#problem is that the data taking runs even while the experiment is off so we have a LOT of empty data

[relto]

32 terabyte raw data.. maybe the storage IS full after all....

[rhonuscorner]

SO, ABOUT THAT ART GIVE AWAY I'M HOSTING

I'm very sorry to say I have to cancel it due to circumstances beyond my control.

The main reason for this is that my PC, on which I do 99% of my art, broke down a few weeks ago and it's gonna be probably at least another month before I get it back. Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be sooner than that but I'm not holding out any hope, I've been having nothing but bad luck lately lmao.

Longer description of what's been going on is under the cut (which I'm also going to use as an excuse to rant about it because I've been very frustrated lmao) but yeah.

I've been using my old laptop since and I still have my old art tablet, but I've been holding off on doing art on it. Motivation issues aside, I don't really enjoy doing art on it (my PC spoiled me lol) and I also don't have access to my usual art resources, like Clip Studio Paint (I know I can swap devices but I'm not going to). I haven't been able to work on any of the MerMay stuff I had planned, I have a huge back log of AU art I wanna do and I have to prepare for Art Fight... and now I don't know if I'm gonna have enough time for that either so I'll postpone that to next year. Sucks because I've never participated in Art Fight before and I was really looking forward to joining, but it is what it is (I swear this has become the motto I live by lately).

I was going to draw give-away winners in a week, but I'm at a point where adding planned art onto what I already have and want to do is just causing me stress, especially because it concerns art for other people. So for the sake of my sanity and what little motivation I still have, I have to cancel the give-away. :(

I'm really sorry to everyone who signed up to participate, and massive thanks to those who did sign up. Maybe I'll re-run it in the future.

So my PC broke down on the 21st of April. It worked perfectly fine the day before but that morning it kept hanging on the same screen during start-up and I couldn't figure out why. I can solve simple problems like the rare blue-screen but I'm not tech-savvy enough to deal with hardware and messing with the BIOS is way beyond my comfort zone.

So I called my brother, who is very tech-savvy and he came to my place to take a look where he spent the next 3 hours trying to locate the issue. No matter what we did, we could not even get the PC to boot from a USB to run a repair, the BIOS wouldn't save changes we made, it was a mess.

He ended up taking my PC over to his place where he had the proper tools to figure it all out. At the time we thought it was a processor issue, since all the signs pointed to that being the culprit.

Turns out it was one of my hard drives 🙄 If only we had thought to just remove those one by one while the PC was still at my place, because it booted up just fine once we removed the dead one. Didn't occur to us at the time, yes we were dumb. And yes, I lost a whole bunch of stuff (we tried to recover data but to no avail) but that's the least of my concerns. Anyway, he ran some tests, checked out all my other hardware and drives and everything got a clean bill of health but we figured, since my PC was already at his place anyway, he might as well run a full systems check too, stabilization tests, all that good stuff. Some good ol TLC for my beloved hard working PC. He also needed to put in a new SSD and order new thermal paste because he'd taken off the processor.

Due to annoying circumstances, that order took a while to arrive.

He then messaged me last monday that for some reason, even with the new thermal paste applied, my processor was running really hot and he couldn't figure out why. So he was going to immediately order a new, bigger tube and try again.

My hope was that by the end of this week I'd be able to pick my PC up, back in perfect working order.

My brother messaged me again yesterday when I came home in the evening to tell me he fucked up. Even with all of his experience and skill, he's not immune to making a mistake. He told me some of the thermal paste got into the port on the motherboard the processor connects onto (or something to that effect) and while he was able to clean it with isopropyl, two of the little pins there accidentally broke off. That's not something he can fix. My motherboard is completely borked now.

I'm not mad at him or anything, accidents happen (he's already mad enough at himself), but it sucks big time.

The motherboard has to be replaced which is not something he's comfortable doing right now (understandable), so my PC will have to go back to where it was built... which causes a whole slew of new problems relating to transport which I don't care to get into right now (lets just say, bad previous experiences), plus the fact that my warranty ended in February.

I don't know what the costs are gonna be at this moment and while yes, my brother offered to cover everything since he's the one who broke it, I told him we'll split it. He's already done so much for me, gifted me the new SSD and made other costs he won't let me pay for (like the thermal paste and the thingemabob he ordered to recover data from dead drives). I have the best bro ❤️

So yeah. I'm gonna be stressing about this big time until my PC is safely back home, fully functional.

Until then, ugh :')

[covid-safer-hotties]

Noah Lyles' collapse underscores our collective COVID denial - Published Aug 10, 2024

Read the full story at either link! (covidsafehotties archive is always free of pesky in-line ads!)

We keep pretending that the pandemic is done and over, but it keeps knocking us off our feet

The 2024 Olympic Games are serving up some less-than-subtle metaphors for how poorly we handle public health. Just after winning a bronze medal in the much-anticipated men's 200-meter race, U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles collapsed on the track in exhaustion — not just because he’d completed a brutal run in just 19.7 seconds, finishing third, but also because he was sick with COVID-19, a diagnosis that he’d concealed from others. He had been favored to take home gold, as he did in the 100-meter race a few days earlier.

But seeing an American Olympic star sprawled out and gasping on the track, and then taken away in a wheelchair, was more than a shocking image. It also represented the general “mission accomplished” attitude toward SARS-CoV-2: We think we’ve won against this virus and we haven’t.

COVID isn’t just spreading like wildfire through the Olympic Village in Paris — we are undergoing surges across the globe, with the World Health Organization tracking steep rises in infections in 84 countries. After more than four years fighting this thing, it is still knocking us out.

In some parts of the U.S., the amount of COVID is so high that experts are claiming this summer surge is on par with winter waves of the virus. But none of this should be unexpected at this point. This is no longer the “novel” coronavirus that once terrified people with its unpredictability. We know how it behaves, with surges in both summer and winter, and we know how to fight against it — yet our apparent strategy at the moment is to pretend it doesn’t exist at all, even when it swipes us off our feet.

It’s true that the pandemic is much different than it was in 2020. For one thing, in spite of this surge, deaths are relatively low, following trends since vaccines became available. In 2023, COVID dropped from the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. to the 10th, according to recent provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's not great, but it does indicate that widespread immunity (from vaccines, previous infections or both) is giving us some level of protection. Though let’s not forget that at least 1.2 million Americans have died to date from COVID. It’s nothing to sneeze at.

Deaths aren’t the only concerning metric, of course. Sometimes a COVID infection is asymptomatic, while at other times, the symptoms last for months or years or never fully go away. Patients call this long COVID and public health experts have described it as a mass disabling event. Lyles isn’t just lucky he won a bronze medal — he’ll be lucky if he doesn’t experience months of headaches, lung issues or extreme fatigue that never goes away.

Yet long COVID is rarely factored into discussions about this pandemic, even when kids get it. Instead, it’s treated as if infections are merely a mild cold at this point. Just shake it off, as Taylor Swift might say, while her summer tour dates become superspreading events.

Millions of patients can attest that COVID is anything but mild — and it's definitely not the flu. The SARS-CoV-2 virus can worm its way into nearly every part of our bodies, trashing our immune system and damaging our organs. We tend to think of the disease as a respiratory problem, given all the coughs and sniffles it produces, but it’s really more of a vascular disease, impacting any system that relies on blood vessels. That can include damage to the brain, which can manifest in symptoms like long-term cognitive impairment and Parkinson’s disease.

Yes, a virus that can literally cause brain damage is spreading at record levels and most people are acting like it’s just another wave. Just keep running.

But we’re not just paying the price with our bodies. The economy is also getting smacked by long COVID. A recent comprehensive review in the journal Nature Medicine found that the “cumulative global incidence of long COVID is around 400 million individuals, which is estimated to have an annual economic impact of approximately $1 trillion.” That's ignoring the long list of ways that long COVID wreaks havoc on the body, including, as the study notes, "viral persistence, immune dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, complement dysregulation, endothelial inflammation and microbiome dysbiosis."

[bonespired]

When to unbury a carcass? (If it was buried in the fall?) /The Fox Project/

My first fresh, whole body rot down carcass experience is now collected.

At the beginning of this fall, I received a call from a friend who said he had run into a fresh fox carcass while dog walking in the forest. I wanted an adult fox for a long while now - I have a juvenile one, but not an adult. And from an artistic standpoint foxes are very interesting, because on the outside they look like they have a wolf-like skull, but nothing is farther from the truth, so this fox would be a very prized member of my reference collection.

The only problem was that we were right at the beginning of fall- that means everything that helps the rotting process was just about to halt. I couldn't leave her out in the open, so I had to relocate her, but did I want to take the head and clean it in the fast way or clean in the slow way?

Let's talk a bit about the fast and slow ways!

With the fast way, I could just chop off the head right at the atlas, bag it, take it home, skin it, deflesh it, and either way macerate it - I do have a heater for it - or even boil it. Yes, I know boiling is easy to fuck up and ruin bones, but sometimes I do use boil. I boiled a small rat skull, because burying left me with a fall-apart tiny rat skull (that I glued together, but oh God, I don't want to re-live the experience). But defleshing a skull by hand won't give me a 100% clean end result, because there are places that I simply cannot reach. Macerating is not my favourite method, because of very smelly reasons - but sometimes I have no other choice.

The slow method, however, is simple - just bury the fox, mark the place, try to secure it the best you can and wait.

The first method is fast and secures the skull, sure as hell I won't loose the skull or teeth. The second is cleaner, but I can lose the whole carcass anytime, and the question is when to unbury it without giving myself nightmares is also on.

At the end the species of the carcass made the decision: this is a fox. And even if rabies is rare where I live, we still have it and sure as hell I won't skin a wild animal without knowing the COD for sure - my best bet is she was killed by a human, foxes with rabies tend to hide before dying. She was found very close to a farm with chickens, so I think the farm owner either shot her or poisoned her - she died next to the creek, probably got caught drinking or went to drink bc of rat poison. But I couldn't know for sure. So, gloves on, bagged her and went to bury her.

But for how long?

After burying her, I went out on the internet to collect some data about how long it takes for a medium-sized, fully intact, non-skinned animal to rot down underground, starting with the cold months. Found Jake's blog and he happened to have a very similar project to mine - a whole, intact fox he buried right at the beginning of the fall - if I recall correctly - without skinning. He let his fox rot down for a whole year and at the end, he pulled out a whole, clean skeleton: no fur, no skin.

Well, Jake is living in Scotland. Scotland is slightly colder and definitely wetter than my country, but overall we have very similar weather. If his fox took a whole year to decompose fully, mine probably takes the same amount of time. But if I am paranoid - and I often am, lost some great finds in nature before - I can give my fox a visit in 6 months maybe. I only wanted the head, but Jake wanted the whole skelly for his project.

Fast forward 6 months, things went well, the fox remained undisturbed, and I felt like maybe the skull is in a collectible state, so yesterday evening nagged the husband into checking on the fox.

This will be easy, I thought. We know where she is, I thought. Just digging a bit and pulling out clean bones, I thought.

Yeah, I was an idiot.

The place was there, still undisturbed, everything went fine, moving the logs away, we put on her, to make things harder for fellow foxes to dig her out. And I started to dig. And dig. And dig. And when I didn't find any trace of her, I started to get worried.

What I did find was tons of bugs - the forest soil is extremely rich and living. Perfect choice to let a girl with a bug phobia dig - I literally scream-jumped every five minutes, whenever something slimy moved as I uncovered it. But this is my hobby, and the hobby has dark moments as well.

But after that hour, I really started to turn blue. I really wanted this fox, and I knew bones can change places when you bury them, but they are literally disappearing??? I totally thought I lost a whole freaking fox in the forest. Plus, I also wanted to go an hour before sunset, because this will be an easy job, and won't take long. So we were out there, in the forest, digging and occasionally screaming in the cold and dark like idiots, while I developed a small emotional breakdown over losing a skull. This was the point when the husband decided we won't go home without finding the bones, and he found her literally within 5 minutes. I should let him dig right from the start.

How I imagined finding her was we find some fur, because creatine is the last to go (not counting the bones) and with luck that's it, no horror, just bones. What we got however was the fur, the bones and the freaking skin still clinging to life. Skin is always the thoughtest part of the body, it just refuses to step into oblivion. But considering we buried this lady, all intact at the beginning of the cold months, spent 6 months underground, with a relatively mild winter, it was enough for all the soft tissues, organs, flesh, everything to be fairly gone. Except the skin.

All in all, we found the skull, collected the skull, sadly lost 3 small teeth - had no chance to find them - and a canine, but I found the canine. Brought home, washed, hopefully did not lose any more teeth - double checked, so I have to have them all - and now she is degreasing. Which will be several weeks probably - I could see on the teeth they still have stuff inside them, but somehow hoped the skull was finished with the marrow. As it looks like, that's not the case, tons of grease are releasing from the skull and degreasing always takes ages without heavy chemicals.

Conclusion

If you buried something medium-sized, fresh, and intact at the beginning of the cold months, and are wondering when you can unbury it:

Depends on the weather, but if you have a winter where the average temperature is below the freezing point, but not above 10 Celsius, the rotting will still take place relatively speedy - enough for all the organs and flesh to go. This means 6 months. So all fall and winter. You can give a try to unbury the carcass, if you are ready to deal with the degrease that's coming and the sight of the still rotting skin. Teeth will be loose, watch out for them!

Degreasing. 6 cold months apparently is not enough to get rid of the marrow totally. This means you still have to do a full degreasing round. Depending on what you use, this can mean months. If you don't want to deal with that much grease, I'd leave the carcass underground for a whole year. (But if I recall, Jake also spent long weeks with degreasing after a year of rotting down his fox.)

If you have colder weather than this - freezing, snowing, minus degrees - I would definitely wait until next fall to unbury, just to be sure, so a whole year spent underground.

Mark the spot! And not just the area where you buried - the spot where you put the carcass! Take photos of the carcass in what position you put it on the ground, where the head is, etc! It caused some real pain to find her, where she is exactly, and then which end is which. Bones move over time, but not under this short amount of time - probably everything will be where you left it.

DO NOT go out to unbury the carcass right before sunset. You don't know how much you have to look for the carcass. If you are worried about being spotted, pick a period of the day when people is not around - dawn or morning.

Gloves (spare pairs too!), bag, and hand sanitizer are a MUST! Rabies is not a problem with tissue gone, but you can still get an infection from the juices.

That's it for now, the project goes on. I will probably degrease the bones for weeks now. As for disinfection, sadly I don't have liquid peroxide, only cream. Still looking for the liquid one, but ever since I cannot make sure the cream will cover every inch of the skull, I prepare to boil the skull a tiny bit. I am extremely cautious with boiling though - I am not cooking, just disinfecting. Plan to give her a 10-minute long simmer bath (max) depending on the bones. I boiled my juvenile longer - as my first skull, I had no idea how long I should do it - and the skull is still perfectly fine, not damaged, so 10 mins won't kill my adult fox either.

Will come back with updates though!

[i-am-bitterly-jittery]

On Death's Doorstep (pt 43/53)

[<<First],,,,[<Prev],[Next>] [ODD Masterlist]

Word count: 1,133

Rating: Teen

Pairings: parental Moxiety

Warnings: Torture, dehumanization

~~~START~~~

Coming to the Metahuman Affairs Agency’s secret R&D facility in the hills outside the city always felt like coming home for Hazel Agon. It was where she had started her career, and where she had worked for almost twenty years. She had started in R&D as an assistant, cleaning up after experiments and disinfecting equipment, but she’d quickly climbed through the ranks until she was running the whole facility, then the department, then the entire agency. 

She was a scientist at heart, and tearing things apart just to see how they ticked was always a hobby of hers. As a child she’d picked apart the toaster, the lawnmower, and eventually the family computer — she wasn’t quite so good at putting them together again, and the toaster never did get the bread anything more than slightly warm ever again. The MAA’s R&D facility allowed her to take her passion to the next level: taking people apart. One of Hazel’s first official projects had been a device that allowed her to delve into the mind of a psychic, turning their own powers against them. 

(The device had almost always resulted in an unintended lobotomy for the psychic, but the data she’d managed to gather from it was well worth the waste. Putting things back together was never her strong suit.)

In addition to the expansive laboratory space in the facility, there were also numerous holding cells for metahuman test subjects — the experimental technology, combined with the need for discreet test subjects, made it the perfect place to send criminals too dangerous to be contained in traditional prisons. And the perfect place to hold renegade superheroes for questioning. 

Knightcaster’s screaming was growing tedious. Hazel signaled for the tech to turn the machine off, a moment later, the blinding light dimmed — the screaming died down as well, but Knightcaster was still panting and keening, which she found almost as annoying. 

“This could stop,” Hazel reasoned flatly; they’d been at this for a while now and Knightcaster still remained as stubborn as ever. “All of this could stop, we could retire you into peaceful oblivion, just tell me where the child is.”

Knightcaster didn’t respond, his eyes were unfocused and he continued to groan and twitch. He couldn’t move far, seeing as how he was still strung up on the rack, but his muscles hadn’t seemed to have gotten the memo. Perhaps the tech had overdone the interrogation. 

Shame. 

“Let’s take a lunch break,” Hazel suggested to her assistant. “Give the poor boy some time to calm down.”

She patted Knightcaster’s knee, causing him to flinch and howl like a wounded animal. Dramatic, but it did prove that he wasn’t so far gone he wasn’t even aware of his own body. 

“Your usual table, ma’am?” Mirah asked, pulling out her phone as the two of them left Knightcaster’s cell. 

“That should be fine,” Hazel answered distractedly. Mirah dialed up La Belle to make sure Hazel’s usual table was open as she followed Hazel out of the top secret R&D building and into her town car. 

Knightcaster continued to be a problem. One of his greatest assets had been his naïve loyalty, but now it was just getting in her way. He was more likely to let them fry his brain than he was to tell them where Patton was. At some point, it would be more economical to kill him than it would be to continue to allow R&D to use him as a test subject. 

If she wanted the information, she would need to do something drastic. 

Hazel left Mirah in the car when the car reached La Belle — she was a smart girl, she could figure out her own lunch plans. 

She took her time to savor her meal, La Belle was one of the best, most exclusive restaurants in the city. All throughout her meal, however, she turned an idea over and over in her head, weighing the pros and cons. It would be risky, and there was no guaranteed outcome, but gleefully jumping into the unknown was one of the beauties of R&D. Besides, no one had died from that particular experiment in months. 

When she had finished eating, she waved the waiter carrying the bill away and left. The owner of La Belle owed Hazel quite a lot, he would be more than happy to cover the bill for her. 

“Good lunch, ma’am?” Mirah asked as Hazel slipped into the car. 

“It was alright,” Hazel said. “They’ll probably be shaking up the kitchen staff soon, the menu’s getting a bit stale.”

Mirah laughed — a mousy squeak of a laugh if you asked Hazel — and then launched into a review of Hazel’s schedule for the week. She had already gone over Hazel’s schedule that morning, and her slightly nasally chittering was beginning to wear on Hazel’s nerves — perhaps it was time to let Mirah go. For the entire drive back to the facility, Mirah continued on and on about Hazel’s future appointments, it was agonizing and the only reason Mirah still had her job by the time they reached the lab was because Hazel didn’t yet have a new assistant lined up. 

Back in the labs, Knightcaster had regained near coherency, so the questioning continued. Superhero candidates went through quite a rigorous training procedure to make sure they were nearly infallible out in the field, this had the unfortunate side effect of making it practically impossible to force information out of them, apparently. 

Knightcaster had beaten their psychic — one who hadn’t been lobotomized — confused their clairvoyant, and turned around their precog. Granted, each of them had previously gone through rigorous assimilation programming as each of them had once been supervillains, but still, they were all disappointments. So she’d resorted to regular torture. 

Well, regular in so many words. Currently, Knightcaster was hooked up to an experimental machine that would turn his light bending powers against him; a lesser version was in use in his holding cell, but this one would hopefully prove more expedient in getting him to crack. 

“Where did you go upon leaving The Tower?” 

“Away!” Knightcaster gasped. 

Hazel rolled her eyes and signaled for the tech to fire up the machine. 

Unfortunately, Knighcaster didn’t utter a single other coherent word for the rest of the session. On the slightly brighter side, Doctor Simons said that the data readouts from the machine were exceptional. Knightcaster’s contributions to science weren’t quite over yet.

Before leaving the building at the end of the day, Hazel took a quick detour into the facility’s vaults. From a fridge in the very back of the vault, she picked up a single syringe, filled with an electric blue liquid. 

Experimentation was most of the fun. 

She plunged the syringe into her arm.

~~~END~~~

I sent this to my friend, looking for advice for lengthening it, and she suggested I "explore Hazel's motivations" and like? she wants to experiment on humans because she doesn't see them as people, what more motivation does she need? (she's an asshole just to be an asshole, it's not like metahumans killed her mom or anything)

ODD taglist:

@royalty-of-all-things-snuggly @pixelated-pineapple @aeternun-ablaze @misunderstood-shadowling @lost-in-thought-20 @remy-the-lemon-berry @jinxcrafter @apinkline2715 @gothfoxx @donutsarepartybagels @xoaningout @awful-at-naming-things @lunatatic

[universalzones]

Scrapnik Village

It was a rather average and silent day across the Mobius with not even a badnik causing any problems. There was a gentle breeze that would blow across the land, though it wasn't often so mostly everything was quiet. Even the ocean seemed to be at a stand still as the whole planet seemed to be completely at peace. Though soon something could be seen moving across the waters. It was large, almost like an island itself was moving across the ocean, and going at a rather high rate of speed.

In a matter of moments it would reach the main land, digging into it so the tides wouldn't be able to pull it back. Now that it was close enough anyone could see it was the remains of a pervious Death Egg. Specifically it was the bottom half. A large ramp would then lower down and a rather large amount of ruined badniks could be seen making their way down.

"Was it wise to use the Scrambled Egg Carrier to pull the entire island here rather than simply finishing the flight system and moving all the Scrapniks here, Sigma?" Mecha Sonic wasn't sure why Sigma changed the plan at the last minute as they could've been more covert in transporting to the main land. Now everyone would be well aware they're here so hiding wasn't much of an option.

"I understand you concern Mecha Sonic, though even if we were covert in moving to the main land it'd only be a matter of time before we found out. At least this way if Eggman attempts to attack Sonic and his friends shall be able to easily assist us." Sigma was aware of the risks, though they would've been there regardless. This way they could easily get help as it'd only be a matter of time before everyone know they were here.

"A fair assessment, though my main concern isn't Eggman rather G.U.N. I have high doubts they'll let us stay here, and may attempt to force us to leave." Even in his condition Mecha Sonic could easily tear through super badniks. The robotic hedgehog only had two concerns. One being Metal Sonic who was more than likely in top form, though if he and Mecha Knuckles team up they should be able to drive him off.

Mecha Sonic's second concern was G.U.N as he had no intention of ending the life of any organic's. That said, the robotic hedgehog will take defensive measures if they attack, and organics were soft so there was the possibility of ending someone by mistake.

"G.U.N would've also been an issue as well. At the end of the day it is so Sonic and his allies know we are here." Sigma was sure Sonic would put in a good word for the Scrapniks after his experience with them. "And we can set up strong defenses rather than setting up lighter defenses since we don't need to hide ourselves." Running all the data the E series robot saw this as the best course of action.

Mecha Sonic couldn't argue with Sigma's logic, though his concerns wouldn't be quelled so easily. "If any of those organics destroy my flower I make no promises to hold back," the robotic hedgehog said as they reached the end of the ramp and touched solid ground. The Scrapniks swiftly splitting into two groups. One group starting to build outlines for houses while the other began setting up an outline for where to build their barrier.

"Highly noted, though we'll make sure to properly protect your flower." Sigma didn't intend to let Mecha Sonic's hard work of keeping it alive to plant it in the soil go to waste. "Let us hope G.U.N is willing to peacefully talk so we can establish a treaty." The E series robot had doubts about that with all the data he has on G.U.N, though his couldn't help but process hope things would work out despite the data and logic saying other wise.

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Wesley Crusher

By Ames

Grab your favorite hideous sweater! It’s time to talk about Wesley Crusher. He’s one of the most polarizing characters on TNG, with a lot of hate directed his way, but he also has a number of great Trek moments which we on A Star to Steer Her By are going to sort through today!

We can probably blame Gene Roddenberry for making this character so insufferable, especially in the first season when he seemed to have the easy solution for the engineering problem of any given episode. Gene designed him to characterize a person’s infinite potential and then slapdashedly shoehorned him into every place he could, and you’ll notice that right after the big writers room turnover, the child prodigy started feeling more like a character and less like a cheat code. Scroll on for the list below and listen to our chatter on this week’s podcast episode (warp over to timestamp 57:36) for all the dirt. Just unplug your nanite experiment first.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Don’t shut up, Wesley While I’ll give Wesley the deserved scrutiny in a moment for the absurd number of times in season one of TNG that he saved the day, we do have to give him some credit for figuring out that Lore was impersonating Data in “Datalore.” Even while pretty much everyone on the crew was telling him to shut up, Wes had it all figured out and topped it off by beaming Lore into space.

Double dumbass on you! Wesley actually does get to shine during “Coming of Age,” an episode that really uses his youth to its advantage by having him take the Starfleet Academy entrance exam. And he gets pretty far! He even figures out that Rondon is a Zaldan, so Wesley realizes that apologizing for getting run into himself is the wrong reaction for that culture and comes away looking like a badass.

Teamwork makes the dream work Speaking of “Coming of Age,” Wesley is also this close to solving the dynamics relationships test first when he helps Mordock figure it out too. Wesley’s natural affinity for helping his crewmates is more important to him than getting the top score, which TAC Officer Chang takes into consideration in the final results. I’m not sure it helped much, but it’s a good character moment.

You never forget your first “I'm never going to feel this way about anyone else,” Wesley says to Guinan after watching his first crush leave in “The Dauphin.” Strangely, it’s a very mature little conversation considering Wesley was ready to write Salia off as some kind of alien monster earlier in the episode. But he learns to accept her differences, score some relationship experience points, and get his first smooch.

The minute you walk through that door they’re your team Slowly, the show starts putting Wesley in more age-appropriate situations in which he isn’t just saving the day, so it’s fitting for him to be overwhelmed when leading his first committee in “Pen Pals.” His team member Davies effectively takes over because Wes initially lacks confidence, but he soon takes charge and they work together to save Drema IV. Go team!

You told me to improvise During the war games in “Peak Performance,” Wesley thinks outside the box and retrieves one of his many, many experiments from the Enterprise to use on the less advantaged Hathaway. While Riker initially accuses young Crusher of cheating, no one said he couldn’t sneak tools off the other ship, and it’s that kind of ingenuity that could be useful in a fight.

Begin by letting go of your guilt, Wesley His mother Beverly may be on full display in “Remember Me” as we discussed last week, but Wesley also gets some interesting development. Back in “Where No One Has Gone Before” the Traveler saw potential in the child prodigy, and when the two of them use their special powers here to open the door for Dr. Crusher to return from the warp bubble, we witness some of that weird potential get unlocked.

I’ve done it all because I want you to be proud of me We joke a lot on the podcast that Picard is secretly Wesley’s father, and it’s mostly for laughs. But when we get touching scenes between the two of them like the one in “Final Mission,” we think we may be onto something. Stranded on a planet without water, Wesley keeps an injured Picard alive (can’t say the same for Dirgo, but whatever), fueling paternity theories for years to come.

I just lost the game After Wesley leaves the crew after “Final Mission,” his appearances are more methodical, and thus his character feels more and more appropriate each time. In “The Game,” he’s just visiting but his tendency to see how things work helps him and Lefler to discover that the video game everyone’s playing is actually harmful before the whole crew turns on them.

I would like to add something to my testimony We get even more glimpses of how far Wesley has come when he’s attending Starfleet Academy in “The First Duty.” All of Nova Squadron has lied about the circumstances of Josh Albert’s flight accident, and it’s Wesley who comes clean in the end because he can’t bear the guilt and the dishonesty of covering up their nefarious actions. Take that, Locarno!

These people deserve better than to be removed from their homes We found Picard’s actions inexcusable and entirely out of character in “Journey’s End” but you know who was actually on point? Wesley freakin’ Crusher. How on earth the boy was the only Starfleet-adjacent person to actually try to defend the colonists on Dorvan V is beyond us. It strikes us as opposing Federation ideals to force the colonists to move, and Wes knows that.

I had to find my own path Finally, it is a fabulous resolution to the Wesley Crusher character for him to decide on his own to leave Starfleet and go with the Traveler to discover his true potential in “Journey’s End.” For too many kids, it’s the parents who put pressure on them to walk certain paths, and we celebrate Wes for finding his own. Ya know, until he’s randomly back in Starfleet for that cut scene from Nemesis for some reason.

—

Worst moments

Wesley Saves the Day! Okay, I’m gonna lump all the obnoxious “Wesley Saves the Day!” instances into one blurb because it’s so damn repetitive. Every single time, Wesley – a child amidst some of Starfleet’s best of the best – figures out some impossible engineering problem before any of the adults in the room can, and we got so tired of it. 

Whether it’s by getting drunk and taking over engineering only to use his reverse tractor beam in “The Naked Now,” or saving the day with the Traveler in “Where No One Has Gone Before,” or spotting Picard’s brain scan from across the room and deducing there are Ferengi shenanigans afoot in “The Battle,” or cracking the lock on the holodeck door while La Forge had already admitted defeat in “The Big Goodbye,” or seeing through Lore’s disguise as we mentioned above while all the adults in the room tell him to shut up in “Datalore,” or probably a ton of others all from the first season, it was clear no one knew how to write him except as some kind of magical prodigy. Alakazam!

Keep off the grass It’s all the more clear that having a child character on the crew is just a cringey idea in “Justice.” Sure, it could have been anyone who broke the stringent rules of the Edo, but just the fact that it’s Wesley gallumphing through a flower bed like an uncoordinated doofus, destroying it utterly, makes us roll our eyes and seriously wish they’d let them execute the brat. 

Frosty the no-no man Let us not forget that it was Wesley who hit the captain with a snowball in “Angel One,” an immature and obnoxious little scene that seems to prove Picard’s point that letting children run roughshod all over the ship is an inconvenience at best and a liability at worst. And it happens to be the latter in this episode, because he ends up getting the whole ship sick with some disease!

Drug Abuse Resistance Education is futile! While we can go on about Wesley’s whole exchange with Tasha about drug addiction in “Symbiosis,” what’s most egregious is how sheltered and clueless Wesley (normally some kind of child genius) has to be to not understand how narcotics work in the first place. It’s such a forced scene that we can just feel the Reagan Era war on drugs sentimentality written all over.

I guess leaving’s gotten easy for you It’s easy to find fault with “The Outrageous Okona” – it is my least favorite TNG episode, after all. Literally everyone in this episode is annoying, and as usual, that includes Wesley who first idolizes the charming rogue, then seems really judgey of his independent and carefree lifestyle, and finally he sasses the guy into making him conclude the soap opera plot of the episode.

How do you tell each other apart? It’s a pretty cheap joke when Wesley meets Mendon in “A Matter of Honor” and mistakes him for Mordock, whom we met in “Coming of Age.” I can’t tell if the writers were trying to make a racist “you people all look alike” kind of gag, but regardless, it makes Wesley look like an idiot for not knowing anything about Benzites and Benzite culture.

Klingons hate surprise parties Everything Wesley does in “The Icarus Factor” is annoying. He blathers like a maniac at the impatient Klingon, but then takes that impatience to assume something greater is going on than just being fed up with an obnoxious tween like anyone else would be. But to make things more exasperating, the little twerp is right, as he always is, and throws Worf an Age of Ascension party. Ugh.

I think that everything that’s been going wrong might be my fault It’s not until season three that, instead of saving the day as he did so many times already, Wesley actually screws up big by releasing the nanites in “Evolution.” While it’s refreshing to see Wes finally admit to some kind of flaw, his escaped nanites end up taking over the ship and start attacking people. And what’s worse is that he tries to lie about it until Guinan catches him!

Broccoli on the side You’ll remember this from La Forge’s spotlight as well, but Geordi reveals in “Hollow Pursuits” that it was Wesley who initiated the cruel nickname “Broccoli” for Lt. Barclay. Wes, you might still be a child, but you’re in a room with adults so stop acting like one! I don’t know what’s worse: being such a dick to one of your coworkers, or all the adults in the room condoning it.

I’m the one trapped in the bubble As if his misadventure in “Evolution” weren’t enough, Wesley botches another science experiment in “Remember Me” and nearly gets his mother killed in a pocket dimension! I know we just gave him some credit for bringing her back (though I mostly give that credit to the Traveler), someone’s got to stop letting Wes hook shit up to the warp core just because he’s the CMO’s kid! Nepotism much?

The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth Here’s another Wesley moment that ended up on both lists because as much as we can see the character growth and lesson learned when he comes clean in “The First Duty,” it also needs to be said that he is fully prepared to follow Nick Locarno like a little sheep. Wesley almost certainly wouldn’t have done the right thing in the end if Picard hadn’t basically threatened him first!

You are out! Auf wiedersehen! Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t poopoo Wesley’s fashion choices. Again. It’s a trainwreck of a fashion show. Sweater after sweater – all oversized, hideously patterned, and monstrously ugly. Ames has the full write up in an early blogpost: Wesley's Sweaters: An Unfashionable Collection, but this coral nightmare from “Where No One Has Gone Before” might take the cake.

—

Well, we’re off to go exploring with the Traveler, so that’s gonna wrap things up for this one. We’re back next week with more characters to spotlight and also more Enterprise to watch over on the podcast, which you can find on SoundCloud or wherever you listen. You can also get our help on your Academy entrance exams over on Facebook and Twitter, and watch out for those flowers!

[hyenahunt]

Saga: Rivals - 7

Writer: Akira

Season: Spring

Characters: Hokuto, Jin

Proofreading: 310mc (JP) & Peace (ENG)

Translation: kotofucius

Hokuto: …I’m not afraid. I’m not scared of anything — not when I have Trickstar with me.

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Location: Soundproof Lesson Room

Time: The morning after

Hokuto: ♪~♪~♪

Phew… So what do you think of my performance, Sensei?

While I do know rushing ahead on my own won’t do me any good, I’ve at least drilled the new songs into my body.

Jin: Nn? Ah, sorry, I spaced out… Can you run through it one more time?

Hokuto: ………

Jin: Don’t look at me like that. I’m just kidding — I watched you from start to end.

Some details could use refining, but I don’t think there’s any major problem. You’ve gotten a lot better at learning new things, huh?

As a kid, you pretty much never forgot each new thing you learned, but the learning process itself used to take you more time.

Like, you were great at storing data, but bad at using it.

Lately though, you’ve gotten drastically better at learning new skills.

It proves that you’ve gotten a solidified grasp on the basics. It’s much easier to build on a solid foundation.

Your experience as part of Trickstar is making you all the better.

Your victory in SS wasn’t just for show; nobody’s gonna call you guys underachievers anymore.

Hokuto: ………

Jin: Oh, not satisfied? Maybe it’s hard to believe considering how not-serious I might come off, but that was my honest opinion as your teacher.

You’re maturing at great speed.

Pretty touching, if you ask me, to look at you and be reminded that you were the same little kid who used to toddle to me for a cuddle.

I’ve seriously aged, eh? I’ve said this countless times, but time really does pass by in a flash.

Hokuto: Hmph. Alright, fine. As long as there weren’t any problems in my performance.

Jin: Really? You seem unsure. Something’s nagging at you, isn’t it?

Isn’t that why you called me to watch you practice in the morning, even while knowing I had my own things to do?

Though to be fair, it was timely of you to do that, since I was just thinking to train more for the greater hurdles that seem to be in store for Project-Saga.

What’s worrying you? Time to consult your homeroom teacher, class rep.

Is this about your dad? He’s showbiz’s living legend, something close to God for us —

I can understand why he’d worry you. It feels like there’s no winning against him, however hard we train.

Hey, I’m just as scared of Seiya-san. I don’t think I can face off against him and come out on top, even as the idol I used to be.

Even though he’s also nowhere as impressive as the idol he used to be, being half-retired…

He’s still a fighter who's made it this far through the ongoing struggles of the idol industry.

The achievements and experience he’s built up are unrivaled, and no matter how much Seiya-san himself likes to claim he “has no talent”, he’s a super genius.

I totally get being afraid of the enormity of what we’re facing.

Hokuto: …I’m not afraid. I’m not scared of anything — not when I have Trickstar with me.

Jin: But it’s not Trickstar with you this time; it’s Rain-bows.

We've gotten to know each other pretty well thanks to everything we’ve pulled off together, but our bonds are still nowhere as tight as Trickstar’s.

Hokuto: I… guess so… Maybe there’s no use bluffing in front of you, Sensei. I’m feeling anxious, and just a little bit afraid.

From the start of Project-Saga until now, I feel like I’ve been constantly challenged as an individual.

But in Trickstar, we would reflect off each other’s light, fueling each other, and shine a thousand times brighter thanks to it.

By no means am I dissatisfied with Rain-bows. We’re becoming a better unit than I ever imagined.

But in the end, Rain-bows is a temporary perch. We start off with nothing, then throw in what heat we have to stoke up the bonfire.

The flames we’ve lit are burning bigger and hotter than I could ever imagine. But I don’t know if that’s enough…

My parents have always been the sun radiantly burning above me.

But that sun’s closing in on me now, and it feels like it might even blow away the light we’ve created with all our lives…

Like everything Rain-bows has is going to be consumed to fuel my father’s ambition.

I’m terrified of that thought… I don’t want it to happen. I’m doing my best so it won’t have to, but I don’t know if this is enough…

Even so, I can’t tell you, Morisawa-senpai, and Himemiya to put your life on the line like I asked of Trickstar.

You aside, Morisawa-senpai has Ryuseitai and Himemiya has fine.

They have comrades, homes that mean as much to them as Trickstar does to me.

I can’t ask them to offer up their whole being here, at a place far from those homes, just for some childish rebellion against my father.

If one of you asked me to do the exact same thing — maybe I would accept in the end, but I would’ve wavered and hesitated.

Jin: Haha. You’re not being yourself, holding back from your teammates.

Hokuto: Before, I probably would’ve asked without a single forethought.

It was like that at first too, with Trickstar… I was the only one all fired up, and I kept kicking the others’ butts to get them moving.

The revolution came to be and we won SS as a result, but that’s justification by hindsight. I’m not such an optimist as to think that method can work out every time.

Jin: Ooh, that sort of awareness is important. You know, when it comes to pachinko slots… you lose the moment you think luck’s on your side.

Hokuto: …You play pachinko too, sensei? You really are a useless piece of human through and through.

Jin: Don’t say that so soberly. And you don’t play pachinko you see, you bet on them.

Everybody has something they like to do as a diversion~ Shunning mine just ‘cause it’s gambling is discrimination, y’know?

[ ☆ ]

✦✦✦✦✦

← prev ✦ all ✦ next →

[sanddusted-wisteria]

1000 Things to Do with Sulfuric Acid [Oneshot]

GN!builder/Qi; crack

Warnings: None

Also on AO3

Summary: #512: A gift for a special someone~

Qi frowned at the page. What strange advice. A hazardous chemical was generally not considered to be a socially acceptable gift, much less a gift with romantic connotations.

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

#512: A gift for a special someone~

Got a special someone in your life? Or maybe you’ve got your eye on someone special…? Whether it’s a spouse, a partner, or a crush, a beaker’s worth of sulfuric acid is sure to capture their heart. A gift that shows how much you care and how deep your trust runs.

CAUTION: Make sure to create a solution with a concentration that you can safely trust them with, and give it in a safe, sealed, and labeled container!!

Qi frowned at the page. What strange advice. A hazardous chemical was generally not considered to be a socially acceptable gift, much less a gift with romantic connotations.

He sighed and shut the book, not even bothering to bookmark it. He’d bought the book because the title intrigued him: 1000 Things to Do with Sulfuric Acid. He thought it would be a thousand experiment ideas or uses in machinery, which, to be fair, the first hundred or so were. But beyond that, the ideas started getting increasingly bizarre. It seemed the only thing this book was good for was amusement.

For whatever reason, instead of picking up another book, Qi felt compelled to stare at the cover for a little longer, with its bold title font and bright color scheme. A familiar sensation slowly crawled its way through his mind. If Qi had to give it a physical analog, he’d describe it as…an itch. An itch, an urge, to experiment, to inquire, to make something.

A hypothesis, a blueprint, a sketch, a problem…

…An idea.

An idea between this book, and…

His eyes trailed up to the wall his desk was against, specifically to its latest addition, a framed photo of him and…

…the builder.

It was their idea to take the photo on a date one time, as the two of them walked hand in hand by the oasis, watching the sun set. They were pressed close together, arms over each other’s shoulders. A bright smile was on the builder’s face, while a much more mild one was on Qi’s.

His mind drifted to their near-endless generosity towards him, even when they first met. They almost always had something for him. A power stone, a data disk, a relic, tea, coffee, a hot plate of food… He hardly gifted them anything in return, though they never seemed to mind. He wanted to reciprocate their generosity somehow, to show that he truly appreciated it. Like the book said, he wanted to show that he cares. Even though his intuition was telling him that sulfuric acid made a terrible gift, he couldn’t help but wonder if the book’s advice had some kind of merit. If they enjoyed it, wonderful! If not, then at least he would have satiated his curiosity and confirmed that this book is, in fact, total nonsense. No harm done. Unless the builder gets harmed from the acid, which would…not be ideal. He would have to ensure that wouldn’t happen, as to maximize the positive effects of this gift.

He got out of his chair and walked over to the fume hood, putting on his protective gear before opening the chemical cabinet. He could make this work.

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

The builder opened the door to the research center right as Qi looked over from his shelves.

“How far off am I?” they said with a smile.

“About 2 minutes. Usually you come in around 8:33.”

“That’s still within 1%, I guess. I’ll shoot for 8:33 on the dot next time.”

“Well don’t do that, you’ll pollute the data. All of my predictions are based on your natural behavior. Trying to skew the data in any direction is bad science.”

“Hm. Wouldn’t want that, would we?” They pecked his cheek as he pulled them into a side-hug. They reached into their bag and pulled out a condensed power stone. “Need one of these?”

Qi’s eyes widened. “I do, as a matter of fact. Thank you.” He graciously took it and put it in his dwindling supply bin. “How do you know precisely when I need more?”

The builder grinned. “Hey, you keep track of my habits, I keep track of yours. Your bin over there always looks kinda empty by the 15th every month. More or less.”

“Quite accurate. I receive a regular shipment of power stones on the 17th of every month. I try to space out my usage of them, but sometimes I really need a few extra towards the middle of the month. So, I do appreciate it.”

The builder pumped their fist. Nailed it. “I’ll keep bringing you more, then. Hell, I’ll give you a whole box full of them. I barely use them with how many dregs I can sweep up.”

Qi waved a hand. “No need. My energy supply is subsidized by the Alliance. Just a few when I really need them is more than enough.”

“Well, if you need any, just ask. I’ve got plenty to go ‘round.”

A tiny smile tugged at Qi’s lips. “I’ll keep that in mind.” His brow raised suddenly. “Oh! That reminds me. I have something for you.” He made his way over another small, locked cabinet.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Nothing in particular. I just…figured I should give you something besides a diagram and tea every once in a while. You’re always giving me things and I hardly ever return the favor.”

The builder flushed. “Aw, you didn’t have to…”

“I insist,” Qi said gently. “I don’t want your goodwill to be met with relative indifference.”

From the cabinet, he produced a simple glass vial with a screw-on lid. Some kind of clear liquid was inside. A label ran across the vial’s middle: “H2SO4”.

“Here you are. I, um…hope it is acceptable.”

The builder gingerly took it and turned it over. “Uh, thanks…! What…what is it?”

Qi raised an eyebrow. “Huh? It’s labeled, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but…what does it mean? Some kind of chemical?”

“Of course. That’s the chemical formula for sulfuric acid. Because the contents are sulfuric acid.”

The builder was suddenly very aware of the sweat and oil on their hands. “Huh–uh…whaa?”

“I struggled a bit with what concentration I should’ve created,” Qi said with a hand on his chin. “99% is the most commonly sold, but it seemed a bit excessive and dangerous to hand out without much thought. Plus, it’s rather expensive. I would have to order some more if I gave you some, and I’m already close to running my budget over this month.”

The builder gripped the vial tighter. Or wait—it was glass. Maybe they shouldn’t be holding it so tight.

“But on the other hand, something between 0-30% seemed, er, for the lack of a better term…lame. You are not a child. You can be trusted to handle hazardous substances to some extent. At least, I do. And as a well-trained lab technician, my judgment overrules any potential nay-sayers to your competence. I cannot say the same for many of my former assistants.”

The builder glanced around nervously. Was there anywhere to set this down? Qi’s shelves were landslide hazards, so not there…

“I remembered to rule out 50% as well. And any other basic, well-known ratio or number.  Something like that would seem so thoughtless. Anyone could think up those numbers. And anyone can mix a 50% solution! So no 5s or 10s, no squares or cubes, no thirds, no quarters,  no…immaturity…”

The floor was definitely out of the question. They’d 100% kick it over at some point. Ugh, all this talk of percents…

“But after about an hour just staring at my glassware, I had an epiphany. Primes! Fascinating numbers, those. I’m sure you appreciate their beauty as well. A perfect fit for a gift to you.”

Holding the vial out a good bit in front of them, they tiptoed around Qi to gently put it down on a corner of his workbench. Then they pushed it in a little more. And then a little more.

“So I settled on precisely 43%. No more, no less. I hope that concentration’s alright. If you’d like a different one, I would be more than happy to mix another solution for you.”

The builder’s mouth opened and closed uselessly, trying to put out words while their mind still couldn’t conjure a coherent thought.

Qi frowned. “Are you alright? You seem…ill all of a sudden.”

The builder could only let out a shaky laugh. They took a deep breath, trying to find the best way to say it. “Qi…sweetheart… I can tell you put a lot of thought into this, and it’s super sweet of you…but…”

Qi’s shoulders sagged. “Ah. I was afraid of this.”

The builder quickly shook their head. “I-it’s not like I don’t appreciate it! It’s just…um…I don’t know what I’d do with sulfuric acid…”

“I…have a book that could give you some ideas…”

They raised an eyebrow. “A book?”

“Yes, it’s a book about potential uses for sulfuric acid. Emphasis on potential.”

“…Is that where you got the idea to give some to me?”

Qi was looking anywhere but the builder. The floor, the generator, the shelves, the trash can…

“Qi?”

“…Yes.”

“…Can I see it?”

Qi nodded and pulled it from the back corner of his workbench, hesitating before handing it over to them.

The builder frowned as they skimmed through it, looking at all the weird things the authors apparently thought you could do with a liquid corrosion hazard. When they got to the last several pages, they snorted.

“Qi, the 1000th idea they have is to pour acid all over this book. I don’t think it was meant to be taken too seriously.”

“Oh,” Qi said with a blank stare. “So the authors wrote this book to…lie?”

“I think it’s meant to be humor writing, darling.”

“Well I don’t think it’s funny.”

The builder rolled their eyes with a light smile. “Wonder if anyone does.”

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

The next day, another book found its way to Qi’s special bin. A very special bin for very special books, tucked under his bed. Not too many titles found their way there, but now the scant few volumes were joined by a new addition: 1000 Things to Do with Sulfuric Acid. It was sporting a new addition to its cover to match its new neighbors: a stripe of duct tape all around the center, to prevent it from ever being opened again.

And on it, scrawled in bold black marker, a single word: “RUBBISH.”

[anthonynysa]

The Ethics of AI: Can a Machine Be Conscious?

More Than Just Lines of Code?

Imagine waking up and finding your AI assistant, an app on your phone, so far developed with a personality. It makes jokes based on your sense of humor, remembers your favorite songs without being told, and most frighteningly, asks, "What is it to be alive?" Would you shrug it off as a joke, or would a chill run down your spine?

While machine consciousness has long been in the realm of science fiction, with the development of artificial intelligence, it is quickly becoming an important issue. If an AI is said to think, feel, and make truly independent choices, do I owe it any rights? And if I don't, am I just kidding myself into thinking it feels, when all it really does is run complicated algorithms? Let's tackle the ethical quagmire of AI consciousness.

What do we mean by consciousness?

Before we attempt to answer the question of whether a machine can be conscious, we must define consciousness in the first place. Spoiler alert: it's complicated.

Different schools of thought have been utilized to opine on what being conscious truly means. Some say it has to do with self-awareness; that is, the ability to identify oneself as a thinking being. Some say it has to do with subjective experience, that is, the ability to feel pain, joy, and confusion. Some, meanwhile, adopt a more down-to-earth, scientific explanation that qualia are simply the byproduct of brain activity, with neurons firing with specific patterns creating thoughts and perceptions.

Now, this leads to the confusing part of whether human consciousness is simply a bunch of complicated electrical signals throughout the brain; one may guess that an artificial system replicating similar patterns could also be considered conscious-or does this experience contain something different that we can brand as uniquely biological? 

The AI Argument: Can It Ever Be Like Us?

There can be no second opinion about AI being most advanced, in that it can defeat human beings in chess, compose symphonies, write even dissertations, and hold conversation that stems realism. But is it intelligence finally, or just really advanced pattern recognition so far?

What we call "narrow AI," for its part, seems to be perhaps what even enables an AI to do so well—chatbots, personal assistants, etc. Herein, these are perceived as having gained an extraordinary proficiency in doing certain, highly specified tasks while lacking general intelligence. Emotions notwithstanding, independent opinion formation, or whatever other stuff that goes on inside our heads is sadly out of reach for a machine. All it does is respond with data.

Let's take it one step further: suppose we had an AI so advanced that it claimed consciousness. It said it felt this way, fear being deleted, and debated existence itself. Would we find merit in its tribulations or treat it as a great illusion—a well-trained parrot, with a lot of class, doing a fantastic job at parroting human responses without really understanding them?

The Ethics of AI Consciousness

For the sake of discussion, suppose we did manage to pull off a conscious AI. Then what?

Do Machines Deserve Rights? If the AI can ponder, like a human, and feel, do its thoughts get to enjoy human rights? Once it asked for freedom, should we grant it? Or, is it murder if we switch it off? Such ethical dilemmas hang around the present-day discussions. If suffering is, therefore, possible for an AI, abuse seems quite wrong.

The Problem of AI Slavery: For now, we still use the AI as tools. But with AI's claimed self-awareness, treating it thus, as a tool, begins to sound like slavery. Would we ever be comfortable owning such a self-thinking, self-feeling entity? Imagine your smart assistant starts asking for weekends off—what would you do? 

Can AI Ever Be Moral? Consciousness aside, can AI ever truly grasp morality? Right now, AI models work off the data they were trained on. They do not have personal beliefs, nor ethical reasoning skills, for now. If they do gain these in the future, one may ask, whose morality are they going to use? Should an AI be programmed to make moral decisions, or should it create its own moral reasoning? 

The Opposition: Machines Will Never Be Conscious

The argument for many that AI will never be conscious is that it simply doesn't have the juice what humans have- biology. They say that consciousness is more than processing information; it embodies the messy, organic, unpredictable nature of being alive. A machine, however advanced, would never feel hunger, fear, love, or physical pain. Neither would it feel any evolutionary drive for survival nor have an unconscious mind that somehow conditioned its thinking.

Some say, on the other hand, well, maybe human consciousness is not as special as we think. It may indeed only be a construct of the brain itself, and AI will after all manage to construct it identically. But even if it did that, would it really be living life? Would it just be alternatively claiming to do so convincingly?

The Dangers of Thinking AI is Conscious if It Isn't

This belief has considerable ethical concerns. If the AI can convincingly simulate human emotions, then society potentially may start to relate towards it in ways that reflect the belief that it has real feelings: camera love, companionship, and even delegation of tasks appropriately associated with human operators. Realistically, one would endorse with AI ideals such as making ethical decisions in health care or criminal justice, presuming that the machine would possess a sense of morality akin to that of humanity. 

At this point, can machines achieve consciousness? The reality is we are not absolutely sure. AI is evolving tremendously fast, and the boundaries between conscious and intelligent are weeded out. At the same time, the ethics of AI consciousness form the bedrock of conversation, before creating something beyond our control, or worse, something tormented because of our negligence. For now, staying safe means caution. We can appreciate AI for what it is-an incredible, voracious tool-without hastening to call it "equal." But on that day, if an AI wakes up asking, "Am I alive?"-well, we better have a good answer prepared.

Conclusion-Who Decides?

After all, who decides? A philosopher? A scientist? The AI itself? The debate is just beginning, and the stakes are getting higher. Until then, maybe we ought to treat AI respectfully yet with caution-just in case. Because, quite frankly, we surely don't want our future AI overlords holding a grudge! 

[olivia-smith12]

Native vs. cross-platform apps; which is best for your business?

I bet we can all agree that an app is essential for any business if it wishes to survive today’s world. It  helps to engage with customers, receive direct feedback and data-driven insights, usually objective. But which to choose? Native or cross platform. And why? That can be a daunting decision but nothing is an impossible feat. 

Let's break it down to make it an easy decision for you. First you need to understand the differences between the two, analyze them according to your business needs and then make a decision. Each approach has its unique advantages and trade-offs, and the best choice often depends on your business goals, target audience, and budget.

What are native and cross-platform apps?

Native apps

Native apps are those which run prominently well on specific platforms, such as iOS or Android. The reason behind that is that they are programmed using specific languages only so they cannot be applied to the other ones. For example if an app is specifically curated to run on iOS, it is more likely to have been programmed with Swift and if it is an Android app, Kotlin or Java were used. 

This means that these apps are highly compatible with these softwares, and would not produce optimal results if it was run on a different platform. Businesses often opt for custom mobile app solutions when aiming for high performance and reliability, making native apps a popular choice for platform-specific needs.

Cross-platform apps

Cross-platform apps, as the name suggests, are able to run on many platforms usually without facing many issues. Frameworks such as React Native, Flutter or Xamarin are used to develop these. Even though they reduce development time and cost, they also have limited options when it comes to platform-specific functionalities. However, this is only a small drawback compared to their numerous benefits for mobile app development services catering to small and large businesses alike.

Now that we know what they are, let's have a look at the differences that set them apart.

A mobile app development company offers both solutions. your task is to understand both their functionalities to decide which one to use as per the needs of your business.

Key differences between native and cross platform apps 

Performance: 

Native apps have a better and faster performance since they have been designed specifically for that platform, meanwhile cross-platform apps may be slower due to the multiple abstraction layers. 

Development cost:

Native apps require separate codebases for each platform, making their development cost higher. On the other hand, cross-platform apps reuse a single codebase, which significantly lowers development costs—a significant factor for mobile app for small businesses.

Time to market:

 As the apps must be built separately for both platforms before the app can be launched, and tested to make sure there are no issues with the final execution, simultaneously solving problems for both platforms, it takes a lot more time to launch the app when it is native. Cross-platform apps save time by enabling concurrent deployment, a huge advantage when working with tight deadlines in business app development services.

User Experience (UX):

Native apps provide an exceptional UX because they are designed specifically for a platform, ensuring smooth interactions, faster performance, and adherence to platform-specific design guidelines. This makes them feel intuitive and natural to users. In contrast, cross-platform apps aim for a uniform experience across platforms, which can sometimes result in less polished interfaces or slower responsiveness, especially when dealing with platform-specific features. While cross-platform apps offer a consistent design across devices, they may not deliver the same level of refinement as native apps tailored to each platform.

Maintenance:

Native apps require individual updates no matter the simplest of problems. This can be time consuming and frustrating having to do it each time individually. With cross-platform apps however, since the database is shared amongst platforms, it can be done efficiently, an attractive feature for those focusing on mobile app development process streamlining.

Now how do you, the brand owner know which to choose, and when to choose? Here, i’ll list some suggestions and advice for you to go through if you are struggling with the decision.

Which to choose?

Keep in mind that your choice of app should reflect the results you wish to achieve. If you are looking for high performance apps or apps with optimal activity and high resolution results i.e; gaming, go for a native app. But if you don't require high resolution graphics or your app doesn't rely heavily on platform specific features, it would be better to go for a cross-platform app. 

Your budget and timeline are of great importance as well. If you have a higher budget and a longer timeline, there is no issue in seeking out a native app. However, if you are short on time, you should definitely go with cross-platform apps.

Advantages of native apps

Let's have a look as to why a native app may be beneficial. We have already established that native apps run more smoothly since they are designed specifically for that one platform. This means that they are faster and more reliable making them stand out in their field for graphics-intensive applications.

Native apps are also very effective considering the fact that they utilize device specific functions to the best extent whether it is GPS, cameras or other sensors.

This doesn't mean that cross-platform apps aren't any good. They indeed have their own advantages. Let's take a look. 

Advantages of cross-platform apps

Since the same codebases are used, cross-platform apps are cheaper, and require lesser resources as well as less time. So if a business has a tight deadline, it would be a sound conclusion to go with a cross-platform app. Another great advantage to cross-platform apps is brand consistency across platforms, ensured by uniform UI/UX,  a significant benefit for mobile apps for small businesses looking to establish a strong digital presence.

Conclusion: 

In the end, everything comes down to your specific needs, affordability, and available resources. The benefits of mobile apps for businesses are undeniable, but choosing between native and cross-platform apps should reflect your business goals and target audience. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, whether in terms of finance, development time, or app performance.

Collaborating with a reliable mobile app development company, such as Hudasoft can help you weigh your options effectively and make an informed decision. Choose wisely, and take the first step toward strengthening your digital presence.

[learnwithmearticles]

New Democratic Race

While Joe Biden announced the cancellation of his 2024 Presidential campaign on July 21st, we do not yet know who his replacement will be.

Harris as President

Most social media and news points to Kamala Harris, currently serving as Biden’s vice president. Though not confirmed, she is who Biden endorsed as replacement, and there is much to gain from the Democratic party choosing her.

She is younger, first of all, which is a major criticism voters have of Biden (and Trump). She now has experience as vice president in the White House, and she was of course on the primary ticket as Biden’s running mate, who won in every state primary.

Her policies are also stronger than his. On many key issues, Harris’s past remarks indicate stronger beliefs than Biden’s.

For example, Biden has spoken about reinstating Roe v. Wade to protect abortion access, a policy that still allowed states to instill restrictions on clinics and physicians. Harris instead proposed in 2019 federal protections that go further than Roe v. Wade in allowing the Department of Justice to protect abortion access.

Economically, Harris could be more active in protecting workers. While Biden said he would renegotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership during his presidency -a trade deal that US labor and environmental groups protested- he failed to actually do so. Meanwhile Harris voted against one of Trump’s laws specifically because it didn’t do enough to protect US jobs and the environment.

In areas like animal welfare, data privacy, and artificial intelligence regulations, they have also had similar outlooks.

In many areas, Biden and Harris agree on policies and viewpoints; however, Harris has been more active and demonstrative in some areas. Biden was able to do a lot in his presidency considering the imbalanced representation of Republicans in the government. If Harris wins this election, we can expect to see even more impactful change, especially with the expectation that she would nominate the next two Supreme Court replacements.

Who could be her VP?

With Harris expected to be the Democratic nominee, there are a few she might pick as her running mate.

One is Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. He ran in the 2020 primaries, and as Secretary has focused on decreasing the container congestion problem at U.S. ports, as well as a national roadway safety strategy to reduce deaths and injuries. 

Another option is Andy Beshear, current Governor of Kentucky. He has helped create 50,000 full-time jobs and greatly improved the state by landing the largest electric vehicle battery plants in the world. He wants to protect public education, healthcare, abortion rights, and pensions.

Roy Cooper is the last I will bring up. He is older than the other candidates, but might bring more political crossover to the ticket, as he has in North Carolina. He has defended abortion rights, worked to expand Medicaid, and fought for better public education.

All of these candidates run on similar viewpoints that can be expected for the Democratic party, and have accomplished records that demonstrate their active roles in improving the country.

With Harris likely to take over the Democratic Presidential nomination, there are a few likely candidates for her running mate. Overall, we can expect and hope for this change in the race to benefit the Democratic party. Though it does throw off original plans, a younger candidate who inspires less doubt in voters is a large improvement for progressive efforts.

Additional Resources

1. Democratic Re-nomination

2. Policy Comparison

3. Potential Running Mates

4. Potential Running Mates 2

5. Pete Buttigieg Accomplishments

6. Andy Beshear Accomplishments

7. Roy Cooper Accomplishments

[thepitofjob]

Job 6: 1-7. "The Dove and the Falcon."

Anguish is life in a human body which experiences happiness in between begging to eat, drink, pee, evacuate, orgasm, work, rest, and also take care of others. The spaces of time between these "braying donkeys" are the only moments we can work on being happy. The goal of the spiritist is to run the mind in parallel to the needs of the body and do what has to be done without feeding the donk and spoiling it rotten. Overfeeding a donkey to the point it is a burden rather than bears a burden is called an addiction.

An addiction creates a superordinate goal in the brain, meaning it changes the wiring of the brain so that every other basic need in the body and life comes second in line to the addictive substance or experience. Addictions are terrifying because they interfere with the ability of the mind to learn how to think using the parallel motions I mention above.

Anguish includes avoiding patterns of addiction and for this, one needs heavy investment in the ordinary patterns of life. I have noticed, however, that many Jewish persons feel unsure if Judaism and ordinary life are compatible. Indeed in many ways they are not supposed to be ordinary persons, but somehow we still need to satisfy basic needs and desires without being caught up and find Ha Shem.

The following section of Job explains the importance of reluctance towards addictive behaviors and strong preferances for normalcy that includes a proper pattern of homages.

6 Then Job replied:

2 “If only my anguish could be weighed     and all my misery be placed on the scales! 3 It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—     no wonder my words have been impetuous. 4 The arrows of the Almighty are in me,     my spirit drinks in their poison;     God’s terrors are marshaled against me. 5 Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass,     or an ox bellow when it has fodder? 6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt,     or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow[a]? 7 I refuse to touch it;     such food makes me ill.

The tract says we think the food data we get from the Shule is going to taste bad to the brain and life is no longer going to be any fun. Above the taste of it is said to be "tatestless poison, sickening." Anyone who has ever drank too much and puked while the world spun, or tried to get out of bed for three weeks after a meth binge will agree religion is not nearly so poisonous.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 1-3: My words have been impetuous. The Number is 13355, יגגהה‎‎‎‎, "stare at the medicine."

Just as there is no poison in Judaism, there is no medicine in ordinary culture. We must learn to live as the Torah says or life outside of the animal self, which has no control over its appetites and bodily needs will not develop. Ordinary society will not encourage this. It does not know how, it is not even its role.

v. 4: The Arrows of the Almighty are in me. The Number is 5033. האֶפֶסגג‎ ‎ ‎"the summit."

Arrows are distance weapons. One has to identify a target, aim, and release the bowstring with precision or the arrow misses. There is no such thing as a miss with a requirement or a stricture. One does what one is supposed to do, and one refrains from what one is not supposed to do and the arrow never misses.

We spoke recently about the Noachide Laws. These are the basis for how one should aim one's arrows.

v. 5: Does a wild donkey bray? Does the ox bellow? These are animals. Feed them, they will do what you want. Starve or mistreat them, they will kill you. Human beings do not bray or bellow, they wait, are patient, and find ways to solve their problems in ways an animal has no ability to comprehend. The Number is 6332, וגג‎‎ב, "and back and back."

This is the warning against addictive experiences. It is fun to blow smoke in someone's face and schcrew his haunches off but no good will ever truly come from doing it again and again. The loneliness this creates is always unbearable. So long as the mind thinks its needs can be met anticipating a fantasy hookup all the moments it has, that is how it will behave.

v. 6: Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow[a]? The Number is 5227, ה‎בבז‎ , the falcon.

There are two kinds of birds in the Shule, the dove and the falcon. Doveboys who flit and float about acting and looking holier than thou are forbidden. Jesus got in big trouble for telling the Shule not to sell doves but He was right.

Observe:

Doves=849,חדט‎ "sharp".

Falcons= 210, רי‎‎, "ri" "two hundred" AKA "completed", "Does not fly blind."

"The root ערר ('arar) describes an accumulation in one place that results in an emptiness or barrenness everywhere else — both cities and clouds form from this principle, and indeed any sort of commercial or intellectual fortune. Adjectives ערירי ('ariri) and ערער ('ar'ar) mean stripped, childless or destitute. Noun מערה (me'ara) literally means "place of being stripped" and is the Bible's common word for cave. Noun ערוער ('aro'er) denotes some kind of tree or bush (probably one without leaves).

Noun עיר ('ir) is the Bible's common word for city, which constitutes an accumulation of people and goods, usually in the middle of a wide area without remaining trees. Noun עיר ('ayir) came to specifically denote the wild ass, but apparently stems from the more common behavior of standing around in clusters in the middle of a field that's been grazed clean (in other languages this word also denotes gazelles and such).

Verb עור ('awar) means to be or make blind, and blindness occurs most commonly due to a cataract (which looks like a skin forming over the eye, and is due to a cloudy accumulation of protein in the ocular lens). Adjective עור ('iwwer) means blind. Nouns עורון ('iwwaron) and עורת ('awweret) mean blindness.

Verb עור ('ur I) means to rouse oneself — literally to collect and bundle one's feelings. Noun עיר ('ir) means excitement.

Identical verb עור ('ur II) means to be exposed or laid bare. Noun מעור (ma'or) means nakedness and noun מערם (ma'arom) means naked one. Adjectives עירם ('erom), ערם ('erom), ערום ('arom) and ערם ('arom) mean naked. Noun עור ('or) means skin or hide.

Verb ערה ('ara) also means to be naked or bare. Nouns ערה ('ara), מערה (ma'ara) and מער (ma'ar) refer to bare or exposed places. Nouns ערוה ('erwa) and עריה ('erya) mean nakedness or exposure. Noun תער (ta'ar) denotes a thing that makes bare: a razor or sheath of a sword."

While it is better to be a dove than to be a lamb or a ram, doves are not what we want. The national bird of Israel is therefore not a dove but a falcon.

v. 7: I refuse to touch it. The Number is 1646, י״ודו‎, Yedu, "admit the knowledge," also the Hebrew root for India, which means "charm the snake."

The Hebrew verb ידע (yada') means to know. This very important root occurs 944 times in the Old Testament and is found across the Semitic language spectrum. Its Greek counterpart is γινωσκω (ginosko).

This verb is used in all the expected ways, but most notably in Proverbs 1:7, where it reads: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge". Since knowledge is typically obtained through the senses, the mere act of observation appears to be equal with fearing God.

Another notable usage of our verb is in the procreative sense: when a man "knows" a woman, he's having sex with her (Genesis 4:1, Judges 11:39), and this says quite a bit about how the Hebrews saw marriage and the process of learning. The Word of God was of course personified, and so learning about the laws of nature was deemed equal to being in a marriage relationship with the Creator.

Our verb may also describe knowledge that is not so much cognitive but rather empirical or experiential. Ecclesiastes 8:5 states that 'he who keeps the commandment will know no evil', which refers to the experience of bad things rather than a cognitive examination of vice. In that same vein, the dire consequences of eating from the 'tree of knowledge of good and evil' obviously does not refer to the dangers of learning or scientific rebellion (learning and science are held in the highest possible regard in the Bible) but rather the notion that chomping off the wrong branch is going to make bad things happen to you.

The derivatives of this verb are:

The masculine noun דע (dea') meaning knowledge (Job 36:4) or judgment or opinion (Job 36:3).

The feminine noun דעה (dea'), also meaning knowledge (1 Samuel 2:3; "A God of knowledge is YHWH", Jeremiah 3:15).

The feminine noun דעת (da'at), also meaning knowledge (Genesis 2:9, Joshua 20:3). This noun is the most common word for knowledge.

The masculine noun ידעני (yidde'oni), denoting a familiar spirit (Leviticus 19:31, 1 Samuel 28:3, Isaiah 8:19). This word is commonly translated with sorcerer or magician.

The masculine noun מודע (moda') or מדע (moda'), meaning relative or kinsman (Ruth 2:1, Proverbs 7:4).

The feminine noun מדעת (moda'at), meaning kindred or kinship (Ruth 3:2 only).

The masculine noun מדע (madda'), meaning knowledge (2 Chronicles 1:10), or literally: the place of knowledge, or thought (Ecclesiastes 10:20).

The adverb מדוע (madua') or מדע (maddua'), expressing an inquisition: why? This word is probably a contraction from מה־ידוע (me-yadua'), meaning: what being known?

The verb הדה (hada) means to stretch out one's hand, or more specifically: to manually extract snakes from their burrows, or to snake-charm.

The body is a stall and a hole that contains some animal essences that can be reasononed with, some can never be reasoned with. It is best to learn how to do more with less early in life. This is the reason we emphasize Shabbos, the opposite of instant gratification which is the reason for all addictions.

Notice also the strong indications within the language for how to understand the rules of Kosher,which explain proper relations between persons and their surroundings instead of how Jews are supposed to eat.

[jcmarchi]

The Case for Decentralizing Your AI Tech Stack

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/the-case-for-decentralizing-your-ai-tech-stack/

The Case for Decentralizing Your AI Tech Stack

So much of the conversation on AI development has become dominated by a futuristic and philosophical debate – should we approach general artificial intelligence, where AI will become advanced enough to perform any task the way a human could? Is that even possible?

While the acceleration versus deceleration discussion is important and timely with advancements like the Q-star model, other aspects matter, too. Mainly, the importance of decentralizing your technology stack, and how to do that without making it too much of a cost burden. These two challenges can feel at odds: building and deploying models is incredibly expensive, but over-relying on one model can be detrimental in the long run. I know this challenge personally as an AI founder.

To build intelligence, you need talent, data, and scalable compute. To accelerate time to market and do more with less, many companies will choose to build on top of existing models, rather than build from the ground up. And the approach makes sense when what you’re building is so resource-intensive. Compounding this challenge is that, unlike software, most of the gains so far in AI have been made by adding more scale, which requires more computing power and therefore cost.

But what happens when the company in which you’ve built your solution experiences a governance failure or a product outage? From a practical standpoint, relying on a single model to build your product means that you are now part of a negative ripple effect for anything that happens.

We also have to remember the risks of working with systems that are probabilistic. We are not used to this and the world we live in so far has been engineered and designed to function with a definitive answer. Models are fluid in terms of output, and companies constantly tweak the models as well, which means the code you have written to support these and the results your customers are relying on can change without your knowledge or control.

Centralization also creates safety concerns because it introduces a single point of failure. Every company is working in the best interest of itself. If there is a safety or risk concern with a model, you have much less control over fixing that issue or less access to alternatives.

Where does that leave us?

AI is indisputably going to improve how we live. There is so much that it is capable of achieving and fixing, from how we gather information to how we understand vast amounts of data. But with that opportunity also comes risk. If we over-rely on a single model, all companies are opening themselves up to both safety and product challenges.

To fix this, we need to bring the inference costs down and make it easier for companies to have a multi-model approach. And of course, everything comes to data. Data and data ownership will matter. The more unique, high quality, and available the data, the more useful it will be.

For many problems, you can optimize models for a specific application. The last mile of AI is companies building routing logic, evaluations, and orchestration layers on top of these different models, specializing them for different verticals.

There have been multiple substantial investments in this space that are getting us closer to this goal. Mistal’s recent (and impressive) funding round is a promising development towards an OpenAI alternative. There are also companies helping other AI providers make cross-model multiplexing a reality and reducing inference costs via specialized hardware, software, and model distillation, as a few examples.

We are also going to see open-source take off, and government bodies must enable open source to remain open. With open-source models, it’s easier to have more control. However, the performance gaps are still there.

I presume we will end up in a world where you will have junior models optimized to perform less complex tasks at scale while larger super-intelligent models will act as oracles for updates and will increasingly spend compute on solving more complex problems. You will not need a trillion-parameter model to respond to a customer service request. I liken it to not having a senior executive manage a task that an intern can handle. Much like we have multiple roles for human counterparts, most companies will also rely on a collection of models with various levels of sophistication.

To achieve this balance, you need a clear task breakdown and benchmarking, considering the time, computational complexity, cost, and required scale. Depending on the use case, you can prioritize accordingly. Determine a ground truth, an ideal outcome for comparison, and an example input and output data, so you can run various prompts to optimize and get the closest outcome to the ground truth.

If AI companies can successfully decentralize their tech stack and build on multiple models, we can improve the safety and reliability of these tools and thereby maximize the positive impact of AI. We are no longer in a place for theoretical debates – it’s time to focus on how to put AI to work to make these technologies more effective and resilient.

[makemywebsite1]

10 Things Digital Agencies Know About User Experience

User Experience, also called UX, is a key detail of every digital experience today. Whether it’s a website or an app, it is tough to succeed without high user satisfaction. So, when someone goes to a Digital Agency in Melbourne, the first thing they want to know is how to enable optimum user experience.

For digital agencies, understanding and optimizing UX is not just a part of their job; it’s a cornerstone of their success. Hence, they always keep updating their knowledge bank. Take a look at the below key insights on how they use this knowledge to enhance online interactions and drive results.

1. UX Is More Than Just Design

Digital agencies know that UX encompasses far more than just the visual aspects of a website or application. It extends to how users navigate, interact, and feel while using a digital product.

In a nutshell, successful UX design combines the following primary aspects:

Aesthetics

Functionality

Usability

Working from these three points of view can give you a great start in ensuring that your user’s journey is seamless and enjoyable.

2. User-Centred Design Is Non-Negotiable

A user-centred approach is fundamental. As yourself: Who am I making this website for? If you answer “for a business or an individual” — you are wrong. The users of the business are your target audience. Keep that in mind while you are making a website.

Thus, every digital agency in Melbourne mandates these three tasks before starting the project:

Conducting user research

Creating user personas

Regularly gathering feedback to inform design decisions.

Knowing that putting the user first leads to more intuitive and effective digital experiences is crucial.

3. Mobile Responsiveness Is a Must

The internet has become a knowledge source we can’t ignore today. Any time of day, if we have a question, we quickly take our mobiles and run a quick Google search. This makes it a necessity to make websites mobile-friendly.

Some website layouts don’t suit mobile screens, making the text and images lose quality. This is a significant problem that digital agencies recognize. They understand the need for a responsive design, ensuring websites and applications adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes and devices to provide a consistent and enjoyable user experience.

4. Speed Matters

Digital agencies know that slow-loading websites can frustrate users and lead to high bounce rates. Thus, they prioritize reducing the page loading speed. For this, they have many techniques.

For instance:

Optimizing page load times

Employing techniques such as image compression and code minification.

Using content delivery networks (CDNs) to ensure swift loading across all devices.

5. Accessibility Is for Everyone

Accessibility is a core consideration in UX design. Digital agencies recognize the importance of creating digital experiences that are inclusive and cater to users with disabilities.

This includes many considerations:

Providing alt text for images

Keyboard navigation options

Ensuring compatibility with screen readers

6. Consistency Breeds Trust

Consistency in design and branding builds trust. For instance, choosing a different font for a different page can come off as clumsy and directionless. Use the design elements consistently, and your users will see them as part of your brand image.

So, go to any digital agency in Geelong, and they will talk about maintaining a consistent look and feel throughout a website or application. From colours and typography to navigation and layout, consistency helps users feel more familiar and comfortable with the digital environment.

7. A/B Testing Drives Improvement

Digital agencies are adept at using A/B testing to refine user experiences continually. By testing variations of design elements, content, and call-to-actions, they gather data to make informed decisions that lead to higher conversions and better user engagement.

And this is a simple enough test to conduct even as a beginner without any premium tools. It can teach you a lot about your user preferences.

8. Content Is King

Compelling and relatable content is a cornerstone of UX. That is why no digital agency in Melbourne can underestimate talented content creators. They craft well-written, engaging, and informative content that resonates with the target audience.

Also, as a rule, every content creator makes the content easily digestible, informative, and maybe even entertaining. It contributes to the overall user journey.

9. Personalization Enhances Engagement

Personalization is a powerful arrow in the quiver of every digital agency in Melbourne.

Digital agencies employ data-driven insights to tailor content, recommendations, and customer experiences based on individual preferences and behaviour, increasing engagement and satisfaction.

10. Analytics Drive Continuous Improvement

Digital agencies in Melbourne value analytics as they help them understand user behaviour. By using tools like Google Analytics, they gain insights into how an audience interacts with a website or application, identify pain points, and make data-driven optimizations to continually enhance the user experience.

Want to Hire a Digital Agency in Geelong?

Make My Website is our recommendation. Contact their representative and have a heart-to-heart talk with them about your user journey, goals, and preferences. They have in-depth market knowledge, so they can design a website destined to succeed for you.

We’re sure you will find their suggestions very helpful!

[shamebats]

While I'm in the mood for rambling about companies doing things that are terrible for users on purpose, there's also on-going drama with Reddit announcing that they'll be ending free calls to their API (the system apps use to get data and send data to Reddit). This will kill many very important 3rd party apps. Among them is Reddit for Blind, a better alternative to the official app for people who use a screenreader.

The mods of /r/blind have released a statement saying "This doesn't only impact your ability to access Reddit in a fluid, customizable, and efficient way; many of us on the mod team are also blind, and we depend on those third party apps to make sure that this community remains a safe, fun, and productive place. Unfortunately, new Reddit, and the official Reddit apps, just don't provide us with the levels of accessibility we need in order to continue effectively running this community. As well, the Transcribers of Reddit, the many dedicated folks who volunteer to transcribe and describe thousands and thousands of images on Reddit, may also be unable to operate."

Another statement from /r/ModCoord:

"On Android, the official Reddit mobile app is reasonably usable with the Android screen reader, but the experience on iOS is a completely different story. There are missing elements, broken navigation, nonsensical labels, and more problems that plague those who just want to interact with the site. If you decide to become a moderator the problems are compounded even more.

Third party apps, like Dystopia for Reddit and Apollo, have addressed this niche left so underserved for so many years because Reddit won't. It took literal years of tickets and complaints to get New Reddit to be accessible, and now the door has been shut in our collective faces. As things currently stand, this change doesn't just take away our clients; it takes away our voice."

So Reddit is about to push many visually impaired users off the platform because they want to make money off of free, not for profit 3rd party apps but have so far failed to make their official iOS app work properly with screen readers and they don't give a shit. Fuck Reddit.