#how does it function without hardware

[toastysol]

Endlessly fascinated by how often the mysterious "beyond the blackwall" is talked about as though it was discovered by humans rather than made. Like some foreign jungle filled with venomous snakes and bugs and big cats etc. Instead of like a massive server. That is another question I have. How is the old net (beyond the blackwall) structured? I assumed it must have been a lot like our internet today, where every website is hosted on different servers, but the way it's talked about is strange if that were the case. Almost like the whole thing was hosted on one large server and everyone else's servers merely tapped into it. Communed with it.

It is a wilderness, the space between stars, some incomprehensible depth filled with man-created minds. It's like it's some extra plane of existence, like the hells of faerûn where devils and demons find portals into our world. But in reality it's like. Some server somewhere. Right? But if it were, wouldn't NetWatch just track down the server(s) and shut it down, effectively destroying any dangerous rogue AIs caught inside? Idk maybe I don't know anything about how the internet works but everytime anyone in the game says anything about it, it always raises so many more questions than answers.

[kaleidoscopewritings19]

Joel Miller x F!Reader

Title: Dreams of Her (PART 1)

PART 2

Warning(s): SMUT. MDNI. P in V, Oral, female receiving. Unprotected sex. 18+ Wrap it before you tap it.

Character(s): Joel Miller, Female X Reader, Sarah Miller mentioned, Mrs. Adler mentioned, and Ellie.

Everything italicized is a dream! Bold print = dialogue prompts. Credit for prompts @ the other woman-Emily.

MY WORK IS NOT TO BE SHARED, TRANSLATED, OR POSTED TO OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. ©️

The cool Wyoming air whipped through the open window, causing Joel to stir awake. He rubbed his face, trying to see what time it was. The old analog clock on his nightstand read 2:02 AM. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stared at the floor.

His body cracked and popped as he slowly stood up out of bed, and closed the window. The fully functional small town of Jackson was sound asleep; other than the men who had to take watch. It was hard to find sleep most nights, but Joel wanted nothing more than to rest his achy, tired body.

But before he could get back into bed, he had to check on Ellie. Never in a million years did he think he’d have the opportunity to live a (somewhat) normal life after the outbreak. He never thought he would get the chance to check on someone he cared about again.

The old wood door creaked as he peered around it, finding Ellie sound asleep at her window seat— uncovered. Joel quietly walked over and covered her shivering body with her comforter, and was able to leave without waking her.

Anytime he woke up, he couldn’t go back to bed until he checked around the house. He wasn’t afraid— he was just taking extra precautions.

After a quick scan throughout the house, Joel felt safe enough to crawl back into bed. No sooner than he pulled his blankets up, he was out. At night, memories would plague his dreams- especially the bad ones. However, tonight was one of the rare one’s where he dreamed of you.

Back in Austin, Joel had built a porch swing. Sarah had requested one be built for her to sit and swing on during the summer. Joel would do anything to make his daughter, his number one priority, happy.

It was May 24th of 2002 when Joel had finally decided to start on the porch swing; it would be built just in time for Sarah to have it for the first day of her summer break. She was at school and Joel had went to the hardware store and came back to the house to see you sitting on the porch steps.

You were wearing a yellow sundress, and your hair was curled and pinned back. Joel loved seeing you on his porch steps looking like a goddess.

When you seen him pull into the driveway, you had a big smile on your face. You jumped up from the porch steps and ran into his open arms. He pressed a kiss to your lips, “Hey there darlin’. Have ya been waitin’ long?” He questioned and you shook your head.

“Nope. I got here five minutes ago.” You said and he pulled you close into his body. Joel could still faintly smell your Vanilla perfume. “I love you in that dress.” He mumbled against your glossed lips.

You smiled up at him, “I don’t think your neighbor does. She asked me if I wanted to borrow one of her cardigans. Said there’s s’pose to be a cold spell coming soon.” Joel instantly knew what neighbor you were referring to— Mrs. Adler. He has had multiple conversations with her about you; most of them being about how young you were.

“Joel, she’s a little young don’t cha think?”

“People might think she’s your daughter.”

However, you were 22 years old, and he was 32 years old. That made you thirteen years older than Sarah, and ten years younger than him. But no matter how much he tried to explain to Mrs. Adler that you were much older than Sarah, she would still tell him,

“Now, Joel, that young lady is still wet behind the ears. You can’t expect her to stick around long—she’s young, and naive right now.” On multiple occasions, Mrs. Adler had tried to talk sense into you, but you never talked back and always respected what she had to say.

Joel admired you for that, and at times, you would try to gain the neighbors approval by helping her in the garden, or helping with her mother.

Joel couldn’t help but to smile, “I think she forgets this is Texas. We aren’t going to have a cold spell for a while.” He pulled a couple of sacks from the inside of the truck, and walked them over to the porch.

“What are you going to build, J?” You asked and Joel reached out for your hand.

“A porch swing for Sarah. She’s been beggin’ for one for awhile now.” He said as he led you up the steps, and pointed where the swing would go.

“Oh, she’ll love that! It would be the perfect spot to read a book, or to drink coffee in the morning.” You said as you sat on the porch banister. Joel’s right leg went in between your legs, and you wrapped your arms around his neck.

His hands held your waist, “That would be nice. A hot cup of coffee in the morning, or seeing you on it when I come home from work.” You smiled as his palm flatted against your bare thigh, and moved upwards under your dress. Joel shamelessly planted kisses along your jawline, and then traced down your neck. You shuddered as his lips delicately danced around the sensitive skin.

“Someone might see us, Joel..” you whispered as his finger tips traced your laced panties. “No one’s going to see us.” He murmured. His lips connected to yours, and your fingers tugged at his dark brown hair; this encouraged him to go even further.

Joel spread your legs just enough for him to slip a finger into your panties, and between your slick folds. A breathy moan escaped past your lips; this was music to Joel’s ears.

Before he could go any further, the squeaking sound of Mrs. Adler’s screen door made the two of you jump apart. If Joel wouldn’t have caught your leg, you would’ve fell in the bushes. “Hi Mrs. Adler!” He shouted and she waved at him.

“Just checking the mail! Don’t mind me!” She shouted back, and both you and Joel chuckled.

He helped you down from the banister and lead you into the quietness of his home. The Miller home was far from being fancy, but you always told him his home was more homey and comforting than yours.

Your father was some big time military General; he often lived in different countries while you and your mom stayed in Texas. But now he was home for the next couple of years, and you talked about how hard he could be on you. Your father expected big things from you, and that’s why you were studying to become a clinical psychologist.

Did your father know about him? Yes. Joel had met your father on a couple of occasions and he did not approve of Joel. Number one, ‘he was too old’. Number two, ‘he had a child’. And number three, ‘he was simply not good enough for you’. Despite your father’s wishes, you stayed with Joel.

It was hard to get alone time with Joel, because on weekends, school breaks, and any time after 3 PM, he was in full dad mode. Joel had told Sarah some stuff about you, but as far as she knew, you were just a good friend.

Joel closed the front door behind him, and you sat down on the arm of the couch. The cool leather against your skin made you shiver. Slowly, you pulled the pins from your hair, and beckoned him to come to you. The scent of your perfume drove him crazy; all he wanted to do was take you right then and there.

He knelt down in front of you, both hands running up and down your legs agonizingly slow. His dark brown eyes looked up through his lashes, and he pressed a gentle kiss to your knee, then up to your thigh.

Joel’s calloused hands rested on your thighs, and then without a notice, his fingers hooked under the thin lacy fabric of your panties. He slid them down your legs letting the air hit your wet core. A smile broke out across Joel’s face as he slid you closer to him, his head now underneath your dress. He pressed a kiss to the inner part of your thigh, and then pressed a gentle kiss to where you wanted him the most.

Your hands went to his hair as his tongue flattened and tasted you. When the tip of his tongue danced around your clit, it made you push yourself back from the sudden warmth of pleasure.

Joel pulled you down to sit on the couch rather than the arm of the piece of furniture; his face never left your core. His hands flattened against your thighs, and kept a strong grip on them; Joel didn’t want you to move an inch from his mouth.

“Oh, Joel.” You whimpered as his tongue delve into you.

There was one thing Joel loved more than having you on his cock, and it was tongue fucking you. Your breathing would turn into short breaths, and you would moan his name over and over like a sweet song. His thumb started massaging your clit in a circular motion, “I want you to finish baby.” He mumbled against your wet cunt.

When he realized that you weren’t getting close, he swirled his tongue around your clit. You squirmed underneath his hands but he held you still— bruises would surely form. Joel teased your clit, causing you to pull him closer into you.

Your body shook underneath his grasp and against his lips as he continued to lap up your juices. When you arched your back, Joel knew you were about to finish. “Joel, I’m about to..”

Before you could finish your sentence, Joel pulled away, lips glistening with you. He scooped you up off the couch bridal style, and took you up the stairs and into his room.

Joel sat you on the edge of his bed, his lips red and puffy from his previous activity. His left hand steadied himself on the bed while his right hand played with the spaghetti strap of your sundress.Your nose brushed against Joel’s, and his lips ghost over yours; the strap to your dress tickled down your arm, exposing your hard nipple to him.

His thumb and forefinger pinched and twisted the pebbled skin, and he connected his lips to yours. Your lips moved against his softly—during days like these, Joel preferred to take things slow. It was only 8AM, he had all the time in the world to make love to you. He pulled the other strap of your dress down, and started pulling your dress up over your hips. You pulled away from his lips, and quickly pulled his shirt over his head. Then you started working on unbuckling the belt from his jeans, “So impatient, darlin’.”

“I’m more than patient. You left me hangin’ downstairs.” You responded, and Joel stopped your hands.

“Watch the attitude, sweetheart. Don’t make me fuck it out of you.” his Texas accent laid the words on thick. His thumb tilted your chin back so he could look you in the eyes.

You smiled up at him, and continued to pull his jeans down. His cock was already throbbing from the site of you, and when your hand gently brushed over the bulge in his boxers, it twitched. With a devious smile, you pushed yourself back on the bed and spread your legs. Joel knew what you were doing; you were going to try to punish him for the little stunt he pulled downstairs.

Your hands trailed between your legs, and your fingers ran between your slick folds. He watched you intently, as you brought your fingers to your lips, tasting yourself. Joel groaned at the site in front of him. “Use your words, Joel. Tell me, what you want.” You teased, using the words he used to you in bed.

Joel chuckled, “I want you to keep doin’ what your doin’.” But you shook your head, “Not good enough, Joel. Tell me what you want me to do.”

His eyes darkened, “I want you to put your hand between your legs, and insert one finger at a time until I tell you to stop.” He commanded, he was slowly taking back control.

You obeyed his words, and your hand slowly traced from your stomach, down between your legs, gathering the wetness on your fingers.

Joel pulled down his boxers, his cock springing out. You drooled at the site of him standing in front of you, waiting for you to do what he said.

Languidly, you inserted one finger inside of yourself, and slowly pulled it in and out of you. Joel took his cock in his hands and started pumping himself as you added a second finger.

When you added a third finger, the idea of taking things slow was left behind. Joel crawled across the bed, and pushed you down into the mattress. He hovered over your body, and pressed a bruising kiss to your lips. Your dress was discarded as Joel sat up.

He pulled you by your calves and angled you up, “Look at that pussy. So wet for me.” Joel guided his cock to your entrance, teasing your clit with the tip. You could feel the warmth of pre-cum rub against you, “Oh Joel…” you whimpered.

“I love it when you whimper my name.” He said as he pushed the tip into your tight cunt. A groan escaped past his lips, “So fuckin’ tight.”

His cock pushed deeper inside you. With every push, your grip tightened on his forearms, and your legs trembled in his hands.

You released your grasp on his forearms, and started massaging your breasts; it was something Joel loved to see you do while he fucked you senseless.

The stretch around his cock stung, but when he looked at you for confirmation to move, you gave him a small nod. Slowly, his hips rocked up into you, and his gaze was fixed upon you. Joel’s pace had quickened, and the squelching sounds of your pussy suctioning to him was erotic; it fed fuel to the fire that was burning between you two.

“I love watching you take in every inch of my cock into that perfect body.” He groaned as he watched himself go in and out of you.

When he gazed back up at you, your eyes were closed tight, lost in pure euphoria. He released your legs, and spread them further apart, so he could move between them.

His body hovered over yours, and he pressed a kiss to your lips. Your eyes fluttered opened as his cock rested inside you, and he kissed along your neck and back to your jawline.

“Please, don’t stop.” You whimpered and Joel resumed back to thrusting into you. Your mouth gaped as Joel sucked on your neck, surely leaving a hickey behind.

“Everyone is gonna know who you belong to.” He mumbled, and his pace started to slow down. “I want you to finish on my cock, baby.” He whispered into your ear.

Joel could feel you tighten around his pulsating cock, and when a lewd sound left your lips, he knew you were chasing your high. “Come for me.” He whispered and you were shaking underneath him. His lips connected to yours as he spilled inside of you; he rocked into you until he couldn’t anymore.

With his free hand, he pushed back a strand of hair that was stuck to your forehead. He pulled out of you and pulled the bed sheet to cover your naked bodies. When he laid back into the pillows, you moved over and rested your head above his heart.

Joel pulled you close into his body and he caressed your back, his fingers gingerly touching you.

The two of you laid there in silence, looking over at the breeze that was moving the curtain back and forth. “I miss you.” You whispered, and Joel’s fingers froze over your shoulder blade.

“Darlin’, I’m right here.” He said. You sat up on your elbow so you could look him in the eyes.

“I miss you so much my heart hurts.” Tears filled your eyes and Joel sat up. “I didn’t want to go with him, I- I wanted to go with you. It wasn’t my choice, my father said we would come back for you, and we- we didn’t.” You sobbed.

Joel stared at you in bewilderment, “What are you talkin’ about, Y/N?”

“He took me away from you the night of the outbreak. Don’t you remember Joel? I was with you, Tommy, and Sarah. I was there when they shot her. I was there when you cradled her body. Did you know my father shot me on command?”

Joel woke up and he gasped for air. He looked towards the right side of his bed where you should have been, but the space was empty. His heart pounded in his chest, and all he could do was stare at the empty side of his bed.

The sun was shining through a space in the curtain, and he looked over at his clock: 8:01 AM. He rubbed his face as he stepped out of bed and opened his night stand.

Joel was only able to save a few pictures; a couple of Sarah and then a photo of you from the day you wore that yellow sundress. You were sitting on the new porch swing and Joel was right next to you, his arm slung around your shoulders, watching you smile at the camera. In the photograph, he was smiling at you smiling, and he was glad Mrs. Adler caught this moment.

The dreams he had of you, never ended like that. He often wondered where you were, or what happened to you. Joel knew your father would have protected you over anyone else, and he hoped you were still alive and thriving.

Regardless of what was going on in this apocalyptic world, when he thought of you, he hoped you were safe. Sometimes, when Joel found himself alone and it was quiet, he would pray that you were out there alive, and that your paths would cross.

He took the picture downstairs with him as he fixed himself a cup of coffee. The photo was worn and faded; the back was yellowed, but in black ink, he could still read your words.

“Joel, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you. Forever and Always, Y/N.”

Ellie came up behind him to pull a cup out of the cupboard. “Who’s that?” She asked and Joel looked down at your smiling face.

“She’s a story for another time.” He said with a sad, small smile. Ellie stared at the picture on the counter, but she knew better than to pester Joel about it.

You were one of the last things he had that was good. The idea of keeping you to himself, made him feel like you were still alive. Saying what happened that night out loud, made him believe otherwise.

Joel picked up the picture and placed it in the pocket of his shirt, that rested above his heart. Maybe one day, your paths would cross.

I don’t know how to feel about this one. I’m semi-comfortable with writing smut, but I fear I’m not GOOD at it. I was nervous to post this, but oh well. 👀Part 2 maybe? Or should we end it here? Thank for reading! Comments, likes, and reboots are always welcomed and appreciated!

[ms-demeanor]

One thing that I keep seeing whenever I make posts that are critical of macs is folks in the notes going "they make great computers for the money if you just buy used/refurbs - everyone knows not to buy new" and A) no they don't know that, most people go looking for a new computer unless they have already exhausted the new options in their budget and B) no they don't make great computers for the money, and being used doesn't do anything to make them easier to work on or repair or upgrade.

Here's a breakdown of the anti-consumer, anti-repair features recently introduced in macbooks. If you don't want to watch the video, here's how it's summed up:

In the end the Macbook Pro is a laptop with a soldered-on SSD and RAM, a battery secured with glue, not screws, a keyboard held in with rivets, a display and lid angle sensor no third party can replace without apple. But it has modular ports so I guess that’s something. But I don’t think it’s worthy of IFixIt’s four out of ten reparability score because if it breaks you have to face apple’s repair cost; with no repair competition they can charge whatever they like. You either front the cost, or toss the laptop, leaving me wondering “who really owns this computer?”

Apple doesn't make great computers for the money because they are doing everything possible to make sure that you don't actually own your computer, you just lease the hardware from apple and they determine how long it is allowed to function.

The lid angle sensor discussed in this video replaces a much simpler sensor that has been used in laptops for twenty years AND calibrating the sensor after a repair requires access to proprietary apple software that isn't accessible to either users or third party repair shops. There's no reason for this software not to be included as a diagnostic tool on your computer except that Apple doesn't want users working on apple computers. If your screen breaks, or if the fragile cable that is part of the sensor wears down, your only option to fix this computer is to pay apple.

How long does apple plan to support this hardware? What if you pay $3k for a computer today and it breaks in 7 years - will they still calibrate the replacement screen for you or will they tell you it's time for new hardware EVEN THOUGH YOU COULD HAVE ATTAINED FUNCTIONAL HARDWARE THAT WILL WORK IF APPLE'S SOFTWARE TELLS IT TO?

Look at this article talking about "how long" apple supports various types of hardware. It coos over the fact that a 2013 MacBook Air could be getting updates to this day. That's the longest example in this article, and that's *hardware* support, not the life cycle of the operating system. That is dogshit. That is straight-up dogshit.

Apple computers are DRM locked in a way that windows machines only wish they could pull off, and the apple-only chips are a part of that. They want an entirely walled garden so they can entirely control your interactions with the computer that they own and you're just renting.

Even if they made the best hardware in the world that would last a thousand years and gave you flowers on your birthday it wouldn't matter because modern apple computers don't ever actually belong to apple customers, at the end of the day they belong to apple, and that's on purpose.

This is hardware as a service. This is John Deere. This is subscription access to the things you buy, and if it isn't exactly that right at this moment, that is where things have been heading ever since they realized it was possible to exert a control that granular over their users.

With all sympathy to people who are forced to use them, Fuck Apple I Hope That They Fall Into The Ocean And Are Hidden Away From The Honest Light Of The Sun For Their Crimes.

[grison-in-space]

Hey hey! Wyrd told me you trained your dog to help with executive dysfunction stickyness/ repetitive action and I would LOVE to know how you trained this. I am training my pet to do a few in-home things before I get my prospect in hopefully this year

Oh, hi! There's a longer post about this topic elsewhere in my Matilda tag you might want to check out.

A lot of my training approach is informed by the experimenting I did with alarms that interact with other senses besides acoustics during COVID. I got completely nonresponsive to phone alarms and things, and I was under a truly catastrophic amount of stress related to my PhD at the time, so my general functioning wasn't great and I really NEEDED external cues to trigger basic daily tasks. Unfortunately I have a pretty impressive ability to hyperfocus right past obnoxious alarms, and worse, I am very very good at absently turning alarms off or mimicking paying attention without actually pulling my focus away from the subject of my attention. You get a 5-30sec buffer of retained information for the purposes of holding up a conversation which I am continuously dumping. I am not necessarily doing it consciously, but that doesn't make it not frustrating. Especially because if a human does get my attention, many years of RSD tends to set me at hyper defensive right out of the gate. That's not ideal for a bunch of reasons.

Anyway, I found that vibration or tactile stimuli, as well as visual stimuli (I rigged a disco lamp to turn on at hourly intervals in a desperate attempt to track the passage of time), worked quite well to capture my attention and let me step out of hyperfocus enough to do the next thing. I figured eventually I would have to see humans in their meat suits again and people get weird about shit like this, so I needed something relatively discreet and quiet that shouldn't be disruptive to anyone else. I started thinking about building myself aids.

So the first idea I had was to just program a series of alarms into a smartwatch that could automatically attach them to alerts from my gcal, but it turns out that they don't have an api function that hooks up to stuff like "make watch buzz" and I ran out of bandwidth to deal with it. It eventually just seemed easier to train an entire dog to respond to a quiet alarm than to fight with the hardware and software to make a really good buzzwatch. I use a couple of different alarm ring tones to cue different actions just as you might train any dog to a word: this one means we go to the bedroom, that one means that if you take meds I get candy, and so forth. The actual sound of the alarm is a cue in its own right. I have some discussion in that other post about how I encouraged my dog to essentially play a game with me where she had to figure out how to get my attention without hurting (aka NO SCREAMING WITH YOUR VERY LOUD HIGH PITCHED BARK). Essentially, I'm shaping that out of whatever behaviors she offers me that successfully catch my attention, defined operationally to her as "standing up + sustained eye contact."

In terms of catching me when I'm tending to get stuck on something or stationary without moving, that one is less "Yes I and my dog are amazing and I've trained her to read my mind" and more "I don't make eye contact when I'm dissociating and I almost always am staring into my phone." So if Matilda catches me drifting across the kitchen glued to phone, she knows that if she rockets up and nudges me into paying attention to my body, she'll get a reward. Consequentially, she's a bit enthusiastic about this one and will sometimes ram passersby with her nose, so definitely figure out your failure modes before you teach the dogs anything.

[quirkyfries]

Hi there’s a tornado in my area rn but I’m spiteful like that. Random tsams/eaps headcanons be upon ye

Ruin still does those little audio log diaries. It helps manage his overflowing memory storage (read: old age = more memories to store) without compressing data files.

Bloodmoon sleeps with dog toys. Otherwise, they’d probably chew through whatever bedding material they had chosen that night. This was Ruin’s idea.

Eclipse can’t sleep with lights on in a room. Ruin can’t sleep without a light. The makeshift solution is a sleeping mask for Eclipse, but their actual compromise is a star projector.

Eclipse has to know where everyone is most of the time, especially after Charlie came into the picture. This is usually done with cameras and tracking via fazbear systems, but it’s an issue he has to work on, as it’s just a method to make him feel better about security now that there are people he cares about. At least one person has commented on there being a new nightguard.

Dark sun finds thrillers tacky, and prefers thought-provoking mysteries, bonus points for romance.

Most of them carry some kind of sanitizing wipe packet. For daycare attendants, these are for sticky messes and children. For those more familiar with tools, these are for tougher grime and are not suitable for sensitive (children’s) skin. Solar has both.

The eclipses (Eclipse, Solar, Ruin) are the most prone to damaging their rays. Eclipse sometimes hits doorways and doesn’t bother to fix cracked rays. Ruin is small enough for humans to reach his head. Solar peels the paint off of his. All three will pull or squeeze their rays in times of extreme stress, to varying degrees. Lunar is an exception for lack of rays. (Similarly, Sun fidgets with his rays, which is the source of this trait.)

While there are exceptions, Suns prefer tactile stimulation, Moons auditory, and Eclipses have no strong preference. Earth likes social interaction.

Animatronics have personalized UI that makes sense to them, which serves as their access point to their internal folders, like memory files, downloaded items, and executable programs. Bots that share an operating system/“brain” have the same UI. Diagnostics, software updates, and safety modes all require additional hardware (computers, parts and service devices, fazwrenches) to complete. Mindscapes are in AI chips, and multiple AIs in one mindscape happen when multiple AIs share the same operating system. Visual feed can be projected onto other screens with HDMI cables and vice versa, which can sometimes show that bot’s UI depending on what it is. For a more direct example of this think of the battery and blue borders you see in Security breach when Gregory is hiding inside Freddy.

Safety mode disconnects that bot from the Fazbear Ent. local network, meaning no tracking, no communication via local networks (which generally aren’t private anyway, most bots with access to phones prefer those), and no access to files that aren’t stored in that bot’s drive. This is meant to isolate a bot’s systems from the main network in case of a security breach (hah), make transportation of bots between locations easier, and make maintenance a smoother affair as there is no outside interference during the process. For the bots themselves, this is the equivalent of turning off your phone and going outside I mean focusing only on what’s in front of you instead of what’s going on in your area/social network. It’s possible to be stuck in safety mode. Depending on how much of a bot’s system relies on Fazbear Ent. Networks to function (such as a bot’s memory being stored in a Cloud, which is also ill advised between the bots themselves,) this can be mean a temporary personality/memory reset until those files get reconnected again. Bots do not need to be connected to the Fazbear ent networks to function, but it generally makes access to software updates easier due to being recognized as a company entity. It is possible for a private network to exist, but it’s considered foreign by Fazbear systems and can be more trouble than they’re worth. Moon and Eclipse have private networks shared with close friends and family for different purposes. Moon’s is mostly for emergency backups, and Eclipse’s is for security.

Animatronic’s memories are stored in the hard drives in their bodies. It’s possible to offload memory files into networks (Cloud) or external storage systems. If another bot had access to these clouds or external storages, they could experience the memories stored in them. Memory files include visual and auditory data, like a movie. AI/personality chips are the equivalent of a soul in that the AI is the product of a learning AI having experienced environments that supplied them information about the world AKA an Ai that developed a personality beyond their base programming, but they do not carry memories. For example, Eclipse V3-V4 is an Eclipse AI given incomplete memories, creating a disconnect in the AI’s learned behaviors and what it perceives as the source of that behavior, resulting in an incomplete backup. Backups are static/unchanging copies of integral memory files and the accompanying AI (As is in the moment that they are backed up.) Backups need to be updated as the animatronic it’s for develops.

[messyzoranablog]

Zorana's Guide To The Poke Classic Network!

Do you want to connect your DS Pokemon games to the internet long after Nintendo shut down their servers? Do you wish to trade and battle with your internet friends who play the gen 4 and 5 Pokemon games? Do you have a desire to watch and upload battle videos like you used to years ago?

If you said yes to any of these questions then I have the thing for you!

The Poke Classic Network!

This is a fan server for Pokemon DPPT, HGSS, BW, and BW2 that's running with the help of the Kaeru WFC! Not only does it let you connect your games to the internet again, the site will let you see what Pokemon are up on the GTS for both the gen 4 and gen 5 servers!

Below is my guide on how to get this working for you so you can bring a new life to these wonderful Pokemon games. Also I thought this would be shorter but it's rather long, so under the cut it goes! Please let me know if I missed anything in here! I'll try my best to fix it if I can.

Getting Started:

Before you get connected, make sure you are using the device you plan on doing all of your online connections with! For some reason you are locked to one device for this stuff and using another one will wipe your PalPad, and assign you a new friend code. Since what's available in the GTS search function is based on SEEN Pokemon the most reliable way to get particular pokemon (without marking everything as seen via cheating) would be trading them from people you've registered in the PalPad.

If you only plan on using the GTS then you don't need to worry as much about this.

The Poke Classic Network works on ALL DS/3Ds systems!

I will note that the Gen 5 games are easier to set up if you're using a 3Ds since they can see and read the Wifi settings of the 3Ds and can just have the DNS swapped without additional set up.

Connecting DPPT/HGSS on all systems and BW/BW2 on the DS/DSi:

I will go over connecting via Emulator in another section, this section and the next one is for if you're PHYSICAL HARDWARE.

What you'll need:

The console of choice

The game of choice, preferably played to the point where you can access the GTS for testing purposes. --- In DPPT you can find the GTS building in Jubilife City. --- In HGSS you can find the WFC building in Goldenrod City. --- In BW/BW2 you can access the GTS in the top part of every Pokecenter. --- I don't remember when exactly the GTS is unlocked for the games unfortunately.

Some way to create a Wifi network point with a compatible WEP (password type) or just no password. --- The easiest way I've found is just using a hotspot without a password. --- I know some modern routers will let you create an extra network like this if you know how. I do not and it'd likely be different for each router anyways. --- There are also some programs that can make one using your computer. I've used one for a bit before it locked what I needed behind a paywall.

What to do:

The first step is setting up the connection!

Start up the Wifi network point so it'll show up on your system.

I recommend using a hotspot that doesn't have a password on it. Make sure you change the bandwidth to 2.4 GHz, since 5 5 GHz doesn't seem to work. DO NOT PUBLICLY OPEN YOUR HOTSPOT IN A PUBLIC PLACE! You do not want someone deciding to eat up your data while you're trading pokemon, so only do this in a place you know is safe to do so, like at home or at a friend's place.

Once you've done that you'll want to open your game and go to the Nintendo WFC Settings. The button will look like one of these depending on the game you're playing:

This will take you to the DS wifi settings that are saved to the cart!

Next you'll want to tap on the big blue button which will take you to this screen.

You may or may not have connections here already if you've played before Nintendo's servers shut down. Erase them now if you do as they will no longer work. Then you'll want to tap the None button for Connection 1.

I'll be demonstrating using Connection 2 myself, but stick to the first connection.

Tap on the Search for access point button. This will bring up a list of nearby connections that your system can see. You'll want to tap on the one you started earlier. It will test the connection and the boot you back to the screen with the big blue button. Tap the big blue button and then the Ready button that's now showing up for the first connection.

Now scroll down to the very bottom and turn off Auto-obtain DNS and change the primary DNS to 178.62.43.212. You can also change the secondary DNS to the same one as well or keep it all 0s.

Once you're done it should look something like this:

Save the settings, close out of the Wifi connections menu, start your save, and try connecting to the GTS!

If you connect to the GTS then congrats, you are now able to use the Poke Classic Network! If it doesn't work the first try don't worry and try again. You can also swap the secondary DNS to the other one you weren't using and try again that way.

Connecting BW/BW2 on the 3Ds/2Ds:

This one is super simple and doesn't require any additional set up! Sorry I don't have any pictures for this one atm. I may edit this to add a couple later.

What you'll need:

Game of choice

Console of choice

What to do:

Open the internet settings on your 3Ds and tap on Connection settings.

Tap on a connection you know is working, tap Change Settings, then go to the next page.

Tap on DNS and tap No, then tap Detailed Setup. Change the primary DNS to 178.62.43.212 and either keep the secondary one as all 0s or use the same DNS address you put in the primary DNS slot.

Save your settings and go start your game, then try connecting to the GTS.

If you connect to the GTS then congrats, you are now able to use the Poke Classic Network! If it doesn't work the first try don't worry and try again. You can also swap the secondary DNS to the other one you weren't using and try again that way.

Connecting any DS Pokemon game using MelonDS (emulator):

This method will let you connect to the Poke Classic Network if you don't have the physical hardware or can't connect your system to the internet for any reason and know how to back up your save to your computer.

What you'll need:

The MelonDS emulator [Link] --- Desume doesn't have Wifi functionality so you'll need to move your saves over if that is your primary DS emulator. --- If the latest version doesn't work for some reason try again with the second newest one.

Game of choice

What to do:

The steps are nearly identical to the first section once you have the emulator running! Instead of using your own connection though you'll be using the one MelonDS makes for you, so there's no need to worry about finding a way to make one yourself.

The access point will look like this when searching for an access point:

[dronebiscuitbat]

Oil is Thicker Then Blood (Part 98)

N was first, climbing down into a small hole in the ceiling, using night vision to make sure the room was safe.

There was flesh piled in the corner, crawling up the wall to reach nearly the ceiling, black tendrils lie dormant all across the floor like living tripwires. One wrong touch and…

Uzi's head poked from the ceiling.

“Can I come down or what?”

N scanned the rest of the room, the control room screens were still online by some miracle, though several of them were busted and several more were tangled in a web of eldritch goo however, let's hope that wouldn't be an issue.

“H-hang on, if you touch the floor we'll trigger a reaction.” He flew up to come face to face with her, “Let me carry you.”

She reached out for him, landing into his hold as her tail lit up the room in a purple glow, taking in the room.

“Damn. This place will be gone in a couple days. We better get out of here fast.” She pointed out, eyelights training on the faintly glowing console. “Bring me over yeah?”

He nodded, hovering over to where she could leap onto the control panel without touching the floor.

[SYSTEM LOCKDOWN : ENTER PASSKEY]

Read the slightly cracked, incredibly dusty monitor and Uzi sighed, mumbling under her breath. “Yeah of course it's on lockdown…”

She pressed a few buttons, getting an error noise on each touch- the entire control panel was completely unresponsive.

“I'm going to have to plug in. Make sure my body doesn't fall.” She turned back to her boyfriend, who ceased his paranoid looking around to meet her eyes; worry creased his frame.

“Uzi this computer has been out here for ages… who knows what sort of virus it has. Plus…” He gestured to the black, slimy tendrils snaking up some of the monitors. “Who knows what this stuff does to computers.”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“But the keyboards locked up, and we need the data off this old thing. What other choice do we have?”

“I-I could-”

“No.” Uzi interupted him. “If these things trigger you're the only one that can burn it away. We'd both be sitting ducks.”

He sighed heavily, the knowledge that she was right didn't help his nerves any, his core yanked painfully in protest.

No it's dangerous.

She could get hurt, the kit could be hurt.

Don’t let her go.

“Hey. I got this. You trust me?” She asked, cocking her head with a confident smirk, God, how long had it been since he'd seen that? It's been so much exhaustion and doubt lately…

“Of course I do.” He replies, hovering close just to give her a quick kiss on the lips before parting. “Just be careful, okay?”

She nods. “Duh.” And she reaches for the port above her core, forcing the hatch open, “Ow! Agh… that's not meant to come open without prep I guess.” She hissed under her breath, and fished around in her pocket for a linking cable. “There you are.”

She plugged one end into herself before hunting for an interface port on the console, taking a moment to find it.

She does, it's next to a big red button that was currently pulsing red- she made a mental note to avoid touching it.

“Wish me luck.” Was the last thing she said before she plugged herself into the control panel, body locking up as code crashed into her firewall. Her body winced. She barely felt N keep her steady as she was hit with a flood of errors.

Plugged into another drone, the experience was euphoric, you were connected to another conscious, a soul. But this computer wasn't sentient; and what little AI it possessed was broken beyond the point of functioning. So all the sensation she felt was just her own- and the faint screaming of a dying AI.

ERROR- MEMORY FAILING

ERROR- DATA BACKUP FAILED

ERROR- HARDWARE FAILURE

“Yeah, no shit.” She mumbled, feeling her mouth move as she refocused. Okay, the information had to be in here somewhere…

She began to push through the ocean of errored code, feeling the system push back hard against her firewall. N was right, this thing probably had a thousand viruses it was itching to share with her, let's just hope her firewall held up.

She felt her consciousness leave the confines of her physical body, leaving it behind as she searched through poorly organized files; some were completely corrupted, others were fine, just not useful.

Time lost meaning, the system of the console was incredibly vast, and it quickly became clear she was searching for a needle in a haystack, a dot of purple among a sea of white.

She began to worry, perhaps the information they were looking for had already been corrupted?

That is, until she ran into an encrypted wall of cascading code, denser then the scattering of loose data she'd been able to access thus far.

She pushed against it, purple meeting default white, as strings of encryption appeared on her visor, N watching over her diligently.

[ENTER PASSKEY]

She sighed- or whatever passed for an entirely digital equivalent, beginning to work through the encryption with her own hardware, the solver aiding in her speed.

1s and 0s turned to scrambled letters and white space made to make any unwanted guest have trouble finding the passkey, but a mixture of determination and robotic advantage let Uzi make quick work of it.

P-A-S-S-W

“Oh for- the password is password, I could've just guessed it!” Her body suddenly shouted, startling N and then making him laugh. “Pfft-haha!”

Refocusing, she was able to push her code through the systems firewall, it wasn't entirely painless but she got through.

There was only a single file.

Transmission- Classified [TITANUM-28]

The file was an audio recording, with a set of coordinates attached. She played it, beginning a download into her own system.

“This is Doctor Rosemont, Transmitting from Lab 18. Something… happened.” There was screaming in the background- and a colossal roar.

“The genetic experiments have been a success, modifications to our old C.R.I.S.P.R technology has allowed us a greater range of genetic wiggle room…” There's a crash, and the sound of rapid- panicked gunfire.

“U-Unfortunatly, Subject 5 has uh… escaped.”

There's the sound of shattering glass, and low, feral growling. “If you receive this message, know that Titanium-28 is compromised! I repeat! Titanium-28 is-” The transmission ends with a blood curdling scream and a roar.

The coordinates to the planet are attached labeled very clearly with [QUARANTINED]

A single image is also attached, a satellite view of a planet covered in red and green trees and a canopy so thick you couldn't even see through it from orbit, like images she'd seen of earth, a good portion of the planet was covered in water.

She felt N start to shake her, his voice muffled from the distance her code was from her body.

“UZI! WE GOTTA MOVE!”

Next ->

[wolfliving]

It starts with him

What was once a promise of technology to allow us to automate and analyze the environments in our physical spaces is now a heap of broken ideas and broken products. Technology products have been deployed en masse, our personal data collected and sold without our consent, and then abandoned as soon as companies strip mined all the profit they thought they could wring out. And why not? They already have our money.

The Philips Hue, poster child of the smart home, used to work entirely on your local network. After all, do you really need to connect to the Internet to control the lights in your own house?  Well you do now!Philips has announced it will require cloud accounts for all users—including users who had already purchased the hardware thinking they wouldn’t need an account (and the inevitable security breaches that come with it) to use their lights.

Will you really trust any promises from a company that unilaterally forces a change like this on you? Does the user actually benefit from any of this?

Matter in its current version … doesn’t really help resolve the key issue of the smart home, namely that most companies view smart homes as a way to sell more individual devices and generate recurring revenue.

It keeps happening. Stuff you bought isn’t yours because the company you bought it from can take away features and force you to do things you don’t want or need to do—ultimately because they want to make more money off of you. It’s frustrating, it’s exhausting, and it’s discouraging.

And it has stopped IoT for the rest of us in its tracks. Industrial IoT is doing great—data collection is the point for the customer. But the consumer electronics business model does not mesh with the expected lifespan of home products, and so enshittification began as soon as those first warranties ran out.

How can we reset the expectations we have of connected devices, so that they are again worthy of our trust and money? Before we can bring the promise back, we must deweaponize the technology.

Guidelines for the hardware producer

What we can do as engineers and business owners is make sure the stuff we’re building can’t be wielded as a lever against our own customers, and to show consumers how things could be. These are things we want consumers to expect and demand of manufacturers.

Control

Think local

Decouple

Open interfaces

Be a good citizen

1) Control over firmware updates.

You scream, “What about security updates!” But a company taking away a feature you use or requiring personal data for no reason is arguably a security flaw. 

We were once outraged when intangible software products went from something that remained unchanging on your computer, to a cloud service, with all the ephemerality that term promises. Now they’re coming for our tangible possessions.

No one should be able to do this with hardware that you own. Breaking functionality is entirely what security updates are supposed to prevent! A better checklist for firmware updates:

Allow users to control when and what updates they want to apply. 

Be thorough and clear as to what the update does and provide the ability to downgrade if needed. 

Separate security updates from feature additions or changes. 

Never force an update unless you are sure you want to accept (financial) responsibility for whatever you inadvertently break. 

Consider that you are sending software updates to other people’s hardware. Ask them for permission (which includes respecting “no”) before touching their stuff!

2) Do less on the Internet.

A large part of the security issues with IoT products stem from the Internet connectivity itself. Any server in the cloud has an attack surface, and now that means your physical devices do.

The solution here is “do less”. All functionality should be local-only unless it has a really good reason to use the Internet. Remotely controlling your lights while in your own house does not require the cloud and certainly does not require an account with your personal information attached to it. Limit the use of the cloud to only the functions that cannot work without it.

As a bonus, less networked functionality means fewer maintenance costs for you.

3) Decouple products and services.

It’s fine to need a cloud service. But making a product that requires a specific cloud service is a guarantee that it can be enshittified at any point later on, with no alternative for the user owner. 

Design products to be able to interact with other servers. You have sold someone hardware and now they own it, not you. They have a right to keep using it even if you shut down or break your servers. Allow them the ability to point their devices to another service. If you want them to use your service, make it worthwhile enough for them to choose you.

Finally, if your product has a heavy reliance on the cloud to work, consider enabling your users to self-host their own cloud tooling if they so desire. A lot of people are perfectly capable of doing this on their own and can help others do the same.

4) Use open and standard protocols and interfaces.

Most networked devices have no reason to use proprietary protocols, interfaces, and data formats. There are open standards with communities and software available for almost anything you could want to do. Re-inventing the wheel just wastes resources and makes it harder for users to keep using their stuff after you’re long gone. We did this with Twine, creating an encrypted protocol that minimized chatter, because we needed to squeeze battery life out of WiFi back when there weren’t good options.

If you do have a need for a proprietary protocol (and there are valid reasons to do so):

Document it. 

If possible, have a fallback option that uses an open standard. 

Provide tooling and software to interact with your custom protocols, at the very least enough for open source developers to be able to work with it. This goes for physical interfaces as much as it does for cloud protocols.

If the interface requires a custom-made, expensive, and/or hard-to-find tool to use, then consider using something else that is commonly available and off the shelf instead.

5) Be a good citizen.

Breaking paid-for functionality on other people’s stuff is inherently unethical. Consider not doing this! Enshittification is not a technical problem, it is a behavioral one. Offer better products that are designed to resist enshittification, and resist it yourself in everything you do.

Nothing forced Philips to do what they are doing: a human made a decision to do it. They could have just as easily chosen not to. With Twine’s server lock-in, at least we chose to keep it running, for 12 years now. Consider that you can still make a decent living by being honest and ethical towards the people who are, by purchasing your products, paying for your lifestyle. 

We didn’t get here by accident. Humans made choices that brought us to this point, and we can’t blame anyone for being turned off by it. But we can choose to do better. We can design better stuff. And we can choose not to mess things up after the fact.

We’re putting this into practice with Pickup. (We also think that part of an IoT reset is giving users the creative freedom of a general-purpose device.) If you’re looking for something better and our product can fill a need you have, consider backing us. We cannot claim to be perfect or have all of the answers, but we are absolutely going to try. The status quo sucks. Let’s do something about it.

Published October 15, 2023 By Jeremy Billheimer

[techav]

As I've mentioned before, the ultimate goal for my 68030 homebrew systems is to run a proper multi-user operating system. Some flavor of System V or BSD or Linux. I am not there yet. There is still so much I need to learn about programming in general and the intricacies of bringing up one of those systems, plus my hardware does not yet have the ability to support multiple users.

I've toyed with several ideas as to how to get the hardware to support multiple users, but ultimately decided to leverage what I have already. I have a fully-functional modular card-based system. I can easily build new cards to add the functionally I need. And to make development and debugging easier, I can make each card simple, dedicated to a single function.

The catch is I've already run into some stability issues putting everything on the main CPU bus. So what I really need is some kind of buffered peripheral bus I can use for developing the new I/O cards I'll need.

So that's where I started — a new 8-bit I/O bus card that properly buffers the data and address signals, breaks out some handy I/O select signals, and generates the appropriate bus cycle acknowledge signal with selectable wait states.

It wasn't without its problems of course. I made a few mistakes with the wait state generator and had to bodge a few signals.

With my new expansion bus apparently working I could set out on what I had really come here for — a quad serial port card.

I have it in my head that I would really like to run up to eight user terminals on this system. Two of these cards would get me to that point, but four is a good place to start.

I forgot to include the necessary UART clock in the schematic before laying out the board, so I had to deadbug one. I'm on a roll already with this project, I can tell.

So I get it all wired up, I fire up BASIC, attach a terminal to the first serial port, and get to testing.

Nothing comes across.

Step-by-step with the oscilloscope and logic analyzer, I verify my I/O select from the expansion bus card is working, the I/O block select on the UART card is working, the individual UART selects are working. I can even see the transmitted serial data coming out of the UART chip and through the RS-232 level shifter.

But nothing is showing up in the terminal.

I've got the terminal set for 9600bps, I've got my UART configured for 9600bps, but nothing comes across.

I did note something strange on the oscilloscope though. I could fairly easily lock onto the signal coming out of my new serial card, but the received data from the terminal wasn't showing up right. The received data just seemed so much faster than it should be.

Or maybe my card was slower than it should be.

Looking at the time division markings on the oscilloscope, it looked like each bit transmitted was around ... 1.25ms. Huh. 9600bps should be more like 0.1ms. This looks something more like 800bps.

I set the terminal for 800bps and got something, but it wasn't anything coherent, it was just garbage. I wrote a quick BASIC program to sweep through the UART baud rate generator's clock divider setting and output a string of number 5 for each setting until I got a string of 5s displaying on the terminal.

So then I tried sending "HELLORLD".

I got back "IEMMOSME".

No matter what I changed, I couldn't get anything more coherent than that. It was at least the right number of characters, and some of them were even right. It's just that some of them were ... off ... by one.

A quick review of the ASCII chart confirmed the problem.

'H' is hex 0x48, but 'I' is 0x49. 'E' is 0x45, but was coming across correctly.

... I have a stuck bit.

The lowest-order bit on my expansion bus is stuck high. That's why I wasn't seeing any coherent data on the terminal, and it also explains why I had to go hunting for a non-standard baud rate. The baud rate generator uses a 16-bit divisor to divide the input clock to the baud rate. When I tried to set the divisor to 0x0018 for 9600bps, it was getting set to 0x0118 — a difference of 256.

Another quick BASIC program to output the ASCII chart confirmed this was indeed the problem.

Each printed character was doubled, and every other one was missing.

That sounds like it could be a solder bridge. The UART chip has its D0 pin right beside a power input pin. A quick probe with the multimeter ruled that out.

Perhaps the oscilloscope would provide some insight.

The oscilloscope just raised more questions.

Not just D0, but actually several data bus pins would immediately shoot up to +5V as soon as the expansion bus card was selected. As far as the scope was concerned, it was an immediate transition from low to high (it looked no different even at the smallest timescale my scope can handle). If the UART was latching its input data within the first third of that waveform then it certainly could have seen a logic 1, but it doesn't make sense why only the one data pin would be reading high.

I thought maybe it could just be a bad bus transceiver. The 74HCT245 I had installed was old and a little slow for the job anyway, so I swapped it out for a newer & much faster 74ACT245.

And nothing changed.

It's possible the problem could be related to the expansion bus being left floating between accesses. I tacked on a resistor network to pull the bus down to ground when not active.

And nothing changed.

Well ... almost nothing.

This was right about the time that I noticed that while I was still getting the odd waveform on the scope, the output from the terminal was correct. It was no longer acting like I had a stuck bit and I was getting every letter.

Until I removed the scope probe.

Too much stray capacitance, maybe? That waveform does certainly look like a capacitor discharge curve.

I had used a ribbon cable I had laying around to for my expansion bus. It was long enough to support a few cards, but certainly not excessively so (not for these speeds at least). It was worth trying though. I swapped out the ribbon cable for one that was just barely long enough to connect the two cars.

And finally it worked.

Not only was I able to print the entire ASCII set, I could program the baud rate generator to any value I wanted and it worked as expected.

That was a weird one, and I'm still not sure what exactly happened. But I'm glad to have it working now. With my hardware confirmed working I can focus on software for it.

I've started writing a crude multi-user operating system of sorts. It's just enough to support cooperative multitasking for multiple terminals running BASIC simultaneously. It may not be System V or BSD or Linux, but I still think it would be pretty darn cool to have a line of terminals all wired up to this one machine, each running their own instance of BASIC.

[moon-buggg]

Since they're heavily modded how much of the virus is still there? Would they even have an eclipse setting or is that impossible with the sort of seperate bodies.

Can they body switch??? Like how twins can. Or is their code stuck in restrictions? I know they can't touch people but it makes me wonder if the virus does some overriding. :3 Your work is awesome btw

- 🍓

It sort of depends on which way I end up taking this au

If I make it a fazco branded attraction then they either haven't gotten the virus when YN is hired or they got infected shortly before YN was hired along with the animatronics outside the haunted house. In this version they're modded, but from factory fresh bots in an official sort of way. They're blank slates that built upon the standard dca rather than a reworking of existing bots.

If I make it a stand alone operation, then a lot of the virus got cleaned out when the boys were being modded. At the start, there's just enough to make them act slightly strange occasionally.

I dont have a plot nailed down Just Yet, but I imagine in both cases, the virus gets worse over time. It certainly doesn't help that this version of the boys are programmed to be scary and performatively violent.

They don't have an eclipse setting. I have an idea of how I'd put eclipse into this setting, but I'm on the fence about it. Very little is nailed down yet lmao

They cannot body switch. Their AIs are in hardware connected to their bodies so I can't really see a way they would be able to switch. I am giving them a little chat function though cause I think it's fun and a good opportunity to add to the horror :3

All I'll say about them not being able to touch people is that there are plenty of ways to do damage, even kill someone, without ever touching them.

[entelodante]

so there are people in the abattoirs and post-human horror fauna outside. does the fauna have souls? they're kinda sentient, right? (if yes, was some of humanity saved and some turned into the horrors^tm? how was this decided?) really i just want to hear more about your nightmare fuel, thanks <3

Always willing to talk about the nightmare fuel! I have thought of your question and have created. THE CHART. But first ALL life has to have a soul to function in this setting, think of it as the electricity needed to power a toaster. You could have the perfect toaster, but without any juice its just a sad cold husk. Souls to not necessitate sentience though, that is more on the actual hardware. Now here's how the people of Abattoir land are split up.

Once the beasts showed up to the continent post blood sea, the majority of the people did not make it to the net step. Those that did were either those who devoted themselves to the new overlords, these are the Dragons and Abattoirs of present day, gifted immortality in new twisted form. If you were more liked you became a Dragon, but hey Abattoir living is still a living. Next, those that opposed this leadership change but were not eaten right away were separated into two categories. Some were turned into monsters to populate the frozen wastes, their minds rotting away into eventually being no more than animals. But most people were instead condemned to the Abattoirs population storage with their faculties intact. From here is where the first few generations of Abattoir inhabitants were born, the earliest hand raised by their Gods and never knowing a life outside of what's going on right now. The vast majority of these people's destiny is to be eaten, BUT members of the Choir are gifted part of their God's monstrous power to allow them to keep order in the Abattoirs. This is because the Gods have become kinda lazy, so they spend most of their time eating, lounging, or canoodling with each other. Usually all three.

[butchamy]

Internal damage

Short microstory that was welling up inside me. Some explorations of how I feel about my communication issues. cw for ig voluntary depersonalization and being a robot? I'm not good at giving cws

Story below the cut ⬇️

Something broke inside me that day. Mentally, of course - my programming may be based on the engrams of seasoned army vets, but it was never designed to cope with this kind of trauma. But physically too. I remember feeling it - something, somewhere. A circuit burning out or a wire snapping. They checked me over several times, insisting that I only sustained minor surface damage. But I know I felt something break.

I can notice the effects every day, too. I look in the mirror and I don't recognize myself. I know it's not a programming error - my own entry in my internal database is correct and up to date, and the picture there matches perfectly with my reflection. And yet that flicker of recognition, of _self-_recognition, never goes off. There has to be a crossed wire somewhere.

And it shows itself in other little things. I run into the woman who does repairs and checkups. I know I want her to run maintenance on me - not even to check (for the umpteenth time) if she can find the broken part, but just because I enjoy her touch. I know that the worst she'll do is say no, and that that isn't even the likeliest outcome. And yet I can't bring myself to ask her, even though my speech subroutines and social functions are all running exactly how they should. Why? Is the signal not making it from my central processor to my voice banks?

It's not like I have trouble with speaking itself. I can hold lengthy conversations with anyone at the base. I don't think the possibility of me being unable to say something even crosses their mind. Even when I manage to tell them I have trouble saying something - without saying the thing itself, of course - they don't quite seem to fully believe me. Or maybe they do - it's just that no amount of assurance from them can fix whatever part is broken inside me.

I feel myself slowly getting to a point where I'm not sure I should even continue trying. I've tried so many times. Little code hacks, alternate system settings, even communicating directly through a wired connection instead of speaking. But no software or firmware alterations can fix a hardware issue. Maybe I'll stop trying to communicate. In the end, all I was really built for was following orders, anyway. Wanting things is just a side effect of an engram-based architecture. What's even the point if I can't communicate my wants? Maybe that's the solution. Just suppress the idea of wanting or deserving anything. Become like the other autonomous drones. Become just a machine.

"Just" a machine?

It's not like I was ever more than one.

[wphostzone]

What is Web Hosting? Discover Types, Key Factors, & 2024’s 12 Best Web Hosting Platforms.

Web hosting—the physical presence of your website on the internet—is essential for your online business. Without dependable web hosting, you jeopardize your capacity to run your business and meet your consumers’ expectations.

Understanding web hosting and how it works can be difficult, particularly for people who are unfamiliar with the notion. This article will clearly describe web hosting, explain the many types of web hosting plans available, and outline the essential factors to consider when selecting a hosting company.

What is web hosting?

Web hosting uses internet-facing hardware and software to provide web services to end users. It is where your website and services are stored, processed, and delivered.

At its most fundamental, web hosting consists of secure internet interfaces and communications, computer server hardware and storage, web server software, and content (text, pictures, audio/video).

However, most web hosting solutions also include database servers, content management systems, e-commerce tools, security and authentication, and other applications required for websites to function and remain secure.

The web hosting sector is critical and is expected to increase by more than 20% year between 2024 and 2028.

How much does web hosting cost?

Hosting charges vary, typically based on capabilities. You may pay $10 per month for a simple billboard-style website to market your business online, or much more if you run a successful e-commerce store with thousands of clients.

To successfully select web hosting that works for you, you simply need to understand your goals and how to translate them into hosting requirements.

Types of Web Hosting

Shared hosting.

Dedicated Hosting

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting

Cloud hosting

Continue Reading The Blog Post Click Here...

[bennnharris]

What Is EV Charging Management Software?

Let’s get one thing out of the way EV charging isn’t just about plugging into a socket and walking away. Behind that simple user experience is a whole ecosystem that needs to run like a well-oiled (or should we say, well-charged) machine. That’s where EV charging management software steps in.

Think of it as the backend control room that powers everything from session tracking to billing, charger health, and even the queue at your nearest public station. Whether you’re managing a single station or hundreds across locations, this software is what keeps operations clean, trackable, and profitable.

Let’s break this down properly and make sense of what matters especially if you’re planning to get into the EV game with some business sense, not just shiny dashboards.

What is EV Charging Management Software, Really?

In simple words, EV Charging Management Software (CMS) is a centralized system that lets charging station owners, operators, and businesses manage, monitor, and monetize their EV charging infrastructure.

It does everything from:

Authorizing users and vehicles

Monitoring energy usage

Managing peak loads

Automating billing and invoicing

Handling remote diagnostics

And integrating with apps, wallets, and CRM tools

Without it, you'd be managing your EV chargers with spreadsheets, phone calls, and prayers.

Who Needs It?

If you're a fleet operator, public charging station owner, commercial building manager, or even a residential society exploring EV readiness this software isn't a luxury. It's survival gear.

And yes, government projects, retail malls, parking lots, and logistics parks are all getting in on it.

You want uptime, transparency, and ROI? You need a CMS that plays nice with your hardware and grows as your needs change.

What Problems Does It Solve?

Here’s where we skip the fluff and talk about real issues.

1. Energy Load Management

Uncontrolled EV charging can blow up your utility bill or trip the local transformer. CMS helps you control how much energy flows where and when without causing grid panic.

2. Charger Downtime

No operator wants to get that “your charger isn’t working” call at 2 AM. A solid CMS alerts you before users complain. Remote diagnostics and health checks are baked in.

3. User Authentication & Payments

Want to let only subscribed users charge? Want to integrate UPI, cards, or in-app wallets? A proper CMS does all that without you writing a single line of code.

4. Revenue Leakage

Imagine running a business where you're not sure who paid, how much power was delivered, or how many sessions failed. A CMS gives you transaction-level visibility. No guessing games.

5. Scalability

Planning to go from 5 chargers to 50? From 1 location to 12 cities? Your CMS better be ready before your Excel sheet dies of stress.

Must-Have Features (Beyond Just “Dashboard Looks Cool”)

A good EV CMS isn't just eye candy. Here's what you should be checking for:

OCPP Compliance: Plays well with most hardware brands

Dynamic Load Balancing: Keeps your power use smart and optimized

Real-time Monitoring: Know what’s happening where, second by second

Custom Pricing Models: Per minute, per kWh, time-of-day rates you control the game

Fleet & Group Management: Especially if you're running EV fleets or shared chargers

User Access Control: Set roles, permissions, and access levels

White-label Option: Your brand, your logo, your rules

So, Who’s Doing It Right?

There are plenty of software platforms out there that’ll promise the moon until you actually plug them in. But a few players are doing it with serious focus on customization, clean architecture, and real customer support.

Stellen Infotech: Quietly Building the Backbone for EV Ops

While most are busy chasing investor buzzwords, Stellen Infotech is quietly building robust, scalable, and adaptable EV charging software solutions for businesses that actually need to function in the real world.

They’re not just slapping a UI on top of code and calling it a platform. Their stack includes features like:

Custom-built integrations for fleets

White-labeled dashboards

Load optimization modules

Billing and invoicing flexibility

API support for third-party logistics, CRMs, or payment apps

The vibe? Practical tech that doesn’t crash when you scale or cry when you run 100 sessions a day. You’ll notice they’re not trying to be the flashiest just the most dependable in the room. And that’s honestly what most businesses want when dealing with critical infrastructure.

Can’t I Just Build This Myself?

Sure, if you’re sitting on a dev team with grid logic, payment gateway knowledge, OCPP expertise, and UI chops. Otherwise, you’ll spend 18 months burning money, and still end up with something half-baked.

EV management is not just a software challenge it’s a compliance, connectivity, and customer experience challenge. You’re better off working with a team that already figured that out.

What About Hardware Compatibility?

The good ones like Stellen’s platform are built to support OCPP 1.6 and 2.0, meaning they work with a wide range of chargers. You’re not locked into one brand or vendor, which is great because EV hardware isn’t cheap and upgrading just for software issues is bad business.

Final Thoughts: Where This Is Headed

EV charging isn't a novelty anymore. With mandates, subsidies, and rising fuel prices, we’re going to see charging stations pop up like ATMs did in the 2000s. But here’s the thing the ones who’ll stay profitable aren’t the ones who bought the fanciest chargers. It’s the ones who run them smartly.

That’s where EV charging management software earns its keep.

Whether you’re just setting up or scaling across cities, having a solid CMS isn’t optional it’s your operational backbone. Platforms like what Stellen Infotech offers are making this easier for businesses that don’t want to get stuck figuring out load curves and session reports at 11 PM.

And honestly? That’s the kind of tech backbone more EV businesses need not another flashy dashboard with no substance.

[anxiousgaypanicking]

Ok we’re taking about the robot fucking again

Virgil would also totally be a robot/android thing but kinda in a Frankenstein way where he’s built from all kinds of different parts that don’t necessarily match but still get the job done (you know like the robot version of patchwork like his hoodie)

Roman (cause he was the mechanic/coder in the last one) takes a look at him and is absolutely APPALLED at the state virgil is in because Virgil these parts are completely out of date how are you even still functioning??? So he takes it upon himself to update Virgil’s equipment and Virgil can’t help but squirm as he feels Roman’s hands caress his inner wires. Roman replaces some of his parts with newer (more sensitive) models until he’s in perfect shape (while also adding some of his own coding for good measure ;))

i like the idea of virgil growing attached to his mix-matched features, and upon romans initial horrified state, virgil thinks theyre solely due to the fact that his shiny, titanium arm doesn't match with his rose-gold coloured leg, or that one of his bionic eyes has a completely different iris colour than the other!

but, roman just expresses that half of virgils body is breaking down, and the other half uses completely outdated equipment! no wonder his servers are so often overwhelmed! he doesnt have the necessary hardware to quickly process and respond to important situations, which causes him to overheat, and frankly romans surprised he hasn't completely broken down due to the stress his overworked fans put his body under! ("what do you MEAN you don't have fans? how does your body cope with the overheating?" "i shut down." "of course you shut down. why wouldnt you shut down? are you sure you werent solely made for the theatrics????")

so, roman insists on not only updating his hardware, but a lot of his structure itself. he promises not to tamper with virgils hard-drive, and to keep his body rather similar in shape, but carefully pulls him apart bit by bit to fix him up.

and virgil doesnt expect just how good it feels

roman carefully starts with his body. arm by arm and leg by leg, trying to preserve as much as the scrap as possible and then reforming it with smoother, higher-functioning, and more sensitive limbs, which he attaches one by one to allow virgil to get used to them on their own without thrusting multiple new limbs on him without warning. and virgil is genuinely delighted to see that roman utilized the specific materials that his old limbs were made of, even if they were unorthodox, tough to work with, or obnoxiously coloured.

and then roman moves onto his wiring.

his big fingers are so gentle when snipping unneeded wires, and they brush over them so sweetly, urging him to relax when he feels virgils body start to get hot. roman doesn't want to him to damage his internal hardware, afterall.

but replacing the wires and rerouting the cords is the easy part.

changing out virgils charging ports is the hard part.

virgils incredibly flustered when it comes to giving roman access to the little port on his lower back, and keeps flinching away when roman tries to inspect it, making little squeaks or shuddering when roman runs his hand over the small hole, or being more embarrassingly vocal when roman has to dig into his back panel to study it more closely. and of course, roman says that he needs to observe virgil during the charging process to guarantee the replaced port and new charger - both of which were hand-crafted by him - are compatible, leaving virgil to hide his face as he's plugged in as he feels each bit of energy that rushes into him to an incredibly sensitive degree.

but, since he did such a good job, virgil completely trusts roman when roman asks if he can add a bit to virgils coding, even promising virgil can review the code after to decide what bits he wants to keep and what he doesnt. only for virgil's newfound fans to kick into full blast when he sees all the extra inappropriate coding roman suggests, though he accepts all of it without complaint, much to romans delight

[hidelias]

A bend in space-time Season 1 - [Chapter 22: What can't be summoned]

Chronological markers: this scene fits like a deleted scene from season 1, épisode 9, around 06:10 (between the moment when Pogo asks to tie Diego up, and the moment when Klaus looks for drugs in his room).

Suggested soundtrack : Elliott Smith - Between The Bars

---

April 1st, 2019 - 06:44 am

Never has the countryside surrounding The City seemed so obscure and vast. Through the windows of Hermes, it seemed to roll on and on, endlessly. We arrived as quickly as we could, in the pitch-black night. At the end of the Rolls' strength, and at the limit of my own power to propel it. I couldn't help Five teleport Allison into the house; she had to be carried.

We seem to have moved fast enough for Grace to intervene in time. With quick, precise gestures, without her robot hand ever shaking, even when working on someone she'd been programmed to call her own daughter. And watching her wield the suture-thread like that made me realize what she really is.

Grace is a miserable mother with a minimalistic emotional program. Her conversation always brings you face to face with yourself: it's not a real interaction, outside those well-trodden paths. However, she is a mechanical prodigy, a machine for protecting, nurturing, caring, healing. Where does her technology come from? Certainly not from Rodrigo's hardware store. I don't know how Reginald Hargreeves designed her, or from what. No one here seems to be wondering as much as I do.

The poor Diego, totally knocked out, provided the first blood bag to transfuse his sister. It's so ironic that Diego swoons when he sees his own blood, as he's always playing with sharp objects. Even a needle was enough to make him pass out, and this brings me a smile.

Klaus insisted on supplying the second blood bag, claiming he was clean. I think he even said it twice, and it's rare for him to insist. Grace isn't programmed to take sides, and Pogo refused categorically. The Valium was considered a long way off, more than 24 hours behind me: so I offered my arm voluntarily.

Hargreeves Mansion's medical room is huge, almost disproportionate today, and now I have plenty of time to contemplate it. It's filled with complicated equipment, machines whose function I don't know. Carts, designed to treat up to six people at once. In another time, it may have run at full capacity, and I don't want to know in what way. I'd rather not know what the returns from missions were like here. But the way almost everyone left - as soon as they could - says a lot about the memories that lay on those tiles.

Only Klaus stayed. For a moment I thought it was to keep me company, or because he can stand seeing that needle in my arm better than anyone else. But it's nothing like that, I can tell, because his stooped posture on his stool is unmistakable. In my ten years with him, I've come to know this attitude, even if it's rare. He's brooding. And whatever he has to say, he's bound to spit it out.

I tried to hold on, to see if he'd talk on his own. But I'd rather not wait for Pogo to come back. I stand still, my arm immobilized by the blood puncture, trying to catch the gaze he's not giving me. After tonight's events, I'm not sure I'm ready for what's to come. But what else can I do? So I ask him, a little reluctantly:

"Klaus, what's wrong?"

At first, I think he's not going to tell me anything, that he's about to keep staring at that device on his left, which looks to me like a respiratory assistance machine. But finally, after a heavy sigh, he swivels his stool to face me.

"I'm fed up to the back teeth, I think".

He just said that very quietly, but I have a bad feeling about it. This calm is only a manifestation of this in-between time, when he contemplates his own anger.

"Fed up with what?" I don't raise my voice. Allison rests not far away, though I know she can't hear us. "This week? Me too, I confess, I-" "No. I'm sick of being ignored."

I remain motionless in my seat, looking away from Allison on the stretcher. Slowly, my foreboding is becoming as tangible as my matter. Klaus usually doesn't express his negative feelings; he prefers to drown them out. Is sobriety, this time, encouraging him to speak out?

"You mean…" "I'm trying to help, and even though I'm as sober as a camel, Pogo keeps treating me like I'm radioactive." I huff, checking that the old chimp isn't there. "He doesn't know, I guess-" "But it's not just him, Rin. Nobody gives me a damn bit of credit."

I look down at the floor. The truth is, it's always been like this, wherever he's been, but Klaus was probably too stoned to be really affected by it. The problem is, he's just opened his eyes for the first time in fifteen years.

This morning, I heard Five overshadow the information Klaus brought back from his conjuring of Reginald Hargreeves, attributing the revelations to Pogo. I knew it would linger on his consciousness. Luther hardly listens to people, Allison isn't interested in anyone but herself, or so I think, unfortunately. I don't know why she has become so invested in Viktor this week. I'm afraid it's to ease her own guilt. But Klaus isn't done.

"Even when I speak the truth, the first thing people assume is that it's coming out of my fucked-up brain. Even when I try to be as serious as possible. I feel like no matter what I do, it will never change".

He's right. I've seen him try to be serious with his siblings, I don't know why - with them - it just doesn't sound serious. He's different when he's talking to me. But their dynamic is hard-wired now, and I don't know how to reshape it either.

"None of them give a damn about me".

I think he's wrong. Diego is - by far - the one who cares about Klaus the most. Even if - sometimes - his impetuous temper resurfaces. And above all…

"Ben," I say.

I glance at the pile of sterilization boxes he's sitting on, next to the defibrillator. His spectral energy shimmers before my eyes, against the wooden walls inlaid with anatomical boards. I can almost make out the shape of his face, and I realize it's a first. Klaus isn't stupid, he's well aware that now I 'see' him too, or his energy anyway.

"Ben is nowhere near giving a damn about you." Klaus shakes his head. "Ben only comes when he wants to. And he also leaves when he feels like it." I sigh. "No one can stay with you permanently. This week you asked me to stay but I can't do that all the time either. I might as well not have been there". He frowns. "Hey, I was there too when your mother died." I immediately shut down at these words. But it's true. He was even the only one who had been there. In his own way. "You slept for two weeks in the entrance hall of my building." Even the family on the fifth floor complained about the smell of weed. "Still, I was there". "Yes. And I don't forget. I don't forget this either."

He runs a hand over his eyes. "You know that everything's worse when I'm alone with myself. It makes it harder to watch them not give a damn."

I know that. That when he's not alone, the ghosts almost never show up. But he can't always look for an external solution to his problems, human or chemical. Always relying on someone or something.

"I don't know what to say, Klaus. Maybe we're not enough, yes. Maybe a whole community still wouldn't be enough."

The truth is, I feel overwhelmed by what he has to cope with. And this week, I really became fully aware of what he had to live with.

"I'm really doing what I can to help you." "To help me…" His gaze is darker than ever, contrasting with his rainbow t-shirt. "You know what would help me right now?"

Unfortunately I feel that this is not a real question, and that I'm not going to like whatever comes next.

"What would help me would be to go get your Valium shit from the alley, and swallow the whole box."

I'd guessed so. And my mind is blank now, upon hearing this. I know it's rhetorical, I know the box has dissolved into rainwater. But hearing him speak that way painfully stirs my stomach. He's doing it on purpose, I think. Because I've already found him, a few years ago, having really done that. And he adds:

"Because you're not listening to me either".

I get it. I understand what he was getting at all along. The problem isn't just Pogo or his siblings, I can tell from the bitter look on his face. I know what's coming, and I feel a shiver run up my spine. I should have smelled it the first time he didn't let me speak. The Valium. That's what it's been all about.

"Klaus, I know you'd told me." "Twice."

He'd said that I might be needed for help, that I could be too numb to do so. And events almost proved him right.

"Klaus, I…" "You chose to listen to Five's dithering, instead of me. You've only known him for a week."

He's not aggressive. He's just coldly sad and frustrated, because I've taken into account his brother's statistics, which are disconnected from human feelings and the unforeseen events of reality.

"I made a bad decision, okay," I say. "But I listened to what you had to say anyway. I didn't want to risk anything. It wasn't about trusting him or you, it was about making sure I wouldn't become a danger."

I know he thinks I never was one and never will be. But my anxiety overcomes my rationality. He crosses his arms, as he never does.

"Well, as you saw: the Valium was the danger. But you didn't give me that much credit either".

He sits straight on his stool. Without wavering. Ben's posture, more visible to me than ever through meandering energy, seems really pained.

"Klaus…," my voice is almost a plea, and the needle hurts my arm. "A week ago, you were stealing stuff from your father's office to resell and fund your dope. You were hanging out naked in the living room. Talking to the lamp - not you, Ben: the actual lamp. You were totally high at nine in the morning. I can see your progress, just give the others time to take it in…"

"Not a week ago", he says, "ten months ago." "Ten months for you, and besides, if you want me to talk about it…"

He squints, suddenly aware that - I too - am about to tell him a painful truth. And I look at him weakly, as the bag of my blood fills up next to me.

"You weren't planning on coming back at all, were you? Tell me." My words burn my mind, but I've been brooding too, to a point that maybe he can't imagine. "You wouldn't have come back, if… if Dave… hadn't been…"

Damn. How I hate myself for not being able to keep my mouth shut sometimes. Slowly, Klaus gets up from his stool, and I see Ben's energy coming down from the stack of boxes, as if trying to stop him from doing anything. Or me.

"Is that what you think?" he whispers. "That I didn't care?" I can't move, still holding my arm, but my eyes are blazing. His expression, his attitude, the lotus flowers. I'd better shut up. But I can't help asking: "What were you planning to do?"

Silence falls heavily, even on Allison's closed eyelids. I hope with all my heart she can't hear anything. Klaus is trembling, and I can see he's going to try desperately to defuse the conversation.

"Perhaps I was afraid of using that fucking briefcase again and finding myself like an idiot in the middle of the dinosaur era."

That's probably true. But I'm not a fool: I know it's not the only reason. I stare at him, and I don't even have to insist for him to sigh and search for his words again, his infinite sadness back.

"Maybe I knew you'd still be here when I would finally come home. I guess I just… seized the opportunity to live something unexpected."

It's something I said at Viktor's. That no matter what, we'd always end up on the same couch. But this time, it leaves me with a bitterness I'm not sure I understand. And Klaus squints painfully.

"He was so young. So full of dreams, even in the middle of that fucked-up war. With so many hopes. Where the hell are your hopes now, Rin? You even think you could trigger the end of the world!"

These words make my breath stop. I know life has made me serious, and this week even more so. The last times we laughed now seem lost in the mists of time. Klaus exhales suddenly, as if he needs to clear it all out. And he adds, sadder than ever:

"I'd like to bring you back, but it seems I'm even less able to summon you".

I can't even speak to him anymore, but I understand what he's saying. He just hit me in the heart, without even looking at me. I'd like things to change. I'd like to go all the way back. I wish we could talk the way we used to. But how many hours does this world have left? I remain motionless, while Pogo's footsteps come through the back door to retrieve the blood bag and transfuse Allison again.

"Master Klaus," he says without wondering what we're really talking about. "This is no time at all for childish prattle".

Klaus blows out a stifled laugh. Of sarcasm, of sadness, of disillusion. He remains quivering with rage for a short moment, he grits his teeth, he hesitates. And finally, setting off for the door without even looking back, he says back through Ben's ethereal figure which vainly tries to stop him:

"It was a real bullshit to stay sober".

---

Notes:

This chapter resets what was close to exploding. As with many arguments, it's not easy to tell who's in the wrong. Maybe no one is, maybe they both are. But I think Klaus's feelings should be listened to.

I was also wishing that Klaus could, at some point, develop the reasons behind his on-screen desire to take drugs again. I didn't feel this thread of logic was so well developed on screen, so I hope it is now.

Perhaps you've sensed that something is happening with Ben, as Rin begins to let his energy skills take hold… Soon, more changes are coming.

Any comment will make my day! ♡

---

A bend in space-time, the masterlist :

- Season 1 (complete): Table of contents - Season 2 (complete): Table of contents - Season 3 (complete): Table of contents - Season 4 (in progress) : Table of contents