#web design tool from google

[maximumzombiecreator]

Apart from the old trial-and-error method, are there resources that you would recommend for the aspiring megadungeon architect?

Either tools for the mapmaking or books/articles for guidance on the matter.

I talked a little bit about resources on the subject here, and I still feel like there's not a great single resource on how to build a megadungeon that I would recommend. There definitely are some good articles, though.

I'd say the most essential in my view, and one you're likely aware of, is Jacquaysing the Dungeon. This is a great reference on building non-linear dungeons that are interesting to navigate, which adds so much to a megadungeon. The Alexandrian's other stuff on dungeons are also worth reading for the most part. For example, his series on Re-Running the Megadungeon is a solid demonstration of megadungeon practice for new or unpersuaded GMs.

Most of the great articles I've read on dungeon design are from OSR blogs. Some of those have been lost, since so much of that was on Google+, and in general I'm reticent to link to OSR blogs because of the issues in that space. But I'll link a couple that I really like that serve as a good starting point, and its pretty easy to sort of navigate the web of blogs from there.

One I quite like is the dungeon checklist from goblin punch. At a glance I think it feels a little basic, but whenever I go back to it I find something I've missed in my current dungeon and that sparks my creativity for another round. Another is this article from false machine, which I find extremely evocative and great at getting me to think about the dungeon as a real, tactile place. Neither of these is essential, but I just think they're neat, and a good place to start wandering the webs of OSR blogs and seeing what speaks to you for anyone new to that space.

For mapmaking tools, I personally just use GNU IMP and some of Dyson Logos' photoshop brushes because I ain't got time for all that hashing. But I remain a big advocate of doing mashups of other maps, using geomorphs, or random generators if you don't want to sit there and tediously map stuff out personally.

Sorry, this ask took me forever to get to, and aside from personal reasons, the other reason it took so long is that the answer is kind of just "no, I don't know of many good megadungeon resources." I think part of why I've been so motivated to write on the subject in the past is that I think so much of the existing advice is vague, scattered, or kind of just sucks and misses the point. And I'm sure there's a lot of good stuff I just haven't found. But nearly all the good stuff is for making good dungeons, and then the megadungeon advice is "do that but bigger" which I think is actually bad advice. Like it's bad advice in the same way that you can't just extend techniques on how to run an engaging battle into techniques on how to run an engaging war.

So, consider this an open call for anyone in the comments or reblogs to link any megadungeon resources they think are useful. Hopefully other people have more than I do.

[warningsine]

Living online means never quite understanding what’s happening to you at a given moment. Why these search results? Why this product recommendation? There is a feeling—often warranted, sometimes conspiracy-minded—that we are constantly manipulated by platforms and websites.

So-called dark patterns, deceptive bits of web design that can trick people into certain choices online, make it harder to unsubscribe from a scammy or unwanted newsletter; they nudge us into purchases. Algorithms optimized for engagement shape what we see on social media and can goad us into participation by showing us things that are likely to provoke strong emotional responses. But although we know that all of this is happening in aggregate, it’s hard to know specifically how large technology companies exert their influence over our lives.

This week, Wired published a story by the former FTC attorney Megan Gray that illustrates the dynamic in a nutshell. The op-ed argued that Google alters user searches to include more lucrative keywords. For example, Google is said to surreptitiously replace a query for “children’s clothing” with “NIKOLAI-brand kidswear” on the back end in order to direct users to lucrative shopping links on the results page. It’s an alarming allegation, and Ned Adriance, a spokesperson for Google, told me that it’s “flat-out false.” Gray, who is also a former vice president of the Google Search competitor DuckDuckGo, had seemingly misinterpreted a chart that was briefly presented during the company’s ongoing U.S. et al v. Google trial, in which the company is defending itself against charges that it violated federal antitrust law. (That chart, according to Adriance, represents a “phrase match” feature that the company uses for its ads product; “Google does not delete queries and replace them with ones that monetize better as the opinion piece suggests, and the organic results you see in Search are not affected by our ads systems,” he said.)

Gray told me, “I stand by my larger point—the Google Search team and Google ad team worked together to secretly boost commercial queries, which triggered more ads and thus revenue. Google isn’t contesting this, as far as I know.” In a statement, Chelsea Russo, another Google spokesperson, reiterated that the company’s products do not work this way and cited testimony from Google VP Jerry Dischler that “the organic team does not take data from the ads team in order to affect its ranking and affect its result.” Wired did not respond to a request for comment. Last night, the publication removed the story from its website, noting that it does not meet Wired’s editorial standards.

It’s hard to know what to make of these competing statements. Gray’s specific facts may be wrong, but the broader concerns about Google’s business—that it makes monetization decisions that could lead the product to feel less useful or enjoyable—form the heart of the government’s case against the company. None of this is easy to untangle in plain English—in fact, that’s the whole point of the trial. For most of us, evidence about Big Tech’s products tends to be anecdotal or fuzzy—more vibes-based than factual. Google may not be altering billions of queries in the manner that the Wired story suggests, but the company is constantly tweaking and ranking what we see, while injecting ads and proprietary widgets into our feed, thereby altering our experience. And so we end up saying that Google Search is less useful now or that shopping on Amazon has gotten worse. These tools are so embedded in our lives that we feel acutely that something is off, even if we can’t put our finger on the technical problem.

That’s changing. In the past month, thanks to a series of antitrust actions on behalf of the federal government, hard evidence of the ways that Silicon Valley’s biggest companies are wielding their influence is trickling out. Google’s trial is under way, and while the tech giant is trying to keep testimony locked down, the past four weeks have helped illustrate—via internal company documents and slide decks like the one cited by Wired—how Google has used its war chest to broker deals and dominate the search market. Perhaps the specifics of Gray’s essay were off, but we have learned, for instance, how company executives considered adjusting Google’s products to lead to more “monetizable queries.” And just last week, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Amazon alleging anticompetitive practices. (Amazon has called the suit “misguided.”)

Filings related to that suit have delivered a staggering revelation concerning a secretive Amazon algorithm code-named Project Nessie. The particulars of Nessie were heavily redacted in the public complaint, but this week The Wall Street Journal revealed details of the program. According to the unredacted complaint, a copy of which I have also viewed, Nessie—which is no longer in use—monitored industry prices of specific goods to determine whether competitors were algorithmically matching Amazon’s prices. In the event that competitors were, Nessie would exploit this by systematically raising prices on goods across Amazon, encouraging its competitors to follow suit. Amazon, via the algorithm, knew that it would be able to charge more on its own site, because it didn’t have to worry about being undercut elsewhere, thereby making the broader online shopping experience worse for everyone. An Amazon spokesperson told the Journal that the FTC is mischaracterizing the tool, and suggested that Nessie was a way to monitor competitor pricing and keep price-matching algorithms from dropping prices to unsustainable levels (the company did not respond to my request for comment).

In the FTC’s telling, Project Nessie demonstrates the sheer scope of Amazon’s power in online markets. The project arguably amounted to a form of unilateral price fixing, where Amazon essentially goaded its competitors into acting like cartel members without even knowing they’d done so—all while raising prices on consumers. It’s an astonishing form of influence, powered by behind-the-scenes technology.

The government will need to prove whether this type of algorithmic influence is illegal. But even putting legality aside, Project Nessie is a sterling example of the way that Big Tech has supercharged capitalistic tendencies and manipulated markets in unnatural and opaque ways. It demonstrates the muscle that a company can throw around when it has consolidated its position in a given sector. The complaint alleges that Amazon’s reach and logistics capabilities force third-party sellers to offer products on Amazon and for lower prices than other retailers. Once it captured a significant share of the retail market, Amazon was allegedly able to use algorithmic tools such as Nessie to drive prices up for specific products, boosting revenues and manipulating competitors.

Reading about Project Nessie, I was surprised to feel a sense of relief. In recent years, customer-satisfaction ratings have dipped among Amazon shoppers who have cited delivery disruptions, an explosion of third-party sellers, and poor-quality products as reasons for frustration. In my own life and among friends and relatives, there has been a growing feeling that shopping on the platform has become a slog, with fewer deals and far more junk to sift through. Again, these feelings tend to occupy vibe territory: Amazon’s bigness seems stifling or grating in ways that aren’t always easy to explain. But Nessie offers a partial explanation for this frustration, as do revelations about Google’s various product adjustments. We have the sense that we’re being manipulated because, well, we are. It’s a bit like feeling vaguely sick, going to the doctor, and receiving a blood-test result confirming that, yes, the malaise you experienced is actually an iron deficiency. It is the catharsis of, at long last, receiving a diagnosis.

This is the true power of the surge in anti-monopoly litigation. (According to experts in the field, September was “the most extraordinary month they have ever seen in antitrust.”) Whether or not any of these lawsuits results in corporate breakups or lasting change, they are, effectively, an MRI of our sprawling digital economy—a forensic look at what these larger-than-life technology companies are really doing, and how they are exerting their influence and causing damage. It is confirmation that what so many of us have felt—that the platforms dictating our online experiences are behaving unnaturally and manipulatively—is not merely a paranoid delusion, but the effect of an asymmetrical relationship between the giants of scale and us, the users.

In recent years, it’s been harder to love the internet, a miracle of connectivity that feels ever more bloated, stagnant, commercialized, and junkified. We are just now starting to understand the specifics of this transformation—the true influence of Silicon Valley’s vise grip on our lives. It turns out that the slow rot we might feel isn’t just in our heads, after all.

[taswritesstuff]

ellipsus: an honest review

(this is pretty much directly copied from an insta post i just made. if you're seeing this before monday 4/21, when this goes live on insta... cool! you got in early. also, check my instagram out)

what is ellipsus?

ellipsus is a writing platform designed for collaboration, but it can definitely be used alone. i, personally, only write solo, so this review mostly focuses on the solo writing experience (with a few mentions of collaborative features).

features

there are sort of 4 main parts to ellipsus when it comes to writing: folders, documents, the main writing doc, and drafts. you can make folders to house multiple documents, and you can even put folders into folders, which allows for a TON of organization.

inside each document, you have the main document and the drafts. the way it’s meant to be used is as follows: you do all your writing in the main doc, and then you can make drafts that copy everything in the main doc. any changes you make in the drafts doesn’t change the main doc.

that, however, is not how i use documents. i like to make a document about one topic - for example, character development and worldbuilding - and then make drafts that relate to that topic (i.e., a draft for each character bio). this allows for even MORE organization beyond folders, microfolders, and documents.

ellipsus also has templates like word and google docs, but i don’t have much to say as i haven’t tried any of the templates out. as of right now the templates don’t have previews (outside of the ellipsus blog), just names, which has made me hesitant to look into them any further because... you know... i don’t really know what I’m getting into. this is just something to note.

pros

LOTS of organization via folders within folders, documents, and drafts

built-in collaboration tools (such as version history, a chat box for collaborators, and commenting on drafts)

lots of formatting tools (such as headings, a divider, quote/code, indents, and more)

the platform is constantly being improved & updated

if you’re a font nerd like me: new fonts are added fairly often, and the selection is pretty good right now! it has a good variety of different font types.

IT'S FREE!!

cons

you can’t switch between fonts in one draft/the main doc - only one font for the entire thing (diff headings can have different fonts)

can be glitchy sometimes (though i’ve never lost work!)

you can move documents between folders, but you can’t move drafts between documents. (this might not seem like a big deal to some, but i accidentally made a draft in the wrong doc once and wasn’t able to move it, which sort of threw off my organization :/)

ellipsus is only on web, which is great on computers but makes it difficult & not fun to use on mobile

should you use it instead of word and google docs?

i’ve been using ellipsus for around 2 months now, and i’d say it’s a great alternative... but it doesn’t have everything. in some regards, i’m still finding it difficult to completely transfer over from google docs, which I’ve been using for years. one thing i love is ellipsus' stance completely against ai, and its commitment to staying that way. i still mostly use google docs on my phone, since ellipsus is hard to use on mobile.

final thoughts & comments

i think ellipsus is a great tool, and that everybody should try it out! maybe you won’t transfer over to it completely right away (or ever), but it’s still something to look into. is it perfect? no, but it’s improving all the time.

interested? find them here:

tumblr: @ellipsus-writes

website: https://ellipsus.com/

blog (also linked through website, but i think more people should look into it for new features, features you may have missed, and current writing news): https://ellipsus.com/blog

happy writing!

[paradoxcase]

How to use search engines effectively in the year of our lord 2025

So, we all know Google sucks now. There are some other alternative search engines, but honestly, switching search engines isn't going to fix a lot of the fundamental issues we're seeing with search engines nowadays. But yesterday, while responding to someone on reddit who was making the argument of "Google sucks now, so really, how much worse is it to just ask ChatGPT" I realized that there is actually a formula for using search engines that I have that continues to work perfectly for most things despite the fact that Google sucks now, so I thought I would share.

First of all, to remove all of the AI bullshit from Google, you can use udm14.com instead, or install the udm=14 browser extension. The method I outline here may or may not work with search engines other than Google, I haven't looked into them deeply enough. udm14.com should be essentially just Google, but without AI.

Then, we have to go back to the beginning and understand what a search engine actually is, and what it isn't. I spent three years of my career working in the guts of a search engine (not Google, or any other web-based search engine), so I should hope I would know what they are:

A search engine is a tool to locate documents.

Google in particular has done a lot to obscure what a search engine actually is by adding a lot of "cool" "features" to their search engine which are not actually within the scope of search engine capabilities. When you search for a question and Google displays a bolded answer that it found on a web page? Not search engine provenance. When it displays its "AI Summary"? Not search engine provenance. When it advertises things to you? Not search engine provenance. When it comes up with questions that "other people asked"? Not search engine provenance. The core competency of a search engine is to find documents (in this case, web pages) from a large collection of documents (the internet) based on their relevance to a query you have typed. Just like people are misusing ChatGPT to do stuff it was not designed for and that it is not good at, using a search engine as if it is a question answering service that can deliver the answer to a question you asked is using the search engine to do something it was not designed for and is not good at.

The search engine is not an all-in-one tool any more than ChatGPT is an all-in-one tool. Research is a multi-step process that involves a search engine, but the search engine cannot do everything for you. Here is the process:

Learn how to identify reliable sources of information. Learn what sites tend to have reliable information about the topic you're looking up. Wikipedia is a good fallback that may give you links to other reliable sources. You can also ask people who know more about your topic for recommendations of good sites. There are also sites that rank the reliability and bias of other popular sites. The search engine's ability to find relevant documents is not super useful when the internet is full of untrustworthy bullshit and is becoming more so as time goes on due to AI-generated content. Just because a search engine returns a link does not mean it is reliable.

Use a search engine to specifically search just the websites you know are reliable for your topic. Google has some documentation about how to do this on their search engine here. There should be a way to do this on any other half-decent search engine, as well, but I don't have the details of how to do it. Now you have limited your scope from "anything and everything produced by everyone who has ever created a Wordpress account plus whoever paid Google to have their site appear in every single search" to a collection of documents that you can trust.

Read the sources that you get back from the search engine. No, seriously. Read them. Don't read Google's "AI Summary". Read the actual sources. Don't read the bolded answer Google put at the top of the results list. Read the sources. Don't ask another AI to summarize the sources for you. Read the sources. Don't just read the headline or title and assume you now know everything that is in the body of the article. READ THE SOURCES. There is no shortcut for this, you have to read.

There was a time when you could get away with being lax about this and just do general searches, but that was because there was an actual limit on the amount of wrong information that mere humans could generate per unit time, and also because Google did legitimately use to be more concerned with promoting reliable sources than with promoting whoever paid them the most money to do so. But that time is over.

Basically, if you wouldn't just type your question into ChatGPT and hope for the best, don't just type your question into Google and hope for the best, either.

[centrally-unplanned]

I have been taking my fit-and-starts second stab at playing Victoria 3 - I did a Japan run, and a Korea run, and this is a very frustrating game. It bothers me because its deep core is probably the best of Vicky so far. It understands that the appeal of these game is Factorio-esque; you want to build up this cool little supply chain that goes chug chug chug I make-a the widgets and numbers go up.

Vicky 1 was ofc just pure cheese; most goods could just be dumped on the global market with no buyer and do fine, certain goods were just hard-coded to be profitable, and insane things like 100% of import costs coming out of the government's budget pushed you towards a kind of samey, slapdash hyper-industrial mercantilism. Vicky 2 was the opposite - so opaque in its function that you as the player didn't really have agency over it, as the vaunted World Market just does its thing. Your strategies "worked" no matter what you really did though, so you just kind of followed basic "build factory in same territory as RGO" logic and let the system run itself. Both of these systems made for functional-but-not-exceptional gameplay loops.

Vicky 3 is more complicated than its predecessors, but in ways that makes how the economic system functions more concrete. You have local prices for goods, wider markets with clearly labelled high-and-low demand, and clearly defined "production methods" where buildings can commit to better tech at the cost of different inputs. As a player you can build factories, farms, and mines of a dozen different types anywhere, so you always have agency - and those new production lines gives you goals. Invent steel tools, so now your tooling workshops can make more tools but will need steel instead of iron as a input? You can switch over the lines...but make sure you have enough steel mills! And oh, that drives down the price of tools once you do it...so now your cattle ranches can justify switching their line to tool-assisted butchers! And now you make more meat, your local cost is low, but oh in the Russian market meat prices are high - as shown by that little gold coin icon it - so you can export it now!

Things are looped, contingent, and based on your decisions. It is simple, of course, you are making lots of little, easy calls that build you up over time - which is what makes it fun. It has to be simple, because otherwise it is a dizzyingly complex web of a million markets, it would never work. You feel like you are actually building the economy without being overwhelmed by it.

Which would be great if it wasn't stapled to one of the worst political & military systems I have ever seen, played with a UI God abandoned in shame.

So you can join the markets of other countries? Like you have your own market as a default, so you can click the "market" tab and it will show you how much wheat your country makes, how much iron it buys, etc. All good. But if you join another country's market, now that tab shows the collective market, everyone's wheat, iron, etc. Useful but like obiously I am not playing the market, I am playing the country; so how do I see how much wheat I make?

You can't.

You actually can't! Idk maybe they patched it in recently, but I couldn't find it and all the reddit threads I google from 2023 say you can't. Are you planning to declare independence and wanna see if you make enough food for your people? Too bad! Fuck around and find out I guess. I saw one thread where someone's advice was "save the game, declare independence, screenshot the new market, then reload". Quantum timeline level of experimental design going on in these guys' Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It isn't even the gameplay implications that bother me the most - this is a game about building an economy. You want to see what you built! And they stop you. It is baffling, and is just the tip of the iceberg - there are so many things like this. One of my favourites is that your "construction sector" is a hybrid of government and private projects, sometimes it is you spending the money, sometimes investors. Okay, cool, when it is you spending it comes out of your treasury, right? Well, yes, but the way they show that is when everyone spends it comes out of your treasury, but the private sector reimburses you for their share. Which you will not understand your first ~3 games, and instead just see huge red numbers on your budget screen and panic. And you are just left asking why? Why do that?

Beyond UI, the political system is just half-baked. It is "interest groups", each has baseline popularity, and verrrry slowly that changes as your economic structure changes (or revolutions). And to change laws you initiate campaigns to drum up support with roll dice to pass/fail. Which isn't a bad baseline, but it completely fails to capture how political change occurred in the era. Like the Meiji Restoration is "done" by you putting industrialists in power and kicking out the "landlords" lol. Japan didn't have industrialists then! Landlords are the ones who did the restoring of Meiji.

More importantly than inaccurate it isn't fun - to change a law you just arrange a coalition in power than kind of backs it, then pray you get good random events. In Vicky 2 they had a lot more railroad-style decisions and stuff you could do to capture history, "hit this military score benchmark and launch a civil war" kind of stuff. It wasn't complicated, and it was less organic, but it was pro player agency, you could take active steps to achieve it. In Vicky 3 it is mainly waiting or cheese - people often talk about getting the Meiji Restoration by deleting all your armies at game start and launching a civil war immediately that the AI will lose by default. A checkbox decision is better than that!

The military mechanics are the epitome of their "systems over gameplay" approach. What they wanted to do was two-fold; reduce micro in Vicky 2 where it is "click army to province" over and over, and "balance" the game by making combat not reward micro where players could cheese the AI. Very valid goals, I totally support it. What they did was built a system where armies auto-move to "fronts" and their AI can't handle it, but now as a player my agency over my units is gone so I can't fix it. The UI is awful, you can't even really tell armies to attack or defend, they just ~whim. You have to do a lot of clicking to fight the system - yes it is less clicking than Vicky 2, but in Vicky 2 that wasn't mentally taxing, it was fun enough to wage the war you wanted to wage. Everything was concrete and in your control.

Here...look, as Korea I declared war on China to gain independence. Then the UK - not my ally, just separately, declared war on China as well. So now we are kindaaaa on the same side? At which point half my army auto-reployed to Hong Kong because a "new front" had "appeared". One my one boat. Then the UK declared war on me as well and then 50% of my army was fighting the UK in the South China Sea alongside the Russians (???) while the other half of my army is sitting there at home facing the Qing troops along the Yalu River going "bro, wtf?". At one point a newly spawned army of mine tried to auto-redeploy to Senegal.

All of this is just so preventable - you wanna reduce micro? Make combat provinces really big. You just invade "Manchuria", no clicking from Jilin to Mukden, and have bordering armies support each other defensively or something like that so you don't have to dash back and forth. Don't try to make your AI "do it for you" because it clearly can't and you want to play your own game. I'm sure the above will get better as I learn the system but I can just see the hundreds of players who saw this system and insta-quit, because until you "understand" it, it stabs you in the back. Not what you want out of a game.

Anyway enough me whinging about the game for way too long - the fundamentals are strong in the end. I will test out mods, I could see an overhaul mod really fixing everything except maybe the combat (and then you just cope). I definitely want it to work, the potential is high.

[skysometric]

Skysometric Design Retrospective, Part 1

Where It All Started

somehow, after a decade on the internet, i've become one of those people who has a whole Personal Brand™. at first i leaned into it on purpose, partly because i wanted to make videos as my shtick (until i didn't), and partly because i didn't really know how else to express myself on the internet early on. these days, however, keeping up a personal brand is less about Who I Am and more that i just enjoy graphic design. making this stuff is fun!

so over the past few years since coming out and rebranding as Skysometric, i've put a lot of work into a new logo, website design, icons, video thumbnails, and even more besides. i'm pretty proud of how it all turned out! and now that most of the heavy lifting is done, i'd like to write about how it went and some things i've learned along the way. there's a lot to talk about, so strap in for a pretty long series!

but, to start, i can't talk about Skysometric without a quick history lesson about WillWare, the old me – the one who got the ball rolling on graphic design in the first place.

———

maybe this is obvious to the trained eye (or maybe not!), but i'm an entirely self-taught graphic designer. i've never taken any classes, studied design styles, learned the fundamentals, or even so much as had a single course teaching me how Photoshop works. (not that i use Adobe anymore, but you get my point!)

instead, everything i know, i learned by doing. i learned how image editing software works by making tiles and backgrounds for Mari0 levels. my fundamentals are deeply rooted in drawing mazes as a kid, so i quickly discovered how to set up grids in every image editor i got my hands on. i picked up other design techniques by attempting to imitate their logos or styles for personal projects over the years.

on the one hand, this means that i've developed a style and workflow that is wholly and uniquely my own! on the other hand, anytime i get stuck, i don't always have the tools to get un-stuck... or even the words to google it.

so instead of googling it, i used the tools i had to make all of this:

rest in peace, WillWare (the brand). clockwise from top left: logo, social media banner, video end slate, stream archive thumbnail.

what started as just a fancy logo to replace my old Sonic profile picture, snowballed into an entire branding suite across web and video! i learned a lot about graphic design as i gradually expanded these designs into my other creative pursuits. you can see so much of that self-taught style i described above in these few examples – geometric grids and graph paper, simple shapes and layers like my Mari0 work... and imitation of Google's Material Design guidelines, like drop shadows and color choices.

in fact, i leaned so hard on Material Design that, after some time, it no longer felt like my own style. anytime i wanted to branch out, i felt constrained by somebody else's design standards! so i challenged myself to find my own design style from scratch, which I called "New WillWare":

this neon light grid is still pretty dang inspired, but it's not "me" anymore.

it took a couple years of slow iteration to arrive at this neon-looking "light grid," and while it rocks, it also painted me into a corner. i had no idea how to make anything more than pretty promotional pictures in this style – i couldn't figure out how to make it work with video, webpages, or even just text, no matter how much i tried to go back to the drawing board. and my lack of formal experience made it that much more difficult to solve these problems!

so after a while, i felt pretty stuck. my old design didn't feel like my own, my new design was a dead end, and i felt like i was too invested in both to start completely from scratch again. i was simultaneously too burnt out to continue, and too scared to throw everything out and start fresh!

and then i transitioned, and started calling myself Sky.

in case you missed the *cough* subtle indicators, both of my old designs are centered around the letter W (being part of my old username and all). "Sky" does not have a W. so, uh, none of this fits anymore! even though i love this old work, and still consider it part of my history, it no longer accurately represents me or my identity. ready or not, it's time to design something new!

on one side, i felt pressure to get away from my old look, the product of a younger designer whose efforts were still the standard for my online presence. on the other side, i felt pressure to rise from the ashes of my redesign, make something of all the failures, successes, and lessons that i learned.

and thus, shedding my old brand identity and donning my new gender identity, i hit the sketchbook running.

to be continued...

[karlmarxmaybe]

All power to the soviets! Ok, now that the liberals have ran away: I am interested in how marxist-leninist theory can be applied in the critique of the internet, and what ideas have been brought up by communists on what a collectivized web could be like. We all know the privatized, globalized internet is a tool of capital, social media working as a content factory in which workers work for free and generate advertisement revenue for the enterprises like Google, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and the like. Now, it is also evident that web connection is a useful tool for communicating information, managing economical transaction and sharing knowledge. But under capitalism, any potential communal good that could come from the web is hampered by design; access to the internet is expensive and thus only easy for those that benefit from the spoils of imperialism (living in the imperial core); web hosting is privatized, social media is built as a factory of self-propaganda, the internet works esentially as a highway for globalized commerce and bourgeois exploitation in digital format. This is why I wonder how this could be dismantled in a communist regime (obviously it must start with state control and popular ownership of the physical means of digital production, but beyond that) and what shape a communist web would take, or if such a thing is possible at all. So if anyone knows any essays or books on the subject, please let me know, and thank you for your time.

@death-to-usa @bogleech @brendanicus @komsomolka @elbiotipo @hurricanewindattack @txttletale @papasmoke @transingthebourgeoisie @trans-girl-nausicaa @genderyomi @nyancrimew @communist-ojou-sama @communistkenobi @marxism-transgenderism @chrisdornerfanclub @commiemania @transmutationisms @gaylenin @lambdadelta-communism @autolenaphilia @little-bolshevik @apas-95 @kira-serialfaggot @thottacelli @zvaigzdelasas @daughter-of-sapph0 @decolonize-the-left @strawberry-crocodile @estrogenesis-evangelion

(communists of the entire website, unite!)

[spockandawe]

Hello! I've been thinking about binding some danmei novels in my native language, but I don't know where to start. I found your blog recently and find it very inspiring! I was wondering if maybe you could share with me what tools and materials would be good to get started with?

Sure!!!! So, I'm on mobile and don't have links at hand, but if you go back through my bookbinding tag, there are other replies I've got about the materials for making a book specifically. The renegade publishing blog also has resource documents that walk through the bookbinding process and include links to educational materials, etc. So for here, I'll focus on the danmei side of things!

So, a fun feature about these books is that they tend to run LONG. I've seen a number of people try to take up bookbinding in google docs, and honestly, it's doing things on hard mode. For many danmei, it's basically impossible. I think my EARLIEST earliest attempt at svsss began in gdocs, and that's not a super long novel, but gdocs was choking on it. A word processor on your desktop is going to be your best bet. Personally, i invested in a microsoft office license, because it was familiar and i could afford it. But the free parallel to that will be libre office, which does basically everything word can do, with just minor differences.

On the fancy end of bookbinding software, affinity, indesign, and microsoft publisher are also names you may hear tossed around. These can do fancier, more artistic layouts, but also come with a heavier price tag. And because i had webnovels on my radar from the start, i wanted something ROBUST. I wanted to be able to dump all of the husky and his white cat shizun into a single file and work from it. And i did eventually do that! Being able to typeset a single file rather than repeat each step across several is great, especially since i tend to tweak design choices as i go.

For danmei, you're also going to want a robust printer. I have a color laser that's been an absolute beast of a machine, but a black and white laser can get you a long ways, and monochrome designs can be very elegant. You don't want an HP brand printer, their toner subscription practices are downright predatory, but Brother and Canon are names I've seen recommended highly. You probably don't want an inkjet printer, because long books take a LOT of ink. The one exception would be if you can find an affordable ink tank printer.

And the last major thing i can think of is that if your main computer is a laptop, consider typesetting with an external mouse and keyboard! Danmei novels are split into lots of short chapters, frequently split across just as many web pages, with lots of footnotes to format, and laptops are convenient but not ergonomic. Doing too much on there is just asking for a repetitive strain injury. I've done it, but often paid for my sins in pain! And your laptop keyboard may start complaining too, I'm almost certain my first typeset of mdzs was the nail in the coffin for my last laptop's keyboard, haha

I hope that helps! Best of luck to you! Ive found binding cnovels to be EXTREMELY rewarding, even though my original reason was because these things would NEVER be licensed in english 😂 I'm delighted to see people experimenting with it for other translations in other languages, I really hope it goes well for you!!!!

[mariacallous]

Are you an election denier who’s just not satisfied with the number of conspiracies about Wi-Fi-connected voting machines or reports about floods of illegal immigrants stuffing ballots into drop boxes on TikTok or Instagram? Do you pine for a place to share and learn even more? Want to connect with like-minded election deniers?

Well, with just 60 days until the 2024 presidential election, and with efforts to undermine the outcome of the vote already well underway, there’s now an app just for you—and no, it’s not Elon Musk’s X.

Facebook for Election Deniers

VoteAlert is a new app from the election conspiracy group True the Vote, a company with a rich history of combining tech with election conspiracies only to come up with nothing. In 2022, True the Vote claimed to have evidence showing that so-called ballot mules were being used to stuff drop boxes to sway the 2020 election in Joe Biden’s favor. Earlier this year they admitted in court they had no such evidence.

But that didn’t slow them down. The group has already rolled out one online tool this election season called IV3 to facilitate mass voter roll challenges, and with VoteAlert, the group now wants to give election workers and poll watchers the chance to get in on the action.

VoteAlert is designed to be a one-stop shop for all your election conspiracy needs, featuring a scrollable feed of the latest voting-related alerts, the ability to report your own claims, and even, apparently, a 24/7 hotline.

The app isn’t available in Apple’s or Google’s app stores, but is available as a web app, so people can still join. Catherine Engelbrecht, cofounder of True the Vote, did indicate in online meetings in recent weeks that the apps would be available on the major platforms, but it’s unclear right now when that will happen. True the Vote did not respond to a request for comment about VoteAlert.

Before you sign in, the app asks you to agree to a disclaimer that’s a little different from those of most apps: “It is up to you to use VoteAlert responsibly. Federal law prohibits actions that can be viewed as voter intimidation, including photo, video, or audio recording of voters while inside protected polling place boundaries.”

Users of the app are then presented with what looks like a typical social media feed of text, images, and videos. But instead of lime-green memes about Kamala, Instagram cooking videos, or “very demure” videos on TikTok, initial indications suggest the feed will be filled with livestreams of drop boxes in Wisconsin or reports of Wi-Fi-connected voting machines in Arizona.

While the app isn’t really up and running yet, we’ve got a glimpse into its possible future thanks to test posts from Engelbrecht’s team that cover the wide gamut of conspiracies the group has been pushing.

“It says I already voted by mail?” asks D from Loudoun County, Virginia, in a test post that popped up in my feed. “I just moved a few months ago and went to get my voter registration and address updated. They told me that I have already voted by mail—but I haven't.”

Meanwhile, JR in Kent County, Delaware, claimed in another test post that someone was having a bake sale “trying to get people to vote for certain candidates.” (There is a very clear sign on the cookie table with the prices; a quick reverse image search shows the image dates back to at least 2017.)

Meg Denning, who works with True the Vote, has also posted, claiming: “​​All the machines went down and there was a wifi [sic] connection,” referring to a favorite conspiracy among election deniers that the internet itself has been used to conduct voter fraud on a mass scale.

Though these are just test posts, the section of the app that allows users to report their own claims shows just how focused True the Vote is on promoting election conspiracies.

The app also allows users to indicate their location, precinct number, and whether they are an election worker or poll watcher. It also helpfully offers you a predefined list of possible voting issues to report, including “ballot harvesting or trafficking” and “non-citizen voting,” which are concerns that groups like True the Vote have been baselessly promoting in recent months.

If you believe your situation is life or death, the app even has a built-in emergency 24/7 hotline you can call to report your outrage. “Thank you for calling True the Vote,” the chirpy automated female voice responds after a couple of rings. “We appreciate your commitment to liberty.”

No one picked up when I called.

The automated voice did tell me to send an email or leave a voicemail before signing off: “Ever onward.”

[pickmyurl-ai-marketer]

Job Title: Remote Digital Marketing Interns (10 Positions) – Ahmedabad Based Candidates Preferred Company: Pickmyurl AI Marketer India (A Digital Marketing Innovation Leader Powered by AI Tools)

About the Role: We are inviting applications for 10 Digital Marketing Internship positions for freshers who are passionate about starting a career in digital marketing. The internship is completely remote, allowing you to work from your own premises if you have Wi-Fi and a laptop/desktop. This is a learning-oriented internship that includes free training, real-world project experience, and an opportunity to get hired based on your performance during the internship.

What You Will Learn:

Website Designing Basics

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Techniques

Social Media Marketing & Management

Link Building and Off-Page SEO

Keyword Research & Content Strategy

Working on Live Projects under guidance

Tools like Canva, WordPress, Google Tools, and more

Internship Structure:

100% Remote Work – Flexible hours from your home/office

Step-by-step assignments with complete mentorship

Phase-wise training to ensure gradual learning

Don’t worry if you fall behind – our team supports continuous learning

After 3 months, top performers may be considered for a permanent Job Role with Pickmyurl, based on their skills and consistency

Benefits:

Free Expert Training & Mentoring

Certification on Successful Completion

Opportunity to Work on Live Client Projects

Hands-on Experience with New AI-based Digital Tools

Chance to Earn a Job Offer after Internship

Exposure to International Standards in Digital Marketing

Eligibility Criteria: Location Preference: Ahmedabad (or Gujarat candidates preferred)

Languages: Must be fluent in English, Hindi, or regional languages like Gujarati or Marathi

Device Requirement: Laptop/Desktop with stable Wi-Fi connection

Basic Skills Required:

Internet browsing & research

Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Familiarity with Social Media Platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn)

Bonus Skills (Not Mandatory):

Blogging or Content Writing

Canva Designing

Video Editing

Web Design knowledge (HTML, WordPress or any CMS)

How to Apply: 📧 Send your updated CV along with a recent photograph to our official HR team. (hr.ahmedabad@pickmyurl.com) 🔔 Hurry! Limited positions available for this batch.

Apply Today – Build Your Career in Digital Marketing with Pickmyurl AI Marketer India!

[azubuikeworld]

Who Is a Technical Writer?

A technical writer is a professional who creates clear, concise documentation that explains complex information in a way that's easy to understand. They translate technical concepts into user-friendly content.

---

What Do They Write?

Technical writers produce a wide range of materials, including:

User manuals

Instruction guides

Product documentation

How-to articles

API documentation

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

White papers

Training materials

Online help systems

Software release notes

---

Where Do They Work?

Industries that employ technical writers include:

Tech/software companies

Engineering firms

Medical and healthcare

Manufacturing

Finance

Government agencies

Telecommunications

---

Key Skills of a Technical Writer

1. Excellent writing and communication

2. Ability to understand complex technical information

3. Attention to detail

4. Research and interviewing skills

5. Organization and clarity

6. Collaboration with engineers, designers, developers, etc.

7. Basic design and formatting skills

---

Popular Tools Used

Microsoft Word / Google Docs

Markdown editors

Adobe FrameMaker / InDesign

MadCap Flare

Confluence / Jira

Snagit / Camtasia (for visuals and screen recordings)

Git / GitHub (for version control)

XML / HTML / CSS (basic web formatting)

---

Education & Background

A bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Technical Writing, Engineering, or Computer Science is common.

Certifications can help (e.g., from the Society for Technical Communication (STC) or Coursera).

Some come from writing backgrounds; others transition from technical fields (like software development or engineering).

---

Career Path & Growth

Junior Technical Writer → Technical Writer → Senior Technical Writer

Specializations: API writer, UX writer, Information Architect, Content Strategist, etc.

Many go freelance or work as consultants.

Remote work is common in this field.

---

Why It's a Good Career

High demand, especially in tech

Remote flexibility

Well-paying (entry level: $50k–$70k; senior roles: $90k+)

Good for writers with an analytical mind

[digitaldetoxworld]

Google Analytics: A Comprehensive Overview

 In the ever-evolving virtual panorama, information user conduct and internet site performance is essential for businesses and content material creators. Google Analytics, one of the most extensively used internet analytics gear inside the global, affords the insights essential to make knowledgeable choices, optimize person reports, and force online success. Launched through Google in November 2005 after obtaining the internet analytics enterprise Urchin, Google Analytics has considering the fact that advanced into a effective platform for analyzing information from websites and apps.

Google Analytics For Website 

What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics is a loose web analytics provider presented with the aid of Google that tracks and reviews website site visitors. It presents targeted facts and insights about how customers have interaction along with your internet site or application. From identifying the wide variety of traffic to expertise their conduct and conversion paths, Google Analytics permits companies to benefit a clear photograph in their online presence.

In 2020, Google introduced Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which marked a tremendous shift from the preceding Universal Analytics (UA). GA4 is designed to provide a more holistic view of the client journey, with a robust emphasis on gadget gaining knowledge of and move-platform tracking.

How Does Google Analytics Work?

Google Analytics works through setting a small snippet of JavaScript code on every web page of your internet site. When someone visits the internet site, the code collects facts approximately their behavior, device, browser, place, and more. This facts is then despatched to Google’s servers, where it's miles processed and made to be had inside the form of reports and dashboards.

In GA4, the records version is occasion-based, meaning the whole lot a person does—clicks, scrolls, form submissions—is treated as an event. This version offers extra flexibility and intensity in tracking person interactions as compared to the session-primarily based model utilized in Universal Analytics.

Key Features of Google Analytics

1. Real-Time Reporting

Real-time reviews permit users to peer who's on their website online right now, what pages they’re viewing, where they came from, and what movements they’re taking. This is specifically useful for tracking the impact of advertising and marketing campaigns or internet site modifications as they happen.

2. Audience Reports

Audience reports provide unique data about the human beings traveling your website, together with demographics (age, gender), interests, geographic location, device type, browser, and more. These insights help tailor content and advertising strategies to goal the proper target audience.

Three. Acquisition Reports

These reports display how customers are locating your web site—whether or not through organic search, paid ads, social media, e-mail campaigns, or direct visits. By studying acquisition channels, corporations can decide which advertising efforts are riding the most visitors.

4. Behavior Reports

Behavior reviews monitor how users have interaction with your website. This includes metrics like page views, soar price, time on page, and navigation paths. These insights assist discover excessive-performing content material and pages which can want improvement.

5. Conversion Tracking

Google Analytics lets in customers to installation and track desires (e.G., purchases, sign-ups, downloads) and e-commerce transactions. This permits organizations to degree the effectiveness of their sales funnel and optimize for higher conversion fees.

6. Custom Dashboards and Reports

Users can create custom designed dashboards and reviews to focus on the metrics maximum relevant to their business desires. This flexibility makes it less difficult to reveal overall performance and make information-pushed selections.

7. Integration with Google Tools

Google Analytics integrates seamlessly with different Google equipment like Google Ads, Search Console, Data Studio, and Tag Manager, making an allowance for a extra unified and powerful analytics ecosystem.

Benefits of Using Google Analytics

1. Data-Driven Decision Making

Google Analytics empowers corporations to base their decisions on real person facts rather than guesswork. With get right of entry to to real-time and historical records, agencies can become aware of tendencies, examine advertising efforts, and modify strategies as a result.

2. Improved User Experience

By understanding how customers interact together with your website online, you can make informed adjustments to enhance usability, lessen jump charges, and guide users toward desired movements.

3. Enhanced Marketing ROI

With insights into which channels pressure the maximum site visitors and conversions, corporations can allocate marketing budgets more efficiently and refine their campaigns for better consequences.

4. Goal Tracking and Performance Monitoring

Setting up goals and KPIs in Google Analytics makes it less difficult to reveal development over the years and make sure that digital efforts are aligned with broader enterprise targets.

5. Customization and Flexibility

Whether you're a small blogger or a large enterprise, Google Analytics gives customizable capabilities that cater to various degrees of expertise and complexity.

Using Google Analytics Effectively

To get the most out of Google Analytics, it’s critical to observe high-quality practices and continuously refine your method. Here are some hints:

1. Define Clear Goals

Start by using figuring out what you need to gain along with your website—greater income, lead technology, person engagement, etc. Then, installation applicable dreams in GA4 to song development.

2. Segment Your Data

Use segments to interrupt down your audience into agencies based on behavior, place, site visitors source, and greater. This allows for greater granular evaluation and tailored marketing efforts.

Three. Leverage Events and Conversions

GA4’s occasion-primarily based version allows for deep monitoring of person moves. Set up custom occasions (e.G., button clicks, video views) and conversions to get an in depth knowledge of consumer conduct.

Four. Monitor and Compare Periods

Use time-based comparisons to analyze trends and degree the impact of adjustments or campaigns. For example, comparing site visitors month-over-month or 12 months-over-year allows spot seasonality or increase.

Five. Regularly Audit Your Setup

Ensure your monitoring code is well applied, dreams are configured effectively, and filters are implemented as wished. Misconfigured analytics can result in misguided information and misguided choices.

Google Analytics four vs. Universal Analytics

As of July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics has stopped processing new records, and GA4 is now the same old version. Here’s a short contrast:

Feature Universal Analytics (UA) Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Data Model Session-based totally Event-based totally

Cross-platform Tracking Limited Full (Web + App)

Machine Learning Insights Basic Advanced

Privacy & Compliance Less superior Designed for privateness-first world

Reporting Interface Familiar however rigid More flexible and customizable

GA4 reflects the evolving panorama of virtual analytics—more emphasis on consumer privacy, pass-device behavior, and predictive talents.

Privacy and Compliance Considerations

With increasing privateness guidelines like GDPR and CCPA, companies should deal with person records responsibly. Google Analytics affords options for information retention, anonymizing IP addresses, and acquiring user consent. GA4 also gives better equipment for dealing with information series in a privateness-conscious manner.

[govindhtech]

Pegasus 1.2: High-Performance Video Language Model

Pegasus 1.2 revolutionises long-form video AI with high accuracy and low latency. Scalable video querying is supported by this commercial tool.

TwelveLabs and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced that Amazon Bedrock will soon provide Marengo and Pegasus, TwelveLabs' cutting-edge multimodal foundation models. Amazon Bedrock, a managed service, lets developers access top AI models from leading organisations via a single API. With seamless access to TwelveLabs' comprehensive video comprehension capabilities, developers and companies can revolutionise how they search for, assess, and derive insights from video content using AWS's security, privacy, and performance. TwelveLabs models were initially offered by AWS.

Introducing Pegasus 1.2

Unlike many academic contexts, real-world video applications face two challenges:

Real-world videos might be seconds or hours lengthy.

Proper temporal understanding is needed.

TwelveLabs is announcing Pegasus 1.2, a substantial industry-grade video language model upgrade, to meet commercial demands. Pegasus 1.2 interprets long films at cutting-edge levels. With low latency, low cost, and best-in-class accuracy, model can handle hour-long videos. Their embedded storage ingeniously caches movies, making it faster and cheaper to query the same film repeatedly.

Pegasus 1.2 is a cutting-edge technology that delivers corporate value through its intelligent, focused system architecture and excels in production-grade video processing pipelines.

Superior video language model for extended videos

Business requires handling long films, yet processing time and time-to-value are important concerns. As input films increase longer, a standard video processing/inference system cannot handle orders of magnitude more frames, making it unsuitable for general adoption and commercial use. A commercial system must also answer input prompts and enquiries accurately across larger time periods.

Latency

To evaluate Pegasus 1.2's speed, it compares time-to-first-token (TTFT) for 3–60-minute videos utilising frontier model APIs GPT-4o and Gemini 1.5 Pro. Pegasus 1.2 consistently displays time-to-first-token latency for films up to 15 minutes and responds faster to lengthier material because to its video-focused model design and optimised inference engine.

Performance

Pegasus 1.2 is compared to frontier model APIs using VideoMME-Long, a subset of Video-MME that contains films longer than 30 minutes. Pegasus 1.2 excels above all flagship APIs, displaying cutting-edge performance.

Pricing

Cost Pegasus 1.2 provides best-in-class commercial video processing at low cost. TwelveLabs focusses on long videos and accurate temporal information rather than everything. Its highly optimised system performs well at a competitive price with a focused approach.

Better still, system can generate many video-to-text without costing much. Pegasus 1.2 produces rich video embeddings from indexed movies and saves them in the database for future API queries, allowing clients to build continually at little cost. Google Gemini 1.5 Pro's cache cost is $4.5 per hour of storage, or 1 million tokens, which is around the token count for an hour of video. However, integrated storage costs $0.09 per video hour per month, x36,000 less. Concept benefits customers with large video archives that need to understand everything cheaply.

Model Overview & Limitations

Architecture

Pegasus 1.2's encoder-decoder architecture for video understanding includes a video encoder, tokeniser, and big language model. Though efficient, its design allows for full textual and visual data analysis.

These pieces provide a cohesive system that can understand long-term contextual information and fine-grained specifics. It architecture illustrates that tiny models may interpret video by making careful design decisions and solving fundamental multimodal processing difficulties creatively.

Restrictions

Safety and bias

Pegasus 1.2 contains safety protections, but like any AI model, it might produce objectionable or hazardous material without enough oversight and control. Video foundation model safety and ethics are being studied. It will provide a complete assessment and ethics report after more testing and input.

Hallucinations

Occasionally, Pegasus 1.2 may produce incorrect findings. Despite advances since Pegasus 1.1 to reduce hallucinations, users should be aware of this constraint, especially for precise and factual tasks.

[wandamfonseca]

Shipping TNC - Logistics Webflow Website Template: The Ultimate Solution for Your Freight Business

Logistics and transportation industry, having a strong online presence is crucial for success. Whether you’re running a freight forwarding company, a courier service, or a supply chain management business, an effective website is essential for showcasing your services and gaining customer trust. This is where the Shipping TNC — Logistics Webflow Website Template comes into play. Designed to cater specifically to logistics businesses, this template provides a seamless, professional, and fully customizable web solution.

Get It Now 👉🏻 Shipping TNC Webflow Website Template

Why Choose the Shipping TNC Logistics Webflow Website Template?

Shipping TNC is not just another website template — it’s a powerful tool designed to enhance your logistics business. Here are some of the key reasons why it stands out:

✅ Modern and Professional Design

The Shipping TNC template comes with a sleek, modern, and responsive design that creates a lasting impression on visitors. The template is structured to showcase your logistics services, company history, and customer testimonials, all while maintaining a clean and visually appealing layout.

✅ User-Friendly Navigation

A logistics website must provide users with quick access to important information such as tracking services, pricing, contact details, and service offerings. This template ensures intuitive navigation, making it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for in just a few clicks.

✅ Fully Responsive and Mobile-Optimized

In an era where mobile browsing dominates, the Shipping TNC template is designed to be fully responsive. It adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes, ensuring a smooth experience for users on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

✅ SEO-Friendly and Fast Loading

Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for attracting organic traffic to your website. The template is built with SEO best practices in mind, ensuring higher rankings on search engines. Additionally, it is optimized for fast loading times, reducing bounce rates and improving user experience.

✅ Easy Customization with Webflow

One of the biggest advantages of using Webflow is the ease of customization. With Shipping TNC, you can tweak every aspect of the template to match your brand identity. The drag-and-drop functionality allows you to make changes without any coding knowledge.

✅ Integrated Contact and Quote Request Forms

Communication is key in the logistics industry. This template includes built-in contact and quote request forms that allow customers to easily reach out to you for inquiries and service requests.

Visit Our 🔗 Live Preview

Key Features of the Shipping TNC Template

Homepage

Engaging hero section with call-to-action (CTA)

Overview of logistics services

Client testimonials and trust-building elements

Contact and tracking buttons for easy access

About Us Page

Company history and mission statement

Team introduction section

Core values and business philosophy

Services Page

Detailed descriptions of logistics solutions

High-quality visuals and icons for better presentation

Tracking & Quote Request Features

Integrated tracking system

Quote request form for quick pricing inquiries

Contact Page

Google Maps integration for location visibility

Simple and effective contact form

Social media links for enhanced connectivity

Who Can Benefit from the Shipping TNC Template?

The Shipping TNC Webflow template is ideal for:

Freight and cargo companies

Courier and delivery services

Warehouse and supply chain businesses

Transport and logistics service providers

E-commerce logistics solutions

How to Get Started with the Shipping TNC Template

Getting started with this template is simple:

Purchase the Template: Buy the Shipping TNC template from the Webflow marketplace.

Customize Your Website: Use the Webflow editor to personalize the template to fit your brand.

Conclusion

The Shipping TNC — Logistics Webflow Website Template is an excellent choice for logistics businesses looking for a professional, high-performing website. With its modern design, SEO-friendly structure, and user-friendly features, this template provides everything you need to establish a strong online presence and grow your business. Live Preview

Invest in a high-quality website today and take your logistics business to the next level with the Shipping TNC Webflow template!

[simerjeet]

Mastering Data Structures: A Comprehensive Course for Beginners

Data structures are one of the foundational concepts in computer science and software development. Mastering data structures is essential for anyone looking to pursue a career in programming, software engineering, or computer science. This article will explore the importance of a Data Structure Course, what it covers, and how it can help you excel in coding challenges and interviews.

1. What Is a Data Structure Course?

A Data Structure Course teaches students about the various ways data can be organized, stored, and manipulated efficiently. These structures are crucial for solving complex problems and optimizing the performance of applications. The course generally covers theoretical concepts along with practical applications using programming languages like C++, Java, or Python.

By the end of the course, students will gain proficiency in selecting the right data structure for different problem types, improving their problem-solving abilities.

2. Why Take a Data Structure Course?

Learning data structures is vital for both beginners and experienced developers. Here are some key reasons to enroll in a Data Structure Course:

a) Essential for Coding Interviews

Companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook focus heavily on data structures in their coding interviews. A solid understanding of data structures is essential to pass these interviews successfully. Employers assess your problem-solving skills, and your knowledge of data structures can set you apart from other candidates.

b) Improves Problem-Solving Skills

With the right data structure knowledge, you can solve real-world problems more efficiently. A well-designed data structure leads to faster algorithms, which is critical when handling large datasets or working on performance-sensitive applications.

c) Boosts Programming Competency

A good grasp of data structures makes coding more intuitive. Whether you are developing an app, building a website, or working on software tools, understanding how to work with different data structures will help you write clean and efficient code.

3. Key Topics Covered in a Data Structure Course

A Data Structure Course typically spans a range of topics designed to teach students how to use and implement different structures. Below are some key topics you will encounter:

a) Arrays and Linked Lists

Arrays are one of the most basic data structures. A Data Structure Course will teach you how to use arrays for storing and accessing data in contiguous memory locations. Linked lists, on the other hand, involve nodes that hold data and pointers to the next node. Students will learn the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of both structures.

b) Stacks and Queues

Stacks and queues are fundamental data structures used to store and retrieve data in a specific order. A Data Structure Course will cover the LIFO (Last In, First Out) principle for stacks and FIFO (First In, First Out) for queues, explaining their use in various algorithms and applications like web browsers and task scheduling.

c) Trees and Graphs

Trees and graphs are hierarchical structures used in organizing data. A Data Structure Course teaches how trees, such as binary trees, binary search trees (BST), and AVL trees, are used in organizing hierarchical data. Graphs are important for representing relationships between entities, such as in social networks, and are used in algorithms like Dijkstra's and BFS/DFS.

d) Hashing

Hashing is a technique used to convert a given key into an index in an array. A Data Structure Course will cover hash tables, hash maps, and collision resolution techniques, which are crucial for fast data retrieval and manipulation.

e) Sorting and Searching Algorithms

Sorting and searching are essential operations for working with data. A Data Structure Course provides a detailed study of algorithms like quicksort, merge sort, and binary search. Understanding these algorithms and how they interact with data structures can help you optimize solutions to various problems.

4. Practical Benefits of Enrolling in a Data Structure Course

a) Hands-on Experience

A Data Structure Course typically includes plenty of coding exercises, allowing students to implement data structures and algorithms from scratch. This hands-on experience is invaluable when applying concepts to real-world problems.

b) Critical Thinking and Efficiency

Data structures are all about optimizing efficiency. By learning the most effective ways to store and manipulate data, students improve their critical thinking skills, which are essential in programming. Selecting the right data structure for a problem can drastically reduce time and space complexity.

c) Better Understanding of Memory Management

Understanding how data is stored and accessed in memory is crucial for writing efficient code. A Data Structure Course will help you gain insights into memory management, pointers, and references, which are important concepts, especially in languages like C and C++.

5. Best Programming Languages for Data Structure Courses

While many programming languages can be used to teach data structures, some are particularly well-suited due to their memory management capabilities and ease of implementation. Some popular programming languages used in Data Structure Courses include:

C++: Offers low-level memory management and is perfect for teaching data structures.

Java: Widely used for teaching object-oriented principles and offers a rich set of libraries for implementing data structures.

Python: Known for its simplicity and ease of use, Python is great for beginners, though it may not offer the same level of control over memory as C++.

6. How to Choose the Right Data Structure Course?

Selecting the right Data Structure Course depends on several factors such as your learning goals, background, and preferred learning style. Consider the following when choosing:

a) Course Content and Curriculum

Make sure the course covers the topics you are interested in and aligns with your learning objectives. A comprehensive Data Structure Course should provide a balance between theory and practical coding exercises.

b) Instructor Expertise

Look for courses taught by experienced instructors who have a solid background in computer science and software development.

c) Course Reviews and Ratings

Reviews and ratings from other students can provide valuable insights into the course’s quality and how well it prepares you for real-world applications.

7. Conclusion: Unlock Your Coding Potential with a Data Structure Course

In conclusion, a Data Structure Course is an essential investment for anyone serious about pursuing a career in software development or computer science. It equips you with the tools and skills to optimize your code, solve problems more efficiently, and excel in technical interviews. Whether you're a beginner or looking to strengthen your existing knowledge, a well-structured course can help you unlock your full coding potential.

By mastering data structures, you are not only preparing for interviews but also becoming a better programmer who can tackle complex challenges with ease.