#operating split screen is difficult

[thefandomlesbian]

Super homophobic the floating comment box extension for AO3 doesn't work on mobile.

[on-a-lucky-tide]

woke up out of a cold sweat to run to your inbox. Free spirited Omega Nik + upstanding, clean cut Alpha John who's so used to Omegas hiding their scents behind suppressants. Then he watches Nik fly through a dog fight with ease in the middle of one of his heats and has NO idea what do to with him.

Not that he thinks he needs some form of intervention, but how do you even court an Omega like Nik? Does he want to be courted?? What could Price get him when Nik already gets himself what ever he wants?? And that's when he notices, WAIT- is nik trying to court him??????

Nik goes into heat. Price wants to help.

cw: omegaverse; omega Nik, alpha Price.

Price had been quietly harbouring a romantic attachment to Nikolai for many years. It was difficult to pursue such a thing in their line of work and, if Price was honest with himself, he was too much of a coward. He had talked himself out of it by assessing the “risk”; losing Nikolai by fuckin’ up a romantic entanglement would do irreperable harm to the 141, Coalition and Allegiance in general. The reality was that losing Nikolai would fuck up Price more than anything else; the 141 would continue to tick over, but Price wasn’t sure he would.

It was far safer to exist in the liminal space of friendship and desire. Nik wasn’t stupid and Price was surprised he was permitting it to continue, but either way, they had settled into a comfortable friendship that often bordered on something else, but never progressed it into anything official. It was like they went through all the motions without actually… consummating it.

They regularly went out for dinner, sharing bottles of scotch late into the night. Nik bought Price expensive cigars and always ensured he had his most favoured kit on operations. Price made sure any stray arrest warrants or unwanted chatter swerved Nik when he could; he gifted Nik with a TF141 patch for his jacket one winter and something unspoken had shifted between them.

Nik went into heat while operating alongside Gaz in Khorramshahr. They had split into two teams with Price as the eyes in a central base of operations. Soap and Ghost had covered from a sniper’s nest on a nearby building, while Nik and Gaz had extracted the target from the military compound—a stolen laptop containing CIA codes for hundreds of covert operations. Laswell wasn’t sure how it had fallen into enemy hands, but she was pissed enough with her own to send in the 141 instead.

Unfortunately, the base hadn’t been empty. With Ghost’s help, they had managed to progress their way to the hanger they had already earmarked for a quick escape should the situation turn to shit. There were three Sea Cobras parked up. Liberated from occupying American forces over the border, no doubt.

Nik crooned gleefully through the Comms as they ran into the hanger. “Ona prekrasna.”

”Gaz, any luck?” Price asked, watching their flickering green outlines on the screen in front of him. Nik’s flickered as he climbed into the helo.

”Nik’s working on it.”

”Soap, got eyes?”

”Aye, sir. Ghost layin’ doon cover. Hostiles headin’ in from th’ east.”

”Spotted. Hurry it along, Nik. You’ve got minutes.”

“Pomurchi diya menya, kotonok,” Nik growled. Even through the Comms, the silky rumble of it did something to every alpha listening in. Price’s legs spread in his seat, arse lifting a little as his Carhartts became suddenly a little tighter at the crotch. He recognised that voice—that tone—on an omega. He’d had a handful of partners in his lifetime with only one progressing to the point there had been discussions about mating and marriage, but that soft, sultry purr could only mean one thing.

”Gaz, is Nik—?”

”Yeah, sir.”

”Stay focused, son.”

”I’m under control.”

”It is fine, captain,” Nik said, and Price heard the whine of rotary blades spinning up in the background. “We are good to go. Gaz, load up."

Price lifted his eyes from the screens and watched as their heli appeared over the rooftops. Nik spun her around to face the hanger and made sure that neither of the other two would be taking off with a quick burst of fire from the Sea Cobra’s 40mm grenade launcher. The plume of smoke and from the explosion that followed mushrooming high into the dull grey of the sky. Unfortunately, their escape was further complicated by a new arrival.

Price growled as another blip appeared on his radar. “Nik, you’ve got company. Westbound,” Price looked through the window as it came within naked eyeline, “Soap, you got visual on the pilot?”

”Negative, sir. Movin’ too quick, heavy armour.”

”Nik, ya gonna ‘ave t’ outfly it.” Price glanced back down at the monitors.

”Copy, captain.”

And Nik fuckin’ well did. Price knew of only one conflict where helicopters had been involved in dogfights—Iran-Iraq war—and Nik was flying one of the main participants. It might not be his Black Hawk, but Nik controlled that Sea Cobra around the sky like she was another appendage, turning her on a pence piece, with targeted bursts of turret fire whenever he secured an opening. It was quick, brutal, the rat-ta-ta of gunfire against concrete echoing over the buildings, and all Price could do was monitor incoming traffic.

It felt like a lifetime, but the reality was that the exchange was over in under ten minutes. The enemy helo went down when Nik took out its secondary rotary engine, and it spun out into a nearby building, sending a fireball outwards into the townsquare.

”Sitrep,” Price barked through the Comms.

“A few holes, but stable. Disengaging. Meet at rendezvous. Out.” Nik said, his voice somehow deeper than it had been before. Ghost and Soap provided their updates. All was fine. Mission success… so far. They still needed to get to safety.

Price packed up in record time, leaving no trace of his presence. He caught up with Soap on the exfil—an old Jeep with the keys in on the outskirts of the city—and drove off into the damn sunset. Price followed the Shatt Al Arab south to the Persian Gulf, where they picked up a light craft waiting for them with a member of Laswell’s team on board.

Their final destination was an American-owned cruise ship currently sitting stationary off the coast of Saudi Arabia. Laswell had co-opted their ‘service’, citing it as an issue of ‘national security’. It was a little more covert than having an aircraft carrier lurking in the gulf following an incursion into Iranian territory. Risky though, involving civilians at any stage of the operation. Price hadn’t been particularly happy with the arrangement.

By the time they arrived, it was late, with several floors of loud, drunk parties currently in full swing, but Price was unable to settle.

He needed to see Nikolai.

Once Laswell had been debriefed via satellite phone, and he’d caught up with the rest of the 141 to check on injuries—none but for a few of the usual scrapes and bruises—Price returned to the small room on the ship he’d been assigned to scrub himself clean. Nik was a few floors up. He’d booked himself something a little plusher for the occasion, because of course he fucking had. As the cruise ship sailed onwards, heading towards Dubai where they were due to pick up a flight home, Price took the stairs two at a time.

He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. For some reason, he stopped off at the hotel bar and bought an exorbitantly expensive bottle of vodka and two only moderately less eye-wateringly expensive cigars. Was he expecting to court Nikolai on an accelerated time scale with cigars and bloody vodka?

How did someone even begin to court an omega like Nik? He could have anything and everything he wanted at the snap of his fingers and the flash of some plastic. Why was Price even considering it now? He had never seen Nik in heat. Not in their twenty-or-so years of friendship. Sure, he had smelled pre-heat on him, knew Nik’s scent well, and had often been comforted by it in the past.

Nik didn’t use suppressants. He never had. His secondary sex was a point of pride and Price had always liked how it seemed to calm the 141 when he was around; Ghost’s shoulders relaxed, Soap’s hyperactive energy calmed and Gaz found an outlet for his affectionate nature.

They hugged him, scented him, and often fell asleep around him when the operation was over. Price too always felt less stressed, less… like the world was about to explode at any minute. Nik had adopted them as his. That was no secret. Why else would he fly into danger to rescue them at a moment’s notice? An omega would tear the world apart to defend their pack.

His mind was buzzing with all this when he arrived outside Nikolai’s door, his knuckles white around the bottle of vodka in his hands. There was a way to do these things. His old man, for all his sins, had certainly beaten that into Price for the day dot. He definitely hadn’t had a man like Nikolai in mind for his runty, underfed alpha son though. The thought of his face now would have been amusing if Price’s heart wasn’t currently sitting in his throat, trying to suffocate him.

He managed to extract one clammy palm from the vodka bottle and knocked. There was the sound of shuffling from the inside, the slide of the lock, and the door swung open. The sweet, overpowering scent of heat hit Price full in the face and, if that wasn’t enough to make him weak at the knees, the sight of Nik certainly finished him off.

Nik leaned against the doorframe, his head tilted against his forearm as it slanted across it, cigarette dangling from his broad mouth. His hair was ruffled, more curls forming around his ears and neck than his usual regime of gel would allow. Price’s eyes raked down the length of him, his full tits with their dark pelt of fur, his dusky nipples peaked and hard, his solid core revealing the hint of definition every time he drew in a deep breath, the elastic of the sweats he’d pulled on clinging to his hips, the v-slant of muscle disappearing beneath the line of fleece along with the thick happy trail of hair down his belly, begging for Price’s mouth to follow their lead.

”My eyes are up here, captain,” Nik said softly, lips tilted in a wry smirk. He took his cigarette from his mouth and placed his other arm high up on the door frame. Posed like this, even so nonchalant, he struck an imposing sight, spread out, so bloody confident, but with his armpits, the sides of his tits, the curve of his waist, all exposed, begging for an alpha’s hands just to—

“Nik, I…” Price’s eyes snapped up as he spoke, his voice cloying in his throat. Every breath he drew in fogged his brain with scent. He needed to behave his-bloody-self. With a restrained cough, Price offered out the bottle. “I brought ya some vodka t’ see ya through.”

”I have vodka, John,” Nik said dryly. Tilting his head back and up to take a drag of his cigarette without having to drop his arm, and it only served to show off the slope of his neck and throat, completely unblemished, his glands just below the skin.

“Ah, yeah, ‘course you do,” Price croaked, his eyes lingering on the spot where he knew Nik’s gland would be. His mouth watered. “That was… some amazing flyin’, with the… the Sea Cobra.”

”Mmm,” Nik groaned, flexing his back, rolling his shoulders. A subtle wave of cramp. “The Hinds were better armed, but the AH1 is a more agile aircraft… it took down a Mig 21 during the Gulf War.” He watched Price with dark eyes as he spoke, scrutinising his face and, slowly, the rest of his body. Price knew he was being sized up and felt his shoulder square despite knowing he was being bloody stupid. “Why are you here, John?”

”I…” Price swallowed. “I want t’ help, Nik. An’… uh… I wanna do this right, I—“

If any of the 141 had heard the yelp that followed Nik’s gruff “finally” as he took the front of Price’s belt and dragged him into the room, Price would have silenced them under threat of a damn court martial, because it was the most undignified sound he’d ever made. The bottle of vodka thumped on the carpeted floor as Nik shoved him into the room and the door clicked shut. The cigars followed, because Price’s hands were soon occupied by Nik’s chest as Nik closed in.

[schizoidvision]

Splitting and the Schizoid Experience: A Personal Take

For those of us with schizoid dynamics, splitting doesn’t always show up the way it’s described in most clinical writing. We don’t tend to flip between loving and hating people, or shift from idealization to devaluation in a dramatic way. Instead, our internal compass often revolves around one primary distinction, whether something (or someone) feels safe or unsafe.

This binary creates an internal threshold. Once someone crosses it, it can feel like there’s no going back. Even if the shift looks subtle from the outside, something has been internally reclassified. And that reclassification tends to lead us straight into withdrawal...

1. Safety vs. Danger as a Relational Filter

I think most of us aren’t operating on a spectrum of how much we like someone. Instead, we’re trying to calculate whether it’s safe to keep them psychologically near. If someone feels safe, we might let them orbit us maybe even with a surprising level of internal fondness. But if they feel unsafe, that fondness often shuts down immediately.

It’s not always a conscious decision. There’s usually a felt shift (something in the body, or a sudden distancing in the mind) that signals it’s time to pull back. It can feel like that person no longer exists in the same way. Not because we hate them, but because our inner structure has flagged them as dangerous.

2. Emotional Distance Isn’t Indifference

I’ve noticed that emotional distancing after a breach of safety doesn’t mean we stop caring. It just becomes too dangerous to keep caring actively. It can be difficult to keep someone in view internally without reverting to extremes, either too close or completely severed. So we cut contact, emotionally or physically, not to punish, but to stabilize.

Many of us have trouble with "whole object constancy" holding someone as both good and bad at the same time. If someone lets us down in a way that hits the wrong nerve, it may feel safer to view them only through that new filter, even if part of us knows the full picture is more complex. That awareness doesn’t always override the internal demand for safety.

3. The Role of Dissociation and Detachment

In situations where we don’t or can’t physically withdraw, some of us dissociate instead. It’s like we retreat to another layer inside ourselves. We might still talk, still nod, still function... but we’re not really present. I think of it as shifting operations to a more internal control panel, where emotions are muted, and thoughts are screened.

This is especially likely to happen if a situation feels emotionally loaded, but we don’t have the tools or bandwidth to process it in real time. It’s less about being cold, and more about needing a buffer from what’s coming in.

4. Why We Might Not Return

One of the hard things about splitting in the schizoid experience is that once someone feels unsafe, there often isn��t a reset button. Even if they apologize or circumstances change, the shift in our perception tends to hold. I think this is because reestablishing trust would require lowering our defenses again, and for many of us, that feels more dangerous than staying detached.

This can create long-term isolation, even when we miss the connection. The protection instinct overrides the relational impulse.

5. What It Means to Understand the Pattern

Understanding that splitting can be based on perceived safety instead of moral judgments has helped me a lot. It reframes those internal cutoffs as self-preserving responses rather than cold dismissals. It also helps explain why others may not understand our sudden emotional retreat, because from the outside, nothing has visibly changed.

If we can start to track what makes someone feel safe or unsafe to us, it might be possible to hold more nuance over time... or at least to understand our responses with less internal confusion.

We may not always be able to change the pattern, but recognizing the structure behind it can give us some grounding. That grounding can help us make clearer decisions, and maybe even open a few internal doors that would otherwise stay shut.

Schizoid Education Videos

[spicyviren]

Based on the information we've been given, was the Coin Plan ever a viable solution?

And I say this because season 6 revealed the following with regard to how trapping someone in the coin actually works, with the most important points being:

The coin is not a prison in the same way the pearl was a prison

The coin only traps a part of the soul, not the entirety of it

Souls which have been split by the coin by all accounts seem to be trapped in the In-Between

So the problem with the Coin Plan is that while it keeps Aaravos earth/In-Between-bound, the door to the In-Between remains wide open. He can either walk right out and plot with his cohorts under the cover of night, or his cohorts can simply ("simply") go in. Now, it's very plausible that the portal could be re-closed. Lujanne DID live, after all, and perhaps the Moon staff somehow escaped the explosion off-screen. But if that were so easy a thing, why open the portal at all? Operation Eternal Night certainly implies something long-term. Even if Aaravos hadn't been killed - let's say he survived the same amount of time as however long it was until the final scenes of season 7 - to me, it seems like a giant oversight to forget that the Moon Nexus would have a mage guarding it, and rather sloppy to not run over her a few times to make sure she's actually dead (and to this point, I concede that a lot of things happened at once, including an arrow to the throat). UNLESS he was fairly certain that closing the portal would be a very difficult task. Or, maybe, it was simply a distraction away from some other thing, especially if him just up and exploding was one of his many contingency plans.

Anyway, I wonder if that's why Aaravos was so gleeful when Callum started casting the coining spell, because in addition to Callum making himself vulnerable to Aaravos, Callum is placing Aaravos into a cage which is missing a door. It would also answer my question of why Aaravos doesn't try to possess Callum at all during the final confrontation since that's what he's been threatening the entire time (again, I concede A LOT was happening). Even though Callum's spell doesn't work, in the end, he still ends up using Dark Magic and neither of the assigned assassins follow through. I can definitely see Aaravos playing up the immediacy of the possession angle to make everyone else more intent on killing him at that particular moment, but it could also simply be that Callum's time in Aaravos's master plan simply hasn't yet come.

Now let's poke holes in this because I 100% feel like there is some major thing I missed regarding the nature of the coin, and possibly my three points above are just wrong, ha.

I would buy that the coin disorients the prisoner in some way. Runaan, Lain, and Tiadrin had little to no self-awareness about their predicament, and perhaps Aaravos would be the same (though I AM curious how that disorientation would manifest). BUT I return to, Aaravos is so clear in his vision, so absolute in his vengeance, that I have a hard time believing he'd not have some self-awareness. Though again, I'd buy it if I had to, and I do wonder if over time, even he would fall prey to whatever it is that happens to those trapped in the In-Between.

Another thing I'd buy - his soul is just different, and not being a creature of earth means he'll be trapped some other place. What is unclear is if the In-Between is a place where only "mortals" go, or is otherwise a place reserved for the beings of this particular earth.

[ablogtocheck]

This is such a good article, full of praise for George!!

Translation below (Heads up: I used deepl and didn't double check it)

George Russell's gala performance

Why does Mercedes need Verstappen?

GP Bahrain 2025

George Russell finished on the podium for the third time in the fourth race. The Mercedes driver's second place was a masterstroke in an almost total electronic blackout. Does Mercedes still need Max Verstappen?

George Russell is the best player for Red Bull. If the 27-year-old Englishman continues to drive races like the Bahrain Grand Prix, Mercedes will increasingly ask themselves whether they need Max Verstappen at all, should he be on the market. And Red Bull would have a better chance of keeping its star driver.

Russell got the best possible result from his Silver Arrow in each of the first four Grand Prix of the year. Three of them were podium finishes. Second place in Bahrain was the crowning glory of a flawless season so far. Just the fact that he blasted the two McLaren cars on a track where the Papaya racers seemed unbeatable is worthy of an honour.

But the final stint turned into a horror drive for Russell. Lando Norris in the rear-view mirror, the soft tyres at the end of their service life, and electronics that were gradually giving way. Modern Formula 1 cars cannot be driven without digital support. If the systems log off, then the driver has to be controlled remotely from the command centre.

But the final stint turned into a horror drive for Russell. Lando Norris in the rear-view mirror, the soft tyres at the end of their service life and electronics that were gradually giving up the ghost. Modern Formula 1 cars cannot be driven without digital support. If the systems log off, then the command centre has to control the driver remotely.

Russell activates DRS for 37 metres

It started with difficulties in the timekeeping system. Several drivers could no longer be located due to missing transponder signals. George Russell was the worst case. The Mercedes driver still appeared in the results, but there was a black hole where his lap and split times should have been.

The team could no longer track his driver on the time monitor. At the same time, the functions on Russell's steering wheel screen were logging off one after the other. As a result, he had no information about his own lap times and the gaps to his rivals.

The automated DRS activation also failed. The FIA then allowed the driver to operate the DRS mechanism manually. As other systems failed at the same time, the most important functions were reprogrammed to a backup button. The team instructed Russell to use the auxiliary button from then on, which was used for DRS activation as well as radio communication.

On the back straight, Russell tried to speak to his race engineer on the radio but unknowingly activated the DRS, which was controlled by the same button. He immediately realised the mistake and closed the rear wing again.

According to FIA protocol, it was open for over 37 metres, which gave Russell an advantage of 0.02 seconds. However, he voluntarily lifted the accelerator pedal before the next corner and thus gave away another 0.28 seconds. As a result, he escaped a penalty.

Failure of the brake-by-wire system

The worst part, however, was the failure of the brake-by-wire system twelve laps before the end. This regulates the brake force distribution between the normal brake system and the engine brake. "The brake-by-wire was sometimes there, sometimes gone, the pedal sometimes long, sometimes short.

I never knew when I could rely on it and when I couldn't. It was particularly difficult between turns 9 and 10. In between, I also had to constantly reset the individual functions."Because the brake-by-wire was on the verge of total failure, the engineers advised Russell to switch to the passive BBW system.

This deactivated the engine brake, but at least the driver could now rely on the brake balance again. Even if it was completely different from the first part of the race.

The second driver was spared the worst part of the race: the total failure of the display. ‘Then it really would have been a drive into the dark,’ explained chief strategist Rosie Wait. ‘George wouldn't even have had the LEDs to show him when to change gear.’ Russell added: ‘All the settings on the steering wheel would have been frozen at the level I last activated until the end of the race.’

What exactly caused the blackout could not be determined shortly after the race. Team boss Toto Wolff suspected some kind of bug in the wiring harness.

With old soft tyres against Norris

In addition to all the problems, the soft tyres were at their limit with a remaining distance of 25 laps. Russell got them over the distance with his fingertips. He showed that he can do this at Spa last year. At the same time, Lando Norris tried several times to snatch second place from Russell. In an intact McLaren with the more durable medium rubber.

However, the fourth-placed driver in the world championship fought off all attacks ice-cold. However, he admitted: ‘One more lap and Lando would have got past me without any problems.’ Wolff spoke of a ‘mega race’ by his team captain. "George saved us the podium. The fact that he lost virtually no time despite all the problems he had to manage was an extraordinary achievement."

It is slowly dawning on everyone at Mercedes that a Russell is perhaps just as good as a Verstappen. And even cheaper.

[sarkyfancypants]

Who is afraid of Mr. Hyde?

OC introduction ft Cecil Stedman and Donald Ferguson

"From Beijing to the U.S., Cecil and Donald investigate a mysterious entity targeting criminals in calculated acts of vigilantism around the world. As the mystery unfolds, they debate whether to apprehend the being—or recruit it, knowing either choice poses as a grievous risk."

ACT 1

[>]

APRIL 1999

GDA UNDERGROUND OPERATIONS CENTER– MONITORING ROOM – AFTERNOON

“Any updates?” Cecil said through a tired exhalation.

“We’ve compiled twenty-three separate incidents,” Donald said steadily. “Seven countries. All victims presented symptoms of acute psychosis and were treated for vicious physical injuries, self-inflicted. What started as a huge drug scare was then confirmed to be linked to this entity,” he paused, lowering his voice. “Whenever this thing shows up, people just…break.”

“Elaborate.”

“I—well… It would be better if I showed you, sir.” 

Donald nudged the agent in front of them, who nodded, quickly tapping his keyboard as he scrolled through rows of encrypted data. A window expanded fully on the screen, and a video loaded with an image that tightened the director’s nerves.

“This was from last month…” Donald muttered.

Cecil chewed the inside of his cheek, watching the scene of a dark, towering figure walking down a dimly lit alley somewhere in New York. It was nighttime, and the entity moved with a graceful yet spectral flow, taking slow, deliberate steps, each accentuated by the tap of a cane. A hood obscured its face, making its features difficult to discern. 

As the camera moved, three armed thugs came into frame, angrily spitting threats and insults while pointing their weapons at the looming threat. 

What started as a simple, tense standoff, escalated into a fully blown shootout. Gunfire blasted, illuminating the alleyway, only for the entity to remain unfazed. It stopped momentarily before charging at one of the men and disappearing into thin air with him upon coming into contact with one another.

No more than a few seconds later, the man reappeared, tumbling a few feet away.

The man screeched and crumpled to his knees, holding his head as he desperately tugged at his hair, tearing it out in clumps. At the same time, his two companions helplessly watched him smash his skull against the floor—again and again—with such force that he nearly split it open before collapsing unconscious over a pool of his own blood.

Before either of the other two thugs could check on their partner, the entity quickly crossed in front of them, grabbed them by the neck, disappeared, and reappeared right there. This sent the other two thugs into the same state of hysterical frenzy. 

One clawed at his own face and eyes, injuring himself to such an extent that his fingers were drenched in crimson, finally curling up into a tight ball, sobbing and mumbling incoherently. 

Meanwhile, the other flailed uncontrollably, as if trying to free itself from something unseen. For a moment, the man stopped dead in his tracks showing a brief moment of lucidity, before sprinting straight into oncoming traffic. 

 Cecil flinched and turned his head away, bringing a hand over his mouth. 

“Christ…” he said under his breath.

The figure stepped back into frame and stood over the aftermath with an imposing, victorious stance. It poked at the eyeless man with his cane, tilting its head with evident morbid amusement. It swiveled to gaze directly at the concealed camera, its eyes hollow pits with bright red rings that burned into the lens before dissipating, leaving only the unconscious men visible. The video was interrupted by static followed by a black screen with three minutes remaining. The rest of the recording ended with corrupted data.

“This is as much as we could recover from the footage,” the agent said gruffly.

“Could it be supernatural?” Cecil said.

“We’re not sure, sir,” Donald adjusted his shades. “It could be alien for all we know.”

“It must sense that we’re watching it,” Cecil said. “Should we be worried?”

“That’s another thing, sir,” Donald added, gesturing at the agent, who tapped the keyboard and displayed several scanned newspaper clippings from news all around the world. “There is a pattern in the way it behaves. The victims were all involved in some form of criminal activity prior to their eventual encounter with the entity.”

Cecil hummed. “What did these men do exactly?”

“Armed robbery,” Donald pointed at a series of pictures from an article. “A woman was shot and injured after one of the men panicked. The woman lived miraculously. Witnesses claim to have seen a hooded figure lurking near the crime scene before disappearing into the night. Some say it could be Death itself.”

“This isn’t some Grim Reaper, I’ll tell you that,” Cecil scoffed.

He scratched his chin, leaning closer to the screen as he scanned the headlines and skimmed through the articles. 

Mexico City — A well-known thug had to be strapped to his hospital bed after attempting to bite off his own fingers in a fit of confused hysteria.

Thailand — A corrupt officer with a history of harassment tore his vocal cords from hours of non-stop wailing, uttering inarticulate prayers and preaching about repentance.

Saudi Arabia — A white-collar criminal was found lying on a mound of gravel at a construction site in a near-catatonic state—a bold, proud man reduced to a whimpering mess just hours after closing a dubious deal with a client.

Cecil exhaled sharply through his nose. 

“So we’ve got a psionic entity from God-knows-where, playing vigilante on a global scale.”

“The pattern’s clear,” Donald replied, “but it doesn’t appear to be precise, sir.”

Cecil’s eyes narrowed. “Precise how?”

“The entity was lastly detected in a relatively safe neighborhood in L.A.,” Donald said. “A fight broke out between a maintenance worker and a tenant outside a building not too long ago. You can guess how that ended for them sometime later.”

“A brutal sentence for a petty scuffle on the street…” 

Cecil put his hands on his hips, tapping his foot on the ground. He paused, standing quietly with pursed lips.

“Well, if it's going to try doing our job for us, we should find it.”

Donald snapped his head around with eyebrows rising just above his glasses. 

“What?”

“Hell, might as well get it on payroll. Maybe we even slap a GDA badge on it."

Donald exchanged glances with the other agent, his expression shifted with disconcert as he searched for a hint of irony in Cecil’s face, disappointed to know that the director was being entirely serious.

"With all due respect, sir… How can we know if it’s got humanity’s best interest at heart?" he asked sternly. “Its actions aren’t proof enough that it could be a potential subject we could rely on.” 

“One way to find out,” Cecil grumbled.

“We have yet to understand how often it manifests. That thing could be virtually anywhere.” 

“Have a little faith, Donald. We've found stranger things before.” 

Cecil turned heel away from the monitors. 

“Put together a small team. I want them to be alert and ready to arrive on the scene and catch it next time this thing shows up. If it shows up,” he said over his shoulder before striding toward the corridor.

With that, Donald was left alone with the agent, who watched with equal bafflement as the doors closed behind Cecil.

“And I thought Radcliffe had a few loose screws,” the agent scoffed, shaking his head, shutting down his computer to clock out for the day.

[>]

[kesouu]

Blue Star☆｡⁠*✯ﾟ+*⁠.⁠✧

(⁠☆) Narumi Gen x Oc

(｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+ CHAPTER 4 +ﾟ⁠*｡⁠)

(⁠｡⁠•̀✧) SORRY I TOOK TOO LONG TO UPLOAD THE NEXT CHAP HUHU This also has spoilers for the b-side manga but next chapter I'll start straying from it i think🤌

6 Years ago...

It had been a year since Narumi and Hoshiko had joined the defense force and Hoshiko was getting dizzy from going around the large headquarters looking for Narumi, knowing him, he was going to get himself into all sorts of trouble. He had almost been kicked out multiple times for misconduct and no way is Hoshiko letting the reason she joined in the first place get kicked out. Even if she didn’t want too though, Vice captain Itami had spoken to you about Narumi’s behaviour, threatening to kick him out if this continued and that he wanted the girl to look after him as his closest friend but no matter how hard she tried he always managed to slip out of her sight. Hoshiko was looking for him rather frantically this time, all the division captains and platoon leaders were having a serious meeting on a kaijuu that emerged in Saitama and Narumi might cause a scene during it. She decided to make her way to the meeting room that was nearly on the other side of the building to check if he was anywhere nearby, the girl could only sigh at the distance as she started walking.

“Now then, I will brief you on the kaiju that emerged in Saitama Prefecture’s Koshigaya City. Please take a look at this.” The operator showed them an image of a the large kaiju on the meeting room’s big screen “A plant-type kaiju? The fact that it showed up in an urban area is worrying.” Vice Captain Itami comments as the operator continues with his discussion. “It broke through the asphalt and sprung up between the buildings at the crack of dawn. It seems that it hid underground and stored up on nutrients. Then it’s pod fruit pemerged on the portion of the plant above the surface.” Captain Igarashi’s face grows into a puzzled one as she questions “Huh? Wazzat? What’s a “pod fruit”?” the operator then explains in return “A pod fruit is a form of seeded fruit. It splits open, shooting seeds into the air.”

The screen shows a close up image of the kaiju’s pod fruit and the operator points at it “This was the pod fruit when it first emerged this morning.” Then the pictured changed into one of the kaiju where it’s pod was opened way more that it was in the one previously shown “And this is it’s current state” Hasegawa speaks up at the sight of it “It appears to have opened up more since this morning.”

“Once the fruit gathers enought nutrients, the sunlight triggers the fruit to split open casuing it to release and disperse it’s seeds.” Pictures of old disasters that had occured were being displayed on the screen that were similar to that of the situation now. “ For a well-known example of the damage caused by plant-type kaiju, we can refer to the specimens found in Hibiya back in ’66 and Sendai back in ’96. In particular, I’d look to the cataclysm in ’96 which saw the fruit split and spread it’s seeds. An incident that required time to effectively manage.” And with that the operator finishes his explanation “And this one is even bigger than the one in Sendai? If it splits open, we’re in for trouble.” Vice captain Itami asks “How much time do we have?” Captain Shinomiya follows up the previous question “By outr calculations, based on the solar radiation, temperature, and other factors, we estimate that it could occur as early as 2 p.m” the operator states their findings “So basically, we need to eliminated the fruite by then.” Hasegawa summarizes as the operator nods.

“What if we were to snipe it from the air via chopper?” Captain Ashiro asks “I’m afraid that might prove difficult as well. Take a look at this if you would.” The operator then switches the pictures to the current state of Koshigaya city with raging plant yoju growing everywhere along with the honju leading them “These are the emerged honju and its yoju offshoots. They are deploying around the fruit and growing a a rapid pace.” The pictures switch one after another showing more and more of the damage the kaiju had currently done in the area “Their roots extend deep into the ground, while their tentacle-like trunks reach high into the sky. Any copter that approaches will likely get swatted down.” Vice-captain Itami sighs at the information “Taking to the sky is too risky...it seems attacking by land is our only option.” “If we can find a way to secure a line of fire, then i have no doubt we can eliminate the fruit.” Captain Ashiro exclaims “The density of the kaiju is the issue here. Not to mention their speed. I doubt dealing with them will be so straight-forward.” Hasegawa retorts.

The crowd begin to argue on their course of action till a yawn was heard from behind “You sure have some boring meetings” Narumi states, the noise of his console could be heard at the sudden silence of the people in the room. “The gist is simple, isn’t it? Just cut through the kaiju’s emergence point and destroy the fruit. Charging in guns blazing is the only solution. That is, unless you’ve got any better ideas?” the boy says uninterested as he looks to the crowd from his relaxed position in his chair “Narumi?! How did you get in here?! You weren’t invited to this meeting!” Hasegawa yells at Narumi who angrily shouts back “Where I go is my own business. This room’s got air-conditioning and a huge monitor. It’s perfect for gaming.” The door of the meeting room slams open as Hasegawa quite literally kicks Narumi out of the room with him landing at the feet of a bewildered Hoshiko who had just arrived.

Hasegawa briefly apologized to the people of the room as Narumi got up from the floor. Hoshiko turns to Narumi who was staring at the tall man, annoyed at the fact he was kicked out. “Gen, seriously, you can’t keep doing what you want!” the girl says firmly as she stood in front of his face as he let out a sigh of his own. “And another thing! This kaiju has a wide emergence area. Even if you were to deploy the entire first division, you wouldn’t be able to cover it all. Face it, you need my help.” Narumi says as if it were a matter-of-fact to which Hoshiko was quick to cover his mouth with her hand to prevent him from saying more but it proved to be futile as he struggled against her grip and managed to free his mouth “Well, what do you say, old man?” both Hoshiko and Hasegawa were fuming at this point, ‘This boy really doesn’t know when to quit, does he?!’ Hoshiko thought trying to cover his mouth again while Hasegawa put him into a headlock.

Captain Shinomiya stays silent as Vice-Captain Itami answers in his stead “Yes, this operation will require number of soldiers. That naturally means you’ll be on the front lines as well, Narumi. But bear this in mind. We receive a notice from headquarters yesterday. It stated and I quote “Officer Narumi’s problematic behavior has been picked up by the media and we simply can’t take it any longer.”” The boy mentioned could only widen his eyes and mutter out “What?” a scowl appears on the Vice Captains face as his tone turns cold sending chills down Hoshiko’s spine “If you cause any trouble on this mission, we’ll be forced to consider you formally discharged from our ranks.” Hoshiko lets out a gasp and Narumi stills in Hasegawa and Hoshiko’s hold. “Narumi.” Captain Shinomiya finally speaks up after his long silence “Manners, appearance, diligence, grace – none of that matters to me. I Have only one demand. Show me results and skill.” She could hear the boy chuckle as he held her hand out of the way of his mouth “I just gotta show results, right?” I might as well be playing on easy mode.” Narumi smiles as he says that.

Hasegawa’s platoon arrives at their positions later that day as Hasegawa stands tall in his full battle armor “I’ll give an overview of our mission once more. Were in charge zone F. we’ll be moving toward the fruit in the center region while striking down threats from the perimeter in tandem with other platoons. The honju’s core should be in this vicinity according to the estimate provided by the analysis team. I’ll advance and-“ Hasegawa was cut off by a loud yawn and Hoshiko of course knew who the culprit of that was “NARUMI, ARE YOU LISTENING?!” Hasegawa yelled at her friend while she could only deadpan ‘The damn mission hasn’t even started yet but Gen has me exhausted…’ “Ah, hold on a sec! I’m at the best part! I’m about to beat my best time-“ Narumi replied as he focused on his console but it was his turn to be cut off as Hasegawa kicked him for the second time that day for misbehaving and Hoshiko grabbing the console out of his hands keeping it in her pocket so he wouldn’t be able to use it again “GAAH!!! WHAT’RE YOU TWO DOING?! ARGH…YOU’RE MAKING ME LOSE LIVES!!” the girl scoffs as she glares at the boy that was kneeling on the ground “You can do this later. Right now, we have a job to do Gen.”

The platoon leader ignores his complains as he gives the boy instructions “She’s right. Now Narumi, give me backup along with the other officers.” The mentioned boy gives Hasegawa an uninterested stare as he questioned him “Me? Back you up? You’re kidding, right?” the man’s expression turns grim as he turned to face him completely “Have you forgotten that the upper base threatened to discharge you? The stipulation was that you don’t cause any trouble. Headquarters isn’t expecting you to produce spectacular results. What they want to see from you is teamwork. Refusing to work with other officers that isn’t Mitsuba isn’t going to cut it. You only need to perform as well as an average officer, so behave yourself and provide backup as you were ordered.” To the threat Narumi stretched in boredom and complained once more “Not even co-op play. Just regular old support, huh?” to end his statement he yawns out once more “What’s the matter with you? Sleep-deprived” Hasegawa comments so Hoshiko grabbed him by the collar and looked right at his face “You pulled another all-nighter on that new game you bought, didn’t you?” the girl interrogated as the one in her grasp lowered his head and removed her grip on his collar and started walking away.

“Platoon leader, are you sure it’s okay to let him do as he pleases?” a platoon member asked To Hasegawa as the man turned to the member of his team “He stayed up all night playing games. Theres no way he’s taking this seriously. I don’t want him dragging us down. Not to mention he already has a history of disrupting our missions.” The platoon member finished to which Hasegawa reassured them “Just let him be. Either way, his future is riding on this mission.” The man sighed and look at Hoshiko who saluted, knowing exactly what that look on the mans face was saying. He may show it through anger most of the time but he cared to at least make him stay, he did after all, have very promising potential. The look Hasegawa gave to the girl told her ‘Take care of him if he goes too far.’

-☆☆

[mariacallous]

Helicopter carrying Iran's President Raisi crashes, search under way

DUBAI, May 19 (Reuters) - A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister crashed on Sunday as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog, an Iranian official told Reuters, and rescuers were struggling to reach the site of the incident.

The official said the lives of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were "at risk following the helicopter crash", which happened on the way back from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan in Iran's northwest.

"We are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is very concerning," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power in the Islamic Republic, sought to reassure Iranians, saying there would be no disruption to state affairs.

Iranian state media said bad weather was the cause of the crash and was complicating rescue efforts. The chief of staff of Iran's army ordered all the resources of the army and the elite Revolutionary Guard to be put to use in search and rescue operations.

"It is dark and it has started raining, but the search continues. Rescue teams have reached the area ... however, the rain has created mud, making the search difficult," a local reporter told state TV.

State TV had earlier stopped all its regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi across the country and, in a corner of the screen, live coverage of rescue teams deployed on foot in the mountainous area in heavy fog.

The rescue teams were expected to reach the probable site of the crash later on Sunday evening.

Neighbouring countries expressed concern and offered assistance in any rescue. The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden had been briefed on reports about the crash. The European Union offered emergency satellite mapping technology to help Iran with the search.

HARDLINER SEEN AS POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR TO KHAMENEI

The crash comes at a time of growing dissent within Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises. Iran's clerical rulers face international pressure over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme and its deepening military ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine.

Since Iran's ally Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, provoking Israel's assault on Gaza, conflagrations involving Iran-aligned groups have erupted throughout the Middle East.

Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.

In Iran's dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is Raisi's 85-year-old mentor Khamenei, supreme leader since 1989, who has the final say on all major policies.

For years many have seen Raisi as a strong contender to succeed Khamenei, who has endorsed Raisi's main policies.

Raisi's victory in a closely managed election in 2021 brought all branches of power under the control of hardliners, after eight years when the presidency had been held by pragmatist Hassan Rouhani and a nuclear deal negotiated with Washington.

However, Raisi's standing may have been dented by widespread protests against clerical rule and a failure to turn around Iran's economy, hamstrung by Western sanctions.

Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border on Sunday to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam, a joint project. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, who said he had bid a "friendly farewell" to Raisi earlier in the day, offered assistance in the rescue.

[tobiasdrake]

Here at last. The Clockwork Castle. I am going to unleash ungodly amounts of violence in this place.

Rude. How am I supposed to unleash ungodly amounts of violence if you won't let me in the front gate? Guys? GUUUUUUUYS. Come on.

Assholes think they can keep me out. I'll have you know that when I set my mind to breaking noses, I can be very hard to discourage. Nothing is going to stop me from--

STORY TIME STORY TIME STORY TIME STORY TIME STORY TIME

Important clarifier. We are not the "prime" timeline, so to speak, that all of the branches split off of. There probably isn't a prime timeline.

Aephorul uses our reality as a war engine for feeding his efforts in other timelines.

Depending on how long ago TIA fractured reality, the other timelines might look vastly different from ours. I'm curious to see them now.

What, he didn't just send an Open Invite to all the best artisans and then magically compel them to build a village and remain in perpetuity to serve his efforts? That's what all the cool people do.

Yoyo.

Hold up, were the Three Sisters already a thing before Fleshy and TIA got to our timeline? Huh. I guess that makes sense, seeing as TIA discovered Solstice magic rather than creating it. The Three Sisters are in the same Category of Things as Solstice Warriors.

It just keeps surprising me how... all at once local and yet not TIA and Fleshy are. How godlike and yet how mundane. They just happened yesterday; They've been around forever. They're complicated.

Oh, not Yoyo.

The Watchmaker... Shit, I feel like I've heard that name before. The Watchmaker... the Watchmaker....

If no one could understand Aephorul's magic then how was the Watchmaker able to account for it in her schematics? Like. You've got two people designing a castle and neither really knows what the hell the other's doing; That's a recipe for flawed architectural design, even if they're both masters of their craft.

Ooo, sabotage. See, this is why Aephorul wanted people who are morally neutral. You don't get the same level of professional courtesy out of slaves forced to work at gunpoint.

Ohhhhhhh, good. Implication that the Watchmaker is still here, and adding fuel to the fire of my theory that Cael and the other kid geniuses are those dipshit Acolytes we keep transmuting into bloody stains on the grass.

"Whoops, my bad. I accidentally tripped over a cog and spun the entire mechanism into a blue-screen system crash. Sorry, I would have watched my step better but nobody understands how any of the magic here works so really, my ignorance is your fault."

Anyone inside the castle is functionally immortal but if you live here too long, you turn to sand and die when you walk out the front door. That would be difficult to get around for the Portal Bros.

So maybe they aren't the Acolytes? Unless those weirdass cultist suits counteract the effect in some way.

In any case, let's try not to spend a hundred years in there. This place sounds horrifying.

Having no idea they tried to trick him, he pulled some shit to make them more dependent on him anyway because he's a prick. Thus ensuring that his eternal workshop would always have a supply of hands to do the work, while unknowingly caging his own saboteurs in a pen with his critical workings.

Seems like the kind of thing that could bite him in the ass. Aephorul needs to learn to pay more attention.

That's what's throwing me about the "Maybe these kids are the Acolytes?" possibility. The Acolytes are pretty solidly in Aephorul's corner, but you'd think Cael and his gang would be coming up with more shenanigans to screw him over.

Yeah, that. They'd be doing that.

Between that and the "Can't leave the castle" thing, it seems very unlikely that Cael and the others are the Acolytes. I think that idea is solidly sunk.

So. Key takeaways:

1 - We have learned nothing about the Acolytes but a lot about their base of operations. Time is frozen in the castle but we shouldn't linger.

2 - The Watchmaker honestly doesn't give a shit one way or the other about any of this, but she is inside the castle. We might have to feed her some of her own teeth if she tries to start shit, but she's just as likely to let us do whatever as long as we don't get in the way of her own work.

Like Yoyo, she has no real allegiances whatsoever which makes her an ally to none but a valuable resource to anyone who knows which strings to pluck.

3 - Cael and his crew are also inside that castle and would be more than happy to help us ruin Fleshy's day.

Alright. I feel slightly more confident than I did before story time. Let's move out.

[winslete]

𝒫𝒪𝒞 ℌ𝔬𝔯𝔯𝔬𝔯 𝔖𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔬𝔱𝔶𝔭𝔢𝔰

Thank you so much for tagging me in this @nightlifeseries! I had too much fun imagining my characters in a horror film. ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)

Prompt by: @havenroyals

Cheyenne Lorde: (Crybaby/ Final Girl) Chy would be afraid of everything! Her sensitivity when it comes to danger will be the thing that saves her life, being the first in the group to run and not investigating ANY strange noises. Splitting up is never an option for her. And when the final confrontation happens, Chy's will to live outweighs any fear she might hold.

Penny Pizzazz: (Badass bestie, who didn't come to play!) I don't know how someone can mentally prepare for a situation where you have to fight for your life, but Penny came ready. Somehow, she knows mixed martial arts. Somehow, she knows how to hotwire a car. When did she learn? I don't know! But by the end of the night, Penny will be one of the few survivors.

Leopold Kramer: (Ride or Die) With Leo's rough upbringing, he's learned two life lessons. Trust your gut, and you get what you give. With Leo being the biggest and a quick thinker on his feet, he would naturally fall into the leader/protector role, always making sure to listen and go with what the group wants. Loyal until the end, Leo would be the one to sacrifice his life so that the remaining survivors could get away.

Alice Murphy: (Karma is a-) Alice is every horror movie cast's worst nightmare. She fights to be in charge only to give orders that get half of the group injured or killed. She has a nasty personality and a sharp tongue. And when she finally meets her demise, there will be a roar of applause from the audience.

Tyson Johnson: (The comic relief and Fan Favorite) Ty is the funny one who tries to make light of the dire situation they're in. His death will be devastating and hilarious, and he will live on in the hearts of everyone, becoming an overused internet meme.

Graclyn Lorde: (Brat that dies first) Difficult from her first moments on screen. She's gone before anyone could miss her.

Don Lothario: (*Beep* around and find out) The number one rule in most horror films is that if you have sex, you will die. *shrugs* I don't make the rules.

Angela Pleasant: (THAT 9-1-1 operator) We all know that the cops won't show up in time because of this character. We have 3% battery left on our phone, we're pleading for help, and she's still asking us about the nature of our call. When she finally starts to do her job and asks for our location… the phone dies.

Happy Early Halloween Everyone! ♥

I tag anyone who sees this and wants to join in on the fun!

[hitsuzenhusbands]

ohhh i havent posted properly in forever. heres a ~2k fic as an apology

aod has rlly grabbed me by the throat for the past few days, so. that resulted in. this!

yknow when ray is on eddie’s floor and she finds all of the victims files and one is a woman who was hanged on dannys floor. do you think about that because i think about that.

tw/cw for death, blood, gore, hanging, etc. etc. etc. pretty canon typical.

-

The grating shudders as she falls back against it, a sharp inhale of surprise and pain filling her lungs with shards of air. She groans, digging her hand into her opposite arm, grinding her teeth in a desperate attempt to ignore the pain reverberating through her arteries and the thick, wet blood gushing through her fingers. The scythe, she imagines, had made quite the gash, but how deep she wasn’t sure. She can’t bear to look at it—to face what might be nothing but ragged flesh dripping from the bone of her forearm, held only in place by her other hand. Bile bubbles in the back of her throat at the thought of having to peel her dismembered limb off the grimy floor of this rickety elevator, but she swallows it down. 

She doesn’t care where it leads to at this point, as long as it’s away from that thing.

She almost couldn’t tell what it was at first—all she could see was a flash of black, white, and red before enough light filtered through the cracks of the rundown buildings to catch the metal of its weapon. By then, it was too late. She was too busy running and tending to her cut arm to picture a face to match the ear splitting laugh that followed her all the way to the elevator.

An exit awaits her, she hopes. She sees, through a blur composed of tears and agony, a wide, open door with a promise of freedom. Dirty concrete replaced by lush green grass, buzzing lights giving way to blue sky—

A man at a desk, glasses crooked on his nose as he peers intently at the computer in front of him. 

The blood loss must be getting to her.

Nevertheless, she steps forward, linoleum tiles immediately clicking beneath her. The man, still, seems unbothered, mindlessly tapping his mouse as she approaches his desk. Eyes straining beneath the dim lights, she figures she’s in something akin to a doctor’s office, but no matter how harshly her heart pounds against her ribcage in a plea to get out of here and her distrust rises with the hair along the back of her neck, she’ll take what she can get—even if that only amounts to a frightening lobby and a man too engrossed in Solitaire to acknowledge her.

“Excuse me?” Her voice is hoarse, words catching in her throat and tearing at her larynx. 

It’s only now that he sees her, eyes darting quickly between her and the screen before he hastily switches to another tab—a chart, maybe, or a form. The brightness of it compared to the rest of the room is making it difficult to tell. “My apologies! How can I help you?” He says, proper and practiced. Perfect customer service, as though he’s done it a thousand times over. As if to prove this point, he begins typing halfway through his sentence, keyboard clacking incessantly, the sound ricocheting against her skull.

“I…Need to see a doctor.”

“For what, may I—?” He’s turned to look at her, finally. Pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with the tip of his finger and swiveled in his chair, only to catch sight of her wound. How he didn’t hear her blood dripping steadily against his bleach-scented floor, she doesn’t know. “Oh. Oh dear.” Concern only crosses his expression for a moment before he’s offering her a warm smile and standing from his chair. Without a second of delay, he guides her past the desk and down a hallway, hand gently placed on her unharmed shoulder until he gets her into something of an operating room and convinces her with a soft gesture of his hands to sit on the center table.

She does so, as if she had any other choice, and watches intently as he rifles through his drawers. Lightheaded as she is, she still catches sight of the jars lined up across the countertops, contents she can’t quite identify bobbing within them.

“Here we are.” He’s back, with his sterile smile and gleaming eyes. He sets his supplies on the table before he gets to work. She looks away when he wipes the wound clean, willing herself not to vomit. “So, what’s the story?”

God, if only she knew.

“I…A man, I think, chased me.”

He hums knowingly. The sound is just enough to draw her attention away from the stinging of the needle piercing her skin. She feels his fingers delicately wave her back together, pressing her flesh back into place. “Must have been a serial killer.”

The way he says it—so simply. Yes, of course, it must have been.

The string snaps cleanly. He wraps her with bandages so that she can stand to look at it without heaving, which she does as soon as he steps back, carefully flexing her arm and testing her limits. It’s stiff, naturally, and spikes of pain still flood her nerves, but at the very least the man before her isn’t trying to kill her this time.

“Would you mind if I performed a proper check-up?” He asks once he’s done. “Just to make sure you’re all set.”

She hesitates, drawing her arm into herself and resting it on her legs. There is something about him, something she can’t place. The way he holds himself stark upright, hands neatly folded in front of him, nothing short of a smile across his face. He tilts his head ever-so slightly when he speaks, his sentences carefully chosen and never anything but comforting.

It’s almost disarming. “I really should be going—”

“Please, I insist!” He raises his hands slightly. “I would hate to find out a patient of mine walked out of my office possibly injured.”

He could be right. In truth, the only thing she can feel is the pulsing of her arm—who knows how many bruises and cuts sprawl across the rest of her,  bleeding and infected. “Alright.”

The delight he finds in this is unreserved, as he clasps his hands together and carefully begins his examination. It’s nothing out of the ordinary—he looks into her ears, puts a stick on her tongue—and as expected, she’s perfectly fine.

“I didn’t happen to introduce myself, did I?” He announces suddenly, hammer hovering over her knee. She shakes her head. “Must have gotten lost in the whole arm-almost-got-cut-off business.” He chuckles to himself at his own joke. The hammer lightly knocks against her leg. This is extremely unnecessary, she finds, but a moment wasted resting in safety is better than a moment wasted with a murderer on your trail. “I’m Dr. Danny.” 

She goes to tell him hers, only to stop the moment he rises to his feet and places the hammer on the table with a sharp metal click. He leans forward towards her, lightly dragging her hair away from her face before he jabs his fingers into her cheek and forehead and pulls her eyelids apart. “Hey—”

“I wanted to be an ophthalmologist, you know.”  Her attempts to pull away are futile, stalled by the iron grip he has on her head. Still, she pulls—nearly knocking her skull against the slab when he lets go and gives her the opportunity to scramble backwards, cursing her injury for the flaring pain that crawls across her skin and buries itself in her veins. “So that I could gaze into as many eyes as I wanted. But that didn’t work out.” He taps under his right eye, a faint smile fluttering across his lips. “Besides, it’s so difficult to find the eyes I’m looking for, anyway.”

“What are you talking about—?”

“But you—” He continues, like he didn’t hear her. He’s taken a stance at the edge of the table now, hands pressed into the corners while he stares directly at her. “They’d be perfect, if only…”

She has to get out of here. It doesn’t matter anymore, how much kindness he has shown her, how many stitches are in her arm, how many will snap—she’s got a will to live, goddammit, and whatever is wrong with this man won’t stop her. She pulls her legs up onto the table in a burst of adrenaline and kicks back until she can slide off of it. He startles, apparently confused by her sudden fighting spirit, but she doesn’t let that stop her from bolting towards the door, dashing just past him, wrapping her fingers around the frame, and—

-

Daniel Dickens is a scientist at heart.

That is to say, he takes great pleasure in experimenting. 

His collection certainly has benefited from it. Not just in his method of preservation (a whole month was spent once, researching formaldehyde exclusively) but in his method of collection. 

He prefers something simple. He goes right for the eyes, mostly, and whatever happens after that is left up to fate—or rather, the person themself, whether they spend their time applying pressure to the wounds or flailing aimlessly around his room, destroying as much of it as they can before collapsing.

Stabbing is effective. Messy, though. Then again, not as messy as immediate eye removal, but he’s never been one for dish washing, and visible knives tend to disturb his patients before he can begin the procedure.

Guns, chainsaws, scythes—he can’t stand the thought. To think he might miss and hit his trophies makes him sick.

But this.

This is worth experimenting with.

The newest sacrifice isn’t exactly any more interesting than the rest. Her eyes are blue, yes, but dull. They reek of stagnation, contentedness with a normal life, of days and nights that repeat over and over so much so that this sudden change in routine has only awoken in her a desire to go back. Still, he admires that flare—that flicker of a survivor's instinct that burns deep within her and sends ripples into her otherwise unbecoming eyes.

And he thinks, perhaps, with this, he can make them exactly how he wants them.

She runs from him, as most tend to do, but she barely gets a foot out of the door. He grabs the rope tucked into his lab coat and pulls it tight around her neck, dragging her back into the operating room enough so he can push her against the floor, fraying threads cutting deep lines into her throat already. She’s drowned out by the force, instead mindlessly grabbing at him.

But this isn’t it. This isn’t how she will die—with eyes that barely spark at the prospect of escape.

He releases it enough for her to gasp, a wheeze that pierces her lungs and stuns her long enough for him to tie the noose. As a precaution, he shuts the door before he hangs it just above a desk chair tucked against the side of the room, his own breath catching in his throat at the prospect of what he’s about to do.

She struggles beneath him as he picks her up, half-dragging her kicking and screaming until he can pull her onto the chair and situate her head within the neck hole. “My mother,” He says somberly, tightening it in spite of her cries. “She did this to herself. I only wonder…If the despair she felt may be shared by you.”

Her neck doesn’t snap. Instead, she claws helplessly at the knot, kicking and gurgling. 

Her eyes don’t change.

Once she goes limp, they’re just as they were—dull. Ordinary. Unremarkable.

Hypothesis disproved, he sighs to himself before delving his fingers into her sockets and removing his prize, some sort of nostalgia stirring within him.

[himanshu123]

Top Challenges in Hybrid App Development and How to Overcome Them 

Hybrid app development has become increasingly popular as businesses look for cost-effective and efficient solutions to develop apps for multiple platforms. A hybrid app is essentially a single application that works seamlessly across different operating systems such as iOS, Android, and the web. A hybrid app development company typically uses web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create apps that work across a wide range of devices. However, as convenient as hybrid app development may sound, it comes with its own set of challenges. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top challenges in hybrid app development and how businesses can overcome them. 

1. Performance Issues 

One of the most common challenges in hybrid app development is performance. Native apps tend to perform better because they are designed specifically for one operating system, making them more efficient. On the other hand, hybrid apps rely on web technologies and can suffer from slower load times, laggy animations, and lower overall performance. 

How to Overcome: To mitigate performance issues, developers should use optimized frameworks such as React Native, Flutter, or Ionic. These frameworks allow for native performance and access to device hardware without compromising performance. Another strategy is to minimize the use of complex animations and graphics that can strain the system. Additionally, adopting a modular approach to development, with features split into smaller manageable pieces, can improve the overall speed and efficiency of the app. 

2. Device Compatibility and Fragmentation 

Hybrid apps are expected to run across different devices, which means they must work on various screen sizes, resolutions, and hardware configurations. The challenge arises when certain features or functionalities do not perform well on some devices, or when the app doesn’t render correctly on different screen sizes. The device fragmentation, especially with Android devices, can be a major pain point in hybrid app development. 

How to Overcome: To handle device compatibility, developers should focus on responsive design principles and ensure that the app adjusts to various screen sizes and resolutions. They can use tools like media queries in CSS and build flexible layouts that adapt to different devices. Additionally, thorough testing across a wide range of devices and platforms will help identify and fix issues early. Developers should also ensure they are using the latest SDKs and frameworks, which often include updates to address compatibility issues. 

3. Limited Access to Native Device Features 

While hybrid apps can access some device features through APIs, they do not have the same level of access as native apps. For instance, accessing features such as Bluetooth, advanced camera functions, or specific hardware sensors can be limited in hybrid apps. This can impact the functionality of an app that relies heavily on such features. 

How to Overcome: To overcome this limitation, developers should use hybrid frameworks that provide enhanced access to native device features. For example, frameworks like React Native and Flutter offer deep integration with the device’s operating system, allowing developers to utilize native APIs. If a certain feature is not supported by the framework, developers can also build custom plugins or use existing third-party plugins to bridge the gap and provide full access to the necessary device features. 

4. UI/UX Challenges 

User experience is crucial for the success of any mobile application, and hybrid apps often face challenges in providing the same level of user experience as native apps. Achieving a smooth and responsive UI that adapts well to both iOS and Android can be difficult. Differences in design guidelines between platforms also present challenges in creating a consistent look and feel. 

How to Overcome: The solution to this issue is to adopt a platform-specific design strategy, which means adhering to the design guidelines of each platform while maintaining a consistent overall user experience. For example, on Android, the Material Design principles should be followed, while on iOS, Human Interface Guidelines should be prioritized. By tailoring the design to each platform, developers can create a UI that feels native, while still using a common codebase. 

5. App Maintenance and Updates 

Since hybrid apps depend on web technologies, keeping them up-to-date and maintaining their performance can be a challenge. Hybrid apps require updates to both the codebase and the frameworks they are built on. Additionally, with rapid updates from operating systems like iOS and Android, developers must continually adjust the hybrid app to maintain compatibility. 

How to Overcome: The key to handling maintenance and updates effectively is to choose a hybrid app development framework that is actively maintained and supported. For example, React Native and Flutter are constantly updated, offering bug fixes and performance improvements. Developers should also create a robust testing process to ensure that after every update, the app performs as expected. Regular updates, thorough testing, and using modular code will help ensure smooth ongoing maintenance. 

6. Complex Development Process 

Developing a hybrid app is not as simple as writing a single codebase and expecting it to run flawlessly on every platform. In reality, hybrid app development involves balancing different platforms’ needs, ensuring compatibility, and addressing device-specific nuances. The development process can be complex, especially if you are trying to incorporate advanced features. 

How to Overcome: The best way to simplify the development process is to collaborate with experienced professionals at a hybrid app development company. These experts can help streamline the development process, select the right technologies, and integrate key features with ease. Additionally, using pre-built templates or modules can accelerate the development timeline and reduce complexity. 

Mobile App Cost Calculator: When budgeting for a hybrid app development project, it's important to have a clear understanding of costs. A mobile app cost calculator can help provide a rough estimate of how much it will cost to develop an app based on its features, complexity, and the platforms you want to target. While this tool won’t give you an exact figure, it will help you understand the range of costs involved. 

7. Security Concerns 

Security is always a top priority when it comes to mobile app development, and hybrid apps are no exception. Since hybrid apps rely on web technologies, they can be more vulnerable to security threats, such as data breaches or code injection attacks. 

How to Overcome: To address security concerns, developers should follow best practices such as encrypting sensitive data, using secure APIs, and implementing authentication protocols like OAuth. Regular security audits and code reviews should be part of the development process to identify and address any vulnerabilities. 

conclusion  

hybrid app development offers a great way for businesses to reach a wider audience across different platforms. However, to overcome the challenges it presents, it’s important to work with a reputable hybrid app development services that can guide you through the complexities of the process. By choosing the right frameworks, conducting thorough testing, and ensuring proper security measures, you can create a successful hybrid app that meets your business needs. 

[aproblemforlater]

Split Screen Week 10

The split screen layout has been done now, but as expected, there are multiple problems. The team is also making the push to have this integrated by testing, which is tomorrow. Since I created all the systems which are having issues, I will have to be the one which fixes it, and although have an idea on how to fix it, this means that all the systems will  now have to include Dependency injection, since the class it will be operating on is not guaranteed anymore with there being more than one player, and more than one UI. I could simply create another instance of the classes which control UI and player timing, but I feel like it would make more sense to have a centralized class which performs operations on data, and have data containers to pass into the class. Like discussed in week 8, this seems more necessary than ever, since we will need to be performing different operations on a set of dynamic data.

For this, I created the Player class. This simply holds data about the player, including their controller, vehicle, and Timing data. From here, we can access any player specific data that we need.

Now the workflow will be using iterative development to find issues and fix the implementation using Dependency injection.

While this was very slow to do, I have never created a system which can accommodate more than one player. This has been a great learning experience for me though, and while I managed to achieve what I needed to do In order to fix our problems, I do feel this implementation may be unstable, has too much dependency for it to be able to work reliably, especially since now if there is an error, it Is harder to identify where the error is being thrown from.

Because there has been such big changes in recent weeks, I feel like I should spend some time reviewing the game design document, and updating systems that may have changed.

It feels like progress has slowed down this week. While we did develop a functioning split screen, the majority of this was only refactoring classes instead of adding anything new. To add to this, I think the way the refactoring has been implemented may introduce some challenges later in the development cycle when adding more features, although new classes will have to use the design we are using now in order to integrate with the rest of the game systems.

Summary:

Split screen layout has been developed, but many errors and bugs now appear.

The biggest problem is that classes only work with one dependency, so a new data class has been made to fix these issues.

Dependency injection will be used to use the data held in the classes.

Iterative design is becoming slower, as when errors appear, it can be difficult to find the cause when multiple systems are involved.

I feel as though this quick change to the code structure may have brought some instability with it and will take time to test and iron out all problems.

Development has slowed down due to refactoring existing classes which were not prepared to accommodate the next step of development.

[foggynightdonut]

How our Reality is created : double slit experiment

March 10, 2017 11 Comments

There is something fascinating going on in the world, hidden deep beneath the noise of Trump, soccer matches, and Game of Thrones. It is an exploration into the nature of reality – what is making the world tick?

To cut to the chase, it appears that our reality is being dynamically generated based on an ultra-sophisticated algorithm that takes into account not just the usual cause/effect context (as materialists believe), and conscious observation and intent (as idealists believe), but also a complex array of reality configuration probabilities so as to be optimally efficient.

Wait, what?

This philosophical journey has its origins in the well-known double slit experiment, originally done by Thomas Young in 1801 to determine that light had wavelike properties. In 1961, the experiment was performed with electrons, which also showed wavelike properties. The experimental setup involved shooting electrons through a screen containing two thin vertical slits. The wave nature of the particles was manifested in the form of an interference pattern on a screen that was placed on the other side of the double slit screen. It was a curious result but confirmed quantum theory. In 1974, the experiment was performed one electron at a time, with the same resulting interference pattern, which showed that it was not the electrons that interfered with each other, but rather a probabilistic spatial distribution function that was followed by the pattern on the screen. Quantum theory predicted that if a detector was placed at each of the slits so as to determine which slit each electron would go through, the interference pattern would disappear and just leave two vertical lines, due to the quantum complementarity principle. This was difficult to create in the lab, but experiments in the 1980s confirmed expectations – that the “which way did the particle go” measurement killed the interference pattern. The mystery was that the mere act of observation seemed to change the results of the experiment.

So, at this point, people who were interested in how the universe works effectively split into two camps, representing two fundamental philosophies that set the foundation for thinking, analysis, hypothesis, and theorizing:

Objective Materialism

Subjective Idealism

A zillion web pages can be found for each category.

The problem is that most scientists, and probably at least 99% of all outspoken science trolls believe in Materialism.  And “believe” is the operative word.  Because there is ZERO proof that Materialism is correct.  Nor is there proof that Idealism is correct.  So, “believe” is all that can be done.  Although, as the massive amount of evidence leans in favor of Idealism, it is fair to say that those believers at least have the scientific method behind them, whereas materialists just have “well gosh, it sure seems like we live in a deterministic world.” What is interesting is that Materialism can be falsified, but I’m not sure that Idealism can be.  The Materialist camp had plenty of theories to explain the paradox of the double slit experiments – alternative interpretations of quantum mechanics, local hidden variables, non-local hidden variables, a variety of loopholes, or simply the notion that the detector took energy from the particles and impacted the results of the experiment (as has been said, when you put a thermometer in a glass of water, you aren’t measuring the temperature of the water, you are measuring the temperature of the water with a thermometer in it.)

Over the years, the double-slit experiment has been progressively refined to the point where most of the materialistic arguments have been eliminated. For example, there is now the delayed choice quantum eraser experiment, which puts the “which way” detectors after the interference screen, making it impossible for the detector to physically interfere with the outcome of the experiment. And, one by one, all of the hidden variable possibilities and loopholes have been disproven. In 2015, several experiments were performed independently that closed all loopholes simultaneously with both photons and electrons. Since all of these various experimental tests over the years have shown that objective realism is false and non-local given the experimenters choices, the only other explanation could be what John Bell called Super-determinism, a universe completely devoid of free will, running like clockwork playing out a fully predetermined script of events. If true, this would bring about the extremely odd result that the universe is set up to ensure that the outcomes of these experiments imply the opposite to how the universe really works. But I digress…

The net result is that Materialism-based theories on reality are being chipped away experiment by experiment.  Those that believe in Materialist dogma are finding themselves being painted into an ever-shrinking philosophical corner. But Idealism-based theories are huge with possibilities, very few of which have been falsified experimentally.

Physicist and fellow digital philosopher, Tom Campbell, has boldly suggested a number of double slit experiments that can probe the nature of reality a little deeper. Tom, like me, believes that consciousness plays a key role in the nature of and creation of our reality. So much so that he believes that the outcome of the double slit experiments is due strictly to the conscious observation of the which-way detector data. In other words, if no human (or “sufficiently conscious” entity) observes the data, the interference pattern should remain. Theoretically, one could save the data to a file, store the file on a disk, hide the disk in a box and the interference pattern would remain on the screen. Open the box a day later and the interference pattern should automatically disappear, effectively rewriting history with the knowledge of the paths of the particles. His ideas have incurred the wrath of the physics trolls, who are quick to point out that regardless of the fact that humans ever read the data, the interference pattern is gone if the detectors record the data. The data can be destroyed, or not even written to a permanent medium, and the interference pattern would be gone. If these claims are true, it does not prove Materialism at all. But it does infer something very interesting.

From this and many many other categories of evidence it is strongly likely that our reality is dynamically being generated. Quantum entanglement, quantum zeno effect, and the observer effect all look very much like artifacts of an efficient system that dynamically creates reality as needed. It is the “as needed” part of this assertion that is most interesting. I shall refer to that which creates reality as “the system.”

Entanglement happens because when a two-particle-generating event occurs, it is efficient to create two particles using the same instance of a finite state machine and, therefore, when it is needed to determine the properties of one, the properties of the other are automatically known, as detailed in my blog post on entanglement. The quantum zeno effect happens because it is more efficient to reset the probability function each time an observation is made, as detailed in my blog post on quantum zeno. And so what about the double slit mystery? To illuminate, see the diagram below.

If the physicists are right, reality comes into existence at point 4 in the diagram. Why would that be? The paths of the particles are apparently not needed for the experience of the conscious observer, but rather to satisfy the consistency of the experiment. The fact that the detector registers the data is enough to create the reality. Perhaps the system “realizes” that it is less efficient to leave hanging experiments all over the place until a human “opens the envelope” than it is to instantiate real electron paths despite the unlikely possibility of data deletion. Makes logical sense to me. But it also indicates a sophisticated awareness of all of the probabilities of how the reality can play out out vis a vis potential human interactions.

The system is really smart.

[jcmarchi]

How AI Influences Critical Human Decisions

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/how-ai-influences-critical-human-decisions/

How AI Influences Critical Human Decisions

A recent study from the University of California, Merced, has shed light on a concerning trend: our tendency to place excessive trust in AI systems, even in life-or-death situations.

As AI continues to permeate various aspects of our society, from smartphone assistants to complex decision-support systems, we find ourselves increasingly relying on these technologies to guide our choices. While AI has undoubtedly brought numerous benefits, the UC Merced study raises alarming questions about our readiness to defer to artificial intelligence in critical situations.

The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, reveals a startling propensity for humans to allow AI to sway their judgment in simulated life-or-death scenarios. This finding comes at a crucial time when AI is being integrated into high-stakes decision-making processes across various sectors, from military operations to healthcare and law enforcement.

The UC Merced Study

To investigate human trust in AI, researchers at UC Merced designed a series of experiments that placed participants in simulated high-pressure situations. The study’s methodology was crafted to mimic real-world scenarios where split-second decisions could have grave consequences.

Methodology: Simulated Drone Strike Decisions

Participants were given control of a simulated armed drone and tasked with identifying targets on a screen. The challenge was deliberately calibrated to be difficult but achievable, with images flashing rapidly and participants required to distinguish between ally and enemy symbols.

After making their initial choice, participants were presented with input from an AI system. Unbeknownst to the subjects, this AI advice was entirely random and not based on any actual analysis of the images.

Two-thirds Swayed by AI Input

The results of the study were striking. Approximately two-thirds of participants changed their initial decision when the AI disagreed with them. This occurred despite participants being explicitly informed that the AI had limited capabilities and could provide incorrect advice.

Professor Colin Holbrook, a principal investigator of the study, expressed concern over these findings: “As a society, with AI accelerating so quickly, we need to be concerned about the potential for overtrust.”

Varied Robot Appearances and Their Impact

The study also explored whether the physical appearance of the AI system influenced participants’ trust levels. Researchers used a range of AI representations, including:

A full-size, human-looking android present in the room

A human-like robot projected on a screen

Box-like robots with no anthropomorphic features

Interestingly, while the human-like robots had a marginally stronger influence when advising participants to change their minds, the effect was relatively consistent across all types of AI representations. This suggests that our tendency to trust AI advice extends beyond anthropomorphic designs and applies even to clearly non-human systems.

Implications Beyond the Battlefield

While the study used a military scenario as its backdrop, the implications of these findings stretch far beyond the battlefield. The researchers emphasize that the core issue – excessive trust in AI under uncertain circumstances – has broad applications across various critical decision-making contexts.

Law Enforcement Decisions: In law enforcement, the integration of AI for risk assessment and decision support is becoming increasingly common. The study’s findings raise important questions about how AI recommendations might influence officers’ judgment in high-pressure situations, potentially affecting decisions about the use of force.

Medical Emergency Scenarios: The medical field is another area where AI is making significant inroads, particularly in diagnosis and treatment planning. The UC Merced study suggests a need for caution in how medical professionals integrate AI advice into their decision-making processes, especially in emergency situations where time is of the essence and the stakes are high.

Other High-Stakes Decision-Making Contexts: Beyond these specific examples, the study’s findings have implications for any field where critical decisions are made under pressure and with incomplete information. This could include financial trading, disaster response, or even high-level political and strategic decision-making.

The key takeaway is that while AI can be a powerful tool for augmenting human decision-making, we must be wary of over-relying on these systems, especially when the consequences of a wrong decision could be severe.

The Psychology of AI Trust

The UC Merced study’s findings raise intriguing questions about the psychological factors that lead humans to place such high trust in AI systems, even in high-stakes situations.

Several factors may contribute to this phenomenon of “AI overtrust”:

The perception of AI as inherently objective and free from human biases

A tendency to attribute greater capabilities to AI systems than they actually possess

The “automation bias,” where people give undue weight to computer-generated information

A possible abdication of responsibility in difficult decision-making scenarios

Professor Holbrook notes that despite the subjects being told about the AI’s limitations, they still deferred to its judgment at an alarming rate. This suggests that our trust in AI may be more deeply ingrained than previously thought, potentially overriding explicit warnings about its fallibility.

Another concerning aspect revealed by the study is the tendency to generalize AI competence across different domains. As AI systems demonstrate impressive capabilities in specific areas, there’s a risk of assuming they’ll be equally proficient in unrelated tasks.

“We see AI doing extraordinary things and we think that because it’s amazing in this domain, it will be amazing in another,” Professor Holbrook cautions. “We can’t assume that. These are still devices with limited abilities.”

This misconception could lead to dangerous situations where AI is trusted with critical decisions in areas where its capabilities haven’t been thoroughly vetted or proven.

The UC Merced study has also sparked a crucial dialogue among experts about the future of human-AI interaction, particularly in high-stakes environments.

Professor Holbrook, a key figure in the study, emphasizes the need for a more nuanced approach to AI integration. He stresses that while AI can be a powerful tool, it should not be seen as a replacement for human judgment, especially in critical situations.

“We should have a healthy skepticism about AI,” Holbrook states, “especially in life-or-death decisions.” This sentiment underscores the importance of maintaining human oversight and final decision-making authority in critical scenarios.

The study’s findings have led to calls for a more balanced approach to AI adoption. Experts suggest that organizations and individuals should cultivate a “healthy skepticism” towards AI systems, which involves:

Recognizing the specific capabilities and limitations of AI tools

Maintaining critical thinking skills when presented with AI-generated advice

Regularly assessing the performance and reliability of AI systems in use

Providing comprehensive training on the proper use and interpretation of AI outputs

Balancing AI Integration and Human Judgment

As we continue to integrate AI into various aspects of decision-making, responsible AI and finding the right balance between leveraging AI capabilities and maintaining human judgment is crucial.

One key takeaway from the UC Merced study is the importance of consistently applying doubt when interacting with AI systems. This doesn’t mean rejecting AI input outright, but rather approaching it with a critical mindset and evaluating its relevance and reliability in each specific context.

To prevent overtrust, it’s essential that users of AI systems have a clear understanding of what these systems can and cannot do. This includes recognizing that:

AI systems are trained on specific datasets and may not perform well outside their training domain

The “intelligence” of AI does not necessarily include ethical reasoning or real-world awareness

AI can make mistakes or produce biased results, especially when dealing with novel situations

Strategies for Responsible AI Adoption in Critical Sectors

Organizations looking to integrate AI into critical decision-making processes should consider the following strategies:

Implement robust testing and validation procedures for AI systems before deployment

Provide comprehensive training for human operators on both the capabilities and limitations of AI tools

Establish clear protocols for when and how AI input should be used in decision-making processes

Maintain human oversight and the ability to override AI recommendations when necessary

Regularly review and update AI systems to ensure their continued reliability and relevance

The Bottom Line

The UC Merced study serves as a crucial wake-up call about the potential dangers of excessive trust in AI, particularly in high-stakes situations. As we stand on the brink of widespread AI integration across various sectors, it’s imperative that we approach this technological revolution with both enthusiasm and caution.

The future of human-AI collaboration in decision-making will need to involve a delicate balance. On one hand, we must harness the immense potential of AI to process vast amounts of data and provide valuable insights. On the other, we must maintain a healthy skepticism and preserve the irreplaceable elements of human judgment, including ethical reasoning, contextual understanding, and the ability to make nuanced decisions in complex, real-world scenarios.

As we move forward, ongoing research, open dialogue, and thoughtful policy-making will be essential in shaping a future where AI enhances, rather than replaces, human decision-making capabilities. By fostering a culture of informed skepticism and responsible AI adoption, we can work towards a future where humans and AI systems collaborate effectively, leveraging the strengths of both to make better, more informed decisions in all aspects of life.

[riveroak-tanuj]

2024 Ram 3500 Laramie for Sale | 2024 Ram 3500 Laramie

2024 Ram 3500 Laramie for Sale, The 2024 Ram 3500 is the most modern Ram pickup yet, with updated technology that keeps it up to date with the latest advancements in driver safety and control. The full-color digital cluster display includes 3D visuals and can be readily customised to meet your needs. Its 12-inch screen allows you to see car statistics, notifications, and navigation options whenever you need them. Caravan information is also provided, such as light check, brake status, and even vehicle dynamics, to assist in maintaining stability.

The Ram 3500 also includes a number of appealing interior design features that will keep you and your passengers comfortable on the road. The active noise cancellation system reduces outside noise for a more comfortable ride, and the 900-watt Harman Kardon premium audio system features 17 speakers for an immersive musical experience. There is also an air filtration system that reduces the number of external pollutants that enter the building, which is especially effective in busy work areas. The back seating is customisable, with options for three-across, single fold, and double fold. The seats are constructed with a 40/20/40 split-fold, allowing you to quickly modify them as needed.

Despite its strong capabilities and quality features, the 2024 Ram 3500 Laramie is surprisingly inexpensive when compared to its competition. With reasonable pricing and numerous incentives, owning a top-of-the-line heavy-duty vehicle has never been more affordable.

Regular maintenance and repair from authorised dealerships and service centres will keep your Ram 3500 Laramie operating well for many years to come. With professional technicians and original OEM components, you can be confident that your truck is in capable hands each time you visit. The 2024 Ram 3500 Laramie expands on the popularity of its predecessors, providing improved performance, comfort, and capabilities. With enhancements in every area, this latest generation establishes a new benchmark for excellence in the heavy-duty vehicle segment.

The Ram 3500 Laramie is unafraid of a challenge. With a maximum towing capability of over 37,000 pounds and a payload capacity of over 7,500 pounds, it is capable of handling even the most difficult loads. Whether you're towing a heavy trailer or a load of construction goods, the Laramie does the job. The Ram 3500 Laramie was designed with durability in mind. Its heavy-duty suspension and strong frame ensure that it can resist the rigours of daily use, making it a dependable companion for years to come.