#transistor in particular means a lot to me it was the first game i ever played that made me cry

[themollyjay]

The Myths of Forced Diversity and Virtue Signaling.

In my novel Mail Order Bride, the three main characters are a lesbian and two agendered aliens.  In my novel Scatter, the main character is a lesbian, the love interest is a pansexual alien, and the major side characters include a half Cuban, half black Dominican lesbian, a Chinese Dragon, a New York born Jewish Dragon, and a Transgender Welsh Dragon.  In my novel The Master of Puppets, the Main Characters are a lesbian shapeshifting reptilian alien cyborg and a half black, half Japanese lesbian.  The major side characters include three gender fluid shapeshifting reptilian alien cyborgs, and a pansexual human.  In my novel Transistor, the main character is a Trans Lesbian, the love interest is a Half human/Half Angel non-observant Ethiopian Jew, and the major side characters include a Transgender Welsh Dragon (the same one from Scatter), a Transgender woman, a Latino Lesbian, an autistic man, three Middle Eastern Arch Angels, and a hive mind AI with literally hundreds of genders.  In my novel The Inevitable singularity, one of the main characters is a lesbian, another has a less clearly defined sexuality but she is definitely in love with the lesbian, and the third is functionally asexual due to a vow of chastity she takes very seriously.  The major side characters include a straight guy from a social class similar to the Dalit (commonly known as untouchables) in India, a bisexual woman, a man who is from a race of genetically modified human/frog hybrids, and a woman from a race of genetically modified humans who are bred and sold as indentured sex workers.

Why am I bringing all of this up?  Well, first, because it’s kind of cool to look at the list of different characters I’ve created, but mostly because it connects to what I want to talk about today, which should be obvious from the title of the essay.  The concepts of ‘forced diversity’ and ‘virtue signaling’.

For those who aren’t familiar with these terms, they’re very closely related concepts.  ‘Forced Diversity’ is the idea that characters who aren’t neurotypical cisgendered heterosexual white males are only ever included in a story because of outside pressure from some group (usually called Social Justice Warriors, or The Woke Brigade or something similar) to meet some nebulous political agenda.  The caveat to this is, of course, that you can have a women/women present as long as they are hot, don’t make any major contributions to the resolution of the plot, and the hero/heroes get to fuck them before the end of the story. ‘Virtue Signaling’, according to Wikipedia, is a pejorative neologism for the expression of a disingenuous moral viewpoint with the intent of communicating good character.

The basic argument is that Forced Diversity is a form of virtue signaling.  That no one would ever write characters who aren’t neurotypical cisgendered heterosexual white males because they want to.  They only do it to please the evil SJW’s who are somehow both so powerful that they force everybody to conform to their desires, yet so irrelevant that catering to them dooms any creative project to financial failure via the infamous ‘go woke, go broke’ rule.

What the people who push this idea of Forced Diversity tend to forget is that we exist at a point in time when creators actually have more creative freedom than are any other people in history.  Comic writers can throw up a website and publish their work as a webcomic without having to go through Marvel, DC or one of the other big names, or get a place in the dying realm of the news paper comics page.  Novelists can self-publish with fairly little upfront costs, musicians can use places like YouTube and Soundcloud to get their work out without having to worry about music publishers.  Artists can hock their work on twitter and tumblr and a dozen other places. Podcasts are relatively cheap to make, which has opened up a resurgence in audio dramas.  Even the barrier to entry for live action drama is ridiculously low.

So, in a world where creators have more freedom than ever before, why would they choose to people their stories with characters they don’t want there?  The answer, of course, is that they wouldn’t.  Authors, comic creators, indie film creators and so on aren’t putting diverse characters into their stories because they are being forced to. They’re putting diverse characters into their stories because they want to.  Creators want to tell stories about someone other than the generically handsome hypermasculine cisgendered heterosexual white males that have been the protagonists of so many stories over the years that we’ve choking on it. A lot of times, creators want to tell stories about people like themselves.  Black creators want to tell stories about the black experience. Queer creators want to tell stories about the queer experience.

I’m an autistic, mentally ill trans feminine abuse survivor.  Every day, I get up and I struggle with PTSD, with an eating disorder, with severe body dysmorphia, with anxiety and depression and just the reality of being autistic and transgender.  I deal with the fact that the religious community I grew up in views me as an abomination, and genuinely believes I’m going to spend eternity burning in hell.  I deal with the fact that people I’ve known for decades, even members of my own family, regularly vote for politician who publicly state that they want to strip me of my civil rights because I’m queer.  I’m part of a community that experiences a disproportionately high murder and suicide rate.  I’ve spent multiple years of my life deep in suicidal depression, and to this day, I still don’t trust myself around guns.

As a creator, I want to talk about those issues.  I want to deal with my life experiences.  I want to create characters that embody and express aspects of my lived experience and my day-to-day reality.  No one is forcing me to put diversity into my books.  I try to include Jewish characters as often as I can because there have been a number of important Jewish people in my life.  I include queer people because I’m queer and the vast majority of friends I interact with on a regular basis are queer.  I include people with mental illnesses and trauma because I am mentally ill and have trauma, and I know a lot of people with mental illnesses and trauma.  My work may be full of fantastical elements, aliens and dragons and angels and superheroes and magic and ultra-high technology and AI’s and talking cats and robot dogs and shape shifters and telepaths and all sorts of other things, but at the core of the stories is my own lived experience, and neurotypical cisgendered heterosexual white males are vanishingly rare in that experience.

Now, I can hear the comments already.  The ‘okay, maybe that’s true for individual creators, but what about corporate artwork?’.   Maybe not in those exact words, but you get the idea.

The thought here is that corporations are bowing to social pressure to include characters who aren’t neurotypical cisgendered heterosexual white males, and that is somehow bad. But here’s the thing. Corporations are going to chase the dollars.  They aren’t bowing to social pressure.  There’s no one holding a gun to some executive’s head saying, “You must have this many diversity tokens in every script.”  What is happening is that corporations are starting to clue into the fact that people who aren’t neurotypical cisgendered heterosexual white males have money.  They are putting black characters in their shows and movies because black people watch shows and spend money on movies.  They are putting queer people in shows and movies because queer people watch shows and spend money on movies.  They are putting women in shows and movies because women watch shows and spend money on movies.

No one is forcing these companies to do this.  They are choosing to do it, the same way individual creators are choosing to do it.  In the companies’ cases the choices are made for different reasons.  It’s not because they are necessarily passionate about telling stories about a particular experience, but because they want to create art to be consumed by the largest audience possible, which means that they have to expand their audience beyond the neurotypical cisgendered heterosexual white male by including characters from outside of that demographic.

And the reality is, the cries of ‘forced diversity’ and ‘virtue signaling’ almost always come from within that demographic.  Note the almost.  There are a scattering of individuals from outside that demographic which do subscribe to the ‘forced diversity’ and ‘virtue signaling’ myths, but that is a whole other essay.  However, within that demographic, lot of the people who cry about ‘forced diversity’ see media and content as a Zero-Sum game.  The more that’s created for other people, the less that is created for them.

In a way, they’re right. There are only so many slots for TV shows each week, there are only so many theaters, only so much space on comic bookshelves and so on.  But at the end of the day, its literally impossible for them to consume all the content that’s being produced anyway.  So, while there is, theoretically less content for them to consume, as a practical matter it’s a bit like someone who is a meat eater going to a buffet with two hundred items, and then throwing a tantrum because five of the items happen to be vegan.

The worst part is, if they could let go of how wound up they are about the ‘forced diversity’ and ‘virtue signaling’ they could probably enjoy the content that’s produced for people other than them.  I mean, I’m a pasty ass white girl, and I loved Black Panther.

So, to wrap out, creators, make what you want to make, and ignore anyone who cries about forced diversity or virtue signaling.  And to people who are complaining about forced diversity and virtue signaling, I want to go back to the buffet metaphor.  You need to relax.  Even if there are a few vegan options on the buffet, you can still get your medium rare steak, or your chicken teriyaki or whatever it is you want.  Or, maybe, just maybe, you could give the falafel a try. That shit is delicious.

[autopotion]

Played a lot of bastion today. I think I'm decently far through the story, zulf has already come and gone... Not the least because I'm not doing much of the side stuff lol. I don't enjoy the combat quite as much as in Hades or transistor, I also feel like the game (accidentally) encourages you to focus on one particular set of weapons because of the upgrade requirements. Like why would I switch out for an army carbine when I can just keep upgrading my fang repeater to be unstoppable? I've literally just been using that and the hammer, except for when the game forces me to change...

Which happens so frequently and is becoming incredibly annoying. I'm starting to dread finding a cool new weapon while I'm out on the field because it will replace a weapon I worked hard to upgrade, and the levels are getting harder so I can't afford to be saddled with a weapon I don't know how to use. That is one of my least favorite things about the game. My other least favorite thing is the sheer amount of evil stationary plants with various bullet hell attacks. Seriously why is the flora in this game so shitty!!

I like the art style, the soundtrack, and the storytelling though, as usual re: supergiant. My favorite bit so far is when you encounter zia for the first time and you just hear this distant singing, and rucks breaks the narration to be like "how did that song go again?" he pauses, we hear an unobstructed measure, and he goes "that's right." I know some spoilers so I know that the game is hinting that rucks's "narration" is actually him telling the story to zia retroactively, so he's literally asking for her musical input there. I liked that subtle touch

I can see why bastion was/is an indie darling, and why people like it more than transistor... I don't lol, I LOVE the combat in transistor and the emotional arc between the two protagonists was deeply compelling to me, and I'm not quite as compelled by bastion. I do think the central premise is very interesting though, in that you wake up directly after the end of the world and have to figure out how to carry on. On paper it seems like bastion would be just as depressing as transistor, but it certainly isn't. Brighter colors and more cheerful music, sure, but also... How do I put this. Bastion is about saving people. Transistor is about trying to save one specific person, and then discovering you can't. Both protagonists are stoic determinators, but bastion's narrative is hopeful where transistor's is vengeful. Bastion is trying to move on from tragedy, and transistor could only ever be a tragedy.

Whether bastion succeeds at what it sets out to do, I'll wait and see. I'm not as invested in the story as that of transistor's (or even hades', despite my laundry list of problems with rewriting the Persephone myth), but it's by no means bad, it's supergiant

I don't think I'm invested enough to try all the side challenges though lol, let alone immediately start new game+ like I did with transistor. I have too many games I want to get to to linger on one that I'm kind of lukewarm on

[attendantdesign-blog]

New Post has been published on Attendantdesign

New Post has been published on http://attendantdesign.com/when-the-computer-is-you-the-rise-of-proxy-ai/

When The Computer Is YOU: The Rise Of Proxy AI

In 1945, Vannevar Bush posted “As We Might imagine.” In it, he proposed a Memex, a massive microfilm garage tool in which customers ought to navigate among files to concepts for the duration of the database.

His concept immediately inspired the invention of hypertext by using Ted Nelson and Douglas Engelbart. The hyperlinking that permits a lot of our online revel in— including this link regarding hypertext— owes an awful lot to Bush’s vision.

70 years after his essay we stay in a world he imagined, regardless of writing years earlier than the primary operating transistor.

What new media might arise because of advances in Synthetic Intelligence (AI)? I advocate one, the proxy AI, as in a proxy for a specific man or woman or humans.

The idea has lingered in technological know-how fiction for years. Netflix’s dystopian drama, Black Replicate, currently experimented with a comparable belief. Later this century, it will probably turn out to be real.

The idea has lingered in technological know-how fiction for years. Netflix’s dystopian drama, Black Replicate, currently experimented with a comparable belief. Later this century, it will probably turn out to be real.

A proxy AI would simulate the highbrow and emotional responses of a particular person.

A proxy AI remains a simulacrum, now not the ‘real’ component (see Baudrillard concerning simulation and fact). We ought to query the accuracy of the simulation, but we’d in truth be faced with a brand new entity built at the virtual outputs and detritus of the original. A few ancient figures have left giant data expressing perspectives and priorities. Frequently, others have left commentaries on those individuals. Our rising online international offers ever-growing nation-states of data that would be used (and misused) to characterize specific people.

All of those assets are biased, A few horribly so. Although, an AI could agglomerate, even curate, those virtual footprints and build simulations. Simulations people.

All of those assets are biased, A few horribly so. Although, an AI could agglomerate, even curate, those virtual footprints and build simulations. Simulations people.

Literary Partners or Criminal Intent

Philosophers from Plato to Saussure have criticized writing as not so good as live speech largely for being divorced from its creator. With proxy AIs, authors ought to accompany their works. actual-time, a reader could query a writer’s proxy.

Historic and literary characters may want to talk with us or with every other. Into what topics may Einstein and Shakespeare wander? AI proxies might add dimensions to our studies of literature, non-fiction, even to the generation and elaboration of standards.

5 Traits to Examine Earlier than Shopping a Probe Station Unit The probe station unit has gone through several technological advances during the last decade.

Researchers now have greater alternatives to select from that is beneficial, however, could make it difficult to effectively Evaluate specific probe station gadgets previous to purchasing.

.This tool represents a huge monetary funding so it is critical to select the best answer for nowadays and the day after today. Fortunately, focusing on 5 key Traits can make the evaluation procedure simpler and extra accurate.

1. With the developing recognition of cryogenic measurements, the time-consuming wiring of an on-wafer device is now not important.

Ultra-modern structures allow for visualization and electrical interrogation of multiple wafer level gadgets. Unfortunately, this comes with a trade-off.

Optical get admission to the inflexible probing of a tool can switch warmness masses from the probe arm to the device being tested.

To limit this effect, it’s far critical the probe station unit has some form of guard or another era to reduce thermal radiation on the pattern.

multiple experiments have proven that even the smallest amount of thermal radiation transfer can alter the cease effects.

2. Every other characteristic to Examine Before Shopping a probe station unit is the capability to make automatic variable temperature measurements.

Traditionally, probe arms are anchored to the pattern stage and the probe tip will flow as the sample level warms.

This makes it tough to automate variable temperature measurements due to the fact the probes ought to be lifted and re-landed for any substantive temperature transition.

The potential to create strong tip function which allows for non-stop measurements is crucial. Now not most effective does it make certain accuracy however it also offers increased dimension functionality.

3. The pattern holders at the probe station unit must be in comparison as nicely.

Most gadgets offer a spread of sample holders to choose from.Popular alternatives consist of a grounded sample holder, co-axle pattern holder, and remote pattern holder although several extra alternatives are available as nicely.

When comparing devices, it’s miles essential to ensure researchers can use the essential sample holder required to accurately complete their experiment.

4. The probe station devices’ imaginative and prescient gadget is vital to Evaluate Before Shopping.

This system is answerable for distinguishing Characteristics of the pattern and well landing probes. Relying upon the test the level of the element provided by using the vision system varies.

As a result, researchers have to do not forget present day experiments as well as destiny desires When comparing imaginative and prescient structures.

5. The final function to Evaluate Earlier than Purchasing a probe station unit is usual system versatility.

Thinking about the tremendous upfront price, it’s far vital researchers make the Most out of their unit by means of choosing a choice which permits for a success research utilizing an expansion of methods. As extra probe station units end up customizable or modular standard flexibility and studies abilities retain to increase.

Considering the sizeable financial funding required to buy a fine probe station unit it is not sudden how plenty time and resources are used to correctly Compare to be had options. by focusing on the five key Characteristics a correct evaluation may be finished quick and easily

Net and Computer systems, A Sports Changer – AI, Robotics, BioTech, and NanoTech Are Subsequent

It has often been said that he who controls the media, controls the minds of the people. The printing press gave a bonus to individuals who used it. nowadays, those who manage the information have almost limitless talents to manipulate and capitalize on that statistics.

The printing press gave a bonus to individuals who used it. nowadays, those who manage the information have almost limitless talents to manipulate and capitalize on that statistics.

Consequently, records era has been a Game changer in nearly each area since its arrival.

The technology of huge statistics is now the changer of the game. Ok so, who owns the destiny within the Next length?

well, allow me to take a stab at it, however first to catch you up to the mark in this subject matter, why No longer examine this e-book beneath:

The writer works now for Microsoft research, prior he’s had stints running with all varieties of agencies which use records to force income – he is labored with algorithms for high-frequency buying and selling, and sophisticated Computer systems for insurance groups figuring out hazard studying all the big facts at their disposal.

he is labored with algorithms for high-frequency buying and selling, and sophisticated Computer systems for insurance groups figuring out hazard studying all the big facts at their disposal.

He is watched companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook flow ahead of the % – groups like Cisco, Oracle, and others build the structures to take the sport to the highest stages.

First-class, and this makes sense, his knowledge, revel in and observations are applicable for the destiny and in hindsight. Now then, what of the destiny, will massive data nonetheless rule the arena or will AI, Robotics, BioTech and NanoTech take the lead? well,

will massive data nonetheless rule the arena or will AI, Robotics, BioTech and NanoTech take the lead? well,

I suppose I could submit to you, as would possibly Jaron Lanier, that during the one’s sectors, huge information will assist those organizations leveraging that facts the great reach the pinnacle and manage and very own those industries.

Bear in mind how important big data and computing electricity is to synthetic intelligence? Without the computing energy, it is No longer beneficial at all, is it? What of robotics, identical element right, and you have to merge AI with robotics to get to the fullest capability there, again, huge statistics is keenly vital to fulfillment.

In BioTech, the same aspect, we already see that don’t we? DNA isn’t always easy, it takes computing strength to figure all of it out. Fabric technological know-how is simple in idea,

however complex to make it give you the results you want. Evidently, huge facts and records technology will rule the sport for the following generation, may not it? Please don’t forget all this and suppose on it.

Are you able to Hint An Email If The Sender Is The usage of a Proxy Server? Often while a person is looking for a session concerning an Email Hint research they’re involved due to the fact they consider their stalker is “laptop savvy” and The use of a proxy server to conceal their IP Deal with.Well the coolest information is that an experienced investigator can still discover and pick out the character behind an Electronic mail Deal with even though the sender is The use of a proxy server.

Well the coolest information is that an experienced investigator can still discover and pick out the character behind an Electronic mail Deal with even though the sender is The use of a proxy server.

Well, the coolest information is that an experienced investigator can still discover and pick out the character behind an Electronic mail Deal with even though the sender is The use of a proxy server.

You will be asking what’s a proxy server and how does it affect an Email Trace research?

A proxy server is an intermediary laptop that sits between the person’s laptop and the Net.

So if the sender of an Electronic mail uses a proxy server then the email headers will show the IP Deal with of the proxy server and not the IP Cope with of the cyber stalkers laptop. someone who is “computer savvy” mistakenly believes this can absolutely

So if the sender of an Electronic mail uses a proxy server then the email headers will show the IP Deal with of the proxy server and not the IP Cope with of the cyber stalkers laptop. someone who is “computer savvy” mistakenly believes this can absolutely

So if the sender of an Electronic mail uses a proxy server then the email headers will show the IP Deal with of the proxy server and not the IP Cope with of the cyber stalkers laptop. someone who is “computer savvy” mistakenly believes this can absolutely masks their identity.

However it’s miles simply that kind of wondering that makes it so much less complicated to trap this type of stalker. they’re focusing all their attention on their IP Cope with not understanding that the header examination is most effective one very small element in an intensive investigation into the real identification behind an E-mail Deal with.

One issue they neglect is that simplest the incoming header facts will contain a disguised IP Cope with. Unless they also use a proxy server or nameless carrier to open and read each incoming Electronic mail, figuring out information approximately their laptop will still be uncovered.Even the maximum savvy pc IT tech guy will not take this reality into consideration.

Of their boldness and self assurance Of their laptop understanding they will fall for some of the maximum basic pretexts or tricks a seasoned personal investigator will use in any investigation to discover or identify human beings. Suppose lower back to the days before the Internet and E mail. PIs have been investigating, bail jumpers run away teenagers and all sorts of human beings at the run. Oftentimes with some distance less records than what may be found in the most difficult Electronic mail Hint investigation.

PIs have been investigating, bail jumpers runaway teenagers and all sorts of human beings at the run. Oftentimes with some distance fewer records than what may be found in the most difficult Electronic mail Hint investigation.

PIs have been investigating, bail jumpers runaway teenagers and all sorts of human beings at the run. Oftentimes with some distance fewer records than what may be found in the most difficult Electronic mail Hint investigation.

PIs have been investigating, bail jumpers runaway teenagers and all sorts of human beings at the run. Oftentimes with some distance fewer records than what may be found in the most difficult Electronic mail Hint investigation.

An E-mail sent with the aid of a huge terrible ‘computer savvy” IT guy through a proxy server may also stump some other computers savvy IT man However it is now not even going to slow down a personal detective experienced in Email tracing investigations.

The IP Address and header exam is best one small step of the research concerning time tested investigative strategies that a laptop expert may be completely ignorant of, and his overconfidence in a proxy server may be his undoing.

The IP Address and header exam is best one small step of the research concerning time tested investigative strategies that a laptop expert may be completely ignorant of, and his overconfidence in a proxy server may be his undoing.