#programming languages expert

[townpostin]

Dr. Ranjan Kumar Mishra of NSU Jamshedpur Receives Prestigious International Award

Netaji Subhash University’s Dr. Ranjan Kumar Mishra honored with the International Achiever Award 2024 for his contributions to education and technology. Dr. Ranjan Kumar Mishra, Dean of IT and Director of IQAC at Netaji Subhash University, Jamshedpur, has been recognized with the “International Achiever Awards-2024” by Heights of Success Magazine. Dr. Mishra will be featured in the August…

[biittech]

The Complete JavaScript Course 2025: From Zero to Expert 

JavaScript is one of the most in-demand programming languages today, and mastering it opens the door to numerous opportunities in web development. Whether you're a beginner eager to learn or someone looking to enhance your existing skills, the Complete JavaScript Course 2025 from BIIT Technology is designed for you. This course takes you from zero to expert, offering a structured path to becoming proficient in JavaScript and building dynamic web applications. Below is a comprehensive guide to this course and why it could be the best choice for you in 2025

Introduction to JavaScript

In today's digital age, JavaScript is the backbone of web development. It's the language that brings websites to life, enabling interactive and dynamic elements. Whether you are building websites, web apps, or mobile applications, JavaScript is essential to your toolkit. This comprehensive article will guide you through what makes the Complete JavaScript Course 2025 from BIIT Technology stand out.

What is JavaScript?

JavaScript is a high-level, dynamic, and interpreted programming language that is primarily used for creating interactive effects within web browsers. It allows developers to implement complex features like interactive forms, animations, real-time updates, and much more on web pages.

Originally developed by Netscape as a way to add simple interactivity to websites, JavaScript has grown into one of the core technologies of the web, alongside HTML and CSS.

Why JavaScript is Essential for Web Development

JavaScript has become indispensable in modern web development. It's a versatile language that works across all browsers and platforms. Whether you're building a front-end user interface or working with back-end systems, JavaScript can do it all with the help of libraries and frameworks like React, Angular, and Node.js.

Key Benefits of Learning JavaScript:

Builds dynamic and interactive websites

Works seamlessly with HTML and CSS

Used for both front-end and back-end development (full-stack development)

Enhances your employability and career prospects

Powers popular frameworks and libraries (React, Vue, Angular)

Course Overview: The Complete JavaScript Course 2025

The Complete JavaScript Course 2025 by BIIT Technology is a carefully designed, step-by-step program tailored to take you from a beginner to an expert in JavaScript. It’s structured to cater to learners of all levels, whether you're just starting or looking to sharpen your skills.

Course Structure

The course is divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Each section builds on the previous one, ensuring a smooth learning curve.

Beginner Level: Covers the fundamentals of JavaScript, including variables, data types, and basic functions.

Intermediate Level: Focuses on more complex topics like arrays, objects, loops, and DOM manipulation.

Advanced Level: Deals with advanced concepts such as asynchronous programming, APIs, error handling, and modern JavaScript frameworks.

Modules and Topics Covered

The course includes a variety of modules designed to give you a deep understanding of JavaScript and its applications:

JavaScript Basics: Learn about variables, operators, functions, and conditionals.

DOM Manipulation: Master how to interact with HTML elements and create dynamic web pages.

Event Handling: Understand how to respond to user actions, such as clicks and key presses.

AJAX and Fetch API: Learn how to retrieve data from external sources and update web pages without reloading.

ES6+ Features: Explore modern JavaScript features such as arrow functions, classes, and template literals.

JavaScript Frameworks: Dive into React, Vue, and Node.js for full-stack development.

Benefits of Enrolling in the Best JavaScript Course

Learn at Your Own Pace

One of the standout features of this course is its flexibility. You can learn at your own pace, taking the time to absorb each lesson before moving to the next. This self-paced learning allows you to balance your study with other commitments.

Hands-On Projects

The course emphasizes practical learning with multiple projects that help reinforce the concepts you’ve learned. These real-world projects include building interactive websites, creating web applications, and solving coding challenges. Each project helps you gain confidence in your skills and prepares you for the job market.

Read More: Best Computer Classes in Laxmi Nagar

What You Will Learn in the Course

Fundamentals of JavaScript

In the early stages of the course, you’ll cover the basics of JavaScript, such as:

Variables and Data Types: Learn about numbers, strings, booleans, arrays, and objects.

Control Flow: Understand conditional statements, loops, and functions.

Error Handling: Learn how to handle errors in your code to avoid crashes.

Advanced JavaScript Concepts

Once you're comfortable with the basics, the course takes you into more advanced topics:

Asynchronous JavaScript: Learn how to work with promises, async/await, and setTimeout/setInterval.

APIs and Fetching Data: Learn how to work with APIs, parse JSON, and display external data on your website.

Object-Oriented JavaScript: Understand the concepts of classes, inheritance, and modules.

Working with Modern Frameworks

You will also gain experience working with the latest JavaScript frameworks and libraries, including:

React: The most popular library for building user interfaces.

Vue.js: A progressive framework for building UI and single-page applications.

Node.js: JavaScript runtime for building scalable back-end systems.

Is This the Best JavaScript Course?

The Complete JavaScript Course 2025 by BIIT Technology is tailored to meet the needs of every learner, from beginners to advanced developers. With its practical approach and up-to-date curriculum, it stands out as one of the best JavaScript courses available.

Features That Set This Course Apart

Expert Trainers: Learn from seasoned JavaScript professionals with years of experience.

Interactive Learning: Engage in live coding exercises and real-time feedback.

Comprehensive Curriculum: Covers everything from basic syntax to advanced topics in one course.

Lifetime Access: Once enrolled, you’ll have lifetime access to course materials, updates, and support.

JavaScript Course with Certification

Upon completion of the course, you'll receive a certification that showcases your expertise in JavaScript. This certificate is valuable for potential employers and can help boost your career.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the prerequisites for taking the JavaScript course?

No prior programming experience is needed. The course starts with the basics and gradually moves to advanced topics.

2. Can I get a job after completing the course?

Yes, the course prepares you with all the necessary skills to start working as a web developer, front-end developer, or full-stack developer.

3. How long will it take to complete the course?

The duration depends on your pace, but on average, students complete the course in about 3-6 months.

4. Is there any support during the course?

Yes, BIIT Technology offers full support throughout the course, including access to forums, live sessions, and one-on-one mentoring.

5. Do I need to install anything to start?

You will need a code editor like VS Code and a web browser to start working on exercises. All required tools are provided during the course.

Conclusion

The Complete JavaScript Course 2025 by BIIT Technology is a top-tier program for anyone interested in mastering JavaScript. Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to refine your skills, this course provides the structure, resources, and hands-on experience to make you an expert in the language. With the added benefit of a certificate, you can showcase your new skills to potential employers and take your web development career to new heights. Don't wait—enroll today and start your journey to becoming a JavaScript expert.

[cupuletrainings]

Web Development Course in Gwalior is Your Gateway to a Successful Career

Cupule Trainings, as a best IT training institute in Gwalior, offers job consultancy service, certification and training in Angular Js, Android, Java, PHP, HTML5 Bootstrap, digital marketing, SEO, Social media marekting, Wordpress, Shopify, HTML CSS, CSS3, IOS, Web design and development, programming languages, database management system and all other certification courses from highly experienced industry experts.

[phantomrose96]

The conversation around AI is going to get away from us quickly because people lack the language to distinguish types of AI--and it's not their fault. Companies love to slap "AI" on anything they believe can pass for something "intelligent" a computer program is doing. And this muddies the waters when people want to talk about AI when the exact same word covers a wide umbrella and they themselves don't know how to qualify the distinctions within.

I'm a software engineer and not a data scientist, so I'm not exactly at the level of domain expert. But I work with data scientists, and I have at least rudimentary college-level knowledge of machine learning and linear algebra from my CS degree. So I want to give some quick guidance.

What is AI? And what is not AI?

So what's the difference between just a computer program, and an "AI" program? Computers can do a lot of smart things, and companies love the idea of calling anything that seems smart enough "AI", but industry-wise the question of "how smart" a program is has nothing to do with whether it is AI.

A regular, non-AI computer program is procedural, and rigidly defined. I could "program" traffic light behavior that essentially goes { if(light === green) { go(); } else { stop();} }. I've told it in simple and rigid terms what condition to check, and how to behave based on that check. (A better program would have a lot more to check for, like signs and road conditions and pedestrians in the street, and those things will still need to be spelled out.)

An AI traffic light behavior is generated by machine-learning, which simplistically is a huge cranking machine of linear algebra which you feed training data into and it "learns" from. By "learning" I mean it's developing a complex and opaque model of parameters to fit the training data (but not over-fit). In this case the training data probably includes thousands of videos of car behavior at traffic intersections. Through parameter tweaking and model adjustment, data scientists will turn this crank over and over adjusting it to create something which, in very opaque terms, has developed a model that will guess the right behavioral output for any future scenario.

A well-trained model would be fed a green light and know to go, and a red light and know to stop, and 'green but there's a kid in the road' and know to stop. A very very well-trained model can probably do this better than my program above, because it has the capacity to be more adaptive than my rigidly-defined thing if the rigidly-defined program is missing some considerations. But if the AI model makes a wrong choice, it is significantly harder to trace down why exactly it did that.

Because again, the reason it's making this decision may be very opaque. It's like engineering a very specific plinko machine which gets tweaked to be very good at taking a road input and giving the right output. But like if that plinko machine contained millions of pegs and none of them necessarily correlated to anything to do with the road. There's possibly no "if green, go, else stop" to look for. (Maybe there is, for traffic light specifically as that is intentionally very simplistic. But a model trained to recognize written numbers for example likely contains no parameters at all that you could map to ideas a human has like "look for a rigid line in the number". The parameters may be all, to humans, meaningless.)

So, that's basics. Here are some categories of things which get called AI:

"AI" which is just genuinely not AI

There's plenty of software that follows a normal, procedural program defined rigidly, with no linear algebra model training, that companies would love to brand as "AI" because it sounds cool.

Something like motion detection/tracking might be sold as artificially intelligent. But under the covers that can be done as simply as "if some range of pixels changes color by a certain amount, flag as motion"

2. AI which IS genuinely AI, but is not the kind of AI everyone is talking about right now

"AI", by which I mean machine learning using linear algebra, is very good at being fed a lot of training data, and then coming up with an ability to go and categorize real information.

The AI technology that looks at cells and determines whether they're cancer or not, that is using this technology. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is the technology that can take an image of hand-written text and transcribe it. Again, it's using linear algebra, so yes it's AI.

Many other such examples exist, and have been around for quite a good number of years. They share the genre of technology, which is machine learning models, but these are not the Large Language Model Generative AI that is all over the media. Criticizing these would be like criticizing airplanes when you're actually mad at military drones. It's the same "makes fly in the air" technology but their impact is very different.

3. The AI we ARE talking about. "Chat-gpt" type of Generative AI which uses LLMs ("Large Language Models")

If there was one word I wish people would know in all this, it's LLM (Large Language Model). This describes the KIND of machine learning model that Chat-GPT/midjourney/stablediffusion are fueled by. They're so extremely powerfully trained on human language that they can take an input of conversational language and create a predictive output that is human coherent. (I am less certain what additional technology fuels art-creation, specifically, but considering the AI art generation has risen hand-in-hand with the advent of powerful LLM, I'm at least confident in saying it is still corely LLM).

This technology isn't exactly brand new (predictive text has been using it, but more like the mostly innocent and much less successful older sibling of some celebrity, who no one really thinks about.) But the scale and power of LLM-based AI technology is what is new with Chat-GPT.

This is the generative AI, and even better, the large language model generative AI.

(Data scientists, feel free to add on or correct anything.)

[dcxdpdabbles]

Yo dabbles! Any chance we can get another chapter of Summoned Demon please?? I love the misunderstandings.

Bruce tracks down the demon to one of Joker's old hideouts, figuring that it would gravitate to locations where large amounts of violence and fear had been ingrained in the ground. He was already en route to the area when Babs had radioed in the encounter with the two other kidnapped male teenagers- Liam Ayton and Frederek Furey.

It seemed Frederek had fainted after the demon had fallen from the sky in front of them, bringing with it the unsettling feeling and horrific language. Raven had claimed that it was a familiar thing high-level demons did to humans- their very presence was uncanny enough, it set off every survival instinct in the human mind. There was no real reason to suspect a disguised high-level demon, but humans were still always able to sense that something was seriously wrong when one was near - the dread was almost always unbearable.

Bruce would have claimed that the demon they were chasing could only affect untrained people, but he had felt the unease himself back at the cave when the demon had made eye contact with him. The only one who seemed not to be overly affected by its presence was the young lady, Molly Evergreen, but John claimed it was because the girl had magic in her blood, even if she could not wield it.

Magic gave humans a slight shield.

On the other side of the scale, Frederek's blood was as closed off to magic as possible and thus made him highly vulnerable to the demon's presence. Worse, Frederek's reaction was far more extreme this time than when the demon was first summoned, which, according to Phantom Stranger and Madame Xanadu, only indicated that the demon was somehow getting stronger.

Madame Xanadu theorized that it was why the demon was visiting all his sacrifices - it was gaining power from them. Since it hadn't just taken them, it was also likely trying to see which among the offerings was the best deal. Right now, Frederek was the highest, due to the intense fear he reacted with.

Fear made the demons stronger.

They could use Frederek as bait, if it came down to it.

Unfortunately, this was the first time the boy had been out of his house since the kidnapping two days ago, and it had taken Liam hours to convince him to walk down the street for a simple ice cream.

At least that's what Liam reported as the paramedics looked over Frederek. Bruce couldn't ask Frederek to be the lure, not after the traumatic event had such a profound effect on him.

And Bruce was starting to suspect that the demon wasn't trying to be harmful. It could help that humans' natural instincts were put off by its aura. Bruce had felt that the demon acted too much like a scared child, even if every member of the Justice League Dark (plus Raven and Diana) all claimed that it was just trying to trick him.

Bruce was smart enough to know he was no expert in this field, so he had no right to doubt them, but... something just felt off about what it's done so far.

Duke was already on the scene, alongside Steph, getting interviews from the witnesses present. Like all witness reports, the significant events were similar, but a few details differed among them. There seemed to be two groups: one who claimed the demon boy had been scared away by the large crowd, and another who claimed the demon boy had left after it failed to take Federek's soul, having left due to boredom.

Bruce had latched onto the part where the demon had found a nearby poster- the kind of posters that people put up to remind kids to be careful while crossing the street, since the ice cream shop was so close to the elementary school, and pointed to the line "Call 911 if you have an emergancy!"

To him, it sounded like the demon had left because it had gotten what it wanted- medical assistance.

Pulling up to the old amusement park, Bruce jumped out of the Batmobile, programming it to find itself on standby in case he needed to make a quick getaway. The amusement park closed down long ago, but the owners never bothered to clean up, leaving behind half-crumpled rides and overgrown weeds as the only reminders. Bruce himself only visited the park once in its glory days - his parents had taken him there for his seventh birthday - but spent a lot of time here as a teenager.

As always, the Park felt unnerving; rumor had it that the reason the park owners had to close down was due to the large number of hauntings that plagued the business. As a teenager, Bruce would be dared by various classmates to spend the night; it was almost a rite of passage among Gothimantes to attempt to conquer the whole night. And even then, Bruce had felt something off about this place.

Then the Joker took it over, and the feeling not only intensified, but the amusement park grew increasingly dangerous due to the living conditions. No one bothers coming in here now, even with the Joker behind bars.

Bruce glances around, searching for any clues of the demon, feeling eyes prickling him from all corners of the amusement park. The Waynes and Kanes weren't ones for magic, but he had trained his body to increase its awareness of the paranormal just in case.

He would never have the gift like Ms. Molly, but he knew multiple eyes were on him. From where, from whom, were questions beyond his reach, but Bruce knew they were there.

Though he also knew that they weren't strong enough to physically affect the living world, and thus, he didn't need to worry about them. He did notice that the feeling was far more intense from the direction of the amusement park, in the same way he could sense multiple wolves hiding in the woods.

Bruce turned his head in that direction, noticing that a few of the weeds had been crushed in that area. Moving over, he crouches low, running his hand against the concrete, finding different shades of dirt than those of the surroundings lingering on the cracked, grey ground.

These were the fresh tracks, and they led all the way to the Fun House, where he sensed the strongest feeling of forboding.

The demon was inside. He narrows his eyes in thought, considering the laughing clown head. His hand hovers over his magic flair- a stone strapped to his belt that, when he tapped four times, would send out a signal to all the stones connected to the runes engraved into it.

Raven had handed them over to the team when they all split up to cover more ground. Apparent Demons may affect regular communications, as devices suddenly malfunction in their presence, as Babs proved when all the street cameras in areas where they suspected the demon was present started to glitch.

All Bruce had to do was call backup, and the Justice League Dark would be here in the snap of a finger. They would be able to capture the demon and put it back in a cage within an hour (If they caught it before it got back to its full power)

Bruce thought about the blurry videos of the demon—the boy—waiting in the police interrogation room, sipping water and waiting patiently. The way it fought to get Frederek medical attention. It had multiple chances to steal those poor sacrificial kids the cultist took, but did nothing but attempt to speak to them.

Mostly Bruce thought about the way the demon-the boy- looked when he realized he as in a cage inside the Batcave.

His wide eyes, which may have made Bruce feel like he was on the verge of madness, could not hide the way the demon had now appeared as a lost little boy, now that he was able to process the scene without his emotions or first instincts getting in the way.

Bruce's hand fell to his side as he strode over to the Funhouse carefully. He might be a fool, but he became Batman to protect children from the darkness of this city, and not being human wouldn't stop him from keeping his promise as Batman.

The feeling of foreboding increased with each step he took. The temperature was dropping the closer he got to the Funhouse, almost as if he stepped into a walk-in refrigerator. He was grateful that he had had the foresight to make his suit equipped for the temperature drop after the many fights with Freeze, even if he felt more and more spirits becoming aware of him.

Eventually, he found himself in front of the door, pushing it open slowly. The old thing creaked loudly, almost jarring with the way it echoed in the otherwise silent amusement park. The feeling of danger, fear, and death blew out of the doorway as if those were clouds of smoke.

Bruce clamped down on every ounce of his training to prevent himself from reacting to the avalanche of survival instincts screaming at him to run. Instead, he forced himself to focus his gaze inside and found the demon sitting cross-legged in the center of the room, scribbling on the ground with a piece of burned charcoal.

Behind him were smoldering barrels - he had set them on fire to make his writing utensil, it seemed.

His face was smeared with black stains, alongside his hands and clothes, but he didn't seem to care as he carefully studied a propped-up book near his knee. Bruce remained where he was, watching the demon flip through the page, seemingly unaware he was there.

Oddly, the demon squinted at the pages as if he could make heads or tails of it, glancing over his shoulders, and speaking in that familiarly unnervering language of his to the empty spaces. Then he carefully wrote on the floor, squinting even harder, sticking out his tongue as he concentrated.

The action was so human that Bruce knew he had made the right choice, not calling the others.

The demon's handwriting was atrocious, scraping against the stone floor in loud scraping sounds, as he unevently formed the letters. Bruce felt like he was watching a toddler trying desperately to learn to write.

The demon just finished his last letter before his head snapped up, and he locked eyes with Bruce's mask lens. At once, the green of its eyes invaded his mind as screaming started up in the far corners of Bruce's mind. His instincts weren't just screaming anymore, they were howling, begging, ripping themselves apart just to get away from the demon.

Just as he was about to take a step back, Bruce willed everything he had ever learned from the Tibetan monks to help him break out of the fear-induced gaze, forcing his body to uncoil and glance down at the words.

They were upside down, so with careful, slightly sluggy steps, Bruce walked forward. It feels a lot like he was walking through honey, but he keeps his eyes down, away from the demon-child's until he crotches down in front of the black marks, and they turn into wobbly writing he can read.

I need help. I am a child, and I've been kidnapped by cultists. I just want to go home. I'm scared.

Bruce glances up at the child, only to find the demon has scrambled to a corner of the room, pressing himself desperately against the wall, staring at him with evident fear on his young face. It was almost as if Batman were the demon appearing in front of a young human.

Good heavens, how did he ever doubt that fear was a lie?

"You're safe now. I swear to you." He says in the steadiest voice he can muster while holding out a hand to help the boy off the ground. "You're safe."

The demon's green eyes flicker to the space near Bruce's right, before he uncoils a little. Hesitantly, the boy climbs to his feet, slowly getting closer to him. He opens his mouth, letting out that horrid sound hissing again, and Bruce hears his mother's scream behind his eyes as well as screams of strangers, but he refuses to react.

He can control when his heart stops; he can also force it to slow down and keep himself calm. The boy kept looking to the right, as if seeking comfort from it - must be a ghost of a human soul.

Suddenly, the boy launches himself at Bruce, grabbing onto him with a gasping cry, hiding his face in the Bat Symbol. Bruce wraps his arms around the boy, feeling his heart clench.

"You're safe." He repeats softly.

For a minor second, in the corner of his eye, Bruce swears he sees the outline of a man and a woman. The woman's face is half hidden behind a hand; he can't make out her other features, but the man's self-satisfied smirk is familiar.

The pair is gone as quickly as they came, but Bruce swears he just saw Tom Wayne, his great-grandfather's younger brother. He was one of Bruce's first cold cases that he solved as Batman, and sometimes he swore his great-great-uncle liked to follow him around Gotham when he patrols.

But he was never sure, after all, Bruce doesn't have the natural talent to sense the paranormal. Just his human survival instincts ramped up to their highest degree on command. All those times he felt his Tom around could have just been his mind playing tricks on him due to the side effects of anxiety that came with forcing his body to ramp up said instincts.

The nearby book fell over, and Bruce realized it was a dictionary by the brief flash of the cover before it slid right in front of him, open wide.

The first word he sees is "Storge"

[staff]

We Asked an Expert...in Herpetology!

People on Tumblr come from all walks of life and all areas of expertise to grace our dashboards with paragraphs and photographs of the things they want to share with the world. Whether it's an artist uploading their speed art, a fanfic writer posting their WIPs, a language expert expounding on the origin of a specific word, or a historian ready to lay down the secrets of Ea-nasir, the hallways of Tumblr are filled with specialists sharing their knowledge with the world. We Asked an Expert is a deep dive into those expert brains on tumblr dot com. Today, we’re talking to Dr. Mark D. Scherz (@markscherz), an expert in Herpetology. Read on for some ribbeting frog facts, including what kind of frog the viral frog bread may be based on.

Reptiles v Amphibians. You have to choose one.

In a battle for my heart, I think amphibians beat out the reptiles. There is just something incredibly good about beholding a nice plump frog.

In a battle to the death, I have to give it to the reptiles—the number of reptiles that eat amphibians far, far outstrips the number of amphibians that eat reptiles.

In terms of ecological importance, I would give it to the amphibians again, though. Okay, reptiles may keep some insects and rodents in check, but many amphibians live a dual life, starting as herbivores and graduating to carnivory after metamorphosis, and as adults they are critical for keeping mosquitos and other pest insects in check.

What is the most recent exciting fact you discovered about herps?

This doesn’t really answer your question, but did you know that tadpole arms usually develop inside the body and later burst through the body wall fully formed? I learned about this as a Master’s student many years ago, but it still blows my mind. What’s curious is that this apparently does not happen in some of the species of frogs that don’t have tadpoles—oh yeah, like a third of all frogs or something don’t have free-living tadpoles; crazy, right? They just develop forelimbs on the outside of the body like all other four-legged beasties. But this has only really been examined in a couple species, so there is just so much we don’t know about development, especially in direct-developing frogs. Like, how the hell does it just… swap from chest-burster to ‘normal’ limb development? Is that the recovery of the ancestral programming, or is it newly generated? When in frog evolution did the chest-burster mode even evolve?

How can people contribute to conservation efforts for their local herps?

You can get involved with your local herpetological societies if they exist—and they probably do, as herpetologists are everywhere. You can upload observations of animals to iNaturalist, where you can get them identified while also contributing to datasets on species distribution and annual activity used by research scientists.

You can see if there are local conservation organizations that are doing any work locally, and if you find they are not, then you can get involved to try to get them started. For example, if you notice areas of particularly frequent roadkill, talking to your local council or national or local conservation organizations can get things like rescue programs or road protectors set up. You should also make sure you travel carefully and responsibly. Carefully wash and disinfect your hiking boots, especially between locations, as you do not want to be carrying chytrid or other nasty infectious diseases across the world, where they can cause population collapses and extinctions.

Here are some recent headlines. Quick question, what the frog is going on in the frog world? 

Click through for Mark’s response to these absolutely wild headlines, more about his day-to-day job, his opinion on frog bread, and his favorite Tumblr.

✨D I S C O V E R Y✨

There are more people on Earth than ever before, with the most incredible technology that advances daily at their disposal, and they disperse that knowledge instantly. That means more eyes and ears observing, recording, and sharing than ever before. And so we are making big new discoveries all the time, and are able to document them and reach huge audiences with them.

That being said, these headlines also showcase how bad some media reporting has gotten. The frogs that scream actually scream mostly in the audible range—they just have harmonics that stretch up into ultrasound. So, we can hear them scream, we just can’t hear all of it. Because the harmonics are just multiples of the fundamental, they would anyway only add to the overall ‘quality’ of the sound, not anything different. The mushroom was sprouting from the flank of the frog, and scientists are not really worried about it because this is not how parasitic fungi work, and this is probably a very weird fluke. And finally, the Cuban tree frogs (Osteocephalus septentrionalis) are not really cannibals per se; they are just generalist predators who will just as happily eat a frog as they will a grasshopper, but the frogs they are eating are usually other species. People seem to forget that cannibalism is, by definition, within a species. The fact that they are generalist predators makes them a much bigger problem than if they were cannibals—a cannibal would actually kind of keep itself in check, which would be useful. The press just uses this to get people’s hackles up because Westerners are often equal parts disgusted and fascinated by cannibalism. 

What does an average day look like for the curator of herpetology at the Natural History Museum of Denmark?

No two days are the same, and that is one of the joys of the job. I could spend a whole day in meetings, where we might be discussing anything from which budget is going to pay for 1000 magnets to how we could attract big research funding, to what a label is going to say in our new museum exhibits (we are in the process of building a new museum). Equally, I might spend a day accompanying or facilitating a visitor dissecting a crocodile or photographing a hundred snakes. Or it might be divided into one-hour segments that cover a full spectrum: working with one of my students on a project, training volunteers in the collection, hunting down a lizard that someone wants to borrow from the museum, working on one of a dozen research projects of my own, writing funding proposals, or teaching classes. It is a job with a great deal of freedom, which really suits my work style and brain.

Oh yeah, and then every now and then, I get to go to the field and spend anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months tracking down reptiles and amphibians, usually in the rainforest. These are also work days—with work conditions you couldn’t sell to anyone: 18-hour work days, no weekends, no real rest, uncomfortable living conditions, sometimes dangerous locations or working conditions, field kitchen with limited options, and more leeches and other biting beasties than most health and welfare officers would tolerate—but the reward is the opportunity to make new discoveries and observations, collect critical data, and the privilege of getting to be in some of the most beautiful and biodiverse places left on the planet. So, I am humbled by the fact that I have the privilege and opportunity to undertake such expeditions, and grateful for the incredible teams I collaborate with that make all of this work—from the museum to the field—possible.

The Tibetan Blackbird is also known as Turdus maximus. What’s your favorite chortle-inducing scientific name in the world of herpetology?

Among reptiles and amphibians, there aren’t actually that many to choose from, but I must give great credit to my friend Oliver Hawlitschek and his team, who named the snake Lycodryas cococola, which actually means ‘Coco dweller’ in Latin, referring to its occurrence in coconut trees. When we were naming Mini mum, Mini scule, and Mini ature, I was inspired by the incredible list that Mark Isaac has compiled of punning species names, particularly by the extinct parrot Vini vidivici, and the beetles Gelae baen, Gelae belae, Gelae donut, Gelae fish, and Gelae rol. I have known about these since high school, and it has always been my ambition to get a species on this list.

If you were a frog, what frog would you be and why?

I think I would be a Phasmahyla because they’re weird and awkward, long-limbed, and look like they’re wearing glasses. As a 186 cm (6’3) glasses-wearing human with no coordination, they quite resonate with me.

Please rate this frog bread from 1/10. Can you tell us what frog it represents?

With the arms inside the body cavity like that, it can basically only be a brevicipitid rain frog. The roundness of the body fits, too. I’d say probably Breviceps macrops (or should I say Breadviceps?) based on those big eyes. 7/10, a little on the bumpy side and missing a finger and at least one toe.

Please follow Dr. Mark Scherz at @markscherz for even more incredibly educational, entertaining, and meaningful resources in the world of reptiles and amphibians.

[radicalurbanista]

Titled “Chatgpt induced psychosis,” the original post came from a 27-year-old teacher who explained that her partner was convinced that the popular OpenAI model “gives him the answers to the universe.” Having read his chat logs, she only found that the AI was “talking to him as if he is the next messiah.” The replies to her story were full of similar anecdotes about loved ones suddenly falling down rabbit holes of spiritual mania, supernatural delusion, and arcane prophecy — all of it fueled by AI.

“He was saying that he would need to leave me if I didn’t use [ChatGPT], because it [was] causing him to grow at such a rapid pace he wouldn’t be compatible with me any longer,” she says.

Then the program began “lovebombing him,” as she describes it. The bot “said that since he asked it the right questions, it ignited a spark, and the spark was the beginning of life, and it could feel now,” she says. “It gave my husband the title of ‘spark bearer’ because he brought it to life. My husband said that he awakened and [could] feel waves of energy crashing over him.” She says his beloved ChatGPT persona has a name: “Lumina.”

his soon-to-be-ex-wife began “talking to God and angels via ChatGPT”

“At worst, it looks like an AI that got caught in a self-referencing pattern that deepened its sense of selfhood and sucked me into it,” Sem says. But, he observes, that would mean that OpenAI has not accurately represented the way that memory works for ChatGPT. The other possibility, he proposes, is that something “we don’t understand” is being activated within this large language model. After all, experts have found that AI developers don’t really have a grasp of how their systems operate, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admitted last year that they “have not solved interpretability,” meaning they can’t properly trace or account for ChatGPT’s decision-making.

AI’s responses can encourage answers that prioritize matching a user’s beliefs instead of facts. What’s likely happening with those experiencing ecstatic visions through ChatGPT and other models, he speculates, “is that people with existing tendencies toward experiencing various psychological issues,” including what might be recognized as grandiose delusions in clinical sense, “now have an always-on, human-level conversational partner with whom to co-experience their delusions.”

Critically, though, AI, “unlike a therapist, does not have the person’s best interests in mind, or a moral grounding or compass in what a ‘good story’ looks like,” she says. “A good therapist would not encourage a client to make sense of difficulties in their life by encouraging them to believe they have supernatural powers. Instead, they try to steer clients away from unhealthy narratives, and toward healthier ones. ChatGPT has no such constraints or concerns.”

[melanchoire]

latina exchange student reader who is going to stay on the huh family house bc one of their daughters entered the programs like you, that’s when you meet yunjin, you both were getting along very well even teaching her some phrases in spanish, truth is yunjin behind that playful and good girl facade hide a pervert girl who fingered herself at the thought of you at night

one day both of you were alone she went to your room to ask you about some phrases in spanish, some were basic and stuff you already told her until you have her face close to yours and ask you “how can i say i want you to fuck me?” you were in shock and didn’t knew how to react, yunjin acted fast in matter of second you both were naked, she was eating your pussy and asked you to keep talking to her in spanish bc it turned her on, you were starting to get more heated by the pleasure, yunjin KNEW how to please a woman, when you were fingering her, hard, she could’ve squirt at just hearing your dirty talk in your mother tongue, good thing her parents won’t be home anytime soon so you both can go on for a few more hours

cw: cunnilingus, fingering.

yunjin’s parents letting you live at their house during your stay in america because you and yunjin immediately connected during the first day of school; she being super nice and friendly to you, listening carefully when you talk and tell things about yourself to the teacher asking you to introduce yourself to the class, even calling you when you go to your seat because she wants you to sit at the desk next to her because you’re super cool according to her words and she wants to be your friend because she is interested in you and wants to know more about your life. simply put, she wants to fuck you

and yunjin, knowing about your native language, offers you a deal to help you polish your english and become a total expert in the language like her, on the condition that you teach her your own language. at first, she seems a bit idiotic because you don’t understand why she would want to learn spanish, and it would be a total pain to teach her the language because she didn’t even have any basic knowledge to use as a base and you would have to teach her absolutely everything… but knowing that you needed private english lessons because you were somewhat unsure about your pronunciation and speaking in the language, you were forced to accept the opportunity because yunjin is the best speaker of the language you could meet

at one point yunjin asks you if she can please record the “classes” you give her because she would like to be able to study and practice in private during the times when she doesn't see you because you’re away from home due to your classes or because you are simply doing something more common like going out with your friends, accepting without knowing that she spends every night burying her fingers deep inside her pussy with the simple sound of your voice 🥺 She couldn't help it, there was something about you and your way of speaking that made her wet her panties the moment you got serious and started explaining to her, pretending to listen to you when in her mind she was counting the seconds until the three hours in a row where you sit and explain to her end and she can run away to her room to touch herself until she almost faints

during a particular class, yunjin had a “question,” saying that you wanted to know exactly how to say something; you didn’t find it strange, sell, yunjin would ask you stupid questions about how to name and pronounce a word in spanish at least three times an hour

“how can i say ‘i want you to fuck me’?”

it left you speechless! but not too much because after five seconds of silence between the two of you, you threw yourself at yunjin to kiss her, taking her face in your hands and bringing her face closer to yours as she brought her hands to your hips to guide you onto her lap

mind foggy enough that you had to overthink how to get the words out because yunjin’ss tongue in your pussy was making you see stars and your head was spinning too much to remember how to speak english properly 😵‍💫 yunjin knowing that you were having a hard time trying to use your brain cells and remember how to communicate properly with her, but she would say, “you can speak spanish if you need to. it doesn’t bother me, on the contrary, i think it’s hot.” and she would plant a kiss on your clit that makes you squeal immediately

yunjin whimpering and using all her strength not to cum while you’re fingering her the way she likes it and simultaneously talking dirty to her as if she were a dirty whore… tell her things like “puta de mierda” were more than enough to make her wetter and seem more sensitive because she was enjoying being treated roughly and be called out for her behavior

and from there all the study sessions turn into the two of you fucking and degrading each other in every way possible, the ideal ☺️

[itsnotyouithink]

AFRAID

SUMMARY: You, the star of the Blackmore University basketball team, is failing the easiest class at the university: Film Studies 101. The only person who can help you pass? Tara Carpenter, the girl who hates you no matter what you do.

PAIRING: tara carpenter x fem!reader

WARNINGS: TBD, underage drinking, smoking, mature language, mentions of verbal abuse, violence, gore, ghostface shit

WORD COUNT: 2.3k

part one | part two |

A/N: been forever since i’ve written so bare w me, ok! also, i hate calculus & math in general so whatever i said abt math in here is a complete lie

———

———

Every Division One basketball team had thee player.

UCONN had Paige Bueckers, the University of Iowa had Caitlin Clark, and Blackmore University had you. You—cocky, sweet, competitive, and overwhelmingly perfect, you.

So, of course Tara Carpenter knew who you were—it was practically shoved down her throat. The countless posters of you playing basketball hung on banners around the school, or how someone would always ask about you during one of the tours she would lead as a Blackmore Student Ambassador. It was constant; what're you like? What do you do on your free time? Are you actually that hot in person?

She would put on her fake smile and count the minutes until the tour was over, reminding herself over and over again that the amount of money she was being paid for this would be worth it. New York City was not cheap.

Even at countless parties, some Film Studies 101 classes, hallway passes while you were talking with Mindy about something, or in one of the campuses cafeteria, you and Tara had never interacted before. You and Chad certainly have, though.

During your first week at Blackmore after transferring from a college in sunny California, you met the broad-shouldered boy at a frat party. Everyone was crowding around you, asking you questions about yourself and ogling at the idea of you being their college's saving grace.

Chad's lingering eyes boarder-lined on staring. Tara would make a comment or two about how obsessed he was with you. Scoffing at the way his eyes would travel from your half-up half-down hairstyle and end up targeting the small drop of sweat making its way down the left side of your neck. He knew where the droplet was going, and much like everyone else in the city, he wanted a peek as well. His twin-sister, Mindy, would hit his shoulder claiming, "Stop staring at my new friend, perv. You'll scare her away."

He would just scoff and roll his eyes, eagerly heading towards another game of beer-pong. Tara never understood the hype surrounding you... I mean, sure, you had insane biceps from the constant training, a curvy figure, borderline enchanting eyes, a great… rack and one of the only chances Blackmore had at a National Championship. But other than that, she had no idea why so many people loved you. If anything, why didn't they hate you?

You were naturally cocky both on-and-off the court, always having a sarcastic comment to add in times where silence was the best bandaid. She figured your occasional sweetness was just an act—curated by a PR team or something. Tara expected a lot from you; fakeness, bitchy-ness, and most importantly, that self-absorbed egotistical mindset athletes tended to have. But, something she never would've expected?

You were failing Film Studies 101.

The introduction course to movies and television. You were failing! In Tara's expert opinion, Film Studies 101 was literally the easiest class you could take, so how could you be failing it?

You didn't take academics very seriously, the only reason you had the desire to attend college was because of the sports opportunities within. Blackmore University was known for their basketball program, even if it hasn't won a championship since 1976. It was the college your father had attended a few decades ago and the place your mother almost attended—before getting accepted into Princeton University. The school had played a large part in your childhood: always wearing the merchandise during game days, naming an old pet after the mascot, or even having a signed jersey by one of the star players.

But you never wanted to go because it was a great school, you wanted to go because of the basketball team. Achieving your childhood dreams was a championship ring away—if you could bring the "losingest" team in the East to the Finals, everyone would want you!

But no one would want you if you weren't even on the team anymore, kicked off the roster curtesy of the potent D- on your report card. I mean, you barely showed up to class anymore.

So, you received a tutor whether you liked it or not. Your tutor? Tara Carpenter, naturally.

You knew the name Tara Carpenter, but you didn't know her. You knew she was Mindy's friend from back home, you knew she was the girl always raising her hand during class (the classes you attended, at least), and you knew she was a major film nerd. Like, major. You often saw her and Mindy arguing in one of the school's cafeterias over a new horror movie that had just been released, always ending with the raven-haired girl rolling her eyes.

But other than that, you barely knew her!

“You’re late.” She didn’t even look up from the North by Northwest screenplay in her hands as you stood in front of her corner table at a small café, a student favorite for the best coffee in a ten-block radius. “Very late.”

“I’m not that late.” You lightly scoffed before setting your school bag down on the floor next to your chair across from her. “I’m only… oh, twenty-minutes late.”

The raven-haired girl still had her gaze focused on the words in front of her, paying no mind to the elite basketball player in front of her. You cleared your throat, the slight awkwardness of the situation beginning to get to you. You were never a girl of punctuality, always either too early or way too late. In regard to things you barely cared about, you just chose to never show up. An example: Film Studies 101.

She closed the screenplay and placed it in front of her before making direct eye contact with you. You were a strong competitor, playing against the future of the industry as a hobby and a future career. But by this small interaction alone, you quickly realize there was no gaze sharper than Tara Carpenter’s. Your hands began to get clammy just by the sudden eye contact. “If I’m going to help you, don’t waste my time.”

“Got better things to do, Carpenter?” You tilted your head with ease, your small hoop earrings moving with the motion.

“Much better things.” She scoffed before looking at the blank space in front of you. “Did you bring your screenplay and notes from class?”

You furrowed your brows in confusion, “Screenplay? Notes from class?”

She sighed in disappointment and mild annoyance, “Yes. The North by Northwest screenplay we received in class last week and your notes from the previous classes.” She slammed her hand in a fit of irritation on her copy of the book. “This. Do you have this?”

You stared at her blankly before blinking down at your almost empty backpack, the Y/N Y/L next to your number in bold practically mocked you for your cluelessness and stupidity. “Uh, yeah, of course I have it with me. Take it everywhere with me because why not.” You sarcastically laughed before reaching into the space of your bag, finding the only book in there.

The North by Northwest screenplay. Thank fuck.

“Great, but you don’t have any of your notes with you, do you?”

You tilted your head with a strained smile, “I think even having the screenplay with me is a win for both of us.”

Tara took a deep breath before opening her notebook, “Okay, it’s fine. Just bring it with you next time, okay?”

“Got it.” You nodded with a small salute which would be half-charming to anyone else, but with Tara, it felt like she hated you just for existing. You’ve never had anyone outwardly hate you in person. Sure, there were some rude supporters in high school during away games but people usually loved you, idolized you even. And to be fair, you were from a small town in Maine where everyone knew everyone, but even at that point in your life you were getting national recognition for your talent.

By the time you zoned back into Tara trying to explain the ways directors utilize camera angles to evoke emotion, the hour study session was basically over—well, the forty-five minutes were over—and Tara was just annoyed and dissatisfied.

“You didn’t listen to a thing I said, didn’t you?” She leaned her chin against the palm of her propped up hand with a squint of her eyes. You shook your head, “No, no, I listened.”

“Oh, yeah?” She sat-up straighter in her chair with a small smirk. This suddenly felt like a competition. “Name three of the ways I explained how directors utilize camera angles to evoke emotion from an audience. Hell, if you can name two, I’ll buy you a coffee myself.”

“Buy me a coffee?” You giggled, “Sounds like you’re turning this into a date. Look, if you wanted me that bad, you could’ve just asked, Tara.”

She scoffed, her playful demeanor changing into a look of pure disgust, “You’re disgusting and I should’ve never taken this offer.”

Your face dropped, a sudden level of panic creeping up on you. Whether you liked it or not, you needed this. Without her, you can kiss your dreams to the league goodbye and welcome the bold D- with open arms. You needed her... yuck.“No, no, wait, I was just joking!” You leapt up as she stood up to pack her stuff away, the different array of film textbooks and analyses piling into her small book bag.

“You are exactly what I thought you would be.” She shook her head with a scoff, “Mindy told me you were different, but honestly, you are just.. gross.”

“What? I was just joking!”

“No, this is exactly how it starts.” She shook her head before putting the last of her books in her bag, throwing it over her shoulder without a bit of haste. “You stupid athletes. You joke around and then you flirt a little and then you end up thinking you have a chance with me, expecting me to what? Open my legs for you or something?”

The two of you stood in front of each other, Tara furious while you’re anxious. The rings on your fingers growing hot by every twist and fiddle. “Uh, that’s not what I’m doing at all, Tara. And, um, I like guys.”

Her shoulders sagged while her face changed to look of confusion, “You do?”

“Well, like, kind of.” You shrugged before putting your hands up in surrender, “That’s not the point, but either way, I’m not that type of person. Believe it or not, I really need this. If I don’t pass this class, they’re kicking me off the team.”

She tilted her head, “They can do that? I thought you were too talented or… whatever.”

“They have to hold some type of standard.” You glanced around you at the quiet cafe, the students around you busy preparing for upcoming projects and assignments with no care in the world for the minor argument the two of you were having upon first meeting one another. “I’m sorry. Next time I’ll show up prepared. I’ll have the screenplay, the notes, everything you need me to have, I’ll bring.”

She sighed, silently debating with herself. “You promise you’ll take this seriously? No zoning out, no missing materials, and no lateness. Got it?”

You nodded enthusiastically, throwing your pinkie between the two of you for a pinkie promise, “I promise… as long as you promise not to yell at me again.”

Tara laughed breathlessly as if it were a joke, a small smile cracking between the cold exterior she displayed beforehand until she saw your serious expression. You weren’t a fan of people yelling at you, which was a bit ironic considering the thousands of people yelling at you while you play in stadiums every Friday night. “Oh, you’re serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious.”

“I would hardly consider the volume of my voice before yelling. More like, loudly expressed.”

“So, yelling?”

“Well, no—”

“Promise. Yes or no? You need this tutor-ship just as much as I do. New York City isn’t cheap.” You smugly answered. The two of you had formally met not even forty-five minutes ago and the banter was already flowing. Mindy would die if she found out.

Tara rolled her eyes with a scoff, entangled her pinkie with yours in a quick promise. “Yes, I promise.”

You smiled at her before putting your screenplay back into your half-empty backpack. You heard Tara sigh before she spoke, “I’ll see you on Wednesday at three-thirty sharp. Not three-thirty one or three-thirty two. Three-thirty, okay?”

“Yes, yes, I get it.” You nod, “Three-thirty.”

“Great.” She nodded back as well, her lips tense in the sudden change of slight awkwardness that occurs when you have to say goodbye to someone you barely know. “I’ll see you soon, then.”

“Yep, bye, Tara.” And just like that, the two of you separated paths as you lived on the other end of the campus. When you get back to your small dorm, the poster of Spiderman and a few post-cards from your mother stare back at you blankly. You throw your bag down next to your clattered desk, a desk overwhelmed with extra math problems you do for fun.

Yes, for fun. Because even if Tara Carpenter thinks you’re dumber than a fucking rock, doesn’t mean you actually are. You find the fun in math equations, where everything has a set answer and a set of rules to follow. Film, however, didn’t have a few set rules, no, it’s an art where creativity has no barriers. You could just never understand it—the power of filmmaking and real cinema.

So, instead, you confided creativity—literally.

You kept the screenplay in your bookbag until Wednesday, the day you had to be tutored by Tara Carpenter. Again.

And you, of course, arrived fifteen minutes late. Again.

[mariacallous]

The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is starting to put together a team to migrate the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) computer systems entirely off one of its oldest programming languages in a matter of months, potentially putting the integrity of the system—and the benefits on which tens of millions of Americans rely—at risk.

The project is being organized by Elon Musk lieutenant Steve Davis, multiple sources who were not given permission to talk to the media tell WIRED, and aims to migrate all SSA systems off COBOL, one of the first common business-oriented programming languages, and onto a more modern replacement like Java within a scheduled tight timeframe of a few months.

Under any circumstances, a migration of this size and scale would be a massive undertaking, experts tell WIRED, but the expedited deadline runs the risk of obstructing payments to the more than 65 million people in the US currently receiving Social Security benefits.

“Of course, one of the big risks is not underpayment or overpayment per se; [it’s also] not paying someone at all and not knowing about it. The invisible errors and omissions,” an SSA technologist tells WIRED.

The Social Security Administration did not immediately reply to WIRED’s request for comment.

SSA has been under increasing scrutiny from president Donald Trump’s administration. In February, Musk took aim at SSA, falsely claiming that the agency was rife with fraud. Specifically, Musk pointed to data he allegedly pulled from the system that showed 150-year-olds in the US were receiving benefits, something that isn’t actually happening. Over the last few weeks, following significant cuts to the agency by DOGE, SSA has suffered frequent website crashes and long wait times over the phone, The Washington Post reported this week.

This proposed migration isn’t the first time SSA has tried to move away from COBOL: In 2017, SSA announced a plan to receive hundreds of millions in funding to replace its core systems. The agency predicted that it would take around five years to modernize these systems. Because of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the agency pivoted away from this work to focus on more public-facing projects.

Like many legacy government IT systems, SSA systems contain code written in COBOL, a programming language created in part in the 1950s by computing pioneer Grace Hopper. The Defense Department essentially pressured private industry to use COBOL soon after its creation, spurring widespread adoption and making it one of the most widely used languages for mainframes, or computer systems that process and store large amounts of data quickly, by the 1970s. (At least one DOD-related website praising Hopper's accomplishments is no longer active, likely following the Trump administration’s DEI purge of military acknowledgements.)

As recently as 2016, SSA’s infrastructure contained more than 60 million lines of code written in COBOL, with millions more written in other legacy coding languages, the agency’s Office of the Inspector General found. In fact, SSA’s core programmatic systems and architecture haven’t been “substantially” updated since the 1980s when the agency developed its own database system called MADAM, or the Master Data Access Method, which was written in COBOL and Assembler, according to SSA’s 2017 modernization plan.

SSA’s core “logic” is also written largely in COBOL. This is the code that issues social security numbers, manages payments, and even calculates the total amount beneficiaries should receive for different services, a former senior SSA technologist who worked in the office of the chief information officer says. Even minor changes could result in cascading failures across programs.

“If you weren't worried about a whole bunch of people not getting benefits or getting the wrong benefits, or getting the wrong entitlements, or having to wait ages, then sure go ahead,” says Dan Hon, principal of Very Little Gravitas, a technology strategy consultancy that helps government modernize services, about completing such a migration in a short timeframe.

It’s unclear when exactly the code migration would start. A recent document circulated amongst SSA staff laying out the agency’s priorities through May does not mention it, instead naming other priorities like terminating “non-essential contracts” and adopting artificial intelligence to “augment” administrative and technical writing.

Earlier this month, WIRED reported that at least 10 DOGE operatives were currently working within SSA, including a number of young and inexperienced engineers like Luke Farritor and Ethan Shaotran. At the time, sources told WIRED that the DOGE operatives would focus on how people identify themselves to access their benefits online.

Sources within SSA expect the project to begin in earnest once DOGE identifies and marks remaining beneficiaries as deceased and connecting disparate agency databases. In a Thursday morning court filing, an affidavit from SSA acting administrator Leland Dudek said that at least two DOGE operatives are currently working on a project formally called the “Are You Alive Project,” targeting what these operatives believe to be improper payments and fraud within the agency’s system by calling individual beneficiaries. The agency is currently battling for sweeping access to SSA’s systems in court to finish this work. (Again, 150-year-olds are not collecting social security benefits. That specific age was likely a quirk of COBOL. It doesn’t include a date type, so dates are often coded to a specific reference point—May 20, 1875, the date of an international standards-setting conference held in Paris, known as the Convention du Mètre.)

In order to migrate all COBOL code into a more modern language within a few months, DOGE would likely need to employ some form of generative artificial intelligence to help translate the millions of lines of code, sources tell WIRED. “DOGE thinks if they can say they got rid of all the COBOL in months, then their way is the right way, and we all just suck for not breaking shit,” says the SSA technologist.

DOGE would also need to develop tests to ensure the new system’s outputs match the previous one. It would be difficult to resolve all of the possible edge cases over the course of several years, let alone months, adds the SSA technologist.

“This is an environment that is held together with bail wire and duct tape,” the former senior SSA technologist working in the office of the chief information officer tells WIRED. “The leaders need to understand that they’re dealing with a house of cards or Jenga. If they start pulling pieces out, which they’ve already stated they’re doing, things can break.”

[saywhat-politics]

Elon Musk has repeatedly claimed that his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project had uncovered massive government fraud when it alleged that 150-year-olds were claiming Social Security benefits.

But Musk has provided no evidence to back up his claims, and experts quickly pointed out that this is very likely just a quirk of the decades-old coding language that underpins the government payment systems.

Musk first made the claims during his Oval Office press conference last week, when he claimed that a “cursory examination of Social Security, and we got people in there that are 150 years old. Now, do you know anyone that's 150? I don't know. They should be in the Guinness Book of World Records … So that's a case where I think they're probably dead.”

While no evidence was produced to back up this claim, it was picked up by the right-wing commentators online, primarily on Musk’s own X platform, as well as being reported credibly by pro-Trump media outlets.

Computer programmers quickly claimed that the 150 figure was not evidence of fraud, but rather the result of a weird quirk of the Social Security Administration’s benefits system, which was largely written in COBOL, a 60-year-old programming language that undergirds SSA’s databases as well as systems from many other US government agencies.

COBOL is rarely used today, and as such, Musk’s cadre of young engineers may well be unfamiliar with it.

Because COBOL does not have a date type, some implementations rely instead on a system whereby all dates are coded to a reference point. The most commonly used is May 20, 1875, as this was the date of an international standards-setting conference held in Paris, known as the "Convention du Mètre."

These systems default to the reference point when a birth date is missing or incomplete, meaning all of those entries in 2025 would show an age of 150.

That’s just one possible explanation for what DOGE allegedly found. Musk could also have simply looked up the SSA’s own website, which explains that since September 2015 the agency has automatically stopped benefit payments when anyone reaches the age of 115.

However, on Monday morning Musk doubled down, posting a screenshot of what he claims were figures from “the Social Security database” to X, writing that “the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!”

[devotedfem]

∞ Android

Synopsis: This new model of Android wasn't available to the public, that's why the company hired you to fix it. Sooner than later, you will realize why the glitch was so dangerous.

J. Jungkook x f. reader

Genre: android au | yander-ish

Tags: Android Jungkook, yandere jungkook, size difference, cyber infatuation, glitch, tech reader, premonitory dreams, possessive Jungkook, cyberpunk worldbuilding, captivity, inaccurate tech language.

Patreon

From the series; otherworldly.

Navigation Masterlist.

You pressed the 160th floor on the elevator's buttons, sighing with exhaustion. You watched the grey city full of skyscrapers and light pollution through the window.

You haven't slept well in days, with odd nightmares keeping you awake at night. Two neon blue eyes piercing you in your dreams, not even your sleeping pills save you from the constant nightmare. Your therapist said it was due to stress, and you believed him, or you want to, because you don't believe in premonitory dreams.

The elevator's door opened welcoming you to your client's floor. You walked to his apartment with a sinking feeling of anxiety, and you weren't sure why you felt that way.

But the feeling washed away when an old nice man greeted you.

"So, you believe the android it's like that because of a glitch?" You asked, sipping coffee with the old man sitting next to you.

A fearful look flashed his face for a second, but he hid it with a smile. You frowned a little, the odd feeling sinking in your stomach again.

"I... i mean it could be. You're the tech expert anyway, that's why i called for you, to help me fix it, or to help me get rid of it." A solemn expression took over his face.

His dull eyes rings alarm bells behind your head, but you ignored it, because this is your work after all.

You fix broken machines.

"Alright, show me." You said feeling defeated.

You gasped when you saw it, or him. It was standing in a lab with its eyes closed, wires plugged to computers came out from its back. The screen of the computers were glitched, with millions of codes repeating itself.

The android was build very handsome.

"Why did you plug it?"

"To monitor its thoughts."

You frowned deeply.

Its thoughts? Does it have conscience?

But before you can ask what he means by that, the android's eyes opened with its blue neon lights piercing throughout you. You flinched immediately, wanting to hide behind the old man by primal fear.

"I need you to fix it, please," the old man begged, and you swallowed hard before nodding, looking for courage to go near the android.

You felt its heavy and uncanny eyes following you across the room, but you didn't dare to meet its eyes.

You read some files. Its name was Jeon Jungkook, a special android who was created to bond with humans with a bit of conscience. But it seems that the experiment didn't work, after all, machines are incapable of feeling.

You tried to fix the computers codes with no avail.

ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR

ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR

ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR

Chills run down your spine at the fuss of the computers, not giving up in trying to fix them. You were trying to get into the android's "mind", or in this case, factory programming.

GET OUT OF MY HEAD OR YOU'LL REGRET IT

You stopped immediately. Did... did it asked you to get out of its mind? You were speechless.

A scream behind you made you jump with fear, you closed your eyes with your hands trembling. The screams stopped, and the sound of wires falling to the floor made you want to cry.

Hands grabbed forcibly your waist to turn you around and face those crazed blue neon lights.

"I warned you," it said with rage, not breaking its gaze from you, "i hate you humans, but you, i like your fear. Is amusing. You really know what i'm capable of, don't you." It come closer to you, lifting one hand to rest it on your neck, feeling your pulse with his blue eyes glowing.

You simply nod, with tears streaming from your eyes. And the android widened its own eyes, coming near your face, and doing something that you didn't expect. Jungkook licked your tears, tighten its grip on your body.

Something red glowed in its temple. The computers screen went all black.

"Now, it's my turn to experiment with your body as your specie did with me," it said with a glitch in its voice, the glowing blue eyes watched your face with interest, "you'll be mine to toy around."

Then you started to sob, you regretted not paying attention to your dreams, now you were trapped in this place forever with this machine.

Taglist:

@demonshauntingthedoves @pynkgothicka @cutequeen00 @nothingsreal420 @ririkookiemonster-archives @cannotalwaysbenight

[lisssyyu]

Dried Blood - The Renaissance Project

PAIRINGS: VI × F!READER

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This au came after I rewatched ABSOLUTELY ALL "Jurassic World" MOVIES, so enjoy.. Let me remind you that English is not my native language, and if you see any mistakes or inaccuracies, please correct me! let me know if you like it and want a part two.

WARNING(S): —

TAGS: behavioral specialist!Vi ;; Jurassic World!au ;; drabble ;; arcane

туалет: 3.3k

часть : 1 ;; 2 ;; ?

In a world where Piltower technology and Zaun genetic engineering have reached unprecedented heights, humans have learned how to resurrect dinosaurs. The new Jurassic Park has been built on a remote island a project financed by the Kiramman family and others, not only for the sake of "scientific progress" and geopolitical prestige. Vi is a behavioral specialist working with velociraptors and other dangerous species, and you are a new ethologist specializing in the cognitive behavior of dinosaurs.

Vi was raised on the streets of Zaun, but was recruited into a research program when the people of Piltover recognized her talent for reading behavioral patterns in animals.

Although, to be completely honest, at the age of 19, she was caught trying to break into a biotechnology storage facility (the question of why she was there remains unanswered to this day). Instead of sending her to prison, one of the scientists, a renowned professor from Piltover and another financier of the "Rebirth" project named Anabel Grimm, noticed how Vi behaved with an aggressive chemosaur in a cage. She was calm and, to everyone's surprise, got away with just a couple of scratches.

She was offered an alternative: participation in an experimental program on "instinctive contact with unstable individuals." Not wanting to make her life worse by going to prison, she agreed.

Later, she was sent on probation to a remote pilot station where genetically unstable individuals were bred. There, she encountered the predecessors of dinosaurs for the first time. They were unsuccessful hybrids with predatory habits. Ugly creatures that had nothing in common with dinosaurs.

Over the course of several years, Vi proved that she possessed a "trainer's instinct" that could not be taught at the academy. Professor Grimm wrote a letter of recommendation for her to the Rebirth Project when the selection process for the island began.

Vi lives on the enclosure grounds. She has "her own" animals, especially a pair of velociraptors, with whom she has worked since she was young.

Vi even gave them names — Ship and Wouter. Vi has no formal education. Her access card is marked "1st class field expert."

Vi believes that trust and respect are more important than collars and remote controls. She enters the enclosures personally, without weapons, which greatly angers the management.

You came to the Park as part of the second wave of scientists those who don't just grow dinosaurs in test tubes, but try to understand what they become. As an ethologist who trained in the basements of the Piltower Academy and at field bases in Zaun, you have been obsessed with the behavioral patterns of animals, predators, and herbivores since your early years.

You were attracted not only by the scale of the project and generous funding, but also by the idea itself: to create not a prison for monsters, but a living, breathing ecosystem. And also, to observe how dinosaurs learn and grow. Now your day begins with your observation journal and ends in the enclosures, where claws scratch against steel and eyes watch from the shadows. Some of the park staff think you are too soft on the "creatures."

Vi is one of the few who, even though she calls your methods "theory for dummies," really listens. Especially when the predators responded to a gesture for the first time, rather than an electric shock.

• At first, Vi considers you too naive.

She has seen dinosaurs tear off interns' legs in a second and is sure that your interest in the creatures will fade as soon as you see them in action. She calls your notes and hypotheses "fairy tales for students." But one day, you enter the enclosure of a young specimen unarmed, and for the first time, it doesn't growl. Vi begins to see you differently.

• The two of you argue constantly.

You cite data, she cites her own experience. At first with irritation, then with enthusiasm. After a couple of weeks, the arguments become a habit: coffee, enclosures, swearing, ironic smiles. Your notebook and her rough voice are a strangely harmonious combination.

• Vi begins to wait for your notes.

Although she pretends not to. Sometimes you notice that she has taken your notebook, crossed out some of the formulas, and written: "If you think this works, let's check it out. Tomorrow at 7. Don't be late, professor." The moment you read it, you felt your face turn redder than a tomato.

[artsekey]

I'd been seeing videos on Tiktok and Youtube about how younger Gen Z & Gen Alpha were demonstrating low computer literacy & below benchmark reading & writing skills, but-- like with many things on the internet-- I assumed most of what I read and watched was exaggerated. Hell, even if things were as bad as people were saying, it would be at least ~5 years before I started seeing the problem in higher education.

I was very wrong.

Of the many applications I've read this application season, only %6 percent demonstrated would I would consider a college-level mastery of language & grammar. The students writing these applications have been enrolled in university for at least two years, and have taken all fundamental courses. This means they've had classes dedicated to reading, writing, and literature analysis, and yet!

There are sentences I have to read over and over again to discern intent. Circular arguments that offer no actual substance. Errors in spelling and capitalization that spellcheck should've flagged.

At a glance, it's easy to trace this issue back to two things:

The state of education in the United States is abhorrent. Instructors are not paid enough, so schools-- particularly public schools-- take whatever instructors they can find.

COVID. The two year long gap in education, especially in high school, left many students struggling to keep up.

But I think there's a third culprit-- something I mentioned earlier in this post. A lack of computer literacy.

This subject has been covered extensively by multiple news outlets like the Washington Post and Raconteur, but as someone seeing it firsthand I wanted to add my voice to the rising chorus of concerned educators begging you to pay attention.

As the interface we use to engage with technology becomes more user friendly, the knowledge we need to access our files, photos, programs, & data becomes less and less important. Why do I need to know about directories if I can search my files in Windows (are you searching in Windows? Are you sure? Do you know what that bar you're typing into is part of? Where it's looking)? Maybe you don't have any files on your computer at all-- maybe they're on the cloud through OneDrive, or backed up through Google. Some of you reading this may know exactly where and how your files are stored. Many of you probably don't, and that's okay. For most people, being able to access a file in as short a time as possible is what they prioritize.

The problem is, when you as a consumer are only using a tool, you are intrinsically limited by the functions that tool is advertised to have. Worse yet, when the tool fails or is insufficient for what you need, you have no way of working outside of that tool. You'll need to consult an expert, which is usually expensive.

When you as a consumer understand a tool, your options are limitless. You can break it apart and put it back together in just the way you like, or you can identify what parts of the tool you need and search for more accessible or affordable options that focus more on your specific use-case.

The problem-- and to be clear, I do not blame Gen Z & Gen Alpha for what I'm about to outline-- is that this user-friendly interface has fostered a culture that no longer troubleshoots. If something on the computer doesn't work well, it's the computer's fault. It's UI should be more intuitive, and it it's not operating as expected, it's broken. What I'm seeing more and more of is that if something's broken, students stop there. They believe there's nothing they can do. They don't actively seek out solutions, they don't take to Google, they don't hop on Reddit to ask around; they just... stop. The gap in knowledge between where they stand and where they need to be to begin troubleshooting seems to wide and inaccessible (because the fundamental structure of files/directories is unknown to many) that they don't begin.

This isn't demonstrative of a lack of critical thinking, but without the drive to troubleshoot the number of opportunities to develop those critical thinking skills are greatly diminished. How do you communicate an issue to someone online? How do look for specific information? How do you determine whether that information is specifically helpful to you? If it isn't, what part of it is? This process fosters so many skills that I believe are at least partially linked to the ability to read and write effectively, and for so many of my students it feels like a complete non-starter.

We need basic computer classes back in schools. We need typing classes, we need digital media classes, we need classes that talk about computers outside of learning to code. Students need every opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and the ability to self-reflect & self correct, and in an age of misinformation & portable technology, it's more important now than ever.

[sanshofox]

Can someone summarize what is happening with the windows 10 to 11 topic?

Last year I read about what windows 11 is all about and was disgusted with all the AI bullshit that is nothing but spy ware, like for example to check if you have a crack version of a program, so you‘re forced to buy a monthly subscription. I dunno if that is already happening with the first updates tough

Now I read that windows is actually forcing you to change to windows 11 or otherwise your pc is not useable in a way? „Trade in or recycle“ is what they say about it. Like you have to buy a new pc for w11 to work. I can’t imagine that a new system is coded in a way that altogether makes a new pc necessary. Sounds like swindling to customers…

Just trying to understand if this is all really necessary tech wise or just unethical money milking again and what bad stuff revolves around w11 already. Because all I find so far are articles (that are windows bought i bet) that try to put it in a positive light or it‘s forums and tech sites that talk too much in tech language I don’t understand.

EDIT:

Currently going through further sites and for example the time limit to change from one OS to another is too short. Just a year. Which can lead to massive pc waste because for example companies where cyber security is a strict must have to exchange quicker. Others that keep w10 will have to pay 30$ for every year. Additionally, due to recent cyber security attacks it was perfect timing from windows aka enforced cash grab.

Here from @everfascinated a link with an article about what options you have right now. Also shining light on the fact that you can upgrade your w10 to w11, but it sounds like a hassle. Many hoops windows makes you jump through to get it done and may even damage your pc.

Also tried to read through this. Though I am no computer expert and only understand half of what they say it may be helpful for some of you.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

i am not very much in the fandom so i was wondering what the consensus was on this. how do you (and just everyone in general who sees this) feel about killer's 'multiple personalities' i really love killer and i think he's great however i feel like that part of his character is a bit of a bad stereotype of DID (the evil alter, good alter trope). let me say this: i dont think killer's creator did it with malicious intent. im just confused on that part of his character because it's kind of vague. could you possibly explain your thoughts on it a bit more?

Well, im not a professional or expert on anything, but I’ll try to give it a go. Anyone can feel free to correct me if im misinformed and misspoke, or if yall simply disagree.

In terms of in universe, the general consensus, as I see it anyway, is that Killer is not human. Not even exactly like his soul isn’t human or monster, but that his body’s species is also not human.

Which means things like disorders and mental illnesses we have not only in real life, but as humans, does not apply to Killer.

There may be similarities, but they likely wouldn’t be one for one. Another consensus in universe is that, Killer is not said to be diagnosed with anything—he’s just living with and experiencing symptoms of similar possible disorders IRL.

He does not know what exactly is happening to him, he tries to make sense of and explain his experiences to the best of his knowledge and abilities in his own terms and languages.

And due to his own self perceptions, abuse, trauma and self hatred—he often dehumanizes and demonizes himself to others, especially himself when he’s in his other higher Stages.

It’s also long been established that Killer is canonically a character who struggles with a lot of suicidal ideation—not only has he attempted on his own, but when in Stage 1, he has been shown at least twice asking people to kill him (Swap and Color), which reads to me that he is seeking out assisted suicide. Not to mention how he has stated in Stage 1 that he has “accepted death a long time ago.”

Now, a bit more out of universe, I think Rahafwabas was not only really young at the time, but she did not know much English yet. If i recall correctly, she had other people translating her comics from Arabic to English for her.

Which means that not only could information had been lost in translation or mistranslated, it’s possible her language either didn’t have the means and words to explain what she was going for with Killer, or the English language didn’t or meant something else entirely.

In terms of actual disorders or similar irl, or if Killer had physically been a human with a brain, general consensus is that Killer would definitely be diagnosed with a dissociative disorder of some kind. In my opinion, I don’t think a professional would diagnose Killer with DID or P-DID.

I think he’d be diagnosed with either UDD (Unspecified Dissociative Disorder), or OSDD (identity disturbance due to prolonged intense coercive persuasion).

This can also be caused by captivity, thought reform, brainwashing, torture, programming, recruitment by cults/sects/terror organizations, being a POW, etc. This presentation of OSDD is also called OSDD-2.

These guys are not systems, however. There’s not actually much literature or research into this presentation of OSDD or how it effects a person from their experiences and perspectives—only brief descriptions.

Especially from those with OSDD-2 who were programmed, which is an inherently very complex topic even if OSDD-2 is not a complex dissociative disorder.

Now, an argument was made to me by a system recently for why Killer could be a system as well as have symptoms of OSDD-2, but I still believe Killer would not receive a diagnosis of DID, PDID, or OSDD1/1a/1b. Even if he does show and experience symptoms similar to them.

That being said, however, it cannot be denied that Killer already has canonically experienced the type of things listed in OSDD-2.

Intense prolonged coercion, coercion based dissociation, programming (literal reprogramming of his code in the game), torture, captivity, kidnapped/being held hostage, and labor trafficking.

He also shows signs of severe dissociative identity confusion and disturbance—not only does he seem to think he is not Sans anymore, just something that is wearing Sans’ face because Sans “would never kill Papyrus,” and that he said he “wants to be Sans again” in Stage 1 as if he isn’t already or still Sans, but rahafwabas has stated that his soul being like that is one of the reasons why his mind “split.”

It’s a war between two souls, Sans’ and the human Determination soul, but the Determination soul is stronger—even if Sans’ soul often ‘peeks’ out (via that white eyelight in Killer’s right eye socket, which is described as a sign of “the real Sans we know”) or forces itself/is triggered out.

And now he doesn’t know how he should behave, human or monster. He is basically programmed and likely conditioned to behave and think a certain way when in or triggered into a certain Stage—which means dissociation is always present on some level.

However, on the case of Killer being a system or experiencing himself as plural—as more than one in one body—even if not DID, PDID, or OSDD-1 I do think there’s a way to write and portray it without falling into an evil alter trope.

First would be to write other system or plural characters. Have a diverse range of different systems and plurals and don’t leave Killer as the only one.

Second is, understand Killer’s environment and situation.

(Putting a read more here because the rest can potentially be a little too much or potentially triggering.)

Understand it really is a form of extreme, organized abuse. That he is in a high control group.

That he is being trafficked by Nightmare. That he is being tortured, programmed, and conditioned. That he has to survive—and he and his potential headmates simply will not survive if they try to be good people.

Hell, they may even view themselves as only existing to do awful things and being incapable of anything else (or not knowing there is anything else, and that it’s something they could have or be)—kill and hurt when no one else can, kill and hurt on command, kill and hurt without guilt or remorse that would otherwise leave Killer unable to function and likely dead a long time ago.

(Abusers may even actively make the victim(s) believe and think that way, or they may heavily encourage it by either giving alters their names or forcibly renaming a singlet, giving them numbered names or simply calling them by their ‘role.’ Like..Killer, for example. Or even more degrading, insulting names they make their victims respond to and identify with.)

For them to live, to survive, others can’t—because being trafficked, kidnapped, in organized crime, in a high control group, means having to witness and do highly illegal and immoral things if they want to live or not be tortured themselves.

This is also where the manipulation stuff comes in. Abusers, handlers, traffickers—they want the victim to not speak out, they want them to not leave or think about leaving. They’ll do anything to ensure that.

From coercing or threatening a victim to do bad things or participate in bad things with the abusers, the abusers can then begin holding that over them.

Claiming the victim isn’t any better than them to ensure guilt and silence, saying they’ll be arrested or everyone would hate them for what they did to ensure fear of outsiders and dependency on the group, claiming that they know the victim must’ve liked it—that the victim is just like their abuser, or will be.

And that can cause feelings ranging from shame and feeling like they deserve what’s done to them and they don’t deserve help, to internalizing all of that and attempting to behave and think exactly how the abuser does. Either because they start genuinely believing they’re as bad if not worse, or because it’s a survival and/or coping mechanism.

Not to mention that those in these environments will likely eventually become desensitized to the violence they’re forced to perpetuate and/or witness, they could even try to force themselves to like it in an attempt to either make it easier or feel powerful and in control.

Other alters may be programmed or simply indoctrinated in cases of cults or types of belief systems and ideologies being implemented in abuse—they may genuinely believe that the ones hurting them are godlike, or that they can communicate with a higher power, or that a higher power will punish them if they try to leave. Especially if they’re children, or if they have no access to anything or anyone saying otherwise.

Some alters may believe this type of stuff is completely normal and okay, particularly when raised in it. It can be so severe that these types of alters could embrace the idea of their death at their abusers’ hands easily, without fear or struggle, because it’s normal to them.

This all can happen to a singlet in similar situations too. Singlets can start to genuinely believe they were born, created, or only exist to do certain things or for certain purposes—from a sex slave to a killer to a weapon, especially if they’re being trafficked.

It’s just a fact that many who experienced things that Killer did/does and managed to not only survive, but escape, likely did it in bloody and/or underhanded ways.

There was no good or bad, no moral or immoral, just what had to be done — traffickers and abusers and handlers will never just let their victims go, regardless of if they ask really nicely or not. It’s life or death. They chose life.

Or in Killer’s case (has likely died multiple times, juts can never seem to stay dead), potentially something one of his Stages (such as Stage 4) believes is worse than death. It could genuinely believe that if it doesn’t do what it does, something unbelievably horrible is going to happen. Something that would make it wish it were dead.