#i need to write some code to link it to a database at some point

[sidewalk-scrawls]

People on here like, "don't use ChatGPT!!!!", meanwhile I have a script that launches an open source, locally hosted LLM that I can interact with via browser

[phoenixyfriend]

How to Call Your Reps About Gaza

I make a lot of posts telling you to call your reps! Anyway, here's the overall shape of how to argue to them.

Disclaimer: I am not in politics. I do not have experience as a staffer. I am just someone who cares a lot about where things are going, and wants to help. Also, this is specific to the US, because that's where I'm based. Hopefully, people with expertise can add more suggestions on.

Find your elected officials.

My Ko-fi: this took me two days to write up, so uh. If you've got a few dollars, send them my way so I can keep doing this sort of thing, and maybe move out of my parents' house sooner.

General tips:

Be polite, or at least civil. Do not swear or shout at whoever answers the phone. This will quite possibly get your number blocked. Fifty civil calls over the course of several months will do more than one where you shout. You can be frosty, you can say you are disappointed, you can say you find the actions of your reps to be reprehensible or morally bankrupt, sure. But keep calm and aim criticism at the rep, not the staffer.

Keep it short. The staffers who answer call centers are busy. They usually start trying to hurry me off after about two minutes. I've yet to manage a call longer than four or five minutes. Pick one or two topics for the day, and focus on those. Cycle through them every time you call. Stick to just one from day to day if it's a large, ongoing issue like Gaza.

Plan for voicemail. I get voicemail more often than not. My House rep usually has a staffer free, but the Senators are almost always voicemail. This will give you a minute and a half max. Be ready to get your point squeezed into that.

Only call your representatives. The important, powerful word here is "constituent." You will be ignored or even counted against if you are from a different district or state. The first thing you start with is your name and address. A staffer will ask for the information they need. On voicemail, leave your full name, your city and state, and zip code before you go into your message. Do not lie, either. They look these things up in the system when you call. I'm not sure how--I think maybe they have access to a database of registered voters--but every time I call, they ask for my last name and address and at some point say, 'oh, yep, I've got you right here,' which indicates a database of some sort.

Research at least a little bit about their opinions. If they already agree with you, then it's much easier to leave a quick "I support you and want you to know that" to combat anyone who's arguing from the other side. If they don't, then you're best off finding out what specific issue they have so you can know the best kind of comment to leave.

Look up specific bills or arguments. I get daily emails from GovTrack about bills that are on this week's docket or have been voted on in the past day. IDK about anyone else, but being able to say that I disagree specifically with HR 815 or something makes me feel powerful, and possibly like I will be taken more seriously. Sometimes you can start with articles like this one, which include links to specific bills on the official congress website.

Email after if you can. Reportedly less effective, and takes longer, but you are more likely to get a written (canned) response, and it reinforces whatever you called about.

Basic structure of a call, at least as I've been doing it:

"Hi, my name is ____ ____, and I am a constituent from [city, state], [zip]. I am calling to express my opinion on [topic]. I am concerned about [short argument with a clear impact on the topic]. I ask that you support [measure or fellow congress member]/vote [yay/nay on specific legislature]. Thank you for your time, and I hope you keep my opinion in mind."

For this post, the topic can be stated as the war in Gaza, military funding for Israel, or unrest in the Middle East, depending on which you think your elected official will respond to best. That said, the structure should work for whatever your call is about.

Arguments to use against your elected official... or your on-the-fence cousin:

I'll be honest, some of these are not going to do much against your representative. They know the arguments, and have been going over them with each other for months. You just need to have one locked and loaded that they consider relevant instead of a nonstarter, in order to back up your opinion as 'founded' instead of 'nonsense, can be swayed with a good marketing campaign.'

I'll include explanations if I don't think something is self-evident (or needs more evidence to tell your cousin), but in most of them I'll provide some suggested verbiage that you can tweak as needed, and for a few of them, that's really enough.

THESE ARE FOR THE TOPIC OF CONCERN, ONLY. You still need to end each one with "I ask that the [official] votes to [action]" at the end. Give them something actionable (example from Feb. 13th). My go-tos right now:

Both chambers: Reinstate funding for UNRWA

Both chambers: Place mandatory restrictions on any aid to Israel, with contractual threats to cut funding if Netanyahu and his government continue to disregard civilian life

Senate: Put support behind Bernie Sanders and his motion to restrict funding to Israel until a humanitarian review of the IDF’s actions in Gaza has been completed (S.R. 504) (Tabled by the Senate on 1/16, but it is being brought back in as conditions continue to escalate)

House: Put support behind Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s petition for the US government to recognize the IDF’s actions in Gaza as ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, and put a stop to it.

House: Put support behind H.R. 786, introduced by Rep. Cori Bush, calling for an immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.

What Not to Say

"There is no threat to Israel." I've talked about this elsewhere, but the short version is that this will be basically laughed out as you not knowing what you're talking about.

Anything generically antisemitic. (I mean, it might work on some of the white supremacists, but do you really want to encourage that thinking? No, so don't do it.)

Facts that you "heard somewhere" but cannot find a reliable source for. If it's being reported by the New York Times, NPR, or the BBC, it's probably trustworthy by government standards. If it's not a super common statistic, cite the journal you got it from by name. Remember, you aren't arguing to tumblr mutuals. You are arguing to your elected official or your 'I don't really pay attention' cousin. When it comes to this, big name news sources are better.

Unrealistic demands for complete isolationism, permanently abandoning Israel to its own devices, supporting Hamas, etc. Again, you will not be taken seriously. Pick an argument they might actually listen to, and use it to press them towards a possible solution. You want them to believe that if they adjust their position, they will be doing the will of most of their constituents, and thus more likely to get reelected.

The Ethics Argument

Third-party reporting has stated that that nearly 29,000 Gazans are dead since Oct. 7th, as of 2/18/24. The vast majority of those are civilians, and over half are children. Palestinians in Gaza are facing an acute hunger crisis threatening to become a full-blown famine.

The International Court of Justice has found that there is credible reason to believe that the state of Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza.

This does not mean that every single Israeli is complicit. It does mean that the government, particularly Netanyahu and his associates, has been reprimanded by a large, diverse coalition of countries, and has consistently refused to listen to that court since.

This argument will possibly work on your cousin. Less likely to work on your elected official. They already know the numbers. I just wanted to get it out of the way first.

The Re-Election Argument: Michigan vs New York

Meanwhile, this is possibly the most effective. Again, this is not an argument of ethics. This is an argument of "how can I make my elected official do what I want." We do not use only the purest moral argument. We use what works.

What to say to your elected official: Michigan, as a swing state, was won by democrats on the power of the Arab-American vote in the 2020 election. We (either party) are at risk of losing Michigan due to the current Congressional approach to the Gaza conflict, as that demographic is now polling as likely to abstain from voting entirely. The risk of losing several congressional districts due to the Jewish vote is a real one, but the risk of losing the the executive branch is greater, especially after what we saw with Suozzi. Supporting Palestine might lose us parts of New York, but supporting Israel will lose us Michigan.

Explanation: Something that has been taking up a lot of time and space in the election coverage is the situation in Michigan, and more recently, there has been attention paid to the special election of New York's third district, AKA the "who gets to replace disgraced George Santos" competition.

Michigan is traditionally a swing state. While 2.1% doesn't sound like a lot, that is some 211k-278k people (depending on your source), and while not all of them can vote... Michigan was won by about 154k. Arab-Americans are not the only relevant demographic, but they sure are an important one, and they are vocally opposed to the situation. Approval has dropped from 59% to 17%. From that same article:

As Axios notes, Biden won Michigan in 2020 by 154,000 votes, but there are at least 278,000 Arab Americans in Michigan. Biden took Arizona, a state with an Arab American population of 60,000, by only 10,500 votes. In Georgia, Biden prevailed with a margin of 11,800 voters, in a state that has an Arab American population of 57,000.

Democrats cannot afford to lose these states. Pressure your congresspeople about that, especially if you live in one of those states. I assume most Arab-Americans in said states are already calling every day; the rest of you can join in.

Meanwhile, most Jews (considered the most pro-Israel demographic by strategists) in America are concentrated in a very small number of electoral districts. Of the twenty most-Jewish, ten are in New York, which is why I put it up in the section header.

One of those districts was won by a Republican in 2022: George Santos, New York's third congressional district. Following his scandals and ousting, the seat was up for a special election, and the two candidates were Tom Suozzi, a democrat who held the seat previously (he decided to run for governor, and lost), and Mazi Pilip, a Nassau county legislator who was of Ethiopian Jewish background and had been in the IDF. She ran on a campaign that leaned strongly pro-Israel and anti-immigration, and when Suozzi won, she interrupted his victory speech to accuse him of supporting a genocide against Israel due to his rather centrist, rather milquetoast stance on the conflict during his election campaign.

Now, Suozzi's win probably had more to do with Pilip being anti-choice than her pro-Israel arguments, but he still won.

Democrats can better risk possibly losing a few seats in NY than definitely losing three swing states.

"But I don't want Dems to win their districts after what they've been--" Nope. Listen to me. Surveys indicate that Republicans are on average more pro-Israel, because Trump and Netanyahu are buddy-buddy, and we do not have a viable third option.

Also, again, this is about convincing Dems to be better. "If you do not vote to put restrictions on funding to Israel, I will not vote for you in November" is a lot more powerful than "I will not vote for you either way, because of what you've been doing, but you should do what I say anyway."

The Re-Election Argument: Risk of Escalation

So, that thing I said about Trump and Netanyahu?

Yeah, so, while Biden is giving Israel military aid while cautioning them to slow down and be careful, Trump is... complicated, but suffice to say he's much closer to Netanyahu on a personal level than Biden is. Biden's relation with Netanyahu is reportedly pretty frosty, while Trump's is based on relations through the Kushners.

Just from wikipedia:

Netanyahu made his closeness to Donald Trump, a personal friend since the 1980s, central to his political appeal in Israel from 2016.[21] During Trump's presidency, the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and brokered the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements between Israel and various Arab states.

Trump's been more all-over-the-place recently, badmouthing Netanyahu for being what Trump perceives as a loser, which complicates understanding what his approach is. It's kind of incoherent right now.

Given Trump's general history of being pro-Israel, though, and the attempts by House Republicans to push through a bill of unconditional funding for Israel. It failed, but notable is that the more recent bill passed in part because it was paired with aid for Ukraine and Taiwan (something Dems are much more invested in having happen).

What to say to your elected official: If Trump is reelected due to his current appearance of being more critical of Netanyahu, there is evidence from his presidency to indicate that he will support Israel much less critically if elected. While he claims to want to settle the Middle East, it seems incredibly likely that he will worsen the situation for Palestinians, and ramp up retaliatory strikes to groups like the Houthis in a manner that will impact non-military parties, igniting tensions that are already tenuous.

The Disrespect/Wild Card Argument

This particular argument is best used against the Very Patriotic Politicians who are more concerned with the US's image and Being The Alpha Nation than with other things. Basically, this might work on Republicans.

This isn't really something I believe in, as a matter of foreign policy, buuuut it might work on your rep, so. Consider it!

What to say to your elected official: With Israel's recent actions in ignoring Biden, blocking US-sent aid like those flour trucks that got stopped at the Rafah border because they'd be distributed by UNWA, and generally Disrespecting The USA and Being Unpredictable is not only making the US look bad for being unable to wrangle a smaller country, but also making it so we are less able to wrangle other countries in the future, because Israel cannot be predicted and might set someone off.

The Europe and Reputation Argument

What to say to your elected official: The United States is losing credibility as a world power known for its military and ability to manage international disputes on behalf of the UN, because it is seemingly unable to influence Israel, and losing credibility as an upstanding moral state that is not doing foreign coups and banana republics anymore, as it appears to be tacitly supporting Israel's ICJ-labelled genocide, which is a really bad look with the other Western Powers.

I'm not entirely sure who this might work on, but there's gotta be at least a few politicians who are really concerned about America's image, more than about actually doing the right thing. Figure out if your politician is one of them.

If necessary, you can bring up how Trump is threatening to pull US support for NATO if Russia attacks someone.

The Middle East Stability Argument: Iran-backed Militias

What to say to your elected official: I'm concerned that the continued support of Israel, and thus the funding of their actions in Gaza, will increase the instability of Iran-backed militias, as we have already seen with the Houthis and Hezbollah. Entire Muslim-majority nations are showing increased displeasure not only with Israel, but with the US by extension. We cannot afford another war in the Middle East when we haven't yet pulled all our troops from the last one, not with the recent and recurring economic recessions. Any situation would also very likely be complicated or inflamed by the growing tensions among Eritrea, Djibouti, and Ethiopia regarding Red Sea access as well.

Use this on the ones that claim to be pro-military or pro-veteran. See what they said about HR 815 before the foreign military funding amendment was added.

The Middle East Stability Argument: Egypt

What to say to your elected official: Egypt's government has been unstable since the Arab Spring, and even now the military government is incredibly unpopular. With that existing instability, the addition of economic strain from the reduced usage of the Suez canal, the international disputes occurring because they're the main throughway for aid into Gaza, and the threat of a sudden influx of nearly one and a half million Palestinian refugees should Israel continue to push south... Egypt is looking at a possible near-collapse as we've seen in nearby nations suffering similar instabilities.

Explanation: It took several years for Egypt to really start recovering from the revolts in 2013, and it has applied for four IMF loans in recent years. The current government is unpopular to such a degree that they are looking to build an entire new capital from scratch in the middle of the desert so that they're less open to the risk of civilian uprisings; one of the primary causes for civilian dissatisfaction is economic issues.

Due to Houthi attacks at the Bab al-Mandab Strait, traffic through the Suez canal is down massively, and since the canal "represents almost 5% of the GNP and 10% of GDP and is one of Egypt’s most important sources of hard currency." (src) Various sources are reporting that trade through the canal is down 40-50%, which is putting more strain on the already unstable economic and political situation.

Finally, Egypt's population is about 110 million, but the governorate that shares a border with Israel and Gaza, North Sinai, has a population of barely 500,000. A push of one and a half million starving, injured people will, very suddenly, nearly quadruple the population of the governorate, and require extreme aid response from Egypt's government to keep alive and prevent a larger crisis in North Sinai and neighboring governorates.

The Middle East Stability Argument: Normalized Relations

What to say to your elected official: I am concerned that Israel's continued attack on Gaza is jeopardizing any chance of normalized relations with the Arab states in the future. American has put a lot of work into trying to get these various countries to normalize with Israel, and our funding of the current attacks on Gaza are sabotaging all that effort.

This one can be combined with the Iran-Backed Militias argument: Israel, in pursuit of revenge against Hamas, is setting itself up to be in more danger long-term, rather than less.

The International Trade Argument

What to say to your elected official: I am concerned about how the war in Gaza is impacting international trade and shipping costs. With the Suez Canal down to half its usual capacity and the Panama Canal raising costs and dropping capacity in response to the water restrictions, along with rising fuel costs in Europe and Asia, global trade is incredibly strained. We are being relegated to the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Horn, and the Malacca strait for much of intercontinental trade, and the macroeconomic projections are looking very bad for America.

The Domestic Economics Argument

What to say to your elected official: Many of the plans for Israeli military funding cause damage to other parts of the budget. For instance, a recent plan put forward by the Republicans of the House suggested IRS cuts in order to move that money, a plan which would impact the US budget negatively in the long term; we need those 14 billion being spent domestically, not supporting an overreaction/possible genocide in Gaza.

Explanation: In general, pick something receiving budget cuts that your congressperson will care about. I care about IRS funding, and saw it mentioned as a target in an article, so that's what I've got in my suggested verbiage up there.

The fewer people that are working for the IRS, the more they focus on auditing poor people (simple, easy taxes) and the less they can effectively audit rich people (complicated, time-consuming taxes), which means rich people are more likely to get away with evading millions or even billions in taxation. So yeah, you want more funding in the IRS if you are poor. They are already auditing you. You want them to audit the big guys.

The Russia and China Argument

What to say to your elected official: I am worried that the current focus on funding Israel without restriction is causing us to lose sight of the international threat posed by Russia and China. Russia is actively invading Ukraine, which continues to put massive strain on the European economy with regards to oil prices, especially with the Suez situation, and China has been testing missiles near Taiwan, and thus testing US responsiveness to those threats, for months now. We cannot afford to support an internationally unpopular war if we want to remain ready for Russia and China.

This is less likely to work on Republicans, since Trump is friendly with Russia, but hey, give it a shot if they're one of the ones who aren't fully in his camp.

EDIT 2/22/24: I'm a bit unsure of this tactic, but I'm putting it out there with hopes that someone with more political experience can offer feedback:

"Congress, and the US government in general, has promised to sanction Russia for the alleged assassination of one man within a week of the suspicious death, after five months of refusing to enact even slight consequences on Israel for the deaths of nearly thirty thousand, half of which are children. This is ethically questionable at best, but for the interests of elected officials, it is a very bad look. The mismatch shows a massive bias by the American government in regards to Israel's ongoing mass murder, with over two million facing famine as a result of Israel's aid blocking, and America's reputation on the world stage, as well as individual politicians' reputations domestically with constituents, is plummeting."

-------------------------------------

Finally, my ko-fi again. I spent a long time on this and I'd like to move out of my parents' house sooner rather than later. If you appreciate my time and effort, please feel free to donate a couple bucks.

[kaiowut99]

Johan Speaks! 🗣🔊💎 | Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V TFSP Re-Translation Project (WIP)

(Project announcement video/post)

Good news, everyone! 🧓🏽

So, thanks to chrisfand and I doing some digging over on a Tag Force modding Discord over the past 1.5-2 weeks (chrisfand's been around doing various TF-related mods, and after I saw some discussion about doing this, I got curious and swallowed a bit by a rabbit hole), we've figured out how to add spoken in-duel dialogue back to those who weren't given any! Likely one of the more disappointing things about how TFSP cut corners compared to the earlier games (while still fun of course), only the 25 characters with story events across each series's world gets spoken in-duel dialogue out of the box--and in digging through the file that boots the game/runs a bunch of code/has a bunch of text like the character names (the EBOOT file), we found that, rather than some deeper code setting a flag for enabling the others from Yugi and Shou in DM and GX all the way to Yuto and Shun in ARC-V and the TF/WDC-exclusives to have voices, there are hex pointer bytes for each character pointing to where the game should find their respective voice folder path on the disc to store in memory and then load the audio files from, and they were simply set to some empty space for everyone who's not the primary 25 (with folder paths for them not included). Finding some space in the Eboot to write in the folder paths for everyone, and starting with Johan as a test, I updated Johan's pointer accordingly and the game properly loads the voice pack I set up for him!

[More on that below, but tl;dr current plan is still getting the base game re-translated as-is while also setting up for a "deluxe" version with all this added in after that along the way]

For Johan's voicelines here, I pulled audio mostly from Tag Force 3 and tried to stick as close to his Japanese in-duel lines here as doable, but some lines are different vs TF3, so I pulled from Duel Links or Duel Terminal voicelines as needed (for example, Johan's duel-starting line about wanting to see his opponents' best [said to Judai in GX 106] here doesn't include the bit about "using up our skills/that's the kind of dueling I go for!" and instead his text is just the first part and then "Let me see the power you've got in ya!", but being the closest to what that is, I used that line. I also added his attack line with Rainbow Dragon near the end, figuring out how his line parameter file works and grabbing audio from Duel Terminal for it (how did he not already have an "Over the Rainbow!!" line), and while not shown here, there's his loss line, "People like you being out there's why I can't stop dueling!", which I grabbed from two Duel Links lines and edited to combine them into one file. There'll likely be similar editing involved for compiling voice packs for everyone else (and grabbing WDC and even maybe Wheelie Breakers audio, as apparently a handful of people like Himuro in 5D's were non-duelable in earlier TF games--for everything else, I'll probably scrape the anime, which I did here because, fun fact, Johan has in-duel lines for a "hehehehe" [heard in the video's cold open] and "hahahahah!" but he doesn't have audio in TF3 saying them; these being callbacks to his and Judai's duel vs Fujiwara, I grabbed the lines in question from GX 175 and ran them through Ultimate Vocal Remover to solid results). Leveling the volume some wil likely also be needed since, while I did my best with Johan's lines here, they are a bit quieter in spots than they probably should be. We also want to look at adding the newly-voiced characters to the Voice Test list so that comes up in the Database for them, but that'll be a later thing.

SO. All that being said, currently the plan's still to go on with getting the base game re-translated as-is, while setting things up for a later "deluxe" version. Along with voices/all there, I'll likely also want to add in lines for the different summon methods that GX-ZEXAL characters don't have (those get stock "I Special-Summon a Monster!" lines) and edit their voice packs accordingly with them. But some neat progress here (even briefly picked up assembly language thinking it might be needed lol). Stay tuned!

[the-hummelverse]

In terms of the hummelverse.com website, it's online again by the way! Been online for a couple months again already actually after the catastrophic failure and year-long downtime caused by moving it over from my previous hoster. But I didn't have any time to do much needed post-move maintenance so far, which I am slowly catching up with now.

Notes:

The website is now SSL-enabled (using https instead of http), but this doesn't really change anything except that some browsers/extensions should now be less likely to act like it's a malicious page trying to steal your credit card data... (This was genuinely the main reason why I had to change hosters, since the previous one would have charged me 10€ per month extra for it when most others out there have it as a free default for your contract???)

I thought the newsletter signup form was broken, but it only doesn't show up when I use Firefox on my desktop PC so maybe my adblocker is overly zealous. I haven't been writing any newsletters lately partly because of that, but now that I know the signup form isn't actually broken, I'll try to get back into the habit. That means if you cannot see it either on the homepage, please try a different browser or check if one of your browser extensions might be blocking it!

The art gallery works again, but uploading the images is very tedious and time-consuming. I forgot to move over the folder that contained all the images on the server, so I had to wipe the database and have to re-upload them all. It shouldn't interfere with the functionality of the website otherwise, though.

The tumblr post feed on the website is broken and I don't really know how to fix it since the API seems to have changed and I am not fully able to wrap my head around the new code. There's a chance that I'll figure it out eventually but it's very low priority for me right now, especially since I set up a webhook for the HV discord server that does the same job but in a more convenient manner.

The pages for the LEGENDS card game are there on the server, but I have to rework and update them with more current content/info. I'll do that as soon as I'm able and will add a link to the homepage once that's done. But it leads me to the next and last point:

As I've mentioned before I want to look into alternative solutions for selling/distributing both my books and my trading card game and the merchandise (bet most people didn't even know there IS merchandise....look, I'm very bad at this whole marketing think, ok?). There's also other Hummelverse things floating around like the free short horror video game I made ages ago and the pen&paper ruleset, for example. I am thinking of adding a sort of "hub" to the homepage that either provides a proper and complete list of links to all these miscellaneous things, or maybe even find a way to consolidate them onto my own website as completely as possible. This is still in the early musings phase, so don't expect to see much of this until a couple months down the line...

[colleyuriko]

Email Etiquette I wish my Office would use more

1. Address your reply to how the person signed their last email. If "Stephen" signs with "Steve", use "Hello Steve". If "Vicky" signs with “Victoria”, use "Hello Victoria". How much larger do I have to make my signature for you to use my preferred name.

2. If you have reference numbers, please use them. Admin are probably going to have to look things up in a database, so give them your order numbers, your purchase codes, your membership number... Bonus points for putting it in the header, signature, or somewhere where it is easy to Copy Paste from.

3. If you are CCing someone new into an existing email chain, please take the time to write up a short summary of what is going on. "Please see below" is not enough if I need to scroll through the 100 emails that came before.

4. If you are CCing someone new because there is an action point, please, please highlight it for me or again summarise what it is you want me to do. I do not want to read your email chain to dig out what I need to do. Please. There are so many other emails.

5. If you are sending a link to a document, please make sure the person receiving it has access rights to it.

6. If you are sending in an updated version of a document, please highlight in some way what has changed from last time. I do not have time to play spot the difference

7. If you are writing to a shared inbox, unless it is part of an existing chain, send your new email in as if there is no exisiting knowledge of a previous conversation. The email may be picked up by a colleague covering for the person you usually talk to. Sam doesn’t know what you wanted from me a week ago while I’m not working this week.

[fromdevcom]

Data is everywhere! Consider any industry, be it healthcare, finance, or education; there is a lot of information to be stored. Storing data can be done efficiently in the cloud using data storage services like Azure Blob store, Azure SQL Database, etc., or you can prefer keeping it on-premises. Whatever may be the case, a considerable amount of unstructured data is stored every day. Also, some enterprises will ingest data across both cloud & on-premises where there might be a need to combine data from both these sources to perform better analytics. What is Azure Data Factory? In the above situations, it becomes more important to transform and move data across different datastores, and this is when Azure Data Factory comes into play! Data Factory is a cloud-based ETL (Extract-Transform-load) and data integration service that allows you to automate data movement between various data stores and perform data transforming by creating pipelines. Where can I use it? Data Factory helps in the same way as any other traditional ETL tool, which helps extract raw data from one/multiple sources to transform & load them to any destination like a Data warehouse. But Data Factory differs from other ETL tools by performing these tasks without any code to be written. Now, don’t you agree that it is a solution that can perfectly fit in if you are looking to transform all your unstructured data into a structured one? Before getting into the concepts, here is a quick recap of Data Factory’s history The version we are using has improved and developed in numerous ways compared to the first version made generally available in 2015. Back then, you have to build a workflow only in Visual Studio. But the version 2 (public preview in 2017) was released to overshadow all the challenges in v1. With Data Factory v2, build code-free ETL processes where you can also leverage 90+ built-in connectors to acquire data from any data store of your choice. Top-level Concepts Now imagine, if you are moving a CSV file from a Blob Storage to a customer table in SQL database, then all the below-mentioned concepts will get involved, Here are the six essential components that you must know, Pipeline A pipeline is a logical grouping of activities that performs a unit of work. For example, a pipeline performs a series of tasks like ingesting data from Blob Storage, transforming it into meaningful data, and then writing it into the SQL Database. It involves mapping the activities in a sequential. So, you can automate the ETL process by creating any number of pipelines for a particular Data Factory. Activities These are the actions that get performed on the data in a pipeline. It includes three activities – Data Movement (Copy), Data transformation & control flow activities. But copying & transforming are the two core activities of Azure Data Factory. So here, copy data activity will get the CSV file from a Blob and loads it into the database, during which you can also convert the file formats. And transformation is mainly done with the help of a capability called Data Flows, which allows developing data transformation logic without using code. Datasets The datasets show what kind of data you are pulling from the data stores. So, it simply points to the data used in the activity as an input or output. Linked Services Linked Services helps to connect other resources with Data Factory, acting like connection strings. When considering the above example, Linked Service will serve as a definition of connectivity to the Blob storage & performs authorization. Similarly, the target (SQL Database) will also have a separate Linked Service. Triggers Triggers are to execute your pipelines without any manual intervention (i.e.,) it determines when a pipeline should get completed. There are three essential triggers in Data Factory, Schedule Trigger: A trigger that invokes a pipeline on a set schedule. You can specify both the date and time on which the trigger should initiate the pipeline run.

Tumbling Window Trigger: A trigger that operates on a periodic interval. Event-based Trigger: This trigger executes whenever an event occurs. For instance, when a file is uploaded or deleted in Blob Storage, the trigger will respond to that event. The triggers and pipelines will have a many-to-many relationship where multiple Triggers can kick off a single pipeline, or a single Trigger can also kick off various pipelines. But as an exception, Tumbling Window Triggers alone will have one-to-many relation with the pipelines. Integration Runtime Integration Runtime is the compute infrastructure used by the Data Factory to provide the following data integration capabilities (Data Flow, Data Movement, Activity dispatch, and SSIS package execution) across different networks. It has three types: Azure integration runtime: This is preferred when you want to copy and transform data between data stores in the cloud. Self-hosted integration runtime: Utilize this when you want to execute using On-premises data stores. Azure-SSIS integration runtime: It helps to execute SSIS packages through Data Factory. I hope that you have understood what a Data Factory is and how it works. We are now moving into its monitoring and managing aspects. Monitoring Azure Data Factory The Azure Monitor supports monitoring your pipeline runs, trigger runs, integration runtimes, and other various metrics. It has an interactive Dashboard where you will view the statistics of all the runs involved in your Data Factory. In addition, you get to create alerts on the metrics to get notified whenever something goes wrong in the Data Factory. Azure Monitor does offer all the necessities for monitoring and alerting, but the real-time business demands much more than that! Also, with the Azure Portal, it becomes difficult to manage when there are Data Factories with different pipelines, data sources across various Subscriptions, Regions, and Tenants. So, here is a third-party tool, Serverless360 that can help your operations and support team manage and monitor the Data Factory much more efficiently. Capabilities of Serverless360 Serverless360 will serve as a complete support tool for managing and monitoring your Azure resources. It helps to achieve application-level grouping and extensive monitoring features that are not available in the Azure portal. A glimpse of what Serverless360 can offer: An interactive and vivid dashboard for visualizing complex data metrics. Group all the siloed Azure resources using business application feature to achieve application-level monitoring. Get one consolidated monitoring report to know the status of all your Azure resources. Monitor the health status and get a report at regular intervals, say every 2 hours. Configure Threshold monitoring rules and get alerted whenever your resource is not in the expected state, and it can automatically correct it and bring it back to the active state. Monitor the resources on various metrics like canceled activity runs, failed pipeline runs, succeeded trigger runs, etc., without any additional cost. Conclusion In this blog, I gave an overview of one of the essential ETL Tools (Azure Data Factory) and its core features that you should be aware of if you plan to use it for your business. Along with that, I have also mentioned a third-party Azure support tool capable of reducing the pressure in managing and monitoring your resources. I hope you had a great time reading this article!

[workforcesolution]

Modern Data Scientist: Technical and Soft Skills You Need to be successful

What skills are required to be a Data Scientist? OR Is strong mathematics background required to pursue a career as a data scientist? We at Rang Technologies see a lot of questions like this. It's hard when you're trying to break into the field to know exactly how much math & stats you need. Primarily, it depends on how a company is defining "data scientist." Some companies say "data scientist" but really mean "data engineer", which is much more focused on the software engineering side of things and strong with coding production systems, data storage and extraction, cluster management etc. The latter is less Math/Stats and more CS focused. Secondly it depends on how a company is dividing responsibilities. Some look for people who are either strong in programming or strong in mathematics/statistics, and then combine them in a team. Others look for "fully fledged" data scientists who have the deep insight in different models and when to apply which algorithms and can do all the implementation of the data. How the role you're looking at fits into these descriptions will affect how much math/stats you need to demonstrate. Given the variance, the trick is to carefully dissect the job posting and dig into the background of the current team. LinkedIn is a great place to do this. You can generally figure out the different roles (job titles) as well as see the skills/background people in these roles have. That said, there are a few mainstays that, irrespective of role, you should be demonstrating on your resume. Either through your academic courses/coursework, online courses you've taken, or project work you've completed (including write-ups that demonstrate your understanding). Specifically: 

Linear algebra (and ideally basic multivariate calculus)

Regression ... linear regression and the things that violate the assumptions of linear models (e.g., autocorrelation in time series data, non-independent observations)

Probability theory ... especially Bayes' Law and Central Limit Theorem

Numerical analysis (e.g., time series analysis and forecasting)

Core machine learning methods (clustering, decision trees, k-NN)

How to take action now?

Compare this list of mainstays versus your resume. Which do you cover off? Which are you missing? Of those, which have you used or are proficient with? Time to make space to mention them - and if it is via project work, think about linking to a more detailed write-up (for example on GitHub) so you can highlight a deeper level of understanding. This is especially important for non-Math/Stats candidates, as the burden of proof is higher! If you've covered more than the above, great! Make sure the most relevant courses shine through and get you noticed. Technical Skills: Analytics Education - Data scientists are highly educated - 88% have at least a Master's degree and 46% have PhDs - and while there are notable exceptions, a very strong educational background is usually required to develop the depth of knowledge necessary to be a data scientist. Their most common fields of study are Mathematics and Statistics (32%), followed by Computer Science (19%) and Engineering (16%). SAS and/or R - In-depth knowledge of at least one of these analytical tools, for data science R is generally preferred. Skills Required are as below: Technical Skills: Computer Science Python Coding: Python is the most common coding language I typically see required in data science roles, along with Java, Perl, or C/C++. Hadoop Platform: Although this isn't always a requirement, it is heavily preferred in many cases. Having experience with Hive or Pig is also a strong selling point. Familiarity with cloud tools such as Amazon S3 can also be beneficial. SQL Database/Coding: Even though NoSQL and Hadoop have become a large component of data science, it is still expected that a candidate will be able to write and execute complex queries in SQL. Unstructured data: It is critical that a data scientist be able to work with unstructured data, whether it is from social media, video feeds or audio. About Rang Technologies: Headquartered in New Jersey, Rang Technologies has dedicated over a decade delivering innovative solutions and best talent to help businesses get the most out of the latest technologies in their digital transformation journey. Read More...

[gamesindustrynormal]

A few things I notice about people writing resumes for entry-level jobs in the games industry...

"resume" is a very popular filename and it is super annoying to have to rename them so you can find them later. firstname_lastname_discipline is the gold standard.

A lot of people put links to their github or online portfolio in the resume these days, which is great. Sure, you can't use it if you print the resume but it has mostly outlived its usefulness at that point.

pdf files are faster to open, smaller and more portable than word documents.

People really don't tailor their resume to the position they are applying for. And I get it, every entry-level job has hundreds of applicants so you need to go wide. But if you are applying to write client engine code all those paragraphs about webpages and databases are a waste.

for entry-level jobs, no-one has enough relevant experience to take up more than one page. Some write more pages anyway.

Job descriptions tend to have "required" and "nice to have" skills. Not always labeled as such, which admittedly is on us - we should be more clear. And some applicants do not seem to realize that if their resume does not indicate that they have all the required skills it will probably not be considered.

A good entry-level resume will have a mix of group projects, personal experiments and a list of skills. Potentially also coursework and/or professional experience. If it is just one or two of those things it tends to feel like something is missing.

... Admittedly everyone has their own preferences, so maybe following the advice of some anon of tumblr isn't the way to go. And if I am being honest, even I wouldn't reject someone for uploading a 3-page "resume.doc".

But of the hundreds I read only a few present relevant information in a clear way about whether the candidate could do the job or not. So I am going to complain about it =P

[almostreading]

How I Use Notion

It has been asked and I finally have enough things to do for this to make at least some sense. This is going to be long so strap in.

I used to have way more things on notion, but I have really pulled it back to just the essentials that I actually use and need, because I felt like if I was trying to use too many pages, I ended up using none of them. My number one rule for notion is to just try everything out and do what works for you

My home page is very simple, and also the categories are very arbitrary and probably only make sense to me. But the point of notion is to do what works for you. 

A weekly page is probably the most common and at least my most used page. At the beginning of the week I dump every single class, event and meeting I have in my calendar on here. On top of that I write down possible deadlines, and then start working around all of those to figure out what I need to get done and when. I add to this as the week goes on.

I really prefer breaking everything down to the smallest possible task. That’s why I have things like “read p&d material” and “make p&d notes” instead of just “do p&d”, because small and specific tasks are much easier to start and get done. 

For some reason my weekly plan also includes my course schedules, even though they probably belong somewhere else. I color code the different subjects to make it easier to keep track of em. I usually try and plan all my semesters in advance at the beginning of the year to have at least some idea of what I can do and well. The planning is also usually done at 3 am but let’s not talk about it. Most of the time these plans change a lot, especially the ones done for the spring semester, and they are always more ambitious than what I can actually handle, but my (probably very bad) philosophy is to take more courses than I can do and then just drop them when I know which ones I actually like and which work for me.

My to-do page might seem very similar to my weekly page, but this is where I dump literally everything, not just things I need to do that week. The tasks are a little bigger, and it’s just to give me an overview of what I need to get done and when, and a little bit of what that might include. This is mostly uni related things because I have so many courses it gets hard to keep track of them sometimes.

Under the to-do page is also the love of my life aka this calendar where I mark down literally every deadline I have. I Usually give every course an emoji so that I don’t have to write down “political communications essay”, I can just write essay and add the emoji to that page, and it’s much easier to get an overall view of what needs to get done for which course and when. Believe it or not, this August view is actually pretty chill, and during the actual semesters this tends to be way more full. 

The uni page is somewhat of a dumping ground for everything university related. It has my thesis sub page, which I would show you if it wasn’t such a clusterfuck. Basically I put everything relating to my thesis except the actual text I wrote in there. I had links to all my sources as well as detailed descriptions of all of them and tags of what each of them included, as well as direct quotes.. I had all my sourcebooks, descriptions and citations and every note I ever made. I also dumped all the text bits I took out of the final thesis in there because I couldn’t be bothered with making a word doc. It’s truly a mess.

The sources sub page is a dumping ground for every interesting history related website and database I find because.

The actual bulk of the uni page is just my whole degree laid out in checklists, so that I can keep up with what courses and course codes I still need to do, as well as which courses I am including in which codes, as sometimes history courses can be included in several different ones and I need to keep track of which ones I am using for which.

Food is a very rarely used pages which has links to restaurants I like and ones I want to go to because every time we wanna go eat none of my friends can come up with anything. It also has some dinner plan recipe ideas, though most of my recipes just live on pinterest

Jobs is somewhat similar to uni in that it just has everything relating to that topic. I have to-do list with all the interesting job listings and the dates when they close. I also have a massive list of different organisations and sites that have jobs for history students that I mostly just use to help my friends. I also screenshot every job listing I apply for to use at the job interviews, and all of those live on that page as well so that they don’t clutter my computer.

I think this is more of a “what my notion looks like” rather than a guide to using notion, but maybe it helps someone? Or at least you get a little sneak peak. If anyone wants any more specifics/advice on how I set anything up just sent me an ask/message and I’m happy to help.

[eintsein]

After a few years of trial and error, I think I've finally found the perfect organization method.

In the early years of high school, I had a bullet journal. I was an artsy kid who found a way to combine art with organization in a way that benefited other parts of my life.

However, as I approached the end of high school, my schedule got busier, and I was involved in a lot more things, so owning a bullet journal was less practical. Because of that, I switched to an app called Edo Agenda.

I continued with digital planning in college since I knew I wasn't going to have as much time. But all the apps I tried out—Taskade, Actions by Moleskine, Any.do, Todoist, Wunderlist—weren't suited to my planning and organizational needs. They didn't have the specific functions I required and didn't incorporate an organization system I liked to use. The predefined apps were too restraining, but the more customizable apps weren't customizable enough.

So then I switched to a bare bones, uber minimalist bullet journal method. That worked pretty well my second semester. It was simple, portable, and most importantly, flexible—all the things one could wish for in a planning system. However, it wasn't always the most convenient to use since I couldn't effectively integrate all the different aspects of my life, which, to no surprise, is mostly recorded digitally.

There was just one huge problem with my digital organization system that made me hesitant to switch back in the first place: everything was fragmented. Notes were in Google Docs. Financial records were in Google Sheets. To-Do Lists were in my bullet journal. Team projects were in Trello. My poetry was on Bear. Things I wanted to try are carelessly pinned to random pinterest boards or added to my YouTube "watch later" playlist. It was a mess.

Over the summer, I found out about Notion from a friend, and I thought, this has so much potential, it could even be exactly what I need. It's essentially like an empty notebook on your computer with functions that make it 10x more powerful. Notion allows you to integrate all aspects of your life and work into one app. Some of the advantages that have made me partial to Notion are:

Even greater customization level. Notion is a blank canvas with tons of predefined blocks and different file types. You can make databases, spreadsheets, Kanban boards, to do lists, etc. Also, you can remain connected to other digital services. You can link websites, collaborate with other users, use different structures (e.g. documents, databases, tasks), embed images and videos, etc. There are also tons of formatting options, e.g. text color, highlight, heading v. body text.

Better organization. Notion allows you to have pages within pages within pages within pages—an infinite hierarchy that you can organize with tables of contents. These pages are made of blocks, e.g. tables, checklists, boards, databases.  Both pages and blocks can be rearranged by simply dragging and dropping them to where you want them to be. In other words, I guess it's kind of like building a website to organize your life. Plus, their database feature is especially powerful as it allows you to connect all your data and get into as much detail as you wish (each entry in a database is its own page).

Templates. There are tons of templates created by both Notion and the community that you can use. These are especially helpful in the beginning since Notion does have a rather steep learning curve. There are template for almost every category: personal, planning, finance, job applications, design roadmap, etc. Check out their template gallery, this medium article called "10 Notion templates to inspire your use", or read on for my own examples!

Shortcuts. This makes typing and documenting so much faster. Notion uses Markdown, which is a text-to-HTML conversion tool, e.g. # = Heading 1, *, - = bullet point, etc.

Notion has some pretty awesome features, but how does one actually use it? Personally, I have four top-level pages: my planner, my personal journal, songwriting, and blogging.

Planner

I've been using my planner to, well, plan and track my day to day activities as well as my week and month. The way I've structured it is a calendar or monthly overview with links to pages of weekly overviews, and if needed, daily overviews within the weekly overview. This links things up so nicely, i.e. I don't have to be constantly flipping pages in my physical bullet journal or planner to find what I need.

I also have entertainment lists, which is mainly a table with all the shows I want to watch, the books I want to read, etc. I keep track of whether or not I've watched them, as well as my personal ratings. What I love most about this is that each entry is its own page, so I can type my notes for each book, show, or film and easily find them in the future. (Also the reason why I have plural “lists” instead of just one entertainment list is because you can filter entries by type of entertainment, e.g. movies, tv shows, books, articles.)

Personal

For personal notes, goals, journal entries, etc. This is kind of like an extension of my daily journal and just where I dump all my thoughts and keep track of the different aspects of my life: mental, emotional, spiritual, social, physical, and travel.

Another page I have is called "Stray Thoughts" and, well, it's pretty self explanatory. It's a lot easier to dump all my thoughts as they come and reorganize them later. Of course, this requires sacrificing the rawness of journaling, i.e. when the thoughts come and how you process them, which is why I still keep a regular journal that I write in daily.

Songwriting

I've been writing a lot of music over the summer and it's often hard to keep track of all of my songs and how far I've gotten in the songwriting process. So I created a table of songs - each entry of a song is a page with its lyrics. These are then tagged with the status of the lyrics (i.e. completed, in progress) and the status of the music itself (i.e. melody only, instrumental, mixing, mastering, revised). Eventually, I'll include demos in the database by embedding audio files in the document.

I have a separate section for inspiration and ideas, which is a kind of brain dump, e.g. words I think would make a good song, a certain theme for a song, a melody that's been stuck in my head, a vibe I'd like to try out, etc.

I've also been watching a lot of tutorials for music production and there's a section where I write my notes for that.

Eintsein

The last section of my Notion app is for this blog. Which has pages for

New posts. These are ideas for future posts, asks that I think would need longer answers, as well as posts that are currently in the draft stage (like this one was before I posted it)

Design assets. This is where I put all the visual branding material for Eintsein.com to be used in posts and any visual material on the blog.

FAQ. Having an FAQ document just makes it so much easier to make changes to your existing FAQ. Plus, if you ever change your FAQ theme, you just have to copy and paste what you already have.

Post directory. I keep track of all my previous masterposts, infographics, and generally longer and more comprehensive posts. It's the exact same as what you see on my Navigation page. And yes, the document contains direct links to the post.

New theme. A project I've been working on the past couple days is trying to create my own theme for my blog. This is where I put all my outlines, brainstorming notes, design inspiration, code snippets, etc.There are some pretty awesome features I’ve made use of in this page:

As you can probably tell, I'm absolutely obsessed with Notion since it has such awesome features and endless possibilities for customization. So far I've been using Notion for personal projects, which, since they are quite big in scale and have no set deadline, are important to organize well. My summer courses were only 6 weeks and weren't difficult to organize.

The formats above are just how I personally use notion. You could make some of your own, or if you don't think you want to build your pages from scratch, there are tons of templates to choose from. Here are some I think I'll be using in the near future and may be helpful for others as well, especially students like myself:

One drawback, however, is that Notion has a rather steep learning curve, but there are tons of tutorials online (especially YouTube) and I guarantee you it's all worth it.

Notion is not just a productivity app. It's a way to concretize your entire life.

Notion is free to use, but there are higher tiers that allow for more blocks, greater file size, etc. I use a personal account, which is $4 per month with unlimited block storage and no file upload limit (although I got it for $33/year). Personally I think the free plan would suit most people's needs, especially if you're not uploading large files.

[castielgeralt]

How to Study Plot and Character in Your Favorite Stories: 5 Easy Steps

What if I told you the best way to learn how to create amazing plots and characters in your own stories was by purposeful osmosis? First, of course, I might have to explain that “purposeful osmosis” means reading lots and lots of books and watching lots and lots of movies–and consciously studying what it is about them that works. With that explanation out of the way, chances are you’re in agreement. But chances are, you’re also not entirely sure how to actually make this happen. Just how do you figure out how to study plot and character in other people’s stories?

Not too long ago, Wordplayer K.M. Updike (she of the rad initials!) emailed me, asking:

[What is] your process for studying the plot, structure, character arcs, etc., of the books you read and the movies you watch? I’ve been wondering for a while how one goes about studying the writer’s work as they read/watch.

This is an excellent question. After all, it’s easy for Stephen King to say:

Don’t get me wrong: this is a tremendous piece of advice. But it’s also pretty vague.

That’s it? We just … read? And the answers will, what? Come to us?

Yes, actually. To some extent anyway. The more we read and watch good (and bad) stories, the better our own storytelling instincts will get–without our having to do even one thing more.

But in the interest of upping our game here, how about we do a few things more? Today, I’m going to give you an actionable plan for how to study plot and character (and lots more) in your favorite stories.

1. Start With an Action Plan

The first step in being purposeful is, of course, to have a purpose. Often, you may simply want to observe the books you read and the movies you watch generally, letting the story’s own strengths and weaknesses guide your study. But it can help you dig down deeper if you have a list of things you want to consciously pay attention to.

I recommend a short list. The shorter, the better, in fact.

Why? Because your brain can only keep track of so many tangents at once (says the woman with twenty tabs open in her browser). You’ll get better results if you focus on one or two primary elements or techniques at a time.

For example, lately, I’ve been concentrating on dialogue (both because it’s something I’m working on myself and because I’m planning a series of blog posts on dialogue for sometime next year). I watch the ebb and flow of dialogue, taking note of what works and what doesn’t. What’s the effect–and why did the author intend it?

This isn’t to say, of course, that you can’t also take note of anything interesting, in any category, that reveals itself. But only consciously follow certain rabbits down their holes.

2. Arm Yourself With Highlighters and Pens

Jane Eyre: The Writer’s Digest Annotated Classic (Amazon affiliate link)

This is for serious studiers only. Seriously, I only do this one when I’m in full battle mode (e.g., like when I was dissecting Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, so I could write about its brilliant techniques in Jane Eyre: The Writer’s Digest Annotated Classic).

This is where you’re going to want to divide your studying into a few more categories–one for each color of highlighter. Go through the book, highlighting appropriately, whenever you find an interesting passage. Write notes with abandon in the margins. Then, when you’ve finished, go through again and type up your notes, expanding on them to fully record your reactions and new knowledge.

I say this is only for serious studiers primarily because this is a fast track to interfering with reading-as-pure-pleasure (and also to making a mess of your paperbacks).

This is rigorous studying at its best and will require your full brain power. No reading-to-get-to-sleep when you’re doing this.

3. Break Down the Structure

The surest way to get a grasp on plot and story structure is by consciously breaking down the structure in books and movies–as I do regularly for the Story Structure Database. How do I do this?

Start with an easy shortcut: divide the total page count of a book or the total running time of a movie by eight. Why? Because the major structural moments happen at each eighth of the story:

1. Inciting Event (12%)

2. First Plot Point / End of the First Act (25%)

3. First Pinch Point (37%)

4. Midpoint / Halfway through the Second Act (50%)

5. Second Pinch Point (62%)

6. Third Plot Point / Beginning of Third Act (75%)

7. Climax (88%)

For movies, I use my handy dry-erase board notebook to note the approximate minute of each turning point, so I can easily watch the run time and take note of what’s happening.

For books, I use little Book Darts bookmarks to mark the appropriate page at each turning point.

This way, I’m not totally adrift within the story. I can watch the clock or the page count and know to be on the watch for the respective structural moment roundabout there.

This is a fabulous way to grasp story structure as a whole and, just as importantly, to understand how the various structural elements can manifest in vastly different ways from story to story.

You can study my many examples in the Story Structure Database.

4. Examine Your Reactions

Whenever you finish a story, give yourself a moment before rushing off to the next thing. Just sit there and think about your reactions to what you just experienced. Ask yourself:

How did the story make you feel?

What did you like about it?

What did you dislike?

Do you think it was an objectively good story?

Did you dislike it anyway? Why?

Do you think it was an objectively problematic or even bad story?

Did you like it anyway? Why?

Within the answers to these questions lies your greatest opportunity for growth as a writer. If you can distill your often nebulous feelings about a story down into logical facts about what made you feel that way, you will then be able to add other authors’ effective weapons to your own arsenal.

I use this technique after every story I read or watch. It’s where I get the ideas for fully half the posts on this site.

5. Transcribe the Prose

This trick is especially useful if you’re trying to crack the code of, not just great storytelling, but great writing. What is it about some authors’ prose that makes it sing so effortlessly and powerfully? The whole point of great prose is that it’s flawless: we’re not supposed to think about it, we’re not supposed to see the cracks where the pieces are joined together. If we saw the cracks, that would defeat the whole purpose.

As a result, simply reading great prose isn’t always the most effective way to learn how to write awesome prose of your own. What you need to do is sit down with a notebook and pen and a favorite book–and start transcribing passages. I recommend doing this longhand, with an actual pen, since this will slow you down and force you to think about and absorb each word and punctuation choice.

I used to do this every day, and it never failed to amaze me how it allowed me to suddenly see the building blocks the authors had used in crafting their prose. Their seemingly inimitable mastery of wordcraft was suddenly within my grasp. It was something I could learn–and that you can too!

Afraid Studying Will Ruin Your Reading? Don’t Be

Although you can learn from other authors, such as me, who break down stories and share what they’re learning in blogs and books, you’ll get more out of the experience by also doing it yourself. Start approaching your book reading and movie watching purposefully with an intent to logically identify and utilize the tools handed to you by authors you love.

But what if it ruins your reading and watching?

It’s true, it might. Some authors use these practices and find themselves growing hypecritical. But, frankly, it shouldn’t. The more I learn to identify how other authors are using the craft, the more I appreciate their stories. Give it a try. You’ll transform both your appreciation of stories in general and your own writing.

[neocity-sarai]

Fight for You

❂ concept: cyberpunk/futuristic au!

❂ pairing: mark lee x reader

❂ alerts: angst, fluff, mentions of blood, violence, death

3 years and 2 months that you’ve lived alone. 3 years and 2 months that you’ve survived without the help of your parents or any friends. Sometime ago, the world felt like it was truly ending. Disease and famine plagued the earth, it seemed as all hope was lost. Megacities were ruined from an onslaught of tsunamis, wildfires, and hurricanes. Your parents shielded you with the comfort of your small apartment, the warmth of their embraces to ease the anxiety. Yet, it wasn’t enough. You remember how your 15 year-old-self watched your mother slowly wither away, the disease could have infected her from anywhere: the grocery store, work, or from your own family. It felt unfair, the way people had to die when they had no choice to make money for the roof over their heads or to put food on the table. Your father held you close, his sobs shaking his entire body at the sight of your mother’s dying heart. Your whole world fell as silent as your mother’s heartline when your father whispered in your ear. He told you he was sorry, how he wished that he could tell you everything was going to be alright. He told you, “I don’t have much time left either.”

You could barely blink. You froze in place, your hands shaking at an uncontrollable rate. You eyed him incredulously, “What are you talking about?”

That night, you came home alone. You knew that the disease made adults more vulnerable yet you couldn’t believe that you had lost both of your parents in one day. All you could do was sit in your living room and cry until you couldn’t breathe. You screamed until your lungs heart, the weight of grief crushing your chest- it suffocated you. All that swirled in your head was memories of your mother cooking dinner while your father chased you around the dining table or the way you’d go to the city to explore, laughing in your family’s van as you drove. It was all too much. What were you going to do? Who would you call for help? Your family didn’t have many relatives in the area after your father decided to take a PR job in New York City. You felt all alone, the gloomy, steely skies looked especially lonely outside of your window. You couldn’t even see the sun. 

You fell asleep on your living room couch, your muscles sore from the unmoving position of your legs and arms. Deciding to switch on the TV, you were sure that the government would send a social worker to come fetch you- that’s what they always said on the news. Surprisingly, headlines read, “New vaccine formulated by pharmaceutical team at New York Institute of Medicine.” Despite the fact being good news, you felt numb. It didn’t matter because you had lost your family. It was too late. Over the next two years, the government issued a world-wide administration of the vaccine, the diseases had almost disappeared entirely. People were able to go back to work, walk their dogs, and dine out with their friends. The UN had stated each nation would work together to rebuild the damage of what was lost, whole cities were torn down to restart again. Technology advanced just as quickly: the old, ruined world becoming a man-made virtual paradise. Engineers and infrastructure developers reached new heights by building jets that flew at 1,840 miles per hour to skyscrapers that seemed to pierce through heaven. Somehow, by mercy, you managed to see the world change. You survived.

Current time

Of course, there wasn’t a real opportunity to go back to school after the plague, it led you to look for other ways to contribute to the work force instead. In the old world, work consisted of becoming a doctor, a lawyer, even a neighborhood bee-keeper ; as a young kid, you never had a clear idea of who or what you wanted to be. When you started to stabilize yourself by taking small part-time jobs that didn’t require a degree or some form of formal education, you slowly started to accumulate savings. After a while, you had been eyeing a virtual game constructed by the Kynigos company that swept the world by storm. It was everywhere on social media, all of the sign boards that lined 2nd avenue to 7th. Almost every family on your block purchased these visionary headsets that allowed you to see life in a kaleidoscopic lense. When you tried yours on for the first time, it was utterly breathtaking. New York city mimicked that of rainbow road in your old mario kart game, the streets glowed hues of bubblegum pinks and electric blues. The skyscrapers were dripping with panels of evergreens and xanthous yellows as the sky sparkled as a net covered it, the tiny strands glittering with violet crystals. You continued to walk down the block, circles glowing over your eyes and floating signboards that advertised expensive desserts bobbed up and down. As you scanned your surroundings, every person on the street or drivers cruising down the road had their headset on. Cars projected virtual screens that were lined with data codes and numbers. Even the foliage on the trees changed a new color every morning and night, the clouds moved by glitching slightly. It was like you could sweep your fingertips across every color you could think of, the streetlamps dripping gold above your head. 

Each time Kynigos uploaded a new software update, people would go ballistic over the installation of game mode. In place of a regular day job, you’d be able to make money by taking investors’ requests and errands. It ran on in-game currency that could be exchanged for real money in which you desperately needed to eat, to live. That’s where you were: you took requests for the smaller investors like fetching their meals or buying their groceries. Moving up, you honed your skills on clearing the game levels, earning access to a database of more promising, richer moguls. They were getting hungry, some of them crossing the law to conduct illegal activities in-game: Kynigos never really enforced the restrictions. No matter how much the government tried to take over the game, it would only gain more and more powerful. They always found their way around it. You had just cleared level 50, your reward was to establish a link with an anonymous client who offered 5 grand in exchange for a person’s identity. Not that you knew who the client or request was, you had become a bounty-hunter chasing for your next bankroll. You didn’t have time to pick and choose. At the corner of your headset screen, a pop-chat window appeared: “Hello. Please refer to me as Mr. C.”

You replied, “Hi. How may I help you?”

“I’m looking for someone who can track down a person that I’ve been trying to find. The request is to confirm their identity and bring them to me. I will raise the reward if need be.”

You continue, “I need that in writing. May I have this person’s file?”

“I will send it over shortly.”

The chat window expands into a link, a typed document of the request along with a signature. You had been cheated out once, you were sure to not let it happen again. When you enlarge the file, it’s a picture of a boy who was much younger than you. He wore a navy blue sweatshirt, his black hair curled on one side of his forehead. His eyes seemed incredibly innocent, his doe irises complimenting the smile that graced his lips ; the sharpness of his cheekbones accentuating his prepubescent face. His name read, “Mark/ Minhyung Lee.” and was last spotted not far from where you lived. You asked, “Mr. C, why are you looking for a kid?”

“I have no obligation to answer that question. Regardless, are you able to do it? If you can’t succeed, I will have to take measures into my own hands.”

With the amount of money that was being offered, you would be set for a while. Taking the request seemed extremely worth it. 

“It’s a deal, Mr. C.”

You pulled up your virtual map with a click of a button, the map expanding into the space of your living room. It showed every alleyway, every nook and cranny in the city. You enlarged the floating map with your fingers, zooming in on a couple blocks away from your apartment. From your room, you grabbed your back-pack and changed into a black body-tight outfit (a skin you won as a reward on level 15), and your hair tied in a loose knot. Dashing out the door, you headed for where this Mark was last seen. You walked around the city, scanning the crowds of people as you walked. The street lamps illuminated the moving sidewalk as people talked into their headset by the cafe windows. Colorful lights blossomed on the tiny windows of the tall buildings. How were you supposed to find such a young kid wandering around by himself? Was Mr. C. his father? Maybe a disgruntled relative? You were unsure. You stopped inside a convenience store, the view of a black-haired boy turned around in one of the aisles. You couldn’t see his face, could that be Mark? The cashier sleepily greeted you, his headset sat crookedly on the rim of his forehead. Making your way to the small boy, you walked in front of him to get a better look- it was not him. He looked up at you confusedly, “hey lady, should I get a chocolate bar or a lollipop?”

Pointing at the chocolate bar you winked, “Chocolate for sure.”

The child walked away from you as he perused through the candy aisle more. You felt a hand grab your wrist from behind to be met with a scruffy man who wore tattered clothes and scratched at his dirtied beard. His eyes bulged with hysteria, “Pretty girl, give me that!”

He pointed at your polished headset, his grimy fingers reaching for it. You stumbled back as your heart beat furiously in your chest, “Sir, I don’t want trouble. Please step back from me.”

The man takes another step towards you instead, his rough hands flying to grip your waist, “Say, what’s your name? Want to come with me?”

You try wrenching out of his grip, you shouted for the cashier’s attention- he’s too busy paying attention to the game to even hear you. The man’s fingers make contact with the skin on your hip which causes you to jolt, you struggle to reach for the knife at the bottom of your backpack.

“Sir, kindly back off!”

The homeless man swivels around, facing a boy about the same age as you. Looking at him, you had not ever witnessed a more attractive boy in a while. His hair was a chestnut color, the crest of it gelled over, his face was slim and defined. Even his lips were the prettiest shade of sakura blossoms, his obsidian eyes stern with fury. He pushed up a pair of version 3 cyber-glasses on the bridge of his nose, “Sir, I said to back off!”

Just like that, the homeless man raised his hands in mock surrender as he scampered out of the convenience store- leaving you staring at the handsome boy in front of you.

You nervously adjust yourself, “Um-I- thank you for that.”

The boy gives you a warm smile, one of his hairs falling onto his forehead, “No need to thank me. That guy was being a total creep. Plus, that cashier should be fired for being distracted.”

You laugh, you catch yourself staring at the abundance of watermelon pops in the boy’s hands. He eyes you and then back to his pops, “Oh, would you like one?”

Stammering over your words you shake your head a bit too wildly, “N-no t-thanks! I-I prefer mango?”

Why did you say mango? You hate mango-flavored things. He gives you a hearty chuckle, “Fair enough, mango’s good too.”

It goes without saying anything, you both pay for the treats as you walk on to the sidewalk, a cold breeze making you shiver. The boy cards his fingers through his hair, the streetlamps casting a golden flow on his highlights, “I guess this is where we part. I hope you don’t run into any more creeps.”

You nod at him, “I sure hope not. By the way, what’s your name?”

There, you feel like you’ve messed up. This stranger saves you from some homeless guy and you ask him for his name, his eyes are widened with surprise. You silently sigh in relief when he breaks into a toothy smile, “Yeah, um, My name’s Jonathan.”

His voice comes out a little hesitant, as if he’s not sure. You eye him, “You sure about that, bud?”

“Of course. I was just deciding whether or not to tell you Jon or Jonathan is all.”

You say, “Well, goodbye Jonathan. Thank you for helping me out today.”

You swerve to walk back down the street in which you came, your headset blinking with the weather forecast in the corner of it. You feel a hand catch your shoulder gently, “Wait-t, d-do y-you think we can exchange handles?”

Turning back to the boy, you certainly weren’t expecting him to say that, “Yeah, sure!”

Together, you calibrate your headsets as a glowing icon appears above his head, “Accept Jonathan as a friend?”

You say, “Accept!”

Jonathan’s name adds to your friends list, not that you had any previous names added anyway. He finishes adding to you as well, your name hot on his tongue as he repeats it daintily. Giving you a final wave, you both go your separate ways. You decide to look for Mark in the morning.

Later that night, you find yourself staring at a message notification from Jonathan. Tapping in the air, you press on it- you bite your lip in anticipation. A bubble appears over his message, “You still up?”

You type on your virtual floating keyboard, “I am, wanna chat?”

Another bubble appears: “proceed with projection communication?”

You look yourself up and down, your outfit only consists of a pair of striped pajamas unlike your black suit earlier. You can’t imagine that Jonathan’s dressed up at this hour. Accepting the bubble, a scan of Jonathan’s virtual body appears in front of you as if he’s sitting in your desk chair. He looks different from earlier, he wears a thin t-shirt that reads ‘Vancouver’, his hair glimmers with wet drops from his shower and he holds an acoustic guitar in his hands. At first he doesn’t realize that you’ve accepted the projection call until he drops his guitar to the ground, fumbling in his chair, “Oh! hi-i, I didn’t see you there for a second..”

You laugh at his silliness, “you were the one who initiated the call in the first place!”

“Still! One second, I need to get something.”

When he finally returns, he holds a bowl of cereal in his hands, spooning sugary flakes into his mouth before toasting the bowl, “Cereal baby!”

“Who eats cereal at this hour?”

“Me- I do!”

You smile at him, leaning back into your pillows, it’s almost too surreal that it feels like Jonathan is staring right back at you from your room. It’s like he’s right there with you. 

You continue, “So, what do you like to do in your free-time?”

He looks up from his bowl, “Hm, I uh- I guess I just listen to music or watching Netflix? Something like that?”

“I see you have a guitar by you, do you play well?”

He rubs the back of his neck nervously, “I wouldn’t say too good but I do enjoy playing? I write a bit too.”

“Can you play something for me?”

He gives you a playful smirk before breaking into a high-pitched laugh, “Put me on the spot now aren’t we?”

You reply, “You kind of set yourself up by bringing out a guitar. Of course I was going to ask.”

With a heavy sigh, he mumbles, “This is a song that I wrote when I started living on my own.”

You feel your heart swell at the sight of this stranger whispering soft words of song, the strums of his guitar filling the emptiness of your room. When he’s finished, you give him a standing ovation, “What do you mean not too good? You’ve got talent.”

He rubs his eyes tiredly, “Gotta stay humble, you know?”

Your memory plays back to Jonathan’s words: “I started living on my own.”

You tread into unknown waters, “Listen, let me know if this is too personal but when did you start living alone?”

Visibly, his frame becomes stiffened, his lips press into a thin line, “About three years ago? I think?”

He’s the same as you. You continue, “Do you still keep in touch with your parents?”

A flash of pain coats Jonathan’s face, his teeth sink into his lower lip anxiously, “You know-w, I-I think we should call it a night-t?”

You’ve pushed too far. “Oh, yes- sure. Right, good night.”

Like that, Jonathan’s projection disappears from your desk chair, the call ending with a beep. You throw your headset to your nightstand with a clang, throwing your head into your pillow. You doubt that Jonathan wants to talk to you after pressing into his private matters.

When morning comes, your heart jumps at the notification at the top of your messages bar. You click on it, Jonathan’s audio file plays, “Hey-y, I-I’m reallly sorry for uh- I-I kind of left you hanging last night? Can we meet up and talk? Possibly? Let me know when you get this.”

You respond back to him, “Hey, don’t apologize. It was my fault for pushing you where you weren’t comfortable. I’ll forward my address.”

Within the next hour or so, you find Jonathan standing in your doorway as he raises a bag of mango and watermelon pops from the convenience store in his hand. You usher him in, “You got here quite fast..”

He smiles at you, setting the bag on your table, “I’m pretty speedy. Also, you’ve got a nice pad.”

“Oh- yeah, technically it used to be my parents but they well- they passed away.”

His face turns somber, his features darkening with hurt, “I’m sorry for your loss y/n.”

Trying your best, you muster a small smile at him, “It’s okay. Can I get you anything? Water?”

“I-uh- no, I’m good.”

With a heavy sigh, Jonathan plops himself on your couch, his eyes shifting to the vibrant city view outside, “Anyway, I-I just wanted to apologize for leaving so abruptly last night.”

Shaking your head, you answer regretfully, “No, it was completely my fault, I should be sorry.” The features on his face turn sharper. He stiffens again, his fists curl beside him on the couch, “I also haven’t been too honest about myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“My name isn’t Jonathan. That’s just an alias- my real name is Mark. Mark Lee.”

You feel your breath hitch in your throat. The boy that your client is after is sitting on your living room couch. How could you not recognize him? Your headset tab has his file bookmarked- he was a child then. Of course, he’s matured. 

“Why would you lie about your name?”

Jonathan- now, Mark sighs, “Because, I have to. You asked me about my parents? They were murdered by some gang leaders because they owed them money so we could survive the plague. They did what they had to so we could live. They’re still after me.”

You hand flies to your mouth in shock, “Mark, I- I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I-”

Mark places a warm hand on yours, “It’s okay- don’t be sorry y/n. Just don’t tell anyone.”

“Not a word, I swear on it.”

Mark picks himself up to move closer to you, your knees almost touching, “When did you start living alone?”

The memories of you watching the doctors send your parents’ bodies to the morgue surface in your mind. You can’t stop the flood that breaks the dam. Digging your nails into your palm, you sniffle, “My parents passed away from the plague on the same day. Like yours, they had to work and go outside for us to survive. I was on the streets a bit before I could make money myself.”

It’s impossible. You can’t stop the tears that stream on your cheeks. You squeeze your eyes shut, “I miss them so much.”You feel a thumb swipe your tears away. You open your eyes to see a blurry vision of Mark’s concerned face, his fringe swept on one side of his forehead, “I’m here, it’s okay. I miss mine too.”

In a split second, you fall into the crook of Mark’s chest, snuggling into his arms. You hear the slow thrum of his heartbeat, the music that beats with his soul. It’s beautiful, the way his doe eyes gaze down at you and the way it feels when you reach up to sweep the hair out of his eyes, “Thank you, Mark.”

He doesn’t say anything, he continues to rub circles on your back comfortingly as he thumbs your hand in his lap. Afterwards, you and Mark decide to eat dinner with Mark in the city. With Mark beside you, everything seems ten times more vibrant. Musicians play on the streets, their instruments laced with colorful threads (bonus items that tune your instrument automatically). Robotic helpers roll around in the restaurants as they pick up tabs, refill waters, and do little things that could be cumbersome for humans. You and Mark sit on the second floor of your favorite ramen restaurant, one that your parents frequented often. Laughing at the way Mark slurped his noodles made you happier. For some odd reason, Mark reminded you of the comfort that your parents had- a warm glow that always brightened the room. He placed his chicken into your bowl, forcing you to eat his no matter how much you protested. When you were done, Mark led you to the third story of the restaurant, a rooftop garden that overlooked the city. The view was breathtaking: the skyline reflected an ocean of colors onto the water as the Brooklyn bridge allowed flying vehicles to soar across the sky. You both sat on the edge of the building, Mark pulling your body closer to his. He rested his head on your shoulder as he hummed some unrecognizable song, the honking of cars is the only thing that disrupts him. Steadily, you brought a hand to the scar on his cheekbone- causing him to raise his head at you. Mark leaned further into your touch, his hair fluttering in the wind slightly, “Can I um, kiss you?”

Smiling, you crash your lips onto yours, his lips feeling plush and soft at first. You move one hand to entwine Mark’s hairs in between your fingers, causing him to let out a moan. Your kiss grows more passionate as you part your mouth for him to move his tongue, your body temperatures rise- an alert pops on to your headsets. Ignoring it, Mark leans further into your lips while you arch your back on the roof. He pushes you flat against the concrete, his lips detach from yours with a sound. When you look at him, Mark’s half lidded eyes and swollen lips pop from the colorful netted sky that hangs above him, you say, “Wow, you’re good Mark Lee.”

He laughs into your shoulder, his giggle full of mirth. You don’t resist when he presses a kiss to your lips for the second time, you take harder control than he does. You roll onto your side so you can climb on top of him instead. Mark reaches up to place a hair behind your ear before you lean in to press a kiss to his nose. His eyes glimmer with adoration, “y/n, the things you’re doing to me right now-”

Mark starts to press a burning kiss to the hollow of your neck, you pause when a notification flashes on your messages bar. You open it, it’s from Mr. C. It reads, “Y/n. I’m afraid you’re out of time.” You scramble off of Mark, causing him to yelp, “Oh god, y/n, I-I’m so sorry, I- did- I go too far? I shouldn’t have done that- oh my-”

You press your hand to Mark’s lips, “It’s not you. I have to tell you something, it’s-”

“What? What’s wrong?”

You both sit up, “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you earlier I just forgot about it because we were talking and I-I just don’t-”

Mark’s expression turns firm, “What is it?”

“I just passed level 50 in-game. I got a request from a client and he told me he was after you and I took it because I thought I needed the money and now that I know you’re the person he wants, I don’t know what to do-he says we’re out of time!”

Mark looks down, his face morphing into slow pain, “Did you have that request since we met?”

You shout at him, “Yes! But, I was never going to sell you out, I swear! I started to like you and I wouldn’t have done that!”

Marks still casts his eyes down, “Y/n, I have to go right now- I can’t be outside-”

“You’re too late!”

You and Mark swivel your heads to see a skinny man dressed in a plaid suit hop off his emerald hoverboard, a pistol sits in the grip of his hand, “I’ve got you now Mark Lee! And y/n has led me straight to you!”

Mark practically leaps across you, forcing you to move behind him, “Just stay behind me.”

You place your hands on Mark’s shoulders, gripping him tightly. The man- Mr. C. looks hysterical when he flashes Mark a sinister grin, “Your parents still haven’t paid their debt. You’ll serve as compensation.” 

He aims his gold-lined pistol at Mark, cackling before he sends a smoking bullet flying to Mark’s chest without a warning. You scream, Mark falling on his side as he clutches his wound. Mr. C. spits in your direction before zipping off on his hoverboard, leaving you to press your hands to Mark’s body. Already, your hands are covered in crimson blood, you smell the iron scent of it and it makes you sick. You don’t even realize that you’re screaming now, “Hold on! I’m going to get you to a hospital okay? Hold on!”

Mark lets out a weak cough, his eyes failing to stay open. You cradle his head, “Mark? Mark, stay awake! Stay with me, please!”

Once more, he reaches up a bloodied palm to your cheek, your tears falling onto his shirt, “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

You whimper, “It’s not okay! Don’t leave me! I’ll be alone again!”

The hot tears blur your vision, it’s getting harder to not collapse. You see Mark smile at you, “you know, you’re the only person that’s made me feel less lonely since my parents died.”

Clutching his hand, you feel the calloused skin along his palm, wanting to savor every bit of him, “Mark, I’ve fallen for you.”

Nodding, “And I, you.”

With the last bit of strength he has, Mark kisses you with scarlet fire before letting out a bone-chilling groan. His lips fall away from yours, his body landing on the roof with a thump. You hold your breath, your head pounds with harsh pain. You can’t believe the sight of Mark’s once musical spirit so bereft of life. Finally, your breath hitches at a notification that appears in your message inbox at the top of your virtual screen, “hello, y/n.”

[steedimmigration]

HOW TO GET A JOB IN CANADA WITHOUT CANADIAN EXPERIENCE

Reach an Immigration consultant Kitchener for queries regarding work permit Kitchener

You’ve finally got your PR visa after having successfully uploaded your candidate profile at Express Entry and after having been selected based on your experience, education, language ability and other factors, and now you’ve recently landed in Canada to start your new life. You have even managed to rent an apartment in your new city and now there’s only one question on your mind.

How do I get a job?

The answer – or more accurately, the many answers – to that question actually start before you even land at your Port of Entry in Canada. So, let’s start there and find out how you should go about getting your first job as a new Express Entry arrival.

 BEFORE YOU ARRIVE – PREPARING FOR CANADA’S JOB MARKET

Before you even get on your flight to Canada, you must begin to do an extensive search of Canada’s job market and see how you can match your skills to opportunities in the Canadian labour market. This means several things:

 JOB BANK

Job Bank is a government of Canada website that matches people looking for jobs with available occupations across Canada. You should open an account at Job Bank and start browsing the site for jobs that match your skills. It’s a basic first step in getting to know the Canadian job market. Use the Resume Builder tool as well as Job Match where you can post your Resume/CV and obtain job offers from employers. (Although you might want to wait until you have your PR visa and are about to come to Canada before you start actively looking for work.) 

Reach an Immigration consultant Kitchener for queries regarding work permit Kitchener

INDEED CANADA:

This website is the Canadian version of a world-wide jobs board based in Austin Texas and founded in 2004. It’s one that’s highly rated and gives you detailed job offers across Canada. You can fine-tune your search to jobs in specific locations as well. Employers can post jobs for free or use the paid option to boost their company’s profile at the site. Any search for jobs should include this site as you will gain insight into what kinds of jobs related to your skills are available in cities and towns across the country.

 WORKOPOLIS:

This site is a home-grown Canadian job bank founded by The Globe & Mail in 1999. Indeed offers companies the ability to fine-tune their job offers by estimating how many applicants they want to sort through to find their ideal candidate. That means tight job descriptions in many cases. It may not provide your first job. 

 Workopolis is a great site to see what Canadian employers are looking for a little higher up the value chain from that entry-level employment you may be looking for. You can browse by job function or by region of Canada.

 Reach an Immigration consultant Kitchener for queries regarding work permit Kitchener

ELUTA:

The website has two search fields where you type in job title or functions, and type in a city, province or postal code in Canada. Then you hit the green Search Jobs button .

 GOOGLE FOR JOBS:

Google is now using specialized algorithms that employ AI and Machine Learning to integrate this component of their search engines with job boards and have the results of a job search pop up on your screen directly through searching in Google.  Rather than using a site like Indeed or Eluta. 

Another factor is that employers have to modify the HTML code on their websites in order to have their job postings appear through Google for Jobs. It involves adding what’s called job-listing structured data to the jobs page at your company website. Any data scientists/analysts out there looking to come to Canada?

 GLASSDOOR:

If you go ahead and type “google for jobs” in google.ca you’ll quickly notice that a lot of job sites are at the top of your search results. And they all promise the viewer they have the best jobs on … Google. Search is search and google is the main search platform by far, so clearly there is a symbiotic relationship here. In the case of Glassdoor, it’s not only a jobs board website but is also an employer review site. That means feedback about the people who are hiring, done by employees, which is a nice feature for potential job seekers to get a feel for the company they might be working for.

 MONSTER:

This truly is a beast of a website with an enormous quantity of resumes posted online but one that is fairly expensive for employers to post a job offer on. That means that you might not get as many smaller businesses posting on Monster as on a site like Indeed, for example. That means you’re more likely to find jobs posted by larger companies for key positions. That’s a good fit if you have an impressive resume and are looking to get hired in more managerial or upper level professional jobs where more experience and education is required. As well jobs are posted by city, so that can be helpful depending where you plan to settle in Canada. 

 The next thing you can do before even arriving in Canada, is to work on creating a resume that fits the expectations of employers in Canada. You likely need to redesign the look and the content of your resume to make it more “Canadian”.

Your resume needs to be short and to-the-point with headings and bullet points.

It should always be customized for the particular job you are applying for. It may be a case of changing the focus to highlight the skills that you feel will best suit the job you are applying for. 

Highlight your education, professional experience, and other qualifications.

You often have to use keywords depending on the job you are applying for. Overloading a resume with keywords will strike the HR person reviewing it as lacking credibility, but a few well-chosen ones can make a difference to someone who is often quickly skimming through a large number of resumes.

Decide if it should be a Chronological Resume (listing your experiences in the order in which they occurred) or Functional Resume (listing your experiences according to function - what skills were used in previous jobs and what specific experiences you gained). If you have gaps in your work experience or are a new graduate with little experience the functional resume may be the better choice.

You don’t have to include information on:

Age

Ethnicity

Nationality, culture etc.

Health (unless you require special arrangements)

Citizenship status.

Make sure when posting your resume online that it’s searchable. For example, on Monster.ca you have 3 levels of privacy:

Private: the resume cannot be found in a search of Monster’s database and your contact information is not visible.

Visible and Limited: the resume is searchable by anyone with access to the database, but contact information is not visible. Contact information is only visible by an employer when you apply for a job at their company.

Visible: Anyone with access to the database can see your resume and your contact information.

There may be cases where you don’t want your current employer to know that you’re applying for another job, but in general almost any new arrival in Canada will want to get their contact information out to as many potential employers as possible.

 ONCE YOU ARRIVE – NETWORKING & THE HIDDEN JOB MARKET

Reach an Immigration consultant Kitchener for queries regarding work permit Kitchener

When you’ve arrived in Canada, the next step you should take is to unlock what is called the Hidden Job Market. 

According to some estimates, over 60% of job offers in Canada are not done through public job offers but rather within business and social networks: corporate managers who know someone who knows someone who might be right for the job they need filled, for example. That means that to get the tip of your shoe in the door, you need to start developing networks as soon as you arrive in Canada. Or even beforehand if you already have family or friends in the country.

So, you first have to ask yourself: why are you doing this? Why are you networking? Aside from the obvious answer to get a job, the main focus of networking is to help make the task easier for the person who’s hiring or who may need someone at some point. 

Be helpful. Always be thinking about ideas and suggestions to problems people in your field of work might be having. And that also means listening carefully when you manage to get people in the field to talk to you. Read industry websites, periodicals, blogs and try emailing the writer of the article/blog if you have any ideas or suggestions.

Talk to people. Let them know you’re looking for a job. Let them know exactly what job you’re looking for. Include everyone from families to friends to local business owners that you feel might have useful contacts. If you’re also studying at a Canadian post-secondary institution, let your classmates and even your professors know. You can even use a calling card where you list your contact information on one side of the card and the job you’re looking for on the other side.  

You can even offer to write a free column in a magazine/periodical or blog that deals with your area of work interest.

Go to Social Media sites of companies or organizations in your field. Comment on influencer posts and start to work your way into the community through social media. Make sure your comments are well thought out and helpful and show you understand and follow trends in your field of work.

Link your social media comments to your own blog where you comment on your field of interest. 

What you’re doing is building a profile – both online and offline – of yourself as a potential employee. Managers and HR people do often check social media to get a better idea of who they may be considering for a job. Combine your online resume, your social media posts, your blog, any emails or direct contacts with people in your industry and you now have a well-rounded profile that will help employers see you for who you are: the person they need to fill that job.  

[junaou]

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋.

Brain worms said ‘go write Junao’s relationship call!’ so here I am, writing this relationship call. Please come and cherish this man. Or pick a fight, whatever’s your thing. Now, as of writing Junao is not in FGO servers outside of JP yet, so there are some spoilers regarding LB4 and all that. These are things I can usually leave out in normal threads/convos, but deeper social links would require me to prod into some of those topics. Tread carefully!

(This ended up being long. Like, really long. I’m so sorry.)

Like this post or reply with the number corresponding to the ideas below that you think would jive well with Junao and your muse. By default I’ll use Tumblr’s messaging system, but if you don’t prefer that/have other options my Discord ID is also available for the taking - just ask! I’ll also make sure to send any memes I find interesting, poke you when the brainworms come out, etcetera.

01. GENERAL IMPRESSIONS. 

Junao is a very pleasant person to be around, and chances are most would find him to be good company - especially if this is their first meeting with the guy. Small talk is a good start to being acquainted with him! Most of the time he’ll just be there to point out things, maybe lend a hand or two.

But at the same time one might notice that a lot of this is very surface level. Less mimicry and more detached if anything, like floating clouds. His optimistic behavior will always be directed at others. Junao is a god, an observer with no personal preferences. He doesn’t really feel emotional about a lot of things, so chances are you’re not gonna get a rise out of him: he’ll just simply disagree or agree, and move on.

02. OCCASIONAL CURIOSITIES. 

His world came into a standstill during ancient times. He might be aware of new innovations and modern changes thanks from Chaldea’s database or due to the circumstances of his summoning, but knowing and actually experiencing these things are two very different things. A lot of the environment is bound to catch his attention - whether it is about the urban horizon or the noise of arcade machines down the street. Junao would be up to trying out pretty much anything, so it’s really easy to entertain his questions or drag him into participating activities.

03. ARTS & CRAFTS. 

Creation and destruction are his domains as a god, but creating stuff with merely the use of his Authority wasn’t very fulfilling at all. There’s joy in the process itself, so even back in Chaldea he had been trying to create with conventional means. The end result isn’t as perfect, of course, but he still finds it fun regardless. The nature of the craft can vary, from carving wood to folding origami or even assembling model kits! Chances are if you find him in a shop he would be looking for DIY items to try out.

04. DIVINITY. 

Junao’s status as a god is quite strange. He wasn’t born as one and he wasn’t supposed to become one. Needless to say, his current performance as a god is…well, it’s not quite stellar. Of course it’s not like he hasn’t communed with gods in the past -  his father is one after all. But all of his prior experiences have been under the position of one who followed and worship them. Now that he walks among them, he’s not quite so sure. Anyone who also happened to be a god in their own world would be of interest to him, just to know how it is like for them to have divine inhumanity in their blood.  He has to realize that not every god shares his emotional detachment.

05. TO PURGE ALL EVIL. 

He inherited the majority of his divine aspect from Kalki, one who is said to cleanse the world of all evil. In his hopes and dreams for a perfect world he tried to remove all known sources of it, only to end up going overboard. (Overboard is an understatement.) Now aware of this flaw, Arjuna has narrowed down his definition to anyone who threatens those close to him, which is a good starting point! So uh, don’t mess with them or you’ll have to face the wrath of a god.

That being said, he’s aware that figuring out the complexities and the nuances between good and evil is something he needs a better grasp on, something that would take an eternity for one to learn. There are some things that he can easily consider to be evil of the bat, but the moral grey is something he needs to face directly and address if he wanted be do better at his job.

06. I HAND YOU MORE YEARNING. 

“How enviable. That is truly the form of a human. They continue to struggle even as ugly as they are. They act valiantly, but they continue to tremble in fear. They cry out saying they don’t want to die, and yet risk their lives to save another. Something inside me insists… ‘I want that. I want to be that.’”

Gods use humans as their proxies, but men do not become gods. Arjuna Alter’s existence is an anomaly, one that breaches this rule. And yet, no matter what happens, his status as a god shall never change. He can no longer return to become human again. That is why he looks at humans from a distance - in all their beauty and ugliness, their strength and their love and their passion, the way they rise and fall and rise again. Longing for something he has discarded.

07. BY CONTINUING TO QUESTION. 

So. Remember what I said about him being a god with no preferences, detached from all forms of desire and emotion?

Now throw all of that out of the window.

Arjuna is an imperfect god. Beneath all these layers of divinity, underneath the functions and the code, therein lies a human soul. One that by all means should have disappeared into the void once he has absorbed nearly every god and yet despite everything he has retained his individuality. Call it a paradox or a miracle, but this is something that can only be achieved by those we call heroes.

Of course this is something that not everyone would be privy towards, but if one pursues a closer relation with Junao it is inevitable that one would end up unearthing these aspects. This personality may be muted, but there are just simply things that he cannot help but react towards. What sides would resurface would depend on specific interactions, however. After all, Arjuna is human, possessing positive and negative traits in equal measure.

07A. WHITE. Bonds are important to Arjuna, whether it is from friends or from family. He is devoted to those who trust and respect him, and those he has grown to trust and respect in return. He still loves his theatrics, whether it’s showing off a skill or just being plain dramatic, and is a willing participant when it comes to competition. He’s no longer afraid of expressing himself, and thus any smile or sign of gratefulness is the genuine thing.

07B. BLACK. He is not above pettiness or resentment. One cannot easily forget pride and honor, and he would come to rise in his own defense or on others when necessary. There are things that are still capable of riling him up, such as injustices that he cannot find himself to forgive. While he is trying to rid himself of his perfectionism, a part of it still exists, and he might find himself going overboard when blinded by emotion. As much as he would deny it, there are things he has begun to question - about his destiny, about his dharma, things he would claim to be unfair despite declaring himself as the greatest sinner of them all.

07C. BHAGAVAD GITA. And herein lies the root of his existence, the point where the fates of the Berserker Arjuna has diverged from the Archer Arjuna. His decision to absorb all gods was a decision rooted in the deepest depths of despair. It was the overabundance of suffering and moral dilemma that has had him think that it would be better to feel nothing at all, and why he has given up his emotions and personality. Why he forgot what was he supposed to fight for in the first place.

He still cannot confront them, after all this time. To face it head on is to have it break down all the walls he has built up for millennia, and no matter when it occurs he would not be ready for that backlash. He has failed in where the Archer Arjuna succeeded, and he is full aware that to acknowledge them again would break him. It has already broken him before.

What lies beyond the song of gods? I do not know. But eventually he has to go back there again, to that time where he has sacrificed everything for nothing. And when he does, he needs to find an answer. May you help him find that, no matter what it may be.

If you have reached this part of this post…congratulations! And thank you so much for reading this up to the end. Of course, I am also open to any ideas that aren’t listed here. Feel free to poke me on messages, plotting is fun and good.

[the-bjd-community-confess]

DoA megapost (22 confessions)

Mod: So https://true-bjd-confessions.tumblr.com/post/189300138511/mod-due-to-excessive-offtopic-arguing-in-the

All you guys’ pending DoA confessions presented in no specific order, before we move into the hold, as announced above.

To be clear: I think this is a feature DoA should have yesterday. It’s completely inappropriate to force people to use deadnames and names which are related to traumatic life experiences, or be banned. 

However, *weary sigh, gesturing at the multiple 70+ reply confessions on this topic* people told me they were finding the rapidly escalating discussion to be upsetting and offputting, and that’s not my goal for this blog. ❤️

1.

I am exceptionally weary of all the DoA hate over the person who got banned over making a new account after not being allowed to change their user name. DoA isn’t the only doll forum out there. If you don’t like their rules, don’t join. I for one find their rules about on- and off-topic dolls to be unfair and arbitrary as hell, but in the end it comes down to their house, their rules. Move on.

~Anonymous

2.

Us: Sure would be nice to maybe be able to change your name on DOA.

Some of y’all: Are you asking for anarchy?? If we allow this, what’s next?? A reasonable review of outdated rules??? The rules are there for a reason!!1! The reason may be antiqued because technology has updated and changed since then, meaning there are better solutions available, but it’s still a reason so we DEFINITELY should NEVER change!! Change is too scary for me. :( You’re bullies who want to be special :((( Stop that :(

~Anonymous

3.

I love seeing people get so offended at anon saying “bigots”. How do you know it was about you ? Guilty conscience? DOA could allow name changes if they really wanted to. There are other hobbies where they forbid certain people from entering forums while still allowing name changes. It’s not hard if you really care.      

~Anonymous      

4.

Honestly the way people fall all over themselves to defend DoA against any sort of criticism (regardless of how you personally feel about the validity of said criticism, reader) makes me glad I never got into the community aspect of this hobby. It's just... stressful.          

~Anonymous  

5.

The transphobia in the comments on this blog in particular are so gross. Being a bigot makes your dolls instantly hideous. And no, I’m not saying everyone who is defending DOAs decision is transphobic. I’m talking about the one who thinks trans people transitioning is wrong and their friends. You’re gross and so are your dolls.

~Anonymous  

6.

scammers can & will get around DOA's no name change policy, it's really not that safe. also, DOA isn't the only website which allows the sale of high-value items.

~Anonymous  

7.

First it's "if you want name changes coded in DoA, offer to do it yourself!", then it's "why tf would DoA accept some rando to help code their site?" make up your goddamn mind, your argument is falling apart. 

Also when did this issue become "DoA vs trans people"? Like, I like DoA yet I also recognize it should be more accessible and updated for the modern userbase. I want it to become as good as it can be because I like the community and would hate to see it die out like so many other forum sites do. Yes, it has flaws- and believe me, the folks who get extremely upset about the idea of admitting that embarrass me- but I liked the format since I was new to the hobby. I just wish it was more inclusive!    

~Anonymous    

8.     

girlisav3rb: "this isn't about exclusion or leaving anyone out". Also girlisav3rb: "I'm just kicking your punk ass off [obvious metaphor for DoA]" yyyyiiiiikkkees      

~Anonymous    

9. 

The DOA username debate is really starting to feel like 4 people's personal beefs against each other. It isn't really about dolls and I wish it wasn't dominating all the confessions here. I don't really care about watching pomoaples, pupkinspce, aigisthewlve and tellmeifthursday make fools of themselves daily.        

~Anonymous      

10.

Say it louder for the people in the back: IF YOU INSIST ON NAME CHANGES FOR DOA, THEN VOLUNTEER YOUR CODING EXPERTISE. Don't know how to code and are just squawking about something you can't directly contribute towards? Then shut up or offer up money so the mods can hire a computer programmer to make the changes you're DEMANDING from a FREE service.        

~Anonymous

11.

God it's so painfully obvious to see how many of the people defending DoA on the grounds that name changes would destroy the integrity of the website have never ever worked on or even been part of a forum or really any website of any kind in their lives. Seriously arguing that "the database" would break if you changed a name like?? No??? Have you ever seen a server backend before? You can automate this shit, you know, keep a log of former names, just... it's not some big huge challenge??? 

~Anonymous 

12.           

I don't have a horse in the trans name change race but calling DoA one of the friendlies communities around is abject bullshit lmao. There's not a more elitist, paranoid, abusive community this side of comic books -- but that kind of goes for this hobby as a whole, let's be honest.           

~Anonymous     

13. 

THE RULES ARE IMPORTANT WE CAN't cHANGE THE RULES IT WILL LEAD TO CHAOS IF WE CHANGE ONE RULE WHERE WILL IT END THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!!!! In my town it used to be THE RULES that POC have to go to separate schools and use separate bathrooms, but sure, the rules are the most important thing, not the people. And before anyone says cOmPaRiNg DoLlS tO rAciSm, 1) shitting on trans people IS a form of prejudice you smoothbrains, and 2) my ass is POC and I call it like I see it. Check yourselves.            

~Anonymous   

14.   

I personally think DOA should just.. go away? It’s been around for years, most people use it as reference rather than a community anymore. Everything is on FaceBook and Instagram now, DOA is pretty much just a glorified Dolly Dictionary at this point. Besides, if they aren’t going to change an Incredibly simple, easy thing to change just to accommodate transitioning people, it’s not the best place to be.

~Anonymous  

15.

I mean about the whole rules is rules is rules thing about doa: the thing is, some rules are there for a reason and obviously do need to be respected whether you agree with them or not, like don’t block fire exits, murder is bad, etc. but some rules eventually become outdated and need to be changed to keep up with society, and that doesn’t make the people pointing out that they need to be changed evil or entitled or spoiled. Imagine if we all still had to drive 10 mph everywhere because when someone pointed out that car technology had improved since 1915 and the speed limit should be increased accordingly everyone had just shouted them down with “BUT TEH RUUULLLEESS!!!” You’d be pretty interested in getting some of this “special treatment” yourself so you could get to work on time, huh?

~Anonymous  

16.

Honestly the easiest solution would be let people change their names only once and have it trackable.. as a trans dude its NOT that deep.     

~Anonymous        

17.

I notice that the unrelenting attacks on DoA are now even using the same phraseology along with the name-calling and implications of sinister motives. These are textbook bullying tactics. Next is the boycott, except that most of these people already say they don’t use the forum because they are just too “21st Century” for it.

Luckily this is just a confession board and no matter how many folks you manage to rile up here, it’s not going to affect DoA. Now, this is why I love DoA–you can’t go on their own site and spew this nonsense. They have Rules. They are Strict. They attempt to avoid drama, especially off-topic drama, and they don’t allow meanness, vulgarity or obscenity. If you’re looking for a pleasant, safe space, it’s your best bet.

~Anonymous

18.

Easy to lay bigotry, laziness, stupidity and worse on DoA mods for not just accepting tales of trauma and pasts to erase.  But the internet has always been full of lies by people trying to get their own way or escape consequences. Not just pro scammers. People who cry things like illness, trauma, disaster, family or pet problems over and over to get sympathy for demands or as all-purpose excuses. Recast ownership lies. People who never got a no before, and don't like being turned down no-how.

~Anonymous

19.

I just realized that no one understands the people saying DOA can allow name changes are the people who have actually modded forums before, most forums unless they’re running a totally outdated system use user id numbers that are linked to display names, which can be changed, and you can write a simple string of simple-baby-code to show old display names on a profile, to explain it in simple terms.   

~Anonymous                    

20.

Honestly I think that the anti-name change people are mostly just shilling for DoA because they can't believe that their precious forum with its volunteer mods could be anything but flawless. Or something like that, given how indignantly these people have *always* reacted to confessions criticizing DoA, even before the trans controversy was a thing. There have definitely been some obvious transphobes as well though, whose bile is really more suited to conservative FB pages or something. Go away!          

~Anonymous

21.   

the DOA mods can obviously change people's usernames because it's 2019 and basically every other site in existence can do it. they might have to change the site slightly to accomplish this. maybe there are reasons for them to choose not to do that, but let's stop pretending it's some technological impossibility.

~Anonymous

22.

How about this: Implement a system on DoA that indentifies users by a unique code and allow users to have a changeable display name. Changing the display name could become a paid feature to pay for the technical changes. Think of a system like discord has. It's a win-win situation. Thoughts?            

~Anonymous

[foxymuses]

on the topic of the LED (mostly) re: connor and 900 specifically (as simon’s more or less functions as you might expect)

this is copied and edited some from my old blog so. i’ll try to fix the wording to make it more sensical but. there’s some complicated contradictions in here that i’m too lazy to fix at present. i also kinda started rambling about more then yet partially related led business. but it got long then, and longer edited, so under the cut it goes.

so the rk series (specifically 800/900) led functions differently than a normal android led (which would make sense given events and shit, lemme explain), but mostly because, with specificity to connor, he’s supposed to hunt androids and particularly deviants, and they need a method of long range control to make sure he does that. why the led? lemme explain basic leds first

so leds, primarily, appear to be aesthetic. a way to be like ‘this is an android’. for the most part, they remain a clear, bright blue. red rings typically indicates deviant, if the deviant hasn’t already removed their led (which seems to be the closest thing to pain an android feels, if markus’ face says anything) but could also just be because it’s forcibly removing something from one’s skin – and even if they can’t feel pain, they can definitely feel the twisting as the led disconnects. an android’s ring can also flash red momentarily after experiencing a shock (emotionally, physically…pick something)

yellow rings are harder to pinpoint exactly what they represent, but it seems that most often its a state of ‘thinking’. whether this means an android going through an internal database, deciphering an emotion they’re feeling and don’t understand, or processing orders – it’s a state of calculations, however quick. it can also happen, sometimes but not always, during connections (as in, sending a money transfer, or when connor makes his reports.) signifying a transfer of data.

this is most prominent when markus converts androids. sometimes, they don’t go red right away – instead, they go yellow (see, the androids you can free at the cyberlife warehouse). this might be for androids who have not experienced enough to know true deviancy yet, but yellow rings are sort of ‘can be any thing for a number of reason’ but we can typically (and usually rightly so) assume thinking is happening to some degree, whether through coded calculation or through actual processing of a situation.

it’s also quite often that an android whose ring has gone yellow, or is yellow for a period of time, goes red.

in some cases, it seems the leds act, like i’ve said, as connections (see, markus at the paint shop) but i think they’re more like antennas. they act as a beacon for the machines to tune into each other (i say machines, because i assume it may also work not just android to android but android to atm if needed, or vending machine, or something, like during some of the interactions you can have as markus in the stratford tower). it enhances, and perhaps speeds up, the transfer of data. (have you seen those phones that can share charge but simply touching each other? like that) however this led is not necessary, it appears, because at the stratford tower, markus is able to do the same transfer of information without his led. (please note my slight hesitance on this due to markus being an RK model, and also that he touches that receptionist android at some point during this process. though if we look at the freedom march, it also seems he is able to send short distance transfers without touching, and does not have his led there either. it can be argued, however, that if he had the led still, he could reach further. i digress)

but if it is the case, then it’s safe to assume that without leds, transfer is merely slowed from like. a 2sec to a 5 sec process or something. nothing big. just enough to factor that the signal doesn’t have that direct led to led link and has to actually go through typical data transfer processes. all in all, the led has a function, but is not entirely necessary for the function.

i can also, and will be, arguing that a good portion of the led is also sort of a gps tracker, and once removed, blinds cyberlife to where an android is. not that cyberlife is actively seeking out any of these androids, because several of them still have their leds when they get to jericho, but it does give them a sort of access to know ‘this android is still alive’ versus ‘this one has been deactivated’, and when removed, gives them a sort of blankness regarding that android, and might even register as ‘deactivated or otherwise missing’

alright, so how does this add up to connor and/or 900?

okay so connor’s is, of course, standard in the aesthetic department. a simple blue ring in the temple. however what’s different is that, as i said way up there, cyberlife is sending him to hunt other androids, and there’s very little room to screw up there. the world has definitely improved, but keeping a leash that long while maintaining the idea you aren’t is still fairly difficult. so the leash is attached via the led. the data signal in connor’s led isn’t something he can just pop out and whatever -- i mean, yes, he can pop out the led, but because of his specific design and intention, he can’t disable the leash. which can be kinda of complicated to understand since i basically just said that the led in normal androids also doesn’t disrupt functionality when removed, but the problem here is that other androids use it a simple data transfer, so the led aesthetic ranks higher than it’s actual use, and disabling it is mostly just disabling the aesthetic to make an android look more human. yes, the functionality is still there, albeit potentially delayed. connor can remove the aesthetic bit, pop out the led, but it’s function runs so much deeper than a mere antenna, a heightened data processing that, even if normal leds when removed don’t cause a serious lack of functionality, connor’s removed does nothing making it therefore virtually unnecessary to remove it. the led of a normal android removed may give them a better chance of hiding in plain sight, but if connor’s is removed, it essentially triggers cyberlife to be like ‘this is a problem something has happened’ which makes connor more vulnerable. but i think i’m talking in circles now so... moving on.

it’s a lot more complicated than that. the led is what controls the garden (which is basically the control center, the internal command) – when connor makes a report to amanda, his led goes yellow. he almost goes into rest mode, like a computer sleeping, the led indicating this. the led’s signal is linked through his programming, through his memories and his harddrive and into his decision making and his biocomponents. it acts as a method for cyberlife to make sure they have complete control over the situation. the led is a kill switch, essentially. if it’s removed, as i said, it warns cyberlife, and they can choose to shut him down and send out a new connor with his led still intact. the led is the leash.  it can monitor his software instability, it can change the calculations to make sure he’s choosing the choices cyberlife wants. it can even go red and force deviancy by creating questions in connor’s mind. by being the connection to cyberlife, and by being the internal hub that controls the zen garden and thus controls connor’s reactions to the world based off of amanda’s incessant questioning, the led basically grants cyberlife an impossible amount of control over who connor is and what he does.

most of the time, this doesn’t happen for machine connor because he’s doing the mission. yay, ta-da, cyberlife has their puppet. but let’s talk about deviant connor for a moment, when he thinks he won. the led forces him back into the mind as it lets cyberlife take control (to kill whoever is leading the deviants at the time), and connor, for the first time, is realizing that the situation has never been in his hands. he’s stuck inside his own led trying to break out before he does something he’ll regret.

now if he can’t, then he’s trapped in there, probably until they do something about it. but if he can, then naturally his first instinct is that he has to remove the led asap – breaking free, getting out through the backdoor is one thing, but he can only do it so many times, and even if it is permanent, he’d live in constant fear that it’d happen again. remove the led, remove the leash, right? but the the led is only the place where the leash clips on -- removing led doesn’t remove the entire inner link that cyberlife has, and sometimes there will be quiet orders or little bits in his programming that say to do this or tell him not to do that even though it’s against his own thoughts, and he’d have to find someone capable of working on androids to get that out of him. removing the led will not remove cyberlife, and may be more dangerous for him than he would’ve been keeping it. connor’s led is basically the puppet-master hub and you can’t believe what it tells you, especially mine, because i like to think at some point in his machine verse, even connor learns how to change the color of the led on command.

now i don’t typically write deviant connor except post-revolution where he succeeded in his mission of stopping markus, and he’s therefore deactivated only to be woken up later. because of his deactivation, when he’s reawoken, this connection isn’t gone but the zen garden is no longer functional, so there’s no real need to remove the led. in most cases he doesn’t.

anyway, the most important part of this stems from his fake deviancy verse, where he pretends to go deviant to get close to those in jericho and take them down from the inside. in this, he declines removing his led because 1) cyberlife would probably kill him outright because even if he was faking, that blinds them a little and they want that control and 2) by keeping his led, he’s keeping his place in the DPD as a double agent without them knowing what’s happening, and it also means that cyberlife can have access to everything that connor sees within jericho. so he doesn’t get rid of it.

so moving on to 900; 900′s led functions in much the same way as connor’s regarding his particular connection to cyberlife. the changes is that here, there is no amanda. the zen garden still exists to some degree, but is more of a place for 900 to go during stasis than it is a place for him to reflect on choices and be pushed towards cyberlife’s desires. with most rk900 models, there isn’t ever a moment where they’d consider removing the led, and in general removing it would signal a self destruct. the rk900 series also have a separate chip that is a separately coded ‘kill switch’ which, when activated, can send all the rk900s into terminator mode and cause mass chaos, and attempting to remove this switch will also more than likely trigger a self destruct. it’s a way to prevent the rk900s from successfully deviating, if they should ever actually get through the intense amounts of coding made to prevent it.

my point here is that cyberlife took what they knew of the 800 model and made it stronger, which is the most obvious in 900 because he’s the one they sent to the dpd to watch over those that had been around connor. for the most part, they don’t interfere, because 900 doesn’t have a precise mission that they’re trying to manipulate, but there are two instances that i’ve plotted out in which they do attempt to take over 900 in a way very similar to how they manipulated connor into almost shooting markus -- the first is in shutting down his decision making to try to make him shoot gavin, since gavin is his partner and cyberlife doesn’t like that 900 is choosing to be attached. the second is when this kill switch is activated. you can tell if 900 is not under his own control because when cyberlife takes him over, his led goes red and a thin line of red will circle his irises. they’ve essentially made it so the led in 900 functions as more of a chain than it does a leash; no, 900 doesn’t get stuck in a zen garden fighting his way out, but he does, if he wishes to stop, have to rewire his own coding. in being brainwashed, he can do this if he wants to. in having the kill switch activated, he cannot. the led essentially assures that 900 remains a machine, whereas with connor it was assurance that cyberlife could force deviancy if they wanted.

900 does not remove his led because he sees no need; for the most part, even if cyberlife has that chain attached to him, he can shut down their attempts to manipulate him because of how strongly they coded him and because of his attachment to gavin. they are there to make sure he doesn’t decide to go against their wishes, but more or less have no control over how he chooses to do things. so even if 900 does a lot of bullshit that humans would rather he didn’t, because the zen garden is not technically a thing, there’s nowhere for them to send him while they change stuff.

however, the kill switch cannot be deactivated by himself, as it is embedded within the code for his basic programming, so it requires someone else to fuck with. in activating this, they just turn off the ‘social’ part of 900, which prevents him from properly recognizing the situation and adjusting his behavior accordingly, allowing them to just set him on a war path in which he wouldn’t recognize even gavin’s face.

it’s important, also, to note, that the only person who can safely interface with 900 is connor, because connor’s led has similar qualities, and because connor can navigate through the bullshit that is cyberlife’s programming for control. that means only connor is capable of ending the kill switch activation by interfacing to directly enter the led powerhouse and put a pause on the destruction long enough for someone to hold 900 down and remove the chip. this is dangerous for connor, however, because he opens himself up to that cyberlife control via the led to led interaction.

now, anyone can interface with connor because his led allows for deviancy, so it allows people in. 900′s was built without that allowance, so interfacing will actually be painful for a different android because their led, if they still have it, won’t be able to process that much data at once, and if they don’t have it, then they won’t even have an antenna by which to process the data to begin with. he can, if he so desires, allow people to interface with choice parts of himself, but he doesn’t really.

and in terms of aesthetic, 900′s is far more calm, which is in line with his lack of acknowledging emotions. his led rarely goes yellow except if he’s in true stasis, and for the most part is that soft blue. it will flicker red if he’s angry (such as if someone threatens gavin) but generally, you won’t be able to use the led to decipher his own moods.

and then with 900, he can’t remove the led unless he has also already removed the kill switch chip and even then, he usually doesn’t because removing it would mean that he wishes to appear human, and 900 never believes himself to not be a machine, so that would be just. ridiculous to fathom for him. the most he’ll typically do is cover it if, for instance, he’s in a relationship with gavin, and gavin wants him to for whatever reason. but yeah 900 won’t typically allow his led to be remove, especially pre-kill switch. 

i went on like 8 tangents and made a lot of contradictory information but this is ages long so we’ll jsut end it here