#googles can tell the future

[match-your-steps]

In Webkinz world, the special item that comes with a Google (the Webkinz version of a platypus) is "Google's Scrying Pond." This implies that googles can see the future, which is totally on-brand for them. In this essay I will

[daisywords]

they are being very nice and also rational (just explain everything rather than guess what I do and don't know—makes sense!) but I wish my coworkers would give me the benefit of the doubt sometimes instead of assuming that I am just a little baby randomly pressing keys when I do something "wrong"

[yelloworangesoda]

gotta get off the internet and only interact irl with people who were 30 before they got their shit together i cant keep doing it like this

[izzy-b-hands]

jfc i miss printed regular concert tickets

[coffee-keith]

Okay Wyll is cute but his dialogue after you kiss him is so annoying dear lord I'm really regretting my choices.

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

I have to wonder, now that Stadia is shutting down and - I guess? - cloud based gaming is basically dead, did Google even want it to succeed? Or was it all just a, "RIP we tried! Guess everyone can go home now!" sort of thing?

I feel like someone somewhere is probably getting a lot of money from Stadia's death.

[marrelica]

Finally found my perfect career:

Step 1. - live under a bridge (no money for rent, nutrition just from coffee and cigarretes)

Step 2. - die from pneumonia and leave lots of diaries, photos and art behind so people remember me as a "missunderstood lost soul"

Step 3. - become a saint (stigmata and some miracles will happen before i die)

[hua-fei-hua]

also i love unreliable narrators a normal amount

[nikosheba]

A couple job interview hacks from someone who has to give a job interview every single goddamn day: (disclaimer: this goes for my process and my company’s process, other companies and industries might be different)

1. There are a few things I check and a few questions I ask literally just to figure out if you can play the game and get along with others in a professional setting. Part of the job I interview for is talking to people, and we work in teams. So if you can’t “play the game” a tiny bit, it’s not going to work. Playing the game includes:

- Why do you want to work here? (just prove that you googled the company, tell me like 1 thing about us, I just want to know that you did SOME kind of preparation for this interview)

- Are you wearing professional clothing? I don’t need a suit just don’t show up in a ratty t-shirt and sweatpants.

- Are you able to speak respectfully and without dropping f-bombs all the time? Not because I’m offended but because I don’t want to be reported to HR if you wind up on my team.

- Can you follow simple directions in an interview?

2. Stop telling me protected information. I don’t want to know about what drugs or medications you’re on, I don’t want to know about you being sick, I don’t want to know if you’re planning to have children soon, I don’t want to know anything about your personal life other than “can you do the job?” 

3. When we ask, “What questions do you have for me?” here are my favorites I’ve heard: - What does the day-to-day look like for a member of your team?

- If one of your team members was not performing up to his usual standard, what steps would you take to correct that?

- What can I start doing now to accelerate my learning process in this job?

- What are some reservations you have about me as a candidate? (be ready for this emotionally....it will REALLY help you in the future, and I’ve had people save themselves from a No after this, but can be hard to hear)

- In your opinion, what skills and qualities does the ideal candidate for this job possess?

- What advice would you give to a new hire in this position/someone who wanted to break into this industry, as someone who has worked here for a while?

Those are just my tips off-the-cuff. I work in sales in marketing/SAAS, so these can be very different depending on the industry, but I wish the people I interview could read this before they show up. 

[puthyflapps]

baby stop teasing us with fics 😩

I mean I could expand upon my ideas a little bit if you were like into that sort of thing

[pillowfort-social]

Generative AI Policy (February 9, 2024)

As of February 9, 2024, we are updating our Terms of Service to prohibit the following content:

Images created through the use of generative AI programs such as Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and Dall-E.

This post explains what that means for you. We know it’s impossible to remove all images created by Generative AI on Pillowfort. The goal of this new policy, however, is to send a clear message that we are against the normalization of commercializing and distributing images created by Generative AI. Pillowfort stands in full support of all creatives who make Pillowfort their home. Disclaimer: The following policy was shaped in collaboration with Pillowfort Staff and international university researchers. We are aware that Artificial Intelligence is a rapidly evolving environment. This policy may require revisions in the future to adapt to the changing landscape of Generative AI. 

-

Why is Generative AI Banned on Pillowfort?

Our Terms of Service already prohibits copyright violations, which includes reposting other people’s artwork to Pillowfort without the artist’s permission; and because of how Generative AI draws on a database of images and text that were taken without consent from artists or writers, all Generative AI content can be considered in violation of this rule. We also had an overwhelming response from our user base urging us to take action on prohibiting Generative AI on our platform.  

-

How does Pillowfort define Generative AI?

As of February 9, 2024 we define Generative AI as online tools for producing material based on large data collection that is often gathered without consent or notification from the original creators.

Generative AI tools do not require skill on behalf of the user and effectively replace them in the creative process (ie - little direction or decision making taken directly from the user). Tools that assist creativity don't replace the user. This means the user can still improve their skills and refine over time. 

For example: If you ask a Generative AI tool to add a lighthouse to an image, the image of a lighthouse appears in a completed state. Whereas if you used an assistive drawing tool to add a lighthouse to an image, the user decides the tools used to contribute to the creation process and how to apply them. 

Examples of Tools Not Allowed on Pillowfort: Adobe Firefly* Dall-E GPT-4 Jasper Chat Lensa Midjourney Stable Diffusion Synthesia

Example of Tools Still Allowed on Pillowfort: 

AI Assistant Tools (ie: Google Translate, Grammarly) VTuber Tools (ie: Live3D, Restream, VRChat) Digital Audio Editors (ie: Audacity, Garage Band) Poser & Reference Tools (ie: Poser, Blender) Graphic & Image Editors (ie: Canva, Adobe Photoshop*, Procreate, Medibang, automatic filters from phone cameras)

*While Adobe software such as Adobe Photoshop is not considered Generative AI, Adobe Firefly is fully integrated in various Adobe software and falls under our definition of Generative AI. The use of Adobe Photoshop is allowed on Pillowfort. The creation of an image in Adobe Photoshop using Adobe Firefly would be prohibited on Pillowfort. 

-

Can I use ethical generators? 

Due to the evolving nature of Generative AI, ethical generators are not an exception.

-

Can I still talk about AI? 

Yes! Posts, Comments, and User Communities discussing AI are still allowed on Pillowfort.

-

Can I link to or embed websites, articles, or social media posts containing Generative AI? 

Yes. We do ask that you properly tag your post as “AI” and “Artificial Intelligence.”

-

Can I advertise the sale of digital or virtual goods containing Generative AI?

No. Offsite Advertising of the sale of goods (digital and physical) containing Generative AI on Pillowfort is prohibited.

-

How can I tell if a software I use contains Generative AI?

A general rule of thumb as a first step is you can try testing the software by turning off internet access and seeing if the tool still works. If the software says it needs to be online there’s a chance it’s using Generative AI and needs to be explored further. 

You are also always welcome to contact us at moderation@pillowfort.social if you’re still unsure.

-

How will this policy be enforced/detected?

Our Team has decided we are NOT using AI-based automated detection tools due to how often they provide false positives and other issues. We are applying a suite of methods sourced from international universities responding to moderating material potentially sourced from Generative AI instead.

-

How do I report content containing Generative AI Material?

If you are concerned about post(s) featuring Generative AI material, please flag the post for our Site Moderation Team to conduct a thorough investigation. As a reminder, Pillowfort’s existing policy regarding callout posts applies here and harassment / brigading / etc will not be tolerated. 

Any questions or clarifications regarding our Generative AI Policy can be sent to moderation@pillowfort.social.

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Arthur in the future discovering Google:

Arthurian legends

History for the past 1500 years

Where is Camelot now?

What happened to King Arthur’s unsent letters to Merlin?

How can I get something from an archive?

Can I keep something from an archive?

How much does it cost to buy an archive?

What is sexuality?

Why are people arguing King Arthur’s sexuality?

King Arthur’s wife.

What was king Arthur’s sexuality?

Am I gay quiz

Can I like both?

How to tell my best friend I’m not only attracted to women?

How to tell my best friend he’s hot without complimenting him?

What is fragile masculinity?

How can I have strong masculinity?

How to confidently compliment my best friend without hitting on him?

What’s no homo?

Can best friends hug?

(Edit: part two)

[kerink]

in light of people's confusion over cecil's longevity in @sexymanotd i wanted to document a bit of his history for those unfamiliar or nostalgic

welcome to night vale is a podcast written by joseph fink and jeffrey cranor. cecil gerschwin palmer is the main character and voiced by cecil baldwin.

it debuted on june 15, 2012 it reached its peak in popularity in 2013-2014

despite this, wtnv has been one of tumblr's top fandoms since staff started tracking fandom-related data in 2014

for the longest time the only thing we knew about cecil's appearance was: "He is wearing a tie. He is not tall or short. Not thin or fat." and that wasn't until episode 19 which aired march 15, 2013. for almost a full year we had no idea what cecil looked like. so tumblr's collective unconscious kicked into high gear and we did what we do best

we created a tumblr sexyman

from know your meme: "Defining traits of the archetype include skinny body type, trickster or villain role and dapper clothing."

know your meme identifies wheatley (portal 2, 2011) and the onceler (the lorax, 2012) as being likely tumblr's first sexymen. and the onceler fandom was at its peak in 2012-2013, the same time as wtnv. in addition to this, the hannibal fandom has been cited as one of the contributing factors to wtnv's success on tumblr.

so tumblr had created an archetype that worked and the wtnv fandom was made up of mostly hannibal fans - the foundation for putting cecil in a suit was there. and honestly? cecil's at work in the show, why wouldn't he be well dressed?

however, while this explains his attire it doesn't explain some of cecil's more unique sexyman features, namely the tentacles. for this we have to return to the 2014 fandom review analysis where you can see the most popular fandom at the time: homestuck

haven't you ever wondered why almost a quarter (189/923 at time of writing) of E rated wtnv fics on ao3 are tagged tentacles or tentacle sex? why cecil having tentacles for a dick is such a seemingly popular headcanon? well look no further then homestuck cultural hold over.

throughout all of this, the development of the sexyman archetype on tumblr and the rise of homestuck, one creator really stands out: kinomatika

kino was one of the most popular homestuck artists on tumblr at the time, popular for their eridan fanart. if you google image search "welcome to night vale" kino's art is still one of the first results you'll get

their design was so popular in fact it was featured in wtnv related articles from the time

and yes there were absolutely other artists giving cecil tentacles and moving tattoos at the time, but it can't be understated the reach kino had and the influence their homestuck roots had on their design choices

i recommend going through the archive of @nightvaleartclub to see how cecil used to be portrayed back in the early days. unfortunately the earliest fanart i've been able to find is july 2013 and i find it hard to believe it took tumblr a year to draw him. although, i started listening at episode 5 and didn't start drawing him until then myself so who knows...

cecil has had tumblr's heart in a vice grip since episode 1, with "20,000 posts, 183,000 blogs and 680,000 notes using the #Night Vale tag" during its first week. tumblr's love for wtnv has always been fairly genuine, from the impact the writing has had on tumblr humor and future story telling, to how wtnv paved the way for lgbt+ representation in indi media, to how it popularized podcasts as a medium for story telling, to the little comforts some of cecil's quotes still bring people today

cecil is not only a founding father of tumblr culture, but also a blorbo of the people. cecil the character in canon has a tumblr account where he posts his art and slash fanfiction.

although cecil's character has developed over time and we've come to see what a ditzy, eccentric, brat he really is, changing his status from sexyman to babygirl, cecil is absolutely a character you should embrace. and you know what... despite what i've said in the past

#cecilsweep

[ID: Images one and two are Google analytic graphs for the search terms "welcome to night vale" and "wtnv" between June 15, 2015 and January 27, 2023. They both depict very sharp spikes around 2013-2014 until the lines decrease greatly over time.

Image three is a drawing of Cecil from Welcome To Nightvale. He is white, with white hair, glasses, a third eye on his forehead, and he is wearing a suit. In the background is the silhouette of a neighborhood from the WTNV official art, a galaxy, and a moon. It is tinted purple. Image four is the always has been meme. Instead of the earth is the tumblr logo, and the text is: “a wtnv fansite?” “Always has been”. End ID] id thanks to @princess-of-purple-prose

[melobin]

✧ videos that remind me of each riize member

a compilation of nsfw links that remind me of each member of riize ot7 … if the link isn’t working be sure you’re viewing it through safari/google not through the tumblr mobile app browser. for now ive done three links for each member but in the future i can do more if you all like these types of thing!!

shotaro

link. - shotaro loves fucking you from behind, he loves your ass more than anything and he loves when you fuck yourself back on his cock. gives him to opportunity to kneel back and watch how his cock disappears inside of you as well as how your ass moves against him.

link. - the kind of video he sends you when you’re away from him .. one thing about shotaro is that he loves nipple stimulation and he always makes it known to you. fisting his cock with one hand.. playing with his nipple with the other. always makes sure you know how hard it makes him cum every time.

link. - sub!shotaro .. he’s so cute !! whiny .. squirmy. physically cant stay still no matter how hard he tries. edging him is always fun, making him tell you when he’s about to cum so you can stop touching his cock, playing with his nipples whilst he squirms and begs for you to let him cum .. he’s so sweet.

eunseok

link. - eunseok gets pussy drunk, that’s the best way to describe it. he can’t help it, when he’s inside of you he just needs to fuck you silly. his hands are always gripping your skin so tightly, fingers digging into you, always leaving prints and sometimes even nail marks behind.

link. - spanking .. pussy slapping .. playing with your clit. he’s so mean !! he loves how weak and whiny you get from it, he especially loves how much you get off on the pain. in his eyes it’s adorable that you get so wet and desperate from his spanking your ass, his sweet baby can’t go five minutes without wanting his cock inside of her.

link. - eunseok is rough. he just can’t help but stop fucking you so he can slap and play with your tits.. pulling and squeezing your nipple to make you squirm and whine in pain, slapping your face just to catch you off guard before fucking you again. he knows you like it .. he likes it even more when you slap him back.

sungchan

link. - sungchan is just so big .. especially his cock. he loves positions that let him get as deep as possible inside of you as well as letting him manhandle and grab every inch of you. spooning sex is perfect for that.. can he balls deep inside of you whilst grabbing your tits .. slapping your ass.. wrapping his hand around your throat…

link. - sungchan’s size kink is out of this world. he loves how much smaller you are compared to him, how he can manhandle you and move you however he wants. he especially loves how his cock looks like it would tear you in half if you sat on it but you always take him so well.. that’s what the cock training was good for.

link. - sungchan loves finger fucking you till you’re a dripping mess, he gets off on the squelching sounds his fingers make when they’re inside of you. thinks it’s amusing out fucked out you can get just from that alone … the lips on your neck just give him the ability to laugh lowly in your ear and call you a needy little thing …

wonbin

link. - wonbin loves kissing your neck whilst he fucks you, it’s one of the only things that keeps him quiet.. any other time he’s just as vocal as you are. sometimes he just loses composure, needs to fuck you till you’re digging your nails into his skin and crying out for him. he just loves being close to you.. especially bringing his hands up to squeeze your tits when he’s calming himself down post orgasm.

link. - wonbin loves holding your hands when he fucks you, loves how your fingers dig into his skin as his thrusts get harder sharper. those are the times he’d be looking down at you, letting his necklace ghost over your face with each thrust.. admiring how pretty his sweet girl looks under him whilst she’s getting fucked.

link. - it’s rough but intimate.. wonbin’s dream. fucking you from behind, wrapping his hand around your throat so he can hear your choked out moans. the forehead kiss is almost like him silently telling you how well you’re taking his cock and the kiss is just because he wants to be close to you. he loves having his lips on yours whilst he fucks you, obsessed with the way you moan and pant into his mouth with each thrust.

seunghan

link. - seunghan loves stretching you out with his cock.. holding your legs up gives him the perfect view of his cock stretching out your cunt.. he loves being able to see himself disappear inside of you, loves watching how you needily swallow every inch of his cock.

link. - sex with seunghan can get intense. he loves being close to you, being able to touch and kiss every inch of you. often finds home with his tongue on your cunt and usually gets really into eating you out. thinks you taste like heaven and wants to get every last drop of it on his tongue. won’t stop him from finger fucking you till you’re crying then fucking you brainless after though.

link. - sometimes seunghan can be mean. it’s not too often it happens but when it does.. he basks in watching you be overstimulated and fucked out. having you dressed so prettily with your hands cuffed behind your back and a vibrator pressed against your cunt .. he thrives in those moments, laughing at you whilst cooing about how he wouldn’t have to punish you if you’d just be good for him.

sohee

link. - sohee loves tasting you.. loves pressing his tongue against your cunt and savouring your flavour. the soft kisses, the gentle flicks of his tongue. he’s lazy but he also likes taking his time with you. loves how wet you get because of it.. how he can slide his fingers into you and leave kisses along the rest of your body before wrapping his lips around your nipple.

link. - he loves kissing you. loves having you on his lap whilst you make out.. will happily watch you kiss down his body and take his cock into your mouth. he genuinely thinks you look your prettiest whilst sucking him off so he savours the moment as much as he can. watches you in adoration as you undress yourself and sink down into his cock before kissing him again .. he’s in love with you.

link. - it’s rare. but sometimes sohee loses all self control and just has to fuck you. he’s not one who gets rough often and he really isn’t one for public sex but sometimes, sometimes he’s just so insatiable that he has to have you no matter where you are. even if that means fucking you in a random closest of the building you’re in.

anton

link. - anton and his love for you in short skirts .. really enjoys watching you grind needily against his hand whilst stroking his cock .. he loves knowing how desperate you are for him. plus.. makes you keep the skirt on when you fuck because he thinks you look so pretty in it.

link. - anton just loves you in skirts and dresses. loves fucking you in them too. if you’re wearing one, he’ll spend the entire day thinking about having you on his cock. needs to have you sinking down on it before you take it off so he can watch his cock slide into you under the material.

link. - he loves fucking you from behind. loves how needy you get as he fucks you, how you whine and look behind your shoulder to look at him. takes a lot of self restraint for him to not just grab your hair and yank on it so your back is pressed to his chest.. but it would give him the power to grab your jaw and kiss you while fucking you.. which he always loves to do.

[shadowsandstarlight]

One of these day I’m just gonna start posting in French and it’ll all be over for you guys

[mostlysignssomeportents]

An Epic antitrust loss for Google

A jury just found Google guilty on all counts of antitrust violations stemming from its dispute with Epic, maker of Fortnite, which brought a variety of claims related to how Google runs its app marketplace. This is huge:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/technology/epic-games-google-antitrust-ruling.html

The mobile app store world is a duopoly run by Google and Apple. Both use a variety of tactics to prevent their customers from installing third party app stores, which funnels all app makers into their own app stores. Those app stores cream an eye-popping 30% off every purchase made in an app.

This is a shocking amount to charge for payment processing. The payments sector is incredibly monopolized and notorious for its price-gouging – and its standard (wildly inflated) rate is 2-5%:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/04/owning-the-libs/#swiper-no-swiping

Now, in theory, Epic doesn't have to sell in Google Play, the official Android app store. Unlike Apple's iOS, Android permit both sideloading (installing an app directly without using an app store) and configuring your device to use a different app store. In practice, Google uses a variety of anticompetitive tricks to prevent these app stores from springing up and to dissuade Android users from sideloading. Proving that Google's actions – like paying Activision $360m as part of "Project Hug" (no, really!) – were intended to prevent new app storesfrom springing up was a big lift for Epic. But they managed it, in large part thanks to Google's own internal communications, wherein executives admitted that this was exactly why Project Hug existed. This is part of a pattern with Big Tech antitrust: many of the charges are theoretically very hard to make stick, but because the companies put their evil plans in writing (think of the fraudulent crypto exchange FTX, whose top execs all conferred in a groupchat called "Wirefraud"), Big Tech keeps losing in court:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/03/big-tech-cant-stop-telling-on-itself/

Now, I do like to dunk on Big Tech for this kind of thing, because it's objectively funny and because the companies make so many unforced errors. But in an important sense, this kind of written record is impossible to avoid. Any large institution can only make and enact policy through administrative systems, and those systems leave behind a paper-trail: memos, meeting minutes, etc. Yes, we all know that quote from The Wire: "Is you taking notes on a fucking criminal conspiracy?" But inevitably, any ambitious conspiracy can only exist if someone is taking notes.

What's more, any large conspiracy involving lots of parties will inevitably produce leaks. Think of this as the corollary to the idea that the moon landing can't be a hoax, because there's no way 400,000 co-conspirators could keep the secret. Big Tech's conspiracies required hundreds or even thousands of collaborators to keep their mouths shut, and eventually someone blabs:

https://www.science.org/content/article/fake-moon-landing-you-d-need-400000-conspirators

This is part of a wave of antitrust cases being brought against the tech giants. As Matt Stoller writes, the guilty-on-all-counts jury verdict will leak into current and future actions. Remember, Google spent much of this year in court fighting the DoJ, who argued that the company bribed Apple not to make a competing search engine, paying tens of billions every year to keep a competitor from emerging. Now that a jury has convinced Google of doing that to prevent alternative app stores from emerging, claims that it used these pay-for-delay tactics in other sectros get a lot more credible:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/boom-google-loses-antitrust-case

On that note: what about Apple? Epic brought a very similar case against Apple and lost. Both Apple and Epic are appealing that case to the Supreme Court, and now that Google has been convicted in a similar case, it might prompt the Supremes to weigh in and resolve the seeming inconsistencies in the interpretation of federal law.

This is a key moment in the long project to wrest antitrust away from the pro-monopoly side, who spent decades "training" judges to produce verdicts that run counter to the plain language of America's antitrust law:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/13/post-bork-era/#manne-down

There's 40 years' worth of bad precedent to overturn. The good news is that we've got the law on our side. Literally, the wording of the laws and the records of the Congressional debate leading to their passage, all militate towards the (incredibly obvious) conclusion that the purpose of anti-monopoly law is to fight monopoly, not defend it:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/14/aiming-at-dollars/#not-men

It's amazing to realize that we got into this monopoly quagmire because judges just literally refused to enforce the law. That's what makes one part of the jury verdict against Google so exciting: the jury found that Google's insistence that Play Store sellers use its payment processor was an act of illegal tying. Today, "tying" is an obscure legal theory, but few doctrines would be more useful in disenshittifying the internet. A company is guilty of illegal tying when it forces you to use unrelated products or services as a condition of using the product you actually want. The abandonment of tying led to a host of horribles, from printer companies forcing you to buy ink at $10,000/gallon to Livenation forcing venues to sell tickets through its Ticketmaster subsidiary.

The next phase of this comes when the judge decides on the penalty. Epic doesn't want cash damages – it wants the judge to order Google to fulfill its promise of "an open, competitive Android ecosystem for all users and industry participants." They've asked the judge to order Google to facilitate third-party app stores, and to separate app stores from payment processors. As Stoller puts it, they want to "crush Google’s control over Android":

https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/epic-v-google-trial-verdict-a-win-for-all-developers

Google has sworn to appeal, surprising no one. The Times's expert says that they will have a tough time winning, given how clear the verdict was. Whatever this means for Google and Android, it means a lot for a future free from monopolies.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/12/im-feeling-lucky/#hugger-mugger