#signal to noise breakpoints

[finite-breakpoints]

void set (WIP)

"Which one is he?"

Thel glances at a datapad, scrolling through the entries -- an identifier assigned to each of the occupied data rigs. "B-71. Should be….. right over there, actually. Second quadrant."

Advan follows the line of his sweeping gesture, her gaze landing on a row of glass tubes, entirely too much like…. what does Dyson call them? Repurposing chambers. Like so much of this, it feels wrong in a way she can't quite articulate.

Data processors, after all, are inherently gregarious, social amongst themselves. They don't say much to each other, but the energy in a processor matrix should more than make up for that, strange and lively and vibrant.

The silence, and stillness, in this room is suffocating.

"I've never seen an enclosed processing rig before," she says instead. "I didn't realize it was an option -- let alone that we had a whole matrix of them."

"New process, from what I hear. Something about lack of distractions." Thel pauses then, tilting his head. "Pardon my curiosity, General, but…"

"…Why this one?" She smiles a little. "Because we need a processor -- and one of them saw what we didn't."

She approaches the chamber with some amount of caution. The glass isn't opaque, but it is darkened -- the stillness and steady breathing of a data processor in that thing they call convergence. Conscious, but unaware, disconnected from his immediate surroundings. Must be the primary processor in the array, then. Not necessarily the fastest of them, or even the best -- but one with the skill and patience to keep them working cohesively.

"Bring him up. Slowly."

Thel doesn't listen, of course. Careless. The poor thing nearly falls out of the processing rig, held there only by the restraints. Must be from this Grid, with that external regulator hardware. It's… uncanny, unnatural -- like the distorted cry that escapes him as the pins retract from the input jacks laid across his shoulders. Shaking and ragged, his circuits clearly flooded from the feedback loop.

"Welcome back." She watches the processor emerge from the fog, dark eyes slowly coming to focus in the bright light. "I'd apologize for waking you, but it looks like they don't have you doing anything particularly important this cycle."

He doesn't respond to that. Either he's still recalibrating, or he's already decided not to cooperate.

"My name is Advan. We spoke about eight cycles ago -- but I'd think you don't remember that."

"No, I remember you, General." His voice is surprisingly clear, although he doesn't make eye contact. "Have you come to tell me I was wrong?"

"Not at all. I came to thank you, actually -- you were right. And your warning is the only reason I'm still alive." A chill spreads through her circuits at the idea of it; she holds it down as best as she can. "Not even two cycles later, one of my officers turned on me. It took me quite a while to find you -- I didn't have anything but an identification number to go on."

Some of them, she remembers, don't have anything else. But maybe he's older than she first expected; his arms twitch under the restraints, as though he's expecting them to come loose just for the thought. In a first-gen rig, they would.

"That's not the only reason you're here, is it?" It's not really a question, that strange certainty that seems to come from nothing in particular. "Gratitude isn't really in your people's emotional vocabulary. I've learned that much."

"My people? Should I have a conversation with some of my officers about their behavior?"

"System-separated -- no, there's a word you'd use for them, some of the programs in orange -- I've heard it before. I think you'd say they're…. repurposed."

"You're right about one thing, I didn't come here without motive. I've received a new assignment, out in Gallium City. I'll need a data processor to come along."

"There's a hundred in this matrix alone."

"And I owe quite a lot to one of them in particular." She feels a smile tug at her lips. She already likes him. "How many others are in your array? I understand we'll need to bring at least a few of them with us."

"I'm starting to think that this isn't a request." But he doesn't show any real apprehensiveness or hesitation, when she reaches over to loosen the restraints, freed from the cold mirrored glass. Still focused on something in the distance, in the way they all seem to wander. "There are five of us, total. Or… there were, when I was put into isolation. Eight cycles ago, I guess, if that's the last time you were here. They said I needed to recalibrate. Starting to imagine things. But the System doesn't lie to us, and... she must have brought you here. Because I know what I saw, General -- who I saw."

From behind her, Thel barks a sharp laugh. "Clever thing, aren't you?"

Advan turns around to admonish him -- now is not the time -- and realizes, with no small amount of unease, that her trajectory follows the processor's line of sight. He's been watching Thel, this whole time.

A rush of air as she steps back, one swift and silent motion, and shattered voxels on the floor.

"What's your name?" she asks quietly. And she knows, then, in the pervasive silence, that her earlier question about the array is a moot point. They're all long gone by now -- probably funneled into Demeter's new project. She can't help but wonder what saved him from the same fate.

"Wolfram."

His hands are shaking, as he replaces his disc. She almost feels sorry for him. Processors, after all, aren't really built for violence.

But they are quite good at it, once they've acquired the taste.

[proto-actual]

the plan is... the plan changes.

(Originally posted on reindeer flotilla dot net.)

Whelp. It's been a fun week.

First, my tumblr blog got nerfed, so I had to move. Guess it's a good thing I decided to start moving things over here when I did. All my shortfic requests are inaccessible (they nuked my inbox and messages), so if you had some in there and remember what they were, feel free to send them to the new blog.

And then the Angstpril 2024 prompts dropped... and I like more of them than I expected. Maybe I'll do some of them as idea-generation/spitballing for "SIGNAL//NOISE" and "Mirror Image." I don't usually post prompt challenge stuff on AO3, so they'll probably live here (i.e., reindeer flotilla dot net), and get cross-posted to the "Finite States" Breakpoints tumblr.

[erikabsworld]

Navigating MATLAB for Signal Processing Assignments: Tips and Tricks

MATLAB serves as a cornerstone for signal processing tasks, offering a robust set of tools and functions. However, for students venturing into this domain, mastering MATLAB can be akin to navigating a complex labyrinth. This article aims to illuminate the path, providing invaluable guidance on efficiently utilizing MATLAB for signal processing assignments.

Understanding Signal Processing in MATLAB:

Signal processing lies at the heart of various engineering and scientific disciplines, encompassing tasks like filtering, analysis, and manipulation of signals. MATLAB simplifies these tasks through its intuitive interface and extensive library of functions.

Essential Functions for Signal Processing Assignments:

Filter Design: MATLAB offers a plethora of functions for designing digital filters, including FIR and IIR filters. Understanding the parameters and characteristics of each filter type is crucial for selecting the appropriate design method.

Spectral Analysis: The Fourier Transform functions in MATLAB enable spectral analysis of signals, providing insights into their frequency components. Students should grasp concepts like FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) and power spectral density estimation for comprehensive analysis.

Signal Generation: MATLAB facilitates the generation of various signals, including sine waves, square waves, and random noise. Leveraging built-in functions for signal generation streamlines the process and ensures accuracy in assignments.

Plotting and Visualization: Visual representation plays a pivotal role in signal processing assignments. MATLAB's plotting functions allow students to visualize signals, spectra, and filter responses, aiding in interpretation and analysis.

Debugging Techniques for MATLAB Assignments:

Use of Breakpoints: Employing breakpoints in MATLAB's debugging mode allows students to halt code execution at specific points, facilitating step-by-step inspection of variables and expressions.

Error Message Interpretation: Understanding and interpreting MATLAB's error messages is essential for identifying and rectifying coding errors efficiently. Error messages often provide valuable clues about the nature and location of the error.

Variable Inspection: MATLAB's workspace window enables students to inspect the values of variables during code execution, helping pinpoint discrepancies or unexpected behavior.

Resources for Further Learning:

MATLAB Documentation: The official MATLAB documentation serves as a comprehensive resource, providing detailed explanations, examples, and syntax references for various functions and toolboxes.

Online Tutorials and Courses: Numerous online tutorials and courses are available, covering MATLAB fundamentals, signal processing techniques, and advanced topics. Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and MATLAB Central offer a wealth of educational resources.

Community Forums: Engaging with MATLAB's vibrant community forums allows students to seek guidance, share insights, and troubleshoot issues collaboratively. Active participation in forums fosters a supportive learning environment.

In conclusion, mastering MATLAB for signal processing assignments requires a blend of theoretical understanding, practical application, and perseverance. By leveraging essential functions, employing effective debugging techniques, and tapping into valuable learning resources, students can navigate the intricacies of MATLAB with confidence and proficiency.

For expert help with signal processing assignments using MATLAB, visit matlabassignmentexperts.com. Our team of seasoned professionals is dedicated to guiding students towards academic success in signal processing and beyond.

[igoldencnc2021]

Working Principle Of 3d Wood Carving Machine Price

3d wood carving machine is in the ordinary plane three axis engraving machine on the basis of the fourth axis - rotation axis, because the rotation of the fourth axis, the realization of cylindrical, arc, circular, etc., three-dimensional processing. 3d wood carving machine is widely used in the head of the piano, stigma, table legs,chair,bamboo tube processing.📷Functional Characteristics of 3d wood carving machine 1. HIWIN square orbit, double slippers, bearing heavy, working steadily, high precision, and long life time, import ball screw, high precision for cutting.2. High speed stepper motor and drivers, and tow motors for Y axis. Max speed is 25M/MIN. With water cooling spindle highly upgrade the processing speed.3.The optional equipment for spindle is Japan imported high power water cooling motor (Japan NSK bearing) high speed spindle, stable capability.4. Unique intelligent budget principle, fully develops the potential of the motor and lead to high processing speed, the synchronization of curves and straight lines, smooth curves.5. Well compatibility: CAD/CAM designing software e.g. Type3/Artcam/Castmate/Ucancam etc.Working Principle of 3d wood router:The working principle of the 3d wood carving machine is to carry out design and layout through the special engraving software configured in the computer, and the computer automatically transmits the information of the design and layout to the 3d wood carving machine controller, and then the controller converts the information into a stepping motor capable of driving Or a signal with power (pulse train) from a servo motor to control the host of the 3d wood carving machine to generate X, Y, Z three-axis engraving tool path base diameter.CN¥204,736.00-CN¥223,930.00Parameter Configuration DescriptionParametersWorking area1300*2500*300mmSpindle3.5kw*4InverterFulingMotorStepper/ServoControl systemNcStudio/DSPTableT-slot tableGuide railXYZ Axis Taiwan liner square guide railBallscrewZ Axis Taiwan TBL ball screwVoltage3phase 380V/50HZMachine dimension3000*1900*1700mmVacuum pumpwater cooling The high-speed rotating engraving head on the carving machine cuts the processing material fixed on the worktable of the host machine through the tool configured according to the processing material, and can engrave various flat or three-dimensional relief graphics and characters designed in the computer. Engraving automation operations.Advantage of 3d wood carving machine:1.The three axis adopts the Taiwan straight square rail Big power ,anti-dust  water cooling spindle., Small noise,strong and powerful,maintenance free, can achieve  continuous operation.2.Intelligent processing cross-border protection, Preventing body collision due to processing format reach out working size3.Intelligent high-speed module high-speed operation, can achieve power recovery, breakpoint continued carving,the next day processing, convenient and easy.4.Type3/Artcam/Castmate/PRO-e/Ug/CAD/Illustrator softwares compatible:Advanced professional control system,compatible with a variety of software Type3/Artcam/Castmate/PRO e/Ug/CAD/Illustrator

[droneseco]

Audeze LCD-1 Wired Headphones Review: Audiophile Grade Headphones For the Regular Listener

Audeze LCD-1

9.50 / 10

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See on amazon

Audeze planar magnetic headphones come with a serious reputation for quality in build quality and soundstage. The LCD-1 headphones are from the Audeze LCD Reference range and are designed not only for audiophiles and sound engineers but anyone who loves listening to their favorite tracks with the best possible quality.

Specifications

Brand: Audeze

Bluetooth: No

Noise Cancellation: No

Pros

Outstanding soundstage

Relatively lightweight

Good build quality

Comfortable for long periods

Cons

On the expensive side of things

Buy This Product

Audeze LCD-1 amazon

Shop

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Audeze is known for its premium audio hardware. It is a name associated with excellent, beautifully crafted soundstages, brilliant headphone design, and the delivery of an audio experience that keeps you coming back for more.

The Audeze LCD-1 wired headphones, then, have a lot to live up to versus the recent successes of the Audeze Mobius and Audeze Penrose gaming headset. So, how do the Audeze LCD-1 wired headphones stack up against the competition and, indeed, the Audeze name itself?

Read on for our hands-on review of the Audeze LCD-1 headphones.

Audeze LCD-1: What's In the Box?

Before we get into the box, a note about the box itself. While unpacking and unwrapping the LCD-1 box itself, you get a real sense of class, the Audeze box carrying a nice weight and almost urging you to get in and find out what's inside.

When you get there, you'll find:

Audeze LCD-1 wired headphones

Carry case

5mm jack to dual 3.5mm jack cable

25mm jack adapter

Fluffy headphone divider

Official Audeze LCD-1 Certificate of Authenticity

There are probably two things on there that have caught your eye.

Yes, the Audeze LCD-1 headphones do come with a fluffy headphone divider. It's to stop the earpads rubbing when you fold them down and put them in the carry case. It seems a little excessive, but it's a nice touch regardless.

The second thing is the Audeze Certificate of Authenticity. Before shipping to you, the LCD-1 headphones are rigorously tested to make sure they hit Audeze's very high audio standards. Furthermore, the testing and authentication process helps to "burn-in" the headphones before they're sent to you.

Audeze LCD-1 Specifications

You know what's in the box. Now, what's powering the audio side of things?

Style: Over-ear, open-back

Color: Black

Drivers: 90mm Planar Magnetic

Magnetic structure: Fluxor magnet array

Magnet type: Neodymium N50

Frequency response: 10-50,000Hz

Diaphragm: Ultra-thin Uniforce

Connectivity: Wired

Connectors:5mm, 6.35mm (1/4-inch)

Weight: 250g (8.82oz)

The headline specs to take from here are the driver size, at 90mm, and the frequency response, 10-50,000Hz. The frequency response is extensive and should allow the Audeze LCD-1 wired headphones to perform with exceptional audio accuracy.

Audeze LCD-1 Design

The Audeze LCD-1 are foldable wired headphones. When you first open the secure carry case and reveal the LCD-1 headphones, you might be surprised at their slight and relatively lightweight frame.

Planar magnetic headphones usually weigh more than the alternatives, containing larger, heavier magnets to ensure the headphone diaphragm moves uniformly. The added weight is often the trade-off between the oft sensational sound delivered by planar magnetic headphones versus a more traditional dynamic driver setup.

Weighing 250g, the Audeze LCD-1 weighs less than some of their direct competitors, sometimes by more than 100g. Of course, you want to know how that translates to actual comfort, and I'm happy to report that the LCD-1 headphones are perfect for prolonged listening sessions.

Helping with the comfort levels is the adjustable headband with memory foam cushioning, along with the memory foam earpads covered with genuine lambskin leather.

The Audeze LCD-1 uses an over-ear, open-back design. Open-back headphones can leak audio to the surrounding area, but LCD-1 doesn't suffer from this issue. On the other hand, open-back headphones can deliver a less congested, better-rounded sound that doesn't suffer from the feeling of isolation associated with closed-back headphones—but more on the Audeze LCD-1 soundstage in a moment.

The 90mm drivers and their ultra-thin Uniforce diaphragms further contribute to the reduction in weight. Audeze is very proud of its manufacturing process, too. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all process, each driver goes through a unique process that matches the voice-coil to the magnetic fields in each LCD-1 headset. The precision of manufacturing allows the diaphragm to move uniformly, in turn delivering a better overall sound.

Audeze uses 'a genetic algorithm-based heuristic optimization technique together with magnetic simulations to optimize trace widths to achieve Uniforce

As the LCD-1 headphones fold down into a carry case, you can remove the wires from the headphones. You can insert the headphone cables in either earcup without worrying about whether you got the right one as the LCD-1 cable detects the left and right signal automatically, which is actually pretty cool.

A Note on Handling Planar Magnetic Headphones

Planar magnetic headphones are, in general, more susceptible to having air trapped behind the ultra-thin diaphragm. Audeze recommends that you take care when putting your planar magnetic headphones on, giving them a moment to adjust to the difference in air pressure after creating a seal around your ears

As per Audeze customer support:

We recommend exercising certain cautions when handling planar magnetic headphones: trapped air can create high pressure and sudden pressure changes could damage the diaphragms, and this is not covered by warranty. When you put the headphones on or take them off, it's not a good idea to press them hard and fast against the head, so we recommend slow and steady movement to allow the air pressure to stabilize.

How Do the Audeze LCD-1 Sound?

On to the main feature: how do the Audeze LCD-1 wired headphones sound?

Planar magnetic headphones come with a reputation for the sublime, and the Audeze LCD-1 headphones certainly fit the bill. The LCD-1 comes with a well-crafted soundstage that should suit regular consumers and audio engineers alike, meaning you can plug them in and enjoy the standard sound. Still, the headphones respond extremely well to additional EQ settings, too.

One thing to note about the LCD-1 is how alive everything sounds when you slip them on. I tested the LCD-1 headphones using a direct connection to my PC, then through a small desktop DAC, and with my Galaxy S8 smartphone. The clarity and crispness across all three options are exceptional. You won't find any track that the LCD-1 doesn't deliver with precision, bringing your favorite artists and albums to life once more.

In that, you actively want to find more music of different genres to test the LCD-1 headphones with. I'm a huge electronic music fan, and the LCD-1's soundstage brings every thumping bassline to the fore, picking out every chirping, twisting beat, or pushing the sound of a euphoric Balearic wave crashing over you.

Classical music sounds exceptional, all tight notes and quick transitions, while the LCD-1 headphones handle the fast, high-pitched transitions of ska and jazz with ease. You feel like every note is being played specifically for you, with precision, and it makes every listening experience an exciting and refreshing examination of music, old and new.

In short, it's not often that you put on a pair of headphones like these. The Audeze LCD-1 may be one of the best audio experiences you could hope for without spending thousands, allowing you to experience what is often referred to as "audiophile-grade" listening without blowing your monthly budget several times over.

Is the Audeze LCD-1 Good for Gaming?

While the LCD-1 headphones are definitely designed for music lovers, we live in an age where gaming audio is just as important. Audeze doesn't pitch the LCD-1 headphones for gaming, which is understandable as they're very much an exceptional audio tool, suitable for sound engineers, and so on.

With that said, you won't regret taking the LCD-1 into any game environment. The headphones' exceptionally crafted soundstage doesn't just stop when you fire up your favorite game, that's for sure.

Jumping into Doom 2016, and the frantic gameplay strikes you, but also Mick Gordon's exquisitely mixed soundtrack that brings the entire game together into the visceral experience we know and love. Although Gordon didn't feature on Doom Eternal (for one reason or another), it sounds just as good, making it clear why Eternal won many audio design awards in 2020.

Racing games were a particular treat, too. Although you won't notice much subtly in sound design in most racing games, having a set of headphones that bring more of the world to the fore is brilliant, especially in titles like Dirt 2.0, where sound immersion can heighten your senses, pushing your driving abilities to another level.

The Audeze LCD-1 Are Outstanding, and You Should Buy Them

The LCD-1 headphones come from Audeze's LCD Reference headphone range. They're built for audio engineers and sound professionals to deliver the best, most accurate representation of music—any genre, any style.

Which they do, many times over. The Audeze LCD-1 is easily one of the best headphones you can put your hands and ears on if you want to experience truly premium audio at a very reasonable price.

However, some may find that very same experience unsettling in terms of the soundstage. When you buy headphones built for working out at the gym or to make games sound amazing, the manufacturer often builds for a certain audio profile. Those familiar profiles, usually slightly bass-heavy or with some extra mid/top, deliver extra punch for the user and bring the experience home.

The Audeze LCD-1 is very much in the area of a relatively flat EQ, designed to allow mixing in any direction. The consequence is a potentially confusing experience for consumers not accustomed to this, expecting an in-built bass boost or otherwise. That doesn't damage the LCD-1 listening experience. Far from it, it gives you far greater control over the music you love.

On that, let's talk price. The Audeze LCD-1 wired headphones retail for $400. Now, you might look at that price and balk. There's no denying it's a pretty penny and more than most would consider spending on a set of headphones.

Given the substantial audio range, lightweight and comfortable design, and vast soundstage, the Audeze LCD-1 wired headphones are nailed on for me.

Audeze LCD-1 Wired Headphones Review: Audiophile Grade Headphones For the Regular Listener published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

[akaluan]

Post DE: Relaxing Together Part 2

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

(Again, weirdly segmented, because it’s still long and there’s still no good breakpoints, sorry. A lot of things I wrote this month really have the length to be short stories on AO3/FFnet)

Orihime watched him carefully, then decided that Chad was right and it was high time they dragged the conversation away from questioning just Kaito so closely. So she cleared her throat, grinned brightly at everyone, and asked, “Since we’re talking about school, what does everyone want to do when they grow up?”

Ishida snorted with amusement and adjusted his glasses, a faint smirk appearing on his face. “Well, we already know what /you/ want to be, miss robot conquerer.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, pleased that Ishida was playing along. “Okay, okay! Let’s say… everyone gives one thing they’d be if they could do /anything at all/, and then one thing they’ve considered as a realistic goal?”

She could see the way her friends considered her words, before one after the other they all signaled their agreement somehow. Even Kaito added his own murmured assent, eyes focused on a point far past all of them and lost in thought. Orihime wondered if he’d ever given thought to what he was going to do with his life now that he was living in the Living World full time. Maybe this would be good for him, then, get him focusing on the future instead of the way his attention still sometimes seemed to linger in a past that none of them could quite grasp.

“I’m going to get some treats, then! We can take a break while we talk.” Orihime hopped to her feet, grinning when Tatsuki groaned and shoved herself up as well, then followed her into the kitchen. Tatsuki started a pot of water on the stove, and Orihime pulled down a collection of mismatched mugs; she didn’t have enough teacups for all of them, so mugs would have to do. Hopefully Kaito didn’t mind too much; she’d seen him drinking tea from proper teacups almost every time she saw him relaxing, and had to wonder if that was because that was all his father had around the place or if it was a personal preference.

“Sorry,” Tatsuki said softly, her voice contrite and barely carrying to Orihime’s ears.

Orihime shot her friend a puzzled look, only to see Tatsuki tap a finger pointedly against Orihime’s list of chores. Her /written/ list of chores. She sighed in understanding and wrapped Tatsuki in a tight hug, resting her chin on her friend’s shoulder, and murmured back, “It’s okay. He didn’t run from us, and it’s probably something we should have considered before. It would have been /worse/ if we found out because we handed him something to read and he had to admit ignorance in front of us because of it.”

Tatsuki shook her head slightly, burying her face in Orihime’s shoulder and clinging tightly to her friend. They stayed like that for a long moment, before Tatsuki let out a shuddering breath and straightened up once more and pulled herself free of the hug to go to the fridge. “I still shouldn’t have been so blunt about it. I’m going to apologize to him for that.”

“Thank you.” Orihime couldn’t resist stealing another hug from her best friend, pleased that Tatsuki was going to apologize to Kaito for putting him on the spot, and also that Tatsuki was getting along with Kaito enough to actually decide to do so. Orihime had been so /worried/, given how much Tatsuki had distrusted Kaito in the beginning, but they had apparently worked everything out during the first few training matches Tatsuki had wrangled out of Kaito in order to unlock her reiatsu.

They gathered everything together, stacked high on two trays, and carried it out to the living area. The table was already cleared off, all the school books and homework stacked in neat little piles along the far wall, and Kaito was sitting at the table again instead of in front of the TV.

“Here we are!” Orihime announced, as she started setting everything out, placing a mug and small plate in front of each of her friends. Next came the small array of snacks — none of which were her special snacks, unfortunately, because Tatsuki vetoed that /as usual/ — and then the teapot. “I hope you don’t mind using mugs, Kaito-san?”

He chuckled a bit and shook his head, leaning forward a bit to accept the tea she was offering him. “I’m not /that/ stuck on tradition, Inoue-san.”

“Could have fooled me,” Ishida said, with a pointed look at the rather traditional-looking kimono that Kaito was /still/ wearing, even after months in the Living World.

Kaito just smiled at Ishida as everyone else laughed, and Orihime thought she caught an edge of his father’s trickster-smile to it.

Which… that was a good thing. That was an /honest/ thing, not the overblown hilarity that Kaito and his father both indulged in, but the more subtle looks. She had come to the conclusion that a lot of their shared attitude was exaggerated, both for the laughs and for the masking effect it had, so this… the fact that Kaito could relax enough to mostly drop the exaggeration… it was nice.

It meant he was coming to trust them.

“So, I’ll start,” Orihime said as she finished playing host and sat back down in her spot. “For if I could do anything I wanted… I think I’d love to see the future for sure! Or maybe bring it about — just think! Robots and flying cars and /space travel/! It’d be so much fun!”

“It would certainly be a future to see, if you built it,” Kurosaki said, to the agreement of the rest of her friends.

Orihime giggled lightly, tucking away the flash of disbelief at his words and forcing herself not to over-analyze. It was /Kurosaki/, he was kind to a fault; if he said something like that, he meant it in a good way. “Thanks! Otherwise, hmm… maybe a teacher? I think I’d like that. I’ve got other plans, of course, but I think I like the idea of being a teacher the most right now!”

“I can see it,” Chad told her with a nod. He paused in thought, then gave a small shrug and continued, “If I could do anything… I think I’d be a musician, and try to help kids.” He shared a look with Kurosaki, one hand reaching up to touch something tucked under his shirt.

Orihime had seen that gesture before, from both Chad and Kaito, and wondered what the two of them were wearing that meant so much to both of them. She wasn’t going to ask, though; it seemed like too personal of a thing, and she didn’t want to pry where they might not be comfortable. They’d speak about it if they wanted to.

“I’m not sure what I want to be, though,” Chad admitted after he looked away from Kurosaki. “It’s… not something I’ve really thought much about.”

Kaito cleared his throat, then hesitated when everyone turned to look at him before forging on. “You could always make helping kids your profession? That’s… that’s something that the Living World does, according to my father.”

“It is,” Tatsuki confirmed. “You could always look into it, Chad?”

Chad gave a slow nod, head tilted down and attention focused on the mug he was toying with. “Maybe I will.”

“Well I,” Tatsuki began with a haughty sniff, “Want to be the reigning champion in vale tudo for Japan. No more coming in second place for me!” When the amused noises from their friends settled down, Tatsuki dropped the haughty air and gave her own shrug. “Beyond that… I guess, like Chad, I really haven’t thought about it too much. Uhhmm… maybe I’d like to be an instructor at a dojo? Or a police officer? I don’t know.”

“We have a few years to think about it,” Kurosaki reassured her, then looked over the rest of them to include them all in that statement. “We don’t need to commit to anything right now.”

Orihime made a noise of agreement and looped an arm around Tatsuki’s shoulder, then grinned up at Chad. “You can’t all be as amazing as me, after all!”

Her comment provoked the laughter she was looking for, and the tension that had started to creep in was dispersed. Even Kaito relaxed, smiling over the rim of his mug of tea and watching them with a /warm-happy-content/ expression that took Orihime’s breath away.

[blackmedals]

XDUOO NANO D3 is s portable high-fidelity lossless music player specially designed for music fans., with 2.0 inches IPS high-definition full -angle display, It offers you clear and delicate picture quality, greatly enhances the visual experience. A great companion for your daily life. Features: [2.0 Inches IPS Display] IPS high-definition full-angle display, clear and delicate picture quality, provides your highly-enhanced visual experience. [High-performance Chip] Using high-effeciency power conversion chip to provide positive and negative power supply to the power amplifier chip constitute the OCL circut structure, maintain a high-quality analog output. [Multi Audio Formats] Compatible with the vast majority of music format. Supports PCM 24bit/ 192KHz decoding under same size. Maximum supports DSD256 format, CUE list file and many other audio formats. [Memory Supported] Built-in 8GB memory. Supports up to 256GB TF card expansion capacity, it can accommodate 6400 lossless music songs. [Breakpoint Memory Playback] Record the progress of music playback, can continue the playback the next time, automatically display the lyrics album cover. (Max. 640 * 640) Specifications: Brand Name: XDuoo Model Number: NANO D3 Housing: CNC-machined aluminum alloy shell; sand-blasting surface Processor: Rockchip RKNanoD Display: 2.0 inches IPS HD 240 * 320p screen Buttons: Power, return, enter, direction keys, volume, reset Sampling rate: 24 bit/192 kHz, native support for DSD64-256 Output power: 250mW (32 Ω load) Frequency response: 20Hz-20KHz (±0.5dB) Gain: ±3dB Distortion: 0.005% (1KHz） Signal to noise ratio: 107dB Adapter headphone impedance: 8Ω-150Ω Built-in memory: 8GB Battery life: ＞20H Charging time: ＜3H Memory card slot: Up to 256GB TF card Battery: built in 950 mAh rechargeable polymer lithium battery Connections: 3.5mm headphone and line-out jacks Color: Black Main Item Size: 8.2 * 4.5 * 1.3cm / 3.22 * 1.77 * 0.51in Main Item Weight: 75.3g / 2.65oz Package Size: 13.5 * 10 * 4.0cm / 5.31 * 3.93 * 1.57in Package Weight: 221.4g / 7.80oz https://www.instagram.com/p/B-gsOGkpQop/?igshid=1mjfl7q0s5lxa

[xitricite]

Bunch of links For FrontEnd Dev, UI/UX

V - - - This is basically this for 2017- - - V 🎈🎉 The Complete List of User Experience (UX) Resources & Tools 🎉🎈

Edit: Did *card sorting. *Sample size of 1. :b

(Fig 1. If Satan was a web developer. Source: ?)

Book IT 📖🏃

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited - A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

Eloquent javascript

Javascript eBook

The Design of Everyday Things - by Donald A. Norman

Practice Online 💻🖱️🖥️

Codecademy - learn html + css

Codecademy - learn javascript

Codepen.io

Codek.tv - Javascript - videos

JS Fiddle

The New Boston - videos

The Odin Project - course

w3schools - css

w3schools - html

w3schools - javascript

Webpack Bin - editor

General 👍👀👌

52 Weeks of UX

aFarkas - html5shiv

🎨 A curated list of Awesome Creative Portfolio Websites

Alex Devero

An HTML5 FAQ

autoprefixer

CSS-Tricks

Chrome Experiments - Workshop

color adobe kuler

Colour Contrast Analyser (accesibility)

Colorsupplyyy - palette app

Creative Cloud blog

dailyui.co

Deep Background

Design Pattern Library - YDN

Dive Into HTML5

Dark Patterns

Fonts In Use

Free Code Camp

GV Library

Google Material Design Guidelines

Google Developers - Web Fundamentals

Hotjar

HSL Picker

Inspired UI

Interaction Design is dead. What now?

JavaScript Examples

javascriptweekly

jQuery DrawSVG

JSHint, a JavaScript Code Quality Tool

Little Big Details

Media Temple

Modularscale

Moz SEO

NN Group - articles

parallax.js

particles.js

Plunker

Psychologist World

Pttrns

r/Frontend/

r/web_design

React

Scotch

Smashing Magazine

State of JS

stackexchange.com

Signal v. Noise

Site5

The Three Types of Projects you can work on

TinyJPG – Compress JPEG images intelligently

TinyPNG – Compress PNG images while preserving transparency

Tympanus - CoDrops

UI Patterns

UX Archive

UX is not UI

ux mag

UX Myths

UX Planet

UX Project Checklist

uxdesign.cc

uxdesign.cc - ux-resources

UXmatters

UX for the masses

W3C code validator

webkit.org

Wirify – The web as wireframes

Wordpress.org

ZURB - Motion UI

ZURB - PatternTap

Tutorials + References

100 Spam Filter Trigger Words

3 Mistakes Software Developers Must Avoid

7 Rules for Creating Gorgeous UI (Part 1) – Medium

7 Rules for Creating Gorgeous UI (Part 2) – Medium

A Crash Course in Typography: The Basics of Type - noupe

A guide to successful Design Handoffs

A Study Plan To Cure JavaScript Fatigue

A Web Designer’s Guide to Pricing Strategies

Aerotwist - Getting Started with Three.js

Blame the implementation, not the technique - TimKadlec.com

Bret Victor - Inventing on Principle from CUSEC

Case study - How to Make a Vesper

Case Study: Page Flip Effect from 20thingsilearned.com - HTML5 Rocks

Crash Course: UI Design – HH Design – Medium

Design Tip: Never Use Black | Ian Storm Taylor

Design apps for the Windows desktop - Windows app development

Digital Telepathy - The return on investment of UX (infographic)

Form Design for Complex Applications

How to land a top-notch tech internship — and a tech job — while you’re still in school

JavaScript Snow: DHTML Snowstorm. Making it snow on the internets since 2003.

Ken Burns Effect fullscreen without js

Lessons From My Post-bootcamp Job Search in London

Luke Wroblewski Part 1 - Conversions@Google 2014

Mobile Firefox and Designing Without Modal Overlays « Aza on Design

OS X Human Interface Guidelines: Designing for Yosemite

Roll and scroll tracking

Motionographer - web animation learning by doing - an interview with Rachel Nabors

Nifty Modal Window Effects

Simple Donut Progress Bar

Smashing Magazine - Create An Animated Bar Graph With HTML, CSS And jQuery

Smashing Magazine - Setting Weights And Styles With The @font-face Declaration

Smashing Magazine Social Media Is A Part Of The User Experience

Typography for User Interfaces

The 100% correct way to do CSS breakpoints

User Testing – Make WordPress Core

UX Fundamentals Course - The Gymnasium

UXM - Tips for bringing UX to the Agile party

UXM - Example UX docs and deliverables

Vue.js - SVG Graph

Why Windows 98's User Onboarding is Better Than Yours - Usersnap Blog

Your Ultimate Guide to CSS Units - Alex Devero

YT Channels

Adobe Creative Cloud

Create n Process

Design Course

DevTips

Front-Trends

Frontendconf Zürich

Matt Borchert

Michael Thomas

Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

Photoshop Tutorials by PHLEARN

Seb Lester

Shawn Barry, Creative

Simple Programmer

Ste Bradbury Design

Swerve Designs

Thomas Bradley

Tuts+ Design - bit old

Tuts+ Illustration - 2015

tutvid

UX Mastery

.

[savevsfacemelt]

The Armitage Files - Signal to Noise (part 2)

A while ago I said that the weirdness level of this campaign was on the rise.

Well strap in, folks, ‘cos the WTF curve just took an exponential advance.

Session writeup in the usual place; GM notes below the images of a Lovecraft tarot that bears absolutely no resemblance to the one that made an appearance this session.

But I like the colours.

--

I wanted these dream sequences to pay off, and I think they’ve delivered. More than that, they got the players thinking in the right direction, and one of them jumped to the conclusion that I was hoping. There’s an incredibly awkward tension in pretty much any horror or mystery game between handing out too few clues for anything to make sense and so many that you’re just shouting the answers at players. I had a couple of extra clues/direct statements up my sleeve, ready if I needed them - but in the end I didn’t. Which meant that my players (hopefully) feel clever for working out a core mystery, and I feel like A FUCKING GENIUS for coming up with something so awesome. 

Which is good, because I also had a MASSIVE FUCKUP this session.

It’s pretty much inevitable that the Tarot works its way into any horror game I run, because I love it as a source of imagery and foreshadowing. This session I did what I normally do - get a player to deal out cards and then do a reading, skewing the details to fit my needs. (I can’t read Tarot ‘properly’, but I can spin improvised bullshit like a master.) The reading was going great, with me describing spooky/scary versions of the cards that turned up, and there was real tension in the room - until the last card was revealed, and it turned out to be a plain text list of all the cards in the deck! Everyone laughed and I panicked for a moment, but then I had the idea of it being a different piece of text, a page from the documents - and that sucked everyone back in again. Touch and go stuff, but it kind of made a breakpoint that made everything that happened afterwards feel right - or rather, feel wrong in the right way.

The other tricky thing this session was that I spent a lot of time talking, and the PCs did a lot of talking to each other, but not a lot of dice got rolled for actions. Long-time readers may remember that I had two games die on me over the last couple of years due to players feeling like they had no agency, no power to really influence the game’s direction. As this session went on, I started worrying that that was happening again - I asked everyone afterwards and they said they’d loved it, but I’m feeling paranoid now and I’m going to pull back on the monologues and dreamscapes. The tricky thing with an improvised horror campaign is that it’s very reactive to player decisions but not necessarily player character decisions - the game’s about the things players find interesting, but the PCs are often helpless. That’s complicated to make work, and I’m still tinkering with the balance.

I’m putting more and more story responsibility onto the shoulders of Erin’s player. She’s enjoying it, and she’s doing a great job with it. There’s no twist or complication to this statement - it’s just going well and she’s awesome.

Next session... god, by then I’ve hopefully worked out why a carnival fortune teller has weird science machines that tinker with reality. And how the hell to manage a group of PCs split across two different universes.

I might need an extra week.

[arxt1]

Spline Based Search Method For Unmodeled Transient Gravitational Wave Chirps. (arXiv:1709.08870v3 [gr-qc] UPDATED)

A method is described for the detection and estimation of transient chirp signals that are characterized by smoothly evolving, but otherwise unmodeled, amplitude envelopes and instantaneous frequencies. Such signals are particularly relevant for gravitational wave searches, where they may arise in a wide range of astrophysical scenarios. The method uses splines with continuously adjustable breakpoints to represent the amplitude envelope and instantaneous frequency of a signal, and estimates them from noisy data using penalized least squares and model selection. Simulations based on waveforms spanning a wide morphological range show that the method performs well in a signal-to-noise ratio regime where the time-frequency signature of a signal is highly degraded, thereby extending the coverage of current unmodeled gravitational wave searches to a wider class of signals.

from gr-qc updates on arXiv.org http://ift.tt/2wUSf2X

[finite-breakpoints]

this isn't going to work (Angstpril 2024, #6)

"…This isn't gonna work."

Able looks up from the crystal he's examining, glancing over the microscope's interface. Cyrus looks…. tired. Like it's been a few cycles since he's had a decent amount of sleep, sure, but more than that. Like he's spent every moment of that sleeplessness pacing the length of this still-unfinished workshop, trying to outrun whatever it is that he can't quite shake.

Very well may have -- last night, at least.

"What isn't? These crystals? They might. Structure looks right, so as long as they've got the filtering capacity…"

"No. Not really what I meant." Cyrus swivels back and forth in the drafting chair for a while. Able knows that look; far-off, but focused, trying to pin down thoughts that stay just out of reach. "In the long run. Concentration's just a stopgap, but Tron's energy processing isn't gonna go back to normal, is it? No matter what we do, nothing's gonna be enough to fix him."

He sounds resigned to it. Means he's been thinking about this for a while, sitting with it and trying to process it on his own. Able's accepted that he'll never get the kid to be upfront with him, and maybe it's just as well -- it's not up to him to decide what role he takes on, after all.

But that doesn't mean it hurts any less to watch.

"I don't know," Able says softly. "I guess we'll just have to keep trying."

[finite-breakpoints]

phantom pain (Angstpril 2024, #10)

[ Previously: a little too late ]

::Your shoulder's acting up.:: Julia nudges him a little, trying to get a better look -- Siv can't see it, of course, but he can feel that tiny bit of resistance under her fingertips, resurfacing pin sockets reducing her touch to nothing but faint pressure on his skin. ::Doesn't look good. You need to have someone look at it again.::

::Yeah, I know.:: The medical center's still short-staffed, even with the influx of programs from Advan's… rehabilitation centers. If he can avoid making it worse, he does. ::Give it a couple cycles, it'll calm down.::

::Siv.::

::What?:: He sits up, stretches out -- it's sore. Been a while since that's happened. ::The circuits haven't split off, right? Doesn't feel like it.::

::No. Looks close, though.::

::You know it's not a big deal. As long as the port stays closed, anyway.::

::I know it means you're stressed, and that you're acting like things are fine, and you won't tell me why.::

::Do we really have to do this right now?:: Immediately hates himself for the way it sounds. She isn't wrong, but it's not like he can tell her what's going on. Not without freaking her out, which is the last thing either of them need, lately. Besides, she has a point, and he can't fault her for being worried about him. ::…Sorry. I'll go to the medical center first thing next cycle. Promise.::

::Gonna hold you to it.::

::I know. --But you don't have to. It's not your job anymore.::

::It's not about obligation. Never was. You know that.:: She yawns. ::I mean, you'd still do it for me, wouldn't you?::

::Yeah. Of course I would. No question.:: He leans over -- carefully, just in case she's right -- and kisses her on the cheek. ::Alright, I'll go patch this up. Go back to sleep.::

She hums something like an assent, and he watches her circuits dim to a slow pulse. A little too proud of herself, honestly…

Siv stands up, doing his best not to disturb her. He's a little out of practice, but he manages it. Closes the door behind him before turning on the light. He's missed this. Missed her. When did they start to drift off in separate directions?

The answer, of course, is looking back at him in the mirror. And then in triplicate, as he unfolds the panels. Shifts slightly, trying to get a better look at the dense array of silver scars stretching across his right shoulder, beginning to mirror to the left. Glowing brighter than they should; maybe it's worse than he thought.

Pulls out a set of patches, the wide ones that will cover most of it. Even the damage patches designed for data processors can't always handle it. The pin sockets are too close together, and there's too many of them, for it to adhere properly. And this doesn't quite stick, either.

It'll do for now. A stopgap, just like everything else.

This is a face he's become more comfortable with, over the cycles. Something that has to be settled into, every time his render changes -- and it hadn't come easily, this last time. A bigger change than it usually is, something that almost felt like a rollback. Too much like his sister -- who isn't exactly herself anymore… not really.

"And whose fault is that?"

The figure standing behind his reflection has no circuits to speak of -- but she radiates a faint light nonetheless. Someone both distant and achingly familiar. Not Yori -- no, Advan -- although easily mistaken. The same look Advan had given him, when she'd arrived in Gallium -- surprise, then disappointment, in how much he'd changed.

"Clu did this to her," he says quietly. "I don't know how. She should have been safe from it. It shouldn't have worked."

"You could have stopped her. You could have stopped so much of this -- but you've left behind everything I gave you."

--And then his input regulators wake up, the impossible sensation of all those pins reconnecting. For just a clock-cycle, he wants more than anything to feel the rush of free-flowing information through his circuits. The chance to chase down the root of the corruption spreading through the Grid, hold it up to the light… and pull it apart, line by line.

She's right. He could have, at one time. But the data rig in the Archives, the one Polaris had taken with him when he left Tron City, refuses to wake for him. Siv isn't a processor anymore -- the System's given him another purpose. The prototyping lab; giving his betas a home, untangling them from what the Occupation's done to them. The network; keeping watch over the programs of Gallium, giving them the tools to fight their own battles.

In the mirror, his circuits shiver -- momentarily giving way to those waveform patterns that increasingly feel less alien, the more he shifts into them, interacts with the network in them. And he knows then, beyond any doubt, that his User's wishes are no longer a factor. Not in his render, not in his function, and not in his decisions.

"No. I took what I needed, and left the rest." Siv takes a deep breath, willing himself to look her in the eye -- and then to stay standing, under the crushing weight of her gaze. "And I don't need you anymore."

"Do you really believe that?"

Before he can answer, the regulator circuits branch off, spidering across his shoulders with no input to temper them. Some long-sleeping part of his code reactivates, reaches out in a desperate reflex… and finds nothing in return, as Lora-Prime watches his circuits burn with something that might just be a smile.

"When you change your mind, I'll be here."

And then the whole room spins, and blinks into nothingness.

[finite-breakpoints]

the night we met (Angstpril 2024, alt #4)

[ Previously: frozen // trembling ]

"Relax -- it's gonna be fine." Yori squeezes Siv's hand gently -- and he knows that she's trying to reassure herself just as much as him. "You don't need to be nervous about this."

But he is. And so is she, even if she won't admit it.

"Where's Tron?" Not so much changing the subject as it's legitimate surprise. "I thought he'd want to be here."

"He did, but he's out of town. Trying to settle things down out in Bismuth. It's getting worse. Flynn offered to wait until he got back, but…" She shrugs. "He said we've waited long enough -- and we've had this planned out for long enough as-is. Didn't think it was fair to make you wait with us."

"I wouldn't have minded." He glances over at the screens, feeling a nervous twinge somewhere in the back of his mind. Base code compiled without errors. Just the interfaces left -- anything that could have gone wrong would have by now. "Have you seen their renders?"

"Yeah. Why, haven't you? I thought Flynn would have shown you."

"Nah. I couldn't make it out here in time, remember? Julia's had a lot of things to balance, so… I've had to step it up a little."

"Is she…?" But then Yori thinks about it for a tick, and her expression shifts to something almost like regret. "Sorry. I guess I don't really know where you guys are at right now. It's been a while."

"No, it's fine. I don't really know, either. But she's pretty happy about this. Said she thinks it'll be good for me -- the responsibility and the extra help." He grins sheepishly -- it was almost exactly what Yori had said about it, when she'd told him about Flynn's new idea.

"…So what you're saying is that she agrees with me, and that I'm always right."

"Yes to the first thing. And as for the second… you're usually right. How's that?"

"Guess I'll take it, if that's all I'm gonna get."

"But I didn't tell her everything," he admits. "She, uh… she doesn't know about the whole shared code thing. I wasn't sure how she'd react, so… I left that out. We'll get to it."

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm excited to watch you figure out exactly how much of a terror you were to wrangle."

"Don't say that like you were any better. Yours is gonna be just as chaotic, I guarantee it."

"We'll see, but I'd be willing to bet that--" But then she stops, her eyes lighting up as one of the screen outputs pings success. "Looks like you're up first!"

----

"Alright, let's bring you back up for a bit. How are you feeling?"

It takes Cyrus a moment to remember where he is, what's going on. The energy spikes that wouldn't even out. The long drive to Gallium City. The splitting headache that comes and goes as he slips in and out of consciousness, tucked away in this warm little room. Left here with the assurance that he's safe, being taken care of, and that Able will come back for him next cycle.

And Able's friend -- Siv -- with his strange machine, scrolling through Cyrus' code like notes on a datapad.

"Better. Maybe." Cyrus blinks a few times; the room threatens to start spinning again. "I think."

"Good. Don't try to get up yet. You're still a little off-balance from that last spike. --Those are a data processor thing, right? But they don't really happen unless you've been doing it for a long time. Longer than you've been on the Grid… if your metadata's accurate, anyway."

"Yeah." Something tells Cyrus that it is, and that maybe Siv knows a bit more than he's letting on. Lets it slide for now, makes a mental note to think about it more when thinking doesn't hurt. "I think so. It sounds right, anyway. There's a lot of stuff up here that's… fuzzy."

"Some of it should come back on its own, hopefully in a few cycles or so. We can try recovering anything else later, if you want."

"…And you're not a medic, huh?"

"Me? Nah. But code's code, once you get down to it." Siv shrugs -- like that's supposed to make sense -- and taps a few things on the interface. It's not Cyrus' disc; it's something else, some kind of staging device, where he can test changes before making anything permanent. He closes a window; the lines of code turn back into the strands of blue and silver, wrapped in tendrils of red and orange. "Okay, last round. This should fix the spikes. We'll worry about everything else later -- whatever they tried to do to you didn't exactly latch on. From what I saw on your disc, it looks like maybe they were more worried about making sure some things won't come back."

"Like what?" And then Cyrus hears himself, and shakes his head. "Stupid question. Sorry."

"No such thing. --But I wish I had an answer for you."

He's lying.

Cyrus manages to sit upright, finally. Doesn't complain when Siv takes his disc, plugs in that machine, and then adjusts a few things before giving it back.

Watches his circuits change as his disc re-syncs, orange circuits fading to white.

Not a malicious lie, then.

How could it be?

[finite-breakpoints]

bad dreams (Angstpril 2024, #7)

[ Previously: homesick ]

A shattered-glass scream echoes through the lab's living quarters -- Siv bolts upright in the darkness, pinpointing the source. To the left, very nearly parallel, separated by exactly two doors.

--Dylan.

By the time he's made it to the hallway, Lisa and Bodhi are already there, equal parts alarmed and exhausted.

"Go back to bed, guys. I've got 'em."

Unlocks the door to find Dylan curled in on themself. For just a clock-cycle, their circuits shiver and dim.

"Hey. You okay?"

They look up at him for a moment and shrug -- the closest thing to no he's going to get from them.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Just a nightmare." Lying, or at least by omission. They're too shaken for that to be the whole truth -- something cold and haunted in their eyes. "Sorry I woke you up."

"Don't be. Do you want to talk about it?"

There's that shrug again -- like it doesn't matter. Like they don't matter.

"Okay." He sits on the edge of the bed, looks them over for a tick or two. Their circuits are coming back to normal now, but they look… shaken. "You don't have to. You can, though."

Dylan nods reluctantly. Seems to think about it for a few ticks. "…What happens if I don't get to stay here?"

"What?"

"Like if they decide that I'm not a good fit here after all. Or if they just decide to move me somewhere else."

"I don't think we have to worry about that. Tally's been pretty happy with how you're doing. And for what it's worth…. I'm glad you're here."

"I know." They take a deep, shaking breath and sit up. "But if they wanted to, even if they let me stay here…. they could reprogram me, couldn't they?"

Oh.

"They can try," he says quietly, "but they won't get far. And even if they could, it wouldn't stick for very long. I won't let them take you, Dylan. Not you, and not anyone else. They'll never touch your code again."

Dylan looks at him like they're not sure whether they believe him. "…Thanks."

And then they lean against him, and he feels the uncertainty, the anxiety. The deep, visceral fear that this is temporary. Pings reassurance and safety as best as he can. Stays there with them until their breathing slows, their circuits dim with sleep.

Maybe the Occupation will try, no matter what Tally's said. But he refuses, in that moment, to believe it's a promise he can't keep.

He'll keep them safe, somehow. He has to.

[finite-breakpoints]

homesick (Angstpril 2024, #1)

Dylan waits for the creak of the door across the hall before giving themself permission to get up. Thirteen cycles in, and they haven't managed to sleep for more than a quarter-cycle at any given time. Still running on the rehabilitation center's timetable, one much more regimented than the prototyping lab.

They don't sit up so much as roll out of bed, closer to the floor than they've come to expect. Maybe they'll get used to it eventually. But a room this size is supposed to be for nine programs, not one. There's ten other rooms just like it up here. Too much space. It's almost overwhelming.

And, for that matter, so is Siv's idea of a sane early-cycle routine.

"Hey." He doesn't look up at Dylan when they come in, too focused on the boiling energy he's pouring through a filter. "You sleep alright?"

"Uh… Yeah." They blink the sleep from their eyes, squinting at the device on the counter, the steaming energy within -- it looks more like a science experiment than anything that approaches safe to drink. "So is that like… a crystal?"

"Kind of. Better. It's a different reaction when it's heated, more thorough. It almost makes--"

Dylan yelps as the filter overflows, splashing energy across the counter. Siv mutters something under his breath; unfamiliar, but definitely some kind of blasphemy.

"That's it, I give up." He sighs, shaking his head like this was completely unavoidable. "I'm going back to bed. See you tomorrow. Don't break anything."

That's a joke, even if it doesn't sound like one. That's about the only thing Dylan's figured out about him.

It doesn't take him long to get everything cleaned up -- this must happen a lot -- and to carefully pour out two glasses of the stuff. The whole thing seems wasteful, in a way that Dylan can't quite put into words. It takes up time that should be used for something else.

"Here." The glass makes an odd noise as it slides across the counter; the resonance is wrong. It's small, and strangely heavy, energy lighting up the overlapping hexagons etched into it. "Careful, though."

"…Got it."

Siv looks at them curiously as he sits down at the table. Like they've said something wrong… again. Or maybe he's just as unsure of what to make of them as they are of him. "You okay?"

"Yeah." It's automatic, but not even remotely true. They don't like the idea of lying to him; there's a sincerity to his concern that compels something in their code to honesty. "…No. Maybe."

"What's wrong?"

Nothing here makes sense.

Nobody asked me whether I wanted this. I would have said no.

It's not your fault, but I think I hate it here.

"I don't know." Dylan takes a deep breath, hates the way it shakes -- this is why they couldn't find a placement for you, you know. "All of this is just… a lot."

"Yeah. Guess it would be; it's a big change. And Tally said you'd been there the longest, pretty much since they found you without your disc."

It's not quite pity, but it's close. Dylan nods.

"What do you miss most?"

"Oh. Uh…" Dylan does their best to hide behind a sip of energy. It's strong, and surprisingly sweet… but not necessarily unpleasant. "I…"

The other programs? No. Not many of them were there long enough for Dylan to even learn their names. Not the minders, either -- most of them are cold and distant. Tally, maybe? But they still see her; she comes by every few cycles to check in on them.

And they don't hate it here, not really. Siv is… weird, and hard to read, but seems kind enough. More than most of the other programs who've been put in charge of them, anyway.

"I think I was miserable there," they whisper. "So… why do I miss it?"

"Well… Do you want the easy answer, or the one that's hard to hear?"

"…What?"

"Easy answer -- change is hard. Not knowing what you're good at is hard. I say that from a lot of experience. I've had something like four different functions on this Grid alone." Siv offers them a wry smile, and somehow, Dylan finds themself believing him. "Maybe five. Depends on how you count."

"So what's the hard answer?"

"You miss it because you're supposed to miss it. They didn't just give you a new disc, Dylan. They did something to your code, too. It's supposed to erase everything that makes you unique -- to make you a good and loyal soldier, or whatever else they decide you're going to be. That's what's telling you that you miss it. But something about it didn't quite stick, I think -- otherwise, they would have found a use for you by now… and you wouldn't be asking questions like that."

"Is it ever going to go away?"

"With time, maybe. I'm not sure. I've only ever seen this happen once. Well… twice, now. --I want to help you, Dylan. But you're gonna have to trust me."

They shouldn't. Because he shouldn't know that -- how does he know that? And it's bad enough that they've been shuttled off here -- somewhere out-of-the-way and so utterly devoid of order -- because they weren't useful anywhere else.

"…I just want to go home."

But maybe that's just proving the point.

[finite-breakpoints]

panicked (Angstpril 2024, #27)

[ Previously: phantom pain ]

// Connected to SIGNAL//NOISE //

// phase!0x7F >> noise!0x01 //

// Secure message self-destruct timer set to one cycle.

phase:

> something happened to Siv last night. Julia took him over to the medical center earlier

> nobody will tell me what's going on or whether he's okay

> I don't know what I'm supposed to tell Lev and Lisa. I don't even know what Julia's telling everyone in the garage

noise:

> ...Fuck. Okay.

> Well, I'm already on my way over. I'll help you get things settled.

> You know the override code for the office?

phase:

> don't need it

> he gave me access once I started helping with the network.

noise:

> Alright. I'm still ten or twenty millicycles out.

> Hang tight.

----

"Dylan. Relax. You're starting to make me nervous."

"…Sorry." They stop spinning in the desk chair, trying to think of something -- anything -- to distract them. Anything to keep from panicking. The others will still be asleep for a while yet, and in any case, Dylan doesn't have much hope of anyone being particularly productive at the moment. "Maybe I should just keep things closed down for now, reopen the lab when Siv gets back."

"I mean… yeah. You could. But that's not gonna do anybody any favors, is it? And you know how he is -- he's gonna come back and feel like everything's fallen behind schedule."

That doesn't make the idea of trying to run the prototyping lab any less daunting -- even if it's only for a few cycles. But still… Cyrus is probably right.

"How are you being so calm about this?"

"Not the first time I've seen it. This happens every couple of macrocycles or so -- this is just… ahead of schedule." Cyrus pulls out his console and plugs in his network chip, perches on the workbench. "Siv said it's all that old data processor hardware, runs hot every once in a while."

"He was a processor?" They think for a tick about the programs who flock together in one corner of the SPARC Club, their data jacks glowing dimly in the low light. The older programs they gather around, most of whom have long since retired. Their silent laughter, entire conversations carried out in pings. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah. One of the first. Back before all the restrictions -- it took a long time for anyone to put together the long-term effects." Cyrus doesn't exactly pause there, but Dylan still gets the feeling there's something he's not telling them. "That's why they've all got external hardware now. Prevents things like this from happening in the first place. Sometimes, there's ways to mitigate it… but they haven't found anything that works for Siv yet."

"…Is he gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. Might still be a bit scrambled when he gets home, but once he's had a chance to get settled--"

The opening door cuts him off; a shock of fight-flight-freeze in Dylan's circuits -- no one else should be able to enter this room uninvited, unless --

But it's just Julia, thankfully. She offers Dylan a small smile -- Cyrus, not so much. He doesn't look surprised, or even remotely disturbed by her intrusion -- he must have heard her coming, somehow. Sometimes it feels like nothing gets to him.

And if he notices Julia's general coolness toward him, he doesn't seem to mind it. "Don't worry about bringing Dylan up to speed, I already took care of it. --How is he?"

"Um…" Julia sighs, that look Dylan's seen a few times; it's not good news. "They've got him in stasis right now. It's the only way they can keep his energy processing stable. Said they're gonna monitor for the rest of the cycle, and then they'll call me before they try bringing him back up again."

"So he's just…. alone?" Dylan shivers, ice creeping into their circuits. "I mean, even in stasis…"

"I know. I don't like it either, but Siv's repeatedly said he'd rather have me staying busy than worrying about him every time this happens. That's just how he is." She shrugs. "Do you need help getting things opened up?"

"No. I can handle it. Thanks, though."

"No problem. --But hey, come find me if you run into any problems, okay?" Her expression makes it perfectly clear what problems she's talking about -- and all of them have orange circuits. And then she turns to Cyrus, and her voice goes quiet. "And you -- do not get involved."

"Yeah, I know. Siv and I already had that discussion, after last time." He smiles grimly, like maybe discussion isn't really the right word. "Staying out of this one."

"Good." She looks around like she's making sure everything's in place around the office; her gaze lands, for a tick, on the row of sealed vacuum canisters above Siv's desk. "Don't break anything."

"Well… no promises there."

She doesn't look amused, and he doesn't particularly look like he cares. Dylan can't imagine being on the other side of that glare, let alone instigating it. Purposefully.

Cyrus waits until she leaves, then busies himself with feeding the code fragments. Dylan watches as far as they can -- the careful way he pops the cubes out of the freezer trays, each looking far too much like translucent grey voxels. They have to look away as he drops them in; the faint hiss of the fragments bubbling up around them is more than enough.

"You think he'd notice if I switched a couple of them around?" Cyrus drops the last set of cubes in, then sets the tray in the condenser to repopulate. "Like, physically moved them. He's got 'em labeled underneath, but I wonder how long it'd take him to figure it out."

"Probably not long." The initial sounds are quieting now; when Dylan looks up, the fragments are back to their slow shifts, and they can look at them without feeling sick. "Apparently they all act different."

"Hm." He picks up the first one on the left, eyeing it carefully, then swaps it with the one to its right. "We'll see."

"Oh, he's gonna hate this." They go in order, if Dylan remembers correctly. "That doesn't seem fair. Siv said yours and mine were pretty similar."

"Yeah. If I'm not here when he figures it out, I need you to show me what happens. For the sake of scientific inquiry." But Cyrus' grin fades, his mind obviously drifting to less-pleasant things. "Even when he gets home, it'll be a few cycles before he's back up to speed. The network's gonna get restless in the meantime."

"Right. What are you gonna tell them?"

Unlike Dylan, Cyrus doesn't have the option to wait it out. Something like ten thousand programs on the network now, at last count, expecting that start-of-cycle transmission. And about ten percent of them on the chat relay -- whose concern will be far less distant.

"…I don't know."