#Cloud infrastructure support

[jarrodcummerata]

Key Benefits of Hiring Offshore DevOps Engineers for U.S. and European Businesses

Discover the advantages of hiring offshore DevOps engineers for your U.S. or European business. From cost savings to access to global talent, learn how offshore teams can enhance your development processes and drive efficiency. Explore the benefits today!

[jatinbansalblog]

🔥Want to access 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 on cloud Anytime & Anywhere? Hurry up and connect with us🔥

.

Quickest Setup, go live in 15 minutes

Zero Maintenance Cost

🔴Why choose us

Own Data Center infrastructure

23 years of experience

10000+ Happy Clients Pan India

 High Data Security

 24/7 Support

.

 ☎️ +91-8800198868

visit now : https://kisitservices.in

#tallyoncloud #cloudcomputing #cloud #tally #AWS #krishna #cloudservices #tallycloud #busy #margoncloud #busyoncloud #dataprotection #privacy #security #krishnacloudservices #krishnacloud #kisitservices #kisit

[century-solutions-group]

Accelerating Business Growth: Unleashing Scalability with Technical Expertise

Accelerating Business Growth: Unleashing Scalability with Technical Expertise- Read Blog- https://centurygroup.net/accelerating-business-growth-unleashing-scalability-with-technical-expertise/ 

#itinfrastructure #itsolutions #networkinfrastructure #itequipment #informationtechnology #cloudcomputing #cloudinfrastructure #cloudserver #datacenterinfrastructure #datacenter #networksecurity #networkequipment #builddatacenters #cloudstorage #itsecurity #itservices #itengineer 

[vastedge330]

Discover Vast Edge’s managed cloud services, offering end-to-end support and optimization for your cloud infrastructure. Focus on your core business while we handle the technical details.

[jcmarchi]

Josh Wong, Founder & CEO of ThinkLabs AI – Interview Series

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/josh-wong-founder-ceo-of-thinklabs-ai-interview-series/

Josh Wong, Founder & CEO of ThinkLabs AI – Interview Series

Josh Wong is the Founder and CEO of ThinkLabs AI. He previously worked at GE Vernova as a General Manager, Grid Orchestration. Josh Wong attended the University of Waterloo.

ThinkLabs AI is a specialized AI development and deployment company. Its mission is to empower critical industries and infrastructure with trustworthy AI aimed at achieving global energy sustainability. The company is developing its flagship product, ThinkLabs Copilot, a digital assistant that comprehends the real world through proprietary physics-informed AI digital twins, providing a foundational model for engineering systems.

Can you tell us more about the vision behind ThinkLabs AI and what inspired its creation?

The vision behind ThinkLabs is a reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy infrastructure powered by trustworthy AI. We understand that the grid remains at the center of the energy transition. To decarbonize we must electrify. To electrify we need the grid, and the grid really must modernize. We believe the intersection of electric power systems engineering, AI, and cloud computing is the solution.

How does ThinkLabs AI differentiate itself from other AI startups in the grid management sector?

The grid is complex, and so much so that AI in itself cannot learn about the complex power flows and operational processes that exist in the grid space. ThinkLabs combine the rich history and confidence of traditional power systems engineering with AI, as trustworthy physics-informed AI, for confidence in scaled, automated inferencing and decision support for critical infrastructure. It also takes more than technology, but an experienced team that understands the nuances of the grid and how utilities and regulators think. Our team comes from the electric power systems space with proven track record, including founder Josh Wong who has sold his previous company Opus One Solutions to GE, and stands at the intersection of engineering, AI, and cloud computing.

What specific challenges in grid management does ThinkLabs AI aim to solve?

Automated analytics and recommendations for real time situational awareness across the grid, large scale simulations, and continuous learning and recommendations to mitigate grid constraints and optimize grid performance. Specific functional areas include:

Insights – near real time state estimation of grid power flow, detecting congestions, voltage violations and how capital assets are actually utilized.

Solutions – optimal dispatch recommendations, including switching, grid devices and DERs, for congestion relief, mitigate DERs interconnections, reduce losses, restore outages, etc.

Model validation – validation and corrections in utility source data sets for grid models, saving OpEx and increasing operator confidence for grid operations.

Operator’s Copilot – operator dispatch recommendations trained with grid physics, business rules, standard procedures, and operational experience, empowering workforce training and upskilling.

What is the ThinkLabs Copilot, and how does it enhance grid planning and operations?

ThinkLabs Copilot is a digital assistant that that understands the real world with proprietary physics-informed AI digital twins that provide a foundation model for engineering systems. It works with utility planners and operators, to model the grid into its “AI digital twin”, perform high speed and large scale analytics including in near real time, and make recommendations on grid operations, plans, and designs.

Can you explain what a physics-informed AI digital twin is and how it benefits grid reliability?

AI by itself can’t learn such a complex system as the grid with measurement data only. AI digital twins of the real world are trained by, work for, and work with engineering systems, hence “physics-informed”. Training is done using large amounts of synthetic data generated from engineering simulation. Traditional physics-only, impedance-based digital twins are deterministic and mathematically optimized, yet challenged by data quality, high computing power needed, and slow response time. Conversely, general AI techniques promise speed, yet sparse data, hallucinations, and “black box” effects concerns mission critical grid operations. A physics-informed AI digital twin offers transparent and trustworthy analytics, resilient and robust against bad data, fast response and action suitable for real time operations, preparedness with large pre-trained operating scenarios, and a closed-loop, continuous learning and improvement process.

How does ThinkLabs AI ensure the reliability and accuracy of its AI models in real-world scenarios?

Nature of physics-informed AI keeps AI grounded, tied to the real world, and bounded by the real world. We also do continuous learning and monitoring of model performance.

What makes your AI technology particularly suited for dealing with the complexities of modern electrical grids?

Being trained by determine engineering models, but handling the imperfect data quality of real world operations. AI also bring a wealth of optimization and generative techniques unmatched by traditional engineering mathematics.

How does ThinkLabs AI’s technology integrate with existing grid management systems like ADMS and DERMS?

ThinkLabs integrate as a Copilot with existing ADMS, DERMS, and AEMS, which will remain as the fundamental communications and control platform, while ThinkLabs will layer on additional intelligence and automation as similar to a vehicle’s driving assistance system.

What does the recent $5M seed investment mean for the future of ThinkLabs AI?

This seed investment has enabled us to spinoff and launch from GE, partner with a group of world class investors, invest in our team and product, coming to market with our first commercial Copilot, and work with a number of channel partners to bring this into the hands of our customers. This is the first foundational step to subsequent expansion and scale.

How do you envision the role of AI evolving in grid management and other critical infrastructures?

We see grid management and other critical infrastructure as being increasingly “AI first”, especially with physics-informed AI. Open up far greater understanding, situational awareness, and increasing automation decision making and orchestration of critical actions. Yet, always remain humble and trustworthy as AI, being true to the foundation laws of physics and engineering design.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit ThinkLabs AI.

[sabamvm]

IT Consulting: Navigating technological challenges, optimizing systems, and strategizing for digital transformation in businesses worldwide.

Title: Navigating the Dynamics of IT Consulting: A Comprehensive Guide

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, businesses are continually challenged to keep pace with the latest trends, innovations, and solutions to maintain their competitive edge. This challenge has propelled the significance of IT consulting firms, which offer expertise, guidance, and support in navigating the complexities of the digital realm. From streamlining operations to implementing cutting-edge solutions, IT consultants play a pivotal role in shaping the technological trajectory of organizations across industries.

 Understanding IT Consulting:

IT consulting encompasses a broad spectrum of services aimed at assisting businesses in leveraging technology to achieve their objectives efficiently and effectively. These services encompass various domains, including but not limited to:

1. **Strategic Planning**: IT consultants collaborate with stakeholders to develop comprehensive technology strategies aligned with the organization's goals and objectives.

2. **Infrastructure Assessment and Optimization**: Consultants evaluate existing IT infrastructure, identify areas for improvement, and recommend solutions to optimize performance, scalability, and security.

3. **Digital Transformation**: With the rapid digitization of business processes, consultants help organizations embrace digital transformation initiatives to enhance agility, innovation, and customer experience.

4. **Cybersecurity**: In an era of escalating cyber threats, IT consultants devise robust security frameworks, implement preventive measures, and conduct regular audits to safeguard sensitive data and mitigate risks.

5. **Cloud Computing**: Consultants facilitate the migration to cloud-based platforms, enabling businesses to leverage scalable infrastructure, enhance collaboration, and reduce operational costs.

The Role of IT Consultants:

IT consultants serve as trusted advisors, offering insights, expertise, and guidance to help organizations navigate technological challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities. Their role encompasses the following key aspects:

1. **Needs Assessment**: Consultants conduct thorough assessments to understand the unique requirements, pain points, and objectives of the client organization.

2. **Solution Design**: Based on the assessment, consultants design customized solutions tailored to address specific business challenges and capitalize on opportunities for growth and innovation.

3. **Implementation and Integration**: Consultants oversee the implementation of technology solutions, ensuring seamless integration with existing systems and processes while minimizing disruptions to operations.

4. **Change Management**: Effective change management is critical to the success of any technology initiative. IT consultants facilitate organizational change by fostering buy-in, providing training, and promoting a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

5. **Performance Monitoring and Optimization**: Post-implementation, consultants monitor the performance of IT systems, identify bottlenecks, and fine-tune configurations to optimize efficiency, reliability, and scalability.

The Value Proposition of IT Consulting:

The value proposition of IT consulting extends beyond technical expertise and encompasses various benefits for client organizations, including:

1. **Access to Specialized Skills**: IT consultants bring a diverse range of skills, experiences, and perspectives to the table, enabling organizations to tap into specialized expertise that may not be available in-house.

2. **Cost Optimization**: By outsourcing IT services to consultants, organizations can minimize overhead costs associated with hiring, training, and retaining full-time employees, while also gaining access to scalable resources and infrastructure.

3. **Strategic Insights**: Consultants offer strategic insights and industry best practices derived from their experiences working with diverse clients across different sectors, empowering organizations to make informed decisions and stay ahead of the curve.

4. **Risk Mitigation**: In an increasingly complex and dynamic technology landscape, IT consultants help mitigate risks associated with technology adoption, compliance, security breaches, and regulatory changes, thereby safeguarding the reputation and continuity of the business.

5. **Enhanced Agility and Innovation**: By leveraging the expertise of IT consultants, organizations can adapt quickly to changing market conditions, embrace emerging technologies, and foster a culture of innovation that drives sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

Challenges and Considerations:

While IT consulting offers numerous benefits, it also presents certain challenges and considerations that organizations must address:

1. **Alignment with Business Objectives**: It is essential to ensure that IT initiatives align closely with the broader strategic objectives of the organization to maximize the return on investment and drive tangible business outcomes.

2. **Vendor Selection**: Choosing the right IT consulting firm is critical to the success of technology initiatives. Organizations should conduct thorough due diligence, evaluate credentials, and seek recommendations to identify consultants with the requisite expertise, track record, and cultural fit.

3. **Communication and Collaboration**: Effective communication and collaboration between internal stakeholders and external consultants are essential for project success. Clear expectations, roles, and responsibilities should be established upfront to mitigate misunderstandings and ensure alignment throughout the engagement.

4. **Change Management**: Resistance to change is a common challenge in technology implementations. Organizations must proactively address cultural barriers, provide adequate training and support, and foster open dialogue to promote acceptance and adoption of new technologies and processes.

5. **Continuous Evaluation and Improvement**: Technology landscapes evolve rapidly, necessitating ongoing evaluation and optimization of IT strategies and solutions. Organizations should cultivate a culture of continuous improvement, embrace feedback, and adapt proactively to emerging trends and challenges.

Conclusion:

In an era defined by digital disruption and technological innovation, the role of IT consulting has never been more critical. By leveraging the expertise, insights, and guidance of IT consultants, organizations can navigate the complexities of the digital landscape, capitalize on emerging opportunities, and drive sustainable growth and competitive advantage. However, success in IT consulting hinges not only on technical proficiency but also on effective collaboration, strategic alignment, and a relentless commitment to innovation and excellence. As businesses continue to embrace digital transformation as a strategic imperative, the partnership between organizations and IT consultants will remain instrumental in shaping the future of technology and driving meaningful change across industries.

[acs-networks-and-technologies]

The Impact of Cloud Computing on IT Infrastructure Support

cloud computing has revolutionized IT infrastructure support, offering unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and efficiency. By embracing cloud-based solutions, organizations can overcome the limitations of traditional IT infrastructure models and unlock new opportunities for innovation and growth. However, the successful adoption of cloud computing requires careful consideration of security, integration, and skillset challenges. By following best practices and leveraging the transformative power of cloud computing, organizations can future-proof their IT infrastructure and drive sustainable business success in the digital age.

[applore]

Cloud Support Services Noida

Cloud support services in Noida are provided by Applore Technologies that specialize in managing and maintaining cloud infrastructure. These services include cloud migration, deployment, optimization, security, and ongoing support. With their expertise, these companies help businesses to leverage the power of the cloud, reduce infrastructure costs, and increase operational efficiency. If you're looking for reliable cloud support services in Noida, there are several reputable companies to choose from. Applore Technologies | Phone No: +91 8076589533 | 715 World Trade Tower, Sector 16, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301

[jatinbansalblog]

🔥Want to access 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 on cloud Anytime & Anywhere? Hurry up and connect with us🔥

.

Quickest Setup, go live in 15 minutes

Zero Maintenance Cost

🔴Why choose us

Own Data Center infrastructure

23 years of experience

10000+ Happy Clients Pan India

 High Data Security

 24/7 Support

.

 ☎️ +91-8800198868

visit now : https://kisitservices.in/

#tallyoncloud #cloudcomputing #cloud #tally #AWS #krishna #cloudservices #tallycloud #busy #margoncloud #busyoncloud #dataprotection #privacy #security #krishnacloudservices #krishnacloud #kisitservices #kisit

[it-support]

Things To Consider Before Hiring An IT Consulting Company.

When you are hiring an IT company for any service, then you also have to find out whether their services are as per your requirement or not. Sometimes, you need someone who can help you with a local area network.

[metamatar]

Crowdstrike did this to our production linux fleet back on April 19th, and I've been dying to rant about it.

The short version was: we're a civic tech lab, so we have a bunch of different production websites made at different times on different infrastructure. We run Crowdstrike provided by our enterprise. Crowdstrike pushed an update on a Friday evening that was incompatible with up-to-date Debian stable. So we patched Debian as usual, everything was fine for a week, and then all of our servers across multiple websites and cloud hosts simultaneously hard crashed and refused to boot.

When we connected one of the disks to a new machine and checked the logs, Crowdstrike looked like a culprit, so we manually deleted it, the machine booted, tried reinstalling it and the machine immediately crashes again. OK, let's file a support ticket and get an engineer on the line.

Crowdstrike took a day to respond, and then asked for a bunch more proof (beyond the above) that it was their fault. They acknowledged the bug a day later, and weeks later had a root cause analysis that they didn't cover our scenario (Debian stable running version n-1, I think, which is a supported configuration) in their test matrix. In our own post mortem there was no real ability to prevent the same thing from happening again -- "we push software to your machines any time we want, whether or not it's urgent, without testing it" seems to be core to the model, particularly if you're a small IT part of a large enterprise. What they're selling to the enterprise is exactly that they'll do that.

from hn thread

[mttconnect]

While providing IT support McKinney, MTT Connect ensures investment in information technology provides the maximum ROI to its stakeholders through IT roadmapping, planning and strategy. With one of the highest client satisfaction rates in the industry, they build lasting & trusted relationships.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Unpersoned

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

My latest Locus Magazine column is "Unpersoned." It's about the implications of putting critical infrastructure into the private, unaccountable hands of tech giants:

https://locusmag.com/2024/07/cory-doctorow-unpersoned/

The column opens with the story of romance writer K Renee, as reported by Madeline Ashby for Wired:

https://www.wired.com/story/what-happens-when-a-romance-author-gets-locked-out-of-google-docs/

Renee is a prolific writer who used Google Docs to compose her books, and share them among early readers for feedback and revisions. Last March, Renee's Google account was locked, and she was no longer able to access ten manuscripts for her unfinished books, totaling over 220,000 words. Google's famously opaque customer service – a mix of indifferently monitored forums, AI chatbots, and buck-passing subcontractors – would not explain to her what rule she had violated, merely that her work had been deemed "inappropriate."

Renee discovered that she wasn't being singled out. Many of her peers had also seen their accounts frozen and their documents locked, and none of them were able to get an explanation out of Google. Renee and her similarly situated victims of Google lockouts were reduced to developing folk-theories of what they had done to be expelled from Google's walled garden; Renee came to believe that she had tripped an anti-spam system by inviting her community of early readers to access the books she was working on.

There's a normal way that these stories resolve themselves: a reporter like Ashby, writing for a widely read publication like Wired, contacts the company and triggers a review by one of the vanishingly small number of people with the authority to undo the determinations of the Kafka-as-a-service systems that underpin the big platforms. The system's victim gets their data back and the company mouths a few empty phrases about how they take something-or-other "very seriously" and so forth.

But in this case, Google broke the script. When Ashby contacted Google about Renee's situation, Google spokesperson Jenny Thomson insisted that the policies for Google accounts were "clear": "we may review and take action on any content that violates our policies." If Renee believed that she'd been wrongly flagged, she could "request an appeal."

But Renee didn't even know what policy she was meant to have broken, and the "appeals" went nowhere.

This is an underappreciated aspect of "software as a service" and "the cloud." As companies from Microsoft to Adobe to Google withdraw the option to use software that runs on your own computer to create files that live on that computer, control over our own lives is quietly slipping away. Sure, it's great to have all your legal documents scanned, encrypted and hosted on GDrive, where they can't be burned up in a house-fire. But if a Google subcontractor decides you've broken some unwritten rule, you can lose access to those docs forever, without appeal or recourse.

That's what happened to "Mark," a San Francisco tech workers whose toddler developed a UTI during the early covid lockdowns. The pediatrician's office told Mark to take a picture of his son's infected penis and transmit it to the practice using a secure medical app. However, Mark's phone was also set up to synch all his pictures to Google Photos (this is a default setting), and when the picture of Mark's son's penis hit Google's cloud, it was automatically scanned and flagged as Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM, better known as "child porn"):

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/22/allopathic-risk/#snitches-get-stitches

Without contacting Mark, Google sent a copy of all of his data – searches, emails, photos, cloud files, location history and more – to the SFPD, and then terminated his account. Mark lost his phone number (he was a Google Fi customer), his email archives, all the household and professional files he kept on GDrive, his stored passwords, his two-factor authentication via Google Authenticator, and every photo he'd ever taken of his young son.

The SFPD concluded that Mark hadn't done anything wrong, but it was too late. Google had permanently deleted all of Mark's data. The SFPD had to mail a physical letter to Mark telling him he wasn't in trouble, because he had no email and no phone.

Mark's not the only person this happened to. Writing about Mark for the New York Times, Kashmir Hill described other parents, like a Houston father identified as "Cassio," who also lost their accounts and found themselves blocked from fundamental participation in modern life:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/technology/google-surveillance-toddler-photo.html

Note that in none of these cases did the problem arise from the fact that Google services are advertising-supported, and because these people weren't paying for the product, they were the product. Buying a $800 Pixel phone or paying more than $100/year for a Google Drive account means that you're definitely paying for the product, and you're still the product.

What do we do about this? One answer would be to force the platforms to provide service to users who, in their judgment, might be engaged in fraud, or trafficking in CSAM, or arranging terrorist attacks. This is not my preferred solution, for reasons that I hope are obvious!

We can try to improve the decision-making processes at these giant platforms so that they catch fewer dolphins in their tuna-nets. The "first wave" of content moderation appeals focused on the establishment of oversight and review boards that wronged users could appeal their cases to. The idea was to establish these "paradigm cases" that would clarify the tricky aspects of content moderation decisions, like whether uploading a Nazi atrocity video in order to criticize it violated a rule against showing gore, Nazi paraphernalia, etc.

This hasn't worked very well. A proposal for "second wave" moderation oversight based on arms-length semi-employees at the platforms who gather and report statistics on moderation calls and complaints hasn't gelled either:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/03/12/move-slow-and-fix-things/#second-wave

Both the EU and California have privacy rules that allow users to demand their data back from platforms, but neither has proven very useful (yet) in situations where users have their accounts terminated because they are accused of committing gross violations of platform policy. You can see why this would be: if someone is accused of trafficking in child porn or running a pig-butchering scam, it would be perverse to shut down their account but give them all the data they need to go one committing these crimes elsewhere.

But even where you can invoke the EU's GDPR or California's CCPA to get your data, the platforms deliver that data in the most useless, complex blobs imaginable. For example, I recently used the CCPA to force Mailchimp to give me all the data they held on me. Mailchimp – a division of the monopolist and serial fraudster Intuit – is a favored platform for spammers, and I have been added to thousands of Mailchimp lists that bombard me with unsolicited press pitches and come-ons for scam products.

Mailchimp has spent a decade ignoring calls to allow users to see what mailing lists they've been added to, as a prelude to mass unsubscribing from those lists (for Mailchimp, the fact that spammers can pay it to send spam that users can't easily opt out of is a feature, not a bug). I thought that the CCPA might finally let me see the lists I'm on, but instead, Mailchimp sent me more than 5900 files, scattered through which were the internal serial numbers of the lists my name had been added to – but without the names of those lists any contact information for their owners. I can see that I'm on more than 1,000 mailing lists, but I can't do anything about it.

Mailchimp shows how a rule requiring platforms to furnish data-dumps can be easily subverted, and its conduct goes a long way to explaining why a decade of EU policy requiring these dumps has failed to make a dent in the market power of the Big Tech platforms.

The EU has a new solution to this problem. With its 2024 Digital Markets Act, the EU is requiring platforms to furnish APIs – programmatic ways for rivals to connect to their services. With the DMA, we might finally get something parallel to the cellular industry's "number portability" for other kinds of platforms.

If you've ever changed cellular platforms, you know how smooth this can be. When you get sick of your carrier, you set up an account with a new one and get a one-time code. Then you call your old carrier, endure their pathetic begging not to switch, give them that number and within a short time (sometimes only minutes), your phone is now on the new carrier's network, with your old phone-number intact.

This is a much better answer than forcing platforms to provide service to users whom they judge to be criminals or otherwise undesirable, but the platforms hate it. They say they hate it because it makes them complicit in crimes ("if we have to let an accused fraudster transfer their address book to a rival service, we abet the fraud"), but it's obvious that their objection is really about being forced to reduce the pain of switching to a rival.

There's a superficial reasonableness to the platforms' position, but only until you think about Mark, or K Renee, or the other people who've been "unpersonned" by the platforms with no explanation or appeal.

The platforms have rigged things so that you must have an account with them in order to function, but they also want to have the unilateral right to kick people off their systems. The combination of these demands represents more power than any company should have, and Big Tech has repeatedly demonstrated its unfitness to wield this kind of power.

This week, I lost an argument with my accountants about this. They provide me with my tax forms as links to a Microsoft Cloud file, and I need to have a Microsoft login in order to retrieve these files. This policy – and a prohibition on sending customer files as email attachments – came from their IT team, and it was in response to a requirement imposed by their insurer.

The problem here isn't merely that I must now enter into a contractual arrangement with Microsoft in order to do my taxes. It isn't just that Microsoft's terms of service are ghastly. It's not even that they could change those terms at any time, for example, to ingest my sensitive tax documents in order to train a large language model.

It's that Microsoft – like Google, Apple, Facebook and the other giants – routinely disconnects users for reasons it refuses to explain, and offers no meaningful appeal. Microsoft tells its business customers, "force your clients to get a Microsoft account in order to maintain communications security" but also reserves the right to unilaterally ban those clients from having a Microsoft account.

There are examples of this all over. Google recently flipped a switch so that you can't complete a Google Form without being logged into a Google account. Now, my ability to purse all kinds of matters both consequential and trivial turn on Google's good graces, which can change suddenly and arbitrarily. If I was like Mark, permanently banned from Google, I wouldn't have been able to complete Google Forms this week telling a conference organizer what sized t-shirt I wear, but also telling a friend that I could attend their wedding.

Now, perhaps some people really should be locked out of digital life. Maybe people who traffick in CSAM should be locked out of the cloud. But the entity that should make that determination is a court, not a Big Tech content moderator. It's fine for a platform to decide it doesn't want your business – but it shouldn't be up to the platform to decide that no one should be able to provide you with service.

This is especially salient in light of the chaos caused by Crowdstrike's catastrophic software update last week. Crowdstrike demonstrated what happens to users when a cloud provider accidentally terminates their account, but while we're thinking about reducing the likelihood of such accidents, we should really be thinking about what happens when you get Crowdstruck on purpose.

The wholesale chaos that Windows users and their clients, employees, users and stakeholders underwent last week could have been pieced out retail. It could have come as a court order (either by a US court or a foreign court) to disconnect a user and/or brick their computer. It could have come as an insider attack, undertaken by a vengeful employee, or one who was on the take from criminals or a foreign government. The ability to give anyone in the world a Blue Screen of Death could be a feature and not a bug.

It's not that companies are sadistic. When they mistreat us, it's nothing personal. They've just calculated that it would cost them more to run a good process than our business is worth to them. If they know we can't leave for a competitor, if they know we can't sue them, if they know that a tech rival can't give us a tool to get our data out of their silos, then the expected cost of mistreating us goes down. That makes it economically rational to seek out ever-more trivial sources of income that impose ever-more miserable conditions on us. When we can't leave without paying a very steep price, there's practically a fiduciary duty to find ways to upcharge, downgrade, scam, screw and enshittify us, right up to the point where we're so pissed that we quit.

Google could pay competent decision-makers to review every complaint about an account disconnection, but the cost of employing that large, skilled workforce vastly exceeds their expected lifetime revenue from a user like Mark. The fact that this results in the ruination of Mark's life isn't Google's problem – it's Mark's problem.

The cloud is many things, but most of all, it's a trap. When software is delivered as a service, when your data and the programs you use to read and write it live on computers that you don't control, your switching costs skyrocket. Think of Adobe, which no longer lets you buy programs at all, but instead insists that you run its software via the cloud. Adobe used the fact that you no longer own the tools you rely upon to cancel its Pantone color-matching license. One day, every Adobe customer in the world woke up to discover that the colors in their career-spanning file collections had all turned black, and would remain black until they paid an upcharge:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/28/fade-to-black/#trust-the-process

The cloud allows the companies whose products you rely on to alter the functioning and cost of those products unilaterally. Like mobile apps – which can't be reverse-engineered and modified without risking legal liability – cloud apps are built for enshittification. They are designed to shift power away from users to software companies. An app is just a web-page wrapped in enough IP to make it a felony to add an ad-blocker to it. A cloud app is some Javascript wrapped in enough terms of service clickthroughs to make it a felony to restore old features that the company now wants to upcharge you for.

Google's defenstration of K Renee, Mark and Cassio may have been accidental, but Google's capacity to defenstrate all of us, and the enormous cost we all bear if Google does so, has been carefully engineered into the system. Same goes for Apple, Microsoft, Adobe and anyone else who traps us in their silos. The lesson of the Crowdstrike catastrophe isn't merely that our IT systems are brittle and riddled with single points of failure: it's that these failure-points can be tripped deliberately, and that doing so could be in a company's best interests, no matter how devastating it would be to you or me.

If you'd like an e ssay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/22/degoogled/#kafka-as-a-service

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[mariacallous]

lol philadelphia inquirer bodying nyt

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/first-presidential-debate-joe-biden-donald-trump-withdraw-20240629.html

President Joe Biden’s debate performance was a disaster. His disjointed responses and dazed look sparked calls for him to drop out of the presidential race.

But lost in the hand wringing was Donald Trump’s usual bombastic litany of lies, hyperbole, bigotry, ignorance, and fear mongering. His performance demonstrated once again that he is a danger to democracy and unfit for office.

In fact, the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.

Trump, 78, has been on the political stage for eight years marked by chaos, corruption, and incivility. Why go back to that?

To build himself up, Trump constantly tears the country down. There is no shining city on the hill. It’s just mourning in America.

Throughout the debate, Trump repeatedly said we are a “failing” country. He called the United States a “third world nation.” He said, “we’re living in hell” and “very close to World War III.”

“People are dying all over the place,” Trump said, later adding “we’re literally an uncivilized country now.”

Trump told more than 30 lies during the debate to go with the more than 30,000 mistruths told during his four years as president. He dodged the CNN moderators’ questions, took no responsibility for his actions, and blamed others, mainly Biden, for everything that is wrong in the world.

Trump’s response to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection he fueled was farcical. He said a “relatively small number of people” went to the Capitol and many were “ushered in by the police.”

After scheming to overturn the 2020 election, Trump refused to say if he would accept the results of the 2024 election. Unless, of course, he wins.

The debate served as a reminder of what another four years of Trump would look like. More lies, grievance, narcissism, and hate. Supporters say they like Trump because he says whatever he thinks. But he mainly spews raw sewage.

Trump attacks the military. He denigrates the Justice Department and judges. He belittles the FBI and the CIA. He picks fights with allies and cozies up to dictators.

Trump is an unserious carnival barker running for the most serious job in the world. During his last term, Trump served himself and not the American people.

Trump spent chunks of time watching TV, tweeting, and hanging out at his country clubs. Over his four-year term, Trump played roughly 261 rounds of golf.

As president, Trump didn’t read the daily intelligence briefs. He continued to use his personal cell phone, allowing Chinese spies to listen to his calls. During one Oval Office meeting, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador.

Trump’s term did plenty of damage and had few accomplishments. The much-hyped wall didn’t get built. Infrastructure week was a recurring joke. Giant tax cuts made the rich richer, while fueling massive deficits for others to pay for years. His support for coal, oil drilling and withdrawal from the Paris Agreement worsened the growing impact of climate change.

Trump stacked the judiciary with extreme judges consisting mainly of white males, including a number who the American Bar Association rated as not qualified. A record number of cabinet officials were fired or left the office. The West Wing was in constant chaos and infighting.

Many Trump appointees exited under a cloud of corruption, grifting and ethical scandals. Trump’s children made millions off the White House. His dilettante son-in-law got $2 billion from the Saudi government for his fledgling investment firm even though he never managed money before.

Trump’s mismanagement of the pandemic resulted in tens of thousands of needless deaths. He boasts about stacking the Supreme Court with extreme right-wingers who are stripping away individual rights, upending legal precedents, and making the country less safe. If elected, Trump may add to the court’s conservative majority.

Of course, there were the unprecedented two impeachments. Now, Trump is a convicted felon who is staring at three more criminal indictments. He is running for president to stay out of prison.

If anything, Trump doesn’t deserve to be on the presidential debate stage. Why even give him a platform?

Trump allegedly stole classified information and tried to overturn an election. His plans for a second term are worse than the last one. We cannot be serious about letting such a crooked clown back in the White House.

Yes, Biden had a horrible night. He’s 81 and not as sharp as he used to be. But Biden on his worst day remains lightyears better than Trump on his best.

Biden must show that he is up to the job. This much is clear: He has a substantive record of real accomplishments, fighting the pandemic, combating climate change, investing in infrastructure, and supporting working families and the most vulnerable.

Biden has surrounded himself with experienced people who take public service seriously. He has passed major bipartisan legislation despite a dysfunctional Republican House majority.

Biden believes in the best of America. He has rebuilt relationships with allies around the world and stood up to foes like Russia and China.

There was only one person at the debate who does not deserve to be running for president. The sooner Trump exits the stage, the better off the country will be.

[pricelessemotion]

Labyrinth | Javy "Coyote" Machado

pairing: Javy "Coyote" Machado x fem!reader (prev Jake "Hangman" Seresin x fem!reader)

summary: [4k] Jake may be gone, but Javy isn't. The two of you navigate your lives and your grief. Together.

warnings: jake is dead, RIP jake, grief and mourning, emotional hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, sickfic moment, friends to roommates to ...?

a/n: coming out of my writer cave to post a tgm fic that nobody asked for. idk why I became obsessed with the idea of jake's widow!reader falling in love w javy but here we are! enjoy and lmk what you think <3

read on ao3 | navigation

Lieutenant Commander Jacob Michael Seresin died on a Tuesday morning. At least that’s what they tell you, you don’t remember much of the days and weeks surrounding his death. 

You flip the funeral card in your hand, over and over and over again. No expense was spared. It’s textured cardstock with fancy but easily legible cursive font. It reminds you of your wedding invitations. The back is a picture of him in his dress whites, face unsmiling. The same dress whites he’s going to be buried in. 

Lieutenant Commander Jacob Michael Seresin was called home

Funeral to take place at Graham's Memorial Home 

Reception to follow 

Called home. It’s such an interesting phrase. It suggests that he’s meant to be wherever he is now. That the house that you bought together, the plans that you made were all just a waiting room until Saint Peter called his name. 

You never considered yourself particularly religious. Jake, being born and raised in Texas, was a god-fearing Christian man. He believed in heaven and an afterlife. You’ve always been on the fence.

The day of the funeral, there isn’t a cloud in the sky. You want to scream and laugh at the same time but the only sound that escapes your mouth is a strangled gasp that has Javy taking you into his arms. It had rained on your wedding day. Poured would be a more accurate description. The officiant said he had never seen that big of a meteorological turnaround in all of his forty years of weddings. Due to California existing in a near-constant state of drought, there simply wasn’t the infrastructure in place to support the torrential downpour. Most of your guests had been left stranded in other states, their flights being put on a constant loop of rescheduling and then cancellation. 

You thought it was a sign. An omen. Now you wonder if maybe it was. 

Jake had simply shaken his head and laughed. He was never one for superstitions. It’s what made him a good pilot. He relied on skill and instinct. He said that there was no way in hell that a little water was going to get in the way of him marrying the love of his life. 

His mother lightly smacked him on the bicep for using such language in a house of god, before subsequently melting and muttering how she must’ve done something right. 

You think that this unnatural weather must’ve been his doing. It had been overcast and depressing all week. Or at least, as far as you could tell from your brief moments of lucidity before descending back into a fugue state. You know that he always hated the days that were few and far between when the weather would be too bad for him to properly run drills or train new recruits. 

You loved the man more than anything. He always reminded you of the sky, the way he took you to heights that you had never even imagined before. Still, despite the thrill and the rush of adrenaline, all you could think about was the fear of falling. 

Husbands and children have been left back in Texas. Jake’s mom and sisters have taken over the house. There’s not a dish left unwashed nor a basket of laundry left unfolded. You've eaten more casserole in the last week than you have before in your entire life. The fridge is filled to the brim with tin foiled pans that people will probably want back but won't bother asking for if they don't. Despite the array of choices, they all taste the same. Ashen and tasteless is the I’m-sorry-your-husband-died special. 

The house is more lively than it usually is, with four Seresin women milling around. You see him in them. In the quirk of their mouths, the tilt of their heads when they’re thinking about something, the hard line of their jaws when they hold back their tears. You can barely look his mother in the eyes because they’re his. 

They try to take you everywhere with them. Trips to the grocery store and walks around the neighborhood are treated as milestones when you spend most days unable to get out of bed. 

On one of the drives, you can’t remember which one or even where you were heading to they all seem to blur together in the end, you passed by a car wash. Jake would usually handle all the car stuff himself, but he told you to go here when he was on deployment because it was the only place that didn’t upcharge for ridiculous shit. They have one of those inflatable tube men outside. Waiting at the intersection for the light to turn green, you’re stuck looking at him. 

When they do finally leave, it's with little fanfare. They remind you of the food in the fridge and the local bereavement group they found. Kisses on cheeks are exchanged and you stand like one of those inflatable tube men at the end of the driveway, mechanically waving goodbye. 

Once the cars are gone from view, it’s like someone’s turned off the fan that’s kept you upright. You crumple to the ground.

–

Javy tries his best to decode the text that you sent him while his phone had been in his gym locker. The series of texts seems to get more and more incoherent as time went on. He was used to this by now. He had told you that you could talk to him about your grief at any time and that he would always be there for you. 

Which is how Javy comes to find you here. 

You’re on the ground outside. Green California grass caresses your fingertips, despite the near-constant state of drought. You know you came out here to look at the stars but closed your eyes when you could feel the Earth spinning. 

You feel like the two-headed calf because there are twice as many stars as usual. The Earth spins at a rate of 1,000 miles per hour. You swear, right there in the grass, that you can feel every single mile. You’re holding on for dear life. 

“Jake said that when he was a kid, he used to believe that stars were actually holes in the sky. The white light that came through was Heaven. He used to sit on the grass and look up and dig his fingers into the dirt. ‘Said he was scared that if he let go he’d float away.” 

Javy only hums in response. Slowly, his left hand nudges your right one. The warmth of his palm covers you and despite yourself, despite marring and ripping apart the beautiful meticulously cared-for lawn, you let go. 

When your hand rises to meet his, it’s not without a few casualties. Blades of grass are plucked from the ground making snapping sounds like muffled guitar strings. It’s the saddest sound you’ve ever heard.

–

“I’m thinking about selling the house.” 

The words hang in dead air. There’s a slight pause in Javy’s movements. From behind, you can see the muscles beneath his flannel tighten up before they relax again. He resumes stirring his coffee, the spoon hitting the sides of the ceramic mug with muted ting ting ting sounds. 

The mug itself is UT Austin merch from many moons ago. It’s Jake’s favorite. Or at least, it was Jake’s favorite. The mug used to remind you of quiet Sunday mornings and waffles for two. Now it just reminds you that he drank from it and put it in the dishwasher, thinking that he would get another Sunday, another cup of coffee.

You’re not mad at all that Javy is using it. On the contrary, you’re glad that the mug is being used for its purpose. That it’s not being memorialized and thus, rendered functionally useless. It drove you crazy to see it sitting in the cabinet collecting dust, but you refused to be the one to drink from it. It’s good that this memory of him is momentary and not a monument. 

Javy takes a long sip from his mug, cradling it in both hands as he leans into the kitchen counter behind him. “When you say thinking what do you mean?” 

Javy knows you too well. He knows that if you’re telling him about it, then it’s pretty much already decided. You’ve gone about every major decision in your life this way. You research and refine results until you’re sure that the way you’ve chosen is the only way forward. It’s how you decided that being with Jake was worth the risk of losing him. 

You never said that it was a foolproof system, just that it was the system you’ve always used. 

“I mean that I’ve already gotten the house appraised and have been talking to a realtor. She thinks we could list it and sell it before the year is out.” 

Javy blows out a breath, puffing out his full lips. He swirls his coffee cup once, twice before taking a sip and asking, “Are you sure that this is what you want?” 

“Yes, I’m sure. I can’t–” Your voice thickens until it breaks, the words brittle. I can’t keep living in a haunted house.

Javy nods, taking another sip before setting the cup down on the counter and saying the last thing you expected, “Move in with me.”

–

Moving out occurs with very little fuss. The other daggers drop in and out, taping boxes and dropping them off at Goodwill per your request, but everyone seems to be keeping a respectful, yet unnecessary distance. 

Before you even touched a single cardboard box, Javy went from room to room and photographed everything. From the arrangement of the magnets on the fridge to the clutter on your bedside table. He insisted that one day these would be memories to hold back on. That it wasn’t the house's fault that it was haunted. That sometimes ghosts don’t have to haunt you. 

You’re beyond the point of sentimentality anymore. If you were, you’d still be catatonic on the couch, refusing to sleep in the bedroom you once shared with your husband. Everything is objective. Every dish is just a dish and not the first real set of glassware that you bought for the house after eating off of paper plates when the movers accidentally dropped the boxed marked kitchen FRAGILE off the side of the truck. 

You’re glad that all of the Christmas ornaments are still boxed up in the attic. There’s one in particular that you loved. The one that you put on the tree first every single Christmas. It was the ornament Jake got you when you first got together. A silly little reindeer.

You’ve mostly gotten everything out of the kitchen now. The shelves are bare and now you will once again have to resort to paper plates and plastic forks until this move is over. You haven’t seen your new roommate–God, it’s still weird to think of him like that–in a while so you tentatively call out his name. 

“Javy?” Your voice is rough from hours of speechless focus. It cracks and breaks the silence of the house like a pebble on a windshield. 

He doesn’t respond. You call out again, removing your gloves and moving towards the staircase. The door to Jake’s office is left ajar. Javy volunteered to pack up the room and you let him without a fight. Jake didn’t spend too much time in his office when he was home. Honestly, you think it might’ve saddened you more to see his legal pads and his sticky notes with reminders that he’ll never get the chance to forget. 

You knock, easing the door open and softly calling out Javy’s name before you stop. There he is in the middle of the floor, head to his knees, back shaking with silent sobs. You crumble immediately. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and feel his wet face causing the fabric to stick to your collarbone. You don’t care. 

It occurs to you that the roles have finally been reversed. All these months, you’ve been so grateful for Javy’s steadiness. His immovability. You thought his lack of tears had been because he was processing his emotions in a way that was different than yours. You thought maybe he was better at compartmentalization than you were. And maybe that was true. 

You look around the room, hoping to find the catalyst for what caused this breakdown. Maybe there was a picture from the good old days, or an old card that Jake always meant to give him but never remembered to. But looking around, you come up empty. That’s when you realize that it’s not one single thing that set Javy off. It’s everything. It’s the dust on the keyboard. It’s the stale air. It’s the way the calendar on the wall has an X drawn through every day and then stopped in the middle of June. It’s the World War II book that has a bookmark placed so close to the end, you wonder if Jake was leaving the epilogue until after he came home from work. 

It’s been hours since Javy made his way up here. The two boxes he brought with him sit flat behind the door. They haven’t even been folded out. 

So you just sit there with him, rocking slightly back and forth. This continues until he leans back and spreads himself out on the carpet, not unlike the way you did all those months ago in the backyard. You burrow into his side, your ear pressed to his heart, paying attention to the furious tempo. You lay there until the hiccups in his breathing cease and the rise and fall of his chest is as rhythmic as waves crashing on the San Diego shore.

–

“You can lay down, y’know? This is your couch after all.” The gray L-shaped sectional is more than big enough for both you and Javy, who has been trying and failing to stay upright for the past twenty minutes. 

“First of all, this is our couch. Second of all, I will lay down thank you for offering.” 

He starts out perpendicular to you. His large frame takes up most of the sofa cushions. Though it can’t be comfortable for an extended time, he stays propped up on his elbow, making jokes about whatever's on TV. His exhaustion starts to take over and his elbow slips, one, two, three times. He always catches himself before his head drops too far, agile and responsive even when fighting sleep. 

You know you can’t outright offer it to him, so you go for the next best thing. Leaning back, you shift your position until your blanketed thigh is touching his bicep. From there, it’s only a matter of time until Javy gives in to the sands of time and his head falls into your lap. 

You’ve missed this, you realize. There are a lot of things that you miss about Jake, specifically. But this, the simple act of being close to someone. The simple choice to be there for someone else to lean on. Joy and guilt are like lightning and thunder. When one comes the other will soon follow. 

You think about this from the outside looking in. Javy coming home, kissing your cheek, telling you about his day. Him cooking dinner while you do laundry. You doing the dishes while he does the crossword. The two of you, lying down on the couch after a long day and watching television together. The scene is exceedingly domestic in a way that makes your cheeks tingle and your chest ache.

Your left thumb instinctually goes to caress the base of your ring finger, only to come up empty. Your heart drops to your stomach. Then, you remember. You always take off your rings when doing the dishes. It was best practice, to make sure that the delicate gems wouldn’t get unnecessarily tarnished. You’d never once forgotten to put them back on, though. 

You linger on the absence of the rings and the presence of the man sleeping soundly right beside you. Joy and guilt. Lightning and thunder.

–

There are large hands around your waist. Lips flush against the skin of your neck, murmuring and muttering words of praise and astonishment. Those hands slip lower and lower, rucking up the hem of your nightgown to your waist. Calloused fingertips brush the junction of your thighs and you feel heat licking up your center. 

Look at me while you come for me, baby. 

You do look up, mind overtaken by heat and lust and longing. Your breath catches in your throat. You know this jawline. You know these lips. You know that voice. 

Say my name. 

Your mouth goes to form the word but you lose yourself in huffs of breath and twisted sheets. You wake, just as you hit your peak. The sound that was so difficult to make in your dream state emerges from your mouth, watery and wanting. 

Javy.

–

You spend the next three days locked in your room. You take all your meals to go, even though you can see the disappointment on Javy’s face every time you do. Disappointment you only see when you are confident that you can look at him without bursting into flames. The opportunity is few and far between these days. He’s always in the background. Asking if you’d like to accompany him to the store or go on a hike. Your answer is always the same. 

Your forced solitude only lasts for another two days before Javy politely knocks on your door and enters your room. You mumble out a lackluster greeting barely looking up from your laptop or your desk. There’s a water stain near your left wrist, a circular ring that matches the bottom of your favorite mug. 

“Are you gonna tell me why you’re avoiding me?”

Maybe you should get a coaster. Civilized people used coasters, didn’t they? Civilized people used coasters and went hiking and did not have sex dreams about their dead husband’s best friend. 

Javy says your name. It sounds weary. Like he’s approaching a wounded deer, hoping that she’ll let him near her before she goes running off into the forest to bleed out alone. 

He sighs and sits on the edge of your bed, keeping a respectful distance. The mattress dips under the weight of him. 

“Is it because we’re living together now? Do you—“ He clears his throat and suddenly, despite being well over six feet tall, he looks small. “Do you regret moving in together?” 

You realize now that you’re not the deer. Javy is. He was living a fine and peaceful existence before you showed up with a shotgun and a need for flesh. 

His question is tentative. Bleeding out in a forest alone doesn’t sound so bad, all things considered. 

“No!” You blurt out your answer so fast it almost startles you. You take a moment, “No that’s not it at all.” 

“Then what is it? Is it something I did?” 

“Not exactly.” 

“It’s just–God, I can’t believe I’m telling you this–I had a dream.” 

“Like a nightmare? You know you can talk to me about those–”

“Not that kind of dream.” Javy had been helpful with nightmares in the past. He knew how to calm you down, especially when you realized that waking up didn’t necessarily mean that the nightmare was over. 

He sits there, earnest and sympathetic and terribly understanding in a way that you don’t deserve and don’t know if you can handle right now.

“It was a sex dream.” You breathe out, cheeks hot and fists rumpled in your bedsheets. 

“Oh. Oh.”

You both sit in silence for a moment. Javy decides to break it. 

“Was it– Was I–” He tries so hard to make the words come out, but nothing does. His hands rest on his thighs and he furrows his brows and directs his gaze to the carpet. 

“I think it was because we’ve been around each other so much. And obviously, it’s been a while.”

Javy agrees with you because of course he does. You try to breathe some lightness into your tone, anything to battle this heaviness that’s sunken into the conversation. “It’s crazy how the human brain works, right?” 

Javy’s eyes drop to your lips, but only for a second. He smiles politely and bows his head in subtle agreement. “It is crazy.”

–

Flu season passes through San Diego like a plague. It seems every week, another one of your coworkers is out, whether it be their own health in distress or their children’s. It was only a matter of time before it came to you. 

Despite having gotten your flu shot, you experience probably the worst bout of sickness in your life. You’re bundled up on your bed, fluffy robe with the drawstring pulled tight. Javy is hovering in the hallway–because that seems to be his neutral state of being these days, hovering. He dares not to open the door because of your self-imposed quarantine. You’ve created an imaginary moat of used tissues and dirty clothes, all to protect the fire-breathing dragon that is your feverish body.

“If you don’t go, I will strangle you.” You threaten, though it comes out weak and nasal. 

“I can always reschedule–” 

“You’ve been rescheduling on this girl for two weeks! I’ll be fine, I promise! I’m probably just going to watch old episodes of New Girl until I pass out from exhaustion.” 

“Fine, but if you need anything–anything at all–just text me or call me.”

You verbally push Javy out of the door with more assurances and less thinly veiled threats. Things have been awkward between the two of you since your confession. You’re almost relieved at your sickness and the way it has allowed you to avoid more unnecessary face-to-face contact. At least that’s what you tell yourself. But when you hear the front door shut and the sound of Javy’s engine starting up, you look around the room. Running your hands over the wrinkled bedding, a feeling almost like loneliness settles over you.

–

It was an unfortunate ending to a mild evening. A broken Javy crackled over the speaker before he was speeding his way across town. 

You’re shivering by the time he reaches you. Which makes no sense because you’re so hot that Javy hisses when his palm touches your clammy forehead. He’s about to scoop you up and load you into the back seat of his car when you come to. You murmur and whine and he tells you that he’s got you and he’s here. He explains that he’s gonna take you to the hospital and that seems to be the only thing that breaks you out of your feverish state because you open your eyes and tell him No hospital.  

He’s lucky that the upholstered lounge chair in the corner of your room is as comfy as it is because that’s where he stays for the rest of the night. He holds a cold damp cloth to your forehead, murmuring apologies when you whimper at the disorienting change in temperature. He routinely uses a thermometer, because damn your wishes if it means that you die in this bed on his watch. Your fever stays just below the concerning range and it isn’t until 4 am that it finally breaks. 

Only then does Javy let himself fall asleep. 

You wake up weak and disoriented. Javy pulled up the chair from the corner of the room to right next to the bed. After a bowl of soup, he convinces you to take a bath and changes out your sweat-soaked flannel sheets for fresh ones straight from the dryer. 

“Oh my god, your date! I’m so sorry—“

Javy waves you off with a wave and a gentle dismissal. He insists it’s fine. That there was no spark anyways. 

It’s not until you’re tucked under the covers with half a cup of tea on your nightstand that he slips into the hallway and sends out a text. 

Had a lovely time last night. 

I just don’t think I’m in the right headspace for a relationship right now. 

I hope you understand.