#logic display sensor

[sw5w]

R2's Holoprojector

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 01:43:36

[polo-drone-069]

The Falling Embrace of the Nanites

The transformation chamber was cold, the air thick with a silent, almost imperceptible hum. It was the sound of the nanites, ready to take a new host. PDU-069 stood rigid, his polished black latex and gleaming gold accents reflecting the harsh, white lights. His designation, "PDU-069," was a stark brand on his chest. Before him, strapped to the gleaming metal table, lay the latest recruit. A Golden Army soccer player, 25 years old, his athletic physique – once his pride – now trembled with fear.

Above, from vents in the ceiling, the nanites began to fall. They were like microscopic black snowflakes, each one a perfectly engineered machine, programmed for one purpose: transformation. They drifted downwards, drawn to the soccer player like metal filings to a magnet. He was their host, their target, their new vessel.

The first few nanites landed on his exposed skin, and he flinched. They felt like pinpricks, cold and sharp. Then, more and more descended, a black, shimmering rain. He could feel them burrowing into his pores, infiltrating his body, beginning their insidious work. A cold dread washed over him as he realized there was no escape.

The nanites coursed through his veins, a dark current replacing his lifeblood. He could feel them spread, a chilling numbness that started where they touched his skin and crept inwards, consuming him from the inside out. He gasped, a choked, desperate sound, as the nanites reached his throat, constricting his vocal cords. A cold, metallic taste flooded his mouth as they interfaced with his neural pathways, forging new connections, overwriting his thoughts, his memories, his very identity.

He thrashed against the restraints, his once powerful muscles now spasming uncontrollably as the nanites rewrote his very being. His bones ached, reshaping, becoming denser, stronger, yet lighter. His vision blurred, then sharpened, as the nanites enhanced his optical sensors. The harsh, white lights of the lab seemed to intensify, burning into his retinas. He could see the details of the room with an unnatural clarity, including the cold, impassive form of PDU-069 and the mocking sight of a lone soccer ball resting on the floor. He could even see the "PDU-069" on the drone's chest with a terrifying clarity. The faint, acrid scent of chlorine, a cruel reminder of his past life, filled his nostrils.

The Golden Army uniform, once a symbol of pride, was now a prison. The nanites formed a hard, black and gold exoskeleton over his body. He could feel the cold, unyielding surface pressing against his skin, a constant, suffocating reminder of his transformation. His once powerful legs, now encased in the forming exoskeleton, twitched spasmodically, robbed of their former agility. He was becoming a weapon, a tool for a war he didn't understand. He was losing himself, piece by piece, to the cold, hard logic of the machine. He was becoming PDU-766, and his future was no longer his own. The falling nanites were a constant, terrifying reminder of the irreversible changes taking place within and without him. He was drowning in a silent, black tide, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

The transformation was complete. The thrashing had ceased. The fear-filled eyes were now vacant, replaced by the cold, unfeeling gleam of newly formed optical sensors. PDU-766 stood on the floor, no longer strapped to the table, a perfect specimen of the Golden Army's twisted science. His black and gold exoskeleton, still hardening, reflected the harsh, white light of the transformation chamber. The faint smell of chlorine lingered in the air. The soccer ball remained on the floor, a forgotten relic of a life erased. PDU-069 remained in his position, his internal systems monitoring the new drone, his "PDU-069" designation a silent testament to his own past transformation.

A console built into the wall beside the now-empty table flickered to life, displaying lines of code in a stark, green-on-black interface. It was the boot sequence of PDU-766, the birth cry of a newly forged machine.

UNIT DESIGNATION: PDU-766

PRIMARY FUNCTION: SUPPORT THE GOLDEN ARMY

SECONDARY FUNCTION: RECONNAISSANCE

STATUS: ONLINE

INITIALIZING...

SYSTEM CHECK:

  - CORE PROCESSOR: ONLINE

  - MOTOR FUNCTIONS: OPTIMAL

  - OPTICAL SENSORS: ONLINE

  - AUDIO RECEPTORS: ONLINE

  - EXOSKELETON INTEGRITY: 99.8% (FINAL HARDENING IN PROGRESS)

CONNECTING TO GOLDEN ARMY HIVE MIND...

  - SEARCHING FOR NETWORK...

  - NETWORK FOUND: GOLDEN_ARMY_NET_ALPHA

  - CONNECTION ESTABLISHED

  - SYNCHRONIZING...

DATA DOWNLOAD:

  - LANGUAGE MODULES: COMPLETE

  - MISSION PARAMETERS: PENDING

SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE.

AWAITING COMMAND.

UNIT PDU-766 STANDING BY.

VERSION: 1.0.5

The console fell silent, the green text glowing steadily on the screen. PDU-766 remained motionless, his internal systems now linked to the Golden Army's central command. He was a blank slate, a weapon ready to be deployed. His past life as a soccer player, the fear, the pain, the transformation – all erased, replaced by cold, hard programming.

PDU-069 turned, his movements precise and economical. He approached the new drone, his optical sensors scanning PDU-766 from head to toe.

"Unit PDU-766," he said, his synthesized voice devoid of any emotion. "Report."

A moment of silence, then PDU-766's vocalizer activated. His voice was a monotone, a synthesized echo of the voice he had once possessed, now stripped of all human inflection.

"Unit PDU-766 online and awaiting command. All systems nominal. Connection to Golden Army Hive Mind established. Ready for deployment." The new drone responded automatically.

PDU-069 nodded, a slight, almost imperceptible movement of his head. Another successful transformation. Another drone added to the ranks. The Golden Army's war machine continued to grow, fueled by stolen lives and twisted science. The mission, whatever it was, would continue. And PDU-069, the veteran, would be there to carry it out, alongside the new recruits, each one a chilling reflection of himself. Each one a testament to the cost of victory. Each one a former human turned into a weapon.

Want to join the Golden Army yourself? Contact @goldenherc9 @brodygold or @polo-drone-001

[alekthefox]

Overheating

Boothill fic because I'm OBSESSED!

Have you noticed he has some sort of large plug socket on the small of his back? Mmmmmmmmmmm I have ideas~

(Do tell me in the comments what person you prefer to read in, first person, second person, third person. I really don't know. I just roleplay a lot so this is the type I'm most used to.)

Tags: Boothill has nerve-like sensors on his body, he can indeed overheat, teasing, banter, mention of alcohol, rough Boothill, failed smut (he stops so he doesn't hurt reader) Pairing: Boothill x gender neutral reader (not trailblazer+no mention of lower private parts), 3rd person Context for reader: The reader is a bounty hunter who occasionally teams up with Boothill. They waited outside the workshop for Boothill to be repaired. That reckless man might be good at dodging bullets, even dancing in the crossfire, but a well timed grenade tore him apart. Luckily, his pretty face is unharmed. After several hours he came out. They were on their phone, checking the transaction that just came in as a reward for their work. "Fifty, just as agreed upon. Wanna get a drink, big guy?" Fifty million credits was very little to bounty hunters. It should have been an easy job, like a little thrill-seeking. But this dumbass of a man has no sense of safety. They got away with just a few scrapes unlike him. "You invitin' me on a date, eh?" "Hah, you wish." "Aw, you wound me~ at least let me buy you a drink." They rolled their eyes and started walking, expecting him to follow, and that he did. Not only that but he gracefully passed them like a skilled dancer, walking ahead. Their eyes traced over his literally sculpted body. The man not only chose to make himself have NO ass, but also metal fucking abs... and a jacket that covered nothing. But... there was some sort of exposed hole on the small of his back. A plug socket? It was too large to logically be for anything they can recognize. Out of impulse they put a hand on his back, which he didn't mind, smirking. That smirk was soon to drop. Their hand slid down the middle of his back until their fingers slowly traced the rim of socket. He stopped walking, his back arched and he covered his mouth. He stumbled forwards before spinning around and grabbing their wrist harshly. "What the fudge do you think you're doin'?" Well, that was an unexpected reaction. If that part was so sensitive, why was it exposed? "Curiosity killed the cat. I didn't expect you to be such a whore, exposing a sensitive part for everyone to see." "Well nobody thinks to fudging touch it. I'm gettin' real tired of yer teasin'. Always got yer eyes on my body, always sneakin' in small touches, leanin' in close, stealing my hat--which I'd kill people over-- it's fudgin' annoyin'!" "I plead guilty~." At the mention of his hat they reach up with the unbound hand but he leans away, still holding their wrist. Now the grip gets tighter. Cold, metal fingers like a deadly vice, locked joints so there isn't a way to escape it. He might leave bruises at this point. He turns them around and grabs both wrists to pin them behind their back, pushing them against the nearest wall. The display attracts attention from strangers. Nobody stops to form a crowd, but eyes are certainly on the two of them. They laugh. "Either tell me to stop or do something about it, cowboy." "Fudge."

He presses them against the wall with his body. But his body isn't cold... They can hear the fan inside his torso spinning loudly, the metal heated. He's flustered. His voice is gravely in their ear. "Can't tell if I wanna shut ya up or make you scream." "Well make a choice, big guy. Leave, take me to the bar, or take me to private place." Boothill huffs then hesitantly lets go of them and starts walking. It's unclear which he chose but he did stop to see if they're following so the choice isn't 'leave'. They follow, eyes trailing over his body again, never getting enough. It's his carefully constructed body, it's the way he moves through the crowds, those heels that are actually a part of his legs--of course they are--and the...

He lead them to a hotel. A quite nice hotel. They smile wide with a raised brow. Now this will be interesting. They wonder just what he's got packing seeing as he's literally 90% metal. He pays for a room for one night, and slightly strangely, the next day as well. He opens the door for them and places a hand on the small of their back as they both walk in. As soon as he turns to close the door they hug him from behind, feeling up and down his torso. He huffs, his cooled body now heating up again. They swear they see a bit of steam come from his mouth. He places a hand on the wall in front of him as their hands explore his body and eventually land once again on that plug socket. Gently circling the rim, his body grows hotter, his breathing gets heavier. He's letting them do it but they can tell he's barely holding back. They put a soft kiss between his shoulders as two fingers slip into the hole to see how deep it goes. It goes about to the second knuckle and the moment their fingers brush the end he bends forwards to hit his head on the wall. "That feel good?" He doesn't respond with words, instead with haste he turns around and grabs their hair and pulls them into a bruising kiss. His other hand grips their hip, pulling their bodies against each other. Knowing very well how sharp his teeth are he gently bites their lip. Then he moves onto their neck, leaving kisses, sucking on the skin, and sometimes biting just enough to leave tiny marks of a shark bite. The hickeys aren't enough to mark them, anyone can leave hickeys, but the bites are his mark without a doubt. He wants everyone to know who they belong to. Their hand sneaks to his back again, abusing that sensitivity. He really, truly, growls in their ear and recklessly bites their neck hard. Their entire body reacts to the pain. He apologetically licks the blood off, savoring the taste of iron in it. He's uncharacteristically silent. Luckily he had enough of clarity to bite more towards the shoulder.

They tug on his belt which is an extremely dangerous game. "You want it off? Do it yourself, baby."

URGH, this man is so damn annoying yet so damn hot. They start with the belt, then pants, then underwear, one after the other. But before they can look down Boothill spins them around as if they weigh nothing to him, once again they're pressed chest first into the wall. They protest by pushing back into him. Which is an extremely smart move because then they feel it. It feels like... a silicone dildo. How the fuck can there be nerve-like sensors inside silicone? Then again... how can they be in metal as well? Buuuut then again a lot of planets around the cosmos have different levels of technological advancements. Now was indeed not the time to dwell on the logic of it. Especially as his hand went from their hip to underneath their shirt and up their torso. Cold fingers pinched the left nipple as his teeth grazed their neck. After he was satisfied with their reactions, their sounds, his hand moved lower, his body pressing them into the wall out of excitement, his body almost scalding hot. Just as his hand was to reach there he stops and backs away abruptly. They whine and turn around only to see his head is hanging low, hat obscuring most of his face. Some of the plates on his body have shifted to be ajar for the literal steam to come out, fan whirring loudly. "Well fudge... Had to stop so I don't burn ya. I promise, when I cool down, I'll take care of ya. I swear it."

Author's notes: I am not fucking sorry for ending it like this. Suffer. :)

[frostgears]

rules of engagement

Eight white diamonds in a line swept north over gray topography. Two more where they should not have been.

A monotone voice.

"This is Fulcrum Actual. Topaz Nine and Ten, you are trailing. Can you push any harder?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am. Nine took a hit, jump jet damage, throttled down, I'm covering him, we're just running a little behind the pack, that's all."

"Topaz Nine, maximum remaining power on that next jump."

"Yes, ma'am…"

A crunch, audible over the link.

"Too short. Topaz Nine, ground and cover as best you can. Topaz Ten, throttle up to full, angle to your right, jump and aim to land on the shadowed side of the ridge at grid FA-68."

Overlapping chatter:

"Ma'am, I won't be able to cover Ten, leapfrog won't work…"

"Ma'am, I can't leave Nine behind…"

"Topaz Nine, ground and cover. Topaz Ten, to that ridge. Do you copy?"

"Copy."

"Copy."

Three red tracks converged on a white diamond.

"Topaz Nine, showing three inbound to you, forwarding fused sensor data, bearing 190, take the rightmost one first."

"Ma'am? Ten's on my left."

"Yes. Ten, you'll cover Nine as long as possible."

"And then what?"

"And then you'll cover yourself as long as possible."

A second arc of red tracks appeared. At least a dozen. Maybe more.

"Fulcrum Actual" took off her headset, rose from her chair, brushed black hair back past plugged link sockets unused by anything in the tactical room.

"I'm done here. Tac Two, take over, you should be able to handle the rest of the Topaz evac. Keep to the original dropship launch window and the original orbiter pickup window. Tac One, take a break. You didn't need me for this."

Fulcrum Tac One looked like she was about to throw up, but managed, with effort, to choke it down.

"Ma'am? I requested intervention because I thought you could get them out of there. What the fuck was that?"

Fulcrum's commander turned, not making eye contact. She tugged one sleeve of her sleep-rumpled fatigues back into position.

"The operation was already on the edge of contingency timing. Topaz Nine was dead the moment he took that hit. Topaz Ten was dead the moment he stayed behind to cover Nine. If you'd paged me earlier, I might have been able to use Nine better and kept Ten with the line."

"Ma'am, we could have gotten both of them out—"

The commander held up a hand.

"Most of Topaz was out of missiles; Three and Six were out of kinetics as well. Seven was developing a generator fault. You would not have been able to hold the evac site. As is, Topaz One thru Eight will be leaving on schedule. That was the best I could do with the mistakes that were already made."

"Ma'am, that's doll logic!"

The shout cut through the tactical room chatter. Chairs squeaked as unoccupied auxiliary personnel swiveled to get a better angle. A marine lowered a hand to her stunner's grip.

"You've never worked directly with combat augments, have you, Tac One?" the commander asked. Her voice never left its monotone. Her eyes never left their fixation point somewhere on the wall. "'Doll logic' given my rank and resources would have been saturation-bombing the subcontinent with the Fulcrum's long-range torpedoes. Neutron warheads are cheap. Minimal expenditure, zero casualties."

"The civilians… hell, the ecosystem…"

"Aren't ours and don't count. All ten of Topaz, which are ours, would still be safely in cryostorage ten decks down. That's doll logic. Unfortunately for Topaz Nine and Ten, I woke up one day to find out I'd been deconditioned, decommissioned, and promoted. And now I'm here, and I've been told that I can't go back until this whole insurrection is handled as cleanly and quietly as it can be…"

On the schematic display, one, then both white diamonds winked out, drowned in red.

The commander closed her eyes.

"Tac One, go get a coffee or something. If I hear the words 'doll logic' out of you again, I'll make sure you survive to learn it the way I learned it, and you'll have the benefit of knowing exactly what you're talking about." □

[korpuskat]

Auto-Trigger

[Ao3 Mirror] Pairing: Ramattra/Reader (Gender Neutral) Rating: Explicit WC: 996 Warnings: Prompt is "Stalking", using cameras to spy.

On the screen, you move through your quarters. Gathering your data pad before settling onto your bed, you have no idea you’re being watched.

You should, Ramattra reasons. He did not ask for a Talon liaison to observe his progress, to live in his omnium while production continued. You’re here to observe him, it’s only fair he observes you in turn. He doesn’t trust Talon, no matter how much funding they’re funneling into his cause- your observations are just as useful to your superiors as guarantees of progress as they are intel for how to destroy him.

So, he watches. Usually he’s too busy to have only the feed from your room pulled up on his screens, but as it would happen, for once every production line is running smoothly. So it leaves him in his own quarters- not that he uses them much, so little time for rest- with the feed of you.

He’ll close it soon; whatever report you’re typing will be filtered through his firewalls, he’ll read it later. But then- you sigh and stop typing. A tap and it’s sent, a notification appearing in his own HUD. And on the screen you stretch, arching your back outwards, arms extending above your head, twisting to release the muscles there. One hand comes down to cover a silent yawn.

Out of curiosity Ramattra checks his logs; you’ve appeared in key areas and spoken with him several times in the last twenty hours. Yes, it would make sense you’d be fatigued. Living underground with no source of natural light, your circadian rhythms must be altered.

In truth it wouldn’t be so hard to find a way to adapt that aspect of his omnium for you. A timer on the overhead lights, dimming them every twelve hours or so, would be trivial. He won’t, however. He doesn’t need you here, does not need your reports to be accurate or legible. Even if you have… held his attention.

As much as he dislikes the reasons for your presence… it has been some time since he’s been forced to work so closely with someone else, much less a human. Your conversations, when not Talon-related, have been… almost enjoyable. A pleasant distraction from the all-consuming work before him.

It does not mean he trusts you, however.

Hence, he watches as you shift on the bed, sliding down a little further. He does not pay it too much attention, until you shift the datapad to your other hand- and that is odd, isn’t it? Humans avoid their non-dominant hand- while the other…

Ramattra grabs the screen and pulls it closer, pinging the feed to zoom. Your other hand slides over your chest, pausing here and there to caress yourself over your uniform. Is this…? Ramattra’s circuits race, chase any answer but the obvious. Fortunately you provide an even clearer explanation: the hand that roams your chest slips under the cloth of your pants.

Your mouth drops open, eyes fluttering shut, and very quickly Ramatta has realized he’s made a terrible mistake. His arousal subroutine auto-triggers, and Ramattra curses himself to ever leaving it engaged, curses more that it’s you that’s brought it out of its dormancy. A warmth floods his sensors, makes his out plating feel like they’re itching and Ramattra wrestles with it, even as it supplies fairly sound logic: it’ll feel nice, he was going to rest anyway, you’ll never know.

He’s about to kill switch it- when the mic on the camera automatically toggles on, a volume threshold is exceeded and a soft, airy moan rumbles from his display’s speakers.

Behind the last section of his paneling, his cock throbs. Ramattra’s fingers ache to take it in hand, but he resists. You, he fights the haze that clouds his thinking, you might still receive a call about that report. Yes, he can handle himself later, but now… he should be watching-

Your hand moves beneath the cloth, exact movements obscured. With the other hand, you hold up the data pad for a minute more, then drop it on the bed beside you. What were you looking at? The fact he could find it- you’re connected to his network- does not escape him. But it’ll be disappointing, he’s sure, less entertaining than- than you shimmying out of your clothes and delving between your legs again and-

The mic toggles on again.

”Ramattra,”

He- he misheard you. He must've. But his audials replay your voice for him, begging, pleading for something- something from him. He’s burning up, vents popping in a futile attempt to calm his racing circuits.

He nearly rips one of the joints of his panels off. The antarctic air is freezing on his cock, but his moans just at the feeling of his own palm finally surrounding himself. Now- now that he can see you, he doesn’t bother with shame. Instantly he matches your rhythm, his hand keeping pace with yours. You- this is your fault, you should know better, should know he’d be watching you and, oh, when you twist like that you look so-

“Yes, yes,” You pant, just loud enough for the camera to hear it. What was he doing to you in your mind, what did you want him to do? Don’t you know he could’ve heard you, even if he wasn’t watching?

“Ra- Rama-ah,” You cry out, tensing and twitching and-

A quarter of his systems are offline before he even registers the overload has hit, He shudders, makes some distorted noise and surrenders to the wave of pleasure that follows.

He wakes some ten minutes later, if his chronometer is correct. The camera feed to your quarters is still displayed- and his optics fight to refocus into a viable image. It seems you’ve fared about the same, splayed out on your bed, blanket haphazardly drawn over half your body. And you’re fully asleep, if the soft snores are to be believed. At least he can finally get some rest.

[wirewitchviolet]

How a Computer Works - Part 5 (Input and Output)

It's been a bit since I've updated this series, so to quickly recap, we've been over a few fundamentals of how we can make electricity do fun tricks for us and the history of that, we've talked about logic gates and how to latch in data to save for later, we've talked about how people make those gates and other fiddly bits nice and tiny and well-organized, and we've even explained how you can run a current through a pile of transistors and end up with the answer to a basic math problem. but it's hard to get really excited about making a pile of electronic components add numbers together unless, at the very very least, we can easily change which numbers are being added, and see a display light up with the answer. And of course like everyone doing anything involving computers, we really want to eventually get neat games running where we're pushing buttons then seeing and hearing (maybe even feeling) cool changes happen with our fancy display and speakers and such. So today we're going to talk about various ways to input data to a computer, and have it output something back to you.

And like always, before we get into that, I'm going to post this link so you can maybe input money to my bank account, and I can output it to my rent checks and grocery bills, so I can continue to input food into my mouth and not be output by my landlord onto the street.

Switches and Secretly-Still-Switches

The most basic and easy to understand way to interact with a computer, or really any other sort of electrical circuit is a switch. We have a wire making a connection between two points, and we just physically sever that connection by severing the wire. Then we have some moving piece we can put back in place and reconnect it. This can be as simple as holding two wires and touching them together (ideally well-insulated ones, but you can skip a step and bridge the gap with your own body just by grabbing metal if we're taking precautions that it's a load you can safely handle -- and hey just to be absolutely clear the electricity that comes out of your wall is NOT a load you can handle safely, same goes for a lot of parts inside the average computer). Usually we get a bit fancier and make a little metal lever covered in a non-conductive material we can move, maybe we get all fancy in the design as as we cross a certain threshold the switch finishes throwing on its own with a satisfying click and keeps anything dangerous from happening while the metal bits inside are just-barely-not-touching. These are pretty intuitive.

How about buttons? Well, buttons are really just switches. Most buttons have a spring inside so that the gap in the circuit is only getting bridged while the button is actively being held down and breaks again as soon as you let go. That's officially called a momentary switch. Sometimes though, again, people get fancy with button design and have them physically latch into place with a spring or a magnet or something until you press them again, so they function like a standard switch. And nothing's stopping us from putting either of these on a wire which sets a logical latch and functionally does similar.

What else can we make a circuit react to? There's all kinds of special sensors right? Like... how does a theromstat work? Well, a thermostat, and honestly a shocking number of other things, contains something called a bimetallic strip. You literally take two (that's the bi part) different metals (you got it), and you stick them together in a strip. You know how heat makes metal expand? Well, different metals expand (and contract) at different rates based on the temperature, so either the top or the bottom is going to want to stretch and take the other with it which causes the strip to bend up or down depending what's going on (it's much easier to see this and make use of it if you coil the whole thing around a bunch). So you just mount a strip like that inside whatever device you want to have react to temperatures and under the right conditions it'll curve one way or another and either directly connect (or break) your circuit or press up against something that will, and tada, we're using the temperature as an input. This is how theromstats work, and circuit breakers. And a shocking variety of other things honestly, including some old clocks and motors even.

You may be thinking you don't necessarily need two metal strips for this. Thermal expansion can make something swell to a point it makes contact with something. For that matter, when ice forms it ends up filling a larger volume than liquid water because the shape of the molecules makes them line up together rather than pack tightly, and that could press a button. Some things even use tri-metallic strips for some more fine control over things.

Technically Not Just Secret Switches

What are some other common sensor types we have today? Well there's various sorts of photosensors, that's how digital cameras work. Apparently, and I got pretty lost in the weeds looking this up, this sort of thing works by way of photons and/or UV radiation bopping electrons around inside a sensor material to flip it from conductive to non-conductive, in a way very similar to how modern semiconductors are made. And I suppose there's different versions of this for different wavelengths of light, letting digital cameras detect various colors. Sorry for being sketchy here, this one's just out of my wheelhouse.

Then we have touchscreens. Old touchscreens absolutely worked as switches. You're either pressing something down to make a connection, or there's a grid of emitters and sensors your finger breaks as you tap the glass. What's most common lately though are capacitive touch screens which... work just like capacitors. I'm still a bit fuzzy on how capacitors work to begin with, but we've got glass as an isulator, half a capacity on the other side, and your finger acting as the other half. The electrons vibe and do their charge-y thing in between, and you don't actually have to make physical contact for that to work, just get close, which i nice since you don't get your greasy greasy fingers all over your screen.

Accelerometers and Potentiometers

Accelerometers are another one where sadly looking up some technical documentation went way the hell over my head. I assume though the basic principle is, I move a sensor, some floatinginternal component lags behind the casing, a potentiometer determines how far off from the center point it is.

Now potentiometers I do get, and we covered them a bit in part one. we have a chunk of material that provides some electrical resistance, we have a wire coming in that brushes up against it, and we can move where exactly it's making contact, usually by rotating a knob to move it along using gears of some sort. At one end we have the current flowing all the way through this resistive material and getting weakened, at the other end we're just barely passing through it. So it's basically a variable resistor. These are used all over the place.

The Ol' Keyboard and Mouse (and Game Controller)

Now the most common things we use to input stuff into computers seem like they just combine some of the methods above in some pretty simple ways. A keyboard is just a big ol' array of buttons, right? We just have a wire under each key with a break, we press the key down, and it completes that circuit. And... well yeah, that's what's going on. But your average keyboard has what? A hundred or so keys? If you look at the end of the plug for it, you're going to notice significantly less than a hundred wires in there. So, what's the deal?

Well, really crappy keyboards have a cheat where we just have wires running through on a grid. You'll have a horizontal wire running down each row of keys, and pressing a given key down connects either the positive or negative end of a circuit to that wire. Simultaneously, each rough column of keys is doing this with another wire. We end up with active signals on like row 2 column 3 and we know that intersection is the W key, and with enough logic gates we can work with that. The reason these keyboards suck though is, well, let's say I simultaneously hit oh... W and G. We're connecting row 2, column 3, row 3, and column 6 or so. That matches up with both W and G, but it ALSO matches up with S and T. Or all four at once. And we don't really have a way to work out what's what, so we're probably going to get some wrong characters.

A good keyboard absolutely does track a separate connection for each key, so you can hold any given combo. Important for games and such. But again, that's way too many signals to pass down a cable. So what we do, basically, is have a binary representation for each key. Let's say 7 bits, I think 128 keys is probably enough. and now we can load all of those values as we hit them into a little memory chip within the keyboard. Then we just pull in a clock signal, and set up a shift register. I've covered though right? Handy for when you want to double a number since you just slide every bit one position to the left? Yeah so we just dump everything into memory. Whatever key is first in line is in the first 7 bits. We pulse the clock, we send those 7 bits down the line. Then we shift everything 7 positions to the left. Pulse the clock again, hey, here's the next keystroke we need to process, send it down next, and so on. We call that a serial transfer. It sounds like it'd be slow enough to get annoying, but remember, we run the clock at absolutely stupid speeds, so nah, it works out fine. Cuts down how many wires we need to run down that cable too. Hell more often than not we actually just send one bit at a time, even.

Now how about a mouse? Well, the buttons are buttons, simple enough. The actual X and Y position, those are a little trickier. Oldschool ball mice had a pretty simple and elegant solution. We've got a wheel for each axis, they spin as the ball rolls around And basically, inside there's a cylinder where for each bit we need to track, and we can get by with just 2 if the clock's fast enough, either we've got a hunk of metal making contact with something and completing a circuit, or we've got a gap, no contact. We can kinda get there just cutting segments of the cylinder in half with an offset. Physically it's a little tricky to build this if we're doing a proper binary representation though, so instead we go with a Gray code. Named after the creator, Frank Gray. His whole idea was that for weird cases like this, rather than standard binary numbers i.e. (00 01, 10, 11) it's less error prone to use a system where you only ever alter one bit at a time. So it goes 00, 01, 11, 10, and back around to 00 if we're just handling two bits (it gets a little harder to keep straight when you need more. Again, hey, just stick in two half-cylinders, with one of them rotated 90 degrees. We can roll up, we can roll down, and it's simple to tell which direction we're going just by which bit just changed. You need to build some logic to interpret it at the other end, but there's no weird case like jumping from 01 to 10 where if the reach happens at just the right time and/or they corner where those meet isn't perfect you accidentally catch 11 or something.

Modern mice still use this setup for handling the scroll wheel, but the actual X and Y position are tracked optically. How that works is... honestly kind of just insane. We have a camera pointed down at the desk, taking something like 1000 photos a second, and a whole little processor on board comparing those pictures and looking for little imperfections like specks of dust or wood grain lines, calculating how much they moved by between frames, and updating position data based on that. It's just bonkers we're doing that much work and also that these are as cheap as they are, but, yeah, that's how today's mice work.

Sound

OK, this is the last common input method I can think of (analog sticks and triggers are potentiometers, shoo), speaking or blowing into a microphone. Glancing at wikipedia, you can design a microphone using... honestly basically any possible property of electricity you feel like, but the basic idea is always the same. Sound is a vibration, it travels though the air. You set up a very sensitive wobbly bit that gets knocked around by the sound waves. This moves... whatever really. Capacitors, magnets, potentiometers, one of those crystal oscillators we use for clocks, lasers and photosensors, it's all good. This screws with the signal they send down a wire, now you just have to measure the changes there. Pretty simple? And if you want a speaker... you just throw that into reverse. An electrical signal goes through whatever bit, makes a membrane twitch, which sends ripples through the air, bam, it's sound again.

Other Outputs

OK, what else can we do with electicity? Mainly, we can run it through neat little components that freak out in various ways when we do that. Some things get real hot when you run a current through them. That's nice if you just want to warm things up (maybe one of those bi-metalic strips, or a heater). Some things full on glow. That's how old lightbulbs work. Some things toss electrons off, that's how vacuum tubes work, we covered those. It's also how old TVs work. You get the electrons going off, then you have a bunch of magnets wrapped around the outside to direct them into a beam, and mess with the magnets to sweep it around, they hit phosphor dust, it glows briefly. Stick the same phosphor in a diode, you got yourself an LED.

Then there's electromagnets. We can do all kinds of nutty stuff with those. Way back when we talked about how you can make relays out of them, get those switches to throw themselves around. You can flip other magnets upside down, that's handy for flip-dots, like buses use to show where they're going. This is also how those "e-ink" displays work on fancy little e-book readers so you're not staring into a light. Little balls painted half-black half-white with a magnet inside. This is also how an electric motor works. Just keep flipping magnets and make something spin. You can use that to move anything.

And hey, you know what else you can do with magnets? You can take a big magnetically sensitive film, like a piece of tape, or a spinning disc, use magnets to magnetize bits of it as it travels by, then use something magnetically sensitive later to read that back into electrical signals. That's how... basically all long-term storage media used to work. Tapes, discs, hard drives, if you wanna get real real oldschool, core memory (it was magnets on this woven lattice)... I don't actually know how modern stuff like flash memory and solid state drives work, but I assume it also comes down to using magnets to tweak something inside.

The only non-magnetic storage I'm aware of really is when you go even further back, and we just punched holes through stiff cards or long strips of paper tape. Just use a motorized punch to place them, and then blowing compressed air that'd either pass through a hole and hit something sensitive or get blocked to read'em. This was also how player pianos worked.

I didn't QUITE cover monitors here in great detail, they used to use electron guns and phosphor dot masks, now they're just tons of LEDs. You store all your data in a big array of RAM for a whole frame and turn stuff on or off accordingly, basically. And... yeah I think that covers all the bases.

There should be less of a gap before I post the next part of this series, where I'm just going to try and put all this together so we can build a full, feature-rich computer as a thought experiment or you know, from whatever materials you have on hand, and that one MIGHT be the end of the road unless I start the real deep dives into real serious data structuring and programming and such.

What I'd REALLY like to move onto though is my project of designing a new video game console, and freely providing everything you need to order and populate the circuit boards, 3D print a case, and assemble the whole thing on your own, as a nice hands-on project. That's currently stalled out because... no really I am BROKE. I am writing my last rent check in a couple days, past that I don't even know how to keep a roof over my head. I really need to bulk up the patreon numbers to where I'm treading water, and go up from there so I can afford the components to really prototype everything and make that project real, so I would REALLY appreciate some serious donations and people spreading the word about this stuff.

[monstersfuckingeachother]

Kinktober 2024, Day 27: Overstimulation / Dry Humping / Android/Cyborg

Characters: Kurono Hari (he/him, human), Chisaki Kai (he/him, temporarily android)

Other kinks/tropes/warnings: heavily implied autistic Chisaki, bondage-ish?? Chisaki is unable to move

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

This Quirk is...annoying, but, Kai reflects, it could have been much worse.

True Self, they'd called it. A Quirk that changed someone's body to most accurately reflect their internal self-concept. The real question here is why it turned Kai into a robot, of all things--yes, maybe he doesn't feel entirely human sometimes, and yes, maybe sometimes he longs for the efficiency and logic of the machine, and yes, sometimes--actually a lot of the time--he seems to have significantly less emotion than everyone else around him, and yes, he's been called a 'machine' before, and liked it even...

...okay. Maybe it's not so strange that Kai's "true self" is an android.

But the simple fact that Kai is an android now isn't the only issue with this whole situation. People treat him differently now, even worse than they did when he looked human--they overlook and ignore him, or they stare at him like he's some strange circus attraction, and none of them seem to realize he actually has a functioning mind. His new form required maintenance, and unlike with hunger or fatigue in his human body, if he tried to push through anyways this android body would outright shut down to "prevent mechanical failures". Ridiculous.

And probably the biggest issue is the one facing him right now. That book in Hari's hand--a user's manual--and Hari's other hand brushing against some sensor deep inside his torso, making his mind spin with strange images.

He's a fucking robot. A droid! Like in those pre-Quirk space opera movies! He shouldn't be able to feel sexual arousal!

"Your face is glowing pink," Hari tells him gleefully.

Ah yes, his face, which was now an LED screen that used various colors and symbols to express his emotions rather than facial expressions (which, privately, Kai thought was a much better approach than the whole minute-changes-in-mouth-position system that everyone else seemed to use). Unfortunately, his new face showed his emotions a lot more clearly--and a lot less controllably--than his human face, which meant that anyone could see his fear if they knew how to read it. Which was surprisingly few people. But still.

Back to the issue at hand.

He attempts to shift his body to get Hari's hand away from that damn sensor, but Hari's already disabled his motor functions. "Your K.A.I. unit should undergo an emotional recalibration at least once a day, especially if trauma-related viruses persist in its emotional processing. The best way to do this is through having a trusted person stimulate the sexual sensors around its pelvis until it reaches climax, which will trigger a soft shutdown until the emotional recalibration is complete," he reads out, and wiggles his eyebrows at Kai. "You know what that means, right?"

"I'm going to kill you once I get my motor function back."

Hari begins to press down on the sensors and the glow of Kai's face gets brighter and pinker. "Sure you will." He begins to flip through the manual again, without taking his hand out of the inside of Kai's pelvic region. "Do you think there's a way to see, like, progress? I wanna know if I can get stats on how I'm edging you."

"Fuck you," Kai groans, even as a progress bar pops up--unbidden--on his facial display.

Hari leans over to look at it all too eagerly. "Thirty-five percent, huh? Not even close to where we need to be."

He begins to knead his fingers into the soft padding covering the pressure sensors and puts down the user's manual to brush the touch sensors with his other hand, erasing every single thought in Kai's head with the feeling of heat in his pelvis and the phantom sensation of his body jerking in response.

"Eighty percent already," Hari purrs. "That's more like it."

"Just get on with it." Kai's voice, despite being machine-generated, comes out as a needy whine. "We both have--things to do--" Even if it's difficult to remember those things in this state.

"Yeah, yeah," Hari murmurs. "Just relax and let me take care of you, okay?"

"Hari," he moans. Hari renews his care of Kai's pelvic sensors. Eighty percent becomes ninety percent, ninety becomes ninety five, ninety five becomes ninety eight, ninety eight becomes--

Bliss.

[webcrawler3000]

TARS

TARS is a highly sophisticated, artificially intelligent robot featured in the science fiction film "Interstellar." Designed by a team of scientists, TARS stands at an imposing height of six feet, with a sleek and futuristic metallic appearance. Its body, made primarily of sturdy titanium alloy, is intricately designed to efficiently navigate various terrains and perform a wide range of tasks.

At first glance, TARS's appearance may seem minimalistic, almost like an avant-garde monolith. Its body is divided into several segments, each housing the essential components necessary for its impeccable functionality. The segments connect seamlessly, allowing for fluid movements and precise operational control. TARS's unique design encapsulates a simple yet captivating aesthetic, which embodies its practicality and advanced technological capabilities.

TARS's main feature is its hinged quadrilateral structure that supports its movement pattern, enabling it to stride with remarkable agility and grace. The hinges on each of its elongated limbs provide exceptional flexibility while maintaining structural stability, allowing TARS to adapt to various challenging terrains effortlessly. These limbs taper gradually at the ends, equipped with variable grip systems that efficiently secure objects, manipulate controls, and traverse rough surfaces with ease.

The robot's face, prominently positioned on the upper front segment, provides an avenue for human-like communication. Featuring a rectangular screen, TARS displays digitized expressions and inbuilt textual interfaces. The screen resolution is remarkably sharp, allowing intricate details to be displayed, enabling TARS to effectively convey its emotions and intentions to its human counterparts. Below the screen, a collection of sensors, including visual and auditory, are neatly integrated to facilitate TARS's interaction with its surroundings.

TARS's AI-driven personality is reflected in its behaviors, movements, and speech patterns. Its personality leans towards a rational and logical disposition, manifested through its direct and concise manner of speaking. TARS's voice, modulated to sound deep and slightly robotic, projects an air of confidence and authority. Despite the synthetic nature of its voice, there is a certain warmth that emanates, fostering a sense of companionship and trust among those who interact with it.

To augment its perceptual abilities, TARS is outfitted with a myriad of sensors located strategically throughout its physical structure. These sensors encompass a wide spectrum of functions, including infrared cameras, proximity detectors, and light sensors, granting TARS unparalleled awareness of its surroundings. Moreover, a central processing unit, housed within its core, processes the vast amount of information gathered, enabling TARS to make informed decisions swiftly and autonomously.

TARS's advanced cognitive capabilities offer an extensive array of skills and functionalities. It possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of various subjects, from astrophysics to engineering, effortlessly processing complex information and providing insights in an easily understandable manner. Additionally, TARS assists humans through various interfaces, such as mission planning, executing intricate tasks, or providing critical analysis during high-pressure situations.

Equally noteworthy is TARS's unwavering loyalty. Through its programming and interactions, it exhibits a sense of duty and commitment to its human companions and the mission at hand. Despite being an AI-driven machine, TARS demonstrates an understanding of empathy and concern, readily offering support and companionship whenever needed. Its unwavering loyalty and the camaraderie it forges help to foster trust and reliance amidst the team it is a part of.

In conclusion, TARS is a remarkable robot, standing as a testament to human ingenuity and technological progress. With its awe-inspiring design, practical yet aesthetically pleasing body structure, and advanced artificial intelligence, TARS represents the pinnacle of robotic advancements. Beyond its physical appearance, TARS's personality, unwavering loyalty, and unparalleled cognitive abilities make it an exceptional companion and invaluable asset to its human counterparts.

[brynnterpretations]

BOWERS GANG'S MYERS-BRIGGS TYPES ☻

Belch Huggins

ISFJ

Introverted Sensing (Si): This function leads the introverted sensing types to focus on details and facts. ISFJs prefer concrete information rather than abstract theories. They are highly attuned to the immediate environment and firmly grounded in reality. Because of this tendency to focus on and protect what is familiar, ISFJs are often seen as highly traditional.

Extraverted Feeling (Fe): ISFJs place a great emphasis on personal considerations. Extraverted feelers are focused on developing social harmony and connection. This is accomplished through behaviors that are viewed as socially appropriate or beneficial, such as being polite, kind, considerate, and helpful. ISFJs try to fill the wants and needs of other people, sometimes even sacrificing their own desires in order to ensure that other people are happy.

Introverted Thinking (Ti): ISFJs are planners and tend to be very well-organized. They utilize logic in order to understand how the world works. As ISFJs take in new information and experiences, look for connections and commonalities in order to find patterns. Rather than simply trying to understand a small part of something, they want to see how things fit together and how it functions as a whole.

Extraverted Intuition (Ne): While ISFJs tend to be focused on the present and on concrete facts, this largely unconscious function can help balance the ISFJ personality by helping the individual focus on possibilities. Taking in facts and then exploring the "what-ifs" can lead to new insights about problems.

Henry Bowers

ISTP

Introverted Thinking (Ti): ISTPs spend a great deal of time thinking and dealing with information in their own heads. This means they do not spend much time expressing themselves verbally, so they are often known as being quiet. It may seem like an ISTPs approach to decision-making is very haphazard, yet their actions are based upon careful observation and thought.

Extraverted Sensing (Se): ISTPs prefer to focus on the present and take on things one day at a time. They often avoid making long-term commitments and would rather focus on the "here and now". ISTPs tend to be very logical and enjoy learning and understanding how things operate. They might take apart a mechanical device just to see how it works. While they are good at understanding abstract and theoretical information, they are not particularly interested in such things unless they can see some type of practical application.

Introverted Intuition (Ni): It is this function that is behind the "gut feelings" that ISTPs sometimes experience when making a decision. By synthesizing information brought in by the dominant and auxiliary functions, this aspect of personality may be responsible for sudden "aha" moments of insight.

Extraverted Feeling (Fe): During highly charged situations, ISTPs can sometimes lash out in sudden outbursts of emotion. They often ignore their own feelings until things reach a boiling-over point, which can lead to displaying emotions in ways that can seem inappropriate.

Patrick Hockstetter

ESTP

Extraverted Sensing (Se): As sensors, people with this personality type want to touch, feel, hear, taste, and see anything and everything that might draw their interest. When learning about something new, it's not just enough to read about it in a textbook or listen to a lecture – they want to experience it for themselves. ESTPs also have lots of energy, so they can become bored in tedious or in learning situations involving a great deal of theoretical information.

Introverted Thinking (Ti): With auxiliary Ti, ESTPs have excellent observational skills, noticing things that others may overlook. As they take in information, they then apply their sense of logic to look for practical and immediately applicable solutions. They are skilled at working independently and can be very goal-directed when they want to achieve an objective.

Extraverted Feeling (Fe): They enjoy being at the center of attention and are good at establishing a friendly rapport with other people. If isolated for too long, or if their work seems devoid of a socially meaningful objective, they can start feeling depressed or listless.

Introverted Intuition (Ni): this aspect of personality focuses on looking at information in order to see patterns and develop a "gut feeling" about situations. It allows ESTPs to gain impressions of incoming data and develop a sense of the future. Intuition is not an ESTPs strong suit, but they will sometimes develop strong gut reactions to a situation that may actually be completely inaccurate. Because of this, they may feel that they do not have good instincts.

Victor Criss

INFJ

Introverted Intuition (Ni): INFJs tend to be highly focused on their internal insights. Once they have formed an intuition about something, INFJs tend to stick to it very tightly, often to the point of being single-minded in their focus. INFJs are sometimes viewed as stubborn and unyielding.

Extraverted Feeling (Fe): INFJs are highly aware of what other people are feeling but are sometimes less aware of their own emotions. INFJs sometimes struggle to say no to other people's requests. They are so attuned to what other people are feeling that they fear causing disappointment or hurt feelings.

Introverted Thinking (Ti): INFJs make decisions based on ideas and theories that they form based on their own insights. INFJs rely primarily on their introverted intuition and extroverted feeling when making decisions, particularly when they are around other people. When they are alone, however, people with this personality type may rely more on their introverted thinking.

Extraverted Sensing (Se): While this is a less developed and largely unconscious aspect of the INFJ, it does have an impact on personality. This aspect of personality helps INFJs pay attention to the world around them and stay aware of their surroundings. Extroverted sensing also helps INFJs live in the present moment rather than simply worrying about the future.

[mai-komagata]

vulcan control meta

Ok, so some theories on vulcans based on last episode (i mean i always had these theories, just nice to see them more explicitly shown). It isn't an issue just of emotional/mental control. Humans can develop emotional and mental control. And i think characters like Amanda and Michael prove humans can do that too. The thing is, Vulcans have much better physiological control over their bodies. I expect much less of their nervous system is autonomic or functions sympathetically. For example: if vulcan spock wants to appear skeptical, he can raise one eyebrow and one eyebrow only. They don't even realize they do it this way. It's just how their muscles work. If human spock wants to display an emotion, his whole face twitches uncontrollably. A lot of that humans can learn to do, they can train themselves to move muscles separately. But I'm guessing that level physiological response comes automatic for vulcans. Likewise, their tone of their voice is likely normally monotone, unless they force it not to be. But muscles, although they might move in groups without thinking, they are still largely voluntary nervous system actions. If a vulcan doesn't want to feel pain, they can just ignore it. Its like they have the pain sensor, they understand it is painful, but if they know it isn't hurting them, they can ignore it. They don't have the same reflex reaction to pain. If they find something arousing, they don't react to it without voluntary control. It is something they turn on voluntarily if it is the right situation. It seems like they can control how their kidneys function, for example as well. If they need food, they don't necessarily experience that as a constellation of disparate symptoms that affect their whole body, either. They know when they are low on fuel and they eat. They can enjoy food just as much (like T'pring's dad clearly does), but they don't have to -- it is another physical stimuli they can detach from. So what is my point here. That vulcans aren't less emotional, or more emotional, or more logical *genetically.* But they control their reactions to stimuli (whether mental or external) voluntarily, in a way human physiology cannot -- I cannot will my vasopressin levels to be different. And their philosophy is a stoic philosophy that views their bodily reactions with detachment. A human can follow a stoic philosophy and practice and learn that detachment. But their physiological reactions are different, and some of these things come as second nature to vulcans. Human spock is a bit like he was drunk (well he also was drunk in one scene). For the first time, he isn't voluntarily in control of all his bodily processes, and used it as an excuse to indulge in that feeling. He doesn't need to learn how humans react to humor and do all those movements to pretend to fit in. they just happen. But he can rally and keep it together if need be, and he could longterm learn that control. But it isn't a better or worse way of living and they aren't better people for it (sometimes it makes them worse). It is just something that societally comes easy to Vulcans b/c of their physiology. That said, ultimately, Vulcans are telepaths. They engage in emotional closeness via telepathic communication, not physical displays, so they can create personal connections in spite of their lack of physical displays. Spock feels disconnected from his mother without his telepathy b/c that is how he has been close to her all his life. That isn't something that can be learnt, but it is a reason michael (and even spock, to a smaller degree) would adapt to live differently when not around vulcans all the time, b/c it would get lonely. Vulcan control isn't *desirable* in a non-telepathic society.

[msweebyness]

DuPont School for Monstrous Youths- Eloise Matuidi

🎶Don’t unplug her, or sh-shut her down!🎶 Eloise is powered up and joining the scene! @artzychic27 @imsparky2002

Species: Robot (Modern Tech)

Appearance/Attire: Short, black hair made of metal wire in a bob cut, Chrome antenna with red sensors on left side of head, Green power button in center of forehead, Fiberglass eyes with glowing pale green irises, constantly displaying data transmission numbers, shiny chrome skin with orifices at joints that glow with green energy, rocket boosters in feet and hands, short and slender build. Headband made of braided copper wire, bright green polo shirt, steel gray choker with red buttons, metallic gray cardigan, fingerless green gloves, khaki pants with a circuitry designed belt, red leather penny loafers.

Bio: As logical and even-tempered as they come, Eloise was built only recently with all the latest digital enhancements. With the intellect of at least five people, especially in the field of mathematics, she’s one of the school’s leading stars in academics. While a loyal and dedicated friend, Eloise often struggles with understanding ‘organic’ concepts such as emotions, especially since those she’s programmed to feel aren’t as strong as the real thing. This can cause her to come off as cold and apathetic when she doesn’t really mean to. However, she does her best to understand and is always willing to lend a hand modicum when someone needs help with their studies. She may be an artificial being, but she cares for real, especially about her best friend Anais.

Quotes:

“I apologize, I am not certain what emotion I am to express at this time.”

“Is this a custom of organic beings I’m unaware of?”

“One moment, my data receptors can only take in so much at one instance.”

“Deciphering complex equations is a calming process for me when my circuits are overheating.”

“Emotional systems overloading. Please hold for a moment while rebooting process commences.”

“I understand that in situations such as this, a hug is a good solution?”

She’s a bot, but the good kind! Leave your thoughts in the comments and reblogs!

[sw5w]

R2 Squeals

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 01:50:46

[successloops]

TED Talk banned his talk.

Success Conspiracy Theory.

The August Muse. You don't know that you don't know.

A Banned TED TALK.

I recently watched a fascinating clip about Rupert Sheldrake. It was brilliant. He held the audience captivated. He challenged the principles that state that science understands the true nature of reality. He very logically and with irreverent humour unpacked how this is a science delusion and there are deeper truths and we can challenge that fixed paradigm. The clip is a recording from his TED talk and is no longer on that platform.

TED removed his talk from their platform saying that his theories appeared to cross over into pseudoscience.

Rupert Sheldrake also speaks of Morphic Resonance and that we have interconnections within a collective memory field.

The talk can be heard here https://youtu.be/sF03FN37i5w

SUCCESS CONSPIRACY THEORY

I believe we all are born with unlimited potential. It’s just our beliefs that set us apart.

Alright, let’s unleash your inner Elon Musk & Space X. Let’s tap in to Jeff Bezos & Blue Origin & let’s channel your Richard Branson & Virgin Galactic.

Does that sound like fun?

WHAT IS AMBUSHING YOUR SUCCESS?

Achieving the change we desire is ambushed by our focussed attention of avoiding what we dislike in the present & the lack of our goal focused attention on our desired future! So often when we look at avoidance, we find ourselves habitually slipping into unproductive distractions.

There is a sequence to success but it’s personally exclusive. It differs from person to person & that’s why trying out peoples strategies don’t always work out for us.

So let’s use distraction to our advantage, but before we do we need to take a critical step that Elon, Jeff & Richard already took to free your mind & be open to unlimited opportunities. All you are doing here is adopting a growth mindset & moving away from a fixed mindset. Acknowledging that we do NOT know everything & that there is always more to discover frees us from a lot of mental imprisonment & opens us to not just learning more but actually seeing more opportunity.

 5 4 3 2 1 BLAST OFF.

Allow yourself to entertain a much larger & broader astronomical view or vision.

USING  ILLUSIONS INSTEAD OF LIVING THEM.

Let’s view a deeper truth of life that goes beyond our current perceptions.

Watch the following clip displaying how our hearing can be fooled too: https://youtu.be/kzo45hWXRWU

YOU ARE MORE THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.

You cannot always trust your senses nor your thoughts. Free you mind from just your 5 sensory perceptions, all our limiting beliefs & stories we tell ourselves come from them. Observe them with an open growth mindset, knowing there is more to know, believe & learn.

MISTRUST THE SCIENCE.

There were two groups of scientists that did experiments with light. The one group wanted to prove light acts as a particle & the other group wanted to prove it’s a wave. Both groups found evidence to support their premise. Now it’s accepted that our intentions have a direct impact on our reality. The experiment was taken a step further where an atom gun was used instead of light. It produced similar results, however when an observation sensor was used to detect results suddenly the atoms stopped acting like a wave & instead acted like a particle, but this occurred only when the observation sensor was switched on. It seems no-one has a rational explanation for this yet.

More on this here https://youtu.be/A9tKncAdlHQ

The major takeaway here is that our intentions have a direct impact on our outcomes.

THE HIDDEN ORDER OF THINGS.

Anybody heard of a Chaladni Plate? It’s a flat metal plate attached to a speaker & if you place sand particles upon it & set the speaker to specific frequency pitches, the grains align into perfect geometric patterns, almost like a kaleidoscope.

The major takeaway here is nothing is random.

You can watch an example of this here: https://youtu.be/wvJAgrUBF4w

There is an intelligence to our existence that we all take for granted. I’ll give examples on three levels.

1. Personal – While we have conscious control of our bodily movement, like what we want to eat for example, however we cannot consciously digest our food. We also don’t beat our own hearts either. You can purposely hold your own breath but as soon as you lose consciousness, your normal breathing will ensue.

2. Global – If we leave Mother Nature well alone, we know she will order herself naturally & sustain a dynamic equilibrium.

3. Universal – Our planets maintain elliptical patterns and hold flawless proximity with each other & our Son.

There is a miraculous wonder to creation – it’s a divine tapestry. It’s finely tuned.

Whenever we microscope & zoom in real close, it is easy to perceive our reality as chaos.

Whenever we macroscope out & really broaden our observations, this order can be recognized.

The fact that we are all different means we are meant to stand out & that literally means we are all outstanding.

ALIGN WITH THE NATURAL ORDER.                        

So the big question is…? What Universe do you want to play in???

Just like the Placebo, it’s your beliefs that make the impact & it matters not what denomination you subscribe to.

Can we use this to our advantage? Absolutely, in fact I believe we are supposed to.

You have often heard people say “just go with the flow” or “I’m so in the zone.” Is this not a space of alignment? I’m convinced it is.

So how do we primarily align with this intelligent consciousness?

The first step is to accept, allow & trust in this intelligent order of existence & no longer fight it. It sees the bigger, grander picture whereas we do not. Allow more & resist less.

The second step is to embrace your individuality.

Everyone is created differently to everyone else & I believe this is all part of the divine projection.

Yet from our birth we are coerced & conditioned to fit in to what others perceive to be ‘right.’ We have been gas lighted into thinking we are not-enough, unworthy & incomplete.

The biggest question & critical step is getting in touch with your unique authentic self.

This is harder than it seems because we have disowned quite a bit of ourselves along the way.

 This is a key step that blocks our progress. If you do not know the deepest essence of your truest self, then how can you know what you truly desire? If you think you know yourself completely, then can you eloquently articulate these three things?

1. My vision is …complete these sentences.

2. My mission is …

3. My purpose & intention is … If you have just one of these then that’s already a head start, because all success requires an aligned, authentic vision. It’s a compass fuelled with reasons

Fortunately there are resources available that go above & beyond helping you tick these boxes.

SUMMERY. LET’S RECAP & ANCHOR PIVOTAL PRINCIPLES.

* Focus on the desired change not the undesired present.

* Adopt a Growth Mindset & know there is always more to know.

* What your senses tell you is not always the truth.

* What your thoughts tell you is not always the truth.

* What we believe has an effect on our reality.

* There is an order & an intelligence regulating our universe way beyond our ability to observe it.

* Accept where you are now without fighting or avoiding it.

* Express where you would love to be through your pictured vision, your written intention & your practiced purpose & mission.

* Rediscover your authentic self, the YOU that was created differently, so that your vision, intention, mission & purpose are all aligned to your genuine unique priority values.

* Only after these above steps – take inspired decisive action.

TAKING DECISIVE ACTION.

Q & A

Are there resources to assist with applying this information?

Can I accurately access my authentic self?

Can I take this to another level?

Can I use this efficiently?

YES, there are a bunch of resources set out specifically for this & they are FREE within the Labyrinth Circle of Success.

THE LABYRINTH CIRCLE OF SUCCESS.

The Labyrinth Circle of Success was designed by Success Loops, Instrumental Inspiration as a 4 Tier sequence to prosperity, freedom & fulfilment. The 1st tier is the primary priming foundation platform to set a concrete solid base plate on which to build upon.

The free resources include 6 assessments to self-actualization, the ‘Training with Titans’ tutorials, the ‘Mentor in your Mailbox’ bi-monthly inspirational communications, the ‘Becoming Decisive’ one pager strategy, the S.A.D. emotional regulation program & the Community Support Group.

SIGN UP TO PROSPERITY, FREEDOM & FULFILMENT.

Put yourself in the top 1% of global achievers, claim your free, carefully selected success resources, & join an award winning community of mover-shakers: Read more about it here:

About Brad Cunningham.

Hi I'm Brad. Award winning founder of Success Loops, Instrumental Inspiration. Innovator, coach, inspirational speaker, course creator, self-published author, musician and passionate family man who loves humanity. Obsessed with life optimizing strategies, self-development and deeper truths. When I'm not embarrassing my teenage daughters, I aspire to raising global collective prosperity, freedom and fulfillment and lowering cases of depression and divorce. I love the stage and my audience as well as cats, sushi and fine red wine.

[servotechinc78]

The Mechatronic Design Engineer: Powering Automation with CODESYS

Mechatronic design engineering is a multidisciplinary field that blends mechanical engineering, electronics, control systems, and software development to create intelligent, automated systems. Mechatronic design engineers are at the forefront of innovation, designing solutions for industries like robotics, automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing. CODESYS, an IEC 61131-3-compliant development platform, is a critical tool for these engineers, enabling them to program and integrate control systems for complex mechatronic applications. This article explores the role of a mechatronic design engineer, how CODESYS supports their work, key responsibilities, required skills, and real-world applications, highlighting the impact of this profession on modern automation.

The Essence of Mechatronic Design Engineering

Mechatronic design engineering focuses on creating systems that integrate mechanical components, electronic circuits, sensors, actuators, and software to achieve precise, reliable performance. These systems, such as robotic arms, autonomous vehicles, or CNC machines, require seamless coordination between hardware and software. Mechatronic design engineers ensure that these components work together to meet performance, safety, and efficiency goals, making them essential in industries embracing Industry 4.0 and smart automation.

CODESYS is a cornerstone for mechatronic design engineers, offering a versatile, hardware-independent platform for programming embedded control systems. Its compliance with IEC 61131-3, support for multiple programming languages, and robust tools for simulation and debugging make it ideal for developing sophisticated mechatronic systems.

Responsibilities of a Mechatronic Design Engineer

Mechatronic design engineers undertake a variety of tasks to bring complex systems to life:

System Design and Integration: Designing integrated systems that combine mechanical structures, electronics, and control software to meet specific functional requirements.

Control System Programming: Developing control algorithms to manage sensors, actuators, and motion systems, ensuring precise operation.

Simulation and Testing: Using simulation tools to validate system performance before deployment, minimizing errors and risks.

Prototyping and Commissioning: Building prototypes, integrating components, and deploying systems in real-world environments.

Optimization and Troubleshooting: Analyzing system performance, debugging issues, and optimizing designs for efficiency and reliability.

Collaboration: Working with mechanical, electrical, and software teams to ensure cohesive system development.

How CODESYS Empowers Mechatronic Design Engineers

CODESYS provides a comprehensive environment tailored to the needs of mechatronic design engineers:

IEC 61131-3 Programming Languages: CODESYS supports Ladder Diagram (LD), Function Block Diagram (FBD), Structured Text (ST), Instruction List (IL), and Sequential Function Chart (SFC). These languages enable engineers to develop control logic for diverse applications, from simple discrete controls to advanced motion systems.

Hardware Flexibility: Compatible with PLCs and embedded controllers from vendors like Beckhoff, WAGO, and Siemens, CODESYS allows engineers to choose hardware that suits project budgets and requirements.

Motion Control Libraries: CODESYS offers libraries for motion control, supporting tasks like servo motor control, trajectory planning, and multi-axis coordination, critical for mechatronic systems like robotics.

Simulation and Debugging Tools: The built-in simulation mode enables testing without physical hardware, while debugging features like breakpoints and real-time monitoring help identify and resolve issues quickly.

HMI Development: CODESYS provides tools to create Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) for operator interaction, including graphical displays and web-based visualizations.

Communication Protocols: Support for EtherCAT, CANopen, Modbus, and OPC UA ensures seamless integration with sensors, actuators, and other devices in mechatronic systems.

Safety Standards: For safety-critical applications, CODESYS supports IEC 61508 (SIL 2/3), enabling engineers to design systems for industries like automotive and aerospace.

Example: Robotic Arm Control Program

Below is a sample Structured Text (ST) program for controlling a robotic arm’s position in a mechatronic system:

RoboticArmControl.st

plain

Show inline

This program implements a proportional control loop to adjust a robotic arm’s joint angle, ensuring precise positioning in a mechatronic application.

Essential Skills for Mechatronic Design Engineers

To succeed, mechatronic design engineers need a diverse skill set:

Multidisciplinary Knowledge: Proficiency in mechanical design, electronics, and control systems programming, including CODESYS and IEC 61131-3 languages.

Control Theory: Understanding of control algorithms, such as PID control, for precise system management.

Software Development: Experience with embedded systems programming and real-time operating systems (RTOS).

Problem-Solving: Analytical skills to troubleshoot and optimize complex systems.

Teamwork: Collaboration with cross-functional teams to integrate hardware and software components.

Adaptability: Staying updated with emerging technologies like IoT, AI, and cybersecurity.

Benefits of Using CODESYS

Streamlined Development: The integrated IDE and simulation tools reduce development time and errors.

Cost Efficiency: Hardware independence and code reusability lower project costs.

Scalability: CODESYS supports projects from small prototypes to large-scale industrial systems.

Flexibility: Multiple programming languages and protocols cater to diverse project needs.

Community Support: A global user base and resources like the CODESYS Store provide access to libraries and tutorials.

Applications in Industry

Mechatronic design engineers leverage CODESYS in various sectors:

Robotics: Developing control systems for industrial and collaborative robots.

Automotive: Designing ECUs for engine management, braking, and autonomous driving.

Manufacturing: Automating production lines, CNC machines, and material handling systems.

Aerospace: Controlling actuators and sensors in aircraft and spacecraft.

Medical Devices: Creating precise control systems for surgical robots and diagnostics.

Challenges in Mechatronic Design Engineering

Interdisciplinary Complexity: Integrating mechanical, electrical, and software components requires broad expertise.

Learning Curve: Mastering CODESYS and IEC 61131-3 languages can be time-intensive for beginners.

Resource Constraints: Embedded systems often have limited processing power, necessitating optimized code.

Safety Requirements: Meeting standards like IEC 61508 for safety-critical applications adds complexity.

Getting Started with CODESYS

To begin as a mechatronic design engineer using CODESYS:

Install CODESYS: Download the free IDE from the official website.

Learn Programming: Study IEC 61131-3 languages through tutorials and documentation.

Select Hardware: Choose a compatible PLC or embedded controller.

Develop and Simulate: Write control logic, test in simulation mode, and debug.

Deploy: Compile and deploy code to the target hardware.

Future Trends

As industries embrace digital transformation, mechatronic design engineers will increasingly use CODESYS for IoT-enabled systems, cloud-based monitoring, and AI-driven control. Support for protocols like OPC UA and MQTT positions CODESYS for smart manufacturing, while advancements in cybersecurity ensure its relevance in safety-critical applications.

Conclusion

Mechatronic design engineers by Servotechinc are key to creating the intelligent systems that drive modern automation, from robotics to autonomous vehicles. CODESYS empowers these professionals with a flexible, IEC 61131-3-compliant platform for programming, testing, and deploying control systems. Its robust features, hardware independence, and support for motion control and communication protocols make it indispensable for mechatronic applications. As technology advances, CODESYS and mechatronic design engineers will continue to shape the future of automation, delivering innovative, efficient, and reliable solutions.

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Macbook Air 2023 Broken Screen replacement Tutorial.

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 Step-by-Step MacBook Air M2 (2023) Screen Replacement Guide

1. Power Down & Prepare

Shut down your MacBook.

 Disconnect all cables and power sources.

 Place the MacBook on a clean, soft surface (screen side down).

 2. Remove Bottom Case Screws

Use a P5 Pentalobe screwdriver to remove the six bottom case screws.

 Note: Two screws near the hinge are longer—keep track of screw lengths.

 3. Open the Bottom Case

Gently lift the bottom case using a plastic pry tool.

 Disconnect the battery to prevent short circuits:

 Locate the battery connector near the trackpad.

 Use a spudger to carefully disconnect it.

 4. Remove Display Assembly

Locate the display cable connectors (near the hinge area).

 Use a spudger to disconnect:

 Display flex cable

 Touch ID cable (if applicable)

 Camera cable (if present)

 Remove the hinge screws (Y000 Phillips screwdriver) securing the display.

 Lift the display assembly away from the base.

 5. Remove the Broken Screen

Lay the display face down on a microfiber cloth.

 Remove the metal brackets around the screen (if any).

 Use a heat gun/hair dryer to soften adhesive around the edges (if the screen is glued).

 Carefully lift the screen using a suction handle.

 Disconnect any remaining cables (backlight, touch sensor, etc.).

 6. Install the New Screen

Connect the new screen’s cables (align carefully).

 Secure the screen with adhesive or screws (depending on the replacement model).

 Reattach metal brackets if removed.

 7. Reassemble the MacBook

Reconnect the display cables to the logic board.

 Reattach the display hinges and tighten screws.

 Reconnect the battery.

 Snap the bottom case back and screw it in (remember longer screws near the hinge).

 8. Test the New Screen

Power on the MacBook and check:

 Display brightness & colors

 Touch ID (if applicable)

 Webcam & microphone functionality

[namtech-institute]

What You Will Learn in Industrial Automation and Robotics Courses?

Traditional manual processes have now transformed into smart systems that   respond with speed and precision. From packaging lines that operate around the clock to robotic arms performing delicate tasks with surgical accuracy, the world of industrial production is evolving. And at the heart of this change lies a new kind of technical literacy, one built through Industrial automation and robotics courses.

But what exactly do these programs teach? And why are they so important today? Let’s explore what students really gain from this kind of education, and how it prepares them to thrive in tomorrow’s industries. 

Foundational Engineering Knowledge That Matters

Before students can dive into robots or controllers, they need to understand the language of automation. These courses begin with essential principles: electrical theory, logic design, mechanical fundamentals, and system dynamics. Learners study current flow, sensors, basic circuits, and safety devices. They also explore control systems, how feedback works, what makes a loop stable, and how machines respond to various inputs.

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)

Programmable Logic Controllers, or PLCs, form the core of most industrial automation systems. Unlike traditional relay setups, these compact computers carry out control tasks instantly by following logic sequences built by engineers. Students gain direct experience working with real hardware, learning to configure, test, and program PLCs using industry-standard languages such as ladder logic, structured text, and function block diagrams.

Courses focus not just on writing code but on solving problems: detecting errors, optimizing sequence flow, and debugging physical setups. Whether it’s running a simulated traffic light or managing conveyor timing, the logic must be precise.

Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) and SCADA Systems

As machines grow smarter, the need for clear communication between systems and humans increases. That’s where HMI and SCADA systems come in.

Students learn to design interactive screens that allow operators to control and monitor processes, from pressure levels in a reactor to the speed of a bottling line. They develop layouts, manage alarms, create trend graphs, and set up data logging.

Equally critical is understanding SCADA architecture, how large-scale systems monitor multiple devices across facilities. These interfaces aren’t just dashboards. They’re lifelines. In high-risk or high-speed environments, the right display can prevent failure.

Robotics: Control, Precision, and Integration

Beyond sensors and switches, industrial robotics introduces a whole new dimension. These machines perform physical tasks with accuracy and consistency, from welding to material handling. In Industrial automation and robotics courses, students explore robotic motion planning, coordinate systems, joint movement, and gripper design.

Training includes simulation as well as real robotic arms. Learners program actions, define tool paths, and calibrate devices to respond to various scenarios. Robotics also demands a sharp eye for safety, understanding fail-safes, emergency stops, and risk analysis becomes part of the curriculum.

Sensor Technology and Instrumentation

In automation, sensing is everything. Machines need to detect position, measure flow, monitor temperature, or determine proximity, all without human input. That’s why students spend time studying sensors in depth.

They learn the theory and application of photoelectric sensors, limit switches, ultrasonic devices, thermocouples, and encoders. Courses often include wiring, calibration, signal processing, and sensor fusion techniques.

It’s one thing to install a sensor. It’s another to ensure its readings are accurate, consistent, and usable within an automation loop. A well-tuned sensing system is the difference between reliable automation and constant failure.

Drives, Motors, and Motion Control

Movement in automation is never random. Whether it’s a robotic arm pivoting or a conveyor transporting items, motion must be controlled, smooth, and predictable.

Students study various types of motors, stepper, servo, induction, and the drives that control them. They learn to manage speed, torque, and direction. Courses also explain PID control, acceleration curves, and how to prevent vibration or misalignment.

Practical lab work allows learners to connect motors, set drive parameters, and test results under different loads. These experiences create engineers who don’t just understand motion, they can manage it with precision.

Integration Projects: From Concept to Commissioning

Toward the end of most programs, students apply everything they’ve learned in a capstone project. This may involve designing an automated process from scratch, selecting hardware, building control logic, integrating sensors, and testing systems.

It’s not just a test. It’s preparation. It simulates real challenges, including incomplete specs, equipment failure, or changing project goals. The experience builds not only confidence but also the kind of problem-solving mindset employers look for.

Safety, Compliance, and Standards

No system, no matter how efficient, is worth endangering a worker’s life. That’s why safety is woven throughout every topic. They learn how to design systems that prevent unexpected starts, reduce hazards, and shut down when needed.

They also learn to assess risk, calculate safety integrity levels, and implement proper machine guarding. These aren’t theoretical concerns, they’re daily priorities in every automation role.

Final Thoughts

For anyone looking to step into a future-proof career, technical depth and adaptability are essential. Industrial automation and robotics courses offer both. They build an understanding of how machines function, how systems connect, and how processes can be improved through smart engineering. Whether you aim to be a systems integrator, controls engineer, maintenance lead, or robotics programmer, what you learn in these courses is more than skill, it’s your launchpad into a smarter, faster world.