#Dynamic Data Visualization

[acubeai]

Creating an Effective Power BI Dashboard: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction to Power BI Power BI is a suite of business analytics tools that allows you to connect to multiple data sources, transform data into actionable insights, and share those insights across your organization. With Power BI, you can create interactive dashboards and reports that provide a 360-degree view of your business.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Power BI Dashboard

1. Data Import and Transformation The first step in creating a Power BI dashboard is importing your data. Power BI supports various data sources, including Excel, SQL Server, Azure, and more.

Steps to Import Data:

Open Power BI Desktop.

Click on Get Data in the Home ribbon.

Select your data source (e.g., Excel, SQL Server, etc.).

Load the data into Power BI.

Once the data is loaded, you may need to transform it to suit your reporting needs. Power BI provides Power Query Editor for data transformation.

Data Transformation:

Open Power Query Editor.

Apply necessary transformations such as filtering rows, adding columns, merging tables, etc.

Close and apply the changes.

2. Designing the Dashboard After preparing your data, the next step is to design your dashboard. Start by adding a new report and selecting the type of visualization you want to use.

Types of Visualizations:

Charts: Bar, Line, Pie, Area, etc.

Tables and Matrices: For detailed data representation.

Maps: Geographic data visualization.

Cards and Gauges: For key metrics and KPIs.

Slicers: For interactive data filtering.

Adding Visualizations:

Drag and drop fields from the Fields pane to the canvas.

Choose the appropriate visualization type from the Visualizations pane.

Customize the visual by adjusting properties such as colors, labels, and titles.

3. Enhancing the Dashboard with Interactivity Interactivity is one of the key features of Power BI dashboards. You can add slicers, drill-throughs, and bookmarks to make your dashboard more interactive and user-friendly.

Using Slicers:

Add a slicer visual to the canvas.

Drag a field to the slicer to allow users to filter data dynamically.

Drill-throughs:

Enable drill-through on visuals to allow users to navigate to detailed reports.

Set up drill-through pages by defining the fields that will trigger the drill-through.

Bookmarks:

Create bookmarks to capture the state of a report page.

Use bookmarks to toggle between different views of the data.

Different Styles of Power BI Dashboards Power BI dashboards can be styled to meet various business needs. Here are a few examples:

1. Executive Dashboard An executive dashboard provides a high-level overview of key business metrics. It typically includes:

KPI visuals for critical metrics.

Line charts for trend analysis.

Bar charts for categorical comparison.

Maps for geographic insights.

Example:

KPI cards for revenue, profit margin, and customer satisfaction.

A line chart showing monthly sales trends.

A bar chart comparing sales by region.

A map highlighting sales distribution across different states.

2. Sales Performance Dashboard A sales performance dashboard focuses on sales data, providing insights into sales trends, product performance, and sales team effectiveness.

Example:

A funnel chart showing the sales pipeline stages.

A bar chart displaying sales by product category.

A scatter plot highlighting the performance of sales representatives.

A table showing detailed sales transactions.

3. Financial Dashboard A financial dashboard offers a comprehensive view of the financial health of an organization. It includes:

Financial KPIs such as revenue, expenses, and profit.

Financial statements like income statement and balance sheet.

Trend charts for revenue and expenses.

Pie charts for expense distribution.

Example:

KPI cards for net income, operating expenses, and gross margin.

A line chart showing monthly revenue and expense trends.

A pie chart illustrating the breakdown of expenses.

A matrix displaying the income statement.

Best Practices for Designing Power BI Dashboards To ensure your Power BI dashboard is effective and user-friendly, follow these best practices:

Keep it Simple:

Avoid cluttering the dashboard with too many visuals.

Focus on the most important metrics and insights.

2. Use Consistent Design:

Maintain a consistent color scheme and font style.

Align visuals properly for a clean layout.

3. Ensure Data Accuracy:

Validate your data to ensure accuracy.

Regularly update the data to reflect the latest information.

4. Enhance Interactivity:

Use slicers and drill-throughs to provide a dynamic user experience.

Add tooltips to provide additional context.

5. Optimize Performance:

Use aggregations and data reduction techniques to improve performance.

Avoid using too many complex calculations.

Conclusion Creating a Power BI dashboard involves importing and transforming data, designing interactive visuals, and applying best practices to ensure clarity and effectiveness. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can build dashboards that provide valuable insights and support data-driven decision-making in your organization. Power BI’s flexibility and range of visualizations make it an essential tool for any business looking to leverage its data effectively.

[jcmarchi]

From refugee to MIT graduate student

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/from-refugee-to-mit-graduate-student/

From refugee to MIT graduate student

Mlen-Too Wesley has faded memories of his early childhood in Liberia, but the sharpest one has shaped his life.

Wesley was 4 years old when he and his family boarded a military airplane to flee the West African nation. At the time, the country was embroiled in a 14-year civil war that killed approximately 200,000 people, displaced about 750,000, and starved countless more. When Wesley’s grandmother told him he would enjoy a meal during his flight, Wesley knew his fortune had changed. Yet, his first instinct was to offer his food to the people he left behind.

“I made a decision right then to come back,” Wesley says. “Even as I grew older and spent more time in the United States, I knew I wanted to contribute to Liberia’s future.”

Today, the 38-year-old is committed to empowering Liberians through economic growth. Wesley looked to the MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) to achieve that goal. He examined issues such as micro-lending, state capture, and investment in health care in courses such as Foundations of Development Policy, Good Economics for Hard Times, and The Challenges of Global Poverty. Through case studies and research, Wesley discovered that economic incentives can encourage desired behaviors, curb corruption, and empower people.

“I couldn’t connect the dots”

Liberia is marred by corruption. According to Transparency International’s Corruptions Perception Index for 2023, Liberia scored 25 out of 100, with zero signifying the highest level of corruption. Yet, Wesley grew tired of textbooks and undergraduate professors saying that the status of Liberia and other African nations could be blamed entirely on corruption. Even worse, these sources gave Wesley the impression that nothing could be done to improve his native country. The sentiment frustrated him, he says.

“It struck me as flippant to attribute the challenges faced by billions of people to backward behaviors,” says Wesley. “There are several forces, internal and external, that have contributed to Liberia’s condition. If we really examine them, explore why things happened, and define the change we want, we can plot a way forward to a more prosperous future.”  

Driven to examine the economic, political, and social dynamics shaping his homeland and to fulfill his childhood promise, Wesley moved back to Africa in 2013. Over the next 10 years, he merged his interests in entrepreneurship, software development, and economics to better Liberia. He designed a forestry management platform that preserves Liberia’s natural resources, built an online queue for government hospitals to triage patients more effectively, and engineered data visualization tools to support renewable energy initiatives. Yet, to create the impact Wesley wanted, he needed to do more than collect data. He had to analyze and act on it in meaningful ways.

“I couldn’t connect the dots on why things are the way they are,” Wesley says.

“It wasn’t just an academic experience for me”

Wesley knew he needed to dive deeper into data science, and looked to the MicroMasters in DEDP program to help him connect the dots. Established in 2017 by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and MIT Open Learning, the MicroMasters in DEDP program is based on the Nobel Prize-winning work of MIT faculty members Esther Duflo, the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics, and Abhijit Banerjee, the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics. Duflo and Banerjee’s research provided an entirely new approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating antipoverty initiatives throughout the world.

The MicroMasters in DEDP program provided the framework Wesley had sought nearly 20 years ago as an undergraduate student. He learned about novel economic incentives that stymied corruption and promoted education.

“It wasn’t just an academic experience for me,” Wesley says. “The classes gave me the tools and the frameworks to analyze my own personal experiences.”

Wesley initially stumbled with the quantitative coursework. Having a demanding career, taking extension courses at another university, and being several years removed from college calculus courses took a toll on him. He had to retake some classes, especially Data Analysis for Social Scientists, several times before he could pass the proctored exam. His persistence paid off. Wesley earned his MicroMasters in DEDP credential in June 2023 and was also admitted into the MIT DEDP master’s program.

“The class twisted my brain in so many different ways,” Wesley says. “The fourth time taking Data Analysis, I began to understand it. I appreciate that MIT did not care that I did poorly on my first try. They cared that over time I understood the material.”

The program’s rigorous mathematics and statistics classes sparked in Wesley a passion for artificial intelligence, especially machine learning and natural language processing. Both provide more powerful ways to extract and interpret data, and Wesley has a special interest in mining qualitative sources for information. He plans to use these tools to compare national development plans over time and among different countries to determine if policymakers are recycling the same words and goals.

Once Wesley earns his master’s degree, he plans to return to Liberia and focus on international development. In the future, he hopes to lead a data-focused organization committed to improving the lives of people in Liberia and the United States.

“Thanks to MIT, I have the knowledge and tools to tackle real-world challenges that traditional economic models often overlook,” Wesley says.

[sv3t1ana]

SYNOPSIS ᯓ Choso Kamo is a waste of your time. A temp intern with no real skills, constantly fumbling through tasks he barely understood. You've tried to get rid of him, but the agency won't take him back until his contract is done. You've been treating him like the extra he is, deciding that if he's going to waste your time, he might as well make himself useful.

PAIRING ᯓ Intern! Choso x Executive fem! Reader

WARNINGS ᯓ dubcon, office AU, degrading (really not that bad tho), he calls reader "ma'am," reader is mean to him (lmao sorry), reader is a workaholic, choso sucks at his job, power dynamics, choso has tattoos, obedience, use of "good boy," oral (m and f receiving), size kink, fingering (f receiving), punishment, unprotected p i v sex, begging, sub choso x dom reader?

WORD COUNT ᯓ 3.6k

SERIES ᯓ GOJO ⋮ GETO ⋮ CHOSO

Choso Kamo.

A lowly intern hired into this company, not based on merit, just placed here through a temp agency you signed a contract with a few years ago.

It’s gotten to the point where you tried to get rid of him, calling the agency yourself. That’s right, you took precious time out of your day to get rid of him.

“So, you’re telling me he still has a month here?”

“If you don’t have reasonable grounds to fire him, then yes, he will stay for an additional four weeks.”

You sighed, throwing your head back and tossing your feet up on your mahogany desk.

This intern was going to be the death of you. Seriously. Last week you tasked him with some very simple data visualizations, and he returned a pie chart.

A pie chart.

A single pie chart.

“Kamo, what the fuck is this?”

Choso was completely serious, sitting in the chair across from your desk in your private, sleek office. “It’s a visualization of last quarter’s trends.”

You glanced down, almost jaw-slack in disbelief. There was a big rainbow pie chart, indicating… last quarter’s trends? “Kamo,” you said, voice flat, “this is an abomination.”

You didn’t hold back tearing it apart in front of his face, tossing it on the ground at his feet while you silently pointed toward the door, motioning him to leave. It was sad actually, just a small part of your heart aching at the clueless loser here only because he could pass a drug test. It’s clear he tried, but somehow the dataset became absolutely vile, even after you provided a cleaned one.

It was so fucked up, seriously. As an executive you had meetings on meetings, you barely had time to eat let alone find ways to get Choso fired. Most of your days began and ended sipping caffeine, you even worked on the weekends. And to have this inferior being who can barely copy a few papers ruin your day was just the icing on the cake.

He’d already been here for a month, a temporary contract-to-hire position, (he clearly wasn’t getting hired) and you’ve just been having him run your errands for you.

“I need you to get this dry cleaned.”

“Go to my car and bring me the box of files.”

“Put my mug in the kitchen.”

He was almost like a pet, barely good enough to be named slave as you just ran out the rest of his time here with trivial duties.

It was a hell of a Thursday afternoon, pausing your busy schedule and setting your Microsoft Teams to offline as you waited in your office, blinds closed while you rested your head in your hand, slowly drifting off to sleep until-

BANG!

“Ma’am, I have your lunch,” Choso stood at the doorway dripping wet as he panted out of breath.

The sound of the door slamming open jolted you awake, your heart lurching against your ribs. He stood there, shoulders rising and falling, his shirt soaked through, clinging to his skin like it was painted on.

You blinked, trying to focus on something, anything other than the way his pecs pressed against the damp fabric, the slow drip of rainwater from his hair rolling down the side of his neck.

Absolutely not.

You forced your gaze to his face. He wasn’t even looking at you, too busy trying to catch his breath, lips parted, chest rising and falling with every inhale.

“...Apologies for the late time,” he finally muttered, stepping forward to set the bag of food on your desk.

You stared at him, but truly it wasn’t purposeful, your brain was just lagging, refusing to process anything except fuck, he’s actually kind of-

No. Not happening.

You cleared your throat, reaching for the food like it was going to save you. “You look disgusting,” you muttered, barely glancing up.

He huffed a small laugh, shaking out his sleeves in your pristine office before stepping away, rainwater leaving faint specks on your office floor. He didn’t say anything else. Just turned and walked out.

And yet, you didn’t stop staring until the door clicked shut behind him.

God, at least he’s pretty, too bad he’s useless.

That weekend you didn’t think about him once. Really, you didn’t.

But still, you were restless.

That weekend, you caught yourself checking your phone too often, feeling agitated over things that had nothing to do with work. You opened your email just to have something to do, only to find a message from Choso.

RE: Revised Visualizations

Attached are the updated charts per your feedback. Let me know if further revisions are needed.

Oh.

You clicked the attachment, expecting the same disaster as before.

And, well, of course it still sucked, but it was less awful. He was improving.

You set your laptop aside and rubbed your temples. Maybe you just needed a distraction.

It has been years since you last had one.

Work truly consumed the entirety of you, it was the only thing on your mind. Your laundry constantly piled up, dishes overflowing your sink often because you worked too damn hard.

It’s been so long since you had a boyfriend, not that you were keeping track but it’s been about 2 years, 6 months, and 24 days since you broke up with him. He was too bland, too safe, not exciting enough for you, but at least he was a distraction.

Hm, maybe you found yourself bored again, wanting to feel the adrenaline course your veins with a new love interest, but you just sat alone in your office the following week, sighing as you poked your food with a fork. You had no time for a relationship.

That next week you found your office a complete mess, last week the stakeholders visited, and you had endless meetings, constantly having to prove yourself in your position as a woman to these disgusting old men who only wanted money, it was draining.

Piles of paper scattered your floor, you had no idea which filing cabinet they belonged to. Your desk a mess, too, crowded with too many coffee mugs and random office supplies, where did this shit even originate from?

So, you invited Choso to clean your mess for you. Tasking him to organize the scattered papers covering almost your entire office floor. You watched as he sat on his knees, sleeves rolled up revealing toned forearms littered with tattoos.

“All of these papers are titled about the first quarter’s finances.”

Choso’s voice was steady as he handed you the file, but you barely registered the words.

Because his hands.

Shit.

You didn’t mean to look, didn’t mean to notice how thick and long his fingers were, the way the veins ran up his arms, disappearing beneath the rolled-up sleeves.

You swallowed. Taking the file a little too quickly, clicking your pen aggressively.

He sat on his knees, sorting through the mess you’d left him with, hair falling loose from his buns. Sharp jawline. The slow bob of his throat when he swallowed. The slight furrow in his brow as he focused.

You had to mentally will yourself to tear your eyes away, flipping through the file like your life depended on it. “You probably gave me the wrong one,” you muttered.

He exhaled, running a hand through his bangs and pushing them back for just a second, just long enough for you to notice his dark eyes, furrowed brows, the light sheen of sweat clinging to his temples.

You clicked your pen again, harder this time.

This was just nothing, nothing at all.

You were beginning to get frustrated, really frustrated. Because what the hell is wrong with you?

It’s not just some passing thought or fleeting distraction that can be shaken off with a splash of cold water. It lingered in your mind, the parts of your mind that should be occupied with financial reports and quarterly projections. Every time you saw him, some unwelcome thought wormed its way into your brain, like the way he had a ridiculous devotion to completing the most mundane tasks you assigned him. It’s infuriating, really, because how could you, as an executive, someone that clawed your way to the top of this company, be distracted by the likes of him?

Choso Kamo. A temp. A lowly intern who struggled inputting a SUM function in Excel. There’s about three million YouTube tutorials for that, by the way. This was supposed to be his last week here.

It’s not like you’ve never dealt with useless men before, your job is filled with them. Old, crusty men in ill-fitted suits who pretended you weren’t their intellectual superior. But at least they didn’t invade your mind like this.

And worse? He was so obedient, like some helpless thing always awaiting your instructions. He always called you ma’am, whether out of genuine respect or blind adherence to authority, you didn’t know.

Maybe that’s why, as you sat in your office, hands clenched into fists against your desk, you decide.

If you’re going to suffer through the remaining time of his employment, you might as well make it worth your while.

You inhaled sharply through your nose, rolling your shoulders as you stood from your chair, exiting your office.

“Kamo, my office. Now.”

No explanation. No context. Just a simple demand.

You waited, hearing a hesitant knock at first, light and unsure. It’s the same way he approaches everything, carefully like he’s afraid of stepping out of line.

“Come in.”

Choso enters, standing awkwardly just past the doorway, his hands clasped in front of him. “You wanted to see me, ma’am?”

“Close the door.”

He does, albeit clumsily, his fingers fumbling with the handle for a second too long. You watch in silence as he turns his back toward you, shoulders stiff and posture straight as if he’s bracing for reprimand.

Instead of speaking immediately you stood again, walking toward your large office windows that overlooks the rest of the department floor. The blinds are drawn halfway up, letting just enough visibility in for others to see. That won’t do.

One by one, you lowered them, the only noise in the room being the mechanical whir of the blinds. Choso shifted nervously on his feet.

“You’ve been here for almost two months now,” you mused, tone even as you turn to face him fully. “Longer than I would’ve liked, but still.”

Choso nods, saying nothing.

You step closer, crossing the room slow and deliberately. “And despite your many, many failures, you’ve somehow managed to be useful in one way.”

His brows knit together slightly, but he remains silent, waiting.

You tilted your head as if to observe him. His hands are still clasped in front of him, his stance rigid, like he didn’t know whether to be nervous or grateful.

Good.

That mean’s he’ll listen.

You extend a hand, fingers wrapping around the nape of his neck as your thumb traced his jawline.

“You want to be useful, don’t you, Kamo?” Your voice was smooth, measured.

He nods immediately. “Yes, ma’am.”

You dropped your head slightly, “you have…” you sigh, feigning disappointment, “such a bad habit of wasting my time.”

He flinches, subtly, but you saw it.

“I-I’m sorry, ma’am, I-”

You tut, cutting him off. “But I’ve decided something.”

He falls silent again, waiting.

“If you insist on wasting my time, then I’ll run out the rest of yours however I see fit.”

“I don’t understand…” his voice was quiet, more careful.

You laughed softly, reaching behind him to flick the lock on the door. The click is soft but heavy, something final, “you don’t need to.”

You see the way his breath catches. How his fingers tighten into his palm like he’s resisting the urge to fidget. How his pupils dilate just slightly as you eye his figure up and down, like you were a predator sizing up prey.

And he is prey, nervous, uncertain, and pliant.

“You always listen so well,” you muse, talking slow steps to sit back at your desk. “Always so eager to do exactly as I say.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he breathes.

You smile.

“Then be a good boy, Kamo.”

He shudders.

You motion him to your side of the desk. “Take a seat.”

He did so nervously, not expecting you to snap at the ground petitioning him to kneel before you.

“This is your first task, make me cum in 3 minutes or you’re fired.”

Though, this was an objectively easy task for him, you were aroused last night even thinking about it, no idea the state of your cunt currently.

You watched as he sat on his knees before you, inching yourself closer to the edge of your chair while you spread your legs, showcasing your naked center under your skirt.

You could almost hear the thumps of his heart, “aww, don’t be shy, Kamo. You’re running out the clock!” You say playfully.

He nervously looked around him, swallowing hard before licking his lips. His hands traveled up your legs, gripping your thighs to spread you even wider.

You leaned back in your chair, and it was almost as if he attacked you with his tongue like his job depended on it. Because, well, it did.

Inhaling through his nose, he used the flat of his tongue to draw a long, slow stroke along your folds while you exhaled loudly. Quickly, he lapped at you, dipping in your entrance with his tongue before he drew circles with the tip of it on your clit.

You couldn’t help but grip his hair as he worked you, inserting two dept fingers and curling them ever-so-slightly while the lower half of his face was buried in you. And you pulled him closer, tighter to you as you felt him begin to sweat profusely.

It was so cute, really, was he doing this because he wanted to? Or that he didn’t want to lose his job? Surely, he knew he wouldn’t get hired after his contract ran out, right?

“Mmm, one minute, Kamo,” you were breathless, having gone so long without the touch of the opposite sex, either that or Choso finally found something he was good at.

You reached your climax fast, crying out when he quickened his pace, your slick slit gushing out in the palm of his hand while he fucked you through it, gripping the back of his head and practically suffocating him between your thighs.

You gripped his forehead and forcefully shoved him out of you on the edge of overstimulation, leaving him on his hands and knees catching his breath.

You looked over at the digital clock on your computer, “congratulations, you passed!”

He looked up at you, a glossy film of sweat covering his face, or rather, a mix of his sweat and your arousal.

“Stand up.”

He obeyed.

“Look at you,” you tilted your head, eyeing the huge bulge that tented his slacks. “You’re all excited just from eating me out, hm?”

You groped his clothed cock, feeling how big it was under your hands. “Are you ready for your second task?”

You didn’t even give him time to respond before you undid his belt, unzipping his pants and pulling them down boxers included, his thick length popping out.

“If you cum, I’ll punish you.” You began stroking his length, using two hands to jerk him as you spit, using your thumb to spread his pre around his sensitive, engorged tip.

He nearly buckled at the knees, breath quickening and sweat dripping from his temples as he held back. “F-fuck…”

And you gave him no mercy, wetting your lips and pressing light kisses at his tip, squeezing his base with one hand as the other massaged his balls.

He was hunched over, using your desk as purchase while he watched from above as you took only the tip in your warm mouth, spitting on it to use as more lubricant for your hand that tugged him.

You let him out of your mouth slowly, “you look so pathetic,” you mused. “All fucked-out when all I did was lick your tip.”

You watched as his mouth dropped open, using both hands squeezing him tight, jerking him and letting his tip rest on your tongue.

It didn’t take long for him to cum, body convulsing as he struggled to maintain balance, painting your face and tongue with white, ruining your makeup and your tastebuds.

You sat still as he came down from his high, still fully erect in your hands. “You failed.” You said flatly.

He looked at you almost in shock, still out of breath.

“You can leave now,” you started rummaging through your drawers for tissues, wipes, anything to get rid of the horrible artwork left on your face. “Oh, see me in my office first thing tomorrow, for your punishment, of course.”

He didn’t say a word as he took a tissue from you, cleaning himself up before stuffing his still-hard length back in his pants and returning to his desk for the rest of the day.

It was the next day when he entered your office, you noticed the slight bulge in his pants already.

Oh, how faithful he was for you.

You sat on your desk, legs crossed and a bored expression across your face.

Choso averted his gaze, “ma’am, I’m ready to face my punishment.”

It looked like you just fired the man, as if he had a wife and kids at home and you just fired him before the Christmas bonus came in.

“Today you’re going to fuck me.” You said it so blatantly, just putting it out there in the air.

It simmered for a minute, Choso nervously looking around the room to see the blinds barely open. If someone wanted to peak in and see, they would.

“I-I don’t have any condoms,” he checked his pockets like a maniac.

“Just do your best,” you waved your hand, beckoning him to come closer.

His hands traveled your figure, squeezing your breasts over your tight top, pressing kisses to your neck when you throw your head back, his hands landing on your hips.

“Tell me how you want it,” he said, breathless and polite, yet seemingly more eager than yesterday.

All you did was spread your legs, revealing your bare center to him once again.

He began deftly unzipping his pants, bringing his solid length out at the sight of your glistening cunt. He put a hand on your lower back, face too close to yours as he leaned you back, positioning his tip at your entrance.

That’s when you locked your ankles behind his back, immediately stuffing yourself with him. You tried not to cry out too loudly, not even all of him could fit. It sure has been a couple years since you last hooked up with someone, the effects of it having a toll on your body.

You were so tight around him, walls struggling to even pulse around his length, struggling to adjust to his size.

He grunted as he began thrusting, brows pinched tightly as you seemed to clench around him, pulling him back in every time he tried to pull out.

Your pussy dripping for him, the sounds of it squishing, squelching in attempt to take him all as a slow, languid pace began.

All you did in return was grip his shoulders, squeeze your legs tighter to keep him close.

“You feel… so good,” he breathed out between thrusts, “fuck, I-I’m at my limit,” his voice was breaking, stuttering as he was engulfed in your warmth, squeezing him so tight that he was about to cum not even five minutes in.

“Mmh, Kamo, if you… get me pregnant,” you said between breaths. “You’re fired,” voice frail as he only fucked deeper and deeper with each rut of his hips, the only sounds in the room being breathless gasps for air and slapping skin, desk shaking beneath you.

You just squeezed your legs tighter, not giving him the chance to pull out as his hands fumbled in desperate attempt to unlock your legs behind him.

“G-god, I’m cumming,” he grunted, voice low as his grip on your waist sure to leave a few marks by tomorrow.

You felt yourself being filled up with him, so hot and sticky inside in the entrance to your womb, it brought on your own climax.

You lay almost lifeless on your desk as his body collapsed on yours, a pitiful look on his face as he stood fully, about to take himself out your entrance when you grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, bringing your lips to his in a heated kiss.

You two sharing whiny moans as he kissed back with the same passion, the world around you stopping as you tasted his morning coffee, humming into each others mouths.

He broke away only to apologize, plead for one more try. “Please,” he was still out of breath, voice hoarse. “I’ll be good next time, I swear.”

You stifled a laugh at the sight of him looking so unprofessional, hair a mess and clothes all loose, your hand coming up to hide the smirk tugging at your lips. The letter sat on your desk, taunting him. You could practically feel the anxiety radiating off him as he stared at it.

Without saying a word, you motioned toward the paper. The offer a permanent position as your personal assistant.

“Do you want it?” you asked, your voice low but laced with amusement.

He just smiled like a kid in a candy aisle, smashing his lips to yours.

[citrlet]

because i was asked for what mods i use, i decided i'll just make a whole post!

most of everything here is pretty cottagecore/naturey~

under the cut because my game is heavily modded this list is long!!

visual

medieval buildings

way back pelican town

seasonal cute characters base / expanded / east scarp

all cuter animal replacements

vibrant pastoral 1.6 (temporary fix)

overgrown flowery ui

medieval craftables

dynamic night time

cottagecore fences

lamps

gwens paths

animated gemstones

foliage redone foliage only

rosedryads fairies

elle's town animals

sve facelift

more grass

medieval dnt

flowergrass and snowfields

expansion fish redesign

clothing / hairs

more accessories and stuff

cozy scarves

hoods and hoodies

vanilla pants and skirts

the coquette collection

seasonal hats

ani's colour collection

improved and new hairstyles

kyuyas hairstyles pack

furniture

idalda furniture recolor

h&w outdoor furniture

h&w fairy garden furniture

west elm furniture

nano's retro style furniture

asters big furniture pack

gameplay / mechanics

cjb cheats menu (just to walk a little faster)

cjb show item sell price

greenhouse gatherers

craftable mushroom boxes

advanced casks

lumisteria serene meadow

growable forage and crop bushes

cornucopia more flowers / more crops

atelier wildflour crops and forage pack

wear more rings

tree transplant

passable crops

no fence decay redux

multi yield crops

crop fairy

challenging community center bundles

better chests

automate

spawn supply crates on beach

expanded storage

bigger backpack

blue eggs and golden mayo

better ranching

npc map locations

data layers

expansions

stardew valley expanded

east scarp / lurking in the dark / never ending adventure / always raining in the valley

lumisteria visit mount vapius

misc

jen's cozy cellar

cozy farmhouse kitchen

asters walls and floors megapack

wrens expanded greenhouse

cuter coops and better barns

nicer sewer

also recommended

hudson valley buildings

elle's seasonal buildings

seasonal fences

ridgeside village

immerisve farm map 2

[stereax]

CapFriendly Alternative Sites MegaPost

(Last update: 07/27 - added CapSized.)

As we are all likely aware by now, the Washington Capitals have decided to ruin everyone's lives by purchasing and sunsetting CapFriendly. The site has gone dark as of July 10, 2024.

While the hockey community has experienced a similar loss before, with the death of Matthew Wuest and the subsequent loss of CapGeek, this is a markedly different situation that sets a troubling precedent - namely, that freely usable, public NHL data is now available to the highest bidder, who can then revoke access to the data at a minute's notice. Two things can coexist: we can be happy for the makers of CapFriendly that they are being compensated well for their services while also scorning the Washington Capitals organization for choosing to turn off CapFriendly entirely.

Under the cut, please find a list of free CapFriendly alternatives and other websites that contain NHL data. (In some cases, they are mostly free - however, most/all important information for lay analysis is available for free.) This list is dynamic and taking suggestions, so please feel free to send me any websites you find at @stereax and check the original post for updates!

PART 1: SALARY CAP TRACKERS

PuckPedia: The New CapFriendly

PuckPedia is the closest replacement to CapFriendly currently available. It contains salary cap information for all teams and players, draft pick information, several calculators including a buyout calculator and a pick value calculator, agent information, and more. They also run PuckDoku! The biggest strike against PuckPedia is its lack of simulators (Armchair GM, mock draft, or trade simulators); however, in the wake of the CapFriendly news, PuckPedia shared that an Armchair GM simulator is under active development. 07/05 Update: PuckGM is here! You can also react to prospective PuckGMs (thumbs up, thumbs down, laugh, think emojis).

CapSized: Labor of Love

Referred to me by @nonslipdoormat and billed as a "solo female developer's project" (nonslipdoormat IS said developer!), CapSized is a site that's designed similarly to CapFriendly. It has some features other sites lack, such as trade histories going back to 2003 (with some entries as old as 1964!) and a detailed transactions page again stretching YEARS into the past. The more you poke around, the more cool things you uncover. Its primary purpose is to be a "visual database", but calculators and an NHL GM mode are on the list of future additions. I'll be dead honest, I think this is my favorite cap-checker site because of all the extra utilities. Super excited to see where this project goes!

Referred to me by @reavenedges-lies. A "baby site" that has some of the basics of salary cap info, plus a buyout calculator, qualifying offer calculator, and trade proposal maker. The trade proposal maker is prone to error and seems to only be useful for graphics. It can be a useful site for some, but it would not be my first choice.

CapWages: CapFriendly Lite

Another alternative to PuckPedia that mimics CapFriendly in design and is more intuitive for users going directly from CapFriendly to an alternative site. Like PuckPedia, it now features a GM mode, but the GM mode is in beta and is not fully functional (it only shows contracts currently existing at the NHL level). Nevertheless, for checking salary cap info, it is very good and I recommend it. Also now has a buyout calculator.

CapSpace: Young Gun

BenchWarmers: Greenhorn

Similar to CapSpace but perhaps a little better in the design department. I like how, if you don't have an account, it acts like you're Kyle Dubas and has you watching Toronto and Carolina. Has a few neat stats (like "core four" which shows how much the four most expensive players are making) that I haven't seen easily replicated on other sites, but functionality is rather limited outside of that, which is why it's also not my first choice.

Spotrac: Another Salary Cap Checker

An alternative to PuckPedia for salary cap information. However, it lacks much of the information and functionality of PuckPedia or most other sites listed here.

PART 2: ADVANCED STATS

NaturalStatTrick: The Holy Grail of Stats

NaturalStatTrick, or NatStat for short, is a site that contains just about any stat you can think of for any team or player. It has a learning curve but is generally understood to be the most reliable stat tracker available for free. You can even view stats for individual games on it!

MoneyPuck: DTWoMeter and More

You know it from the Deserve-to-Win-o-Meter or its playoff odds rings, but MoneyPuck has a lot of useful data as well if you do a little browsing. Generally, I've heard that MoneyPuck is less accurate than NatStat, but is easier to use, especially on mobile.

HockeyViz: "If I Ever Sell, I Failed"

Home of the Simple Hockey Charts, HockeyViz has a visual for just about every stat out there. You've almost certainly seen some of them before. Most of them are completely free to the public! They're super useful for visualizing stats as more than "just numbers", allowing you to see exactly WHERE things are happening on the ice.

HockeyStatCards: GameScore Kings

Again, you've probably seen HockeyStatCards's GameScore charts. Using data from NatStat (see above) and an algorithm created by Dom Luszczyszyn, it provides a simple GameScore number that tells you whether a player is having a positive or negative impact on the ice for every game in the NHL.

PART 3: SPECIALIZED SITES

NHL Armchair GM: Building Rosters

This site allows you to Armchair GM a roster. Notably, it has a steeper learning curve than CapFriendly and does not have a forum or other way to easily save and publicize your Armchair GM moves. However, it can be useful to make Armchair GMs and have visuals for them.

NHL Entry Draft: With the First Overall Pick...

This site contains a ton of draft resources, from a mock draft simulator to scouting reports. Definitely a useful site for those who are interested in the entry draft. I've seen a couple of mock draft sites, but this one seems to have by far the easiest and arguably most expansive way to use it.

NHL Injury Viz: Rulers of LTIR

Here, you can explore the relationship between the injuries of players, their cap hits, and how teams did without them. Very useful when you're arguing that a certain player going down doomed the team.

PART 4: MORE TYPES OF DATA

HockeyReference: The Good Old Days

Hockey Reference is best used for surface level data about older players. It has some trivia sections as well, for if you ever wanted to know all players wearing certain jersey numbers, sharing a certain birthday, or hailing from Alaska.

EliteProspects: Every League Imaginable

Want to know the roster of a third-tier league in Quebec? EliteProspects has you covered. Literally every league on the face of the Earth, currently existing and not, EliteProspects has info on. Any player you can possibly name, EliteProspects has their stats from atom hockey all the way to the end of their career.

HockeyDB: Another Spot for Stats

HockeyDB, referred to me by @reavenedges-lies, is another solid site for looking up basic hockey stats. Also has a ton of leagues, similar to EliteProspects. Has a hockey card feature as well that shows you cards featuring the player you've looked up, which is neat!

PART 5: FORUMS

HFBoards: Hockey Forums

Probably the most well-known hockey forum out there. If you want to talk puck on a more forum-like site, similar to CapFriendly's forums, this is the one for you.

PART 6: CAPFRIENDLY ARCHIVES

SergeiFyodorov's CapFriendly FAQ Drive

Curated by @sergeifyodorov. Originally posted here and sent to me by @fellowshipofthegay. Archives of the CapFriendly FAQs!

Got a site that's not listed here? Let me know at @stereax and I'll add it! Remember: While CapFriendly may be going away, hockey analysis is here to stay!

[race-week]

hi i was wondering if you would be able to answer this: what is the purpose of the fluo paint teams seem to add during testing? as well as what are the wire meshes they add behind the front wheels?

My favourite question

Let me introduce you to the world of F1 testing and its two shining stars, flow vis and aero rakes.

Flow Vis

Flow vis is a fluorescent powder paint that is mixed with oil (typically paraffin) and painted onto the car before it goes out on track.

Once the car goes out and does some laps the oily paint mixture is pushed around the car and the oil evaporates leaving the paint behind, and in this paint you will see the flow patterns of the air around the structures of the car

The engineers will be able to visualise where the airflow is separating and compare that to the data they have from the wind tunnel and to the data from their computer models.

Essentially flow vis allows them to visualise the air flow

Aero Rake

The big metal cages, usually around the front or rear wheels are called aero rakes or aerodynamic rakes, and what they are is a massive series of sensors namely pitot tubes which measure dynamic pressure.

These sensors measure the pressure of the airflow off the tyres, the wings and generally the pressure of the airflow around the car, in order to paint a picture of what is happening to the airflow and how they can minimise disturbance in the airflow

With both flow vis and aero rakes it’s a way for engineers and aerodynamicists to see what is actually going on with the airflow around the car on the track, both with visual cues (flow vis) and data (aero rakes) and then being able to compare their findings with the simulations

[bellejolras]

i don’t mean to go on a rant but I’ve been reading reviews of Poor Things bc i hate being happy and ohhhh my goddddd

spoilers under the cut but I have complaints about people’s (lack of) media literacy

Oh my god okay so first of all, if you haven’t seen a movie how are you going to comment on it. Reading summaries and other people’s reviews only is not sufficient to make an original point. you do not know what you’re talking about. just stop.

Second, the movie is. satirical. Which I thought was obvious from the absurd premise and surreal visuals? This is not supposed to be the real world. Nor is it advocating for all the stuff it shows. In fact, it’s even actively indicting some of what it shows. For example: fucked up power dynamics in sexual relationships exist in the movie, but the movie is not saying they are good, it’s criticizing them. Is this not getting through to people?

Third, and related, it’s not ! just ! about ! a sexy baby !! Partly because again, satire. But also partly because she rapidly goes through childhood & adolescent maturity. And it’s not meant to be, like, linear… the regular laws of empirical data and science do not apply to this world… so she is not in fact, like 6 when she’s having sex but more like 16. Which you could argue is still a minor, and im not disputing that, because again the movie is critical of this part and duncan is a total loser. But there’s a massive difference between the mental development of those two ages. ALSO there’s literally nothing inherently wrong with baby bella autonomously discovering masturbation. That’s extremely normal for little kids, often just as a way of self-soothing because it feels nice and not with any awareness of sexuality. And it’s fine if you thought that was a weird scene! but it’s hardly pedophilia to include in the film when the “baby” in question is in fact played by fully grown adult emma stone and I cannot believe that I’m seeing people accuse this movie of that

Fourth, if you claim your takeaway from this movie is “it wants me to believe that women’s power only exists through their sexuality” then I don’t believe you’ve seen the entire movie (see point 1). Narratively it’s only a means to an end for Bella, and when she gets tired of it, she stops! She gets bored of duncan and reads philosophy! She leaves her sex work career and becomes a medical professional! And, even in the sex scenes, while there are many, they center her and her experience, her pleasure. Yes, her tits are out a lot but the sex scenes are weird, intentionally grotesque without being violent. The montage with duncan is shot through a fisheye lens and literally pans away from the bed to focus on a bird landing in the room. Duncan can proclaim himself the best lover in the world, but he’s really not important to the scene ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In conclusion, I know the people I’m complaining about aren’t going to read this, but just in case, I urge you to learn media literacy. And anyone else who read all of this, thanks lol!! accepting good faith discourse in the notes/replies

[l-1-z-a]

🧩 The Sims 2: FreeTime Hobbies Mind Map – A Look at a Deeper Hobby System

Because of the announcement of the Business and Hobbies expansion pack for The Sims 4 and because people are writing that few hobbies were provided there, I wanted to share the mind map for The Sims 2: FreeTime expansion pack that was created by The Sims 2 developers during development of this expansion pack and shared by Lindsay Pearson (SimsGuruPearson) on September 23, 2015, on X/Twitter.

This mind map illustrates the hobby system introduced in The Sims 2: FreeTime. It shows how different gameplay mechanics related to hobbies are interconnected.

Main Elements of the Mind Map:

1. Hobbies – The Central Node

All mechanics related to hobbies branch out from this core concept.

2. Heavy Hobbies

These involve more active pursuits, including:

Sports (basketball hoop, soccer net, football toss)

Games (board games, PC games, RC cars/helicopters)

Science (telescope additions, ant farm, stargazing enhancements)

Music (violin, modular synth)

Fitness (exercise bike, jogging, protein shakes)

Arts & Crafts (pottery wheel, sewing machine)

Engineering/Tinkering (train kit, repairable car, tinker interaction)

3. Light Hobbies

These involve less physically intense activities:

Nature (bug collecting, bird watching, hiking)

Literature (writing novels, reading unique books)

Food (judging contests, food platters, nectar bar)

Entertainment (TV additions, merchandise)

4. Hobby System (Tracking)

The mechanics that govern hobbies, including:

Hobby Factors (various influences on hobby progress)

Instruct Interaction (mentoring between Sims)

Hobby Chance Cards (random events related to hobbies)

Share Hobby Tips (Sims discussing their hobbies)

Hobby Secret Lots (exclusive locations for Sims with high enthusiasm)

Iconic Hobbyists (notable Sims tied to certain hobbies)

"The Zone" (a gameplay effect for mastery in hobbies)

5. Lifetime Fulfillment

How hobbies connect to Sims’ long-term aspirations, friendships, and parenting mechanics.

6. Preoccupation (Hobby Obsession)

Additional interactions related to hobbies:

Sims talking about hobbies

Newspaper sections dedicated to hobbies

Sims dreaming about hobbies

Hobby-related idle animations

A computer patch for blogging and surfing about hobbies

7. New Careers

Careers linked to hobbies with objects like the drafting table, ballet bar, koi pond, surveillance mic, and fame star rug.

This mind map visually explains how FreeTime expands the game by integrating hobbies into careers, social interactions, and long-term aspirations, making Sims' lives feel more dynamic and immersive.

Source:

[howgalling]

idk if I mentioned but I got to speak to JRO after the con at tfnation; specifically about the first aid plot line he didn’t end up getting to include in the mtmte comics!!

I missed the panel where he was talking about it, but one of my friends mentioned it, so I had to ask for more information!!!!!. First Aid essentially loses the plot for a while trying to find a way to bring ambulon back. it’s briefly mentioned as an off comment by (maybe ratchet?) that first aid has been isolating himself for months with ambulon’s dead body in the comics. Which is crazy btw lol anyway

first aid spends all that time between the plot failing to find ways to bring ambulon back to life. He fully repairs ambulons body, every fragment of him is visually perfect, /technically/ functional. He even repaints ambulon, touching up the patchy paint job Ambulon was known for.

But ambulon is truly dead. What made ambulon who he was, his memories, his personality, his knowledge, his friendship- was obliterated in the bisecting, as was his spark. It was a complete brain-death by cybertronian standards.

As far as I’m aware, the spark is just a power source, relative to the memory banks portion of their processors and whatnot, specifically the sections that store the bots actual personality and memories. Though it’s always worded differently. JRO didn’t give an exact time range (understandable lol) for how long they were on Delphi, but the general thought is that First Aid and Ambulon were on Delphi together for a decent chunk of years, relative to the timeline.

:((( first aid and ambulon really endured Delphi together and bonded throughout that, and to see him murdered so abruptly, (by their ex-boss who they watched descend into madness- no less!!!) was extremely traumatising, as much as it’s played as a joke by the fandom lolol. ambulon suffered what was essentially complete brain death at the moment of injury, non-recoverable.

The dynamic between ratchet, Pharma and first aid/ambulon is really interesting, other people can word it better than me but it ties massively into the feedback loop first aid gets lost in from that point. Watching his closest friend die in a hysterical power play between his two superiors would be helpless agony. And it hurts more because we know first aids temperament :(( he’s still soft, despite it all, and he’s the type of character that you just want to shield from the nastiness of it all. 😭😭

First aid goes as far tracking down the mechs that were involved in the faulty combiner experiment Ambulon was forced into. Looking for maybe even an echo or an imprint, faint traces in the data+code of the mech’s that might have had /anything/ of his friend left in it. Pieces he could put together to make him whole again. But there’s nothing, just surface level memories from a bond that never succeeded. MAN

Anyway, I’m going to try and draw something for it, please give me focus

[jcmarchi]

Using spatial learning to transform math and science education

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/using-spatial-learning-to-transform-math-and-science-education/

Using spatial learning to transform math and science education

Legend has it that Isaac Newton was sitting under a tree when an apple fell on his head, sparking a bout of scientific thinking that led to the theory of gravity. It’s one of the most famous stories in science, perhaps because it shows the power of simple human experiences to revolutionize our understanding of the world around us.

About five years ago, Anurupa Ganguly ’07, MNG ’09 noticed kids don’t learn that way in schools.

“Students should learn how to use language, notation, and eventually shorthand representation of thoughts from deeply human experiences,” Ganguly says.

That’s the idea behind PrismsVR. The company offers virtual reality experiences for students, using physical learning to teach core concepts in math and science.

The platform can radically change the dynamics of the classroom, encouraging self-paced, student-led learning, where the teacher is focused on asking the right questions and sparking curiosity.

Instead of learning biology with a pen and paper, students become biomedical researchers designing a tissue regeneration therapy. Instead of learning trigonometry in a textbook, students become rural architects designing a new school building.

“We’re building a whole new learning platform, methodology, and tech infrastructure that allows students to experience problems in the first person, not through abstractions or 2D screens, and then go from that experience to ascribe meaning, language, and build up to equations, procedures, and other nomenclature,” Ganguly explains.

Students can rotate their bodies to minimize the distance between a trend line and the data points, to find the line of best fit and formalize the concept of residuals.

Image: Courtesy of PrismsVR

Today PrismsVR has been used by about 300,000 students across 35 states. The company’s approach was shown to boost algebra test scores by 11 percent in one study, with larger, multistate studies currently underway through funding from the Gates Foundation.

“Education has been in desperate need of real reform for many years,” Ganguly says. “But what’s happened is we’ve just been digitizing old, antiquated teaching methods instead. We would take a lecture and make it a video, or take a worksheet and make it a web app. I think districts see us taking a more aspirational approach, with multimodal interaction and concepts at the center of learning design, and are collaborating with us to scale that instead. We want to get this to every single public school student across the U.S., and then we’re going into community colleges, higher ed, and international.”

A new paradigm for learning

Ganguly was an undergraduate and master’s student in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. When she began as an undergrad in 2003, she estimates that women made up about 30 percent of her class in the department, but as she advanced in her studies, that number seemed to dwindle.

“It was a disappearing act for some students, and I became inspired to understand what’s happening at the K-12 levels that set some students up for success and led to fragile foundations for others,” Ganguly recalls.

As she neared the end of her graduate program in 2009, Ganguly planned to move to California to take an engineering job. But as she was walking through MIT’s Infinite Corridor one day, a sign caught her eye. It was for Teach for America, which had collaborated with MIT to recruit students into the field of teaching, particularly for high need and high poverty students.

“I was inspired by that idea that I could use my education, engineering background, and disciplined systems thinking to think through systemic change in the public sector,” says Ganguly, who became a high school physics and algebra teacher in the Boston Public Schools.

Ganguly soon left the classroom and became director of math for the district, where she oversaw curriculum and teacher upskilling. From there, Ganguly went to New York City Public Schools, where she also supported curriculum development, trying to relate abstract math concepts to students’ experiences in the real world.

“As I began to travel from school to school, working with millions of kids, I became convinced that we don’t have the tools to solve the problem I thought about at MIT — of truly leveling the playing field and building enduring identities in the mathematical sciences,” Ganguly says.

The problem as Ganguly sees it is that students’ world is 3D, complex, and multimodal. Yet most lessons are confined to paper or tablets. For other things in life, students learn through their complex experiences: through their senses, movement, and emotions. Why should math and science be any different? In 2018, the Oculus Quest VR headset was released, and Ganguly thought she had found a more effective learning medium to scale how we learn.

But starting an education company based on virtual reality at the time was audacious. The 128-gigabyte Quest was priced at $500, and there were no standards-based VR curricula or standalone VR headsets in U.S. K-12 schools.

“Investors weren’t going to touch this,” Ganguly jokes.

Luckily, Ganguly received a small amount of funding from the National Science Foundation to build her first prototype. Ganguly started with Algebra 1; performance in this class is one of the top predictors of lifetime wages but has shown a stubbornly persistent achievement gap.

Her first module, which she built during the pandemic, places students in a food hall when a sudden announcement from the mayor rings out. There’s an alarming growth of an unknown virus in the area. The students get the power to travel back in time to see how the virus is spreading, from one person’s sneeze to many people’s behaviors in a demonstration of multiplicative growth.

The people turn to dots in a simulation as the journey moves to interactive, tactile data visualization, and the students are charged with figuring out how many weeks until the hospitals run out of capacity. Once the learning design for VR was established, Ganguly continued to build experiences across the curriculum in geometry, algebra II and III, biology, chemistry, and middle school subjects. Today Prisms covers all math and science subjects in grades seven to eleven, and the company is currently building out calculus, data science, and statistics for upper and postsecondary school. By the fall of 2025, Prisms will have evergreen content up to grade level 14.

Following the experiences, students gather in small groups to reflect on the lessons and write summaries. As students go through their virtual experiences, teachers have a web dashboard to monitor each child’s progress to support and intervene where needed.

“With our solution, the role of the teacher is to be Socrates and to ask high-quality questions, not deliver knowledge” Ganguly says.

As a solo founder, Ganguly says support from MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service, which offers members of the MIT community startup guidance in the form of “board meetings” led by successful entrepreneurs, was crucial.

“The MIT founder community is different,” Ganguly says. “We’re often technical founders, building for ourselves, and we build our company’s first product. Moving from product to your go-to-market strategy and hiring is a unique journey for product-minded founders.”

From textbooks to experiences

A few years ago, Ganguly’s team was leading a classroom coaching session in a Virginia school district when a teacher told her about a student named Silas.

“The teacher was saying, ‘Silas never does anything, he just sits in the back of class,’” Ganguly recalls. “I’ve seen this like clockwork, so we just said, ‘Let’s give Silas a fresh shot and see what we can do.’ Lo and behold, Silas was the first one to finish the module and write a full synthesis report. The teacher told me that was the first time Silas has turned in an assignment with everything filled in.”

Ganguly says it’s one of thousands of anecdotes she has.

“A lot of students feel shut out of the modern math classroom because of our stubborn approach of drill and kill,” Ganguly says. “Students want to learn through great stories. They want to help people. They want to be empathetic. They want their math education to matter.”

Ganguly sees PrismsVR as a fundamentally new way for students to learn no matter where they are.

“We intend to become the next textbook,” Ganguly says. “The next textbooks will be spatial and experiential.”

[ghostwarriorrrr]

🇹🇷🔥 Turkish Air Force - F-4E 2020 Terminator

The F-4E 2020 Terminator represents a significant leap forward in the capabilities of the Turkish Air Force. This comprehensive upgrade enhances the venerable F-4E Phantom II with modern Turkish-made weapons systems, showcasing Türkiye’s commitment to self-reliance and advanced military technology.

Background

With a storied history dating back to the 1960s, the F-4E Phantom II has been a pivotal player on the global stage of air combat. Serving multiple nations and seeing numerous conflicts, the Phantom carved out its place in aviation history as a versatile and rugged aircraft. Türkiye’s decision to upgrade this aircraft stems from a strategic imperative to leverage existing assets while infusing them with cutting-edge technology to maintain relevance in modern aerial warfare. The 2020 Terminator program is the Turkish Air Force’s ambitious initiative to retrofit these fighters with state-of-the-art systems.

Strategic Importance

The ability to exert air superiority and conduct precision strikes is paramount in a region marked by dynamic security challenges. The F-4E 2020 Terminator’s enhanced capabilities contribute significantly to deterrence, and the demonstration of Türkiye’s advancing aerospace industry serves both a strategic and diplomatic purpose.

Upgrade Overview

The 2020 Terminator upgrade, realized by Turkish Aerospace Industries in collaboration with ASELSAN, constitutes a multifaceted improvement over the aircraft’s original design. It touches every aspect of the aircraft’s systems, bringing its avionics, armaments, and electronic warfare systems into the 21st century.

Avionics:

The modernized multi-mode pulse Doppler radar extends the aircraft’s detection range, allowing it to lock onto and engage targets from greater distances. Integrating a Hands-On Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS) system enhances pilot control, minimizing response time during high-stakes manoeuvres. Color Multifunctional Displays (MFDs) replace outdated gauges, providing pilots with real-time data visualization for improved situational awareness.

Armament:

The Terminator’s weapons suite has been revolutionized with a mixture of Western and indigenous munitions. Long-standing armaments like the AIM-9X Sidewinder are joined by Türkiye’s own precision-guided munitions, such as the SOM cruise missile, capable of striking strategic land and sea targets with formidable accuracy. The UAV-230, a domestic innovation, represents the pinnacle of Türkiye’s missile development, offering supersonic ballistic delivery of a range of warhead types over substantial distances. The BOZOK, MAM-C, MAM-L, and Cirit missiles exemplify Türkiye’s expertise in laser guidance and smart munition technology, enabling the Terminator to engage and defeat a broad spectrum of target profiles with unerring precision.

Electronic Warfare:

To contend with the contemporary battlefield’s electronic warfare environment, the F-4E 2020 Terminator incorporates an advanced Electronic Support Measures (ESM) system for rapid threat identification and an Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) suite to confound hostile tracking systems. Moreover, chaff and flare dispensers have been integrated to provide decoys against incoming missile threats, enhancing the aircraft’s survivability in hostile airspace.

Operational Capability:

The F-4E Phantom II, transformed by these integrated systems, emerges as a multirole platform capable of dominating beyond-visual-range air-to-air engagements and precision ground-attack missions. It can operate in complex electronic warfare environments and deliver various ordnances based on mission requirements, making it a flexible asset in the Türkiye Air Force’s inventory.

Significance:

The F-4E 2020 Terminator project is a hallmark of Türkiye’s aerospace ambition and its push toward defence autonomy. By retrofitting and modernizing its Phantoms, Türkiye maximizes the value of its existing fleet while also establishing a foundation for future indigenous aircraft development projects.

Munitions Details:

The advanced, indigenous Turkish weaponry integrated into the F-4E 2020 Terminator underlines a significant shift toward self-reliance in defence technologies. Each munition type brings unique capabilities that enhance the platform’s lethality:

UAV-230: A domestically-developed ballistic missile, this supersonic weapon delivers high-precision strikes at long ranges, challenging enemy defences with its speed and reduced radar cross-section.

BOZOK: The versatility of this laser-guided munition makes it ideal for engaging both stationary and moving targets with high precision, ideal for close air support.

MAM-C/L: These smart micro munitions are designed for tactical flexibility, allowing for precision targeting in complex engagement scenarios, from anti-armour operations to counter-insurgency roles.

Cirit: A highly accurate laser-guided missile system designed for low collateral damage, Cirit is adept at striking soft and lightly armoured targets with pinpoint accuracy.

SAGE Munitions: TUBITAK SAGE, Türkiye’s leading defence research and development institute, has contributed a range of munitions enhancing the Terminator’s operational capabilities across various domains.

Conclusion:

The upgraded F-4E 2020 Terminator is a testament to Türkiye’s determination to retain a competitive edge in aerospace and defence technologies. The integration of modern avionics, armaments, and electronic warfare capabilities ensures the aircraft’s continued relevance in modern air combat, and its presence in the skies serves as a deterrent in a strategically complex region.

[haedalkoo]

Hi! I hope you’re doing well<3

I’m not too sure if you’re involved with the Korean part of the fandom but, I was wondering if you had any insight into who the biggest bts ship is on the Korean side.

I saw a post saying that according to data from the Korean website postype (which is like ao3?) that jikook were the most popular ship on there. It’s interesting because people are always quick to debunk Jikook by arguing that their closeness and questionable intimacy is the norm in Korean culture and that Korean men are naturally just more affectionate. But, if Jikook are the most popular romantic bts ship on the Korean side….clearly their behaviour is recognised as distinctly abnormal for two ‘Korean bros’.

Also, I was reading a 2021 blog post from a Jikook blog where they explained that jikook’s popularity amongst the Korean side could be from them ‘fitting’ that very heteronormative idea of what a queer couple should look like. Jm is often perceived as more feminine and jk more masculine and so that ‘visual chemistry’ (again a very heteronormative take) could be part of what makes them as a duo so attractive.

Anyway, just wanted to see what your take on this is and whether you would know more about the k-side of things!

Hi!! this is such an interesting question <3

unfortunately i'm not very involved in the general k-army side. i follow a bunch of k-jikookers to read some content in korean but that's as far as i've gotten. I always tell myself i should engage in fandom in korean to practice but then i get lazy lol

i've also heard that they're the most popular ship tho! i used to read kookmin ff in postype a while ago when i was actively learning korean and i remember seeing them at the top of the list, but i can't swear on it. what i can say from the accounts i follow is that, most definitely, these two don't act like bros in the eyes of koreans. just recently, they went crazy over the joint flower arrangement because it was not normal for friends to do that.

i find that they often do things like this, slightly blurring the lines of what's traditional or a cultural standard. even when you operate through the basis of them just being friends, jikook (and bts in general) don't tend to comfort to traditional gender or age expectations, and i love that about them. the thing is, jikook sometimes present themselves through a code associated with couples only. ie, writing their names together in the same flower arrangement. whether that's intentional (i think so) or a sign that they simply are beyond those social rules, well, we can't know.

This brings me to what you mentioned: "jm is often perceived as more feminine and jk more masculine and so that ‘visual chemistry’ (again a very heteronormative take) could be part of what makes them as a duo so attractive."

you're so right, it is an extremely heteronormative understanding of queer couples. i think lots of people struggle to think jk could be queer as well because of stereotypes like these, as if he were 'too masculine' to be gay. clearly, some people need to interact with queer people irl LOL but just because there are certain 'types' of queer men or sexual dynamics associated to body/personality types (in the same way that there are plenty of butch/femme lesbian couples and expectations of what they should look like), it doesn't mean that every couple must fall under this stereotype or that they're any more or less gay because they check the boxes.

on the other hand, some people tend to enjoy stereotypical content and then struggle to understand that queer people exist outside of them (they might love a fictional gay ship but then be blind to obvious queer signaling from men that don't fit their idea of being gay, if that makes sense?). many shippers, including jikookers, tend to have a more conservative/stereotypical view of their dynamic when jikook as individuals and a couple constantly defy these rules and boxes shoved onto them.

i'm ranting about nothing and anything at this point 😭 this is all to say that if jikook are famous within the k-side, it's not for how they 'look' as that post implied, but for the reasons everyone, korean or not, can see. their chemistry, their love, and their commitment and devotion to each other. imo they spend more time breaking cultural expectations for men/couples than adjusting to stereotypes fabricated by people outside of the queer community 🤷🏼‍♀️

thank you for your question!

[moiraimyths]

An Announcement on The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe)'s Route Order

Happy Saturday, fateful friends! We hope you're enjoying the update, if you've had a chance to play!

Some folks have asked us, both now and in the weeks leading up to Shae and Maeve's routes, what the overall route update order will be for the rest of NDM.

We're going to answer that question today, much too rigorously 👇

Initially, we'd planned to keep the route order a semi-secret in order to hype up the reveal for the next batch of characters, but after some thought/observation, the Moirai Myths team now thinks that revealing the order, and further explaining the order, would be more holistically useful to our players.

First things first: We are most likely always going to do route updates in two half-batches, instead of releasing the full route for one character at once. Two halves of two routes is roughly equivalent to one full route, so we could release each route one at a time, but this decreases the odds of us having an update that interests you if you're only presently interested in a few members of the cast. With this in mind, we've purposefully plotted out the routes so that the midway point for all routes will end on a cliffhanger or point of intrigue to encourage discussion/speculation regarding "what could come next," etc. If you've played Shae and Maeve's routes thus far, you'll know exactly what we mean by that. 😄

On that note: Why are Shae and Maeve's routes first? A small part of it is logistical. While they're not our most popular characters, most people like Shae and Maeve well enough coming out of the demo (Vol. 1), which gives them a decently broad appeal-potentiality. Preliminary data of ours also suggests that the average person's interest in these characters increases following the update. *wink* However, the second and larger reason is because of NDM's overarching story. While each route, as with other dating sims, explores the specific character arcs and personal struggles of their namesakes, these things are not the sole focus of the routes. NDM's story begins in a cold war scenario that could very well turn into a hot war scenario under the wrong set of circumstances. These plot points are persistent across the game, but certain elements are looked at more closely in some routes than in others.

Shae and Maeve basically serve as the introductory characters for our world beyond Vol. 1. Their routes explain essential concepts, such as the class dynamics of Tír na nÓg, the nature of the War of the Courts, etc., and they get some pretty big backstory questions answered and out of the way early on. This allows future routes to focus on other, similarly critical subjects, unimpeded by the need to go over previously-revealed information from the other routes in the same amount of detail. To that end, since major reveals in Shae and Maeve's routes may be comparatively understated in the next batch of routes, this begs the question...

✨ Is there an official recommended reading order? ✨

Yes. And some of our players have already guessed it:

Book of the Traveller (Vol. 1) is the "inciting incident" content for the game and must be read first. After that, you should play Shae's route (Book of the Soldier, Vol. 2), then Maeve's route (Book of the Warrior, Vol. 3). This means, according to the numbering: The next route batch will be Flannán and Aífe. Following them, Robin and Keagan.

We understand that in a lot of visual novels, routes can be read in any order without much impact to the story or experience. This is not so much the case with The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe), for the reasons we have previously explained. While we would not say the game would necessarily be ruined if players chose to, say, start with Keagan's route and work their way backwards, it would nevertheless be a less satisfying experience because you won't be getting the gradual build up of certain concepts and plot points in the prior volumes. In a sense, it would be somewhat similar to reading an actual book series out of order: You could probably read The Two Towers ahead of The Fellowship of the Ring and still have an enjoyable time, but you might find yourself asking, "Hm, why are they sending Hobbits on an important task like this? Sort of odd that an elf or human wasn't given this duty instead."

We hope this post is clarifying as to our artistic intent and general plans, and remember: Your favourite characters will appear in major ways across multiple routes, and we will be releasing side story DLCs featuring the other characters in between updates. 😊

Slán go foill! (Bye for now!)

-The Moirai Myths Team

[lyssophobiaa]

Quick sketch for Piers’ bionic arm.

Design Features

•Aesthetics: Streamlined, ergonomic design with a minimalist look, often featuring a matte or metallic finish.

•Materials: Lightweight composites like carbon fiber and titanium, providing durability without sacrificing mobility.

•Color Options: Customizable colors or finishes, including options for skin-like textures or futuristic metallics.

Technology

•Actuation: Advanced motors and actuators that enable precise, fluid movement mimicking natural limb motion.

•Sensors: Integrated sensors (e.g., myoelectric sensors) to detect muscle signals for intuitive control and movement.

•Feedback Systems: Haptic feedback mechanisms to provide users with sensory information about grip strength and object texture.

Safety and Durability

•Water and Dust Resistance: High IP ratings to protect against environmental factors.

•Emergency Features: Manual override systems or fail-safes in case of technology malfunction.

Advanced Technological Interface

•Integrated Biosensors: Built-in biosensors that can analyze blood or interstitial fluid samples to measure viral load in real time.

•Data Analytics: Utilizes algorithms to process biosensor data, providing insights on viral dynamics and trends.

•Alerts and Notifications: Real-time alerts sent to the user or healthcare provider when viral load exceeds predetermined thresholds.

•Communication System: Integrated with a communicator on the wrist, the arm serves as a reliable device for maintaining contact with his team. This system includes encrypted channels for secure communication during high-stakes operations.

•Objective Management Display: The arm features a holographic display that provides a detailed version of the communicator’s data, allowing Piers to view mission objectives and tactical data in real-time. This feature minimizes the need for external devices and keeps critical information accessible.

Augmented Reality (AR) Compatibility

•Enhanced Visualization: The arm’s display projects augmented reality overlays, allowing Piers to see additional information, such as enemy positions, weapon stats, or tactical directions, directly in his line of sight.

•Environmental Scanning: The arm can analyze the surroundings for potential threats, detect biological or chemical hazards, and provide alerts for safer navigation through hostile environments.

Electricity Conduction and Control

•Energy Conduit Design: The bionic arm acts as a conductor for the constant electrical energy generated by Piers’ mutation. It includes specialized channels and circuits designed to manage this energy flow, allowing Piers to use his mutation’s electrical pulse without it spiraling out of control.

•Dielectric Structures: The arm’s design incorporates materials that mimic the dielectric properties of his mutated tissue, particularly in the finger joints and bones. These dielectric components help regulate and contain the high voltage his body produces, diffusing excess energy safely throughout the arm.

•Controlled Release Mechanism: To avoid overload, the arm features a controlled release system that allows Piers to release pulses of energy strategically, whether in combat or to alleviate the internal buildup. This system prevents the arm from overheating or sustaining damage from prolonged electrical activity.

Containment and Compression of the Mutation

•Compression Framework: The prosthetic was specially designed by UMBRELLA engineers to act as a containment “net” around his mutation. It includes a flexible, reinforced framework that compresses the mutated tissue, keeping it in check and preventing further growth or erratic shifts in form.

•Adaptive Pressure System: As the mutation strains against the arm, sensors detect any changes in size or energy output, triggering adaptive responses. The arm tightens or loosens as necessary to hold the mutation back, functioning almost like a high-tech brace that adjusts in real-time to maintain Piers’ arm in a stable form.

•Automatic Safety Lock: In the event of a significant spike in mutation activity or electrical output, the arm engages an emergency lock to keep the mutation from expanding. This feature is a safeguard against sudden bursts of energy that could cause the arm to revert to its mutated state.

Dependency and Risks of Removal

•Rapid Mutation Onset: Without the prosthetic in place, Piers’ arm begins to mutate almost immediately, returning to its original, unstable form. The electrical pulse that his body generates becomes unrestrained, emitting a continuous, breath-like rhythm that is both painful and dangerous, with energy leaking through protruding bones and exposed tissue.

•Uncontrollable Pulse: When uncontained, the electrical pulse from his mutation surges in intensity, lacking any natural “closure” or stopping point. This pulse causes rapid fluctuations in his vital signs and risks systemic overload, leading to loss of control over his mutation and putting him at severe physical risk.

Miscellaneous Details

•The arm has a unique serial code engraved on an inner plate, serving as an identifier for UMBRELLA technicians. This code also links to Piers’ personal health records, mutation data, and arm specifications for quick access during maintenance or in emergencies.

•Due to the intense electrical pulses generated by his mutation, the arm is equipped with an internal cooling system. Micro-fans and heat-dissipating channels prevent overheating during extended use, keeping the arm at a safe, comfortable temperature. If the arm overheats, an internal alarm alerts Piers to prevent any potential damage.

•The outer layer is treated with a UV-resistant coating to protect it from environmental damage and exposure. This ensures that prolonged exposure to sunlight or harsh conditions doesn’t wear down the arm’s exterior, making it more durable in diverse climates and situations.

•Designed for various operational environments, the arm is fully waterproof and corrosion-resistant. It functions normally underwater, which is crucial for aquatic missions or when exposed to rain, mud, or corrosive substances.

•The holographic display can be customized to show additional details, such as weather, GPS navigation, or tactical maps. Piers can also set personal preferences, like color schemes or alert tones, for a more intuitive user experience. This flexibility lets him prioritize the information he finds most critical during missions.

•The communicator has an onboard language translator, enabling Piers to communicate with individuals across different languages. The arm’s display shows translated text, and a subtle earpiece can even relay audio translations, making it easier for him to gather intel and negotiate in multilingual environments.

[a03-anxiousandafraid]

You know a creative project is cooked when its fucking director says with their whole chest "I would love to see a live-action Miyazaki" as if that isn't a slap in the face to Miyazaki himself and an admittance that they do not view the medium of animation as being on par with live action. Like, hey jackass... rendering your film with a game engine and using motion capture IS ANIMATION. Those two things do not constitute live action; at that point you are either making animated content or you are making a hybrid product.

I'm so sick of this ignorant talk. Motion capture doesn't end at the actors in their suits. Yall, animators only get maybe 20% of the total performance from motion capture, no matter how good the data or talented the actors. That's just not how it works. Artists work their asses off to make these performances happen and look beautiful/realistic/interesting/dynamic etc. I could write a novel on this honestly, yall this is my day to day, I've been on the stage to act and direct and both hand key anim and animate over mocap on the daily. Let's please stop letting Hollywood disrespect animation and VFX with the way we talk about media. Especially media we love.

Honorary mention: No amount of "cool visuals" or "advanced rendering" can save a bad script.

[holymaccaronii]

So how does BE’s simulation work? Is it like a big dome on the surface of the earth with like real plants and animals or are they fake? Also how big exactly is it and how many biomes does it have?

HELLO DEAR MUTUAL sorry for responding so late 🌞, had stuff to do from college,,

I promise I’ll depict it later visually (because I really want to) but BE’s simulation/nature works with a dynamic I mostly made up to fit the lore. Here’s some important info from the background before I explain:

Up in the moon, 34RTH units (the division BE belonged to) besides being used by HEL-102 as showcases for the highest “beauty standards” also were constantly put to training sessions to test their skills when taking care of living organic beings, since that was technically their future purpose once they settled back on Earth. You’d think they would use the actual seeds and animals they had stored in their vault, but HEL-102 being the greedy monarch he was wasn’t gonna let not even his own creations handle them. SO, he developed a system inside the 34RTH units that allowed them to project holograms to simulate real living plants or animals for them to take care of. Take in mind that these holograms weren’t alive, they were simply a reflection of the knowledge of natural processes 34RTH units had inside their data banks.

Now talking about BE’s nature: once BE had pretty much merged herself with a thousand robotic corpses down in AM’s complex (following the lore I had explained a while back), she also merged herself with the seed she had stolen from the moon’s vault and had it integrated into her systems. This allowed her to reflect actual living beings through holograms that could grow, interact with other real beings like BE’s survivors and undergo all natural processes with an actual mind of their own now. All of what BE creates still depends on her however, think of her as a core that fuels her own creations and if corrupted or low on energy, it directly affects them. Ik this seems like pulled out of nowhere because it technically was but since I liked the headcanon of AM being able to create bodies or puppets all controlled by him down on his complex, I wanted BE to be able to create independent minds. This was a short a explanation with probably excluded info but if you’d like a simpler description, just imagine the Earth’s surface turned into an actual Minecraft world where BE is in creative mode :P.

Answering your second question: I wouldn’t think of it as a dome, but BE is able to harden the atmosphere into one if she’d like to. BE manually purified the air thus I think one shouldn’t be necessary. And yeah you could say the plants and animals aren’t real since they aren’t organic, but they can still interact around with full sentience and act as a real one, they’re just big clumps of energy minding their own business.

Answering your third question: BE’s “territory” extends from the Earth’s atmosphere down to the lowest point life has ever reached. I definitely don’t have this info as developed yet but I think it’d be fun to indulge into both AM’s and BE’s territories by representing them thru a diagram of Earth’s layers. Regarding the biomes, I don’t think BE herself would’ve created a new one since her objective was to rebuild everything just as it was before the global massacre, so the number of existing biomes in her nature stays the same as the og nature. Nevertheless, her survivors (COUGH* probably Adam or Terry) most likely asked her to simulate a fantasy-like biome at least once just for shits and giggles.

As always if you or anyone has any specific questions I’ll gladly answer them. This mechanic is still a bit under construction so things might change later.