#must-have-android-apps

[deorwineinfotech]

Looking to make the most of your Android device? We've compiled a list of essential apps that you should download right away.

Don't miss out on these tools that can simplify your life and boost your productivity.

[weedgay]

[infomercial voice] do you like OMORI? do you like trauma narratives and horror elements? do you like FREE SHIT?

play END ROLL today !!!!

[evaultfinancialgroup]

"Top Investing Apps for #IOS, #android in 2023 - Must-Have Mobile Tools...

[emptywires]

OOHHHHH!! TO END THIS POST WITH THE FIRST SENTENCE OF "JACKET"!! THATS SO COOL!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE PAST TEN YEARS!! PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR YAPPING TO YOUR HEARTS CONTENT!!

HAPPY TEN YEARS TO THIS BLOG AND JACKET

if you've been here as long as this blog's existence then, know i'm finna yap:

sorry but warning for me and my mental health and my journey here...

smiles i am only human after all <:3 without further ado—

i've put off this post for... many reasons (hoildays, stress, perfectionism, anxiety) but maybe i'll keep this rendition and not chicken out or delete it because it's not perfect?

i really still can't believe i missed the anniversary for this! nov 29th huh? (yes i can actually !!! at the time i had just started a new job and that's where all my willpower has been.) but i fondly remember those ten years ago, that nov 29th is just as close to december anyway. so i always lead myself to think it's dec and not nov! details !!!

i don't think it'd make a difference but i do so want to get this in before the new year... (adding unnecessary stressors to myself smh)

it's been quite a ride through addhell. it's weird... to think how much has happened here. it's insane to think about how this one white hair anime boy changed my live in ways i could never fathom

picture it with me, a no one in a group of friends. with nothing but... the ambition of friendship, and the love of writing to fuel him, and a new username ready to take on the world: mymastermine.

that group of friends holds three: me, my would be DIE, and my would be LP. (does... does anyone remember those days of us three causing chaos laughs - tho mostly two, i suppose) we would make our way into the fandom, make tons of things, meet some people, make things with those people and make friends, lose some people, and grow, grow, grow...

there's just been... so much in ten years. ten years guys !!! that's a lot !!! i was a proud senpai and kouhai all at once! i'd found a really cool sensei. i ran into artists who drew things for me and i wrote for them!

i watched the rise AND fall of void els (raise your hand if you're an oger), in real time watched vMM became a cultural phenomenon (you're lying to yourself if you dont think he was - ykb did something irreversible to the add fandom that day i fear 😂 he's still relevant to this day lmFAO thank ykb for ur service), i watched the top LP/bottom LP debates :/, i'd poked my head into the els tag to see yall fighting but then i'd see some cool things too! i've seen so many cool projects and zines -- hell, got to actually take part in one! (cringe as it was - our writing, not the zine but still proud of doing that !!!)

addcest/hellsword (tumblr) isn't what it use to be though. (hell tumblr itself isn't what it use to be, let's be real LMAO) but... i think that i love that hasn't stopped some of us for cherishing and/or still loving add to this day.

i think if you'd told past me i'd be doing this, writing for one (1) singular anime boy, i wouldn't be surprised - couldn't expect it to go any other way i think

i'm not sure how to feel that ten years later i am still writing for him - it's been quite obvious where i felt it wane (but that was more my life and mental health (was in quite few depressive episodes - still am lmao), and joy - or lack thereof at the times - of writing and placing my joy momentarily elsewhere) but... wow i'm still here? LMAO

but i've met so many amazing people because of him... i've made connections, some not quite lasting, but then... there's always someone else there isn't there?

(i met dez and rain-kouhai for the first time recently! i've met more people for add hell between now and maybe 2-3 years ago! can you imagine that??? people still interacting, still wanting to talk about add - i literally can't! i go on twitter kr/jp and go "wow new add fanart" and feel so lucky !!!)

it's just little joys like this that makes me appreciate such things

i guess what i'm trying to say... thank you add for all the connections i've had and made.

thank you to my original trio

thank you to addhell tumblr... ! (literally would have never known some of yall)

thank you to void els (for gay add marriage lmao but also some more cool friends and mutuals)

thanks discord for hosting gay add ramblings and ao3 for letting me put my gay shit there

thank you - to anyone and everyone who has ever read my work and supported me - friends, mutuals, strangers, anons - and to anyone who's drawn/wrote for or with me! (yes, i think about your comments, your kind words, your support! yes your comment, you!) 😭😭😭 it is the simple act of creating and sharing/encouraging that seriously drives me forward in every word i type... and this alone feels like it's not enough!

but mostly, thank you add, for everything, really

where da hell would this bnuuy be without you?

i was going to... add a more emotional spiel but i think this is good enough, don't nya'll think? :')

"i'm so glad you're still here even after all these past ten years"

you know what? i think i might just be too

thanks for the one whole decade everyone wahoo !!!

-

"they shared a bed together." - jacket, nov 29th 2014

[aurorasulphur]

Disclaimer: none of these answers are official, and may not work for your particular use case. If there is a specific feature that an unofficial app had that you don't know how to replicate on the AO3, let me know in the notes and we might can crowdsource a solution.

A lot of people used the Archive Reader app to access stories on Archive of Our Own, and have been upset that the app is now charging to read longer than an hour a day. AO3 (and its parent organization, the OTW) has made it extremely clear in recent days that this app is unofficial and that there *is* no official app. They encourage people to use the website.

However, there are MANY reasons you might want an app, and in a bunch of those cases, there are ways to do those things without having to provide your login information to a random person running an app. Here is a round-up of solutions to the most common reasons I've seen people give for wanting an app instead of the plain AO3 website.

These solutions are based on the following assumptions:

You know what Archive of Our Own is

You often or primarily access it through a mobile device running iOS or Android

You understand what a browser is

You understand what a browser bookmark is

You understand what a site skin is

Edits:

Edited to clarify that you must be logged in to use custom site skins

Edited to add more tips and tricks from the reblogs

Edited to add new entry about notifications/emails

Edited to add new entry about reading statistics and the tracking thereof

I need a widget on my phone's homescreen, not just a browser bookmark.

You can do this with any website, not just AO3! Instructions here: https://www.howtogeek.com/196087/how-to-add-websites-to-the-home-screen-on-any-smartphone-or-tablet/

I need Dark Mode.

AO3 has a default site skin for Dark Mode, it's just called Reversi. Find it here, or at the bottom of any page on the website. https://archiveofourown.org/skins/929/

If you'd like Dark Mode on your whole browser (and you're on Android), sorrelchestnut has advice here: https://www.tumblr.com/sorrelchestnut/737869282153775104/if-you-want-dark-mode-and-dont-want-to-mess

I need to be able to read stories when I don't have internet.

Every work on the AO3 has a download button, so you can click on that and download the story for offline reading in the ereader app of your choice. More info on how to do that is in the AO3 FAQs: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/downloading-fanworks?language_id=en#accesslater

I need to be able to change the text size of the website itself.

If you have an AO3 account (and you should!!) you can do this with a personalized site skin! There is a simple tutorial here: https://www.tumblr.com/ao3skin/667284237718798336/i-have-a-request-if-you-dont-mind-could-you

I need to be able to change the text size in downloaded stories.

My personal recommendation: Don't download in PDF format. All the other formats you can download in can scale the text size up and down, assuming you open the work in the correct app. For me, I download works in EPUB format and read them on the built-in Books app on my iPhone. I hear good things about Moon Reader on Android as well.

I need to be able to replace Y/N in fics with an actual name.

ElectricAlice has a bookmarklet for that here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34796935

I need to be able to save specific tags and not have to search them up every time.

If you have an AO3 account (which you definitely should) then you can favorite up to 20 tags which will appear on the landing page. The AO3 FAQ explains how that works: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/tags?language_id=en#favtag

I need to be able to save specific filters and be able to apply them to any tag.

Reisling's beautiful bookmarklet has you covered: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33825019

I need to be able to permanently hide certain tags.

The best option is adding this to your site skin. (Must be logged in.) Instructions here: https://www.tumblr.com/ao3css/719667033634160640/how-to-permanently-filter-out-certain-tags-on-ao3

I also hear things about the AO3 Enhancements extension (just for Android/desktop, sorry iOS folks): https://www.tumblr.com/emotionalsupportrats/686787582579851265/browser-extension-everyone-on-ao3-should-know

I need it to save my place on the page and not reload.

This is really mostly a browser error--Firefox on iOS does this to me A LOT. Your best bet is to download the work and read it in an ereader app. A lot of people also will make an ao3 bookmark and write in the notes section which part they were at, but that assumes you aren't falling asleep while reading. (Which is the main reason I have this issue, lol.) For more info on bookmarks, see the FAQ: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/bookmarks?language_id=en#whatisbookmark

I need it to keep track of which stories I've already read/opened/kudos'd.

If you have an account (which you should) then the "My History" page keeps track of every fic you've ever clicked on. No, it isn't searchable or sortable, but it does exist. For fics you've kudos'd, I have yet to find a solution for iOS. For desktop or Android, you can use this excellent userscript: https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/5835-ao3-kudosed-and-seen-history

@the-sleepy-archivist and @inkandarsenic have a solution for iOS here to use userscripts: https://www.tumblr.com/the-sleepy-archivist/737895174683885568/this-is-a-great-guide-one-thing-i-can-help-with and https://www.tumblr.com/inkandarsenic/737827438571192320/the-user-scripts-will-also-work-on-ios-there-are

I need an app because the website's search is terrible.

(I genuinely don't understand this one but I have seen it multiple times so on the list it goes!!) The search bar at the top of the screen is a keyword search. If you'd rather search within a specific field (like title or tag) then you'll want to click on the word "search" at the top of the screen and select Work Search or Tag Search. To search users, use People Search. To search Bookmarks, use Bookmark Search. (If this is you, please tell me what the heck you mean by "search is bad" and how an app helped with this.)

I need to be able to sort stories by date posted/number of bookmarks/alphabetical/etc.

You can do this using the filters sidebar. Pick a tag you want to filter on (like a fandom, character, or relationship) and then click on the "Filters" button. The sidebar will pop out and you can sort and filter on a boggling array of specifics. A good filtering guide: https://www.tumblr.com/saurons-pr-department/718665516093472768/if-there-is-something-you-dont-want-to-see-in

I need to be able to mark stories to read later.

AO3 has this feature built in! If you have an account (which you should) there is a "Mark for Later" option on every work.

Edit: Thispersonishuman reminded me that History and Mark For Later can be disabled, so if you're not seeing the Mark for Later option, check your settings.

I need to be able to listen to stories using text-to-speech.

Microsoft Edge web browser has a built in text to speech function. Supposedly it works on both iOS and Android, but I have not personally tested that. iOS also has a native accessibility feature in settings for text to speech that will work on the Books app, so I assume Android has a similar functionality. A bunch of people in the reblogs have more in-depth Android recommendations here: https://www.tumblr.com/protect-namine/737957194510794752/seconding-voice-aloud-on-android-for-tts-my, https://www.tumblr.com/smallercommand/737884523093704704/i-use-voice-for-tts-on-android-its-got-some, and https://www.tumblr.com/doitninetimes/737869463749263360/for-text-to-speech-on-android-you-can-also-check

I need to have in-app notifications for updates/I can't ever find story updates in among the rest of my emails/checking my email stresses me out.

Set up a separate email address using a free service like gmail, and use that email address JUST for AO3. Then the only emails in that inbox will be your story updates. I use Apple's Mail application for all my inboxes, but it's very easy to use the Gmail app instead, and you could log in to JUST the ao3 email and set it to notify for every email.

(Also as a general PSA: don't use your work, school, or military email as your AO3 email. Just don't.)

I want statistics like how many hours I spent reading, how many words I read, what my most read tags were, stuff like that.

So we've finally hit something that isn't easy and that requires a hell of a lot of manual work. Short version: AO3 does not track this data because they don't want to. (Mostly due to privacy concerns.) The lack of this tracking is a feature, not a bug. You can crunch these numbers yourself, but it will take a hell of a lot more effort, and it's something I personally found is not worth the effort the couple of times I have tried to crunch those numbers. If you are willing to download your history to an actual computer (not a tablet or chromebook) using Calibre, you can get a rough idea of your most popular tags via their tag browser, but it won't play nice with typos synned to a Common Tag (Canonical Tag/filterable tag) like ao3 does. (If anyone has used an app that gave you stats on this, please let me know in reblogs/replies/via ask how that worked because I am very curious.)

I need an app because <other reason>.

The AO3 Unofficial Browser Tools FAQ might cover your use case: https://archiveofourown.org/faq/unofficial-browser-tools?language_id=en If not, give a shout and we'll see what other tumblr users suggest!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Lina Khan’s future is the future of the Democratic Party — and America

On OCTOBER 23 at 7PM, I'll be in DECATUR, presenting my novel THE BEZZLE at EAGLE EYE BOOKS.

On the one hand, the anti-monopoly movement has a future no matter who wins the 2024 election – that's true even if Kamala Harris wins but heeds the calls from billionaire donors to fire Lina Khan and her fellow trustbusters.

In part, that's because US antitrust laws have broad "private rights of action" that allow individuals and companies to sue one another for monopolistic conduct, even if top government officials are turning a blind eye. It's true that from the Reagan era to the Biden era, these private suits were few and far between, and the cases that were brought often died in a federal courtroom. But the past four years has seen a resurgence of antitrust rage that runs from left to right, and from individuals to the C-suites of big companies, driving a wave of private cases that are prevailing in the courts, upending the pro-monopoly precedents that billionaires procured by offering free "continuing education" antitrust training to 40% of the Federal judiciary:

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

It's amazing to see the DoJ racking up huge wins against Google's monopolistic conduct, sure, but first blood went to Epic, who won a historic victory over Google in federal court six months before the DoJ's win, which led to the court ordering Google to open up its app store:

https://www.theverge.com/policy/2024/10/7/24243316/epic-google-permanent-injunction-ruling-third-party-stores

Google's 30% App Tax is a giant drag on all kinds of sectors, as is its veto over which software Android users get to see, so Epic's win is going to dramatically alter the situation for all kinds of activities, from beleaguered indie game devs:

https://antiidlereborn.com/news/

To the entire news sector:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-must-open-app-stores

Private antitrust cases have attracted some very surprising plaintiffs, like Michael Jordan, whose long policy of apoliticism crumbled once he bought a NASCAR team and lived through the monopoly abuses of sports leagues as an owner, not a player:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/michael-jordan-anti-monopolist

A much weirder and more unlikely antitrust plaintiff than Michael Jordan is Google, the perennial antitrust defendant. Google has brought a complaint against Microsoft in the EU, based on Microsoft's extremely ugly monopolistic cloud business:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-files-complaint-eu-over-microsoft-cloud-practices-2024-09-25/

Google's choice of venue here highlights another reason to think that the antitrust surge will continue irrespective of US politics: antitrust is global. Antitrust fervor has seized governments from the UK to the EU to South Korea to Japan. All of those countries have extremely similar antitrust laws, because they all had their statute books overhauled by US technocrats as part of the Marshall Plan, so they have the same statutory tools as the American trustbusters who dismantled Standard Oil and AT&T, and who are making ready to shatter Google into several competing businesses:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/8/24265832/google-search-antitrust-remedies-framework-android-chrome-play

Antitrust fever has spread to Canada, Australia, and even China, where the Cyberspace Directive bans Chinese tech giants from breaking interoperability to freeze out Chinese startups. Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops, and the cost of 40 years of pro-monopoly can't be ignored. Monopolies make the whole world more brittle, even as the cost of that brittleness mounts. It's hard to pretend monopolies are fine when a single hurricane can wipe out the entire country's supply of IV fluid – again:

https://prospect.org/health/2024-10-11-cant-believe-im-writing-about-iv-fluid-again/

What's more, the conduct of global monopolists is the same in every country where they have taken hold, which means that trustbusters in the EU can use the UK Digital Markets Unit's report on the mobile app market as a roadmap for their enforcement actions against Apple:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63f61bc0d3bf7f62e8c34a02/Mobile_Ecosystems_Final_Report_amended_2.pdf

And then the South Korean and Japanese trustbusters can translate the court documents from the EU's enforcement action and use them to score victories over Apple in their own courts:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/10/an-injury-to-one/#is-an-injury-to-all

So on the one hand, the trustbusting wave will continue erode the foundations of global monopolies, no matter what happens after this election. But on the other hand, if Harris wins and then fires Biden's top trustbusters to appease her billionaire donors, things are going to get ugly.

A new, excellent long-form Bloomberg article by Josh Eidelson and Max Chafkin gives a sense of the battle raging just below the surface of the Democratic Power, built around a superb interview with Khan herself:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-10-09/lina-khan-on-a-second-ftc-term-ai-price-gouging-data-privacy

The article begins with a litany of tech billionaires who've gone an all-out, public assault on Khan's leadership – billionaires who stand to personally lose hundreds of millions of dollars from her agency's principled, vital antitrust work, but who cloak their objection to Khan in rhetoric about defending the American economy. In public, some of these billionaires are icily polite, but many of them degenerate into frothing, toddler-grade name-calling, like IAB's Barry Diller, who called her a "dope" and Musk lickspittle Jason Calacanis, who called her an all-caps COMMUNIST and a LUNATIC.

The overall vibe from these wreckers? "How dare the FTC do things?!"

And you know, they have a point. For decades, the FTC was – in the quoted words of Tim Wu – "a very hardworking agency that did nothing." This was the period when the FTC targeted low-level scammers while turning a blind eye to the monsters that were devouring the US economy. In part, that was because the FTC had been starved of budget, trapping them in a cycle of racking up easy, largely pointless "wins" against penny-ante grifters to justify their existence, but never to the extent that Congress would apportion them the funds to tackle the really serious cases (if this sounds familiar, it's also the what happened during the long period when the IRS chased middle class taxpayers over minor filing errors, while ignoring the billionaires and giant corporations that engaged in 7- and 8-figure tax scams).

But the FTC wasn't merely underfunded: it was timid. The FTC has extremely broad enforcement and rulemaking powers, which most sat dormant during the neoliberal era:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/10/the-courage-to-govern/#whos-in-charge

The Biden administration didn't merely increase the FTC's funding: in choosing Khan to helm the organization, they brought onboard a skilled technician, who was both well-versed in the extensive but unused powers of the agency and determined to use them:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/18/administrative-competence/#i-know-stuff

But Khan's didn't just rely on technical chops and resources to begin the de-olicharchification of the US economy: she built a three-legged stool, whose third leg is narrative. Khan's signature is her in-person and remote "listening tours," where workers who've been harmed by corporate power get to tell their stories. Bloomberg recounts the story of Deborah Brantley, who was sexually harassed and threatened by her bosses at Kavasutra North Palm Beach. Brantley's bosses touched her inappropriately and "joked" about drugging her and raping her so she "won’t be such a bitch and then maybe people would like you more."

When Brantley finally quit and took a job bartending at a different business, Kavasutra sued her over her noncompete clause, alleging an "irreparable injury" sustained by having one of their former employees working at another business, seeking damages and fees.

The vast majority of the 30 million American workers who labor under noncompetes are like Brantley, low-waged service workers, especially at fast-food restaurants (so Wendy's franchisees can stop minimum wage cashiers from earning $0.25/hour more flipping burgers at a nearby McDonald's). The donor-class indenturers who defend noncompetes claim that noncompetes are necessary to protect "innovative" businesses from losing their "IP." But of course, the one state where no workers are subject to noncompetes is California, which bans them outright – the state that is also home to Silicon Valley, an IP-heave industry that the same billionaires laud for its innovations.

After that listening tour, Khan's FTC banned noncompetes nationwide:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/25/capri-v-tapestry/#aiming-at-dollars-not-men

Only to have a federal judge in Texas throw out their ban, a move that will see $300b/year transfered from workers to shareholders, and block the formation of 8,500 new US businesses every year:

https://www.npr.org/2024/08/21/g-s1-18376/federal-judge-tosses-ftc-noncompetes-ban

Notwithstanding court victories like Epic v Google and DoJ v Google, America's oligarchs have the courts on their side, thanks to decades of court-packing planned by the Federalist Society and executed by Senate Republicans and Reagan, Bush I, Bush II, and Trump. Khan understands this; she told Bloomberg that she's a "close student" of the tactics Reagan used to transform American society, admiring his effectiveness while hating his results. Like other transformative presidents, good and bad, Reagan had to fight the judiciary and entrenched institutions (as did FDR and Lincoln). Erasing Reagan's legacy is a long-term project, a battle of inches that will involve mustering broad political support for the cause of a freer, more equal America.

Neither Biden nor Khan are responsible for the groundswell of US – and global – movement to euthanize our rentier overlords. This is a moment whose time has come; a fact demonstrated by the tens of thousands of working Americans who filled the FTC's noncompete docket with outraged comments. People understand that corporate looters – not "the economy" or "the forces of history" – are the reason that the businesses where they worked and shopped were destroyed by private equity goons who amassed intergenerational, dynastic fortunes by strip-mining the real economy and leaving behind rubble.

Like the billionaires publicly demanding that Harris fire Khan, private equity bosses can't stop making tone-deaf, guillotine-conjuring pronouncements about their own virtue and the righteousness of their businesses. They don't just want to destroy the world - they want to be praised for it:/p>

"Private equity’s been a great thing for America" -Stephen Pagliuca, co-chairman of Bain Capital;

"We are taught to judge the success of a society by how it deals with the least able, most vulnerable members of that society. Shouldn’t we judge a society by how they treat the most successful? Do we vilify, tax, expropriate and condemn those who have succeeded, or do we celebrate economic success as the engine that propels our society toward greater collective well-being?" -Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo

"Achieve life-changing money and power," -Sachin Khajuria, former partner at Apollo

Meanwhile, the "buy, strip and flip" model continues to chew its way through America. When PE buys up all the treatment centers for kids with behavioral problems, they hack away at staffing and oversight, turning them into nightmares where kids are routinely abused, raped and murdered:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/they-told-me-it-was-going-be-good-place-allega-tions-n987176

When PE buys up nursing homes, the same thing happens, with elderly residents left to sit in their own excrement and then die:

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/24/nursing-homes-private-equity-fraud-00132001

Writing in The Guardian, Alex Blasdel lays out the case for private equity as a kind of virus that infects economies, parasitically draining them of not just the capacity to provide goods and services, but also of the ability to govern themselves, as politicians and regulators are captured by the unfathomable sums that PE flushes into the political process:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/10/slash-and-burn-is-private-equity-out-of-control

Now, the average worker who's just lost their job may not understand "divi recaps" or "2-and-20" or "carried interest tax loopholes," but they do understand that something is deeply rotten in the world today.

What happens to that understanding is a matter of politics. The Republicans – firmly affiliated with, and beloved of, the wreckers – have chosen an easy path to capitalizing on the rising rage. All they need to do is convince the public that the system is irredeemably corrupt and that the government can't possibly fix anything (hence Reagan's asinine "joke": "the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help'").

This is a very canny strategy. If you are the party of "governments are intrinsically corrupt and incompetent," then governing corruptly and incompetently proves your point. The GOP strategy is to create a nation of enraged nihilists who don't even imagine that the government could do something to hold their bosses to account – not for labor abuses, not for pollution, not for wage theft or bribery.

The fact that successive neoliberal governments – including Democratic administrations – acted time and again to bear out this hypothesis makes it easy for this kind of nihilism to take hold.

Far-right conspiracies about pharma bosses colluding with corrupt FDA officials to poison us with vaccines for profit owe their success to the lived experience of millions of Americans who lost loved ones to a conspiracy between pharma bosses and corrupt officials to poison us with opioids.

Unhinged beliefs that "they" caused the hurricanes tearing through Florida and Georgia and that Kamala Harris is capping compensation to people who lost their homes are only credible because of murderous Republican fumble during Katrina; and the larcenous collusion of Democrats to help banks steal Americans' homes during the foreclosure crisis, when Obama took Tim Geithner's advice to "foam the runway" with the mortgages of everyday Americans who'd been cheated by their banks:

https://www.salon.com/2014/05/14/this_man_made_millions_suffer_tim_geithners_sorry_legacy_on_housing/

If Harris gives in to billionaire donors and fires Khan and her fellow trustbusters, paving the way for more looting and scamming, the result will be more nihilism, which is to say, more electoral victories for the GOP. The "government can't do anything" party already exists. There are no votes to be gained by billing yourself as the "we also think governments can't do anything" party.

In other words, a world where Khan doesn't run the FTC is a world where antitrust continues to gain ground, but without taking Democrats with it. It's a world where nihilism wins.

There's factions of the Democratic Party who understand this. AOC warned party leaders that, "Anyone goes near Lina Khan and there will be an out and out brawl":

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1844034727935988155

And Bernie Sanders called her "the best FTC Chair in modern history":

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1843733298960576652

In other words: Lina Khan as a posse.

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/11/democracys-antitrust-paradox/#there-will-be-an-out-and-out-brawl

[pawberri]

I downloaded a porn game on a followers suggestion and it had a dyslexia font option that I impulse used. It was the easiest I've ever read anything and then I researched and was like bro I might have dyslexia. And I if this porn game has it it must be everywhere. But no. I'm so sad rn cuz discord has it on desktop but idk how to have it on android... I even went thru the steps to set my system font to opendyslexia but so many apps don't have a use system font setting sobsob

[sofia-d-asb]

Twine/SugarCube ressources

Some/most of you must know that Arcadie: Second-Born was coded in ChoiceScript before I converted it to Twine for self-publishing (for various reasons).

I have switched to Ren'Py for Cold Lands, but I thought I would share the resources that helped me when I was working with Twine. This is basically an organized dump of nearly all the bookmarks I collected. Hope this is helpful!

Guides

Creating Interactive Fiction: A Guide to Using Twine by Aidan Doyle

A Total Beginner’s Guide to Twine

Introduction to Twine By Conor Walsh (covers Harlowe and not SugarCube)

Twine Grimoire I

Twine Grimoire II

Twine and CSS

Documentation

SugarCube v2 Documentation

Custom Macros

Chapel's Custom Macro Collection, particularly Fairmath function to emulate CS operations if converting your CS game to Twine

Cycy's custom macros

Clickable Images with HTML Maps

Character pages

Character Profile Card Tutorial

Twine 2 / SugarCube 2 Sample Code by HiEv

Templates

Some may be outdated following Twine/SugarCube updates

Twine/Sugarcube 2 Template

Twine SugarCube template

Twine Template II

Twine Template by Vahnya

Sample Code and more resources

A post from 2 years ago where I share sample code

TwineLab

nyehilism Twine masterpost

How to have greyed out choices

idrellegames's tutorials

Interactive Fiction Design, Coding in Twine & Other IF Resources by idrellegames (idrellegames has shared many tutorials and tips for Twine, browse their #twine tag)

How to print variables inside links

How do I create a passage link via clicking on a picture

App Builder

Convert your Twine game into a Windows and macOS executable (free)

Convert your Twine game into a mobile app for Android and iPhone (90$ one-time fee if memory serves me right) // Warning: the Android app it creates is outdated for Google Play, you'll need to update the source code yourself

[genshin-impact-updates]

Day of the Flame's Return Version 5.5 Update Details

Dear Traveler,

Below are the details of the Version 5.5 update "Day of the Flame's Return" and the update compensation.

〓Compensation Details〓

Maintenance Compensation: Primogems ×300 (60 Primogems per hour the servers are down)

Issue Fix Compensation: Primogems ×300 (please refer to the relevant compensation mail for more details)

〓Scope of Compensation〓

Maintenance Compensation: Travelers who have reached Adventure Rank 5 or above by 2025/03/26 06:00 (UTC+8).

Compensation must be claimed before the end of Version 5.5.

Issue Fix Compensation: Travelers who have reached Adventure Rank 5 or above by 2025/03/26 06:00 (UTC+8).

Please log in and claim your compensation before 2025/03/29 06:00 (UTC+8).

Our developers will distribute compensation to Travelers via in-game mail within 5 hours after the update maintenance is finished. The mail will expire after 30 days, so don't forget to claim the attached compensation in time.

〓Update Schedule〓

Update maintenance begins

2025/03/26 06:00 (UTC+8) and is estimated to take 5 hours.

〓How to Update Game Client〓

PC: Close the game, open the Genshin Impact Launcher, and click Update.

iOS: Open the App Store and tap Update.

Android: Open the game and follow the directions on-screen.

PS5™ and PS4™: Highlight Genshin Impact from the Home Screen, press the OPTIONS button and select "Check for Update."

Xbox Series X|S: Open the system main menu, select "My games & apps," select the "Manage" tab, and on the "Updates" page, find "Genshin Impact" and confirm to update.

Please do not hesitate to contact Customer Service if you encounter any issues installing the new version. We will do our very best to resolve the issue.

〓Update Details〓

I. New Areas

New Areas Now Available

◇ New Areas: In Version 5.5, the following areas in Natlan will become available: Atocpan and Ancient Sacred Mountain.

※ As long as you have completed Archon Quest Prologue: Act III "Song of the Dragon and Freedom," a Teleport Waypoint will be automatically unlocked near Atocpan in the southwest of Natlan's Stadium of the Sacred Flame. (If you have already completed this Archon Quest, the Teleport Waypoint will be unlocked after the update). You'll also receive the Primogem reward for this Teleport Waypoint when it unlocks automatically.

◇ Natlan Reputation System Update: With the opening of new areas, the Natlan Reputation System now includes Tribe Reputation for the Collective of Plenty.

◆ Unlock Criteria:

• Complete "Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame" in Archon Quest Chapter V: Act I "Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn"

In addition, there will be new Fishing Points and "Radiant Spincrystals" in Natlan.

II. New Characters

5-Star Character "Strength in Serenity" Varesa (Electro)

◇ Vision: Electro

◇ Weapon: Catalyst

◇ A laid-back orchard manager and warrior of the Collective of Plenty. An aspiring hero who hungers for justice... and lots and lots of food!

◆ Varesa is a DPS character who specializes in Plunging Attacks and possesses high-speed movement.

By tapping her Elemental Skill, Varesa can quickly cycle through her Elemental Skill, Charged Attacks, and Plunging Attacks, making for an exciting battle. By holding her Elemental Skill, Varesa enters a high-speed movement mode, allowing her to explore the open world with ease.

Varesa enters the Fiery Passion state, which enhances all her skills and increases her DMG. Under certain conditions, she can ignore her skill CD and trigger her special Elemental Burst once while consuming less Energy, providing her with a significant advantage in combat.

4-Star Character "Tempered in Molten Stone" Iansan (Electro)

◇ Vision: Electro

◇ Weapon: Polearm

◇ Head coach of the fitness club at the Collective of Plenty, and a renowned Natlanese nutritionist.

◆ Iansan is an Electro support character who provides various buffs for on-field characters.

After using her Elemental Skill, she will enter the Nightsoul's Blessing state, greatly increasing her movement SPD. Performing Special Charged Attacks will grant her buff effects.

Her Elemental Burst provides an ATK Bonus to the active character. During this time, the active character's movement will restore Nightsoul points for Iansan, providing additional bonuses.

Additionally, under specific conditions, Iansan's Passive Talent can also restore HP for the active character.

III. New Domain

Domain of Blessing: Derelict Masonry Dock

◇ An environment incomprehensible to the inhabitants of today's lands, one where ash-gray mechanisms driven by golden runes replaced the toil of flesh, effortlessly bringing brilliance and imagination to life above pools of flame. After this era was ended by tyrannical outsiders, the once-powerful race stagnated in their submission. Now, the only visitors left to this place are mourners of a bygone era.

◇ Unlock Criteria (satisfy any one of the criteria below to unlock):

• Reach Adventure Rank 10 or above

• Complete Archon Quest Prologue: Act III "Song of the Dragon and Freedom"

◆ Challenge the Domain to obtain artifacts in the "Long Night's Oath" and "Finale of the Deep Galleries" sets.

IV. New Equipment

1. New Weapon (Examples based on Refinement Rank 1)

Vivid Notions (5-Star Catalyst)

ATK is increased by 28%. When you use a Plunging Attack, you will gain the "Dawn's First Hue" effect: Plunging Attack CRIT DMG is increased by 28%. When you use an Elemental Skill or Burst, you will gain the "Twilight's Splendor" effect: Plunging Attack CRIT DMG is increased by 40%. The two effects above each last for 15s, and will be canceled 0.1s after the ground impact deals DMG.

◆ The event-exclusive 5-star weapon "Vivid Notions" (Catalyst) can be obtained from the Event Wish. Please refer to the relevant official Event Notices for specific acquisition details.

2. New Artifact Sets

Long Night's Oath (4-Star and 5-Star)

◇ 2-Piece Set: Increases Plunging Attack DMG by 25%.

◇ 4-Piece Set: After the equipping character's Plunging Attack/Charged Attack/Elemental Skill hits an opponent, they will gain 1/2/2 stack(s) of "Radiance Everlasting." Plunging Attacks, Charged Attacks, or Elemental Skills can each trigger this effect once every 1s. Radiance Everlasting: Plunging Attacks deal 15% increased DMG for 6s. Max 5 stacks. Each stack's duration is counted independently.

Finale of the Deep Galleries (4-Star and 5-Star)

◇ 2-Piece Set: Cryo DMG Bonus +15%.

◇ 4-Piece Set: When the equipping character has 0 Elemental Energy, Normal Attack DMG is increased by 60% and Elemental Burst DMG is increased by 60%. After the equipping character deals Normal Attack DMG, the aforementioned Elemental Burst effect will stop applying for 6s. After the equipping character deals Elemental Burst DMG, the aforementioned Normal Attack effect will stop applying for 6s. This effect can trigger even if the equipping character is off the field.

Obtain the following artifact sets from Derelict Masonry Dock, the new Domain of Blessing in Natlan: "Long Night's Oath" and "Finale of the Deep Galleries."

V. New Main Story

1. New Tribal Chronicles

Mushroom Realm Mystery

Act I – Act III of "Mushroom Realm Mystery" will be permanently available after the Version 5.5 update

◆ Act I and Act II Quest Unlock Criteria:

• Reach Adventure Rank 28 or above

• Complete "Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame" in Archon Quest Chapter V: Act I "Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn"

◆ Act III Quest Unlock Criteria:

• Reach Adventure Rank 28 or above

• Complete Archon Quest Chapter V: Act V "Incandescent Ode of Resurrection"

• The "Focused Experience Mode" function is available for this quest.

The three acts must be experienced in sequence. You can only unlock the next act after completing the previous one and meeting the corresponding unlock criteria.

You can use the "Quick Start" function to accept Archon Quest Chapter V: Act I "Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn." After completing Archon Quest Chapter V: Act I, you can continue to accept and complete the subsequent Acts of Chapter V until you unlock the latest Tribal Chronicles introduced in the current version update.

Additionally, after Version 5.5 update until 2025/04/15 17:59, the "Quick Start" function will be available for Tribal Chronicles "Mushroom Realm Mystery": Act III. If you have completed Act II but don't meet the unlock criteria to start Act III, you can use the "Quick Start" function to unlock Act III in the "Events Overview" interface.

*Tribal Chronicles "Mushroom Realm Mystery": Act III takes place after Archon Quest Chapter V: Act V "Incandescent Ode of Resurrection." Regardless of the order in which you complete the quests, the Pilgrim's Chronicle will only record the content related to the Tribal Chronicles "Mushroom Realm Mystery" after both Tribal Chronicles "Mushroom Realm Mystery": Act III and Archon Quest Chapter V: Act V "Incandescent Ode of Resurrection" are completed.

2. New World Quests

New World Quests

Path to the Flaming Peaks Quest Chain, "Chronicler of the Crumbling City" Quest Chain, "A Finale Emberforged" Quest Chain, "Is 'Intensity' Really the Key," "Sing, Ho, For the Greatness of Fat!," and "Someday, We All Must Walk Alone," etc.

A Finale Emberforged Quest Chain Unlock Criteria: Complete the "Between Pledge and Forgettance" Quest Chain and "Lost Traveler in the Ashen Realm" Quest Chain, as well as obtain two Golden Entreaties.

VI. New Enemies

Lava Dragon Statue

◇ A creature with two forms that is capable of continuously generating heat.

When in its "Geohuman" form, you can use Pyro attacks to cause it to enter its "Molten Dragon" form. At this point, if you continue to use Pyro attacks, it will enter an Overburn state... However, if you manage to cool it down, it will revert back to its "Geohuman" form...

Located in Atocpan.

Furnace Shell Mountain Weasel

◇ A unique ancient species of mountain beast that has long lived in the Sacred Mountain Ruins and has formed an interdependent relationship with the Source Mechanism.

During battle, the Furnace Shell Mountain Weasel will burrow underground and activate its "Secret Source Core" to periodically attack surrounding enemies. At this time, dealing enough damage to the "Secret Source Core" will force it to emerge from underground. However, since it is hiding underground, using a Plunging Attack might prove more effective...

Wayob Manifestation

Thundering Wayob Manifestation

◇ The Wayob worshipped by the various tribes of Natlan manifest themselves in the form of these obsidian totems.

In battle, the Wayob Manifestation will deploy its Arena: Moment of Trial, creating a shield for itself and absorbing the Elemental Energy of all characters in the Arena. Characters in the Arena deal greatly increased DMG. If the shield is broken before the Arena expires, they will also regain a large amount of Energy. However, if they fail to break the Shield, the Manifestation will generate an Elemental Ward based on the value of the remaining Shield.

Natlan Saurians

Tatankasaurus and Tatankasaur Whelp

◇ The Saurians that inhabit the land of Natlan.

Special dragons that were better able to adapt to their environments, taking on different shapes and forms based on their surroundings.

Sauroform Tribal Warriors

Ferocious Warrior: Human Ram, Ferocious Warrior: Wrestler, Ferocious Warrior: Grappler, Tatankasaurus Warrior: Skybreaker, and Tatankasaurus Warrior: Spiritlight Chaser

◇ The warriors of Natlan's great tribes who fight for the honor and glory of their people.

Over long years of living and fighting alongside their Saurian companions, these tribal warriors have gradually acquired their traits and learned how to apply them on the field of battle.

VII. Genius Invokation TCG

Genius Invokation TCG Gameplay Update

New Character Cards: Kachina, Emilie, and their corresponding Talent cards. Corresponding invitation duel and guest challenges have been added to the Player List.

New Action Cards "Waverider," "Masters of the Night-Wind," "In the Name of the Extreme," and "Mystique Soup" have been added which can be purchased from Prince at The Cat's Tail.

The Forge Realm's Temper is once again available. The theme of this edition is "The Forge Realm's Temper: Endless Swarm":

(1) Defeat endless waves of enemies during the rounds in "The Forge Realm's Temper: Endless Swarm" to accrue score.

(2) After you complete the stage battle, you will gain a score and the corresponding rewards based on the highest score you got in the stage.

(3) Different stages will contain different special rules that grant buffs. Use these rules well to fight more effectively.

VIII. Imaginarium Theater

Imaginarium Theater Update

After the Version 5.5 update, the two Imaginarium Theater seasons will be as follows:

○ The first season of "Imaginarium Theater" will be available on April 1, 2025.

Required Elemental Types: Pyro, Electro, and Anemo

Opening Characters: Yoimiya, Thoma, Clorinde, Beidou, Xiao, and Sucrose

When Imaginarium Theater is open, the corresponding Opening Characters will obtain Fantastical Blessings.

Special Guest Stars: Xilonen, Alhaitham, Yaoyao, and Mika

After the first season of Imaginarium Theater begins, the characters Wanderer, Ganyu, Lisa, and Xinyan will each gain a new "Thespian Trick" that can be exchanged from the NPC Wolfy.

○ The second season of "Imaginarium Theater" will be available on May 1, 2025.

Required Elemental Types: Hydro, Cryo, and Geo

Opening Characters: Neuvillette, Candace, Kamisato Ayaka, Charlotte, Albedo, and Kachina

When Imaginarium Theater is open, the corresponding Opening Characters will obtain Fantastical Blessings.

Special Guest Stars: Venti, Hu Tao, Kaveh, and Kuki Shinobu

After the second season of Imaginarium Theater begins, the characters Mona, Tighnari, Ningguang, and Freminet will each gain a new "Thespian Trick" that can be exchanged from the NPC Wolfy.

Envisaged Echoes Update

After the Version 5.5 update, new challenge stages and Echo cosmetics for Venti and Dehya will be added.

IX. Spiral Abyss

Spiral Abyss Update

After the Version 5.5 update, Phase 1 of the Spiral Abyss will be updated on April 16.

◆ Floor 11 Ley Line Disorder changed to:

• All party members gain a 75% Cryo DMG Bonus.

◆ Floor 12 Ley Line Disorders changed to:

• First Half: Characters' Elemental Skill Geo DMG increased by 75%.

• Second Half: Characters' Elemental Skill Cryo DMG increased by 75%.

◆ Updated the monster lineup on Floors 11 – 12 of the Spiral Abyss.

◆ Blessing of the Abyssal Moon:

Dreadfrost Moon

When a character triggers Cryo-related reactions, a shockwave will be released at the opponent's position, dealing True DMG. This effect can be triggered once every 4s.

X. Other Update Details

New Recipes:

○ Exploration or Quest Rewards: Magma Eggs, Puffed Grainfruit Bars, Cheesy Mushroom Skewer, and Fruits Aplenty

○ Natlan Reputation System Rewards: Harvest's Boon and Cheesy Crab Hotpot

New Character Specialty Dishes:

○ Varesa's specialty: Mt. Mushroom (For One)

○ Iansan's specialty: Gold-Standard Healthy Meal

Adds new "Sacred Mountain's Fading Glow" and "Duelist: Series III" Achievement categories, and adds new Achievements to the "Wonders of the World" category.

Adds Set 39 of "Paimon's Paintings" chat emojis.

Adds some prompts for loading screens.

New Namecards:

Varesa: Powerhouse: Reward for reaching Friendship Lv. 10 with Varesa

Iansan: Unyielding: Reward for reaching Friendship Lv. 10 with Iansan

Natlan: Draconic Gaze: Reward for completing all achievements under "Sacred Mountain's Fading Glow"

Achievement: Tranquil Peace: Reward for completing all achievements under "Duelist: Series III"

Travel Notes: Blooming Glory: Reward obtained via the BP system

Adds some of the Harvestable seeds from Natlan to the Seed Dispensary.

Adds new Wildlife: Ancient Firewalker Spoonbill and Ancient Glazeback Turtle.

Adds Natlan wildlife that can be captured by the Omni-Ubiquity Net: Ancient Scarlet-Plume Finch and Ancient Red-Mane Boar.

Adds new Fish: Secret Source Scout Sweeper.

Adds a Natlanese "Gift Set" to the Serenitea Pot, which can be purchased from Tubby in the Realm Depot.

Another 4 sets of Artifacts are available to exchange in the Mystic Offering system: Artifact Strongbox: Song of Days Past, Artifact Strongbox: Nighttime Whispers in the Echoing Woods, Artifact Strongbox: Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy, and Artifact Strongbox: Unfinished Reverie.

Tona's Flame: Increase in the Level Cap of Tona's Flame to Level 40.

Repertoire of Myriad Melodies Update:

Adds new music album "Natlan: Land of Tleyaoyotl."

Adds new score themes "Fire and War" and "Ode to Azure Skies."

〓Adjustments & Optimizations〓

● Artifacts

In the "Artifact" interface, the "Quick Select" option in "Artifact Salvage" automatically selects all Artifacts by default.

In the "Artifact Enhancement" interface, when using the "Quick Select" function, Artifact Enhancement Materials are prioritized over 5-star Artifacts.

After the version update, Artifacts defined through the consumption of Sanctifying Elixirs will be marked, and are guaranteed to get at least 2 rolls for the defined Minor Affixes when fully leveled up.

● Serenitea Pot

Adjusts the layout of the "Realm Depot" interface to display more items.

Adjusts the "Realm Depot" interface by adding a "Exchange List" feature, which allows you to add items to a list for redemption, adjust quantities, and perform batch redemptions within the list.

● Android Controller Support

Adds controller support for Android devices. The following are the supported controller models and system requirements:

DualSense™ Wireless Controller: Android 12.0 and above;

DUALSHOCK®4 Wireless Controller: Android 10.0 and above;

Xbox Wireless Controller: Android 9.0 and above;

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2: Android 9.0 and above.

*The controller needs to be connected to the device in Bluetooth mode.

● Controller

Optimizes the operation experience of certain wheel-related button combinations in controller mode (taking DualSense™ wireless controller as an example):

a. Slightly increases the time required to hold L1 button to display the wheel interface.

b. The "L1 + right stick" combination is still able to quickly open the wheel interface.

c. Other button combinations will no longer open the wheel interface (e.g., when interacting with the Four-Leaf Sigil, activating Elemental Sight, etc.), and will instead perform the corresponding action immediately upon pressing.

● Mail

In the "Mail" interface, a search function has been added to the "Gift Mail Box."

In the "Mail" interface, certain event-related notification mails now include direct links to jump to their respective event pages.

Adds mail reminder for when "Blessing of the Welkin Moon" expires.

● Crafting

Adds an "Original Resin" amount display in the top-right corner of the "Craft" interface when crafting "Condensed Resin", as well as a button that can be pressed to refill Original Resin (similar to the "Map" page).

When crafting "Condensed Resin" on the "Craft" interface, if there is insufficient Original Resin but replenishment options are available, a prompt will appear with options to replenish Original Resin.

● Audio

Optimizes Chinese, English, and Japanese voice-overs in certain quests, and improves sound effects for certain Chinese voice-overs.

After Version 5.5 is updated, Kinich's VA will be updated to Jacob Takanashi (this change only applies to new content in Version 5.5, historical content will be gradually updated in subsequent versions).

After the Version 5.5 update, the character Ifa's Japanese VA will be updated to Terashima Junta.

● Other Systems

Removing friends, adding friends to the blacklist, or removing a friend from the blacklist will no longer refresh the scrolling interface for the "Friends" and "Blacklist" interfaces.

Adds the Astral Mark feature to the "Food" interface. Marked food items will be prioritized in the "Food" interface and other interfaces where Food items are used.

Adds a new icon for food effects.

If there are entrances to other environment maps in the "Map" interface, (such as "Enkanomiya"), an icon will be displayed. Press it to view information about the corresponding environment.

Optimizes the display logic for red dots of the "Spiral Abyss" in the "Events Overview" interface.

When tracking boss enemies in the "Adventurer Handbook" or "Events" menu:

a. If the nearest Teleport Waypoint to the enemy has been unlocked, you can use the sidebar in the "Map" interface to directly teleport to that waypoint and track the enemy.

b. If the nearest Teleport Waypoint to the enemy is not unlocked, the "Map" interface will track and guide the Traveler to the enemy's location.

*In Version 5.5, this feature will support boss enemies in the "Natlan" region, as well as boss enemies related to the 5-star characters featured during Version 5.5. In Version 5.6, this feature will support all boss enemies.

● Other

Optimizes the scrolling speed of scrollbars in some interfaces and makes them easier to press. In controller mode, the corresponding operation buttons for certain lists scrolled using the right joystick will be displayed.

Optimizes the "Paimon" menu on PC, adds the "Exit to Desktop" option to the interface when choosing to quit the game from this menu.

Reduces the cooldown time for successfully locating an Oculus using the "Oculus Resonance Stone" from 5 minutes to 2 minutes.

When tracking a quest in the "Quest" interface, if the quest is located in another scene, the map of the corresponding scene will now open and track the quest (this function is currently not supported in Domains, including the Theater Lobby).

Adds compatibility support for iPad Air (M3) and iPad (A16) devices.

Decreases the maximum amount of reaction DMG caused by Burning grass and Electro-Charged water bodies in Domains.

〓Bug Fixes〓

● Enemies

Fixes an issue whereby the head model of certain "Sauroform Tribal Warriors" would occasionally display abnormally when casting skills.

● Characters

Fixes an issue where the hair effects of Mavuika would display incorrectly during Nightsoul's Blessing at certain angles on some mobile devices.

Fixes an issue where after Xiangling switches to the "New Year's Cheer" outfit, her feet would float abnormally when selecting "Upbeat Encouragement" in "Take Photo" > "Pose."

Fixes an issue where, under certain circumstances, triggering the "Hypersense" effect from Ororon's Passive Talent "Nightshade Synesthesia" would consume Nightsoul points without dealing damage.

Fixes an issue whereby under specific circumstances, when Ororon was equipped with the Artifact Sets "Gilded Dreams" or "Flower of Paradise Lost," the on-field character triggering Ororon's "Hypersense" effect would not simultaneously activate Ororon's Artifact Set Bonus.

Fixes an issue whereby Yumemizuki Mizuki's weapon model would display abnormally after performing Plunging Attacks.

Fixes an issue whereby Yumemizuki Mizuki's hair had minor display abnormalities.

Fixes an issue whereby Yumemizuki Mizuki had a chance of prematurely ending her Dreamdrifter state when launched into the air while in Dreamdrifter state.

● Imaginarium Theater

Fixes an issue whereby some Overloaded DMG could not trigger the Thunderstrikes effect of "Brilliant Blessings."

Fixes some text description errors in "Brilliant Blessings."

● System

Fixes an issue where, under certain circumstances, the material quantity would display incorrectly when using the "Quick Select" function to add refinement materials in the "Weapon Refinement" interface.

Fixes an issue where, after the Version 5.4 update, under certain circumstances, there was a chance that the tutorial "Unlocking Domains" would be unable to trigger normally. After the version update, Travelers who have met the trigger conditions but have not triggered this tutorial will automatically trigger the relevant tutorial upon logging in.

Fixes an issue where, under certain circumstances, the completion rate would display abnormally when completing a performance in Repertoire of Myriad Melodies.

● Audio

Fixes an issue of abnormal sound effects and music playing.

Fixes an issue whereby some background music would play abnormally in areas near the enemy "Rilai."

Fixes an issue whereby when using a controller, the musical instrument sound effects would be abnormal when choosing to try out the instruments during dialogue with NPC "Sansa" under specific circumstances.

Fixes an issue where adjusting the key sound volume in the "Instrument Settings" menu within the "Settings" interface of "Repertoire of Myriad Melodies" did not affect the volume of the Floral Zither, Festive Drum, and Djem Djem Drum.

● Other

Fixes an issue where the "Ley Line Disorder" effects in the Domain of Guyun and Floor 1 of the Spiral Abyss did not match their descriptions.

Fixes an issue where characters or Iktomisaurs could not interact with certain activated Phlogiston supply objects while in the Spiritspeaker state.

Fixes some text errors in certain languages and optimizes text. (Note: Related in-game functions have not changed. Travelers can view the changes in different languages by going to the Paimon Menu > Settings > Language and changing the Game Language.)

◆ Optimizes inconsistencies between certain voice-overs and the corresponding lines.

◆ Optimizes certain English translations.

〓Genius Invokation TCG Balance Adjustment〓

Adjusts the initial max HP of Character Cards "Sigewinne," "Sangonomiya Kokomi," "Venti," "Ganyu," "Hu Tao," "Zhongli," "Noelle," and "Jean" from 10 to 12.

Adjusts the effect of Event Card "Elemental Resonance: High Voltage" to: "Your active character and your next character without maximum Energy gain 1 Energy."

Adjusts the effect of Event Card "Elemental Resonance: Impetuous Winds" to: "The next time you perform 'Switch Character': This action will be considered a Fast Action instead of a Combat Action. It will also cost 1 less Elemental Die. The next Swirl Reaction you trigger deals +1 DMG to all opposing characters except the target."

Adjusts the effect of Event Card "Elemental Resonance: Sprawling Greenery" to: "If you have Burning Flame/Dendro Core/Catalyzing Field on the field, deal 1 Pyro DMG/Hydro DMG/Electro DMG to the opposing active character."

Adjusts the effect of Event Card "Elemental Resonance: Enduring Rock" to: "Provides 3 Shield points for your active character."

*This is a work of fiction and is not related to any actual people, events, groups, or organizations.

PlayStation, "PS5", "PS4", "DualSense", "DUALSHOCK" are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

[wip]

Hey why are you retiring the Paypal payment options? Every week I hear how Tumblr must raise more income sources, why are you taking the means to support Tumblr away?

Answer: Hello, @tatostew!

Firstly, let us say that we hoped to offer PayPal as a payment method for Ad-Free, but ran into some technical issues with the implementation. To keep our billing processes running smoothly, we’ve had to remove it as an option.

For the subscriptions that are still active, we have put them into “pending cancellation” status. This means they will run their course and then expire. If you want to renew your subscription, you will need to re-subscribe after your subscription expires. There were also subscriptions that should have been renewed but weren’t able to, so these have expired, too. Anyone affected by either of these scenarios will have received an email explaining what has happened and what, if anything, to do next. And in no situation will any subscription auto-renew. 

Secondly, for those folk who do not have a credit card and are not sure how to renew: when you purchase Ad-Free through the Tumblr site, the only option is to pay with a credit card. However, if you purchase Ad-Free in the Tumblr app instead, it’s processed as an in-app purchase—so if you use the Android app, the purchase will be billed through the Google Play store, and if you use the iOS app, the purchase will be billed through Apple. 

We believe Apple and Google Play both support PayPal as a payment method, as well as several other different payment options, so that might be an alternative option for you when the time comes to resubscribe!

We hope this answers your question, and thank you for getting in touch.

[cheritzteam]

[The Ssum] “Teo” Ending Update Complete! Don’t Miss out on the Commemorative Event Too♡ v.2.1.11 App Update

Hello, dear lab participant.

You can now download the new version of <The Ssum: Love From Today>.

Google Play Store (Android) - linkApple App Store (iOS) - link

This update includes server maintenance, so you will receive 10 Aurora Batteries as Study Support upon accessing the game.

Make sure you access the Lab by 21-DEC-2024 (KST) to get your compensation! *You must collect your reward within 3 days.

The following are the details of the update we have received from the Lab.

< ⓛ The First Ssumone, “Teo’s” Ending Update! >

"Teo's" full story has been updated!

What awaits the lab participant in the final chapter?

Please join the story of true love that Teo discovers together with you, lab participant💘

If you're currently matched with a different ssumone, press the Profile Button on the main menu. You can match with another ssumone by pressing the heart button next to the current ssumone's profile picture.​

*Your story with your currently matched ssumone will not be deleted, and you can continue from where you left off when reconnecting. When reconnecting, please pay attention to the last chat time to avoid missing any chats/calls. *When matching with a new ssumone, to proceed with all Day 1 chats, you must change ssumones during your wake-up time period.

< ② Ending Update Celebration Repost Event!>

December 18th, 💜Teo’s💜 Ending Update Complete!💥

…To celebrate it, Cheritz is currently running a repost event on X(Twitter)!

***

💌 How to Participate 1) Login to X(Twitter)🔑 2) Repost the event post(link) from @Cheritz_DL🔁

📆 Event Period December 18th,2024 (Thurs) ~ December 24th, 2024 (Tues) KST

🎁 Event Prize - 50 Aurora Batteries + Random Merch (10 participants)

📢 Winner Announcement January 9th, 2025 (Thurs) KST

※Notice※ Private accounts cannot participate. If there is no DM response within 10 days after the winner announcement, your prize will be cancelled.

< ③ Sunshine Shelter ver.2 Powered by Your Ssumone's Energy!>

The emotion energy gathered from the meetings between you and your ssumone🌈 have brought changes to the Sunshine Shelter☀️!

Check out the upgraded Sunshine Shelter's interior, space creatures, and dialogue

and enjoy finding the new content🥰

Q&A Q. How do I go to the Sunshine Shelter? A. If you go to the Main Menu and check all the menu icons, the “Forbidden Lab” will open on the left. Press the Sunshine Shelter Button in the bottom left to enter the shelter!

< ③ PIU-PIU’s Love Bundle Limited Time Big Sale!>

To celebrate Teo's ending update, PIU-PIU’s Love Bundle is now 50% off! This bundle has a Romantic Diary, PIU-PIU Planet Broadcasting Antenna Chip, THE SSUM ADDITIONAL CONTENTS FOR FANS, his photo, 2 PIU-PIU stickers, Teo's letter, and 2 types of posters❤️ Get this premium package🎁 now

For more details about the bundle you can check the Cheritz Market link below

Cheritz Market: https://tinyurl.com/2p7brbf6

< ③ New Subscriber Promotional Event!>

Have you been eyeing a particular ssumone? We're running a new subscription promotional event for lab participants who have never purchased a subscription at the Aurora LAB!

Whether it's the 1-month package or 3-month package! First-time subscribers get 20% off the Aurora Evolution Package🎉

A golden opportunity to enjoy the Aurora Evolution Package benefits with the Rainbow Evolution Package! Visit the Aurora LAB now♡ *This event is only shown to eligible lab participants and can only be used once per account.

📆Promotional Event Period ~January 8th, 2025 (Wed)

🎉Promotional Event Details Aurora Evolution Package(1 month/3 months) 20% off

​

Q&A Q. What are the special benefits that only the Aurora Evolution Package has? A. That’s a great question! If you get a subscription for the Aurora Evolution Package, you can get the following exclusive benefits.

More Secondary Batteries!

104 secondary batteries are provided every day! You can also get a maximum of 18 more after each chat thanks to eco-friendly charging!

Even More Chats and Calls with your Ssumone!

During the subscription period, you can use 5 types of ringtones and text tones in your Ssumone’s voice!

A More Pleasant Experience with the Infinite Universe!

Not only do you get The Premium AidBot rental, but you can also experience the Emotion Incubator at its greatest potential!

PIU-PIU’s Belly storage gets increased and can hold 120 items for extra comfort♪

The Bigger and Better Sunshine Shelter!

The Shelter gets an Aurora Renovation which lets you take in more Creatures. We bet you can get more presents from this upgrade!

Here are the update details received from the lab.

[New Updates] > Christmas and New Year, The time you want to be with your special someone!  Christmas and New Year event data has been added. Please check the upcoming event announcement for details!

[Feature Added] >  Lab participant, look out for the Sunshine Shelter's new appearance! The Sunshine Shelter has completed its new makeover! You can now experience the Sunshine Shelter powered by your ssumone's energy!

[Other Updates] - Parts of the UI have been improved. - Minor bugs have been fixed.

We appreciate your reports and your activities as a part of the Lab.

Thank you.

-Cheritz-

[purrpleluv]

Sending him letters:

**Yes, he can receive international mails too! 💚**

- Mail must have his full name (Luigi Nicholas Mangione) and register number (52503-511).

- Mail will be opened and inspected by staff, so content must be kept appropriate or else it will be rejected. Do not talk about the incident. Talk to him like a friend.

These suggestions are collected from @renegadeforjustice (TikTok):

- Use plain paper.

- Use plain black/blue pen or pencil.

- Greeting cards can be included but they have to be as simple as possible (one piece of folded paper without any layer, embossing, glitter, or other extra material).

- Puzzles like crossword and sudoku can also be sent. Make sure to include the answers in a separate paper.

- Mail can include multiple pages.

- If you are not comfortable using your real name, you can use a pen name instead (just make sure it is a simple one with a first and last name).

Sending him packages:

From bop.gov:

“Inmates are not allowed to receive packages from home without prior written approval from the inmate's unit team or authorized staff member at the institution. The only packages an inmate may receive from home are those containing release clothing and authorized medical devices. However, inmates may receive magazines, hard and paperback books directly from the publisher.”

More information from Policy on Incoming Publications:

"At all Bureau institutions, an inmate may receive hardcover publications and newspapers only from the publisher, from a book club, or from a bookstore.”

“At medium security, high security, and administrative institutions, an inmate may receive softcover publications (for example, paperback books, newspaper clippings, magazines, and other similar items) only from the publisher, from a book club, or from a bookstore."

- Books, magazines, and newspapers can only be sent to him by the publisher/bookstore/book club themselves. You cannot mail it to him yourself. When ordering, put Luigi as the recipient.

- If you are going to use Amazon to send him books, there is a “send as a gift” button below the cart that you can click if you want to include a message to him as well.

Sending money to his commissary account:

To deposit money into his commissary account, you can choose from 3 options:

1.) MoneyGram

You'll need the following information:

Account Number: 52503511MANGIONE

Company Name: Federal Bureau of Prisons

City & State: Washington, DC

Receive Code is always: 7932

Beneficiary: Luigi Nicholas Mangione

a. At a MoneyGram location

Locate the nearest agent by calling 1-800-926-9400 or visiting: www.moneygram.com.

You'll need to complete a MoneyGram ExpressPayment Blue Form (see a sample form).

You can pay with cash.

b. Online

Please visit https://www.moneygram.com/mgo/us/en/paybills and enter the receive code 7932 or Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Enter the Receive Code (7932) and the amount you are sending (up to $300).

First time users will have to set up a profile and account.

A MasterCard or Visa credit card is required.

2.) Western Union

You'll need the following information:

Account Number: 52503511MANGIONE

Attention Line: Luigi Nicholas Mangione

Code City is always: FBOP, DC

a. Online

Please visit www.send2corrections.com

A credit/debit card will be required to complete a payment online.

You can also initiate a payment via mobile app and pay later with cash or payment card, at a Western Union agent location.

b. At a Western Union location

Locate the nearest agent by using our agent locator or by calling 1-800-325-6000.

You can pay with cash. Debit cards are accepted at select locations.

c. Over the phone

Call 1-800-634-3422 and choose option 2.

A credit/debit card will be required.

d. Via Send2Corrections mobile application

Search "Send2Corrections" in the Apple App Store (Apple iOS) or the Google Play Store (Android devices).

3.) Using mail

For detailed information, click on this link.

Information is extracted from bop.gov. Please visit the site if you need any confirmation.

💚F💚R💚E💚E💚💚💚💚L💚U💚I💚G💚I💚

[greenfrosticle]

So my brother is a surgeon in real life, and he’s been doing some questionable things, which I’ve since found out after reading through my country’s laws isn’t just questionable, but actually illegal. Why am I telling people this? Because I was just researching about the Hippocratic oath, which is an oath all doctors must swear by. The Hippocratic oath is an ethical code that doctors swear to uphold when they enter the medical profession. It originates from Ancient Greece, attributed to Hippocrates, the so-called “father of medicine”. In modern medicine, not all doctors formally recite the Hippocratic oath, but they’re still bound by medical ethics and laws that uphold the same principles. If a doctor violates these ethical standards, they can face consequences ranging from professional sanctions(losing their medical license) to legal action if their negligence or actions break the law. Basically, they promise to do no harm, keep medical confidentiality, patient care and wellbeing, ethical medical practice, and teaching and knowledge shearing.

I’m making this post because I’m genuinely a little freaked out right now after talking to ChatGPT about the Hippocratic oath which is something I do to help stay organized, I entered the love and deepspace game just now and one of the first dialogue lines I get from Zayne is him mentioning the Hippocratic oath after I’d just talked about it on a different app, on a different device, that isn’t even owned by the same company. For reference, I play love and deepspace on my iPad and I talk about these things with ChatGPT on my android phone. At first I got confused, then I freaked out a little bit because of how on point his line was to what I’d just been talking about in real time. I planned to ask if anyone else who’s playing the game has ever gotten this dialogue line before? Or at least had a specific line pop up about something that you’ve just talked about? Though, as you can see in the 9 minute long screen recording below, I couldn’t get him to say it again, not even once. Then I was like, maybe infold added new dialogue lines, but why would he mention the Hippocratic oath? Like, I know he’s a doctor, but it’s still kind of random for him to talk about that subject specifically on top of the fact that he only said it once and right after I’d been talking about it. The game wasn’t even open when I was talking about it either, btw. Then I thought it might be the app listening in the way we see some other apps do, but infold has never talked about doing that to my knowledge, nor have I seen anyone else who plays the game ever mentioning something similar happening to them? And tailored ads doesn’t normally work that way either. The way it typically works is by relying on data from the same device. If the game was listening in, it would have to actively collecting data from a completely separate device. If infold was doing that, more people would’ve caught it by now, no? Not to mention it’s not an ad it’s literally one of his Home Screen dialogue lines and IT WON’T SHOW UP AGAIN. Please let me know if anyone else has experienced this too because idk how I feel about this 😭💀 btw, the video is just to prove he won’t say it again no matter how many times I tap on him.

[midala-of-the-valley]

Congratulations!

David 8 x Reader Words: 1144 Crossposted on Ao3 Crackfic Happy Birthday David ❤️ Idea from: @theropoda and @lehnsharrk

"Your Weyland-Corp package will be delivered in approximately 15 minutes."

Wow, that was fast! You had entered an online competition to become one of the beta-testers for the first model of their Home-Android line, and luck must have been on your side, because you actually won!

Putting your phone down, you scrambled through your room, hurriedly pulling on something more presentable than pajamas and hastily combing your hair into place.

Frantically running through your apartment, you tried to clear away stray clothes and dishes. You were so caught up in tidying that you almost tripped as the doorbell rang.

Sure, the Android was technically designed to help with housekeeping, but the delivery person didn’t need to know just how much you actually needed it.

Opening the door, you were greeted by a large cardboard box perched on a trolley, nearly obscuring the man in a green Weyland uniform and matching cap as he peeked out from behind it, checking his clipboard.

"Y/N L/N. Is that correct?"

You nodded, stepping aside to let him wheel the massive package into your living room. Once it was set down, he handed you an impressively thick manual and tapped on its cover.

"Here’s the QR code for the app. Please use it to send feedback or report any issues you encounter."

With a grunt of effort, he hefted the package off the trolley, left it in the middle of your living room, and exited your apartment without another word.

What.

Blinking, you stood frozen for a moment before heading to the kitchen to grab a pair of scissors. With a decisive stab into the parcel tape, you sliced through the middle of the box.

Inside was a beautiful man- wait, no. Android. Oh. A very beautiful Android.

You flicked through the manual, scanning for activation instructions. Ah, here it was. To activate, press a small sensor located behind his right ear for five seconds.

Taking a breath, you reached out and pressed the spot. Moments later, his eyes opened, and after a brief pause, his gaze locked onto yours.

Now he was the one blinking, his brows furrowing slightly as he began testing his limbs. With deliberate movements, he stepped out of the box.

“Good day, Ma’am,” he said in a voice that was smooth, polite, and just a touch mechanical. “My name is David 1. I will serve as your assistant and companion, ready to assist you with whatever you may require.”

He extended a hand, stiff but purposeful. “May I ask what I should call you?”

And that's how daily life with David began.

It was really weird to configure your timezone for something that looked so human, and to enter a PIN code for him via an app??

And the ads. You weren’t safe from ads, either. Sometimes, when he didn’t have anything to do, he would just stand around or sit on the couch and start citing commercials.

The first time it happened, you almost spat out the tea he had made for you beforehand.

“Would you like to renew your Audible subscription? The first three months are only $0.99.”

As you choked on your beverage, David stared at you apologetically before quickly getting up and patting your back to help.

“Sorry, (Y/N), I didn’t mean to surprise you. You can turn it off with the Premium Subscription for $19.99 per month.”

Putting your cup down, still coughing, you turned to him.

“I have to pay for that? Seriously?”

He just shrugged, his face imitating an :I emoji.

After a while, you noticed that even David got annoyed by the interruptions, disliking how your conversations were suddenly stopped by yet another commercial for shaving cream.

The two of you made it your mission to bypass ads with free trials he found online. He even read your books to you instead of you paying for another damn subscription.

HelloFresh? He grew vegetables on your windowsill. Man, he was amazing at making fresh pasta.

“FOR FUCK'S SAKE, I DON’T WANT YOUTUBE PREMIUM! THIS APP SHOULD BE ABLE TO PLAY VIDEOS IN THE BACKGROUND WITHOUT ME PAYING FOR IT!”

You shouted in frustration. The ads were SO annoying, and you couldn’t turn them off!

David blinked, and for a moment you thought he had lagged as he processed your words. Then he answered.

“If you give me permission via verbal verification, I could enter the darknet and download an adblock mod. It’s a bit risky, but my firewall should be sufficient to withstand any viruses.”

You hesitated, not wanting to risk his functionality. But when he one day started quoting a Viagra advertisement like those on Tumblr, you caved.

“Please enter the darknet and find that mod. I can’t take this anymore.”

So he did. And you got really fucking scared for a moment, because one of his eyes twitched and stayed half-open, like your old dolls when you tilted them sideways. Oh shit, did you break him? Please, please, please no- oh. Oh God.

He needed a second to install and initialize. His expression reminded you of your Furby with dying batteries that suddenly came to life in the middle of the night, croaking its last words. But after another minute, he was fine.

This action had some side effects, though.

He still worked perfectly - cleaning the dishes, doing the laundry, watering the plants, until he suddenly called you a donkey while you were cooking. With an awfully familiar voice.

You stared at him. “Excuse me?”

“That wasn’t me,” he replied in his normal voice, furrowing his brows.

Nodding slowly, you turned back to add meat to your sauce, only to be interrupted by:

“Why did the chicken cross the road? Because you didn’t fucking cook it!”

Instead of getting annoyed, you broke down laughing, and even David couldn’t hide a grin as he watched you sink to the kitchen floor.

“I seem to have caught a serious case of Gordon Ramsay.”

That was it. you were officially cackling like a hen. On the ground. Crying.

It wasn’t so bad, really. He functioned just fine, even though he occasionally squawked like a bird at random. But you just squawked right back. Just normal ADHD things, to be honest.

At the end of the day, he became your illegally modded roommate, sitting with you on the couch, your legs sprawled over his lap as you both munched on popcorn.

You still weren’t entirely sure where the food he sometimes ate with you went, but you decided not to question it.

Weyland never got their Android back, you hid him in your closet that one time they tried to collect him after the testing period was over.

“I have the power of God and anime on my side,” your favorite person declared.

“Yes, David, you do,” you replied with a smile.

~The End~

[trivialbob]

New Phone, Who Dis?

I switched phones today—and cell carriers. Only the change from daylight savings time discombobulates me more.

The new phone, another Android, is smaller than my previous one. I don't have a case for it yet. While handling both phones, the old one really felt like a brick.

There was some confusion in the switch—something about one needing a SIM card and one having an eSIM.

We got past that, though. Sheila handled tech support with the carrier. Everything works now, though I'm still in limbo with an authenticator app for work. Good thing I'll be in the office on Monday.

I spent the afternoon reloading apps and getting my settings JUST THE WAY I LIKE THEM. Not that I'm terribly particular (oh, who am I kidding?)

My Garmin watch battery is about to die because the watch has been beeping and buzzing with so many notifications. I finally remembered how to stop them, but it's made me a little cranky.

Almost everything is cool now. I must still transfer some pictures, but that can wait until tomorrow.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Reverse engineers bust sleazy gig work platform

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/23/hack-the-class-war/#robo-boss

A COMPUTER CAN NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

THEREFORE A COMPUTER MUST NEVER MAKE A MANAGEMENT DECISION

Supposedly, these lines were included in a 1979 internal presentation at IBM; screenshots of them routinely go viral:

https://twitter.com/SwiftOnSecurity/status/1385565737167724545?lang=en

The reason for their newfound popularity is obvious: the rise and rise of algorithmic management tools, in which your boss is an app. That IBM slide is right: turning an app into your boss allows your actual boss to create an "accountability sink" in which there is no obvious way to blame a human or even a company for your maltreatment:

https://profilebooks.com/work/the-unaccountability-machine/

App-based management-by-bossware treats the bug identified by the unknown author of that IBM slide into a feature. When an app is your boss, it can force you to scab:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/30/computer-says-scab/#instawork

Or it can steal your wages:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

But tech giveth and tech taketh away. Digital technology is infinitely flexible: the program that spies on you can be defeated by another program that defeats spying. Every time your algorithmic boss hacks you, you can hack your boss back:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/02/not-what-it-does/#who-it-does-it-to

Technologists and labor organizers need one another. Even the most precarious and abused workers can team up with hackers to disenshittify their robo-bosses:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/08/tuyul-apps/#gojek

For every abuse technology brings to the workplace, there is a liberating use of technology that workers unleash by seizing the means of computation:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/13/solidarity-forever/#tech-unions

One tech-savvy group on the cutting edge of dismantling the Torment Nexus is Algorithms Exposed, a tiny, scrappy group of EU hacker/academics who recruit volunteers to reverse engineer and modify the algorithms that rule our lives as workers and as customers:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/10/e2e/#the-censors-pen

Algorithms Exposed have an admirable supply of seemingly boundless energy. Every time I check in with them, I learn that they've spun out yet another special-purpose subgroup. Today, I learned about Reversing Works, a hacking team that reverse engineers gig work apps, revealing corporate wrongdoing that leads to multimillion euro fines for especially sleazy companies.

One such company is Foodinho, an Italian subsidiary of the Spanish food delivery company Glovo. Foodinho/Glovo has been in the crosshairs of Italian labor enforcers since before the pandemic, racking up millions in fines – first for failing to file the proper privacy paperwork disclosing the nature of the data processing in the app that Foodinho riders use to book jobs. Then, after the Italian data commission investigated Foodinho, the company attracted new, much larger fines for its out-of-control surveillance conduct.

As all of this was underway, Reversing Works was conducting its own research into Glovo/Foodinho's app, running it on a simulated Android handset inside a PC so they could peer into app's data collection and processing. They discovered a nightmarish world of pervasive, illegal worker surveillance, and published their findings a year ago in November, 2023:

https://www.etui.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/Exercising%20workers%20rights%20in%20algorithmic%20management%20systems_Lessons%20learned%20from%20the%20Glovo-Foodinho%20digital%20labour%20platform%20case_2023.pdf

That report reveals all kinds of extremely illegal behavior. Glovo/Foodinho makes its riders' data accessible across national borders, so Glovo managers outside of Italy can access fine-grained surveillance information and sensitive personal information – a major data protection no-no.

Worse, Glovo's app embeds trackers from a huge number of other tech platforms (for chat, analytics, and more), making it impossible for the company to account for all the ways that its riders' data is collected – again, a requirement under Italian and EU data protection law.

All this data collection continues even when riders have clocked out for the day – its as though your boss followed you home after quitting time and spied on you.

The research also revealed evidence of a secretive worker scoring system that ranked workers based on undisclosed criteria and reserved the best jobs for workers with high scores. This kind of thing is pervasive in algorithmic management, from gig work to Youtube and Tiktok, where performers' videos are routinely suppressed because they crossed some undisclosed line. When an app is your boss, your every paycheck is docked because you violated a policy you're not allowed to know about, because if you knew why your boss was giving you shitty jobs, or refusing to show the video you spent thousands of dollars making to the subscribers who asked to see it, then maybe you could figure out how to keep your boss from detecting your rulebreaking next time.

All this data-collection and processing is bad enough, but what makes it all a thousand times worse is Glovo's data retention policy – they're storing this data on their workers for four years after the worker leaves their employ. That means that mountains of sensitive, potentially ruinous data on gig workers is just lying around, waiting to be stolen by the next hacker that breaks into the company's servers.

Reversing Works's report made quite a splash. A year after its publication, the Italian data protection agency fined Glovo another 5 million euros and ordered them to cut this shit out:

https://reversing.works/posts/2024/11/press-release-reversing.works-investigation-exposes-glovos-data-privacy-violations-marking-a-milestone-for-worker-rights-and-technology-accountability/

As the report points out, Italy is extremely well set up to defend workers' rights from this kind of bossware abuse. Not only do Italian enforcers have all the privacy tools created by the GDPR, the EU's flagship privacy regulation – they also have the benefit of Italy's 1970 Workers' Statute. The Workers Statute is a visionary piece of legislation that protects workers from automated management practices. Combined with later privacy regulation, it gave Italy's data regulators sweeping powers to defend Italian workers, like Glovo's riders.

Italy is also a leader in recognizing gig workers as de facto employees, despite the tissue-thin pretense that adding an app to your employment means that you aren't entitled to any labor protections. In the case of Glovo, the fine-grained surveillance and reputation scoring were deemed proof that Glovo was employer to its riders.

Reversing Works' report is a fascinating read, especially the sections detailing how the researchers recruited a Glovo rider who allowed them to log in to Glovo's platform on their account.

As Reversing Works points out, this bottom-up approach – where apps are subjected to technical analysis – has real potential for labor organizations seeking to protect workers. Their report established multiple grounds on which a union could seek to hold an abusive employer to account.

But this bottom-up approach also holds out the potential for developing direct-action tools that let workers flex their power, by modifying apps, or coordinating their actions to wring concessions out of their bosses.

After all, the whole reason for the gig economy is to slash wage-bills, by transforming workers into contractors, and by eliminating managers in favor of algorithms. This leaves companies extremely vulnerable, because when workers come together to exercise power, their employer can't rely on middle managers to pressure workers, deal with irate customers, or step in to fill the gap themselves:

https://projects.itforchange.net/state-of-big-tech/changing-dynamics-of-labor-and-capital/

Only by seizing the means of computation, workers and organized labor can turn the tables on bossware – both by directly altering the conditions of their employment, and by producing the evidence and tools that regulators can use to force employers to make those alterations permanent.

Image: EFF (modified) https://www.eff.org/files/issues/eu-flag-11_1.png

CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/