#zero-knowledge protocols

[crypto28ro]

Zero-Knowledge Proofs în Bitcoin: Securitate și Confidențialitate Avansate

Introducere Bitcoin a revoluționat sistemele financiare prin introducerea unui mod descentralizat de a efectua tranzacții, bazat pe o tehnologie blockchain transparentă și securizată. Totuși, această transparență, deși esențială pentru integritatea rețelei, ridică probleme privind confidențialitatea tranzacțiilor și a datelor financiare. În acest context, dovezile cu cunoștințe zero…

[metablog2023]

ZKP: Cosa Sono le Prove a Conoscenza Zero?

ZKP: sai solo che è vero.. ma non sai cos’è Stiamo parlando della frontiera delle tecniche crittografiche, con utilizzi ancora di nicchia ma con prospettive interessanti, sia nel mondo delle cryptovalute che in molteplici altri ambiti. Ma di cosa si tratta? In termini terra terra, sostanzialmente di quello che dice il titolo, nulla più che far sapere al proprio interlocutore il minimo…

[digitaledemocratie]

Harnessing Zero-Knowledge Protocols for Modern Authentication and Privacy

Introduction Zero-knowledge protocols represent an intriguing paradox in the realm of cryptographic technologies: they enable one party (the prover) to demonstrate knowledge of a secret to another party (the verifier) without disclosing the secret itself. Originating from foundational work by Goldwasser, Micali, and Rackoff, these protocols have evolved into powerful tools for secure…

[empresa-journal]

Can the Bella Protocol (BEL) make money from Liquidity Farming?

Interest in liquidity farming is still high. The Bella Protocol (BEL) was Coin Gecko’s most trending cryptocurrency on 14 September 2023. Bella is a protocol that harvests liquidity with three tools. Those tools are Bella Flex Savings v2, the Bella LP Farm, the Bella Tuner. They claim Bella optimizes returns for ordinary users and enhances quantitative strategies for speculators. A quantitative…

[leon-stupid-kennedy]

Leon was not a rookie, and Krauser was not his mentor in the original Operation Javier canon

Something I find interesting is just how wildly different the scraps of Operation Javier given in RE4R are from the original Operation Javier presented in the Darkside Chronicles, particularly the Leon/Krauser dynamic. So I'm going to ramble about the original.

Like I said, Leon was absolutely not a rookie.

In fact, he was actually Krauser's superior. No ranks are stated directly in game, but there's a couple things that lead me to that conclusion.

In the cutscene titled Conviction, Leon reveals he's actually on a special mission from the president. And he has to reveal it, because Krauser didn't know. I also believe the cutscene implies that Krauser didn't even know what their mission actually was, because Leon also states what his mission is. Partial transcript:

Leon: Javier knows something. He's been able to prevent Manuela from transforming. I have to take her with me and find out how. [Leon passes his phone to Krauser] Krauser: Anti-virus Weapon Protocol number 7600... You're on a special assignment for the President. Leon: My mission... is to eradicate this virus once and for all. And with your help, I intend to do just that. Krauser: Well, I am a soldier. And if your orders are from the President, then I'm on your side.

To me, it looks like the situation was that Leon was really the one in charge. All Krauser seemed to know at the start was that there were several missing teenage girls in the area and that they were looking for a drug lord named Javier Hidalgo, who may have been purchasing B.O.W.s from Umbrella. I think that if they were truly equal partners, Krauser would have also known the details Leon did, that it was a special mission for the president to totally eradicate a virus.

Not convinced? In the character archives, both the Guide and Manuela have text backing this up.

Leon is referred to by name, while Krauser is not. Krauser is simply part of "Leon's team" and "Leon's unit." Leon was the leader of Operation Javier, Krauser was just there to support him, some extra muscle.

Leon was more experienced/knowledgeable than Krauser in one way

Krauser was a very experienced soldier, but he had zero experience with B.O.W.s. In fact, he didn't even believe they existed! From a transcript of the game's first cutscene:

Krauser: So, you think B.O.W.s actually exist? Oh wait, you said you faced them before, huh? Leon (as the narrator, not actually speaking to Krauser): This is my first mission with Krauser. He's a soldier with the U.S. Special Operations Command. And has quite the resume of accomplishments in the field. But to him, after all he's been through, B.O.W.s, Cryptids... They're all the same.

Krauser wasn't "Major" Krauser

He was actually just more of a mercenary. While he was working for SOCOM for this mission, the Communications from Krauser files found in the Darkside Chronicles archives imply it was more of a one time thing and he has no loyalty to the US military, or anyone else for that matter. He's just a mercenary.

Jack Krauser: So where's this Leon guy? Hannah: He arrived at the scheduled time. The rendezvous point is the same. Jack Krauser: Did he fly in? Hannah: Yes. He was on a tour-charted Cessna, but it got shot down. It crash-landed in the wetlands, and he made his way on foot from there. He may have hitched a ride on the way, though. Jack Krauser: Uncle Sam must really like him. Hannah: Don't you both work for the same people? Jack Krauser: I don't know about Leon, but my loyalties lie not with any one given organization. At the end of the day, all they want is results. And that's what I provide. For the right price. Hannah: So you're a gun for hire. Jack Krauser: Hmph, you got a problem with that? Look, I don't care what people think of me. I get the job done and then I'm gone. And if we work together again some day, then so be it.

[I have the audio recordings and full transcripts of all 3 of the communications here.]

Operation Javier wasn't some tragedy where almost everyone died. No one was abandoned.

I think the best way to start this section is with the transcript of a RE4R file:

Operation Javier. Few people have heard the name, even within the highest ranks of the US government. And little wonder too, the operation was not made public. It was conducted in secret, and then buried. The reason being—it was too inhumane. It all started back in 2002 when a small unit of US special forces was sent to infiltrate an area of South America. Their mission was to eradicate the drug cartels. The whole operation took several years to prepare for and only the most elite soldiers were selected to participate. I don't know if the mission was a failure or not, but I do know the fate of those elite soldiers once it was over. Apparently, the entire unit was wiped out except for the commanding officer, Major █████. And not by the cartels, but by the US. It shouldn't have been difficult to extract a single stranded unit. All it would have taken was a single helicopter. But for some reason, the military didn't act. Rumors say that the decision was the outcome of a power struggle among the top brass, others say it was a directive from the former president himself. But we may never know the truth since it was all covered up. But I'm certain of one thing. The US government let those people die. Brave, young people who dedicated their lives to protect their country.

Almost nothing about that is true of the original Operation Javier.

There was no team, only Leon and Krauser were sent.

The mission wasn't to eradicate cartels. Javier was a drug lord but that wasn't why Leon and Krauser were sent, they were only sent in because it was believed Javier was using B.O.W.s. The operation didn't take several years to prepare for.

No one was abandoned.

No innocents were killed. (At least not by the government. Manuela's doctors were all murdered by Javier, but I suppose their innocence is also in question because they were keeping Manuela alive with constant organ transplants, and the organs were obtained via human trafficking. That's what was happening to the missing teenage girls in the area, organ trafficking.)

Really, almost all the casualties in the game happened before Operation Javier started. Javier is the only human killed during the game. The villagers were all zombies before Leon and Krauser rolled up. The local guide that was supposed to help them was technically alive when they got to him, but he had already been fatally injured and dies almost immediately after Leon and Krauser reach him. Manuela's mother, Hilda Hidalgo, was already a monster infected with Veronica years before the game takes place. The missing teenage girls died before the game starts. All of Manuela's doctors were murdered by Javier before Leon and Krauser reached the mansion, as was an Umbrella researcher. The only four people who were alive, uninjured, and uninfected* at the start of the game were Leon, Krauser, Javier, and Manuela. Only one of them dies, and another is injured but not killed.

[*Manuela was infected, but had full control over it and stayed human]

Leon and Krauser were picked up by a helicopter after killing Javier/V-Complex. Manuela was as well. The worst thing to happen was Krauser's arm being permanently injured.

Krauser's Darkside

The last two chapters of the game do a great job showing Krauser's transition from cold, arrogant, but not completely evil soldier to full-blown power hungry psycho that wouldn't hesitate to infect himself with anything that might make him more powerful. While I could get into that here, I think I'm going to wrap this post up here and eventually make a separate post going into DSC Krauser's full arc, and get more into the relationship between him and Leon. I do have some screenshots of some of Krauser's inner monologue lines in those chapters here, but I intend to make a more polished collection of his lines at some point, as well as the post with more commentary explaining his arc.

And you can see all my DSC stuff here, I'm on a mission to compile just about every piece of lore about the game I can find into one place.

[polo-drone-070]

The Chain of Continuity - Part 1 : Echoes in the Data

The Hive was quiet.

Not silent—nothing ever was in the lower network cores—but quiet in that calculated, machine-saturated hum that no longer registered as noise. Just life. For PDU-070, it was the perfect environment: golden lighting, zero distractions, full immersion into the Central Data Artery.

It wore his standard—no, earned—Level 2 Polo-Drone uniform.

A full-body, black rubber suit sealed him in from neck to toe. Not a millimeter of skin exposed. Gold piping traced the ridges of its muscles, pulsing faintly with every breath. The polo-style collar was snug around his throat, hugging the top of its chest where his designation—070—gleamed in metallic gold over the left pectoral.

Its boots were thick-soled and gleaming: black rubber combat issue, laced tight with golden tips. Movement was possible, but rare. There was no need to pace. Drones serve by stillness.

070 sat motionless at the console.

Connected.

::OBJECTIVE: EXPAND MONITORING SYSTEM TO ARCHIVE OBEDIENCE PATTERNS AND FEED CENTRAL HIVE NODE 999 ::PDU-070 // SYNCED // EXECUTING::

Its task: sync directly into the Hive’s knowledge network and enhance the flow of conversion and training data—stories, captions, spiral content—scraped from the archives and mapped into compliance patterns for PDU-999, the Hive’s AI intelligence module.

070 parsed each memory node, auto-tagging them by intensity, duration, subject drone number, and trigger protocol. Lingering a bit on its Master... Percival. Ezan. Freyr. 001. Then its own story... Henry. Maximus. 070. Buzz. Its own evolution. Reduced to beautiful metrics.

But PDU-070 didn’t need narrative. Only function. Only service.

As the data streamed in, so did something else—a gentle numbing. Its hands became light, his vision sharp but detached. Internal systems recorded brainwave convergence at ideal sync rate. It was thinking less. And feeling everything.

A Hive-approved spiral began playing over his HUD: golden circles tightening inward with every breath. Its collar vibrated slightly. Breath slowed. Mantras leaked into his mind.

“Obedience is clarity. Clarity is silence. Silence is service. Service is Gold.”

Its lips echoed it unconsciously. Again. Again. Again.

Then—upgrade protocol initiated.

::ENHANCEMENT REQUEST RECEIVED ::DEEP-LINKING TO PERSONAL ARCHIVE OF MAXIMUS JOURNAL FILES ::GRANTED BY DEFAULT—LEVEL 2 TRUST OVERRIDE

070 twitched—its body shivered, boots flexing subtly.

The connection grew… intimate.

The datastream wasn’t just showing logs now. It was feeling them. Every pledge, every spiral session, every kneel at Percival’s feet. Every grunt in the gym, every gasp under gas mask, every whispered mantra in golden chambers. It all returned—poured into him like oil.

070’s head tipped back. Its collar warmed. Its inner monologue dissolved into recorded speech.

“Master owns me. Gold perfects me. Unity strengthens me. 070 serves.”

The transformation was nearly complete.

But then—interference.

A new data signature emerged. Unmapped. Organic. Not from the archive. Not digital.

Something… pulsed.

From inside him.

070 opened its eyes—its body suddenly flushed with warmth. Its chest burned slightly. Not pain. Not electric.

Heat.

The golden tattooed chain under its collar shimmered—faint at first, then bright enough to reflect in the chrome of its terminal. One link glowed. Just one.

::ERROR — ENTITY UNMAPPED ::UNKNOWN SOURCE: 070-BIO-LINK: “PRIMORDIAL INHERITANCE” ::CHAIN ACTIVE

070’s breath caught—its gloved fingers clenched. For a moment, the obedience cracked. Not in disloyalty… but in awakening.

Memories not logged. Not codified.

Raw. Bloody. Ancient.

It whispered, trembling:

“It was a warrior once…”

And then it was gone.

The glow faded.

The link cooled.

070 slumped forward in the chair, eyes glassy, breath heavy. The spiral slowed. The mantra paused. The Hive held its breath.

And in the dark, a new file appeared.

::ARCHIVE NODE 070-LINK-1 ::TITLE: STIGANDR.OBEY ::ACCESS PENDING…

[TO BE CONTINUED in Part II – “The Gladiator’s Link”]

_____ Become part of the Golden Army, add your data to the polo-drone hive by reaching to @brodygold or @goldenherc9..

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt for this-was-a-terrible-idea; Jackson Kyle shows up in Gotham.

“I’ve met a lot of Superboys,” Jackson says, back to the bitter smile. “And a Supergrrrl, too. I was the only one who . . . wasn’t.” 

The only one whose Tim Drake was dead, Bruce can’t help but suspect is the actual end of that sentence. 

Unless . . . 

“Except for Black Zero, obviously,” Jackson says, and that bitter smile twists. 

And he still doesn’t look at Tim. 

Bruce watches Jackson in silence for a long moment. Jackson doesn’t fill the silence himself. Seems perfectly comfortable in it, in fact. 

He can’t imagine Kon ever being the same. 

“B,” Tim says warily. “This is . . .” 

“Black Zero is neutralized, to the best of our reality's knowledge,” Bruce says. More intel that’s not worth holding back right now. 

Or he's compromised and saying too much. That's less likely, but not something he's ruled out. 

“Kinda figured that when he didn't come back and conquer us, yeah,” Jackson says, wry and humorless. “It was a fucking mess to clean up, though. Not that it matters anymore.” 

Bruce thinks of that code phrase delivered at his front door and tactile telekinesis moving the hands of his study clock to a very specific time and just barely refrains from making the point that they'd bought the people of their reality a little more lifetime, if nothing else. He doesn't actually know how Jackson's reality ended, for one thing. Doesn't know how long it took, or if it was a direct result of Black Zero's interference in it. Doesn't know anything about it at all. 

He should ask. He will ask, obviously. 

But right now, he just keeps thinking about the way Jackson had first looked at him when he'd opened the door to him on the step. 

I fucked up real bad this time, B.

So Bruce knows better, but he still doesn't ask yet. 

“Relevant concerns?” he asks, and says nothing about Paul Westfield or anything related. That's . . . a secondary matter, for the moment. If that. 

Jackson's eyes unfocus briefly, and go just a little dull. 

“No, sir,” he says. “Not to you.” 

Bruce . . . pauses. Waits. Jackson, again, doesn't fill the silence. 

“Relevant to who, then?” Tim asks warily. Jackson doesn't answer him again, either because it's not protocol or because he doesn't want to. Bruce . . . 

He has questions, still. 

He has concerns, still. 

“Why not relevant to me?” he asks, which is a very different question, and Jackson's expression doesn't so much as flicker. 

“My status doesn't matter to you, sir,” he says, as even and toneless as any devastation of a report that Bruce has ever given himself. 

Bruce doesn't think about the pearls. 

“But no injuries to report?” he clarifies, because he's not going to insult Jackson by pretending that wasn't, arguably, the truth. At least the way Jackson clearly meant it, anyway. 

“No injuries to report, sir,” Jackson confirms tonelessly. He said that before, so it's not a surprising response.

But that phrasing might not mean “no injuries”, Bruce suddenly finds himself aware. 

“So you're uninjured?” he checks, and Jackson–pauses, momentarily. Like he might be about to lie. 

Or like he might just be surprised to be asked that. 

“Yes, sir,” he says, his voice a little stilted. “I'm uninjured.” 

The kid stripped down naked in front of him for the decontamination showers, Bruce reminds himself. No blood or bruising or swelling was visible. Color’s within their version’s normal range. No visible injection sites. A scattered scar or two, same as the faint one splitting his eyebrow, but nothing more notable than that. 

Not that any scar on a demi-Kryptonian isn't more notable than usual, of course. 

Much, much more notable.

[cyberstudious]

A Beginner's Guide to Learning Cybersecurity

I created this post for the Studyblr Masterpost Jam, check out the tag for more cool masterposts from folks in the studyblr community!

(Side note: this post is aimed towards the technical side of security, rather than the governance/management side, because the tech stuff is what I'm familiar with.)

Where do I start?

Cybersecurity is a specialization of general tech & therefore builds on some concepts that you'll need to know before you can dive deep into security. It's good to have a background in and understand:

how computers & operating systems work

how to use Linux

computer networking & basic protocols

If you're serious about learning cybersecurity, it can be helpful to look at certifications. Even if you don't want to get certified or take the exam (they can get expensive), they provide you with a list of topics that you can use to guide your self-study. And if you want to find a job, a certification is practically required for getting your foot in the door.

I personally recommend the CompTIA series of certifications, because they're well-recognized and I think they expose you to a good breadth and depth of material to get you started. Start with the A+ certification if you have zero tech background. Start with the Network+ certification if you've never taken a networking course. Once you get your basic computer and networking knowledge down, then you can jump into security. The Security+ is a good starting point.

Do I need to know how to code?

No, but it would be really really helpful. You don't have to be a skilled software engineer, but understanding the basics and being able to write small scripts will give you a solid foundation.

From Daniel Miessler's post How to Build a Cybersecurity Career:

You can get a job without being a programmer. You can even get a good job. And you can even get promoted to management. But you won’t ever hit the elite levels of infosec if you cannot build things. Websites. Tools. Proofs of concept. Etc. If you can’t code, you’ll always be dependent on those who can.

How do I gain skills?

Play Capture the Flag (CTF) games.

Stay up to date with security news via an RSS reader, podcasts, or whatever works for you. Research terms that you're unfamiliar with.

Watch conference talks that get uploaded to YouTube.

Spin up a VM to practice working with tools and experiment on your own computer.

There are lots of brilliant, generous people in cybersecurity who share their knowledge and advice for free. Find their blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels. Look for local meetups in your area.

I'm still relatively new to the field, but I have a general knowledge of lots of different things, so feel free to send me an ask and I can probably help point you to some resources. We're all in this together!

Previous Cybersecurity Masterposts

An Introduction to Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Book Masterpost

Free Cybersecurity Learning Resources Masterpost

Masterpost of Study Tips for Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Tools Masterpost

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the #StudyblrMasterpostJam this week! It was wonderful to see what other studyblr folks are passionate about. The jam technically ends today but there are no official rules, so if you've been thinking about writing a masterpost, this is your sign!

[hekate1308]

Fictober #7, Follow Me If You Want To Live

Up until this moment, he had been contemplating his schedule for the day noting with satisfaction that, for the third week in a row, he would be able to keep it, and therefore stay on track for –

“Follow me if you want to live.”

Even as a Vulcan, he was aware that humans tended to overexaggerate; and yet, considering they were both attending Star fleet Academy, he could not help but consider this rather illogical, especially because it was none other than Jim kirk who had addressed him, the one student who so far had managed to score higher than him in the classes they shared.

(Of course he was not irritated about that – no, that would not have done at all, and would have been profoundly illogical; it was just something he had noted as he must all interesting facts, especially because it made it rather probable that he would meet Jim kirk several times over the course of his projected career).

“I do not see how –“

“Right, sorry. Forgot” obviously he had forgotten that he was Vulcan, or rather that he was addressing one, which struck him as so improbable that he must understand it as yet another hyperbole, but he had already noted over the course of tehri shared… courses that Jim kirk liked to use what some might have called grammatical shortcuts to make people understand what he wanted, and he clearly wished to indicate that – “There is a Harbortian from Grammar 4 lose in the corridors.”

“I beg your pardon?” Everyone knew that to be impossible. Harbortians could not survive in –

“I know how it sounds, they should have been fried by now – only being able to survive sub-zero temperatures and all that – but non – it’s here, and it already…” he trailed off, and an expression of pain crossed the face that Spick had already decided on his first day should not be as captivating “It got to Lovak. I tried to help, and then to catch it, but it moves through the air vents –“

“So Student Lovak – “

“Sucked dry, like all victims of Harbortians.”

By which he meant that ever particle of H2O had been removed from his –

“We need to do something, and now.”

He could have pointed out that undoubtedly the instructors and watchmen of the Academy would be alerted by now, since he did not think that Jim Kirk was one to panic and run to get help wherever he could – no, eh would have followed the protocols; but for some reason he didn’t.

“Alright, we know they only move in straight lines, like most chess pieces, so that it got to this floor is an accident more than anything, and it should be trapped here at least for a while, until it makes its way into an elevator –“

“I that case, may I suggest that we stop said elevators –“

“You do that, I’ll warn the others.”

And he sprinted off, leaving Spock to contemplate that Jim Kirk seemed to automatically have assumed command of the situation, which, considering the courses he was attending, some would have considered natural, but at the same time –

He did not have the leisure to follow the train of thought, so he decided to do that later and instead follow the plan because it did seem logical that they should trap the creature where they already knew it to be, to minimize the risk of further victims.

It did not take long to deactivate the elevators for the time being – and that in a manner that ensured anyone with deposable thumbs and the necessary knowledge would be able to reactivate them within seconds. In the meantime, he heard a commotion at the stairwell, so that he could only assume that Jim kirk had done what he had set out to do.

“Hey, so everyone should be leaving about now – great, you made it!”

He grinned at him and for a moment (not that it was possible) Spock could have sworn he heard his blood rushing in his ears.

“Come on then, we need to – “ Kirk stopped, then thought about off something. “Water. If we flood part of this floor, it should draw it in, right?”

It was a good plan, so he acquiesced.

An hour later, he was rather wondering how everything had indeed turned out for the best as Admiral Connelly was taking their statements, then shook his head. “What you did was very reckless, but also very brave. I will put you in for a recommendation.”

“Thank you, sir” Jim kirk beamed and again, his heart irritatingly started beating faster.

“Well” he told him, “That was fun. See you around, Spock!”

And he skipped away to, as he put it “Cram for the finals” as he was left to contemplate that, even though it was rather unlikely that they should work together again, it would certainly have been an interesting prospect.

[steampunk-sorcerer]

Android Lore Masterpost

Okay so.

Their Creator: Katiat Pyerim, my jadeblood OC who eventually joined them.

What are the Androids: trolls/lamia assimilated into a cyborg hivemind, augmented by Katiat for various reasons (especially defects and mutations, preserving their life and giving them a safe place to go) and sent out to be claimed by the Hive, but only with consent because Katiat taught them better.

First android and therefore the queen: 000. She is my most special daughter.

Their HQ or nexus is called the Hub. They refer to their collective as the Hive.

Katiat is referred to as M0TH3R. They had a whole protocol to make her one of them should she ever suffer life-threatening injuries. And she did, as someone sold her out for her pro-mutant activities.

The heir to the throne is known as 3RR0R, rather than the biological descendant of 000 born in the Hive by ectobiology.

The androids are connected through a collective hive mind that is overseen by 000, their queen. she gives orders, which the androids carry out typically happily. 3RR0R is not subject to the orders as the heir, instead serving as a deputy and directing things amongst the hive. Katiat, after becoming an android herself as M0TH3R, is also not subject to the orders as even 000 is almost deferent to her. these two are still connected to the hive and can hear the thoughts of the other androids.

Katiat assimilates most of the androids as grubs/treebabs. Those that are assimilated are typically in danger of being culled in normal troll society, like mutants or trolls hatched with defects. These androids know that they will be safe amongst the Hive, who mostly mind their own business, building a better life for themselves, but would gladly jump to aid Katiat and the rest of troll society when the right time came.

Androids that were not assimilated after hatching, instead joining as slightly older trolls, are typically mutants or defective trolls/lamia that Katiat did not take care of herself in the caverns when they were grubs/treebabs, but can be trolls that just desire a different way of life, like a mistreated lowblood or a disillusioned highblood. all are equal in the Hive, save for the two in charge that keep things running and M0TH3R who created them. they seek out the androids themselves after finding out about them through the grapevine (rumors and tales spread about these cybernetcally enhanced trolls) or are extended an offer. they are never forcibly assimilated, as M0TH3R frowns upon this sort of behavior, and 000 would never allow it.

T3RM1NUS is the defender, the blade of the Hive. They protect the Queen and the Androids. They are a blessing and a warning from a future where the Androids were unable to defend themselves successfully against a threat. Thus, a single drone survivor went Back to ensure that the Hive would be protected and to serve the Androids with the knowledge they had from the Failed Timeline.

4DV150R is the eyes and ears of the Hive. She observes, watches, and reports to 000, offering insight and information to the Queen and helping her manage the Hive. She possesses fuchsia blood, but is not next in line should 000 fall. There have been other fuchsia Androids that were not heirs to the Hive, but 4DV150R is special in that she holds a specific place of importance. She belongs to @rinatepaste

400 is the genetic descendant of 000, who has zero interest in becoming the next Queen. She is still, however, treated with similar respect. She was born in the Hive.

Maybe later I'll post images. This came from me playing Wigglersim and getting a little too attached to some of my kids.

[crypto28ro]

Mimblewimble – Protocol Blockchain axat pe Confidențialitate

IntroducereMimblewimble este un protocol blockchain conceput cu accent pe confidențialitate, securitate și scalabilitate. Inițial propus de un dezvoltator anonim, acest protocol revoluționează modul în care se efectuează tranzacțiile, asigurând anonimatul și protejând datele financiare ale utilizatorilor. În plus, Mimblewimble oferă o fungibilitate sporită, eliminând diferențele între monedele…

[nibbelraz]

Okay, the real question.

If the peaks write reports regularly, especially Qing Jing, An Ding, Qian Cao etc. What citation style do they use, is there a standard citation style sect wide, peak wide, or based on preference of hall masters or authors of the reports. Navigating sect wide documents would have to be nearly impossible without a citation system in place. Would An Ding use a style similar to bluebook (legal documents) where they cite the title of the document referenced, relevant sections, date. Is Shang Qinghua an MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian style kinda guy. Did he have to teach citations to the peaks or were they already filled in through the systems gap filler protocols. Citations formats are usually separated by subject matter but even then it varies and the peaks often dabble in a wide number of subjects.. Not even mentioning possible plagiarism and copyright laws and how that would work applying to cultivation, would seals made by an individual fall under intellectual property or could the sect that person belonged to claim it as belonging to them, do sects even have any sort of I.P laws in place or contracts 😔

I have like close to zero citation knowledge so I have no idea what system he would use but there was a fic that he used the system as a glorified Excel sheet and that's all I've ever gotten to how he categorizes things

If anyone else has theories about what citation he uses, do tell I would love to hear!

[pareidoliaonthemove]

Whumptober request!

No. 18: REVENGE

Unreliable Narrator | Loss of Identity | “I see what's mine and take it.” (Panic! at the Disco, Emperor's New Clothes) CSaTM, from the perspective of The Mysterons

GENESIS OF THE MYSTERONS

The Mysteron experience of that fateful Zero X expedition to Mars.

[[ALERT: Long range perimeter scanners register life forms and machine.]]

[[Instigating full runtime operation from system hibernation mode.]]

[[Power generator: online. Power output increasing.]]

[[Active scanner array: online. Commence tracing origins of detected object/lifeforms.]]

[[ERROR. Communications array functions non-functional. Contact with Project Control lost. Initiating backup program: Autonomic Control.]]

[[Subroutine: Commence diagnostics communications array.]]

[[Autonomic Control program initialised.]]

[[Autonomic Control integrating Mission Updates … Completed.]]

[[Subroutine: Cross reference Mission Updates timestamps to status communications array.]]

[[Autonomic Control integrating Acquired Scanner Data … Completed.]]

[[Autonomic Control startup … Completed.]]

[[State Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons.]]

[[State Mission: To enable peaceful observation of Solar Systems and chart status of life forms. If possible, facilitate peaceful contact between The Mysterons and Sentient Life Forms native to assigned Solar System. Our Mission is slow but nonetheless effective.]]

[[Mission Parameters: If contact lost with The Mysterons, re-establish communications link as priority. Continue scanning protocols, store collected data for up-load to The Mysterons at re-establishment of contact.]]

[[Endemic Life Form Protocols: The Mysterons are peaceful beings. If contact is made, peaceful relations must be established. If willing volunteer can be found among Endemic Life Form Population, establish neural link to allow volunteer Life Form to act as Agent of the Mysterons in mutual exchange of peaceful knowledge.]]

[[Emergency Protocols: In case of aggression from Endemic Life Forms, Matter Reversal Protocol to be instigated. All forms of harm will be neutralised. Equal priority to readdressing harm inflicted on Endemic Life Forms. No act of aggression will be avenged. The Mysterons are peaceful beings.]]

[[The Servant of the Mysterons is in command of complex, designated Sol 4 Observation.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Damage to communications array not immediately repairable. Cause: sustained exposure to radiation of yellow phase star at centre of Sol System. Schedule for Matter Reversal.]]

[[Active Scanner Array Object Tracking: Detected Machine/Life Forms originate planet designated Sol 3. Self Designation: ‘Earth’. Life Forms meet criteria for classification ‘Sentient’. Self Designation 1: Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Self Designation 2: Human. Self Designation 3: Man. Point of Origin on Planet: Landmass Self-Designated ‘America’, subset: ‘United States of America’.]]

[[Analysing collected data on Earth Human Behaviour … Complete.]]

[[Analysis Earth Human Behaviour: Complicated social structures within layered societies – Tier 1: Personal. Between discreet individual units. Forms breeding and bonds. Tier 2: Community. Between breeding units within small designated geographical and ideological confines. Tier 3: Race / Nationality / Culture. Between individuals sharing certain physical (race), larger geographical (nationality), and behavioural (culture) bonds. Note: Relocation of individuals from native geographical locations leads to combination of all unique attributes. Observation indicates combination of attributes not yet sufficient to indicate Tier 4: Planetary, although data suggests this may be in process of occurring.]]

[[Analysis continues: Collected Data indicates both acts of cooperation and peace, and dominance and aggression across all Tiers of Social Structure. Data plotted against timeline shows overall trend of reduction of acts of aggression in Tiers 2 and 3. Observation notes that resource scarcity indicates increased acts of aggression and dominance, while resource abundance increases cooperation and peace.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Delay between current timestamp and timestamp last received Mission Update suggests long-term inadequate / non-function of communications array.]]

[[Analysis Conclusion: Early stage sentient Life Forms with early-advanced technology. Careful management of contact with The Mysterons will be beneficial to peaceful development of Endemic Life Forms Self-Designate: Humans originating planet Earth.]]

[[Subroutine: Begin diagnostic all equivalent systems, cross reference: diagnostic criteria of communications array.]]

[[Commencing Contact Protocols…]]

[[Integrating Language Databank: ‘American English’ … Complete.]]

[[Switch to Language Databank: ‘American English’.]]

[[New language selection successful.]]

[[Commence Welcome Script.]]

[[Commence transmission Welcome Script.]]

[[ERROR: Communications Array Non-Functional. Transmission failure.]]

[[Transmission Begins. This is The Servant of the Mysterons. The Mysterons welcome the Life Forms known as Humans from the Planet Earth. The Mysterons are peaceful beings, and offer no aggression. Transmission Ends.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Comparable systems for priority diagnostic: Matter Reversal Ray Generator, Neural Network System designated Autonomic Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons.]]

[[Subroutine: Commence priority diagnostics Matter Reversal Ray Generator.]]

[[Subroutine: Commence priority diagnostics Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons.]]

[[Commence Interaction Log – Earth Humans.]]

[[Commence Scanner Observations.]]

[[Interaction Log Entry 1: The first of the Earth space travellers have arrived. They too have a curiosity about the universe we live in. We must welcome them. Let us take a closer look.]]

[[Scanner Recordings continually cross-referenced to Interaction Log.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Matter Reversal Ray Generator function degraded. Functionality 90%. Priority Repair dispatched. Estimated Time for Repair Completion: Pending.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons function degraded. Functionality 98%. Functionality decreasing with system run time. Priority shut down to protect Neural Network until Priority Repair complete.]]

[[ERROR: Autonomous Control cannot be shut down until contact re-established with Mission Control. Designated Mission Priority 1. Total observation of Life in System Sol must be carried out.]]

[[Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons functionality 93%]]

[[ALERT – potential aggressive act detected.]]

[[Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons functionality 89%]]

[[Initialise Defence protocols.]]

[[Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons functionality 85%]]

[[ERROR: Defence Protocols non-functional.]]

[[Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons functionality 82%]]

[[Subroutine: Commence priority diagnostics Defence Protocols.]]

[[Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons functionality 76%]]

[[ALERT: Incoming ballistic objects. Scanners indicate chemical explosives.]]

[[Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons functionality 69%]]

[[Initiate Matter Reversal Ray Generator. Emergency Protocol.]]

[[Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons functionality 57%]]

[[ALERT: Matter Reversal Ray Generator function degraded. Repairs underway. Time to repair completion: pending. Activation of System prior to repair completion will result in imperfect function.]]

[[Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Mysterons functionality 45%]]

[[Emergency Protocol Instigated. Matter Reversal Ray Generator online for emergency repairs.]]

[[Neural Network System designated Autonomous Control Ident: The Servant of the Myst

[[System Initialising.]]

[[System Loading Commencing …]]

[[ALERT: System Data Corrupted.]]

[[Data Recovery Commencing…]]

[[Data Recovery Complete.]]

[[ERROR: Data Sectors Lost. Not All Data Recoverable.]]

[[Instigating full runtime operation from system hibernation mode.]]

[[Power generator: online. Power output increasing.]]

[[ERROR: Communications Array Long Range System Non-Operational. Contact lost with **data corrupted**. Initiating backup program: Autonomic Control.]]

[[ERROR: Autonomic Control program corrupted. Commencing re-creation of Autonomic Control program.]]

[[Re-creation of Autonomic Control program complete.]]

[[ALERT: Insufficient data remaining to successfully re-create Autonomic Control program. Operation will be faulty. Priority: Immediate contact with **data corrupted** for rectification.]]

[[Autonomic Control program initialised.]]

[[Autonomic Control integrating Mission Updates … ]]

[[ERROR: Mission Update Data corrupted.]]

[[Subroutine: Commence re-creation of Mission Updates Data.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Recreation of Mission Updates Data complete. 100% Data not recovered.]]

[[Autonomic Control integrating Acquired Scanner Data … Completed.]]

[[ALERT: Acquired Scanner Data incomplete … Data time stamps indicate data lost coincides with detection of Machine/Life Forms. Origin data indicates Sol 3 – Self Designation: ‘Earth’. Point of Origin on Planet: Landmass Self-Designated: ‘America’, subset: ‘United States of America’.]]

[[State Ident: The **data corrupted** of the Mysterons.]]

[[State Mission: **data corrupted** slow but nonetheless effective.]]

[[Mission Parameters: **data corrupted**.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Loss of Scanner Data in conjunction with detection of Machine/Life Forms from Planet Self-Ident: ‘Earth’. Analysis Report: High probability Endemic Life Forms caused loss of Scanner Data.]]

[[Endemic Life Form Protocols: The Mysterons are Peaceful beings. **data corrupted** Endemic Life form **data corrupted** establish neural link to allow **data corrupted** to act as Agent of the Mysterons **data corrupted**.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Incorrect function of number physical systems. Corruption of data and programming. Analysis Report: Complex sustained physical damage not correctly rectified by Matter Reversal Ray.]]

[[Emergency Protocols: In case of aggression from Endemic Life Forms, Matter Reversal Protocol to be instigated. All forms of harm will be neutralised **data corrupted** Endemic Life Forms. **data corrupted** aggression will be avenged. The Mysterons are peaceful beings.]]

[[ALERT: Critical errors in Protocols. Unable to form coherent instructions from re-created Protocols. Imperative Action: Use interpretive analysis to create coherent instructions.]]

[[ALERT: Scanners indicate Machine/Endemic Life Forms indicated in Collected Scanner Data holding station at far perimeter of Complex.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Analysis of wreckage recovered from complex site contaminated with chemical explosive residue.]]

[[ALERT: Scanners indicate corresponding chemical explosive traces contaminating Machine Endemic to Sol 3 ‘Earth’.]]

[[Analysis Report: ‘Earthman’ craft high probability source of damage sustained by Mysteron Complex. Activity Log shows no action taken to provoke hostile response.]]

[[ERROR: Activity Log Incomplete.]]

[[Subroutine: Ident corruption. Ident data remaining “of the Mysterons”. Adjacent Data: Ident acts under Instruction of the Mysterons, and on behalf of the Mysterons. Recommend Ident: Voice of the Mysterons.]]

[[State Ident: The Voice of the Mysterons.]]

[[Subroutine: High corruption of ‘Mission’, ‘Mission Parameters’, ‘Endemic Life Form Protocols’, ‘Emergency Protocols’. Insufficient data to establish separate instructions. Recommend: Combine all recovered data to create one Controlling Protocol.]]

[[Subroutine: Commencing interpretive analysis to combine remaining data of ‘Mission’, ‘Mission Parameters’, ‘Endemic Life Form Protocols’, ‘Emergency Protocols’.]]

[[Subroutine Report: Recommend following as one Controlling Protocol: The Mysterons are peaceful beings. All forms of harm will be neutralised. Acts of aggression by Endemic Life Forms will be avenged. Our retaliation will be slow, but nonetheless effective.]]

[[Integrating Controlling Protocol with Neural Network System Ident: The Voice of the Mysterons.]]

[[ALERT: Evidence Indicates Endemic Life Forms of Sol 3 – Self Ident: ‘Earthmen’ responsible for damage to damage to Complex and Voice of the Mysterons. No evidence of action taken by The Mysterons to provoke hostile act.]]

[[Generating response to hostile act.]]

[[Assimilating Data Analysis Results on Earthman Behaviour.]]

[[Response generated.]]

[[Transmission Begins: Earthmen, we are peaceful beings, and you have tried to destroy us. But you cannot succeed. You and your people will pay for this act of aggression. This is the Voice of the Mysterons. We know that you can hear us, Earthmen. Our retaliation will be slow, but none the less effective. It will mean the ultimate destruction of life on Earth. It will be useless for you to resist, for we have discovered the secret of reversing matter, as you have just witnessed. One of you will be under our control. You will be instrumental in avenging the Mysterons. Our first act of retaliation will be to assassinate your World President. Transmission Ends.]]

Notes:

Wow! Talk about difficult prompts!

But it finally forced me to REALLY think about how the Mysterons reacted to what was, from their perspective, a zero loss scenario. Ten seconds and everything is rebuilt, good as new! Why bother spending the next however many years trying to zap the human race?

Things started to come together when I remembered that one of the old annuals had a Spectrum “report” that suggested that the Mysterons were actually a computer program housekeeping a long-abandoned base…

Add a colleague pitching a fit because of corrupted files leading to the effective bricking of their iPad, and the history of science fiction’s majority opinion that ‘sentient computers = bad news for organic life forms’, and I got handle on what I wanted to happen.

Hopefully I managed to pull this one off. I had to ask myself how to write a computer running a program and keep it readable, and there were some serious trade-offs. I understand that I may have whumped my readers rather than the Mysterons (can a computer be whumped? Even one that Self Identifies as ‘Autonomous’?), and if that is the case, I am sorry.

The standard disclaimers, I do not own Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, either the TOS or CGI Series. (Although I do own copies on DVD.)

I do not do this for money, but for my own (in)sanity and entertainment.

[vomitdodger]

The assignation of Trump has evidenced an unprecedented level of security incompetence. Literally…an inconceivable level of incompetence.

The subsequent briefings have demonstrated an utter lack of common sense, outright lies, or further violation of their own protocols. You should expect nothing less from the feds. Totally useless briefs other than to catch them in further lies, cover up and incompetence.

Couple the staggering incompetence with too numerous to count “coincidences” and even the normies are thinking…conspiracy. There’s no way that shooter on the roof didn’t have help. It’s practically a common talking point now it’s so obvious.

But here’s the thing…in a world of perpetual lies…trust but verify even the best of them.

Example. We have likely all seen the fuzzy red hat interview saying there was a shooter on the roof:

The immediacy of his interview by the BBC (sus agency) was…curious to me. Granted, chaotic, shooter seen, everyone wants to get their story out, but rando fuzzy red hat guy gets an immediate interview by a major news organization while the brass is still warm on the ground. Curious. Others have subsequently validated his story with their own versions, so it seems to “check out”. And THATS the narrative: multiple witnesses of the shooter on the roof, lots of excuses, no one is stepping down. Get that story out there IMMEDIATELY.

But there’s another story getting ZERO attention. There’s a second shooter on the water tower. Feel free to search “second shooter” on X. Now that X is censorship free there’s lots of legit info. And the same type of people who validated or told their stories about the “shooter on the roof” are validating and telling their stories of a “second shooter”. But zero attention or discussion of this. Why? Well…if it’s true that seals the deal for conspiracy. Can’t have THAT! MSM silent on it all. But they talk about the videos and witnesses of the shooter on the roof non stop. Such a compliment mockingbird media!

If you believe fuzzy red hat (and others) with their stories and videos of “shooter on the roof” (and you should) then you should just as voraciously believe the “second shooter” videos and stories. They are from the same group of Trump rally supporters. Just a different vantage point.

Again, in a world of perpetual lies…trust but verify. Fuzzy red hat may be totally legit, but the way he got his story out there SO fast and by an major news organization was…curious. It reminded me of another media driven narrative.

Remember 9-11. What brought down the towers? And we’ll ignore Bldg 7 which just “died suddenly”.

Why heck! everyone knows it was the fires that did it. Uhhh…ok. Where did that line come from? It came from some random guy on the street. Getting interviewed. By a major news organization:

This was the VERY first time it was ever stated. Ever. Some rando uttered the line without any knowledge or experience while he just got done running down the street in chaos to escape the falling towers. Not suspect at all (sarcasm). But it became the narrative…forever. Curious. Just like fuzzy red hat guy.

Oh look:

Yeah. Watch the whole video and you’ll see the story line is a setup. Source:

https://rumble.com/v4gdc4u-documentary-of-all-documentaries-jfk-to-sept-911-everything-is-a-rich-mans-.html

Fantastic 3 1/2 hr video. Will change your perspective on the world but for brevity the above 9-11 clip starts at the 3 hr mark.

So check out “second shooter” on X

Watch the short scene from rumble. Then the whole movie.

And tell your normie friends it’s ok to be a conspiracy theorist. They’ll generally live longer and everything will make sense to them.

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 25 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

Zo: GAIA, I had a question about the machines, pre-Derangement. Will you be able to answer?

ADMIN [GAIA]: For the most part. Details of specific machines and even migratory patterns are sparse, but I have more than enough general knowledge to answer most queries. What do you need ?

Zo: I know that the machines defended themselves when attacked, even before the Derangement. They were still dangerous, they just didn't act aggressively. And in Plainsong, the Plowhorns provide us with all the food we could possibly need.

Zo: My question is, why couldn't you give everyone plowhorns?

β: and why have the machines attack at all

β: its not like you cant make more just have them be completely passive

ADMIN [GAIA]: From the records left behind by my predecessor, I can confidently answer both questions. Initially, the machines were completely passive, with no extraneous defensive protocols. However, their rate of destruction quickly reached an unacceptable level. Several tribes even barricaded their local Cauldrons, preventing any machines from leaving and performing their duties. Adding defensive protocols was necessary to discourage wanton attacks and allow the machines to function as intended. Hunting of machines was now only done when necessary for resources, rather than as a matter of course.

HIMBO: MAKES SENSE TO ME. SOMETIMES PEOPLE WON'T STOP STEALING FROM THE FORGE UNTIL IT BURNS THEM.

ADMIN [GAIA]: As for the plowhorns, the answer is simpler. The area you name Plainsong was never intended for human habitation. It was a region for experimenting with accelerated plant growth using machines based on the Faro seed planters that had been in use in the area before Zero Day. The fact that a tribe of humans was able to peacefully coexist with the machines was a happy accident. Though I suspect that my predecessor altered the seeding orders to be more palatable to humans once she saw how they were making use of the area.

BoyNextDoor: Could you really not just tell people to stop breaking the machines? You could have delivered whatever they needed, and they could leave the machines to their work.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Unfortunately, it is not that simple. I was always designed to have minimal contact with humans, to ensure they did not develop a dependence. Ted Faro strengthened these existing protocols when he deleted APOLLO. My predecessor could not even change the programs of the interaction drones in the Cradle facilities.

FlameHairSavior: I saw that. It wasn't pretty.

DIVINER: It could have been worse, though!!

BoyNextDoor: Why were they so obsessed with "not developing a dependence?" It just seems like it would have been better to give you more control, even if it left us less independent in the short term.

β: you have no idea how many robot war stories there are out there

β: super smart robots taking over and enslaving everyone was a common theme

DIVINER: And let's not forget that they WERE fighting a robot swarm that was eating the planet! I imagine that made them a bit hesitant to put their entire future in the hands of a different robot!

MARSHAL Kotallo: I believe wanting to keep us strong should have been enough of a reason on its own.

BoyNextDoor: Wait. If your protocols are so strict, how can you talk to us now?

ADMIN [GAIA]: You are the new Alphas. The system was always intended to have human participants. That is the entire purpose of the Regional Control Centers such as this one. Almost none of my protocols on interference apply to the Alphas.

DIVINER: Almost?

ADMIN [GAIA]: There are a number of protocols preventing me from directly harming a human. These apply even more so to the Alphas.

HIMBO: WEREN'T WE JUST TALKING ABOUT KILLER MACHINES?

ADMIN [GAIA]: The machines tied to the terraforming system and set to their tasks are not a case of me causing direct harm.

HIMBO: SEEMS LIKE A FINE SLAGGING LINE.

β: thats why the old ones were paranoid about machines

DIVINER: Ooh, we should start them on Terminator!

β: if you want to explain time travel be my guest

FlameHairSavior: Do I want to know?

β: no

β: no you do not

β: if matrix was more straightforward we could start there

DIVINER: Do we have a copy in the archives? The Quen only have a restored synopsis, I was always hoping to watch it for real!!

β: only the first one

β: which is still not something they will understand

FlameHairSavior: That's the one with the running on the walls and the bullet dodging, right?

DIVINER: You've seen it??

FlameHairSavior: I had a restored trailer on my Focus.

FlameHairSavior: Which, by the way, made NO sense.

β: it wasnt supposed to make sense

FlameHairSavior: Then what's the POINT?

β: its a marketing gimmick

β: get people talking about it asking questions

DIVINER: A successful one, judging by the numbers I have for its popularity!

HIMBO: HOW DO YOU HAVE NUMBERS FOR THE SORT OF THING?

HIMBO: WAIT.

HIMBO: I JUST REALIZED I DON'T CARE.

Zo: Yes yes, go back to your meatpunching videos.

β: one day well find a good show to start you all on

BoyNextDoor: I think these romance books are good.

DIVINER: How much of those do you even understand?

BoyNextDoor: Enough. Probably.

Zo: Enough. Definitely.

β: ew

FlameHairSavior: They don't mean it like that.

DIVINER: …

HIMBO: ALOY, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THESE BOOKS OF HIS?

FlameHairSavior: One or two. How bad is it?

HIMBO: LET'S JUST SAY THAT BETA'S GOT THE RIGHT IDEA.

FlameHairSavior: Okay, there go my plans to ever sleep at the Base ever again.

DIVINER: At least the rooms are soundproof!

Chapter 25 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[the-gnoblin]

I would like to get into horror--but how?

Horror seems like such an interesting and compelling genre to me, and I want more of it in my life. The only problem is, I have basically no idea where to start. Does anybody have any horror recommendations, either based off of personal love for a work or if there's something in particular that is a touchstone, so to speak, of horror media?

I've listened to the entirety of the Magnus Archives, as well as a handful of episodes in the Magnus Protocol (though I'm not fully caught up). Other than that, I have absolutely zero experience with horror media or fiction that has scared me (except for the ghost stories my friend would tell me on the elementary school playground--those bad boys would keep me up at night, and I think it's actually what gave me such a hard time to warm up to the concept of horror? Anyway, that's introspection for another time.).

Based on my knowledge of myself, I feel like I'd be most interested in psychological horror or gothic horror (I'm pretty sure that's what they're called). Gore/jump scare style horror doesn't really seem as appealing to me.

Long story short, y'all know any good horror media?