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makeste · 4 years

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BnHA Chapter 306: the beginning of the WHAT

Previously on BnHA: Nana and the Gang were all, “hey Deku, we can read your thoughts and feelings so we should already know the answer to this, but for some reason we want to quiz you on whether or not you’d be down to kill Shigaraki Tomura.” Deku was all, “um okay, well tbh, probably not seeing as Saving People has been my entire thing since literally the start of the series.” The Vestiges were all, “yes that makes perfect sense and again we already knew that, but well, good for you buddy and I’m glad we had this talk. Anyway I guess we should ask these two cryptic fuckers in the corner to finally turn around now before we run out of -- ” and then the chapter ended. Because OF COURSE IT DID.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, WOULDN’T IT BE SO MUCH BETTER IF I GAVE YOU A CONFUSING CHAPTER WHERE EVERYONE FINALLY LEARNS ABOUT OFA, AND GOES BACK TO THE DORMS, AND THEN THE CHAPTER ENDS WITH DEPRESSED NOMAD DEKU STANDING ON A PRECIPICE WITH GRAN TORINO’S TATTERED CAPE FLOWING IN THE WIND.” Everyone is all, “???????????” Horikoshi is all, “also the parents are moving to the U.A. campus, and Jeanist’s neck is two and a half feet long, for everyone that was wondering.” Everyone is all, “WHERE ARE KACCHAN AND TODOROKI AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHO ARE THE SECOND AND THIRD USERS”, and Horikoshi is all, “:)” and fades away into nothingness like the fucking fae he is. Like a fucking imp who’s kept his end of the cursed bargain. What, the, fuck.

okay guys, so after the longest Thursday of my fucking life, during which I was secretly hoping that my spoiler containment net would be somehow be breached, inadvertently exposing me to theta spoiler radiation, so that I could be all “oh no... spoilers... there’s nothing I can do... I have no choice but to look” (which sadly did not happen), it is finally Friday and the chapter is finally out. so I’ve got my clown kit at the ready and other self-deprecating memes on standby, and I’m ready to go. and I should note that I’m also ready for Horikoshi to pull some absolute bullshit and be like, “oh you know what, we haven’t checked in with Rat Principal in a while have we” and spend the entire chapter on nonsense like that. I’M READY FOR FUCKING ANYTHING so bring it

(ETA: it would be nice if this man wouldn’t call my bluff every now and again.)

oh, right, we were due a color page! wow look at this

isn’t this supposed to be the future?? what’s with all of these staticky CRT TVs

anyway, so! is this the first time we’ve seen Tomura’s stylish finger prosthetic glove thingy in color?? because I didn’t expect it to be red. also, at some point you just have to give in and change your pants into cutoffs or something, Tomura. start a new trend of stylish villain capris

meanwhile Deku is dressed like he’s going on a journey into the desert to find a mystical oasis. actually this cape looks a lot like Gran Torino’s. I have to go back and see if Gran’s is all raggedy like this

(ETA: it wasn’t before but APPARENTLY IT IS NOW. I also forgot that Horikoshi had showed it sitting on a side table in the hospital a few chapters ago.)

lastly, AFO looks like someone’s thumb after they’ve been washing dishes for twenty minutes. you are just the ugliest dude in history, and as always, fuck you

HAHAHA SOB I KNEW IT

oh, Twowy McTwoface is finally starting to turn around? better CUT BACK TO DEKU’S HOSPITAL ROOM THEN. wouldn’t want to accidentally ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS or SOLVE ANY MYSTERIES, god forbid

well, whatever. whatever!! anyway so now someone’s knocking at the door. I say “someone” but we all know it’s Hawks

yep

they were actually standing outside the door for a while hoping they’d overhear another juicy plot conversation, but no such luck this time

lmaooo Jeanist wtf

acting all embarrassed, but you’re really just as curious as Hawks is. making him do all the dirty work for you huh

ARE YOU SERIOUS THIS IS AN INJUSTICE

so like two seconds after Katsuki gets dragged away you open the door for the rest of them!! well, fine!! I really want it to be a more private/personal moment between the two of them anyway so let the other kids check in on Deku first then

and in the meantime, time to see Hawks put the thumbscrews to All Might’s resolve lol

I wonder how much of it Hawks has already put together in the last five minutes. One for All is something connected to All for One that Tomura seems to want. Tomura was apparently targeting Deku. that’s more than enough to make a few deductions right there. I wonder how much Hawks knows about Deku’s quirk. he did watch the sports festival, and he ran into the kids interning under Endeavor that one time

okay well maybe he hasn’t put the rest of it together just yet, but Hawks is making a pretty reasonable pitch here to All Might

also this is a pretty spectacular view. is this a hospital or a hotel??

AHLKJLKJLKJ ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO TELL THEM

OH MY GOD HE IS?!?!

JUST LIKE WE ALL EXPECTED, THE NEXT TWO PEOPLE TO LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT OFA ARE GOING TO BE HAWKS, AND BEST FUCKING JEANIST

-- LFKLKKLDK ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS. ARE YOU --

( •̀_•́ )

[sitting cross-legged on the ground pulling up little clumps of grass and letting them fall from my fingers one by one] yeah. sure. okay. fine. sure

-- OKAY, NO. NUH-UH. NO

everybody better hold tight cuz I’m about to pick up this whole chapter and yeet it into the ocean like a fucking frisbee lol

HORIKOSHI I DON’T CARE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE SITTING HERE WATCHING TV WTF

-- OH

well okay then. proceed. though lord help me if they’re about to reveal the secret of OFA to the whole fucking world skdkj

oh snap

well, there it is. pretty much what I expected, but it’s good to actually get to see this moment with him taking responsibility

though at the same time, thank you Horikoshi for not forcing us to sit through the rest of that

their fucking faces omg. okay but seriously, what nation doesn’t secretly love a good scandal

the Endeavor Pamphlets, part two. thank you for giving the country something to opine about on twitter in these trying times, Enji

so now they’re asking about Hawks and Jeanist but I cannot even focus on anything all of a sudden because what?!

is Jeanist even a real actual human being you guys?! are we sure he’s not three kids sitting on each other’s shoulders?? are you related to that one guy with the really long neck from the Jedi Council?? are you Orochimaru, bro??

so now Hawks is apologizing for the murder of Twice, and for hiding the connection with his dad

the fact that he has to give this serious formal apology and beg forgiveness for the shameful crime of Having An Abusive Father is really something else, though. just. it’s realistic, but I still hate it

moving on now to the one thing he actually does owe the public an explanation for

not to go all “Hawks did nothing wrong” on you guys yet again, but seriously. 100% facts. fandom can (and no doubt will) debate this until the end of time, but if Twice had gotten away they wouldn’t be having this press conference right now because there wouldn’t be any heroes left to give one. anyways though, I’ve already said more than enough about that in previous posts

so now some severe-looking lady with the weirdest fingers I’ve ever seen is saying that her mother was injured during Machia’s rampage

and she’s basically all “a fuck lot of good ‘I’m sorry’ does us all about now.” true true

wow she’s really getting fired up

and now Enji is basically saying that he understands that an apology isn’t enough, and what they really need now are solutions. okay, well! SO THEN WHAT IS THE PLAN THEN

hmmfsdgh

this eloquent PEZ dispenser makes a good point you guys

wait, hold up

CERTAIN citizens?? um excuse me, what??

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh shit

holy shit. well, this will go over well

okay! so this tells me a number of things, though

basically the minute that Hawks learned about One for All, he realized that anyone connected to Deku (e.g. Inko) would be a target for AFO. AFO wants OFA, meaning AFO wants Deku, and one of the easiest ways to get to Deku would be to target his family

Hawks therefore realized that Inko needed to be placed into protective custody

but the fact that ALL of the hero course students’ families (and is it only the U.A. hero course, or all of the hero course students across the country?) are being given protection tells me that Hawks and co. don’t want to single Deku out as being important. so then it looks like they’re not going to tell everyone about OFA (or at least not the public. which, good). so rather than drawing suspicion by saying “we’ve got to protect everyone connected with this one kid”, they’re making it seem like all the U.A. kids’ families are getting this treatment

but since the heroes are now spread so thin, they can’t just send a protective detail to each and every family, so they’re bringing all of the families to the same place instead to better keep an eye on them

so that’s all well and good, and a very smart move. except that idk how all of this is going to go over with the general public, all of whom are probably feeling unsafe at the moment, and who will probably see this as preferential treatment -- basically just the heroes looking after their own and leaving everyone else to fend for themselves

(ETA: okay so @hanashimas’ translation clarifies that U.A. is offering their services as an evacuation shelter for everyone who wants it, not just the families of the U.A. students. that’s much more appropriate so I withdraw my previous “wtf” reaction lol.)

anyway though here’s Mitsuki and Inko

can we take this as confirmation that the two of them really are friends? that’s one piece of fanon that I’ve always hoped was true, so I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s confirmed

(ETA: also this means that Hagakure’s parents (or maybe “parents” in quotation marks) will supposedly be moving in as well. sure am curious as to how that’s going to go.)

now someone in the press crowd is asking whether U.A. can provide adequate security, which is honestly the LAST thing I expected these people would be outraged about lol. shows what I know I guess

(ETA: again though, this makes sense if the “certain civilians” thing was just a translation error.)

LMAO DAMMIT ENJI

YOU CAN’T JUST ALWAYS PULL THE “JUST WATCH ME” TRICK AND EXPECT IT TO SHUT DOWN THE CONVERSATION EVERY DAMN TIME YOU ASSHOLE

-- OH MY GOD RED ALERT

TIME TO ANALYZE THIS BECAUSE OMG

WASH CAN’T BELIEVE HIS FAMILY GROUP CHAT IS STILL SENDING HIM FUCKING MEMES AT A TIME LIKE THIS. HE DOESN’T GIVE A FUCK IF THE DABI DANCE IS TRENDING ON TIKTOK, MOM!!

FOR A MINUTE I THOUGHT MT. LADY WAS HOLDING MIDNIGHT’S TORN-UP MASK, AND BY THE TIME I REALIZED THAT’S ACTUALLY HER MASK AND NOT MIDNIGHT’S, I HAD ALREADY CONSTRUCTED AN ELABORATE HEADCANON IN WHICH MT. LADY AND MIDNIGHT WERE SECRETLY DATING BUT HADN’T COME OUT TO ANYONE YET, AND THEN TRAGEDY STRUCK, AND NOW MT. LADY IS GETTING READY TO SET OUT TO SEEK VENGEANCE. AND WELL, NOW THAT THIS HEADCANON EXISTS IN THE WORLD, I’M NOT SURE IF I’M READY TO GET RID OF IT

MIRKO HAS GOTTEN HERSELF A PROSTHETIC (ROBOT??!) ARM, NOTHING ELSE THAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS CHAPTER IS EVEN SLIGHTLY IMPORTANT!!! HELLO!!!!!

AIZAWA WITH THE EYEPATCH GOOD LORD. THE WORLD ISN’T READY. HE LOOKS LIKE HE HASN’T SLEPT IN NINETY-EIGHT YEARS, BUT SOMEHOW HE MAKES IT INTO THE HOTTEST THING EVER AS PER USUAL

WHO THE FUCK IS THIS FUCKING GUY. ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW HIM? IS THIS KAMUI?? WAS THAT THING WHICH I ALWAYS ASSUMED WAS HIS HAIR ACTUALLY A HELMET OR SOMETHING WHAT

LOL AND MEANWHILE

you tell me, Dabi! weren’t you the one who said that wouldn’t be enough to kill him? what even is your endgame here. I’m starting to worry about the villain brain cell supply you guys. I feel like Compress took most of them with him when he left

OH??

“when asked about One for All, Endeavor fucking lied through his teeth.” well, well, well

SLKDFJLSKGDJLKLKGJL THE DORMS

( ⁰ ⌂ ⁰ )

SLDKJFLKJWLKJLK

WLKDJSLKJFWKELKSDJLKHGLK

HDSMFLKGKL:GDSELK

OCHAKO’S HAND IS SHAKING OH MY GOD

THERE’S YOUR KAMINARI, EVERYONE!!

RHA’S SCANLATION TEAM REALLY THREW DEKU’S HANDWRITING UNDER THE BUS HERE HUH

HE TOLD EVERYONE!?

WHY THE FUCK IS HE WRITING IT AS A LETTER

(ETA: 9. also if he really wrote every kid in his class then that means the U.A. traitor -- or Hagakure as we like to call her around these parts -- also knows about OFA, and knows that Deku has run the fuck off and isn’t at U.A. anymore. so that’s just great!)

OH HELL NO

the hell does that mean, you must leave. leave to go where. son you are not up and leaving to go power up and lead us all into a timeskip. and I swear to GOD, if you left Kacchan too...!!

MY GOD I CAN’T PROPERLY ABSORB ALL OF THESE OCHAKO FEELS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I’M TOO TERRIFIED TO SCROLL TO THE LAST FUCKING PAGE, FUCK

I JUST GOTTA DO IT. I JUST GOTTA SUCK IT UP AND DO IT. FUCK

FUCK

WHAT. THE. FUCK

y��all I’m not even gonna waste your time with more keysmashing, JUST ASSUME THAT I AM DOING IT NONSTOP, FOREVER. and let’s just jump RIGHT IN HERE

okay so here I thought that All Might and co. had taken him away somewhere to train, but that is CLEARLY not what’s going on here. this kid is standing here in his Apocalypse Aesthetic hero costume which has CLEARLY seen better days, with Gran Torino’s cloak (GUESS THAT EXPLAINS THAT, THEN?? SO DID GRAN FUCKING DIE EXCUSE ME WTF), and a fucking backpack. this little green idiot has RUN AWAY FROM HOME. this is the absolute LAST THING ON EARTH I ever expected to happen so PARDON ME WHILE I SCREAM CONFUSEDLY INTO THE VOID

he does not look okay. you guys he doesn’t look okay at ALL. he has NEVER looked like this. this isn’t just a “I’m sad because I’m leaving all my friends behind” kind of look on his face, or even just a “Gran Torino died maybe and I’m still having emotions over it” look. this is an EXHAUSTED, dead look in his eyes. something terrible has happened

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARMS DEKU. THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING DOWN WITH YOUR ARMS GODDAMMIT

love how this random building is just straight up collapsing, like that’s just a normal thing that happens every day now. lovely

APRIL MEANS IT’S NOW FULL ON SCHEDULED ALL-MIGHT-DYING-HOURS, BUT LET’S COMPLETELY IGNORE THAT THOUGH BECAUSE FUCK THAT NOISE

“THE SECOND USER? WHO KNOWS? CERTAINLY NOT ME” HORIKOSHI I SWEAR TO GOD

“BAKUGOU? NEVER HEARD OF HIM!” HORIKOSHI PLEASE

WHERE. IS. KACCHAN

did he go with Deku?? did he get a chance to talk to him before he left?? did he get his own private letter which he read and then promptly blew up in a fit of panicked rage?? is he going to go after him?? DOES HORIKOSHI KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING TO ME RIGHT NOW?? OF COURSE HE DOES, DON’T BOTHER ANSWERING THAT

omg. though actually the fact that we’ve already jumped a few weeks forward makes me hopeful that there won’t actually be another timeskip, or at least not much of one. I’m sure that’ll be the big debate of the week, but I don’t think we can jump too far forward here. for starters because of that All Might prophecy I mentioned. and also because TomurAFO isn’t just going to wait around for months. and also because I’m 100% sure that Deku’s running-away backpack is just filled ENTIRELY WITH NOTEBOOKS and this asshole cannot possibly survive more than 3 days on his own. UNLESS SOMEONE COMES TO HELP HIM THAT IS. OR SOMEONES, EVEN. OMG. omg omg omg. fuck this chapter lmao

#bnha 306 #midoriya izuku #hawks (bnha)#takami keigo #endeavor #todoroki enji #best jeanist #all might #uraraka ochako #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha

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blodkru · 5 years

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Personal News

I've been debating whether or not to post anything personal lately because 1) No one ever sees it and 2) I doubt anyone like seriously cares much. But I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I just need to vent. I got some not so great news from doctors and I'm not even sure I'm processing it correctly if at all.

Warning for talk of surgery, female reproductive systems, periods, vaginas, etc.

On January 2nd of this year I went to my doctor for my first ever pap smear. It wasn't fun, brought up a lot of memories I try to repress, and left me feeling gross for days. My doctor was so sweet and kind and let me go at my own pace and eventually everything came back normal. Except one thing.

During the exam my doctor asked multiple times if I was sexually active (I'm not) with anyone with a penis (definitely not) even if it's not my partner (absolutely fucking not). I asked why she kept asking at the end of the exam and it went like this:

Me: I swear I haven't had sex in almost four years.

Doc: Andy, I want you to know I believe you but I had to keep asking because something came up irregular.

Me:...like what?

Doc: Your stomach is slightly distended and uterus about the size of someone 10 weeks pregnant. You said you thought you were getting fat but I don't think that's it. It could be nothing but I want you to get an ultrasound done.

So I got one done. Two actually. There's two different kinds and on January 23rd I got them both done. The results were something was blocking the machine from seeing my ovaries or uterus. The technician assured me it wasn't some kind of immaculate conception but they couldn't exactly tell what it was. They sent in an order for an MRI.

I got the MRI done February 28th (don't ask why it took so long). The whole experience went fine except the MRI machine sounded like bad techno music and I was not about it. I did get a 10 minute nap in though. That was done and I waited about 5 days for the results.

Meanwhile I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. AND somehow got tonsillitis and the antibiotics for them were kicking my ass (thank goddess they worked).

The results were there are two "masses" on my ovaries. The doctor said they were likely teratomas which are basically germ cells in the ovaries that mutated or something and created masses. They were not fetus' or life. Just clumps of cells that funny enough could grow teeth or hair (science is fucking wild yo). The doctor told me normally they would go with hormone therapy as a first option but due to me being on hormones since I was 18 and this still happened, I would need to come in and speak to a gynecologist about the next step.

I went to the GYN this past Tuesday (March 10th). I found out the masses were definitely teratomas. If I had to guess sizing, I would say a little bigger than a gold ball. There was no certainty if they were benign or malignant until they were removed and sent to pathology. That's right.

Removed.

Now I was prepared for this. I had done some research and figured I would need surgery. I had seen the most common surgery for this is called laparoscopic (I think) which is two small incisions where one scope goes in and the other is for taking out (yeeting) the teratomas. This is what I thought I'd be having and I was like "no problem, I get 2-3 weeks off work and get to take some pain killers. It's whatever". It was in fact not whatever.

The teratomas are too big to be removed that way. And they're still growing so there is no not taking them out. The doctor told me the stomach pain I've been having for a year now were likely from my other organs having to move or reposition to fit these in my body. And why I gained 10 lbs so quickly (I put on weight like the average person but there was a hot minute where I worked out and ate super clean and gained 10 lbs of not muscle). I have to have them removed and it's gonna be an open surgery.

The best way to describe it is like a C-Section. One cut about the length of my hand right across my lower abdomen. I'll be admitted to the hospital for 3 days. Recovery time is 4-6 weeks if everything goes well. And honestly I'm scared.

I've had pneumonia and tonsillitis and been on antibiotics twice in six months so I know my body is kind of exhausted right now. I'm more than sure the surgery will go fine but once I leave the hospital who knows what will happen. I'm terrified of losing my job (yes, my boss has assured me my job is not in jeopardy) and being a hindrance on everyone. I'm the person everyone goes to when they need someone or thing. My mom is in the hospital right now and if anything happens to her, no one else can get to her quickly.

I had planned to visit my godson and family I haven't seen in a year May 1st-4th. That will likely not happen now as it's right in the middle of my recovery period.

I'm terrified of something going wrong and I can't fix it.

I have a meeting on the 17th with the surgeon who will be doing my surgery. I'm told she's one of the best and very kind. I really wish that calmed my nerves. My partner is wonderful and doing everything to keep me calm and okay but I feel like a burden to them. My sister is planning to take a week off work to stay with me during recovery. My awesome coworker is offering to grocery shop or check in on me if no one else can. Even my mom is offering to let me stay with her since she'll also be housebound for a while. I have all this support and I feel like a burden or I should go it alone.

I can't stop looking at my stomach and wanting to cry and thinking "my own body can't give me a damn break".

My surgery is April 6th. Let's see how it goes.

#trigger warning #personal #blodkru #vagina talk #reproductive organs #what do I even tag this as

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reneeacaseyfl · 5 years

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Why Jeff Williams May Not Be the Next Apple CEO

A trio of tech snippets—with my take—to start your day:

* Bloomberg Businessweek’s estimable Apple reporter Mark Gurman has a piece in the current issue that calls Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams the heir apparent to his longtime boss, Tim Cook. It reminded me of the feature I wrote in Fortune in 2008 calling Tim Cook the most likely replacement for Steve Jobs. I quoted an unnamed source in that article—still a prominent Silicon Valley personage—calling Cook’s ascension “laughable.” While old-school Apple aficionados will similarly argue vociferously that Williams shouldn’t succeed Cook, Gurman makes a textured and forceful argument why he will. The reason: Smooth operations and profitable services define Apple today more than nifty products and outside-the-box thinking. If I were placing bets, I’d guess that Apple’s board will not choose the next CEO in the mold of the current one, though, just as Cook couldn’t have been more different than Jobs. Seeing as Cook doesn’t appear to going anywhere, the argument seems to be more parlor game than urgent analysis. Apple reports earnings this afternoon.

* An IBM government-affairs official has published a post supporting changes to the key legislation that allows Facebook, YouTube, and others to avoid being regulated and otherwise legally treated like the publishers that they are. (Policy wonks will recognize the law in question as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.) IBM CEO Ginni Rometty has spoken favorably on this topic before, including in a meeting with journalists in San Francisco in February. Breakingviews has a good take on the nuances of IBM’s position.

* We’ll look back one day on the era when travelers paid extra for a service that allowed biometric identification to unlock special access to get through airport security. But for now Clear is a game-changing offering, and my only fear about it is that it will become too popular—because I love it. As mentioned in Monday’s Data Sheet, there were two pieces of great news for coast-to-coast United customers (like me!): discounted memberships for United frequent flyers and the expansion of Clear to Newark.

Adam Lashinsky

On Twitter: @adamlashinsky

Email: [email protected]

NEWSWORTHY

Hand in the cookie jar. A former Amazon software engineer was arrested on Monday in Seattle for hacking into credit card company Capitol One’s servers and stealing consumer data from tens of millions of credit card applications. Paige A. Thompson, aka the hacker Erratic, was charged with computer fraud and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Disruption in aisle three. Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Seattle-based Amazon is “quietly exploring” creating another grocery chain alongside Whole Foods that would shake up the industry with a greater focus on pickup and delivery options, The New York Times reports. Amazon declined to comment.

The real world. Now a public company and facing greater pressure to, I don’t know, turn a profit some day, Uber on Monday cut its marketing department by one-third, laying off 400 people. “This happens naturally as companies get bigger,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wrote to his staff in an email obtained by Bloomberg.

That’s one way to stop leaks. Google pre-announced that its forthcoming Pixel 4 phone would have a face unlock feature much like current iPhones and will use a form of radar to pick up a user’s control gestures made in midair, above the device.

Fly me to the moon. Researchers at the University of California Berkeley built a solar-powered drone with lighter, more efficient photovoltaic cell technology that could transform the industry. The new thermophotovoltaic cells could eventually power a house with a generator the size of an envelope, the researchers said.

I’ll be your server for this evening. With more companies following a so-called hybrid cloud strategy, seeking to keep some data and apps on local servers, Google is getting closer to VMware. Google’s cloud service will start supporting VMware Cloud Foundation, used by companies who set up hybrid cloud arrangements. Elsewhere in enterprise computing land, Microsoft acquired startup BlueTalon, which helps companies control data sharing, for an undisclosed sum. And AT&T won a 15-year, $1 billion contract to provide communications services to the Justice Department.

ON THE MOVE

My kids use an expression that was new to me: yeet. It means to leave, to bug out, to fly the coop. So let this be the yeeting edition of On the Move…Jon McNeill, who was hired last year to run Lyft’s operations, is leaving the company. His responsibilities will be distributed to others…the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission‘s cyber unit, Robert Cohen, is stepping down next month…Expedia president Aman Bhutani, who oversees the company’s online travel businesses, is leaving for another opportunity…We do have one joiner. Former Homeland Security Advisor and U.S. cybersecurity chief, Tom Bossert, started at start-up Trinity Cyber as chief strategy officer.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

As the debate around Facebook’s Libra digital currency proposal stirs, it’s interesting to recall the history of paper money, itself a wild invention that nearly broke the global financial system. John Lanchester has a wide-ranging recounting of the history of money, filled with plenty of interesting digressions, in The New Yorker. The first paper money was used in China in the 13th century, as explorer Marco Polo discovered.

Marco Polo was right to be amazed. The instruments of trade and finance are inventions, in the same way that creations of art and discoveries of science are inventions—products of the human imagination. Paper money, backed by the authority of the state, was an astonishing innovation, one that reshaped the world. That’s hard to remember: we grow used to the ways we pay our bills and are paid for our work, to the dance of numbers in our bank balances and credit-card statements. It’s only at moments when the system buckles that we start to wonder why these things are worth what they seem to be worth. The credit crunch in 2008 triggered a panic when people throughout the financial system wondered whether the numbers on balance sheets meant what they were supposed to mean. As a direct response to the crisis, in October, 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto, whoever he or she or they might be, published the white paper that outlined the idea of Bitcoin, a new form of money based on nothing but the power of cryptography.