#Alumni platform

[hogwartscastle]

"19 years later" feels like yesterday, but Albus, Rose and Scorpius just graduated from Hogwarts this year.

[jcmarchi]

Stitch3D is powering a new wave of 3D data collaboration

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/stitch3d-is-powering-a-new-wave-of-3d-data-collaboration/

Stitch3D is powering a new wave of 3D data collaboration

Workers are increasingly using 3D files to do things like assess construction projects, understand damage from natural disasters, map out crime scenes, and more. But as the importance of 3D files has grown, the problems associated with sharing, analyzing, and even viewing them have become more apparent.

The issue is that many popular cloud service providers aren’t compatible with 3D files. That means in order to preview a 3D scan, users need to download the files onto a desktop 3D app — for example, the app for popular computer-aided design software AutoCAD. It also makes collaborating on 3D files difficult unless people are huddled around the same computer.

Now Stitch3D, founded by Clark Yuan MBA ’22, is helping workers get the most out of 3D data with a cloud platform that allows users to manage, analyze, and share 3D files of any size and format. The company’s suite of tools lets workers collaborate on 3D files, visualize their data on any browser or mobile device, and even layer 3D scans onto real-world maps.

“Think of Stitch3D as three different layers of technology,” Yuan says. “The base layer is similar to DropBox — a secure way to share files. On top of that we have a web browser-based 3D viewer that can render 3D data efficiently and apply analysis to that. We can measure distance, height, slope angle, volume, etc. The third layer, which is coming out later this year, is a mobile application that allows you to tap into any smartphone that has light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors embedded into it.”

Stitch3D is currently working with land and aerial surveyors, architects, and construction firms. In the longer term, Yuan believes 3D data is poised to go mainstream. That’s because 3D sensors continue getting cheaper and more ubiquitous, which should bring a wave of new 3D use cases.

“We see so many enabling technologies coming up around 3D data,” Yuan says. “Our bet is that in the next one to three years, 3D data is really going to start taking off.”

Tech with a mission

On July 12, 2020, the U.S. Navy’s USS Bonhomme Richard ship caught fire and burned for four days in a San Diego port. In order to investigate the fire and assess the damage, the Navy conducted 3D scans of the ship. But officers had no easy way of sharing the scans with other agencies.

Yuan, who served in the U.S. Army for seven years until 2019, was among the people the Navy asked to help. He first went through an accelerator with the Navy in 2020, where he formulated the idea for a cloud-based 3D sharing system. In September of that year, he entered the MBA program at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he took as many entrepreneurship classes as he could.

“I had two years at MIT to mature the idea,” Yuan recalls.

During that time, he received guidance from the Venture Mentoring Service (VMS), participated in the MIT $100K Pitch Competition, and received financial support from MIT Sandbox.

“The Sandbox funding was huge because we could put it toward building prototypes and cloud computing services,” Yuan says. “As far as I know, no other school has that kind of structured program where you can pitch your idea and apply for nondilutive funding.”

Yuan also participated in the Industrial Liaison Program’s (ILP) Startup Exchange (STEX) accelerator, which gave him some important industry connections early on.

The year of the USS Bonhomme Richard fire, 2020, was also the year the iPhone 12 debuted as the first phone equipped with a lidar sensor. In the years since, the costs of 3D sensors and the things that carry them, like specialized cameras and drones, have continued to fall, making 3D data generation simple. Yuan sees the trend as an opportunity for the industry.

“The value of 3D is slowly being recognized in the consumer world, whether for going to IKEA to scan a couch and see if it fits in your living room or using a virtual reality headset, there’s just so much you can do with 3D data.”

Helping 3D data go viral

Stitch3D’s platform can create 3D models from scans instantly and provide a number of high-end analytics useful for different industries. Surveyors, for instance, wanted Stitch3D’s platform to provide measurements and angles from their scans. Stitch3D can also connect 3D data to satellite imagery from sources like Google Earth to provide context and points of reference. The platform can also visualize feature classes like buildings, vegetation, and water.

“We’re not just helping with sharing and viewing 3D files,” Yuan says. “We’re also trying to help derive business insights from the data. We see these easy-to-use yet powerful analytics tools as a key driver of our long-term success once [large cloud platforms] start focusing on 3D data.”

Stitch3D began by working with land surveyors, who have been using 3D technology for decades, but it has since gotten interest from law enforcement agencies, insurers, and construction firms in addition to its work with the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Department of Defense. Yuan believes the number of industries it works in will continue to grow as 3D data becomes more common.

“Once sharing 3D data becomes as easy as sharing a URL link, which you can embed in an email or a LinkedIn post, we hope that our technology will help accelerate the proliferation of 3D data,” Yuan says.

In the longer term, as 3D data matures, Yuan believes the sky’s the limit for the industry.

“The cool thing about 3D, and what gets us excited, is that really anything that you take a photo or a video of right now, you can substitute with 3D,” Yuan says. “Right now, people are taking tons of pictures for every traffic accident, crime scene, etc. But if you can go in and quickly do a laser scan, which might only take two minutes, you don’t have to worry about missing a picture or needing to zoom into some specific video frame to get all the details. If you’re talking about traffic accidents, that means emergency responders can focus on responding to the emergency rather than trying to preserve and document evidence for insurance purposes.”

[alumnialliances]

Alumnialliances.com: Unveiling the Positive Impact on Alumni Networks

Introduction

Alumni networks play a crucial role in connecting graduates with their alma mater and fellow alumni. These networks provide a platform for alumni to enhance their professional and personal lives by sharing experiences, knowledge, and opportunities. With the advent of technology, numerous digital platforms have emerged to streamline and expand alumni networks. One such platform that has been gaining attention is Alumnialliances.com. In this article, we will delve into the positive impact of Alumnialliances.com on alumni networks, discussing its features, benefits, and addressing common concerns and questions surrounding it.

Alumni Connections

Alumni connections are invaluable assets for personal and professional growth. Staying connected with fellow alumni provides a vast network of individuals who share a common background, experiences, and goals. Alumnialliances.com serves as a bridge to maintain and strengthen these connections by offering a user-friendly and interactive platform.

The platform allows alumni to create individual profiles that highlight their achievements, current professional roles, and interests. Alumni can search for and connect with their classmates, colleagues, or alumni from different graduation years. These connections open up opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, job referrals, business partnerships, and even lifelong friendships.

Alumnialliances.com also promotes engagement through various communication channels, such as forums, discussion boards, and direct messaging. These features facilitate ongoing conversations and knowledge sharing among alumni, ensuring that the community remains vibrant and supportive.

Alumni Relationship Building

Building strong relationships with fellow alumni is a vital aspect of an alumni network. These relationships foster a sense of belonging and contribute to personal and professional development. Alumnialliances.com recognizes the importance of alumni relationship building and offers several features to facilitate this process.

One of the key features of Alumnialliances.com is the ability to join and create affinity groups. These groups bring together alumni with shared interests, career paths, or hobbies. By joining these groups, alumni can engage in focused discussions, share industry-specific knowledge, and collaborate on relevant projects. These groups act as micro-communities within the larger alumni network, fostering deeper connections and offering targeted support.

Another notable feature is the event management system. Alumnialliances.com allows alumni to organize and promote events such as alumni reunions, networking sessions, and professional development workshops. These events provide opportunities for alumni to meet in person, exchange ideas, and strengthen their relationships.

Alumni Community

An alumni community thrives on collaboration, support, and inclusivity. Alumnialliances.com is designed to cultivate a vibrant alumni community that benefits all its members.

The platform encourages alumni to contribute to the community by sharing their expertise, insights, and success stories. Alumni can write articles, create podcasts, or host webinars to showcase their knowledge and provide valuable resources to their peers. This knowledge-sharing culture enhances the collective growth and empowers alumni to continuously learn and develop.

Furthermore, alumnialliances.com provides a job board where alumni can post job openings within their organizations or refer opportunities to fellow alumni. This collaborative approach strengthens the professional network within the community and helps alumni advance in their careers.

Alumni alliances also organizes alumni gatherings and events, both online and offline, fostering a sense of belonging and solidarity among its members. These events allow alumni to reconnect with old friends, make new connections, and celebrate their shared experiences.

Alumni Alliances Reviews

Before engaging with any online platform, it is natural for individuals to seek out reviews and testimonials from existing users. Alumni alliances reviews provide important insights into the platform's reliability, user experience, and effectiveness in connecting alumni networks.

It is noteworthy that reviews for alumnialliances.com are generally positive, with many users highlighting the platform's user-friendly interface and its ability to facilitate meaningful connections and engagement. Alumni appreciate the platform's intuitive search features, which allow them to easily navigate and find their counterparts based on various criteria, such as graduation year, profession, or location.

Users also praise the diverse range of affinity groups available on the platform, providing opportunities to connect with alumni who share similar interests and passions. The event management system receives positive feedback as well, with alumni expressing satisfaction with the ease of organizing and promoting events within the platform.

Moreover, alumni alliances reviews mention the strong sense of community fostered by the platform, emphasizing the supportive and collaborative atmosphere among its members. Alumni appreciate the knowledge-sharing culture facilitated by the platform, as it enables them to learn from each other and benefit from a wide range of experiences and expertise.

What is Alumni Alliances?

Alumni Alliances is an online platform that aims to strengthen and expand alumni networks by enabling seamless communication, collaboration, and engagement among alumni. The platform offers a range of features and tools aimed at promoting meaningful connections, fostering community, and facilitating professional and personal growth.

Alumni Alliances: Is it Legit?

When exploring any online platform, it is essential to verify its legitimacy and credibility. Alumni Alliances is a reputable and legitimate platform, trusted by numerous alumni networks around the world.

The platform is committed to ensuring the privacy and security of its users' data. Robust security measures are in place to protect sensitive information and prevent unauthorized access. Alumni Alliances also adheres to strict data protection regulations, providing users with peace of mind when interacting within the platform.

Furthermore, alumni alliances is dedicated to providing a user-friendly and efficient experience to its members. The platform continuously updates its features and functionality to meet the evolving needs of alumni networks. Alumni Alliances has a dedicated support team that promptly addresses any user concerns, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Alumni Alliances Spam

Spam is a prevalent concern in any online platform, and alumni alliances is no exception. However, the platform has robust measures in place to prevent spam and ensure that its members have a positive and hassle-free experience.

Alumni Alliances employs advanced spam filters and monitoring systems to detect and eliminate any suspicious or spammy activities within the platform. Users can report any instances of spam or suspicious behavior, and the support team takes swift action to address such issues.

It is worth noting that the platform encourages users to adhere to community guidelines and ethical practices when engaging with other members. This collective responsibility ensures that the alumni community remains authentic, trustworthy, and spam-free.

Is Alumni Alliances Legit?

Alumni Alliances is a legitimate and trusted platform utilized by numerous alumni networks worldwide. The platform's commitment to privacy, security, and user experience sets it apart as a reliable resource for alumni seeking to connect, collaborate, and grow.

Alumni Alliances fosters an inclusive and supportive community, offering a wide range of features and tools to enhance alumni networks. It is a trusted platform for alumni from diverse backgrounds, professions, and graduation years.

Verified users, positive alumni alliances reviews, and its track record of successful alumni connections all contribute to the platform's legitimacy. As with any online platform, users should exercise caution, adhere to community guidelines, and report any suspicious activities to ensure a safe and reliable user experience.

Alumni Alliances Scam

Concerns regarding scam or fraudulent activities are important to address when discussing any online platform, including Alumni Alliances. However, it is crucial to clarify that Alumni Alliances is a legitimate platform and not involved in any fraudulent activities.

Scam prevention measures are integrated into the platform's infrastructure to safeguard users' interests. Alumni Alliances employs robust identity verification processes to ensure that users are genuine alumni. Additionally, the platform actively monitors and investigates any reported suspicious activities to maintain a secure environment for its members.

Users are advised to exercise caution when interacting with others online and to report any potential scams or fraudulent behavior to the support team immediately.

Conclusion

Alumni networks hold immense value for graduates, allowing them to stay connected with their alma mater and fellow alumni. Alumnialliances.com serves as a powerful platform that enhances and strengthens these networks, offering numerous features to facilitate meaningful connections, collaboration, and engagement.

From alumni connections and relationship building to fostering a thriving alumni community, alumnialliances.com provides a user-friendly and secure environment for alumni to connect, share knowledge, and grow both personally and professionally. Positive alumni alliances reviews and its legitimacy as a trusted platform further solidify its credibility.

Whether you seek mentorship, job opportunities, or simply the camaraderie of like-minded individuals, alumnialliances.com offers a comprehensive solution for all your alumni networking needs. Join the platform today and unlock the endless possibilities that await within your alumni community.

[orchestrahearts]

lies.

[delusional-day-dreamer]

First. Love. Part¹ - p.b

playlist. next part.

‣ paige bueckers x oc (reader?, tbh i'm not sure how it works!)

‣ wc: 1790

‣‣ synopsis: people say in life, you have your FIRST love and your first LOVE, but what if paige was both?

‣‣‣ a/n: y'all i'm SO SORRY for my inactivity, summer classes and morning practices are awful. i promise i will try to release more fics on a more regular basis. For the sake of the FICTIONAL story, pazzi simply does not exist, they are best friends but denied the rumors during azzi's freshmen year and she has a boyfriend. Songs that are underlined are linked to tiktok covers just because I love them!

Us Weekly : Tuesday June 13th, 2023

Just this friday, upcoming singer-songwriter Jenna Smyths performs her own song, Means Something and an instrumental cover of Holy Ground by Taylor Swift at BBC Live Lounge to introduce her soon to be released debut album, Eternal Us (not my most creative moment I know 😔). The young singer has just graduated from UCLA after completing her three-year Bachelor's Degree with a double major, her focus being Business Economics with a minor in Film, Television, and Digital Media.

This Friday was Jenna's first televised performance, and her constantly sold out small-venue concerts have been applauded all over social media and by celebrities for her vocal maturity, depth and intricacy within her song lyrics, and her ability to convey raw emotion through her performances. However, this song cover was announced by the singer-songwriter to be particularly special to her, as she mentions that this song "brings back specific memories".

The twenty-one year old kept her composure throughout both songs, yet fans on various media platforms have pointed out Jenna's seemingly tear filled eyes during Holy Ground. The artist addresses the emotions she felt during the song during her first appearance on the Jimmy Fallon Show after performing her first released single, Promise, which is prominently featured as it’s one of her most popular singles.

The Tonight Show: Monday June 12th, 2023 "Please welcome to The Tonight Show, Jenna Smyths," Jimmy introduced you as you walked onto the set of the show, the live audience cheering loudly as you took your seat on the couch.

"Thank you so much Jimmy, it's such an honor to be here, sitting on this sacred couch," you joked, bringing some of your recently curled hair over your shoulder in hopes of disguising any traces of anxiety the crowd or camera may pick up. Thankfully, it worked as you heard the stir of laughter on set, allowing you to relax further into the couch, it actually was quite comfortable.

"It's incredible that we have you sitting here, I mean almost two years ago you blew up on TikTok for your incredible song covers, and then you started playing live in a bunch of LA venues, then you started releasing your own music, and now you're a UCLA Alumni sitting here," as he summed up your rise to fame, the audience began another round of applause.

"Oh my gosh I know right," you giggled, overjoyed that the audience was showing so much support towards you and that your first big interview was going so well. "I swear it was like two weeks ago I was singing on TikTok and then freaking out about my notifications and somehow I just teleported here," you laughed off the slight tinge you felt in your heart.

College had gone by far too quickly, and you were constantly consumed with stress regarding your future. Up until a few weeks ago, you had no idea what you were going to do with your life. What if your album flopped? What if you never made it big? How would you move on and get a regular job from there?

"Yes yes, I remember seeing some of your earliest covers on tiktok. In fact," a smirk appeared on his face, he clearly had something hiding up his sleeve. "We just so happen to have a little video edited together of your old covers, for old times' sake just to show how far you've come," he laughed at the nervous expression on your face and the crowd's enthusiasm.

"Oh god, some of those are from questionable times," you mumbled, raising your right hand to slightly cover your mouth as the video played.

Clips of you singing in your old college apartment bedroom appeared, switching in between guitar covers and piano while singing Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, We Can't Be Friends by Ariana Grande (yes pretend it was out at the time), Bags by Clairo, to the Man Who Can't Be Moved, and a few others. You watched your younger self, heartbroken and healing, singing songs to post on the internet just for your friends to watch, and yet somehow your voice had reached millions of people.

"Well you can see it here clear as day folks, Jenna has clearly always had a knack for those gut-wrenching songs, the ones that make you wonder if you're depressed or the artist is just incredibly good at what they do," you knew he was introducing your live performance with this, sneakily rubbing your sweaty palms over your jeans. You weren't nearly as scared as your BBC performance, but the combination of fear and adrenaline before any performance was overwhelming compared to logic at times.

"So what do you guys say, because I think we need to hear it live to determine which one it truly is," the small crowd erupted at Jimmy's rhetoric, eager to watch your performance.

"Well when you ask so nicely how could I ever refuse Jimmy?" You grinned, standing up to make your way over to the performance area with the live band.

With your guitar in your hands, you let the unique sense of calmness and security wash over you as you adjusted the mic in front of you. Music had always been one of the biggest parts in your life, and even know it never failed you. Not in your best moments, and not even in your worse.

"This is Promise from my new album, Eternal Us, out June 30th"

***Post-performance part of the interview***

"Jenna, you know I have to ask you this, because so far the songs on your album, your covers, and even your performance at the BBC Live Lounge were all fairly depressing songs," Jimmy insists. The two of you had been joking and answering the interview questions with a sense of ease after the performance aspect of the show. The audience was eating up the playful energy the two of you seemed to have, despite the twenty-seven year age gap.

"Please, ask away Jimmy," you quipped, enjoying your time on the show. The steady laughter from the live audience had long soothed any remaining nerves. Growing up, you always felt as if you were born to perform, and this type of live interview was right up your alley.

"And I swear I'm being serious with this, but does the emotion in your music affect you the same it affects your listeners? Because after your cover of Holy Ground aired, you blew up on social media even more then you were before. But one of the things your fans noticed was that it looked like you were gonna cry?" Jimmy inquired, you could hear small murmurs from the audience section at his question, no doubt intrigued to hear your answer.

"You know Jimmy," you began, "Honestly it was just a heat of the moment kinda thing. Like obviously I changed the song in a different key and sang it that way intentionally you know? Taylor is known for her ability to write the most gut-wrenching lyrics and then syncing them up to a catchy beat in a pop song and boom, it's a hit," you explained to both him and the crowd.

"But when I was offered the opportunity to go on BBC Live Lounge and I was trying to decide what song to cover, the lyrics of the song just really stuck out to me in a personal way and I wanted to convey to my listeners the emotions I felt reading and experiencing the lyrics, not listening to it as an upbeat pop song. But don't get me wrong, it's an incredible song just the way it is!" You ended your ramble enthusiastically, trying your best to not delve into the deeper emotions laced within your statement.

"Of course, I mean it was your first televised performance and to a Taylor Swift song no less, but this song has a very meaning to it, unlike some of Taylor's other doctorate-level essay worthy songs you could spend hours analyzing," Jimmy jokes, lightening the mood as always before asking the hard hitting question you had been dreading the entire interview.

"Why did you choose to sing a song about reminiscing of a past relationship, an ex lover if you will. I mean, a good majority of your songs follow the heartbroken post-breakup theme, but the media isn't aware of any relationships you may or may not have had during your time at UCLA, was there someone before?" He questions.

"You're right, I didn't have any actual relationships while at UCLA. My only serious relationship was during my last two years of high school, and a lot of my songs I'm releasing now were written during that time or even earlier, I've just polished them a lot. And of course, my earliest covers are from my freshman year of college, so the wound was still pretty fresh you know?" You skimmed over the topic, keeping the discussion as light-hearted as possible.

"Oh my god, all of that was from one person?" Jimmy jokes, unaware of how hard his statement hits home for you.

"Yeah I mean, I guess your first love will just do that to you, you know?" You joked back. You refused, refused, to let Paige Bueckers affect you in this way on national television. It had been three years for god's sake, you needed to get a grip of yourself.

"Well, they must have been one heck of a first love to be such a long-lasting muse for you," Jimmy pried, and you could tell he was waiting for you to give more details about your relationship.

"Nah nah, cut the cameras, I think we're out of time for tonight right," you nervously laughed, jokingly leaning over to gesture in an over the top manner to the camera crew to stop filming, which roused hefty laughter around set at your antics.

"Don't worry Jenna, we'll leave that topic for next time yeah?" Jimmy chuckled at your immediate refusal, using his perfected charm to continue the interview without any bumps or awkward conversations.

Before you knew it, the interview had been long over and you were laying in your hotel's bedroom. In your opinion, the NYC suite was luxurious and was far too large for just one person to reside. But fortunately for you, you were used to the sense of loneliness you felt in the empty room. To think that you were only a few hours away from Paige, your first love, your first everything, and yet you had never felt more separated from a person you used to love with your whole being.

Thank you for reading all the way through! Part 2 of So High School will be out soon I promise, this series just happened to randomly inspire me and I want to finish it asap before I lose motivation or hit writer's block!

[emotargaryen]

we’re still going

woke up to over 70 texts i was like wtf is going on??? college rebranded and the groupchat (all graphic designers) are tearing it to pieces... its so bad

[jstor]

hi jstor, quick question, what do i do with all the regret that's slowly choking me? i'm an academic at heart in a world where i'm no longer in academia, and i'm not thriving one bit 🫠 had to turn down a place in a phd program 2 yrs ago & now it's my biggest regret in life. you've given people such compassionate advice, so maybe you can help? research/writing is my passion & i miss having the space to indulge it & keep learning!

Hi there, thanks for reaching out with such a heartfelt question. It takes a lot to express this sort of sentiment publicly and we appreciate that you trust us enough to ask.

The regret you're feeling is natural, considering so much of your identity and passion lies in your research and writing. Your friendly JSTOR mod has also been struggling with feeling unmoored outside of academia, and I've been wondering myself if I should work my way back somehow or create a structure of my own.

The good news is that you can actually create a structure of your own! Many scholars contribute to their fields independently, so it may be worth considering a personal research project that you can work on at your own pace (which has its advantages). Public libraries often provide access to academic databases like JSTOR, and your alma mater might have resources available to alumni. Communities and forums online are a good way to reach others who are feeling similar and doing similar things.

Your writing also doesn't have to stop! If it's not your only focus it may go quite a bit slower, but many journals accept submissions from independent researchers. In addition, platforms like Medium and Substack may allow you to self-publish some of your work. You could even look into pitching guest posts for relevant publications!

It doesn't have to be a permanent goodbye to academia either. Does your alma mater welcome guest lecturers, or are there any community workshops in your area? These are some ways you could share your passions with others. Plus, academia will always be there–if an opportunity arises for you to return and it aligns with your circumstances, you can.

This is by no means exhaustive, so I do hope that anyone from the community who would like to share insights does so in the replies. Wishing you the best of luck, wherever you may go from here!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Welcome Back.

From the moment those tall iron gates— elegant and ebony—swing open and you pass through them, a dizzying nostalgia floods into you. Here is the line that divided the rest of the world from the campus guard behind its barrier. The air is thick with magic, tasting sweet as you sip it.

This feeling, you think, head buzzing from the thrill, can be matched by nothing else.

You’re in a crowd, allowing yourself to be swept up by it and carried along its current. Men in casual wear, men in formal suits, men in outlandish and odd attire. All of you, set on the same path down Main Street.

Seven statues stand erect, monuments to seven great historical figures.

The Queen of Hearts, her rounded proportions blossoming from a patch of roses. She holds up part of her skirt with one hand and a heart-topped wand in the other. Her peaceful expression betrays the sternness with which she commands.

The King of Beasts, perched upon a rock that slants up. The lion has persisted and finally scaled the peak. He now looks skyward, his cunning visage locked to and even grander future.

The Sea Witch, tentacles curling amid carved waves. She casually leans back, unfurling a contract in one hand. Sign, and she will bless you with her benevolence.

The Sorcerer of the Sands, appearing in a cloud of sand. He stands, thin and wiry, with his serpent scepter and a hand on his hip. His face is contemplative, mindfully considering visitors.

The Beautiful Queen, svelte and lovely as she steps forth from the smoke, A poisoned apple is suspended from her fingers. She is as tempting as she is tenacious.

The Lord of the Underworld, grinning amid broiling flames. His hands are both lifted, a ball of fire conjured on one fingertip. Playful as he is, the man is diligent in his work.

The Thorn Witch, her horns and tattered robes right at home in the briar. She is poised and elegant, fingers curled at her chest. Truly noble in every way.

You lower your head to them in deference as you pass.

The crowd funnels into a doorway, then into a dimly lit room. It’s circular in design, with several windows, the curtains drawn over them, and floating coffins ringing the outskirts. With the day banished, the only source of light were the apocalyptic green flames emitting from high sconces.

An elaborate crystal chandelier and many pearl lines hang over their heads. They shift in and out of the void, sometimes catching and shining in the glow of the flames.

In the center is a large mirror upon an elevated platform. The frame, an intricate braid. Its surface, dull and dark—as if coated in a layer of coal dust.

This, too, you remember vividly.

But not the small figure standing become the mirror.

They are fitted in a mourning gown of blacks and deep blues. Feathers adorn their chest, scattered iridescent fragments woven into their skirt. A long wispy veil obscures their face—but you swear you can hear an eerie, faint giggle come from behind the gathered fabric.

They lift their hands, beckoning you to draw nearer. You are compelled to obey, your feet drifting.

“Welcome, welcome, one and all,” they announce cheerily.

Your scalp tingles. And they sound so close too. Like a childhood lullaby, a musical box wound up.

“Welcome back to our Night Raven College. It is a pleasure to see you again. How nostalgic.”

Rose gold comes to mind, and you're unsure of why that is. It comes with a familiar feeling--of rediscovering a lost part of yourself, of rose-tinted glasses slipping on and clouding one's vision, of the wonderfulness of meeting an old friend. The color of dawn beckoning a new day.

Who is…?

They reach for their veil and carefully raise it.

Your heart leaps. Deja vu.

A demure smile. Honey-colored eyes staring straight into your soul. Wonder and curiosity radiating off of her.

You suddenly know who it is.

“We’ve missed you, dear alumni.”

[fdelopera]

Exactly, Anon. Exactly. This is why the Ivy League Universities being turned into Hamasnik terrorist bases is so horrifying. Especially with Jew-hating students attacking Jewish students and professors on campus, with the Universities' sanction. The Universities could shut these Jew-hate riots down. The fact that they don't shows that they want them to continue. They're trying to chase away the Jewish students and professors from these schools. That's always the first step. That's what the Nazis did first, too.

This article is taken from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum website. I highly recommend that everyone read the whole article. But even if you read the first paragraph, you'll see the parallels to what is happening on Ivy League campuses today:

.

After Adolf Hitler was appointed German Chancellor in January 1933, the new Nazi government began an effort to completely reorder public and private life in Germany. 

The Nazi regime quickly targeted German universities—among the most elite in the world at the time—for restructuring according to Nazi principles. While the Nazi Ministry of Education initiated reforms, local Nazi organizations and student activists worked to bring Nazi ideals to German campuses. These forces, along with increasing antisemitism under Nazi rule, transformed everyday life at German universities. Throughout this period, students, faculty, and staff made individual decisions that both upheld and opposed Nazi ideology.

With the passage of the "Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service" in 1933, most Jewish professors in Germany were dismissed from their positions. Others, such as Professor Eugen Mittwoch, were able to keep their posts temporarily only due to the political value of their research. After purging Jewish and "politically undesirable" faculty, the regime then targeted the student body with the "Law Against Overcrowding in Schools and Universities." As German authorities continued to "Aryanize" German universities, Jews increasingly lost the opportunity to teach or study. Many non-Jewish Germans sought to benefit from their persecution. 

The daily business of university life continued in the wake of these new policies, but political concerns increasingly influenced the way professors and students worked and studied. The practice of denunciation, as demonstrated by the "Request for the Investigation of Professor Hans Peters," illustrates the danger posed to both students and faculty if they failed to follow new ideological norms. Those willing to voice support for the new regime—whether out of enthusiasm or practicality—often received promotions or other rewards. Meanwhile, many others quietly accepted the new policies and passively benefited from the persecution of their Jewish peers. Very few, such as the small student group in Munich known as the White Rose, took any significant action to resist the Nazi dictatorship.

The Nazi government and its supporters manipulated several aspects of the country's traditional university system to turn German higher education into a crucial source of support for the new regime. For example, the German student population had been largely male long before the Nazi rise to power, and German campuses were dominated by fraternities.  Those organizations maintained traditional military discipline and dress codes, and their alumni groups exercised significant political power both before and after 1933. Fraternities—often working with the Student Council and Nazi Student League—served  as a powerful and violent force for implementing Nazi principles at universities, often going beyond the party platform in their radicalism. A Report on the Camaraderie House for Female Students of Göttingen shows how Nazi student groups used the format of traditional student organizations to train both men and women to become the next generation of Nazi leaders.

Although the regime could rely on many committed student activists, the Third Reich also sought the support of German professors to lend legitimacy to their policies. Because German universities were state institutions, professors' academic careers became vulnerable to the whims and wishes of the Nazi state. While only a small minority of professors had been Nazi Party members before 1933, several prominent professors quickly voiced their support for the Third Reich. In the new German university, political loyalty was valued over academic ability in the assessment of students and in the selection and promotion of professors. Authorities infused university classrooms with Nazi ideology—as shown in the document, "Foundation of the Advanced School of the German Reich". But prioritizing politics over academics affected the quality of German higher education. 

Nevertheless, professors—even enthusiastic supporters of the new regime—often spoke out against some aspects of Nazi policy. The case of Eduard Kohlrausch shows how his opposition to  student-led book burnings caused his removal from the university administration. Dissent against individual policies, however, did not give rise to any concerted resistance movements. German universities as a whole formed a solid base of support for the Nazi regime, contributing valuable knowledge to the development of technology for the war effort as well as logistical support for the Holocaust.

The Nazification of universities overwhelmed the daily lives of students with new requirements, including mandatory lectures, physical exercises, labor duties, and political assemblies. Many students resented those requirements, even if they supported the Nazi Party. In Heidelberg, for example, where the daily life of students was dominated by political instruction and mandatory physical training, large numbers of students withdrew from the university in search of other educational opportunities. As illustrated in the "Memo Regarding Maria-Elisabeth Koch," students also showed varying degrees of enthusiasm for the labor service that was often required of them in territories occupied by Nazi Germany.

The Nazi government's project of remaking German universities was broadly successful, but it produced unintended consequences. The quality of education suffered significantly as classes were regularly cancelled for political assemblies and students' schedules became filled with ideological and paramilitary training. Moreover, purging Jewish faculty deprived German universities of valuable expertise. Within a few years, many observers in Germany and abroad became deeply skeptical about the quality of German higher education in the Third Reich. Propaganda efforts such as the Carl Schurz tour for American professors and students—documented with a slickly produced video—did not prevent protest. The 550th-anniversary celebration of Heidelberg University met with opposition in Europe, even while prominent American universities such as Harvard accepted invitations.

With the defeat of the Third Reich in 1945, Allied forces occupying Germany began a long-term effort to remove the influence of Nazi ideology in German society. Many German academics who made significant contributions to the Nazi war effort fled to the United States, where they lived comfortable lives and their expertise was highly valued by American universities and the US military. In postwar Germany, many faculty and students who had benefited from the Nazis' discriminatory policies without being especially vocal or enthusiastic supporters of the regime sought to cast their dissent or their silence as forms of political resistance to obscure their own complicity. Although many Germans denied having supported the Nazi regime, antisemitism persisted in postwar Germany. The case of Hermann Budzislawski shows the difficulties encountered by the relatively few German Jews who decided to return to Germany after World War II.

Sources in this collection document the choices facing students and faculty pursuing their everyday lives in the shadow of Nazism and the Holocaust. Over the course of this period, as antisemitic discrimination escalated to mass murder, the higher education system proved to be a source of support—rather than opposition—to the party's project of remaking German society.

[femmefatalevibe]

Femme Fatale Guide: Products & Services Worth The Save (or Saving On)

Fashion:

Socks (I love the HUE ones that come out to around $3 per pair)

Tights (another vote for HUE – around $10-13 dollars a pair and should last at least a season or two with proper care)

Layering tanks & tees

Underwear (buy them on a bulk deal – I love Skims' 3/$36 [on the pricier end here] – or getting luxury items on sale, especially pair from Natori or Hanky Panky [usually come up to around $10-$15 a pair]; Parade also has $6 underwear that's great quality for the price)

Trendy items

Costume jewelry (Mejuri, Aurate, and Justine Clenquet are great for the price; Catbird is the best in the game for a moderate-priced alternative to luxury jewelry in my opinion)

Beauty:

Cleanser

Facial Toner

Makeup Wipes

Acne Spot Treatment

Mascara

Brow Gel

Setting Powder/Spray

Shampoo & Conditioner

Body Wash

Body Scrubs

Hand/Body Lotion

Hand Soap

Vaseline (use it as a lip treatment, cuticles, dry skin patches, or as a hydrating eye cream)

Lip Balm (Palmers SPF 15 is my HG)

Makeup Sponges/Spoolies

Hair Ties

Home:

Lighting

Home Decor

Artwork (I have mostly Black & White photography from iCanvas and get so many compliments on them!)

Coffee Maker (a Black & Decker coffee maker or a French Press is all most people need)

Everyday Dishes & Glassware (I love Sweese, Smilatte, and Luigi Bormioli on Amazon)

Dishwasher-Safe Reusable Food Storage Bags/Snack Bags

Produce Saving Containers

Health & Wellness:

Deva Vitamins/Supplements

Fitness Youtube Workouts

Bulk-buying Oats, Beans, and Other Staple Foods

Frozen Fruits & Vegetables (when not in season, especially)

Listening to Podcasts via Youtube

TED Talks

Services:

Facials

Blowout

Dermaplaning

Teeth-Whitening

Mani-Pedi

Professional/Social:

Owning your full name social handles across platforms

Simple Investment Planning (Roth IRA, HSA, 401K - anything involving index funds)

Get a great headshot (many colleges and universities offer their students/alumni headshots for free)

Cash-back & Travel-miles $0 Fee Credit Cards

[world-of-wales]

NEWS -

£86M GENERATED FOR SUPPORT TO EARTHSHOT ALLUMI

The Earthshot Prize has announced that the support galvanised for its alumni has reached £86M in value, highlighting the Prize’s impact and ability to accelerate game-changing environmental solutions to scale.

With over 200 investors now on board, Launchpad (Earthshot’s match-making platform) has mobilised networks of investors, donors, and corporations to accelerate breakthrough solutions chosen from the pool of Earthshot Prize nominees.

[jcmarchi]

Putting AI into the hands of people with problems to solve

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/putting-ai-into-the-hands-of-people-with-problems-to-solve/

Putting AI into the hands of people with problems to solve

As Media Lab students in 2010, Karthik Dinakar SM ’12, PhD ’17 and Birago Jones SM ’12 teamed up for a class project to build a tool that would help content moderation teams at companies like Twitter (now X) and YouTube. The project generated a huge amount of excitement, and the researchers were invited to give a demonstration at a cyberbullying summit at the White House — they just had to get the thing working.

The day before the White House event, Dinakar spent hours trying to put together a working demo that could identify concerning posts on Twitter. Around 11 p.m., he called Jones to say he was giving up.

Then Jones decided to look at the data. It turned out Dinakar’s model was flagging the right types of posts, but the posters were using teenage slang terms and other indirect language that Dinakar didn’t pick up on. The problem wasn’t the model; it was the disconnect between Dinakar and the teens he was trying to help.

“We realized then, right before we got to the White House, that the people building these models should not be folks who are just machine-learning engineers,” Dinakar says. “They should be people who best understand their data.”

The insight led the researchers to develop point-and-click tools that allow nonexperts to build machine-learning models. Those tools became the basis for Pienso, which today is helping people build large language models for detecting misinformation, human trafficking, weapons sales, and more, without writing any code.

“These kinds of applications are important to us because our roots are in cyberbullying and understanding how to use AI for things that really help humanity,” says Jones.

As for the early version of the system shown at the White House, the founders ended up collaborating with students at nearby schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to let them train the models.

“The models those kids trained were so much better and nuanced than anything I could’ve ever come up with,” Dinakar says. “Birago and I had this big ‘Aha!’ moment where we realized empowering domain experts — which is different from democratizing AI — was the best path forward.”

A project with purpose

Jones and Dinakar met as graduate students in the Software Agents research group of the MIT Media Lab. Their work on what became Pienso started in Course 6.864 (Natural Language Processing) and continued until they earned their master’s degrees in 2012.

It turned out 2010 wasn’t the last time the founders were invited to the White House to demo their project. The work generated a lot of enthusiasm, but the founders worked on Pienso part time until 2016, when Dinakar finished his PhD at MIT and deep learning began to explode in popularity.

“We’re still connected to many people around campus,” Dinakar says. “The exposure we had at MIT, the melding of human and computer interfaces, widened our understanding. Our philosophy at Pienso couldn’t be possible without the vibrancy of MIT’s campus.”

The founders also credit MIT’s Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) and Startup Accelerator (STEX) for connecting them to early partners.

One early partner was SkyUK. The company’s customer success team used Pienso to build models to understand their customer’s most common problems. Today those models are helping to process half a million customer calls a day, and the founders say they have saved the company over £7 million pounds to date by shortening the length of calls into the company’s call center.

“The difference between democratizing AI and empowering people with AI comes down to who understands the data best — you or a doctor or a journalist or someone who works with customers every day?” Jones says. “Those are the people who should be creating the models. That’s how you get insights out of your data.”

In 2020, just as Covid-19 outbreaks began in the U.S., government officials contacted the founders to use their tool to better understand the emerging disease. Pienso helped experts in virology and infectious disease set up machine-learning models to mine thousands of research articles about coronaviruses. Dinakar says they later learned the work helped the government identify and strengthen critical supply chains for drugs, including the popular antiviral remdesivir.

“Those compounds were surfaced by a team that did not know deep learning but was able to use our platform,” Dinakar says.

Building a better AI future

Because Pienso can run on internal servers and cloud infrastructure, the founders say it offers an alternative for businesses being forced to donate their data by using services offered by other AI companies.

“The Pienso interface is a series of web apps stitched together,” Dinakar explains. “You can think of it like an Adobe Photoshop for large language models, but in the web. You can point and import data without writing a line of code. You can refine the data, prepare it for deep learning, analyze it, give it structure if it’s not labeled or annotated, and you can walk away with fine-tuned, large language model in a matter of 25 minutes.”

Earlier this year, Pienso announced a partnership with GraphCore, which provides a faster, more efficient computing platform for machine learning. The founders say the partnership will further lower barriers to leveraging AI by dramatically reducing latency.

“If you’re building an interactive AI platform, users aren’t going to have a cup of coffee every time they click a button,” Dinakar says. “It needs to be fast and responsive.”

The founders believe their solution is enabling a future where more effective AI models are developed for specific use cases by the people who are most familiar with the problems they are trying to solve.

“No one model can do everything,” Dinakar says. “Everyone’s application is different, their needs are different, their data is different. It’s highly unlikely that one model will do everything for you. It’s about bringing a garden of models together and allowing them to collaborate with each other and orchestrating them in a way that makes sense — and the people doing that orchestration should be the people who understand the data best.”

[collegecraze]

Hi everyone, I’m really excited to share the good news: Chapter 7 is out now!

We’re nearing the resolution of the story with discoveries and fun developments to keep you on your toes! The new chapter brings 114,534 words, 86 new CGs, 7hr+ of playtime for each route, and, depending on your choices, new characters to interact and have fun with.

Your MC will get closer to people on and off campus, which will help you find your way through the intricate and sometimes dangerous social web Sugardale plunged you into. Regardless, midterms are coming and you have to hit those books!! You’ll go on dates and some of the aloof folk you’ve gotten to know will have you giggling and kicking up your feet when they finally open up to you (and you to them 😉– who said that?). You’ll also be able to find out more about the rumored Sugarman, so get ready for all the possibilities this new chapter has in store!

As always, my suggestion is to check out the gallery to know what scenes you’re missing and try to make different decisions each time. You have nearly infinite save slots to help you along, so you’re able to get information from as many different people as possible.

Remember that streamer mode censors visuals and dialogues but it does not filter out audio. So when you hear Stalker-chan’s or Dean’s voice, mute it if you don't want to hear spicy things!

That being said, here are the following dates for the release of Chapter 7 for my patrons:

MAY Dropouts & Alumni - Receive Chapter 7 on May 7th at 12 PM EST

MAY Seniors & Juniors - Receive Chapter 7 on May 14th at 12 PM EST

Sophomores will not be receiving this update. If you would like access to the latest chapters, please consider upgrading to Junior!*

Sophomores who pre-paid annually before April 19, 2023 will receive Chapter 7 via email May 21st at 12PM EST. If you pre-paid anytime after that date, you will not be eligible to receive Chapter 7.

Please note: You will only receive the newest chapter if you are at Junior or higher in the month of May. So changing tiers during April will only grant you merch for April, and you will be charged again on May 1st.

If you’re a Dropout or an Alumni on Patreon, go ahead and download it here!

We’ve got a few bloggers and streamers who’ll be sharing College Craze on their platforms next month, so be sure to show them some love by popping into their streams and/or liking their blog posts. You’ll be hearing about them on the CC socials!

Thank you all for your wonderful support, you bring this project to life! 💝

[wisteriagoesvroom]

unnecessarily specific headcanons for college!AU f1 drivers, part 1

charles

- major: marine biology

- always asks you to save you a seat at the caf and watch his bag then disappears for an hour and a half. when you have to run to your next class you find him on the quad and he’s made four new friends and is playing football and is super apologetic that he forgot his bag. you only forgive him because he’s so charming

- dorm room is a bit of a disaster. sports and pop culture memorabilia everywhere with no particular regard for look or feel, it’s just vibes

- makes music in his free time tho is not above making people listen to his lofi mixes on ableton

- has a t shirt tan from always being out doing fieldwork

- doesn’t make a big deal about studying but is constantly on JSTOR and tops classes rankings all the time. knows the librarians on a first name basis. crosses over with max in a lecture and ends up debating him every lesson about some soil degradation minutiae that runs way beyond class time

- often forgets to call his family, but when they do speak, the conversations last hours

- flirts with anything that moves. knows he can cash in the relationship capital at some point but it’s not malicious, just strategic

- is close friends with Pierre. they constantly speak rapid fire French to each other and gossiping about people in front of them when they think nobody understands

- definitely gets caught by the local paper for climbing the historical bell tower on the last day before graduation

max

- major: geography

- writes a shockingly good first year thesis. so good that he fucks over the bell curve for everyone else and thus alienates most people

- blatantly abuses the open office hours to go argue with the profs about pedantic points from their seminars. they actually fear him and respect him in equal regard

- will talk about the geographies of war and peace in such unnecessary detail that most people at student parties know to avoid him so as not to get maxsplained at the fruit punch

- knows only how to make 5 dishes and keeps making the same few (one of them has potatoes and raisins in it. his dorm mates do not know how to feel).

- is all about efficiency. definitely abuses a 12-in-1 shampoo and this is a detail he will never live down even when everyone graduates. at one point he resorts to eating “prepacked food” until someone (probably his TA Daniel) points out that those are army rations that you normally heat up in like, the desert

- spots a statistical error in one of the papers in year end finals, and correctly challenges their prof wolff on it. prof wolff doesn’t like that one bit.

george

- major: finance

- head of student union and will not shut up about it

- won on a platform that de-emphasised radical politics in favour of “real hard hitting issues that affect our campus welfare” including alumni fundraising

- is in fact very close with the alumni. so much so they find him annoying but will still donate every time he asks them to open their pockets for better decor in the dorms or whatever

- will one day end up running the regional arm of a Fortune 500 investment bank, before he runs for political office because someone told him he couldn’t do it and he wanted to prove a point

- gets too drunk one day and ends up running half-clothed around the quad singing adele very off key. will pay a PR specialist a huge sum when he’s older to have this scrubbed from the internet

- his friend Alex teases him about his swottiness constantly. alex is not part of the student union but somehow everyone on campus knows him anyway and loves him

alex

- major: maths and statistics

- is such a nice dude that the cafeteria workers actually smuggle him secret (and more ethnic) food on the side

- will quietly put his hand up in a lecture and say “respectfully, this is why the combinatronics sequence should be…” and is usually right

- one of the very few members of the overwhelmingly white college campus who can dance, and meets his partner lily at the ballroom dance club or something. has waltzed with George when drunk too. (Alex leads. George is not really happy about it)

- keeps a running excel sheet of who wins the drinking games at the silverstone dorm, where the gang regularly meets

- got in on an aid scholarship and never brags about it. but everyone is aware and knows he is one of the best people ever.

- posts a lot of BeReals about his cat who he misses dearly

I could do more of these but i will stop for now because I don’t know who else wants to read these extremely self-indulgent brainrot thoughts 🤷🏻‍♀️

(i was self indulgent. part 2 here.)

[ausetkmt]

This marks the first week of Black Music Month. 

Declared in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, the month-long observance celebrates the work of Black artists and music industry giants throughout the years.

In honor of the month, here are five Black-owned music and media applications and programs to check out for the start of Black Music Month. 

Deepr: Launched recently by software designer Austin Webster and a music industry entertainment attorney with experience working for Motown, Darrell Thompson, Deepr is described as a mix of “Shazam and ImDB.” Led alongside a board made up of award-winning musicians and producers such as Drumma Boy, Teddy Riley and Dallas Austin, the app helps users discover new tracks through instant searches. Once the song is recognized, Deepr provides insight into the creators of the track, providing information on both the musicians and the writers. The app recently launched a new widget that allows users to do a deep dive into songs played in shows right as they’re watching the episode. Deepr is available on both the Google Play store and the Apple Store for download.

Splits App: Designed by Jammber CoFounder and CEO Marcus Cobb, the Splits App helps those who are songwriters with tracking information on their work. Using the app, musicians can track the ownership percentage of each contributing writer on the song. As one of the only rights management services app in stores, the Jammber Splits app also helps users officially register their songs and collect any royalties made from the sales of the track. The app is available on the Apple App Store for download.

Fanbase: Created by the son of the late legendary singer Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes III, the Fanbase app is for musicians, influencers, artists and any other person who wants to expand their reach. Created in 2018, the app is a subscription social media platform that works to motivate Black content creators and have their work be rewarded with monetary value to bridge the equity gap on other social media sites. With the Fanbase app, every content creator’s work is guaranteed protection. Celebrities that have already endorsed the app by signing up include Snoop Dogg and Charlamagne Tha God, amongst others. The Fanbase app is available for download on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

The LABZ: Created by founder and CEO Farah Allen, The LABZ is an app that serves multiple purposes with partnerships with companies such as Comcast, Netflix and Amazon. It is a technology platform that allows users to create in an immersive online space. Previously, the app has been used extensively by musicians to collaborate on tracks in real-time.  

Breakr: Founded by four Florida A&M University alumni, Ameer Brown, Anthony Brown, Rotimi Omosheyin and Dan Ware, the Breakr music app helps with “direct-to-creator relationships.” The music marketing platform helps artists share their work by connecting with influencers as part of a collaboration. With these campaigns, the app ensures that content creators are getting paid for their work.