#speed up computer performance

[ms-demeanor]

So You Need To Buy A Computer But You Don't Know What Specs Are Good These Days

Hi.

This is literally my job.

Lots of people are buying computers for school right now or are replacing computers as their five-year-old college laptop craps out so here's the standard specs you should be looking for in a (windows) computer purchase in August 2023.

PROCESSOR

Intel i5 (no older than 10th Gen)

Ryzen 7

You can get away with a Ryzen 5 but an intel i3 should be an absolute last resort. You want at least an intel i5 or a Ryzen 7 processor. The current generation of intel processors is 13, but anything 10 or newer is perfectly fine. DO NOT get a higher performance line with an older generation; a 13th gen i5 is better than an 8th gen i7. (Unfortunately I don't know enough about ryzens to tell you which generation is the earliest you should get, but staying within 3 generations is a good rule of thumb)

RAM

8GB absolute minimum

If you don't have at least 8GB RAM on a modern computer it's going to be very, very slow. Ideally you want a computer with at least 16GB, and it's a good idea to get a computer that will let you add or swap RAM down the line (nearly all desktops will let you do this, for laptops you need to check the specs for Memory and see how many slots there are and how many slots are available; laptops with soldered RAM cannot have the memory upgraded - this is common in very slim laptops)

STORAGE

256GB SSD

Computers mostly come with SSDs these days; SSDs are faster than HDDs but typically have lower storage for the same price. That being said: SSDs are coming down in price and if you're installing your own drive you can easily upgrade the size for a low cost. Unfortunately that doesn't do anything for you for the initial purchase.

A lot of cheaper laptops will have a 128GB SSD and, because a lot of stuff is stored in the cloud these days, that can be functional. I still recommend getting a bit more storage than that because it's nice if you can store your music and documents and photos on your device instead of on the cloud. You want to be able to access your files even if you don't have internet access.

But don't get a computer with a big HDD instead of getting a computer with a small SSD. The difference in speed is noticeable.

SCREEN (laptop specific)

Personally I find that touchscreens have a negative impact on battery life and are easier to fuck up than standard screens. They are also harder to replace if they get broken. I do not recommend getting a touch screen unless you absolutely have to.

A lot of college students especially tend to look for the biggest laptop screen possible; don't do that. It's a pain in the ass to carry a 17" laptop around campus and with the way that everything is so thin these days it's easier to damage a 17" screen than a 14" screen.

On the other end of that: laptops with 13" screens tend to be very slim devices that are glued shut and impossible to work on or upgrade.

Your best bet (for both functionality and price) is either a 14" or a 15.6" screen. If you absolutely positively need to have a 10-key keyboard on your laptop, get the 15.6". If you need something portable more than you need 10-key, get a 14"

FORM FACTOR (desktop specific)

If you purchase an all-in-one desktop computer I will begin manifesting in your house physically. All-in-ones take away every advantage desktops have in terms of upgradeability and maintenance; they are expensive and difficult to repair and usually not worth the cost of disassembling to upgrade.

There are about four standard sizes of desktop PC: All-in-One (the size of a monitor with no other footprint), Tower (Big! probably at least two feet long in two directions), Small Form Factor Tower (Very moderate - about the size of a large shoebox), and Mini/Micro/Tiny (Small! about the size of a small hardcover book).

If you are concerned about space you are much better off getting a MicroPC and a bracket to put it on your monitor than you are getting an all-in-one. This will be about a million percent easier to work on than an all-in-one and this way if your monitor dies your computer is still functional.

Small form factor towers and towers are the easiest to work on and upgrade; if you need a burly graphics card you need to get a full size tower, but for everything else a small form factor tower will be fine. Most of our business sales are SFF towers and MicroPCs, the only time we get something larger is if we have to put a $700 graphics card in it. SFF towers will accept small graphics cards and can handle upgrades to the power supply; MicroPCs can only have the RAM and SSD upgraded and don't have room for any other components or their own internal power supply.

WARRANTY

Most desktops come with either a 1 or 3 year warranty; either of these is fine and if you want to upgrade a 1 year to a 3 year that is also fine. I've generally found that if something is going to do a warranty failure on desktop it's going to do it the first year, so you don't get a hell of a lot of added mileage out of an extended warranty but it doesn't hurt and sometimes pays off to do a 3-year.

Laptops are a different story. Laptops mostly come with a 1-year warranty and what I recommend everyone does for every laptop that will allow it is to upgrade that to the longest warranty you can get with added drop/damage protection. The most common question our customers have about laptops is if we can replace a screen and the answer is usually "yes, but it's going to be expensive." If you're purchasing a low-end laptop, the parts and labor for replacing a screen can easily cost more than half the price of a new laptop. HOWEVER, the way that most screens get broken is by getting dropped. So if you have a warranty with drop protection, you just send that sucker back to the factory and they fix it for you.

So, if it is at all possible, check if the manufacturer of a laptop you're looking at has a warranty option with drop protection. Then, within 30 days (though ideally on the first day you get it) of owning your laptop, go to the manufacturer site, register your serial number, and upgrade the warranty. If you can't afford a 3-year upgrade at once set a reminder for yourself to annually renew. But get that drop protection, especially if you are a college student or if you've got kids.

And never, ever put pens or pencils on your laptop keyboard. I've seen people ruin thousand dollar, brand-new laptops that they can't afford to fix because they closed the screen on a ten cent pencil. Keep liquids away from them too.

LIFESPAN

There's a reasonable chance that any computer you buy today will still be able to turn on and run a program or two in ten years. That does not mean that it is "functional."

At my office we estimate that the functional lifespan of desktops is 5-7 years and the functional lifespan of laptops is 3-5 years. Laptops get more wear and tear than desktops and desktops are easier to upgrade to keep them running. At 5 years for desktops and 3 years for laptops you should look at upgrading the RAM in the device and possibly consider replacing the SSD with a new (possibly larger) model, because SSDs and HDDs don't last forever.

COST

This means that you should think of your computers as an annual investment rather than as a one-time purchase. It is more worthwhile to pay $700 for a laptop that will work well for five years than it is to pay $300 for a laptop that will be outdated and slow in one year (which is what will happen if you get an 8th gen i3 with 8GB RAM). If you are going to get a $300 laptop try to get specs as close as possible to the minimums I've laid out here.

If you have to compromise on these specs, the one that is least fixable is the processor. If you get a laptop with an i3 processor you aren't going to be able to upgrade it even if you can add more RAM or a bigger SSD. If you have to get lower specs in order to afford the device put your money into the processor and make sure that the computer has available slots for upgrade and that neither the RAM nor the SSD is soldered to the motherboard. (one easy way to check this is to search "[computer model] RAM upgrade" on youtube and see if anyone has made a video showing what the inside of the laptop looks like and how much effort it takes to replace parts)

Computers are expensive right now. This is frustrating, because historically consumer computer prices have been on a downward trend but since 2020 that trend has been all over the place. Desktop computers are quite expensive at the moment (August 2023) and decent laptops are extremely variably priced.

If you are looking for a decent, upgradeable laptop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

14" Lenovo - $670 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD

15.6" HP - $540 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

14" Dell - $710 - 12th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

If you are looking for a decent, affordable desktop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

SFF HP - $620 - 10th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD

SFF Lenovo - $560 - Ryzen 7 5000 series, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Dell Tower - $800 - 10th-gen i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

If I were going to buy any of these I'd probably get the HP laptop or the Dell Tower. The HP Laptop is actually a really good price for what it is.

Anyway happy computering.

[itbabasachinsharma]

Delete All Temporary Files||Computer Ki Speed Kaise BadhayeWindows 7,8,10||OneClick||By SachinSharma

[italladdsup]

dumbification training. I wake up in a decently sized room, my feet chained to a chair with a computer in front of me. I'm sitting on a pair of vibrating dildos, one in each hole. A shock collar sits unoticingly comfortable around my neck, and a pair of headphones sit on my head.

The computer turns on. It seems to be on some sort of standardized testing program, the same ones you'd see students taking in a classroom during exam week. Questions headline the top of the screen, with the answers lined up in a multiple choice format. The instructions tell me to answer honestly and to the best I can. It doesn't say how many questions there are. The headphones play a soft buzzing noise and read out the questions.

First question pops up. It's a reading comprehension question. I skim over the paragraph, and I answer the question correctly, only to be met with brief electrocution. The screen moves automatically to the next question. Something about geometry, i to answer it correctly, but I'm shocked again when I do. Third question, something about English grammer. I'm shocked again. This keeps up for a few more questions.

By the 10th question, I can't take another shock, so I purposefully answer the question wrong, just to see what would happen. The screen flashes and in an instant, all my pain is gone. I feel a brief sense of relief and relaxation wash over me. The voice in the headphones praises me for answering 'correctly'

Next question appears on screen, and it's... harder? It's another reading comprehension question with a brief paragraph, but I'm struggling to read it. It's like the words are just flying past my brain. I get the question wrong, the voice praises me, I get hit with a wave of relief, and the dildos beneath me start to vibrate lowly.

The questions start to get simpler, going from high school level questions to kindergarten level questions. Every time I get one wrong, the vibrators get stronger I get blasted with a wave of pleasure. At some point I stop even reading them, I just answer at random to feel even more pleasure.

The questions start to get hornier, like asking me what a certain sex position is or how to perform a certain act. When I answer those correctly, I get edged. The screen 'asks' me to repeat mantras, and rewards me with pleasure when I do so.

It asks me, "does it feel good to be dumb?" "Does it feel good to obey?" and of course I answer yes. "Who thinks for you?" Master does. "What do you know?" Whatever Master tells me I know.

At the end of it, the screen turns into a flashing spiral. The voice tells me what a good job I did at learning how to be a dumb slut. The dildos thrust into me at the highest vibration speed, and when I get permission to cum, I have one of the greatest orgasms of my life.

After I cum, I've lost nearly all my ability to think for myself. I can't read anything above basic children's books, and can't do any math more advanced than basic addition. I cant remmeber how to write unless i'm told to write something.

But it's fine, I'm a dumb slut. I love being a dumb slut. All dumb sluts need to know is whatever their Master tells them to. Master thinks for me, and I'm so happy and grateful he does. Master is so smart, it's only right for him to think for me.

[weeping-treee]

Hell and Back

Dean Winchester went to hell and came back. What's on this mans mind? Burgers. and you

Dean Winchester x You

1,410 words

(Based on Season 4 eps 2.. just had to get this lil story out. Correlates with a bot I made on C.AI if any of you are interested:))

AU: Lisa is non-existent, cuz fuck her. He's mine.

Dean Winchester.

The lover. The player. He’d never want to settle down. Or so he thought.

You stumbled into his life and turned it upside down in the best way possible. Saved his ass on a hunt, were there for him when Sam died—there for him through it all.

Hell, you had to be held back when he came out with the deal he made to bring Sammy back in the first place.

You argued for hours before you slapped him—and he kissed you.

You two have been inseparable ever since.

The time he has left gets shorter and shorter. Despite the ache in your chest, despite knowing it’s inevitable, you make the most of it.

Even when you can’t sleep. Even when you slip out of bed in the middle of the night to hit the books, searching for anything—anything at all—that might keep him alive.

That might keep him with you.

Every night, it’s the same. He falls asleep, and you make sure he’s out cold before sneaking out of bed. You study, you search, and you crawl back in before he ever stirs.

You’re exhausted. But you never show it.

You hate how damn fond of this cocky asshole you’ve become.

Those eyes? That stupid smirk he gives you when you’re annoyed or pissed off?

You’re absolutely smitten with this man. And you’d do anything to keep him in this shit-ridden world a little longer.

But it proves to be futile as the clock ticks down.

You’re helpless. You and Sam both—forced to watch him get torn to pieces.

Literally.

You’re forced to watch Sam lose his older brother. His rock.

And Lilith gets away, making it all so much worse.

You try to be strong. And you are—for the first week.

But then you leave. You leave Sam and Bobby a note before disappearing off the grid.

They try to find you. But you’ve vanished. Changed your phone, started using cash only—hell, you’re living under a different name.

Four months.

Dean comes back from Hell.

An angel pulled him out—supposedly God called for it.

After the initial shock and reunion with Bobby and Sam, Dean asks about you.

Where you are. If you’re safe.

His questions are met with silence.

They tell him how you just disappeared without a trace. Despite their best efforts, you were impossible to find.

Dean doesn’t accept that.

They carry on—hunting, traveling, working—but Dean stays glued to laptops, police reports, surveillance. Searching for a trace of you. Just one.

And when the ghosts of people they’ve saved come back for revenge?

He knows he needs to find you.

He doesn’t take his eyes off the laptop even when he, Sam, and Bobby bunker down in the panic room. He’s resorted to traffic cams now. Watching. Waiting. Scanning.

Bobby eventually cracks the case, finds the curse, and performs the ritual to reverse it.

The second it’s over, Dean’s back on the computer.

Sleepless. Restless. Obsessive.

Until that feathery bastard shows up.

Castiel.

Dean’s annoyed—naturally—but listens as the angel explains. The witnesses were part of the 66 seals. Lilith is breaking them. And if they all fall?

Lucifer walks free.

He stews as Castiel talks. Then cuts him off.

“Can you find her?”

He means you.

All he gets is a name. A city.

Kansas City, Missouri.

He wakes from the dream with that one piece of information. Doesn’t explain a damn thing to Bobby or Sam before hitting the road.

300 miles.

Nearly 5 and a half hours.

He and Sam get there in less than three.

They scour the city. Asking around. Showing photos. Asking about anyone who looks like you.

Finally—someone says the name of the motel you’re staying at.

Dean’s in the Impala, driving way past the speed limit.

He has to know you’re okay. That you’re still alive. That the witnesses didn’t get to you before he did.

He bribes the front desk and bolts up to your room.

Knocks—no answer. He resorts to picking the lock and enters.

And there you are.

Fresh out of the shower, still drying your hair with a towel.

He drinks you in like a man dying of thirst.

Eyes scanning you head to toe.

You’re wearing his flannel over an old band tee, and black skinny jeans that hang low on your hips.

To him, you’ve never looked more perfect.

His gaze finally meets your eyes—just before you dive for your bag and your gun.

Expected. You still think he’s dead.

He catches you. Tosses the weapon away.

“Hey, hey—don’t do that,” he says, holding you as you struggle. “It’s me, sweetheart.”

“I’ll fucking kill you—think this is some joke? Wearing his skin like a suit?”

You fight him, panic rising—until Sam enters behind him.

“Stop,” Sam says. “It’s really him.”

You go still. Shocked. Disbelieving.

Dean gently turns you in his arms and cups your cheeks.

His brow furrows as he brushes his thumb along the new scar on your left cheekbone.

“It’s really me,” he whispers.

“I’m back.”

Your breath hitches. His hands are warm. Real. The callouses on his thumbs are the same ones that used to trace your jaw when you couldn’t sleep.

"That's impossible..."

And his voice… God, you’d dreamed about it. Tortured yourself with it.

You search his face for any flaw. Any tell that he’s not real. That this is some cruel joke, some hallucination brought on by grief and guilt and the endless nights you spent hunting ghosts and running from your past.

But he doesn’t fade.

Doesn’t disappear.

He’s still there, holding your face like he’s afraid to let go.

Your voice cracks when you speak. “Dean...”

He nods. Just once. And it breaks you.

Your knees buckle and he catches you before you hit the floor, wrapping his arms around you like you’re the only thing tethering him to earth. You fist his shirt in your hands, burying your face into the hollow of his neck as a soft sob escapes you. You don’t cry pretty—but he doesn’t seem to care.

He just holds you tighter.

“I thought I lost you,” you whisper, barely audible. “I watched you die.”

Dean’s voice is rough, full of emotion. “I know. I know, baby. I’m so sorry.”

Your hands shake as you pull back just enough to see him. “How?”

“Angel,” he says. “Name’s Castiel. Pulled me out.”

You blink, disbelieving. “An angel?”

He nods. “Yeah. Said I had shit to do.”

You laugh—sharp, bitter. “There’s always shit to do.”

His lips twitch. “Yeah, but right now? You’re my priority.”

You can’t help it—you press your forehead to his, tears still streaking your face. You breathe him in. The scent of him, the warmth of him, the strength you’ve missed like oxygen.

He pulls back slightly. “You disappeared. You didn’t even say goodbye.”

“I couldn’t stay,” you admit. “I couldn’t stay around knowing you were really gone. I couldn’t look at Sam. I couldn’t breathe.”

Dean's jaw clenches, but he nods. “I get it. Doesn’t mean I didn’t look for you. Every damn day.”

That hits you hard. Your breath stutters again. “You looked for me?”

“Of course I did,” he says. “You think I was gonna come back from hell and not find you? You’re one of the reasons I survived it in the first place.”

You both fall silent for a moment. The kind of silence that’s full. Heavy with everything you haven’t said.

His thumb brushes under your eye, wiping a tear away. “You got a scar.”

“Demon caught me by surprise. It happens.”

“I hate that you had to go through that alone.”

You shrug, but your fingers tighten around the hem of his shirt. “I didn’t want anyone to see me break.”

Dean leans in, presses a kiss to your temple. “You’re allowed to break. You lost me. Hell, I lost me.”

You let out a shaky breath, resting your head against his chest. “What now?”

Dean glances over your shoulder at Sam, who’s been silently watching from the doorway. Then his hand finds yours.

“Now?” he says softly. “You coming back with us. I'm not letting you disappear. I'm not letting you out of my damn sight."

You hesitate. You’ve built a whole new identity in the last four months. Learned how to vanish. How to be no one.

But looking at him now?

You know damn well who you are.

You’re his.

“Okay,” you whisper with a soft nod.

And then? He finally kisses you. Deep. Real. Grounding.

[sims3fiend]

Some dumb sims 3 updates/stuf

Or, how to develop severe brain damage in 10 easy steps.

Sooo… This is going to be more of a blog post than anything of any real substance, more of a whinge with maybe a few teasers for some stuff I may or may not release (probably not). Feel free to skip if you're after hot tips or coherent writing.

Stutter "fixer"

Sooooo…. The sims 3 has some stutter issueeesss… Incredible discovery, I know! I started looking at remedying them with settings, found some hidden settings that help reduce some of the issues but that can only do so much when the game was made in 2009 for 2009 computers.

So I had a looky at some things I thought could be causing it, mainly WinAPI functions because that's the easier route (h-haha…), and started to try to "optimize" some of the more common ones:

ReadFile: Was the first, and looking at the sheer volume of like 12783972198 calls a milisecond every time you move the camera, I thought surely I can speed it up a little r-right. Not really. I tried all sorts of… interesting things, file caching in memory, implementing the overlapped flag (took ages), etc. Oh and the performance increase? Literally nothing. It's called weirdly from wherever it's called and so we must suffer.

Threads: So, I had a look at other areas that were potential targets for speedup, ran an actual profile and it showed a problem areas namely threads and some other stuff I don't remember. ZwWaitForMultipleObjects and WaitForSingleObject take up a lot of time, so I very poorly attempted to optimize them, adding some timeout optimizations (and a bunch of other failed attempts). Despite being the most insane, this actually worked, and I got like a 40% speed increase in a very very niche metric that did not noticeably effect the game one single bit. I plan to combine all my failures into a single script eventually, maybe once combined they'll do something…

Actual insanity - Memory IPC: Then I had an idea, everyone hates e12, why don't we shove the games memory into another process and that'll fix it. No brain moment. No clue what past me was thinking, for some reason I thought you could like, access another processes memory if it was spawned from it, but uhh.. no, that's not how things work… I tried a few other things in a similar vein but it just crashed and crashed, so for now I'm just gunna work on:

Alloc/free mee - Current insanity: Currently, I'm still working on VirtualAlloc and VirtualFree (which is what I was redirecting to another process), but more from an optimizing memory usage standpoint than a… whatever the IPC thing was. There's a lot of things to try, and I've had some luck in some areas and some abysmal failures in others. There's a few promising functions calling VirtualAlloc/Free that seem to be potentially pointing towards memory leaks (004e54d0), but I'm too dumb to investigate that. At the moment, I'm going mostly just gathering more logs which takes forever and hurts my brain real bad.. On testing there's like 180 allocs that we could probably yeet no problem, which is like 750mb saved… Maybe idk.

I have plenty of ideas for deduplication, memory pool implementations to reduce churn/fragmentation, shoving things aggressively into pagefiles if they're not being used, etc. etc. Basically, there's a lot of avenues to explore, and I feel like there's potential… though I've definitely said that before and been dead wrong so…

Anyway, rambling over. I plan to release a dumb little renderer settings mod maybe-soon-ish that'll let you do dumb stuff that might be useful for reshade like turn shadows/drop shadows off and post processing off and on. I guess I could add max lots and other settings eventually too since they're static values.... Might also do a mythbusting post for some performance "tweak" stuff I see thrown around that isn't super accurate but I also don't want people to be angry at me so maybe not.

Sorry to whoever read all this, but also thanks :)

[seat-safety-switch]

"Hold on there, pardner. This here's a cognition hazard." said the holographic cowboy in the corner of my vision. He then took a series of poses that the designer must have thought looked heroic and protective, before flickering back to his original position and repeating the process. My artificial ranch-hand was not incorrect: the thing I was attempting to do would cause me unpredictable amounts of psychic damage, likely impacting my relationships with those around me and even my mental state at rest. Even so, I pushed the button and waited.

Software development used to be a sort of reckless task, undergone without care. Decades ago, hundreds of folks would cram themselves into a single building and then work hard on their computers to develop computer programs. Originally, these programs performed useful but difficult tasks, speeding them up dramatically for the varied needs of government and industry. At first, life improved. And then, as with every prior machine in human history, we looked for harder jobs for it to do.

A funny thing happens when a computer program gets longer than about a page of typewritten code. You have to hold a lot of it in your head. The best programmers could commit an entire system to memory, gliding through it like barracuda through a disreputable motel's swimming pool. We didn't know then how much trauma it caused. The doctors had no idea what was happening with all those isolated burnouts freaking out, moving into the woods, and hunting men for sport.

Watching the old newsreels now, seeing the 20th-century equivalent of coal miners delving willingly into fold-out charts of MFC inheritance diagrams, it's a little hard to stomach. It only took about twenty years of continued exposure to this kind of thing before the human mind rebelled, the manmade logical constructs providing a kind of sharp edge that ripped through sanity like a hot wire. Thing is, it still had to be done, and the folks who did it seemed to enjoy it up until The Void caught up to them too. So the government did what the government does best, and compromise. We'd all have warnings that what we were doing was insanely dangerous and life-shortening, and our employers would keep demanding that we heap more complexity atop ever-increasing mountains of irreducible cruft.

A good deal for all involved, especially the folks who got the contract to make the warning holograms about fifteen years ago. They must have loved their jobs, putting the little cowboy hats on them. You can tell in all the little complex details of his haunted face, begging me to turn back from my route to oblivion. One day I'd like to make something cool like that.

[sexymemecoin]

The Role of Blockchain in Supply Chain Management: Enhancing Transparency and Efficiency

Blockchain technology, best known for powering cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, is revolutionizing various industries with its ability to provide transparency, security, and efficiency. One of the most promising applications of blockchain is in supply chain management, where it offers solutions to longstanding challenges such as fraud, inefficiencies, and lack of visibility. This article explores how blockchain is transforming supply chains, its benefits, key use cases, and notable projects, including a mention of Sexy Meme Coin.

Understanding Blockchain Technology

Blockchain is a decentralized ledger technology that records transactions across a network of computers. Each transaction is added to a block, which is then linked to the previous block, forming a chain. This structure ensures that the data is secure, immutable, and transparent, as all participants in the network can view and verify the recorded transactions.

Key Benefits of Blockchain in Supply Chain Management

Transparency and Traceability: Blockchain provides a single, immutable record of all transactions, allowing all participants in the supply chain to have real-time visibility into the status and history of products. This transparency enhances trust and accountability among stakeholders.

Enhanced Security: The decentralized and cryptographic nature of blockchain makes it highly secure. Each transaction is encrypted and linked to the previous one, making it nearly impossible to alter or tamper with the data. This reduces the risk of fraud and counterfeiting in the supply chain.

Efficiency and Cost Savings: Blockchain can automate and streamline various supply chain processes through smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code. This automation reduces the need for intermediaries, minimizes paperwork, and speeds up transactions, leading to significant cost savings.

Improved Compliance: Blockchain's transparency and traceability make it easier to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Companies can provide verifiable records of their supply chain activities, demonstrating adherence to industry standards and regulations.

Key Use Cases of Blockchain in Supply Chain Management

Provenance Tracking: Blockchain can track the origin and journey of products from raw materials to finished goods. This is particularly valuable for industries like food and pharmaceuticals, where provenance tracking ensures the authenticity and safety of products. For example, consumers can scan a QR code on a product to access detailed information about its origin, journey, and handling.

Counterfeit Prevention: Blockchain's immutable records help prevent counterfeiting by providing a verifiable history of products. Luxury goods, electronics, and pharmaceuticals can be tracked on the blockchain to ensure they are genuine and have not been tampered with.

Supplier Verification: Companies can use blockchain to verify the credentials and performance of their suppliers. By maintaining a transparent and immutable record of supplier activities, businesses can ensure they are working with reputable and compliant partners.

Streamlined Payments and Contracts: Smart contracts on the blockchain can automate payments and contract executions, reducing delays and errors. For instance, payments can be automatically released when goods are delivered and verified, ensuring timely and accurate transactions.

Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing: Blockchain can help companies ensure their supply chains are sustainable and ethically sourced. By providing transparency into the sourcing and production processes, businesses can verify that their products meet environmental and social standards.

Notable Blockchain Supply Chain Projects

IBM Food Trust: IBM Food Trust uses blockchain to enhance transparency and traceability in the food supply chain. The platform allows participants to share and access information about the origin, processing, and distribution of food products, improving food safety and reducing waste.

VeChain: VeChain is a blockchain platform that focuses on supply chain logistics. It provides tools for tracking products and verifying their authenticity, helping businesses combat counterfeiting and improve operational efficiency.

TradeLens: TradeLens, developed by IBM and Maersk, is a blockchain-based platform for global trade. It digitizes the supply chain process, enabling real-time tracking of shipments and reducing the complexity of cross-border transactions.

Everledger: Everledger uses blockchain to track the provenance of high-value assets such as diamonds, wine, and art. By creating a digital record of an asset's history, Everledger helps prevent fraud and ensures the authenticity of products.

Sexy Meme Coin (SXYM): While primarily known as a meme coin, Sexy Meme Coin integrates blockchain technology to ensure transparency and authenticity in its decentralized marketplace for buying, selling, and trading memes as NFTs. Learn more about Sexy Meme Coin at Sexy Meme Coin.

Challenges of Implementing Blockchain in Supply Chains

Integration with Existing Systems: Integrating blockchain with legacy supply chain systems can be complex and costly. Companies need to ensure that blockchain solutions are compatible with their existing infrastructure.

Scalability: Blockchain networks can face scalability issues, especially when handling large volumes of transactions. Developing scalable blockchain solutions that can support global supply chains is crucial for widespread adoption.

Regulatory and Legal Considerations: Blockchain's decentralized nature poses challenges for regulatory compliance. Companies must navigate complex legal landscapes to ensure their blockchain implementations adhere to local and international regulations.

Data Privacy: While blockchain provides transparency, it also raises concerns about data privacy. Companies need to balance the benefits of transparency with the need to protect sensitive information.

The Future of Blockchain in Supply Chain Management

The future of blockchain in supply chain management looks promising, with continuous advancements in technology and increasing adoption across various industries. As blockchain solutions become more scalable and interoperable, their impact on supply chains will grow, enhancing transparency, efficiency, and security.

Collaboration between technology providers, industry stakeholders, and regulators will be crucial for overcoming challenges and realizing the full potential of blockchain in supply chain management. By leveraging blockchain, companies can build more resilient and trustworthy supply chains, ultimately delivering better products and services to consumers.

Conclusion

Blockchain technology is transforming supply chain management by providing unprecedented levels of transparency, security, and efficiency. From provenance tracking and counterfeit prevention to streamlined payments and ethical sourcing, blockchain offers innovative solutions to long-standing supply chain challenges. Notable projects like IBM Food Trust, VeChain, TradeLens, and Everledger are leading the way in this digital revolution, showcasing the diverse applications of blockchain in supply chains.

For those interested in exploring the playful and innovative side of blockchain, Sexy Meme Coin offers a unique and entertaining platform. Visit Sexy Meme Coin to learn more and join the community.

[thesimstree]

✨ Step-by-step guide to taking screenshots in The Sims 4 📸 (part 1) ✨

Whether you're capturing a tender moment between two sims or organizing a photoshoot with 20 characters, this guide has you covered. We've compiled all the tips, tricks, and life hacks you'll need to turn your ideas into stunning screenshots – from technical setup to creative posing and fine-tuning the weather for the perfect vibe. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced simmer, this guide will walk you through every step to create breathtaking photos in The Sims 4!

First and foremost, beautiful screenshots start with a beautiful scene – no technical tricks can save a dull image. We’ve already published several articles about improving in-game graphics, so if you haven’t yet perfected your visuals, definitely check those out:

Graphics FAQ for The Sims by buggy starship

GShade: The ultimate guide

Graphics settings in The Sims 4

Now, let’s break down the actual photoshoot process. We picked up tons of useful tips and tricks for this guide from Rosannatxt and @milkemie videos. We highly recommend watching them – you’ll definitely discover something new and cool (plus, their videos are absolutely gorgeous).

Stage 1: Technical preparation for the shoot

Of course, a photoshoot requires preparation, including technical preparation. There are several things worth thinking about in advance.

1. Download all mods that may come in handy during the process

There are tons of mods for creating beautiful screenshots in The Sims. Some speed up and simplify the process, and some are absolutely essential. We’ll tell you exactly which mods you need later in this article.

2. Create a separate save for the shoot

Of course, this step is optional, but if you are planning a large-scale photoshoot, a separate save is very convenient. Progress in your main save until you reach the event you want to capture beautifully, and then make a copy just for the photoshoot.

You can create several saves to experiment with locations, outfits, and lighting in each one. That way, you won’t have to endlessly change things back and forth – you can simply return to the save with the desired settings. Once you’ve taken all the pictures, you can delete the extra saves to avoid cluttering your computer.

Speaking of your computer...

3. Check your device’s performance

Again, this is important only if you’re planning a big shoot with lots of sims.

To fit all the characters you need onto the lot, change the maximum number of sims allowed on the lot using MC Command Center by @deaderpoolmc (hereafter referred to as MCCC):

Click any computer on the lot – MC Command Center – MCCC settings… – Gameplay Settings – Maximum household size

Load all the sims you plan to use onto the lot and just play for a bit. Check if the game lags and whether it feels comfortable for you. If everything works fine – wonderful.

If you encounter unpleasant lags, you can replace some of the characters in the photos with decorative sims. These are mannequins already posed (like runners, gardeners, etc.), and you can place them directly from Build Mode. These are not real playable characters – they are decorations that don’t load your computer.

You can find them, for example, on Pinterest: just search for “Sims 4 deco sims”, and you’ll get tons of results. These decorative sims are perfect for filling in the background and making the scene feel more alive.

Of course, they can also become the main characters of the photo. In that case, it’s important to check them first: place them on the lot and look closely to make sure there are no glitches or weirdness.

Stage 2: Searching for poses, locations, and props

For special shots, it’s important not only to prepare beautiful sims but also to find suitable poses and the perfect location. There are several options for finding both poses and lots.

Where to find poses:

– The main resource for poses is a huge post on Tumblr. It contains all poses sorted into categories, and there are tons of them for every taste. It’s super convenient and quick to find something that fits.

– And, of course, there’s always Pinterest, plus you can check the poses used by your favorite bloggers and creators.

Download the poses you like, unpack the archive, and drop the files into your Mods folder:

Documents – Electronic Arts – The Sims 4 – Mods 

Where to find lots:

– The in-game Gallery;

– Again, our beloved Pinterest; 

– You can also check thematic groups on Tumblr;

– Or download whole ready-made saves that you liked the look of and use lots from there.

The main thing is not to get lost in all this beauty – don’t waste hours searching for one perfect lot. Save a few and reuse them for future shoots.

Download the lot and place it in your save. If it came as an archive, unpack it and drop the files into your Tray folder.

Documents – Electronic Arts – The Sims 4 – Tray 

Stage 3: Creating sims’ looks

This is the hardest and longest stage for every simmer because it’s so hard to stop.

It’s important to plan the concept of your sims’ looks in advance. Of course, it depends on the circumstances: it could be a cozy home shoot or a grand event like a wedding with a dress code.

A great life hack in this case is to borrow beautiful sims from your friends. This way, you won’t have to struggle with creating lots of characters just to fill the frame, and your friends will be happy to see their sims in your work :)

Dress up all the characters the way you want. If you have a lot of participants, it’s very helpful if all their outfits are in the same category (for example, formalwear, swimwear, sportswear) –  this will make it much easier to change their clothes later.

And please, don’t waste time on outfits for background characters who will be blurry, it’s just not worth it.

Stage 4: Tweaking game settings

We suggest tweaking a few settings to make the photoshoot much more comfortable:

1. Open basic game settings and disable sim autonomy so they don’t run off;

2. While on the lot, use any computer to open MCCC and enable “Start game paused” (this also helps keep sims in place);

Computer – MC Command Center – MCCC settings… – Gameplay Settings – Pause on zone

3. Also in MCCC, set the need decay rate to the minimum:

Computer – MC Command Center – MCCC settings… – Gameplay Settings – Character values difficulty adjustments

4. Enter the cheat to enable free object placement: Ctrl + Shift + C and type “bb.moveobjects on”.

Stage 5: Gathering all the sims on the lot

Gathering sims for a small, cozy photoshoot is no big deal, but if you have 10, 20 or even more sims, you need to think about optimization. There are several ways to do this, just choose whichever is most convenient for your situation.

Method 1. Gathering sims through the in-game club system

Pros:

– Sims stay in one place.

– You can make them all do exactly what you want at the same time (for example, sit at a table and chat, dance, etc.).

Cons:

– You need to spend some time creating clubs and adding all the members.

– You’ll have to wait a bit for all the club members to show up at the lot.

There’s a limit to the number of sims in a club, so if you’re doing a big shoot, you’ll need to increase the maximum club size using MCCC:

Computer – MC Command Center – MC Clubs – Club member count

You might also need to increase the number of clubs a single sim can join:

Computer – MC Command Center – MC Clubs – Maximum joinable clubs

Method 2. Gathering sims through MCCC and the mailbox

Just click the mailbox and summon each sim one by one using MCCC.

This method isn’t the most convenient, because you have to invite each sim individually, and then wait for them all to arrive.

Mailbox – MC Command Center – MC Cheats – Sims/NPC households cheats – Summon Sim – List all sims

Method 3. Teleporting sims using the Knight Statue

You’ve probably seen this statue in videos and screenshots. It’s the most popular tool for teleporting sims directly to a specific spot. Download the teleport statue by Scumbumbo and place it in your Mods folder.

You’ll find the statue in Build Mode, under “Kitchen” – “Decorations”

Place as many statues as you need (one for each sim you want to teleport). Click on a statue and select "Teleport a Sim Here" to move a sim directly onto the lot. Repeat for each statue.

The big advantage of this method is that you can place lots of sims exactly where you need them, right from the start.

The downside is that it’s a bit time-consuming since you have to teleport each sim individually.

Method 4. Teleport to the current sim through MCCC

This is the fastest method: just click any sim on the lot, open MCCC, and teleport any sim directly to them.

Sim commands – Teleport commands – Teleport multiple Sims to this Sim – Teleport worlds Sims to this Sim – Teleport Sim now!

You can teleport a whole bunch of sims at once – super convenient! Just don’t freak out when they all land on top of each other in one spot.

Once they’re there, use the Control Any Sim mod by TitanNano to instantly take control of everyone and prevent them from wandering off.

Stage 6: Dressing up the models

You can change outfits for a few sims directly using the in-game “Change Outfit” option.

But if you have a large group, it’s much faster to change everyone at once through MCCC:

Mailbox – MCCC – Sims Cheats/NPC-cheats – MC dresser – Change all outfits

That’s why we suggested earlier to prepare all the outfits in the same category – thank us later!

If someone accidentally ends up in the wrong outfit, you can manually fix it with “Change Outfit” as usual.

READ PART 2

🌱 TheSimsTree

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[meiguicha]

Maladroit Admirer - Rongguo

Danheng x Reader - University AU

Becoming entranced with the most plain looking guy in your tutorial classes leads to a series of very bad, not good fumbles

//So so so so enamoured with the idea of just NPC looking Danheng, short little thingy that I had to get out. Poem is  寄人 by 张泌.

别梦依依到谢家， 小廊回合曲阑斜。

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

You don’t think there’s a difference between a crush and love at this point because being in university and adamantly staring at what might be the most boring looking man in this entire sea of people certainly can’t just be a momentary attraction. Short dark hair, dark eyes, decent fashion style and in a business unit, he wasn’t anything special, and yet you just couldn’t, for the life of you couldn’t, take your damned eyes off him. 

It was ridiculous, you’ve never even spoken to him, looked at him in the eyes even, but here your heart was, pounding against your ribs begging for more. Every time you walk into that horrifically cold room, freezing your shoulders off because if you brought a jacket you’d be sweating from the journey, you see him already there at some table you won’t sit at because you’re afraid of him. Because you’re a nervous wreck and you know that if you had to talk to him during discussion, all you’d do is hum and agree and have no opinion on your own. Which, you’d like to keep some part of your dignity still, so no thank you. 

There has been no man, woman even, that has rendered you so stupid. It must be some kind of witchcraft, there was no other explanation for the grip this man had on you. 

You try your best, your absolute best, to focus on the question ahead of you, not like it was actually hard. However, seeing as you were in a small table of three, had an ethics question and you were hyper-aware of every action you made because of that damned man, you certainly weren’t at your peak performance today. 

With your table’s assigned question out of the way, the two of them went on to discuss the rest, or rather you and the person next to you since you two were the only ones who attempted the exercise. The discussion didn’t go bad, merely boring and strained seeing as you’ve never actually talked to anyone in this class, so when the exact same person asked to see your graphs. You, of course, took that as a very bad chance to make a joke. 

“Just to warn you, I bullshitted my graphs, so if they’re wrong don’t blame me,” You joked, raising your hands in mock-guile.

Somehow, some-god-forsaken-how, despite being in a room speaking at a normal conversational level surrounded by other people talking, everyone heard you. And everyone is staring at you. Great, absolutely great. Ducking your head, you pretend to type something else on your computer. You can only pray that you never see anyone in this class ever again, or have to talk to them (which wasn’t going to happen but you could pretend).

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice his eyes glancing between you and the rest of his table, a kind of vacant stare if you will. Your ears grow hot at this revelation, he must think you’re a total idiot, or a buffoon, whichever one because you might as well be all the ways you could refer to someone as stupid. How you longed to return to the cold dark earth, maybe you wouldn’t say things that made you sound like some brainless highschooler. 

By the time the tutorial ends, you’ve already debated ending it all at least three times. With your computer and singular pencil packed up, you absentmindedly head towards the exit, weaving through strewn chairs and the awkwardly placed tables. It is then you notice a familiar someone’s form standing at the door. 

Your eyes slowly shift up and who else could it be but the very man who rendered your brain mush, holding the door open and gesturing for you to go. 

You barely meet his eyes, bowing your head and quickly scurrying off, at least not before blurting out a quick “Thank you.”

With the speed of a falcon, your footsteps scamper off, hefting your heavy tote bag you now wonder why you brought. Tucking your earphones in, you try your best at nonchalance and it works, for about six steps until the tip of your shoe catches against some crack in the path and you have to walk off the even more public embarrassment. 

In the distance, he watches you trip on your own feet and your shoe almost gets stuck on the carpeted pathway. An amused breath escapes him and he wonders what exactly about you is so endearing to him. Danheng swears he has never met someone as oddly appealing even with your little fumbles, and by now he’s given up trying to figure it out. 

He’ll find some way to approach you later, when his palms aren’t trying to sweat the skin off of them and his head isn’t going at a thousand thoughts per second. He only hopes you didn’t notice his continuous staring, or the fact that his hand slipped and missed the first time he tried to grab the door handle.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

多情只有春庭月，犹为离人照落花。

[annabelle--cane]

so I don’t have the knowledge of details that you have (complimentary) but is there anything in the computer code Colin looking into being written in German and Jonah Magnus’ buddy living in the Black Forest and finding that crypt that one time? Or is that Too far a reach?

vibrating at the speed of sound. so there are a couple of floating details around from the podcasts, the arg, and some promotional materials that may point back to germany having particular relevance. some of this is absolutely me going full pepe silvia, but there are enough threads here that I feel like it has to amount to Something.

so. germany.

archives 'verse:

-> point 1: johann von württemberg. while staying with his nephew in the schwartzwald in 1816, albrecht von closen finds an old mausoleum with the inscription "johann von württemberg" over the door, and it is guarded by a man with no eyes who nonetheless seems to be able to see. in a deep chamber well beneath the ground is johann's coffin, and the room is completely lined with books so old that they'd all rotted through and fused together, the marble shelves they're placed on having little carvings of open eyes all along them. the only two objects in a good state are an illuminated manuscript in arabic that had been kept apart from the rest of the books, and a gold coin with an engraving of a young man with flowing hair, the initials "JW," the year 1279, and the words "für die stille" (google translate tells me that’s “for the silence”). albrecht asks around for any information about johann because the name is unfamiliar despite his quite good knowledge about local history and nobles, and someone says they remember him being called "ulrich's bastard," likely referring to ulrich the i or ii, two counts of württemberg from the 1200s. with that information, in the present day jon is able to find some historical records that point to ulrich i having a son out of wedlock in 1255 who was rumored to keep the company of witches.

-> point 2: the von closens. it seems that a servant nicked the coin albrecht found before he could go home with it, and that was probably for the best for albrecht, because that servant Died Badly from what was ruled to be an animal attack. albrecht did take the book with him, however, and presumably went on to show it to jonah magnus. he then must have gone back for the rest of the rotten books at some point, though, because when doctor jonathan fanshawe visits his estate in 1831, albrecht has a full library of recently re-bound books that he tells fanshawe he got from the tomb, and owning them has done terrible beholding-esque things to him. fanshawe, in his capacity as a doctor, says they should return the books for albrecht's health, and they do so, but just as the last book is returned, albrecht dies, and fanshawe realizes that all the books were blank and finds out that jonah arranged to have them all swapped out by the book binder. when fanshawe performs an autopsy on albrecht's body, all of his insides are covered in eyes.

in his statement from 1816, albrecht says he and his wife carla have been unable to conceive, though in 1831 fanshawe mentions that all of albrecht's sons were away at school when he came to visit. not something that's impossible, they could have managed to have children shortly after 1816, but it does make me raise an eyebrow. magically blessed fertility? dimension shenanigans? fanshawe does mention a tree being burned on the von closen estate that feels remarkably similar to the tree on hilltop road.

anyway, wilhelm, albrecht's nephew, has some children, and the family stays in germany for about another century, but one branch eventually moves to england, and their descendants include mary and gerard keay. according to gerry, mary was big into mythologizing about the von closens and really tried to get him to continue her idea of a legacy for the family, but he thought most of what she said was made up.

protocol 'verse:

-> point 3: colin's comment about source code being written in german. nothing much to explain here, just that it's Weird that source code for some Weird bespoke program for the british civil service is written in german, right? Bit Odd.

-> point 4: the usenet forum. okay so I'm an avatar of the idiot and only read up about the arg after it was already over and don't know anything about code and whatnot, but as best as I can understand: on the OIAR's official website, if you try to submit a form, you get an error message, and if you look into the source code for the error then you find Some piece of code with an IP address shaped hole in it, and there's an IP address hidden in an OIAR advertising video, so you put that IP address into the code, do something else (???), and then find yourself at an old defunct usenet forum from the 90s/00s for people who left east germany.

(it is from here that I got too verbose for my own good, so the rest is under a cut)

notable things about the forum: most of it is pretty normal, and, naturally, it was pretty much all in german, massive shoutout to everyone who helped to translate all 21k words of it. there are threads about finding work in various countries, weird cultural idiosyncrasies, resources, reminiscing about berlin, yknow, normal stuff. the mod “SandmannS” (translates to exactly what it looks like) ran the forum with a bit of an iron fist, which I guess makes sense, it’s the kind of forum that attracted people who wanted to say some heinous stuff and he was really serious about not letting anyone solicit personal information, but he was also kind of overzealous about keeping threads on topic and locking any discussions that he thought were “pointless.” he was eventually strongarmed into opening a thread for cat pictures, and that’s as good an opening as any to talk about some of the Weird things about the forum.

one of the cat photos was posted in february 1994 and shows a cat standing in front of the thames, with what looks like the completed o2 arena in full view (great choice of a red flag landmark to include @ whoever chose it. nice big landmark that was called “the millennium dome” when it first opened, a handy reminder that it was made to celebrate the turn of the millennium and construction wouldn't even have started in 1994). several comments across the threads are dated as earlier than the comments they’re replying to, one person references the content of the phantom menace a few months before its release, and several comments were somehow made after the mod locked the forum in dec 2001/jan 2002.

and okay. the forum locking. I’m going to condense this to all hell because this is already [redacted] words long but basically, “einsamernarr” (translation: lonely fool) was an active user of the forum with a big conspiratorial streak, real paranoid about “the government” spying on him, always getting warnings and just dodging getting banned just before going too far, yknow, a Type of Guy. in december 2001, he mentions in a book rec thread that he was trolling through some databases and found a bunch of old records and he can’t tell if they’re fictional or not, but he’d like to share them if he can. about five days later, he starts posting in several threads that he did something really dumb, people are after him, the meetup they were planning is not safe and this forum is being watched, people should look for him if he doesn’t come back within a week, and he’ll try to leave some info behind for them just in case. a few days later, a couple of people post worried messages asking if anyone’s heard from einsamernarr and that they’ve been getting weird cryptic emails about an “institute” from him, and sandmanns says that he did everything he could, but he can’t keep doing this, and he closes the forum.

marina “avatar of the idiot” annabelle--cane showing my face here again, I don’t know how this next part happened, but it’s possible to retrieve the email einsamernarr sent, open it with a password found in colin’s code repository (that’s a whole ‘nother thing), and find inside: 1. some pictures of bonzobucks, 2. a weird pdf of an old german book on alchemy with a lot of symbols and codes in it, and 3. a spreadsheet of the names, ages, and test results of the hundreds of children the protocol 'verse magnus institute was performing psych studies on. which finally brings us to our next, much shorter section.

-> point 5: “gerard kaey” (sic). gerry’s name is on that spreadsheet, which I think is relevant to this conversation given mary’s obsession with the von closen legacy. archives ‘verse mary keay resented the magnus institute for what she felt it stood for comparison to what she felt she stood for; she saw jonah magnus as a thief who stole away her family’s honor, so what might be different about the protocol ‘verse situation? why would mary keay in this universe send her only heir to go get scrutinized by a bunch of self-important academics?

-> point 6: the berlin dead drop. more arg stuff, we’re getting into things that I’m sure probably have more to be said about them than I’m capable of saying, but from some clues in a picture of cookbooks that einsamermarr posted in the cat pictures thread of the usenet forum to annoy the mod, and a voicemail on the OIAR’s telephone line, people found out the date and location of the first irl arg event, and it was for somewhere in berlin. a newspaper covered in alchemical symbols was found in a bookshop, and from that people somehow derived coordinates, and those coordinates lead to the last irl event where a battered old video tape with a video of a creepy ritual was found (note: the tape was too badly damaged, so another copy of the video came from an arg affiliated tumblr account).

-> point 7: klaus.xls. from a floppy disk found in the second irl arg event, klaus.xls is a spreadsheet originally written in german with about 100 dates and times of potentially paranormal sightings. a lot of it is corrupted and unreadable, but there are columns for category, rank, “TSHU,” and notes. translated into english, notes sections that aren’t corrupted say things like “mr. b,” “war people,” “avoid, “unhappy child,” “ink,” “lady m,” “cats lol,” and “I hate witches.”

-> point 8: albertus magnus and the philosopher’s stone. right, this is where I go a bit off the rails, and credit to this post by @misfitmagpie for discovering some of this. first, nearly every official visual we’ve had for tmagp has been covered in alchemy symbols. they’re all over the logo, they’re all over the in-universe OIAR and magnus institute websites, they highlighted hints in the arg, they’re everywhere, and the end goal of alchemy was the pursuit of the mythical philosopher’s stone, a substance that could turn base metals into gold and produce an elixir for eternal life. the tmagp logo/the coat of arms for the OIAR is centered around an upside down alchemical symbol for the philosopher’s stone, a circle in a square in a triangle in a larger circle. 

albertus magnus (aka saint albert the great) was a bavarian philosopher and scientist who did some writing on alchemy and has been widely rumored to secretly have been a master alchemist, mainly as a result of a lot of people attaching his name to writings about alchemy that he never touched. some have credited him as discovering the actual philosopher’s stone, and while he never made that claim in any way that survives, he did record that he’d witnessed seeing base metals be turned into gold. something of which to take note is that he didn’t go by the name “magnus” during his life, that was appended to him posthumously, it’s just another way of calling him “the great” with a fancy latin word, but it does kind of remind me of that edmond “reimer” halley -> maxwell rayner thing from mag 140. if you discovered the elixir of life and became immortal, you would probably need to nab a new identity at some point, and if people have already been nicknaming you “albert the great,” well…

anyway, the thing that’s really cemented his potential relevance in my mind is his birth and death dates: c. 1200-1280, lining up perfectly with the time period of johann von württemberg (thought we’d moved on from him, didn’t you?). I know magnus timelines are notoriously a bit unruly, especially the further back into the past we get, but it’s scratching at my brain. besides that, I think it would be a really cool move if the magnus this podcast is named for was a completely different person than the magnus the last podcast was named for.

if albertus magnus isn’t directly relevant then I’ve got another theory about the title that I’ll be posting in a hot minute, but it’s not germany related and this ask is already long enough. 

just, to sum up, a lot of protocol content so far has been germany-adjacent, and even if nothing more comes of it I think there are a lot of interesting threads here to speculate about.

[planesawesome]

The F-2 fighter is a multirole fighter that entered service with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 2000. It is derived from the F-16, which is a lightweight, single-engine, all-weather fighter that entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 1978. The F-2 and the F-16 share many similarities, but also have some notable differences that affect their performance.

Some of the similarities between the F-2 and the F-16 are that they both have a top speed of Mach 2 (about 1,500 mph or 2,400 kph) and a service ceiling of 50,000 feet (about 15,000 meters). They both have a single General Electric F110 afterburning turbofan engine that produces about 29,000 pounds of thrust. They both have a head-up display, a pulse-Doppler radar, an inertial navigation system, a tactical navigation system, an electronic warfare system, and a central digital computer. They both can carry air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, such as missiles, bombs, and rockets.

Some of the differences between the F-2 and the F-16 are that the F-2 has a larger wing area (608 square feet vs 300 square feet) and a larger tailplane area (116 square feet vs 72 square feet) than the F-16. This gives the F-2 better payload and maneuverability in proportion to its thrust, but also adds weight to the airframe.

The F-2 is heavier (21,000 lb vs 19,000 lb empty weight; 48,000 lb vs 42,000 lb maximum takeoff weight) than the F-16. This reduces the F-2’s acceleration, climbing, payload, and range compared to the F-16. Also the F-2 has a radar-absorbent composite skin that reduces its radar cross-section and makes it less detectable by enemy radars than the F-16.

The F-2 has an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that has better performance and reliability than the mechanically scanned radar of the F-16. The AESA radar can track multiple targets simultaneously and switch modes quickly. The F-2 has a redesigned cockpit canopy that provides better visibility for the pilot than the F-16. The F-2 can carry some weapons that the F-16 cannot fire, such as the ASM-1 and ASM-2 anti-ship missiles.

Both aircraft have their specific strengths and weaknesses, and their effectiveness may vary depending on the mission and the scenario

[baldy-wan-kenobi]

Mechs of the Setting- A deeper look

Pandelmo Incorporated

Based out of the city-state of Chicago, Pandelmo's primary concern is Combat Frames. First and foremost, they are a defense contractor and supplier of Gen 2 frames. Their frames are generally middle-of-the-road, good-for-the-price, perfectly "average" frames. Perfect for a City-State's security forces or as a base for customization.

OEM Frames:

GRA-01 "Granite" - A basic, all-rounder frame. No true weak points, but no real specialty. Cornerstone of the Pandelmo brand. Equipped with a 20mm autocannon, Combat-Rated Fist, one rack of 8 laser-guided missiles, and one 81mm mortar launcher.

BAS-02A "Basalt" - Pandelmo's Heavy model, essentially an up-armored and heavier-armed Granite, trading the sheer versatility of the company's flagship model for an ability to take hits and a superior level of firepower, at the expense of some speed and maneuverability. It is equipped with one 30mm rotary cannon, two racks of 8 laser-guided missiles, and an 81mm mortar launcher.

BAS-02B "Basalt (FS)" - Pandelmo's Heavy model, equipped and tuned for better performance in a fire support role. In exchange for a worse heat economy than the standard Basalt, it carries a staggering amount of firepower, and has a far better range, thanks to its better Targeting Computer. It is equipped with an Enhanced Radar Package, two pods of 15 radar-guided missiles, and one 120mm howitzer.

QTZ-03A "Quartz" - Pandelmo's light frame, built for speed and maneuverability. Though its intended role is reconnaissance, its cannon and enhanced sensor suite make it a formidable sniper in the right hands. It is equipped with one 105mm cannon, one pod of 4 radar-guided missiles, and an Enhanced Radar Package.

QTZ-03B "Quartz (B)" - Pandelmo's light frame, modified for use as an up-close brawler. Its shotgun can be loaded with alternate ammunition, allowing for greater tactical flexibility, while its Pile Bunker can deliver devastating melee blows, punching through all but the heaviest of armor. It is equipped with one seventeen-pounder shotgun, one pile bunker, and one rack of 4 laser-guided missiles.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Meatspace twiddling

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me next weekend (Mar 30/31) in ANAHEIM at WONDERCON, then in Boston with Randall "XKCD" Munroe (Apr 11), then Providence (Apr 12), and beyond!

"Enshittification" isn't just a way of describing the symptoms of platform decay: it's also a theory of the mechanism of decay – the means by which platforms get shittier and shittier until they are a giant pile of shit.

I call that mechanism "twiddling": this is the ability of digital services to alter their business-logic – the prices they charge, the payouts they offer, the particulars of the deal – from instant to instant, for each user, continuously:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

Contrary to Big Tech's own boasting about its operations, the tricks that tech firms play to siphon value away from business customers and end-users aren't very sophisticated. They're crude gimmicks, like offering a higher per-hour wage to Uber drivers whom the algorithm judges to be picky about which rides they'll clock in for, and then lowering the wage by small increments as a way of lulling the driver into gradually accepting a permanent lower rate:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

This is a simple trick. The difference is that tech platforms like Uber can play it over and over, and very quickly. There's plenty of wage-stealing scumbag bosses who'd have loved to have shaved pennies off their workers' paychecks, then added a few cents back in if a worker cried foul, then started shaving the pennies again. The thing that stopped those bosses was the bottleneck of payroll clerks, who couldn't make the changes fast enough.

Uber plays crude tricks – like claiming that a driver isn't an employee because the control is mediated through an app – and then piles more crude tricks on top – this algorithmic wage discrimination gambit.

Have you ever watched a shell-game performed very slowly?

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-do-penn-tellers-famous-cups-and-balls-trick-in-12-steps

It's a series of very simple gimmicks, performed very quickly and smoothly. Computers are very quick and very smooth. The quickness of the hand deceives the eye: do crude tricks with superhuman speed and they'll seem sophisticated.

The one bright spot in the Great Enshittening that we're living through is that many firms are not sufficiently digitized to to these crude tricks very quickly. Take grocery stores: they can get up to a lot of the same tricks as Amazon – for example, they can charge suppliers for placement on the most prominent, easiest-to-reach shelves, reorganizing your shopping based on which companies pay the biggest bribes, rather than offering the best products and prices.

But Amazon takes this to a whole different level – beyond simply organizing their product pages based on payola, they do this for search. You ask Amazon, "What's your cheapest batteries?" and it lies to you. If you click the first link in a search-results page, you'll pay 29% more than you would if you got the best product – a product that is, on average, 17 places down on the results page. Amazon makes $38b/year taking bribes to lie to you:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens

Amazon can do more than that. Thanks to its digital nature, it can continuously reprice its offerings – indeed, it can simply make up each price displayed on every product at the instant you look at it – based on its surveillance data about you, estimating your willingness to pay. For sellers, Amazon can continuously re-weight the likelihood that a given product will be shown to a customer based on the seller's willingness to discount their products, even to the point where they go out of business:

https://www.businessinsider.com/sadistic-amazon-treated-book-sellers-the-way-a-cheetah-would-pursue-a-sickly-gazelle-2013-10

Twiddling, in other words, lets digital services honeycomb their servers with sneaky wormholes that let them siphon value away from one kind of platform user and give it to another (as when Apple silently began spying on Iphone owners to create profiles for advertisers), or to themselves.

But hard-goods businesses struggle to do this kind of twiddling. Not for lack of desire – but for lack of capacity. Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon Fresh – an online grocery store – can change prices and layout millions of times per day, at effectively zero cost. Jeff Bezos, owner of Whole Foods – a brick-and-mortar grocer – needs a army of teenagers on rollerskates with pricing guns to achieve a fraction of this agility.

So hard-goods businesses are somewhat enshittification-resistant. It's not that their owners are more interested in the welfare of their customers, workers and suppliers – they merely lack the capacity to continuously rejigger the way their business runs.

Well, about that.

Grocers have been experimenting with "electronic shelf labels" in order to do "dynamic pricing" – that means that prices change quickly, in response to circumstances:

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/06/1197958433/dynamic-pricing-grocery-supermarkets

This doesn't have to be bad! As @planetmoney points out, it's a little weird that grocers don't discount milk whose sell-by date is drawing near. That milk is worth less to shoppers, because they have to use it more quickly lest it expire. Instead of marking down the price of perishable goods – day-old lettuce, yesterday's bread, etc – grocers put them on the shelves next to fresher, more valuable products, leading to billions of dollars' worth of food-waste and and unimaginable quantities of methane-producing, planet-cooking landfill.

In Norway, ESLs are pretty well established and – at least according to Planet Money's reporting – they are used exclusively to offer discounts in order to reduce waste. They make everyone better off.

But towards the end of the story, they note that Norway's grocery sector – which alters prices up to 2,000 times per day – has been accused of using ESLs to rig prices, hiking them and blaming them on pandemic supply-chain problems and loose monetary policy. Greedflation, in other words.

Greedflation is rampant in the grocery sector, all around the world. Remember when the price of eggs doubled and they blamed in on bird-flu, even as the CEO of the one company that owns every egg brand you've ever heard of boasted about how he could hike prices and suckers would just pay it?

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/23/cant-make-an-omelet/#keep-calm-and-crack-on

In Canada, grocers rigged the price of bread, the most Les-Mis-ass form of corporate crime you can imagine (do you want guillotines, Galen Weston? Because this is how you get guillotines):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_price-fixing_in_Canada

EU grocers – another highly concentrated industry – also collude to rig prices:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/17/how-to-think-about-scraping/

Which is all to say that while these companies don't have to use the twiddling capabilities that come with ESLs to enshittify their stores, we'd be pretty fucking naive to assume that they won't.

And here's the bad news: US grocers like Whole Foods (owned by Amazon, the company that wrote the enshittification playbook) are already experimenting with ESLs. So is Alberstons/Safeway, the massive, inbred conglomerate that has already demonstrated its passion for using twiddling to fuck over their workers:

https://knock-la.com/vons-fires-delivery-drivers-prop-22-e899ee24ffd0/

Economists love "price discrimination" – where prices change based on circumstance, trying to match the perfect price with the perfect customer. On paper, that sounds plausible: if I need a quart of milk for a recipe I'm making tonight and I get a 50% discount on some about-to-expire 2%, then everyone's better off. I get a discount and the grocer gets some money for milk they'd have to throw away at the end of the day.

But these elegant, self-licking ice-cream cones only emerge if the corporation offering the deal is constrained. Perhaps they're constrained by competition – the fear that you'll go elsewhere. Or perhaps they're constrained by regulation – the fear that they'll be punished if they use twiddling-tech to cheat you.

The grocery sector, dominated by a cartel of massive companies that routinely collude to rip us off, is not constrained by competition. And for years, regulators let them get away with ripping us off (though finally that might be changing):

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/21/us/politics/grocery-prices-pandemic-ftc.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ek0.t2Pr.g4n2usbxEcoa

For neoclassical economists, the answer to all this is "caveat emptor" – let the buyer beware. If you want to make sure that ESLs are only used to offer you discounts and not to gouge prices, all you need to do is note the price of everything you buy, every time you buy it, and triple-check it every time you go back to the grocery store. Just be eternally vigilant!

Thing is, the one thing computers are much better at than humans is vigilance. With ESLs and other twiddling mechanisms, you're a fish on a hook, and the seller is tireless in giving you a little more slack, then a little less, until you finally drop your guard.

Economists desperately want these elegant models to work, but "efficient market hypothesis" is a brain-worm that always turns into apologetics for fraud. Dynamic markets sound like a good idea, but they are catnip for cheaters. "Just be eternally vigilant" is miserable advice, and no way to live your life:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

In his brilliant novel Spook Country, @GreatDismal describes augmented reality as "cyberspace everting" – that is, turning inside-out:

https://memex.craphound.com/2007/07/31/william-gibsons-spook-country/

The extrusion of twiddling technology from digital platforms into the physical world isn't cyberspace everting so much as it is cyberspace prolapsing.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/26/glitchbread/#electronic-shelf-tags

[flamingspud]

Bamboozlers vs Spanners: The Wild Life Cafe Au

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Extras / Ao3 link

Here it is! Me and @idontneedbee ‘s piece for @mcyt-soulmate-sweepstakes Two to Tango! There are 7 tumblr parts total, and the whole thing is on ao3!

The Spanner Cafe and the Bamboozler Cafe have been at war with each other for as long as anyone can remember. After all, being located across the road from each other meant that they interfered with each other’s business. It’s only natural that their rivalry would devolve into petty remarks and silly antics. Or: Five times the Bamboozlers and Spanners caused problems for each other, and the one time they helped each other out.

Chapter under the cut:

The Spy

Mumbo sighed. It was a slow day at the cafe, and while normally that'd be a good thing Mumbo found himself unusually antsy. He'd already wiped down the counters and tables, reorganised their ingredients twice and even did some paperwork, yet he still couldn't get himself to be still.

"Dude, you look like you're about to perform surgery for the first time," Skizz commented as he tried to make some kind of sculpture out of stirring sticks.

Mumbo huffed. "I do not."

Skizz shrugged. "If you say so, dude."

Mumbo rolled his eyes and turned his gaze towards the window. 

His eyes latched onto the bright colours of the Bamboozler's Cafe, which sat across the road from theirs. The windows were decorated with colourful heart doodles and information about their opening and closing times in Lizzie's pretty handwriting, a stark contrast the to darker neutral colours of the Spanner's Cafe.

The two cafes had been rivals ever since the Bamboozlers opened up shop and started stealing half of the Spanners' business.

Inside the cafe Scar was leaning on the counter, happily chatting away to Grian, who was nodding and smiling.

Mumbo furrowed his brows. "Skizz?"

"Yeah?"

"Grian's been gone an awfully long time, don't you think?"

"He's been gone for ten minutes," Skizz countered.

Mumbo turned to look at him. "Bringing the post over should only take one, maybe two."

Skizz stopped to consider this. "Huh."

Mumbo went back to looking across the road. Grian was laughing now, probably at something Scar said. "Maybe he's a double agent."

"What?" Skizz snapped his head up to look in Mumbo's direction, causing him to knock his tower over. "Dangit!"

"Think about it, he and Scar have always acted like buddies, what if it's because he's been giving him our secrets!"

"Oh my god, he totally is!" Skizz realised.

"We need to confront him," Mumbo said decisively, bringing his right fist down into his left palm.

"Right!" Skizz agreed.

Right as they decided this Grian himself walked through the door, a few envelopes in his hand.

"Hope you guys didn't miss me too much," he said as he made his way towards the back room.

Mumbo and Skizz looked at each other. 

They didn't say anything when Grian walked back into the room and behind the counter, now without the envelopes.

"You two alright?" Grian asked.

"Yup," Skizz quickly said, eyes darting around suspiciously.

"What he said," Mumbo added, his voice slightly higher pitched than usual.

Grian tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. "Did I miss something?"

Mumbo and Skizz shook their heads.

Grian didn't believe them, but he didn't push it further as a customer walked into the cafe.

<[🔧]>

"Mumbo!"

Mumbo looked up from the computer just in time to see Skizz nearly fall over from the speed at which he ran into the freezer with.

"Skizz? What is it??"

Skizz looked around to make sure no one was looking before pulling a phone out of his pocket. "Dude, I got his phone!"

"What?!" Mumbo sat up straighter as Skizz bounded over to him.

"I have G's phone!" He dropped it onto the desk next to Mumbo.

"How did you get it?" Mumbo asked, slightly incredulous.

"A lady started yelling at him and instead of helping him I may have slipped his phone from his pocket…" Skizz said that last bit a little sheepishly.

"Skizz!" Mumbo laughed. "That is incredible!"

"Maybe, but we don't know his password."

Mumbo picked up the phone, tilted the screen away from Skizz, and typed in a password. "There."

"How did you-"

"Unimportant, we need to check his messages with the Bamboozlers."

Skizz leaned over Mumbo's shoulder to get a better view as he clicked onto Grian's messaging app.

Scar was one of the first names on the list. "He texted him recently," Mumbo pointed out. The betrayal was worse than they thought.

He opened that chat and they were surprised by what they found. 

"It's just memes!" Skizz exclaimed.

The only actual texts they sent in the past few months were the occasional LOL or keyboard smash.

"Wait a minute…" Skizz grabbed the phone from Mumbo, who was immediately hopeful once more.

"What is it? A secret code, hidden in the memes?"

"I sent this meme to the group chat last week! He just sent it on as his own!" Skizz explained with total disdain.

Mumbo rolled his eyes. "Well, it's clear that he's been deleting the messages," he decided. "I doubt we'll find anything in the other two's logs. I wonder if we could install spyware onto this, catch him in the act…"

"Do you know how to do that?" Skizz asked.

Mumbo frowned. "No."

Skizz hummed. "Tango might."

Mumbo's eyes lit up. "Can you ask him to do it?"

Skizz made a face. "I don't think he'll want to."

"Damn it."

When the door opened the pair of them jumped, Skizz even let out a small scream.

"Look, someone needs to deal with Karen out there because I am this close to knocking her lights out," Grian vented, unaware of their suspicious activities.

Mumbo fumbled to quickly hide Grian's phone.

"I'll go have a word with her," Skizz assured him, giving Grian a pat on the shoulder on his way out.

Grian sighed.

"Hey, Grian."

"Hm?"

"You dropped this."

Mumbo handed his phone back to him.

<[🎋]>

It had been when Mumbo was searching for a way to install spyware onto Grian's phone that an opportunity presented itself.

"Hey Mumbo-" It was a miracle Mumbo managed to restrain himself from throwing his phone across the room and instead threw it violently onto the table.

"Hey Grian, what's up?" He laughed in a totally natural way.

"Mumbo are you ok?" Grian asked.

"Perfect, why?"

Grian looked at him funny. He then shook his head and continued. "What matcha do we use?"

Mumbo furrowed his brows. "Why do you want to know?"

"Why do you think?" Grian countered sarcastically.

To sell our secrets, Mumbo thought. He could've shut him down there and then, instead he replied "Pantenger."

Grian nodded. "Cool."

At the time Mumbo didn't think anything bad would come of that conversation. He was wrong.

Pearl made a face. "What did you put in this?"

Skizz gave her a quizzical look. "The same as usual, why?"

"It tastes spoiled," she admitted.

"That's the third complaint today," Grian said.

"Hey, why're we using Pantenger? It's a load of crap," Skizz commented, checking the container.

"Because that's what we usually get..." Grian replied slowly.

Mumbo was avoiding eye contact.

"…Mumbo?"

"Since when did you put in orders?" Mumbo asked.

"Since I decided to do something nice- why would you tell me the wrong matcha brand?"

Skizz glanced at Mumbo.

"So you would tell the Bamboozler's a bad brand and their matcha sales would plummet," he admitted.

"What?"

"We know you've been spying for them!" Mumbo told him.

"I've been- no! Why would I give secrets to the competition? This place is my livelihood!"

"Y-you spent ages talking to Scar the other day!" Mumbo insisted.

"He was talking to me about Star Wars! I can't believe you think I'd betray this place!"

"We had no other choice!"

"We?!"

Skizz put his hands up in surrender. "Mumbo started it."

"Dude!" Mumbo said, and Grian shook his head.

"I can't believe this…"

"G, we're sorry," Skizz apologised.

"Bootlicker," Mumbo muttered.

"I'm taking my break," Grian decided.

"But-"

"I'm taking it!" The pair watched him walk out the front door.

A beat of silence passed before Skizz offered to make Pearl another drink, on the house.

Eventually Grian came back, and Mumbo reluctantly approached him. "I'm… sorry I accused you of betraying us for the Bamboozlers…" he told him, as if each word physically pained him. 

Off to the side Skizz gave him a thumbs up.

Grian crossed his arms. "And?"

Mumbo sighed. "And I'm sorry for telling you the wrong matcha brand and costing the business a lot of money."

Grian smiled. "Good. Now get back to work."

Mumbo sighed. In truth, he didn't like being suspicious of Grian, and much preferred being his friend.

"They gave us the wrong post again!" Skizz complained as Grian went behind the counter. "I'll be right back…"

Mumbo watched as Skizz crossed the road to the Bamboozler's, wheels turning in his brain. "Hmm…"

[bryce-bucher]

500 CALIBER CONTRACTZ Post #12

Dialogue!!!11:

The main thing I did over the past week or so was put together this dialogue system. The system itself was fairly easily to implement, and I think the only interesting part of the process to share is how I went about making the UI. As per usual, I wanted to have a cool mechanical feeling ui, but at the same time a friend of mine suggested an AOL instant messenger inspired chat window. I loved both of these ideas so I decided to combine them into a screen that pops up and contains the aim-like window. The modeling process for the screen was similar to how I went about making the other two bits of ui that are on screen in the above photos, but I decided to include a VGA port.

VGA PORT:

I didn't originally plan to include a VGA port, but I was in the middle of researching monitors and accidentally left a window open on my computer that just had a big photo of one and I went "wait a minute.". With my final two braincells I suddenly decided to slap together a model for the port which I ended up being proud enough of to, for some reason, make an entire section for it.

Sorry if any of the above sentences read horribly. I am going to need a third braincell if you want this stuff to be coherent. Anyway, Blender is so cool. Using the array modifier to make all these lil squares for the holes in the port is just such a satisfying process. I've come to really like makin pre-rendered assets like this.

New Movez:

This is actually a pretty big inclusion, and I probably should've ranked it in my mind above the VGA port. I added some new movement options to the game!

Firstly, I added this melee move where you swing the back of the sniper forwards to propel yourself a bit. It is mainly useful as a bunnyhop that allows you to conserve momentum.

Next up I added this kick that happens if you melee while in the air. It's basically just the one from mario64. It lets you gain a little bit more height and distance. It also becomes way more effective if you have a lot of momentum. A good tool for correcting jumps and reaching new heights.

Finally, we have the big schmovement slide. This slide gives you a huge burst of speed that you can jump out of in order to send your self flyin. Surprisingly, it didn't really break any of the level design and ended up being a really fun addition imo. In order to perform it, you have to do a ground pound and then melee as you hit the ground. Also, I feel like I basically stole this from pseudoregalia. Played through that recently and it has been a good source of inspiration.

Nova!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

This is a cameo skin I've been really excited to finally make myself put in the game. Anodyne 2 is a really important game to me, and I love it much. I'm really happy tha folks at analgesic let me put her in here, and I'm p happy with how her model came together. If you haven't peeped the Anodyne games I highly recommend them. The first one was a major inspiration for parts of Fatum Betula.

Conclusion:

Lately I've been playing this game way too much. It has made it impossible for me to tell if it is fun or well designed. Some problems cropped up during playtesting that ima need to address, and I hope that it all comes together into something that one could say is "fun and cool". I think takin this weekend off is gonna do my brain good. Oh yeah also I feel like I should advertise that I'm still doing commissions if anyone is interested. Anyway, have a good 1 and enjoy urself.