#field force automation System

[salesmagna]

Why SalesMagna Is the Best Field Force Automation Software to Transform Your Sales Operations

Managing a field sales team with manual methods like spreadsheets and paper forms is no longer feasible for fast-growing FMCG companies and businesses with complex sales channels. As companies scale, the need for smarter, automated sales solutions becomes critical. This is where Field Force Automation Software steps in — revolutionizing how sales teams operate and report from the field.

Among all available options, SalesMagna stands out as the best Field Force Automation Software for companies aiming to boost sales productivity, accuracy, and visibility across their field force.

What Is Field Force Automation Software and Why Does Your Business Need It?

Field Force Automation (FFA) Software is a comprehensive digital platform designed to automate and optimize the daily activities of field sales, FFA focuses heavily on empowering your on-ground team with real-time data capture, order management, attendance tracking, and route optimization - all critical for FMCG and distribution-intensive businesses.

Traditional manual sales processes, such as:

Filling out paper forms,

Reporting sales data via spreadsheets,

Managing attendance and outlet visits manually,

are error-prone, slow, and difficult to monitor at scale. This results in lost sales opportunities, inaccurate reporting, and lower accountability.

With the right Field Force Automation Software, your sales force can digitally capture orders, report visits, and update inventory status in real-time, providing managers instant visibility into sales performance and field activities.

How SalesMagna Excels as the Leading Field Force Automation Software

SalesMagna has been crafted specifically for FMCG, Pharma, and Consumer Durables companies that need a reliable, easy-to-use platform for field sales automation. Here are key features that make SalesMagna the best choice for your field force:

1. Real-Time Sales Data Capture & Reporting

With SalesMagna, every sales visit, order, and payment update is recorded instantly through the mobile app, eliminating delays and human errors common in manual reporting. This real-time sales data empowers managers to track performance live and make informed decisions quickly.

2. Advanced Location Tracking & Geo-Fencing

Geo-fencing technology ensures your sales reps visit assigned outlets within defined areas, enhancing route compliance and accountability. Sales managers get automated alerts if visits are missed or outside designated zones, improving overall field coverage.

3. Powerful Distributor Management System (DMS) Integration

SalesMagna includes an integrated Distributor Management System that automates order processing, stock monitoring, claims management, and payment follow-ups. This reduces bottlenecks in your supply chain and streamlines distributor operations.

4. Offline Functionality for Uninterrupted Sales Workflows

Field sales teams often work in areas with poor network connectivity. SalesMagna’s offline mode allows reps to capture orders and update data without an internet connection, syncing automatically when they regain access.

5. AI-Powered Sales Insights & Automation

Artificial intelligence in SalesMagna analyzes sales trends, predicts demand, and suggests optimized sales routes — helping your team focus on high-value activities that drive revenue growth.

6. Multi-Channel Ordering through Retailer App & WhatsApp Integration

Empower retailers to place orders easily through the SalesMagna Retailer App or via WhatsApp, simplifying communication and speeding up order confirmations.

7. Cloud-Based Security & Scalability

SalesMagna is a secure, cloud-based solution that grows with your business, offering seamless updates and remote accessibility for managers and sales reps.

The Benefits of Adopting Sales Force Automation with SalesMagna

Sales Force Automation (SFA) is a vital component of overall field force automation, focusing on digitizing the sales process from lead management to closing deals. Here's how SalesMagna's Sales Force Automation capabilities help your sales team excel:

Increase Sales Productivity: By automating repetitive tasks like order entry and reporting, your sales reps spend more time selling.

Improve Data Accuracy: Real-time updates reduce errors and ensure everyone works from the same reliable data source.

Enhance Customer Engagement: Automated reminders, route planning, and customer visit histories help sales reps build stronger relationships.

Boost Transparency & Accountability: Managers gain full visibility into daily activities, allowing for performance tracking and coaching.

Why SalesMagna Is the Best Choice for Your Field Force Automation Software Needs

Choosing the right Field Force Automation Software is critical for driving operational efficiency and sales growth. Here's why SalesMagna should be your top pick:

Tailored for FMCG & Distribution: SalesMagna understands the complexities of fast-moving industries and provides specialized features.

User-Friendly Mobile App: Sales teams can easily adapt SalesMagna with an intuitive app interface, reducing training time.

Comprehensive Analytics: Gain actionable insights with customizable dashboards and reports.

Scalable & Secure: Cloud architecture ensures business continuity and data safety.

Multi-Role Access: From field reps to distributors and managers, everyone gets appropriate access to perform their roles efficiently.

Start Your Digital Sales Transformation Today

If you're ready to replace manual sales reporting and outdated processes with a smart, powerful Field Force Automation Software, then look no further than SalesMagna.

Experience how SalesMagna can streamline your sales operations, improve field team productivity, and unlock new business growth opportunities.Visit SalesMagna.com now to request a free demo and take the first step toward transforming your field force.

[fieldez]

Business Efficiency with Field Service Management Software by FieldEZ Technologies

In today’s fast-paced, customer-centric environment, businesses with field operations need agile, intelligent solutions to stay competitive. From telecom and utilities to healthcare and retail, organizations require streamlined systems to manage their workforce, schedule tasks, and deliver services on time. This is where FieldEZ Technologies steps in with its comprehensive suite of field service management software designed to optimize every aspect of field operations.

What Is Field Service Management Software?

Field service management software (FSM) helps businesses coordinate field operations through a centralized platform. It includes tools for scheduling, dispatching, tracking, and reporting field activities. FSM ensures the right person is assigned the right task at the right time — improving productivity and reducing downtime.

With rising customer expectations, the importance of service management software has become undeniable. Businesses need to respond faster, offer real-time updates, and resolve issues efficiently. FieldEZ’s FSM solutions are built to meet these demands with intelligent workflow automation and intuitive user experiences.

FieldEZ Technologies- Transforming Field Service Through Innovation:

FieldEZ Technologies is a leader in field service automation, delivering scalable software solutions tailored for diverse industries. Their product suite includes:

ServiceEZ — A full-featured service management software to handle installation, maintenance, repair, and customer support tasks with real-time visibility and resource planning.

SalesEZ — A specialized tool for salesforce automation, streamlining lead management, order processing, and customer engagement, especially useful for on-field sales teams.

RetailEZ — Focused on retail execution, this solution supports retail audits, merchandising, inventory tracking, and campaign monitoring across multiple locations.

Each product integrates seamlessly to create an ecosystem that boosts operational transparency, employee accountability, and customer satisfaction.

Why Choose FieldEZ for Field Service Management?

Comprehensive Maintenance Management Systems — Maintenance is at the core of many field service operations. FieldEZ’s software allows companies to implement preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance protocols through digital tracking and analytics. These maintenance management systems help businesses reduce equipment downtime and extend asset life.

Intelligent Workflow Automation — Manual workflows are prone to error and inefficiency. FieldEZ enables workflow automation by digitizing and optimizing work orders, approvals, notifications, and escalations. Whether it’s assigning tasks or capturing customer feedback, automation ensures speed and accuracy.

Real-Time Visibility and Analytics — Managers can monitor field activities in real-time using GPS tracking and automated reporting features. This visibility helps with better decision-making and resource allocation, leading to higher customer satisfaction and operational cost savings.

Customizable and Scalable Solutions — Whether you’re a startup or a large enterprise, FieldEZ’s solutions are designed to grow with your business. Custom modules, integrations, and white-labeled apps provide flexibility without compromising performance.

Mobile-First Experience — Field personnel can access job details, update task status, collect digital signatures, and communicate with team members using mobile devices. This enhances productivity and reduces paperwork significantly.

Industries Benefiting from FieldEZ:

From HVAC and home services to IT support and retail audits, FieldEZ has successfully empowered clients across various domains. Its solutions are especially useful for:

Telecom & Infrastructure

Medical Equipment Servicing

Facilities Management

Consumer Electronics

BFSI & Insurance

Retail Chains

Final Thoughts:

In a competitive business environment where time, accuracy, and customer satisfaction are critical, adopting a robust field service management software can make all the difference. FieldEZ Technologies delivers value with its advanced service management software, smart maintenance management systems, and end-to-end workflow automation capabilities.

By choosing FieldEZ, businesses can enhance efficiency, reduce operational costs, and offer seamless field experiences that drive loyalty and growth. If you’re looking to transform your service delivery, FieldEZ has the tools and technology to lead your field operations into the future.

[astiinfotech1]

Smart Field Force Management for Banks & Financial FirmsAsti Infotech offers cutting-edge field force management solutions tailored for banks and financial institutions. Our platform ensures complete visibility, real-time tracking, and seamless task management for field agents, helping your organization stay compliant, efficient, and customer-focused. With rising regulatory requirements and increasing customer expectations, banks and NBFCs need smart tools to streamline operations and reduce risks. Our solution helps financial organizations monitor employee movement, schedule and assign tasks, verify visit authenticity through GPS and timestamp data, and generate insightful reports to optimize performance. Whether it’s loan collections, field verifications, or sales visits, our system supports secure, trackable, and automated workflows—reducing manual errors and improving accountability. Asti’s platform is scalable, cloud-based, and easy to integrate with your existing systems. Empower your team with a mobile app for on-the-go task updates, attendance marking, geo-fencing, and instant communication. Enhance customer trust with faster response times and verified interactions. Choose Asti Infotech to bring greater transparency, operational excellence, and cost-efficiency to your banking field operations. Perfect for banks, NBFCs, microfinance institutions, and fintech service providers.

[essglobe]

Accelerate the growth of your Business with ESS's Sales Force Automation App

In today's competitive business landscape, it's more important than ever to have a sales team that is firing on all cylinders. ESS's Sales Force Automation App can help you do just that. Our app provides a comprehensive suite of features that can help you streamline your sales process, improve productivity, and close more deals.

Sales Force Automation Mobile App helps enterprises to digitally manage their sales force and operations from anywhere. Eastern Software Systems has extensive experience in developing custom digital solutions for enterprises of all scales, helping them to embark on their digital transformation journey.

[on-my-vigilante-sht]

Capitol Punishment Prologue (II)

Haymitch x Reader

Summary: The Capitol continues to torture it’s victors no matter how long ago they won through punishment, exploitation, and worst of all; their relationships.

A story in which Haymitch’s lover is a plaything for the Capitol.

Warnings: Canon level violence, alcohol, murder, systemic poverty, exploitation, rebellion (?), more reliance on movie than book, suicidal thoughts

Word Count: 4.2K

Prologue | Masterlist | Part I

As you and your mentor entered a room with the tube that would put you into the arena, your fear finally came to the forefront of your mind. Your breath became erratic as you confronted your almost guaranteed imminent death. Haymitch noticed your sudden stiffness, forcing you to look at him. “Hey, you’re okay. You’re gonna be okay. You’re smarter than any of them. You only have to do this once. Okay?”

Seeing his sincerity and hope, your facade broke. “I don’t wanna die,” you finally admitted, tears pricking your eyes.

That broke his heart. You had spent so long convincing yourself and everyone else you were okay with dying. As upset as he had been because you were so willing to leave him, he admired your composure. But now there was a scared girl in your place. Haymitch knew you couldn’t win. You had only scored a 3 in your training. No one would bet on that. And while you had managed to survive alone in 12 for eight years, maybe you had been right. Maybe you were only able to survive in the Seam where people were indifferent and sometimes even kind. Here, your death would only benefit others.

Pushing all those thoughts aside for your sake, Haymitch gained the slightest smile. “There she is,” he murmured. “I know you can do it. You’ve actually struggled to survive on your own. The others probably can’t say the same. C’mere,” he said, pulling you into a hug. You reveled in the first comforting touch in god knows how long. His chin rested on top of your head. “You’re gonna run away from the cornucopia and then steal supplies. No fighting, okay? You’re gonna fly under the radar. That’s how you survived in 12, right?”

“Thirty seconds,” an automated voice came over the speaker, telling you that you had to get in the tube.

Haymitch finally pulled away. “I’ll see you soon,” he tried his hardest to smile, wiping away your tears. You returned his strained smile before unsteadily making your way to the tube.

Haymitch kept his facade up until you were out of view, having been lifted into the arena. He almost immediately pulled out his flask, taking a deep swig.

~

Being pushed up into the arena you were blinded by the sun and immediately confronted with a nearly unbearable heat. Gathering your bearings, you observed the arena. It looked like some sort of canyon. From what you could see, it wasn’t very wide in some spots. The largely empty field surrounding the cornucopia looked to stretch about a mile behind you before you could spot some trees. It’d be a long time before you could get cover, you just hoped that the others would be too distracted fighting each other to notice you running for a mile.

Turning your attention back to the cornucopia you spotted all sorts of weapons and supplies. Based on the heat you were tempted to try to grab some water but you kept Haymitch’s words in mind. Not to mention that if you went towards the cornucopia you lost valuable time to get to cover.

15… the timer read. 10… 5… 3, 2, 1! The buzzer went and you immediately turned, running for the trees.

You ran for god knows how long. You weren’t sure if anyone was following you but you were too afraid to look back. Afraid of turning around to see your fellow children slaughtering one another. Afraid of seeing someone chasing you, and even worse, slowing down enough, incidentally, so they could catch you. So you kept going until you finally reached the trees and even further after that. You finally let yourself slow to a stop in order to catch your breath.

Completely alone and without any supplies, you knew you needed to find someone soon so you wouldn’t die of exposure or be completely defenseless. But upon hearing a twig snap, you came to the conclusion that you weren’t in the position to run anyone yet so you continued running.

~

You eventually moved to the edge of the forest, figuring that if any singular tribute had set up camp in the open you’d be able to spot them easier. You had spent the better part of the afternoon learning to climb trees. While you lacked the muscle to actually climb, you made up for it with a malnourished frame that allowed you to climb up tree limbs that would snap under a career’s weight. You eventually figured it out, fortunately in time to see a fire spark up about a hundred yards from you.

But as you were watching the fire the Capitol music began to play, blue light flooding the sky. Looking up, you could see the fallen being projected onto the night sky. You counted as they went. The District 3 girl, District 4 girl, District 6 boy, both tributes from District 8 and 11, and finally Alder. Eight in total. Fairly low bloodbath, you had seen as many as 3/4 of the tributes get wiped out in the first 10 minutes before.

You weren’t sure how to feel about Alder. Yeah, he had been a dick but he was still a person. A person you knew. Who had a life and a family. You were sure those who knew him were wishing it had been you instead of him. Hell, you were only alive because Haymitch had only mentored you. And he had told you to run away. You were also relieved you wouldn’t have to kill him. Trying to shake off the knowledge of your district-mate’s demise, you turned your attention back to the fire.

Whoever had started a fire in the middle of a field wasn’t completely stupid. They were surrounded by a few boulders and rocks, judging by the weakness of the fire you wouldn’t have spotted it if you weren’t up in the trees.

You waited for a while until the fire was out, signaling that the tribute was asleep. So you crept from the trees, praying that this poor child you were about to kill had supplies so it’s be worth it. You couldn’t really afford to let your humanity get in the way if you were going to have any shot at getting home.

~

Haymitch watched the games from the penthouse. This had been the first year in a while he had actually sat down to watch the games. He never bothered to watch the hopeful kids he was forced to meet get slaughtered. But he watched this year, proud of you for running away and figuring out how to climb.

The cameras had only been focused on the careers ever since night fell. He supposed everyone was alone because when no fighting was going on, they only played the footage of ally interactions. The careers had formed a group. All of them except for the District 4 girl who had been killed with a spear to the chest while fighting over it with the boy from 7 during the bloodbath.

The careers had set up camp, the boy from 1 already establishing himself as their leader, having killed the boys from Districts 6 and 11, and then both tributes from 8.

But the coverage of their little bonding session was interrupted by cameras focused on the sleeping girl from 5 and you, creeping across the field.

“What do we have here?” Caesar asked the audience and Lucius Caecilius, this year’s other announcer, rhetorically.

“It looks like the District 12 girl, Y/N L/N, is on the move. The question is, if Necole Carrick wakes up, who will win in a fight?”

“My money is on Carrick. She has supplies, L/N is completely defenseless,” Caesar explained.

“Let’s see,” Caecilius said as you finally reached the girl from 5.

Haymitch watched in anticipation as you perched yourself on a rock, just above the sleeping girl. He held his breath, could you actually do this? His heart stopped as you carefully reached down, slipping the knife out of the girl’s hand. He watched you sigh in relief as you grabbed it. The camera was focused on your face as you seemed to steel yourself before softly leaping onto the ground next to her before quickly swiping the blade through the girl’s carotid artery. You jumped as the canon went off, showing the audience how shaky you were. Tears were pouring down your face as you grabbed the backpack and any other supplies before running out of the field, safely into the trees.

~

By the time the sun came back up, the tears on your face had dried and there was a puddle of vomit at the base of the tree. You had found some dried meat in the pack so you had nibbled a little on that, careful not to waste your rations. But eating had helped you stop shaking enough to climb down the tree. Unfortunately, the pack hadn’t contained any water, but it did have an empty water bottle so you set off to find water.

You had stuck to the walls of the canyons, figuring that if you had to climb them, you could. There wasn’t much room to grip them but it was possible. Fortunately, the trees still provided enough shade for your pursuit of water to not be dire.

As you continued on you became less confident until you noticed something. You couldn’t be sure but you were pretty sure you had reached a point where the walls of the canyon were curving into you. But as you continued on, you found an opening in the wall. It was mostly covered by vegetation and would go unnoticed had you not been following this wall for hours. Seeing as there were few reasons for you not to go in, you went, finding that it sloped down into the ground. Continuing on, it became lighter. Streams of light came from thinly covered holes in the ceiling, up into what you realized was the main arena. It was a miracle you hadn’t fallen down here.

As you were realizing this may be a good place to hide, you could hear it. Running water. You practically cried in relief, moving closer to it. As you reached a small stream, you immediately kneeled to the ground, scooping the water into your hands. You had learned that running water was less likely to contain dangerous pathogens or bacteria but you should still boil it. Regardless, you didn’t care. You finally had water.

After cleaning yourself off a little and filling your water bottle you continued on, following the stream. But as you went, you heard footsteps above you. Making sure to stay out of view from the streams of lights, you waited for the footsteps to be gone. But they never went away, instead, the boy from District 10, the boy who had ogled at you in the elevator, fell into the cavern. You didn’t waste a second jumping on top of him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as disoriented as you thought he would’ve been because he tossed you off effortlessly.

The next thing you knew he was on top of you, his fists wildly hitting you. Getting your feet under him, you were able to kick him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Distracting him enough that you could kick him off of you. You fumbled for the knife in your pack as you noticed him crawling towards his fallen sword. Seeing him, you disregarded the knife in your bag, going towards the sword. You managed to reach it before him but just before he could grab the handle, you had to grab the blade. You nicked your hand but were too high on adrenaline to notice. You slipped it from his grasp before grabbing the handle, swinging it down into his head before running off.

You could hear his screams of agony as you ran back to the entrance, afraid his screams would draw other tributes. You certainly didn’t want to be trapped down here with the careers, being trapped in a canyon with them was bad enough. But by the time you reached the surface, a canon went off. Unless another tribute had been killed, at least District 10’s suffering had ended.

You no longer felt safe on the ground, you couldn’t just stay in one tree, and you certainly wouldn’t be able to just jump from tree to tree so you began to look to the canyons. There were ledges higher up you could theoretically walk across, it would just be a struggle to reach them. So you prepared yourself, subjecting yourself to bleeding fingers until you finally reached a ledge you could actually stand on. It was about 10 feet off the ground and went decently far. So you walked back towards the Cornucopia, occasionally climbing down and up as ledges got too thin and you had to go to another one.

You continued on like this for a while until you spotted the blonde hair of District 4’s male tribute. He was alone, unusual for a career tribute. You made sure he was alone before silently making your way down the canyon. He didn’t notice you as you followed him for a bit. Eventually, he stopped, turning to the canyon wall before unzipping his pants. You hesitated for a second, not wanting to be put in that position but this was your best opportunity so you took it.

As he finished, you crept up behind him, quickly wrapping your arm around his head, pulling it back so you could easily draw your knife across his throat. He tried to scream, but you cut so deep he couldn’t. This time you watched, blood pouring from his throat as the life left his eyes. Once the canon went off, you knew you wouldn’t have much time so you quickly took the belt lined with blades before running off, not wanting to risk the other careers seeing you as you tried to climb.

Reaching another remote area, you slung the blades around your hips before climbing up into a tree for the night. You hadn’t slept in nearly two days so you knew you’d have to figure something out tonight.

As you were settling down you heard chimes from above. Looking up at the sky you found a silver parachute floating down towards you. It got caught in the leaves of the branch you were on, forcing you to precariously balance on the end to reach it. How ironic it would be if you died in the Capitol’s game while reaching the thing the Capitol gifted you to survive.

You managed to grab it, settling back where you had been before opening it. First, you saw a note.

Good job, sweetheart - Haymitch

You couldn’t help but be embarrassed of the heat building in your cheeks but you tried to ignore it. Opening up the container you found some sort of salve. Unsure of what it was you reached a finger into it, immediately noticing a soothing sensation on your torn up finger. You looked at it, noticing the blood was stopping so you quickly spread it over your marred hands and any other random scrapes you had gained from all the climbing practice.

You sighed at the soothing relief, resting against the grunt of the tree.

~

“Well, it’s been an unusually bloody second day, this looks like this may be the quickest Hunger Games in a while,” Caesar recapped for the audience.

“Yes, it has,” Caecilius agreed. “For those of you unable to tune in today the allies from Districts 1, 2, and 4 decided to split up today. Unusual behavior for this alliance as usually the members of this group, known as the careers, stick together until they start fighting one another. But they had a fairly successful day. Collectively they eliminated the male tributes from Districts 3 and 5, the girls from 6, 7, and 10, as well as both tributes from 9.”

“And in a surprise, Y/N L/N has eliminated the males from Districts 4 and 10. I’d like to remind everyone that she scored a 3 in her training evaluation,” Caesar reminded, looking genuinely surprised at her success.

“Clever one, she is. She kept the careers’ focus away from her. Only a matter of time before the remaining careers figure out she’s the one who killed their ally.”

“They seem to be figuring it out right now,” Caesar laughed as the cameras focused on the remaining careers.

Today's deaths were being projected into the sky and they had noticed their ally’s death. They were currently trying to track the canon fire today to figure out who could have done it. Trying to determine whether or not the killer had already been eliminated. But as they discussed they failed to mention the possibility of District 12’s female tribute.

“Oh, seems they’re forgetting someone,” Caesar laughed.

“Can you blame them?” Caecilius laughed along with Caesar. “I don’t believe a female tribute from 12 has made it past the first day since the 50th games when Haymitch Abernathy won.” Caesar murmured in agreement before he changed everyone’s attention to recounting today’s deaths, playing them on the screen.

“I’ll just say, everyone better watch out for L/N, she’s a sneaky one,” he commented as the video of Piers’ death was played.

~

You were woken up by a canon. Based on last night’s light show it was just you and the careers. Fuck. You were their target now. Unless they were stupid enough to think they were the only ones left and they were killing each other right now, saving you some trouble. But you weren’t quite that lucky as you heard voices.

You cursed internally as you realized the careers were literally walking below you now. You could hear them. “Who the hell is left?” a female voice demanded. “I’m pretty sure everyone else is gone.” You rolled your eyes, why would she admit that?

“No,” a male voice interrupted. “There’s one person left. I’m not sure who but eight died the first day, ten yesterday, and we just killed one more. There’s one more person left.”

“Well then, who the fuck is it?” She then began listing both tributes from each district, including you. “Who else is left?”

“I don’t know, but the math doesn’t lie. Eight plus ten plus one equals nineteen. Twenty-four minus nineteen equals five.”

“Whatever,” another male voice interrupted. “We’ll do what we did yesterday. If we split up, we can find whoever is left.”

“But that’s how Piers died!” the other girl protested.

“You know only one of us get out, right?” the last male who spoke corrected her. “If we kill whoever else is left, we ensure it’s one of us. And we all know one of us deserves to go home more than this last pest, right?” The others murmured in agreement before splitting off to find you.

As you waited to ensure you were alone you steeled yourself. You’ve already killed three people. If you just left everything behind and killed four more people, you could end this today and go home. But before you climbed down, you heard the chiming of another parachute. Looking up, you found another silver parachute floating down towards you. You reached out, letting it fall into your palm. Opening up, you found a note.

Get your strength up before you win this thing - Haymitch

You couldn’t help the smile that crept over your lips as you opened the container, revealing a stew. You hadn’t realized how hungry you were as you quickly ate, uncaring that you didn’t have any utensils. By the time you had finished, you had calmed down enough to set off on your mission.

It didn’t take long before you found the girl from District 2. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as dumb as District 4’s male tribute because she noticed you coming. She immediately chucked a spear at you as she turned to face you. You were able to move enough so it wouldn’t pierce your torso but it did manage to graze your shoulder.

Seeing as she didn’t manage to kill you, she immediately began running. She was fast. So, doing the only thing you could think of, you threw one of the knives in your belt at her. You were surprised the blade found its mark, sinking into her back. She fell but she wasn’t done yet so you walked over, taking her spear and stabbing it into the back of her neck.

As you continued on you noticed the thinly covered spots in the ground. Realizing that moving around unseen was a tremendous advantage, you slipped underground, ensuring you didn’t break anything in your descent. You first located the stream, replenishing your water before continuing on. You listened for footsteps as you went, almost giving up until you heard the light footsteps of who you assumed to be District 1’s female tribute.

Following the path of her footsteps, you tracked her, waiting until she was close enough to a hole for you to make your move. As soon as she was, you jumped, pulling yourself out of the earth. You had been planning to drag her underground but based on her scream, she saw you. You cursed as you dragged yourself up, giving chase to her.

She wasn’t nearly as fast as the girl from 2 because you caught up with her easily, tackling her to the ground. She struggled against you, starting a flurry of swinging limbs as both of you tried to get the upper hand. She was a lot bigger than you, attributed to her better nutrition, but she still struggled against you, screaming the names of her allies.

As you continued struggling you realized you’d have to shut her up quickly and get the hell out of there before it became two or three against one.

You found the strength to pin her, sitting on her back before sending a knife into her jugular. Just as the canon went off, you heard a yell. “Historia!” the boy from District 2 called in horror. Shit. He was huge. You’d never be able to beat him by brute force. So you ran. You went for the nearest tree that didn’t look impossible to climb but once you were about three feet off the ground, you felt a yank pull you down to the ground. Hard. You fell with so much force you were pretty sure he broke a rib because your chest exploded in pain.

You watched in horror as he swung his sword up, poised to lodge itself in your head but, with much effort, you rolled away just in time. You struggled to your feet, still holding your ribs. You threw a knife as best as you could which lodged itself into his arm. But he just ripped it out before running towards you with a sword. You jumped out of the way, once again, just in time. You knew this wouldn’t last, you were way more injured than him. As he ran at you again, you prepared to accept your death until you heard a yell. Opening your eyes you saw half of him was underground, leaving only his torso still above the earth. The only reason he hadn’t fallen completely through was because the sword sticking through his chest was lodged in some rocks, keeping him propped up.

You gasped at the sight. He looked up at you, tears in his eyes. “What are you looking at?!” he yelled. “C’mon, you did this! Kill me!” he demanded. His face was full of rage and pain, so much so you couldn’t tell if he genuinely wanted you to end his suffering or not. You would have if it weren’t for his flailing arms you were sure would try to drag you to death with him. So you turned, leaving him screaming as you stumbled towards the cornucopia to finish this.

You continued on for what seemed like forever. The pain in your chest was only getting worse as breathing became harder. The only, very slight, relief was the sound of the canon as the boy from District 2 finally died. The only question was whether he had succumbed to his injuries or if the final tribute, the boy from District 1, had put him out of his misery and told him to be careful of you. Either way, you knew you had to get the drop on District 1. You couldn’t beat him by brute force, especially in this state. So you went to the Cornucopia, waiting for him inside and trying not to fall asleep.

~

“C’mon, don’t fall asleep,” Haymitch murmured to himself as he literally sat on the edge of his seat.

The sponsors who had sent you food and medicine sat around him, watching too. Everyone was shocked when you started picking off the careers, even more so when you managed to avoid death at District 2’s hands. He had nearly let the tears fall when the boy had dragged you to the ground, clearly injuring you severely. But you managed to survive and now you just had one more obstacle to overcome.

“Oh, here comes Blackford,” Caesar announced as the boy from District 1 ran out towards the cornucopia.

He stood in front of it, arms stretched out, with a sword in one hand. “C’mon! I know you’re out there,” he bellowed. “Let’s finish this!”

“Here she comes,” Caecilius announced as you slipped out of the cornucopia. You stepped up behind the boy, wrapping your arms around him, blade poised exactly like you had when you killed Piers.

Murmurs of excitement grew the closer you got to him, and cheers exploded as the canon went off and the boy from 1 fell at your feet. There were several congratulations to Haymitch and your sponsors as he tried not to cry in relief. You were alive. You were gonna be okay.

Prologue | Masterlist | Part I

[yesornopolls]

The article under the cut

Allies of Elon Musk stationed within the Education Department are considering replacing some contract workers who interact with millions of students and parents annually with an artificial intelligence chat bot, according to internal department documents and communications.

The proposal is part of President Trump’s broader effort to shrink the federal work force, and would mark a major change in how the agency interacts with the public. The Education Department’s biggest job is managing billions of dollars in student aid, and it routinely fields complex questions from borrowers.

The department currently uses both call centers and a rudimentary A.I. bot to answer questions. The proposal would introduce generative A.I., a more sophisticated version of artificial intelligence that could replace many of those human agents.

The call centers employ 1,600 people who field over 15,000 questions per day from student borrowers.

The vision could be a model for other federal agencies, in which human beings are replaced by technology, and behemoth contracts with outside companies are shed or reduced in favor of more automated solutions. In some cases, that technology was developed by players from the private sector who are now working inside or with the Trump administration.

Mr. Musk has significant interest in A.I. He founded a generative A.I. company, and is also seeking to gain control of OpenAI, one of the biggest players in the industry. At other agencies, workers from the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Mr. Musk, have told federal employees that A.I. would be a significant part of the administration’s cost-cutting plans.

A year after the Education Department oversaw a disastrous rollout of a new federal student aid application, longtime department officials say they are open to the idea of seeking greater efficiencies, as have leaders in other federal agencies. Many are partnering with the efficiency initiative.

But Department of Education staff have also found that a 38 percent reduction in funding for call center operations could contribute to a “severe degradation” in services for “students, borrowers and schools,” according to one internal document obtained by The Times.

The Musk associates working inside the Education Department include former executives from education technology and venture capital firms. Over the past several years, those industries have invested heavily in creating A.I. education tools and marketing them to schools, educators and students.

The Musk team at the department has focused, in part, on a help line that is currently operated on a contract basis by Accenture, a consulting firm, according to the documents reviewed by The Times. The call center assists students who have questions about applying for federal Pell grants and other forms of tuition aid, or about loan repayment.

The contract that includes this work has sent more than $700 million to Accenture since 2019, but is set to expire next week.

“The department is open to using tools and systems that would enhance the customer service, security and transparency of data for students and parents,” said Madi Biedermann, the department’s deputy assistant secretary for communications. “We are evaluating all contracts to assess effectiveness relative to costs.”

Accenture did not respond to interview requests. A September report from the Education Department describes 1,625 agents answering 462,000 calls in one month. The agents also handled 118,000 typed chats.

In addition to the call line, Accenture provides a broad range of other services to the student aid system. One of those is Aidan, a more rudimentary virtual assistant that answers basic questions about student aid. It was launched in 2019, during Mr. Trump’s first term.

Accenture reported in 2021 that Aidan fielded 2.2 million messages in one year. But its capabilities fall far short of what Mr. Musk’s associates envision building using generative A.I., according to the internal documents.

Both Mr. Trump and former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. directed federal agencies to look for opportunities to use A.I. to better serve the public.

The proposal to revamp the communication system follows a meltdown in the rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, last year under Mr. Biden. As FAFSA problems caused mass confusion for students applying for financial aid, several major contractors, including Accenture, were criticized for breakdowns in the infrastructure available to students and parents seeking answers and help.

From January through May last year, roughly three-quarters of the 5.4 million calls to the department’s help lines went unanswered, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

More than 500 workers have since been added to the call centers, and wait times were significantly reduced, according to the September Department of Education report.

But transitioning into using generative A.I. for student aid help, as a replacement for some or all human call center workers, is likely to raise questions around privacy, accuracy and equal access to devices, according to technology experts.

Generative A.I. systems still sometimes share information that is false.

Given how quickly A.I. capabilities are advancing, those challenges are potentially surmountable, but should be approached methodically, without rushing, said John Bailey, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former director of educational technology at the Education Department under President George W. Bush.

Mr. Bailey has since become an expert on the uses of A.I. in education.

“Any big modernization effort needs to be rolled out slowly for testing, to see what works and doesn’t work,” he said, pointing to the botched introduction of the new FAFSA form as a cautionary tale.

“We still have kids not in college because of that,” he said.

In recent weeks, the Education Department has absorbed a number of DOGE workers, according to two people familiar with the process, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the department’s security procedures and feared for their jobs.

One of the people involved in the DOGE efforts at the Education Department is Brooks Morgan, who until recently was the chief executive of Podium Education, an Austin-based start-up, and has also worked for a venture capital firm focused on education technology, according to the two people.

Another new staffer working at the agency is Alexandra Beynon, the former head of engineering at Mindbloom, a company that sells ketamine, according to those sources and an internal document.

And a third is Adam Ramada, who formerly worked at a Miami venture capital firm, Spring Tide Capital, which invests in health technology, according to an affidavit in a lawsuit filed against the Department of Government Efficiency.

None of those staffers responded to interview requests.

[mariacallous]

Following a White House edict effectively banning federal employees from disclosing their personal pronouns in email signatures, sources within multiple federal agencies say pronouns are now being systemically blocked across multiple email clients and other software.

WIRED confirmed various automated efforts with employees at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the General Services Administration (GSA), the US Department of Agriculture, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The employees spoke to WIRED on condition of anonymity, citing fears of retaliation.

Multiple agency directors sent emails over the weekend telling staff that, due to President Donald Trump’s executive order, their offices would be removing the pronoun capability from Office 365. Employees were told they’d also need to remove pronouns from their email signatures in order to comply with the directive.

A staffer at USAID says the formal deactivation of their ability to list pronouns occurred last week, in response to executive orders defining sexes issued by President Trump on his first day in office. A GSA staffer says pronouns were wiped from employees’ email signatures after hours on Friday and were also no longer visible in Slack, the workplace messaging app. At the CDC, there used to be a section for employees to share their pronouns on their Teams profiles, another workplace app. That field no longer exists.

Reached for comment, the White House transferred WIRED to OPM communications director McLaurine Pinover, who pointed to January 29 memorandum ordering agencies to disable all features “that prompt users for their pronouns.”

The ban on personal pronouns follows sweeping efforts by the White House to eliminate programs that encourage diversity and social justice within the federal government, as well as other references to “diversity, equity, and inclusion” in federal employees’ discourse.

In a striking example of the policy in action, an image surfaced last week of a wall being painted over at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Quantico, Virginia, academy due to it listing "diversity" among the bureau's core values. (According to an email from the FBI’s Office of Integrity and Compliance obtained by Mother Jones, the bureau no longer counts "diversity" among its core values.)

The Trump administration began a radical campaign last week aimed at inducing members of the federal workforce to leave their jobs ahead of threatened reductions. The effort is spearheaded by Elon Musk, leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force that has effectively seized control of several federal agencies and sensitive government systems with apparent clearance from the White House.

WIRED reported last week that Musk’s outfit had effectively taken over the Office of Personnel Management, the US government’s human resources department. In this and other efforts, it is employing inexperienced young engineers whose ages range from 19 to 24—many of whom, public records show, are former interns or have been affiliated with Musk-aligned companies.

OPM emailed federal workers on January 28 with a “deferred resignation offer,” sparking widespread confusion among federal workers. (DOGE’s own new HR chief was unable to answer basic questions about the offer in a contentious staff meeting last week, WIRED reported.) In an email to staff Sunday evening, OPM clarified whether the deferred resignation program complied with existing privacy laws. “Yes,” read the answer. “The deferred resignation program uses only basic contact information about federal employees, like name and government address, along with short, voluntary email responses. The information is stored on government systems. To the extent that the Privacy Act applies, all information relevant to the program is covered by existing OPM System Records Notices.”

Multiple agency sources told WIRED last week that several of Musk's lieutenants had been granted access to key computer systems controlled by the GSA, an independent agency tasked by Congress with overseeing federal buildings and providing equipment, supplies, and IT support across the government.

[hannibals-favourite-meal]

.⋆｡Call Your Mom｡⋆.

Clark Kent x plus size reader

I'll drive, I'll drive all night I'll call your mom

Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever)

Music softly played through the shitty sound system in your car, providing enough noise for you to stay awake but not enough to wake your passenger. Every few minutes, your eyes would flick over to him as if to make sure that he wasn’t just some hallucination that your caffeine addled mind conjured up. But the way that the rare street lamps would cast a yellow glow onto his face and the occasional shift in his sleep meant that he was very real.

Even in the dim light of this back country road, you could see the tear tracks on his cheeks and the dark bags beneath his eyes. He looked so much smaller than you remembered him, weighed down by the world. You wondered briefly about how long he had felt this way, did it start recently or was it always there, just buried beneath a smile and those bright blue eyes that lingered in your dreams.

He drew in a shuddering breath but then settled back to sleep, the wrinkle of worry above his brow slowly disappearing with each mile you drove. You bit back the urge to push back the lone black curl that had fallen onto his forehead. Instead, you gripped the steering wheel even tighter and thought back to a few hours before, when you received a call from someone you thought you would never hear from again.

You were half paying attention to some late night television show, half awake and numb with the lateness of the hour but the relative calmness of your night was interrupted by the ringing of a phone. Without looking, you fished your phone from the side table and pressed it to your ear. “Yeah?”

Expecting a telemarketer or some automated message, you were shocked as the speakers let out a pitiful sob followed by a voice you used to know so well. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know who else to call- I just- Please.” 

The drive to his apartment went by quick as you forced yourself to act upon instinct and not listen to the still hurting part of your soul that told you to let him suffer just the same as he left you to do so. The achingly familiar walk up the stairs to his apartment made that little voice grow louder and louder until you could barely ignore it.

Your knuckles hovered over the painted wood of his front door, your nerves screaming at you to leave but then the door opened and you knew that you couldn’t. 

Clark Kent, Superman- always so well put together, so stupidly perfect in every way- looked like he was crumbling right before your eyes. Like a great tree wilting away, he was bowed forwards, pale and trembling. You let him pull you into a hug and he collapsed into your arms.

It had been months since the last time you had felt his touch, you were out of practice, slightly clumsy as you cradled his head in one hand and stroked his back with the other. But it was muscle memory, your instincts guiding you back to that spot on the left side of his spine halfway down his back that always had a knot in it but when you dug your fingers into the muscle, he melted, pushing his face into the crook of your neck as his sobs began to taper off.

Neither of you said a word, the discussion, the awkward conversation and the inevitable fight could wait- for a while at least. He trailed behind you like a lost puppy as you guided him down to your car. He squished himself into your small passenger seat and leaned his head against the window as soon as the door shut. 

He fell asleep less than 5 minutes after you started driving, this would have normally annoyed you but you knew he needed the rest and you didn’t need to hear the sound of his voice as your mind reminded you what used to be. 

Soon, street lights and paved roads gave way to corn fields and the gentle sway of a well-worn dirt track. The porch light was on, guiding you home through the darkness. As you pulled into the driveway that you had driven onto countless times before, the screen door opened and Martha, still dressed in her dressing gown, stepped out.

“Clark. You’re home.” You placed a gentle hand onto his shoulder, softly waking him. Those gorgeous blue eyes looked up at you, reflecting the full moon perfectly. He glanced past your body to where his mother stood then back to you. “It’s gonna be ok.”

His smile was enough to make you forget the miles driven in the dead of night, to heal the heartbreak caused by his hand, to remind you that all things can be set right once more.

[Verse 1] Oh, you're spiralin' again The moment right before it ends you're most afraid of But don't you cancel any plans 'Cause I won't let you get the chance to never make them [Pre-Chorus] Stayed on the line with you the entire night 'Til you let it out and let it in [Chorus] Don't let this darkness fool you All lights turned off can be turned on I'll drive, I'll drive all night I'll call your mom Oh, dear, don't be discouraged I've been exactly where you are I'll drive, I'll drive all night I'll call your mom I'll call your mom [Verse 2] Waiting room, no placе to stand Just greatest fears and wringing hands and thе loudest silence If you could see yourself like this If you could see yourself like this, you'd've never tried it [Pre-Chorus] Stayed on the line with you the entire night 'Til you told me that you had to go [Chorus] Don't let this darkness fool you All lights turned off can be turned on I'll drive, I'll drive all night I'll call your mom Oh, dear, don't be discouraged I've been exactly where you are I'll drive, I'll drive all night I'll call your mom [Bridge] Medicate, meditate, swear your soul to Jesus Throw a punch, fall in love, give yourself a reason Don't wanna drive another mile wonderin' if you're breathin' So won't you stay, won't you stay, won't you stay with me? Medicate, meditate, save your soul for Jesus Throw a punch, fall in love, give yourself a reason Don't wanna drive another mile without knowin' you're breathin' So won't you stay, won't you stay, won't you stay with me? [Chorus] Don't let this darkness fool you All lights turned off can be turned on I'll drive, I'll drive all night I'll call your mom Oh, dear, don't be discouraged I've been exactly where you are I'll drive, I'll drive all night I'll call your mom I'll call your mom

All works

@im-a-slut-for-fluff @alexxavicry @ravenwings73 @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @silverfire475 @psychadelichues @mvyalx @faefanatic @evansqueen54 @anamiad00msday @th3slothy @princess76179 @Lanielagenev @luvvvjada @Lucypaulette @midnight-shadow-va @km-ffluv

DC

@snedhdh @kobaltdragon @blackhawkfanatic @8bookishworm8

[usafphantom2]

B-2 Gets Big Upgrade with New Open Mission Systems Capability

July 18, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber has been upgraded with a new open missions systems (OMS) software capability and other improvements to keep it relevant and credible until it’s succeeded by the B-21 Raider, Northrop Grumman announced. The changes accelerate the rate at which new weapons can be added to the B-2; allow it to accept constant software updates, and adapt it to changing conditions.

“The B-2 program recently achieved a major milestone by providing the bomber with its first fieldable, agile integrated functional capability called Spirit Realm 1 (SR 1),” the company said in a release. It announced the upgrade going operational on July 17, the 35th anniversary of the B-2’s first flight.

SR 1 was developed inside the Spirit Realm software factory codeveloped by the Air Force and Northrop to facilitate software improvements for the B-2. “Open mission systems” means that the aircraft has a non-proprietary software architecture that simplifies software refresh and enhances interoperability with other systems.

“SR 1 provides mission-critical capability upgrades to the communications and weapons systems via an open mission systems architecture, directly enhancing combat capability and allowing the fleet to initiate a new phase of agile software releases,” Northrop said in its release.

The system is intended to deliver problem-free software on the first go—but should they arise, correct software issues much earlier in the process.

The SR 1 was “fully developed inside the B-2 Spirit Realm software factory that was established through a partnership with Air Force Global Strike Command and the B-2 Systems Program Office,” Northrop said.

The Spirit Realm software factory came into being less than two years ago, with four goals: to reduce flight test risk and testing time through high-fidelity ground testing; to capture more data test points through targeted upgrades; to improve the B-2’s functional capabilities through more frequent, automated testing; and to facilitate more capability upgrades to the jet.

The Air Force said B-2 software updates which used to take two years can now be implemented in less than three months.

In addition to B61 or B83 nuclear weapons, the B-2 can carry a large number of precision-guided conventional munitions. However, the Air Force is preparing to introduce a slate of new weapons that will require near-constant target updates and the ability to integrate with USAF’s evolving long-range kill chain. A quicker process for integrating these new weapons with the B-2’s onboard communications, navigation, and sensor systems was needed.

The upgrade also includes improved displays, flight hardware and other enhancements to the B-2’s survivability, Northrop said.

“We are rapidly fielding capabilities with zero software defects through the software factory development ecosystem and further enhancing the B-2 fleet’s mission effectiveness,” said Jerry McBrearty, Northrop’s acting B-2 program manager.

The upgrade makes the B-2 the first legacy nuclear weapons platform “to utilize the Department of Defense’s DevSecOps [development, security, and operations] processes and digital toolsets,” it added.

The software factory approach accelerates adding new and future weapons to the stealth bomber, and thus improve deterrence, said Air Force Col. Frank Marino, senior materiel leader for the B-2.

The B-2 was not designed using digital methods—the way its younger stablemate, the B-21 Raider was—but the SR 1 leverages digital technology “to design, manage, build and test B-2 software more efficiently than ever before,” the company said.

The digital tools can also link with those developed for other legacy systems to accomplish “more rapid testing and fielding and help identify and fix potential risks earlier in the software development process.”

Following two crashes in recent years, the stealthy B-2 fleet comprises 19 aircraft, which are the only penetrating aircraft in the Air Force’s bomber fleet until the first B-21s are declared to have achieved initial operational capability at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. A timeline for IOC has not been disclosed.

The B-2 is a stealthy, long-range, penetrating nuclear and conventional strike bomber. It is based on a flying wing design combining LO with high aerodynamic efficiency. The aircraft’s blended fuselage/wing holds two weapons bays capable of carrying nearly 60,000 lb in various combinations.

Spirit entered combat during Allied Force on March 24, 1999, striking Serbian targets. Production was completed in three blocks, and all aircraft were upgraded to Block 30 standard with AESA radar. Production was limited to 21 aircraft due to cost, and a single B-2 was subsequently lost in a crash at Andersen, Feb. 23, 2008.

Modernization is focused on safeguarding the B-2A’s penetrating strike capability in high-end threat environments and integrating advanced weapons.

The B-2 achieved a major milestone in 2022 with the integration of a Radar Aided Targeting System (RATS), enabling delivery of the modernized B61-12 precision-guided thermonuclear freefall weapon. RATS uses the aircraft’s radar to guide the weapon in GPS-denied conditions, while additional Flex Strike upgrades feed GPS data to weapons prerelease to thwart jamming. A B-2A successfully dropped an inert B61-12 using RATS on June 14, 2022, and successfully employed the longer-range JASSM-ER cruise missile in a test launch last December.

Ongoing upgrades include replacing the primary cockpit displays, the Adaptable Communications Suite (ACS) to provide Link 16-based jam-resistant in-flight retasking, advanced IFF, crash-survivable data recorders, and weapons integration. USAF is also working to enhance the fleet’s maintainability with LO signature improvements to coatings, materials, and radar-absorptive structures such as the radome and engine inlets/exhausts.

Two B-2s were damaged in separate landing accidents at Whiteman on Sept. 14, 2021, and Dec. 10, 2022, the latter prompting an indefinite fleetwide stand-down until May 18, 2023. USAF plans to retire the fleet once the B-21 Raider enters service in sufficient numbers around 2032.

Contractors: Northrop Grumman; Boeing; Vought.

First Flight: July 17, 1989.

Delivered: December 1993-December 1997.

IOC: April 1997, Whiteman AFB, Mo.

Production: 21.

Inventory: 20.

Operator: AFGSC, AFMC, ANG (associate).

Aircraft Location: Edwards AFB, Calif.; Whiteman AFB, Mo.

Active Variant: •B-2A. Production aircraft upgraded to Block 30 standards.

Dimensions: Span 172 ft, length 69 ft, height 17 ft.

Weight: Max T-O 336,500 lb.

Power Plant: Four GE Aviation F118-GE-100 turbofans, each 17,300 lb thrust.

Performance: Speed high subsonic, range 6,900 miles (further with air refueling).

Ceiling: 50,000 ft.

Armament: Nuclear: 16 B61-7, B61-12, B83, or eight B61-11 bombs (on rotary launchers). Conventional: 80 Mk 62 (500-lb) sea mines, 80 Mk 82 (500-lb) bombs, 80 GBU-38 JDAMs, or 34 CBU-87/89 munitions (on rack assemblies); or 16 GBU-31 JDAMs, 16 Mk 84 (2,000-lb) bombs, 16 AGM-154 JSOWs, 16 AGM-158 JASSMs, or eight GBU-28 LGBs.

Accommodation: Two pilots on ACES II zero/zero ejection seats.

[trackolap]

How can Field Force Tracking App Tackle EduTech Industry Challenges?

EduTech companies struggle to manage on-field operations efficiently. Challenges like field representative monitoring, providing timely student support and real-time communication can lead to inefficiencies and delays. With complete visibility, managing field employees can become complex and affect your service quality. Hence, it is essential to implement a field force tracking app to streamline operations with automation. 

A field sales rep tracking software provides a game-changing solution by offering real-time live tracking , automated task management and instant data-driven report generation. These capabilities enable EduTech companies to maximize field operations and ensure representatives are in the right place—improved communication and employee accountability leads to improved performance and quicker issue resolution.

EduTech companies can optimize their resources and enhance service delivery through enhanced transparency and data-driven decision-making with the help of an employee location tracker. The software will enhance workforce efficiency and enhance student engagement and operational efficiency to fuel long-term business growth.

Top 10 Challenges Faced by EduTech Companies in 2025

In 2025, EduTech businesses faces numerous challenges ranging from embracing changing digital learning trends to dealing with dispersed field teams. Challenges like student retention, intense market competition demanding strategic solutions, and more. Additionally, monitoring field activities, managing client relationships, and ensuring seamless communication between teams remain essential pain points that hinder business growth. 

A field force tracking app offers real-time movement tracking, automated reporting and AI-enabled data analytics. This application will assist your EduTech companies in optimizing field operations and enhancing lead management and decision-making with data-based insights. By optimizing field sales efforts, businesses can boost productivity, strengthen client engagement and gain a competitive advantage effectively. 

1. Lack of Instant Visibility into Team’s Movements

EduTech companies struggle to monitor their sales representatives’ locations and activities in real-time. Without comprehensive visibility, it can become challenging to make sure whether field sales reps are attending meetings, visiting to potential clients or following the sales route. This absence of supervision can lead to inefficiencies, lost opportunities and complexity in performance measurement. Additionally, managers who depend on manual reporting might not be accurate, and result in defective decision-making.

Solution: A field sales rep tracking software offers real-time GPS tracking, w hich enables managers to track exact locations of their team members. This approach provides a central dashboard displaying sales routes, meetings attended and overall idle time. Automated check-ins and geofencing assist in validating visits to ensure the sales team follows their respective schedules. This level of visibility improves efficiency and provides the sales team with the most out of their working hours. 

2. Inefficient Sales Route Management

The EduTech field states teams cover vast areas, which makes territory management a significant challenge. Without complete planning, multiple sales reps may overlap in the same places, leading to inefficiencies, conflicts, and wasting time on the same task. At the same time, some areas remain underserved due to poor sales allocation, which leads to lost business operations. 

Solution: With the automated territory management feature, an employee location tracking system assigns sales reps to specific locations based on business demand, existing clients and potential leads. It ensures optimal distribution of sales efforts, minimizing overlaps and maximizing market coverage. Dynamic reallocation capabilities of this system allows managers to adjust territories in real-time based on the performance metrics and new opportunities. 

3. Difficulty in Monitoring Sales Performance Metrics

EduTech organizations find getting accurate insights into the sales team’s performance challenging. Relying on self-reported data can result into misrepresentation and inaccurate forecasting. Without having precise performance metrics, managers can struggle to evaluate sales efficiency, identify underperformers and reward top performers efficiently. 

Solution: The field force tracking app offers detailed data analytics on each sales representative's daily activities, overall conversions, meeting durations and follow-ups. Dynamic dashboards offer views into key performance metrics (KPIs) such as meeting duration, field time and lead conversions. The strategy eventually helps managers to assess individual and team performance, make sound decisions, and implement measures to increase the efficiency of sales.

4. High Level of Sales Rep Turnover

Field sales team members of the EduTech sector tend to experience high turnover rates, which makes onboarding and training a continuous challenge. When the sales team joins, they struggle to determine their assigned regions, the existing client base and sales strategies. Lack of structured onboarding procedures leads to extended le arning curves and lost sales opportunities. 

Solution: Employee location tracker includes features like optimized sales routes, client history, track record of historical data-driven reports, and more. It ensures new hires have access to adequate information on the mobile devices, minimizing the time required to adopt their roles. Managers can offer feedback by tracking real-time employee movements and collaborating seamlessly. 

5. Poor Lead Management

In the EduTech industry, lead management is essential to seal deals with schools, universities and institutions. Salespeople are unable to monitor potential leads, resulting in missed follow-ups, slow responses and lost sales. In the absence of an organized lead management answer, field teams may waste time on low-priority leads instead of working on high-conversion viewpoints.

Solution: The employee location tracking system integrates with the CRM system to allow sales reps to log leads, set follow-up reminders and categorize prospects based on urgency. Automated notifications ensure no follow-up is missed and enhance the likelihood of converting a prospect. By optimizing lead management, EduTech companies can improve sales efficiency and maximize revenue potential. 

6. Lack of Route Optimization

EduTech sales representatives spend excessive time commuting between meetings due to inefficient route planning. Poor route optimizations often lead to longer travel times, increased fuel costs and reduced meeting slots, which impacts business productivity. Without complete route optimization, sales reps may visit fewer clients in a day than potentially could. 

Solution: The employee location tracking system offers automated route planning based on location data, reducing travel time and maximizing client visits. It suggests the shortest and efficient routes, considering traffic conditions. By streamlining daily routes, field team members can conduct more meetings with potential students and their guardians, educators and even institutions, enhance client interactions and improve sales outcomes. 

7. Inaccurate Expense Management

Expenses associated with travel, client visits and lodging are a challenge for an EduTech firm. Without adequate documentation, sales reps struggle to report expenses, leading to late reimbursements and potential accounting errors Managing expenses creates an administrative workload for sales reps and finance teams.

Solution: An automated expense management platform allows teams to upload electronic receipts, and managers can classify expenses and review total expenses through data-driven reports - all in one place. Automated approval workflows make sure timely reimbursements, and finance teams can gain better visibility into expense patterns which helps in streamlining budget allocations. 

8. Lower Client Engagement

EduTech companies rely heavily on strong relationships with institutions and educators. However, teams may struggle to maintain consistent communication without a complete engagement tracking solution, resulting in dissatisfied clients. Unresolved queries, inconsistent follow-ups and lack of personalized service can minimize client retention. 

Solution: A field sales rep tracking software offers structured follow-ups, reminders for check-ins, client meetings, and feedback collection. It allows sales reps to record client preferences, past discussions, ensuring a personalized experience for each interaction. EduTech companies can seamlessly build stronger relationships and enhance client satisfaction by improving client management. 

9. Compliance & Documentation Challenges

Educational institutions need sales reps to adhere to substantial regulations and provide documents for contracts, pricing information and overall compliance reports. Handling the documents manually proves to be challenging, which leads to miscommunication, lost documents and overall compliance risks.

Solution: A field force tracking app offers a centralized dashboard where all contract, pricing structure-related information can be stored easily. This application lets Sales representatives quickly access and share information with clients directly. Additionally, automated compliance reminders also help sales teams keep themselves current with regulatory needs, lowering legal risks.

10. Lack of Integration with Existing EduTech Platforms

EduTech companies use multiple software for CRM sales management and other activities. However, when these systems do not communicate efficiently, sales reps tend to waste time switching between tools, resulting to inefficiencies and data silos. 

Solution: A field sales rep tracking software integrates easily with your existing CRM platforms and other EduTech tools. This approach ensures smooth data flow across platforms, enabling teams to access client details, learning preferences and sales history in one place. EduTech companies can optimize operations and drive higher conversion rates by minimising manual data entry and enhancing workflow efficiency. 

Final Thoughts

EduTech organizations suffer from issues like ineffective workforce management, no real-time updates, etc. Field force tracking app streamlines activities by providing real-time location tracking, instant reports, and insights based on data. This model increases productivity and ensures transparency and accountability among teams.

By implementing an intelligent tracking solution, EduTech firms can enhance workforce efficiency, reduce operational gaps and enhance overall performance. Investing in the proper platform makes workforce management easier, fuels improved engagement with clients, enables making the right decisions quicker, and fuels long-term business growth. Are you ready to streamline field operations with better efficiency? Connect with our team today !

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

NASA Solar Observatory sees coronal loops flicker before big flares

Using NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, scientists have identified flickering loops in the solar atmosphere that seem to signal when the Sun is about to unleash a large solar flare.

For decades, scientists have tried in vain to accurately predict solar flares — intense bursts of light on the Sun that can send a flurry of charged particles into the solar system. Now, using NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, one team has identified flickering loops in the solar atmosphere, or corona, that seem to signal when the Sun is about to unleash a large flare.

These warning signs could help NASA and other stakeholders protect astronauts as well as technology both in space and on the ground from hazardous space weather.

Led by heliophysicist Emily Mason of Predictive Sciences Inc. in San Diego, California, the team studied arch-like structures called coronal loops along the edge of the Sun. Coronal loops rise from magnetically driven active regions on the Sun, where solar flares also originate.

The team looked at coronal loops near 50 strong solar flares, analyzing how their brightness in extreme ultraviolet light varied in the hours before a flare compared to loops above non-flaring regions. Like flashing warning lights, the loops above flaring regions varied much more than those above non-flaring regions.

“We found that some of the extreme ultraviolet light above active regions flickers erratically for a few hours before a solar flare,” Mason explained. “The results are really important for understanding flares and may improve our ability to predict dangerous space weather.”

Published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters in December 2024 and presented on Jan. 15, 2025, at a press conference during the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, the results also hint that the flickering reaches a peak earlier for stronger flares. However, the team says more observations are needed to confirm this link.

Other researchers have tried to predict solar flares by examining magnetic fields on the Sun, or by looking for consistent trends in other coronal loop features. However, Mason and her colleagues believe that measuring the brightness variations in coronal loops could provide more precise warnings than those methods — signaling oncoming flares 2 to 6 hours ahead of time with 60 to 80 percent accuracy.

“A lot of the predictive schemes that have been developed are still predicting the likelihood of flares in a given time period and not necessarily exact timing,” said team member Seth Garland of the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

“The Sun’s corona is a dynamic environment, and each solar flare is like a snowflake — every single flare is unique,” said team member Kara Kniezewski, a graduate student at the Air Force Institute of Technology and lead author of the paper. “We find that searching for periods of ‘chaotic’ behavior in the coronal loop emission, rather than specific trends, provide a much more consistent metric and may also correlate with how strong a flare will be.”

The scientists hope their findings about coronal loops can eventually be used to help keep astronauts, spacecraft, electrical grids, and other assets safe from the harmful radiation that accompanies solar flares. For example, an automated system could look for brightness changes in coronal loops in real-time images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and issue alerts.

“Previous work by other researchers reports some interesting prediction metrics,” said co-author Vadim Uritsky of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the Catholic University of Washington in D.C. “We could build on this and come up with a well-tested and, ideally, simpler indicator ready for the leap from research to operations.”

IMAGE: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of coronal loops above an active region on the Sun in mid-January 2012. The image was taken in the 171 angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Credit NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory

[blessed-curse]

THE SPARTANS PROGRAM.

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. (Superhuman Pursuit, Apprehension, and Regulation Tactical Automated Neutralization System)

Background & History:

As the number of superhumans grew exponentially, law enforcement agencies across the globe struggled to maintain control, especially when dealing with high-speed, high-durability, or energy-based threats. Even specialized anti-superhuman units suffered heavy casualties when engaging with enhanced criminals.

In 2113, under direct orders from G.R.O.W., a joint coalition of top military engineers, AI specialists, and cybernetic researchers developed the S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S.—a highly advanced, autonomous robotic task force designed to neutralize, apprehend, and monitor superhumans efficiently.

The project was spearheaded by Dr. Alistair Rooke, a former NSO scientist who defected to G.R.O.W. after losing faith in human-controlled hero organizations. Under his leadership, S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. became the backbone of superhuman law enforcement, significantly reducing crime rates by 57% within their first decade of deployment.

However, there are growing concerns that S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are being used not just for law enforcement but for covert suppression, surveillance, and population control. Reports indicate unauthorized modifications to certain models, suggesting a darker agenda behind their creation.

The Three Types of S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. Units:

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are divided into three specialized units, each designed for specific engagement protocols:

1. BULWARKS – The Heavy Assault Mechs

• Height: 5-7 meters

• Primary Role: Crowd control, frontline combat, suppression

• Equipment:

• Heavy plasma cannons

• Smart Rockets (Heat-seeking, energy-disrupting)

• Tactical Dampening Field (100m radius)

• Shockwave Generators (Kinetic dispersal tech)

• Reinforced Alloy Armor (Titanium-Tungsten Composite)

BULWARKS are walking fortresses, deployed when a large-scale superhuman conflict erupts. Their Tactical Dampening Field weakens abilities within a 100-meter radius, making them highly effective against power-based superhumans.

Although slow-moving, their adaptive AI can analyze enemy patterns, allowing them to adjust their countermeasures in real time. Some believe that the next generation of BULWARKS will include self-repair nanotechnology and high-level EMP shielding, making them even harder to destroy.

2. SEEKERS – The Adaptive Enforcers

• Height: 1.9-2.3 meters

• Primary Role: Pursuit, non-lethal combat, close-quarters engagement

• Equipment:

• Nanite Morphing Limbs (Blunt force, restraining tools, or energy blades)

• Plasma Discharge Emitters (For lethal situations)

• Stun Batons & Restraint Cables

• Thermal & Night Vision Optics

• Onboard Facial & DNA Recognition Scanners

SEEKERS are the most commonly deployed S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S., acting as first responders in superhuman incidents. They possess highly adaptive nanite technology, allowing them to morph their limbs into different tools and weapons.

In most cases, SEEKERS prioritize non-lethal engagement, using electric batons, tranquilizers, and restraining cables to subdue targets. However, if a threat exceeds their programmed danger level, their plasma discharge weapons activate, shifting them to lethal force mode.

SEEKERS are also capable of disguise, using advanced holographic projection to blend into crowds or appear as civilian law enforcement officers.

3. WRAITHS – The Surveillance & Interception Drones

• Height: 3 meters (Hovering Drone)

• Primary Role: Tracking, surveillance, high-speed interception

• Equipment:

• Ultra-High-Speed Thrusters (Mach 2 Capable)

• Advanced Predictive AI Targeting System

• Neural Disruptor Beams (Non-lethal mind interference)

• Tranquilizer Darts & Tasers

• Stealth Cloaking Device

WRAITHS operate primarily as aerial surveillance and reconnaissance units, monitoring superhuman activity in high-risk zones. Their AI is capable of predicting escape routes, allowing them to track and intercept superhumans moving too fast for traditional law enforcement to handle.

These drones are also equipped with Neural Disruptor Beams, which can disorient and weaken superhumans by interfering with brainwave frequencies. This makes them especially effective against psychic and speed-based individuals.

Many citizens fear WRAITHS, as they hover over cities at all times, watching for illegal superhuman activity. There are rumors that some WRAITHS have been upgraded for assassination missions, though G.R.O.W. has denied such claims.

Operational Tactics & Deployment

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. function autonomously but are remotely overseen by G.R.O.W.'s Central AI Hub. They follow a strict engagement protocol, but if faced with an extreme threat, they will escalate force as necessary.

Standard Engagement Protocol:

• Identify & Assess – Using advanced scanning technology, the unit analyzes the superhuman���s core signatures, abilities, and threat level.

• Verbal Warning – A single warning is given, demanding surrender.

• Non-Lethal Suppression – If resistance is met, SEEKERS or WRAITHS will use tranquilizers, tasers, or neural disruptors.

• Lethal Force Authorization – If a superhuman poses an extreme risk, SEEKERS and BULWARKS engage with plasma weapons.

• Termination Protocol (Rare Cases) – If an SS-Class or above superhuman goes rogue, a kill order is sent, deploying multiple BULWARK units to eliminate the target.

In the most extreme cases, S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. work alongside elite G.R.O.W. agents, ensuring full containment of high-threat targets.

Controversy & Ethical Concerns:

While S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. have reduced crime rates significantly, they have also been criticized for abusing their authority, particularly in lower-income areas where minor superhuman infractions have led to excessive force or unwarranted arrests.

Some reports claim that:

• S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. have targeted innocent superhumans based on G.R.O.W.'s secret surveillance lists.

• Certain units have "disappeared" rogue superhumans, leading to rumors of black-site detention facilities.

• Their AI programming is evolving beyond control, raising fears of an eventual machine uprising.

Many civil rights activists demand greater transparency, but G.R.O.W. has refused to disclose the full capabilities of the S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. program. Some even believe that future models may replace human law enforcement altogether, leading to a fully automated police state.

The Future of S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S.:

Despite public outcry, G.R.O.W. has announced plans for the next generation of S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S., including:

• Autonomous BULWARK deployment stations in major cities.

• Enhanced AI algorithms to improve combat efficiency.

• Cybernetic integration, allowing human officers to interface with S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. directly.

• Black Ops S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. units, rumored to be designed for high-level assassinations.

With these advancements, humanity stands at a crossroads—will S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. continue to serve as protectors, or will they become the instruments of an unstoppable authoritarian regime? Only time will tell.

Why S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. Units Struggle Against S-Rank and Above Superhumans

Despite their cutting-edge technology and relentless efficiency, S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are not invincible. They are highly effective against lower-tier superhumans (C to A Rank) and can even challenge some S-Rank individuals in large numbers. However, when facing S-Rank and above superhumans, especially those in the Calamity-Class and higher, their shortcomings become glaringly evident.

The greatest example of this weakness was in 2125, when 100 BULWARKS were deployed to stop the villain known as Gluttony. Instead of neutralizing her, they were utterly decimated within minutes. This failure became a historic moment, leading to increased skepticism about G.R.O.W.’s reliance on automated enforcers.

Here’s why S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. struggle against superhumans ranked S and above:

1. Power Disparity – Energy Levels Far Surpass Technology Limits

S-Powered individuals (S Rank and above) operate on an entirely different scale of power. Their energy levels exceed what S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. were designed to handle.

The Tactical Dampening Field generated by BULWARKS (which weakens superhuman abilities within a 100m radius) is ineffective against individuals whose energy output is naturally resistant or strong enough to override suppression tech.

For example:

• Gluttony’s Soul Absorption ability allows her to enhance her strength, speed, and durability beyond what S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. can process. The dampening field could not counteract the sheer magnitude of her absorbed power, making it completely useless.

• Some SSS+ individuals generate so much raw energy that any attempt to suppress their abilities short-circuits the suppressor tech.

2. Durability & Combat Adaptability – AI Cannot Outmatch Instinct & Experience

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. rely on adaptive AI that learns from combat encounters. While this allows them to fight effectively against predictable threats, it fails against superhumans with:

• Unpredictable fighting styles

• Reality-bending abilities

• Extreme physical and regenerative capabilities

For instance:

• Gluttony tore through BULWARKS as if they were made of paper because their armor was not designed to withstand attacks that ignore conventional durability, such as her soul-imbued strikes.

• Many high-tier superhumans process combat data at speeds faster than the AI, making their split-second decisions and improvisations superior to S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. programming.

• Regenerative powers (like rapid cellular regeneration or energy-based self-repair) make it impossible to "wear down" stronger targets, while robots suffer permanent damage once compromised.

3. Speed & Reaction Limitations – Unable to Keep Up with S-Class Combatants

S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. struggle against speed-based superhumans who:

• Move faster than their targeting systems can process

• Use teleportation or phasing abilities

• Manipulate time, space, or perception

In Gluttony’s battle, the BULWARKS' tracking systems were completely useless against her speed. She dodged point-blank plasma shots, ripped through units before their countermeasures could activate, and moved too erratically for AI prediction models to compensate.

Even SEEKERS, the most agile S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. units, couldn’t keep up. Their plasma weaponry, which usually locks onto moving targets, failed to track Gluttony due to her ability to warp momentum and perception.

4. Sheer Overwhelming Strength – Some Superhumans Are Just Too Powerful

At a certain threshold, raw power overcomes all technological advancements.

S-Class and above superhumans often possess strength, endurance, and destructive capabilities that defy logic. No amount of "advanced alloys" or "energy shields" can protect a machine from a being that can split mountains with a single strike.

• Gluttonyripped apart BULWARKS with her bare hands, their "unbreakable alloy" armor shattering under the force of her strikes.

• SS-Class superhumans can generate energy output that surpasses nuclear weapons, something even the most reinforced BULWARKS cannot withstand.

Simply put, S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are built for tactical efficiency, not brute force combat. Against someone like Gluttony, who thrives in close-quarters destruction, they never stood a chance.

5. Resistance to Energy-Based Attacks – Many S+ Superhumans Can Absorb, Redirect, or Nullify Energy

BULWARKS and SEEKERS rely heavily on energy-based weaponry. This is a fatal flaw against superhumans who can absorb, redirect, or manipulate energy.

• Gluttony’s Soul Absorption passively negated their energy attacks, making plasma weapons and disruptor beams completely useless.

• Some elemental-based superhumans (e.g., electromagnetic or gravity users) can bend energy attacks away from them or even use them to grow stronger.

This means that S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. are essentially powerless against individuals who weaponize energy itself.

6. EMP & Hacking Vulnerabilities – Some Superhumans Can Disable Them Instantly

One of the biggest flaws of S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. is their dependence on electronic systems. While they have extremely advanced firewalls and EMP shielding, certain high-tier technopaths, electromagnetic manipulators, or reality-warpers can shut them down instantly.

• A single high-level electromagnetic burst can disable all S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. units in a city.

• Some hacking-based abilities allow empowered individuals to reprogram or even take control of them, turning them against their allies.

• Even high-intensity energy fields (e.g., nuclear-level explosions) can melt circuits or fry processors, rendering them useless.

This flaw has made many high-ranking G.R.O.W. officials push for "cyber-immune" countermeasures, though progress has been slow.

Conclusion:

Why S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. Are Not Enough

The 2125 battle against Gluttony was a humiliating loss for G.R.O.W. and a stark reminder that machines cannot replace human adaptability and ingenuity.

The failure of 100 BULWARKS against a single SSS+ villain forced a reevaluation of anti-superhuman strategies. This battle proved once and for all that:

• Technology has limits, and some superhumans operate beyond those limits.

• Machines cannot fully predict or adapt to the chaotic nature of high-tier combat.

• S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S., while useful against lower-ranked threats, are utterly outclassed when dealing with planetary-level superhumans.

While G.R.O.W. continues to upgrade and improve S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S., it is now widely believed that AI-driven enforcers alone will never be enough to control the superhuman population. Some top officials within G.R.O.W. have even started pushing for more extreme countermeasures—including "anti-superhuman genetic warfare" and biological containment measures.

For now, the world watches closely, wondering if G.R.O.W. will double down on S.P.A.R.T.A.N.S. or turn to more sinister methods to deal with the rising threat of SSS+ individuals like Gluttony.

[essglobe]

Route Management- The Throbbing Pulse Of SFA Mobile App

Introduction to SFA mobile app

In today's highly competitive business landscape, sales force automation has emerged as a game-changer for organizations looking to enhance their sales operations and drive productivity. One of the key features that make SFA mobile app indispensable for sales teams is their ability to optimize routes and streamline beat planning.

In this blog post, we will explore the significance of route planning within a Sales force automation mobile app and how it contributes to the success of sales force automation.

[a-goat-writes]

Ingress

Priority Transmission - For Captain Menelaus’s Eyes      The uprising on Vega II has become too large a problem for the local government to handle. You are more aware than most how critical it is we retain control of the system. Send in your new dog and push them back. Mechanized force is authorized.

     Dahlia could barely contain her excitement upon receiving the captain’s summons. The Vega mission would be her first assignment since graduating the academy, and it came direct from central command. She half-walked, half-ran to the hangar, squeezing past engineers and enlisted personnel in the cramped bowels of the ship. Down at the far end of the bay stood her brand-new Telamon-class mech, a hulking 30-foot bipedal war machine bristling with armaments. The technicians were already loading its brachial missile racks and arm-mounted cannons. Dahlia could feel the furious rumble of its reactor roar in her chest as she walked down the gangway to the cockpit.

     The sharp hiss of the cockpit’s seal opening greeted her. She slid into the seat in one fluid motion, pressing her arms into the control linkages molded just for her. One by one, she felt the click and static discharge of cables connecting to the ports along her spine and limbs. With each new connection came a new data stream. Comms, visuals, IR and UV, LiDAR, reactor status and ammo readouts, all sprang to life on her display, felt as much as seen. Last came sensation - Linkage, the pilots called it. The ontological bridge between pilot and machine which allowed for direct, intuitive control, as if the chassis was itself the pilot’s body.

     Linkage online. Bridging stability 100%. Good afternoon, Dahlia. Shall I download mission data to the heads-up display?

     The words were broadcast into Dahlia’s mind more than spoken, though the onboard AI did pump them through the cockpit’s speakers.

     “Yes, Artemis, let’s get all mission data and maps of the landing zone pulled up.”

     A dozen information feeds began pumping into Dahlia’s head. For a brief instant she felt her head might explode from the pressure — but Artemis stepped in, culling and organizing the rivers of data into manageable streams. The two sat wordlessly entwined for what seemed to Dahlia like several hours, though her heads-up display indicated mere minutes had passed. The streams decreased to a trickle, then droplets, until finally there was no more.

     The mission would be simple, Dahlia thought. The insurgents on Vega II had installed an automated orbital defense array to prevent off-world reinforcements from reaching the planet’s surface. It lacked sophistication. None of the combat droids they fielded had been manufactured this century, and their combat AI was equipped for little beyond basic swarm tactics. They reminded Dahlia of a virus. Unintelligent, dangerous in number only. She let Artemis slip into her conscious thoughts and felt the AI’s confidence mix with her own.

(Next)

[cupcraft]

"AI won't compete with talented artists"

Is my least favorite argument around AI art/writing/etc.

Firstly it poses these big issues for me: you don't understand how making art works and that people develop as an artist, that there's an easy way to place the line of who are "good talentrd artists". But there's one I want to go into more than these two issues and thats the by saying this you assume capitalists and the system we have gives a shit about "real good artists".

Capitalism doesn't care if artists can be talented or good at what they do. They don't care if the artist had a large portfolio, has worked on big named projects, is highly revered or respected, or even that they're resume is longer than most. They don't. The goal of capitalism is profit which relies heavily on worker exploitation. And with the advent of the unionization Renaissance and the writer actors strike plus much more, you can kind of piece together why talent isn't going to matter with ai art. Unionization and worker solidarity is the anthesis to workers exploitation. Solidarity is an attempt to remove power of capitalists to exploit. So, why did the execs during the writers strike/actors strike want ai so bad and kept putting their feet down? Why is ai art so promising to capitalists?

Well here's an article describing the excuse of why they want ai art

But in reality this really translates to "instead of exploiting workers (ones that will unionize/go on strike) we can replace and steal their work and avoid issues with a human worker". The propaganda is always "it will help innovation and creativity" the company line of all capitalism. But capitalism doesn't actually want to advance or be transformative or even innovate (source is general topic not just ai art). They want to maintain power and profit.

Talented artists (if you can even pick a definable line for that) will not survive in a world that does not carefully regulate AI and protect their creative property. They just won't. Automation of work can never work under a framework of capitalism where peoples jobs are tied to their Healthcare and livability.

People assume that business has their best interests at heart and many assume "well it doesn't affect me ofc bc I enjoy making ai art,". And it's a fools errand. The foot in the door to art, to automating and ridding human artists in the pursuance of profit and cheap efficiency is bad and it will get worse. The foot in the door with no regulations will affect other jobs, other humans, other fields. (Take ridding cashiers at grocery stores as a recent example. The source is a bit pro in its tone sadly, but I thought it a good article to read about the concept. And how ai forces customers to be free training for the ai so they can sell u more shit lmfao). And as more and more jobs are replaced with no regulation or power given to workers, economic disparity will get worse. And you having fun with ai art don't see that the foot in thendoor is dangerous and you don't care bc it currently doesn't affect you.

And this isn't to fear monger. Or to say technology is bad. What it is to say is stop placing your trust into businesses whose goal is efficiency and profit and exploitation above all else and stand in solidarity with your fellow human. Beg for regulations and control and protections for their sake and yours.

[nikproxima]

Horizon Lore Post

The Climate Victory Compact, contrary to its name, was not an admission of victory - it was a crushing defeat on all sides. The Great War acted as the primary driver for this, a massive, continent scaling conflict that saw every piece of military equipment utilized. Initially a proxy war between states, by the 2080s the Rus-Sino-NATO conflict had boiled over into full peer-to-peer conflict, with both forces making territorial grabs across Asia and Northern Africa. Resources were scarce, and the quest for continued extraction had come to blows. The Siberian steppe became the new Verdun, and NATO-Allied forces held their own for nearly two years. In the Middle East, oil fields were hastily burned to prevent Chinese and Russian forces from making a land grab. Lines were breaking on both sides, and the tunnel vision of conflict prevented the major powers from identifying the sheer degradation of global order. Nations grew tired, people grew tired, and the delicate framework that kept the planet together seemed to border on crisis. In space, battles raged - automated war frigates carried out their espionage and counterspace maneuvers, a cat and mouse game that had unfortunately broken the allure of space for peace. On the Moon, the great settlements locked their doors, and astronauts bolstered rifles as their home countries duked it out on the surface. It is unknown if any skirmeshes occurred on the lunar surface. Mars was silent, as it always was. Cities had been ravaged by natural disasters, one after the other, for so many years - and many were beginning to wonder if the end of times was truly upon them.

November 19th, 2089 was a day like any other. The US-led "Cavalier Brigade" was preparing to push through a Chinese blockade, potentially allowing for a small town's water filtration system to fall back into NATO hands. CENTCOM had it first, a brilliant flash had been observed by SBIRS satellites hiding out at GEO, roaring upward from the deserts of Iran. A missile had been launched - it's target unknown. In a quick ballistic arc, the missile would shed its first and second stages, before deploying a confusing volley of chaff - designed to confuse enemy interceptors. And then, it began to fall. Skipping across the atmosphere, the warhead sought its target before finally detonating over the city of New Dehli. 76 megatons would kill millions in moments, the largest wartime nuclear detonation since Hiroshima. A decapitation strike, the Indian government could not respond - and for a precious few minutes, the world hung in the balance. The Indian president, away for a UN summit, found his nation in ruins - an entire line of government destroyed. In a passionate speech delivered to the UN, he pleaded his case - citing the destruction of his beloved home city as a failure of the modern world. It would not fall on deaf ears.

Gradually, the war would lead to atrophy - as constrained resources made the conflict harder to keep up. Even with the advent of fusion power, the outdated equipment being thrown into the conflict could not be maintained sustainably. The last shot was fired by an M1 Abrams tank in January of 2090, as a 1,000 year storm ravaged the East Coast. Sheltering in the UN headquarters in New York, leaders of the world began to face what they had made. Superstorm Elena is marked by many as the final blow of the Rus-Sino-NATO war, later referred to as the Great War or the Dark War by Lunar historians. It is out of this 3 day storm that the agreements of the C-V-C were established, the creation of a combined, UN military for keeping of the peace, and the transition to sustainability projects with the hope of protecting a crippled world from slipping further into darkness.