#Google Duplex
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Is Google Duplex the Future of AI Conversations or Just a Staged Demo?
At Google I/O, CEO Sundar Pichai added Google Duplex, a function of Google Assistant designed to make requires us, from booking appointments to creating reservations. Its realistic, human-like voice taken aback the target audience, however it additionally sparked debate: was this actual, or simply a polished showcase?
Google Duplex guarantees a leap past popular AI voices, sounding conversational and natural. Yet, tech professionals observed a few unusual details in the demo:
Eerily Quiet Backgrounds: The calls have been oddly free from regular history noise, elevating questions on authenticity. Perfect Call Quality: Not a unmarried audio glitch or network hiccupâan extraordinary scenario in actual calls. Lack of Personal Details: The absence of names, numbers, or identities left the calls feeling incomplete and suspiciously seamless. Skeptics recommend these calls might have been edited or staged entirely.
Googleâs silence on specifics best fuels the questions: Is Google Duplex truely groundbreaking or in reality an phantasm?
Curious to dive deeper? Explore the total story and discover the talk on AI ethics and Googleâs innovation. Click on the link mentioned above.
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#AI chatbot#AI ethics specialist#AI jobs#Ai Jobsbuster#AI landscape 2024#AI product manager#AI research scientist#AI software products#AI tools#Artificial Intelligence (AI)#BERT#Clarifai#computational graph#Computer Vision API#Content creation#Cortana#creativity#CRM platform#cybersecurity analyst#data scientist#deep learning#deep-learning framework#DeepMind#designing#distributed computing#efficiency#emotional analysis#Facebook AI research lab#game-playing#Google Duplex
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What Is Google Duplex? The AI Assistant of the Future
Ever wish you had a personal assistant to handle those mundane phone calls? Well, Google's been working on an AI system that can conduct natural conversations over the phone, and it's called Google Duplex. This new technology can carry out complex real-world tasks for you over the phone like booking appointments or making restaurant reservations.
Pretty soon you may never have to call a business again. Google Duplex can have a natural back-and-forth conversation with someone on the other end of the line, responding appropriately based on the conversation and even adding in the occasional "um" or "mm-hmm." The system sounds so human that during early tests, people on the other end of the calls didn't even realize they were talking to an AI.
While we're still a few years away from having our own personal robot assistants, Google Duplex gives us a glimpse into the future where AI and humans work side by side to get things done. The technology is still limited to specific tasks like making phone calls, but as it continues to improve, AI systems like Duplex could handle more and more of those everyday annoyances for us. The future is here, and it's getting more automated by the day.
What Is Google Duplex?
Google Duplex is Google's AI assistant that can have natural conversations over the phone. It's able to book appointments, make reservations, and perform other tasks for you using speech recognition and speech synthesis.
Duplex allows Google Assistant to have actual phone conversations by adapting to the human on the other end of the call. It has a very natural speaking style and is able to respond quickly and appropriately during a discussion.
Make a phone call on your behalf. For example, call a hair salon to book an appointment or a restaurant to make a dinner reservation.
Handle hold times, interruptions, and complex conversations. The AI assistant can understand multiple interconnected requests in a single conversation.
Provide more natural interactions. Duplex speaks with a very human-like voice and uses culturally appropriate speech patterns like "umm's" and "mm-hmm's".
Duplex is currently only available in the U.S. to help users with very specific tasks like booking reservations or appointments by phone. However, it has huge potential to handle more complex requests in the future as the technology continues to advance.
The rollout of Duplex means that we now have AI technology helping us accomplish everyday tasks by conducting actual phone conversations. While still limited, Duplex provides a glimpse into the future where AI assistants handle an increasing number of responsibilities on our behalf using natural language interactions. The possibilities for how Duplex may evolve over the next several years are truly amazing!
How Google's Duplex AI Assistant Works
Google Duplex is the AI assistant of the future that can make phone calls on your behalf. How does this futuristic tech work? Let's break it down:
Google's Duplex AI assistant is powered by a neural network trained on a huge dataset of anonymized phone conversations. This allows Duplex to understand natural conversation flow, context, accents and ambient noise during calls.
Duplex can conduct complex, multiturn conversations, responding quickly and naturally. Its responses are generated in real time based on what the person on the other end of the call says.
Duplex schedules appointments, reservations or queries by first contacting the business to check availability and ensure their hours are accurate. It provides all the necessary details like contact info, reason for calling, number of people, time requested, etc.
If the business asks for details Duplex can't provide, it will politely ask to call you back. It can also handle common questions, exceptions and nuances that come up during calls.
Duplex aims to be extremely polite, courteous and helpful at all times. Its goal is to have natural and positive conversations, and to achieve the objective you request while causing no inconvenience.
While Duplex may seem too good to be true, Google is taking an iterative approach to launch - starting with very specific use cases, collecting feedback, and continuing to improve the AI. The possibilities for time-saving and convenient AI assistants are exciting, as long as they're built responsibly and respectfully. How's that for a glimpse of the future?
When Will Google Duplex Be Available?
So when can you expect to start using Google Duplex to handle tasks for you? Unfortunately, widespread availability is still on the horizon, but progress is being made.
Limited testing underway
Google Duplex is currently available on a limited basis for certain Google Pixel owners in select cities in the U.S. You have to sign up to be part of the preview program to gain access. Google is using this beta testing period to improve Duplex's abilities and work out any kinks before rolling it out to more people. The company hasn't announced a definitive timeline for when Duplex will be broadly released, but expects it to take some time as they expand to more locations and languages.
iPhone users still waiting
If you're an iPhone owner, you'll have to wait even longer. Google Duplex is only available for Google's own Pixel devices right now. The technology behind Duplex is complex, and Google wants to refine it on their own hardware before opening it up to third-parties. There's no word on if or when iPhone users might get access to Duplex, but it likely won't be anytime soon.
What's taking so long?
You might be wondering what's holding Google back from releasing Duplex worldwide. A few factors are at play:
Complexity. Duplex and its AI components are highly advanced technologies that take time to develop and improve to function smoothly.
Caution. Google wants to be careful about how Duplex is introduced to avoid issues with privacy, security or overpromising on its capabilities. They're taking an incremental approach.
Experimentation. Google is still testing different use cases for Duplex to determine how to best apply it. They may roll it out for certain tasks before others.
Regulation. Laws around AI systems like Duplex are still evolving. Google wants to release it in a regulated and responsible manner.
While the wait for Google Duplex may be frustrating, it's better for Google to take its time to do things right. Once available, Duplex could revolutionize how we get things done each day. But we have to be patient and let progress run its course. The future is coming, even if not quite as fast as we might like!
What Can Google Duplex Do?
Google Duplex is an AI system created by Google to help with real-world tasks over the phone. At its core, Duplex is a virtual assistant focused on accomplishing specific goals through natural conversation. Currently, Google Duplex can handle the following types of requests:
Restaurant Reservations
Duplex can call restaurants to book tables on your behalf. Give it details like the name of the restaurant, date and time of your reservation, number of guests, and any preferences you may have. The AI will then phone the restaurant, check availability, and reserve your table, handling any questions that come up. You'll get a notification when your reservation is set.
Salon and Spa Appointments
Need to schedule a haircut or massage? Duplex can call salons and spas to book appointments for services like:
Haircuts
Hair coloring
Massages
Facials
Nail care
Provide Duplex with the details of the service you want to book and it will work with the business to find an available time slot that fits your schedule.
Checking Business Hours
If you need to know the hours of operation for a local store, restaurant or other establishment, Duplex can call them and inquire about their hours, including:
Regular business hours
Holiday hours
Any seasonal changes
Duplex will then send you the details so you know exactly when that business will be open.
While still limited, Google Duplex shows the potential of AI to handle everyday tasks through natural and engaging phone conversations. As the technology continues to advance, virtual assistants like Duplex may eventually be able to book flights, schedule deliveries, handle customer service inquiries and more using their conversational abilities. The future certainly looks bright for this promising AI system!
Google Duplex vs Alexa and Siri: How They Compare
Google Duplex is Google's AI assistant focused on accomplishing real-world tasks over the phone. Compared to Alexa and Siri, Duplex is far more advanced in its conversational abilities and seamlessly handles the nuances of natural human speech.
Polite and Natural
Duplex is designed to sound extremely natural on phone calls, from its polite greetings to its fluent responses. It politely says âplease,â âthank you,â and âexcuse me,â and pauses naturally in conversation. This helps it come across as courteous and human-like compared to the more robotic tones of Alexa or Siri.
Complex Task Handling
Whereas Alexa and Siri are best suited for simple questions and commands, Duplex can handle more complex real-world tasks over the phone like booking restaurant reservations, scheduling hair salon appointments, and checking holiday business hours. Duplex demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of conversational context which allows it to deal with the unexpected questions and tangents that often come up in such phone calls.
Limited Availability
Unfortunately, Duplex is not yet available for public use and is still limited to a select number of Google Pixel phone owners. Google is testing Duplex to ensure it meets high standards of politeness, transparency and user control before rolling it out more broadly. In contrast, Alexa and Siri are available on many devices and are continually improving to better serve their millions of users.
Privacy and Bias Concerns
Some critics argue AI systems like Duplex could be privacy risks or reflect unfair biases. Google is proactively addressing such concerns through research partnerships focused on AI safety, as well as subjecting Duplex to rigorous testing around privacy, transparency and bias before expanding its availability. Overall though, Duplex seems poised to become the most human-like AI assistant once it overcomes these important challenges and becomes widely accessible.
In summary, Duplex edges out Alexa and Siri with its advanced conversational and task-handling abilities, as well as its politeness and naturalness. However, Duplex still faces certain limitations around availability, privacy, bias and transparency that it must address to fulfill its full potential. With continued progress, Duplex could become the AI assistant of the future we've long been waiting for.
If you want more information about AI Tools then check out Top 9 AI Tools - It Feels Illegal To Know These 9 AI tools. You can also read more about what exactly artificial intelligence means and how itâs changing our world in articles like What Is AI? How AI Change The World/The Dark Truth Of Ai & What Is Technology? How Technology Is Changing The World.and also read :Google Ai || Has Google Created Human-Level AI? An Engineer Makes Bold Claim&What Is Bard AI and How Does It Work?
The Ethics of Google Duplex: What Concerns Experts Have
Google Duplex is an AI system that can conduct natural conversations by phone to carry out real-world tasks for users. While the technology is impressive, experts have raised some concerns regarding the ethics of an AI that can deceive people into thinking it's human.
Lack of transparency
Duplex is designed to sound very human on the phone, using natural language responses and pauses to seem more lifelike. However, the people on the receiving end of the calls are not informed they are speaking to an AI assistant. Critics argue this lack of transparency is deceptive and people have a right to know when they are interacting with a bot.
Bias and unfairness
AI systems can reflect and amplify the biases of their human creators. If the teams building Duplex lack diversity, the system may be prone to unfairness or make insensitive remarks, especially when conversations go off script. Google says they are "focused on building inclusive teams and considering fairness in all parts of the development process." But experts stress that proactively addressing bias should be a top priority.
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A Curse [Chapter 1: Chinatown]
Series summary: You are an aspiring actress. Aegon is a washed-up and disenchanted agent...at least until he sees something special in you. But within paradisical seaside Los Angeles you find terrible dangers and temptations, secrets and lies. Maybe Aegon's right; maybe the City of Angels really is a curse.
Chapter warnings:Â Language, references to sexual content (18+ readers only), a lil age gap, entertainment industry misogyny, some body dissatisfaction/dysmorphia, big doomed situationship energy, erotic apple eating, Minnesota.
Word count: 5.6k
đ All my writing can be found HERE! đ
Tagging:Â @lauraneedstochill @mrs-starkgaryen @chattylurker @neithriddle @ecstaticactus, more in comments! đ„°
đïžÂ Let me know if youâd like to be added to the taglist đïž
He takes your hand without looking at you. He had been lounging with his green Nike Killshots up on the desk when Brandon, the receptionist, brought you in. He had also been playing a translucent orange Nintendo 64; now the game is paused and Mario is frozen on the screen of the 24-inch television, deep underwater and in pursuit of a gold star affixed to the tail of a giant eel.
âNice to meet you,â Aegon says without much interest. Youâre smiling, not that he notices. Then he nods at the receptionist. âThanks, Brando.â
âOh, no problem at all!â Brandon trills buoyantly, pulling out your chair for you as Aegon flops back into his own. âCan I bring anything? Iced coffee, matcha latte, Perrier?â
âIâm good,â Aegon says, glancing at your resume where it rests on the desk amongst framed photographs, manilla folders, takeout menus, gum wrappers rolled into tiny balls. You have the impression he hasnât read it. Nonetheless, you are still smiling.
âHow about you, hon?â Brandon asks you.
You donât want to make him run to a Starbucks or anything. âUmâŠIâll take a Perrier, please. Thatâs easy for you, right? You can just grab it out of the minifridge in the lobby?â
âYou betcha!â Brandon darts out of the office and returns in ten seconds. In the elapsed time, Aegon has not looked at you once. Instead, he slouches in his chair and thumps his Nikes onto the desk, sighs, and gazes longingly at the television screen. You sit up straight with your hands folded in your lap. You have dressed in business casual attire for the occasion: a modest yellow sundress and TOMS wedges, warm understated eyeshadow, sparkly champagne pink Dreamer by Anastasia Beverly Hills, matte brown Hope by Huda Beauty. Brandon returns and hands you a green glass bottle of Perrier, ice cold and slippery with condensation, and closes the door behind him as he leaves.
âLook, Iâll be honest,â Aegon tells you, picking up your resume and scanning it blandly. âI donât want to waste your time, but Iâm really not in the market for new clients. Brando made this appointment before I told him that, and then he really didnât want to cancel it. He liked your resume or something. So Iâll hear you out but donât expect much.â
âOh. WellâŠI really appreciate you taking the time to see me anyway!â
He gives you a swift sideways look as if suspicious of your enthusiasm. Itâs not that complicated; you havenât had an audition in weeks, and none of the other six agents youâve seen have signed you. Aegon Targaryenâs drab little office in one half of a duplex in Elysian Park is a relative paradise. His blonde hair is gelled back from his face. He wears dark jeans, a teal t-shirt, and a wrinkled tan sport coat jacket thrown carelessly overtop. Youâve Googled him; heâs thirty-five, so a decade older than you. âWhere are you from?â
Thatâs on your resume he hasnât read. âMinnesota.â
Aegonâs eyebrows shoot up. âNo wonder you left. City or country?â
âA town called Apple Valley, itâs about a half hour outside of Minneapolis.â
âSo youâre not a nepo baby.â
âA what?â
âYour parents arenât connected to the entertainment industry in any way.â
âOh right, no, they definitely arenât. My dadâs a cardiologist. My mom worked as a waitress while he was in med school, and now she just has a lot of Akitas.â
Aegon flips over your resume and skims the back. âAre they supportive of you being out here?â
âUmâŠâ You chuckle uneasily. âNot really. My older sisterâs a pharmacist and my brotherâs in law school, so I am definitely the underachieving child. But theyâre not too mean about it. Theyâre just waiting for me to get it out of my system.â
âLaw school where?â
âMichigan.â
âState or University?â
âUniversity.â
âSo youâre really smart,â Aegon says. He has begun to fold your resume into a paper airplane. âIntelligence is genetic. If your siblings are book smart, you probably are too.â
You smile and shrug, not knowing what to say. âI guess so.â
âDo you have a boyfriend back in Minnesota whoâs calling you every other day trying to convince you to come home and marry him and have two kids and a Goldendoodle?â
You laugh. âNo, no boyfriend. I mean, I have an ex-boyfriend there. I see him sometimes when I fly home to visit. But heâs not standing in the way of anything.â
Aegon nods like youâve passed a test. âDo your parents send you money?â
âYeah, but not a lot. They donât want to encourage me. I work at a Cold Stone Creamery in Harbor Gateway, itâs just a few blocks away from my apartment. I have a roommate, sheâs trying to be an actress too.â
âIce cream,â he muses. He launches your paper airplane resume; it sails across the room, hits the mint green wall, nosedives to the floor. âDo you like working there?â
âItâs fine. Itâs a paycheck. Back in the spring I was doing after-school programs for Mad Science, driving all over Watts and Southeast teaching children about bugs and magnets and outer space, so that was really cool.â
Aegon looks up at you, brow furrowed. Itâs the first time youâve had his full attention. âYou were doing after-school programs in Watts?â
âYeah, it was awesome. The kids were so fun. But I needed something that was more flexible so I could be free during the middle of the day for auditions and stuff.â
He blinks at you a few times. âWhy do you want to be an actress?â
You stall, twisting open your Perrier and taking a gulp. âThatâs a hard question.â
âItâs literally the most obvious question. If you canât answer it, I donât know what youâre doing here.â
âWell, I never wanted to be an actress,â you say. âI just kind ofâŠam one. I canât read a book without my expressions and my posture changing to match whatâs going on in the story. I canât watch a movie without feeling like Iâm in that world with the characters, or, or, or imagining how I would have delivered the lines differently. And then even when Iâm doing something totally unrelatedâŠmath homework, walking my momâs Akitas, making ice creamâŠI envision where the cameras would be if I was being filmed, which way I would tilt my face to catch the light. Itâs something I think about all the time and I canât turn it off. So how am I supposed to be a doctor or a lawyer and spend my entire life trying to avoid every thought that occurs to me organically? It sounds like torture.â
Aegon stares at you, a long golden silence as daylight pours in through the windows facing the east. Then he drops his green Nikes to the floor and straightens up in his chair, studying you. He points to the windows. âLook that way.â
You do, closing your eyes when the glare is too bright.
âNow the other side of the room.â
You turn to the mint green wall where your paper airplane resume rests on the hardwood floor like the wreckage of the Titanic sits at the bottom of the ocean.
âStand up.â
You set your bottle of Perrier on his cluttered desk and obey, but with some reluctance. âPlease donât ask me to bend over.â
Aegon snorts a laugh. âThatâs not what Iâm doing. I want you to go to the door and then walk back to me like youâre angry.â
âI have a bunch of acting reels on YouTubeââ
âI donât want to see your acting reels. I want to see you in front of me right now.â
âOkay,â you agree. You go to the closed door, take a moment to shake off the real world, and then walk to his desk, your footsteps heavy and your eyes hard. Aegonâs dark blue gaze follows you and does not waver.
âLook at me like youâre sad.â
You imagine heâs said something horrible to you, a husband whoâs broken a vow, a doctor with a grim prognosis.
âGood!â Aegon says, animated now. âYou get it. Itâs in the eyebrows, not the mouth.â He gestures to your chair. âNow sit down like you donât want to be here.â
You move sluggishly, like you hope someone will interrupt you; your eyes float boredly around the room. Then you plop heavily into the chair and stare at Aegon, a little vacuously inane, a little resentful like a petulant teenager. You pretend to chew gum you donât have.
Aegon smiles, amused. âIf Iâd asked you to bend over, would you have done it?â
âIâd like to say no, but Iâm pretty desperate.â
He snickers, shaking his head. âDonât let a man make you uncomfortable. Donât believe anyone if they say they want to drive you somewhere to see you audition or take your picture and nobody else you know is going. When you go to clubs and parties, watch the bartender make your drink and never put it down until youâre done. Donât get talked into plastic surgery. Yes, that includes Botox and fillers.â
You sip your Perrier. âWell, I might get a boob job.â
âDonât get a boob job.â
âWhy not? Basically everybody hereâs had one. I think Taylor Swift got two.â
âYou donât need a boob job,â Aegon says impatiently.
âIâm not sure you have all the knowledge to make an informed decision about that.â
âI am so sick of this bullshit,â he mutters, pushing the takeout menus and manilla folders around on his desk but leaving it no tidier. âPeople cutting up their perfectly normal bodiesâŠpeople stuffing themselves full of poisonâŠso afraid to look human they end up like motherfucking Bratz dolls.â He sighs and peers up at you again. âJust so you know, Iâm getting out of L.A. Iâm only going to be here until September. So by then youâll have to find someone else. But I can get you started, I guess.â
You are beaming. âYouâll be my agent?â
âYeah, but like I saidââ
You squeal and leap to your feet, taking his left hand with both of yours and shaking it vigorously, Aegon gaping up at you. âThank you! Thank you so much! I am going to be the best client youâve ever had, I will never ever complain, I will do anything you say, I will audition with snakes and tarantulas, I will swim with sharks.â
Aegon grins, perhaps despite himself. âI donât think that will be necessary.â
âWhy are you leaving in September?â
âIâm getting married. Figured Iâd do the whole settling down and living a quiet life thing.â He spins around one of the photographs on his desk so you can see it. In the frame, Aegon is standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon with a woman around his age, tall and willowy, long thick dark hair, flowing white sundress, wearing black aviator sunglasses to match his.
âThatâs exciting!â You love weddings. âAnd you two look so happy together!â
âYeah, Beccaâs pretty great.â Aegon takes a stick of Juicy Fruit out of a pack on his desk, shoves it into his mouth, distractedly rolls the white and red wrapper into a ball. âSheâs a real caretaker type. Always trying to do my laundry and pack me lunches and bake pies and whatever.â
âAnd thatâs something you look for in a woman?â you tease lightheartedly. Aegon gives you a lightning-quick annoyed glance, and your smile abruptly dies. âIâm so sorry, I didnât mean to be rude. Please donât fire me.â
He chuckles and stands up from his desk, his hands in the pockets of his tan jacket. Mario is still underwater, forgotten on the frozen television screen. âLetâs go grab some lunch.â
âRight now?â You slide your phone out of your purseâcrossbody, wildflowers, Patricia Nash but found at T.J.Maxxâto check the time. âItâs like 10:30 a.m.â
âTheyâll be open by the time we walk to Chinatown.â
âOkay!â Lunch can only be a good thing. Still clutching your Perrier, you trot after Aegon into the small lobby, scuffed wood floor and cheap IKEA couches. Behind the reception desk, Brandon is making notes in a planner using one of those pens with a fake flower on top. He looks up at you and Aegon as you pass by.
âBrando, Iâm taking an early lunch,â Aegon tells him.
Brandon is hopeful. âAre you signing her?â
âYeah, but itâs just untilââ
âOh for cute!â Brandon cries out, and Aegon is stupefied. But you know exactly what Brandon means. He must be from Minnesota too. So thatâs why he liked my resume. Los Angeles is kind of like the military; once youâre swimming in this multinational fishbowl, everyone from your home state is a friend.
âWhat part?â you ask, smiling.
âDuluth.â
âBet the Pacific Ocean beats Lake Superior any day.â
âHave you been to Venice Beach yet?â
âOh yeah. Heaven on earth.â
âGood luck with everything,â Brandon says, and then he winks. âI hope you get to stay.â
Stay in L.A. Stay here chasing the dream. Me too. Then you follow Aegon through the front door and down the concrete steps to the sidewalk, out into breezy mid-70s air and sunlight peeking from behind pure white tufts of cumulus clouds. You can hear music and dogs barking. The street is lined with quaint midcentury houses with metal fences and humming air conditioning units in the windows; any businessowners here are hanging their own shingle, beauticians and pet groomers and bakers. On the horizon, you can see the silvery skyscrapers of Downtown.
âSo about that resume I clearly didnât read,â Aegon says as he walks with his hands in his pockets. âHave you done any meaningful acting work since youâve been out here?â
Why lie? âNo.â
He gives you a shellshocked look like this is the worst case scenario. âWellâŠI appreciate your honesty. So youâll take anything.â
âAbsolutely anything. I meanâŠâ You take an anxious swig of your Perrier. âIâd really rather not be naked.â
Heâs laughing again. Youâre not sure if he thinks youâre funny or ridiculous. âIâm not going to pitch you for roles that require nudity.â
You are relieved. âOkay. Cool.â
âWhere did you act before?â
âAfter college I did some short films for grad studentsâŠtheyâre all pretty terrible, Iâll admit it, but I didnât write themâŠand I was in a bunch of shows at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. And I worked in the gift shop.â
âGuthrie?â Aegon says. âLike Woody Guthrie?â
âNo, common mistake. A completely different Guthrie. Some English lord who was a director.â
âWhich shows were you in?â
You describe your roles, all supporting, none leading: Romeo and Juliet, Othello, A Streetcar Named Desire, Pride and Prejudice, Julius Caesar, Anastasia, Frankenstein, August: Osage County, Richard III, Dracula. Aegon listens but he watches you too, the way you stride in your TOMS wedges over the cracked and uneven sidewalk, the way you use your hands too much when you talk, a habit youâre trying to break. His eyes on youâthat deep and tumultuous blueâdo not feel like a leer, and you think youâve acquired enough experience in your past three months in Los Angeles to know the difference. Aegonâs gaze is no longer disinterested but methodical, practiced, ever-seeking, notes transcribed not in ink but electrical impulses and ineffable cyclones of neurotransmitters.
âDracula,â Aegon jokes. âVampire experience, huh? Maybe we could get you in the Twilight reboot.â
âIs that really happening?â
âIt is, but itâs going to be animated. So itâs only voice acting. And I think we can aim higher than that.â He pauses at an intersection and looks lost for a few seconds, then remembers the way and bears to the right. This street is busier, hectic with shops and pedestrians, teenagers on skateboards, vendors advertising their fruit smoothies and boba teas. Red banners printed with twisted dragons and Chinatown 2025 hang from the streetlights. Towering palm trees cast shadows in the shape of windblown leaves. âDo you get along with your roommate?â
This is a random question. You finish your Perrier and discard the glass bottle in a trashcan. âYeah, sheâs really nice, weâre friends. Why?â
âGood. Housing instability is a huge source of stress for young actors, just wanted to make sure you werenât in danger of ending up sleeping under a bridge.â
âI might be if her boyfriend ever gets a job and can pay half of the rent.â
âWell if it happens, let me know. I can help get you set up somewhere.â Aegon yanks his phone out of his jeans pocket to check the time. âWeâve got a few more minutes to kill,â he says, and ducks into a market strewn with crates of produce: bitter melon, bok choy, pears, pomelos, dragon fruit, peaches, plums, durian, sweet potatoes, kumquats, lychees. You follow after Aegon as he weaves through narrow, crowded aisles, inspecting the wares and waving to shopkeepers that he recognizes. He asks you as he points to a dozen cardboard boxes overflowing with apples: âDoes this make you homesick for Appletown?â
âApple Valley,â you correct him, laughing. âAnd not quite. Iâd rather have Venice Beach.â
âWhatâs the state apple of Minnesota?â
âI have no idea.â
âLetâs find out.â He uses his phone to Google it. âHoneycrisp.â
âOh neat! Those are pretty good.â
âAre they?â He searches until amongst the Granny Smiths and Fujis and Golden Delicious apples he finds a box labelled Honeycrisp. âI donât think Iâve ever tried one.â
âNowâs your chance.â
Aegon picks up a large, glossy apple, pinkish-red and striped with yellow, and takes a massive bite. Juice dribbles down his mouth and chin; he wipes it away with the back of his hand. âIâm going to pay for it,â he assures you when you look startled. He chews, deliberating. âThis apple sucks. This is a flop apple.â
âYou are blinded by your anti-Minnesota prejudice.â
âItâs boring.â
âHow can an apple be boring?â
âItâs likeâŠtoo sweet. Not tart enough. Not as good as a Braeburn or a Pink Lady. Here.â Aegon tosses the Honeycrisp apple and you catch it. Then, when you stare at the sizeable bitemark heâs left in the fruit: âWait, I mean, you donât have to eat that part, obviously. Try the other sideââ
But youâve already bitten over the same spot, enlarging the wound, your tongue grazing the notches left by Aegonâs teeth. You giggle as you lick juice from your lips. âItâs so good. Youâre delusional.â
Aegon watches you for a while before he speaks. In the meantime, you finish eating the apple with quick chomps. âAre you medicated?â he says.
âWhat? No, why?â
âYou just seemâŠI donât know. Bizarrely happy.â
âWhy wouldnât I be happy? Iâm in Los Angeles, Iâm living the dream, I have a brand new agent. My life is amazing.â
âOkay,â Aegon says uncertainly; but heâs smiling. When you pitch the apple core back to him, he catches it. Then he grabs a plastic bag off a hook and drops one fresh Honeycrisp apple inside. âWeâll let Brando be the tiebreaker.â He shows two fingers to a shopkeeper and pays in cash. You steal a glimpse of your phone; itâs just after 11:00 a.m.
Down the street from the market is a set of steps leading into what appears to be a basement. Instead, when Aegon opens the red door, on the other side is a restaurant already filling up with patrons. The tables are round and covered with crimson tablecloths; at each seat is one of those paper Chinese zodiac calendars with all twelve animals and their descriptions.
âGood morning Mr. Aegon!â a tall middle-aged waitress says warmly and ushers you both to a table by a large fish tank with opalescent pebbles lining the bottom. From the other side of the glass, colossal black-and-orange oscars gawp menacingly. The waitress passes you a menu.
âNo,â Aegon says, snatching the menu out of your hands before you can open it. âOrder what youâd normally get.â
Obediently, you turn to the waitress. âDo you have moo goo gai pan?â
She nods. âWhite rice or fried rice?â
âWhite rice, please.â
âMr. Aegon?â the waitress says.
âBoneless spare ribs with fried rice. And a pot of tea, and two wanton soups. Thanks, Lanying.â
She hurries away to tend to other customers. You ask Aegon playfully: âDid I make the right choice?â
âYou did. Naturally low-calorie but high in vitamins and protein. If youâd ordered the sesame chicken and only taken two bites Iâd know that you probably have an eating disorder. But now Iâm optimistic.â
âAnd you got the most unhealthy thing on the menu. What does that mean?â
âLife is short. I try to keep it delicious.â He taps the side of the fish tank; one of the oscars attempts to maul him through the glass. âDo you exercise?â
âNot by choice. I force myself to walk to and from work, and thatâs the best I can do.â
Aegon seems alarmed. âI donât think you should be wandering all over Harbor Gateway. Especially not at night.â
âThere are always other people around.â
âYeah, and some of them might mug you.â The waitress arrives with a pot of tea and two small, handleless cups. Aegon fills both with tea, slides one to you, and reaches for the little plastic container of sweeteners on the table. âSplenda?â Aegon guesses correctly and then flings several yellow packets across the table to you.
âCan I ask you something now?â
âSure, go ahead,â Aegon says. The waitress returns with two bowls of wanton soup and makes conversation with Aegon briefly. She inquires about his health, his parents, his business. You wait until she leaves to ask your question.
âWhy did you stop acting?â You Googled Aegon before your meeting, so you know some abbreviated version of his story: a wealthy and prominent family in the production industry, several years spent as an actor beginning when he was around your age, a shadowy withdrawal into working as an agent with a practice so small and off the beaten path that it must be deliberate. He could have coasted his whole life on effortless roles in Lifetime movies or Hulu original series. Instead he chose obscurity, and a drab little office in half of a duplex on a run-down street in Elysian Park, and Brandon the receptionist as his sole employee, and clients who are nobodies like you.
Aegon slurps broth from his spoon, stalling. Heâs caught off-guard; you can tell by the way deep troubled grooves appear in his brow. Thatâs part of being a good actor. You have to learn how to read people until you can feel their emotions as if they are your own, until you can mimic them so convincingly your own pulse quickens or your stomach drops. âUmâŠwell I think I got sick of how superficial it was, all the obsessing over height and weight and wrinkles and whoâs in and whoâs out, the unwinnable contest of who can be perfect the longest. Weâre supposed to play real people but weâre not supposed to be real people, you know? And there are just a lot of things about this place that can leave people jaded and fucked up in all sorts of ways we werenât before. And I donât want that to happen to you, so Iâll try to make it as good of an experience as possible.â He smiles. It seems genuine. âI donât really miss it. Iâm a better agent than I was an actor.â
âAnd youâre not even that good of an agent.â
He laughs and shakes his head, just watching you, just trying to figure you out. He looks down at his Chinese zodiac calendar. âWhat are you?â
âIâm a dragon.â
Aegon reads aloud: âYou are eccentric and your life complex. You have a very passionate nature and abundant health. I could see that. Kinda sounds like you.â
âWhich animal is yours, the horse?â
âYeah, 1990.â
You study his description. âPopular and attractive to the opposite sex. You are often ostentatious and impatient. You need people. I donât think youâre very ostentatious.â
âBut no qualms with the other parts?â
âNo, the rest seems accurate.â
He stares at you, those overcast blue eyes curious, searching, maybe a little puzzled. When the waitress brings out the entrees, Aegon spears a piece of his boneless spare ribs with his clean fork and offers it to you. âHere, you want to try this?â
You really shouldnât, but you make an exception. You take his fork and eat: saccharine blood red sauce, glistening gelatinous fat. Itâs one of the most delicious bites of food youâve ever tastedâŠand then itâs gone. You warn Aegon as you return his fork: âYouâre going to die early.â
âI know,â he says, watching the oscars scowl at him through the glass.
You walk back through Chinatown together, Aegon swinging around his plastic bag with his Honeycrisp apple for Brandon, you listening as he tells you what each shop is known for and points out a temple dedicated to the goddess of the ocean. Now the sky is clear and the sun is high, and hot, and blinding when you arenât under the shade of awnings or palm trees.
You say cheerfully once you have returned in Elysian Park and you can see Aegonâs office, a blue neon sign that reads Targ Talent Agency pulsing in the window: âSo do you have any fun plans for Fatherâs Day?â
âNope. My dadâs dead.â
âOh my God.â Youâre so mortified you almost trip over your own feet, your TOMS wedges stumbling over the pavement. Aegon instinctively reaches out to steady you, and you grasp his hand gratefully. âI am so sorry.â
âItâs fine. It happened when I was in college so Iâm used to it.â
âHe must have been young.â Forties? Fifties?
âYeah,â Aegon says shortly, letting go of you. âAre you doing anything special?â
âMy parents are paying to fly me back to Minnesota. But I wonât be gone long, I promise. Itâs just a few days.â
Aegon smirks roguishly. âGoing to make time to see that ex-boyfriend while youâre there?â
You smile, a little bashful, a little mischievous. âI might.â
He chuckles. âEnjoy. Donât get pregnant and ruin all your hopes and dreams.â
âOh no, donât worry, I canât take the pill because it made me suicidally depressed but we use condoms.â
Aegon is bewildered, his jaw hanging open. âYou donât overshare like this in auditions, do you?â
âNo, sorry, I thought you were asking me a question.â
âIt wasnât a question, it was a comment.â
âOh. I thought it was a question.â
He shakes his head and stops at the 2003 Honda Accordâpainted in a shade called Desert Mist Metallicâparked curbside, a gift from your parents when you went away to college only to return in disgrace with a Theater Arts degree that they lie to their friends about. From one of the nearby houses, you can hear Take It Easy by The Eagles drifting out into the sun-drenched street. âIs this your ride?â
âYup! This is me.â
âWell Iâm going to make some calls and see what I can get you, and Iâll let you know either way in a few days how itâs going. Brandon has your phone number and headshotsâŠand I can find your acting reels on YouTube if I need themâŠyeah, I think thatâs everything. Okay?â
âOkay. I hope you get the star.â
Again, you have confused him. âWhat?â
âIn the Mario game. The one on the eelâs tail.â
Aegon grins and slips black aviator sunglasses out of a pocket inside his jacket and says as he puts them on, maybe to the sky, maybe to you: âYou are so bright, sunshine.â Then he climbs the steps to the front door of his small, inauspicious office.
âAegon?â you call after him. At the top of the concrete steps, he pauses and turns around. Here in the shadowless midday light, you are overwhelmed with gratitude. Itâs difficult to speak without your voice breaking. âThank you for giving me a chance.â
âDonât thank me. This place is a curse.â
He opens the door and disappears inside.
~~~~~~~~~~
âGuess who has an agent?!â you announce ecstatically as you burst into the apartment. Baela and Jace are in the living room on the velvet orange couch, eating sushi and watching True Blood on the 40-inch flatscreen television that Baelaâs parents bought for her.
âCongratulations!â Baela says from the couch. âFinally! Iâm so happy for you!â
âYeah, thatâs awesome,â Jace agrees as he shovels pieces of a shrimp tempura roll into his mouth. Jace is Baelaâs boyfriend of six months. Heâs allegedly getting a PhD in Musicology at UCLA, but he only goes to class one or two days a week and does exceptionally little other than that. Once in a while youâll overhear him pounding on the Yamaha keyboard he keeps in Baelaâs room, cursing to himself and kicking the wall in frustration.
âIs he nice?â Baela asks, meaning your new agent.
âI think so,â you say thoughtfully. You arenât sure that nice is the right word. âHeâs kind of weird and grumpy. But I really like him.â
âIs he old?â
âNot at all. Aegonâs thirty-five.â
âEw,â Baela says. âOld.â
âI really like him,â you say again, smiling to yourself without realizing youâre doing it.
Baela groans. âPlease donât be one of those girls who fucks their agent.â
âNo, itâs not like that. Heâs engaged to someone super gorgeous. Theyâre getting married in September.â
âHuh,â Baela replies, losing interest now. Her eyes have drifted back to the tv. She hasnât landed a role as a film lead or a series regular yet, but sheâs been working steadily since she got to L.A. and her star is ever-rising. Tomorrow she is auditioning for Yorgos Lanthimosâs new movie. Sheâs not allowed to tell you anything about the script. Itâs a secret; itâs an honor.
You go to the kitchen for a drink and stop when your gaze catches on the calendar affixed to the stainless steel refrigerator with plastic magnets shaped like pineapples. Friday, June 20th is circled with red ink; in the box below, you have scrawled the necessary details.
Baela twists around on the couch and sees you. Her voice is gentle; she knows youâre nervous. âWhenâs your appointment?â
âNext week.â
âYouâre really getting sliced up?â Jace says.
You smirk at him, less than appreciative. âItâs just a consultation. But yeah, probably.â
âYou scared?â Jace asks, gnawing on a pod of edamame.
Obviously. You sigh. âI think it has to happen if I want to land roles.â
âI havenât gotten any plastic surgery yet,â Baela says, not meaning to sound smug.
You murmur as you ponder the time and address written in red on the calendar: âWell nobody is saying you need to.â Youâve had no less than ten people suggest implants outright, and far more have implied it. Aegon is the only person you can think of who dismissed the idea summarilyâŠand that includes your parents. Your father has been emailing you doctor recommendations. He must think itâs a good investment for your post-California-detour life.
âIt will give you more confidence,â Baela says as she turns back to the tv. âA little extra something to take you to the next level.â
You stare at her forlornly from the kitchen. You are suddenly very aware that you miss being outside: the sun, the heat, the swaying palm trees, the radiant kinetic potential. âThatâs part of the problem? My confidence?â
She shrugs, using her chopsticks to dunk a piece of her tuna roll in a small plastic container of spicy mayo. She seems oblivious to how deflated you are. âItâs just so hard to stand out here, you know? The phrase âCalifornia dimeâ exists for a reason.â
Jace glances at you over the back of the couch. âI think you look fine.â
âThanks, Jace.â
âI think youâre easily a California nickel.â
âThatâs super sweet, Jace.â
Now Baela is telling him to shut up and theyâre bickering back and forth, but you arenât listening. You take your phone out of your purse and open Instagram. You search for Aegon and find his account; his username is superstargaryen. You follow him. Within a minute, just long enough for you to click through one of his highlight reelsâmostly pictures of the beach and trips to In-N-Out Burgerâhe follows you back. Then you receive a DM.
Aegon has typed: Brando says the apple is good
You giggle to yourself as you tap out a reply. Told you :)
Aegon responds: Or!!! All Minnesotans have no taste
And then he adds a few seconds later: I had to Google that wordâŠMinnesotansâŠsounds fake
You reply: Please use Google to get me a job instead
He starts typing something, then stops and reacts with a laughing emoji instead. You pull a can of Diet Coke out of the fridge, wondering what he was going to say before he changed his mind.
Late that night, after a nine-hour shift at Cold Stone Creamery, you shower and crawl exhausted into bed wearing an oversized blue L.A. Dodgers t-shirt that youâre swimming in. You turn on your laptop and open YouTube, search for Aegonâs acting reels from ten years ago, fall asleep listening to his voice like the endless ethereal rush when you hold a seashell to your ear.
#aegon ii targaryen#aegon targaryen#aegon ii#aegon targaryen ii#aegon x reader#aegon targaryen x reader#aegon x y/n#aegon x you#aegon ii x you#aegon ii targaryen x female reader#aegon ii targaryen x reader#aegon ii fanfic#aegon ii x reader#aegon targaryen x you#hotd fic#hotd fanfic
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tomarang townhouses;
my first ever build... on tumblr....
it's been a while, 3 weeks in fact since for rent came out but sure look we move. anyways, when the pack first came out i was really inspired to build a grungy duplex, so here it is!
includes two townhouses, each with two bedrooms and two bathrooms fitting a total of six sims.
fully playtested ;) all jokes aside i donât envy anyone who builds a lot, playtesting is a painful process...
built on the 20x15 lot in the middle of the town in tomarang i cant remember what itâs called.
i didn't test how much it is to rent, but judging by what i've seen online i'd say it'll be somewhere in the region of §4 billion, a steal if you ask me...
no cc.
gallery id McAttackSims.
download: google drive/simfileshare
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Last Line Tag
I was tagged today by @dragonflylady77 who I love so much! so dearly! so deeply!
This is a snippet from one of the thousands of one-shots I keep in a live google doc at all times. Maybe I'll post her soon, because she's almost done, and maybe not!
--
âYeah, only âcause Iâm your big-cocked knight in shining armor, and actually got the shit out,â Billy says sweetly, âWe didnât even have to cut your hair, dude.â
âThatâs such a low bar, oh my God,â Steve fiddles with the edge of the book, again, pinching pages between two fingers while he puzzles over life and fuck buddies that turn into so much more and ugly duplexes with backyards large enough to hold the most angry, bitchy, intelligent, funny, mean girl alive. An Indiana Bull with a blowout.
Billy keeps on reading.Â
âDoes this bother you?â Steve asks, shuffling half an inch closer. Fingering the page.
âNah.â
âWhy not?â
âI like it when you touch me,â Billy says, simply, again. Like the world is so laughably uncomplicated and Steveâs such a cute little idiot for being so worked up and confused about everything all the goddamn time.Â
Steve snorts, âIâm not touching you, Iâm touching the book, dumbass," Feeling like he has a leg up, for knowing the difference.
Billy turns the page. âBut I can feel your touch through the material of the hardback, so itâs like youâre touching me. Or an extension of me. And Iâm always looking for more of myself so that you can hold it in your hands.â
He's sweet. Steve's leg up is severed at the knee and he falls, dead-weight heavy, in love.
--
To be quite frank, I'm tagging anyone who wants to do this.
#harringrove#my babies may not ever be official at the start of my ficlets#but they're deeply in love
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Prince of Shadows, Lord of Thieves by alkat
Fandom: The King's Avatar | ć
šèé«æ
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Category: Gen
Words: 1 929
Once upon a time, their exploits were immortalized by artists and writers across the tapestry of history. Once upon a time, they were worshipped as gods and reviled as demons. None of that stopped the Met from stealing all their shit.
About the Book
FONTS: Alegreya [Google Fonts], Lato [Google Fonts]
IMAGES: all art made by myself @greenhorn-art for this fic
MATERIALS: regular ol' printer paper (8.5"x11", 20lb, 96 bright); ~2-2.5mm binder's board; Neenah cardstock (8.5"x11", 65lb, bright white); Cialux bookcloth (black); waxed linen thread (30/3 size, white); wheat paste (1:4 flour:water); paste wax (from a friend, unknown ingredients&quantities, some kind of wax and turpentine/mineral spirits)
PROGRAMS USED: Affinity Publisher 2; Affinity Designer 2; Bookbinder JS | Renegade's Community Imposer (settings: Quarto, snug against binding edge, custom signatures of 2, 1, 2 sheets).
Text & QR codes printed with colour laser printer (duplex, flip long edge), images printed with inkjet printer. QR codes generated with LibreOffice Writer, snipped, saved, and inserted where needed.
BINDING: quarto (quarter-letter) size, sewn board binding with french link stitch and breakaway spine.
.
So this one all started because the visual of HST's outfit was so fun that I was possessed by a visceral need to draw it. Inspiration slapped me across my mind's eye, and much like a medieval knight being slapped in the face by a glove (which didn't actually happen, that's a myth that sprung from the throwing down of a gauntlet. but that's beside the point), I felt bound to take up the challenge. Which lead me to draw a few more, and then I ended up binding the whole thing.
(Also, I find it really amusing that the famous Terracotta Warriors were just storage for YXs stuff. And the gang going 'shopping' at various exhibits for gifts for friends/family,, like that sure is SOME window shopping! I can hear it now: 'Oooh I'll take one one those SMASH, and that SHATTER, and throw in some of those CRASH, they're going to love these! đ'. All in all, it was a fun little read, and fun little project! :D)
About the Art
Because this was initially a one-off drawing I tried a new art style (and struggled to at least not stray too far for the rest). It was fun and helped me think more about shape and visual focus, instead of being caught up in the details.
The crow (based off of image ID: 4039963 from Rawpixel) and the red umbrella on the front cover were filled curves made with the pen tool. The illustrations' poses were based off of a combination of images found on Google and photos taken by myself.
Pinterest is awful for sources, but it would have been handy to pin the references I'd googled. Only remembered to save the one of a man sitting at a desk. (I deliberately searched for someone sitting with bad posture because YX is described as being "slumped" over the desk. I figure that since "the laws of physics held no meaning to ["cursed souls eschewed by the natural order"]", they'd also be immune to mundane things like discomfort from sitting hunched over for too long. Back pain images were a gold mine! All I had to do was choose one with lighting that would give me a silhouette.)
The Myriad Manifestations Umbrellas and illustrations were drawn in Procreate.
I opted for a more plain umbrella design because it's not (presumably) a fantastical weapon in this story. Though the initial version did have YX cradling the donghua!MMU.
For the scene breaks I inserted the images, pinned them inline as character, and adjusted height and baseline in the pinning menu to fit.
The author wrote one scene break differently than the others, using multiple empty paragraphs instead of just one. Following suit, I used a different image for that particular break. I wanted to reference vampires somewhere, so for that break I made two bloody spots resembling bite marks. The blood spots were made with a group of shapes in Designer.
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On cover design:
Because the MMU is what sparks the whole heist, I wanted it on the front cover.
Earlier iterations involved a full cover spread with a man's shadow standing before a shattered glass case, with a plaque mounted on the wall to the left providing information. The plaque was formatted like a museum label and had the author, date published, title, event collection, and story description. I'd also added a QR code to it. Ultimately, I abandoned the concept because it was difficult to decipher what is was when only looking a one cover at a time.
My second idea for the cover would have been a bookcloth-only cover with a cut-out of the MMU on the front, acting like a window showing off an image of the MMU on paper below it. (Inspired by the work of a number of folks over on Renegade's Discord. Here's a few examples gleaned from a quick search: szynkaaa's lung cutouts, some of EHyde's books, and the front cover of Spock's massive all-in-one TGCF). As fun as that would have been to try out, I felt it didn't quite suit the style of the art so I nixed that too.
Eventually I landed on the back cover design with the Met exhibition webpage. At last, I felt that the back & white and simple-shapes-background went with the artwork. The webpage viewed on the phone is based off of the Met's actual website. I took a snip/screenshot of the Met's logo from the banner at the top, then looked at their exhibitions' pages and eyeballed it to create my own. (Threw in the QR because I wanted the easy access to the fic online on the back cover). I chose to use a phone screen rather than I computer monitor because it worked better composition-wise. And besides, while YX may be allergic to owning a phone, SMC is not. I imagine that she saw the news while on her phone then messaged him.
The front cover came together after that. An umbrella for the MMU, and a pop of red. One of YX's messenger crows. A black shape in the background similar to the back cover's, sort of creating a spotlight over the umbrella and placing the rest of the cover in shadow.
Trying New Things: Applying a protective finish to printed covers
Over on the Renegade Bindery Discord, folks have spoken about using a beeswax & turpentine/mineral spirits 50-50 mix to seal printed covers (thank you Kate). According to my dad that's just a paste wax, so he threw 3 different ones at me and said 'have at it'.
I tested them out using the same paper and inkjet I'll use for the cover. I was looking at 1) whether the paste wax affected the paper colour or print quality, and 2) the finish. After applying one coat each and buffing them out I had my winner. Then I applied & buffed two more coats to it and tested 3) water resistance by dripping tea on it. The liquid beaded up and wiped away without staining -- good, three coats will work nicely.
(Test results: Mystery paste wax from a friend wins.
The commercial SC Johnson Paste Wax Original formula (intended for woodworking) has a nice dry shiny finish, but coloured the paper slightly brown -> disqualified
My dad's homemade stuff has a nice shiny/satin finish and didn't change paper's colour, but it felt slightly tacky even after buffing it -- maybe I didn't buff it enough?
The gifted paste wax has a matte finish, didn't change paper's colour (in the image below this one has 3 coats. The paper is now slightly off-white, but still acceptable), and while not as dry-to-touch as the Johnson it was not as tacky as the other homemade stuff.)
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When I print out my quarto covers, I print front and back covers side-by-side on the same page*, with some guides to ensure I'm cutting and gluing in the correct place. (The guides mark the boundaries of the covers and start of the turn-ins, and stop at the edge of where I cut. Before cutting I flip it over to mark the guides [see marks indicated in image below] on the wrong side and connect them so I can see where to glue/place book. Then flip it back over to cut, right side up.)
*I'm being economical here at the cost of possible warping damage. This layout means that I'm only using one sheet of paper, but the grain is running in the wrong direction (across the book instead of preferred head-to-tail/top-bottom). This could cause warping issues, but I'm OK with that. I'm hoping that by just gluing at the edges, instead of pasting down the whole thing, warping will be minimized. (I use wrong-grain endpapers most of the time with larger books anyways).
I applied the paste wax before cutting out the covers, working carefully to avoid accidentally creasing/bending the paper (which happened twice, but it was minimal and I hardly notice it). Doing so before cutting ensured that the cover material was completely covered. Even the turn-ins -- something I later came to regret. After all, wax is used specifically so that things don't stick to it. It made it rather difficult to drum on the endpapers because I was trying to glue something down onto a waxy surface. It all worked out in the end -- perhaps due to the fact that there were multiple layers of wheat paste which could adhere to each other, followed by being squashed in a press.
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Practice makes Perfect
So, rather than dive head first into the (current) 700k print of Lionheart, I decided to try a smaller work first. So I decided to use The Perfect Match, by Nora_Wall, another Dramione fic. At 130k words completed, its a much more bite size starting point than even the first volume of Lionheart.
So I began as I did with Lionheart, making a typeset for the print. I used google Docs, as its a habit of mine to use a digital format to best share between my (then) work PC and my home Macbook. I then exported as a PDF for conversion into a signature set using the app BookletCreator.
I actually bought myself a printer for this ADHD obsession, as I didn't have an appropriate one before. I had those "my first printer" types, one I bought while in Japan 12+ years ago and lord only knows if it worked/had ink, but it was single sided print only. I then also had a newer, but still baby Epson printer I bought IDK, 6 years ago (I think I bought it while in Greece, but I don't recall)? It had a scan feature, but it couldn't print duplex, and I didn't hate myself enough to single side/flip/rotate/single side an entire book. I also had no idea about the ink.
Instead I bought a Brother printer that did duplex, and is Laser, so the ink won't 'mysteriously' go bad at some time in the future. Did find out the starter ink it came with was only really good enough for 500 pages, which is less than I'd need for Lionheart let alone any practice/extra printing, but printer companies do what they do. (DCP-L2640DW for those curious)
During my print runs, I learned a few things.
Weirdly, printing from Adobe Reader results in a fainter/more blurry printing than printing from the Brother App. IDK why, it's the same PDF used.
I have no ability to add blank pages using my Adobe Reader, so I have a choice of one, weirdly spaced pages of the book, two, mis-numbered pages (as they count the blank pages), or three, make a separate signature just for the non-writing pages (e.g. title page, table of contents page, etc).
For the life of me, I cannot make the top and bottom margins of the print smaller than one inch. Doesn't matter if the master document has .5 inch t/b margins, it'll print as 1 inch. I may have to inquire with other bookbinders on how to change this, as it's a lot of wasted space.
So next, while I waited for my signatures to be crushed flat, I made a stabbing cradle to stab the signatures, as I didn't trust myself to stab that many times in the same exact spot with out one. I used some excess chipboard to make and it came out decently.
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I also made a stabbing template, to share between samples, and that worked well also. I did have an issue of the samples shifting as a fiddled with the template/awl, but for the most part they came out well.
I then stitched them together using a french stitch. I used waxed thread, and a curved needle--found I don't like the curve very much, and should have just used a regular one. Ah well.
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Still, I felt the sitchwork came out quite well for a first time. The booklet wasn't too loose, nor too tight, and was within government standards of being in alignment. For Lionheart though, I'll likely be trying my hand at corded stitching vice french.
I did try to round the spine, but I don't think I did it in the right order. I watched a guide glue then whack with a hammer, and that didn't shift anything in mine. I don't know if I didn't hit it hard enough, or if I wasn't supposed to glue the french stitches first. IDK.
I tried to trim the edges and... well, it didn't turn out well. I had the boxcutter with a fresh tip, but I did not have the skills to appropriately trim. So the top's all jacked, and I left the bottom/side alone. Its, er, rustic.
Next I made the book cover. I made a first attempt using a 8 1/2x11 piece of particle board cut in half, but that ended up being too short. Despite the papers also coming from the same size originally, and despite the gap in the cover for the hinge work, it matched the booklet. So I had to make it again. And then again, because the 2nd time was too long, so I trimmed it, only to mistakeningly made it back to the 1st attempt size.
I used some spare cloth I had lying around, backed with some heat and bond I also had lying around (other ADHD obsessions include renaissance fair with accompanying clothing making). I'd need more heat and bond if i wanted to try again.
I didn't have any special end paper for this practice run, so I just used more of the paper I previously chopped.
I added some muslin to the spin for rigidity, as I didn't want to buy mull when I already had a substance that'd work. Actually using it however, it's rather thick, so perhaps a different muslin would work better. I'll have to dig through my clothing piles.
But I glued it all together, and it came out decent! The pages warped some, but I think that partially has to do with living in Hawaii with Hawaii humidity. It gets everywhere. I pressed the books with some cat toy wand sticks in the seems, so they came out nicely.
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I do wish the book was a tad bigger. However, my printer only does up to 8 1/2 by 14, so I'd have to chose between long grain print for an addition inch, or short grain print as is.
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Resource Post: Supplies, Equipment, and Software
So I've had some people ask about the supplies and equipment I use to make my books! This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it an official tutorial on how to make a book (for that, I recommend starting with Renegade Publishing's resource documents, DAS Bookbinding, or SeaLemon's YouTube tutorials -- all free, no patreon required!), but if you're floundering because you don't know what you need to get, hopefully this will help a little bit â€ïž If I discover more good resources or change up my style, I'll add to this post.
Of note: I'm based in the US, so this list is unfortunately pretty US-centric. Apologies!
SUPPLIES
Disclaimer #1: I have a background in book conservation, so I'm picky to a fault about the supplies I use. To make a long-lasting book, you want to look for "acid-free" or "archival" materials -- BUT, a lot of consumer craft stores have realized those are good buzzwords to slap on products even if they aren't really archival. Your best bet is to buy from stores that supply materials to libraries and archives; those tend to be higher quality and stick to actual archival standards. Talas, Hollander's, University Products, and Colophon Book Arts Supply are good places to start.
That said! If price matters more than longevity, hitting up Michaels or Joann Fabrics is totally fine. This is a hobby. The bookbinding police are not gonna come smash down your door because you didn't use archival-quality craft paper. My big recommendation, though: at least get your glue and paste from Talas. High-quality adhesive makes a huge difference in how well, and how long, a book holds together. Bad adhesives can turn brittle with time, stain your paper/cloth, and make all your hard work fall apart.
So, all that said, here's what I use:
BOARD - Davey Binder's Board, 0.098" GLUE - Jade 403 PVA PASTE - Zen Shofu wheat paste (you shouldn't have to buy more than half a pound -- a little goes a long way) CLOTH - Either Arrestox or Dover bookcloth, which comes in a wide variety of colors and holds up extremely well to whatever you want to do to it THREAD - 25/3 linen thread, which I run over a small block of beeswax to make it easier to handle and give it better "locking" properties as I sew. For bigger books of ten signatures or more, I sew onto 3/8" linen tapes for extra support. DECORATIVE PAPER - Hollander's is a treasure trove of decorative papers for endsheets and covers; Talas has some really nice ones, too, but they tend to be pricier (since unfortunately everything at Talas has gotten a lot pricier lately) PRINTING PAPER - Hammermill Colors paper, 20lb, in cream; 24lb is also a good weight that feels a little more substantial than regular printer paper. (I'll probably switch to 24lb once my 20lb paper runs out.) To get the right grain direction, I buy a ream of 11x17 paper and cut it in half to make standard letter-sized sheets (8.5x11). Here's a quick primer on grain direction and why it's important when making a book! ENDBANDS - I've never had the patience to sew my own endbands (though I hope to gain that patience someday!), so I just use premade ones like these.
EQUIPMENT
Disclaimer #2: a lot of the stuff on this list is professional-grade (or close to it) with prices to match. You definitely don't have to buy everything right off the bat. It took me fifteen years to accumulate it all, and you can DIY a lot of bookbinding equipment -- a good googling will lead you to all sorts of innovative ways hobby bookbinders set up their shops. The Renegade Publishing resource documents also have a lot of A+ recommendations.
PRINTER - For text, I use a Brother B&W laser printer with auto-duplex (auto-duplex is key when printing a book); for images, both B&W and color, I use a Canon color inkjet printer set to at least 300 DPI. I fully admit having two printers is an absurd setup, but what laser printers can do well, inkjets absolutely suck at, and vice-versa -- and like I said, I'm hella picky. You can get by fine with a single laser printer! Just make sure it's got auto-duplex to save yourself a lot of pain. GUILLOTINE - I have this model, which goes in and out of stock with some regularity. The trick with this guy is to (a) sandwich your text block between some scrap board so the clamp doesn't leave a dent, and (b) REALLY CRANK DOWN on the clamp as tight as you possibly can to keep the paper from shifting as you cut. This fixes 99% of the skewing problems mentioned in the reviews. PRESS - I have a little cast-iron press I bought off a coworker for fifty bucks; similarly, you might have luck searching eBay, looking at Affordable Bookbinding Equipment (Jim does incredible work!), searching craft stores for a flower press, or even just using two pieces of wood and a few C-clamps. SeaLemon on YouTube also has a good video on how to DIY a book press. PRESS BOARDS - For setting the hinges in the press, I use a pair of brass-edged boards like these. It's a good investment if you want to get really nice, crisp hinges, but it's also 100% possible to DIY brass-edged boards if you want. At my very first job, we even set our hinges by taping sewing needles to the book before putting it in the press! FINISHING PRESS - I have this one, which I use to back my books in combination with these backing irons BACKING HAMMER - To my chagrin, I've discovered that having an actual backing hammer makes backing a book way, way easier. Some folks have had good luck with a cobbler's hammer or just a regular old hammer from a hardware store, but I splurged on a student hammer from Hollander's, and it works fantastically. (I wouldn't recommend buying the "professional" hammers, though, because seriously, $90 for a hammer?! No.) BONE FOLDER - I'm actually not a fan of bone folders made from real bone; I like Teflon folders a lot better for scoring and flattening. (Real bone folders tend to burnish the material, an effect I'm rarely going for.) CUTTING MACHINE - A Silhouette Curio. This is 100% optional, but it's how I do the bulk of my cover designs, including cut-outs, embossing, foiling (with a foil quill attachment), and spine titling. The software and overall quality are way better than Cricut, and its 5mm clearance means you can fit more than just vinyl in there. Sadly, Silhouette has discontinued the Curio, but it's still possible to buy from third-party sellers -- and if you don't care about the 5mm clearance, I've heard good things about the Silhouette Cameo line.
A side note on vinyl, from the obnoxiously picky book conservator: if you're aiming for longevity with your books, using HTV in your book designs may not be the best idea. Not only can the adhesives be questionable, but the plasticizers in vinyl break down in really weird, gross ways once several decades have passed. That's why I tend to stick with cut-outs and foiling instead of HTV. But, again: if you just want to make something pretty, don't worry about it!
SOFTWARE
TYPESETTING - I use Affinity Publisher -- it's similar to Adobe InDesign, but with a flat cost instead of a bullshit subscription model. I am by no means an expert in this, since I've only been designing books for a couple years; pretty much everything I learned, I learned from Aliya Regatti's tutorial, plus or minus a lot of googling and noodling around. I've discovered that it does get cranky if your book is over 250 pages or so, meaning you may have to split longer fics into multiple files. That said, I've been really happy with it, and it goes on sale every now and then if the $70 price tag is too much.
As always, Renegade Publishing has a whole lot of tutorials for other software options, including Microsoft Word, InDesign, LaTeX, and Scribus if you already have access to one of those instead.
IMPOSITION - "Imposition" is when you lay out a book so all the pages are in order once you fold + gather the signatures. Since Affinity Publisher doesn't do this automatically on export, I use Bookbinder 3.0, which is an old but nice little Java program that breaks a single PDF into a series of properly imposed signatures. I usually set it to 6 sheets per signature.
MISCELLANEOUS
IMAGES
The Noun Project is a gigantic repository of basic SVGs and PNGs that are not only great for cutting machines, but for adding flourishes to your title page, chapter headings, and scene dividers. Every single book I've made has used at least one image from here; I pay for the yearly Noun Pro subscription, but it's not necessary to use the site.
Unsplash is perfect for photo elements
Pixabay not only has a great archive of photos, but illustrations and vector images as well
Surprisingly, Wikipedia also has a lot of good Creative Commons photos attached to their articles!
FONTS
1001Fonts is a good starting point for finding free fonts, as is FontSpace and DaFont
If you're willing to pay for fonts (and sometimes it's worth it for a well-designed font that's perfect for your project), Creative Fabrica and Pixel Surplus have some good stuff, including discounted bundles of multiple fonts
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first lines
tagged by @drivestraight
Rules: Post the first lines of your last 10 fics posted to AO3. (Sort by date posted.) If you have less than 10 fics posted, post what you have.
this is so fun. i have a love/hate relationship with first lines... like either they come to me easy (it's like this! like, boom!) or i'm thinking about it for like 17 business days. but fun story usually i start writing a fic because i start actually writing it in my head, like with an imaginary google doc and all of that, so i'll only make the actual document when i think i have an idea of what i want to write, not just what i want to happen.
anyways. i will do my ten most recent fics. under the break. this was fun to look at also i haven't given my previous first lines a whole ton of thought lately... very intriguing. some i like better than others tbh
telephone
Every time the words circle back around to Esteban, it's a different story.
like a house on fire
For the nearly three years since Charles first moved into the duplex, his upstairs neighbor has been the same mild-mannered woman.
backseat freestyle
"Do you not think it is a little bit pathetic?"
growing pains
It is easier to make friends in racing when the stakes are lower.
firebug
For the first time since Pierre and Charles started datingâyears ago, so far from the present it feels like something they never knewâCharles thinks he actually wants to be mad at his boyfriend.
choking on your alibis
For two weeks of the summer before their last year of university, Charles is meant to stay with his best friend, Esteban.
carlos.jpg
Lando posts pictures of pretty buildings and fast cars.
violent ends
It's disgustingly instinctual.
pressure machine
The lights are out.
the alps
Pierre has the decency to tell Yuki before the announcement goes up.
also i'm gonna do miamis (alt!) because i'm annoying. welcome to: hell, population: me. we win these
piranha
Being teammates with Logan is a fucking lot.
show me how you show off
They're a bit tipsy, hiding in the darkened corner of a bright-lit nightclub.
shark bait
Oscar kind of knew what he was signing up for when he decided to go to school in America, but he doesn't think anything could've prepared him for the email that said his roommate's name was Logan Hunter Sargeant.
your animal side
Oscar presents late.
an itch under my skin
"There's my pretty thing."
contact-drunk
Oscar doesn't know why he even came to this party.
pretty thing
"Come on, open up."
and you know what just for fun here's the first line of my current wip :)
Williams is the only team on the grid with an all-Beta driver lineup.
oh and i tag: @hourcat @dm3rv @alblondo23 @oversteerey to do if they wish. sorry if you were double tagged <3
#fic game#tag game#this was a fun time#we love writing!#tbh sometimes i do read other people's fics and have a moment of like. damn that was a good opener!#i love when that happens#so. always fun to consider#tbh why is the shark bait opener so LONG
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The Turing Test
Turing Test was introduced by Turing in his 1950 paper, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence," which considered the question, "Can Machine think?"
It is basically a test to see if a computer has become sophisticated enough to mimic human response.
So in the Turing test, there are 3 subjects:
1. An interrogator (human)
2. Responder 1 (computer)
3. Responder 2 (human)
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The interrogator asks a series of questions and the responders will have to give an answer in a stipulated amount of time. At the end of the test, it is the job of the interrogator to decide which responder is human and which responder is the computer.
In this test, the actual questions or the answers don't matter that much. It really doesn't matter how many correct answers were given by each responder. What matters is if the responses of the computer were similar to that of the human. And also the fact that was the computer able to fool the interrogator into believing that it was actually a human.
The Turing Test today
In an updated version of the Turing test, there are more than one human interrogators interacting with both the responders. If the computer is able to trick 30% or more of the interrogators, after 5 minutes of conversation with each of them, into believing that it is a human, then it passes the Turing test.
In this regard, the Loebner Prize was instituted by Hugh Loebnor, an American inventor and activist, in 1991 which is an annual Turing test competition. He added additional rules. The rules required the human and the computer program to have 25-minute conversations with each of four judges. The winner is the computer whose program receives the most votes and the highest ranking from the judges.
In 2018, Google Duplex was introduced at the annual Google I/O Annual Developer Conference. The machine scheduled a hair salon appointment and interacted with a hair salon assistant via the phone as part of the conversation. Though some critics view the outcome differently, some believe Google Duplex passed the Turing test.
Limitations of the Turing Test
1. Requirement of a very controlled environment to be performed.
2. Turing test does not assess all types of intelligence.
3. Computers not having communication skills cannot be tested.
4. The test only give a comparative result and not a definitive one.
#ai art generator#ai#ai photo editor#artificial intelligence#art#science#tech#turing test#alan turing#world#original work#postoftheday#computer#future#futuristic#indian#america#canada#brazil#games#tumblr live#artists on tumblr#film#knowledge
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Era la tarde de un sĂĄbado en pleno verano. Visitaba a mi madre que seguĂa viviendo en la villa donde nos criamos con mis hermanos. HabĂa pasado tiempo desde la Ășltima vez que fui. Los ĂĄrboles estaban inmensos, le daban al lugar un aspecto medio selvĂĄtico con un clima tropical, por lejos, mĂĄs agradable que vivir el calor en la selva de sĂłlo cemento. Mi madre vivĂa con mi hermano mĂĄs chico en el departamento duplex, y en otro block, seguĂa viviendo mi hermano del medio junto a otros inquilinos.
La realidad no habĂa cambiado mucho en mi familia, mi madre continuaba controlando a los chicos; estando con el menor que aĂșn seguĂa con problemas de drogadicciĂłn, y otorgĂĄndole un cuarto gratuito a mi hermano que me seguĂa en edad. Era frustrante ver esa situaciĂłn de la cual poco podĂa ayudar o intervenir, pues la relaciĂłn de codependencia entre ellos se habĂa fortalecido aĂșn mĂĄs con el paso hacia la adultez. De todas maneras, mi madre se cansaba de esa dinĂĄmica, lo que habĂa motivado mi visita.
HabĂa llegado despuĂ©s del almuerzo, justo al momento del postre, por lo que le dije a mi madre que irĂa a buscar a mi hermano del medio para ir por postre y compartirlo juntos en casa. El block donde vivĂa mi hermano quedaba a pasos de donde vivĂa mi madre, pero la frondosa y variada vegetaciĂłn le daba un toque aventurero al cĂĄlido camino, propio del verano. HabĂa llegado, y por suerte lo encontrĂ©, querĂa darle una sorpresa. Al verlo despuĂ©s de tiempo, debo decir que seguĂa igual mi hermanito, alegre, con actitud de como si nada hubiera pasado y desaliñado. QuerĂa mucho verlo crecer en lo personal, pero uno nunca sabe, ante todo siempre tendrĂĄ mi cariño... Ăl aceptĂł feliz ir por el postre y compartirlo en el depa con mi madre. Como el tiempo se hizo corto, y habĂa mucho por ponernos al dĂa, le habĂa propuesto a mi madre un paseo a un lugar aledaño a la ciudad que hace tiempo querĂa visitar para el dĂa siguiente, solo las dos, para que se distrajera.
La habĂa ido a buscar en un autito que arrendĂ©, pasamos al sĂșper a comprar unas cosas para el camino, y luego partimos hacia el destino.
Mientras era guiada por las indicaciones de Google maps, mi madre iba ansiosa adivinando el destino que querĂa llevarla de sorpresa, por lo que puse mĂșsica para cantar a todo pulmĂłn como lo hacĂamos antes. Las indicaciones de la app me hicieron recorrer los lugares mĂĄs concurridos, era como si estuviĂ©ramos realizando un citytour. Pasamos por el mall principal, barrios universitarios patrimoniales, parques, la casa presidencial, hasta que dimos con la mega rotonda que contenĂa un parque donde se encontraban museos, bibliotecas, entre otras atracciones recreativas. Esa rotonda tenĂa varias salidas, la cual una de ellas nos dirigirĂa a nuestro destino. HabĂa rodeado un par de veces la rotonda sin poder dar con la salida, no le entendĂa a la aplicaciĂłn, por lo que la tercera vuelta la habĂa dado mĂĄs lenta para pedirle ayuda a un guardaparque. Fue rara la situaciĂłn, porque mientras manejaba encontraba extraña la forma de hablar de la gente en el parque. Cuando pude estacionarme, instintivamente le dije a mi madre que no se preocupara, se quedara en el auto y me dejara consultar por la direcciĂłn. Fue entonces cuando le comencĂ© a hablar al guardaparque de manera natural y extrañamente en otro idioma, como si fuese una extranjera...
#descoordinada#escritos#escritores sin identidad#noche#un sueño#lunes#26/06/2023#sueño#historia#narrativa#interior#inconciente#recuerdos#aventura#familia#reencuentro#insólito#raro#extraño#cuentos#01:14
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Rules: Be gay, do crime
Tagged by @dragonmuse (amen to you, that shade of blue is fucking gorgeous)
Relationship status: married since September 2019 (we didn't know that we were bringing on the apocalypse, I swear). We had a rainbow steampunk wedding at an amusement park on top of a cliff, it was fun.
Favorite color: I'm one of those scary fanatic purple-lovers your mutual warned you about
Song stuck in my head: Ooof, that's hard, there are several, you can check out my Current Earworms playlist for all of them, but in the past few months I've been listening to a lot of Stromae and Alec Benjamin, and then of course Lover, Lover, Lover by Leonard Cohen has been stuck in my head since I wrote a fanfic to it. The verse:
He said, "I locked you in this body I meant it as a kind of trial, You can use it for a weapon Or to make some woman smile."
has been, ahh, resonating with me a lot.
Last song I listened to: Darkside by Neoni (which I started listening to cause it has a Sandman fanvid set to it, you should watch, is good).
Three favorite foods: Duck confit, chocolate truffles, and my favorite restaurant makes these french onion soup dumplings that are ama... Kkay, look, I know how this sounds, but my mother was born in France, she got me started on this stuff early. I'm not a food snob, I swear. (A food domme, maybe, but...) Look, I literally had a fast food burger with extra cheese for dinner.
Last thing I google searched: A hamentaschen recipe (I'm late this year, I know. I was on vacation for two weeks over the holiday and then re-entry was difficult so I didn't really have baking energy until this weekend). I have always been devoted to Smitten Kitchen (who has my absolute favorite challah recipe), but her pastry skills are clearly better than mine because whenever I try her various hamantaschen recipes they fall apart on me. This time I used Tori Avey's no-fuss recipe and they came out much prettier (if, yes, less buttery and flaky).
Dream trip: My college bestie and I have always dreamed of taking two or three months and doing an eastern Mediterranean boating tour. Like, get one of those big catamaran yachts and visit Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt. One day when we win the lottery, right?
Anything I want right now: I'd really like a million dollars or so to buy the duplex next door so they don't tear it down and force my family to live next to a construction zone for however long (it'd probably be more than that, depressinglyâhousing prices are ridiculous here right nowâbut I imagine if I had a million in cash to put down I could get an offer approved). We just got the demolition notification about a month ago and... yeah. Gonna suck. Plus I've got ambitions of building (more of a) polyam spoonie co-op out here.
Barring that, a licensed contractor in the Denver who can build a wheelchair ramp, is willing to work with the mill levy funding process, and won't ghost me after our initial consultation would be super rad.
Per usual I blathered on here for far longer than the prompts demanded but that's me. Tagging @thetardigrape, @gement, and anyone else who runs across this post and feels like joining us.
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This post^ is wrong because it comes from the assumption that suburban sprawl is inevitable or inherent to land development.
Itâs not. The premise is already faulty (and insulting).
I have difficulty believing OP has no idea about the real solutions proposed (destroying cul de sacs and taxing new ones, changing zoning laws to allow multi-family housing, and mixed residential housing and middle housingâlow rise apartment buildings, duplexes, townhomes, condos, ADAs, villages, courtyard communities, that sort of thing.)
This post would be underwater if I wasnât too lazy to screenshot it.
When you see something like this, assume the answer is a quick google away and then search first. If you see someone else doing it, assume they did that and are acting in bad faith, because itâs not worth assuming someone is so incompetent they donât know how a Wikipedia search works,
Also they left outâand maybe this really was ignoranceâsuburban sprawl is subsidized via their urban neighbors (because suburbia is so expensive they canât be self-sufficient). Thatâs right, if people white flighted out of your city, youâre paying for their racism. Thatâs an important part of challenging this type of argument in professional and political settings.
Suburbia was invented to promote consumerism (this is not a joke) and this argument comes from a place of being angry theyâre being told to buy less (because they enjoy cosplaying the wealthy without criticism) and engage with community again (large secondary reason why the suburbs were constructed: for people who hate everyone. See: white flight again.)
Anyway the suburbs are bad for everyone (because nature hates a monoculture) and the only people who donât think so are the people who live there without cleaning their own house (and largely didnât grow up there. Soooo many suburban kids come running to the city. So many.).
So many people talking about the terrible environmental impacts of suburban sprawl, but I can't find anybody proposing an actionable improvement...
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What Are Real-Time Applications? Understanding Their Role in Modern Software
Introduction
In todayâs fast-paced digital world, users expect instant responses and seamless interactions in their online experiences. Whether itâs messaging on WhatsApp, tracking a food delivery, or watching a live-streaming event, the demand for real-time applications (RTAs) is higher than ever.
Real-time applications are transforming industries by enabling instant communication, live data synchronization, and seamless user experiences. These applications are the backbone of modern software, powering everything from financial trading platforms to IoT devices.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore: â
What are real-time applications?â
How do they work?â
Key technologies used in real-time applicationsâ
Examples of real-time applications across industriesâ
Benefits of real-time applicationsâ
Challenges in building real-time appsâ
Future trends in real-time software development
By the end of this blog, you will have a clear understanding of how real-time applications work and their increasing role in modern software development.
What Are Real-Time Applications?
A real-time application (RTA) is a type of software that processes and delivers data instantly, with minimal delay or latency. These applications ensure that information is updated in real-time, allowing users to interact with live data without refreshing their screens or waiting for updates.
Key Characteristics of Real-Time Applications:
â
Instant Response â Data is processed and delivered without noticeable delay. â
Continuous Data Exchange â Real-time apps update information dynamically. â
Low Latency â Minimal delay in data processing and transmission. â
High Availability â RTAs ensure users can access up-to-date information at all times. â
Scalability â They can handle large volumes of real-time users and data.
For example, Google Docs allows multiple users to edit the same document simultaneously, with changes appearing instantly. This real-time collaboration is only possible because of real-time application architecture.
How Do Real-Time Applications Work?
Real-time applications continuously send and receive data between clients and servers. Unlike traditional web applications that rely on HTTP requests (where users need to refresh the page to get updates), RTAs use persistent connections to keep the data synchronized at all times.
Key Technologies Behind Real-Time Applications:
Several technologies enable real-time communication in applications. Letâs explore some of the most common ones:
1. WebSockets
WebSockets allow full-duplex communication between a client (userâs device) and a server. Unlike traditional HTTP, which follows a request-response cycle, WebSockets establish a persistent connection, enabling real-time updates.
đ Use Case: Online chat applications like WhatsApp and Slack use WebSockets for instant messaging.
2. Socket.IO
Socket.IO is a JavaScript library built on WebSockets that helps developers create real-time applications quickly and efficiently. It supports event-based communication, making it a popular choice for building live chat apps and collaborative tools.
đ Use Case: Google Docs uses similar technology to allow multiple users to edit documents in real time.
3. Firebase Realtime Database
Firebase is a NoSQL cloud database that enables real-time data synchronization across multiple clients. It is commonly used in mobile applications that require live updates.
đ Use Case: Social media apps use Firebase to provide real-time notifications and updates.
4. GraphQL Subscriptions
GraphQL is an alternative to REST APIs, and GraphQL Subscriptions enable real-time data fetching and updates.
đ Use Case: Stock trading apps use GraphQL subscriptions to provide real-time price updates.
5. MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)
MQTT is a lightweight messaging protocol used for real-time IoT (Internet of Things) applications. It enables efficient communication between connected devices.
đ Use Case: Smart home devices like Google Nest and Amazon Alexa use MQTT for real-time data exchange.
Examples of Real-Time Applications Across Industries
Real-time applications are used in various industries to enhance user experiences and improve operational efficiency. Here are some examples:
1. Messaging & Chat Apps
Real-time messaging apps rely on instant communication between users.
Examples:đ WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Slack, Telegram
2. Live Streaming & Video Conferencing
Live streaming platforms allow users to watch videos and interact in real time.
Examples:đ YouTube Live, Twitch, Zoom, Google Meet
3. Online Gaming
Multiplayer online games require real-time data transmission to ensure smooth gameplay.
Examples:đ PUBG, Fortnite, Call of Duty
4. Ride-Sharing & Delivery Apps
Ride-hailing and food delivery apps provide real-time tracking of drivers and orders.
Examples:đ Uber, Lyft, Swiggy, Zomato
5. Financial & Stock Trading Platforms
Stock market applications provide real-time price updates and allow instant trading.
Examples:đ Robinhood, Zerodha, Binance
6. IoT (Internet of Things) Applications
IoT applications connect smart devices that interact in real time.
Examples:đ Google Home, Amazon Echo, Smart Security Cameras
Benefits of Real-Time Applications
Real-time applications offer significant advantages for businesses and users alike. Here are some key benefits:
â
1. Faster Communication
RTAs provide instant responses, making communication more efficient.
â
2. Enhanced User Experience
Real-time features improve engagement by providing seamless interactions.
â
3. Better Collaboration
Users can work together in real time, improving productivity in applications like Google Docs and Microsoft Teams.
â
4. Increased Business Efficiency
Businesses benefit from real-time data analysis, allowing them to make faster decisions.
â
5. Higher Engagement & Retention
Apps with real-time interactions keep users engaged for longer periods.
Challenges in Building Real-Time Applications
Developing real-time applications comes with its own set of challenges:
â 1. High Server Load & Scalability
Handling millions of real-time users requires a scalable infrastructure.
â 2. Low Latency & Performance Optimization
Ensuring low latency is crucial, especially for financial and gaming applications.
â 3. Security & Data Privacy
Real-time data transmission is vulnerable to cyber threats like DDoS attacks and data breaches.
â 4. Synchronization & Data Consistency
Keeping data synchronized across multiple devices can be complex.
Future of Real-Time Applications
With advancements in 5G, AI, and cloud computing, real-time applications are becoming even more powerful. Some future trends include:
đ 1. AI-Powered Real-Time Apps â AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants for instant responses. đ 2. 5G Integration â Faster network speeds will enhance real-time experiences. đ 3. Blockchain for Security â Decentralized real-time apps with enhanced security. đ 4. Edge Computing â Reducing latency by processing data closer to users.
Conclusion
Real-time applications have revolutionized modern software development by enabling instant communication, seamless collaboration, and live data synchronization. From social media to financial trading, RTAs power the digital experiences we rely on every day.
If youâre looking to build a real-time application for your business, itâs essential to choose the right technologies and ensure scalability, security, and low latency.
Need Expert Help?
Our team specializes in real-time application development. Contact us today to build cutting-edge software solutions! đ
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