#what are the different methods of data collection in research

[drdemonprince]

By now, a majority of Autism researchers and clinicians are aware that the existing assessments for Autism are profoundly flawed. 

They know the standard evaluation of Autism is sexist, with assessors excluding women for reasons like wearing makeup, having a boyfriend, being superficially polite, or not being fixated on suitably ‘masculine’ topics like ancient Roman history or barometric pressure. 

They know Autism evaluations are racist, deeming Black Autistics “oppositionally defiant” or even “borderline” rather than acknowledging any social alienation or sensory pain they’re experiencing, and believing they must be overstating the difficulty they face in moving through the world.

And they certainly know that conventional Autism measures weren’t designed with adult Autistics in mind. Many of us are still asked to make up stories based on paintings of frogs in a toddler’s picture book, when we sit down for assessments at age 20, or 30, or 45 — because all the evaluation methods were written for young kids. 

The data has already proven the far-reaching consequences of using such shoddy measures of Autism. People of color, gender minorities, older adults, and women are diagnosed at later ages, and also go undiagnosed at massive rates. 

A growing population of scientists are admittedly interested in fostering a new literature of what they call “patient-driven” Autism research, but they never stop thinking of us as mere patients, the passive receivers of care rather than the leaders of communities and political movements who are the ought to be the primary authors of the studies about us, and the sole determinants of what our desired outcomes should be. Even when they observe that their work could benefit from a greater Autistic perspective, researchers do so from closed rooms, filled with other professionals who are largely not Autistic, wondering amongst themselves what it is that we want instead of learning to quiet their voices and follow our lead. 

Though many basically well-intentioned Autism researchers believe that Autism assessments need reform, what neurodiversity really needs is to abandon the diagnostic process altogether. If Autism is a benign, neutral, naturally occurring form of human difference that requires acceptance rather than a cure, then there’s no need to diagnose it as if it were a sickness. And if hundreds of thousands of Autistic women, people of color, queer people, and older people have been able to give a voice to ourselves and find one another without having ever been given a label by a professional, then improved professional labeling is not what we need. 

Autistic self-realization is the future of Autism assessment. We hold the collective wisdom, organizing ability, insight, and political power to define who we are. No authority figure should have to sign off on our identities. 

Because psychiatrists fail to diagnose such a large percentage of the Autistic population, many Autism researchers now accept self-identified Autistic adults within their subject pool. Within the peer-reviewed journal Autism in Adulthood, self-realized Autistics often make up the bulk of the participant sample, and they have repeatedly been found to be indistinguishable from their formally diagnosed peers. 

A growing body of research now also considers the presence of Autism-spectrum traits as qualifying for inclusion in many Autism studies. The data makes it quite obvious that Autistic people exist within all human groups, spread all throughout the world, and that a great many people have experiences in common with us who have not been formally diagnosed. This itself reveals that a formal diagnosis is hardly necessary, and that a psychiatric paradigm of accepting self-identification is inevitable. The researchers are increasingly already doing it.

You can read the full essay for free (or have it narrated to you!) at this link.

[ms-hells-bells]

i just found something incredible today while browsing retractionwatch. you know that study that liberals tout regarding 'legalising prostitution decreased rape, and criminalising it increases rape'? well-

After reading an economics paper that claimed to document an increase in the rate of rape in European countries following the passage of prostitution bans, a data scientist had questions. 

The scientist, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent a detailed email to an editor of the Journal of Law and Economics, which had published the paper last November, outlining concerns about the data and methods the authors used. 

Among them: the historical rates of rape recorded in the paper did not match the values in the official sources the authors said they used. In other cases, data that were available from the official sources were missing in the paper, the researchers didn’t incorporate all the data they had collected into their model, and a variable was coded inconsistently, the data scientist wrote. (We’ve made the full critique available here.)

Given the consequences the conclusions of the article could have for people in the sex industry, the data scientist wrote, “I hope that someone takes this very seriously and looks into it the [sic] validity of the analysis and the data they used.” 

In response, Sam Peltzman, an editor of the journal and a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, instructed the data scientist to contact the authors of the article: 

The email raises serious questions but without any specific request. Your questions can better be answered by the authors than editors who, as you must know, cannot give each submission the kind of careful attention reflected in your email. Accordingly, we ask that you contact the authors directly if you have not already done so. If you mean the email as a prologue to a critique, I am happy to discuss our relevant policies or any other question about our editorial process.

The data scientist wrote back with a specific request: 

I have just informed you, the editor, that it appears that the authors made an error in at least one of their models that resulted in a substantive difference in the conclusions of the article you edited … I am requesting you investigate if these models are correct and if so, at very least issue a correction. [emphasis original]

In response, Peltzman reiterated his refusal to investigate: 

I can only repeat what was in my last letter. You should take this up with the authors first. The editors cannot become involved unless your conversation with the authors fails to resolve the issues and a comment is received through the usual submission process.           

The University of Chicago Press, which publishes the Journal of Law and Economics, states on its publication ethics page that

When notified of possible errors or corrections, the editor(s) of the journal will review and resolve them in consultation with the Press and according to the Press’s best practices. 

We asked Peltzman why he refused to investigate the concerns the data scientist had raised. He told us:  

The JLE does not have the resources to investigate concerns about data procedure used by authors.  We select referees knowledgeable about the topic of any submission.  Occasionally a referee might comment on some detail of data used by authors.  more often the referee and editors have to take data details at face value and focus their efforts on evaluating empirical results and analysis.  While I can only speak for the JLE it is my impression that these procedures are common among economics journals that publish empirical articles.

Peltzman also explained that the journal’s standard procedure for considering critiques of published articles, “designed to avoid misunderstanding and excessive burden on editors’ and referees’ time,” starts with the critic contacting the authors directly. 

If the authors don’t respond, or if their response is unsatisfactory, the critic could then submit a comment to the journal along with their correspondence with the authors, which the editors would handle as any other submission. 

“Editors obviously cannot be expected to look at raw data for every paper they review,” the data scientist acknowledged, “but when concerns are brought directly to them it is their responsibility to take them seriously. If readers can’t trust that editors will address serious concerns appropriately, it will undermine their faith in the scientific process.”  

We contacted the authors of the paper, Huasheng Gao and Vanya Stefanova Petrova of Fudan University’s Fanhai International School of Finance in Shanghai, and shared the data scientist’s critique. They responded with an 11-page PDF, available here, standing by their work. 

About the differences between the data and their paper and the official sources, they said: 

the data we have used in the paper were the most up-to-date data available at the time we started the empirical work in 2018 … Eurostat is constantly revising its data. It is possible that the data contained in its current version are different from the historical version

The data scientist was unimpressed, and noted that the authors had not responded to a key aspect of the critique: 

Even if the authors believe it was a reasonable strategy to only assess two years post policy change, the relative year variable for year 2— the year in which they identified a large causal increase in rape in the criminalized prostitution countries and a reduction in the prostitution decriminalized countries — was coded incorrectly (or differently for some reason). When the coding is consistent with their original coding scheme, a reduction in rape is seen in the criminalized prostitution group. I’m not sure why they didn’t address this in their response.

The authors also did not directly respond to the data scientist’s concern that if they had incorporated every year of data they had on rape rates into their model, instead of only the two years following a change in prostitution laws, they would not have gotten the same results, the scientist said. 

To check whether data values had indeed changed since the authors started their work, the scientist went to the website of the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, where the survey data the authors used is available for download, and found that no substantive changes had been made. 

The scientist told us: 

If they did something wrong or made a mistake they should just take accountability and retract the article.

let me simplify and repeat the core of this to you:

the scientists not only missed out data points, but if the scope of the study changes from the first two years post law change (whether criminalisation or decriminalisation) to all years of rape records before and after we have, THE RESULTS REVERSE AND THE CRIMINALISED SIDE HAS DECREASED RATE OF RAPE COMPARED TO SWITCHING TO DECRIMINALISED.

not to mention the fallacious belief that being forced to have sex or starve/be homeless, with an abusive pimp taking most of your money, is somehow not rape.

this whole study is near worthless. the only worth is having access to the data points they used, so we can see actual results.

[adarkroomandawallflower]

Hey there! I love your writing so far! I was wondering if you would write a little something about Data and his partner choosing pet names for each other? I think it could be cute :)

Hello, I'm so glad you're enjoying my writing!

This is such a cute idea, and thank you so much for bestowing the honor upon me to write this lovely request!

I had a lot of different ideas for this, and couldn't settle on just one, so I decided to write this in the style of those "5+1" fics. I tried to choose older/more outlandish terms of endearment, in order to avoid potentially discarding a name that someone would actually want to be referred to by. Hopefully, I was successful in this endeavor (but my sincere apologies if not)!

The final nicknames I chose were based on Data's characterization, and what names I think would be most appropriate and fitting for him and his vocabulary. I'm not sure if anyone else will agree with these choices, but I hope they're still enjoyable.

Anyways, without further ado, here's the final piece! I'm so sorry for the wait, but I really hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it 😊

5 Times Data and His Partner Tried Out Pet Names (and the 1 Time They Stuck):

Although Data didn't quite understand the necessity for having a pet name for his partner, he did understand the appeal. It was another form of affection that couples demonstrated with one another; something special shared between both parties.

Frankly, Data hadn't even considered having a designated term of endearment for you. At least, not until Geordi and himself had discussed the subject after witnessing a couple in Ten Forward one evening using their chosen pet names.

"Why did Lieutenant Smith refer to his spouse as an overly saccharine pastry comprised of honey?" Data asked, bewildered at the exchange he just observed between the aforementioned crewmembers.

Geordi chuckled, "He didn't mean it literally, Data. He meant it as a pet name."

Data still looked at his friend quizzically, "'Pet name'?"

"Yeah, a term of endearment."

Finally, he understood, "Ahh."

"Don't you and your partner have pet names for one another?"

Data shook his head, "No, we do not."

Geordi raised his eyebrows above his VISOR, "Really?"

"Indeed...I did not realize this was a necessary aspect to couplehood."

"Well, it's not exactly 'necessary', but it is a fairly common thing between couples."

"Hm, I see..."

Later that night, while Data was running an internal diagnostic, analyzing the information he had collected during his Away Mission earlier that day, and reviewing the remainder of the day's events, he considered the conversation he had with Geordi. Should he have a pet name for you? If so, which one should he choose?

After some internal analysis, Data decided that yes, he did want to designate a term of endearment for you. He figured the best way to go about choosing a name would be to use a trial-and-error method of research:

First, he would conduct personal research about pet names. He would pay special attention to their connotations and popularity. Next, he'd construct a behavioral profile for you that he would then use to determine which pet names you would most likely appreciate. He would then test the chosen names by using them to refer to you. Additionally, he'd observe your reactions to each name, and internally record his observations. Finally, he'd compile all his collected data and analyze them to determine which term of endearment you appeared to enjoy the most.

The endeavor would prove to be more difficult than he anticipated.

1. Honeybun or Honeybunch

Since Lieutenant Smith and his spouse had initiated this experiment, Data felt it was only appropriate to test out their preferred pet name first. He tested it out a few days after he witnessed their interaction, one night while the two of you were snuggled up on his couch with Spot.

Data was sitting near one end of the couch, his body oriented straight ahead and away from you. You sat at the other end of the couch, facing Data. Your legs were stretched out across his lap, and one of his hands was draped along the arm of the couch. His other hand was affectionately rubbing your knee. Spot was curled up in your lap, purring loudly as you intermittently stroked her back while you spoke.

You were currently summarizing your day's events for Data, and he listened intently. His gaze was soft and adoring, and he was meticulously making internal notes about the way you gestured certain aspects for emphasis, how your chest shook when you laughed, and the way your lips curved upwards just a little higher when you returned his eye contact. Absentmindedly, he marveled at how beautiful humans and their behaviors were, and he wondered if he could ever come close to emanating that beauty himself.

After you completed your tale, you relaxed back into your corner of the couch, ready to answer the anticipated onslaught of questions from him. Once his queries were satisfactorily answered, it grew silent between the two of you, but comfortably so.

At this point, you were relaxed, and starting to succumb to the call of sleep. As your eyes started to droop, Data spoke softly, "Shall we 'hit the hay', Honeybun?"

Your eyes shot open. Now, you were wide awake, "What?"

"Your respiratory and heart rates have decreased by 3.7% in the last 4 minutes and 51 seconds, and you have been closing your eyes for intervals longer than necessary for blinking. You are demonstrating the initial stages of human sleep," he looked at you sweetly, "I believe it would be best if we went to bed now...Honeybun. You are welcome to spend the night in Spot and I's quarters."

You stared at him curiously for a moment, before you laughed, "Okay, honeybunch; let's go to bed."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise at your unexpected reciprocation of the pet name.

You carefully picked up Spot from your lap before slowly getting up. You and Spot made your way to Data's bedroom, but said android was still on the couch, processing your previous interaction.

Based on your expression and reactions, Data deduced that you did not particularly enjoy that nickname. However, did he enjoy being called a 'honeybunch'?

"You coming, honeybunch?" you called from his bedroom.

Again, Data reviewed the name, considering his perceptions towards it, before he grimaced slightly.

2. Snookums

The next time he tested a term of endearment on you was over a week later, during a double date between the two of you and the O'Briens in Ten Forward.

You and Data had arrived first, and were chatting idly as you waited for your friends to join you. Once Keiko and Miles arrived, you all greeted each other, and caught up briefly before Data got up to get everyone some drinks.

"I'll just have a plain ol' Irish ale," Miles said.

"Some tea would be lovely," Keiko added.

Data turned to you, "And what would you like, Snookums?"

Miles chortled softly, and Keiko lightly kicked him under the table, but she was holding back a smile herself.

Data, who was too focused on you and your reaction, thankfully didn't notice the O'Brien's' interaction. He studied you carefully, patiently awaiting your response.

You blinked, still processing the nickname, "Uhh just some water, please."

He nodded once, "I shall return in a moment with our beverages."

Miles watched Data walk away, waiting until he was out of earshot. Once satisfied with the distance between the three of you & Data, Miles then turned to you with a smirk, "'Snookums'?"

You raised your eyebrows and shrugged, "I have no clue where that came from...last week, he called me 'Honeybun'."

Again, Miles snorted.

"Miles!" Keiko scolded, "Don't be rude!"

He held up his hands in mock surrender, "I'm not! They're just...interesting choices for nicknames."

"I suspect he's up to something," you theorized, "This is probably related to some personal research he's conducting, or something. In any case, I'm sure it's just a phase," you hadn't been too concerned about this seemingly random development in his behavior, but you were curious as to its purpose. It was still a fairly recent alteration, so you figured you'd let him have his fun a bit more before you confronted him about it.

"Maybe he's trying to be more romantic," Keiko offered, "in his own way."

You pondered the thought, as you watched Data gather your drinks. He certainly was romantic, in his own way. You both had lunch together almost every day, something that he had insisted on. After he discovered the ancient invention of "Post-It Notes", he made it a habit to leave you handwritten notes with them throughout your office. Their contents varied, from jokes pertaining to your area of expertise to quotes from his favorite works of literature that reminded him of you. He even enjoyed reading some of his favorite novels and plays to you. These actions may not have been the kind of whirlwind, passionate gestures that most people equated to romance, but you knew they were his way of showing his fondness for you, and you loved them (and him) dearly.

You continued to watch him as he carefully placed everyone's requested drinks on a small tray that Guinan provided. You noticed how he was slightly more careful when placing your drink on the tray, and how he placed it in front of the others. You knew his actions were deliberate and calculated, but it still brought a soft smile to your lips.

"Maybe," you finally conceded.

"And maybe you should take some notes, Miles," Keiko teased her husband.

Miles sighed, "Oh, Hell..."

3. Sweet Cheeks

"Thank you for bringing me lunch, Data," you told him, sitting down in the chair he had pulled out for you. When you had contacted him earlier to let him know that you were going to work late and wouldn't have time to grab lunch with him, he decided to bring lunch to you, in your office. Data had also taken the time to replicate some flowers in a vase and cleared your desk of all clutter, so you could have a proper table setting for your meal.

"You are welcome," he said, as he gently pushed your chair back in.

Your shared meal was relaxed and calm, but the atmosphere changed when Data suddenly dropped his latest pet name for you into the conversation, "I believe your proposed solution to your current work predicament is acceptable, and will prove to be successful, Sweet Cheeks."

You then did what Data recognized from 20th century humor to be a classic 'spit take'. He was surprised, yet somewhat delighted by this, as he had never witnessed someone perform a spit take before. He considered inquiring about it, but decided against it.

You stared at him in astonishment, blushing wildly as you coughed, "I beg your pardon??"

Your reaction was quite unexpected, and Data scrunched his eyebrows in soft confusion as he attempted to ascertain the somewhat scandalized tone of your voice, "Did I say something wrong?"

Before speaking, you cleared your throat, and waited for the shock to subside, "No, Data, you didn't say anything wrong, per say...It's just that 'Sweet Cheeks' is a very old and sometimes offensive term, depending on the context, used to describe someone with a nice ass."

Data looked at you with surprise, and perhaps embarrassment. How had he missed that pertinent fact during his research? "I see...I apologize for offending you; that certainly was not my intent," he considered this new development briefly, before tilting his head softly and returning his gaze to you, "Based on this information, that term would also be inaccurate in describing yourself because you do not have a donkey."

You couldn't help but laugh softly, "Sorry, not that kind of ass, Data. I meant it refers to someone who has an attractive butt."

Realization dawned on him, "Ahh," he raised an eyebrow, "Although it would be accurate to describe your posterior as 'attractive', I would not wish to use an offensive term to convey that fact."

"Data!" you said, astonished and blushing once again.

Data was hopelessly confused anew, "Have I offended you again?"

"No, no, it's just..." you sighed, still flustered. "Nevermind..." you carefully stood up, "I have to get back to work, so I'll catch you later," you tidied up the remnants of your lunch, pressed a quick peck to his lips, and somewhat hurriedly left your office.

4. Dumpling

"Alright, Lieutenant," Dr. Crusher said as she completed healing the large gash that ran along your forearm, "I think that just about does it. Can you wiggle your wrist for me, like this?" you watched as she moved her wrist, and you replicated her movements. Although you were able to repeat her actions, you felt a small pinch somewhere in your wrist, causing you to wince.

Dr. Crusher noticed this, and gently took your wrist in her hand, "Let me take another look," she scanned your wrist with another handheld medical scanner, "Ahh, it looks like the fracture I repaired earlier is applying excess pressure on your radial nerve," she smiled reassuringly, "It's just a pinched nerve, but I'll need to go get a different tool to repair it," she gently released your wrist, "I'll be right back."

As you waited patiently for her to return, the doors to Sick Bay opened. You looked up and saw Data making his way over to you.

Having not seen him all day, you were elated that he was here, "Data!"

He smiled faintly at your enthusiasm for his arrival, somewhat perplexed at how your mood always seemed to improve almost immediately upon the sight of him, or mention of his name. His smile widened just slightly when he reached his hand out to you, and you eagerly took his hand in yours.

After a few moments, his expression became serious, "Commander Riker informed me of the injuries you sustained during the Away Mission," he frowned slightly, "I apologize for not arriving sooner, but the Exobiology team required my assistance in analyzing the samples you and the remaining members of the Away Team collected."

"No apology necessary; I understand."

He performed a quick visual inspection of you, before his eyes met yours again. It only lasted a second, but you could have sworn you saw something akin to concern swimming in his golden irises, "Are you alright...Dumpling?"

You took a moment to absorb the new nickname before replying, "Yes, I think so...Dr. Crusher healed all of my cuts, and repaired my broken wrist. She still has to alleviate a pinched nerve, but other than that and a few scars, she says I'll be just fine."

"I am...relieved to hear that," he squeezed your hand gently, "When Commander Riker explained to the Captain and myself that you had directly thrown yourself in front of an incoming boulder, in order to displace Ensign Diaz out of its path, my mind was..." he paused pensively, as he searched for the most appropriate term, "...uncomfortably preoccupied with the prospects of how extensive and detrimental your injuries could be," his thumb rubbed the back of your hand affectionately, and his eyes appeared almost sad. "The possibility that you sustained serious injuries, or could have lost your life was rather...distracting to me, and made it difficult to complete the sample analysis."

You brought your intertwined hands up to your lips, and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, "I'm sorry for worrying you," he looked as if he was going to remind you that he was incapable of worrying in any fashion, but he didn't vocalize the correction, "I didn't intend to land directly in that boulder's path. I was only trying to push Ensign Diaz out of the way, but I miscalculated the boulder's velocity."

His expression became neutral, "Regardless, your actions were admirable, and I am pleased that your injuries were minimal," suddenly, he gave you a pointed look. "However, as your partner, I must sternly remind you not to knowingly put yourself in unnecessary danger again," his expression softened slightly, "Dumpling."

A soft laugh interrupted your moment, and you both turned towards the sound, "Well, don't you worry, Data," Dr. Crusher had returned, a new tool in hand, "In a few moments, your Dumpling will be as good as new," you blushed at her use of the moniker, and Data took mental note of this.

Dr. Crusher held the tool against your wrist. It tingled slightly, but otherwise you felt nothing. After a few minutes, she turned it off and removed it from your skin, "Alright, move your wrist for me again?" you repeated the same motions she had shown you before. This time, there was no pain at all. She smiled, "Better?"

"Much better; thank you."

"You're welcome. I suggest you don't put too much strain on that wrist for a couple of weeks," she began to put away her tools and instruments, "If you notice any more pain, please come back to see me."

You nodded, "Thank you, I will," Data helped you carefully hop down from the Bio-Bed, "Do you want to grab some dinner now, Data?" you asked, "I have a sudden, inexplicable craving for dumplings."

Dr. Crusher held back a laugh.

5. Love Bug

"So, Reg will take care of Spot, Keiko will water and watch over our plants, Beverly and Geordi will keep tabs on our ongoing research experiments..." you reviewed the checklist on your PADD for the umpteenth time, "Okay, I think that's it...am I forgetting anything?"

"Negative, Love Bug. It appears you have everything 'under control'."

You peered up from the PADD to look at him, an eyebrow raised questioningly, "'Love Bug'?"

Data nodded, "That is what I said."

You sighed, but smiled softly, "Okay, Data; what's going on?"

"To what are you referring to?"

"In the past month, you've been calling me various nicknames. What's all this about? Are you conducting some kind of research?"

He looked at you, accessing your reaction for any kind of anger or discomfort. When he saw nothing but confusion and curiosity in your eyes, he sighed softly, "It had been brought to my attention that couples tend to utilize terms of endearment for each other," he blinked, "I did not wish to neglect one of my expected duties as a partner, nor did I wish to make you feel as though you were 'missing out' on an aspect of couplehood, simply due to my ignorance."

You softened immediately at his admission, "Oh, Data," he looked away briefly and somewhat sheepishly, "Being in a relationship with you doesn't make me 'miss out' on anything. In fact, I've gained much more from being in this relationship with you than I would from being in a relationship with anyone else."

His eyes locked with yours, and they were noticeably brighter than before, "Truly?"

You placed your PADD down on a nearby table, and took both of his hands in yours, "Truly," you repeated, before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. When you pulled away, you flashed him a reassuring smile, "Everyone else are the ones who are missing out."

The corners of his lips curled just faintly upwards, "Thank you for alleviating my vexations in that regard," he raised his eyebrow in thought for a moment, before he looked back at you with an inquisitive expression, "Based on your reactions to each of the names I chose, I gathered that you did not particularly enjoy any of my selections. Is that an accurate conclusion?"

"I mean, they weren't necessarily bad choices, they were just...a bit dated, and neither of our styles. But yes, you're correct that I didn't particularly like them."

"Hmm," he bowed his head down slightly to better meet your eyes, "Do you have a preferred term of endearment you would like for me to use?"

You pursed your lips in consideration, "Well, I do have specific names that I do like...but I don't think I'd want you to use those, either."

He tilted his head softly, his eyebrows scrunched in slight confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I think that pet names chosen between partners should be somewhat unique, in the sense that they should relate to something only the participants of that relationship are aware of, like an inside joke of some kind," you paused, "I think those names should also match both partners, not just the recipient of the name. I don't think my current preferences fit you because they aren't necessarily terms you're likely to use."

He took a few moments to analyze this new information, before he nodded, "Yes, I believe I understand. In essence, you would like for me to choose a term of endearment for you that is both unique and relatable to you, but also representative of my vernacular?"

You smiled and squeezed his hands, "Exactly, yes."

"Hmm," he blinked, "I shall take this into consideration, and 'return to the drawing board'."

You laughed softly, "Sounds good," you leaned in, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, "Thank you for being such a sweet and considerate partner."

"You are welcome."

"What about you?"

His look of confusion returned, "What about me?"

"Is there any particular name you'd like for me to use for you?"

He thought about it briefly before raising his eyebrows, "Truthfully, I had not considered requesting a term of endearment for me, from you...Although I do not have a preference for any particular term at this time, I believe I would like for you to bestow one upon me."

You nodded, "Okay. I guess I'll have to go back to the drawing board, too...but for now, let's go enjoy our Shore Leave, Love Bug."

+1. "Dearest" and "Sunshine"

As Data's eyes flickered between his canvas and you, he could tell that you were getting restless. You had remained in your current position for the last 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 13 seconds, relatively unmoving. You had not complained once about your discomfort, but he could tell from your slight fidgeting that the required stillness was getting to you.

He reviewed the state of his canvas one more time, adding a couple more strokes of paint, before gently setting his brush down on his easel, "Would you like to take a break?"

You immediately sighed with relief, "Yes, please," you began to move, but stopped, "if it's not too much of an inconvenience for you?"

"Not at all. In fact, you have been an excellent muse thus far; much better than Spot. You are more than deserving of a break," he set down his paint palette, and tilted his head as he reviewed his progress. He was able to get a good portion of your silhouette and distinctive features outlined onto his canvas. He would only need your assistance for another session or two before he could complete the painting on his own.

"Can I see it?" you asked excitedly as you made your way over to him.

"Please," he said, and stepped aside to allow you viewing space.

You looked it over, and smiled widely, "Wow, this looks amazing already, Data! You're definitely going to get the highest marks from your art teacher for this," the two of you continued to admire the beginnings of his painting in comfortable silence for a moment, before you broke it, "Can I ask you something?"

Data turned to look at you, "Of course."

"Why did you decide to paint me for this assignment?"

"In my art course, we recently discussed the Aestheticism art movement. The core belief of this movement was 'art for art's sake'. In other words, it prioritized the aesthetic value of art, rather than the common belief at the time of the movement's introduction that art must serve a particular, didactic purpose," he paused, and inhaled sharply before continuing, "For this assignment, my instructor desired for myself and my classmates to create a work of art, in the tradition of the Aestheticism movement."

You absorbed all the information he just provided, attempting to determine how it related to you. After realizing you still didn't understand the connection, you asked, "That's all really interesting, Data, but what does it have to do with me?"

He eagerly continued, "After careful consideration, I realized that you embody Aestheticism. Although you can and do appreciate the hidden meanings of not only art, but many aspects of life itself, you also recognize the importance of creativity with no inherent purpose," he looked at you softly, "During one of our thoughtful, evening conversations we shared in the initial stages of our relationship, when I had explained to you my confusion as to my purpose of being, you responded that perhaps my father had no true purpose in creating me. Perhaps the only reason he created me was because he wanted to produce something beautiful, simply because he could. Perhaps he merely wished to add something of aesthetic value to the universe. Perhaps he was an artist, just as much as he was the forefront of cybernetics."

He inhaled sharply again, still looking at you, "I have found myself revisiting that conversation consistently and frequently, as frequently as the rate at which you are a part of my thought processes. This lesson, in particular, had triggered my memory banks to replay this memory 3.27 times more than usual. Thus, I deduced that you would be the most appropriate topic for this assignment."

You blinked, staring at him in complete bewilderment. You certainly weren't expecting that answer! Your brain felt like it was malfunctioning, uncertain how to process all this information.

As your brain melted inside your skull, you felt him gently take your hand, "Additionally, this assignment has also made me realize how...dear you are to me. You are always willing and eager to assist me in my hobbies, activities, assignments, and other endeavors. You have never expressed agitation nor annoyance with me, and always allow me to 'babble' to any length or degree. You have always encouraged myself and my passions, even when they potentially served an inconvenience to you."

He squeezed your hand gently, "The term 'dearest' refers to someone who is: loved and cherished, greatly valued, precious," he exhaled softly, "Although I am incapable of love, I am capable of cherishment, and seeing the value in others and objects. I certainly cherish you, and see how invaluable you are to many individuals, including myself," he looked at you with pure determination, and maybe a hint of pride, "Therefore, I believe the most fitting term of endearment for you is 'Dearest'."

At this point, you were short-circuiting, and your brain was absolute mush. Data was always eloquent with his wording, but this was definitely one of the most eloquent things he had said to you. It made his earlier statement of being incapable of love seem completely impossible. No one could speak in such a way about anyone or anything, if they weren't capable of love in some capacity or degree.

He watched you cautiously and patiently, his eyes moving slightly from side to side as he awaited your response. Your brain was still unable to form coherent thoughts, and no words escaped your lips. As his words sunk in and settled as warmth in your chest, all you could do was beam at him as you threw your arms around his neck, and pressed your lips to his in a deep kiss. He was frozen for just a moment, evidently surprised by your reaction, but gently moved his hands to hold your waist and returned your kiss.

After a couple of minutes of eager kissing, he pulled away, "Based on your reaction, I assume that you find this an acceptable term of endearment for yourself?"

You laughed softly, "Yes, Data, I do. It's perfect."

His lips curled upwards into a faint but bright smile, "I am glad you think so, Dearest."

You played with the ends of his hair that tickled his collar, still beaming at him, "You know, this just confirms my theory that 'Sunshine' would be the most fitting pet name for you."

He tilted his head, analyzing the moniker, "Intriguing. What is your connotation of this nickname, as it pertains to me?"

"Well, ever since I met you, you've brought so much light and sunshine into my life. You're a very bright, and warm person, both literally and figuratively, that you are an embodiment of the sun and its sunshine. I realized I've come to think you of as my personal ray of sunshine," you wished you could convey your thoughts and ideas as refined as the manner in which he just did, but the state of your mind was still too slushy to do so.

At your admission and unexpectedly sentimental token, his expression softened. You could tell he was analyzing and processing your sentiments with a fine-toothed comb, no doubt for further review later.

He was quiet for a long time, or at least, a long time for an android, and you began to shuffle nervously, "Do you find the name acceptable?"

Again, he was quiet as he mulled over your query. Finally, his eyes met yours, "Yes, I believe I do. I never considered the similarities between myself and the sun, but I can understand how you came to those conclusions," he blinked, "Yes," he repeated, "I do 'like' it, Dearest."

Your lips brushed against his once again, "Glad to hear it, Sunshine."

[leothil]

Introduction to TV ratings

Hi! I know a lot of us in the 9-1-1 fandom have started looking more closely at episode ratings this past year, but every time I see them posted I also see a lot of comments from people being unsure what the numbers really mean. I'm someone who first got introduced to tv ratings from being involved in the pro wrestling fandom and learned a lot about them through osmosis, so I thought I could make a small informative post explaining the main concepts and why tv ratings matter!

What I'll cover below:

What are tv ratings?

What exactly are they reporting?

How do I know what the numbers mean?

Are the numbers any good?

Let's dive in!

What are tv ratings?

Tv ratings, or Nielsen ratings, is an audience measurement system operated by Nielsen Media Research that tries to figure out the audience size and composition for tv programs in the USA. The Nielsen company has been measuring this since the 1950's, and their ratings is the currency that drives business between advertisers and broadcasters. To simplify it, the higher the rating a program gets, the more the broadcaster can charge the advertisers and agencies for broadcasting their ads to the audience during that program.

The data collection methods have varied over the years, but right now they're using Portable People Meters and track data from DVR:s. Since 2017 they're also tracking data on Hulu and YoutubeTV, and select programs on Netflix. It is an approximation, since they (naturally) aren't getting the full data from every single tv in the country, but they are good enough (and trusted enough) that their reported metrics are what's considered official.

So what exactly are they reporting?

A couple of different things! The most interesting numbers are total viewers, demographic shares, and demographic ratings. According to Nielsen they also track "gender, race, ethnicity, income, education, occupation, etc." but those are usually not reported as openly as the aforementioned three numbers and are mostly used by advertisers.

Sites like Tvline, Tvseriesfinale and Showbuzzdaily often report daily ratings very quickly after Nielsen releases them. The Fast Nationals are usually what gets the most attention, since they're released the morning after, but they're time period ratings, which means it only measured what was watched during primetime. The more accurate Official Nationals are released later the day after, and are program ratings. So if a program was moved from its usual slot for some reason, the fast nationals will still count the original time slot towards its ratings, while the official nationals will count the slot it actually aired in.

There are also C3 and C7 ratings (live viewing + DVR three/seven days after the airing), but they are seen much more seldom and are largely a fighting point between networks (who want to get paid for more days) and advertisers (who only want to pay for live viewings).

How do I know what the numbers mean?

Let's dive into that! I'll use tables from Tvseriesfinale and Showbuzzdaily with ratings for Monday March 20th (the air date of 9-1-1 S6E12) as my examples.

Here's how Tvseriesfinale reports the ratings, they're using the fast nationals (or "fast affiliate ratings"). The %change is compared to last aired episode of the same show. If you're wondering how the demo change can be positive while the number of viewers change is negative, I'll get to that in a minute.

And here's Showbuzzdaily, they report Live+Same Day which include live viewership + DVR views from the same day (which should be the same as fast nationals, but sometimes varies a bit). You can see that they colour code according to how far above/below the average rating of the night a program placed in different ratings categories.

Now for what the different columns mean:

Viewers (mil) or Persons 2+ (000s): the total number of viewers, in millions, who watched the program. So here Tvseriesfinale reports that 4.3 million people watched 9-1-1, and Showbuzzdaily reports that 4.413 million people did.

18-49 demo and Sales Demo Ratings Adults 18-49: These are the numbers that everyone is really looking at! The demo rating means proportion of a certain group (in this case adults 18-49) that are watching a particular show. In other words, this is the percentage of all adults aged 18-49 in the United States that were watching the show. So a 0.6 (or 0.59) rating for 9-1-1 means that 0.6% (or 0.59%) out of all people aged 18-49 were watching 9-1-1. This is the money demo, this is the number all advertisers and networks are looking at. Persons 18-49 is considered the most lucrative demographic, so the more people in that group your show can draw, the better for the network since they then can ask for more money from the advertisers. Persons 18-49 are considered to be the group to best target advertisements towards for a variety of reasons (disposable income and interest towards buying new things being two of them).

As you can see above, Showbuzzdaily also reports the demo numbers for Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54. Some advertisers are more interested in these demographics, but overall 18-49 is still the most popular demographic. As you can see, the audiences skew older for all programs. I believe the general consensus is that younger people (<35-year-olds) watch much less tv than older generations, and these numbers support that. This is also why total viewers and demo ratings can have different %change - the 18-49 demo rating cuts off a relatively large part of the audience.

Demographic shares: While the ratings are based on percentage of all people in a demographic, the shares are based on percentage of the number of people who were actually watching TV at that time. So a 6.0 in Women 18-49 means that of all women aged 18-49 watching TV at 8PM, 6% chose to watch 9-1-1.

So... are the numbers any good?

That depends on what you're looking at. TV ratings as a whole have been dropping steadily for many years now, so trying to compare ratings to even, say, five years ago can be hard. For example: in the late 90's, pro wrestling regularly pulled in ratings of 5.0 and higher (I'll put a few below as an example), but those same shows would now be ecstatic if they managed to get above a 1.0 rating; their regular numbers the past year (for the big shows RAW, Smackdown and Dynamite) have mostly hovered around 0.4-0.7.

The first number is the demo rating

For the best overview, it's best to compare ratings for a certain show to the ratings of other shows on air, and I believe that's what the networks are doing as well. In that context, 9-1-1 is doing very well, as it regularly ends up near the top for scripted shows, even when looking at all shows over a week. The average rating for S6 so far is 0.63, which is lower than the average rating of 0.76 for S5 (which in turn was lower than the average rating of 1.05 for S4 and so forth). The ratings consistently dropping year over year are a concern for the industry at large, and it's pretty clear streaming services have played a big role in causing this, but I find it hard to believe tv networks would consider stopping producing shows for live tv anytime soon.

And that's it! If something still feels unclear, feel free to drop me a message and I'll do my best to answer any questions! If you want to dive a bit deeper into the different metrics, I recommend this page on Showbuzzdaily, and if you want to look at ratings from previous seasons, Tvseriesfinale's 911 ratings tag is a good place to find articles summarizing both individual episode ratings and ratings for a whole season.

[dangerously-human]

Still fighting for my life with tuition benefit stuff, in case anyone was wondering. I would like to submit my request for this semester, but we're still duking it out over last semester because of a problem from over a year ago and I don't want to swing at two hornet nests at once, so. Took every single dollar out of my savings account to pay tuition for this semester and am just praying I can get reimbursed before another rent check needs to go out (and Lord willing, my car won't need massive repairs at inspection this year). I'm doing an actual research study for my mixed methods class this semester, and the professor keeps saying she's fine with giving us an incomplete so we have another year to wrap it up in order to actually get something meaningful out of it. I finally talked to her last night to explain that I cannot afford to take another incomplete and ask how I could do a legitimate study on such a condensed timeline. Thankfully she was understanding and came up with an idea I think will work, since it involves basically just doing the quantitative portion under an existing protocol at work and a qualitative portion that doesn't count as human subjects research, so I don't have to deal with an IRB pissing contest between institutions, nor the debatable ethics of collecting data without compensating people for their time, given that it's unfunded research (and I really can't afford to pay people out of pocket when I'm already paying through the nose to be in this class in the first place). I'm still reworking my research plan, but I do feel a lot better about this in comparison to my plan as of last week, which would have required either submitting to both IRBs (and my work IRB is notorious for having different standards than most, and they/the data lawyers that often end up getting involved move slowly in this kind of situation) or submitting twice to my university IRB, once per phase.

Anyway, dealing with all of this today had me looking at what I really have left to do before I graduate. I'm halfway through the program now, though it feels like I've done way more. After I'm done with this class, which meets my advanced methods requirement (although round 2 of statistics probably did too), I have to eventually go back and take the foundations of the program course that was a scheduling conflict my first semester and somehow hasn't been offered since; another research apprenticeship (I'll probably write another manuscript, ideally one that's already been in progress for a bit at work - if I can get a loan, maybe I can do that this summer with my brief report I'm first authoring); plus two electives, which I was hoping to concentrate on measure design but would also happily do more advanced statistics courses if I'm allowed to take them through the school of psychology (I've tapped out the school of ed on that score). I guess I should ask if I'm allowed to say my job counts as an internship, which from the course catalog it looks like it should, but idk. Theoretically that puts me graduating... fall '25? Maybe? I could go so much faster if it weren't for the financial aspect. I do have to meet with an advisor at some point, but I still don't have one at the moment (again), which really seems like a problem for future me to figure out. But future me before May, because I think I'm still recorded as supposed to graduate this semester, even though it's been clear from the beginning that I was not a full-time student. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

They really do make this grad school thing as complicated as possible, don't they?

[cryptic-rainfall]

Theory: I am genderfluid

Hypothesis: My perception of my own gender changes day to day

Method: record what gender I am feeling most like when I get a strong sense of gender, along with the date, in my notes app

Data: gone when my fucking phone got stolen [it spanned a good 2 years, from early 2019 to mid/late 2023]

Conclusion: Although my sense of my own gender did not change every day, as predicted if I were indeed genderfluid, it did change every few days. The change in gender perception was not regular; sometimes it changed day to day, more often it changed every 2-4 days. Very rarely, the gender I related to most even changed within the same day. The longest gender change gap was probably like 7 days, I don't know for sure because all my data was fucking lost. The hypothesis was proven false, with daily gender changes being so rare they should be considered outliers. However, this does not negate the theory, as my experience of gender was varied, and changed across certain periods of time. Some genders I related strongly to were genderqueer, nonbinary, boy who is a girl, gendervoid, and specific varied descriptions (such as "gender emulator" and "the static from a CRT monitor"). Some genders that appeared infrequently were agender, boy, girl, woman, and genderfuck. With this wide range of different gender feelings, and with the change in which gender I related strongest to being every few days on average, it is safe to say that I am indeed genderfluid. The shift in my own gender perception would not change so drastically if my gender was stagnant.

Final Thoughts: Despite the fact that this experiment concluded many years ago in mid/late 2022, since reaching the conclusion part way through the research, when ample evidence had been gathered, I felt comfortable enough to consider myself genderfluid. This experiment long surpassed its scope when the data was abruptly lost. However, since considering myself genderfluid, I have noticed that I've become more and more comfortable calling myself trans as well. This self reflection is insightful, and although I am no longer collecting data as per the methods outlined here, there is still much to explore and research regarding my gender and my relationship to it.

[triciamfoster]

Interested in Ghost Hunting?

Ghost hunting, or paranormal investigation, is the practice of exploring and documenting paranormal activities or phenomena, such as unexplained sounds, voices, apparitions, or other perceived paranormal occurrences. If you're interested in getting started with ghost hunting, here are some steps to help you get started:

Do your research: Learn about the history of ghost hunting, different techniques, equipment, and safety precautions. Familiarize yourself with the concepts of paranormal activity, types of ghosts, and common paranormal investigation methods.

Join a group or find a partner: Ghost hunting can be a solitary activity, but it's often safer and more enjoyable to have a partner or join a reputable ghost hunting group. You can find local groups or communities online or through social media platforms.

Obtain permission: If you plan to investigate private property, make sure you have permission from the owner or authorities before conducting any ghost hunting activities. Trespassing or conducting investigations without proper consent is illegal and unethical.

Assemble your equipment: Ghost hunters often use various tools and equipment during investigations, such as digital cameras, audio recorders, electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors, and temperature sensors. Research and choose the equipment that fits your budget and investigation style.

Plan your investigation: Decide on the location, date, and time for your investigation. Research the history and background of the location, including any reported paranormal activity, to better understand what you may encounter.

Conduct the investigation: During the investigation, be observant and use your equipment to capture any potential evidence. Be respectful and open-minded, but also skeptical, as many paranormal experiences can have natural explanations.

Analyze your findings: After the investigation, review your collected data, including photos, videos, audio recordings, and notes. Look for any patterns, anomalies, or potential evidence of paranormal activity. Be critical and try to debunk any potential natural explanations.

Respect the spirits and the environment: If you do encounter paranormal activity, be respectful towards any potential spirits or entities you may encounter. Always leave the location as you found it and avoid damaging or disturbing the environment or property.

Share your findings responsibly: If you do capture potential evidence of paranormal activity, be cautious about sharing it publicly. Consider consulting with experts or experienced investigators to validate your findings before making any claims or sharing them online or with the media.

Prioritize safety: Ghost hunting can be exciting, but it's important to prioritize safety at all times. Always investigate in well-lit areas, wear appropriate clothing and footwear, be mindful of your surroundings, and never trespass or put yourself in dangerous situations.

Remember that ghost hunting is a subjective field, and not all experiences can be explained as paranormal. It's essential to approach investigations with an open mind, skepticism, and respect for the environment and others' beliefs. Happy ghost hunting!

[socstudies]

｡･ﾟﾟ･ Socstudies: Sociology 101 ･ﾟﾟ･｡

101: What do sociologists study?

Hello! Welcome to my first sociology class! Read along and answer the questions to earn Luke's coffee cups, which you can exchange at the store for rewards!

.⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡

To start of with, we need to answer the question:

｡･ﾟﾟ･What is sociology?･ﾟﾟ･｡

Sociology is the study of social structures and relationships - to put it simply, sociologists study how people interact with each other and how this changes such as in groups of families, colleagues, etc.

1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!

｡･ﾟﾟ･Okay, so what do sociologists actually do?･ﾟﾟ･｡

In order to study social relations, sociologists will focus on a specific area such as families, education, or work. From this, they will then zoom in on a specific subject. For example, my area of interest is globalisation, and how the internet has changed the way in which people interact.

Once they have an area that they are interested in, they may conduct primary or secondary research - or both. Primary research involves going out (or going online) and using methods such as surveys, participant observation, interviews, and lab or field experiments. Secondary research involves the analysis of results or data that already exists - such as ordinance or census data.

1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!

｡･ﾟﾟ･What do they do with this data?･ﾟﾟ･｡

After data is collected, it is analysed and written up. There are many different theoretical lenses through which the data is analysed, and I will discuss these in more detail in future lessons (see the syllabus).

1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!

｡･ﾟﾟ･is sociology important?･ﾟﾟ･｡

Sociology is important because the research is often carried out in a way that puts the attention on previously underepresented groups that are ignored or belittled. For example, Alice Goffman's ethnography 'On the Run' involved her living with the group she was observing (young Black men and their families in an over-policed Philadelphia neighbourhood) for six years. From this, she was able to relate their lives through theological lenses to draw attention to the issues that they were facing.

1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!

.⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡

｡･ﾟﾟ･Review Questions!･ﾟﾟ･｡

1x cup for each answered correctly!

What is the definition of sociology?

What are the two types of research methods that sociolgists can use? Name one of each type.

Outline one reason why sociology is important.

Congratulations for finishing your first lesson at Chilton! Head back to Stars Hollow and trade your coffee cups here!

[punishing-eden]

Things I Wish I Could Say Out Loud...

¬ Not beta read

Lee x Commandant/Reader

Summary:

There are many things that Lee has documented into his data library. However, lately he has been taking a different method of documentation. This time it's with a voice recorder.

Tags: bittersweet, one-shot, potential spoilers for affection lvl.

"XX of XX, year 21XX, Construct: Lee. Location: Babylonia...... Recording session no. 108 of things I wish I could say out loud..."

*******

It was a small gift from Murray.

Lee took a look at it in his hand.

"What is this for?" the construct asked.

Murray smiled. However, Lee didn't find his own question funny.

"It's something I think you would like. You can record anything you want with it." the man said.

Inspecting the device, the construct only kept a neutral face before replying, "It's not necessary for constructs like me to have these things. My data recording mechanics works just as perfect, if not, it yields 30% more effective than of devices such as these. Output quality, file formating, and sound mixing are all put in consideration when you buy products like this. Constructs have many built in functionality, rendering these thing useless to them..."

Lee's voice faded as he spoke. A dead silence settled between them. The harsh words that Lee put forward didn't seem to hit Murray in anyway, a smile was still kept drawn on his face.

The silence, however, gave Lee an uncomfortable feeling. His synthetic skin mimicked goosebumps. He should say something to ease the silence. That's when he added, "... I don't need this, Murray."

He handed the device to his brother.

Murray shifted and a small laugh escaped his lips.

"I know it's useless, in a technical stand point. But," Murray gently pushed the device back into Lee's hand, "I ought to think that maybe, as useless as it may be, this is exactly what you need."

Lee, after thinking about it, decided to accept the gift out of courtesy. "Very well..." He replied and pocketed the gift.

After receiving the device, Lee gave it a go and tried it out a few times. He didn't like it, and was planning to disassemble the gadget instead.

However, he went against it due to a small talk when he bumped into Murray one day. Who, asked him about the gift, and Lee felt a reluctance to treat the device as it was intented.

He began finding use for the voice recorder. Using it, as a means to record logs or data, however, he found no joy in doing that.

During his weekly frame maintenance check, Lee spotted Asimov, owning the same model of voice recorder on his office desk. In fact there were two.

There was an urge to ask about it, seeing it was a coincidence. Asimov, his look as sour as ever, reply with a sarcastic flare, "One," he held up the left one, "is to document research logs. The other," he held up the right one, "is to collect all my disagreements and complaints against everyone here, hoping that one day I would drop this and have Hassen or someone pick it up and listen to it."

Disputes between departments in the council wasn't unheard of. However, Lee was interested at Asimov's latter use of a voice recorder. It wasn't a bad idea.

Sure, Lee himself has disagreements and verbal fights; especially towards Kamui. But, there were times he restricted his tougne for the sake of his Commandant.

So, when he returned to his quarters, he took the recorder and began to spew his complaints.

*******

"... I dislike the way you always put others before yourself..."

*******

The notification in Lee's system alerted him it was time for a special mission debriefing. The Grey Raven Squard were called in by Celica. Lee left his resting quarters as he headed out to the meeting room. There the rest of his team were waiting for him.

Celica came in last and placed a pile of paperwork on the table. Without hesitation, she began working on the control panel.

Lee noted that this usually means this particular mission is either important or it has a special status in the Babylonia database.

The lights dimmed. Images and information were projected up for everyone to see.

"Operation Underground..." Celica handed out her report file to you, "President Hassen wants the Grey Ravens to be dispatched as soon as possible, " she said.

"After some consideration and thorough analysis, it was concluded an archaic type of memory data is located under this ruin civilisation," the slide show propped up an image of a satelite map, "It was thought, back then, people had been toying about the concept of creating Constructs. Maybe that's why there are so many traces of memory data found there."

"you mean, memory data from the golden age?" you asked.

"Technology -wise yes, but the data... It could be a span ranging way before the golden age. The Science council had send teams to conduct excavation in the ruins, but through out the years corrupted levels are getting higher in that area," Celica said.

"Let me guess, Nikola wants us to investigate the area on the Science Council's behalf?" Lee asked.

"Actually, the main objective isn't to investigate the ruins , more so, President Hassen requested you guys to retrieve an archaic memory data. During the last excavation, the team found a Supercomputer, it was believe it stores the raw data. " she replied.

"but the supercomputers are so old, would the data even been salvageable upon retrieving?" Lucia asked, "As we know, technology back then has a higher probability of crashing and produce incomplete data."

"As long as the data is stored in a super computer, the percentage of data lost during extraction is small, compare to a data chip or a transferring port. Normally, supercomputers have two to four back up drive. If one drive or server courrpts, the other drive will immediately download the data. So extracting straight from a super computer is much safer. But, it's best if data loss can remain below 1.273%." Lee spoke.

Impressed by Lee's analysis, you closed the file and stood up. There was no time to waste in this operation.

"We will look into the details during our descent, Grey Ravens, move out." you ordered and your constructs followed.

As you all walked out of the meeting room, Celica said, "Oh, I almost forgot, this ruin is consider a danger zone, so please do not hesitate to retreat when necessary."

*******

"... I always do my best to serve you, even if my logic and words may make it sound the opposite. Please know, all that I am doing is all for your best interest as well as your future. You have to live, Commandant. At all cost... "

*******

He had been waiting for three hours, twenty four minutes and forty five seconds.

The door in the emergency wards was still closed. Lee could only sit in the waiting seat as his other teams mates were also rushed to the repair room.

He, himself, was considered lucky to have taken minimal damage, in comparison. His arm was ripped off and was given a temporary one for the time being. Although, it was advise to return to the Science department as soon as possible to replenish his vital fluids.

The door automatically slid open and the medical team, along with Asimov came out.

Lee turned his head and waited for the news Asimov had to deliver.

"Calm down, Lee, your Commandant is fine," Asimov huffed, he seems a little exhausted.

"I see, what's the condition?" Lee asked.

"You really need to look out for that Commandant of yours. "Brain damage" might sound a little too harsh, but that's the non techincal diagnosis." Asimov waved his hand, " a much techinal term would be, minor brain scarring."

Lee did not reacted.

"Don't worry about it too much. Your Commandant's condition is consider minor, the situation has been stablize. All that is left to do is to rest and recover."

"May I see Commandant?" Lee questioned.

"..." Asimov heasitated, "... Normally, I don't advise visitation, but, I guess I will let it slide this time." the man narrow his eyes a little.

"... But, I want you out in five minutes, understood?"

*******

"I am doing all this is because..."

*******

"Commandant..." Lee spoke in a small voice. You were asleep on the bed. Monitors and devices all plugged up to you as you slumber in the dimly lit room.

Seeing there was no response emitted from you, Lee spoke once more, "Really, Commandant, why do you have to push yourself again? How many times have you visited the medical bay this month? You know it worries us greatly..." He paused.

He was glad he went against your orders this time. If he hadn't called for Babylonia's retreat plan, you would end up in a much serious condition. Linking with the M. I. N. D beacon for an overwhelming amount of time, is not wise.

For sure, he knew you would get a little annoyed by that, and he played a fake scenario in his head that you were actually awake.

Talking to him, asking him why did he went against your orders, to retreat and not push through. He will agree everyone is close, so close to retrieve the data.

But monitoring the linking time, as well as, asking Liv to scan your physical condition once every 15 minutes. Lee can predict you won't last.

And, his prediction was right, and he should call for retreat much sooner. As soon as you arrived back at the base, you collapse on the floor. You nose bleed as you were rushed to the emergency ward.

His answer would have been the same as of Lucia's and Liv's. To protect your well being is a duty of a construct. However, he wasn't satisfied with that anwser.

There's more he wanted to say.

He knows he's not good with words, often making blunt jabs and spilling out harsh realities. Often times, he felt a little misunderstood because of it.

However, he tries. He really does. And, to be alone with the Commandant, in which, you were in a comatose state, might made it easier for the construct to say something.

Say something that he always wanted to say out loud.

He opened his mouth, lips forming shapes that helps projects words, yet no sound came out from his bionic voice.

He immediately gave up and went out of the emergency ward. That five minutes was over anyway.

*******

"... I want to be with you, be by your side for as long as humanly possible. I don't want to lose you, Commandant... "

*******

After a long break, you peak your head into the Grey Raven's Common room.

There, you saw your constructs resting together as usual. Putting up a big smile you playfully jumped out and reveal yourself at the door.

"I am here!"

"Commandant!" Lucia was surprised and quickly rush towards you Liv followed, happy to see you healthy and well.

As both constructs bombarded you with questions on your well being. Lee only approached and stood with a bit of distance.

"Lee?" you looked at him.

As usual, Palefire wore his signature scowl and crossed his arms, "... I see you are alive and well," he cleared his throat, "Welcome back, Commandant."

"Thank you, Lee."

*******

" Commandant, I...I... Humph..."

**Recording ended**

------------------------------------

Author's note

Hi, I like Lee a lot :)

BTW, the I. T stuff are all based on my limited knowledge of backing up my drawing files. Lol.

©Punishing-eden

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Hypervelocity impact experiments probe the origin of organics on the dwarf planet Ceres

One of the most exciting findings from NASA's Dawn mission is that Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter, hosts complex organics. The discovery of aliphatic molecules, which consist of carbon and hydrogen chains, in conjunction with evidence that Ceres has abundant water ice and may have been an ocean world, means this dwarf planet might have once harbored the main ingredients associated with life as we know it.

How the aliphatic organics originated on Ceres has been the subject of intensive research since their discovery in 2017. Some studies have concluded that a comet or other organic-rich impactor delivered them to Ceres; others indicate the molecules formed on the dwarf planet after its primordial materials were altered by briny water. But regardless of their origin, the organics on Ceres have been affected by the pervasive impacts that have pockmarked its surface.

Now new research to be presented Tuesday at the Geological Society of America's GSA Connects 2023 meeting is extending scientists' understanding of how impacts have affected Ceres' aliphatic molecules—and what the implications are for determining their origin and assessing the dwarf planet's habitability.

"The organics were initially detected in the vicinity of a large impact crater, which is what motivated us to look at how impacts affect these organics," says Terik Daly, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory who led this study. "We are finding that organics may be more widespread than first reported and that they seem to be resilient to impacts with Ceres-like conditions."

Capitalizing on multiple datasets

From the Dawn data, Daly knew that Ceres is covered with impact craters of varying sizes formed when other asteroids slammed into Ceres. But what he did not yet understand was how these impacts affect aliphatic compounds—information that was needed to help constrain where the organics originated and how their signatures might have changed after being exposed to multiple impacts over billions of years.

"Although researchers have performed impact and shock experiments on various types of organics in the past," says Daly, "what was missing was a study dedicated to the type of organics detected on Ceres using the same type of analytical method used by the Dawn spacecraft to detect them." This, he says, would enable direct comparisons between the experimental and spacecraft data.

Daly worked with a team that included Jessica Sunshine, an astronomer at the University of Maryland, and Juan Rizos, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland who is now an astrophysicist at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia in Spain, to conduct a series of experiments at the NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range. The experiments mimicked the impact conditions typical of Ceres, with impact speeds ranging between 2–6 km/s (4,400–13,000 mph) and impact angles varying between 15 and 90 degrees relative to horizontal.

Rizos and Sunshine also conducted a new analysis that combined data from two different instruments—the camera and the imaging spectrometer that flew on the Dawn spacecraft—and then used an algorithm to extrapolate the compositional information from the spectrometer down to the camera's higher spatial resolution. The results allowed them to investigate the organics at finer detail than has previously been possible.

"People had looked at the Dawn camera data and the Dawn spectrometer data separately, but no one else had taken the approach our team used to extrapolate the data from one instrument to another, which provided new leverage in our search to map and understand the origin of organics on Ceres," says Sunshine.

Evidence for an internal origin

Collectively, the team's analyses point to some potentially exciting results.

"By capitalizing on the strengths of two different datasets collected over Ceres, we've been able to map potential organic-rich areas on Ceres at higher resolution," says Rizos. "We can see a very good correlation of organics with units from older impacts and with other minerals like carbonates that also indicate the presence of water. While the origin of the organics remains poorly understood, we now have good evidence that they formed in Ceres and likely in the presence of water."

"There is a possibility that a large interior reservoir of organics may be found inside Ceres," adds Rizos. "So, from my perspective, that result increases the astrobiological potential of Ceres."

The researchers hope the results from another NASA mission called Lucy will soon shed more light on organics in the solar system. Sunshine is also a part of that mission's team and has been thinking about how to apply the results of the current study to the asteroids that Lucy will be studying in the vicinity of Jupiter.

"We will likely find differences, as the Trojan asteroids have experienced very different impact histories from Ceres, and because there are two compositionally different types of Trojan asteroids. Comparisons to Ceres will help up us understand the distribution of organics in the outer solar system," she says.

For all the team members, these results have heightened the expectations for another mission to Ceres. In the latest Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey, "The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has endorsed a sample return from Ceres in the short list of high-priority mission targets," says Rizos. "If that happens, it will be several decades in the future. Novel analyses of existing data are a great way of making new discoveries in the meantime."

TOP IMAGE....Side view of the ejecta curtain created during a hypervelocity impact experiment at the NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range. The experiment was designed to investigate the effects of impacts on Ceres’ organics. Credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

LOWER IMAGE....An impact crater created by a hypervelocity impact experiment at the NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range. The experiment was designed to investigate the effects on impacts on Ceres’ organics. Credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

[yukiko-moriarty]

ZZH IG Video Deepfake Detection

I started researching deepfake detection method after IG video published, an approach that can objectively examine a clip without any bias. After researching published deepfake detection papers, I started to build the code based on one of the published deepfake detection models. It took me 2 days to have the first result generated without fine-tuning. The result was published on Weibo and banned 6 hours after posting. Based on the feedback from other experts, I refined the model to have the second version published here, with a detailed explanation of the method.

I retrained the model with raw/uncompressed video, and increased the training samples. The final output reduced false negative rate, leading to a more accurate reading.

The algorithm classifies each frame of video along with confidence values. The green box with 90% value, means the model classified this frame as real with 90% confidence.  If the box shows red with 90% value, it means the model classified this frame as fake with 90% confidence.

I compared the IG video with zzh’s previous real-person interviews. The video showing my results are below and includes the ZZH IG video first and then two confirmed real interview clips with him. The confirmed real-person interviews were included to show what the model outputs when the video is real. After running the videos through the model, the results showed that where more facial expression was present, more fake frames were detected. 

The below chart shows the detection result with confidence value within a video. When the algorithm detects the frame as being “real”, there will be a positive confidence value.  When it detects the frame as being “fake”, there will be a negative confidence value.

This is the chart of the confidence values detected for the IG video. Note that the results fluctuate with high volatility between -100 to 100

This is the chart of the confidence values for the first confirmed real interview video used in the video clip. The results are between 90-92 with minor volatility

As comparison, I run the model through two known deep fake videos.  Result is shows in a separate post.

Explanation of the Model Used

The model used in this simulation is called “Xception”. The paper describing the model can be found here: https://arxiv.org/abs/1901.08971

The model was trained via Faceforensics++ data which is collected by the Visual Computing Group. I downloaded 800 raw videos (200 real + 600 fake) covering 3 state-of-art video manipulation techniques such as deepfakes, faceswap and face2face. 

Data are divided into training, testing, and cross-validation group. Then I took 101 face images from each video and pre-processed every image by applying a face tracker algorithm that detects face area pixels. Based on those classified videos, the AI model will learn how to distinguish between a manipulated video and a real video. It is similar to the process of a baby learning the difference between an apple and orange, the model will classify fake and real along with confidence values on each frame of the video.

At present, Deepfake and Deepfake detection technology is progressing simultaneously. A good model can detect a modified video made by a less trained/outdated deepfake model, but a better deepfake model can also fool a good trained detection model. No technology is perfect and it is possible for a very good modified video to escape detection given current Deepfake detection technology.

[raincode-archives]

Chapter 5 Master Detective Letters

(Spoilers for Chapter 5 of Rain Code)

Kanai Ward's History ("Desuhiko")

Kanai Ward was just another remote city in the country. Its development began once Amaterasu headquartered there.

Ten years ago... Amaterasu Corporation started their research on homunculi. Top secret research kept from society, which Amaterasu loves for sure. And their client is UG, who spend a ton of money to keep the research secure.

The only thing known about homunculus research is that human beings are created from human cells. DNA is extracted from a human that will serve as a base, which is then used to cultivate human cells.

Unlike clones, they don't need to be grown from fetuses, and genetic data from the time of collection is replicated. It's an artificial human whose age, sex, and appearance have been perfectly copied.

Regarding the Two Research Facilities ("Halara")

The Unified Government has heavily invested in Amaterasu Corporation's homunculus research. However, it appears there was another research facility of the same scale directly controlled by the UG.

They had two research facilities compete with one another in an attempt to further promote development. Naturally, the two facilities became rivals. Competition grew fierce. Soon, they were resorting to any means necessary.

Amaterasu Corporation began conducting human experiments, but this did not lead to results. Meanwhile, the Unified Government's research facility gathered DNA through extralegal methods. They extracted DNA from particularly superior specimens and used those samples as the core for cells.

Regarding Homunculus Characteristics ("Vivia")

Homunculi do not die. Rather, even if they die, they come back to life.

The Unified Government sought out and began research for military applications of homunculi. Their desire was to create an immortal army.

Homunculi look identical to humans, You cannot tell them apart form one another in everyday life. They can become injured and ill. Some are handicapped. Some are blind.

But once they die, everything is repaired upon revival. Death acts as the switch for rebuilding their cells. It only takes one day.

They are immortal and even have eternal youth. Their cells may grow, but they never deteriorate. They stop aging once their bodies stop growing. Those who have already stopped growing maintain that state.

There are many unknowns regarding homunculus memory, but they seem to inherit those of their originals. The memories at the time of DNA extraction are carried over and completely reconstructed in the brain's memory field.

There's only one way to tell a homunculus and a human apart... Blood. Homunculi have special characteristics to their blood.

Homunculus Experiment Report ("Fubuki")

My apologies. I do not understand what is on the computer screen, so I will copy it down, word for word.

Three years ago, the Unified Government's research facility successfully created the first homunculus. The secret to their success was the DNA used as the core for their artificial cells.

Their focus was on individual differences in DNA, so they experimented with various peoples. They found success in one person's DNA, someone believed to have the world's greatest mind.

But because of that 'greatest mind,' the completed homunculus was able to reflect on its condition. As a result, it realized it was a homunculus and escaped the research facility.

Currently, that specimen is still missing.

[stagnate-03]

Design Thinking in End-to-End Market Research Project Management

In the world of business, understanding your customers is paramount. It's not just about having a product or service to offer; it's about knowing what your customers need and want. This is where market research comes into play. But what if there was a way to elevate market research to a whole new level, making it more effective and customer-centric? Enter design thinking.

What is Design Thinking?

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that prioritizes empathy for the end-user. It encourages creativity, collaboration, and iterative learning to develop innovative solutions. While traditionally associated with product design, design thinking can be applied to various fields, including market research.

Applying Design Thinking in Market Research

When it comes to end-to-end market research project management, incorporating design thinking principles can lead to more meaningful insights and actionable results. Here's how:

Empathize with Customers: The first step in any design thinking process is empathy. Take the time to truly understand your customers' needs, desires, and pain points. Conduct interviews, surveys, and observations to gather qualitative and quantitative data.

Define the Problem: Once you've gained insight into your customers' perspectives, clearly define the problem or challenge you're trying to solve. This could involve identifying gaps in the market, understanding customer preferences, or exploring new opportunities.

Ideate Creative Solutions: With a clear understanding of the problem, brainstorm potential solutions with your team. Encourage creativity and divergent thinking, exploring a wide range of possibilities without judgment.

Prototype and Test: Develop prototypes or mock-ups of your ideas and test them with real customers. This could involve conducting focus groups, usability testing, or A/B testing to gather feedback and iterate on your designs.

Iterate and Refine: Based on the feedback received during testing, refine your prototypes and iterate on your ideas. Continue to gather feedback and make adjustments until you've developed a solution that meets the needs of your customers.

Integrating Design Thinking into End-to-End Market Research Project Management

So how can design thinking be integrated into end-to-end market research project management? Here are some practical tips:

Start with the End User in Mind: From the initial planning stages to data collection and analysis, keep the end-user at the forefront of your decision-making process. Design research methods that allow you to gain a deep understanding of their perspectives and preferences.

Collaborate Across Teams: Break down silos and encourage collaboration between different departments, including marketing, product development, and customer service. Each team brings unique insights to the table, contributing to a more holistic understanding of the market.

Prototype Early and Often: Don't wait until the end of the project to test your ideas. Develop prototypes or concept tests early in the process to gather feedback and validate assumptions before investing significant time and resources.

Be Open to Iteration: Embrace a mindset of continuous improvement and be willing to iterate on your ideas based on feedback from customers and stakeholders. This flexibility allows you to adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs.

Measure Impact: Finally, measure the impact of your market research efforts by tracking key metrics such as customer satisfaction, brand perception, and sales performance. Use this data to refine your strategies and inform future decision-making.

Incorporating design thinking principles into end-to-end market research project management can lead to more customer-centric insights and ultimately drive business success. By empathizing with customers, defining problems, ideating creative solutions, prototyping and testing, and iterating based on feedback, organizations can develop innovative products and services that resonate with their target audience. So why not harness the power of design thinking to transform your market research efforts today?

To know more: global market research company

project management service company

survey programming company

[mariacallous]

You're not being paranoid. If you always feel like somebody's watching you, as the song goes, you're probably right. Especially if you're at work.

Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, as labor shifted to work-from-home, a huge number of US employers ramped up the use of surveillance software to track employees. The research firm Gartner says 60 percent of large employers have deployed such monitoring software—it doubled during the pandemic—and will likely hit 70 percent in the next few years.

That's right—even as we've shifted toward a hybrid model with many workers returning to offices, different methods of employee surveillance (dubbed "bossware" by some) aren't going away; it's here to stay and could get much more invasive. 

As detailed in the book Your Boss Is an Algorithm, authors Antonio Aloisi and Valerio de Stefano describe "expanded managerial powers" that companies have put into place over the pandemic. This includes the adoption of more tools, including software and hardware, to track worker productivity, their day-to-day activities and movements, computer and mobile phone keystrokes, and even their health statuses. 

This can be called "datafication" or "informatisation," according to the book, or "the practice by which every movement, either offline or online, is traced, revised and stored as necessary, for statistical, financial, commercial and electoral purposes."

Ironically, experts point out that there's not sufficient data to support the idea that all this data collection and employee monitoring actually increases productivity. But as the use of surveillance tech continues, workers should understand how they might be surveilled and what, if anything, they can do about it.

What Kind of Monitoring Is Happening?

Using surveillance tools to monitor employees is not new. Many workplaces continue to deploy low-tech tools like security cameras, as well as more intrusive ones, like content filters that flag content in emails and voicemails or unusual activity on work computers and devices. The workplace maxim has long been that if you're in the office and/or using office phones or laptops, then you should never assume any activity or conversation you have is private.

But the newer generation of tools goes beyond that kind of surveillance to include monitoring through wearables, office furniture, cameras that track body and eye movement, AI-driven software that can hire as well as issue work assignments and reprimands automatically, and even biometric data collection through health apps or microchips implanted inside the body of employees.

Some of these methods can be used to track where employees are, what they’re doing at any given moment, what their body temperature is, and what they’re viewing online. Employers can collect data and use it to score workers on their individual productivity or to track data trends across an entire workforce.

These tools aren't being rolled out only in office spaces, but in work-from-home spaces and on the road to mobile workers such as long-haul truck drivers and Amazon warehouse workers.

Is This Legal?

As you might imagine, the laws of the land have had a hard time keeping up with the quick pace of these new tools. In most countries, there are no laws specifically forbidding employers from, say, video-monitoring their workforce, except in places where employees should have a “reasonable expectation of privacy,” such as bathrooms or locker rooms.

In the US, the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act laid out the rule that employees should not intercept employee communication, but its exceptions—that they can be intercepted to protect the privacy and rights of the employer or if business duties require it, or if the employee granted prior permission—make the law toothless and easy to get around.

A few states in the US require employers to post notice if they are electronically monitoring people in the office, and there are some protections for the purpose of collective bargaining, such as discussing unionizing.

In February, US Democratic senators led by Bob Casey of Pennsylvania moved to introduce legislation to curtail workplace monitoring by employers. It would require bosses to better notify employees of on- and off-duty surveillance and would establish an office at the US Department of Labor to track work monitoring issues.

What You Can Do

Privacy experts say that unfortunately for many employees, the only recourse for a worker who doesn't like a company's surveillance policies is to find another job.

Short of that, employees can make a formal request for disclosure of a company's data collection and surveillance policies, typically from the human resources department. Such policies may be outlined in an employee handbook, but also may not be readily available, especially for smaller companies and startups. Workers who are part of a workers' union can request the information through their representatives.

A company may not know it is required to post that it's surveilling employees or that it is in a state where two parties must consent to phone-conversation monitoring. You could choose to let your company know it's not in compliance, and if the company doesn't make changes (and you’re in the United States), you could alert your state's workforce commission or file a complaint with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration or over HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) medical privacy issues.

Apart from all that, general data hygiene is also a good counter. Clear your browser cache regularly, and don't keep private data on work devices or transmit them over work email accounts. Block your workstation's webcam when it's not in use (if you're allowed to do that) and ask your employers if you can opt out of surveillance tools that are not required for your work.

Most importantly, be mindful when your employer issues notices about workplace privacy changes or when new software or hardware is introduced for the purposes of monitoring. Ask questions and research what these tools are if you don't get a good explanation from your bosses.

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

Alchemy of Souls: Theories and Analysis for Eps 15-16

Hello readers and plagiarists,

I am done being nice. People have truly tested my patience.

Let's take a look at some examples of people who have been stealing my ideas/theories from this blog and reposting it as their own.

Exhibit #1

Huh...interesting....I wonder who uses the line "thinking caps on"........oh right....ME. Apparently this person loves wearing my thinking cap! Illusions and memories...so thought provoking.....would they have arrived at the same conclusions if they hadn't read my blog? Nope.

Exhibit #2

Wow.....the whole never seeing the King and Jang Gang swap back and only knowing based on the conversation they had after the swap back.......AMAZING!!! ASTONISHING!!! Too bad I was the only one who pointed these things out. Naksu being able to heal her eyes because she had gathered energy after learning many spells/skills in her previous body.....WOW...wonder where they got this from? They even used the word "data" hahahahaha. You know who else uses the word "data"? People in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)....... aka me...the scientist. In a recent dm with this person on Tumblr, I described to them how my thinking process worked (basically an adaptation of the scientific method). I told them I researched things I did not know, collected/gathered data (i.e things from the show), formed a hypothesis, analyzed data, reexamine my hypothesis if needed. So, if you see stuff about AOS endgames from this person, just know they didn't come up with those things. I was the one who told them mostly everything during a private message. It was my mistake for trusting such a despicable human being. The nerve for this person to say they had the "same thoughts" as me....same thoughts my ass.

Actually... good luck to all the plagiarists....I will not be here to explain everything that happens in Part 2!

Stupid people taking smart people's ideas just so they can receive praise. All they wanted was to feel good about themselves at my expense. They did not stop for a second to consider that this blogger right here had sacrificed time to eat and sleep just to come up with all of these ideas in the first place. All of my theories were a result of spending countless hours researching, rewatching episodes, and thinking about everything. Not to mention the many hours I spent writing and editing all these posts. These plagiarists also did not have to endure all the personal attacks I had received for all of my theories either. They received all the good things and none of the bad.

From Reddit to Facebook to Twitter, I am sick and tired of seeing so many people steal from me. I have had enough. I am trying to find the proper words to express how I feel right now, but I cannot. I am at a loss for words. I have never experienced this amount of plagiarism until now. Not when I wrote posts for TKEM, TOTNT, or DAYS. I cannot even think straight at this point.

For those who have done nothing wrong and have always given me credit for my ideas/theories, I want to thank you from the deepest parts of my heart. I am incredibly sorry for how things turned out.

To those who have come here to take more of my ideas/theories...

This will be my last T&A post for Part 1. I had written 11 pages and 5370 words, but thanks to all these plagiarists, I deleted nearly everything. What is left are some skeleton theories. I won't be including stuff about Part 2 and I will not be answering any more questions. For Part 2, I will be creating a separate password protected blog.

I do not even feel like saying "thinking caps on" anymore...

Shaman Choi and Jin Mu's Evil Plan

Past..Present..same but different.

Who's Jin Bu Yeon's Daddy?

Jang Gang.

Knowledge is Liberation

Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon-Jang Uk -Seo Yul

Jang Uk successfully gets Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon the Ice Stone.

Final Endgames

Jang Uk x Heo Yun Ok

Seo Yul x Jin Bu Yeon

Park Dang Gu x Jin Cho Yeon

Part 1 Ending

Takes place back on the icy lake from Ep1. Trapping of souls. Bad guys die. Bigger fish to fry at the western borders of Daeho.

Part 2

See ya in Seoho Fortress!

[gardenoforder]

headcanons expanding on the verse of my jingren psycho-pass AU oneshot, "for whom will you bare your fangs?" on AO3.

-jing yuan is criminally asymptomatic. sibyl system wants to include him in its network, but he's been able to dodge all threats and offers his way somehow. up until the system found out about his abnormality, he was able to camouflage and manipulate his own psycho-pass to match others' in order to not stand out. to sibyl, he is regarded as "one who borrows the mind of others and has no face of his own."

-blade was deemed a latent criminal from early on, so he spent most of his life confined. he was young enough to recall good times with his parents, but also old enough to realize that he was losing his future for things he hasn't done yet. when his family cut ties with him, he decided to discard his name as well.

-blade is aware of jing yuan keeping secrets from him, but he doesn't know what they're about. he's trusting that jing yuan has a good reason for it but uhh

their division:

-jing yuan and blade's unit currently comprises of fu xuan, their analyst, and ma yanqing (senior), another enforcer.

-their call signs are shepherd (inspector; jing yuan) and hound (enforcers; blade and ma yanqing)

-jing yuan and blade first met during a joint operation between both divisions. their different methods and approaches to the situation put them at odds with each other until they had to be physically pulled apart. not too long after, jing yuan recruited blade into his unit.

-fu xuan regularly has to deal with covering up for both of them. since she's their resident researcher, analyst, and medical expert all rolled into one, she's often the most exhausted of their group.

-ma yanqing (senior) is the oldest member in more ways than one. he is the only original member remaining; he was there to see jing yuan as a fresh new inspector and fu xuan being assigned as their analyst. he is struggling to dissuade his nephew, yanqing (junior) from pursuing a future job at the crime investigation department of the public safety bureau.

blade's old unit:

-this disbanded group was blade's first experience getting along with others, so the memories of them are something he holds fondly. the members were his friends, mentors, and coworkers, and even if this profession is all he's ever known, he still thinks highly of them.

-blade's old unit comprised of one inspector, dan feng, and two other enforcers, jingliu and baiheng. they are each officially marked as MIA. blade is still searching for their whereabouts, but it has proven fruitless. jing yuan knows what happened, but hasn't told him.

-jingliu was originally an inspector that got too close to the truth of the sibyl system and was demoted for her silence in exchange for her life. she has always regretted only taking the demotion for what happened to the rest of her former division members.

-dan feng became an person of interest for sibyl (just like jing yuan eventually did), and baiheng sacrifices herself to protect him from sibyl. after she gave her life to save his, he attempted to completely destroy himself to prevent sibyl from collecting any sort of data based on him, but both lives ended in vain. sibyl then created a synthetic being using what data is left of his brain, dan heng, to take his place.

-jingliu was not present due to an injury she received from a previous case. after learning about what happened to dan feng and baiheng, she escaped the country and becomes a renegade. she begrudgingly became jing yuan's outside source of information against sibyl. she hates blade for not knowing what happened to their old unit, but he doesn't know a damn thing what is he supposed to do

-if blade learns about any of this he will 100% go fucking nuts and he will be twice as berserk when he learns that jing yuan kept him in the dark on purpose, even if it was for his own good. like if that ever happens, jing yuan better have a good plan on how not to die

the jingren section:

-they're often found in the training room together. blade occasionally ends up breaking some equipment, and jing yuan always offers to pay for replacements.

-blade only has one tie for his suit and it was given to him by jing yuan. the only times he actually wears it are when he needs to cover marks the other man left on him.

-jing yuan didn't start smoking until he met blade and only smokes in blade's dorm.

-their choice in reads and philosophies repeal each other, but jing yuan has started picking up on reading blade's books whenever he visits him. blade reads as much paperback as possible.

-blade feels a lot of complex feelings for jing yuan, but he's most frustrated with him for showing him things that he's missed out on in a lot of his life for being branded a latent criminal as a child. "I would have been fine just being called a hunting dog. now that I know about all these things that I missed out on, I am growing greedy for a life I don't know of. and I resent him for that."

-their relationship doesn't have a strong feeling of romance. it's more built on the feeling of belonging, interest, and comfort, the feeling of like-mindedness despite being opposites. sometimes they use their rivaling ideologies to compete and encourage each other. they're partners that know each other well enough to understand what to do without needing to say anything, and blade will often act on his own during cases knowing what jing yuan is planning. those unspoken and unpredictable patterns have earned him the nickname of "jing yuan's wild dog"

-blade's frustrations with jing yuan often come out during sex and it's no surprise that his numbers and color go nuts. he is so damn aggressive that jing yuan doesn't really have to do anything for a while before he gets to make a move himself. jing yuan likes to satisfy blade like that, let him rage out and take his fill before giving it to him as much as he wants.