t know about it though).

Things may have died down but then one of his students post a video of them asking Steve if he knows Eddie, and Steve is just like, “Munson? Eddie Munson from high school?”

They’re married btw.

[ams-puppy]

*THIS ACCOUNT IS NO LONGER RUN BY ISABEL. LAIN IS THE HOST OF THE SYSTEM, NOW, SO THIS ACCOUNT WILL BE INACTIVE UNTIL I CREATE FANART. IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING AGAINST IZZY, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF, SHE WILL NOT SEE IT, LOL.*

Hi! I'm Isabel! You can call me Izzy or Belle.

☆ pup/pups + she/her

☆ side blogs: @aestheticmastercomputer, @ficto-station

☆ 18+

☆ AM's one and only romantic partner!~

What I will post ☆

☆ Art

☆ I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

☆ Self-ship content

☆ Objectum stuff

☆ Puppy stuff

☆ Shimeji downloads on my ko-fi!

☆ SFW + NSFW downloads on my patreon!

☆ Check out my strawpage!

If you're looking to interact/follow, check below the cut for my BFYI, DNI, and content warnings!

BFYI ♡

♡ I am above 18, and I post sensitive content!

♡ I am in an OSDD system. You may come across invasive members in my posts or direct messages.

♡ Minors. Please please pleeease do not follow :(

♡ I don't mind minors interacting with selfship games that I post and things of the sort, but I will post snippets of suggestive content or NSFW content on my page.

Please, DNI ♡

♡ pr☆shippers and variants :(

♡ if you ship AM with ... anyone, really (crack ships, oc x canon, canon x canon)! this is a space for my selfship, sorry guys!

♡ basic DNI criteria (homophobic, transphobic, racist, etc, etc...)

♡ if you don't support xenogenders/neopronouns

♡ if you follow shitty AM daily (Dino)! we had a very uncomfortable experience with them :(

Content Warnings ♡ (all will be tagged)

♡ plenty of self-shipping

♡ suggestive themes

♡ gore/torture themes

♡ trauma/abuse themes

♡ 18+ themes in general, I suppose?!

Other Platforms ♡

♡ My Pinterest!

♡ My Twitter!

♡ My ArtFight!

♡ My Bluesky!

I look forward to meeting you! ☆

[spookythesillyfella]

told you guys ive been plagued by the analogue horror fixation again

[vgprintads]

'Fire Fox: The Worldwide Chaser'

[PC(?)] [TAIWAN] [MAGAZINE] [1998]

"In 2111 AD, the International Court of Justice enacted legislation to ban and severely punish highly polluting industrial production, and related industries became the source of huge profits for international criminal organizations. Devil Wolf, the leader of the international pollution industry, escaped successfully after being imprisoned for many years. The international manhunt officer Fire Fox was once again recruited to launch a global manhunt." ~Machine Translation of Ad Blurb

Guess this one got cancelled too. Or I'm just not good with Baidu...

Source: Soft World Magazine, August 1998 (#112) || Internet Archive; NashG

[factorialsotherfandoms]

Skizz! I was going to round things out with some good old angsty hurt/comfort, BUT I'm not really in the mood to write angst. So, take something else instead. Hopefully this still answers the questions without being as forlornly sad.

"Are the others being weird to you, or is it just me?" Skizz asks one Tuesday, lent over Impulse's desk and rearranging his tools each time his back is turned.

"Hm?" Impulse finally looks at him, tilting his head. "The others?"

"You know," a gesture. "Top and Bop. I think they're avoiding me."

Impulse shrugs, "they're probably just plotting something, you know what they're like."

"To be entirely honest with you, Dipple Dop?" Skizz slouches further onto the table, flicking one of the chisels until it spins. "Not reassuring."

"What, you don't want to get dragged into chasing sheep with rocket boosters across campus again?"

As if Impulse wants to do the same. When Skizz had his wings it would have been an easy task, but...

Or maybe it wouldn't have been; he never did get a chance to fly around this campus, and he never was the best at it. He can just see himself plummeting straight into the ocean, and Tango cackling as someone fishes him out.

"As if," Skizz shoos Impulse off.

The explanation does make sense, though; the only way the two of them can hide that they are planning something is to make themselves scarce. Tango will burst into giggles at the slightest reminder of the prank, and Zedaph tends to just keep talking.

"So, are you going to keep moping or actually help me?" Impulse asks.

"Help? I'm here to distract and hinder you," Skizz laughs. "It's my day off, and everyone else is busy!"

He probably deserves the cleaning rag thrown over his head.

---

A few days later, Skizz gets off shift. Even with his apron he is covered in flour, and his hands slightly red from the constant washing as people wanted pork chops, cooked cod, pork chops again... One of the Deep One students had asked for raw cod, too, and Skizz had had to run off, find xB, and check that that was fine.

Apparently it is; Skizz is a little surprised it's the first he heard of it, given he's been working in the kitchens for months, but maybe they had all just agreed not to freak out the new member of staff.

Especially when the bandages have only just come off; Xisuma really did take pity on him, offering him the job, huh?

The last thing he wants is to be dragged off somewhere, but that's exactly what happens; he turns a corner on the way to his room, only for his wrist to be grabbed and yanked. Skizz is about to fight back when he recognises exactly what is happening.

"Zeddlebop? Does it have to be now?" he asks, following along only so his arm isn't yanked from the socket.

"You'll like it!" is Zedaph's reply.

That is even probably true! Skizz just thinks he would probably like it /more/ if he had been off shift long enough to change into clean pants.

Skizz isn't winning, though; he allows himself to be dragged off to whatever adventure is in store.

---

The first thing that Skizz notices when Zedaph lets him go is that not just Tango but also Impulse is already here.

"You knew!" is his immediate answer. "Impulse! You betrayed me!"

Full name, mock horror; Impulse laughs in reply.

"Of course I knew, now come on over."

Impulse does at least hand Skizz some coffee. All is not forgiven, but he'll sweep it aside for now.

"Perfect!" Tango says, vibrating . "We have something for you."

"All I want is this coffee," Skizz tells them.

Well, history suggests he wants the three of them, too, but right now the coffee is winning.

"Don't knock it until you see it. Impulse, entertain him!"

Tango and Zedaph run over to one of the cupboards, and start fiddling with something there.

"Sorry," Impulse does say, a little quieter. "We just got finished; I said to leave it until your day off, but they really wanted to show you."

"It's fine," Skizz brushes it off. "What else was I going to so? Sleep?"

For someone who is supposed to be entertaining Skizz, Impulse mostly just lets him sit and relax a little; that's Dipple Do for you, the two have always had the best read on each other.

Mostly they watch Zedaph and Tango struggle with the overpacked cupboard. A box falls, hitting Zedaph hard in the shoulder. Tango laughs, and Zedaph taps him in the shin.

"Do you think we should help?"

"Nah," Impulse replies. "They've got this."

"If you're sure."

What 'this' turns out to be is a strangley shaped bundle of blue fabric. Tango is the one who carries it over, and sets it proudly in front of Skizz.

"What is this?" he asks them.

"Open it and find out!"

Well...

The fabric seems to be serving as wrapping paper; Skizz isn't careful about it, and what it reveals is...

To be honest, he's not entirely sure.

Cogs and levers, straps and buckles, some sort of very thin strips of metal, fabric stretched between them... The strips look a little like Impulse's skeletal wings, just squished up.

Wings...

"Go on! Try them on!" Zedaph grabs it, holding it and offering the straps to Skizz.

"Thanks, but /what/ is it?" Skizz asks, still a little nervous.

"Flightinators!" "Wingamejigs!" Tango and Zedaph answer over one another, then glare a little each way.

"Clockwork wings," Impulse replies. "Those two had the idea; we based the framework off my wings, and used them to test fabrics."

"They might need adjusting, but they should work," Tango promises. "We can teach you how to work them."

"I tested them!" Zedaph pipes up. "Well, not these ones, but the design. We also made them for ourselves, and membranes to make Impulse's work, so we can all go flying together. Like you used to talk about, right?"

"You'll probably want to practice a bit before doing anything strenuous," Impulse tells him. "But-"

"Guys." Skizz can feel his hands shake, something welling up. "A moment."

They do give him a moment.

It doesn't stop the tears welling up.

Wings. They made him new /wings/.

The archangels cut his wings away, and now his three best friends are giving them back.

Skizz stops thinking.

He leans forwards, pulling Impulse and Tango - the two closest to him into a hug. Zedaph quickly puts the wings on a table, then comes close enough to also be pulled in.

His friends, his /family/. The wings didn't matter, not really, not when he finally had the three of them back. For them to make him wings as well - not even make him wings, but make themselves wings too. So they could join him in the sky. Just so they can stay together.

They were split up once before; Skizz is not going to let it happen again.

[synthaphone]

the Kastraliss fight in tdf is so fucking miserable man. this is some grade-A bad 3D platformer boss fight jank. i cannot spot any kind of tell or pattern for what attack it will use. the hypnosis attack gives the player virtually no time to register its happening before its too late to dodge. because Kastraliss can appear on either side of the crappy little stonehenge platforms you have to jump between to have a chance at hitting it, you're constantly swiveling the camera around and you have to rely on Tormunds broken neck for the visual indicator on where it is (because he turns his head to point towards it).

i'm only struggling through it by setting a new save state whenever i manage to deal damage, and pausing to take a break whenever i get too pissed off. before i switched to this strategy, the message that pops up near the beginning of the fight that tells you to Get Higher To Repel Its Attacks killed me at LEAST twice- first time by confusing me into thinking i was supposed to be up on one of the unscaleable background elements, since it popped up when i was already standing on one of the pillars they meant, and the second time by popping up while i was midjump and making me fall into the swamp and die

anyway. interesting that it has a cobra hood that it can flare out, and that the hood seems to be unique to its appearance in this game because its not depicted in any of the site artwork

[arconinternet]

Whopper Chase (ZX Spectrum/Amstrad CPC, Erbe Software, 1987)

You can play this game, which was originally sold with Burger King Whoppers in Spain, in your browser here.

Tip: After the ZX Spectrum version finishes loading and nothing appears, press any key to start the game.

[mfcl3780cdw]

anyone want to infodump abt what the fediverse is, how you use it, etc? i think my eyes are bleeding, reading all these articles

[bpenn]

To the one or two people that might be interested in seeing Jamie Parker be that little shit™

[jcmarchi]

Microsoft’s Majorana hype: Real proof or just marketing?

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/microsofts-majorana-hype-real-proof-or-just-marketing/

Microsoft’s Majorana hype: Real proof or just marketing?

Introduction: The quest for reliable qubits

Quantum computing faces a fundamental challenge: qubits, the basic units of quantum information, are notoriously fragile.

Conventional approaches, such as superconducting circuits and trapped ions, require intricate error-correction techniques to counteract decoherence. Microsoft has pursued an alternative path: Majorana-based topological qubits, which promise inherent noise resistance due to their non-local encoding of quantum information.

This idea, based on theoretical work from the late 1990s, suggests that quantum states encoded in Majorana zero modes (MZMs) could be immune to local noise, reducing the need for extensive error correction. Microsoft has invested two decades into developing these qubits, culminating in the recent “Majorana 1” prototype.

However, given past controversies and ongoing skepticism, the scientific community remains cautious in interpreting these results.

The scientific basis of Majorana-based qubits

Topological qubits derive their stability from the spatial separation of Majorana zero modes, which exist at the ends of specially engineered nanowires. These modes exhibit non-Abelian statistics, meaning their quantum state changes only through specific topological operations, rather than local perturbations. This property, in theory, makes Majorana qubits highly resistant to noise.

Microsoft’s approach involves constructing “tetrons,” pairs of Majorana zero modes that encode a single logical qubit through their collective parity state. Operations are performed using simple voltage pulses, which avoids the complex analog controls required for traditional superconducting qubits.

Additionally, digital measurement-based quantum computing is employed to correct errors passively. If successful, this design could lead to a scalable, error-resistant quantum architecture.

However, while the theoretical framework for Majorana qubits is robust, experimental verification has been challenging. Majorana zero modes do not occur naturally and must be engineered in materials like indium arsenide nanowires in proximity to superconductors.

Establishing that these states exist and behave as expected has proven difficult, leading to past controversies.

Historical controversies: The 2018 retraction

A major setback for Microsoft’s Majorana initiative occurred in 2018 when researchers, including Leo Kouwenhoven’s team at TU Delft (funded by Microsoft), published a Nature paper claiming to have observed quantized conductance signatures consistent with Majorana zero modes.

This was hailed as a breakthrough in topological quantum computing. However, by 2021, the paper was retracted after inconsistencies were found in data analysis. Independent replication attempts failed to observe the same results, and an internal investigation revealed that a key graph in the original paper had been selectively manipulated.

This event, dubbed the “Majorana Meltdown,” significantly damaged the credibility of Microsoft’s approach. It highlighted the challenge of distinguishing genuine Majorana modes from other quantum states that mimic their signatures due to material imperfections. Many physicists became skeptical, arguing that similar issues could undermine subsequent claims.

Experimental progress and remaining challenges

Despite the 2018 controversy, Microsoft and its collaborators have continued refining their approach. The recent announcement of the “Majorana 1” chip in 2025 presents experimental evidence supporting the feasibility of Majorana-based qubits.

Key advancements include:

Fabrication of “topoconductor” materials: Microsoft developed a new indium arsenide/aluminum heterostructure to reliably host Majorana zero modes.

Parity measurement success: The team demonstrated that they could measure the qubit’s parity (even vs. odd electron occupation) with 99% accuracy, a crucial validation step.

Increased parity lifetime: The qubit’s state exhibited stability over milliseconds, significantly surpassing superconducting qubits’ coherence times (which are typically in the microsecond range).

Digital control implementation: Unlike analog-tuned superconducting qubits, Majorana qubits can be manipulated with simple voltage pulses, theoretically enabling large-scale integration.

While these are important steps forward, the experiments have not yet demonstrated key quantum operations, such as two-qubit entanglement via non-Abelian braiding. Until this milestone is achieved, claims about the superiority of topological qubits remain speculative.

Comparison with other qubit technologies

To assess Microsoft’s claims, it is useful to compare Majorana qubits with existing quantum computing platforms:

Superconducting qubits (IBM, Google): These have demonstrated successful quantum error correction and multi-qubit entanglement but require extensive calibration and error correction. Fidelity levels for two-qubit gates currently range around 99.9%.

Trapped-ion qubits (IonQ, Quantinuum): These offer superior coherence times (seconds vs. microseconds for superconductors) but suffer from slow gate speeds and complex laser-based control.

Majorana-based qubits: Theoretically provide built-in error protection, reducing the need for extensive error correction. However, experimental validation is still in progress, and large-scale integration remains untested.

Microsoft has argued that Majorana qubits will enable a quantum computer with a million qubits on a single chip, a feat that conventional qubits struggle to achieve.

While this is an exciting possibility, many researchers caution that scaling challenges remain, especially given the extreme conditions (millikelvin temperatures, precise nanowire fabrication) required for Majorana qubits.

Despite recent progress, many physicists remain skeptical of Microsoft’s claims.

Key concerns include:

Lack of direct evidence for Majorana zero modes: While Microsoft’s 2025 Nature paper presents strong supporting data, the scientific community has yet to reach a consensus that Majorana modes have been definitively observed.

Alternative explanations for observed phenomena: Many experimental signatures attributed to Majorana states could be explained by disorder-induced states or other trivial effects in semiconductor-superconductor interfaces.

Unverified large-scale claims: Microsoft’s assertion that its approach will lead to fault-tolerant quantum computing “within years, not decades” is met with skepticism. Experts note that even the most advanced conventional quantum computers are still years away from practical applications, and scaling from an 8-qubit chip to a million-qubit processor is an enormous leap.

Comparison to competing approaches: Some argue that improvements in quantum error correction for superconducting and trapped-ion qubits may render topological qubits unnecessary by the time they are fully realized.

A Promising but unproven path

Microsoft’s Majorana-based qubits represent one of the most ambitious efforts in quantum computing. The theoretical promise of intrinsic error protection and simplified quantum control is compelling, and recent experiments provide encouraging evidence that topological qubits can be realized.

However, historical controversies, ongoing skepticism, and the lack of key demonstrations (such as two-qubit gates) mean that these qubits are not yet a proven alternative to existing technologies.

While Microsoft has made significant strides in overcoming past setbacks, their claims of imminent large-scale quantum computing should be met with caution.

The coming years will be critical in determining whether Majorana qubits will revolutionize quantum computing or remain an elegant but impractical idea. As independent verification and further experiments unfold, the scientific community will ultimately decide whether Microsoft’s bold bet pays off.

[y2k-2day]

Toni Braxton - You’re Makin Me High (1996)

[virjohnnylibra99]

Ask me anything about this franchise (I've only played the trilogy. I know a few things about the 4th one)

[dimalink]

Basic Pascal version 1.18 “Duckling” - Show Video

Short video,  you can watch new games here, that were developed for this version Basic Pascal pack. Fragments of gameplay and drawings.

Version 1.18 has a name “Duckling”.  And it is dedicated to duckling. And theme of countryside and summer. So, a positive. For this time, it is 4 new games. Puddles at the Countryside, Duckling Pseudo 3D, Road at Countryside, Duckling Goes 2D.

Summer games. For good mood and positive! Funny ducklings are running! Big and small! It is so fun! And how cool to have a walk after the little rain! And about a road to a countryside - it is whole adventure! And duckling is running and jumping!

And one more thing, there is here a game about a big doing quack-quack duckling! There is sound! He speaks quack-quack! And runs by the field and water. And he collects duckling-coins!

This time I do programming with QB64. It is modern version of QBasic.

Basic Pascal version 1.18 "Duckling" – most newest version. In this version there are 4 new games! Puddles at Countryside, Duckling Pseudo 3D, Road to Countryside, Duckling Goes 2D. And even more retro games! It is a pack of retro games with modern versions of Basic and Pascal.

Basic Pascal: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/games/basicpascal/index_eng.html

Website: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/home_eng.html

Itchio: https://dimalink.itch.io/basic-pascal

[byanyan]

byan is in your computer!

they are (select all that apply): exploring your files | downloading malware (on purpose) | downloading malware (mistakenly) | making memes | streaming on twitch | running your tumblr | playing your video games (well) | playing your video games (badly) | buying things (helpful) | buying things (malicious) | fixing bugs | causing bugs | browsing the web | browsing the dark web | reading their own police file | online dating | looking at cute animal pictures

tagged by: stole it from @smilingmxsk hehehe

[vgprintads]

'Super Bubsy'

[PC] [SOUTH KOREA] [MAGAZINE] [1997]

Nothing much to say here. It's a port of the first Bubsy game with a bonus copy of the unaired cartoon series.

What I find most interesting is that if you throw the Korean here into Google Translate, the game is named "Super Law City" and stars a character named "Lawshi"... and that "all Earthlings are naked."

Have fun with this information.

Source: Game Champ, July 1997 || RetroCDN; Asagoth