#unity editor

[milkshakebattlecat]

Just updooted my Animation Tester window to have Reset to Default functionality 🐱👍

This handy-dandy editor script allows you to play animations outside of Play mode, even if you don't have an animation controller set up. Meant for quick testing and positioning held objects etc

[boldlymagnificentperson]

13esima: G. Allison, Destinati alla guerra, Fazi editore

Marco Cortini ci segnala questo saggio in cui il professore emerito di Harvard Graham Allison indaga le diverse sfaccettature della contesa tra Stati Uniti e Cina. Dalla presentazione dell’editore: Qual è la soglia oltre la quale un conflitto diventa inevitabile? Nello scenario politico-economico contemporaneo, Cina e Stati Uniti sembrano proiettati verso una guerra che nessuno dei due vuole.…

[scimanexe]

This website is too mobile focused these days. Reblog and tell me what your desktop/laptop background is.

[coffeeworldsasaki]

Wait visual studio and visual studio code are 2 different things???? Microsoft what the fuckkkk

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Mark Zuckerberg personally lost the Facebook antitrust case

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me at NEW ZEALAND'S UNITY BOOKS in AUCKLAND on May 2, and in WELLINGTON on May 3. More tour dates (Pittsburgh, PDX, London, Manchester) here.

It's damned hard to prove an antitrust case: so often, the prosecution has to prove that the company intended to crush competition, and/or that they raised prices or reduced quality because they knew they didn't have to fear competitors.

It's a lot easier to prove what a corporation did than it is to prove why they did it. What am I, a mind-reader? But imagine for a second that the corporation in the dock is a global multinational. Now, imagine that the majority of the voting shares in that company are held by one man, who has served as the company's CEO since the day he founded it, personally calling every important shot in the company's history.

Now imagine that this founder/CEO, this accused monopolist, was an incorrigible blabbermouth, who communicated with his underlings almost exclusively in writing, and thus did he commit to immortal digital storage a stream – a torrent – of memos in which he explicitly confessed his guilt.

Ladies and gentlepersons, I give you Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta (nee Facebook), an accused monopolist who cannot keep his big dumb fucking mouth shut.

At long, long last, the FTC's antitrust trial against Meta is underway, and this week, Zuck himself took the stand, in agonizing sessions during which FTC lawyers brandished printouts of Zuck's own words before him, asking him to explain away his naked confessions of guilt. It did not go well for Zuck.

In a breakdown of the case for The American Prospect, editor-in-chief David Dayen opines that "The Government Has Already Won the Meta Case," having hanged Zuck on his own words:

https://prospect.org/power/2025-04-16-government-already-won-meta-case-tiktok-ftc-zuckerberg/

The government is attempting to prove that Zuck bought Instagram and Whatsapp in order to extinguish competitors (and not, for example, because he thought they were good businesses that complemented Facebook's core product offerings).

This case starts by proving how Zuck felt about Insta and WA before the acquisitions. On Insta, Zuck circulated memos warning about Insta's growth trajectory:

they appear to be reaching critical mass as a place you go to share photos

and how that could turn them into a future competitor:

[Instagram could] copy what we’re doing now … I view this as a big strategic risk for us if we don’t completely own the photos space.

These are not the words of a CEO who thinks another company is making a business that complements his own – they're confessions that he is worried that they will compete with Facebook. Facebook tried to clone Insta (Remember Facebook Camera? Don't feel bad – neither does anyone else). When that failed, Zuck emailed Facebook execs, writing:

[Instagram's growth is] really scary and why we might want to consider paying a lot of money for this.

At this point, Zuck's CFO – one of the adults in the room, attempting to keep the boy king from tripping over his own dick – wrote to Zuck warning him that it was illegal to buy Insta in order to "neutralize a potential competitor."

Zuck replied that he was, indeed, solely contemplating buying Insta in order to neutralize a potential competitor. It's like this guy kept picking up his dictaphone, hitting "record," and barking, "Hey Bob, I am in receipt of your memo of the 25th, regarding the potential killing of Fred. You raise some interesting points, but I wanted to reiterate that this killing is to be a murder, and it must be as premeditated as possible. Yours very truly, Zuck."

Did Zuck buy Insta to neutralize a competitor? Sure seems like it! For one thing, Zuck cancelled all work on Facebook Camera "since we're acquiring Instagram."

But what about after the purchase. Did Zuck reduce quality and/or raise costs? Well, according to the company, it enacted an "explicit policy of not prioritizing Instagram’s growth" (a tactic called "buy or bury"). At this juncture, Zuckerberg once again put fingers to keyboard in order to create an immortal record of his intentions:

By not killing their products we prevent everyone from hating us and we make sure we don’t immediately create a hole in the market for someone else to fill.

And if someone did enter the market with a cool new gimmick (like, say, Snapchat with its disappearing messages)?

Even if some new competitors spring up, if we incorporate the social mechanics they were using, these new products won’t get much traction since we’ll already have their mechanics deployed at scale.

Remember, the Insta acquisition is only illegal if Zuck bought them to prevent competition in the marketplace (rather than, say, to make a better product). It's hard to prove why a company does anything, unless its CEO, founder, and holder of the majority of its voting stock explicitly states that his strategy is to create a system to ensure that innovating new products "won't get much traction" because he'll be able to quickly copy them.

So we have Zuck starving Insta of development except when he needs to neutralize a competitor, which is just another way of saying he set out to reduce the quality of the product after acquisition, a thing that is statutorily prohibited, but hard to prove (again, unless you confess to it in writing, herp derp).

But what about prices? Well, obviously, Insta doesn't charge its end-users in cash, but they do charge in attention. If you want to see the things you've explicitly asked for – posts from accounts you follow – you have to tolerate a certain amount of "boosted content" and ads, that is, stuff that Facebook's business customers will pay to nonconsensually cram into your eyeballs.

Did that price go up? Any Insta user knows the answer: hell yes. Instagram is such a cesspit of boosted content and ads that it's almost impossible to find stuff you actually asked to see. Indeed, when a couple of teenagers hacked together an alternative Insta client called OG App that only showed you posts from accounts you followed, it was instantly the most popular app on Google Play and Apple's App Store (and then Google and Apple killed it, at Meta's request):

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/05/battery-vampire/#drained

But why did the price go up? Did it go up because Facebook had neutralized a competitor by purchasing it, and thus felt that it could raise prices without losing customers? Again, a hard thing to prove…unless Zuck happened to put it in writing. Which he did, as Brendan Benedict explains in Big Tech On Trial:

I think we’re badly mismanaging this right now. There’s absolutely no reason why IG ad load should be lower than FB at a time when . . . we’re having engagement issues in FB. If we were managing our company correctly, then at a minimum we’d immediately balance IG and FB ad load . . . But it’s possible we should even have a higher ad load on IG while we have this challenge so we can replace some ads with [People You May Know] on FB to turn around the issues we’re seeing.

https://www.bigtechontrial.com/p/zuckerberg-v-zuckerberg-will-the

So there you have it: Zuck bought Insta to neutralize a competitor, and after he did, he lowered its quality and raised its prices, because he knew that he was operating without significant competitors thanks to his acquisition of that key competitor. Zuck's motivations – as explained by Zuck himself – were in direct contravention of antitrust law, a thing he knew (because his execs explained it to him). That's a pretty good case.

But what about Whatsapp? How did Zuck feel about it? Well, he told his board that Whatsapp was Facebook's greatest "consumer risk," fretting that "Messenger isn’t beating WhatsApp." He blocked Whatsapp ads on Facebook, telling his team that it was "trying to build social networks and replace us." Sure, they'd lose money by turning away that business, but the "revenue is immaterial to us compared to any risk." Sure seems like Zuck saw Whatsapp as a competitor.

Meta's final line of defense in this case is that even if they did some crummy, illegal things, they still didn't manage to put together a monopoly. According to Meta's lawyers – who're billing the company more than $1m/day! – Meta is a tiny fish in a vast ocean that has many competitors, like Tiktok:

https://www.levernews.com/mr-zuckerbergs-very-expensive-day-in-court/

There's only one problem with this "market definition" argument, and that problem's name is Chatty Mark Zuckerberg. On the question of market definition, FTC lawyers once again raised Zuckerberg's own statements and those of his top lieutenants to show that Zuckerberg viewed his companies as "Personal Social Networks" (PSNs) and not as just generic sites full of stuff, competing with Youtube, Tiktok, and everyone else who lets users post things to the internet.

Take Instagram boss Adam Mosseri, who explained that:

Instagram will always need to focus on friends and can never exclusively be for public figures or will cease to be a social product.

And then there was Zuck's memo explaining why he offered $6b for Snapchat:

Snap Stories serves the exact same use case of sharing and consuming feeds of content that News Feed and Instagram deliver. We need to take this new dynamic seriously—both as a competitive risk and as a product opportunity to add functionality that many people clearly love and want to use daily.

And an internal strategy document that explained the competitive risks to Facebook:

Social networks have two stable equilibria: either everyone uses them, or no-one uses them. In contrast, nonsocial apps (e.g. weather apps, exercise apps) can exist [somewhere] along a continuum of adoption. The binary nature of social networks implies that there should exist a tipping point, ie some critical mass of adoption, above which a network will organically grow, and below which it will shrink.

Sure sounds like Facebook sees itself as a "social network," and not a "nonsocial app." And of course – as Dayen points out – when Tiktok (a company Meta claims as a competitor) went up for sale, Meta did not enter a bid, despite being awash in free cash flow.

In Zuckerberg's defense, he's not the only tech CEO who confesses his guilt in writing (recall that FTX planned its crimes in a groupchat called WIREFRAUD). Partly that's because these firms are run by arrogant twits, but partly it's because digital culture is a written culture, where big, dispersed teams expected to work long hours from offices all over the world as well as from their phones every hour of day and night have to rely on memos to coordinate:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/03/big-tech-cant-stop-telling-on-itself/

When Dayen claims that "the government has won the Meta case," he doesn't mean the judge will rule in the FTC's favor (though there's a high likelihood that this will happen). Rather, he means that the case has been proven beyond any kind of reasonable doubt, in public, in a way that has historically caused other monopolists to lose their nerve, even if they won their cases. Take Microsoft and IBM – though both companies managed to draw out their cases until a new Republican administration (Reagan for IBM, GWB for Microsoft) took office and let them off the hook, both companies were profoundly transformed by the process.

IBM created the market for a generic, multivendor PC whose OS came from outside the company:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/ibm-pc-compatible-how-adversarial-interoperability-saved-pcs-monopolization

And Microsoft spared Google the same treatment it had meted out to Netscape, allowing the company to grow and thrive:

https://apnews.com/article/google-apple-microsoft-antitrust-technology-cases-1e0c510088825745a6e74ba3b81b44c6

Trump being Trump, it's not inconceivable that he will attempt to intervene to get the judge to exonerate Meta. After all, Zuck did pay him a $1m bribe and then beg him to do just that:

https://gizmodo.com/zuckerberg-really-thought-trump-would-make-metas-legal-problems-go-away-2000589897

But as Dayen writes, the ire against Meta's monopolistic conduct is thoroughly bipartisan, and if Trump was being strategic here (a very, very big "if"), he would keep his powder dry here. After all, if the judge doesn't convict Meta, Trump won't have wasted any political capital. And if Meta is convicted, Trump could solicit more bribes and favors at the "remedy" stage, when a court will decide how to punish Meta, which could be anything from a fine to a breakup order, to a nothingburger of vague orders to clean up its act.

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/2025/04/18/chatty-zucky/#is-you-taking-notes-on-a-criminal-fucking-conspiracy

[linuxgamenews]

Get Ready for the Release of Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory

Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory is a brilliant open ended puzzle game with a Demo for Linux and Windows PC. Hats off to the team at Pill Bug Interactive for making this happen. Available to try out now on Steam. I’ve got some exciting news, Pill Bug Interactive, an indie studio from Wales, has just announced the release date for their newest title, Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory. Mark your calendars for July 18, 2024, since that’s when it’s hitting Steam. What’s it all about? It’s a brilliant open ended puzzle title that takes place in a post-apocalyptic chocolate factory. One where you get to play around with creating your own machines. Such as launching nuts into melted chocolate or smashing caramel into bite-size pieces. That’s the kind of fun stuff you’ll be doing. Your task in Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory is to automate chocolate production. But doing so using different components to make some amazing machines. And the best part? It’s satisfying to watch and even more fun to tweak and optimize. The game uses physics to simulate everything, so it’s pretty easy to see how your creations are doing. But trust me, once you start, it’s hard to stop! You’ll probably want to keep improving your designs or maybe even show them off to friends.

Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory Demo Launch Trailer

Pill Bug Interactive is also giving Linux gamers the tools to create your challenges with the same level editor they use. And with Steam Workshop support from day one, you can share your brilliant puzzles with the community. There’s even a leaderboard for each level to see how your designs stack up against others. If Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory is something you’d enjoy, you can help support the title by adding it to your Wishlist on Steam and following the store page. This lets the developers know you're keen and helps push it closer to launch. Plus, the demo is available right now on Steam, with support for Linux and Windows PC. Remember, Pill Bug Interactive is an award-nominated studio with innovative and fun games. And Captain Contraption’s Chocolate Factory is their fourth release. So, why not add the title to your wishlist, try out the demo, and tell us your thoughts? Let’s get ready to build some amazing chocolate-making machines!

[maaarine]

'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine (Megan Twohey and Mike McIntire and Julie Tate, The New York Times, Dec 21 2024)

"Last summer, as the release of “It Ends With Us” approached, Justin Baldoni, the director and a star of the film, and Jamey Heath, the lead producer, hired a crisis public relations expert.

During shooting, Blake Lively, the co-star, had complained that the men had repeatedly violated physical boundaries and made sexual and other inappropriate comments to her.

Their studio, Wayfarer, agreed to provide a full-time intimacy coordinator, bring in an outside producer and put other safeguards on set.

In a side letter to Ms. Lively’s contract, signed by Mr. Heath, the studio also agreed not to retaliate against the actress.

But by August, the two men, who had positioned themselves as feminist allies in the #MeToo era, expressed fears that her allegations would become public and taint them, according to a legal complaint that she filed Friday.

It claims that their P.R. effort had an explicit goal: to harm Ms. Lively’s reputation instead.

Her filing includes excerpts from thousands of pages of text messages and emails that she obtained through a subpoena.

These and other documents were reviewed by The New York Times. (…)

Mr. Baldoni was best known for the CW satirical romantic dramedy “Jane the Virgin.”

Wayfarer provided the resources for bigger ambitions. It was bankrolled by the billionaire Steve Sarowitz, who is co-chair of the studio with Mr. Baldoni.

They and Mr. Heath, the chief executive, are all deeply involved with the Baha’i religious organization, which promotes unity, peace and gender equality.

Mr. Baldoni has presented himself as an ally to women, writing books, co-hosting a podcast with Mr. Heath and giving talks on toxic masculinity. (…)

She claimed Mr. Baldoni had improvised unwanted kissing and discussed his sex life, including encounters in which he said he may not have received consent.

Mr. Heath had shown her a video of his wife naked, she said, and he had watched Ms. Lively in her trailer when she was topless and having body makeup removed, despite her asking him to look away.

She said that both men repeatedly entered her makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed, including when she was breastfeeding. (…)

As the film release neared, Ms. Lively and other cast members informed Sony and Wayfarer that they would not do any appearances alongside Mr. Baldoni.

So did Ms. Hoover, the author, who had her own dissatisfactions with him and had become more upset after he told her about Ms. Lively’s allegations, according to text messages from Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath.

By the first week of August, Wayfarer and Mr. Baldoni had retained Ms. Nathan, who had worked with high-profile clients including Mr. Depp, whose ex-wife, Amber Heard, accused him of physical abuse. (…)

Three days later, Mr. Baldoni texted Ms. Abel, flagging a social media thread that accused another celebrity of bullying behavior and had generated 19 million views. “This is what we would need,” he wrote.

Ms. Nathan soon floated proposals to hire contractors to dominate social media through “full social account take downs,” by starting “threads of theories” and generally working to “change narrative.”

“All of this will be most importantly untraceable,” she wrote. (…)

When Ms. Abel wrote to her Aug. 4 that “I’m having reckless thoughts of wanting to plant pieces this week of how horrible Blake is to work with. Just to get ahead of it,” Ms. Nathan replied that she had spoken off the record to an editor at The Daily Mail.

“She’s ready when we are,” Ms. Nathan wrote.

A flurry of articles followed the Hollywood Reporter piece. Many made it seem as if the only rift was over creative control.

Some journalists had gotten wind of complaints about Mr. Baldoni’s behavior, but none of the most serious ones were published.

“He doesn’t realise how lucky he is right now,” Ms. Nathan texted Ms. Abel. (…)

It is unclear exactly how Mr. Wallace operated.

There are references in emails to “social manipulation” and “proactive fan posting,” and text messages cite efforts to “boost” and “amplify” online content that was favorable to Mr. Baldoni or critical of Ms. Lively.

“We are crushing it on Reddit,” Mr. Wallace told Ms. Nathan, according to a text she sent Ms. Abel on Aug. 9.

The next day, one of Ms. Nathan’s employees texted, “We’ve started to see shift on social, due largely to Jed and his team’s efforts to shift the narrative.”

Ms. Nathan wrote to Ms. Abel: “And socials are really really ramping up. In his favour, she must be furious. It’s actually sad because it just shows you have people really want to hate on women.” (…)

On Aug. 16, Ms. Nathan shared the Daily Mail article headlined “Is Blake Lively set to be CANCELLED?” with references to ‘hard to watch’ videos and a ‘tone deaf’ promotional Q. and A.

“Wow. You really outdid yourself with this piece,” Ms. Abel responded.

“That’s why you hired me right?” Ms. Nathan replied. “I’m the best.”"

[itstimeforstarwars]

I think in the new year I'm gonna learn how to make video games in godot.

[consciousphrog]

I've decided I should post more about my progress regarding the game thingy I'm doing since I realized it's not really that obvious what I'm doing haha

To anyone new: hi! I'm a horror writer and solo game developer, currently in process of making a visual novel. If you like creepy stuff - I assure you there is more of that to come!

So, here are some updates!

I did few hours of unity struggle and programmed working menu as well as finally implemented the first scene with an actual framework (yippie). There are still some things that I don't like when it comes to the writing but I'm gonna return to them once I have some time to think about it.

I also finally got to drawing the backgrounds and I finished lineart on the first one. It was honestly a struggle, why is envo so hard actually-

This has been a long day and I didn't really write that much but it's always nice to see some progress one way or another :>

[jadeshifting]

— THE HOGWARTS YEARBOOK

　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　

the Hogwarts yearbook is a chaotic masterpiece, run by an elite squad of overachievers, gossipmongers, and a few artsy types who take their job way too seriously. the Yearbook Club is basically the unofficial Ministry of Hogwarts gossip, with photographers sprinting through corridors like paparazzi and editors arguing over the perfect font for “Most Likely to Hex You in the Hallway.” every house is represented, but the Slytherins are suspiciously over-involved, ensuring the drama stays juicy and the layout stays immaculate

THE YEARBOOK TEAM

— EDITORS-IN-CHIEF . two students (usually a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin for “balance”) who rule the team with an iron wand. they’re perfectionists, bickering over which Quidditch action shots make the cut and vetoing any “unflattering” portraits of themselves

— PHOTOGRAPHERS . they’re either snooping in the Astronomy Tower for couple pics or camped out in the Great Hall to catch someone mid-chew

— DESIGN WIZARDS . the artsy crowd who charm illustrations to move, ensuring every page sparkles with subtle animations (stars twinkle and wink on Astronomy Club photos and the like)

— COPYWRITERS . they craft witty captions, most of which toe the line between clever and outright shady

— SUPERLATIVE COMMITTEE . a ruthless crew who poll the school on absolutely everything, stirring up just enough controversy to keep people talking without outright duels breaking out (usually)

　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　

YEARBOOK SECTIONS

HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS . a spread for each house, with moodboard-like aesthetics. Gryffindor’s page has bold golden flames, while Slytherin’s practically drips with emerald and silver

— SLYTHERIN ‘AMBITION IN ACTION’ … emerald green with silver accents, Slytherin’s spread screams luxury with bite (surely it helps that one of the co-editors-in-chief is a Slytherin.) there’s a glam shot of the Quidditch team and a list of students’ most cunning moves—like that time Daphne slipped out of detention with an alibi so flawless McGonagall was impressed. the “Most Likely to Dominate the Wizarding World” section is basically a Slytherin monopoly, and the style feature highlights impeccable robes and shameless confidence. bonus? a gossip sidebar titled “whispers in the dungeon,” because secrets are currency, and they’ve got plenty

— GRYFFINDOR ‘COURAGE CHRONICLES’ … fiery red with gold accents, the Gryffindor spread practically roars with action shots—Quidditch players mid-dive, daring pranks in the Great Hall, and someone’s epic leap over a cursed stair. a “Daring Feats of the Year” section (sneaking into the Forbidden Forest again), plus a tally of House points earned through sheer audacity. Superlatives like “Most Likely to Save the Day” and “Biggest Trouble Magnet” dominate, while the “Common Room Candids” feature wild games of Wizard Chess and someone roasting marshmallows over the fireplace

— RAVENCLAW ‘INDEX OF INTELLECT’ … cool blues with bronze details, the Ravenclaw spread is the epitome of academic chic. a collage of parchment-strewn study tables, dreamy shots of the astronomy tower, and a “Top 10 Mind-Blowing Theories” list. there’s a feature on enchanted inventions created by Ravenclaws this year, plus a “Most Likely to Write Hogwarts: A History Vol. 2” superlative. the highlight reel showcases their Quiz Bowl domination, and a section called “Ravenclaw Riddles,” with the year’s most impossible questions and wildly creative answers

— HUFFLEPUFF ‘HEART OF HOGWARTS’ … sunshine yellow with black accents, Hufflepuff’s spread radiates warmth and quiet brilliance. a feature on the year’s most epic Herbology project (Venomous Tentacula that’s quite docile) and a “Badger of the Month” spotlight. the “House Unity” section is all about community moments—midnight baking sessions, garden parties, and celebrations after Quidditch wins. superlatives like “Most Likely to Lend You a Wand” and “Most Contagious Laughter” are sprinkled throughout, and the spread ends with a heartfelt note: “you don’t need the spotlight when you’re the glow behind it”

　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　

CLUBS & COMMITTEES . features like “Behind the Scenes at the Dueling Club” and a “Potions Class Outtake Reel” section featuring exploding cauldrons

QUIDDITCH RECAP . full-page action shots, player stats, and a “Best Quidditch Fall” montage (with magically looping re-plays)

WIZARDING WORLD CURRENT EVENTS . students write essays about the biggest wizarding news throughout the school year, from Gringotts heists to controversial bans on experimental charms

THE SUPERLATIVES . the juiciest section, hands down (and what you’ve been waiting for, i’m sure)

　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　

THE SUPERLATIVES

— Most Likely to Cause a Scandal

(an absolute favorite, hotly debated in the dormitories)

— Most Likely to Be Minister for Magic (or in Azkaban)

(usually goes to someone terrifyingly ambitious)

— Biggest Flirt

(complete with photographic evidence, yikes)

— Biggest Walking Detention Slip

(either breaking curfew, enchanting furniture, or ‘accidentally’ setting fire to something every other week)

— Class Clown

(when both the Weasley twins graduate, maybe someone else will have a shot)

— Most Likely to Cause a Quidditch Foul

(a Slytherin wins every year)

— Best Dressed

(a lowkey blood feud among Slytherin girls)

　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　

DISTRIBUTION DAY

the yearbooks are unveiled in a massive, glitter-filled fest of grandeur in the Great Hall. copies literally soar to students’ tables, but a few always “go missing” and mysteriously resurface for their owners with secret annotations and doodles. sparkling and enchanted ink pens are handed out for people to sign each other’s books, and notes are exchanged with equal parts sarcastic laughs and heartfelt warmth

EXTRA EXTRA !!

— rumor has it there’s a banned page each year—filled with the wildest gossip, snogging scandals, and unapproved photos. only a select few ever see it

— the Restricted Section of the library holds all past yearbooks, dating back to Hogwarts’ founding, and rumor has it they’re enchanted to whisper secrets about their featured students

— this year’s “hidden Easter egg”? a charm that makes random yearbook pages occasionally shout out personal context when you flip through. it’s hilarious and fun… until it starts oversharing about your worst Transfiguration grade

　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　

[dontforgetukraine]

"To save time for Western editors, publishers, and curators, let me clarify what all of us perpetually frustrated Ukrainians want. We would appreciate it if they turned to actual Ukraine specialists when working on Ukraine-related themes. Not those who suddenly pivoted from specializing in Russia, or who feel entitled to speak authoritatively because they discovered a distant Ukrainian ancestor, or those who have only recently shown interest in Ukraine due to business opportunities in the country’s reconstruction. We would be grateful if they took the time to seek out experts who have been studying Ukraine long before it became fashionable, who understand the country in all its complexity, and who care enough to offer Ukrainians the basic dignity of having their names spelt correctly. I like to fantasize about a time when editors of top Western periodicals will choose to review books on Ukraine not simply because the country is at war and they feel obliged to cover it now and again, but because these books offer vital insights into democracy, the fight for freedom, or the importance of maintaining unity and a sense of humor in times of crisis. I hope for a day when galleries will host exhibitions of Ukrainian art, not just because it was rescued from a war zone, but because the artists involved provide fresh perspectives on the world. I also dream that we, the perpetually frustrated Ukraine specialists, will eventually be able to focus on our own scholarship and creativity rather than correcting the mistakes and misleading takes of others. This will happen when cultural institutions, publishing houses, universities, and newspapers acquire in-house experts whose knowledge of Ukraine and the wider region extends beyond Russia."

—Dr. Olesya Khromeychuk

Source: Too many still view Ukraine through the prism of Russian imperialism

[kcamberart]

Development going forward

So in case anyone hasn't heard, Unity announced this morning that they're going to be making some pretty major (baffling) changes to their licensing plans and monetization. TLDR regarding the pertinent info (from what I understand. The company hasn't made another statement at the time of writing, and the FAQ is very vague):

They've removed the cheapest paid subscription tier (Unity Plus) completely, and are altering Unity Personal (the free one) so that the editor needs an internet connection in order to function. If you're offline for 3 days, it kicks you out until you reconnect to the internet again for the software to phone home. This is apparently not an issue if you subscribe to Unity Pro, the $2,000/yr plan.

If you publish a game made using the Unity engine, once it passes a certain threshold of installations and revenue, Unity will charge you a fee for every subsequent installation of your game on a per-month basis (and it's not per-purchase, it's per-installation. So (allegedly) if someone on Steam buys, installs, uninstalls and then reinstalls your game, or if they need to update the game, that's considered multiple different instances of installation and Unity will (allegedly) charge the developer as such). This will go into effect in January of 2024, but will seemingly retroactively apply to all games published before then as well.

If I've misunderstood any of this, please feel free to correct me.

I would not be surprised if they heavily walk back some of this (i.e., "the last time we announced something bad everyone got mad about it, so this time we'll announce something unbelievable and then say that we changed our minds so people will be more willing to accept the slightly less bad thing we wanted to do in the first place"), but it's setting a very bad precedent for using Unity for any future projects.

I'm currently weighing my options on whether to finish Vollema in Unity and then migrate to a new engine for future projects (Godot gets better every day, from what I've heard), or to just take what I've made so far and start over using different software. Honestly, it's early enough in development that the vast majority of what I have finished and ready to implement is visual assets, dialogue, narrative stuff and audio, so I'm leaning heavily towards testing the waters with a different engine. I likely also will not be able to work on or release any smaller games in the coming months for the time being (RIP 2023 Halloween Game, I'll make it up to you) while I make some decisions. Regardless, I'll keep you all in the loop.

TLDR: I'm likely going to be changing game engines, which will definitely set Vollema's development time back a bit (along with my other projects), but development in general will continue regardless.

Hopefully I'll have more positive news to share with you soon! I'm gonna miss my add-ons, though. Oh man, am I gonna miss my add-ons.

[blackstarlineage]

The Role of Black Women in Garveyism and Pan-Africanism: A Garveyite Perspective on Leadership, Resistance, and Nation-Building

Black women have been the backbone of Garveyism and Pan-Africanism, yet their contributions are often overlooked in mainstream historical narratives. From a Garveyite perspective, Black women were not just supporters but leaders, strategists, and nation-builders who played essential roles in the fight for Black self-determination, economic independence, and global unity.

Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) recognized the indispensable role of Black women in advancing the movement, challenging the notion that only men were the architects of Pan-Africanism. Women were at the forefront as organizers, educators, business leaders, and freedom fighters, proving that the struggle for Black liberation required the full participation of both men and women.

This analysis will explore:

The leadership of Black women in Garveyism and Pan-Africanism.

The role of Black women in the UNIA and their contributions to economic empowerment.

How Black women shaped political and intellectual aspects of Pan-Africanism.

The challenges and erasure of Black women’s contributions in the movement.

How Garveyism provides a framework for true gender equality in Black liberation.

1. Black Women as Leaders in Garveyism: The Backbone of the Movement

A. Amy Ashwood Garvey: Co-Founder of the UNIA and Women's Rights Advocate

Amy Ashwood Garvey was a Pan-Africanist, feminist, and co-founder of the UNIA alongside Marcus Garvey in 1914.

She played a key role in early UNIA, organizing, fundraising, and developing the movement’s first institutions.

After parting ways with Garvey, she continued her Pan-African work, advocating for women’s empowerment and linking African liberation struggles with Caribbean and global Black movements.

Example: She founded the International African Service Bureau (IASB) in London, which influenced African independence leaders like Kwame Nkrumah and Jomo Kenyatta.

B. Amy Jacques Garvey: Intellectual Powerhouse and UNIA Editor

Amy Jacques Garvey, Garvey’s second wife, was one of the most influential intellectuals in the Pan-African movement.

She served as editor of the Negro World newspaper, where she published articles advocating for Black women’s leadership in nation-building and economic independence.

She was a strong proponent of Black self-reliance, urging women to take active roles in business, politics, and global liberation movements.

Example: Her book, "Garvey and Garveyism," preserved and expanded on Garvey’s philosophy, ensuring that his ideas influenced future Pan-African struggles.

Key Takeaway: Amy Jacques Garvey proved that Black women were not just supporters but also theorists and leaders in shaping Garveyism and Pan-African thought.

2. Black Women in the UNIA: Organizers, Business Leaders, and Educators

The UNIA was unique among Black liberation organizations in the early 20th century because it actively encouraged women to take leadership roles.

A. The Black Cross Nurses: Health and Nation-Building

The Black Cross Nurses (BCN) was established within the UNIA to provide healthcare, community services, and education to Black communities worldwide.

It modelled itself after the Red Cross, but unlike the Red Cross, which primarily served white communities, the BCN focused on Black health and survival.

Black women in the BCN were trained in medicine, midwifery, and public health, making them key figures in strengthening Black communities.

Example: In Jamaica, the U.S., and Africa, the Black Cross Nurses operated clinics and trained women in health education, making them crucial to Black self-sufficiency.

B. Black Women as Business Owners and Economic Leaders

Garveyism emphasized economic independence as the foundation of Black liberation. Black women were active participants in:

UNIA cooperatives and trade networks, where they built Black-owned businesses.

The Negro Factories Corporation, which established businesses to employ Black people.

The Black Star Line, where women were key financial supporters and investors.

Example: Henrietta Vinton Davis, a leading Garveyite, raised funds for the Black Star Line and helped establish economic initiatives.

Key Takeaway: Garveyism empowered Black women to become business leaders, proving that economic liberation required both men and women’s involvement.

3. Black Women in Political and Intellectual Pan-Africanism

A. Queen Mother Moore: Revolutionary Garveyite and Reparations Advocate

Queen Mother Moore was a lifelong Garveyite who became a leading advocate for African reparations, repatriation, and global Black unity.

She founded organizations that called for African nations to offer citizenship to diaspora Africans.

Her activism directly influenced modern reparations movements in the U.S. and the Caribbean.

Example: She inspired the Republic of Ghana’s "Right of Return" policy, allowing African descendants to reclaim their African heritage.

B. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti: Nigerian Feminist and Pan-African Activist

A Nigerian nationalist and anti-colonial activist, she fought for women’s rights, economic empowerment, and self-governance in Africa.

She was heavily influenced by Garveyism and used its principles to fight British colonial rule in Nigeria.

Example: She led protests against colonial taxation and exploitation, proving that Garveyite Pan-Africanism was a global force for women’s liberation.

Key Takeaway: Pan-Africanism was never just about men—Black women shaped its intellectual and political foundations.

4. The Challenges and Erasure of Black Women in Pan-Africanism

Despite their leadership, Black women have often been erased from historical narratives of Garveyism and Pan-Africanism.

A. Western and Patriarchal Historical Narratives

Many historians focused on Garvey and other male leaders while downplaying the contributions of women.

Some Pan-African male leaders failed to promote women’s political leadership, limiting their visibility in official accounts.

Example: Even today, books and documentaries on Pan-Africanism rarely highlight Amy Jacques Garvey, Queen Mother Moore, or Black Cross Nurses.

Key Takeaway: Garveyite Pan-Africanism must reclaim women’s history and recognize their leadership in liberation movements.

5. How Garveyism Provides a Framework for True Gender Equality in Black Liberation

Garveyism promoted a holistic approach to liberation, in which Black men and women were equal partners in nation-building.

To fulfill Garvey’s vision today, we must:

Promote women’s leadership in Pan-African political and economic institutions.

Prioritize women’s education and economic empowerment as key to Black sovereignty.

Defend Black women from exploitation, erasure, and patriarchal oppression in all liberation movements.

Ensure women’s representation in Pan-African governance, finance, and military structures.

Final Takeaway: Garveyism provides the blueprint for true Black liberation, where both men and women work together as equals to reclaim Africa, control Black economies, and resist white supremacy.

Conclusion: Black Women as the Heart of Pan-Africanism

Black women were not just participants in Garveyism and Pan-Africanism—they were its architects, strategists, and revolutionaries. Their contributions shaped:

The UNIA’s global impact.

Economic self-sufficiency through Black-owned businesses.

The political theory of Pan-African self-determination.

The cultural and intellectual foundation of modern Black liberation movements.

As Marcus Garvey declared, Black women were essential to the rise of a free and independent Black world.

The future of Pan-Africanism must honour their contributions—not just in history books, but in the continued fight for global Black unity and sovereignty.

[booasaur]

At Trump's inauguration today, Elon Musk did a Nazi salute. Or an awkward gesture. Or it was because of Asperger's. I've included quotes made about the video first, then the video at the end.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the civil rights organization formed to combat antisemitism and that works with the US government and institutions, has recently been in conflict with Wikipedia.

In June of last year, Wikipedia's editors marked the ADL as unreliable in matters concerning Israel or Palestine, given its pro-Israel stance.

Yesterday, following arbitration, Wikipedia banned certain editors for spreading antisemitic rhetoric.

After Musk's salute/gesture today, the ADL posted:

... edge. In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath. This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.

The Newsweek editor Batya Ungar-Sargon, formerly progressive, but having shifted somewhat lately, and who is publishing this book:

Posted this:

This man has consistently boosted literal Nazis on his site, through his algorithm and payments and actually by responding and retweeting! He's a friend to Israel, which gives him a pass for everything else. You'll see that happen often, that conservatives who are pro-Israel and also antisemitic are praised for the first part and ignored on the second.

Am I blaming the antisemitism itself on Zionists? No. But are watchdogs and institutions allowing a scary amount of right-wing behavior because their focus is on criticizing anti-Israel sentiment? Well, see for yourself what the gesture he does twice is.

[the-daily-bugle-official-blog]

Mutant rights has been a sore spot for many for years, and while some such as Professor Charles Xavier have made themselves more appealing to the general public, there are many who have not, namely Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto. The leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants and a wanted terrorist is a source of inspiration and empowerment to many young mutants, a great warning side to where this generation of mutants may be headed.

Erik Lehnsherr first appeared in the public eye during the Cuban Missile Crisis, almost causing a nuclear war between the US and Russia. However no one knew this thanks to a coverup caused by, you guessed it, Charles Xavier. The connection between these two men is undeniable and calls into doubt whether Xavier actually practices what he preaches about ‘unity’ and ‘liberal methods’, or if he is another mutant terrorist conspiring to end humanity. The events at Cuba were only made public after the downfall of SHIELD, who too had been hiding information to protect these so-called heroes. The lies seem to never end.

Lehnsherr was also arrested for the assassination of President John Kennedy, even though that turned out to be the doing of the Winter Soldier, aka President Barnes, he still broke out of prison with the help of, yet again, Charles Xavier, and tried to assassinate President Nixon. He was then simply let loose by Xavier until he aided another mutant Apocalypse in the destruction of the world, before being convinced otherwise by one of Xavier’s co-conspirators, the shapeshifting Mystique who is also a known murderer. Everywhere Lehnsherr goes, the death of innocent people seems to follow.

Lately, Lehnsherr has been working with his Brotherhood of Mutants to allegedly try and cause a human genocide and bring about the age of the mutants. He has known to have worked with his granddaughter, known vigilante criminal Daniella Romanoff, as well has having a continued connection with Charles Xavier.

So what can you, dear reader, do in the face of such terror and power? Lehnsherr has the ability to control metal, and is a very dangerous man. Well first thing is to keep an eye out for suspicious mutant activity in your local area, and report any mutants who may be conspiring with Lehnsherr to the authorities. Remember, mutants are among us and any of them could be radicalised to Magneto’s cause. He wishes for the human species to go quietly, though we at the the Daily Bugle won’t!! To join our daily newsletter comment underneath one of our posts to be added to the list. Be sure to comment your thoughts about the rampant mutant extremists, or leave an anonymous submission to get potentially featured in a later news story.

– J Jonah Jameson

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Editor's note: No one is refuting that Erik Lehnsherr is a terrorist, but equating all mutants to him is a dangerous practice that ends with young mutants discriminated against, attacked, and even killed. What we need right now is support for mutants, and focusing on their worst is causing nothing but harm. Do not report local mutants to the authorities, that much should be obvious. And to young mutants about there, stay safe. There are those of us who support you, and you deserve a place in the world just as much as anyone else - J.E. - Lead editor

@official-buckybarnes @the-good-redheaded-witch @mynameismagneto @simply-a-professor @thatone-midgardian

[noctilucous-sunni]

game developer!creator in sagau that can play around with glitches and bugs, make things spawn or disappear instantly, which everyone perceives as magic or godly powers so therefore you must be the all creator if you can play around with the world as you wish, similar to the matrix in a way :))

(junior?) developer!creator in sagau thinking it must be a dream because how else can you play around with teyvat’s physics as if you’re coding in unity?

developer!creator in sagau saying their thoughts of fixing glitches or adding code out loud and its as if a big code editor pops up in the sky that only you can see which directly allows you to change the world as you see fit (you can even change it to a smaller one)

developer!creator in sagau having too much fun by creating a pen of boars and having them spawn continuously for xiangling and doing the same thing with fish and happily allow klee to go fish blasting forever without even changing the landscape because they can put it back together seamlessly

developer!creator in sagau having too much fun with bombs and spending time with albedo and sucrose in their lab

developer!creator in sagau teasing childe/ayato/cyno during a sparr by making their weapons disappear by muttering lines of code which instead looks like a incantation for a magic spell

developer!creator in sagau drinking with kaeya and venti in angel’s share, only buying one drink but constantly refilling it with their coding prowess causing diluc to frown and later kick kaeya and venti out, but not you, oh not his precious all-creator (that was mildly getting on his nerves)

developer!creator in sagau bonding with layla and kaveh over how stressful university is, complaining and encouraging each other

developer!creator in sagau struggling to figure out how to make themselves fly just so they can try to catch wanderer every time he flys off in a huff or with a teasing mark

developer!creator in sagau being head over heels for dain and trying to spawn a farm of khaenri'ahn flowers, the inteyvat, hoping that he doesn’t hate you because you’re somewhat a god yourself

developer!creator in sagau playing tcg with cyno and tighnari and kaveh and alhaitham and yet completely cheating with their powers just to mess with cyno because they think it’s hilarious and eventually apologize, creating a special deck personalized for him

developer!creator in sagau chatting with alhaitham about the language of code because he’s a little language nerd and learning about how you can literally change the world anytime you want

ALSO i added this real quick, but developer!creator working with albedo to make glasses/contacts because they can’t handle seeing the world in code constantly, they want to experience the world too, plus it gives them headaches