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walkingnearfoxes · 3 months ago

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The Right of the First Night (Homelander x Reader)

After Vought's Christmas gala, the Homelander kindly pays you and your husband a visit at home.

I deleted this on accident on account of being an ancient being who doesn't understand Tumblr. Enjoy. Again. Oi.

NSFW below the cut. Mildly dubious consent and Homelander not respecting the sanctity of marriage. Female, she/her Reader. A lot of filth.

Vought demanded a lot from your husband. As one of the newest managers in data analytics, he spent most of his waking hours twisting this number or that data point to make the Seven look as stellar as possible. You honestly didn't understand very much of his work; on the rare days he worked from home, the multiple screens he processed through looked like a sci-fi movie to you. The quirky but lovable coder hacks the government with three clicks. Luckily, you didn't need to understand the intricacies; you just had to ensure he ate and drank water between crunching enough percentages to make your head spin.

On the weeks when you scarcely saw his face, you had to remember the positives. His salary, for once, was enough to keep you both comfortable without you needing to contribute. You did, of course, but primarily out of guilt. Your husband, the unfairly wonderful man he is, reminded you repeatedly that the money didn't matter; he just wanted you to be happy. That was an additional positive.

Another one was the fact that his work events were absurdly over-the-top. Vought was determined to make each holiday celebration the best holiday celebration. Your favorite had become the Christmas gala. The tower became a winter wonderland; you could spend hours admiring the unique silver snowflakes that dotted each dining table, the stunningly ornamented pine trees that reached the ceilings, or simply the beautiful outfits the most important faces of the company put together - not to mention that this was the closest you ever got to the superheroes.

Your husband didn't speak much about or to the heroes. If something was terrible enough in data analytics for a supe to come directly to him, something had gone wrong. Starlight was his favorite, by far. She was kind, and genuine, and was still the only hero who had introduced herself to you at a gala.

"Your husband is a miracle worker," she told you warmly last year. "I don't know how he makes those numbers work, but he does."

You didn't know either, but it was nice to know that at least one of the Seven appreciated your husband’s long hours. The others were, at best, polite. His brief elevator interactions with Maeve were scarce, Black Noir's silent visits to the department were fine, and the Deep was an idiot. None of this surprised you. What intrigued you most were his comments on the Homelander.

"He's...focused." Your husband said one day over dinner when you asked. "I mean, if the head of the Seven has to come to my door, it's not a pleasure visit.”

You tilted your head curiously. "But what's he like?"

He smirked at you over his glass. "Besides stunningly handsome, you mean?"

You shot him a glare. Your little crush on the Homelander was a well-known secret between you. "Yeah, besides that."

He shrugged. "Nothing bad enough has happened for us to speak directly. But he seems...fine."

There was clearly more to it than that, but your cat knocking over a plate derailed the conversation. You never got a complete answer from him about the Homelander, and the curiosity carried you to the latest Christmas shindig.

As usual, Vought went all out. You are leaning against a standing table, tilting your head to admire the blue tapestries hung to mimic a night sky. A bright red drink is placed in front of you, and you look up to meet your husband's warm eyes.

"A merry, merry margarita for you," he says, holding a green concoction. “And a Christmas Cookie Cocktail for me."

You snort as you sip the margarita, cinnamon and tequila delicately touching your tongue. "These names get better every year."

"I clearly picked the wrong department." He looks across the room and makes accidental eye contact with a data director. "There it is. You sure you don't want to make handshaking rounds with me?"

You shake your head. "They want to talk to you, not me. I don't even know what I would say."

"Hello, maybe?"

You nudge his arm. "Go. I can survive on my own for a few minutes."

"Fair enough," He kisses your cheek and then steps away. "Don't let the Homnelander whisk you away, alright?"

You wave him off with a flush. "No promises."

You easily kept yourself busy as you meandered around the spacious room. You waved to a few familiar faces, refilled your cocktail, and even briefly conversed with Starlight about the carolers. They had apparently won a few Grammys. You finally end up next to the newest statues of the Seven in the middle of the celebration. Somebody, you could only assume a poor intern, placed Santa Clause hats on top of each solemn hero’s stony head. You can’t help but laugh under your breath.

You hear your first name from behind you. The voice is vaguely familiar, but you can’t place it. It’s a shock to your system when you turn to see the Homelander smiling at you.

Your immediate instinct is to check around you because there's no way that the captain of the Seven is standing here and greeting you like an old friend. In events past, you only ever saw him swarmed with the top faces of the party. What is he doing here, alone, staring at you with a growingly puzzled expression?

Oh. You're staring at him now.

He tilts his head with a curious smirk. "I got your name right, didn't I?"

"Oh! Yes!" you say quickly, inwardly cringing at how breathless you sound. “I'm so sorry. I'm still not used to seeing heroes so close."

Dear God, that sounded awful.

Luckily, his grin just widens. "But this is your fifth gala, isn't it? Surely you're used to our faces by now."

Does he know you? You blink in surprise as he saunters closer to you, his arms gently folded behind him. "I'd be a horrible leader if I didn't know our best managers,” He explains.

He tilts his head again and asks you - more as a formality, it seems - if you are indeed your husband's wife. He uses your husband's first and last name, to be sure.

You nod with a smile, tightening your grip on your glass. "Yeah, that's me," you say softly, making the Homelander flash a grin with teeth. “Do you know everyone here?"

He glances at the crowd casually and then back at you. "Only the interesting people," He corrects. "Enjoying the party?"

Your nod. "Yeah. These galas get more fun every year."

"More crowded, you mean," He walks to stand beside you, close enough that your elbows touch, and sighs dramatically up at the statue. "This I did not agree to."

You follow his line of sight to the Santa hats. You giggle softly and hope he doesn’t notice your nerves - though you’re positive he does. "But it makes you all so festive. Besides, red is your color."

The Homelander turns to look at you with a new glint in his eye. "True…”

Before you can respond, you feel a familiar hand wrap around your elbow to the opposite side of Homelander. You look up to see your husband's face. He's smiling, but you know him. His brow is slightly furrowed, and his smile is too wide. He almost looks worried.

"Sorry that took so long, honey," He greets quickly, gently squeezing your arm. "I couldn't-"

The Homelander cuts off with an enthusiastic greeting of your husband's name. He turns to clap his shoulder, his red glove contrasting with your man's dark suit. The movement makes the three of you form a close triangle in front of the statue. When Homelander speaks, his voice is loud. Dominant, even. "Can't thank you enough for your help on those point differentials in Montana. Gotta figure out who's in charge of things out there, huh?"

Your husband lets out a forced laugh. "Yeah, it's no problem."

Homelander is still holding onto his shoulder. "Quite a wife you have here," He says with a nod to you. "Hope you don't mind I stole her time...can't leave a gorgeous woman like this alone. You never know what might happen."

Before your husband can reply, Homelander lets him go. He turns to you and holds a hand. "So nice meeting you, but I have a grumpy senator or two I need to charm."

On instinct, you hold out your hand to him. His fingers easily encompass yours - and for a fraction of a moment, you feel he may never let go. You feel his raw strength electrify the touch and imprison you; your whole body clenches. He gives you a private wink, and then he lets go. "I'll be seeing you soon."

With a whisk of his cape, he's gone as quickly as he arrived.

You stare after the stars and stripes as they slowly disappear into the crowd. Only when you can no longer see them do you look up at your husband's pale face. "Was that weird?"

Your husband takes your hand, the same hand Homelander had just held in his grasp. "Not really."

You know a conversation shut-down when you hear one and don't press further. After all, you remember, it's not wise to gossip about a person with supersonic hearing.

~-~

You stay at the party for another hour, but your husband’s mood has shifted. He doesn't seem unhappy, but he's undoubtedly unsettled. There's a new suddenness to his movements, as if he's ready to scan the room at a moment's notice - far too vigilant for a holiday party.

The early cab ride home continues in this strange silence. It's not tense, but it's not comfortable either. The air feels charged down the roads of Manhattan to your townhome. You don't test it. Something about that interaction with the Homelander has unnerved your husband in a way you don't understand. If your husband is still silent when you get home, then maybe you'll broach the subject.

When you do get home, you go about your usual routines: turning back on the lights, checking on the cat, and refilling their food and water bowl. Your husband takes care of that while upstairs to scrub the makeup off of your face. You turn on the lights in the ensuite bedroom.

The Homelander is sitting at the foot of your bed.

Shockingly, you don't scream. You stare. He sits there like he's been there for hours, his hands folded in his lap. The calm facade peels into a friendly smile at your lack of a reaction to him - as if he ran into you in a grocery store, not in the middle of your bedroom.

"Thought you could sneak out early on me, huh?" He asks.

You stutter. "What..." You shake your head. "What are you-"

"Honey?" Your husband's voice calls as he bounds up the stairs, only to stop dead behind you at the sight before him. You can't see his face, but you can feel his fear. "H-Homelander..."

"Oh, why the shocked faces?" Homelander laughs and stands off the bed, sauntering towards both of you. "I told you I’d be seeing you later, right?"

Your husband steps in front of you. "Whatever this is about-"

Homelander says your husband's name like he's speaking to a puppy pissing on the carpet. His left hand curls into your husband's shirt, and he lifts him an inch off the ground with horrifying ease. He places him down in the nearby chair and pats his cheek twice. "Don't make a fuss. I'm not gonna hurt her."

It takes you a moment to recover from seeing how easily he moved your husband before finding your voice. "Why are you here?" You whisper.

He turns and slowly lowers his face to be level with yours. His lips are a breath away, and his eyes run over every part of you like savoring a meal. "For you, of course. This is my favorite part of the gala."

You make a sound halfway between a gasp and a squeak. The Homelander smirks. "Oh, come on. You've been dreaming of this, haven't you? That comment about me whisking you away?" He winks at your husband before looking back at you. "I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I've thought about fucking you for a while now, but that just sealed the deal."

Your husband stutters. "Homelander-"

"Nuh uh, buddy," Homelander holds a finger in your husband's face before slowly turning to look at him. "This is not a negotiation. You'll be a good little boy and sit over there while we have fun."

Your husband’s eyes widen, but he says nothing and settles back in the chair. Homelander laughs. "That's what I thought. I know a fucking cuck when I see one."

You’re staring at your husband. Homelander notices this, and his hand angles to cup under your jaw. The leather of his red glove is smooth and warm against your skin, sending a shiver through you. His thumb brushes slowly across your lips. "Don't worry about him," He purrs. "You won’t be giving him a damn thought in a minute.”

The Homelander uses his hold on your jaw to tilt your chin up. For a moment, he simply observes you. To him, you are a prize. Then, he presses his face forward and runs his nose up the length of your neck. He inhales loudly. Goosebumps prickle along your skin when he growls. “Fucking perfect.” His free hand traces along the bottom of your dress, gently pushing the fabric up your thigh. He possessively grabs your smooth skin. “This an expensive dress, honey?”

You swallow, watching his eyes follow the movement down your throat, and you find your voice. “Yes…”

He hums. “...well, put in an IOU.”

In an upward pull, Homelander rips the fabric of your dress in half like he’s ripping tissue paper. He tosses its remains to your husband without looking at him. He’s instead looking at your matching bra and panties with an approving whistle. “Oh, buddy,” He looks at your husband with an almost sympathetic gaze. “You were going to get some tonight. What a damn shame.”

Homelander comes forward and slowly, as if he’s savoring the wait, takes your breasts in his hands. You hear a low sigh of approval under his breath as he gently squeezes, his thumbs brushing delicate circles over your nipples. You inhale sharply, and looks up at your face with a knowing smirk. “Don’t play coy, sweetheart. I can smell how wet you are. Must be uncomfortable.”

One of his hands rubs down your stomach - he growls under his breath again at your soft skin - and curls his fingers around your underwear. “You’re used to boys tugging at you like a little sex doll. It’s okay now. You have me. You have a god.”

He rips away the last of your clothing so you stand fully exposed in front of America’s icon. The chill of the air and the complete attention of the two men in the room light your skin with more goosebumps. Homelander takes a moment to look at you again; he has all the time in the world. Finally, he steps forward and rests a hand gently on your hip. “Well, no wonder he tried to hide you from me…”

He’s kissing you. He kisses you to devour you whole, all tongue and teeth and passion, in a way that makes your head spin. You don’t even realize how your hands curl into the front of his suit, how your body instinctively presses to his. He maps out every inch of your mouth, and you moan for him when his hand curls around the back of your neck. He shows no signs of stopping, but you are only human and must breathe. You pull away as much as the hand on the back of your neck will allow you - which is your lips remaining an inch apart. Your eyes open, and you’re in awe at the hunger in his blue stare. “Atta girl…”

Your unconsciously look to your husband. He hasn’t moved from his seat. He sucks at his lower lip, and when your gaze wanders, you can’t help a quiet gasp. He’s hard.

“Back here with me, pumpkin,” Homelander murmurs, grabbing your chin to bring you back to him. “You’re mine tonight, remember?”

You tentatively nod, but he shakes his head. “Oh no, I’m gonna need to hear you say it.”

Your tongue darts out to wet your lips, and he eagerly follows the movement before you reply. “I’m yours tonight.”

Homelander hums in thought and then sighs playfully. “Sounds like someone needs some convincing…up we go.”

Both of his hands move to your hips, and with an ease that startles a yelp out of you, he lifts you clear off the ground. You don’t have time to ground yourself before he’s tossing you backward onto the bed. Despite being airborne for a moment, he seems to be careful not to hurt you - not right now, anyway. You land on your back with a quiet “oof” and instinctively move to sit u, but findyou cannoto move. You look down to find Homelander keeping you trapped with just the tips of his fingers on your hip. He stands at the foot of the bed and stares down at you, a slight tilt to his head that ambles somewhere between playful and devious. “Where’d you think you’re going?”

He moves his hand to your knee and tugs you down the bed, smirking at the soft squeal from you it earns him. He slowly kneels while hooking your legs over his shoulders, careful to mind his eagle pads. “You have any idea how hard it was not to bend you over in that fucking shitstorm of a gala? I should have. No one could’ve stopped me, not even your poor husband. God, you would’ve loved it. All those eyes on you while I fill up this pretty pussy…”

His lips are gentle as they kiss along your thighs, stopping only to leave nips that make your hips jolt. One red glove lays flat on your hips to easily hold you down so he can carry on at his own pace. When he finally reaches your cunt, you’re pretty positive you would do anything the hero asked of you - and when his tongue licks a slow stripe up your lips, you’re certain.

You had never spent much time wondering how good the Homelander would be at going down on someone, but he is good. He feasts. He goes from licking your pussy leisurely to devouring you in time with when your body needs it; later, you will wonder if he uses his superior senses to guide the way to your pleasure. Now, you’re too far into heaven to think. He sucks at your clit with a pressure that would make your body convulse if he wasn’t holding you down. There’s no need for him to shift or adjust; he could be here for days. When one of his hands moves to press two fingers slowly into you, stretching you around the rich leather of his gloves, you cry out. There’s no pain, no uncomfortable twitch - just pleasure. “Fuck!”

Homelander chuckles and presses a few quick kisses to your clit. “Watch your mouth. Might have to find a better use for it.”

“Please do,” You reply breathlessly, and your hand locks gently into his hair. It’s softer than you thought, but that only makes you hold on harder.

Surprise flickers in his expression, so brief you nearly miss it, before he grins manically. “With pleasure. But first thing’s first…”

He dives back in with sloppy kisses against your pussy. He curls his fingers just right, fucks them into you mercilessly, and the suddenness of your climax takes you by surprise. It curls down each of your limbs and then bursts in vibrating waves. You are vaguely aware of the animalistic sounds you make, but they’re lost to the dizzying heat. You barely recognize your own voice. When you slowly come back down, your hands both now locked in Homelander’s hair, he’s looking at you with a slacked jaw and a mouth soaked in your juices.

Behind him, you vaguely make out the shape of your husband, and his hard cock slowly pumping in his fist.

“What a show,” Homelander praises, quickly drawing your attention back to him. There’s a low buzz to his voice now, and your squirm at the realization that he’s as excited about this as you - and evidently, your husband - are. He presses feather kisses to your stomach as he speaks. “But next time…you have to ask me before you come.”

As he slowly begins to stand again, you nod your head. “Yes, sir.”

He barks a laugh. “Sir, huh? Aren’t you the sweetest little thing…”

He saunters around the bed, not even blinking as he looks up and down your form. He reminds you of a snake coiling you tighter and tighter in his grasp. His hand drops down to his belt; he undoes them just enough to pull out his swollen cock. The rest of his uniform remains pristine. You’re are so locked on the generous length between his legs that you overlook Homelander removing his gloves and tossing them across the room to your husband. “Hold this for me, would ya?” He calls to him. “You doing okay over there, buddy? Enjoying the show?”

Your husband doesn’t respond, but you hear the rhythm of him fisting his dick.

“Keep it up, champ. Use the glove if it helps,” Homemlander chuckles before returning to you. His hand gently strokes his cock. “And you are going to put those pretty lips to work now, sweetheart.”

You obediently shuffle up the bed - he coos at your eagerness - so his cock is right beside your mouth. His free hand gently curls into the hair at the back of your head and pulls you towards his crotch. You obey, parting your lips and sucking his dick into your mouth. The hiss he makes thrills you. He slowly rocks his hips but you end up doing most of the work, bobbing along his cock as far as you can take him from this position. Your eyes have fallen shut, so you don’t notice his free hand trailing down your body until his fingers are pinching your clit. You moan loudly around him, and the vibrations make him buck forward. When you gag, he laughs and pulls back a bit. “Whoops,” He says, completely unapologetic as his fingers deftly swirl your clit. “Remember what I said, kitten…don’t come unless I’ve told you you can.”

Much easier said than done. The heady smell of him, the weight of his cock against your tongue is enough to thrill you - not to mention your body is still loose from the last climax he gave you. His fingers are rubbing at what little restraint you have left. He slowly presses a single finger into you, but even that slight friction nearly pushes you over the edge-

His hand is gone in an instant and instead clamps around your throat. Your eyes fly open, and you arch away, but he holds you in place with his cock still down your throat. He tsks in disappointment down at you and gives your throat a little squeeze. “What did I say?”

Homelander pulls out of your mouth, a shit-eating grin on his face at the whine you make. He uses his grip on your hair to manoeuver you slowly; he isn’t rough because he doesn’t need to be. You couldn’t fight his strength in your dreams. He settles you on your hands and knees, facing the bottom of the bed. You don’t realize you’re cold until his warmth envelops you, his chest to your back. He’s still fully dressed - fully in costume.

“Ignoring what I say and ignoring your poor husband over there…” He murmurs into your ear before pressing lazy kisses against your neck. “Talk to him. Tell him how good you feel.”

You look at your husband. He looks nearly as gone as you. He’s still stroking his cock slowly, his lips gently parted as he stares at you. You moan as Homelander bites down at your neck. “H-he feels…so good.”

“Hm…more specific,” Homelander murmurs as his hands fall to your hips. Without waiting for you to speak, you feel his hard, slick cock slowly pressing against your pussy. He thrusts into you with a slow, patient push that leaves you gasping for breath. He fills you. There is no going back from this. A sharp slap against your ass brings you back to reality. “Hello? Earth to slut?”

Your body unconsciously clenches around him, and you don’t miss the pleased grunt he makes under his breath. “He’s so…big,” You say, your voice unsteady. “I-I…f-fuck…”

“Whoop, she’s cock drunk,” Homelander laughs and gives you a small, teasing thrust. Over your head, he smirks at your husband. “Sorry, pal. We’ll work on that.”

You don’t have the brain power to ponder what he means. Instead, you’re completely wrapped up in the way he starts to fuck you. He’s slow at first, allowing your body to accommodate to the way he stretches you. Then, with that sixth sense he seems to have for your body, he picks up the pace the moment you’ve adjusted. He presses all of himself inside hard and slowly pulls back out, using his hands on your hips to pull you back on his cock. You are powerless under his control, and he loves it. “Look at your husband,” He commands in a hiss as he tugs at your earlobe; he’s getting lost in it, too. “Look at your husband while I fucking claim you.”

You are in a haze as you raise your eyes to meet your husband’s. You can barely see him. “Fuck…fuck me harder, Homelander…please…”

He responds immediately, suddenly moving at an inhuman pace. You feel him curl tighter over you to wrap an arm around your waist and a hand back around your throat. He pulls you up to your knees, your back still to his chest, without faltering in his brutal fucking. Your hands claw at his arm, but you won’t hurt him. You can’t hurt him.

“I can feel you clenching on me. I can smell how desperate your little cunt is,” He whispers into your ear. “Go ahead, sweetheart. Come again. Come on my fucking cock.”

He squeezes your throat and bites hard at your shoulder to leave a mark. That’s all you need. You cry out his name as you come, his tight grip on you the only thing keeping you from collapsing down onto the bed. You’re vaguely aware of the sound of your husband groaning in his own climax, nearly in sync with Homelander coming inside of you. You have no sense of time or reality; nothing makes sense besides how good this feels - and the lengths you would go to feel this good over and over again for the rest of your life.

You aren’t sure how much time passes, but you eventually find yourself gently placed back onto the bed. Homelander’s hands push you onto your back lazily. You blink, clearing your blurry vision, and see that he is gazing down at you with a smile that almost looks fond. Almost.

“Welcome back,” He teases. He leans down and presses a soft kiss against your lips. You’re too exhausted to respond, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He pulls away to stand back up and brushes a hand through your hair. “Now, you stay right there.”

He tucks himself back into his pants before turning to look at your husband. He is still holding his cock, his hand soaked in his seed. Homelander chuckles under his breath at the sight before nodding towards the other room. “The men are gonna discuss a little arrangement.”

#the boys #homelander #my writing #homelander x reader #homelander x you #female reader #whoops

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rjzimmerman · 3 months ago

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Excerpt from this story from the substack, Heated World:

Substack colleague (and newsletter OG) Emily Atkin has set up a tip-line for federal government employees to report the ongoing attacks on science and common sense.

Scientific integrity violations can come in many forms. They can come via direct order, like: Defunding programs, altering grant-making processes, censoring scientists, dismantling advisory committees, manipulating research that informs policy or regulatory decisions, overlooking peer-review processes, or removing data from public government websites. But scientific suppression can also take more passive forms, like creating a hostile work environment for federal scientists. This can lead to self-censorship, reductions in workforce, or staff burnout. We want to hear about it all—even if it’s something you believe is small. If you have doubt about whether your experience is important or not, we encourage erring on the side of disclosure. With enough sources, we hope to be able to identify patterns across agencies. You never know which snowflake will cause an avalanche.

#federal employee tipline #science

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mariacallous · 5 months ago

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Every year has its own mix of digital security debacles, from the absurd to the sinister, but 2024 was particularly marked by hacking sprees in which cybercriminals and state-backed espionage groups repeatedly exploited the same weakness or type of target to fuel their frenzy. For attackers, the approach is ruthlessly efficient, but for compromised institutions—and the individuals they serve—the malicious rampages had very real consequences for people's privacy, safety, and security.

As political turmoil and social unrest intensify around the world, 2025 will be a complicated—and potentially explosive—year in cyberspace. But first, here's WIRED's look back on this year's worst breaches, leaks, state-sponsored hacking campaigns, ransomware attacks, and digital extortion cases. Stay alert, and stay safe out there.

China's Salt Typhoon Telecom Breaches

Espionage operations are a fact of life, and relentless Chinese campaigns have been a constant in cyberspace for years now. But the China-linked espionage group Salt Typhoon carried out a particularly noteworthy operation this year, infiltrating a slew of US telecoms including Verizon and AT&T (plus others around the world) for months. And US officials told reporters earlier this month that many victim companies are still actively attempting to remove the hackers from their networks.

The attackers surveilled a small group of people—less than 150 by current count—but they include individuals who were already subject to US wiretap orders as well as state department officials and members of both the Trump and Harris presidential campaigns. Additionally, texts and calls from other people who interacted with the Salt Typhoon targets were inherently also caught up in the espionage scheme.

Snowflake Customer Breaches

Throughout the summer, attackers were on a tear, breaching prominent companies and organizations that were all customers of the cloud data storage company Snowflake. The spree barely qualifies as hacking, since cybercriminals were simply using stolen passwords to log in to Snowflake accounts that didn't have two-factor authentication turned on. The end result, though, was an extraordinary amount of data stolen from victims including Ticketmaster, Santander Bank, and Neiman Marcus. Another prominent victim, the telecom giant AT&T, said in July that “nearly all” records relating to its customers' calls and texts from a seven-month stretch in 2022 were stolen in a Snowflake-related intrusion. The security firm Mandiant, which is owned by Google, said in June that the rampage impacted roughly 165 victims.

In July, Snowflake added a feature so account administrators could make two-factor authentication mandatory for all of their users. In November, suspect Alexander “Connor” Moucka was arrested by Canadian law enforcement for allegedly leading the hacking spree. He was indicted by the US Department of Justice for the Snowflake tear and faces extradition to the US. John Erin Binns, who was arrested in Turkey for an indictment related to a 2021 breach of the telecom T-Mobile, was also indicted on charges related to the Snowflake customer breaches.

Change Healthcare Ransomware Attack

At the end of February, the medical billing and insurance processing company Change Healthcare was hit with a ransomware attack that caused disruptions at hospitals, doctor's offices, pharmacies, and other health care facilities around the US. The attack is one of the all-time largest breaches of medical data, impacting more than 100 million people. The company, which is owned by UnitedHealth, is a dominant medical billing processor in the US. It said days after the attack started that it believed ALPHV/BlackCat, a notorious Russian-speaking ransomware gang, was behind the assault.

Personal data stolen in the attack included patient phone numbers, addresses, banking and other financial information, and health records including diagnoses, prescriptions, and treatment details. The company paid a $22 million ransom to ALPHV/BlackCat at the beginning of March in an attempt to contain the situation. The payment seemingly emboldened attackers to hit health care targets at an even greater rate than usual. With ongoing, rolling notifications to more than 100 million victims—with more still being discovered—lawsuits and other blowback has been mounting. This month, for example, the state of Nebraska sued Change Healthcare, alleging that “failures to implement basic security protections” made the attack much worse than it should have been.

Russia's Midnight Blizzard Hit Microsoft

Microsoft said in January that it had been breached by Russia's “Midnight Blizzard” hackers in an incident that compromised company executives' email accounts. The group is tied to the Kremlin's SVR foreign intelligence agency and is specifically linked to SVR's APT 29, also known as Cozy Bear. After an initial intrusion in November 2023, the attackers targeted and compromised historic Microsoft system test accounts that then allowed them to access what the company said were “a very small percentage of Microsoft corporate email accounts, including members of our senior leadership team and employees in our cybersecurity, legal, and other functions.” From there, the group exfiltrated “some emails and attached documents.” Microsoft said that the attackers seemed to be looking for information about what the company knew about them—in other words, Midnight Blizzard doing reconnaissance on Microsoft's research into the group. Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) also said in January that it had suffered a corporate email breach attributed to Midnight Blizzard.

National Public Data

The background check company National Public Data suffered a breach in December 2023, and data from the incident started showing up for sale on cybercriminal forums in April 2024. Different configurations of the data cropped up again and again over the summer, culminating in public confirmation of the breach by the company in August. The stolen data included names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, addresses, and dates of birth. Since National Public Data didn't confirm the breach until August, speculation about the situation grew for months and included theories that the data included tens or even hundreds of millions of Social Security numbers. Though the breach was significant, the true number of impacted individuals seems to be, mercifully, much lower. The company reported in a filing to officials in Maine that the breach affected 1.3 million people. In October, National Public Data's parent company, Jerico Pictures, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in the Southern District of Florida, citing state and federal investigations into the breach as well as a number of lawsuits that the company is facing over the incident.

Honorable Mention: North Korean Cryptocurrency Theft

A lot of people steal a lot of cryptocurrency every year, including North Korean cybercriminals who have a mandate to help fund the hermit kingdom. A report from the cryptocurrency tracing firm Chainalysis released this month, though, underscores just how aggressive Pyongyang-backed hackers have become. The researchers found that in 2023, hackers affiliated with North Korea stole more than $660 million across 20 attacks. This year, they stole roughly $1.34 billion across 47 incidents. The 2024 figures represent 20 percent of total incidents Chainalysis tracked for the year and a whopping 61 percent of the total funds stolen by all actors.

The sheer domination is impressive, but the researchers emphasize the seriousness of the crimes. “US and international officials have assessed that Pyongyang uses the crypto it steals to finance its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles programs, endangering international security,” Chainalysis wrote.

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whetstonefires · 4 months ago

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Overly sensitive re: flavour, OR are you a Super Taster? I've loved that term since I read it in a textbook on the psychology of food and drink. It's like a superpower, except for all the ways it sucks

sdl;akjfs that might be the same thing? idk, i know there are some Supertaster benchmarks i don't hit, and i've followed the common trend of becoming more tolerant to bitterness etc with age.

but taste is complicated even as human sensory systems go, with there being first of all the five different types of basic chemoreceptor on the tongue, each of which can individually be particularly sensitive (detects smaller portions) or particularly 'loud' (data priority in brain; subject to training but to some extent hardwired) and then there's the more complex chemoreceptors in your nose which are also active in the food-tasting process, detecting all the more delicate nuances, which are also subject to varying strength and priority.

and then there's however your sensory processing system mixes and interprets those chemical readouts, in combination with texture feedback etc, and how well you filter that data.

so i assume that supertasting is an elaborate spectrum in its own right, which when superimposed on the autism one creates a universe of unique snowflakes with very specific food orders.

I definitely taste sour way more acutely than a lot of other people, which has caused me repeated conflicts with my dad's cooking, because what he thinks is the right amount of vinegar to get a sauce or something to really pop is, to me, enough vinegar that no other flavor remains in the dish, and it can only serve as a sort of pickle garnish. an unfortunate fate for the main dish lmao.

we feuded in an easygoing way over How To Properly Sautee Cabbage for years.

this is probably why i tend to dislike sourdough bread. the sour is loud enough that it obstructs the subtle pleasures of 'bread' flavor.

similarly for coffee. i need so much cream to lock up its bitterness before I can consume it comfortably. i can enjoy black tea without milk, though, as long as it's not oversteeped, and the main flavor there is certainly 'bitter,' and it's even some of the same tannins that are too much in coffee. so what's with that?

otoh when a thing is 'sour' 'sweet' and 'bitter' all at once and also mushy and wet, my mouth informs me emphatically and relentlessly that this is actually rotting vegetables and i need to spit it out right now, which doesn't strike me as a problem that arises from how well i'm detecting any of that.

third hand, someone helping me out here ig, i spent years frustrated about the subtle weird taste in my home-baked bread only to at last determine that it was 1) active dry yeast does not taste quite as nice as the live yeast professional bakeries often purchase in large cakes and 2) iodized table salt degrades at very high temperatures, creating a faint chemical tang, and these two factors were undermining the flavor of my loaves in a way no one else seemed able to detect. but maybe i was just paying more attention.

also fourth hand, for a couple months after my senses seemed to have otherwise more or less recovered from Covid the 'sweet' dial remained turned up weirdly high relative to the other major taste bands, and i don't think my salt tolerance has entirely reverted to this day.

#answers #shilohta #senses #supertaster #flavor #ask #hoc est meum

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feminist-space · 10 months ago

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"Just weeks before the implosion of AllHere, an education technology company that had been showered with cash from venture capitalists and featured in glowing profiles by the business press, America’s second-largest school district was warned about problems with AllHere’s product.

As the eight-year-old startup rolled out Los Angeles Unified School District’s flashy new AI-driven chatbot — an animated sun named “Ed” that AllHere was hired to build for $6 million — a former company executive was sending emails to the district and others that Ed’s workings violated bedrock student data privacy principles.

Those emails were sent shortly before The 74 first reported last week that AllHere, with $12 million in investor capital, was in serious straits. A June 14 statement on the company’s website revealed a majority of its employees had been furloughed due to its “current financial position.” Company founder and CEO Joanna Smith-Griffin, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles district said, was no longer on the job.

Smith-Griffin and L.A. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho went on the road together this spring to unveil Ed at a series of high-profile ed tech conferences, with the schools chief dubbing it the nation’s first “personal assistant” for students and leaning hard into LAUSD’s place in the K-12 AI vanguard. He called Ed’s ability to know students “unprecedented in American public education” at the ASU+GSV conference in April.

Through an algorithm that analyzes troves of student information from multiple sources, the chatbot was designed to offer tailored responses to questions like “what grade does my child have in math?” The tool relies on vast amounts of students’ data, including their academic performance and special education accommodations, to function.

Meanwhile, Chris Whiteley, a former senior director of software engineering at AllHere who was laid off in April, had become a whistleblower. He told district officials, its independent inspector general’s office and state education officials that the tool processed student records in ways that likely ran afoul of L.A. Unified’s own data privacy rules and put sensitive information at risk of getting hacked. None of the agencies ever responded, Whiteley told The 74.

...

In order to provide individualized prompts on details like student attendance and demographics, the tool connects to several data sources, according to the contract, including Welligent, an online tool used to track students’ special education services. The document notes that Ed also interfaces with the Whole Child Integrated Data stored on Snowflake, a cloud storage company. Launched in 2019, the Whole Child platform serves as a central repository for LAUSD student data designed to streamline data analysis to help educators monitor students’ progress and personalize instruction.

Whiteley told officials the app included students’ personally identifiable information in all chatbot prompts, even in those where the data weren’t relevant. Prompts containing students’ personal information were also shared with other third-party companies unnecessarily, Whiteley alleges, and were processed on offshore servers. Seven out of eight Ed chatbot requests, he said, are sent to places like Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Australia and Canada.

Taken together, he argued the company’s practices ran afoul of data minimization principles, a standard cybersecurity practice that maintains that apps should collect and process the least amount of personal information necessary to accomplish a specific task. Playing fast and loose with the data, he said, unnecessarily exposed students’ information to potential cyberattacks and data breaches and, in cases where the data were processed overseas, could subject it to foreign governments’ data access and surveillance rules.

Chatbot source code that Whiteley shared with The 74 outlines how prompts are processed on foreign servers by a Microsoft AI service that integrates with ChatGPT. The LAUSD chatbot is directed to serve as a “friendly, concise customer support agent” that replies “using simple language a third grader could understand.” When querying the simple prompt “Hello,” the chatbot provided the student’s grades, progress toward graduation and other personal information.

AllHere’s critical flaw, Whiteley said, is that senior executives “didn’t understand how to protect data.”

...

Earlier in the month, a second threat actor known as Satanic Cloud claimed it had access to tens of thousands of L.A. students’ sensitive information and had posted it for sale on Breach Forums for $1,000. In 2022, the district was victim to a massive ransomware attack that exposed reams of sensitive data, including thousands of students’ psychological evaluations, to the dark web.

With AllHere’s fate uncertain, Whiteley blasted the company’s leadership and protocols.

“Personally identifiable information should be considered acid in a company and you should only touch it if you have to because acid is dangerous,” he told The 74. “The errors that were made were so egregious around PII, you should not be in education if you don’t think PII is acid.”

Read the full article here:

https://www.the74million.org/article/whistleblower-l-a-schools-chatbot-misused-student-data-as-tech-co-crumbled/

#data breach #lausd #la school system #tech bro ai being reckless with personal data as usual #anti ai

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uegub · 3 months ago

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Why Tableau is Essential in Data Science: Transforming Raw Data into Insights

Data science is all about turning raw data into valuable insights. But numbers and statistics alone don’t tell the full story—they need to be visualized to make sense. That’s where Tableau comes in.

Tableau is a powerful tool that helps data scientists, analysts, and businesses see and understand data better. It simplifies complex datasets, making them interactive and easy to interpret. But with so many tools available, why is Tableau a must-have for data science? Let’s explore.

1. The Importance of Data Visualization in Data Science

Imagine you’re working with millions of data points from customer purchases, social media interactions, or financial transactions. Analyzing raw numbers manually would be overwhelming.

That’s why visualization is crucial in data science:

Identifies trends and patterns – Instead of sifting through spreadsheets, you can quickly spot trends in a visual format.

Makes complex data understandable – Graphs, heatmaps, and dashboards simplify the interpretation of large datasets.

Enhances decision-making – Stakeholders can easily grasp insights and make data-driven decisions faster.

Saves time and effort – Instead of writing lengthy reports, an interactive dashboard tells the story in seconds.

Without tools like Tableau, data science would be limited to experts who can code and run statistical models. With Tableau, insights become accessible to everyone—from data scientists to business executives.

2. Why Tableau Stands Out in Data Science

A. User-Friendly and Requires No Coding

One of the biggest advantages of Tableau is its drag-and-drop interface. Unlike Python or R, which require programming skills, Tableau allows users to create visualizations without writing a single line of code.

Even if you’re a beginner, you can:

✅ Upload data from multiple sources

✅ Create interactive dashboards in minutes

✅ Share insights with teams easily

This no-code approach makes Tableau ideal for both technical and non-technical professionals in data science.

B. Handles Large Datasets Efficiently

Data scientists often work with massive datasets—whether it’s financial transactions, customer behavior, or healthcare records. Traditional tools like Excel struggle with large volumes of data.

Tableau, on the other hand:

Can process millions of rows without slowing down

Optimizes performance using advanced data engine technology

Supports real-time data streaming for up-to-date analysis

This makes it a go-to tool for businesses that need fast, data-driven insights.

C. Connects with Multiple Data Sources

A major challenge in data science is bringing together data from different platforms. Tableau seamlessly integrates with a variety of sources, including:

Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server

Cloud platforms: AWS, Google BigQuery, Snowflake

Spreadsheets and APIs: Excel, Google Sheets, web-based data sources

This flexibility allows data scientists to combine datasets from multiple sources without needing complex SQL queries or scripts.

D. Real-Time Data Analysis

Industries like finance, healthcare, and e-commerce rely on real-time data to make quick decisions. Tableau’s live data connection allows users to:

Track stock market trends as they happen

Monitor website traffic and customer interactions in real time

Detect fraudulent transactions instantly

Instead of waiting for reports to be generated manually, Tableau delivers insights as events unfold.

E. Advanced Analytics Without Complexity

While Tableau is known for its visualizations, it also supports advanced analytics. You can:

Forecast trends based on historical data

Perform clustering and segmentation to identify patterns

Integrate with Python and R for machine learning and predictive modeling

This means data scientists can combine deep analytics with intuitive visualization, making Tableau a versatile tool.

3. How Tableau Helps Data Scientists in Real Life

Tableau has been adopted by the majority of industries to make data science more impactful and accessible. This is applied in the following real-life scenarios:

A. Analytics for Health Care

Tableau is deployed by hospitals and research institutions for the following purposes:

Monitor patient recovery rates and predict outbreaks of diseases

Analyze hospital occupancy and resource allocation

Identify trends in patient demographics and treatment results

B. Finance and Banking

Banks and investment firms rely on Tableau for the following purposes:

✅ Detect fraud by analyzing transaction patterns

✅ Track stock market fluctuations and make informed investment decisions

✅ Assess credit risk and loan performance

C. Marketing and Customer Insights

Companies use Tableau to:

✅ Track customer buying behavior and personalize recommendations

✅ Analyze social media engagement and campaign effectiveness

✅ Optimize ad spend by identifying high-performing channels

D. Retail and Supply Chain Management

Retailers leverage Tableau to:

✅ Forecast product demand and adjust inventory levels

✅ Identify regional sales trends and adjust marketing strategies

✅ Optimize supply chain logistics and reduce delivery delays

These applications show why Tableau is a must-have for data-driven decision-making.

4. Tableau vs. Other Data Visualization Tools

There are many visualization tools available, but Tableau consistently ranks as one of the best. Here’s why:

Tableau vs. Excel – Excel struggles with big data and lacks interactivity; Tableau handles large datasets effortlessly.

Tableau vs. Power BI – Power BI is great for Microsoft users, but Tableau offers more flexibility across different data sources.

Tableau vs. Python (Matplotlib, Seaborn) – Python libraries require coding skills, while Tableau simplifies visualization for all users.

This makes Tableau the go-to tool for both beginners and experienced professionals in data science.

5. Conclusion

Tableau has become an essential tool in data science because it simplifies data visualization, handles large datasets, and integrates seamlessly with various data sources. It enables professionals to analyze, interpret, and present data interactively, making insights accessible to everyone—from data scientists to business leaders.

If you’re looking to build a strong foundation in data science, learning Tableau is a smart career move. Many data science courses now include Tableau as a key skill, as companies increasingly demand professionals who can transform raw data into meaningful insights.

In a world where data is the driving force behind decision-making, Tableau ensures that the insights you uncover are not just accurate—but also clear, impactful, and easy to act upon.

#data science course #top data science course online #top data science institute online #artificial intelligence course #deepseek #tableau

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changingplumbob · 1 year ago

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Pancakes Household: Chapter 8, Part 6

In this part Eliza learns Onyx wants a horse, there is a hiccup with Onyx's exam and the family take in the festival of light.

Eliza: Ginger was sulking through that entire bath, I swear more bubbles are on the floor than got on her

Fergus: I’m going to go ride my bike

Eliza: Right now? I’ve only just sat down

Bob: Why don’t I go mop those bubbles up for you

Eliza: You, clean a room that’s not the kitchen? What’s going on?

Onyx: Mother I’ve been trying to help out around the house more

Eliza: I had noticed, thank you. Your dad loves to leave plates everywhere

Bob: Why would we have tables everywhere if I couldn't put plates on them

Onyx: I was hoping that… I could get a horse

Eliza: A horse?

Onyx: Yes. For riding and jumping and stuff

Eliza: *sighs* Do you have any idea how much mess horses make? What did your dad say

Onyx: That I had to wait to ask you. But I’d look after it, I promise! You wouldn’t get burdened with the mess mother

Eliza: Onyx, mess aside, horses require a lot of care and attention. Not to mention they’re very expensive

Onyx looks deflated at this, the idea of waiting at lest five more years to have their own household and get a horse seems impossible.

Eliza: Onyx, look at me

Onyx looks up dejectedly, ready for a lecture on the germs horses have.

Eliza: If you’re serious about it, your dad and I will discuss it

Onyx: Really?

Bob nods.

Eliza: If you can show us you can stay on top of your grades, and fit in your cheerleading alongside a few more chores, then we’ll know you are responsible enough for one. But with our finances I can’t promise-

Onyx: Mother you are the best! I’ll get right on it. Let me clear the table!

Eliza: Oh, markets are open. Let me just make these business calls

Onyx is fitting in a workout before the exams start when their teacher finds them.

Mrs T: Onyx, there you are

Onyx: Were you looking for me Mrs Tinker?

Mrs T: Thanks to a certain someone there’s been an error with printing the exam papers for this morning

Maximus: Yeah my bad

Mrs T: Maximus is accompanying me while I let all affected students know. The majority of your class will have their grades calculated from the terms course work, but you started later. I’m afraid your exam will be in an interview format as I simply don’t have the data yet

Maximus: Yeah my bad

Mrs T leaves Onyx with Maximus following her as she mumbles something about meddling Lotharios.

Onyx isn’t really sure what to expect from an interview format exam but when the bell rings they head to class anyway. They quickly realise the seriousness of the error as only one other student enters the room, a senior who apparently needs to be watched to stop them disrupting their class.

Mrs T: Okay Onyx, are you ready

Onyx: I have no idea so I’m going to say yes

Mrs T: Correct, that’s 1 out of 20

Onyx relaxes as Mrs T simply asks them questions on the more memorable things she has taught and they can recall it. It also helps that Mrs T nods along and mouths words at them if they get stuck. Clearly whatever Maximus did has left her with no fucks to give no care about proper process.

Onyx: One junior lunch tray please…

Adam: I’m human not to be confused with my alien Adam

Onyx: Nice to meet you

Christen: OMW Onyx where were you? We were having study hall in the library

Onyx: Lucky for some, I had to do the exam

Angel: Bummer. That Maximus did most of us a favour I reckon, who can even think on Fridays?

Maximus: Not me

Paola: Was the exam deadly

Onyx: Oh you have no idea

Evie: Whatever, Mrs T is a pushover. She probably had you make paper snowflakes

Maximus: I miss being in her class

Amie: She is pretty great

Onyx sits down and enjoys a stress free lunch. While they were working on their “exam” most of the other students had a study period. While they do have an afternoon exam, being teenagers most of them goofed off and enjoy catching Onyx up on all that they missed.

Last class of the day and it looks like the printer issue has been sorted. The students file in, listen to Mrs T prattle off some basic instructions and begin the exam. Onyx is delighted to find the content is stuff they know. Once time is up, everyone hands their tests in, then the weekend can begin.

Bob: Let’s go Ginger, plenty of smells to explore

Ginger: *yaps* heck yeah

Bob begins to jog down the drive where the kids are arriving home.

Bob: Onyx are you sure that’s a great place to do your homework

Onyx: I’ll be fine dad, I’m comfy here

Bob doubts this but also knows his comfort is not always in line with others. When Onyx has finished their homework they do some chores and manage to fit in some cheer practice.

Bob has work but the rest of the family are free to travel to the festival of light. Fergus is keen to get to the wishing tree and is only there for a minute before racing off in search of Yamachan.

Onyx: So mother, I have some good news about my horse

Eliza: Onyx you don’t have a horse yet

Onyx: I know but I aced my exams. That’s pretty horse worthy don’t you think

Eliza: And what about cheerleading

Onyx: Okay I am still level 1 in the activity but I’m fitness level 3 now

Eliza: I’m glad to know you can focus your mind on your goals. Like I said, your dad and I can’t promise a horse. Money is tight

Onyx: But Dad is basically at the top of his career and you are super high up to

Eliza: Yes but we have costs. Rates, utilities, groceries

Onyx: I can eat less

Eliza: No one is stopping eating. Plus we like to have savings so that we can take you to events like this, and we want to be able to leave you with something

Onyx: Yes but your death is like forever away

Eliza: Be patient Onyx, your dad and I need to discuss it more

Eliza: Fergus what are you doing over here

Fergus: I talked to Yamachan, they only gave me one simmi capsule!

Eliza: Honey don’t be greedy, they need to make sure there’s enough for everyone

Fergus: I think I’m going to be a fire dancer when I grow up

Eliza: Is that right

Fergus: Yeah, just look at them. It looks so fun

Eliza: I guess we have different definitions of fun

Carson: Onyx! Over here

Onyx: Carson! How have you been

Carson: Bored out of my skull alone in school, I can’t wait until it’s my turn to age up

Onyx: Bring it on! I’ve already scooped out some good spots for us to chill. Oh and I have to tell you all about my crazy week

Fergus begins to entertain Eliza with some of the jokes he learned at drama club, realising too late that one Atlas told him is about how stupid adults are. And that he probably should not repeat it to his mother. Eliza tells him off and he looks suitably ashamed of his muck up, oops.

Back home Eliza goes to work on her speech more while the kids take some time to relax. Onyx does some journalling while Fergus chats with Brianna who seems to have invited herself over again. Before very long though both kids are asleep, and it looks like Onyx is dreaming happily.

Bob gets home and heads straight inside, searching for Eliza.

Bob: Jumble, you’ll never guess what

Eliza: You had that critic for the third shift in a row

Bob: Yes! But also, I reached 2 star celebrity status

Eliza: You did?

Bob: I think that deserves a celebration, don’t you

Eliza: Of course. Meet me in the shower?

Ginger: *yaps* humans! Where are you? I want snuggles

Bob and Eliza are blissfully unaware of her presence though.

Ginger: *yaps* Are you trying to make puppies in there? I can sing a romantic song if you like *howls*

Bob and Eliza finish up, give Ginger the necessary snuggle toll and head to bed. That ends this chapter of the Pancakes. Goodnight from Brindelton Bay.

Previous Part ... Next Part (Woods)

#sims 4 #the sims 4 #the sims #Rotation8 #ChangingPlumbobStorytime #PancakesHousehold #BobPancakes #ElizaPancakes #OnyxPancakes #FergusPancakes #R0805

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chaosintheavenue · 2 years ago

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Ghoul Survey Results!

The Ghoul Survey managed to collect 110 responses (thank you all!). The nature of the data means that pie charts aren't working very well to display it coherently, so I'm just going to present the numbers as they are.

Without further ado...

Favourite companion:

Raul: 35 Hancock: 31 Charon: 24 Dean Domino: 9 Lenny: 4 Otto Steed (VB): 4 Herbert: 3 Billy-Bob: 3 Measles (VB): 2 Chris the Ghoulrilla: 2

Favourite non-companion character:

Gob: 20 Kent Connolly: 9 Jason Bright: 8 Beatrix Russell: 8 Daisy: 7 Carol: 5 Harold (proclaimed by one respondent as an 'honorary ghoul'): 5 Desmond Lockheart: 3 Arlen Glass: 3 Rotface: 3 Oswald the Outrageous: 3 Eddie Winter: 2 Tulip: 2 Calamity: 2 Wiseman: 2 Dr Sebastian (VB): 2 Harland: 2 Ghoulrillas generally: 2 Ghoul NCR soldiers generally: 2

And as always, a list of those with one vote: Tommy Ten-Toes, Bessie Lynn, Hadrian, Keely, Typhon, Snowflake, Talius, Skeeter, Set, Bobbi No-Nose, Vault-Tec Rep, Griffon, T-Minus, Betty Hill, Zhao, Ghoulified!Moira Brown, Sun of Atom, Greta, Argyle, Eugenie, Billy Peabody, and Bert Gunnarsson

Favourite settlement/faction:

Underworld: 49 Necropolis: 21 The Bright Brotherhood: 14 The Slog: 13 Gecko: 4 Kiddie Kingdom: 3 Kansas City/Gravestone: 2 The Reservation (VB): 1 Camp Searchlight: 1 Eugenie's ghoul settlement: 1 Broken Hills: 1

Do all ghouls eventually turn feral?

No: 97 Yes: 12

What causes ghouls to turn feral?

General level of radiation exposure post-ghoulification: 25 Social isolation: 22 The circumstances of how they ghoulified in the first place: 11 Reliance on radiation instead of food as an energy source: 10 Genetics: 9 Other: 23

Within the Other category, most said a combination of some or all of the above factors, or pure random chance. Other theories included…

Level of FEV exposure

The person's personality and morality pre-ghoulification

Infections and how well the ghoul cares for their wounds

A form of dementia

Psychic/supernatural phenomena

Brain chemistry pre-ghoulification

Level of mental duress post-ghoulification

Their level of internal connection to their own humanity

Ghouls cannot physically starve, but do feel hunger. If they don't eat for too long, they get a severe case of 'hangry' and turn feral

(Looking through the theories on this question caused me to suddenly and violently remember the glaringly absent 'What causes ghoulification in the first place?' question I'd planned to include… I guess that leaves room for Ghoul Survey 2: Electric Boogaloo?)

Do ghouls still physically need to eat, drink, sleep, all the basics?

Yes, to survive: 71 Yes, to avoid turning feral: 30 No: 9

If a child became ghoulified, would they remain child-sized, or grow?

Remain child-sized: 53 Grow to adult size as a human would: 39 Other: 18

The contents of the Other category, in loose order of how common each theory was:

They would grow to an extent, but not to what their human height would have been, and will likely have a unique appearance generally

They would eventually grow to an adult size, but over an extremely long time frame

The ghoulification process is so unique to each individual that it's impossible to predict what would happen, especially in an exceptional case like this

Children are so unlikely to survive ghoulification in the first place that asking this question is essentially irrelevant

Feral ghoul children would grow, others would not

And now we come to the final question, the blank text box. I'll add a handpicked selection of the original comments and a brief ship count under the cut for brevity's sake:

I have 3 ghoul OCs that came to life because of a joke me and my friend had. They're a group of prewar cheerleaders turned borderline raider gang. They're like 17/18 year old girls. […] So all in all while all the rest of my OCs are dying and barely getting by they're sunbathing by a murky, algae filled pool with silly sunglasses and crappy cocktails. Oh and yeah,they kept their uniforms and wear them all the time.

Ghouls have one of the most heart breaking stories. Especially the Pre-War ones. They watched many (if not all) of their friends and family die in one way or another. The best in universe example of how mentally draining being a Pre-War ghoul was is in Oswalds terminals around the Kiddy Kingdom in Nuka World. You get a real sense of the fear and loss of seeing these people you've been forced to get close with slowly stop mentally existing even if their still physically there. Oswalds hope that a cure can be found is heartbreaking because we know (as far as I'm aware) of no existing cure for Ghoulism and especially for feral ghouls.

Ghoulification isn't a condition or a sickness or a consequence of making poor choices, its an adaptation for life in the wasteland and a useful one at that.

I love all the ghoul characters and chose Lenny as my favourite because A. I think he’s underappreciated and B. Second only to Charon, he has the most potential for a really cool backstory that they never addressed. Dude is a doctor in Necropolis, he would have been treating the other vault dwellers for radiation sickness. Imagine the trauma! The angst! It included his father who’s to say there wasn’t more of his family in that vault that he tried to help and failed? How did he survive the super mutant attack on necropolis? Was he below the city or above it (was he angry at humans and got over it or just trying to live peacefully?)

I think 90% of the veteran rangers are all ghouls. I like to think there's large ghoul settlements all over. I like to think there's ghouls who look completely human. Chris Haversam is ghoulifing on the inside but he still looks human. The Human Companions in Fallout 4 who are all immune to radiation are that way due to that process.

It makes sense ghouls would think their immune to radiation, but really, it just takes longer. their resistant, not immune. places like the glowing sea would make amazing homes for ghouls to the average eye, but once you see how many feral ghouls are around you start to think about how many came there feral to begin with.

I have this hc about Jason Bright where he is a pskyer and the reason why his voice echos is because one of the voices you're hearing physically with your ears and the other he is unintentionally projecting into your mind with telepathy.

I imagine there's many Vaults that are full of just ghouls.

I got a headcannon that ghouls are naturally warmer, due of radiation. the 'younger' the ghoul, the warmer. pre war ghouls arent that warm as the ones who turned years ago.

Headcanon: if a ghoul works to maintain their voice (i.e. general vocal care like how opera singers do), they can keep their voice from getting as scraggly as most. My 76 OC was a Broadway actress before the war and continued to maintain her voice despite aging and eventual ghoulification, which allowed her to keep it (mostly) in tact.

I think Oswald was the reason his friends turned feral. He kept exposing them to radiation and every time he healed them with radiation or brought them back from the dead makes things harder. But ultimately it's a super rare gene that keeps non feral glowing ones.

I think the Eldritch Old Ones are the unofficial cause of the ghouls. The radiation is just an effect but the the Old Ones choose who to make feral, who to turn, and sometimes they'll turn without radiation at all.

Rn I’m working on a setting set in central MA, and one of the characters is a ghoul history teacher since he is a prewar ghoul. It’s been a fun concept to play with!

Bit of a headcanon- ghouls tend to have a heightened sense of smell, but are mostly nose blind to smells of burning and rot.

Glowing ones don't turn feral. Every feral glowing one was feral BEFORE they were glowing.

I hc that all ghouls are sensitive to light which is why most chill in dark places.

And last but certainly not least...

I want to marry Raul.

And so, that concludes that.

A huge thank you once again to everyone who took the survey and offered your thoughts, and I hope you found this results post interesting/insightful :D

Appendix: But Chaos, you promised us...

1 - Analysis of ghoul x ghoul ships!

So, upon an brief glance-through of the data whilst the survey was still running (I was trying not to 'spoil' the dataset for myself so I only peeked here and there), it seemed like a relatively large chunk of the recent respondents had mentioned ships, which is why I proposed adding a dedicated section for them in the results. However, in the final results we actually only have two ghoul x ghoul ships mentioned: Carol x Greta and Gob x Charon. A handful of other answers talked about shipping Charon and Gob with their LWs and Raul with their Couriers, but overall there just wasn't a whole lot of shipping discussion going on. Sorry to disappoint lol

2 - Born ghoul discussion!

Ah. Yes. That. Well, this is a similar situation again, actually. There are references to relevant characters within the dataset, but nothing went into anywhere near as much detail as I somehow convinced myself it had, and so I didn't have to leap in with the dreaded Born Ghouls 101 after all. I think my brain may have bluescreened prematurely upon seeing the slightest hinted mention of Van Buren's ghoul lore in there hgfdfgh

#ghoul survey #the results are in!#the overwhelming outcome of this survey for me has been a renewed desire to learn more about ghouls in the fallout games I tend to neglect #and I have to say. I may just not have reached the right audience but there was *zero* hancock thirst. I was shocked lol #long post

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yourfellowhuman07 · 2 years ago

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Alliances of the Heart

A She-Ra: Princess of Power 2018 fanfiction

For centuries, the All Princess Ball has been a time for the nobility of Etheria to let loose. Flaunting their power, prestige, and fashion for all to see. The ball had always been politically neutral, but, as tension from the war rises, not everyone is so keen to forget what happens beyond the walls of Castle Chill.

Lord Hordak, along with Princess Scorpia and Force Captian Catra, have come to the party to make alliances and find out everything there is to know about their enemies. Careful to not arouse the suspicion of the Princess Alliance.

Princess Entrapta, being the scientist she is, decides to come to the party to decode the secrets of body language, despite getting the same data from every other party she has ever attended.

When the two rulers cross paths, their plans flip on their heads as the two grow closer. Now it is up to Catra and Scorpia to push the two together as Adora and Glimmer stick their noses where they do not belong.

________________

Hi everyone. Sorry about not posting this earlier today, stuff came up. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter.

It has also come to my attention that I have been spelling Salineus wrong, so I'll have to take some time to go back and fix that. Also, the map I'm creating should be finished in maybe two days, depending on my mood.

________________

Chapter 4: What Are We?

“Ok,” Adora dropped a pad of paper onto the table. “Here are the notes I made on Lord Hordak and Princess Entrapta’s intera- where is Bow?”

“I don’t know.” Glimmer buried herself further into the armchair. “Probably having fun with his new best friend Perfuma.” Adora rolled her eyes. Recalling how Catra acted whenever Adora spent time with anyone else, and how Catra would whine until Adora spent time with her, neglecting everyone else in the process.

“Whatever. Let’s see, Lord Hordak was seen dancing with Princess Entrapta well after the two should have separated. Lord Hordak has always been known to be a stickler for the rules, so this must be a big enough deal that he would engage in such a ‘flagrant breach of conduct’.”

“Wait didn’t Mermista mention in one of her stupid sea-themed mystery books that the murderer seduced some dutchess to then murder her? Maybe Hordak is trying to charm Princess Entrapta into allying with him and the Horde!”

“Oh please, all Lord Hordak does is yell at people to get away from him. There’s no way he can ‘seduce’ anyone.”

“Well, he must have done something because Princess Entrapta went on the spend the entire rest of the evening with him! The two have probably struck some kind of deal already to unite their forces and crush the rebellion!”

“You’re right. We have to convince Princess Entrapta to join our side.”

“How? Every time we bring up allying our forces she finds some excuse to leave.”

“Then we need to get her in a position where she can’t get away.”

“Can we talk with her tonight?”

“No, I want to make sure of what we are seeing before we do anything. That and we need to figure out the angle in which we need to approach her.”

__________________________________________________

Entrapta entered the ballroom for the second night of festivities. She made a beeline for one of the many snack tables, filling her pockets with enough miniature desserts to last the night.

She raked her eyes over the sugared confections laid before her. The best part about parties such as this is the food. Everything was always miniaturized for efficiency, which is why Entrapta loved tiny food. They had small cupcakes dyed blue with snowflake candies sprinkled on. Miniature cookies frosted with floral shapes coated in edible glitter. Moon pies are colored to look like the 12 moons of Etheria. Stacks of macarons in every color of the rainbow. Every type of chocolate a person could think of covers ripe strawberries. Milk chocolate poured out of a miniature fountain. Tables like these were scattered across the ballroom filling the room with the scent of baked goods and chocolate.

“Hi, Princess Entrapta!” Called out Scorpia who was pushing past the other glittering guests.

“Hi Princess Scorpia, where is Catra?”

“Right here,” Catra said, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Catra placed her hand on Entrapta’s shoulder. “How have you been, we barely got to see you last night after you ran off with our boss.”

“Oh, I’m fine. Another night of data to collect. Heh,'' Entrapta's hair slipped Catra’s hand off of her shoulder.

“Hey, Princess Entrapta, what were you and Lord Hordak doing last night,” Scorpia asked, trying to desperately contain a smile.

“Oh, he just told me about the Fright Zone and what to expect when I get there. We told each other about some of the things we have created in the past. He was very nice to me throughout the whole evening” Catra chuckled. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, it’s just the words ‘nice’ and ‘Hordak’ don’t go together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you must be really special to have him be so nice to you. He’s usually really grumpy and aloof.” Scorpia explained.

As Entrapta’s cheeks began to flush, she pulled her mask down pondering all the meaning Scorpia’s statement could have.

“Well, we better get going. You do have all that important data to collect. Enjoy your evening Princess Entrapta.” At that, the two women left a flustered Entrapta alone.

As her mind raced to find the meaning behind Scorpia’s words, she remembered her fleeting conversation that afternoon with Morella. Was there another reason she wished to ally with Lord Hordak? Even in one evening, they had formed a connection. They both understood each other in ways others could not. She was unable to describe what they had. Were they friends or just acquaintances that understood each other’s interests? In her 29 years of living, she had never met another person who could keep up with her the way he could. Everyone either couldn’t understand what she was talking about and played dumb while desperately trying to change the subject, or they did understand her but didn’t care about her ideas. Hordak has been one of the few people who understood her ideas and saw their potential of them.

Entrapta was brought out of her trance when someone bumped into her. It was Princess Spinerella and Princess Netossa of the Unnamed Kingdom.

“Oh, I’m sorry Princess Entrapta.” Spinerella apologized, putting her hand over her heart.

“It’s ok. I shouldn’t have been standing there for so long. Have you two decided on a name for your new kingdom yet?” Before the marriage of Spinerella and Netossa, their kingdoms were completely separate. Then when they did get married and united the two kingdoms, they had no clue what to name their newfound kingdom; hence, why it has been called the ‘Unnamed’ or ‘Unknown’ Kingdom.

“Not yet, turns out naming a kingdom is harder than it looks,” Netossa admitted. “Speaking of kingdoms, have you decided to join the Princess Alliance yet?”

“I’ve decided to join the Horde.” Entrapta smiled despite the dread that crept up her spine.

“Say what now?”

“Um Princess Entrapta, are you sure about that decision?”

“Yes actually. The Drylian ideals and politics better line up with those of the Scorponi kingdom; furthermore, their economy is better and the wealth is more evenly distributed across the kingdom.” Entrapta prepared herself for the onslaught of criticism.

“I-I um�� Very well Princess Entrapta. We are glad your mind has been made up.” Spinerella shot Entrapta a fake smile and lead her wife away into the crowd.

That was weird. Entrapta pulled out her recorder, clicking it on.

“Princess Prom night two, log one: after informing the Princesses Spinerella and Netossa of my newfound political alliances they did not react outright negatively, even though they opposed me joining the Horde. Instead, they expressed their relief at my decision-making. They then made a hasty getaway, a trademark occurrence when I speak about tech to other people. I theorize they were not looking for a conflict or a debate with me so they escaped the conversation as fast as they could. Further analysis will have to be made through gaging the reactions of others when the topic of my allegiances is brought up.”

_________________________

Hordak stood off to the side, sipping a glass of wine and listening in on the conversations around him. Thus far, he has gathered Prince Peekablue is a no-show. He saw who he believes is his girlfriend, Princess Sweet Bee, wailing that he, once again, did not come as promised. Which was unfortunate because Hordak was hoping he would be in attendance so he could get him on his side. His powers of foresight could greatly help with the war by predicting what campaigns bore fruit and what campaigns resulted in disaster. Perhaps he could find him another day despite his status as a hermit. He also gathered the Head Sorcerous Castaspella was also not in attendance which he found odd since, according to his sources, she was there at the previous Princess Prom. Perhaps something is happening in Mystacor he was unaware of.

Then something caught his ear. It was the Princesses Netossa and Spinerella of the Unnamed Kingdom whispering something to the Star Sisters. He walked closer to them, trying to look inconspicuous. Staining his hearing to gauge what they were talking about.

“Princess Entrapta has allied herself with the Horde,” Netossa whispered. The three sisters gasped quietly.

“Why would she do that?” Asked the blonde sister.

“Something about their political ideals lining up and having a better economy.”

“Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but I did see Princess Entrapta and Lord Hordak sitting close to each other up in the rafter the other night.” whispered the thinnest sister.

“Perhaps they are having an affair?” The pink-haired sister suggested.

“Perhaps it is none of your business.” Hordak’s crimson eyes pierced through the souls of the five women. Terror froze their faces. They gave small apologies before scampering away.

How dare they speak about Princess Entrapta that was. Fury courses through his veins, boiling his blood. It took him every ounce of willpower in him not to scalp the five women, mounting it on his wall as a warning. He balled up his fists, unaware of the wine glass he broke in his hands until a poor servant came to clean it up.

A wave of embarrassment flooded him, washing out all the rage he felt. Hordak apologized profusely, getting down on his knees to help clean up. This astounded the servant who, while earning the occasional apology, never got help from a royal. After cleaning the area Hordak put a gold coin, twice his daily wage, in the servant’s hands. The servant gave him a swift bow before returning to his post.

Hordak took a deep breath, still modified at his public outburst. He moved to a wall where there were few people. He bit the inside of his cheek as he wallowed in his embarrassment. Why must I act like this? Why did I act like that? Why was I so offended on behalf of someone I barely know? If it was anyone else, say one of his commanders, he would be miffed they were speaking ill of one of his associates; however, he would never react in the way he had just done. An associate is what Entrapta was, so why did simple petty words get such a rise out of him? Perhaps, subconsciously, he saw her as more than a work associate. Perhaps, he saw Entrapta as a friend? Utterly ridiculous! They had just met yesterday how could he have such a bond with her? Even though the two had similar interests, were able to keep up with each other verbally, and understood each other's goals and ideas does not mean they were friends. Were they? Gah! Curse his minuscule emotional range! No matter. He will continue as he did before. He did not want to jump to conclusions without Entrapta’s input.

Speaking of, where had the princess gone? Hordak served the crowd of sparkles, spotting the princess conversating with Scorpia. He was tempted to join the two, but he knew he shouldn’t. Entrapta had a scientific excursion to pursue, and he does not need to be a distraction. Besides, he has his work to do.

_______________

Also, if you want to know who the Star Sisters are, look it up on the Wiki. Aka, the MVP of this fic.

#spop #hordak #entrapta #entrapdak #she ra #hyperfixation #spop fanfic #fanfic #adora #catra #scorpia #frosta #princesss prom #sweet bee #peekablue #star sisters #netossa #spinerella #glimmer

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jcmarchi · 1 year ago

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Future-Ready Enterprises: The Crucial Role of Large Vision Models (LVMs)

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/future-ready-enterprises-the-crucial-role-of-large-vision-models-lvms/

Future-Ready Enterprises: The Crucial Role of Large Vision Models (LVMs)

What are Large Vision Models (LVMs)

Over the last few decades, the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has experienced rapid growth, resulting in significant changes to various aspects of human society and business operations. AI has proven to be useful in task automation and process optimization, as well as in promoting creativity and innovation. However, as data complexity and diversity continue to increase, there is a growing need for more advanced AI models that can comprehend and handle these challenges effectively. This is where the emergence of Large Vision Models (LVMs) becomes crucial.

LVMs are a new category of AI models specifically designed for analyzing and interpreting visual information, such as images and videos, on a large scale, with impressive accuracy. Unlike traditional computer vision models that rely on manual feature crafting, LVMs leverage deep learning techniques, utilizing extensive datasets to generate authentic and diverse outputs. An outstanding feature of LVMs is their ability to seamlessly integrate visual information with other modalities, such as natural language and audio, enabling a comprehensive understanding and generation of multimodal outputs.

LVMs are defined by their key attributes and capabilities, including their proficiency in advanced image and video processing tasks related to natural language and visual information. This includes tasks like generating captions, descriptions, stories, code, and more. LVMs also exhibit multimodal learning by effectively processing information from various sources, such as text, images, videos, and audio, resulting in outputs across different modalities.

Additionally, LVMs possess adaptability through transfer learning, meaning they can apply knowledge gained from one domain or task to another, with the capability to adapt to new data or scenarios through minimal fine-tuning. Moreover, their real-time decision-making capabilities empower rapid and adaptive responses, supporting interactive applications in gaming, education, and entertainment.

How LVMs Can Boost Enterprise Performance and Innovation?

Adopting LVMs can provide enterprises with powerful and promising technology to navigate the evolving AI discipline, making them more future-ready and competitive. LVMs have the potential to enhance productivity, efficiency, and innovation across various domains and applications. However, it is important to consider the ethical, security, and integration challenges associated with LVMs, which require responsible and careful management.

Moreover, LVMs enable insightful analytics by extracting and synthesizing information from diverse visual data sources, including images, videos, and text. Their capability to generate realistic outputs, such as captions, descriptions, stories, and code based on visual inputs, empowers enterprises to make informed decisions and optimize strategies. The creative potential of LVMs emerges in their ability to develop new business models and opportunities, particularly those using visual data and multimodal capabilities.

Prominent examples of enterprises adopting LVMs for these advantages include Landing AI, a computer vision cloud platform addressing diverse computer vision challenges, and Snowflake, a cloud data platform facilitating LVM deployment through Snowpark Container Services. Additionally, OpenAI, contributes to LVM development with models like GPT-4, CLIP, DALL-E, and OpenAI Codex, capable of handling various tasks involving natural language and visual information.

In the post-pandemic landscape, LVMs offer additional benefits by assisting enterprises in adapting to remote work, online shopping trends, and digital transformation. Whether enabling remote collaboration, enhancing online marketing and sales through personalized recommendations, or contributing to digital health and wellness via telemedicine, LVMs emerge as powerful tools.

Challenges and Considerations for Enterprises in LVM Adoption

While the promises of LVMs are extensive, their adoption is not without challenges and considerations. Ethical implications are significant, covering issues related to bias, transparency, and accountability. Instances of bias in data or outputs can lead to unfair or inaccurate representations, potentially undermining the trust and fairness associated with LVMs. Thus, ensuring transparency in how LVMs operate and the accountability of developers and users for their consequences becomes essential.

Security concerns add another layer of complexity, requiring the protection of sensitive data processed by LVMs and precautions against adversarial attacks. Sensitive information, ranging from health records to financial transactions, demands robust security measures to preserve privacy, integrity, and reliability.

Integration and scalability hurdles pose additional challenges, especially for large enterprises. Ensuring compatibility with existing systems and processes becomes a crucial factor to consider. Enterprises need to explore tools and technologies that facilitate and optimize the integration of LVMs. Container services, cloud platforms, and specialized platforms for computer vision offer solutions to enhance the interoperability, performance, and accessibility of LVMs.

To tackle these challenges, enterprises must adopt best practices and frameworks for responsible LVM use. Prioritizing data quality, establishing governance policies, and complying with relevant regulations are important steps. These measures ensure the validity, consistency, and accountability of LVMs, enhancing their value, performance, and compliance within enterprise settings.

Future Trends and Possibilities for LVMs

With the adoption of digital transformation by enterprises, the domain of LVMs is poised for further evolution. Anticipated advancements in model architectures, training techniques, and application areas will drive LVMs to become more robust, efficient, and versatile. For example, self-supervised learning, which enables LVMs to learn from unlabeled data without human intervention, is expected to gain prominence.

Likewise, transformer models, renowned for their ability to process sequential data using attention mechanisms, are likely to contribute to state-of-the-art outcomes in various tasks. Similarly, Zero-shot learning, allowing LVMs to perform tasks they have not been explicitly trained on, is set to expand their capabilities even further.

Simultaneously, the scope of LVM application areas is expected to widen, encompassing new industries and domains. Medical imaging, in particular, holds promise as an avenue where LVMs could assist in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of various diseases and conditions, including cancer, COVID-19, and Alzheimer’s.

In the e-commerce sector, LVMs are expected to enhance personalization, optimize pricing strategies, and increase conversion rates by analyzing and generating images and videos of products and customers. The entertainment industry also stands to benefit as LVMs contribute to the creation and distribution of captivating and immersive content across movies, games, and music.

To fully utilize the potential of these future trends, enterprises must focus on acquiring and developing the necessary skills and competencies for the adoption and implementation of LVMs. In addition to technical challenges, successfully integrating LVMs into enterprise workflows requires a clear strategic vision, a robust organizational culture, and a capable team. Key skills and competencies include data literacy, which encompasses the ability to understand, analyze, and communicate data.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, LVMs are effective tools for enterprises, promising transformative impacts on productivity, efficiency, and innovation. Despite challenges, embracing best practices and advanced technologies can overcome hurdles. LVMs are envisioned not just as tools but as pivotal contributors to the next technological era, requiring a thoughtful approach. A practical adoption of LVMs ensures future readiness, acknowledging their evolving role for responsible integration into business processes.

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poems-from-around-the-world · 2 years ago

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Font - Nene Giorgadze - Georgia

Translator: Timothy Kercher and Nene Giorgadze (Georgian)

The non-digital memory of snow

stores each track,

each point of crossing or incongruity,

each trajectory…

When melting, snow transmits data

to ground, its personal computer.

Soil processes the flow of information,

waits for the right moment

to profitably sell what it holds to the air.

The air—queen of nuances—feels

from where the wind is blowing

and operates flexibly.

When land shares bottom out,

wind roars the last price at auction;

too inexpensive for sale—

each track and trajectory,

each point of intersection or incongruity

is saved by the non-digital memory of snow

in “snowflake” font.

#Font #Nene Giorgadze #Georgia #poem #poetry #poems from around the world #translation: Georgian

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snickerdoodlles · 2 years ago

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Don’t you feel that if you go on the “loves ao3 more than their own mom” website aka the “can't throw a rock without hitting a writer” website and put in the main tag the opinion that AI writing models are no big deal and don’t do any harm and nobody has any reason to feel hurt over their unethical training in a tone that distinctly resembles the “toughen up snowflake” rhetoric, you might, in fact, just be the one out of line and also an asshole?

*rolls eyes* not what i did nor what i said.

there are many concerns to have with generative AI, such as the ability to extract privatized information from their training datasets, the exploitation of human workers for AI services (tho this one frankly goes for all internet services, not just AI), AI's reinforced biases and lack of learning, and the current lack of regulation against AI developers and AI usage to name a few. in terms of a direct impact on the creative industry, there are several concerns about the uncompensated and unregulated use of copyrighted materials in training data (paper discussing BookCorpus, courtlistener link for writers suing over Books2), the even worse image scraping for diffusion models, screen production companies trying to pressure people into selling their personal image rights for AI use, and publishers getting slammed with various AI generated content while the copyright laws for it are still massively in flux.

i said fanfic does not intersect with AI. actually, i vaguely whined about it in the tags of an untagged post, because i'm allowed to do that on my personal whine-into-the-void space. (which, tumblr is bad about filtering properly in tags and i'm sorry if it popped up anyways, but i also can't control tumblr search not functioning properly.)

there are concerns to be had about AI training datasets (developers refusing to remove or protect private information because it weakens the training data even tho this is a bigger issue for bigger models is my primary concern personally, but the book shadow libraries and mass image scraping are shady ass shit too). but AO3 was never used to train AI. there is a lot of sketchiness involved with AI training data, but AO3 is not one of them.

i get irked when people compare AI generated writing to AI generated art, because the technology behind it is different. to make art, AI has to directly use the source image to create the final output. this is why people can reverse the process on AI art models to extract the source images. written models (LLMs) learn how to string words into sentences and in terms of remembering the specific training data, LLMs actually have a known issue of wandering attention for general written training material like books/articles/etc. (re the writers' lawsuit -- we know AI developers are pulling shady shit with their use of books, AI developers know they're pulling shady shit with their use of books, but unfortunately the specific proof the writers' are using for their case very closely resembles the summaries and written reviews on their books' wikipedia pages. the burden of proof for copyright violation is really hard to prove for books, esp because copyright protects the expression of an idea, not the idea or individual sentences of a work, and LLMs do not retain their written training material in that way.) these are different issues that can't truly be conflated because the methods in which the materials are used and the potential regulation/the impact of potential regulation on them are different.

anyways, back to my annoyances with fanfic x AI -- fanfic is not involved in its development, and if you don't want to read fic made by AI, don't click on fic that involves AI. ultimately, if you read a fic and it turns out AI was involved...nothing happens. if you don't like it, you click a back button, delete a bookmark, and/or mute a user. AI just strings words together. that's it. acting like AI will have a great impact on fandom, or that fandom will be some final bastion against it, is really fucking annoying to me because fandom does not have any stakes in this. there are legitimate issues in regards to developing and regulating AI (link to the US senate hearing again, because there are so many), but "oh no, what if i read a fic written by AI" is a rather tone fucking deaf complaint, don't you think?

#which is also why i whined in the tags of /an untagged post/#honestly my bigger issue is people trying to give fandom stakes in this #fandom can be culturally important and not at all impacted by this specific issue

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mariacallous · 3 months ago

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Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old engineer with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) known as “Big Balls,” is now on staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), WIRED has confirmed. He is joined by another member of the DOGE team, 38-year-old software engineer Kyle Schutt, who is now also on the CISA staff, according to a government source.

CISA referred WIRED to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), of which it’s a component agency, when reached for comment. DHS did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Coristine—briefly an intern for Musk’s brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, as WIRED has reported—has been working his way through numerous federal agencies and departments as a DOGE operative since January. He has been tracked at the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Personnel Management, the State Department, and FEMA. At State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, he potentially had access to systems containing sensitive information about diplomats and many sources and spies around the world who provide the U.S. government with intelligence and expertise.

As the journalist Marisa Kabas was first to report, he has now moved to CISA, a division of DHS. He is listed in the staff directory as a senior advisor.

A second DOGE worker, Schutt, has also joined Coristine at CISA. Schutt has reportedly also been at the GSA. Prior to his work with DOGE, he worked on the launch of WinRed, a fundraising platform for Republicans that helped the party raise $1.8 billion during the 2024 election campaigns.

It’s not clear yet what level of access Coristine might have to data and networks at CISA, but the agency, which is responsible for the defense of civilian federal government networks and works closely with critical infrastructure owners around the country, stores a lot of sensitive and critical security information on its networks. This includes information about software vulnerabilities, breaches, and network risk assessments conducted for local and state election offices. Since 2018, CISA has helped state and local election offices around the country assess vulnerabilities in their networks and help secure them. CISA also works with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency to notify victims of breaches and process information about software vulnerabilities before the information becomes public.

Coristine, as WIRED has previously reported, worked briefly in 2022 for Path Network, a network monitoring firm known for hiring reformed blackhat hackers. According to security journalist Brian Krebs, an account once associated with him was also previously linked with a loosely-formed cybercriminal community known as The Com, whose members have been responsible for various hacking operations in the last few years, including the hack of numerous Snowflake accounts. Coristine has not been associated with the Snowflake breaches, but as WIRED has reported, an account that has been associated with him did appear to suggest the owner of the account was seeking help to conduct a Distributed Denial of Service attack—a criminal technique that involves launching extensive traffic at a domain to disable it and prevent legitimate traffic from reaching it. Krebs also reported that Path had fired Coristine for allegedly leaking internal company documents to a competitor.

The Washington Post reported last week that Coristine had been assigned to the DHS as a senior advisor, but didn’t indicate what part of the sprawling agency he had joined.

“What’s the point of fighting cybercrime if we’re just going to give access for government networks to people with cybercriminal gang affiliations?” says a cybersecurity researcher who tracks cybercriminal groups.

#can we fucking neuter big balls already

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xaltius · 3 days ago

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The top Data Engineering trends to look for in 2025

Data engineering is the unsung hero of our data-driven world. It's the critical discipline that builds and maintains the robust infrastructure enabling organizations to collect, store, process, and analyze vast amounts of data. As we navigate mid-2025, this foundational field is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by the exponential growth of data, the insatiable demand for real-time insights, and the transformative power of AI.

Staying ahead of these shifts is no longer optional; it's essential for data engineers and the organizations they support. Let's dive into the key data engineering trends that are defining the landscape in 2025.

1. The Dominance of the Data Lakehouse

What it is: The data lakehouse architecture continues its strong upward trajectory, aiming to unify the best features of data lakes (flexible, low-cost storage for raw, diverse data types) and data warehouses (structured data management, ACID transactions, and robust governance). Why it's significant: It offers a single platform for various analytics workloads, from BI and reporting to AI and machine learning, reducing data silos, complexity, and redundancy. Open table formats like Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake, and Hudi are pivotal in enabling lakehouse capabilities. Impact: Greater data accessibility, improved data quality and reliability for analytics, simplified data architecture, and cost efficiencies. Key Technologies: Databricks, Snowflake, Amazon S3, Azure Data Lake Storage, Apache Spark, and open table formats.

2. AI-Powered Data Engineering (Including Generative AI)

What it is: Artificial intelligence, and increasingly Generative AI, are becoming integral to data engineering itself. This involves using AI/ML to automate and optimize various data engineering tasks. Why it's significant: AI can significantly boost efficiency, reduce manual effort, improve data quality, and even help generate code for data pipelines or transformations. Impact: * Automated Data Integration & Transformation: AI tools can now automate aspects of data mapping, cleansing, and pipeline optimization. * Intelligent Data Quality & Anomaly Detection: ML algorithms can proactively identify and flag data quality issues or anomalies in pipelines. * Optimized Pipeline Performance: AI can help in tuning and optimizing the performance of data workflows. * Generative AI for Code & Documentation: LLMs are being used to assist in writing SQL queries, Python scripts for ETL, and auto-generating documentation. Key Technologies: AI-driven ETL/ELT tools, MLOps frameworks integrated with DataOps, platforms with built-in AI capabilities (e.g., Databricks AI Functions, AWS DMS with GenAI).

3. Real-Time Data Processing & Streaming Analytics as the Norm

What it is: The demand for immediate insights and actions based on live data streams continues to grow. Batch processing is no longer sufficient for many use cases. Why it's significant: Businesses across industries like e-commerce, finance, IoT, and logistics require real-time capabilities for fraud detection, personalized recommendations, operational monitoring, and instant decision-making. Impact: A shift towards streaming architectures, event-driven data pipelines, and tools that can handle high-throughput, low-latency data. Key Technologies: Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, Apache Spark Streaming, Apache Pulsar, cloud-native streaming services (e.g., Amazon Kinesis, Google Cloud Dataflow, Azure Stream Analytics), and real-time analytical databases.

4. The Rise of Data Mesh & Data Fabric Architectures

What it is: * Data Mesh: A decentralized sociotechnical approach that emphasizes domain-oriented data ownership, treating data as a product, self-serve data infrastructure, and federated computational governance. * Data Fabric: An architectural approach that automates data integration and delivery across disparate data sources, often using metadata and AI to provide a unified view and access to data regardless of where it resides. Why it's significant: Traditional centralized data architectures struggle with the scale and complexity of modern data. These approaches offer greater agility, scalability, and empower domain teams. Impact: Improved data accessibility and discoverability, faster time-to-insight for domain teams, reduced bottlenecks for central data teams, and better alignment of data with business domains. Key Technologies: Data catalogs, data virtualization tools, API-based data access, and platforms supporting decentralized data management.

5. Enhanced Focus on Data Observability & Governance

What it is: * Data Observability: Going beyond traditional monitoring to provide deep visibility into the health and state of data and data pipelines. It involves tracking data lineage, quality, freshness, schema changes, and distribution. * Data Governance by Design: Integrating robust data governance, security, and compliance practices directly into the data lifecycle and infrastructure from the outset, rather than as an afterthought. Why it's significant: As data volumes and complexity grow, ensuring data quality, reliability, and compliance (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) becomes paramount for building trust and making sound decisions. Regulatory landscapes, like the EU AI Act, are also making strong governance non-negotiable. Impact: Improved data trust and reliability, faster incident resolution, better compliance, and more secure data handling. Key Technologies: AI-powered data observability platforms, data cataloging tools with governance features, automated data quality frameworks, and tools supporting data lineage.

6. Maturation of DataOps and MLOps Practices

What it is: * DataOps: Applying Agile and DevOps principles (automation, collaboration, continuous integration/continuous delivery - CI/CD) to the entire data analytics lifecycle, from data ingestion to insight delivery. * MLOps: Extending DevOps principles specifically to the machine learning lifecycle, focusing on streamlining model development, deployment, monitoring, and retraining. Why it's significant: These practices are crucial for improving the speed, quality, reliability, and efficiency of data and machine learning pipelines. Impact: Faster delivery of data products and ML models, improved data quality, enhanced collaboration between data engineers, data scientists, and IT operations, and more reliable production systems. Key Technologies: Workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Apache Airflow, Kestra), CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI), version control systems (Git), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and MLOps platforms (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, SageMaker, Azure ML).

The Cross-Cutting Theme: Cloud-Native and Cost Optimization

Underpinning many of these trends is the continued dominance of cloud-native data engineering. Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) provide the scalable, flexible, and managed services that are essential for modern data infrastructure. Coupled with this is an increasing focus on cloud cost optimization (FinOps for data), as organizations strive to manage and reduce the expenses associated with large-scale data processing and storage in the cloud.

The Evolving Role of the Data Engineer

These trends are reshaping the role of the data engineer. Beyond building pipelines, data engineers in 2025 are increasingly becoming architects of more intelligent, automated, and governed data systems. Skills in AI/ML, cloud platforms, real-time processing, and distributed architectures are becoming even more crucial.

Global Relevance, Local Impact

These global data engineering trends are particularly critical for rapidly developing digital economies. In countries like India, where the data explosion is immense and the drive for digital transformation is strong, adopting these advanced data engineering practices is key to harnessing data for innovation, improving operational efficiency, and building competitive advantages on a global scale.

Conclusion: Building the Future, One Pipeline at a Time

The field of data engineering is more dynamic and critical than ever. The trends of 2025 point towards more automated, real-time, governed, and AI-augmented data infrastructures. For data engineering professionals and the organizations they serve, embracing these changes means not just keeping pace, but actively shaping the future of how data powers our world.

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