#foundry discourse

[talefoundryshow]

This week, on Nebula...

[animentality]

the fun thing about durgetash for me as far as definitely toxic ships go, is that gortash and durge, as individuals, are toxic. but the ship itself? not toxic at all in my take. because as horrible as they are as people, the love they have for each other is actually very genuine. everyone else in the world is dust under their boots except for each other. they truly respect each other and get along frighteningly well and listen to each other and support each other’s atrocities and so, if you ignore the screaming of their victims in the background, their relationship is actually kind of healthy.

to be fair: this is with my version of them in mind lol i know other people have spicer takes where they ARE actively toxic to each other and such, and those are fun too but ive gotten so into the version of them where they both just exude toxicity to everyone in their lives EXCEPT each other. it’s already a trope im very weak to but its especially crazy with them. its like they cancel each other out somehow lol

like i think it takes a while to get to that point of course, to build up actual trust enough to feel even slightly safe around each other, but once they open up to each other the affection-starvation just jumps out. and then despite everything they manage to actually be gentle with each other. and neither of them deserves gentleness of any sort, but they get it anyway, from each other.

so for me durgetash is “toxic” only by virtue of the individuals involved being horrible terrible people, and because they gleefully support each other’s evil plans, and not because of how they actually treat each other, which is actually the closest thing to “normal” either of them will ever experience (and it is still so, so far from “normal” lol)

but it’s still also nice to be in a ship where the discourse is so obvious we don’t even bother lol. yes gortash has a list of human rights abuses longer than he is tall. yes he’s gonna have an evil cuddle with his evil partner-in-crime in their evil bedroom after a long, hard day of being evil. and i’m gonna be thinking about it <3

Anon, you get me.

I think durgetash just works because...they are so blatantly evil.

Gortash tortured a bunch of people trying to figure out how tadpoles worked, and the evidence of his crimes is in the mindflayer colony beneath Moonrise and in the Steel Watch Foundry. His Steel Watch guards literally kill children and innocent families.

The Dark Urge mentions killing (eating?) a BABY. They have killed thousands. They eat human meat. They torture people.

They both started the entire plot by being total pieces of shit.

So what are you going to do?

Cancel them???

The game cancels them.

Gortash literally got cancelled so hard his brain popped.

The Dark Urge dies in most playthroughs. They only become redeemable by literally dying and becoming a new person. Plus their life is so fucking awful, that it almost cancels out how bad they are, because they're a vessel of Bhaal, who can either choose obedience or death.

They are both so outrageously evil, you can't even be outraged.

No one on the entire planet is defending either of them.

It almost defeats itself as an argument, like, you say Gortash is horrible, and I say yeah, man. You say, the Dark Urge is evil, and I say absolutely.

But that's kind of why...a relationship between the two of them IS so good, though.

Sure, there have always been villainous ships, but...something about these jagged creatures having a soft spot for one another...

It just works.

It's...it's taking two wretched beasts, and giving them something human to hold between their claws.

How can you support them being together, but how could you deny them this?

They're so horrible, they don't deserve love, but at the same time, seeing profoundly evil people are still capable of love, and humanity is inescapable, no matter how inhuman you are...

Hmmmm.

Yes.

The worse Dark Urge and Enver are, the better Durgetash comes.

That's the wonderful conundrum.

It's honestly such a SHIP, anon.

THE Ship.

[nickgiles]

Week 10 -> Continued research

While researching I was thinking of possible names I could give this project to help promote this concept I'm trying to portray.

I landed on the word Wanangā, a word from Te Reo Māori, which originally and incorrectly is used for mainly tertiary educational buildings. The direct and more accurate meaning of the word is a verb for coming together to engage in discussion and discourse. Which is similar to what I'm trying to achieve with this Photobook concept.

Something that is important to me, especially as a design student is the font used.

I chose this font, from the foundry, Universal Thirst. The font is called Seismic Latin Variable and has two versions and the one I'm interested in is this scribbly version of the font. It gives this more 'homemade' or personal touch to an area in fonts that are dominantly bold and strict. Additionally this font makes the book feel more 'hand done.'

[screaming-skvll]

"Finally got your hands on one of those poison stinger type things, eh?"

Rela looked up. It was Es. "Yeah," Rela said. "Wait list for new-built Black Armory stuff goes to Jupiter and back, but my order finally came up."

Es sat beside the Warlock, eyeing the elaborate bow in her hands. "Surprised Ada makes any of these at all these days, after she cut off the whole Black Armory line. Then again, with her newfound interest in fashion, maybe she makes an exception because this one is so... stylish."

Rela shrugged. "Maybe." She did not particularly like Es, especially when she suspected they were making some kind of fun of her, which was never entirely clear.

"Custom finish, I see."

"Not custom, just an option."

"Ah." Es waggled their eyebrows. "Ada really is all about style now. Finish options—wow."

Rela tried to return an even gaze, but found herself blurting "Care to join me in the Crucible, observe its performance?"

Es inclined their head gracefully, like a courtier accepting the invitation of a queen. Rela hated that. "I would be delighted."

(Le Monarque w/ Poison Wings Spread)

[weirdsatellites]

Update #78617 from NROL-111 (USAP) 1. Discourse Incinerator 2. Myth Launcher 3. Dice Foundry

[thefirstknife]

Guardians who use Moonfang armour are corporate sellouts

*slowly shoves Dead Man's Tale, The Last Word, The Chaperone, Huckleberry, The Prospector and the Tex Mechanica Shell out of focus*

New discourse? It's more likely than you think.

I love Moonfang personally and would sell out for them. Moonfang cloak? Exquisite. I stan.

I also applaud people selling out to Tex Mechanica. But also, are you selling out if you steal from them?

Shin Malphur: "Sell out responsibly." *raiding Tex Mechanica foundries like a rabid raccoon*

[thought-it-undaunted]

A Sacred Place

I have never been commissioned for a poem before. Indeed I never saw this in my future. However, my father, to whom I owe most of my wisdom, depth and spirituality, asked me to write one for him.

You see, my father has for decades been the best example of service in his community. His selfless accomplishments are lengthy and grand. He has in the last few years served as a City Councilmen in my quaint home town where I grew up. To me, he is the epitome of a public servant, an honorable man, and an exemplar. He asked me to write a poem because he has been inspired by the podium in City Hall that features two sides: one for the citizen and one for the public servant. He said to him, it felt like a sacred place.

This November ends his term. And so for his speech, he wanted me to write a poem to express his feelings of that podium and by extension, the calling of public servant. He hopes that the city will preserve it on a plague and display it at the podium. (This will be his request as a “parting gift,” which the City gives to those leaving office and is usually a road sign with the persons name.)

If only every public servant could see that position with such reverence as my father, we would see a peace and unity we have never seen. And so I thought that today, on Election Day, it would be the perfect opportunity for me to share this very special poem with you all.

----

Within the walls of governance Among  the servants pledged is a place few would expect to find: A sacred place

Silent pleas hang on the lips of the people; For eager ears to hear, For soft hearts to understand, For wisdom of the working minds, For grace in leadership, And for the anointing of the populace The balance of true power That lies in the treasure of humanity.

At a wooden apex the voice of the governed Is given rise to discourse. A pleading of benevolence A conveying of rights. And nestled within this honorable dias You will find this; A sacred place. The charge approaches, the citizen is mirrored. One shared podium In an arc of trust. The shaking of hands Become the ore of confidence. It leads the footsteps of progress, the foundry of commitment. Churning on in a legacy Of service.

And when cooled by the gift Of understanding  The people, In indivisible steel is built The future of peace Forged by this; A sacred place.

[theshinobiway]

I read your other two posts about shipping nejiten and why you dont. I think you make good arguments about how marrying neji would take away tenten's freedom but I was actually wondering about how you view the ship from the perspective of someone who is married? Sorry of that doesn't make sense. I mean like how compatible you think their personalities are if the story was written differently.

Hey there anon!

So this will be my third time addressing the pairing and not to say it's any fault of yours, but I hope it's the last.

I care most about what makes a character develop in a way that is meaningful and beneficial for the overarching story. This extends into the pairings I choose to ship. I've also never been a big shipper to begin with and I'm indifferent to most pairings from any show I watch.

I also am married. Personally, fictional ships or shipping wars do not interest me in the slightest. I'd rather focus on my own, real, interpersonal relationships.

To expand on why I don't like talking about this pairing in particular: it's because I have been openly harassed by fans of the pairing both on this blog and on a previous blog that I eventually closed because my inbox blew up with angry stans that, a few years ago, I was not mentally equipped to handle. I've responded to around two to three asks openly on the blog, but at this point I've deleted in the range of 10-12 messages that I did not see fit to dignify with a response.

I figure that most of these comments come from underage followers who are too immature to understand complexities of romantic relationships or are simply too disinterested in talking about the literature to have open discourse with. They just want to ship what they believe the characters are like, have headcanons, and ignore the evidence contrary. As an adult, I have to handle this with patience and understanding. I'm not about to rage on any anon follower because I don't know their age or personal circumstances. And frankly, a fictional pairing is not worth tearing someone down over–I speak from experience.

Now, on to answering your question in full:

When it comes to the narrative, there isn't a common thread (theme, motif, storyline, etc.) that ties Neji and Tenten together. They both have the goal to get stronger, (As is the theme of team Gai at large) but Neji's story is MOST closely tied to Hinata/The Hyuga, Lee, and Naruto (in that order.) All three of those characters are sufficient enough to spur Neji's growth in his own arc. Tenten's support as a teammate is also sufficient enough. They are good battle partners (combining long range and short range) but the same is also said for Tenten and Lee. There's nothing special here. Nothing that screams "chemistry" or that "stands out."

The reason people love pairings such as SnS, NaruSaku, NaruHina, Sasusaku, SaiIno, ShikaTema, etc. is because all of these pairings have two partners that can equally contribute to the other's growth. Neji and Tenten simply do not have this. Tenten adds nothing to Neji that he does not already have: her support already comes from multiple other people in his life that understand his situation better. Tenten is often shown having a more common thread with Lee: they are both ninja that came from no special background and are overcoming their own weaknesses to pave their own path. You might say Tenten could humanize Neji or humble him, but Naruto and Lee already do that. Neji's closest female relationship is with Hinata, and that's where we see him become softer and more patient. Hinata is the one that humanizes Neji the most, and it's because they also share a same arc: literally, the Hyuga clan arc. She has the emotional intelligence to reach Neji and the position to make him believe in the determination of the once-talentless. That's THEIR arc as siblings.

I would also like people to ask themselves what exactly Neji can offer Tenten. In the reverse, I strongly can affirm that Neji does NOTHING for Tenten. He can train with her? So can the rest of her team, and she does. He can encourage her? So can the rest of her team, and they do–far more than Neji. He can calm her down when Gai/Lee do their antics? Okay, but is being a walking pacifier really a great foundry for a relationship? (Also, as Tenten gets older, part of her personal development is finally accepting her own goofy side and joining in!) In fact, his relationship and subsequent would inhibit her stated goals and dreams.

Tenten flat out does not want to have a traditional, feminine lifestyle of getting married. And as a married person, it's not impossible to understand why! Relationships and marriages are HARD work! It's not sailing into the sunset with kids and a house! They require commitment and upkeep! Sacrifice! They are a huge stressor (even the best marriages!) and you must balance the feelings and dreams of another person when you are deciding your future and make personal sacrifices.

Tenten wants to follow her hobbies and her dream is one of self-determination. Marrying Neji means introducing a rigid, hierarchical clan structure for which Tenten has no experience/interest in and is ill-prepared to handle. Her blunt, insensitive attitude would not fare well in the formal atmosphere of Hyuga affairs–this isnt a shoujo of rich guy/average girl. This is a shounen. She'll be expected to raise children and retire/hiatus from her career. This expectation does not help her goals or dreams and effectively halts her personal development.

In fact, had this pairing actually happened, shippers might have been happy that their pairing "made it," but I have no doubt that people would have ALSO called Tenten yet ANOTHER victim of Kishi's 'housewife' troupe next to Sakura and Temari. Making her Neji's wife erases what little personal identity and development she had. Why would you want to put the ONE woman who pursued her career and goals in a relationship and erase that? Because they have an aesthetic? I surely hope you never then complain about the fates of Sakura or Temari, then!

And on that note, "fixing the writing" to where Tenten is an 'empowered working mom' does NOT address Tenten's personal desires. I see this most often discarded in favor of ANY of her ships.

Tenten's purpose in the story is to show a woman who branches out from the norm. I also seldom see a woman in any story who is as balanced and flawed as she is while still being lovable. Also, despite relegating the other kunoichi to housewife status, Kishi deliberately let Tenten be a single woman who is not criticized for her decision. Japan itself still has a traditional mindset in that regard, and seeing the other cast members treat Tenten as normal–not even commenting on her relationship status–is a quiet, but no less significant addition to the story. It normalizes career women in a traditional atmosphere.

Gag about her store aside, Tenten's shop isn't doing poorly because she's a bad businesswoman or a spinster. It's been clearly stated by Tenten herself that it's because they are in a time of peace. Again, a small but significant detail that gets overlooked in Tenten's story. As Boruto progresses and war seems to loom on the horizon, I have no doubt her shop may get more business soon.

Tenten and Neji have the making of good friends and comrades with some common ground, and it's for the betterment of both of them personally that they stayed that way throughout the series. Good relationships add to characters and stories–they don't take things away.

Hopefully this finally puts my full opinions on the matter to rest. Fandom can do whatever it wants, but I'd like to not see any more of the ridiculous "pairing war" nonsense pop up in my inbox. Nejiten has FAR better reasons to stay platonic than it ever will to become canon, even in a rewritten story where Neji lives. If you want a pairing with this aesthetic but actually have chemistry and a shared narrative, look at Ren/Nora of RWBY (which, coincidentally, is actually one of the few pairings I enjoy.)

Thanks for contributing to the blog!

[alchemisland]

Ants - 1

Odours lingered warningly on Winetavern Street. Night, pregnant with possibility, awaited alignment of circumstance and personnel. Patent Pending bore night's bulk on his flank, flung easy like the inebriated sack of a drunken friend. He and it were one, Tristan and Isolde.

Like the miasm of spent gas shells planted in the salient sludge, lethal bulbs awaiting a clumsy boot's airborne dispersal, the scent filled Patent as he faced the old alley, ignoring its pleas for circumvention. Another might endure; Patent prospered in the queer aunty's musk of his fallen lady; Dirty Dublin at night, at play, at improper.

Old roads like tube lines intersected and closed off unto themselves. Strange turnings where past and present converged in dystopic medieval splendour. Historic strata visible on Fishamble Street's surface; its wind rises from the black pool like dripping neptune on tempest eve, and meanders in concrete toward the church forecourt, seat once of Sitric Silkenbeard. Later cobbling shields yesteryear's lindens interned below. Here where Patent strides, merchantmen once carried eels and fish malformed by prolonged unlight in buckets to the market to fetch their porter's price. In deference to the raven rush which joined and bound the city's distinct fiefdoms, Dubliners imbibed a potable black as their mordant wit and sacred river, from cups that seemed to alien eyes to have been filled from the lap itself. The nightpool's generous bounty permitted varied industry.

The River was a goddess. Everything betwixt she influenced; poet's pen and artist's quill, songman's flute and poor man's ills. Even those who tended stalls, owned property or collected for crown without cause to set sail made crossings in the dozens, ever in her grace.

Each weekday at dawn great galleys moored at Ormonde Quay, where the old wall dipped to treacherous stonecut steps, and ferried welders and net-tossers to upriver sites. There waited their Argus, which endeavoured to carry a full cargo every journey to ensure dividends on their investment. Each aboard, though nobly dreamt, would spend his lot on drink, howevermuch they might endeavour to stockpile amidst their lousy existence, in the itchily literal definition.

The men lined the boatsides and leant shouldertight to the flimsy awning, which offered helmsman-elect brief respite from foundry fogs that hugged the river to the sea, reputedly irritant in large doses. Once boarded the helmsman signalled the portside men, who leaned perilously, and fearlessly, over the black pool between craft and pier and kicklaunched the vessel toward the thoroughfare.

All day toiling, they returned along an effulgent coil which the setting sun cast spearlike on the flow. Despite exhaustion and wont of leisure, workers together moored their fleet to rings set in Ana Livia's pauldrons, then sold produce for wares and coin at Fishamble Street Market, and hence with mischief carried across the concourse to its dionysian counterpart, parallel in planning though twinned in purpose, aptly-named Winetavern Street.

Coins in Dublin had legs and leapt hand-to-hand like gilded fleas. Into the hamfists of sailors went the day's catch, soon bound for the limp wrists and satin sacks of merchant landlords or the cudgel-wristed mitts of Winetavern's grizzliest keeps. Ireland should rule the world, only word of the hereditary fiscal irresponsibility innate to our poet nation reached the ears of greedier elements.

This night as Patent rounds the bend and is now clear of Smock Alley, he passes Handel's onion gate, which since boyhood he has imagined as the breasted turret of a sandy kingdom's tower, bell-shaped to a needle point. Here the great composer slept in the nervous, inspired nights before Messiah on the vast organs rang to ears virginal to its majesty beneath St. Michan's vaulted roof. The wind whistled like an idle janitor and his fiery gruaig shifted, and he wondered was there an organ note played there so faint you might pause to quiz, but he didn't. Patent was naturally disarrayed and now close to disrepute. He sought and found solace in the silence of ancient shadows, now and past tormented evenings suchlike. His route, which linked home and hedonism, he had many times crossed. Well-chosen subterfuge, it peeled through and melted past main streets like a serpent unlimited by dimension unfurling endlessly.

Washerwomen spoke as they do of ambling fish, shambling bipedal creatures whose scales in the occult half-light of the ancient primate city shone like iridescent plate from the armouries of some unknowable mariners guild, who depart water to stalk midnight markets where Monto maidens scrubbed ectoplasm from petticoats with Analivia's spit. No market there was now, nor bustle. If ere those scabrous fiends had ginger stepped quayside, they had long since ceased their daring, preferring dank middens in the city's underground confluence, which swelled heroically beneath the cobbles. If one pressed ear and hope-hearted to the paving stones, one heard its rage against the firmament.

Pisces stubbornly held her sway in the street's reptile house, where arrogant tropical fish lured dope-fated urchins to their window, as had the wares of times past all laid fresh beneath gullhowl. He swept past her left transept to avoid Parliament Street, where at this hour surely only most unparliamentary actions were being committed. He paid no heed to the pissing tramp's opera. Who cares what happened the night before Larry was stretched. There was only tonight, which, if foretold, Patent would have called the Night Before Patent Time Traveled.

Don't ask him for the science. Fine man perhaps but Feynman he's not. They still don't believe him. He wouldn't believe it, only he'd experienced it himself. He had been sent backward, and like a suspicious majority of 80s action movie protagonists with purpose traversed centuries to prevent mankind's extinction; all at the whim of a man who could only be distinguished from the homeless by his winning Trinity brogue. Patent had no explanation and questioned why such was required. When old farmers spoke of cursed hawthorne and workers driven from farms by the sidhe, who asked the genus of the creatures in question, or quizzed after some metric by which fortean phenomena could be rightly assembled. His tale was one such; of the Otherworld.

Besides, it was more a mystical experience than anything permitted by accepted science, which the druid called dogma. He described 'universal laws' as one describes vicious cults, no less enraptured by their own tenets than fervent Catholics; their god of wire, his ribbed tendons and paneled skin in every child's clutch, his scrying eye the mirror of future weeping.

The man hid arcane proficiency behind frail form. Patent initially reeled from his crooked beck when first he bore forth from interminable shadow in the Christchurch backlane, thinking him some coffer-thirsty derelict job-shy. Quickly the man, whose bearing was noble, dispelled such notions and wrest control of the conversation, steering destiny as he pleased; gab he had and used, ensorcelling Patent in a labyrinth of benign cunning. His eyes were deep-set. Their azure rondures belied great wisdom. In fleeting moments between articulate flurries, Patent thought how prompt this man sought and claimed confidence without question or favour. Despite appearance, the suggestion of authority was sufficient; the library of archetypes constructed the remainder, which we call reality.

"Things have been forgotten," he gestured upward "even the Ashakic records wherein all knowledge is contained have waylaid the facts pertaining to our present discourse. Listen, you, man whose name I do not know yet whom I feel supernaturally compelled toward, and do you not feel it yourself, this electricity while we speak, growing with proximity." He came within an inch of Patent's distinctive shrón. Time seized forward, eager toward supposed destiny; but whose? He seized Patent's hand. Patent felt the man knew everything about him, from the Cornetto he stole in Londis off Shop Street after Leftover Crack played in Sally Longs, to the fearsome dildo hidden in his bottom drawer which Amazon user ButtLustNottingham83 described as having 'terrifying, macelike proficiency'. They spoke eye-to-eye but unequal; twas the eye of Horus, nae the eye of Balor 'gainst the mere beholder, the eye of diaphanous and limited mortal understanding.

Flaming swords he made with words and his inebriated flock stood transfixed, dirtied on weed. Patent Pending willingly and with announced pleasure opted for routine temporary dementia. His thoughts were tigers that plagued him. They besieged his inner compound, which though unconquered, had straw foundations. Only smoke tamed their berzerk, sated their lust for the man he had once been and now became fleetingly. As Patent thought this to himself, he thought it also to the elderly man, who as sure as Gandhi read the Guardian could read his thoughts.

[flotsam-gazette]

La Rossa

Brian LaRossa: Type designer extraordinaire

An art director, a designer, editorial illustrator, and a writer.

READ:

Design as a Third Area of General Education

Why it Matters to Me if Designers Read and Write

Questioning Graphic Design’s Ethicality

Working Professional: Brian LaRossa, Art Director

TYPE BRUT: Font foundry

More at the website, including podcasts, interviews, articles...

In 1974, Bruce Archer, a professor at The Royal College of Art, led a program called “Design in General Education.” The program aimed to increase the public’s awareness of design by weaving design activities into the curriculum of secondary schools. Five years later, when the Design Research Society began publishing Design Studies, its international journal for design research, Archer kicked off a series of articles that expanded on his earlier work. Archer observed that while

“Science is the collected body of theoretical knowledge based upon observation, measurement, hypothesis and testing, and

the Humanities is the collected body of interpretive knowledge based upon contemplation, criticism, evaluation and discourse,

Design, the third area. is the collected body of practical knowledge based upon sensibility, invention, validation and implementation.”

He went on to note,

The repository of knowledge in Science is not only the literature of science but also the analytical skills and the intellectual integrity of which the scientist is the guardian.

The repository of knowledge in the Humanities not simply the literature of the humanities but also the discursive skills and the spiritual values of which the scholar is the guardian.

In Design, the repository of knowledge is not only the material culture and the contents of the museums but also the executive skills of the doer and maker.

[cdeasia]

IMME 2022 presented the ideal platform to showcase CDE Asia’s mineral beneficiation technology

29 November 2022

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized India's Largest and most Focused Trade Fair for the Mining Sector. The 16th edition of the International Mining & Machinery Exhibition 2022 (IMME 2022), was held at Eco Park, Rajarhat, Kolkata, India between 16th to 19th November 2022.

IMME 2022 showcased the latest and diverse range of Mining Machinery, Equipment, advanced technology solutions, services, and supplies from India and abroad. Since its inception in 1984, IMME has been the largest mining exhibition which brings together the key players of the segment, contributing to the growth of the Mining sector in India.

CDE Asia, along with the best names in India’s mining fraternity leveraged the reach and networking opportunities that this event provided to showcase the latest advancements made in its mineral beneficiation processes. Advanced wet processing technology from CDE Asia has revolutionized the mineral beneficiation sector by introducing compact energy-efficient plants which not only can beneficiate a wide range of minerals but are also extremely eco-friendly.

Stemming from the desire to supply better Fe-grade ore to pellet plants, blast furnaces, or DRI plants, CDE Asia’s iron ore washing and processing plants have been designed to facilitate the processing of lower-grade ores, ensure improvement in recovery and reduce the silica content in the ore, thus making it market-ready. Since quality steel is pivotal in the development of urban infrastructure, CDE Asia’s patented mineral ore beneficiation technology is sensitive to the requirements of providing high yield with lesser water and power consumption, building compact plants with lesser space needed for installation, and reducing the per tonne processing cost, thereby increasing profitability for plant owners.

We have also undertaken projects in quartz beneficiation with color sorting and bauxite processing. We are continuously upgrading our processes to meet the dynamic nature of feed material and the client’s specific requirements. The inimitable adaptability of our beneficiation technology has allowed it to process a diverse assortment of minerals such as bauxite, chromite, manganese, and others.

Being an ESG-driven organization, our plants are designed to reuse 95% of the water used while emitting low noise levels of under 80 dB, making them suitable for installation in habitable areas. Fitted with IOT technology, plants can be operated remotely with complete access to real-time analytics and performance data that puts clients in control.

CDE Asia’s patented sand solutions are helping convert mining overburden into high-quality IS:383-compliant M-sand, which is a boon for quarry owners and the construction industry as a whole. Our state-of-the-art technology for processing industrial sands has found applications in producing glass-grade sand, foundry sand, and solar-grade sand that is optimized to a particular specification.

Mr. Prasun Dutta, Sector Head (Mineral Processing), CDE Asia, shares his thoughts on the event: “IMME 2022 presented the ideal opportunity for us to showcase the latest advancements in our mineral beneficiation technology. By participating in this informed discourse, we illustrated its benefits for miners, quarry owners, and other delegates from construction and heavy engineering who are increasingly invested in improving the quality of mineral ores to ensure high recovery, greater profits, and ease in producing industry-grade outputs. Clients who visited our stall were quite impressed by the unique aspects of our technology such as compact system, energy-efficient plants, use of Cloudlink facility, remote controlled operations, complete automation, and so on.”

At CDE Asia, we appreciate the efforts put forward by all concerned authorities toward the organization of the event.

For more information please visit us : https://cdeasia.com/news/2022/november/imme-2022-presented-the-ideal-platform-to-showcase-cde-asia-s-mineral-beneficiation-technology .

=============================================================

Company Name: CDE Asia                                                           

Address: Ecospace Business Park Block 4A/Floor 6, Action Area II New Town Rajarhat Kolkata 700 160 India

Phone: +91 33 3029 3800

Fax: +91 33 3029 3802    

Url: https://cdeasia.com/

Email : info@cdeasia.com

[callistawolf]

fic: “The Better Wedding” (Olicity, rated G)

A/N: This is something that’s been tickling my brain since the wedding took place. There was a lot of discourse about the other couple “deserving their own wedding” and like… so does this couple, don’t you think? So I wanted to do a little fiddling with canon and fix it. This way each couple gets their own special moment. Problem SOLVED.

(I’m aware there’s some weird looking formatting on tumblr’s dashboard but its not there on my blog and the formatting goes away when you click through to read more AND I can’t seem to make it go away on the dash so I will just have to grit my teeth and bear it. I hope you can too.)

***

With Felicity’s arm around him, Oliver watched Kara and Alex step into the portal to return to their earth, putting an end to the wedding weekend that… wasn’t. He felt a little odd about that, given how much he knew Iris and Barry wanted to be married. He knew Felicity felt the same.

“So you guys are really not going to have a wedding? After all of that?” she asked her friends.

“Now she’s pro-wedding,” Oliver mumbled and Felicity poked him in the chest.

“Hey…”

He smiled down at her, the love he felt brimming in his chest and he knew she saw it in his eyes by the way her own eyes softened as she smiled at him.  

“No,” Iris said on a sigh. “We’ve already had the big ceremony. Now all we need is to exchange vows and rings. We can do that easily over at City Hall.”

“Hey, speaking of,” Barry said, looking keenly at Oliver. “Can’t a mayor marry people?”

“Barry, I’m very flattered, but I think it would have to take place within the limits of Star City for it to be legal,” Oliver said regretfully.

“And we definitely want it to be official,” Iris said, nodding decisively. “City Hall will be fine.”

“Yeah,” Barry agreed, smiling at her fondly. “I just want to be married to you already.”

“The feeling is mutual, mister,” she murmured, pushing up on her toes to kiss him.

Felicity was fidgeting next to him and Oliver looked down at her questioningly. She looked up at him and he could see all kinds of questions swimming in her eyes.

“What is it?” he asked her.

“I’m having second thoughts,” she admitted. Next to them, Barry and Iris were oblivious as they nuzzled their noses together.

“About?” Oliver asked.

“About… weddings. I mean, maybe I really am pro-wedding after all…”

Oliver thought that meant she wanted to help Barry and Iris celebrate making things official. “I’m sure Barry and Iris would love to have us there to celebrate their vows.”

“We sure would,” Barry said, finally drawing back from Iris. “In fact, why don’t you text Caitlin and Cisco and HR… have them meet us downtown? We can make an afternoon of it, go to lunch…”

“No! No, I mean… not… Not that we wouldn’t love to celebrate with you guys, but I was just thinking that… You know, instead of just you guys that maybe… Maybe we… ughhh…” Felicity stumbled over her words and Oliver realized he hadn’t seen her this nervous since their early days in the foundry.

“Felicity?”

She turned to him then, her blue eyes wide. “Will you marry me?”

Oliver’s mouth fell open as he stared at her. “I thought… I mean, I thought you didn’t believe in marriage?” he said quietly, feeling as though his heart was beating in his throat.

“No, but I believe in you,” she said earnestly. “And I believe that no matter what life throws at us, we can handle it. Married, unmarried… I love you. My greatest fear…” Her eyes filled with tears and Oliver wanted to take her in his arms, to comfort her, but he held still to let her finish. “My greatest fear is losing you. I—”

“Yes.”

Felicity blinked and Iris huffed a little laugh next to them. “Okay?” she said hopefully.

“Okay.” He smiled, feeling the expression spread over his face, filling him with warmth and happiness. “Yes. I do.” Oliver reached for her hand and she fit hers there, where it always fit.

“You guys!” Barry exclaimed. “Congratulations!”

“Now we’re both engaged!” Iris said, bouncing a little on her toes.

Oliver pulled Felicity to him and kissed her chastely, feeling her tremble in his arms. “I can’t wait to marry you,” he told her.

“Me either,” she murmured, drawing back a little. “Which is why I want to do it now. Today.”

“Wait, seriously?” Iris said. “Barry, can we double book City Hall?”

“Wait…” Felicity said quickly. “Didn’t Dig once tell us he was ordained in order to marry Andy and Carly years ago?”

Oliver could see what she was thinking and he smiled again. “Yes, he did. You want Dig to marry us?”

“Yeah, what do you think of that?” she asked. “You think he’d do it for us? Today?”

He chuckled. “I think Dig would be upset if we let anyone else but him do the honors, to be honest.”

Felicity smiled at Iris and Barry who were grinning at them. “Hey, I’m sure Dig would be happy to marry you two as well… if you wanted.”

Iris looked up at her fiancé. “Barry? What do you think?”

He made a rueful face. “I think Dig is still a little angry with me about altering the timeline and erasing his daughter.”

Oliver tried to hide a wince. It was true, he was. Tensions between them were still such that Dig hadn’t even been invited to the West-Allen wedding this last weekend.

“Besides,” Iris interjected, “if it’s your friend doing the officiating, we’d feel like we were butting in…”

Felicity waved a hand. “Don’t be silly. I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t okay with sharing our big day.”

Iris smiled and released Barry so she could hug Felicity. He reluctantly let her go but smiled as the two women embraced. “You’re a good friend, Felicity Smoak.”

“You two, Iris West.”

“Soon to be Iris West-Allen!” she cried, drawing back and throwing her arms back around Barry. “Shall we go do this thing?”

“We shall.”

Oliver and Felicity said their goodbyes and while their friends went to Iris’ car which was parked nearby, Oliver led Felicity over to his motorcycle. She complained briefly that she was wearing a skirt but gamely climbed on behind him, hugging him tight as he revved the engine and pulled away from the curb. It was a bit of a drive to Star City from here, but the sooner they arrived, the sooner he could marry the love of his life.

***

When they reached Star City, several hours later, the sun was dipping towards the horizon and Felicity had an idea. Oliver drove to the same bayside park where they’d gotten engaged and gave Dig a call on his cell while Felicity texted Thea and called Raisa, who was watching William while they’d been gone. When Oliver was done with Dig, he called up Rene, Curtis and Dinah. Then, he gathered Felicity in his arms as they stood on the very same dais where he’d proposed to her two years before.

“Last chance… are you sure this is what you want?” he asked her after dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose.

She nodded, her blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders. “I’m sure. I want to marry you. I want to do it as soon as I can. I’m glad our friends can be here but I would do it if it was just the two of us too. That’s all that matters to me.”

“This is not how I saw this weekend ending,” Oliver admitted, feeling the joy rising within him as the reality of what was happening really started to settle.

“Me either,” he admitted. “But I’m glad. So glad.”

A half an hour later, all their friends and local family were gathered. Thea had brought some flowers that she’d grabbed quickly at the store on her way to meet them. Dig brought Lyla and JJ with him and had apparently made a side trip to Oliver’s favorite jeweler in town. He handed Oliver a pair of polished platinum rings and he handed them off to William, who he’d asked to stand up as his best man. His son looked excitedly nervous to welcome Felicity into the family and that soothed something inside of him. This was his family, for better or worse.

With William and Thea as their witnesses, Dig standing up to officiate, and the rest of their friends gathered to watch and cheer them on, Oliver and Felicity were married as the sun touched the western horizon, filling the sky with color and providing them the perfect backdrop as their friends and family cheered and they shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

[screaming-skvll]

“They say it’s the latest and greatest in fusion, but I don't see what's different." Salim pushed back his hood and turned the angular fusion rifle over in his hands, checking it expertly. "It doesn't even have new optics."

Ted-8 shuffled awkwardly. "It's not about how it looks, it's about what's inside. And as for the sights, why replace something that still works perfectly well just for the sake of making something new?"

Salim tilted his head in a half-nod of appreciation. "I suppose that's fair enough—but as to the rest, I'm just to trust Omolon's made some upgrades without being able to examine the internal workings? This sticker says opening the exterior casing voids the warranty."

"They have a business to run, after all," Ted said with a small shrug.

Salim's eyes flashed angrily. "A business? I should put my life in Omolon's hands—and the lives of the pilgrims I escort—for the sake of Omolon's business?"

"Well," Ted stammered, the glow of his vocal modulator flickering, "that's—I didn't mean—you're certainly entitled to know what exactly's, uh, what's been improved—which is why Omolon publishes these schematics along with the list of model features." He extended a hand, offering up a datapad.

Salim did not take it. "Let me tell you what I think," he said. "I think this weapon is perfectly good, but not substantially different than anything else Omolon's already made, nor indeed anything else other foundries have on offer. I think Omolon—and the other foundries, all these businesses—feel a greater need to put out something new to sell to justify maintaining or raising their prices year after year, rather than optimize the production of their existing model lines to lower the per-unit cost of standardized weapons—the weapons we need to keep the City safe."

He glared, his grip on the body of the fusion rifle tight and fast. Ted stood stock still.

"And I think," Salim breathed, relaxing as he pulled up his hood, "it is a good thing there are so many weapons already on the secondary market. A Guardian can get what they need—even if it isn't the latest and greatest."

(Snorri FR5 w/ Lawful Neutral)

[aion-rsa]

Why the Xbox Series X Smoking Videos Are a Poor Attempt to Reignite the Overheating Controversy

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Just a day after the official launch of the Xbox Series X, one thing seemed to dominate the conversation around Microsoft’s next-gen console: a series of viral videos allegedly depicting a major overheating issue, as thick clouds of smoke were desperately expelled through the console’s top vents. The makers of the videos claimed that the Xbox Series X had grown so hot that the components inside were literally seconds away from catching fire.

I’ve spent the last two weeks with the Xbox Series X, testing out everything from its excellent load times and 4K 60fps visuals to its backward compatibility and game-changing Quick Resume feature. Throughout my time with the console, one thing I didn’t encounter were any major overheating issues. At the very least, there was never a moment where I nervously glanced at my fire extinguisher while using the console. The Xbox Series X can get a little warm when its pumping out 4K visuals, but that’s about it. Overall, the console’s single “whisper-quiet” fan does a great job of keeping the console cool, and the monolith-like shape and size of the console was clearly designed with airflow in mind.

(I didn’t have a fancy thermal camera to measure the console’s heat levels in precise degrees but you can check out this excellent breakdown from Digital Foundry, which reported no heat problems with the console.)

The point is that that the smoking videos, which I’m not going to bother posting here, had to be fake, a way to troll Microsoft, gain internet clout, send the Xbox hardware design team into a panic, or simply give the PlayStation 5 an early lead in the next-gen console war. Unsurprisingly, the videos were indeed debunked by one Twitter user who demonstrated who easily you could make it look like an Xbox Series X was “on fire.” All you really need is a vape:

CANSADO de las FAKE NEWS. Os dejo un video MIO explicando porque es Fake lo de la consola "Quemada" y como han logrado este efecto incluso estando la consola "APAGADA" pic.twitter.com/LfXzIBSu6N

— Xbox Studio (@XboxStudio) November 11, 2020

So with that nonsense out of the way, there’s a more important question worth asking: who would bother making up a blatant lie about the Xbox Series X and why?

I’m not really going to entertain the idea that there are militant PS5 fans who are trying to discredit the competition because that seems pretty silly. Soon enough, each side will have actual sales figures with which to brag, although we don’t think sales numbers are really the right measure of industry success anyway.

So it must be trolls. But why? Don’t gamers invest their hard-earned money in these consoles because they hope (and assume) they work properly? Certainly, regardless of what anyone claims online, all gamers benefit from great new consoles.

As I wrote in my review, the Xbox Series X is a powerful, very consumer-friendly console that features a series of huge quality of life improvements. And while we’re not quite ready to give a final verdict on the PS5, our early impression is that Sony’s console is a formidable next-gen upgrade with unique features and an impressive lineup of launch exclusives. You can’t really go wrong with either at the moment (unless you really care about the PlayStation exclusives you can’t play anywhere else).

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Ultimately, the Xbox Series X smoking videos seem to be an attempt to reignite the rumors that first appeared all the way back in September about the console’s overheating “issues.” Many sites mentioned the rumors in news pieces, including Den of Geek before we had any hands-on time with the console, but some journalists, like The Verge’s Tom Warren, were quick to point out their own experiences didn’t seem to match what was being spread online.

lots of people keep asking me about Xbox Series X heat. I’m under embargo. Just consider this, Microsoft wouldn’t send these consoles to 100s of journalists, streamers, and youtubers if they had heat issues. They just wouldn’t let people touch the console at all ¯_(ツ)_/¯

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 6, 2020

“The console will output system heat out of the exhaust, just as any other console will,” Xbox general manager of marketing Aaron Greenberg explained at the time on Twitter. “Our engineering team confirmed the heat leaving the console is not significantly different than Xbox One X. This matches my experience at home quiet, fast & impressive power for the size.”

Perhaps one could make the argument that the Xbox team has opened itself up to these kinds of viral posts due to the way it’s already embraced the biggest memes making fun of the Xbox Series X’s design. Just take the Xbox Series X-shaped fridge as an example. It’s a lovely bit of viral marketing born out of a joke made during the console’s initial reveal that has likely emboldened people online to try make even more viral content for attention.

The difference between the fridge memes and a video of a console almost catching fire is that the latter isn’t very funny. Hopefully, we can go back to silly memes as well as serious conversations about each console’s actual merits now that we’ve passed the “Xbox Series X burns down house” phased of the discourse.

This isn’t to say that there won’t be any faulty consoles or any issues for some users in the next few weeks. It’s entirely possible that at least a few people will encounter a malfunction or two. But Xbox and PlayStation will have undoubtedly taken the necessary steps to avoid any widespread “red ring of death” scenarios.

For now, go enjoy your next-gen console. And be nice!

The post Why the Xbox Series X Smoking Videos Are a Poor Attempt to Reignite the Overheating Controversy appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[pmsocialmedia]

When it comes to social media moderation, reach matters

John Funge Contributor

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John Funge is the Chief Product Officer at DataTribe, a cybersecurity startup foundry. He’s founded, built and sold three technology companies.

Social media in its current form is broken.

In 20 years, we’ll look back at the social media of 2020 like we look at smoking on airplanes or road trips with the kids rolling around in the back of a station wagon without seatbelts. Social media platforms have grown into borderless, society-scale misinformation machines. Any claim that they do not have editorial influence on the flow of information is nonsense. Just as a news editor selects headlines of the day, social media platforms channel content with engagement-maximizing algorithms and viral dynamics. They are by no means passive observers of our political discourse.

At the same time, I sympathize with the position that these companies are in — caught between the interests of shareholders and the public. I’ve started technology companies and helped build large-scale internet platforms. So I understand that social media CEOs have a duty to maximize the value of the business for their shareholders. I also know that social media companies can do better. They are not helpless to improve themselves. Contrary to Mark Zuckerberg’s recent heel dragging in dealing with President Trump’s reckless posts, the executives and boards at these companies have full dominion over their products and policies, and they have an obligation to their shareholders and society to make material changes to them.

The way to fix social media starts with realizing it is two different things: personal media and mass media.

Social media platforms must protect democracy, even from the president

Personal media is most of social media. Selfies from a hike or a shot of that Oreo sundae, stuff you share with friends and family. Mass media is content that reaches large audiences — such as a tweet that reaches a Super Bowl-sized audience in real-time. To be clear, it’s not just about focusing on people with a lot of followers. High-reach content can also be posts that go viral and get viewed by a large audience.

Twitter’s decision to annotate a couple of Trump’s tweets is a baby step in this direction. By applying greater scrutiny to a mega-visibility user, the company is treating those posts differently than low-reach tweets. But this extra attention should not be tied to any particular individual, but rather applied to all tweets that reach a large audience.

Reach is an objective measure of the impact of a social media post. It makes sense. Tweets that go to more people carry more weight and therefore should be the focus of any effort at cleaning up disinformation. The audience size of a message is as important, if not more, than its content. So, reach is a useful first-cut filter removed from the hornet’s nest of interpreting the underlying content or beliefs of the sender.

From a technology perspective, it is very doable. When a social media post exceeds a reach threshold, the platform should automatically subject the content to additional processes to reduce disinformation and promote community standards. One idea, an extension of what Twitter recently did, would be to prominently connect a set of links to relevant articles from a pool of trusted sources — to add context, not censor. The pool of trusted content would need to be vetted and diverse in its point of view, but that’s possible, and users could even be involved in crowd-sourcing those decisions. For the highest-reach content, there could be additional human curation and even journalistic-style fact checking. If these platforms can serve relevant ads in milliseconds, they can serve relevant content from trusted sources.

From a regulatory perspective, reach is also the right framework for reforming Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. That’s the pre-social media law that gives internet platforms a broad immunity from liability for the content they traffic. Conceptually, Section 230 continues to make sense for low-reach content. Facebook should not be held liable for every comment your uncle Bob makes. It’s when posts reach a vast number of people that Twitter and Facebook start to look more like The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times than an internet service provider. In these cases, it’s reasonable that they should be subject to similar legal liability as mass media outlets for broadly distributing damaging falsehoods.

Improving social media intelligently starts with breaking the problem down based on the reach of the content. Social media is two very different things thrown together in an internet blender: personal media and mass media. Let’s start treating it that way.

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