#Audio logging for public safety

[revcord]

Streamlining Safety and Efficiency: Virtual Inspection Services in the Modern World

In the ever-evolving landscape of public safety, the need for innovative solutions to enhance efficiency and streamline operations is paramount. This is where virtual inspection services come into play, transforming traditional safety procedures into modern, tech-savvy processes. Revcord is at the forefront of this revolution, offering cutting-edge solutions such as audio logging for public safety and NG911 Call Logging.

Audio Logging for Public Safety:

Audio logging for public safety is a critical component of public safety. It allows emergency services to record and archive emergency calls, ensuring a comprehensive database for future reference, training, and quality control. Revcord audio logging solutions provide secure, cloud-based storage, making it easy to access and manage critical audio data. This not only helps in verifying and improving response procedures but also aids in ensuring the highest standard of service during emergencies.

NG911 Call Logging:

The Next Generation 911 (NG911) is an advanced system that enables the public to make emergency calls via various communication methods, including text, multimedia messages, and voice calls. With NG911 Call Logging from Revcord, these interactions are seamlessly recorded and stored for later analysis. This invaluable data can help in assessing response times, improving protocols, and, most importantly, saving lives.

Virtual Inspection Services:

Virtual inspection services are changing the way safety inspections are conducted. By leveraging technology, public safety organizations can remotely assess and monitor facilities, ensuring compliance with safety regulations.

Relying on a cloud-based platform, Revcord virtual inspection services provide a secure and efficient way to perform inspections remotely. Features like real-time video streaming, image capture, and annotation tools make the process smooth and reliable.

In conclusion, Revcord is leading the charge in enhancing public safety with innovative solutions such as audio logging, NG911 Call Logging, and virtual inspection services. These tools not only increase efficiency but also contribute to the safety of communities across the modern world. Embracing these technologies is a crucial step in streamlining public safety operations and improving overall effectiveness.

[thr0wnawayy]

Fimbulwinter

6 months after the Broadcast

In the media control room of the Safety Commission HQ, alarms blared on full blast as teams of agents scrambled to do damage control.

"What's the hell's going on in here!?."

The head of the Safety Commission Technology Sector bellowed as he stomped down the corridor towards the central control panel.

"Somethings wrong, w-we've been locked out our servers." A technician stuttered out.

He shoved his subordinate out of the way, his look slowly shifting to one of realization and horror as he gazed upon the monitor screen.

"shit. Shit, shit SHIT!. Get the president on the line!" He yelled.

"W-we can't his flight from the UN HQ was delayed!. He's still in there." The techie replied, anxiously rubbing his wrists in his panic.

A notification chime was heard from the main display. Slowly everyone in the room began to lift their heads in terror.

A pop up displayed four simple words.

[The Past Never Dies]

"Fuck." Was all the commander could muster as his gaze switched to the massive display screen that lit up the room.

At 12:00 AM, PT, A series of documents and files were thrown onto the web by an unknown source.

Their name, Hornet.

Any tech capable of displaying information to the public was overridden with video feed, audio logs and prerecorded messages found within the files.

The contents of which ranged from camera feed of Sir Nighteye's misconduct towards his secretary to an entire written breakdown of Ubwami's abuse of the 1st year's Apprenticeship Program and it's consequences.

No stone was left unturned. Comm leaks from during the war were found, further fueling the allegations of apologetics and suspected corruption.

With Rei Todoroki's disappearance happening only a couple months prior, the Burnin' agency struggled go maintain it's already shaky standing among the public.

Burnin and the rest of the Flaming Sidekicks attempted to explain their decisions to no avail, with the agency and it's members going on temporary leave for the foreseeable future.

UA had held on by the skin of their teeth, with their servers being closed for repairs since the war ended, they had narrowly avoided meeting the fates of their associates.

These would be come to known as the League Leaks and their debute would reshape the future of humanity as we know it.

But to look forward, one must first understand the past so let us take a look at the current ongoings taking place on the other end of the globe.

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

UN Headquarters, Europe.

A gavel smashed against the podium, demanding the attention of a frantic crowd.

For the first time since the 'advent of the exceptional', national leaders from across the world were meeting face to face. At the center of it all, stood the HSPC leader, Hawks.

Although he did not rule the nation, the royal family had not held power in ages, thus the HPSC president was considered an acceptable substitute.

Again the gavel struck the podium at the center of the stands and finally the chatter stopped.

The UN representative dragged a hand down his face.

Originally this meeting was going to be discussing the compensation given to the countries that aided in the cleanup effort after the war, only for a data leak to surface and spread worse then the Niño Diablo that had recently crushed the America's.

He looked up to see the young president staring at him like some kind of child, clearly (and fortunately) he was not aware of the leaks. Though judging by some faces, that would be changing today.

The representative tried not to glare as he spoke into his mic.

"This meeting was originally going to discuss Japan's plans to repay the nation's of Singapore, Australia, The United States, New Korea and China." The man spoke with a controlled tone.

"However some information has come to light that has changed that, as such my superiors believe it would be best for the nation's gathered here to both discuss the newly found info as well as the next steps going forward. Whomever wishes to speak, please do so now."

SLAM!

The noise came from the northwest of the side of the stands, the furious expression of bared teeth and blazing eyes signaled the fury of the Korean President.

Even with the man's quirk giving him resemblance to a Siberian Tiger, it failed to match the fury lacing his tone

His huff came with a deep growl as he spoke.

"When your nation was in shambles, we were made to pick up the slack. Our heroes worked day and night to aid in your rebuilding project, no matter how ludicrous the deadlines and today we find our you repay us by going behind our backs!." The Tiger-man bellowed.

Hawks replied "woah, woah big man easy. Would someone mind informing me what happend exactly."

"Gladly" France's Prime Minister tsked from the eastern side of the stands.

"Around 4 hours ago, a series of documents were uploaded to ze web, showing very compromising footage. As such myself and the nation's of Germany, Otheon, Italy, Ze UK and the rest of ze EU are opting for further investigations into ze HPSC" Her head turned to the UN representative as she finished.

"If I may" The attention drew on the Pro Hero, Typhoon (known to the ignorant as the Big Red Dot)

"As the representative of Singapore, me and my colleagues believe Japan should face punishment for their attitudes and actions. The HPSC has made no statement as of yet and thus far has shown no remorse for their past actions, would it be possible to list some of these actions" Typhoon stated.

The UN representative adjusted his glasses as he read off the paper.

"Of course, thus far the following have been confirmed: Political assassination, domestic terrorism, bribery, unlawful imprisonment, tampering of multiple corpses, larceny in regards to past targets, corruption, falsifying a suicide. These are all crimes the Commission is suspected to be guilty of and substantial evidence has been found backing up those claims." He mechanically stated to the court.

"As such the this meeting has been altered from one discussing resources to now discussing if Japan even has a seat at this table, so to speak. All should note that this will by an arduous process and should more come to light it will be even longer, so please do not expect this to be a one time thing." The representative explained

Words of acknowledgement were spoken in unison.

Hawks paused uncharacteristically, eyes showing that his mind was firing on all cylinders to make a response.

He went with courtesy. "Alright, I can see where your coming from, but the HPSC is dead. The crimes mentioned were done by the last 2 presidents. I intend to make a change."

"Oh, as I'm sure you're aware that some of those crimes were carried out by yourself, does the name 'Jin Bubaigawra' ring a bell?" The VP of the United States bluntly added.

"I was under the Commission's thumb, I was just following-"

"BULLSHIT!". cried out Typhoon, water flowing from his mouth as his quirk activated in fury.

"I WILL NOT SIT IDLY BY, AS YOU SO SHAMELESSLY LIE TO OUR FACES!. Do you take us for fools!?. We've read the logs Hawks and not once were you ever given permission to kill!"

The word 'permission' launched off his tongue like poison. The Singaporean Lion emphasized his rant with a slam to his desk.

That got the pot stirring.

"Oh a murderer in office, what else is new for your nation. Some odd 250 years ago it was the Imperial Emperor and now this, Well I won't stand for it and none of you should either!." The Korean President roared.

Then it was US's turn.

"Furthermore, how do we know you aren't just a figurehead while the Commission schemes in the shadows?. Do you really expect us to believe in you or your methods." The Vice President spoke up.

"The commission has changed under my leadership-"

"You?, the same man who thinks the best way to help 'those that slipped through the cracks' is to kill them?" Huffed India's representative, his arms crossed.

The room quickly went wild with questions and heated remarks.

The Gavel slammed once, then twice more.

"Order, Order!. We must continue with the proceedings, please remember that the next meeting we have will be hosted live to address these matters. You are representative of your nations, act like it!. "

The room was left throughly cowed.

The representative continued, his tone a little softer.

"I understand these are stressful times but we must keep our composure and focus on the matters at hand. Let us continue where we left off, Hawks if you could-"

Much was said, more was planned and as the 3 hour meeting came to a close, every person that left the room knew things would never be the same.

Even in death, Tomura Shigaraki won.

[citynewsglobe]

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[tea-the-not-understanding]

"This is operative Coffee Anon speaking. I am recording audio logs as a way to give me something to do in this frozen wasteland other than watch a giant white camel. I have volunteered to be in charge of the monitoring of a subject named Icing... He was recently designated a severe threat to the safety of the public and ASF personnel specifically Anons. This is due to a recent discovery for their tendency to drug people and then take parts of them and then proceed to cook them for consumption afterward. I'm going to stop here and get back to work. End log"

-☕Anon

*meanwhile Icing just dancing on the snowy ground with Lindsey also jumping like it try to dance with icing. All it does is make a ground shakes like massive earthquakes.*

[quantum-computations]

Europe Approves Groundbreaking Regulation to Govern Artificial Intelligence

New rules aim to protect fundamental rights and boost innovation

In a landmark decision, the European Union (EU) has approved a groundbreaking regulation to govern artificial intelligence (AI). The regulation, endorsed by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), aims to protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law, and environmental sustainability from high-risk AI applications. At the same time, it seeks to boost innovation and establish Europe as a leader in the field.

The regulation sets out clear obligations for AI based on its potential risks and level of impact, and also bans certain AI applications that threaten citizens' rights.

Ban on Threatening AI Applications

The new regulation prohibits several AI applications that pose a risk to citizens' rights. These include biometric categorization systems based on sensitive characteristics and untargeted scraping of facial images from the internet or CCTV footage to create facial recognition databases. Additionally, emotion recognition in the workplace and schools, social scoring, predictive policing based solely on profiling or assessing characteristics, and AI that manipulates human behavior or exploits vulnerabilities will also be forbidden.

Law Enforcement Exemptions

The use of biometric identification systems by law enforcement is generally prohibited, except in specific situations that are exhaustively listed and narrowly defined. Real-time biometric identification can only be deployed if strict safeguards are met, such as limited use in time and geographic scope and subject to prior judicial or administrative authorization. Post-facto use of such systems, known as "post-remote biometric identification," is considered a high-risk use case and requires judicial authorization linked to a criminal offense.

Obligations for High-Risk Systems

The regulation imposes clear obligations on other high-risk AI systems due to their potential harm to health, safety, fundamental rights, environment, democracy, and the rule of law. Examples of high-risk AI uses include critical infrastructure, education and vocational training, employment, essential private and public services, certain systems in law enforcement, migration and border management, and justice and democratic processes. These systems must assess and reduce risks, maintain use logs, ensure transparency and accuracy, and provide human oversight.

Citizens will also have the right to submit complaints about AI systems and receive explanations about decisions made by high-risk AI systems that affect their rights.

Transparency Requirements for General-Purpose AI

The regulation also includes transparency requirements for general-purpose AI systems and the models they are based on. These requirements include compliance with EU copyright law and the publication of detailed summaries of the content used for training. More powerful general-purpose AI models that could pose systemic risks will face additional requirements, such as model evaluations, assessment and mitigation of systemic risks, and reporting on incidents.

Furthermore, artificial or manipulated images, audio, or video content, commonly known as "deepfakes," must be clearly labeled as such.

Measures to Support Innovation and SMEs

To support innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the regulation calls for the establishment of regulatory sandboxes and real-world testing at the national level. These measures will be made accessible to SMEs and start-ups, allowing them to develop and train innovative AI before bringing it to the market.

The approval of the AI regulation by the European Union marks a significant step in governing the use of artificial intelligence. The regulation not only aims to protect fundamental rights and ensure the responsible use of AI but also positions Europe as a leader in the field. By setting clear obligations for AI systems based on their potential risks and impact, the regulation strikes a balance between innovation and safeguarding citizens' rights.

As the regulation moves towards final adoption and implementation, the focus will now shift to putting the law into practice and rethinking the social contract surrounding AI in our societies.

[thestoryofmymind99]

Europe Adopts Landmark Regulation to Govern Artificial Intelligence

New Regulation Aims to Protect Fundamental Rights and Boost Innovation

In a significant move, the European Union has adopted a groundbreaking regulation to govern the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within its member states. The regulation, which was agreed upon in negotiations with member states in December 2023, has been endorsed by the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) with an overwhelming majority. With 523 votes in favor, 46 against, and 49 abstentions, the regulation aims to protect fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law, and environmental sustainability from high-risk AI applications.

At the same time, it seeks to foster innovation and establish Europe as a global leader in the field of AI.

Banned Applications

The new regulation introduces a ban on certain AI applications that pose a threat to citizens' rights. This includes the use of biometric categorization systems based on sensitive characteristics and the untargeted scraping of facial images from the internet or CCTV footage to create facial recognition databases. Additionally, the regulation prohibits the use of AI for emotion recognition in the workplace and schools, social scoring, predictive policing solely based on profiling or assessing characteristics, and AI that manipulates human behavior or exploits vulnerabilities.

Law Enforcement Exemptions

The use of biometric identification systems by law enforcement is generally prohibited under the regulation, except in specific situations that are exhaustively listed and narrowly defined. The deployment of real-time biometric identification systems can only occur if strict safeguards are met, such as limited use in time and geographic scope, and subject to specific prior judicial or administrative authorization. Post-facto use of such systems, known as post-remote biometric identification, is considered a high-risk use case and requires judicial authorization linked to a criminal offense.

Obligations for High-Risk Systems

The regulation also imposes clear obligations on high-risk AI systems, which have the potential to cause significant harm to health, safety, fundamental rights, the environment, democracy, and the rule of law. Examples of high-risk AI uses include critical infrastructure, education and vocational training, employment, essential private and public services, law enforcement, migration and border management, and justice and democratic processes. Such systems must assess and reduce risks, maintain use logs, ensure transparency and accuracy, and provide human oversight.

Citizens will have the right to submit complaints about AI systems and receive explanations regarding decisions made by high-risk AI systems that affect their rights.

Transparency Requirements

The regulation also introduces transparency requirements for general-purpose AI systems and the models they are based on. These requirements include compliance with EU copyright law and the publication of detailed summaries of the content used for training. More powerful general-purpose AI models that could pose systemic risks will be subject to additional requirements, such as model evaluations, assessment and mitigation of systemic risks, and reporting on incidents.

Furthermore, the regulation mandates that artificial or manipulated images, audio, or video content, commonly known as "deepfakes," must be clearly labeled as such.

Measures to Support Innovation and SMEs

To support innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the regulation calls for the establishment of regulatory sandboxes and real-world testing at the national level. These initiatives aim to provide a platform for the development and training of innovative AI technologies before they are placed on the market, making them accessible to SMEs and start-ups.

The adoption of the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act marks a significant milestone in the regulation of AI technologies. By addressing citizens' proposals from the Conference on the Future of Europe, the regulation aligns AI development with fundamental values and safeguards. However, the journey does not end with the AI Act itself.

The implementation of this law will require further work and a rethinking of various aspects of our societies, including education, labor markets, and warfare. The EU's commitment to putting human beings and European values at the center of AI's development sets the stage for a new model of governance built around technology.

[libbylayla1984]

Europe Adopts Groundbreaking Regulation to Govern Artificial Intelligence

The Artificial Intelligence Act aims to protect fundamental rights and establish Europe as a leader in AI technology.

In a landmark decision, the European Union has adopted the world's first binding law on artificial intelligence (AI). The regulation, known as the Artificial Intelligence Act, was endorsed by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) with an overwhelming majority. This groundbreaking legislation aims to safeguard fundamental rights, democracy, the rule of law, and environmental sustainability from the potential risks posed by high-risk AI systems.

At the same time, it seeks to foster innovation and position Europe as a frontrunner in the field of AI technology.

The new regulation establishes clear obligations for AI systems based on their potential risks and level of impact. It also includes a comprehensive list of banned AI applications that threaten citizens' rights. Additionally, the law provides provisions for law enforcement exemptions, transparency requirements, and measures to support innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Banned Applications

The Artificial Intelligence Act prohibits certain AI applications that pose a threat to citizens' rights. These include the use of biometric categorization systems based on sensitive characteristics and the untargeted scraping of facial images from the internet or CCTV footage to create facial recognition databases. The regulation also forbids the use of AI for emotion recognition in the workplace and schools, social scoring, predictive policing based solely on profiling or assessing characteristics, and AI that manipulates human behavior or exploits vulnerabilities.

Law Enforcement Exemptions

The use of biometric identification systems by law enforcement is generally prohibited under the Artificial Intelligence Act. However, there are narrowly defined situations in which the use of "real-time" biometric identification (RBI) systems is allowed, provided strict safeguards are met. These safeguards include limitations on the time and geographic scope of usage and the requirement for specific prior judicial or administrative authorization.

Post-facto use of RBI systems, known as "post-remote RBI," is considered a high-risk use case and requires judicial authorization linked to a criminal offense.

Obligations for High-Risk Systems

The regulation imposes clear obligations on high-risk AI systems due to their potential harm to health, safety, fundamental rights, environment, democracy, and the rule of law. Examples of high-risk AI applications include critical infrastructure, education and vocational training, employment, essential private and public services such as healthcare and banking, certain law enforcement systems, migration and border management, and justice and democratic processes. These systems must assess and mitigate risks, maintain use logs, ensure transparency and accuracy, and incorporate human oversight.

Citizens will also have the right to submit complaints about AI systems and receive explanations regarding decisions made by high-risk AI systems that affect their rights.

Transparency Requirements

The Artificial Intelligence Act introduces transparency requirements for general-purpose AI (GPAI) systems and the models they are based on. These requirements include compliance with EU copyright law and the publication of detailed summaries of the content used for training. More powerful GPAI models that could pose systemic risks will face additional obligations, including model evaluations, assessment and mitigation of systemic risks, and reporting on incidents.

The regulation also mandates clear labeling of artificial or manipulated images, audio, or video content, commonly known as "deepfakes."

Measures to Support Innovation and SMEs

To foster innovation and support small businesses, the Artificial Intelligence Act calls for the establishment of regulatory sandboxes and real-world testing at the national level. These initiatives will provide SMEs and start-ups with the opportunity to develop and train innovative AI systems before bringing them to market.

The adoption of the Artificial Intelligence Act marks a significant milestone in the regulation of AI technology. It reflects the European Union's commitment to protecting fundamental rights, fostering innovation, and ensuring the responsible and ethical use of AI. The law not only prohibits AI applications that threaten citizens' rights but also establishes clear obligations for high-risk AI systems.

By implementing this groundbreaking regulation, Europe aims to lead the way in AI governance and set an example for other regions around the world.

While the AI Act provides a solid foundation, there is still much work to be done in putting the law into practice. AI technology will continue to shape our societies, requiring us to rethink various aspects of our democracies, education models, labor markets, and even warfare. The European Union must now focus on effectively implementing the AI Act and addressing the broader implications of AI in our society.

[chubbycaucasianchristiancloseted]

The New York Times says its “plausible” that the explosion was from a failed Hamas rocket but then lists mountains of evidence proving the failed rocket attack.

The New York Times says its “plausible” that the explosion was from a failed Hamas rocket but then lists mountains of evidence proving the failed rocket attack. The hospital was not even hit, there was tons of fuel left in the rocket, the blast was smaller than any Israel munition AND U.S. intelligence officials said a Palestinian rocket had “motor failure” and crashed into the hospital grounds. Is claiming the possibility that it could be an Israeli rocket, not having faith in our institutions? I don’t understand why a terrorist organization is given the benefit of the doubt, while Israel is forced to continuously defend itself.   

Direct Quotes:

The footage has become a widely cited piece of evidence as Israeli and American officials have made the case that an errant Palestinian rocket malfunctioned in the sky, fell to the ground and caused a deadly explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City.

The New York Times concludes that the video clip — taken from an Al Jazeera television camera livestreaming on the night of Oct. 17 — shows something else. The missile seen in the video is most likely not what caused the explosion at the hospital.

The Times’s finding does not answer what actually did cause the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital blast, or who is responsible. The contention by Israeli and American intelligence agencies that a failed Palestinian rocket launch is to blame remains plausible.

Multiple videos assembled and analyzed by The Times show that militants were firing dozens of rockets from southwest of the hospital minutes before the blast, and the fiery explosion at the hospital is consistent with a failed rocket falling well short of its target with unspent fuel.

The death toll, initially put at 500 by Hamas and then lowered to 471, is believed by Western intelligence agencies to be considerably lower

The hospital itself was not directly struck; whatever caused the explosion actually hit the hospital courtyard, where people had gathered for safety, and a handful of parked cars.

Moreover, the crater left from the impact was relatively small, a fact that Israel has cited in arguing that none of its munitions caused the blast, and could be consistent with a number of different munitions. Hamas has not produced a remnant of an Israeli munition or any physical evidence to back up its claim that Israel is responsible.

U.S. intelligence officials said on Tuesday that agencies had assessed that the video shows a Palestinian rocket launched from Gaza undergoing a “catastrophic motor failure” before part of the rocket crashed into the hospital grounds.

Asked about The Times’s findings, a spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said The Times and American intelligence agencies had different interpretations of the video.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have continued to target Israel with deadly rockets from hidden launch sites inside Gaza. Palestinian rockets have malfunctioned in the past and one estimate says 15 percent of rockets launched by Gazan militant groups fail.

Israeli officials released a report about the explosion on Oct. 18 and also made public one conversation they said was intercepted between Hamas fighters blaming Islamic Jihad for the blast. Israel also has cited several other pieces of evidence that have not been made public, including logs of military activity, information gleaned from radar systems, other audio intercepts and other videos.

[mostbeautifulloveinlife]

Hey there, how are you doing? Did you see the video of Tae and Jeannie. They’re dating and have been for sometime. What do you feel about all that? I think that’s the reason why Vmin have been acting strange lately.

Okay so let's talk about the elephant in the room.

HUGE DISCLAIMER I am not sorry for my own opinions, I am probably a terrible person and I don't care. I speak myself even if I say things people will hate me for this.

First of all, I am really disappointed and angry and sad about all this situation either if it is staged/fake or if it's true. It was horribly handled and it comes out now in a time where Tae will probably release his solo so I don't even know if this was made for good publicity or it will only ignite ship/fandom wars and for that I feel terrible for him. He already had had a lot of hate for nothing, was disrespected by the company from day 1, because that move of revealing him one day before debut why, people spent months getting to know BTS through their logs and there it is a guy who couldn't even show his face and it is put out there praying fans will accept him. But I'm digressing, my problem is that I can't let things go and I can't forget. Sue me.

Secondly, I thought the photos from last year were all photoshopped and it was cleared out. Those were so well made but again at that time I was like "how bold of them to publish those stuff and be like together like this without anyone saying anything, nor even the crew around them" so for me the situation was finished. This one for me is still very fishy fishy. Tae is very proper and acts always in a very professional way, he might have been very blunt and unspoken many times with his own thought and feelings (we know also to whom 💜) but this stunt was just unbelievable to me. Why doing it all of a sudden? I will list things that don't add up for me 1) all the story of one photographer who was there and recognized them and asked the bodyguard/manager and they said sure you can film but go up the hill so you don't bother them. 2) as someone mentioned, the audio of the video is weird, it's like this person was on a tree or something and the audio was perfect, you can hear the steps like they were 1 meter apart but everything is blurry anyway 3) the autograph part that everyone finds a the SOLID proof. Well how can we be sure those were armys and he was really Tae, to those who said that the video was said to be taken around 5pm in Paris and at that time it is not so dark, the said photographer said that in fact it happened on Monday at like 11pm but was not published for their safety. so why armys were there? 4) this is not Tae normal behaviour and this is something that could have stirred an uproar in a time where BTS are doing stuff and there has been already many problematic fan things (we lost jk lives recently like thank you mental people)

Last of all and this is my own personal problem and I don't expect people to understand, in years I got the impression that Tae was not only an ally but part of the LGBT community and that thought was very comforting. I think his personality was so unique and free that he could one day come out if he wanted of course and change that fucking medieval idea about LGBT people SK has. thank god we have Holland. And yes of course my dream was for him and Jimin to be open and in love and spend their life together.

I don't want to say anything given that nothing is official, the other time too nothing has been said and in the end everything was fake. If this is real I'm disappointed on how it was showed to us without any explanation, if it's fake things have to be done to protect him.

I'm not in the "I'm so happy for them" "it's their life they can do whatever they want" "you are all delulu shipper/ you are all delulu because you wanted to be his gf" No. I have never wanted to be his gf, I don't like this relationship, I still love Taehyung as before and forever and ever but I'm a little disappointed and sad.

That's me. Feel free to write me your opinions in a very nice way if you can and talk to me if you feel the same. Take care 💜

[atlanticcanada]

'He told me to do whatever I could for him': N.B. coroner’s inquest details Skyler Sappier’s final days in hospital

Skyler Sappier’s family say they’ll offer their own recommendations, as a coroner’s inquest investigating the circumstances of Jan. 31, 2022 death nears its conclusion.

Sappier died in hospital, two days after leaving the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre, where he was an inmate.

He was 28-years-old.

Sappier first reported feeling sick to correctional centre staff on Jan. 28, 2022 in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak within the facility.

Sappier tested positive for COVID-19 prior to being driven to the hospital by two correctional officers on Jan. 29, 2022. By the end of the day, Sappier would be placed in a medically induced coma.

Managers from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre and medical staff from the Saint John Regional Hospital gave testimony on the inquest’s second day, on Wednesday.

After the inquest’s final witness was called Tuesday afternoon, Sierra Sappier spoke to jurors about her brother.

“His dedication and love is something we could all learn from,” she said.

Skyler Sappier’s mother, Dora, spoke to reporters outside of the Saint John Law Courts.

“I feel like he was robbed of ever being able to be a dad to his small children,” she said.

'HE TOLD ME TO DO WHATEVER I COULD FOR HIM'

Dr. Mark McGraw, an emergency department physician at the Saint John Regional Hospital, testified he first met Sappier as a patient on Jan. 29, 2022 at 5:50 p.m. noting he appeared “visibly unwell.”

“Even just the work of him telling me his story was tiring him out,” said McGraw, adding that Sappier’s heart was beating between 140 and 150 times a minute, when the normal range is under 100.

McGraw said Sappier told him his first symptoms of a sore throat began a few days earlier, and that he started to experience shortness of breath “just that day.”

McGraw said Sappier was taken to a larger room in the hospital for “intense intervention”, but that his condition was clearly deteriorating.

“He was having a hard time speaking to us,” said McGraw. “Clipped sentences.”

Sappier, who was double vaccinated, was transferred to the hospital’s COVID-19 intensive care unit. McGraw said it was “very obvious” Sappier was suffering from severe pneumonia.

“He told me to do whatever I could for him,” said McGraw.

By 8:53 p.m. Sappier was placed in a medically induced coma and hooked to an ECMO oxygen machine, considered a lifesaving device of last resort.

LOG BOOKS AND SURVEILLANCE VIDEO

Staff Sgt. Stephan Pouliot of the Department of Justice and Public Safety’s professional standards unit said he investigated accusations made by Sappier’s cellmate, who alleged correctional centre staff ignored Sappier’s calls for help, and determined they were unfounded.

Pouliot said details of the cellmate’s allegation included specific mention of a correctional officer not responding to Sappier repeated banging of a cell door for help, along with Sappier being refused a request of over-the-counter pain relievers.

Pouliot said his investigation of the allegation found the officer named wasn’t working that day, and that surveillance video showed Sappier being handed Tylenol and Advil by an officer early Jan. 29, 2022 during a routine check.

Sappier’s cellmate also tested positive for COVID-19, according to previous testimony.

Pouliot said surveillance video in the facility showed Sappier was checked roughly every 30 minutes when he was in his cell, and seven times (visually) when he was moved to the facility’s medical cell for about four hours on Jan. 29. Earlier testimony from a sheriff’s deputy said Sappier was checked 10 times while in the medical unit, citing recordings from a log book.

Pouliot said his review of the incident was limited to surveillance video with no audio, adding he wasn’t able to interview medical staff at the correctional centre for the department’s own review.

Time stamps on some of the facility’s surveillance videos varied by as much as an hour, according to Pouliot, who added there was no evidence any tampering or editing.

As part of his recommendations to the department, Pouliot suggested officers be trained for log book note-taking, with notes being reviewed by supervisors.

Poulilot also recommended inmates in a medical cell be monitored in a verbal way every 15 minutes (instead of 30 minutes), and that surveillance video timestamps in the facility to be synced – something that hasn’t happened to date, according to testimony later from Saint John Regional Correctional Centre superintendent Gerry Wright.

Wright testified 64 out of 136 inmates at Saint John Regional Correctional Centre on Jan. 29, 2022 had COVID-19.

Wright also testified Sappier’s Jan. 12, 2022 application for a ‘temporary absence’ from the facility was denied because it was assessed to be “high risk.”

INQUEST CONCLUSION

A coroner’s inquest investigating Sappier’s death was announced in February 2022.

The coroner’s inquest began on Tuesday with a prayer and a drumming ceremony. Sappier was a member of Tobique First Nation.

Tobique First Nation Chief Ross Perley has attended the inquest. Several people have worn t-shirts saying “Justice for Skyler Sappier” during the hearings.

The five-person jury will have the ability to make recommendations at the conclusion of the inquest, with the goal of preventing similar incidents going forward.

A coroner’s inquest main objective is to establish facts, not responsibility.

Presiding coroner Michael Johnston will give final instruction to the inquest’s jury on Thursday.

For the latest New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/tsu6zxY

[technuter]

Telegram Introduces new features like No-SIM Signup, Auto-Delete All Chats, Topics 2.0 and much more in its latest update

Telegram Messenger has introduced new and innovative features in its latest update to simplify user experience and solidify their privacy related-features. These include Sign-up on a Telegram account without a SIM card, Auto-Delete All Chats, Topics 2.0, Temporary QR codes, Emoji search on iOS and many more.  Sign up without a SIM card  Telegram strives for user privacy and safety on its platform. People can use the messaging platform without revealing their phone numbers to strangers individually or even in mass forums. Users can also decide whether other users would be allowed to find them with their phone numbers, or not. Moving ahead to further strengthen user safety on the platform and build ultimate privacy, now users can have an account on Telegram without a SIM card. Users can log in using blockchain-powered anonymous numbers available on the Fragment platform. Telegram is leveraging the power of Blockchain to improve online safety on its platform.  Auto-Delete All Chats Telegram introduced self-destructing messages in the year 2013. It allowed users to delete any messages they send or receive for both sides without leaving a trace. The app has now upgraded the user control features over its digital footprint into the future. Users are now able to set a global auto-delete timer to automatically remove messages in all the new chats. The auto-delete feature was only limited to individual chats earlier. Telegram's unique combination of removing messages for all participants without a trace, and controlling existing and future chats with auto-delete timers give users full ownership of their entire message history. Existing chats will not be affected, but users can easily expand their auto-delete settings to any of them from the new menu in Settings > Privacy & Security > Auto-Delete Messages. The timer will be automatically applied to all their new chats with users – regardless of who starts them – and to all new groups, users create. Telegram has also made it easier to set up auto-delete in small private groups – the timer can now be enabled by any members who are allowed to change the group's name and picture. Topics 2.0 Telegram has upgraded the Topics feature considering better user accessibility and experience. With Topics 2.0, group admins with 100 or more members can organize discussions into topics followed by a two-column mode interface to enable users to find current chats easily while browsing topics. A new General topic is added by default, consisting of service messages as well as the group’s previous message history. Further, up to five topics can be pinned to the top of the list now.  Temporary QR codes With this new update, users without a public username can temporarily generate QR codes to quickly connect with people around them without showcasing their phone numbers. Emoji search on iOS Now iOS users can use Emoji search, alike Android users, to find the perfect emoji, including those from custom packs.  Detailed Storage Usage and More on Android In this update, Telegram has re-designed the interface for Android users in an existing way for iOS users. Now android users can see the space each chat is utilizing on their device and can filter Individual chats’ images, videos, audio, and files from the cache. New Custom Emoji Now premium users can enjoy and express themselves more in messages, reactions, and statuses with 10 more custom emoji packs designed by Telegram artists. More Interactive Emoji Telegram has introduced more interactive emojis for users in addition to choosing full-screen effects synchronized for them and their chatting partners. These emojis are not restricted to premium users, all users can use these emojis as reactions. Read the full article

[maandarinee]

what are all the podcasts you listen to?

anon I'm so glad you asked

Since it is a pretty long list including synopses (stolen from the podcast feed or website because I'm Bad at summaries and in some cases it's been a while since I listened) I'm going to put it under a cut.

I've separated the list into "Complete" (either finished or cancelled) and "Ongoing" podcasts. Some have additional comments by me. Current favorites are marked orange. My eternal beloved are Our Fair City and Wolf 359.

Complete

ars PARADOXICA: "When an experiment in a time much like our own goes horribly awry, Dr. Sally Grissom finds herself stranded in the past and entrenched in the activities of a clandestine branch of the US government. Grissom and her team quickly learn that there's no safety net when toying with the fundamental logic of the universe."

Blackwood: "Five years ago, Molly Weaver, Bryan Anderson, and Nathan Howell started a podcast focused on the local legend of a monster called The Blackwood Bugman. Quickly, the investigation grew out of their control, as they discovered that, not only are the legends seemingly true, many people in Blackwood have turned up dead or disappeared without a trace." --> [this feels like the Blair With Project, but as a podcast. Didn't get a second season due to no funding, but it works as a standalone]

Dreamboy: "Dane, a spun-out musician spending the winter in Cleveland, Ohio, has two main goals: keeping his job at the Pepper Heights Zoo and trying not to waste all his time on Grindr. What he doesn’t expect is to get swept into a story about dreams, about forevers, about flickering lights, about unexplained deaths, about relentless change, and about the parts of ourselves that we wish other people knew to look for. Oh, and also a murderous zebra." --> [very NSFW; does cool things with music! Didn't get a second season due to no funding, but it works as a standalone]

King Fall AM: "...centers on a lonely little mountain town's late-night AM talk radio show and its paranormal, peculiar happenings and inhabitants." --> [cancelled after 100 episodes, ends on a huge cliffhanger]

Our Fair City: "A campy, post-apocalyptic audio drama." --> [I know the description sounds like nothing but just trust me, I love it so much]

Steal the Stars: "...is a gripping noir science fiction thriller in 14 episodes: Forbidden love, a crashed UFO, an alien body, and an impossible heist unlike any ever attempted."

Stellar Firma: "...a weekly Science Fiction, Comedy podcast following the misadventures of Stellar Firma Ltd.'s highest born but lowest achieving planetary designer Trexel Geistman and his bewildered clone assistant David 7. Join them each episode as they attempt to take listener submissions and craft them into the galaxy's most luxurious, most expensive and most questionably designed bespoke planets. However, with Trexel's corporate shark of a line manager Hartro Piltz breathing down their necks and I.M.O.G.E.N., the station's omnipresent and omniinvasive stationwide A.I. monitoring those necks to within 3 decimal places, they'll be lucky to make it a week before being slurried and recycled into raw human resources." --> [semi-improvised, I thought I'd have a problem with the improv bit because that's not usually my thing, but no, I absolutely devoured this]

TANIS: "...is a serialized docudrama about a fascinating and surprising mystery: the myth of Tanis. Tanis is an exploration of the nature of truth, conspiracy, and information. Tanis is what happens when the lines of science and fiction start to blur." [+ spinoff The Last Movie] --> [I have no clue what the hell is going on here]

The Black Tapes: "...is a serialized docudrama about one journalist's searc for truth, her enigmatic subject's mysterious past, and the literal and figurative ghosts that haunt them both."

The Magnus Archives: "...is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organisation dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team. Individually, they are unsettling. Together they begin to form a picture that is truly horrifying because as they look into the depths of the archives, something starts to look back…"

Time:Bombs: "...a new audio drama podcast about the hilarious world of bomb disposal. Ride along with EOD technician Simon Teller on the busiest night of the year for him and his team - when business is, quite literally, booming."

Wolf 359: "Life's not easy for Doug Eiffel, the communications officer for the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, currently on Day 448 of its orbit around red dwarf star Wolf 359. He's stuck on a scientific survey mission of indeterminate length, 7.8 light years from Earth. His only company on board the station are stern mission chief Minkowski, insane science officer Hilbert, and Hephaestus Station's sentient, often malfunctioning operating system Hera. He doesn't have much to do for his job other than monitoring static and intercepting the occasional decades-old radio broadcast from Earth, so he spends most of his time creating extensive audio logs about the ordinary, day-to-day happenings within the station. But the Hephaestus is an odd place, and life in extremely isolated, zero gravity conditions has a way of doing funny things to people's minds. Even the simplest of tasks can turn into a gargantuan struggle, and the most ordinary-seeming things have a way of turning into anything but that." --> [starts funny, turns very intense]

Ongoing

Alba Salix, Roya Physician (+ The Axe & Crown): "A witch, her apprentice, and her fairy herbalist treat the ills of a fairy-tale kingdom." + "Gubbin the troll tavernkeeper deals with his clueless new landlord, his shady niece, and some new competition."

Archive 81: "A found footage horror podcast about ritual, stories, and sound."

Arden: "A (fictional) true crime podcast about cold cases and the reporter and detective who try to solve them."

Brimstone Valley Mall: "The year is 1999. Lurking somewhere between Hot Topic and the food court, five misfit demons from Hell kill time inciting sin in a suburban shopping mall. When the lead singer of their band goes mysteriously missing, the demons only have two weeks to find him before they play the biggest gig of the millennium - or face the wrath of Satan herself."

CARAVAN: "First rule of Wound Canyon: No one who gets in, ever gets out. So when a brilliant, ghostly specter flies through the sky amid the rain and lightning, Samir stumbles off a steep cliff and into a hidden world, one in which demons, vampires, and all other manner of paranormal creatures take sanctuary." --> [also pretty NSFW and horny in general]

Death by Dying: "The Obituary Writer of Crestfall, Idaho finds himself deeply in over his head as he investigates a series of strange and mysterious deaths… when he is supposed to simply be writing obituaries. Along the way he encounters murderous farmers, man-eating cats, haunted bicycles, and a healthy dose of ominous shadows." --> [I had to stop listening to this in public because it kept making me undignified laugh and snort noises]

Desperado: "Blood magic, Voodoo magic, old gods, new gods: We've got it all! Follow the story of misfits from all over the world, as they try to survive and protect their heritage from modern-day crusaders."

EOS 10: "Doctors in space, a deposed alien prince, a super gay space pirate and a fiery nurse who'll help you win your bar fight."

Girl In Space: "Abandoned on a dying ship in the farthest reaches of known space, a young scientist fights for survival (and patience with the on-board A.I.). Who is she? No one knows. But a lot of dangerous entities really want to find out. Listen as the story unfolds for science, guns, trust, anti-matter, truth, beauty, inner turmoil, and delicious cheeses. It’s all here. In space."

Janus Descending: "...follows the arrival of two xenoarcheologists on a small world orbiting a binary star. But what starts off as an expedition to survey the planet and the remains of a lost alien civilization, turns into a monstrous game of cat and mouse, as the two scientists are left to face the creatures that killed the planet in the first place. Told from two alternating perspectives, Janus Descending is an experience of crossing timelines, as one character describes the nightmare from end to beginning, and the other, from beginning to the end." --> [absolutely harrowing horror]

Love and Luck: "...is a fictional radio play podcast, told via voicemails and set in present day Melbourne, Australia. A slice of life queer romance story with a touch of magic, it follows the relationship between two men, Jason and Kane, as their love grows both for each other and their community." --> [soft and gay, feels like a warm hug]

Potterless: "Join Mike Schubert, a grown man reading the Harry Potter series for the first time, as he sits down with HP fanatics to poke fun at plot holes, make painfully incorrect predictions, and bask in the sassiness of the characters." --> [the only non-fiction podcast on the list]

Primordial Deep: "When a long extinct sea creature washes up on the shores of Coney Island, marine biologist Dr. Marella Morgan is contacted by a secret organization to investigate the origins of the creature’s sudden and unnatural resurgence. Soon, she and a team of experts find themselves living on the research station The Tiamat, traveling along the abyssal plains as they search for answers far below the waves. But there are dangers in these ancient waters. Reawakened, prehistoric monsters are rising from the deep -- jaws wide and waiting, and in the darkness, something is stirring."

Red Valley: "No one at Overhead Industries wants to talk about defunct research station Red Valley, and account man Warren Godby is out of his depth. When he meets Gordon Porlock, a disgruntled archivist with a bag of tapes from the station’s last known occupant, they will begin a journey to the limits of experimental science, confront horror and trauma from the past, present and future, and try to remember the cheat codes from Sonic the Hedgehog 2."

Rusty Quill Gaming: "An actual play podcast following a mixed ability group of comedians, improvisers, gamers, and writers as they play through the extended, tabletop roleplaying campaign Erasing the Line, an original game world of the GM’s crafting." --> [took me a while to get into because I have trouble focusing on non-scripted things, but eventually I got really hooked on the plot and attached to the characters. This podcast is really fucked up at times if you think about it]

SAYER: "A narrative fiction podcast set on Earth’s man-made second moon, Typhon. The eponymous SAYER is a highly advanced, self-aware AI created to help acclimate new residents to their new lives, and their new employment with Ærolith Dynamics." --> [feels like Welcome to Night Vale but narrated by GLaDOS from Portal]

StarTripper!!: "Join Feston Pyxis on a road-trip through the cosmos, as he leaves behind his old life in search of the best and wildest experiences the galaxy has to offer!"

The Amelia Project: "...is a secret agency that fakes its clients' deaths, then lets them reappear with a brand new identity! A black comedy full of secrets, twists... and cocoa."

The Big Loop: "...a biweekly anthology series. Each episode is a self-contained narrative exploring the strange, the wonderful, the terrifying, and the heartbreaking. Stories of finite beings in an infinite universe." --> [I don't like anthologies, except this one]

The Bright Sessions: "Dr. Bright provides therapy for the strange and unusual; their sessions have been recorded for research purposes." --> [think X-Men, but with therapy instead of a school]

The Deca Tapes: "Recordings have surfaced of ten people that are locked into the same space together. We don’t know where they are, or if they'll get out. But the answers must be somewhere on these tapes."

The Silt Verses: "Carpenter and Faulkner, two worshippers of an outlawed god, travel up the length of their deity’s great black river, searching for holy revelations. As their pilgrimage lengthens and the river’s mysteries deepen, the two acolytes find themselves under threat from a police manhunt, but also come into conflict with the weirder gods that have flourished in these forgotten rural territories."

The White Vault: "Follow the collected records of a repair team sent to Outpost Fristed in the vast white wastes of Svalbard and unravel what lies waiting in the ice below."

Tides: "...is the story of Dr. Winifred Eurus, a xenobiologist trapped on an unfamiliar planet with hostile tidal forces. She must use her wits, sarcasm and intellectual curiosity to survive long enough to be rescued. But there might be more to life on this planet than she expected." --> [think The Martian, but on a water planet]

Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery: "Lillian Harper moves to the small town of Mt. Absalom, Ohio, to care for her estranged mother Dorothy after an injury. Living in the town's boarding house which has been run by her family for generations, she discovers conspiracies, ghosts, and a new family in the house's strange assortment of residents."

VAST Horizon: "Nolira is an agronomist tasked with establishing agriculture in a new solar system, but when she wakes up on a now- empty colony ship, the whole of her plan disappears. The ship has been set adrift, with numerous mission-critical problems requiring immediate attendance outside of her area of expertise. Nolira is aided by the ship’s malfunctioning AI, which acts as her confidant and companion during the fight for survival."

Victoriocity: "Even Greater London, 1887. In this vast metropolis, Inspector Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle investigate a murder, only to find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy of impossible proportions."

We Fix Space Junk: "...follows seasoned smuggler Kilner and reluctant fugitive Samantha as they travel the galaxy, dodging bullets and meeting strange and wonderful beings as they carry out odd jobs on the fringes of the law."

Welcome to Night Vale: "Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true. Turn on your radio and hide."

Within the Wires: "Stories told through found audio from an alternate universe."

Wooden Overcoats: "Rudyard Funn and his equally miserable sister Antigone run their family's failing funeral parlour, where they get the body in the coffin in the ground on time. But one day they find everyone enjoying themselves at the funerals of a new competitor - the impossibly perfect Eric Chapman! With their dogsbody Georgie, and a mouse called Madeleine, the Funns are taking drastic steps to stay in the business…" --> [one of THE funniest podcasts I have ever listened to]

[shirlleycoyle]

Before TikTok, Witches Traded Their Spells on This Ancient Internet Forum

Long before the witches of Gen-Z claimed TikTok as their digital coven, and even before the Geocities-scattered digital landscapes of Web 1.0, a thousands-strong community once formed via the world’s phone lines to trade spells, advise on sigils, and correspond on spiritual guidance. It was called the Pagan And Occult Distribution Network, or PODSnet: a slice of occult internet history that helped pioneer mass online collaboration.

Today, it’s easy to take for granted that online communities are only a few taps away, but in the 1980s and early 1990s, finding like-minded individuals in niche subject areas was practically revolutionary. And in the case of PODSnet, it provided an unusually free space to discuss the esoteric arts—for many of its members, for the first time ever.

"In the 1990s and 1990s, accessing the social media of the day was very different than it is today,” Farrell McGovern, a PODSnet cofounder who came to Paganism through books about quantum physics such as The Dancing Wu Li Masters, told Motherboard. “It was louder, slower, and connectivity was perilous.”

In the early 1980s, computing enthusiasts began using Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) to communicate with each other. These systems were a precursor to the World Wide Web, and although relatively primitive, paved the way for the always-on communication of today.

Because BBS ran on phone lines, discussions were asynchronous and often confined to local groups due to the dramatic costs of dialing farther afield than your own state. What’s more, the boards were isolated from one another: an analogy might be if every single subreddit needed its own website, and you could only speak to users in your immediate area.

But in 1984, artist and technician Tom Jennings created FidoNet, a network that could connect all of these BBS systems. With the advent of cheaper modems, FidoNet’s popularity exploded into a huge 20,000-node network that connected users all around the world. Eventually, something called Echomail was introduced by a system operator, or sysop, called Jeff Rush, allowing for the support of public forums.

Instead of simply picking up your smartphone, BBS users would have to connect their computer to a modem, which was linked to a phone line—translating digital 1s and 0s into audio information and back again to the modem and terminal operating the BBS.

Popular BBSes would frequently return a busy signal: unlike today, actually logging off was necessary because only one connection was allowed at a time. A successful login returned a screen of text and a list of messages grouped into categories, with the software tracking the ones you had read. Here, users would respond to text, download what they could, and hang up.

Here, a BBS called "Magicknet" flourished, but one problem in particular spurred its users to found their own splinter network: Christian fundamentalists had infiltrated the group to spy on members.

This infiltration led to a number of incidents, including McGovern being written up in the magazine of infamous cult figure Lyndon Larouche as a “well-known witch from Toronto”. Given the various tabloid-led "Satanic panics" at the time, founding an independent BBS was not only right for promoting lively metaphysical discourse, it was a matter of safety too.

“People were losing their jobs, child custody, etc,” McGovern told Motherboard. “People had to move to escape persecution in some areas: very much so in the Bible Belt, but in other places, too. Unless you were in a major metropolitan area, and even then, you ran some degree of risk if you were outed.”

McGovern was first involved in his local BBS scene around Ottawa in the mid-1980s. Working at a local computer store that sold Apple and IBM PC clones, McGovern set up the Data/Sfnet BBS to advertise the business. In doing so, he became a SysOp—a system operator who ran, maintained, and in many cases built a network—granting him honorary entry to the computing elite at the time.

Being based in Canada, McGovern was the first to help Magicknet go international before it split into PODSnet, which would swell to 10,000 members who accessed the BBS by dialling into the 93 "zone number"—a reference to Thelema, the spiritual movement developed by Aleister Crowley.

The logo of the PODSnet bulletin board system.

For author and occult store supplier Dorothy Morrison, who was raised Catholic but eventually joined a coven of practicing witches in California before forming one of her own, discovering PODSnet was an “incredible way to find so many people of like mind at one place”.

“It was a place where I could be myself, regardless of the fact I really was living in a very conservative, buttoned-down state,” Morrison told Motherboard. “It wasn’t just a safe haven for me, it was an escape from having to appear to be someone I wasn’t for safety reasons."

“When someone wants to burn you at the stake—at that time Missouri was not a place that would’ve taken kindly to Witches—you certainly don’t tell them where you keep the gas can,” she said.

The atmosphere on PODSnet was typically collaborative and friendly, said Morrison, and the most arresting dramas on the board she was aware of usually related to the enormous phone bills that came from connecting to the network. (Although once or twice these charges “damned near landed some folks in divorce court.")

But, like the internet today, there were hints of gossip, rumours, and fake news. One popular cause for the community was the supposed persecution of 9 million witches by Christians (The whole idea was based on bad scholarship, according to McGovern). At one point, there was a six-year-long debate on whether or not Kate Bush is Wiccan—perhaps one of the most heated internet disputes of its time.

Whatever the topic, much of these PODSnet discussions would have been lost to time were it not for a community effort to archive the cherished message board. Still accessible in its archived ASCII form today, PODSnetters worked together to produce what was perhaps the first mass collaborative online project of its type: a massive, crowdsourced digital grimoire  called the Internet Book of Shadows.

The name of the enormous seven-volume text references the catch-all "Book of Shadows," a name commonly used for tomes of spells and rituals, and the text covers the A-Zs of alternative spirituality from "Asatru to Zen Buddhism." Chapter one alone is 70,000 words long, and there’s a varied store of stuff available within, including an essay about bashing fluffy bunnies (the tendency among some well-seasoned practitioners to troll newbies, as opposed to bashing actual rabbits), a guide to cleansing rituals called "smudging," and an introduction to the suppressed traditions of Gnosticism.

Plenty of contributors to the Book of Shadows remain involved in esoteric spiritual communities today, and some, like Morrison, became authors in their own right.

One of Dorothy Morrison’s favorite contributions to the Internet Book of Shadows.

Morrison says the book of rituals, spells, stories, legends, and “other magic-related miscellany” took seven 5-inch loose-leaf binders to contain it when she once decided to print out the information the community had amassed. The community then began compiling the grimoire into downloadable digital files.

Once it was finished, PODSnet users agreed to offer the Book of Shadows as a gift, free of charge, to the community. While they were copyrighted, they were free to use and copy under the proviso that there was no charge for their acquisition—leading to later frustrations about unauthorized reproductions of the manuscript for profit.

“It’s probably the largest collection of pagan thought that was freely available to copy for non-commercial use,” McGovern added.

According to Dan Harms, an author and librarian at SUNY Cortland, magick practice has thrived on community-produced documents throughout history. Even during the print era, there was a “tremendous sort of traffic in books, manuscripts being passed back and forth between people,” chopping and changing aspects of the manuscripts they liked before copying them out.

“What was really different here, is that when the material was copied or created, it’s put up online for everybody to see,” Harms said. “It becomes a collective memory. It’s not something that’s stuck on somebody’s shelf, it’s something everybody can get into.”

Harms told Motherboard that communities like PODSnet were of enormous importance for establishing networks of occult practitioners and helped lay the groundwork for driving a boom in occult publishing.

“I was growing up in rural Kentucky with an interest in these kinds of arcane topics,” said Harms, who wasn't involved in the occult internet at the time of PODSnet but was an active Usenet user. “It was just so hard to find any sort of information – you would have to rely on the local library.  But the local library in rural Kentucky is probably not looking to fill up its shelves with books about magic and paganism and things like that.”

Today, what was once a recondite pocket of the primordial internet has hit the mainstream, with even the Financial Times covering the "WitchTok" phenomenon. Speaking with PODSnetters, there’s a sense that in today's online spaces, community and information exchange can often take a backseat to clout and hostility. “[But] how much of that is getting older and yelling ‘get off my grass’,” asks McGovern, “or true insight – only time will say.”

Whatever the case, PODSnet—which closed around the turn of the millennium before hopping to Yahoo Groups, LiveJournal, and now with its remnants on Facebook—proved that digital technologies can bring disparate people together in a meaningful way, where they are happy to create and produce for the good of their communities.

“I remember those I met along that journey, what they taught me—not only about the Craft, but about myself—and the connections I made," said Morrison.“I remember how fortunate I was that PODSnet was there for me. To a large degree, that experience formed the person I am today, and I'll be forever grateful.”

Before TikTok, Witches Traded Their Spells on This Ancient Internet Forum syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[lanxelot]

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO ICT

ICT– Information and Communication-

It deals with the use of different communication technologies such as mobile phones, telephone, Internet to locate, save, send and edit information

Is a study of computers as data processing tools. It introduces students to the fundamental of using computer systems in an internet environment.

ICT in the Philippines

          Philippines is dub as the ‘’ICT Hub of Asia” because of huge growth of ICT-related jobs, one of which is BPO, Business Process Outsourcing, or call centers.

        ICT Department in the Philippines is responsible for the planning, development and promotion of the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) agenda in support of national development.

Computer– an electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program. Internet– is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the internet protocol  suite (TCIP/IP) to link billions of devices worldwide.

        Means of connecting a computer to any other computer anywhere in the world via dedicated routers and servers.

    Sometimes called simply ‘’the Net’’, is a worldwide system of computer networks- a network of networks in which the users at any   one computer can get information from any other computer.

World Wide Web

        An information system on the internet that allows documents to be connected to other documents by hypertext links, enabling the user to search for information by moving from one document to another.

        Is an information space where documents and other web resources are identified by URLs, interlinked by hypertext links, and can be accessed via the Internet.

        Invented by Tim-Berners Lee

Web Pages

Web page is a hypertext document connected to the World Wide Web.   It is a document that is   suitable for the World Wide Web.

The different online platforms of World Wide Web:

Web 1.0 – refers to the first stage in the World Wide Web, which was entirely made up of the Web pages connected by hyperlinks.

Web 2.0 – is the evolution of Web 1.0 by adding dynamic pages. The user is able to see a website differently than others.

 – Allows users to interact with the page; instead of just reading the page, the user may be able to comment or create user account.

Web 3.0 –  this platform is all about semantic web.

  –  Aims to have machines (or servers) understand the user’s preferences to be able        to deliver web content.

Static Web Page- is known as a flat page or stationary age in the sense that the page is ‘’as is’’ and cannot be manipulated by the user. The content is also the same for all users that is referred to as Web 1.0

Dynamic Web Pages– web 2.0 is the evolution of web 1.0 by adding dynamic web pages. The user is able to see website differently than others e.g. social networking sites, wikis, video sharing sites.

FEATURES OF WEB 2.0

Folksonomy- allows user to categorize and classify information using freely chosen keywords e.g. tagging by FB, Twitter, use tags that start with the sign #, referred to as hashtag.

Rich User Experience – content is dynamic and is responsive to user’s input

User Participation- The owner of the website is not the only one who is able to put content. Others are able to place a content of their own by means of comments, reviews and evaluation e.g. Lazada, Amazon.

Long Tail– services that are offered on demand rather than on a one-time purchase. This is synonymous to subscribing to a data plan that charges you for the amount of time you spent in the internet.

Software as a services- users will be subscribe to a software only when needed rather than purchasing them e.g. Google docs used to create and edit word processing and spread sheet.

Mass Participation– diverse information sharing through universal web access. Web 2.0’s content is based on people from various cultures.

TRENDS IN ICT

Convergence– is the synergy of technological advancements to work on a similar goal or task. For example, besides using your personal computer to create word documents, you can now use your smartphone. 2. Social Media– is a website, application, or online channel that enables web users web users to create , co-create, discuss modify, and exchange user generated content.

Six types of Social Media:

a)Social Networks – These are sites that allows you to connect with other people with the same interests or background. Once the user creates his/her account, he/she can set up a profile, add people, share content, etc

Example: Facebook and Google+

b)Bookmarking Sites – Sites that allow you to store and manage links to various website and resources. Most of the sites allow you to create a tag to others.

Stumble Upon, Pinterest

c)       Social News – Sites that allow users to post their own news items or links to other news sources. The users can also comment on the post and comments may also be rank.

Ex. Reddit and Digg

d)      Media Sharing – sites that allow you to upload and share media content like images, music and  video.

Ex. Flickr, YouTube and Instagram e) Microblogging – focus on short updates from the user. Those that subscribed to the user will be able to receive these updates. Ex. Twitter and Plurk

f) Blogs and Forums – allow user to post their content. Other               users are able to comment on the said topic. Ex. Blogger, WordPress and Tumblr

                         Mobile Technologies– The popularity of smartphones and tablets has taken a major rise over the years. This is largely because of the devices capability to do the tasks that were originally found in PCs. Several of these devices are capable of using a high-speed internet. Today the latest model devices use 4G Networking (LTE), which is currently the fastest.

MOBILE OS

iOS – use in apple devices such as iPhone and iPad

Android – an open source OS developed by Google. Being open source means mobile phone companies use this OS for free.

Blackberry OS – use in blackberry devices

Windows phone OS – A closed source and proprietary operating system developed by Microsoft.

Symbian – the original smartphone OS. Used by Nokia devices

WebOS- originally used in smartphone; now in smart TVs.

Windows Mobile – developed by Microsoft for smartphones and pocket PCs

Assistive Media–   is a non- profit service designed to help people who have visual and reading impairments. A database of audio recordings is used to read to the user.

e.g. Yahoo!, Gmail, HotmailCloud computing-distributed computing on internet or delivery of computing service over the internet.

 -Instead of running an e-mail program on your computer, you log in to a Web

e-mail account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn’t exist

on your computer – it’s on the service’s computer cloud.

It has three components

Client computers   –   clients are the device that the end user interact with cloud.

Distributed Servers – Often servers are in geographically different places, but server acts as if they are working next to each other.

Datacenters – It is collection of servers where application is placed and is accessed via Internet.

TYPES OF CLOUDS

PUBLIC CLOUD allows systems and services to be easily accessible to the general public. Public cloud may be less secured because of its openness, e.g. e-mail

PRIVATE CLOUD allows systems and services to be accessible within an organization. It offers increased security because of its private nature.

COMMUNITY CLOUD allows systems and services to be accessible by group of organizations.

HYBRID CLOUD is a mixture of public and private cloud. However, the critical activities are performed using private cloud while the non-critical activities are performed using public cloud.

LESSON 2: ONLINE SAFETY, SECURITY AND RULES OF NETIQUETTE

INTERNET SAFETY- it refers to the online security or safety of people and their information when using internet. NETIQUETTE- is network etiquette, the do’s and don’ts of online communication.

TEN RULES OF NETIQUETTE

Rule No. 1: Remember the human

        You need to remember that you are talking to a real person when you are online.

        The internet brings people together who would otherwise never meet.

        Remember this saying when sending an email: Would I say this to the person’s face.

Rule No. 2: Adhere to the same standards online that you follow in real life.

     You need to behave the same way online that you do in real life.

     You need to remember that you can get caught doing things you should not be doing       online just like you can in real life.

       You are still talking to a real person with feelings even though you can’t see them.

Rule no. 3: Know where you are in cyberspace.

        Always take a look around when you enter a new domain when surfing the web.

        Get a sense of what the discussion group is about before you join it.

Rule no. 4: Respect other people’s time and bandwidth.

        Remember people have other things to do besides read your email. You are not the center of their world.

        Keep your post and emails to minimum by saying what you want to say.

        Remember everyone won’t answer your questions.

Rule no. 5: Make yourself look good online.

        Be polite and pleasant to everyone.

        Always check your spelling and grammar before posting.

·        Know what you are talking about and make sense saying it.

Rule no. 6: Share expert knowledge

       Ask questions online

       Share what you know online.

       Post the answers to your questions online because someone may have the same question         you do.

Rule no. 7: Help keep flame wars under control

       Netiquette does not forgive flaming.

       Netiquette does however forbid people who are flaming to hurt discussion groups by putting the group down.

Rule no. 8: Respect other people’s privacy.

        Do not read other people’s mail without their permission.

        Going through other people’s things could cost you, your job or you could even go to jail.

        Not respecting other people’s privacy is a bad netiquette.

Rule no. 9: Don’t abuse your power.

        Do not take advantage of other people just because you have more knowledge or power than them.

        Treat others as you would want them to treat you if the roles were reversed.

Rule no. 10: Be forgiving of other people’s mistake.

        Do not point out mistakes to people online.

        Remember that you were once the new kid on the block.

        You still need to have a good manners even though you are online and cannot see the          person face to face.

 Internet security

 Security Requirement Triad                  

ConfidentIality                                  Data confidentiality Privacy

              Integrity         Data integerity                                                        System integrity

              Availability

Threat ConsequenceThreat Action ( Attack)

Unauthorized Disclosure

A circumstance or event whereby an entity gains access to data for which the entity is not authorized.

Exposure: Sensitive data are directly released to an unauthorized entity.

Interception: An unauthorized entity directly accesses sensitive data traveling between authorized sources and destinations.

Inference: A threat action whereby an unauthorized entity indirectly accesses sensitive data by reasoning from characteristics or byproducts of communications.

Intrusion: an unauthorized entity gains access to sensitive data by circumventing a system’s security protections.

Disruption

A circumstances or even that interrupts or prevents the correct operation of system services and functions.

Deception

A circumstance or event that may result in an authorized entity receiving false data and believing it to be true.

Incapacitation: prevents or interrupts system operation by disabling a system component.

Corruption: Undesirably alters system operation by adversely modifying system functions or data.

Obstruction: A threat action that interrupts delivery of system services by hindering system operation.

Masquerade: An unauthorized entity gains access to a system or performs a malicious act by posing as an authorized entity.

Falsification: False data deceive an authorized entity.

Repudiation: An entity deceives another by falsely denying responsibility for an act.

Usurpation

A circumstances or event that results in control of system services or functions by an unauthorized entity.

Misappropriation: An entity assumes

unauthorized logical or physical control of a

system resource.

Misuse: Causes a system component to perform a function or service that is detrimental to system security.

Types of System Intruders

        Masquerader

        Hackers

        Clandestine user

Parts of Virus

Infection mechanism

Trigger

 PayloaD

Virus stages

  Dormant phase                                                                                                                                   Virus is idle.

     Propagation  phase                                                                                                                           Virus places an identical copy of itself into other programs or into certain system areas on t        the disk.

  Triggering phase                                                                                                                                 Virus is activated to perform the function for which it was intended.                                             Caused by a variety of system events

      Execution phase                                                                                                                                 Function is performed

Key Terms

Cyber crime- a crime committed or assisted through the use of the Internet.

Privacy Policy/Terms of Services (ToS) – tells the user how the website will handle its data.

Malware- stands for malicious software.

Virus- a malicious program designed to transfer from one computer to another in any means possible.

Worms– a malicious program designed to replicate itself and transfer from one file folder to another and also transfer to other computers.

Trojan-a malicious program designed that is disguised as a useful program but once downloaded or installed, leaves your PC unprotected and allows hacker to get your information.

Spyware– a program that runs in the background without you knowing it. It has the ability to monitor what you are currently doing and typing through key logging.

Adware- a program designed to send you advertisement, mostly pop-ups.

Spam– unwanted email mostly from bots or advertisers.

Phishing- acquires sensitive personal information like passwords and credits card details.

Pharming- a more complicated way of phishing where it exploits the DNS system.

Copyright- a part of law, wherein you have the rights to work, anyone who uses it w/o your consent is punishable by law.

Fair Use- means that an intellectual property may be used w/o consent as long as it is used in commentaries, criticism, parodies, research and etc.

Keyloggers- used to record the keystrokes done by user. This is done to steal passwords or any other sensitive information.

Rogue security softwares– is a form of malicious software and internet fraud that misleads users into believing there is a virus on their computer, and manipulates them into paying money for a fake malware removal tool.

Four search strategies

   Keyword searching

Enter terms to search

Use quotation marks to search as a phrase and keep the words linked together

Common words are ignored (That, to, which, a, the …)

+ and – can be used to include or exclude a word

   Boolean

AND – enter words connect with AND- it will include sites where both words and found

  Uses: joining different topics (i.e. global warming AND California)

OR   –  requires at least one of the terms is found.

  Uses: join similar or synonymous topics (i.e. global warming OR greenhouse effect)

NOT – searches for the first term and excludes sites that have the second term.

(i.e. Washington NOT school)

Question                                                                                                                                  

a question may be entered in the search field of search engine    

       Advanced                                                                                                                         Features are offered on many engines by going to an “Advanced search” page and  making selections. Effective in narrowing search returns to a specific topic or phrase.

LESSON 3: Advanced Word Processing Skills

Lesson Discussion

In the professional world, sending out information to convey important information is vital. Because of ICT, things are now sent much faster than the traditional newsletters or postal mail. You can now send much faster than the traditional newsletters or postal mail. You can now use the Internet to send out information you need to share. What if we could still do things much faster – an automated way of creating and sending uniform letters with different recipients? Would that not be more convenient?

I. Mail Merge and Label Generation

A. Mail Merge

         One of the important reasons in using computers per se is its ability to do recurring tasks automatically. But this ability has to be honed by learning the characteristics and features of the software you use with your computer. After all, no matter how good or advance your computer and software may be, it can only be as good as the person using it.

         In this particular part of our lesson, we will learn one of the most powerful and commonly used features of Microsoft Word called Mail Merge. As the name suggests, this feature allows you to create documents and combine or merge them with another document or data file. It is commonly used when sending out advertising materials to various recipients.

          The simplest solution for the scenario above is to create a document and just copy and paste it several times then just replace the details depending on whom you send it to. But what if you have hundreds or thousands of recipients? Would not that take too many hours? What if you have a small database of information where you can automatically generate those letters?

Two Components of Mail Merge

1. Form Document

         The first component of our mail merged document is the form document. It is generally the document that contains the main body of the message we want to convey or send. The main body of the message is the part of the form document that remains the same no matter whom you send it to from among your list.

          Also included in the form document is what we call place holders, also referred to as data fields or merge fields. This marks the position on your form document where individual data or information will be inserted. From our sample document, the place holders are denoted or marked by the text with double-headed arrows (<< >>) on each side and with a gray background. On a printed standard form, this will be the underlined spaces that you will see and use as a guide to where you need to write the information that you need to fill out. In its simplest form, a form document is literally a “form” that you fill out with individual information. A common example of a form document is your regular tax form or application form.

2. List or Data File

          The second component of our mail merged document is the list or data file. This is where the individual information or data that needs to be plugged in (merged) to the form document is placed and maintained. One of the best things about the mail merge feature is that it allows data file to be created fro within the Microsoft Word application itself, or it gets data from a file created in Microsoft Excel or other data formats. In this way, fields that needed to be filled up on the form document can easily be maintained without accidentally altering the form or main document. You can also easily add, remove, modify, or extract your data more efficiently by using other data management applications like Excel or Access and import them in Word during the mail merge process.

B. Label Generation

           Included in the mail merge feature on Microsoft Word is the Label Generator. It just makes sense that after you print out your form letters, you will need to send it to individual recipients in an envelope with the matching address printed directly on the envelope or on a mailing label to stick on. By using virtually the same process as a standard mail merge, Microsoft Word will print individual addresses to a standard form that it has already pre-formatted. Simply put, it creates a blank form document that simulates either a blank label or envelope of pre-defined size and will use the data file that you selected to print the information, typically individual addresses. So even in generating labels, the two essential components of creating a merged document are present: the form document and the data file. Only in this case, you did not have to type or create the form document yourself because it was already created and pre-formatted in Microsoft Word. All you need to do is select the correct or appropriate size for the label or envelope and select the data file that contains the addresses (data) to be printed. You can also preview your merged labels before printing if you want to.

II.  Integrating Images and External Materials

          Integrating or inserting pictures in your document is fun and it improves the impression of your document. A common use of inserting a picture on a document is when you are creating your resume. Though seemingly simple to do, your knowledge on the different kinds of materials that you can insert or integrate in a Word document and its characteristics can help you create a more efficient, richer document not only in content but also in physical form. A better understanding of the physical form of your document as well as the different materials you would integrate in it would allow you to be more efficient and versatile in using Microsoft Word.

A. Kinds of Materials

          There are various kinds of materials Microsoft Word is capable of integrating to make the documents richer, more impressive, and more informative.

1. Pictures

         Generally, these are electronic or digital pictures or photographs you have saved in any local storage device. There are three commonly used types of picture files. You can identify them by the extension on their file names.

a. .JPG/JPEG

         This is pronounced as “jay-peg“ and is the short form of .jpeg or Joint Photographic Experts Group. Like all the rest of the image file extensions, it identifies the kind of data compression process that it uses to make it more compatible and portable through the Internet. This type of image file can support 16.7 million colors that is why it is suitable for use when working with full color photographic images. Unfortunately, it does not support transparency and therefore, images of this file type can be difficult to integrate in terms of blending with other materials or elements in your document. But if you are looking for the best quality image to integrate with your document then this is the image file type for you. .JPG does not work well on lettering, line drawings, or simple graphics. .JPG images are relatively small in file size.

b. .GIF

         This stands for Graphics Interchange Format. This type of image file is capable of displaying transparencies. Therefore, it is good for blending with other materials or elements in your document. It is also capable of displaying simple animation. Apparently, this may not be too useful on a printed document but if you are sending documents electronically or through email, or even post documents into a website, then this could be quite impressive. The downside is that it can only support up to 256 colors so it is good mostly on logos and art decors with very limited, and generally solid colors. .GIF is much better for logos, drawings, small text, black and white images, or low-resolution files.

Example of a .gif format picture.

c. .PNG

          This is pronounced as “ping“. It stands for Portable Network Graphics. It was built around the capabilities of .GIF. Its development was basically for the purpose of transporting images on the Internet at faster rates. It is also good with transparencies but unlike .GIFs, it does not support animation but it can display up to 16 million colors, so image quality for this image file type is also remarkably improved. .PNG allows the control of the transparency level or opacity of images.

Example of .png format picture.

2.  Clip Art

         This is generally a .GIF type; line art drawings or images used as generic representation for ideas and objects that you might want to integrate in your document. Microsoft Word has a library of clip arts that is built in or can be downloaded and used freely. There are still other clip arts that you can either purchase or freely download and use that come from third-party providers.

Clip Art Icon in Microsoft Office 2010.

3.  Shapes

         These are printable objects or materials that you can integrate in your document to enhance its appearance or allow you to have some tools to use for composing and representing ideas or messages. If you are designing the layout for a poster or other graphic material for advertising, you might find this useful.

Shapes Icon under the Insert ribbon tab.

4. Smart Art

         Generally, these are predefined sets of different shapes grouped together to form ideas that are organizational or structural in nature. If you want to graphically represent an organization, process, relationships, or flow for infographic documents, then you will find this easy and handy to use.

Smart Art

5.  Chart

Another type of material that you can integrate in your Word document that allows you to represent data characteristics and trends. This is quite useful when you are preparing reports that correlate and present data in a graphical manner. You can create charts that can be integrate in your document either directly in Microsoft Word or imported from external files like Microsoft Excel.

Chart – Used to illustrate and compare data.

6. Screenshot

Sometimes, creating reports or manuals for training or procedures will require the integration of a more realistic image of what you are discussing on your report or manual. Nothing can get you a more realistic image than a screenshot. Microsoft Word even provides a snipping tool for your screen shots so you can select and display only the part that you exactly like to capture on your screen.

III. Image Placement

Layout of  text wrapping options.

A. In Line with Text

This is the default setting for images that are inserted or integrated in your document. It treats your image like a text font with the bottom side totally aligned with the text line. This setting is usually used when you need to place your image at the beginning of a paragraph. When placed between texts in a paragraph or a sentence, it distorts the overall appearance and arrangement of the texts in the paragraph because it will take up the space it needs vertically, pushing whole lines of texts upward.

B. Square

This setting allows the image you inserted to be placed anywhere with the paragraph with the text going around the image in a square pattern like frame.

C. Tight

This is almost the same as the Square setting, but here the text “hug” or conforms to the general shape of the image. This allows you to get a more creative effect on your document. This setting can mostly be achieved if you are using an image that supports transparency like a .GIF or .PNG file.

D. Through

This setting allows the text on your document to flow even tighter taking the contours and shape of the image. Again, this can be best used with .GIF or .PNG type of image.

E. Top and Bottom

This setting pushes the texts away vertically to the top and/or the bottom of the image so that the image occupies a whole text line on its own.

F. Behind Text

This allows your image to be dragged and placed anywhere on your document but with all the texts floating in front of it. It effectively makes your image look like a background.

G. In Front of Text

As it suggests, this setting allows your image to be placed right on top of the text as if your image was dropped right on it. That means whatever part of the text you placed the image on, it will be covered by the image.

IV. Key Terms

Mail Merge – a feature that allows you to create documents and combine or merge them with another document or data file.

Form Document – the document that contains the main body of the message we want to convey or send.

Data File – includes the individual information or data or the recipient’s information.

Merge Field/Place Holder – marks the position on your form document where individual data or information will be inserted.

.JPG – file extension for the Joint Photographic Experts Group picture file.

.PNG – file extension for Portable Network Graphics image file.

.GIF – file extension for the Graphics Interchange Format image file.

Clipart – line art drawings or images used as a generic representation for ideas and objects.

Smart Art – predefined sets of different shapes grouped together to form ideas that are organizational or structural in nature.

Text Wrap – adjusts how the image behaves around other objects or text.

LESSON 4: Advanced Spreadsheet Skills

What is a Spreadsheet Software? • allows users to organize data in rows an columns and perform calculations on the data • These rows and columns collectively are called worksheet.

3. Examples of Spreadsheet Software: • LibreOffice Calc • OpenOffice.org Calc • Google Sheets • Apple iWork Numbers • Kingsoft Office Spreadsheets • StarOffice Calc • Microsoft Excel

4. MICROSOFT EXCEL

5. To open Microsoft Excel, Press “Windows Logo” + R then type “excel” then enter.

6. Key Terms in MS Excel: • Row – horizontal line of entries in a table • Column – vertical line of entries in a table • Cell – the place where info. is held in a spreadsheet

7. Key Terms in MS Excel: • Active Cell – the selected cell • Column Heading – the box at the top of each column containing a letter • Row Heading – the row number

8. Key Terms in MS Excel: • Cell Reference – the cell address of the cell usually combine letter and number (ex. A1, B4, C2) • Merge – combining or joining two or more cells • Formula – is an expression which calculates the value of a cell.

9. Key Terms in MS Excel: • Functions – are predefined formulas and are already available in Excel • Formula Bar – the bar that displays the contents of a cell

10. FUNCTIONS

11. BASIC MATH OPERATIONS: • =SUM(x,y) or =SUM(range) – returns the sum of x and y or (all the numbers within the range) • =PRODUCT(x,y) – returns the product of x and y • =QUOTIENT(x,y) – returns the quotient of x divided by y • =x-y – returns the difference of x subtracted by y

12. BASIC MATH OPERATIONS: • =x+y – returns the sum of x and y • =x*y – returns the product of x and y • =x/y – returns the quotient of x divided by y • =x-y – returns the difference of x subtracted by y

13. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =ABS(x) – returns the absolute value of x • =AVERAGE(x,y) – returns the average of x and y • =CONCATENATE(x,y) – joins x and y

14. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =IF(Condition, x, y) – returns x if the condition is true, else it returns y • =ISEVEN(x) – returns true if x is an even number • =ISODD(x) – returns true if x is an odd number

15. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =COUNT(range) – counts the number of cell containing a number within a range • =COUNTIF(range, criteria) – count the number of cell that fits with the criteria within the range

16. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =ISNUMBER(x) – returns true if x is a number • =ISTEXT(x) – returns true if x is a text • =LEN(x) – returns the length of characters in x • =PROPER(x) – returns the proper casing of x

17. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =LEFT(x,y) – returns the characters of x specified by y (from the left) • =RIGHT(x,y) – returns the characters of x specified by y (from the right) • =PI() – returns the value of pi

18. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =MIN(x,y) – returns the smallest number between x and y • =MAX(x,y) – returns the largest number between x and y • =MIN(range) – returns the smallest number within the range • =MAX(range) – returns the largest number within the range

19. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =POWER(x,y) – returns the value of x raised to the power of y • =ROUND(x,y) – rounds x to a specified number of digits (y) =COLUMN(x) – returns the column number of x • =ROW(x) – returns the row number of x

20. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =SQRT(x) – returns the square root of x • =TRIM(x) – removes extra spaces in x • =UPPER(x) – returns x in all capital form • =LOWER(x) – returns x in non- capital form

21. OTHER FUNCTIONS: • =TODAY() – returns the current date • =NOW() – returns the current date and time

22. EXERCISES

23. Consider this data: NAME MATH GRADE SCIENCE GRADE FILIPINO GRADE ENGLISH GRADE A.P GRADE MARK 75 70 78 81 78 PETE 84 87 86 88 85 ANA 91 92 95 90 90 REA 73 75 74 75 70

24. Give the formulas to get : • Mark’s , Pete’s, Ana’s and Rea’s averages • The highest grade that Ana got • The lowest grade that Mark got? • Sum of all Math Grade? Science? A.P.? • Sum of all Rea’s Grades • The Lowest Number among all grades • The remarks (Passed or Failed)

25. Now, consider this data: FIRST NAME MIDDLE NAME LAST NAME MARK CURTIS WILLIAMS PETE MCCLOEY HARRISON ANA MONROE FRITZ REA TAN COLLINS

26. Give the formulas to get : • Mark’s Full Name • Ana’s Full Name in Proper Case • Count the number of letters that Pete’s Last Name has • “COLL” from Rea’s Last Name • “LOEY” from Pete’s Middle Name • Combining “WILL” and “LINS” from Mark and Rea’s Last Names respectively

LESSON 5: Advanced Presentation Skills

Powerpoint is a highly innovative and versatile program that can ensure a successful communication whether you’re presenting in front of potential investors, a lecture theatre or simply in front of your colleagues. The following are the five features you should be using-if youy aren’t already. Learn everything about these tips: they will improve your presentation skills and allow you to communicate your message successfully. The five features of powerpoint was

1)adding smart art

2)Inserting Shapes

3)Inserting and Image

4)Slide Transitions

5)Adding Animations

Creating an Effective Presentation

1.

Minimize

: Keep slides counts to a minimum to maintain a clear message and to keep the audience attentive. Remember that the presentation is just a visual aid. Most information should still come from the reporter.2.

Clarity

: Avoid being to fancy by using font style that is easy to read. Make sure that it is also big enough to be read by the audience. Once you start making your presentation, consider how big the screen is during your report.3.

Simplicity

: Use bullets or short sentences. Summarize the information on the screen to have your audience focus on what the speaker is saying than on reading the slide. Limit the content to six lines and seven words per line. This is known as the 6 x 7 rule.4.

Visual

: Use graphics to help in your presentation but not too many to distract the audience. In addition, instead of using table of data, use charts and graphs.5.

Consistency

: Make your design uniform. Avoid having different font styles and backgrounds.6.

Contrast

: Use a light font on dark background or vice versa. This is done so that it is easier to read. In most instances, it is easier to read on screen if the background is dark. This is due to the brightness of the screen. LESSON 6: Imaging and Design for Online Environment

PHOTO EDITING

Photo editing encompasses the processes of altering images, whether they are digital photographs, traditional photo chemical photographs, or illustrations. Traditional analog image editing is known as photo retouching, using tools such as an airbrush to modify photographs, or editing illustrations with any traditional art medium.

Graphic software programs

Which can be broadly grouped into vector graphics editors, raster graphics editors, and 3D modelers are the primary tools with which a user may manipulate, enhance, and transform images. Many image editing programs are also used to render or create computer art from scratch.

BASIC OF IMAGE EDITING

RASTER IMAGESare stored in a computer in the form of a grid of picture elements or pixels.

VECTOR IMAGESsuch as Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape and etc. are used to create and modify vector images, which are stored as descriptions of lines, Bezier curves and text instead of pixels.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RASTER AND VECTOR IMAGES

RASTER IMAGESuse many colored pixels or individual building blocks to form a complete image JPEGs, GIFs and PNGs are common raster image types. Almost all of the photos found on the web and in print catalogs are raster images.

VECTOR IMAGES alternatively, allow for more flexibility. Constructed using mathematical formulas rather than individual colored blocks, vector file types such as EPS, AI and PDF are excellent for creating graphics that frequently require resizing. 3. 3D MODELING (OR MODELLING) is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three dimensional surface of an object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model. It can be displayed as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering or used in a computer simulation or physical phenomena. The model can also be physically created using 3D printing devices.

IMAGE FORMATS

Ø  JPEG is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for those images produced by a digital photography.

Ø  PNG (PORTABLE NETWORK GRAPHICS) is a raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression.

Ø  GIF a lossless format for image files that supports both animated and static images.

Ø  BMP is a raster graphics image used to store bitmap digital images

Ø  EPS used in vector-based images in Adobe Illustrator.

Ø  SVG is an XML-based vector image format for two-dimensional graphics w/ support for interactivity and animation

Ø  .3ds is one of the file formats used by the Autodesk 3Ds Max 3D Modelling, animation and rendering software.

Ø  .fbx is an exchange format, in particular for interoperability between Autodesk products and other digital content creation software

FEATURES OF IMAGE EDITORS

SELECTION One of the prerequisites for many of the app mentioned below is a method of selecting part(s) of an image, thus applying a change selectively without affecting the entire picture

Ø  MARQUEE TOOL for selecting rectangular or other regular polygon-shaped regions

Ø  LASSO TOOL for freehand selection of a region

Ø  MAGIC WAND TOOL selects objects or regions in the image defined by proximity of color or luminance

LAYERS which are analogous to sheets of transparent acetate, stacked on top of each other, each capable of being individually positioned, altered and blended with the layers below, w/o affecting any of the elements on the other layers. IMAGE SIZE resize images in a process often called image scaling, making them larger, or smaller. High image resolution cameras can produce large images which are often reduced in size for Internet use.

CROPPING creates a new image by selecting a desired rectangular portion from the image being cropped. The unwanted part of the image is discarded. Image cropping does not reduce the resolution of the area cropped.

CLONING uses the current brush to copy from an image or pattern. It has many uses: one of the most important is to repair problem areas in digital photos.

IMAGE ORIENTATION – Image editors are capable of altering an image to be rotated in any direction and to any degree. Mirror images can be created and images can be horizontally flipped or vertically flopped. Rotated image usually require cropping afterwards, in order to remove the resulting gaps at the image edges.

PERSPECTIVE – is the art of drawing solid objects on a two- dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth and position in relation to each other when viewed from a particular point.

SHARPENING AND SOFTENING– Sharpening makes images clearer. Too much sharpening causes grains on the surface of the image. Softening makes images softer that removes some of the highly visible flaws. Too much causes the image to blur.

SATURATION- is an expression for the relative bandwidth of the visible output from a light source. As saturation increase, colors appear more “pure.’’ As saturation decreases, colors appear more ‘’ washed-out.’’

CONTRAST AND BRIGHTENING

Contrast of images and brighten or darken the image. Underexposed images can be often be improved by using this feature.

Brightening lightens the image so the photo brightens up. Brightness is a relative expression of the intensity of the energy output of a visible light source.

Adjusting contrast means adjusting brightness because they work together to make a better image.

PHOTO MANIPULATION

Photo manipulation involves transforming or altering a photograph using various methods and techniques to achieve desired results. Some photo manipulations are considered skillful artwork while others are frowned upon as unethical practices, especially when used to deceive the public, such as hat used for political propaganda , or to make a product or person look better.

 DIFFERENCES PHOTO EDITING – signifies the regular process used to enhance photos and to create them ‘’Actual editing simple process’’. Also includes some of the regular programs used for editing and expose how to use them. PHOTO MANIPULATION – includes all simple editing techniques and have some manipulation techniques like erasing, adding objects , adding some graphical effects, background correction, creating incredible effect, change elements in an image,  adding styles , eliminating blemishes from a  person’s face and changing the features of a person’s body.

b.) Infographics

also known as data visualization, information design, and communication design

It is any graphic that display and explains information, whether that be data or words. When we use the term ‘’infographics’’, we’re using it as a general term used to describe data presented in a visual way.

Infographics are important because they change the way people find and experience stories. Infographics are being used to augment editorial content on the web, it create a new way of seeing the world of data, and they help communicate complex ideas in a clear and beautiful way.

TYPES OF INFOGRAPHICS

Statistical

Process Flow

Geographic

PROCESS OF MAKING INFOGRAPHICS

Research

a)Know what is needed

b)Take a reference

c)Know the audience

d)Decide the type of infographics

Brainstorm

a)Gather ideas

b)Build thought process

Design

a)    Choose your tool and start designing

Review

a)     Cross check the data to deliver flawless output

Launch

a)    Make it viral

b)    Share on social network

BEST PRACTICES WHEN CREATING INFOGRAPHICS

a)Maintain a structure

b)Don’t use more than 3 color palletes

c)Typography matters a lot

d)Include source and references

LESSON 7: Online Platforms for ICT Content Development

1.Facebook

Posted on

February 13, 2017

Marketplace – allows members to post, read and respond to classified ads.

Groups – allows members who have common interests to find each other and interact.

Events  – allows members to publicize an event, invite guests and track who plans to attend.

Pages – allows members to create and promote a public page built around a specific topic.

Presence technology – allows members to see which contacts are online and chat.

Within each member’s personal profile, there are several key networking components. The most popular is arguably the Wall, which is essentially a virtual bulletin board. Messages left on a member’s Wall can be text, video or photos. Another popular component is the virtual Photo Album. Photos can be uploaded from the desktop or directly from a smartphone camera. There is no limitation on quantity, but Facebook staff will remove inappropriate or copyrighted images.  An interactive album feature allows the member’s contacts (who are called generically called “friends”) to comment on each other’s photos and identify (tag) people in the photos. Another popular profile component is status updates, a microbloggingfeature that allows members to broadcast short Twitter-like announcements to their friends. All interactions are published in a news feed, which is distributed in real-time to the member’s friends.

Facebook offers a range of privacy options to its members.  A member can make all his communications visible to everyone, he can block specific connections or he can keep all his communications private. Members can choose whether or not to be searchable, decide which parts of their profile are public, decide what not to put in their news feed and determine exactly who can see their posts. For those members who wish to use Facebook to communicate privately, there is a message feature, which closely resembles email.

2. Instagram

Instagram is an online mobile photo-sharing site that allows its users to share pictures and videos either publicly or privately on the app, as well as through a variety of other social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr. Originally, a distinctive feature was that it confined photos to a square shape, similar to Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid SX-70 images, in contrast to the 4:3 aspect ratio typically used by mobile device cameras. In August 2015, version 7.5 was released, allowing users to upload media captured in any aspect ratio. Users can also apply digital filters to their images. Videos on Instagram debuted in June 2013, allowing prerecorded square standard definition resolution clips of up to 15 seconds to be shared; later improvements added support for widescreenresolutions of up to 1080p and longer recording times for either prerecorded (up to one minute) or disappearing live (up to one hour) videos.

Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, and launched in October 2010 as a free mobile app. The service rapidly gained popularity, with over 100 million active users as of April 2012[10][11] and over 300 million as of December 2014.[12] Instagram is distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play.[13]Support for the app is available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Windows 10 devices and Android handsets, while third-party Instagram apps are available for BlackBerry 10 and Nokia-Symbian Devices.

3. Twitter

Twitter  is an online news and social networking service where users post and interact with messages, “tweets,” restricted to 140 characters. Registered users can post tweets, but those who are unregistered can only read them. Users access Twitter through its website interface, SMS or a mobile device app.[10] Twitter Inc. is based in San Francisco, California, United States, and has more than 25 offices around the world.

Twitter is about learning and adding value

It is also about adding value to others by giving or sharing something valuable to them so that they are able to learn something. That is why I usually tweet about stuff that I read, learned or have good value. I have learned so much from the others that is why I love twitter. It is also about helping others, I disagree with many‘experts’ that say you should only follow ‘influential’ users because I don’t judge someone that way, and because I believe the people at Twitter don’t believe in them either. I also disagree that you should only share your own stuff otherwise you will dilute your brand. Sure it makes sense but 24/7 sharing your own blog post and following influential people?

BLOGGING SITES

Weebly

Weebly is one of the easiest website builders in the market.  They allow you to drag and drop content into a website, so it’s very intuitive to use (click here to see our opinion on Weebly).

By using Weebly’s website building elements, you can literally drag them into your website and have a website built relatively quickly, and painlessly.  The beauty of this system is that you can pretty much drag the elements to wherever you want – so it’s not very restrictive on where and how you place your website content.

Weebly’s elements include pictures, paragraphs, videos, buttons, maps, contact forms – basically all the basics for website building.

2. Tumblr

Tumblr is a popular microblogging platform designed for creative self-expression. It is considered a mindful alternative to Facebook and other social media websites where users blog on a myriad of topics.

You can link your Tumblr account to other social networks you use and you can feed your traditional blog or other RSS feed to your Tumblelog. You can also create static pages such as your own Questions page that people are automatically taken to when they ask you a question. If you want to make your Tumblelog look more lie a traditional website, you can do it by adding pages. You can make your Tumblelog private or just make specific posts private as needed, and you can schedule posts to publish in the future.

Tumblr is perfect for people who don’t need a full blog to publish lengthy posts. It’s also great for people who prefer to publish quick multimedia posts, particularly from their mobile devices. Tumblr is also a great choice for people who want to join a larger community. If a blog is too much or too big for you, but Twitter is too small or too little for you and Instagram isn’t versatile enough for you, then Tumblr might be just right for you.

It’s also easy to invite other people to contribute to your Tumblelog.

If you want to track your stats, you can add any analytics tracking code to your Tumblelog. Some users will even burn a feed with Feedburner, create custom themes, and use their own domain names

3. Pinterest

Pinterest is a free website that requires registration to use.Users can upload, save, sort, and manage images—known as pins—and other media content (e.g., videos) through collections known as pinboards. Pinterest acts as a personalized media platform. Users can browse the content of others in their feed. Users can then save individual pins to one of their own boards using the “Pin It” button, with pinboards typically organized by a central topic or theme. Users can personalize their experience by pinning items, creating boards, and interacting with other members. The end result is that the “pin feed” of each user displays unique, personalized results.

Content can also be found outside of Pinterest and similarly uploaded to a board via the “Pin It” button, which can be downloaded to the bookmark bar on a web browser, or be implemented by a webmaster directly on the website. They also have the option of sending a pin to other Pinterest users and email accounts through the “Send” button. Some websites include red and white “pin it” buttons on items, which allow Pinterest users to pin them directly.

Initially, there were several ways to register a new Pinterest account. Potential users could either receive an invitation from an already registered friend, or they could request an invitation directly from the Pinterest website that could take some time to receive. An account can also be created and accessed by linking Pinterest to a Facebook or Twitter profile. When a user re-posts or re-pins an image to their own board, they have the option of notifying their Facebook and Twitter followers. This feature can be managed on the settings page.

On the main Pinterest page, a “pin feed” appears, displaying the chronological activity from the Pinterest boards that a user follows.

A “board” is where the user’s pins are located. Users can have several boards for various items such as quotes, travel or, most popularly, weddings. A “pin” is an image that has either been uploaded or linked from a website. Once users create boards and add pins, other users can now repin, meaning they can pin one user’s image to their board as well. Once the user has set up their account and boards, they can browse, comment, and like other pins. Users might be discouraged by repeated images and difficult-to-follow direct linking features. Pinterest has also added the option of making boards “secret” so that the user can pin to and view boards that only the user can see when logged into their own account.

Pinterest does not generate its own content; rather, it draws from many resources around the web and compiles them in one convenient location for users.

[purplesurveys]

995

survey by pinkchocolate

Last person you messaged on social media? I think it was Angela; she sent me a photo update last night of her mom who’s currently confined at the hospital. She’s essentially my second mom, so I appreciated the update letting me know she’s doing okay. I think Andi messaged me earlier this evening but I just don’t have the energy to reply to people other than Anj just yet. Last song you had stuck in your head? I’ve mentioned this a few times on recent surveys, but it’s called Why We Ever. Last song you sang along to? Same song. Last time you used the bathroom? I think it was noon today.

Last person you said 'hello' to? The vet who was in charge of Cooper today. And the two other assistants who had to hold him, because Cooper already has a solid idea of what the vet clinic is and gets all squirmy once he realizes he’s there.

Last thing you switched on or off? Night light. I’ve noticed that I only turn it on when I’m feeling a little more stable than usual, so I think it’s a good sign that I turned it on tonight considering I haven’t touched it the entire week. Last person you said 'I love you' to? Angela, to calm her down. She hasn’t stopped worrying about her mom who she can’t even stay with for more than a few hours because of Covid safety protocols. Last thing you heated in the microwave? I heated up a cinnamon roll for a few seconds this afternoon. Last hot beverage you drank? Coffee but I drank it warm, not hot.  I don’t take hot drinks as I find them super uncomfortable in the mouth. Last savoury food you ate? Mom made pasta and pizza for dinner tonight. Last cold beverage you drank? Water, as always. Last sweet food you ate? The aforementioned cinnamon roll. My dad bought a couple of boxes of Cinnabon rolls last night which was justttttt what I needed as I’ve been craving those for a while now. Last time you used public transport? There was one day at the start of this year where my dad made the mistake of taking the family car I usually drive on Tuesdays, so aside from having to take a Grab to school I also had to take jeeps around campus the whole morning to get from one building to another. My dad made up for it by bringing me the car by around lunchtime and then he himself just took a jeep home. He didn’t have to do it, but I appreciated the gesture a lot so I got him a meal from one of our favorite places in UP. Last time you bought new clothes? Start of March, I think. Last time you met someone new? Start of the month when we welcomed a newly-hired manager into the company. Last time you drank an alcoholic beverage? I had a very very tiny sip of soju last month, but I haven’t finished an entire bottle in a few months now. Last thing you watched on TV? On an actual TV, the news. But the last TV show I watched regardless of the device I saw it on was Friends. Last book you read for the first time? Again, Midnight Sun. Only thing I’m reading these days, lol Last fruit you ate? Tomato. Last place you drove/travelled to in a car? Back home, technically. But before that, Cooper and I went to the vet today. Last time you wore make-up? September, at my first day of internship. HR said they were going to give me an orientation before I start and I thought they were going to be video-calling me and interviewing me for a bit, so I cleaned up a bit. But apparently it just meant giving me like a 5-minute audio call on Viber. Last thing you ordered at a restaurant? My usual, rosu katsu. Last time it rained where you live? It’s raining right now, but it also rained this afternoon. Last place you went, that was in walking distance? One of the playgrounds in our village. Last flavour of crisps/chips you ate? Salted egg, yum. Last person you talked to on the phone? It was my mom. Last time you added a new contact to your phone? Technically, September. My team at work primarily communicates on Viber, and you can see everyone’s phone number on there.

Last thing you did, before logging into Bzoink? I don’t have an account but before being able to finish this survey, I had dinner and hung out for a while downstairs with family.

[atlanticcanada]

Scrambling for aircraft in N.S. mass shooting, RCMP told to 'pound sand': official

Transcripts of calls between the RCMP and search and rescue officials in Halifax show an overall lack of understanding of what was required to have a military aircraft assist during the search for a gunman who killed 22 people in April 2020.

Log and audio transcripts obtained by The Canadian Press under an access to information request also reveal muddled advice from the military's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, which was initially under the impression that it had adequately dealt with the RCMP's request for an aircraft equipped with infrared technology.

Before calling search and rescue, the Mounties had tried unsuccessfully to get an aircraft with sensors that could detect the heat signature of a human body, which they needed as they searched for the killer in the woods around Portapique, N.S., soon after the 13-hour rampage began on April 18, 2020. RCMP aircraft in the Maritimes were not available because of maintenance issues.

During a 7 a.m. shift change on April 19, notes show that rescue centre staff discussed an RCMP call for assistance received at 11:47 p.m. the night before.

"We were called by the RCMP who asked us if we would -- if we had any access to FLIR (forward looking infrared technology), which we told them we do not, nor do we get involved in law enforcement," a staff member identified only as Bud said. "So we kind of told them to pound sand, I guess."

The official was quickly reminded by an unidentified female colleague that the RCMP had been directed to PAL Airlines, a civilian contractor that had the technology required for the manhunt.

"Yeah we directed them to PAL," the first official replied. "So we didn't do anything, but we told them who they could call for help."

A transcript of the call confirms the advice, but also shows that no mention was made by the rescue centre that the RCMP would have had to make a formal request for military air assistance. The request needed to be made through Nova Scotia's Emergency Management Office, which could then pass it on to federal public safety officials.

"If there's an active shooter in the area, they won't send the (search and rescue) asset," the rescue centre told RCMP dispatch in Truro, N.S. "If you are looking for FLIR, have you looked at PAL or Transport Canada?"

"Sorry, Transport Canada or who?" was the reply from RCMP.

The search and rescue official explained the service and capabilities offered by PAL and then provided the airline's dispatch phone number to the RCMP.

The logs show the Mounties made a second call to the rescue co-ordination centre at 10:58 a.m. on April 19. By then, they already had the use of a Department of Natural Resources helicopter as they chased the gunman, who had just wounded one RCMP officer and killed another near Shubenacadie, N.S.

"We're wondering whether you can get somebody in the air for us?" RCMP dispatch asked a rescue official identified as Scott. "We're just trying to get all hands on deck."

Scott told the dispatcher that he can't approve the request because search and rescue doesn't respond to shooting incidents, but he added that he would take the request up his chain of command. Scott then conferred with another rescue official identified as Christian who said "the answer is probably going to be no" but told Scott to take the request for a helicopter to the Combined Aerospace Operations Centre in Winnipeg.

Scott then relayed the RCMP request to an officer identified as Michael, a captain in Winnipeg, who turned it down because it was not a search and rescue situation.

"We can't just chop a helicopter and help the RCMP doing an active shooter," Michael said. "The request has to go from the RCMP through the province, to the federal government. I know it sounds convoluted, but it's the only way we can do it."

The audio logs also show that Andrew Mitten, a duty officer in Nova Scotia's Emergency Management Office, was contacted by search and rescue official Colin Glover, who explained the situation and got permission from Mitten to make a formal request to the military on behalf of the RCMP.

"I will pass it along to our chain of command," Glover told Mitten.

As this was going on, the search and rescue centre also made a call to the RCMP where an unidentified officer was told to make a request through EMO.

"You need to go through proper channels, through your Emergency Manager's Office," the RCMP was told. "Which we are trying to do on your behalf right now. We're also trying to work the back ends to see if -- what we can do in the background, but you should try to get a call into the EMO for the request."

Eventually rescue centre staff got back to Mitten and told him to contact the military directly to ask for a helicopter. As inquiries into what could be done continued, rescue officials learned by 11:26 a.m. that the killer had been "apprehended."

In fact, he had been shot and killed by police at a gas station in Enfield, N.S., outside of Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2022.

-- With files from Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/5KTCUY3