#for a person who's interested in how monopolies actually function in the world

[elytrafemme]

i will never fucking understand the game monopoly

[bitcofun]

Algorand is the world's very first proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain, intending to resolve the "Blockchain Trilemma" of preventing tradeoffs in between speed, security, and decentralization. The job takes on the similarity Ethereum and other layer 1sts for designer and user activity, boasting a network of 13 dapps. While Ethereum has actually utilized proof-of-work (PoW) given that it introduced, Algorand's PoS permits faster and less expensive deal times; by permitting holders to stake coins, it equalizes the capability to make benefits on the network that would otherwise go to mining monopolies in PoW blockchains. The Algorand token (ALGO) was introduced by the Algorand Foundation in 2017 and raised $60 million with a preliminary sale on Coinlist. Following the sale, the Foundation revealed it will launch 600 million Algos each year, with an overall supply of 10 billion tokens. Algorand's overall market capitalization has actually typically remained around $4.5 billion USD, landing it a constant area amongst the top 30 cryptocurrencies. The following Algorand guide checks out the innovation behind Algorand, its security procedures, dev group and native ALGO token. How Does Algorand Work? Algorand runs utilizing 2 various nodes: involvement nodes and relay nodes. By nodes, we're describing a computer system that gets in touch with other computer systems to share details and follow Algorand guidelines. Participation nodes offer the computing power needed to verify deals. Relay nodes work as network centers, they're utilized by involvement nodes to link and keep the journal. Both nodes can be run by any private and make benefits, though involvement nodes get higher benefits for their work. As a node, a person is needed to set up a software application called Algorand Virtual Machine (AVM). AVM is vital for both node types and assists to assess and perform clever agreements. Smart agreements have 2 layers. The very first layer is on-chain and supports Algorand Standard Assets (ASA). These possessions cover brand-new and existing tokens on the blockchain, easy clever agreements, and atomic swaps. Each wise agreement includes another layer of 'traffic' to the Algorand network, which if too big can decrease the network. This problem is conquered through a 2nd layer developed for more intricate clever agreements and decentralized apps. It runs off-chain, tape-recording in the blockchain journal rather of including traffic to the network, permitting Algorand to run as successfully as big payment networks. Byzantine Agreement Protocol Algorand is coupled with a Byzantine contract procedure (BACHELOR'S DEGREE) to run. Bachelor's degree makes sure the procedure runs as efficiently as possible, disincentivizing deceptive activity, producing a single source of confirmed fact and supporting nodes. Algorand can reach agreement brand-new block without forks or hold-ups through proven random functions (VRFs); to show all output is precise, the VRFs pick users independently and at random. Once a block has actually been concurred upon, it's transferred by means of the network utilizing a digital signature from the verifier. To avoid hold-ups, 2 blocks can never ever be contributed to the chain at the very same time-- all deals are finished within seconds of each other. Security on The Network To protect the Algorand network a financier requires to own a crypto account that holds ALGO. MetaMask or Binance are excellent alternatives. From here, they should state their interest. Financiers are selected at random however can increase their chances of being selected by holding more ALGO than other financiers who have actually revealed an interest. However, there are 3 defects in this system. Firstly, Algorand should be secured versus Sybil attacks These are attacks on a computer system network in which a specific develops numerous pseudonymous identities. These identities assist get a big impact over the network and damage the service's track record.

The 2nd defect is that bachelor's degree is needed to deal with countless users This is considerably bigger than what present bachelor's degree procedures can handle. Lastly, Algorand requires to be resistant to a Dential-of-Service (DoS) attack This attack is created to close down a network by flooding it with traffic and triggering a crash. Algorand has actually executed numerous techniques to get rid of these defects. Firstly, Algorand handle unethical users through a weighting system. As long as sincere users represent over two-thirds of the system's overall stake, unethical users can not have any effect. Secondly, bachelor's degree has the ability to scale through agreement by committee. Each action of the procedure is designated to a committee, comprised of a little group of agents that are selected at random. Random option guarantees that a bulk of the committee members are genuine. Once a committee member has actually sent their message, they can't send another. This avoids the concern of a member being threatened. At each phase, brand-new committee members are then chosen to ensure older members are no longer needed. If a person has actually been chosen by the system however does not wish to be on the committee, they can decrease the invite. This keeps elections reasonable and provides users a degree of liberty on whether they wish to take part. Who Are the Founders of Algorand? Algorand was established by Silvio Micali, an Italian computer system researcher and teacher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Silvio is a recipient of the 1993 Gödel Prize for his operate in theoretical computer technology, the 2004 RSA Award for Excellence in Mathematics, and the 2012 Turing Award for his operate in computer technology. He presently runs numerous proving ground on cryptography and plays a crucial function as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Accademia dei Lincei. It's reasonable to state, he's a hectic male. Algorand runs as both a business and a structure. The Algorand Foundation concentrates on cryptographic research study, on-chain governance, decentralization, award financing and the development of the community. Algorand Inc. concentrates on the advancement and upkeep of the Algorand procedure and runs as a personal corporation situated in Boston, Massachusetts. In April 2019 Algorand released its test network to the general public, and in June 2019 the primary network was released. The ALGO Token ALGO is the native cryptocurrency of the Algorand Protocol, with an overall supply of 10 billion tokens. ALGO was released on Coinlist through a preliminary exchange offering (IEO), which is comparable to a standard stock launch. It was dispersed through a technique referred to as a Dutch auction, where the rate is identified when all quotes have actually been gotten. Dutch auctions develop the optimum rate at which the offering can be offered, as financiers send a quote based upon the quantity they're ready to pay. Throughout the auction, a refund policy remained in location and 25 million tokens were cost a cost of $2.49 per token. Since its launch, Algorand has actually launched a schedule of how the staying ALGO tokens will be dispersed. All ALGO is anticipated to be introduced within 5 years with Algorand utilizing a block explorer to keep track of the supply. Here's how the tokens will be dispersed: 3.0 billion: the overall variety of ALGOs in blood circulation by means of auction. 1.75 billion: involvement benefits. 2.5 billion: rewarded to pass on node runners 2.5 billion: held by the Algorand Foundation and Algorand, Inc. 0.25 billion: end-user grants Users and financiers have actually been notified straight when they can anticipate to get their funds based upon their group. As of May 2022, it's not possible to mine Algorand utilizing hardware. Users can make ALGO benefits by staking their Algorand in an Algorand wallet.

Algorand Wallet Whilst there are lots of methods to save crypto, the Algorand wallet has actually been ranked among the simplest to utilize and most visually pleasing. It can be incorporated with the Ledger Nano X and uses a modern security user interface for users. As of February 2022, the Algorand Wallet has actually been rebranded as the Pera Wallet. In addition to altering the name and logo design, Algorand has actually currently launched a brand-new roadmap, partner combinations and an objective to concentrate on the neighborhood. The total performance of the wallet stays the exact same. Unlike lots of crypto wallets that need a specific login to see, Pera Wallets enable users to take a look at all of their accounts in one central view rather of needing to keep in mind a number of passwords for various wallets. The Pera Wallet likewise informs users of any ALGO benefits they've made and when awards are due. Ought to there be any other activity in their wallet, such as a deal, owners will likewise be alerted. For crypto financiers who like to routinely inspect just how much their holdings deserve, the Pera Wallet likewise supplies real-time in-app estimations. The worth of a holder's ALGOs are displayed in USD and upgraded in real-time to guarantee they're as precise as possible. If you wish to purchase ALGO, you can discover it on most popular crypto exchanges such as Coinbase or Binance On these exchanges, you can purchase ALGO utilizing a variety of cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC), along with fiat such as $USD and $GBP. When purchasing with cryptocurrency, you'll require to pick a trading set such as BNB or BUSD, all of which can be discovered in the trading tab. When acquired, you can then move your ALGO to an Algorand Wallet or another wallet of your option such as MetaMask Final Thoughts: Will Algorand Become The Future of Finance? Algorand has actually currently shown itself to be a robust platform that uses ingenious innovation to press the limits of decentralized financing. It has among the market's best certified groups developing the task, in addition to a comprehensive list of financiers. These consist of: Lemniscap Nirvana Capital Bixin Capital Alumni Ventures Group Foundation Capital Visary Capital Multicoin Capital Eterna Capital The dev group explains Algorand as "the future of financing" on its site and has actually attained considerable success with its very first DeFi environment Yieldy. Yieldly has actually gotten WAGMIswap, to end up being the noteworthy leader in GameFi and DeFi on the Algorand blockchain. In just 6 months WAGMIswap acquired substantial traction, striking a trading volume of $40 M in its very first week. This acquisition implies AMM functions will be contributed to Yieldly, increasing making starts for users. Algorand has actually likewise made headings following the statement of a main collaboration with FIFA, increasing the cost by 15%. Algorand's success will mostly be figured out by its capability to win market share from clever agreement platform rivals such as Ethereum, Cardano, and Solana Read More

[warmau]

love struck!au x tbz

find other love struck!aus here: monsta x | day6 | ateez *this post was commissioned through kofi

sangyeon

confident sangyeon spends half the day flirting with you

then shy sangyeon spends the rest of the day running embarrassment laps around the creker building

he has high spikes of adrenaline where its just quite literally circling you with hearts in his eyes and doves singing 

and then low long silent moments where he sits in a corner, muttering at the wall and everyone is like what is going on with him

if he could he might just spend eternity flip-flopping between the two

it’d take an intervention to get him to just seize the opportunity during one of his more positive moods to just ask you on a date

the only problem is he talks so fast and so jumbled and waves his hands around 

and you’re like wh-

and he’s like datetommorrowcoffeeorteawhichdoyoupreferdoyounotevenwanteitherwhataboutumlikeamoviepleasesayyes

once again you are like ?

and sangyeons meter of confidence is slowly depleting hes about to run away until sunwoo is like 

let me step in and translate: 

sangyeon wants to go on a date with you tomorrow

when you brighten up and accept, sangyeon just breathes a sigh of relief and maybe almost tips over from the intense amount of feelings hitting him at once lol

jacob

no one takes him seriously when he starts saying he likes you

not because you’re unlikable but because jacob says it with such normalcy that everyone is like

nah

if you liked them, you would definitely be all mushy and shy and embarrassed about it

and jacob is like what are you talking about im not embarrassed to have a crush on someone i think is really awesome 

even kevin is like dude don’t push it - you shouldnt make jokes about liking people

and jacob is just like *blinks*

but seriously, everyone expects him to be writing lyrics in secret and practicing some kind of grand serenade to ask you out - like you’re literally an angel dude so you have to like someone in the most cupid-esque way possible

which jacob is just like :/ about because there’s no right way to show someone how much you like them-

juyeon: sorry what i was not listening?

you on the other hand, don’t ever even catch wind of it because jacob is so sweet at all times

polite, caring, gentle touches, lots of eye contact, little smiles that make your heart melt, the usual

that you just assume he’s like this to everyone so of course you are clueless and his lack of grandiose confessions is making everyone else clueless too

until one day jacob is like fine if no one believes me ill just tell them a

nd everyone in the room is like pfft would love to see you try-

three seconds later jacob is standing in front of you and saying “want to date me?” and you’re so shocked you can’t speak

but the rest of tbz is so shocked at least three of them nearly faint 

younghoon

keeps his mouth shut

literally like shut shut like not a WORD to you or to anyone in a five foot distance of you

he’ll be talking to chanhee about something and you’ll walk in and suddenly younghoon just hits pause

chanhee is like hello are you broken hello and younghoon is just _____

until you walk out of the room and then he’s like

“-that’s why i think we shouldn’t include that dance move”

and chanhee is like what the hael just happened

you will be in a conversation and pull younghoon over to join you and when you’re like what do you think!!!!!!!1

he looks at you and the cognitive function for speech just disappears 

maybe its your cute face accelerating his heartbeat or maybe its the all the nerves in his body going haywire because all he wants to say is how much he really really likes you

but he can’t just SAY that so instead he says nothing

sometimes he’s lucky and members who understand this younghoon lovestruck glitch are around can save him

but sometimes its just you and him and silence until youre like ok- well-

you think maybe he just doesnt want to talk to you because he doesnt like you

so you apologize for bothering him

and its like everything that has ever blocked him from speaking before just flies out the window

because suddenly younghoon is holding your hands in his and saying

“no, im sorry. i just dont know what to say because i like you so much.”

it’s the longest sentence you’ve ever heard from him

and you are so flustered but all you can say back is

“you can keep saying ‘i like you’ if you want...........”

younghoon for the rest of the week: i like you

you: giddy

tbz: kinda wishing he’d shut it again 

hyunjae

there’s no lovestruck period, it’s straight up infatuation from day ONE

and it comes at full force

hyunjae is like bubblegum, stuck to you and only you

sugary sweet and always reminding you that he is available whenever you decided you want to take him

it can really overwhelm someone, because his attention is fixated and forthcoming

and i mean you’d really have to lack all the common sense in the world not to see that he’s interested

but that’s the thing interest is not always a form of sincerity so you just kind of chalk it up to him trying to be funny

and he sprawls across your lap like a cat

happy with the fact that you just giggle and smile because ok you might never believe that he’s so in love with you it hurts but at least you still let him near you

really people probably ask you if you’re dating him and when you say you’re not their follow up is usually like well arent you exhausted having someone you dont love always around

and you’re like um - no well - i mean - and you are like ok i mean i do love him but im not going to be a fool and fall into a trap of thinking im special

and hyunjae will literally be like they are special. i feel nothing for anyone else, it is just them

and you’re like see! he’s so sweet!

and at some point i think you either drive hyunjae crazy and he kisses you because words are pointless - actions are everything

or chanhee pushes you two into each other from pure, unfiltered annoyance 

“if you love each other stop pretending like it’s a big joke and just DATE!”

juyeon

return to kindergarten romance

literally he sees you and goes pink to the ears and slinks behind his friends even though he’s taller than most of them

and he can barely hide the fact that he jumps over the rainbow when your shoulders brush in the halls

if no one knew any better, juyeon probably scribbles your name in hearts on a notebook page somewhere

but then crumples it up and almost eats it if anyone tries to see what he’s up to

but again you enter the vicinity and he’s goo - muttering and forgetting to string nouns to verbs or whatever

everyone is so amazed that someone with so much charisma on stage can turn this goddamn goofy around someone he likes

and you are energetic and bright - you always want to pull juyeon into the loop - and you think the flustered look on his face is just from genuine surprise or confusion

and you’re like “oh! let me explain what we’re doing blah blah blah” and yes juyeon knows you guys are going to play monopoly but like words? dont? come ? out ? of ? his ? mouth?

and just like kindergarten he probably ends up writing you a note about how much he likes you (tick this box for yes and this box for no) or some form of that

maybe like a text where he is like hi do you want to go on a date and it was actually supposed to be like a ten page essay about why he likes you but then he got too nervous to send it so yeah

its a text that comes out of the blue and when you agree and see juyeon in person the next day you’re like why didn’t you just ask me like months ago

and once again, words? dont? come? out? of? his? mouth?

kevin

gift giving

nonstop gift giving

like to a point where jacob is worried about kevin’s spending habits 

but it is all like handmade items and cute stuff he sees that reminds him of you 

and everyone knows he has a crush before he can even process it because they’re doing a show halfway across the country and everyone is like practicing or doing something on their own

and kevin’s like guys look i saw this in a shop and it reminded me of-

all of tbz looking at him like: we know who it reminded you of

he plays it off though when he gives you the gifts, he’s like ah this was just like in my bag or whatever or oh i made this extra keychain when i had a day off like do you want it

and kevin thinks he is so sly and covering it up so damn well but he isn’t 

you try to give gifts back, mostly because you feel bad that he’s always offering something to you

and one day you are like - at first as a kind of jest - like “here ill just give you myself in return” 

and you throw your arms around his neck like you’ve done a million times before and oh shit you think kevin is going to pass out with how fast his heart starts beating and how he overheats

and you’re like kevin?!??!?! are you ok!?!??! and he’s like areyouserious

and you’re like wh and he’s like are you serious about that,,,,and you’re like oh well i mean do you even want someone like me

and kevin unblinkingly is like of course you are the only person i want

and suddenly you realize that these gifts youve been getting are kevin’s love language and its so freaking cute

(but also stop spending money just give kisses instead) (kevin agrees but he is still like im buying you anything cute i see because u are cute and cute people deserve cute things we love kevin moon logic)

changmin

ignores his feelings by throwing himself into his work

much to the surprise of no one, because he’s naturally a workoholic and perfectionist, but this time something is off

no one should be beating themselves up over such miniscule mistakes like he is

and hyunjae is convinced changmin has finally lost it, like the goddamn lid has flew off the kettle with this one

because they finish practice and everyone is clapping and changmin looks like he’s going to crush the speakers with his bare hands

less lovestruck as he is loveconfused because the real reason he’s so upset is like

he wants to focus so hard on being a great performer and whatnot but when he shuts his eyes or takes a moment to breath

his brain is fuzzy with thoughts of you and not like super romantic flowery thoughts like you see in movies or read in comics

its just little snapshots of you being,,,,,,,,,,,you

laughing along with eric, fixing the hem of your shirt in the mirror, waving at changmin before looking both ways and crossing the street to his side

GOD WHEN HAS SOMEONE CROSSING THE STREET MADE HIS HEART DO A BACKFLIP

the worst thing is he can’t seem to find a way for it to stop until like you are actually in front of him

like the real you - not the memories and thoughts he has daily of you - no just you

and you’re putting your hands on his face and he’s sweaty and hot from dancing for god knows how long and you’re like 

“don’t wear yourself out like this, take care of yourself - if you don’t want to do it for you - can you do it for me?”

and changmin realizes oh right - for you, for you he could move mountains, for you he could fly, like seriously for you he could do anything

and he thinks he just says this to himself but he just said it outloud and somewhere in the room hyunjae is slapping his knee like

“AH! he’s not nuts - he’s just in love.”

chanhee

falls head over heels for you and expects you to read his mind about it

you walk into a room and he sits up a little straighter and is like ok one step two step ok come over to me, look at me, pay attention to me

and you - because you are not a mindreader - go to talk to juyeon first

and chanhee is like OH I SEE HOW IT IS and gets all moody there on out

honest to god he probably knows he’s overreacting but he just does not get why you cant tell how he’s feeling

and he asks like everyone this question and theyre like what? because you aren’t making it obvious at all?

and chanhee is like what the hell do you mean i totally make it obvious and everyone is like did you ask them out? did you get them a gift? did you compliment them?

and chanhee crosses his arms like no......but like......i smiled at them in a way i dont smile at the rest of you clowns

tbz: :/ 

either way, you start to notice this pattern, that when chanhee is not getting your attention he gets a little like a cat and curls himself away from you

so you, much like one with a cat, start to shower him in attention

and he just uncurls and gets all giddy and swats anyone away who tries to get into your little bubble with him

and its a bit entertaining really lol but you think its just chanhee being chanhee

till it keeps happening over and over and over again and you’re like ok wait

and chanhee is like hmm and you’re like why dont we just go somewhere alone together like on a date or something if thats what you like so much

and chanhee, who has been under the suspicion you have been going on dates sitting together in the tbz practice room is like 

“oh right! a date, um i guess sure!”

inside he is screaming 

haknyeon

does not waste time, he puts his detective hat on and makes a plan

for one of the youngest members he probably puts the most diligence into liking someone 

its not just lovestruck butterflies and running away whenever you’re around

haknyeon swats all that gooey-mushy stuff away and is like ok lets see what movies do you like? what kind of food do you like? he has to know so that when he asks you out he is ready to impress

it shocks some of his other members, sangyeon has never seen haknyeon almost bite younghoon’s hand when he tried to as him to get off the shared desktop

haknyeon just wants to know everything about you - which kevin says he could probably do by talking more to you

and haknyeon is like go away grandpa and kevin is like WH-

either way, when it all comes to a head and haknyeon has memorized what he’s going to say in his confession to you for the one millionth time

he does not prepare for what actually happnes

which is you bound up to him with your arms open and you’re like let’s hang out! just the two of us!

and he’s like ok ill go get the other- wait

haknyeon.exe has stopped working

because truth be told he’d spend so much time trying to research and be perfect when all you really like about him is how fun and eccentric he can be

so you just ask him out first and this was not in the plan, but haknyeon is not about to let go of your warm hand as you pull him along beside you

sunwoo

swears to deny it to his grave because one) it’s embarrassing and.........no that’s it. it is embarrassing to have feelings

jacob: feelings aren’t embarrassing! they’re the reason we can care so deeply about others <3

sunwoo: ok nerd........keep it moving

and unlike younghoon who just goes silent around the people he likes or juyeon who tries to find sangyeon to hide behind 

sunwoo just straight up is like cold. and you are like what didi i do?

everyone is just like he’s complicated, it’s just who he is and he’s young so just ignore him

but it makes you sad that sunwoo just doesn’t want to be your friend

and in sunwoo’s head he’s like I DONT WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND BECAUSE YOU ARE MY DREAM PERSON BUT THATS SO FREAKING CORNY TO SAY SO LET ME JUST MAKE GRUMPY FACE

he also has such a bad luck, even when he’s not trying to come off mean he probably accidentally spills something on you or breaks something of yours

and instead APOLOGIZING like everyone is telling him to do he just yoinks out of the room and you’re like damn :( 

to be honest, i think the more you guys get distant the more sunwoo falls deeper into it because even with everything

you are always so kind and sweet and how? like how? how are you doing that?

it probably takes a miracle or actually just like someone spilling the beans to you that sunwoo stayed up all night trying to fix the bracelet of yours he broke for it to all change

for you to find sunwoo and hug him and thank him for trying to fix it and the minute you touch him its like 

all these stupid little walls he built melt into nothing and sunwoo is just like i like you so much im sorry im so dumb and you’re like

well you’re like shocked but youre like im sorry i also like you and im also dumb sometimes

both of you standing there wide eyed but also like super super super giddy

one day you aren’t even talking to each other the next day you are cuddling on the couch

kevin: these people are giving me literal whiplash 

eric

thinks you’ll never feel the same way so he does the next best thing, he tries to be your bestest friend

for someone so spunky and confident in himself most of the time you’d think lovestruck eric would just GO for it

but more than he is like outgoing and brave, he is devoted to people he loves

and losing you as a friend over confessing his feelings would probably spiral him into a dark place

so he’ll just take his spot as a super close friend, and horrible wingman 

who tries to get you to admit that you like someone in the group when you have told eric ten times no you dont like changmin like that and yes juyeon is cute but youre not interested

and eric just wants you to be happy and he thinks youre lying and keeping it from him because like you think it would be weird to date someone in tbz

and he’s like cmon tell me! or do you like someone from skz, im friends with felix - do you think he’s cute

and at some point it wears you down and you are just like over to play video games and have fun with eric

and he’s like hey felix said you were pretty when i showed him a photo and you are like ERIC LISTEN TO ME and he’s like blinking like oh?

and you’re like i do like someone but its you and so since that isnt going to happen lets move on

and eric is like lets not move on because from the minute i saw you i thought cupid lodged an arrow so deep in my heart its been stuck their permanently and yes i watched hercules last night so i made that analogy isn’t it about time you kissed me so i would shuttup?

and when you do you’re like ok i have wanted to do that SO many times and he’s like well you should have

and youre like dont be sassy i will bring up every oppurtunity you tried to hook me up with your group member if you do and he’s like

i will shut my mouth forever if that is what you wish <3

[trishajanson-blog]

Theories of Entrepreneurship

Want to learn more about Entrepreneurship? Interested? Check this blog cause we made it much easier to understand Entrepreneurship!

But before we proceed. Make sure to like, comment, and share with your friends! Also, don’t forget to follow for more Entrepreneurship studies! Let’s begin!

These are some Theories of Entrepreneurship that we’ve hand-picked to teach you so that you have an idea about Theories of Entrepreneurship! Let’s start with…

Innovation Theory

The Innovation Theory by Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian economist & political scientist, believed that an entrepreneur could earn economic profits by introducing successful innovations. To gain more information, watch this video down below!

Innovation theory of profit posits that the main function of an entrepreneur is to introduce innovations and the profit in the form of reward is given for his performance. According to Schumpeter, innovation refers to any new policy that an entrepreneur undertakes to reduce the overall cost of production or increase the demand for his products.

Thus, innovation can be classified into two categories; The first category includes all those activities which reduce the overall cost of production such as the introduction of a new method or technique of production, the introduction of new machinery, innovative methods of organizing the industry, etc.

The second category of innovation includes all such activities which increase the demand for a product. Such as the introduction of a new commodity or new quality goods, the emergence or opening of a new market, finding new sources of raw material, a new variety, or a design of the product, etc.

The innovation theory of profit posits that the entrepreneur gains profit if his innovation is successful either in reducing the overall cost of production or increasing the demand for his product. Often, the profits earned are for a shorter duration as the competitors imitate the innovation, thereby ceasing the innovation to be new or novice. Earlier, the entrepreneur was enjoying a monopoly position in the market as innovation was confined to himself and was earning larger profits. But after some time, with the others imitating the innovation, the profits started disappearing.

An entrepreneur can earn larger profits for a longer duration if the law allows him to patent his innovation. Such as a design of a product is patented to discourage others to imitate it. Over the time, the supply of factors remaining the same, the factor prices tend to rise because of which the cost of production also increases. On the other hand, with the firms adopting innovations the supply of goods and services increases and their prices fall. Thus, on one hand the output per unit cost increases while on the other hand the per unit revenue decreases.

There is a point of time when the difference between the costs and receipts gets disappear. Thus, the profit more than the normal profit disappears. This innovation process continues, and the profits continue to appear or disappear.

Keynesian Theory

Keynesian economics by John Maynard Keynes, a British economist, is a macroeconomic economic theory of total spending in the economy and its effects on output, employment, and inflation. ... Based on his theory, Keynes advocated for increased government expenditures and lower taxes to stimulate demand and pull the global economy out of the depression.

For me, the Keynesian cross theory is a graph of expenditure and output level also a graph of different levels of equilibrium aggregate expenditure at different interest rate levels.

Since the investment spending is a function of interest rate when there is a change in interest rate which in turn results in a change in total output corresponding to the new equilibrium. Keynesian theorists argue that economies do not stabilize themselves very quickly and require active intervention that boosts short-term demand in the economy.

X-efficiency theory of entrepreneurship

What is the x-efficiency theory of entrepreneurship?

Harvey Leibenstein, the American economist, developed the X-efficiency theory in the 1960s. He views entrepreneurs as gap-fillers and input complementors. Gaps (X-inefficiency) emerge when there are inefficiencies in markets, such as when incumbents do not utilize their resources efficiently (Leibenstein, 1966;1978) because of political, normative, cognitive, and structural factors.

A classic example is a startup without a union that enters a market where all the incumbents have strong unions. The cost advantage of disorganized labor may help firms with low-cost business models to thrive at the bottom of the market at margins that are uneconomical for incumbent firms to pursue within the target ranges given to them by their shareholders.

If the maximum possible productive use of a resource is greater than the actual use by incumbents, an arbitrage opportunity emerges that an entrepreneur can exploit for profit. Entrepreneurs can also improve inputs by putting to use new resources, thus making existing products more efficient.

Incumbents can ignore, waste, or misuse resources due to inertia, incompetence, or ignorance. Thus, the entrepreneur is seen as correcting market inefficiencies by improving the information flow in a market.

X-efficiency theory seems to align well with Kirzner's view of entrepreneurship as alertness to opportunities caused by the lack of insight of incumbents.

Leibenstein’s thoughts focus mainly on two things: suggesting a theory of entrepreneurial economics and using this theory to explain the value of entrepreneurship within the economy. Rather than taking sides with a certain type of entrepreneurial activity, Leibenstein considers two sides, what he calls routine entrepreneurship (well-defined markets) and N-entrepreneurship (Schumpeterian-like). He introduces ways and possibilities of how both can exist within the economy, illustrating characteristics of the entrepreneur such as risk bearer, taking ultimate responsibility, gap-filler, input-completer, and the ability to evaluate economic opportunities.

Leibenstein’s procedure to both theories rests upon inputs and outputs of entrepreneurship (an example of the input would be a motivational factor) and the fact that entrepreneurship is a resource, a scarce one to be specific. Since his theory describes entrepreneurship as a resource, Leibenstein implies that entrepreneurship has value in the economy in the sense that the creation and fruition of tools and technology expand the economy and its features. But he states that because entrepreneurship is not predictable, controllable, or undetermined, it becomes scarce because the “up-and-coming” entrepreneurs have a lack of input-completing capacities. Thus, in some cases a well-defined market is impossible and that is his reason for considering both routine and N-entrepreneurship.

Leibenstein’s work is very credible in the sense that it outlines what an entrepreneur should do to be successful, and why we need entrepreneurship to exist. This passage would be helpful to a relatively new entrepreneur because Leibenstein is merely giving advice on how to be an input-completer and gap-filler, which he says makes for a successful entrepreneur.

Kirzner’s Learning-Alertness Theory

The basic concept in Kirzner's theory of entrepreneurship is alertness. ... The role of entrepreneurs lies in their alertness to hitherto unnoticed opportunities. Through their alertness, entrepreneurs can discover and exploit situations in which they can sell for high prices that which they can buy for low prices.

The book Competition and Entrepreneurship by Israel Kirzner, published in 1973, was a watershed moment in the revival of Austrian economics. While prices are the medium through which knowledge spreads in an economy, entrepreneurial activity–people recognizing previously unimagined opportunities to combine inputs into more valuable outputs–is the cause of that spread, according to Kirzner. Entrepreneurship is a discovery procedure, not a maximization exercise under given constraints. Markets are competitive, according to Kirzner, when the discovery procedure is unconstrained, rather than when markets match the assumed conditions of the textbook "perfect competition" model.

Alfred Marshall Theory

This theory was created by Alfred Marshall who was an English Economist. Marshall made a book called Principles of Economics published in 1890. So, if you what more information, watch this video down below!

Modern research on the economics of education began in the 1950s with research by T. W. Schultz, Jacob Mincer, Sherwin Rosen and some others, although there are earlier precedents, including analyses by Adam Smith, Alfred Marshall, and Milton Friedman. This new literature treats education as an investment that has both costs and returns. The returns analyzed are principally the increase in earnings because of greater amounts of schooling. The costs included tuition, fees, and other direct expenses from schooling, and the earnings foregone by being in school rather than at work. Higher education has boomed throughout the world during the past three decades in much poorer and in all rich nations. An important part of the explanation for this development is that new technologies, such as computers and the Internet, increased the demand for persons with college education because college graduates more easily utilize and adapt to these technologies. Other important developments explaining the greater incentives to get a higher education are the shift to high-skilled services, such as the education and health sectors, and away from manufacturing and increased globalization that helped spread the demand for these new technologies throughout the world.

And that's it! Thank you so much for reading until the end. Don't forget to like, comment on some suggestions, or even your learnings from this blog post. Also, share it with your friends! Hope you learn something! Stay tuned for more Entrepreneurship lessons!

[tinyshe]

Why I’m Removing All Articles Related to Vitamins D, C, Zinc and COVID-19

source

Over the past year, I’ve been researching and  writing as much as I can to help you take control of your health, as  fearmongering media and corrupt politicians have destroyed lives and  livelihoods to establish global control of the world’s population, using the  COVID-19 pandemic as their justification.

I’ve also kept you informed about billionaire-backed  front groups like the Center for Science  in the Public Interest (CSPI), a partner of  Bill Gates’ Alliance for Science, both of whom have led campaigns aimed at  destroying my reputation and censoring the information I share.

Other attackers include HealthGuard, which ranks  health sites based on a certain set of “credibility criteria.” It has sought to  discredit my website by ensuring warnings appear whenever you search for my   articles or enter my website in an internet browser.

Well-Organized  Attack Partnerships Have Formed

HealthGuard, a niche service of NewsGuard, is funded  by the pharma-funded public relations company Publicis  Groupe. Publicis,  in turn, is a partner of the World Economic Forum, which is leading the call  for a “Great Reset” of the global economy and a complete overhaul of our way of  life.

HealthGuard is also partnered with Gates’ Microsoft company, and drug advertising  websites like WebMD and Medscape, as well as the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) — the  progressive cancel-culture leader with extensive ties to government and  global think tanks that recently labeled people questioning the COVID-19 vaccine  as a national security threat.

The CCDH has published a hit list naming me as one  of the top 12 individuals responsible for 65% of vaccine “disinformation” on social  media, and who therefore must be deplatformed and silenced for the public good.  In a March 24, 2021, letter1 to the CEO’s of Twitter and Facebook, 12 state  attorneys general called for the removal of our accounts from these platforms,  based on the CCDH’s report.

Two of those state attorneys  general also published an  April 8, 2021, op-ed2 in The Washington Post, calling on Facebook and Twitter to ban  the “anti-vaxxers” identified by the CCDH. The  lack of acceptance of novel gene therapy technology, they claim, is all because  a small group of individuals with a social media presence — myself included —  are successfully misleading the public with lies about nonexistent vaccine  risks.

“The solution is not complicated. It’s time  for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to turn off this  toxic tap and completely remove the small handful of individuals spreading this   fraudulent misinformation,” they wrote.3

Pharma-funded politicians and pharma-captured  health agencies have also relentlessly attacked me and pressured tech monopolies to censor and deplatform me,  removing my ability to express my opinions and speak freely over the past year.

The CCDH also somehow has been allowed to  publish4 in the journal Nature Medicine, calling for the “dismantling” of the “anti-vaccine”  industry. In the article, CCDH founder Imran Ahmed repeats the lie that he “attended and recorded a private, three-day   meeting of the world’s most prominent anti-vaxxers,” when, in fact, what he’s  referring to was a public online conference open to an international audience,  all of whom had access to the recordings as part of their attendance fee.  

The CCDH is also  partnered with another obscure group called Anti-Vax Watch. The picture below  is from an Anti-Vax Watch demonstration outside the halls of Congress.  Ironically, while the CCDH claims to be anti-extremism, you’d be hard-pressed  to find a clearer example of actual extremism than this bizarre duo.5

Gates-Funded  Doctor Demands Terrorist Experts to Attack Me

Most recently, Dr. Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin  Vaccine Institute,6 which  has received tens of millions of dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates  Foundation,7,8,9 — with funds from the foundation most recently being used to create a report  called “Meeting the Challenge of Vaccine Hesitancy,”10,11 — also cited the CCDH in a Nature article in which he calls for cyberwarfare  experts to be enlisted in the war against vaccine safety advocates and people  who are “vaccine hesitant.” He writes:12

“Accurate, targeted counter-messaging from the  global health community is important but insufficient, as is public pressure on   social-media companies. The United Nations and the highest levels of government  must take direct, even confrontational, approaches with Russia, and move to  dismantle anti-vaccine groups in the United States.

Efforts must expand into the realm of cyber  security, law enforcement, public education and international relations. A  high-level inter-agency task force reporting to the UN secretary-general could   assess the full impact of anti-vaccine aggression, and propose tough, balanced  measures.

The task force should include experts who have  tackled complex global threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks and nuclear  armament, because anti-science is now approaching similar levels of peril. It  is becoming increasingly clear that advancing immunization requires a   counteroffensive.”

Why is Hotez calling for the use of warfare  tactics on American citizens that have done nothing illegal? In my case, could  it be because I’ve written about the theory that SARS-CoV-2 is an engineered   virus, created through gain-of-function research, and that its release was anticipated  by global elites, as evidenced in Event 201?

It may be. At least those are some of my  alleged “sins,” detailed on page 10 of the CCDH report, “Disinformation Dozen:  The Sequel.”13 Coincidentally enough, the Nature journal has helped cover up gain-of-function  research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, publishing a shoddy zoonotic origins study relied upon my  mainstream media and others, which was riddled with problems.14,15

So, it’s not misinformation  they are afraid of. They’re afraid of the truth getting out. They’re all trying  to cover for the Chinese military and the dangerous mad scientists conducting  gain-of-function work.

You may have noticed our  website was recently unavailable; this was due to direct cyber-attacks launched  against us. We have several layers of protective mechanisms to secure the  website as we’ve anticipated such attacks from malevolent organizations.

What This Means for  You

Through these progressively increasing  stringent measures, I have refused to succumb to these governmental and pharmaceutical  thugs and their relentless attacks. I have been confident and willing to  defend myself in the court of law, as I’ve had everything reviewed by some of   the best attorneys in the country.

Unfortunately, threats have now become very  personal and have intensified to the point I can no longer preserve much of the   information and research I’ve provided to you thus far. These threats are not  legal in nature, and I have limited ability to defend myself against them. If  you can imagine what billionaires and their front groups are capable of, I can  assure you they have been creative in deploying their assets to have this  content removed.

Sadly, I must also  remove my peer reviewed published study16 on the “Evidence Regarding Vitamin D and Risk of COVID-19 and  Its Severity.” It will, however, remain in the highly-respected journal   Nutrients’ website, where you can still access it for free.

The MATH+ hospital treatment protocol for  COVID-19 and the iMASK+ prevention and early outpatient COVID-19 protocol —  both of which are based on the use of vitamins C, D, quercetin, zinc and  melatonin — are available on the Front  Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance’s website. I suggest you bookmark these resources for future reference.

It is with a  heavy heart that I purge my website of valuable information. As noted by Dr.  Peter McCullough during a recent Texas state Senate Health and Human Services  Committee hearing, data shows early treatment could have prevented up to 85% (425,000)  of COVID-19 deaths.17 Yet early treatments were all heavily censored and suppressed.

McCullough, in  addition to being a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Texas A&M  University Health Sciences Center, also has the distinction of having published  the most papers of any person in the history of his field, and being an editor  of two major medical journals. Despite that, his video, in which he went  through a paper he’d published detailing effective early treatments, was  summarily banned by YouTube in 2020.

“No wonder  we have had 45,000 deaths in Texas. The average person in Texas thinks there’s  no treatment!” McCullough told the senate panel.18 Indeed, people are in dire  need of more information detailing how they can protect their health, not less.  But there’s only so much I  can do to protect myself against current attack strategies.

They’ve moved past censorship. Just what do you  call people who advocate counteroffensive attacks by terrorism and cyberwarfare   experts? You’d think we could have a debate and be protected under free speech  but, no, we’re not allowed. These lunatics are dangerously unhinged.

The U.S. federal government is going along with  the global Great Reset plan (promoted as “building back better”), but this plan  won’t build anything but a technological prison. What we need is a massive   campaign to preserve civil rights, and vote out the pawns who are destroying  our freedom while concentrating wealth and power.

[sasquapossum]

Political Power in the Real World

These ideas have been boiling around in my head for a while, and I keep getting in "discussions" that seem to center on other people's misunderstandings about how political power actually works, so I might as well squirt it all out and let my mind move on to something else. Warning: this is long and not a light read either. Apologies to anyone who finds this kind of thing tedious or aggravating.

A lot of problems come down to people being conditioned to think about politics in terms of binary opposites - left vs. right, capitalist vs. socialist, conservative vs. progressive, authoritarian vs. libertarian. Even combining two or more of these still embeds the idea of binary opposition. The popular "political compass" (left/right and authoritarian/libertarian) is barely more useful because of this. The "left libertarian" quadrant is almost always empty or nearly so because even though people like that sort of exist (including me) the model misrepresents their relationship to people in other quadrants. It's like the Mercator projection of a spherical world onto a rectangular map, grossly distorting areas and distances. Even worse, the distortions vary according to where the map-maker chose to put the center. I don't think a perfect projection of political beliefs is possible either, but I have one that I feel at least doesn't misrepresent the relationships between significant points so badly.

What do all these labels mean? Let's start with the classic state, which is the one most people will recognize.

Presidents or prime ministers

Legislatures

Military

Police and other enforcement-oriented agencies

Bills, executive orders, broad policy

Then we have the quasi-state - organizations outside the official state but which still have state-like power to shape our lives especially via work. To a large extent what these have in common is self interest, as opposed to either democratic will or tradition.

Wall Street (including Madison Avenue and Sand Hill Road)

Big oil/ag/pharma

FAANG

Media as they actually exist

Third we have institutions - the real-world embodiment of various traditions that define our permanent culture.

Constitutions and courts that respect them

Permanent civil service

Journalism as it used to exist

Science and the empirical method

Education (as a vocation not as a business)

In the middle we have either dynamic balance (if the other three are strong) or anarchy (if they're weak). If you're visually inclined you could think of this as a third dimension that's longer in the center, forming a spindle shape. Alternatively, it could be a sphere with balance and anarchy at the poles and the rest around the equator. But there are dangers in getting too stuck on visual/physical analogies.

The first thing to notice is how poor the mapping is between this representation and our traditional binaries. "Right" could sort of mean a stronger quasi-state, but "left" is fragmented among people who might favor any of the other points. Similarly, "authoritarian" sort of means a stronger classic state, but then "libertarian" is also fragmented. By far the most common kind would move that power to the quasi-state, but anarchist libertarians are pretty common too and there are even a few institutionalist libertarians out there. And what does "conservative" even mean? In one sense it might mean a strong institutionalist, in another it might mean someone who supports the quasi-state-favoring status quo, and there are other possibilities as well.

The second thing about this representation is that only the classic state can move around. Institutions are fixed in place because that's their essential nature. The various parts of the quasi-state are fixed by their respective self-interest. But the classic state can align itself more closely with the quasi-state, or with institutions, or it can absorb all power into itself. Because of this unique mobility, debates over the role of the classic state tend to dominate political discourse.

One of the main political problems in the US today is that the capitalist quasi-state has become too dominant. It has pulled the classic state into its orbit, which has been all too willing to weaken institutions on its behalf. To the great majority of people, this is either a disaster already or a disaster waiting to happen. This alliance between the classic and quasi states is one of the defining features of fascism, but (important!) not the only one. In true fascism the classic state with its monopoly on legal and physical power is the "senior partner" in that relationship. We are not at fascism now, and my biggest worry is that the "internet leftists" (who have misappropriated the historical term) most committed to fighting quasi-state power are likely to drag us into fascism.

Wait, how's that? Consider what happens when you weaken the quasi-state. Which other option becomes stronger? Personally I think there's a lot of useful debate to be had about where to aim between the institutionalist edge and the balanced center. The anarchist center does not appeal, because anarchy is fundamentally unstable. When everything else is weakened, which is what revolutions do, institutions are always the last to recover. At any scale larger than part of a city (e.g. Christiania in Copenhagen), what inevitably happens is that black markets form, and either they themselves or the security apparatus created to oppose them turn into a new autocratic classic state. Whether the result is ideologically driven or profit driven, it's generally a nightmare for anyone but the leaders.

But that's not even my biggest fear. I don't think that trajectory is very likely. What's far more likely is that the internet leftists/socialists will try to take us directly from a powerful quasi-state to a powerful classic state. The problem is that the point in between is where real fascism lies. With institutions suppressed, as soon as the classic state outweighs the quasi-state BOOM you have fascism. Yes, I know true fascism also includes elements of nationalism, which the socialists claim to abhor, but if you think their attitudes aren't a kind of New Millennial Nationalism then you haven't been watching them stab "centrists" and "moderates" (both misnomers for people who actually do have strong political beliefs) in the back every chance they get. It's a different nationalism than the old white-supremacist puritanical kind, but one kind of nationalism replacing another without changing the essential dynamic of demagoguery and authoritarianism has been a consistent theme in every revolution so far. The new norms are just as strictly enforced as the old, and it doesn't make much difference if the shirts the enforcers wear are prettier than the old fashioned brown ones.

We absolutely need to smash "late stage" predatory capitalism. We need stronger regulations, liability reform, a stronger safety net, workers' rights, human rights, environment protection, real science, real journalism, police reform, less militarism, better free education for all, and so much more. Note that some of these things fall into the domain of institutions, while some fall into the domain of the classic state. We desperately need to rebuild the former, and move the latter out of the quasi-state's shadow. What we don't need is naïve "kill the billionaires" or "elites and those who lick their boots" tropes. We need a functioning democracy, not a different dystopia.

[eldritchsurveys]

903.

Alabama: Do you like the movie Forrest Gump? >> It’s not a favourite of mine, but I can tolerate it, I suppose. ...Actually, come to think of it, I probably couldn’t tolerate it now. I find Forrest’s accent grating and I don’t want to hear it anymore.

Alaska: Would you rather deal with 30 days of day or 30 days of night? >> I don’t think either would be preferable. I like the night/day balance best.

Arizona: Can you handle heat well? >> Moderately well, I suppose. I feel like I complain about the heat far less frequently than most of the people I run into. At the same time, I also know my limits and I don’t just run around in direct sunlight for hours at a time or anything foolish like that.

Arkansas: What are your opinions on Bill Clinton? >> I don’t have any opinions on him.

California: Who is your favorite actor? Favorite actress? >> I have multiple favourites. Here are five: Matthew McConaughey, Gillian Anderson, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Gina Torres.

Colorado: Do you smoke weed? What are your opinions on its legalization? >> I don’t, it causes adverse reactions for me. I think decriminalisation would be wonderful, and applying it retroactively to the people who were imprisoned for marijuana possession would be even more wonderful. The unfortunate downside to legalisation is that now there are marijuana monopolies, because capitalism is a nightmare. So... you know.

Connecticut: Have you ever had a school shooting at your school? >> No.

Delaware: Are you usually the first to do something, or are you more of a follower? >> I don’t pay attention to this. I just do whatever I feel like doing whenever I feel like doing it.

Florida: Have you ever been to Disney World? >> No.

Georgia: Would you consider yourself a southern belle? >> No. I’m not Southern and I’m not a woman.

Hawaii: What would be paradise for you? >> ---

Idaho: What is your favorite way to eat a potato? >> Roasted, I guess. Skin-on.

Illinois: Did you vote for President Obama (or would you have)? >> I didn’t vote in that election. 

Indiana: Do you like corn? >> Sure.

Iowa: Are roses your favorite flower? >> No.

Kansas: Do you like the Tin Man, Scarecrow or Cowardly Lion better? >> I never much cared for that story, period.

Kentucky: Have you ever been to a horse race? >> No.

Louisiana: Have you ever celebrated Mardi Gras? >> I haven’t. Sometimes I think I’d like to go, but then I remember how I feel about crowds and noise. Kind of a bad idea.

Maine: Do you like lobster? >> Sure.

Maryland: Have you ever been to Washington DC? >> No.

Massachusetts: Are you smart enough to go to Harvard? >> I do not have the kind of brain that functions in a way that would be acceptable for Harvard, no.

Michigan: Have you ever swam in a lake? >> I’ve been in a lake, but I can’t swim, so it wasn’t swimming. Just wading around.

Minnesota: Have you seen Drop Dead Gorgeous? >> No.

Mississippi: Do you follow college football? >> No.

Missouri: Have you ever convinced someone to show you their private parts? >> No.

Montana: What is the greatest treasure you have ever found? >> ---

Nebraska: Do you eat beef? >> Occasionally.

Nevada: Are you good at card games? >> I don’t know any card games (aside from UNO and solitaire... and Magic The Gathering, lol).

New Hampshire: What are your views on gay marriage? >> It should be legal, and fortunately, it is.

New Jersey: Do you watch The Jersey Shore? >> Geez, couldn’t Jersey have gotten a better question than this? I guess there’s really nothing anyone from other parts of the country would know about NJ except racist stereotypes on MTV. Anyway, no, I’ve never watched Jersey Shore. The actual Jersey shore is pretty nice, though.

New Mexico: Would you consider yourself a hippie? >> No.

New York: Have you ever been to New York City? Would you like to? >> I used to live in New York City.

North Carolina: Are the Panthers your favorite football team? >> No.

North Dakota: Have you seen Fargo? >> Not yet. I’d watch it if I came across it on a streaming service.

Ohio: Did you watch The Drew Carey Show? >> No.

Oklahoma: What is your favorite musical? >> Phantom of the Opera.

Oregon: Did you ever play the Oregon Trail game? >> Yeah.

Pennsylvania: Do you watch It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia? >> I do. When I first saw it like 8 years ago or some shit, I didn’t really get it. But I tried it again a couple of years ago and got fuckin hooked. It’s hilarious! I might rewatch it at some point (starting with season 2, though, because Frank joining the crew is when it really gets into its stride).

Rhode Island: Who is the smallest person you know? >> I know a toddler?

South Carolina: Do you think Aziz Ansari is funny? >> Eh. I don’t find him memorable. I feel like I’m getting him confused with someone else, in fact... *googles* Okay, no, I had it right. Yeah, like, he was okay on Parks and Rec but honestly he had a great cast to bounce off of. Otherwise I just don’t find him remarkable.

South Dakota: Who is more interesting: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln? >> None of them.

Tennessee: Who is your favorite country singer? >> Orville Peck. Also Johnny Cash. And Jace Everett.

Texas: Do you like barbecue or Tex-Mex better? >> I like both.

Utah: Do you know anyone who is Mormon? >> No.

Vermont: Do you get the full autumnal colors in the fall where you live? >> Yeah, usually.

Virginia: Are you a virgin? >> No.

Washington: Do you like grunge? >> Sure do.

West Virginia: Do you like the mountains? >> Yep.

Wisconsin: What's your favorite kind of cheese? >> Pepper jack. It’s the one I eat most often. I like other cheeses but then you have to match flavours and all this other shit and I don’t have the energy. 

Wyoming: Do you love westerns? >> I like western fusions and adaptations. Like how Firefly is a space western. I probably like some classics too (Shane was good), but I just don’t go out of my way to watch them.

[breezeinmonochromenight]

Eh, fuck it. I’m goin’ in (by request). 

In head actual canon, Vergil is written as a quintessential anti-villain, but later on also displays quite a few of the traits of a Byronic hero.

Anti-Villains usually have mostly good, well-meaning, or reasonable end goals (e.g. seeking power to protect themselves). However, their means of getting to those goals are pretty dark — usually anging from undesirable to evil. Alternatively, their goals may even be selfish or have long-term consequences for others that they don't care about, but they usually do have some good in them and would typically team up with the hero if their goals/means to achieve those goals didn't conflict with those of the hero or the hero’s ideals. (e.g. totally kill Arkham for being a traitor and a clown - not necessarily in the correct order - but still want to use your fancy new rotating Monopoly property to gain unspeakable power).

Byronic Heroes have strong passions regarding their ideals, but are nonetheless still deeply flawed individuals who may act in ways which are socially reprehensible because it is contrary to mainstream society’s beliefs. Byronic heroes are on their own side and have their own set of beliefs that they will not bow for. They will not change those beliefs for anyone. A Byronic hero is a character whose internal conflicts are heavily romanticized and one who ponders and wrestles with their beliefs and the struggle that comes with those beliefs. Vergil does exactly this by being a jade-colored glasses type cynic that has a dark and troubled past that he was shaped by. He even has the romantic element of this trope in the form of the mysterious tryst that produced his son.

Both of these are well-used tropes that can be used to add a lot of dimension to a character. And in this case, it is, and this is why people are interested in Vergil. The writers of DMC have pretty much stuck to this characterization to different degrees to reflect Vergil’s experiences — with him going from a straight-faced, no-nonsense, arrogant teenager with a ton of repressed emotional baggage in DMC3 to a slightly softer, more sarcastic version of himself in DMC5 that’s willing to win the age-old rivalry by default... a thing Vergil would never have done in DMC3. Ever. If one was to actually shut up and pay attention, they might pick up on just how big a deal these tiny little changes in behavior actually are as emotionally repressed as Vergil.

In the canon script, Vergil is actually a bit of a fucking brat in DMC3, and does not really give a shit about anything except his pursuit of power, and he pays dearly for the decisions he makes he makes as a jilted teenager at the end of the game. He cares about only himself at the beginning of DMC5 because he is finally fucking free of his Nelo Angelo prison, but he is dying and he is desperate and desperate people do desperate things. 

Whenever I see a very daft woman-child with clearly lot of hang-ups attacking people in fandoms and screeching nonsense, I often wonder ‘what went wrong?’. A weak sense of belonging is correlated to depression, and groups with shared interests, more often than not, do wonders for mental health. I also notice that women-children like this tend to make fun of other women and men (and they are men if they are in a certain age range - 18+ generally - manhood is not defined by who they are attracted to) and non-binary folks for ‘fawning’ over a character, I wonder just how fucking deeply sexually repressed you have to be in order to be this angry over other people expressing affection/shared interests in a fictional person.

I’m reminded of the time they mentioned those 3 background characters ‘fangirling’ over Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, because he was traditionally handsome guy and they, like the first time viewer, didn’t know just how awful he actually was. This doesn’t really have anything to do with the original topic, at all, so I also find myself wondering this person is projecting their anger issues onto random fictional characters again, and why they seem to have such a grudge against women or anyone they feel is completion/threat.

I’m also reminded that they clearly don’t understand Fight Club, either, or they wouldn’t be emulating Tyler Durden and using snowflake to describe both real people and fictional characters. They would get that the movie is a warning against hyper-masculinity and that, in calling things ‘snowflake’ in true Tyler Durden fashion, they create a very special type of irony where they externalize an idea about not being unique in order to create their own unique identity in opposition. 

I also wonder why they mention the whole Punisher thing at all, and just assume they’re raging because because their Twitter got suspended for death threats to politicians/harassing game devs/getting destroyed in political debates by actual fucking racists and Neo-Nazis that should have been fucking cake to clown on, because all this person can do is spew the same 5-7 insults and threats despite these people being legitimately horrible people. Then I move on, because this is all fucking ridiculous as is, and I realize that my thoughts are already gonna be long enough.

Lastly, I wonder what clown fuckers and monster fuckers have to do with Vergil in this context? Like at all? Regardless of my own personal preferences, I only see someone who is angry over other people’s sexual preferences and attraction because they don’t understand their own and going off on weird, unrelated tangents because of it. It makes me wonder if they would be angry if I expressed interest in space Nazis who are not attractive by conventional means and go about being complicit to mass genocide on a planetary scale while also actually committing patricide?  

Christ on a Bike.

*Sigh* I have to do all the heavy lifting, don’t I?

Might really is everything (to Vergil, because he sees it as a means to an end and the only to avoid being hurt again). And he takes this way, way too far and pays for it dearly.

Some people are too arrogant and too stupid to look past their own nose* and try to understand that people can make cataclysmically stupid decisions when they get pushed too far into a corner and see no other way out.

The way I see it, Vergil and Dante were already abnormal children that had a severely fucked up childhood — one that was defined by a horrific event they experienced from two separate, very different perspectives. Children are incredibly impressionable and their brains are like sponges — I could not imagine being scared and alone with something after me and having no one come look for me. It would scar me no matter what the explanation was. It’s reasonable believe that a 7-8 year old child who experiences something like that would grow up looking for a way to ensure it can never happen to them again, all while festering feelings of jealously toward a sibling who was shown (inadvertent) partiality on top of anger/betrayal because they didn’t understand why mom didn’t love them enough to come help. Kids can’t process trauma like adults, and this kind of shit mentally fucks children up in the real world for a lifetime. Traumatized minds don’t just ‘bounce back’ from something like that when given new evidence on a traumatic event — brains function like computer processors, but they aren’t just fixable like them. I’m sure if one was to actually look, they might actually see a fairly poignant message in all this.

People who are too arrogant often turn out not to be as smart as they think they are. If you’re excessively confident in yourself, you’re not going to listen to other people. (Note: Good job! this is ironic as fuck but the one line I didn’t have to edit!)

The only time Vergil smiles (& it’s a small, but genuine one — a grimace is literally the opposite of a smile and involves a frown, clenched teeth, etc.) is when he’s fighting Dante. This is because it is something he finally knows again — something that’s not part of a ~20 year long personal-made hell inside a suit of Angelo armor. There’s no real heat or tension in their DMC5 fights, and it’s comforting thing for both of them. Judging them for working out their shit this way is moronic because a.) they’re half-devil and don’t follow human social norms and b.) it’s a work of fiction anyway, you fucking numpty.

We don’t know if Vergil has remorse for the events he’s involved in because Vergil would not outwardly show remorse for raising the Temen-ni-gru or Temen-ni-gru 2: Horticulture Edition — that would be out-of-character for him. Any fan of the series should know this. However, if V is anything to go by (and he should be, because, y’know.. 👀), then yes, Vergil likely is remorseful.

The Abusive Parents trope is played with between Vergil and Nero, both with the loss of Nero’s arm and Vergil’s involuntary 20+ year absence because of his ownstubbornness and destructive decisions. Vergil did not know he even has a son and is emotionally constipated anyway, and Nero’s a hair-trigger hothead that wears his heart on his sleeve more than he is (probably even) aware of. Nero’s probably gonna be way too similar to teenaged Dante for Vergil’s tastes, and they’re gonna clash a lot, which creates drama intended to be entertaining for the audience.

Nothing says “I have fully missed the point” and “holy shit what went wrong in my life?” quite like someone arguing the same poorly researched 5-7 takes they have been arguing for like 6 months now on multiple social media sites. 

I saw this one Youtube commenter a little while back and I almost spit out my drink... I knew some people that didn’t like DMC5 were obsessively angry to the point of being totally fucking mental about people liking the game, but arguing in YouTube comments? Holy fucking shit that is another level of feral (and not the fun kind). I’d describe this person as a “cuck” or “bootlicker” but then I realize I’m not like 12 and don’t say the n-word on Xbox live, and that those insults don’t make sense anyway.

And this confusing shit, making me wonder what fucking game this person was playing?: 

If one is going to use a quote to end something, like, say, a legitimate character critique that is not steeped in the bias of their opinion, it makes the most sense to use a quote from something/someone like an objectively important literary work or author. Since Vergil is a Literary Boi™ and there may be “sci-fi / horror fangirls” reading this, I’ll throw a bone out to ‘em (since we’re at the end of this dog walk) and use a quote from Guy de Maupassant’s Le Hora et autres novelles fantastiques:    

“A sick thought can devour the body's flesh more than fever or consumption.”

For the unfamiliar: Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) is often considered the father of the modern short story, and used pessimistic and disillusioned terms to depict the lives and destinies and interactions of the people and society as a whole in his stories. His short stories Le Hora and Diary of a Madman inspired the 1963 Vincent Price horror movie of the same name as the latter. Maupassant’s later life was heavily characterized by self-isolation and paranoia, and he penned his own epitaph before he attempted to slit his own throat with a letter opener and died in an asylum at age 42:

“J’ai tout convoité, et je n’ai joui de rien.”

I will let whoever reads this translate, and think, on that. 

—

(And no, no sources cited section because I’ve never been a particularly religious bitch.)

*It’s an idiom, don’t even try to spin that shit as anti-Semitic you absolute fucking loon.

[racefortheironthrone]

Thoughts on Powers of X #5

Didn’t quite catch up to Hickman, but I’m still going to get this done!

Can It Be Done?

Let me say off the bat that I think this is definitely the weakest of the HoX/PoX issues I’ve covered to date, although I still think there’s some useful stuff to be mined from here.

Starting with Xavier’s meeting with Forge: Hickman said in an interview that Forge being in his 90s X-uniform was an error, which suggests that this scene is supposed to depict Forge in his popped collar/short-shorts look before he joins the X-Men, which would make sense what with the meeting happening at his Dallas holographic house. (Although Xavier being in his X-movies wheelchair confuses the timeline some.)

Moving on from that, the bulk of their conversation revolves around the logistics of a fifth-generation Cerebro unit - which given that the specs we get later are for the seventh generation, makes me wonder what happened to the sixth.

Xavier claims that the first iteration was “solely my design” but that versions two through four were “Henry McCoy’s doing.” Is he hiding Moira’s involvement here?

We learn that the shift in primary function from location to copying didn’t happen until the fifth generation, which should give us a rough cutoff of how far back resurrections can go.

Forge identifies three key issues: storage, power, (namely, that they would need “an unlimited power source and unlimited storage”) and redundancy. More on this when we get to the infographic.

Xavier wanting five-fold redundancy is another example of five being a recurring number in HoXPox.

The solution to Forge’s issues turns out to be a combination of mutant technology and Shi’ar technology (notably antimatter engines and logic crystals...more on that in a bit), which Xavier seems quite smug about. Presumably this is due to his relationship with Lilandra - a lot of X-tech from the early 90s used “Shi’ar” as their technobabble of choice - but, given what we learned about Shi’ar in Moira’s Ninth Life using mutants as imperial subalterns, I wonder what their broader political interest is.

On a more general note, Xavier is being really manipulative throughout this discussion, but he barely needs to be, because Forge is always going to go for the technical challenge of pulling this off than the broader ethical questions of whether they should.

Cerebro Infographic:

Here, we learn that the current version of Cerebro is Version 7.0 - so at least two major updates beyond what Xavier and Forge were discussing.

The two main differences seem to be that, A. the new system is portable (hence why Xavier is always wearing it in HoX), and B. it no longer relies on Shi’ar power in favor of a Krakoan No-Space vent. This suggests a concerted effort to ground the new Krakoan culture on mutant technology without relying on outside sources (even allied ones).

Speaking of my earlier thinking about Krakoan biomachinery and cultural heroes, Forge will probably go down in the mutant history books for starting the Krakoan scientific revolution and directing it down firmly biological rather than mechanical lines. 

A sign of how sci-fi this all could get is that he’s accomplished the astonishing feat of harnessing a “Krakoan No-[Space] Vent” to provide “an unlimited power source for mutants living on the island,” even before the revolution begins. At the same time, if my hunch about where the power is coming from is correct, it might not be the best idea to use literal hellfire to fuel the engines of your new society.

One sign that Krakoa isn’t at technological autarky yet is that they’re still reliant on “Shi’ar logic diamonds” as the “primary choice for data storage.” This raises two interesting questions: first, who has possession of the digitized Sinister database? And second, is this the technology that Doctor Gregor seems to have gotten her hands on in X-Men #1?

As with The Five, this infographic sets up story hooks by establishing points of vulnerability: the system requires a weekly three-hour backup and a yearly hard backup “during which the process cannot be interrupted and Xavier cannot be disturbed.” This creates opportunities for things to go haywire while Xavier is looking the other way.

There’s a bit more on the issue of downloading the wrong mind into the wrong body, although here there’s more of a suggestion that it would usually be fatal...unless you have a mutation that would allow you to survive. Dunno what kind you’d need tho.

We also learn that skilled telepaths can replace their own minds with previous versions (presumably outside of the resurrection process)...and that Xavier’s done it twice. When he did that is an interesting question, because there have been a couple instances in which Xavier has had to switch bodies, which may have prompted his downloading.

Finally, we learn that the backup locations are really spread out: one’s on Krakoa Pacific, one’s on Krakoa Atlantic, one’s on Octopusheim, one’s on the Mind, and one’s with Moira in No-Space. So definitely trying to spread this system out so that it can’t be easily destroyed.

For the Children:

Finally for the best part of the issue, Emma’s recruitment scene. As befits Emma’s personal idiom, the meeting takes place at the Louvre, as Emma contemplates the Winged Victory of Samothrace. An omen of victory or of the glory of a lost civilization? 

Charles’ three-piece-suit and Cerebro is suprisingly dapper. 

Speaking of Hickman and character voice, Emma Frost is clearly a character that Hickman just gets on a bone-deep level, and despite all the claims that HoXPoX is all exposition and no character work, this scene really is a tour de force for the woman that Emma Frost has become since New X-Men.

Notably, Emma Frost is here to ask some of the big meta-questions in her usual acid-tongued way: is the Krakoan project “heroic” or “reckless” or “both”?

We can see from the jump that Charles is interested in “the Hellfire Corporation” as “an international prime mover;” he wants Emma as the lynchpin of his economic/geopolitical blackmail system.

In order to get Emma - who’s still pissed about what happened with Genosha, as she has every right to be - to sign on the dotted line, Xavier needs Magneto to make the argument that only he can make about this being the opportunity to “make right all the things that went wrong” by using the resurrection system to reverse the genocide.

This is where I start to wonder about Sinister and timeline issues - Magneto talks about getting mutant populations from 198 to 100,000 to 2 million in the space of a year as being “woefully behind” schedule, which makes me think that Xavier and Magneto were primarily concerned with getting their system not only active but in mass production before ORCHIS or anyone else could stop them.

Emma asks the meta-question, “what’s going to make it different this time?” And we don’t really get an answer - beyond showing us the sweeping vistas of Krakoa, we don’t really learn what Emma saw that convinced her this could work, although we do get the more important character beat that explains that Emma gets on board “one more time, then, for the children.” At her core, Emma Frost is a teacher who will fight for the next generation of mutants.

At the same time, it’s not like she doesn’t like money...so the new Hellfire Trading Company will handle the international distribution of Krakoan wonder drugs with a fifty year monopoly giving them a quite lucrative world-wide market all to themselves. I will have a lot more to say about mutant economic policy in the future, let me assure you. 

Interestingly, Xavier considers the “real matter at hand” to be getting the Hellfire Corporation representation on the Quiet Council (most likely out of an enlightened self-interest basis that you don’t really want that kind of mutant socio-economic power on the outside of the tent pissing in when they could instead be given a stake in Krakoa. It’s all very Hamiltonian.

I love the reaction shot when Emma learns that they want to bring Sebastian Shaw back from the dead to “run the black-book operations into countries who reject our sovereignty.” My guess is that Xavier and Magneto look at it as Shaw being a disposable and deniable asset who they could easily throw to the wolves if they get caught drug/mutant-smuggling. We had no idea, rogue actor, will face Krakoan justice, etc.

Finally, we get some good setup for the upcoming Marauders #1: Emma wants a third seat for Kitty Pryde (no matter what the actual title is), whose job it will be to “get the drugs in, get the mutants out.” Speaking of geopolitics...it surely didn’t escape people’s attention how many of the non-friendly nations had coastlines?

Quiet Council of Krakoa:

I don’t really want to spend any time discussing the Quiet Council here, because we get the reveal in the next issue. This is one of the few times where the whole delayed reveal through redacted infographic thing just did not work. 

Hhowever, we do get a sense of future political conflict with “there is some debate as to whether this council will continue in perpetuity or if some other system of government will replace it.”

Xavier Reaches Out:

This is a bit more interesting: here we see the other speech that Xavier gave, the one that went out to mutants rather than humans. (Somewhat annoyed that we don’t have a clearer timeline on this.) As we might expect, Xavier leans heavily on the unity message: “now is the time to put aside all differences and realize we are one people.”

And we see the “invitation” being extended to any number of groups that Xavier has had issues with in the past: Exodus and the Acolytes, Mister Sinister (who’s killed off the other SInisters and walked off with the database...I guess because Xavier’s message set off the psychic “reminder”), Omega Red (who we haven’t seen much of), and Gorgon (only slightly more).

But the meat of this is Namor, who’s the only one actually having a conversation with Xavier. Namor comes off very Nietzschean, implictly describing himself as one of “those beyond” good and evil, and arguing that anti-mutant bigotry ultimately stems from ressentiment. 

At the same time, Namor’s reason for rejecting Xavier’s offer raises the question of whether Moira fully “broke” Xavier of his original philosophy. 

In the Year One Thousand...

Ah yes, X^3. In retrospect, a lot of this could have been more compressed, if that wouldn’t undermine the six-part structure.

Here we really get into the ambiguity of ascension: in order to “ascend,” homo novissima have to divorce their minds from their flesh - only their minds will be saved, while all that lives will be destroyed in fire and lightning. It’s very Gnostic, if you think about it.

Nimrod really goes into Exposition Mode to lay out what Hickman is getting at:

emphasizing how all of these scales end up suggesting an endless ladder of “self-improving, self-replicating machines" - it’s turtles all the way up and all the way down.

Kirbons is a nice touch.

I’ll get into Titan theory come the infographic, but I’ll reiterate that these intelligences don’t seem to be acting very intelligently: “we reached beyond ourselves to to build a world-mind and attract a...protector...instead we attracted a predator.” Predation and consumption sounds way more Jack London nature-red-in-tooth-and-claw.

Types of Societies Infographic:

Titans being “isolationist” is a bad sign, until you realize the alternative.

When Hickman talks about a “Type O” on the Kardashev Scale, I think he’s referring to a “Type Omega-minus” (a civilization that can control “the basic structure of space and time”), since a Type Zero civilization isn’t nearly advanced enough to fit this group.

Strongholds aren’t isolationist but “warring factions seeking to actively destroy or absorb other Strongholds in order to achieve Dominion status...expansion and conquest are the altar at which Strongholds worship.” Two rungs higher than the Phalanx, and we’re still talking about imperialism...

Only with the Dominion are we told (not shown) a civilization that’s truly godlike. The fact that they feel threatened by the Phoenix is definitely going to come back; Hickman loved playing around with Galactus on his FF run, so I can’t imagine he wouldn’t want to take a swing at the purple guy’s opposite number.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Ada Palmer: “How #Article13 is like the Inquisition: John Milton Against the EU #CopyrightDirective“

Censorship before or censorship after?  The EU Copyright Directive rekindles the oldest fight in the history of free speech debates, first waged by John Milton in 1644.  Then, like now, policy-makers were considering a radical change in censorship law, a switch from censoring material after it was published to requiring a censor's permission to publish in the first place.

Fundamentally, policing of speech can happen at one of two points: before content disseminates, or after.  Policing content after it disseminates involves human agents seeing and reporting content and taking action or requesting action.  This can happen on a huge scale or a tiny one: Facebook’s content flagging system, obscenity law in much of the EU and USA, parents who object to books assigned in schools, and China’s 50 Cent Army of two million internet censors, all these act to silence content after it disseminates.

Policing content before it disseminates involves sending it through a screening process before it is allowed to reach readers. Screening can be electronic, like the filters Article 13 would require, or like Tumblr’s infamously dysfunctional adult content filters, or like the automated components of the Great Firewall of China, or it can be done by humans.  Human screening is how the Inquisition functioned during the print revolution: all books began effectively pre-banned, and you had to take a book to an official censor for review and approval.  Only after making requested changes and securing approval could the book reach its audience—anything without a censor’s note of permission on the title page was preemptively illegal, and author, printer, bookseller, and reader were subject to prosecution.

The two methods may seem pretty similar: both result in censorship, but the difference in effect can be profound.  So argues John Milton in the oldest published work defending freedom of the press, Areopagitica, A speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England.  Milton wrote in the mid-1600s when England faced a crisis over the licensing of books, and just like today’s EU battle it was largely a battle over profits disguised as a battle to protect the public.   Copyright as we know it did not yet exist, but in areas policed by the Inquisition, censors threw in a lucrative bonus which incentivized compliance: the printer who brought the book to the censor received a monopoly license to print the book, making it possible for the first time to sue others who printed the same text.  It was not copyright but it secured profits the same way.  

Printers in England wanted this too, since monopolies are always lucrative, plus the censors in charge of licensing could charge a fee for the process, so there was lots of money to be made.  So they lobbied for it, hiding their profit-seeking motive by selling it as a means to protect the nation against politically dangerous speech, radicalism, terrorism, sedition and, yes, even fake news and disinformation.  In 1662 they got their wish, The Act for Preventing the Frequent Abuses in Printing Seditious, Treasonable and Unlicensed Books and Pamphlets; and for the Regulating of Printing and Printing Presses, which ordered that no book, pamphlet, or paper could be printed without being licensed in advance.  Running the approval process was handed to a private group, the Stationers’ Company, an old printing house which thus gained a monopoly on regulating printing, letting them skim profits from every book that crossed their desks, and making it easy for them to silence competitors.  

England’s Stationer’s Company got rich by exploiting public anxiety, just as the media moguls behind EU Article 11 and Article 13 hope to do.  Both systems created the illusion of helping the state protect the public from dangerous speech, while actually advancing a profit motive.  And in continental Europe the Inquisition’s system rapidly became the same, since the Church extracted fat fees for issuing book licenses, and delegated the power to hundreds of local figures who could use the system both for profit and control.  

Censorship after publication is still censorship, just as much as censorship before, but Milton argued that having to pass through censorship before reaching the public has a vast impact on what is said, and even what is thought.  Having a gatekeeper makes it easier for the rich and powerful—those with connections in high places—to speak and to silence others.  Financial and logistical barriers weaken the democratizing effects of cheap speech: printing a pamphlet or creating a new web forum cost next to nothing and reach audiences almost instantly, but won’t when Article 13 requires you to pay licensing fees for any copyright content you anticipate users might quote in replies.

And, Milton argued, preemptive censorship has a profound effect on what we say, since everyone who writes does so knowing there is a barrier between author and audience.  This is much of what China’s internet censorship aims at: even with AI filters and two million censors China can’t prevent human ingenuity from expressing itself through puns and subtleties, but it does guarantee that every person in China who sits down to say something online is constantly conscious of the barrier, the surveillance, and the large and powerful forces that have power over speech.  That, Milton argues, distorts thought, deters creativity, slows down the advance of science and research, and encourages the only thing which genuinely can completely silence thought: self-censorship on the part of authors worried about consequences.

An internet where the creator of a new web space for conversation is required to pay huge fees to media giants before even launching is no different from the world Milton feared, where someone who wanted to publish a book or start a newspaper had to run it by the largest and wealthiest media giant first, and pay a fee to make that fat cat even fatter.  In our digital revolution, as in Milton’s print revolution, we must recognize when the profit motive is exploiting public anxiety to create policy which will not protect what it claims to protect, but will further strengthen those special interests which are already strong enough to lobby law-makers and twist governments to their will.

The most famous line in Milton’s Areopagitica is that "it’s almost the same to kill a man as to kill a book, since who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, but who destroys a good book kills reason itself." But the essay presses even more on how much worse it is to prevent words from ever disseminating, as opposed to banning book which has been printed and inevitably survives in other copies even if you burn it: "no age can restore a life," says Milton, but the lives of people are stored and preserved in words which pass on to the future, so to wholly prevent the dissemination of words, to erase words, pull words from an internet re-engineered to prevent their archiving, is to slay, not a life, but an immortality.  The internet is a legacy that will shape so much of humanity’s future—let’s keep make sure the immortal voices it passes down remain free, innovative, and plural.

Ada Palmer is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Chicago, and a science fiction novelist, author of the Terra Ignota series. You can find her work on censorship during information revolutions here. For further reading, she recommends Adrian Johns's Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates and Who Owns the News? A History of Copyright by Will Slauter.

Europeans can pledge to vote out MEPs who support the Copyright Directive and then tell their MEPs that they've done so.

https://boingboing.net/2019/03/24/how-article13-is-like-the-inq.html

[icequeen-shiva]

alright, you know what

about two weeks ago maybe by now, i made a post about how i’ve recently hit 200 followers and i’d like to do a q&a again, and even with a reblog from someone more ~*popular*~ than me, and multiple reblogs once a day for a few days by myself, i didn’t get a single fucking question. not one. earlier today i posted two pictures of myself where i felt pretty (i’ve since deleted them) and nobody i actually know of liked it and i got asked by a stranger who doesn’t even follow me if i had any nsfw pictures. i don’t get asks anymore, i don’t get shit. and that tells me that, you may be following me, but you aren’t connecting with me. and i feel that. i get on tumblr and i don’t feel like i’m friends with fucking anybody. and i did that. i know i did that. 9/10 times i let my fear of rejection and embarrassing myself overcome my desire to talk to people, so i don’t do it, or i let it fizzle out and we go our own ways and we don’t become friends. 1/10 times i actually function as a human being and make a connection or at least something that sticks a little.

so here, below the cut, is a comprehensive (loosely) list of things that i like, in no particular order at all, besides tickling, because apparently both sides of this need a little help connecting on any front.

scooby-doo

beetlejuice

the addams family

the sims

the mcu

classic disney animations; my favorites are dumbo, the great mouse detective, the rescuers, sleeping beauty, and oliver and company (it’s old enough that i consider it in the classic category)

~modern disney animations too; my favorites are treasure fucking planet, coco, and... i’m a sap, beauty and the beast. rise of the guardians too even though it isn’t disney.

musicals; i can’t pick a favorite just fucking ask me, but i don’t know a lot of newer ones honestly

empire records

the greatest showman still

cats (i mean the animals but i also like the show even though it is Weird As Hell)

my cat in particular

alice in wonderland

stranger things

space jam

tsum tsums

elvira, mistress of the dark

dice

kiki’s delivery service and specifically jiji things

winnie the pooh i don’t even fucking care i LOVE HIM AND ALL OF HIS FRIENDS

silly hats

playdoh

interesting earrings

exploring libraries or big bookstores

true crime mysteries; my favorite youtuber for this is georgia marie, bless her. i also watch bella fiori and kendall rae

fictional mysteries too

i have a kind of fascination with jack the ripper and with the lizzie borden case

shipwrecks! i don’t know why but shipwrecks fascinate me! why did they go down? all the stories that went with them!

i once read a novel that was told as a series of letters, or journal entries, by people on the titanic, including the iceberg and it was THE absolute saddest book i have ever read in my life. like, obviously i knew what was coming, but i got attached to the characters, the letters made them alive and it was just like... NO. NO I DON’T WANT THEM TO DIE. I KNOW THEY’RE GOING TO BUT THEY CAN’T. and it was awful. i had to put it down and cry.

cryptozoology

the bermuda triangle theories (i’m not saying i believe sOmEtHiNg’S gOiNg On but i think some of the theories are interesting)

ghosts

the nancy drew computer games

monopoly

i still play a lot of my snes games; my go-to time killer and head-clearer honestly is kirby’s avalanche. i also play a lot of super mario rpg legend of the seven stars, super mario world, kirby’s dreamland 3, and donkey kong 2 and 3

final fantasy x in which i’m guaranteed to call almost (i can’t stress that enough) every character at some point “my child”

hyrule warriors, i know it’s not a tRuE zelda game but it’s fucking fun

same with fire emblem warriors

red dead redemption

kingdom hearts

the uncharted series

splatoon but i don’t have it wahhhhh

mind you i am not very Good at videogames, i just like to play them anyway

game grumps

ninja sex party

jacksepticeye

markiplier

monty python

crocheting

tea

harry potter

classic rock. pretty big on queen lately. i like tom petty and the heartbreakers. i like joan jett and the blackhearts.

i just... like rock. across the board. i like the offspring. i like some rage against the machine songs. acdc on the radio makes me happy. def leppard on the radio makes me happy. beartooth, starset, powerman 5000, as long as it’s got a good beat and good stuff going on behind the vocals then i’m gonna be happy. i’m way more into the guitars and the bass and everything going on instrumentally than i am vocally, honestly. the whole big guitar solo to van halen’s “you really got me” and then that bassline that comes in, that bassline is sexy. it’s so simple but i LIKE it.

anyway music as a whole gets me right in the heart and can lift me up when i am at my literal worst point

it’s hard for me to name a favorite or specific bands that i like because there’s so many and i’m not really picky about it. 

pop vinyls

good ol’ vines

buffalo wings

mac and cheese

grilled cheese

dr. pepper

i drink a l o t of dr. pepper

pretending i know how to do makeup well

history; i watch a lot of expedition unknown and mysteries at the museum, and sometimes i’ll watch a free documentary on youtube if it catches my attention. last weekend i explained the donner party to my boyfriend. just.. on a whim. because i’d just watched a thing on it and he said he didn’t really know what it was. i’m that person.

OH I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THIS BACK AROUND TRUE CRIME BUT I READ A BOOK ABOUT H.H. HOLMES AND HIS MURDER CASTLE AND THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR. it was by erik larson, i believe. larsen? i could google this. devil in the white city. there’s been talks to make it a movie. it’s a good read though i will admit i skipped a lot of the fair parts because i was there for the murder.

i also read a book about the lusitania by the same author and i was like ohhh my goooood what. it got a little boring sometimes, i had to push myself to keep going, but i would read dead wake again.

csi: miami reruns are the greatest thing don’t @ me

dark purple and black aesthetics

just like... witchy aesthetics. those colors and black cats

if you haven’t noticed by any selfies i’ve posted, i do have my lip pierced and i love finding new lip jewelry. i have a new opal stud in and i love its look

leather jackets

combat boots; i have a galaxy print pair and a pair with classic marvel comics stuff printed on the inside and you can fold down the sides to show it. they’re my faves.

owls

drunk history

the first 5 seasons of supernatural and i still have a soft spot for the winchesters and castiel

i’m slowly making my way through watching the librarians

i’m also making my way slowly through watching the magicians

(american) football

nature walks

going to the zoo

going to the aquarium

like really take me to either of the above and i will lose my shit

road trips

savannah, georgia

the smokey mountains

last august i drove by myself from ohio to boone, north carolina for a friend’s wedding and that wedding was smack on a mountain top and it was the coolest thing i think i’ve ever done

roller coasters BUT NOT EXTREME ONES baby steps ok

log rides tho, i don’t know why, i always love the water rides

ren faires!

cosplay, even though i’m not exactly active in it myself (but i want to be; one of my offline friends is an actually-getting-kind-of-internet-famous mei from overwatch cosplayer)

cards against humanity

foosball

pool but i suck at it

speaking of pools i love swimming ... but i suck at it, i just like boppin’ along in a pool

cookouts

summer

there is nothing like being out in the middle of nowhere in summer when the evening starts to fall and the sky is dark, dark blue and there’s a sea of shimmering lightning bugs out over a field. it’s beautiful. it’s peaceful.

there’s nothing like sitting outside on a calm spring night and listening to the spring peepers (they’re frogs) either.

if you couldn’t tell, i live in the middle of nowhere. i have to find enjoyment in the little things.

campfires

dancing around said campfire, you cannot have a campfire without good music. this is when a lot of my classic rock education came to pass.

elephants

my favorite books are the abhorsen trilogy by garth nix, tied with the serpent’s shadow by mercedes lackey

i am trying to get into comic books by way of the youtube channel comicstorian. they break comic books down for you and read them aloud with the images, altered slightly to avoid copyright strikes (and that’s all made very clear, it’s not done sketchily), and it’s been really easy for someone like me who doesn’t just have a comics store close (and i would otherwise continue on as i have been, forgetting to ever look for them on the internet). i listened to injustice 1 and 2, and they covered the game. i’m actively following scooby apocalypse, and there was some teen titans stuff i went all the way through up until now. i don’t think it’s finished yet from what i remember.

i love museums

candles

i actually kind of collect tea sets

i also have a collection of sand art bottles AND IF I’M EVER AT A FESTIVAL OR A FAIR WHERE THERE IS A SAND ART STAND YOU CAN BET I AM GOING TO MAKE ONE

yugioh duels; i’m definitely just a novice and it’s just a fun pastime my friends got me into when they found their giant binders of cards again

i’m not actually that big on pokemon, i don’t know a lot of them but it’s still fun and i know some. but i did love pokemon go when my friends still played it (don’t really have time anymore, and it kept crashing way too badly on one of their phones anymore anytime they tried to join a raid and it just wasn’t fun as a group then)

i don’t have any but i like the ~look of crystals and would like to have some, not for my own aesthetic but i just... like having pretty things!

listening to the rain

how the air smells (at least where i live) after a long rain and everything is just cleansed

depression has stopped me from writing for a long time but, in my heart, writing has always been something that has touched me ever since i knew how to do it and could put my stories down on paper instead of having to just talk about them... so i’m going to include that here

root beer floats

hotdogs

hard dip ice cream (if you don’t know what hard dip means... as my boyfriend didn’t... it means ice cream that you have to use a scoop with, not soft serve)

soft serve’s good too tho don’t get me wrong

strawberry milkshakes

this isn’t even stuff that anyone would need to know on this site to befriend me at this point, nobody’s gonna message me like HEY I READ YOU LIKE STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKES ME FUCKING TOO

you’re cool if you do that lmao

so bad they’re good creature features from the 50s and 60s

the old godzilla movies

i like the moon more than the stars, but i like them too

flower crowns

bouncy balls

original skittles

this has gone on way too long, nobody is reading this, your mom’s a hoe, goodnight

no she’s not, i’m sorry, if you got this far then i hope your mom is a nice person

[thekeyideas17]

Google Adwords Tutorial: A-Z Guide to excel at Adwords

Google Adwords Tutorial

Google is a very prominent player in the ADs market. If we see statistically, it comfortably dominates the Advertisement Market as of now. This Google Adwords Tutorial will help you in mastering the master of Advertisement World.

The other ad networks like Bing Ads, Media.net are not that familiar as of now and to be honest have no competition with Google In short Google has a monopoly in Advertising.

Likely to stay this way for a very good amount of time. Let me introduce the Topic very neatly to you! I don't know what is your expertise in Adwords.

I am writing this article assuming you have no knowledge about what AdWords is and how does it work!

Without wasting much time let's dive into the topic straight away!

According to the statement on SearchEngineLand

Google AdWords launched with 350 advertisers in 2000. Today, more than 1 million advertisers generate tens of billions in revenue for the company. Well, 1 million advertisers are a lot of people if you are a Blogger.

Let's first understand what exactly is Adwords!

[caption id="attachment_627" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Google-Adwords-Tutorial-Intro[/caption]

As you can see,

The User first selects a keyword for which he/she wants to display an Ad. It can be anything literally!

Then he/she creates an Ad Campaign(Explained Further in Detail what is a campaign)

Selects the budget and the time for which the ad is to be displayed

Finally, An Ad is displayed for the targeted keyword!

[caption id="attachment_629" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Google-Adwords-Ad-Sample[/caption]

This looks very simple in the above image, right?

Well, if you have Knowledge on various factors of Adwords then it is pretty damn easy for you to be there.

Let m tell you Adwords also do require SEO to rank 1 for the targeted keyword as there will be others too competing for your keyword!

Types of Ads in Adwords

Following are the Ad types we generally see in Adwords

Text Ads

[caption id="attachment_631" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Google-Adwords-Text-Ad[/caption]

Infographic Ad

[caption id="attachment_632" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Google-Adwords-Info-Ad[/caption]

Video Ads

[caption id="attachment_634" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Google-Adwords-Video-Ad[/caption]

Dynamic Search Ads

Maybe a text ad or an Infographic ad

Most widely used

Easy to create.

The general process to create Dynamic Search Ad is similar to Normal text Ad Campaign(Discussed Further)

The advantage they have over others is that Google uses its intelligence ad algorithm to determine the keyword for which the ad is to be displayed.

Dynamic Ads are good if you have no active knowledge of Adwords.

AD Creation Tutorial

The Next Question is how do I create Ads!

Firstly, you need a Gmail Account(or rather any mail account for that purpose)

Go to your browser and type in Google Adwords(or Google Ads, anything you want)

If you are too lazy just click here

[caption id="attachment_637" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Google-Adwords-Account[/caption]

Click on Start Now and fill in your details

Once you do that it will take you to the Adwords Dashboard.

Your dashboard will look something like this. Do not worry if the interface is a bit different. Google keeps it updating but the basic functional tabs are very much the same they don't change much and you will easily be able to locate it!

[caption id="attachment_638" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Google-Adwords-Dashboard[/caption]

Click on Campaign -----> After that click on the Plus icon!

[caption id="attachment_639" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Google-Adwords-Campaign1[/caption]

Once you do that, you have to choose the type of campaign you want to run

Sales

Leads

Website Traffic

Product and Brand Consideration

Brand Awareness and Reach

App Promotion

[caption id="attachment_640" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Google-Adwords-Campaign-Type[/caption]

Choose the one you want to promote or say you want to run the ad for.

After that, you need to choose the type of Ad you want your (targeted) customer to see!

Text Ads

Info Ads

Shopping Ads

Video Ads

Select the one you want to display ad for!

Once you do that enter the website URL.

Now once you entered the URL choose the campaign name.

Now, choose the start and end date of your campaign.

Also, select the geographic location where you want your ad to run.

Here you can select All country and territory if you have a global or a very generic product which you are sure each and every person may be using in his/her daily life.

The next step is to determine the type of Language in which you want to promote your URL.

There are various options available to choose from!

I would like to leave it to you to decide what to choose and what not to choose!

For Android Apps

You have an android app as well? Don't worry we got that covered too!

If you are promoting your app, choose the available two platforms(Android or iOS)

Note:- Only Google App Store(Google Play Store) published apps are allowed to be promoted via Google Adwords.

You will have to add manually your app name in the search bar. When Google finds out the App then you are allowed to promote your app!

Once you do that, relax you are seeing your installs increasing slowly!

Google Adwords SEO Strategy!

You might be wondering I have got the topic wrong. But no, Google Adwords does require an SEO Strategy

The reason?

Let me tell you, you are not the only one who is using Google Ad Service. There are millions in fact.

Out of the millions, there might be at least thousands who might target the same keyword you are going to target. (Assuming you are into a competitive niche).

Now your next target is to beat those thousands who are competing against you!

Sounds Difficult?

To be brutely honest it is not that difficult if you do it smartly!

Let me be clear, this SEO is a bit different than the traditional SEO Strategy we apply for our blog posts.

There are some things that stay the same though!

There's no On-Page SEO neither there's Off-Page SEO. There's just SEO

This type of SEOing is some times referred to as SEM(Search Engine Marketing).

Now let's get the Business Started! First thing First,

Title of Your Ad.

You need to remember one thing very bluntly. You are advertising your product. We have got very little space for error.

Now, tell me which attracts you more?

A simple Plain Text Ad

A creative, catchy, well-sorted Text Ad

2 should be your Ideal Answer.

Think from a customer's perspective! Which ad if you were to click you would like to click on?

Obviously, the one you find it attractive and most interesting

The Point here is, make it as appealing as possible.

You can try various things in the Title to seek your potential customer's attention!

For eg, you may offer a Flat 20% Discount for your product!

[caption id="attachment_659" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Google-Adwords-Title[/caption]

Here I know the discounted advertisement is not a Google Ad. It is just used for the purpose of Illustration! I hope you get my point!

One important thing about Title is that you shouldn't clickbait! Never!

If you fool your customer I guarantee you that the customer even if sees your ad in the future might not click on your ad as he/she has already been baited by your AD.

Cheery on the cake would be the negative publicity which you will receive for free!

Free things might cost you a customer!

Try to be creative and be at least 80-90% honest.

Description of the Ad

If the title is the heart of your Ad, the description is the second heart (I know that was a bad joke)

My point is, the description is as important as your Title!

Again the same thing I would like to repeat which is be honest and the same point of time be creative.

Remember one thing if your customer sees the Description then he is interested in your Ad.

Have a catchy description such that the customer is forced to click on the Ad.

Your Landing page

You successfully got your customer on your website? Now what?

Creating your Landing Page! This is the real task and challenge!

But what exactly is a landing page?

In simple words, for AdWords, a landing page is a page where the user is redirected once he clicks on your ad

You have got the lead now it's up to your creativity to convert it into a customer.

You need to have a solid Landing Page here!

[caption id="attachment_664" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Google-Adwords-Landing-Page[/caption]

One thing I would like to mention it very profoundly which is you somehow need to collect the customer's mail-id or say any sort of communication media.

Why? Because, if the customer has clicked on your website means he/she is interested in your product!

If by chance you are not able to convert your lead now, maybe you could find him/her buying some other product at some other point of time by sending your customer product list.

Also Read:-Instagram Marketing: 7 Tips that actually work in 2019

Keyword Targeting and Selection Strategy

Keyword targeting philosophy is very much similar to the SEO Strategy that we follow for our Blogs.

First thing is to find the relevant keyword for your targeted product if not exact.

There will be certain situations where the Original or Exact keyword will be highly competitive.

Thus you can now make use of Google Suggestions or UberSuggest for that matter.

[caption id="attachment_661" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Google-Adwords-Keyword[/caption]

Make sure you get your keyword strategy very correct as it is the pinpoint of your Ad Campaign. The keyword selection strategy is very much important in Digital Marketing as well as Blogging Field.

The budget of your Ad Campaigns

One of the most important factors you need to consider while advertising is your budget!

You cannot just go gaga spending money! After all, it is your hard earned money you need to spend it wisely!

ALong with the competition of the keyword, you must pay special attention to CPC (Cost Per Click) of the keyword!

CPC in Adwords terms is the amount of money you are going to spend for one click on your ad!

Do not Miss: -A Powerful Guide on Simple Pinterest Marketing Strategy

What Type of Google Ads should I choose initially at the start?

Well, that totally depends on you. If you are just starting out maybe you should go with Textual Ads.

Now if the condition is such that you have worked previously on a project and are assigned on a new project now then my suggestion would be to go with the Infographics Ads or Video Ads as we know Visuals are Stronger than Words.

The E-Commerce Advantage

If you have an E-commerce store then there is nothing as Good As Shopping Ads.

The only problem with Shopping Ads is that it requires a sort of tedious setup.

But again if you are just starting out in E-commerce then my suggestion would be to go for Text Ads initially until you have gained enough knowledge to switch.

One Important thing you should remember is that Google Adwords is all about experimentation.

If you are expecting high profits from the very first campaign your un then maybe you are wrong(Again even I may be wrong in my prediction, who knows?)

Don't Forget the new Responsive Ads Google Launched Recently. As the name suggests they are of responsible nature wherein they adjust themselves according to the device on which the keyword was searched on!

(I have explained Dynamic Search Ads above hence not an inclusion here!)

Only Google Search Network?

The next and very obvious question is should I only run my ads campaign for Google Search Network?

The answer is No!

You can run your ads on YouTube Channel, Third Party websites (Blogs).

Google being contextual Ad Network will take care of the ad relevancy while your ads appear on Blogs

One Advantage of running your ads on Blogs is that you will have a broader audience to reach and if your Ad is visually or textually appealing then you are sure of sales in my opinion!

You May Like:-8 Proven & Tested Copywriting Tips that work today as well!

Other Ad networks?

Some might be having Doubts which is should I only stick to Google Ads?

Well, I personally have not much tried other than Bing Ads.

But if you are keen on experimentation, then there is no harm in giving other networks a try on a low budget of course.

I hope I was relevant and clarified your doubts in this Google Adwords Tutorial.

If you still have any query you can always comment, I will try my level best to answer your queries!

Thank You for your time and patience!

[sangriatimes]

Nintendo Switch saves Valentines Day

Can you believe that we are almost half-way done with January? Maybe it’s just me and the countless hours I put into reviewing the latest titles for the Nintendo Switch...which is our focus point that can change the tide if you hit a hard spot this V-Day. Maybe you don’t have enough money for that dinner, movie and gift. Maybe you thought that restaurant you made a reservation at is more expensive than you though. Maybe you just started a new relationship but you still have some awkward silences that seem to kill the mood. Whatever the situation may be a Nintendo Switch can get you to second base and home plate...trust me.

So let’s look at some of the titles for switch that are great to play with that special someone. (Games are listed in no particular order; games are not based on “)sales”; Games are mainly hidden gems)

1. Monopoly | 9.5 out of 10

Hear me out. I was one that grew up playing the original board game with my family and the overall appeal of the game was astounding, but I lost interest when I got older and noticed how long it takes to make everyone go bankrupt. ...but this is something...otherworldly. The first awesome thing you will notice when you pick up this title is the use of the Joy-Con controllers to shake the dice and throw them. Though this is still the same mechanic in spirit as its predecessor but with the newly animated boards populated by Mii’s and watching a living city grow as you play and add properties adds an entirely new respect for Money Bags. Our team lost track of time having so much fun with this one and before we knew it, we had seen 5 hours pass. (No one wants to play Monopoly for that long.) 

2. Uno | 8.5 out of 10

Uno is another one of those games I grew up playing with family. When I purchased the game, I was expecting some sort of controller mechanic similar to Monopoly’s dice...but with cards instead...but I was let down. None the less, going into this, I didn’t even know that there were so many ways to play Uno besides the normal rules. Once again, I was amazed at how much more fun this was than the physical cards themselves. Rules like “Stacking. Where Player 1 can play a “Blue Draw 2″ card and Player 2 can counter play a “Draw 2″ card as well. ...but if Player 3 doesn’t possess a “Draw 2″ card, Player 3 then has to pick all 4 cards from the previous turns” was so exciting to try and there are many other ways to customize rules and play styles. 

3. Super Smash Bros | 9.0 out of 10

I really don’t need to go into detail about this one. My only issue with the Smash series is I would really enjoy a multiplayer adventure mode or campaign. I was quite pleased with the full roster of characters though. Disclaimer: Make sure your partner isn’t a sore loser. We all know about SSB’s steep learning curve for beginners. “Don’t be a butt...”

4. Diablo 3 | 9.0 out of 10

I remember having this title on my old PS4 and being able to enjoy it on my PS Vita while I was in a relationship with someone who liked the game as much as I and we would both take our Vita’s to the restroom with us so we could keep the experience going. This title can definitely be used to understand the mindset your partner has by the way they customize their character and the actions they take in response to events. It’s a top-down action-adventure-role-playing-hack-n-slash (inhale.) It is a port of it’s original released on PS3 & 360...the price tag is still $59.99. That’s a deal breaker in my book.

5. NES Emulator | 7.5 out of 10

I honestly chose this one because of how many gamers I know and how 89% of them are males. This is something for those who don’t game to get their feet wet. The emulator is free on the eShop for a 7-day trial but comes with a subscription cost after. Pretty inexpensive for the titles they have. Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, Metroid, and many more. It even comes with special versions of some of the games which gives the player the experience of playing with Game Genie cheats.

6. 99 Vidas | 7.0 out of 10

Your probably thinking, “ Why is this even listed?” Well, just in case that partner your with doesn’t dig the 8-bit look or the low-res adventures of the NES Emulator and desires a little more action and has a fetish for Streets of Rage and Beat ‘em Up’s. Simply. The available characters are cool enough to get players to find a favorite out of them. ...so...that’s good!

7. Oh Sir...The Hollywood Roast | 8.3 out of 10

After seeing the Samuel Jackson clone named “Bad MotherHugger” who’s personality is totally canon, I had to dig deeper. If you didn’t play the prequel, you don’t need to. I honestly only used the first title to learn how to play. In this installment, you and a co-star face off on a movie set where your scenario is to insult the other the worst. It plays like a fighting game, complete with health bars, special insults, tag team insults and so much more. For the price it is, I was expecting something way less entertaining. Oh, and one point or another you will joke against a Deadpool copy...a less funnier Deadpool but funny enough.

Consider this the American version of The Office.

8. Oh Sir...The Insult Simulator | 7.8 out of 10

Obviously, this is the European version of The Office. I won’t say this is better than the sequel and I can’t say it’s worse either but I will say “I am an American...” What this game does is teach you how to layer your jokes and how lay the foundation for repetition in your topics to create combo’ s. I like to let the opponent bombard me with little weak jokes and build a super mean and super long insult that grants victory for only one joke. I call it, “The Kamehameha Effect!”

9. No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Back

The third installment to the series hits the eShop and retailers in a few days and I am super excited to get my copy. If you aren’t familiar with the series, let me fill you in:

Travis Touchdown is the protagonist of all three games. In NMH1 we find Travis at his lowest moment in life. Jobless, hopeless and drunk, he runs into a mysterious woman who offers him employment with a sketchy syndicate group he knows nothing about. Luckily he had lost all his money by winning a bid at an online auction for a Beam Katana,  his main choice of weaponry. Not long after, you find out you were hired as an assassin in a shady game by her higher-ups. Travis takes the job after being promised some passionate TLC if he can take out all 10 of the already top ranking assassins all over the world. Travis is a pretty simple guy. He likes mecha anime, luchador wrestling, old school video games, porn, sex, and sleeping on the toilet.

In NMH2, Travis finds out that after becoming the #1 ranking assassin in Santa Cruise, he finds out that he actually has hundreds of more assassins in a new ranking system where Travis is the lowest ranking.

This time around, Travis is joined by the father of one the assassins he killed in NMH1, and the co-op option is something that would have been outstanding to have in NMH2 but none the less the developers always deliver great content in their titles and this one will not disappoint. Couples will enjoy the kinky nature of the series for sure. It has been proven many times.

10. Broforce | 9.5 out of 10

Every wanted to play Super Mario Bros on NES but with guns? Ever want to change Mario for, let’s say...any huge action movie star from the 80′s, 90′s, 00′s? Ever wanted it to be a co-op experience with up to 4 players with local and online co-op? As a mercenary for the USA, you are sent to 3rd world contries to liberate them from the evil control of Satan and his hell spawn. Before that, you will have to fight through waves of kamikaze soldiers, war dogs, giant helicoptors, aliens (...from the movie “Aliens”) and much more. Along the way, you will recruit an entire cast of badasses. From Rambo to Robocop, you will find Chuck Norris, Neo, Blade, Bruce Willis, Terminator, Preditor, Machette, Michelle Rodrigez, The Bride (Kill Bill) & so many more including Mortal Kombats Raiden.

Very easy to pick up, very hard to put down.

11. Nidhogg 2 | 8.0 out of 10

2D-Side Scrolling Fighter. You start of with a sword. When you die, you respawn with a dagger. When you die, you respawn with a bow and arrow. Die again and respawn with an ax. Die again and respawn with your fist. This cycle will continue until you our your opponent makes it to the opposing end of the map. Maps are relatively small and consist of about 2 to 3 different frames. Sounds easy on paper right? 

Tons of laughs to be had!

12. Tales Of Vesperia

If your looking for an in-depth RPG you both can play while she sits between your legs and you both focus on the Switch screen laying in front of you: this is for you two. The co-op system usually only functions when you enter battle. Player 1 will always be the one running around the world map but this is still fine if you keep an open-mind and communicate on decisions that impact the story and more. (Keep track of your own money.)

side-note: All Tales games are co-op in this sense, even the Super Nintendo picks.

13. Harvest Moon: Light of Hope

I’ve been a Harvest Moon fan since Super Nintendo and got my first copy on the N64. I know a lot of people see this game and hate the thought of a farming simulator but unlike it’s counterpart with the same name-sake; Harvest Moon is so much more. This can easily tame the craving for an adventure-rpg-dating sim with a very rich story and characters that actually grow on you. I have not had the chance to play this particular version yet, but I saw it was multiplayer and that sold me. If you want to try a good yet cheaper version, Harvest Moon: Back to Nature is by far, one of the best, next to Harvest Moon 64.

So there you have it, our picks of love for your love to love with their love! Honestly...I don’ t celebrate Valentines Day (poly-gang), but I love exposing partners to new things that they can enjoy together.

OUT!

[patentideauk]

What is a Patent, and How Does it Protect My Invention?

A patent is intellectual property protection granted by the government to an inventor for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure of an invention. The term "patent" covers both trademarks and copyright, which are special cases of patents relating to areas beyond inventions. A patent provides protection against any third party making, using or selling the patented invention without permission. You can apply for a patent yourself or hire a professional to do it for you.

1. The process of getting a patent

A patent is a legal document that grants inventors the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, or distributing their invention for a limited period of time. In order to get a patent, you have to file a patent application with the USPTO. That application consists of at least one page with drawings and a description of the invention. Patents are interesting because they are treated differently from copyright and trademark. While both apply in determining ownership of content, they are treated in dramatically different ways. As a quick analogy, copyright protects original works, while patent protects newly invented information. How is this relevant to content? If someone copies your content, infringes your copyright, or otherwise harms your intellectual property, you can go after that person with a lawsuit for copyright infringement because that person's conduct infringes your copyright. The defendant can be the person who copies your content or the person who publishes it. However, the defendant cannot bring a claim against you. That's right – you literally cannot be sued for infringement. That's what the law means by "functional" rather than "criminal." If the defendant is infringing someone's copyright, then there would be a lawsuit, but if you published someone else's content, you are not liable for infringement. The defendant may be liable for Trademark Retardation but not copyright infringement. Lastly, unfair competition laws may apply to peer-to-peer file sharing, but not to content licensing. The difference between copyright and patent is that the plaintiff has to prove all four elements of a lawsuit against the defendant, whereas the plaintiff must only prove infringement. If infringement is proven, you don't have to pay the defendant's attorney fees, but your court will have to award you statutory damages and attorneys' fees for his infringement. Patent and copyright are different simply because legal rights are adjusted to fit the defendant's conduct. Let's talk about Maxim Integrated Health, Inc. v. Kelley, No. 06-8692 (D. Ariz. June 28, 2007). In this case, the defendant filed suit against an electronic medical records company for trademark infringement and dilution, among other things.

2. When you should get a patent instead of a trademark or copyright

Simply put, a patent is the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention. You can't get a patent on just anything you create, however. The U.K government requires certain things to be patented before you can use the patent in a commercial manner. (For example, the law doesn't make it easy to trademark words and phrases, for example.) Patents have a legal lifespan of 20 years, unless extended by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. If no extensions are granted, a patent will no longer be valid after 20 years. Patents don't displace every other form of intellectual property ownership, however. For example, if you make an idea worth studying, afterward you can copyright that idea. But you can't legitimately patent your idea if you didn't fir stack it. The Scientific Background Let's examine the generic elements of a patent: its primary subject matter, filing date, issuance date, scope and impact, force of the patent, etc. Generic Success Factors Patents relate to generic elements of intelligence, creativity, and usefulness. They aren't difficult to avoid or inhibit; just think of filing a patent like a vaccine--you have to be healthy before someone can get sick. Patents give your idea life and allow it to live independently of other assets. Only after a patent is granted can you effectively go around other people's protected ideas. Thus, a patent is a critical component of protecting a new idea. Exceptions and Limitations There's always a simple way to avoid getting sued and obtaining a valuable monopoly; be stupid. If your idea is brilliant, don't bother filing a patent. It will have no practical effect. Note: intellectual property lawyers are professional at picking patents! Generic Elements of Intelligence Intelligence provides constraints on what you can do with and against ideas. Intelligence is part of a series of seven categories or traits that are actually the unique properties of ideas.

3. How to get a patent on your invention

If you’ve invented something, you may be wondering how to patent your invention. If you want to protect your idea, you should follow these steps: 1. Make sure your invention qualifies for a patent under U.S. law 2.Tell everyone you know about your invention 3. To file an original patent, you must file the patent application (formally known as a patent application (PTA)) 4. To get compensation for the patent, you must start the process of obtaining a patent 5. To actually deploy your patented invention, you must stop the patent application in Protected Design or Design Patent Analysis Phase Patents are valuable. Some patents can significantly increase the value of your company or product. Worryingly, though, poor design practices and a lack of patent filings can negatively impact the quality of patents, sometimes making patent applications more difficult to obtain. As people become increasingly sophisticated in applying for patents, it can be difficult to determine if patents are being obtained appropriately and if a proper patent application was filed. However, it’s not illegal to apply for a patent without securing one. According to Section 102 of the Patents Act of 1790, it is enough that an applicant has an apparent understanding that claiming an invention is either going to be allowed or forbidden. We can interpret this to mean that if your idea extends over many things beyond the mere making and using of an invention, the public potential for invention naturally increases. Patents may be a valuable tool for ensuring the viability of a new idea. By securing a patent, you create a form of intellectual property that can be burdened on the shoulders of the inventor to enjoy by way of royalties. However, if a patent is not obtained, then an inventor has no legal obligation to honor or disclose the patent. This is known as the non-practicing entity (NPE) protection. According to the U.K.

4. What are the types of patents?

There are three types of patents: utility patents, design patents, and plant patents. A utility patent protects the way an invention works or the way it is used. A design patent protects the way an article looks. A plant patent protects asexually reproduced plants. Patents typically expire, or expire, during the following dates: July 26th, 1994 for utility patents. October 16th, 2001 for design patents. July 16th, 2003 for plant patents. The standard length for a patent is 375 pages. Some patents have been extended for a number of years, and some patents have an early expiration date. Patents can be either co-registered or non-co-registered. Co-registered patents remain in effect until the date they expire or are cancelled. Non-co-registered patents are invalid and can't be used in court. Where and When Do Patents Expire? Over 90% of all patents get issued around the world. Some countries, like the U.K., have even more patents than countries like China and India. Once a patent is granted, there can be 150 to 20 years of continued protection in most countries. Disclaimer: Patent applications are not just for academic research; they often serve as the foundation for many new products and business. Regardless of whether or not a patent applies, you can't take advantage of other people's patents in your products or business strategy without first getting your own patents. How Do Patents Protect me? First, let's look at who gets patents. The U.K. Federal Government, U.K. states, and foreign countries who have treaty agreements with the U.K. are granted the most patents. As you might guess, the government also gets the most lawsuits. Of the 58,000 federal lawsuits filed in 2007, more than 25% were filed by the U.K. government. Most patents aren't winning lawsuits: two-thirds of federal lawsuits do not result in monetary awards. However, some negative outcomes are ruled in the favor of the patent owner. However, there is one type of likelihood that all patent owners worry about in equal amounts: monopolization.

Conclusion: A patent is an important way to protect your product from being copied by others, but it's not the only way. There are other ways you can keep your product safe, but if you don't have one, it's important to talk with an attorney about how you can get one for your invention.

A patent is an important way to protect your product from being copied by others, but it's not the only way. There are other ways you can keep your product safe, but if you don't have one, it's important to talk with an attorney about how you can get one for your invention .A Patent attorney can review your idea and determine whether it is eligible for protection. They will help you draft an application and or grant you a limited patent. It's important to review the patent application thoroughly and carefully and understand what it covers. For example, the application probably will not cover methods to make improvements to your invention. Patents can be very time consuming and expensive and can result in non-payment of royalty fees, or assignments of patent rights to other parties. When you apply for a patent, it also may be critical to keep legal fees low for the attorney performing the application. Patents are granted for a limited period of time, which generally will be less than 20 years. Reissuance of a patent is a long and expensive process. Reissuance may be required if the patent is found to be eligible for reissue. At that time, you would want to think about reissuing the patent again. Patents decide what another company can or may not do with your invention. If there is a patent that applies to a particular technique, a patent cannot prevent a competitor from using the technique. However, in some cases, you can prevent other companies from using your invention. Thus, it may be important to employ both conventional and inventive methods to ensure your patent is effective in preventing others from using your valuable invention. What are the Different Types of Patents? There are different types of patents and different ways to protect your invention. Scientific patents are usually granted on inventions that directly relate to math and science. Inventive patents are those that relate to new processes and ideas.

[cryptocoinguides]

Guide to Investing in Verasity

You must have spotted a chatbot in the bottom right corner of websites when checking your bank account, booking a train ticket, or booking a hotel stay,  and you must have also observed that it responds to you in some basic ways but transfers you to an actual human if things go out of hand. These are called bots and they can be found all over the internet.

Bots are programs that are built to perform a given activity at a rate that regular humans cannot, and because of this, they account for roughly 45 percent of all web traffic worldwide. The problem is these bots are not always nice; some of them are bad bots, and these bad bots are the internet’s main problem, gradually consuming the largest spending department: advertising. The online ad industry is worth around $400 billion, and 40%  or roughly $160B worth of advertisements is seen by bots.

And that’s a sizable sum and to give you an idea Qatar’s overall GDP is 160 billion dollars. Over half of the money spent on web advertisements is for views that aren’t even visible to humans.  Brands don’t want to pay a lot of money for their advertisements, according to the content creator,  because they aren’t sure if the ads on their content are being watched by humans or bots. For years, many businesses have been attempting to combat this. Here is where veracity comes in.

Hello and welcome to cryptos monopoly, my name is Daksh, this is the 100x crypto series, and in this episode, I will tell you about a very interesting project solving a major issue of the media world.  And at the end, I will give you my opinion on the veracity and also give my prediction,  so make sure you read this content till the end.

Verasity is all over the news nowadays and it’s in the news because it has recently received the US patent for its Proof of view algorithm, and it is the flagship algorithm of veracity that can differentiate between real and fake views solving the biggest problem of the Advertising industry. When a content creator submits a content to a veracity-enabled platform,  the bot views are instantly detected and removed, ensuring that only real human views are allowed in their content. 

It also ensures that the content viewed on the site is genuine, then confirms and records it as a permanent and irreversible public record. PoV was developed to provide solutions to two problems. 1. Fake views.

2. Big tech companies monopoly over ads. We have already seen how veracity is solving the first big problem that is the fake views now let us see how are they gonna stop the monopoly of big-tech companies over ads. And this is going to be important for you if you are planning to invest in veracity as this explains the whole ecosystem of veracity so make sure you pay attention to this.

Now before we move forward, if you are enjoying this content make sure you hit the like button. The way of viewing contents over the internet has changed significantly.  People nowadays focus on independent creators on free platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo.

The content creators, publishers, and small corporations in these existing mainstream sites get a small fraction of the value generated by viewers, and a large part goes to these big platform companies, and nowadays various mediums and middlemen,  everyone wants their cut, and demand higher quality content.

So, veracity saw this major problem and came with a solution. On the Verasity content sharing service, they restructured how people get paid.  Instead of Creators getting paid by Advertisers, Viewers reward Creators. This removes the influence that advertisers and other third parties have on how content is ranked or surfaced.

Content is now surfaced based on its value to the audience. All content views are then assessed by the Proof-of-View (PoV)

technology to ensure that they’re real and the content has been seen by a real person who is actually watching the content. Once a view has been confirmed as legitimate it is anonymized and then added to the Verasity Blockchain for 100% transparency.

By eliminating fake views, the Verasity ecosystem is able to fairly value content regardless of content type, audience demographic, or a third party’s monetization strategy. For all our users, this means a better, more fair, and valuable platform. Verasity has got something for everyone, here everyone wins. For Viewers: Such content is recommended and surfaced that has been seen and engaged by real users.  

A true value of the content can, therefore, be established and the most appropriate content for the viewer is surfaced. As viewers transact directly with creators, content can be accurately valued by the audience rather than distorted by a third party. 

For Creators: By building a real, engaged audience you can grow the value of your content and channel on Verasity With donations, pay-per-view, and subscription models all built-in,  everything from high reach quick clips to in-depth niche lectures can find a home with Verasity For Advertisers and Sponsors: They can Get seen by real users — no more inflated metrics.

Get real views and real reach By paying viewers directly for their attention, reach engaged and opt-in audiences rather than people just waiting for the “skip” button So, this is how veracity is tackling the two biggest problems of the advertisement industry.

But that’s not it Verasity has also developed its very own wallet called vera wallet. VeraWallet is the official wallet for VRA tokens. It has over 80,000 users worldwide,  it’s safe secure, and provides one of the best staking returns in the industry. Yes, if you hold your VRA in Verawallet and stake it you get up to 25%  interest annually and that’s an insane interest.

Btw, I am soon going to add a contentwhere I will show you how to stake VRA and earn free money so make sure you subscribe to this channel so that you don’t miss out on that content. Now let us see what has the veracity team achieved so far and pay attention to this because it will help you see how the team is working. Verasity was launched in 2019 and so far in this year, it (VRA) has risen almost 100x times.

The coin opened in 2021 trading at $0.0004482, but now VRA has valued at approximately $0.01266.  It has a market capitalization of $49m and makes it the 407th largest cryptocurrency. So far, 2021 has been great for veracity,  they’ve got their flagship algorithm Proof-Of-View patented.

They’ve launched various products and projects in the first quarter of 2021,  like the content-On-Demand sharing platform,  it also acquired content for VOD, and it also launched Esports Fight Club video player. In the second and third quarters, they’ve organized branded tournaments for influencers and streamers on their platform, and also launched an in-game advertisement with a gaming partnership.

The fourth quarter is going to be amazing for veracity as, In the fourth quarter, they have got  NFTs, which is quite a big thing for veracity, Previously NFT faced various challenges but according to veracity- The proof-Of-View can solve the major NFT’s challenges by creating transparent and unchangeable records of the NFT. They’ve also launched the EFC store and verawallet mobile apps.

Now that you know everything you need to about veracity  I would like to give my opinion and prediction of this coin. But before that, I want to clarify that this is just my opinion and not financial advice and before you invest you should always do your own research. Look, the advertisement industry spends around $400 billion on ads, and approx.

$160B wasted through ads watched by bots, and this is the main problem not only for advertisement companies,  but also for advertisement providers, and content creators. So sooner or later people will realize this problem and they will move towards such technologies which not only save their money from being wasted but also provide money to the content viewer. Just think about it if Verasity covers only the 10% percent market of that wasted $160B ads market.

It will be huge for investors. If that happens the market cap of veracity will be at  1.6 billion dollars and the price will shoot up. The market cap of veracity is around 49 million dollars and the circulating supply is 3.8 billion. So, if the circulating supply stays the same at the time the market cap increases to 1.6 billion,  the price of vra could easily reach 40 cents.

So, Verasity’s VRA is one of those tokens that are functional and potentially profitable.  Verasity not only has an impressive vision but also has dedication towards its plan and they already have released products with proper planning. For Q2 they planned an upgrade that will integrate through PoV enabled smart contract.  If everything goes according to plan then, this will be the most supported blockchain technology in future days because of its customer-centred projects.

I think this coin could be closing in 2021 years near the $0.1 but only if the bull run resumes. I truly think in two years or maybe sooner it will hit $1. And Simply because it is consistent, it has a good reputation over the years and it has patented PoV.

Now before I end this content, Let me tell you one more thing,  Verasity has recently applied for a new patent in competition with IBM, in which they can use NFT’s to host patents globally. So if you have new inventions or maybe a new product and you want to patent that, you could put that in veracity’s blockchain.

Read More: Verasity Keynote Speech at CoinTelegraph

The post Guide to Investing in Verasity appeared first on Crypto Coin Guides.

via Guide to Investing in Verasity

[one-deranged-son]

Sorry, I was at Jail

Written by Gossamere as John and Tony as Peter.

Warning:

Original story was posted in Twitter but due to it’s obtuse cleaning policy, some parts are unable to be saved.

John

How many days has it been since he's home? Three days? A week? A month? Who knows. 

 John never bothered to count, and perhaps the main reason was because he had lost count since the very beginning. Days well spent in the damp cells and blinding interrogation room had managed to mess his sense of time, and although the facilities given there are better than what he gets on a run, John prefers freedom over that shithole.

He was in Illinois a week ago, three days later he was in Kentucky, then Ohio. Shit, God knows how some people manage to travel around the world, but John clearly wasn't having funhitchhiking from car to car, stuffed beneath cows or chicken in the back of some shitty truck, orsleeping next to an addict in a building that could crumble if someone just punches the drywall.

Heavens, he misses his bed. He misses his noisy neighbor and kind landlord. He misses his night shift on Hank's place. He misses Marie's dogs. He misses the loud bickering of monopoly night.

He misses his home.

It's all nothing but flaw, but he can't help it.

He misses his kids.

"Let's not run away again."

John stands still in front of the door. His stubbles are long gone and his hair is shorter than the last time he went out. With backpack strapped and grocery bag filled with turkey and potatoes (along with some snacks his kids would love) John knocks on the door.

He expects no answer, but still, John says, "I bought snacks." His voice echoes through the quiet hall.

ㅤㅤ

Peter

The first three nights, Peter stayed at Stan's.

But no matter how much he loved Miss Amata and how fun it was having Stan around to bother, it still isn't his home. He doesn't quite feel comfortable with the the couch he sleeps on, of the dining table he does his homeworks in. The furniture is too... decent. Peter even feels weirded out by the good, functioning faucet Stan's sink has. Most of all, Peter doesn't like the feeling of intruding. Stan accepted him kindly, but he still didn't sign up to take two teenage kids under his wing. Not like his dad had.

And with home just next door, why won't he stay at home? Peter's a little less than one year away from being a legal adult—heck, El's already a legal adult. Between the two of them, they can manage.

But still, home was too empty. With two teenage kids running the place and no adult, the place quickly become even more a mess than it already is.

( Oh, who is he kidding. It is nigh impossible for the house to be messier than it is. It just felt empty without John's nagging and—

—and his constant presence, really, that it's become a little unbearable to live in. ) So they struck a truce. At Stan's sometimes, (and that one time when he had to abruptly leave)—and at home the other times. All those times, Peter picked up after the messes. The glass pieces left after John had gone, the dishes, the trash, he took care of it all. Stayed out of trouble, too, because what's the point, really? There won't be anyone to tell him off for it. 

But still, days pass and John didn't come back. Peter wondered if he didn't make it, or someone finally outsmarted him. He wondered if there was really no way for those people to know of, and contact, him and El as next of kin. If he has adoption papers stashed somewhere, if there is a note of his adoption under John's name somewhere in the system. 

Oh so uncharacteristically of him, Peter even allowed himself a brief moment to wonder whether John has abandoned him. Of course, Peter's not dumb—he later found out the circumstances of John's absence. He still wonders if his father had to drop the kids in order to make it out free. 

Which is why, when he heard a knock on the door, Peter's very hesitant. The call out that follows sound like his father, but his father can also sound similar to other white men. 

El's not even home. If he gets arrested, no one will find and bail him. If it's someone bearing the news that John fucking died and he's got to go back to the orphanage, then he's fucked. 

But, 'I bought snacks'—? Peter's going to take his chances. 

He unlocks the multiple locks on the door, then opens it— 

—and yes, he'd hoped, but Peter's starting to lose hope. Not in Jesus' green earth did he expect it to be really John.A rush of emotions flooded him, and without very much thinking, the first words out of his mouth was, 

"Holy fuck." 

Before he pulled his father into a hug.

ㅤㅤ

John

Does he expect the door to be opened so soon? No. Does he expect the door to ever be opened?

No. Yet he hoped, still.

John knows that it was his fault for not telling his kids any sooner, but really, who, on this goddamn earth, have had the sane mind to tell their children that they kill every Saturday night?

Nobody! Even a cold-blooded serial killer won't ever do the same. They're smart like that. It's just, John never get expected to get caught.

Now he owes an explanation, if the door ever be opened.

‘Shit.’

Yet he hoped, still. John should've expected that 'twas all for nothing 'cause the chance that El and Pete didn't freak out when they caught a glimpse of him on the news are... close to zero. Hell, even John would probably freak the fuck out.

So when the door creaks open and a curse word eluded from a lanky figure, John feels his eyes burn. He doesn't even realize how dearly he missed them since the very response he gave was a direct hug. There ain't even hesitation or any fake groan, no, he was surprised himself. As soon as he found Pete's arms wrapped around him, John hugged him back. Pulling the younger lad into a tighter embrace which results in a shortage intake of air, but John didn't give a damn fuck about it.

He's home.

That's all that matters.

"Kid, where did you fucking study those foul language?" he jokes, his voice coming out slightly choked.

ㅤㅤ

Peter

He is so awash with relief that his father is here, his father is back, that he pushed aside all the other thoughts. All minor things, really, like how long it will take for this hug to turn awkward. 

The both of them are not known for physical affection, after all. Or really, affection in general. 

But fuck that. 

For days Peter was fucking terrified that he'd hear news that this man is dead. Now that he's here alive, breathing, no limbs missing, everything else is good enough. Peter buries his face on the crook of John's neck, crushing him in his arms. 

"Was taken at thirteen by a dad whose mouth 's worse than a fucking sailor, what'd ya expect." He murmurs. 

After quite some time, really an amount of time that could be held against him later, Peter pulled away to really take a good look at the man in front of him. He lost the stubble and the Jesus hair, much to Peter's dismay. Now the man's contact name must change. But considering Peter's own eyes are red from tears of relief he did his darnedest to hold back, everything's all good. 

"Uh," he stepped aside, clearing the doorway from his looming figure so John could step in. The house is as it was, not a little neater, but not a complete mess, either. 

"Uhーit's now Peter's Manor. And I fixed... the faucet. Googled how to do it." He grins,  before proceeding to babble a giant info dump on how exactly that came to be, as well as little things from school that John never seemed to care to know, but Peter told anyway. 

Ah, it's all the normal. 

Before Peter adds, hesitantly, 

"Next time you have to yeet, please don't break the window. Had to cover it with cardboard. And… For fuck's sake tell us." 

ㅤㅤ

John

John ruffled Peter's overly silky hair. As someone who looks like he had been worrying shit, his boy sure never missed a day of skin care or any wholesome shower.

He just laughed, of course. He did jump out of the goddamn roof instead of walking down the stair like a normal human would do. Hell, even now John thinks that he overdid that part. Looking towards the broken window which is now poorly covered with cardboard, John was even surprised that Peter managed to fix the sink using the help of (probably) WikiHow.

"Got ya some ramen," said the man instead, not wanting to discuss the prior subject even deeper 'cause, although it was obvious that the man is bluffing, he also knew that no subject in this goddamned world will ever, ever, actually make anyone distracted by the ongoing facts. For all the damned shits he hoped, his face was aired throughout the country and now he's a God-forsaken fugitive.

Surely, the topic of him getting arrested and causing a chaos over the whole State will pique someone's interest better, over a chicken flavored ramen.

Even though, the other person he's talking to is basically someone who worships it.

ㅤㅤ

Peter

For how brilliant John is,

(and yes, he'd helped Peter with some homework assignments before; what made Peter scratch his head in confusion, John had walked through with ease,)

his dad can sure be a tool sometimes. What makes him think that escaping through the window, of their battered, run down home, can be a good idea? 

But, considering what the circumstances of his escape was, Peter could only imagine that it was for the very best. The thought makes him fill with dread, because, 

because he knows. It makes his head spin with unanswered questions he isn't sure he even wants answers to, and unanswered questions he doesn't dare ask. 

For now, he'll take the chicken ramen. It sounds mouthwatering, appetizing, and Peter is hungry, hungry, absolutely fucking famished, 

except he is not. He just needs to not think, and MSG seems like the best way out. 

Peter's frustrations could probably be read all over his face, and when he caught himself, he puts the cheery face right back on. Hands rummaging John's shopping bag, pulling out the packs of ramen noodles, 

and a, 

turkey? 

Peter stares at the item, quite puzzled, before bursting out laughing. 

Is this thing cooked? 

"Dad, ya realize Thanksgiving is days ago?" The corners of Peter's eyes crinkle in the way they do when he is genuinely laughing out of amusement, 

and he is. 

Any kid would truly be puzzled to find out their father is a vigilanteーthat's putting it nicely, the Revelator is more likely a big time criminalーand Peter is any kid. 

How can his ol' man be the Revelator, and how can the Revelator be... dad? 

The turkey had been a reassurance, a respite. Only his dad can do shit like providing chicken ramen with their belated Thanksgiving turkey. 

"Man. Okay. I'm going to make the best thanksgiving dinner out of this. Dear Lord, we thank you for showing us to a cardboard to fix our window."

ㅤㅤ

John

"Amen!" John chimed, his laugh came out light and, Gosh, didn't it feel good to be able to do mundane shit like this again after a draining week.

Then it all happened casually. Like the usual drill, some old boring jokes and John asking how's school, as if nothing had happened for the past few weeks. As if the whole incident of him getting locked up, almost dying, and running away from place to play never happened.

Sometimes he takes a glance of Peter and can't help but to notice the slight frustration flashing across his face. And John had tried to ignore it, he sure do, but damn, it's fucking hard. So now he can't help but to throw some more awkward jokes which doesn't help anything.

"Do you know tur-turkey-key? It's a turkey stuffed inside a turkey and sometimes I want to try it, but the thought of stuffing a dead bird inside a dead bird is terrifying." 

That mental image might scarred his mind, but anyway, he had already ruined the mood since day one so it's nothing new.

ㅤㅤ

Peter

Yeahー

Yeah, Peter would definitely take this. Peter wonders if John noticed, even, that he's so fucking cheery today. More than Peter's ever, /ever/ seen him been. 

He supposes, getting home does bring the light out in everyone. Or maybe, Peter's vain ass whispers, he's just happy to see his kid. 

The conversation they breeze through; Peter laughing at John's weird as fuck jokes, and talking about mundane things like school, his sister, his crew. Peter even told him about Miss Amata. All the daily happenings around Peter. 

The thought that there isn't a word spoken about John bubbles up from time to time, each time stronger than the last, until it's a fucking chore to ignore. 

Curiosity kills the cat, and by now, Peter's murdered enough cats to stock a restaurant somewhere in scary ass China. He shudders at the thought. "Hey, Dadー" he begins, 

And John just cut him off in favor of the tur-turkey-key. Is that even /a thing/? A dead bird inside a dead bird? 

"Why you gotta put it like that!" Peter whines, his voice loud and booming. But then he laughsーthere isn't even another bird in the houseto stuff in this one, is there? 

Peter rummaged through the bags, just to confirm that yes, there isn't any. The laughter died down, and Peter busies himself with the pot he's making ramen in. 

The water's almost at the boil, and the oven feels hot against his calf. 

He's got to ask. 

"Dad, 

why did you do all that?"

ㅤㅤ

John

Sooner or later, someone's gonna ask. Sooner or later, he's gonna tell 'em. And John knows that too well to the point he can't bring himself to be surprised when Peter finally build up the guts to ask him that. The amount of distracted look the kid had thrown (even though there is literally a ramen in front of him) was enough to give John the impression that he ain't letting this topic easily.

Still, John just chuckled. Perhaps it was forced, damn, it was obviously forced and awkward and there are just a lot of things wrong about it. John just continues on fiddling with the ramen, maybe too much to be considered as a blasphemy towards the sacred religion. Then he stopped. Setting aside whatever he's doing and stared back at Peter with all seriousness he never actually thought will use towards any of his kids.

And it wasn't just John in those gray eyes. It was also the eyes of a cold, ruthless murder; of the false Messiah; of the goddamn Revelator and all the fucked up shit he is. And John doesn't know how to feel about that 'cause no matter what the reason are, he knows the shits he's doing ain't something... just. He knows there are a lot reason why he should just hand himself over the jail, but he didn't.

Even now John feels tongue tied 'cause he doesn't even know why he's still doing it. Perhaps the detective is right, though. Perhaps he just wants to satisfy the urge to burn everything in his goddamn sight like a fucking mentally derailed man he is. Perhaps he's just a fucked up man who should have killed himself already.

Or, perhaps, he just doesn't want to remember why.

John can't tell. All he know is, he just, “have to.”

ㅤㅤ

Peter

"What do you mean, you have to. Are those guys... bad guys?" 

Peter stammers with his answer, as he is hit with a startling realization. As startling as being drenched in a bucket of ice water, that,

he has really never met the Revelator, 

until now. 

Sure, the man standing in front of him is John, his father, but the feral, cold look in those eyes belong to someone else. Someone else Peter has never met, someone quite dangerous. 

So that is The Revelator. 

Peter, of course, has never been delusional enough to think of his dad as an upright suburban man. Heck, the man has probably ingested more drugs than a hospice patient. 

But even after his research, and the news outlet confirming his research, he still wasn't expecting this. 

For what felt like hours, there was silence. The oven timer, loud and shrill, breaking the silence between them. More silence, as neither of them move to acknowledge it's cries, as if it was unheard. 

There was fear. 

Of course there was. There was confusion, there was anger, there was sadnessーall of them jumbled together into an emotion not even patient, positive Peter can process. 

But then there was that sense, that feeling of, 

oh, okay.

An emerging acceptance. 

Suddenly Peter understands the families who protect their persecuted members, despite the heavy evidence against them. Suddenly he understands their disregard of the victims, maddening as it might be. 

The victims are faceless names amidst the sea of people. Faces Peter likely never seen and won't see now. The Revelator is John. 

John who raised him, fed him, listened to his day and helped with his homework. His father is The Revelator. 

The Revelator is his father. 

And there is nothing that could change that, not that Peter even wanted the change. Familial bond is one hell of a drug.

ㅤㅤ

John

The Revelator stared down towards the younger man with an indifferent expression, still, as if he was staring at a passerby or a faceless NPC in an anime show, as if the one he stared to wasn't someone he had raised for years.

And he was probably going to keep it that way, y'know. That, of course, until he heard the man's stammered words, the flashes of emotions across the dark irises. From confusion, anger, sadness. Everything jumbled into one and John couldn't decide which one snapped him back into his sane mind as there were too many of obvious, lingering pain.

John just hoped that there wasn't any disappointment somewhere there.

"Pete—" he was trying to reach out to him again. Goodness, even now his voice was trembling mad shit when he saw the distant look from the person he adores, yet never admits. John could feel his eyes burning again, and it feels like something had strangled the base of his throat, resulting on him to stand like a mute with his mouth slightly agape.

He wasn't even sure what he should do. At this point of time, the ramen might be overcooked already until it could be considered as a blasphemy. Everything is blotted in his ear, and the only thing ringing in his mind was a simple question of ‘why?’.

Why did he do that?

"I'm sorry," he said, perhaps his lips were trembling too, but really, John couldn't think of anything due to the guilt clouding his head—or the tears forming in his eyes.

ㅤㅤ

Peter

"Holy fuck, Dadー"

His knee-jerk reaction is to pull his father into a hug, tight and bone-crushing. His fingers grapple at the other man, his face burying on his shoulder. 

In his haste, it is really a miracle Peter didn't knock over the ramen pot.

It took him no thought at to embrace his father like this, to take him back, despite everything. Perhaps it was the tremble in his voice, or the tell-tale shine of tears in his eyes. 

In hindsight, it was the guilt. Perhaps Peter wished it into existence, or perhaps he wanted to believe in it enough that he sees things, but he can read the guilt. It's all over John. 

It's almost overwhelming to see the cold, feral Mr. Revelator pass the baton to human John with his human emotions. But for Peter, 

Peter who never really had anything, Peter for whom John's odd brand of love is he only one he knew, 

it's enough. It's more than enough. 

"Don't cry, dad. 'M gon' cry too," he mumbles. 

As long as John isn't gone to the Revelator, then it's all good.

ㅤㅤ

John

John lets himself get pulled closer, lets the younger's head rest on his shoulder. He can feel his heart getting stuck in his throat again, but somehow the hug had managed to take away the pain.

And for once, he feels safe.

It never seems to end, and although their dynamic was never the one with too many affectionate gestures, he doesn't mind. John brings his hand to rub Peter's back, hoping that, if it won't soothe him, then at least it will do the work for Peter.

"I ain't crying, you dork," he said, forcing a laugh, which might have sounded like he was choking on something. He was smiling a little, a smile with a twist to it. Like the one smile of a child who is determined not to weep, because John was still on a verge of tears and if its not because how his unnecessary ego, he might have been broken into sobs.

He was the first to let go of the hug, his eyes were still red, but the smile across his face never for once falter away. John pats the younger man on his shoulder, laughing at his expression before pointing out to the food.

"Come on. You’re going to regret this later.”

ㅤㅤ

Peter

Lies. 

They're both crying. 

Judging by the red rimmed eyes they are both sporting as the hug is released, that fact is indisputable. But neither of them mentioned it, as they broke into laughter. 

John laughing at Peter, and Peter laughing at John. He's never seen his father cry before. 

Fuck the Revelator—in a very non-literal way. Peter doesn't know him, he knows only John. Peter gives his father's shoulders a squeeze, 

"It's okay, dad." he mutters. He doesn't explain further, doesn't simply offering a smile. It's silence acceptance, all around good vibes, until something inevitably goes wrong. 

This time, it's a burnt smell. 

"Fuck, dad, you didn't burn the building in front on your way in, did ya?" Peter quips, but it's quite obvious that the burnt smell comes from the oven. 

And that's what Thanksgiving dinner ended up being. A mangled turkey, the non-burnt parts salvaged, and a pot ramen way, way too overcooked it's an insult to the Ramen Gods themselves. 

They both choked down the food, horrible, really. But there's a promise to come of board games and lazy evenings.

It's all good, really. 

For now.