#Nebulizer Market Demand

[blindmagdalena]

Guilty Pleasures ( chapter two )

18+ 3.8k homelander x plus size f!reader. workplace harassment, stalking, voyeurism, masturbation, lite humiliation kink, lite somnophilia, breaking & entering, petty theft, sublander flavored. nebulously takes place post s1. part 2/4. AO3 link. | Chapter Directory

Homelander is the most powerful man in the world, and all he wants is to be yours.

After spending the majority of your evening and the following morning anticipating being fired, walking into work the next day feels like traversing a thinly frozen lake, each step webbing out in precarious cracks.

Clearly you’re not the only one who thinks so: you clock a handful of surprised looks from coworkers who’d attended the meeting and took note of the tension between you and Vought’s golden boy.

Maybe they’d taken bets on whether or not you’d be coming in this morning.

There’s no sign of Homelander on your way in. Not that you were expecting him–yesterday was the first time you actually saw him in person–but you still find yourself on the lookout. It’s hard to say whether you’re anticipating or dreading him. Part of you is still expecting to open your door and find a letter on your desk politely informing you that they’ve determined you aren’t a good “culture fit” for the company, and that your probation has been terminated.

After all, who in their right mind would take your side over Homelander’s?

You push open your office door, and sure enough, there is a letter waiting for you, but not in the way you expected. You stand in the doorway, staring in quiet incomprehension. The envelope, crisp and bright white, is propped up in a bed of rich red roses sitting in a pretty vase upon your desk. You glance behind you before you step inside, closing the door behind you, and approach the desk cautiously. You pluck the paper out of the bouquet, taking a moment to smell the flowers–they smell as good as they look–before you carefully rip open the envelope, tearing the small american flag sticker that sealed it.

Inside, there’s only one word on the folded piece of paper, scrawled in surprisingly elegant handwriting.

Truce?

You can’t help the incredulous little bark of laughter you give at that. It’s not even an apology. It’s a demand that he expects a gratuitous bundle of flowers will help you swallow, like taking medicine with a spoonful of sugar.

“You’re ridiculous,” you say quietly to the letter, setting it down on your desk. You give the roses one last sniff, testing one of the soft petals between your fingers. You wonder if what you said actually got through to him.

Homelander has no real reason to smooth things over with you: you’re no one. He’s posed no risk to himself by coming after you. He could no doubt have you fired by complaining that your marketing tactics don’t align with his brand. It’s hard to imagine Vought denies him much.

Yet he is apparently negotiating peace. It’s not nearly enough, but it is a start.

Or maybe it’s just more than you expected.

You sit, idly tapping the letter against your desk. You’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t still think him handsome. Homelander wasn’t the first man to ogle your tits while you gave a presentation, but he was certainly the first to fluster you like that when he did. His sly smile had made you want to slap him, but there was a questionable little part of you that thought about kissing it better afterwards.

Taking in a steadying breath, you slip the letter into your desk drawer and adjust the flowers to the side, admiring them a moment before you pull out your laptop.

If Homelander can behave himself enough to let you do your job without public humiliation, you can afford a truce. You don’t need to forgive or condone him to be civil, or even to continue having your own private fantasies. A little guilty pleasure now and again never hurt anyone.

You can’t know that Homelander is observing you throughout this internal conversation, watching through several layers of steel and concrete, his parted lips curving into a slow smile as you accept his offering. You can’t know that you haven’t just acknowledged a truce, but an invitation.

No, you can’t possibly know what’s to come.

Two days later, you diligently change the water that the roses in your office sit in. They’re doing well, the crimson buds having unfurled into a splay of velvety petals. You pinch one between your thumb and forefinger and stroke it absently. Homelander has continued to be a scarcity, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t seen him. Quite the opposite: you spend most of your working hours either looking at or thinking about his face to the point where it’s starting to follow you home each day.

That’s what you tell yourself when you think of him outside of work hours, anyways.

It’s been long enough now that you wonder if the flowers were the end of it. He was simply covering his ass with a half hearted gesture that slightly resembled an apology so that you could both comfortably drop the subject. That was entirely fine by you so long as he actually did improve his behavior.

A familiarly brisk knock at your door catapults your heart up against the cage of your ribs like a spooked hare. It’s the exact same beat, you’re sure of it. You stay quiet, half expecting to be barged in upon, but when nothing happens, you move from your desk and open the door yourself, intentionally blocking it with your body.

Sure enough, Homelander stands tall on the other side. He flashes his signature smile while your eyes narrow suspiciously. “Can I help you?”

“I think I’m the one who can help you,” he says brightly, that spread of teeth downright wolfish. He lifts a handful of papers that have been stapled at the corner, gesturing for you to take it.

Still wary, you take them from him and shift, wedging your foot to keep the door firmly in place while you flip through the pages. Your brows furrow as you recognize chunks of your own presentation. Understanding dawns when you realize that he’s annotated them.

“You read my presentation,” you say, unable to mask your surprise.

“Obviously. It’s my image on the line, right? Got some notes for you, but I have to say: y’mostly nailed it,” he says, reaching out to rest a gloved hand on the doorway.

“Mostly?” You echo, quirking an eyebrow at him as you look up from the pages.

“Yeah, mostly. Again, I have some minor notes,” he says, wiggling his other hand in a vague gesture. “But I figure I owe you praise on a job mostly well done.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Crossing your arms, you abandon your stern foothold on the door in order to shift your weight, your incredulity showing in every inch of your body language.  “What you owe me is an apology.”

Homelander’s grin softens into a smile that’s no less challenging. “Looks to me like you’ve already been enjoying my apology,” he says, leaning slightly to gaze past you, to the bundle of roses sitting prettily on your desk.

You briefly glance over your shoulder, but your expression remains impassive. Unimpressed. “That? That isn’t an apology. An apology would include the words I’m sorry.”

He scoffs a dismissive laugh, swaying back to look away, but you persist.

“I’m serious,” you say, luring his ocean blue gaze back to yours. “I want you to say to me ‘I’m sorry for the way I behaved during your presentation. It won’t happen again.’ “

The two of you hold each other’s gaze with all the magnitude of two gunmen in a duel, hands steady over your proverbial pistols. 

To your surprise, Homelander does not fire back. He raises a dainty white flag.

“I’m sorry for the way I behaved during your presentation,” he says, words slow and measured. You watch his tongue flash over his bottom lip, wetting it attractively. You fight to not let your eyes linger on it. “It won’t happen again.”

You swallow, suddenly finding thought and speech an impossible task. You weren’t prepared for such raw, ready obedience from him, nor the intensity in his gaze that follows it. He reminds you of a charmed snake–docile so long as he is transfixed.

“Good,” you say, the word half a sigh. Homelander’s lips part and he breathes in like he’s caught wind of something particularly delicious smelling. “I accept your apology, and I appreciate that you took the time to do this,” you say, gesturing with the documents in your hand. “I’ll go over them and get back to you.”

He reaches out, bracing his hand on your office door. You half expect him to push it open, but he merely holds it there. “We could go over them together,” he suggests slyly.

“No,” you say, clearly disarming him. He looks as though he’s forgotten the meaning of the word. “I’m in the middle of another project at the moment.”

The leather of his gloves creaks faintly in your ear as he flexes his grip on the edge of the door. While what you’ve said is true, it’s also serving as a test. Words and flowers are pretty things, but only actions always speak the truth.

“At the moment,” he repeats, gears visibly turning in his eyes. “So… Later?” He extrapolates, displaying an uncharacteristic tentativeness alongside his obvious displeasure at the taste of rejection. You even see a glimmer of hope in the mess of his expression.. 

He did pass the test. You suppose you can reward him for that.

“Another time,” you say, giving your door an exploratory push. He relents, his hands sliding down the length of it before falling away as he takes a half-step back. “How about tomorrow on my lunch break? 1:00 o'clock sharp.”

He splits into a smile that looks more genuine than any of his you’ve seen before. “Aaalrighty-roo. Sounds gooood to meeeee,” he says, drawing out his vowels more the closer he gets to actually having to leave. At your silent, amused stare, he claps his gloved hands together with a muffled thump! and takes a few more steps backwards. “Yooooou’ll see me… tomorrow.”

Your smile pinches along with your brows. What a strange way to phrase it. “See you then,” you say, watching as his face is eclipsed by your closing door. You wait a beat and then let out a thin thread of breath from your pursed lips, resting your weight on the door.

Looking down at the papers in your hand, you push off from the door and head to your desk, flipping through them.

Such a strange man, you think, carrying the notes to your desk. You set them down next to the vase of roses and try not to think too much about the unconscious smile your lips keep settling into for the rest of the day.

Homelander’s got you hook, line and sinker. He’s certain of it. He lingers on the other side of your door just long enough to watch you through it while you settle, a charmed smile set on your lips. He can already imagine how those lips would feel against his own, how they’d taste. He swallows thickly and looks around before he departs, already plotting his next move.

The two of you have a date tomorrow, and in order to be at the top of his game, he’s going to have to do a little additional research. Knowing your work was a good first step. The next one will be learning about you.

Following you home is the easy part. It ultimately feels chivalrous to do so once he realizes you walk home even at this time of year, when the sun sets long before the work day ends. He drifts above you, cocking his head curiously. No wonder you walk. The streets are packed as tightly as sardine cans, and your apartment garage isn’t much better. The claustrophobia of it all serves as a stark contrast to the openness of Vought tower.

The interior of your apartment provides an even sharper juxtaposition to his penthouse. It’s tidy, but the comparatively low ceilings and minimal floor space still make it look cramped. Somehow, you simultaneously have too much and yet not much at all, the confinement of a downtown apartment making what minimal affects you do own seem crowded together.

That only becomes more apparent once he’s inside, slipped in through your balcony after sleep has taken you. Why would you bother to lock your balcony when you live on the 8th floor? It works out perfectly for him.

In all fairness, your living room feels cozier once he’s standing in the center of it. Your walls are lined with an assortment of art pieces and photographs, and the shelves are well stocked with books and knick-knacks. You have a decent film collection displayed on your media console, and he can’t help but snoop through it, bending at the waist, examining through the rows. He cocks his head.

Odd. You’d think an employee of Vought would have at least a few VCU films. He runs his index finger along the spines, slightly adjusting them flush as he goes. Pursing his lips, he straightens up and looks at the closed cabinets on either side. The left one yields an untidy assortment of electronic odds and ends, cords and the like. Nothing of much interest other than an indication that while you like to keep up appearances, you aren’t quite as together as you’d like people to think. 

It’s on the right side, however, he finds what he’s really looking for.

“Bingo,” he whispers, smiling to himself as he scopes out your little hidden collection of Vought hero flicks. Specifically, his films. He’s less interested in the handful of others you own (Queen Maeve: Her Majesty, Black Noir: Insurrection, Lamplighter: The Bright World, etc) and more so in the fact that you have nearly his entire catalog tucked away. 

Nearly. You’re missing his eighteen part miniseries, Homelander: Brightest Night.

At least that gives him something to gift you.

Closing the cabinet, he meanders about the rest of your apartment. You have some plants in varying states of decay, with only a few cacti looking to be in decent shape. Either your work keeps you too busy to properly mind them, or you just like the idea of them more than the reality. It tells him that you’re looking–and failing–to fill a void in your life. You want to feel less alone in your home, you want to nurture something. You just haven’t found the right something yet.

Striding into your kitchen, arms folded behind his back, he peers through the cheap wood veneer of your fiberboard cupboards, unveiling an unusually broad assortment of mugs. There doesn’t seem to be any particular theme: holidays, locales, characters, and a menagerie of patterns. 

He hums softly, pivoting out of the kitchen and down the hall, his steps preternaturally light. He listens for the beat of your heart as he draws near, tunes it in alongside the shallow cadence of your breath. Deep asleep. Good.

The walls are lined with pictures of you and others. Friends or family, he can’t say, but you look to have an abundance of both. He rarely sees himself in photos that aren’t promotional material. He pauses to straighten a picture frame, and finds himself so viciously jealous of the man sharing the frame with you–his lips pressed to your cheek, your laughing smile so genuine he can nearly hear it–that he almost knocks it to the ground.

Running his tongue along his teeth, he continues on.

Your bedroom door is open. He slips in silently, pausing just through the doorway. Your bed's a queen, too big for just you. You’re sprawled comfortably amidst pillows, limbs splayed in just such a way that he can easily imagine fitting himself in the empty spaces between them. He can smell the lingering burn of the candle you’d lit when you got home. He picks it up off your dresser, reading the label: Cup ‘o Joe. 

Eugh. He never cared for coffee, and the artificial sweetness surrounding the note is cloying. Your perfume, on the other hand, he doesn’t mind. He notices the bottle alongside a few other of your things and puts the candle down in favor of that, popping the cap off. The smell hits him before he sprays it: vanilla first, then amber and something more woodsy. It’s less impressive by itself than it had been on you.

Still, it’s yours. You chose it for yourself.

Slipping off one of his gloves, he lightly sprays into the inside of it before he sets the bottle back down, recapping it. It won’t be the same, but he’s driven by the compulsion to spirit away any little pieces of you that he can. Just enough to satiate himself until he can have you properly.

That’s when he sees your blouse from today in a careless heap at the top of your laundry basket next to your dresser. Licking his lips, he tests the feel of the garment between his bare fingers. He’s always been sensitive to fabrics, and while the blend of this one is fairly cheap, it’s been worn and washed enough that it’s soft against his skin. He grabs a handful of it and lifts it to his mouth, brushing it along his lips, under his nose, and he deeply inhales your lingering scent mixing with the fresh pump of perfume.

He bites back a moan, screwing his eyes shut. His cock gives a dull little throb. Fuck, the spell you’ve cast on him makes him ache just for the smell of you, makes him salivate. He swallows it back, letting out a rough little breath as he reluctantly puts the shirt back down. Under it, he spies a little flash of something black and lacy. His stomach clenches, and he’s reaching for it before he can stop himself, fishing the black panties out of the heap and twisting the fabric between his fingers.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He can’t afford to overindulge. He won’t be able to control himself if he does, but he also can’t bring himself to put the little slip of fabric back down. He imagines he can almost taste where your sweet cunt had been pressed to it. Christ, he’s practically drooling. Out of sheer impulse, he yanks down the zipper of his pants with a quiet hiss of metal against metal and hastily pushes your underwear into his cup, biting down hard on his lip. He grinds once against his hand, savoring the feel of the fabric against his cock.

He’ll enjoy them far more than you’ll miss them.

Zipping himself back up, he carefully pulls open your top dresser drawer. He curiously pushes the contents around, mindful not to overly disturb, and his knuckles bump something solid. He shifts one of your bras–another near painful pang of arousal at the reminder of your breasts–aside and finds, to his delight, what any good marketing department would describe as  “a large purple massage wand.”

A vibrator. He chews his bottom lip briefly, turning it over in his grip. An exciting find on all fronts. It’s smooth and decently hefty, good quality. You deserve even better. You might be capable of indulging yourself with this, but he could make you scream. You’ll never need a silly little toy again. Not when you have him.

Homelander moves to put it back in the drawer, but–

“Fuck!” He hisses when the button catches on his finger, and suddenly the damn thing is buzzing.

Shut up, shut up, shut up, he chants mentally, jabbing at the buttons in an attempt to silence it, but pressing the same ones only makes the accursed device louder. In a frantic move, he grips the neck and squeezes. There’s a soft crunch beneath the silicone, and as abruptly as it had begun, the buzzing ends. His heart is thudding heavily in his chest. He listens to the silence, to you.

He looks over his shoulder. No movement. Your breaths remain shallow.

Christ.

So much for leaving no trace. He slips the busted toy back amidst your underthings and snatches his glove off of your dresser, tucking it under his arm. He hones his attention on you as he approaches your bed, assuring himself that you really are still asleep. He stands there for a while, admiring the part of your lips and the haphazard splay of your pajamas and where they cling to your body.

No bra.

His bare hand flexes. Being so close is too much of a temptation. He wets his lips with a quick slide of his tongue and bends down. He ghosts his fingers just over your cheek, not quite daring to touch. He can smell the faint remnants of your toothpaste on your breath, your shampoo, and beneath it all, you. It's intoxicating, it's…

Your brows furrow slightly in your sleep and you make a soft noise, interrupting his thoughts. He wonders if you’re dreaming–dreaming of him, perhaps. He’d like to think so. He’d like to think that you’re just as affected by him wanting you as he is, and that’s the real reason you invited him to lunch. He saw it in your eyes when he echoed your words, the thrill that went through you. He could have gone to his knees for you in that moment and had you in giving himself to you.

Desperate for just a taste, he kisses ever so gently between your brows, his own breaths matching the cadence of yours. Divine. You're divine. So effortlessly perfect and so aware of your own power. How could he not want every part of you?

He means to leave it there, to walk away with nothing but the slight salt of your brow on his lips, but the pull is too great. He's greedy, drunk on the smell and the taste of you, on the feel of your panties pressed up against his cock, and he can't stop himself from sampling your lips against his.

It’s the barest hint of touch, and yet the contact lances electricity through him like he’s been struck by a bolt of lightning. Your lips are soft, soft, soft. He knew they would be. Everything about you is so fucking soft. It takes everything in him to pull away, standing back to his full height.

He's aching, yearning so intensely he could rip the covers away and take you just like this, shake you awake, declare himself and have you. Would you scream, or would you have that same look of affronted understanding of him? You see him in a way few are ever brave–or stupid–enough to dare.

Not yet.

He won’t spoil the game. He agreed to play by your terms. As far as you’re concerned, he’ll do precisely that. You’ll be none the wiser in regards to his little reconnaissance mission–anything could have happened to your vibrator–and the two of you can play your little game as if you stand on equal footing.

Sucking in a silent breath, Homelander leaves alone, but not empty handed.

He’ll make very good use of his little trophy tonight.

( chapter three )

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The antitrust case against Apple

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT (Mar 22) in TORONTO, then SUNDAY (Mar 24) with LAURA POITRAS in NYC, then Anaheim, and beyond!

The foundational tenet of "the Cult of Mac" is that buying products from a $3t company makes you a member of an oppressed ethnic minority and therefore every criticism of that corporation is an ethnic slur:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/#if-dishwashers-were-iphones

Call it "Apple exceptionalism" – the idea that Apple, alone among the Big Tech firms, is virtuous, and therefore its conduct should be interpreted through that lens of virtue. The wellspring of this virtue is conveniently nebulous, which allows for endless goal-post shifting by members of the Cult of Mac when Apple's sins are made manifest.

Take the claim that Apple is "privacy respecting," which is attributed to Apple's business model of financing its services though cash transactions, rather than by selling it customers to advertisers. This is the (widely misunderstood) crux of the "surveillance capitalism" hypothesis: that capitalism is just fine, but once surveillance is in the mix, capitalism fails.

Apple, then, is said to be a virtuous company because its behavior is disciplined by market forces, unlike its spying rivals, whose ability to "hack our dopamine loops" immobilizes the market's invisible hand with "behavior-shaping" shackles:

http://pluralistic.net/HowToDestroySurveillanceCapitalism

Apple makes a big deal out of its privacy-respecting ethos, and not without some justification. After all, Apple went to the mattresses to fight the FBI when they tried to force Apple to introduced defects into its encryption systems:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/fbi-could-have-gotten-san-bernardino-shooters-iphone-leadership-didnt-say

And Apple gave Ios users the power to opt out of Facebook spying with a single click; 96% of its customers took them up on this offer, costing Facebook $10b (one fifth of the pricetag of the metaverse boondoggle!) in a single year (you love to see it):

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/02/facebook-makes-the-case-for-activity-tracking-to-ios-14-users-in-new-pop-ups/

Bruce Schneier has a name for this practice: "feudal security." That's when you cede control over your device to a Big Tech warlord whose "walled garden" becomes a fortress that defends you against external threats:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/08/leona-helmsley-was-a-pioneer/#manorialism

The keyword here is external threats. When Apple itself threatens your privacy, the fortress becomes a prison. The fact that you can't install unapproved apps on your Ios device means that when Apple decides to harm you, you have nowhere to turn. The first Apple customers to discover this were in China. When the Chinese government ordered Apple to remove all working privacy tools from its App Store, the company obliged, rather than risk losing access to its ultra-cheap manufacturing base (Tim Cook's signal accomplishment, the one that vaulted him into the CEO's seat, was figuring out how to offshore Apple manufacturing to China) and hundreds of millions of middle-class consumers:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-apple-vpn/apple-says-it-is-removing-vpn-services-from-china-app-store-idUSKBN1AE0BQ

Killing VPNs and other privacy tools was just for openers. After Apple caved to Beijing, the demands kept coming. Next, Apple willingly backdoored all its Chinese cloud services, so that the Chinese state could plunder its customers' data at will:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/technology/apple-china-censorship-data.html

This was the completely foreseeable consequence of Apple's "curated computing" model: once the company arrogated to itself the power to decide which software you could run on your own computer, it was inevitable that powerful actors – like the Chinese Communist Party – would lean on Apple to exercise that power in service to its goals.

Unsurprisingly, the Chinese state's appetite for deputizing Apple to help with its spying and oppression was not sated by backdooring iCloud and kicking VPNs out of the App Store. As recently as 2022, Apple continued to neuter its tools at the behest of the Chinese state, breaking Airdrop to make it useless for organizing protests in China:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/11/foreseeable-consequences/#airdropped

But the threat of Apple turning on its customers isn't limited to China. While the company has been unwilling to spy on its users on behalf of the US government, it's proven more than willing to compromise its worldwide users' privacy to pad its own profits. Remember when Apple let its users opt out of Facebook surveillance with one click? At the very same time, Apple was spinning up its own commercial surveillance program, spying on Ios customers, gathering the very same data as Facebook, and for the very same purpose: to target ads. When it came to its own surveillance, Apple completely ignored its customers' explicit refusal to consent to spying, spied on them anyway, and lied about it:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

Here's the thing: even if you believe that Apple has a "corporate personality" that makes it want to do the right thing, that desire to be virtuous is dependent on the constraints Apple faces. The fact that Apple has complete legal and technical control over the hardware it sells – the power to decide who can make software that runs on that hardware, the power to decide who can fix that hardware, the power to decide who can sell parts for that hardware – represents an irresistible temptation to enshittify Apple products.

"Constraints" are the crux of the enshittification hypothesis. The contagion that spread enshittification to every corner of our technological world isn't a newfound sadism or indifference among tech bosses. Those bosses are the same people they've always been – the difference is that today, they are unconstrained.

Having bought, merged or formed a cartel with all their rivals, they don't fear competition (Apple buys 90+ companies per year, and Google pays it an annual $26.3b bribe for default search on its operating systems and programs).

Having captured their regulators, they don't fear fines or other penalties for cheating their customers, workers or suppliers (Apple led the coalition that defeated dozens of Right to Repair bills, year after year, in the late 2010s).

Having wrapped themselves in IP law, they don't fear rivals who make alternative clients, mods, privacy tools or other "adversarial interoperability" tools that disenshittify their products (Apple uses the DMCA, trademark, and other exotic rules to block third-party software, repair, and clients).

True virtue rests not merely in resisting temptation to be wicked, but in recognizing your own weakness and avoiding temptation. As I wrote when Apple embarked on its "curated computing" path, the company would eventually – inevitably – use its power to veto its customers' choices to harm those customers:

https://memex.craphound.com/2010/04/01/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-you-shouldnt-either/

Which is where we're at today. Apple – uniquely among electronics companies – shreds every device that is traded in by its customers, to block third parties from harvesting working components and using them for independent repair:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-iphones-macbooks

Apple engraves microscopic Apple logos on those parts and uses these as the basis for trademark complaints to US customs, to block the re-importation of parts that escape its shredders:

https://repair.eu/news/apple-uses-trademark-law-to-strengthen-its-monopoly-on-repair/

Apple entered into an illegal price-fixing conspiracy with Amazon to prevent used and refurbished devices from being sold in the "world's biggest marketplace":

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/10/you-had-one-job/#thats-just-the-as

Why is Apple so opposed to independent repair? Well, they say it's to keep users safe from unscrupulous or incompetent repair technicians (feudal security). But when Tim Cook speaks to his investors, he tells a different story, warning them that the company's profits are threatened by customers who choose to repair (rather than replace) their slippery, fragile glass $1,000 pocket computers (the fortress becomes a prison):

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/01/letter-from-tim-cook-to-apple-investors/

All this adds up to a growing mountain of immortal e-waste, festooned with miniature Apple logos, that our descendants will be dealing with for the next 1,000 years. In the face of this unspeakable crime, Apple engaged in a string of dishonest maneuvers, claiming that it would support independent repair. In 2022, Apple announced a home repair program that turned out to be a laughably absurd con:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/22/apples-cement-overshoes/

Then in 2023, Apple announced a fresh "pro-repair" initiative that, once again, actually blocked repair:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

Let's pause here a moment and remember that Apple once stood for independent repair, and celebrated the independent repair technicians that kept its customers' beloved Macs running:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/29/norwegian-potato-flour-enchiladas/#r2r

Whatever virtue lurks in Apple's corporate personhood, it is no match for the temptation that comes from running a locked-down platform designed to capture IP rights so that it can prevent normal competitive activities, like fixing phones, processing payments, or offering apps.

When Apple rolled out the App Store, Steve Jobs promised that it would save journalism and other forms of "content creation" by finally giving users a way to pay rightsholders. A decade later, that promise has been shattered by the app tax – a 30% rake on every in-app transaction that can't be avoided because Apple will kick your app out of the App Store if you even mention that your customers can pay you via the web in order to avoid giving a third of their content dollars to a hardware manufacturer that contributed nothing to the production of that material:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-must-open-app-stores

Among the apps that Apple also refuses to allow on Ios is third-party browsers. Every Iphone browser is just a reskinned version of Apple's Safari, running on the same antiquated, insecure Webkit browser engine. The fact that Webkit is incomplete and outdated is a feature, not a bug, because it lets Apple block web apps – apps delivered via browsers, rather than app stores:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/13/kitbashed/#app-store-tax

Last month, the EU took aim at Apple's veto over its users' and software vendors' ability to transact with one another. The newly in-effect Digital Markets Act requires Apple to open up both third-party payment processing and third-party app stores. Apple's response to this is the very definition of malicious compliance, a snake's nest of junk-fees, onerous terms of service, and petty punitive measures that all add up to a great, big "Go fuck yourself":

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/06/spoil-the-bunch/#dma

But Apple's bullying, privacy invasion, price-gouging and environmental crimes are global, and the EU isn't the only government seeking to end them. They're in the firing line in Japan:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Japan-to-crack-down-on-Apple-and-Google-app-store-monopolies

And in the UK:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-wins-appeal-in-apple-case

And now, famously, the US Department of Justice is coming for Apple, with a bold antitrust complaint that strikes at the heart of Apple exceptionalism, the idea that monopoly is safer for users than technological self-determination:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1344546/dl?inline

There's passages in the complaint that read like I wrote them:

Apple wraps itself in a cloak of privacy, security, and consumer preferences to justify its anticompetitive conduct. Indeed, it spends billions on marketing and branding to promote the self-serving premise that only Apple can safeguard consumers’ privacy and security interests. Apple selectively compromises privacy and security interests when doing so is in Apple’s own financial interest—such as degrading the security of text messages, offering governments and certain companies the chance to access more private and secure versions of app stores, or accepting billions of dollars each year for choosing Google as its default search engine when more private options are available. In the end, Apple deploys privacy and security justifications as an elastic shield that can stretch or contract to serve Apple’s financial and business interests.

After all, Apple punishes its customers for communicating with Android users by forcing them to do so without any encryption. When Beeper Mini rolled out an Imessage-compatible Android app that fixed this, giving Iphone owners the privacy Apple says they deserve but denies to them, Apple destroyed Beeper Mini:

https://blog.beeper.com/p/beeper-moving-forward

Tim Cook is on record about this: if you want to securely communicate with an Android user, you must "buy them an Iphone":

https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/7/23342243/tim-cook-apple-rcs-imessage-android-iphone-compatibility

If your friend, family member or customer declines to change mobile operating systems, Tim Cook insists that you must communicate without any privacy or security.

Even where Apple tries for security, it sometimes fails ("security is a process, not a product" -B. Schneier). To be secure in a benevolent dictatorship, it must also be an infallible dictatorship. Apple's far from infallible: Eight generations of Iphones have unpatchable hardware defects:

https://checkm8.info/

And Apple's latest custom chips have secret-leaking, unpatchable vulnerabilities:

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/03/hackers-can-extract-secret-encryption-keys-from-apples-mac-chips/

Apple's far from infallible – but they're also far from benevolent. Despite Apple's claims, its hardware, operating system and apps are riddled with deliberate privacy defects, introduce to protect Apple's shareholders at the expense of its customers:

https://proton.me/blog/iphone-privacy

Now, antitrust suits are notoriously hard to make, especially after 40 years of bad-precedent-setting, monopoly-friendly antitrust malpractice. Much of the time, these suits fail because they can't prove that tech bosses intentionally built their monopolies. However, tech is a written culture, one that leaves abundant, indelible records of corporate deliberations. What's more, tech bosses are notoriously prone to bragging about their nefarious intentions, committing them to writing:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/03/big-tech-cant-stop-telling-on-itself/

Apple is no exception – there's an abundance of written records that establish that Apple deliberately, illegally set out to create and maintain a monopoly:

https://www.wired.com/story/4-internal-apple-emails-helped-doj-build-antitrust-case/

Apple claims that its monopoly is beneficent, used to protect its users, making its products more "elegant" and safe. But when Apple's interests conflict with its customers' safety and privacy – and pocketbooks – Apple always puts itself first, just like every other corporation. In other words: Apple is unexceptional.

The Cult of Mac denies this. They say that no one wants to use a third-party app store, no one wants third-party payments, no one wants third-party repair. This is obviously wrong and trivially disproved: if no Apple customer wanted these things, Apple wouldn't have to go to enormous lengths to prevent them. The only phones that an independent Iphone repair shop fixes are Iphones: which means Iphone owners want independent repair.

The rejoinder from the Cult of Mac is that those Iphone owners shouldn't own Iphones: if they wanted to exercise property rights over their phones, they shouldn't have bought a phone from Apple. This is the "No True Scotsman" fallacy for distraction-rectangles, and moreover, it's impossible to square with Tim Cook's insistence that if you want private communications, you must buy an Iphone.

Apple is unexceptional. It's just another Big Tech monopolist. Rounded corners don't preserve virtue any better than square ones. Any company that is freed from constraints – of competition, regulation and interoperability – will always enshittify. Apple – being unexceptional – is no exception.

Name your price for 18 of my DRM-free ebooks and support the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the Humble Cory Doctorow Bundle.

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/22/reality-distortion-field/#three-trillion-here-three-trillion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

[mariacallous]

This story is part of a joint investigation between Lighthouse Reports and WIRED. To read other stories from the series, click here.

Mitch Daniels is a numbers guy, a cost-cutter. In the early 2000s, he tried and failed to rein in congressional spending under then-US president George W. Bush. So when he took office as Indiana governor in 2005, Daniels was ready to argue once again for fiscal discipline. He wanted to straighten out Indiana’s state government, which he deemed rife with dysfunction. And he started with its welfare system. “That department had been rocked by a series of criminal indictments, with cheats and caseworkers colluding to steal money meant for poor people,” he later said.

Daniels’ solution took the form of a $1.3 billion, 10-year contract with IBM. He had lofty ambitions for the project, which started in 2006, claiming it would improve the benefits service for Indiana residents while cracking down on fraud, ultimately saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

But the contract was a disaster. It was canceled after three years, and IBM and Indiana spent a decade locked in a legal battle about who was to blame. Daniels described IBM’s sweeping redesign and automation of the system—responsible for deciding who was eligible for everything from food stamps to medical cover—as deficient. He was adamant, though, that outsourcing a technical project to a company with expertise was the right call. “It was over-designed,” he said. “Great on paper but too complicated to work in practice.” IBM declined a request for comment. 

In July 2012, Judge David Dryer of the Marion County Superior Court ruled that Indiana had failed to prove IBM had breached its contract. But he also delivered a damning verdict on the system itself, describing it as an untested experiment that replaced caseworkers with computers and phone calls. “Neither party deserves to win this case,” he said. “This story represents a ‘perfect storm’ of misguided government policy and overzealous corporate ambition.” 

That might have been an early death knell for the burgeoning business of welfare state automation. Instead, the industry exploded. Today, such fraud systems form a significant part of the nebulous “govtech” industry, which revolves around companies selling governments new technologies with the promise that new IT will make public administration easier-to-use and more efficient. In 2021, that market was estimated to be worth €116 billion ($120 billion) in Europe and $440 billion globally. And it’s not only companies that expect to profit from this wave of tech. Governments also believe modernizing IT systems can deliver big savings. Back in 2014, the consultancy firm McKinsey estimated that if government digitization reached its “full potential,” it could free up $1 trillion every year. 

Contractors around the world are selling governments on the promise that fraud-hunting algorithms can help them recoup public funds. But researchers who track the spread of these systems argue that these companies are often overpaid and under-supervised. The key issue, researchers say, is accountability. When complex machine learning models or simpler algorithms are developed by the private sector, the computer code that gets to define who is and isn’t accused of fraud is often classed as intellectual property. As a result, the way such systems make decisions is opaque and shielded from interrogation. And even when these algorithmic black holes are embroiled in high-stakes legal battles over alleged bias, the people demanding answers struggle to get them. 

In the UK, a community group called the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People is trying to determine whether a pattern of disabled people being investigated for fraud is linked to government automation projects. In France, the digital rights group La Quadrature du Net has been trying for four months to find out whether a fraud system is discriminating against people born in other countries. And in Serbia, lawyers want to understand why the introduction of a new system has resulted in hundreds of Roma families losing their benefits. “The models are always secret,” says Victoria Adelmant, director of New York University’s digital welfare state project. “If you don’t have transparency, it’s very difficult to even challenge and assess these systems.” 

The rollout of automated bureaucracy has happened quickly and quietly, but it has left a trail of scandals in its wake. In Michigan, a computer system used between 2013 and 2015 falsely accused 34,000 people of welfare fraud. A similar thing happened in Australia between 2015 and 2019, but on a larger scale: The government accused 400,000 people of welfare fraud or error after its social security department started using a so-called robodebt algorithm to automatically issue fines.

Another scandal emerged in the Netherlands in 2019 when tens of thousands of families—many of them from the country’s Ghanaian community—were falsely accused of defrauding the child benefits system. These systems didn’t just contribute to agencies accusing innocent people of welfare fraud; benefits recipients were ordered to repay the money they had supposedly stolen. As a result, many of the accused were left with spiraling debt, destroyed credit ratings, and even bankruptcy. 

Not all government fraud systems linked to scandals were developed with consultancies or technology companies. But civil servants are increasingly turning to the private sector to plug knowledge and personnel gaps. Companies involved in fraud detection systems range from giant consultancies—Accenture, Cap Gemini, PWC—to small tech firms like Totta Data Lab in the Netherlands and Saga in Serbia.

Experts in automation and AI are expensive to hire and less likely to be wooed by public sector salaries. When the UK surveyed its civil servants last year, confidence in the government’s ability to use technology was low, with around half of respondents blaming an inability to hire top talent. More than a third said they had few or no skills in artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automation. But it’s not just industry experience that makes the private sector so alluring to government officials. For welfare departments squeezed by budget cuts, “efficiency” has become a familiar buzzword. “Quite often, a public sector entity will say it is more efficient for us to go and bring in a group of consultants,” says Dan Sheils, head of European public service at Accenture.

The public sector lacks the expertise to create these systems and also to oversee them, says Matthias Spielkamp, cofounder of German nonprofit Algorithm Watch, which has been tracking automated decision-making in social welfare programs across Europe since 2017. In an ideal world, civil servants would be able to develop these systems themselves and have an in-depth understanding of how they work, he says. “That would be a huge difference to working with private companies, because they will sell you black-box systems—black boxes to everyone, including the public sector.” 

In February 2020, a crisis broke out in the Dutch region of Walcheren as officials realized they were in the dark about how their own fraud detection system worked. At the time, a Dutch court had halted the use of another algorithm used to detect welfare fraud, known as SyRI, after finding it violated people’s right to privacy. Officials in Walcheren were not using SyRI, but in emails obtained by Lighthouse Reports and WIRED through freedom-of-information requests, government employees had raised concerns that their algorithm bore striking similarities to the one just condemned by the court.

Walcheren’s system was developed by Totta Data Lab. After signing a contract in March 2017, the Dutch startup developed an algorithm to sort through pseudonymous information, according to details obtained through a freedom-of-information request. The system analyzed details of local people claiming welfare benefits and then sent human investigators a list of those it classified as most likely to be fraudsters. 

The redacted emails show local officials agonizing over whether their algorithm would be dragged into the SyRI scandal. “I don’t think it is possible to explain why our algorithm should be allowed while everyone is reading about SyRI,” one official wrote the week after the court ruling. Another wrote back with similar concerns. “We also do not get insight from Totta Data Lab into what exactly the algorithm does, and we do not have the expertise to check this.” Neither Totta nor officials in Walcheren replied to requests for comment. 

When the Netherlands’ Organization for Applied Scientific Research, an independent research institute, later carried out an audit of a Totta algorithm used in South Holland, the auditors struggled to understand it. “The results of the algorithm do not appear to be reproducible,” their 2021 report reads, referring to attempts to re-create the algorithm’s risk scores. “The risks indicated by the AI algorithm are largely randomly determined,” the researchers found. 

With little transparency, it often takes years—and thousands of victims—to expose technical shortcomings. But a case in Serbia provides a notable exception. In March 2022, a new law came into force which gave the government the green light to use data processing to assess individuals’ financial status and automate parts of its social protection programs. The new socijalna karta, or social card system, would help the government detect fraud while making sure welfare payments were reaching society’s most marginalized, claimed Zoran Đorđević, Serbia’s minister of social affairs in 2020. 

But within months of the system’s introduction, lawyers in the capital Belgrade had started documenting how it was discriminating against the country’s Roma community, an already disenfranchised ethnic minority group. 

Mr. ​​Ahmetović, a welfare recipient who declined to share his first name out of concern that his statement could affect his ability to claim benefits in the future, says he hadn’t heard of the social card system until November 2022, when his wife and four children were turned away from a soup kitchen on the outskirts of the Serbian capital. It wasn’t unusual for the Roma family to be there, as their welfare payments entitled them to a daily meal provided by the government. But on that day, a social worker told them their welfare status had changed and that they would no longer be getting a daily meal.

The family was in shock, and Ahmetović rushed to the nearest welfare office to find out what had happened. He says he was told the new social card system had flagged him after detecting income amounting to 110,000 Serbian dinars ($1,000) in his bank account, which meant he was no longer eligible for a large chunk of the welfare he had been receiving. Ahmetović was confused. He didn’t know anything about this payment. He didn’t even have his own bank account—his wife received the family’s welfare payments into hers. 

With no warning, their welfare payments were slashed by 30 percent, from around 70,000 dinars ($630) per month to 40,000 dinars ($360). The family had been claiming a range of benefits since 2012, including financial social assistance, as their son’s epilepsy and unilateral paralysis means neither parent is able to work. The drop in support meant the Ahmetovićs had to cut back on groceries and couldn’t afford to pay all their bills. Their debt ballooned to over 1 million dinars ($9,000). 

The algorithm’s impact on Serbia’s Roma community has been dramatic. ​​Ahmetović says his sister has also had her welfare payments cut since the system was introduced, as have several of his neighbors. “Almost all people living in Roma settlements in some municipalities lost their benefits,” says Danilo Ćurčić, program coordinator of A11, a Serbian nonprofit that provides legal aid. A11 is trying to help the Ahmetovićs and more than 100 other Roma families reclaim their benefits.

But first, Ćurčić needs to know how the system works. So far, the government has denied his requests to share the source code on intellectual property grounds, claiming it would violate the contract they signed with the company who actually built the system, he says. According to Ćurčić and a government contract, a Serbian company called Saga, which specializes in automation, was involved in building the social card system. Neither Saga nor Serbia’s Ministry of Social Affairs responded to WIRED’s requests for comment.

As the govtech sector has grown, so has the number of companies selling systems to detect fraud. And not all of them are local startups like Saga. Accenture—Ireland’s biggest public company, which employs more than half a million people worldwide—has worked on fraud systems across Europe. In 2017, Accenture helped the Dutch city of Rotterdam develop a system that calculates risk scores for every welfare recipient. A company document describing the original project, obtained by Lighthouse Reports and WIRED, references an Accenture-built machine learning system that combed through data on thousands of people to judge how likely each of them was to commit welfare fraud. “The city could then sort welfare recipients in order of risk of illegitimacy, so that highest risk individuals can be investigated first,” the document says. 

Officials in Rotterdam have said Accenture’s system was used until 2018, when a team at Rotterdam’s Research and Business Intelligence Department took over the algorithm’s development. When Lighthouse Reports and WIRED analyzed a 2021 version of Rotterdam’s fraud algorithm, it became clear that the system discriminates on the basis of race and gender. And around 70 percent of the variables in the 2021 system—information categories such as gender, spoken language, and mental health history that the algorithm used to calculate how likely a person was to commit welfare fraud—appeared to be the same as those in Accenture’s version.

When asked about the similarities, Accenture spokesperson Chinedu Udezue said the company’s “start-up model” was transferred to the city in 2018 when the contract ended. Rotterdam stopped using the algorithm in 2021, after auditors found that the data it used risked creating biased results.

Consultancies generally implement predictive analytics models and then leave after six or eight months, says Sheils, Accenture’s European head of public service. He says his team helps governments avoid what he describes as the industry’s curse: “false positives,” Sheils’ term for life-ruining occurrences of an algorithm incorrectly flagging an innocent person for investigation. “That may seem like a very clinical way of looking at it, but technically speaking, that's all they are.” Sheils claims that Accenture mitigates this by encouraging clients to use AI or machine learning to improve, rather than replace, decision-making humans. “That means ensuring that citizens don’t experience significantly adverse consequences purely on the basis of an AI decision.” 

However, social workers who are asked to investigate people flagged by these systems before making a final decision aren’t necessarily exercising independent judgment, says Eva Blum-Dumontet, a tech policy consultant who researched algorithms in the UK welfare system for campaign group Privacy International. “This human is still going to be influenced by the decision of the AI,” she says. “Having a human in the loop doesn’t mean that the human has the time, the training, or the capacity to question the decision.” 

Despite the scandals and repeated allegations of bias, the industry building these systems shows no sign of slowing. And neither does government appetite for buying or building such systems. Last summer, Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance adopted a decree authorizing the launch of an algorithm that searches for discrepancies in tax filings, earnings, property records, and bank accounts to identify people at risk of not paying their taxes. 

But as more governments adopt these systems, the number of people erroneously flagged for fraud is growing. And once someone is caught up in the tangle of data, it can take years to break free. In the Netherlands’ child benefits scandal, people lost their cars and homes, and couples described how the stress drove them to divorce. “The financial misery is huge,” says Orlando Kadir, a lawyer representing more than 1,000 affected families. After a public inquiry, the Dutch government agreed in 2020 to pay the families around €30,000 ($32,000) in compensation. But debt balloons over time. And that amount is not enough, says Kadir, who claims some families are now €250,000 in debt. 

In Belgrade, ​​Ahmetović is still fighting to get his family’s full benefits reinstated. “I don’t understand what happened or why,” he says. “It’s hard to compete against the computer and prove this was a mistake.” But he says he’s also wondering whether he’ll ever be compensated for the financial damage the social card system has caused him. He’s yet another person caught up in an opaque system whose inner workings are guarded by the companies and governments who make and operate them. Ćurčić, though, is clear on what needs to change. “We don’t care who made the algorithm,” he says. “The algorithm just has to be made public.”

Additional reporting by Gabriel Geiger and Justin-Casimir Braun.

[hornithology]

Grayson (2014) live read

join me as I re-read Grayson for research for an essay on it's treatment of eroticism.

love the use of bold pink for issue #1's cover. very much referencing 60's 70's James Bond posters and pop art. I saw a picture of a second printing where the pink was red instead, which could have been an aim at making it more marketable (less queer-seeming, which... lol) or could have been about the print quality on the color? the red with black title is way less striking.

the left variant cover is horrendous. why did you make his face look like that. why are you trying to sell some gritty version of Dick who doesn't know how to properly handle a gun, for a comic in which Midnighter is going to flirt fight with him? deception in advertising!

the right is really great. I wish I could find a better quality image. matches the energy of Nightwing #30 which lead to all of this.

on to the story!

there's something about dead, tortured, martyred Dick...

Looks like we've got a hot one. YES YOU DO, M!!!

"I can read the electrical activity inside your pretty head." "you fight like jazz." stellar dialogue. you can't tell me this is not a little bit of flirting. and Midnighter is a known, canonically gay character, so we are meant to read into his lines. I think it's also pretty established at this point in Dick's character consensus that he's very attractive.

I think this room is referencing Modesty Blaise (1966), a spy parody featuring Dirk Bogarde. I haven't seen it yet. when I first read Grayson I was like... the colorful visuals and patterns in a spy context make me think of Austin Powers—a 90's parody of the 60's/70's parodies of spy films. inspiration multiply removed! I'm fairly confident that the artists looked at some spy movies/posters for their design choices.

although this room could also be inspired by the red room in Twin Peaks. either/and.

the bold colors and patterns in Grayson are fairly important decisions, because they're the artistic decision that is most successful. iirc, we'll see how I feel on this re-read.

I WILL SCREAM AND I WILL CRY. Tim Seely and Tom King... I have questions and demands!!!!

more colors! but it's not actually hypnos because it's not vibrant enough and doesn't contain the concentric circles... or is it???

this is also weird because I'm not sure if like. we're not supposed to think that Helena and Dick were together romantically in the past (Nightwing / Huntress (1998)). that's pre new-52 so... shrug. but do they even know each other here? are they pretending that they have met recently? is Helena's vigilante identity a secret from Spiral? these questions are not relevant to my essay so I shall not be doing that investigation myself :)

ok actually that's Huntress middle row third from left, yes??? edit: no, it's Batwoman. anyway.

that's Grayson #1!

it's a pretty good issue opener, with some unfortunate fatphobia that is completely expected. we get some titilation with Helena, the start of a nebulous power dance that is perfect for the spy genre.

I wish that I liked the art better, since we have these artists for the majority of the run. the combination of Mikel Janín's drawings (not enough gesture) and Jeromy Cox's soft coloring of the figures makes it look like everyone is drawn from a 3D model. there's nothing wrong with using models and references in comics and is pretty much necessary for all DC comic turn around time, but it's really not my preference because you lose the "hand" of the drawing. the drawings in this issue look stiff. I'm not actually positive that Janín is using models.

I like the color choices for the hypnos and action sequences, the panel composition is good, and I like some of the inking. I think they are making smart decisions with the visuals, it's really just the type of drawing that is not my favorite. to each their own!

[candaru]

ISAT epilogue thoughts about Loop (cont. of this post)

Love me a dramatic sacrifice, but I ascribe to "a core theme of ISAT is forgiveness of the self + not practicing self-harming behavior," so you know what? Loop doesn't get to die. They exist in a nebulous state for a while, observing quietly like they always do, but after their Craft regenerates, their body starts reforming. They aren't sure if they wished for it or not, all they know is that tangibility comes slowly and learning to walk again is hard.

One day, Odile goes out to the market and is very confused to see Siffrin, who said he was staying at home. Then he freaks out upon seeing her, and acts VERY suspicious, and her detective senses kick into high gear. She returns home and asks Siffrin what that was all about in the market, but they seem genuinely confused by the question. After she explains a bit, however, there's a spark of realization in their eyes and she knows that they know but won't tell her.

Siffrin promises from the bottom of their heart that they aren't hiding any problems from Odile. They think they know what's going on, but if so, it's not exactly their secret to tell. If it happens again, or someone's in danger, they promise to tell her.

The next day, Odile returns to the market at the same time to find "Siffrin" there again. This time, when she approaches and calls them by name, they run—but Odile chases after. They trip and fall. Odile very casually comments on how rude it is for them not to even say "hello" back to her, especially considering they're wearing the face of her good friend Siffrin.

They get very snappy at this observation, and tell her to stop calling them that. Seeing their face again, it only takes her a moment to piece it all together, and she asks if they'd rather be known as Loop.

They respond that they came to the market to get fruit and be left alone. In fact, they demand that she never speak to them again (because they don't know how to handle having emotions). Odile cooly tosses them an apple she bought and says she won't bother them further. She chooses not to bring this interaction up with Siffrin when she arrives home, recognizing the awkward position Siffrin has been put in regarding Loop's right to secrecy.

However, that night, Siffrin himself is woken up by a rapping at his window. He opens it and a doppleganger falls right through, shivering and cold to the touch.

"Loop?! What are you—" "It's freezing outside, Stardust. Move aside."

The bed is forcefully hogged by Loop. Siffrin pouts, but doesn't back away from their cold touch.

(After all, he knows how much they probably need it.)

The awkward part comes when Odile opens the door to Siffrin's room to nag him to wake up and come get breakfast, only to be greeted by the sight of two Siffrins, one still half-asleep and the other clinging behind the other with a fearful gaze. She stares at them for a good, solid minute before—

"Don't tell me this means I'll need to feed two of you now."

...but when the pair walks into the kitchen, three places are set and there's plenty of food for everyone.

[fujomod3r]

Thoughts on Fashion Dreamer

Fashion Dreamer is the latest title from syn Sophia, and sort of spiritual sequel to their previous series Style Savvy (Style Boutique in Europe and わがままファシオン / Wagamama Fashion in Japan). The premise of the game is to become a fashion influencer or muse in a virtual world called Eve. This is done by collecting/copying clothing items from other muses (both pre-set NPCs and player created muses encountered via online features) or by unlocking clothing patterns to craft your own items. These items can then be used to create outfits known as Lookits for yourself and other muses. Some muses request specific conditions such as certain colours, styles or items to complement a particular article of clothing. Completing these requests rewards the player with more currencies to unlock and craft more items. Creating lookits and using the rewards to unlock items to create more lookits forms the central loop of the gameplay. Progress, or perhaps more nebulously, your 'success' as an influencer is tracked by how many 'likes' your lookits receive and how many 'followers' you accrue. In reality these are only virtual scores and not related to the online/social features at all.

It's by no means a perfect game, and I want to share my thoughts on what its shortcomings are, but what really prompted me to write this is looking back on the reaction to the announcement trailer. When the game was first announced during a Nintendo Direct, commenters instantly brushed it off as trite and uninteresting, many demanding it be skipped to show off more Mario or just any other game with a more 'masculine' appeal. Similarly, many streamers and youtubers reacting to the Direct mocked or derided the game for seemingly no other reason than it being 'feminine' coded or "for girls" which is extremely disheartening to see. Before the trailer had even shown any gameplay, thousands of commenters had already declared the game worthless. I'm perfectly capable of just dealing with this anti-feminine attitude, but imagine how comments and reactions like these affect the many thousands if not millions of players who are interested in this kind of game? Players with 'feminine' tastes, interests and hobbies deserve to be catered to as much as any other player. It really sometimes feels like some people never mentally matured past 8 years old, recoiling in horror from 'girly' things as an immature assertion of their own masculinity.

I don't expect all players are going enjoy something like Fashion Dreamer. I just like to imagine the world is wide enough for games like it to exist and not be mocked or dismissed outright as though they're intrinsically less worthy than other types of game. Being marketed primarily at people with 'feminine' coded interests isn't inherently a bad thing and it's truly saddening to see how easily people fall into this immature way of thinking.

With that said, Fashion Dreamer isn't perfect!! Far from it. To put it bluntly, the game currently lacks features and activities outside of creating outfits and taking photos. Previous games in the series had narrative arcs for different characters, shopping and restocking, decorating your apartment / boutique as well as activities like going to music concerts. While Fashion Dreamer allows the player to walk around Eve at their leisure, it lacks detail that would make it feel more alive. The differently themed virtual worlds or Cocoons all have the same small set of activities (that is, a photo booth, a makeup stand and gacha machines) and a collection of more or less random NPCs, meaning they end up feeling like different desktop wallpapers rather than different places. The narrative of becoming a fashion influencer is potentially a very interesting topic for exploration, especially given how relevant social media has become in the fashion world. There is also the potential for an exploration of how social media facilitates communication, expression and friendship, whilst at the same time discussing the negative impacts social media can have on people. As it stands, the game feels empty and lacks the charm of its predecessors.

Gone are the unique clothing brands of Style Savvy, with their specialisation in particular styles or items. Every item in Fashion Dreamer either comes from a single generic default brand, or is created by players. Whilst the ability for players to create their own brand is interesting, this too ultimately feels quite shallow. With all items being drawn from the same pool and with limited options for colours (and basically none for customisation such as rolling up sleeves, opening/closing outerwear etc) there's not really much incentive to 'follow' or even collect items from another player's brand. Especially since you can usually unlock the item for yourself with a bit of effort anyway. Creating your own 'brand' in this way is far less rewarding or sasitfying than creating, customising and stocking your boutique store was in the previous games. Some remnants of that feature are present in vestigial form in Fashion Dreamer, namely a custom showroom where players can display furniture, decorations and fashion items, but there's never any reason to visit your own showroom, much less those of other players. You enter the room, spend 15 seconds admiring different colour variants of the same items you have, mutter 'nice' to yourself then leave. It's unfulfilling to say the least.

It's bad enough that the clothing and brands lack personality, but the characters themselves also seem completely dessicated and one-dimensional. Where previous games had characters with distinct personalities and corresponding tastes, the NPC muses in Fashion Dreamer have much less to say and no strong preferences. Their single sentence barks don't give them much flavour and really only serve to remind you of what their 'gimmick' or 'thing' is supposed to be ("I like surfing! Surf's up! Cowabunga! Can't wait to hit the waves man!!"). Their requests for Lookits don't seem unique to their personalities (the surfer dude has asked me twice for formal suits without even trying to lampshade this by explaining why), and so far I've yet to have any muse object to an outfit or item I selected for them. Again, a comparison to Style Savvy highlights what is absent here. In Style Savvy, goth characters would balk at bright colours, characters preoccupied with elegance and sophistication would turn their nose up at distressed denims or graphic printed t-shirts. It's not as though these personalities were particularly deep, but their preferences had to be taken into consideration when recommending or selling items. Requests from muses in Fashion Dreamer on the other hand seem to be essentially random. Building a rapport with customers by talking with them or meeting them out in the town in Style Savvy felt rewarding as it let you learn more about their personality, and so better tailor your fashion recommendations to suit them. The muses of Fashion Dreamer simply repeat the same barks at every level of friendship and have much less to say about themselves or their lives making them and the world they inhabit feel much more shallow.

While Fashion Dreamer does away with having to worry about money limiting your creativity, it instead replaces one currency with 4. Instead of using money from sales to restock your store, the player must now accrue 'likes', 'keys', 'gacha tickets' and 'coins' which are used to craft clothing, unlock new designs or purchase room decorations and single-use photo props (don't ask why the VR flower evaporates after a single VR photo, it just does). The conceit of being in virtual world evaporates quickly and seems to serve mainly to hand-wave away the various abstracted elements of the game world such as the ability to instantly copy outfits and change on the spot. Grinding for these 4 abstract resources feels far less rewarding than seeing the revenue of your Boutique store increase, allowing you to buy flashier styles and splurge on store decorations.

Again I feel the need to stress that this change in focus from running a high-street boutique to being a fashion blogger in the Matrix isn't necessarily bad, but it doesn't do anything interesting with this theme, serving mainly to provide a poor simulacrum of social media 'number go up' dopamine hits. Gaining 'followers' on Fashion Dreamer isn't a reward for effort, it's literally just a numbers game since almost every action in the game rewards you with followers (which is perhaps more realistic than I'm giving it credit for). The actual social features of the game are simplistic but cute, allowing players to 'follow' one another and create or request Lookits for each other based on their multiple-choice answers to 5 simple questions (or totally ignoring that and dressing them like a Splatoon character). However it all feels quite shallow since you never interact directly with other players and so don't get to enjoy show off your unique look.

Finally, while Fashion Dreamer allows you to now create a masculine avatar (an option sorely lacking in the previous games which simply assumed the player to be a girl), the range of fashion options for masculine body types seems a lot smaller than the feminine options. It also doesn't allow masculine muses to wear feminine clothing (shoes, hats and earrings are all considered unisex, but all other clothing items are locked to a single gender) and vice versa. It's a shame to fall down here because the game has clearly made steps to be more inclusive, with a wider variety of options for skin tone, hairstyle and a 2nd gender (Ghee whizz! How come your mom lets you have two genders?). Further, the range of body shapes is still extremely lacking, with a selection of ~10 slim bodies of different heights. Overall, the game shows a real lack of interest in exploring the world of fashion, and nowhere is that more obvious than its lazy emulation of typical body/beauty standards we see everywhere else.

I know I've probably come across really harsh and critical here, but it's only out of a frustration at seeing what a strong basis there is for a game here. The character models and animations are great, and there aren't enough games that provide players like myself with the ability to indulge in playing dress-up for its own sake. Ultimately, I do want to see this game or others like it succeed because I loved Style Savvy and want developers to continue making games that dare to be unapologetically feminine in what they're about and who they're appealing to. I'm just disappointed overall in the lack of polish this particular game has. It honestly feels unfinished which is why I want to hold back from being too harsh.

Do I think this game is worth buying? Not really at the RRP, but if you're interested in some extremely light and somewhat mindless entertainment theorycrafting fits and taking a few cute digital selfies, just be warned that you won't get much else out of it. The soundtrack will start to grate on you as well, so make sure to line up a playlist of your own.

[kenyatta]

Yes, the tech industry’s loudest guys have all been demanding a “great reset,” where efficiency reigns, where the entitled are not invested in, or are fired, or, let’s be honest, are “put in their place” because the overwhelming sense from these craven ghouls is that they believe that workers got given way too much and were treated too well. It’s also worth considering that the people that invested in these companies, that paid for the luxurious perks at these firms, that fucking hired these people in the first place are the same people that are crowing about them being treated too well.

I foolishly believed that these people were in the minority - that they were not indicative of the larger tech industry - and I was completely wrong. Tens of thousands of tech workers have now been laid off from companies throughout the world, and the nebulous reasoning for firing them - that companies had overhired - is an obvious lie, because most of these companies turned healthy (if not stellar) profits. These companies did not “overhire” recklessly. I believe they hired as many people as they needed to to catch consumer (or business) demand, and the second that said demand shifted back to pre-pandemic levels, they used it as an opportunity and justification to fire people that they deemed expendable.

I also believe that there was a genuine panic within the corporate elite that talented workers suddenly had a degree of power, and this was also a convenient way to put themselves back on top. The whole Quiet Quitting fiasco clearly upset them - the idea that workers would take the same liberties with what a work day was (doing what they were required to do versus working beyond their contractually-mandated hours) that executives do was truly offensive - and the idea that workers could choose where to take their talents was equally noxious. A power struggle had developed, and the drop in consumer spending and the effects of inflation provided exactly the cover they needed.

I realize I sound conspiratorial, but to be clear, I do not think they all got together and planned this. However, I believe that a worryingly large amount of the most powerful people in technology have seen the growth of workers’ rights as a symptom of a broken market. 

[heathcareforallworld]

Micro Mesh Nebulizer Market Research: Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast to 2032

The global healthcare industry is experiencing significant transformation with advancements in drug delivery systems, and one such area seeing rapid evolution is the Micro Mesh Nebulizer Market. Micro mesh nebulizers are medical devices used to administer medication in the form of a mist that can be inhaled directly into the lungs, a critical treatment method for respiratory diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchitis. These devices stand out from traditional jet and ultrasonic nebulizers due to their compact size, precision in drug delivery, and the use of advanced vibrating mesh technology. As the prevalence of respiratory diseases rises worldwide, the micro mesh nebulizer market is anticipated to experience robust growth through 2032. This article explores the market dynamics, drivers, challenges, and future trends shaping the micro mesh nebulizer market.

Market Overview and Growth Drivers

The micro mesh nebulizer market has been growing steadily due to the increasing incidence of respiratory disorders. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), respiratory diseases are among the leading causes of death globally, with millions of people suffering from chronic conditions that require consistent treatment. Inhalation therapy, especially with nebulizers, plays a critical role in managing these diseases. Micro mesh nebulizers offer a more effective and convenient treatment option compared to traditional inhalers and nebulizers, which is driving their adoption.

Micro Mesh Nebulizer Market Size was estimated at 1,038.95 (USD Billion) in 2023. The Micro Mesh Nebulizer Market Industry is expected to grow from 1,119.68(USD Billion) in 2024 to 2,038.3 (USD Billion) by 2032. The Micro Mesh Nebulizer Market CAGR (growth rate) is expected to be around 7.77% during the forecast period (2025 - 2032).

Several factors are contributing to the growth of the micro mesh nebulizer market:

Rise in Respiratory Disorders: Respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD are becoming more prevalent, primarily due to increasing pollution levels, smoking habits, and urbanization. As these conditions require long-term treatment, the demand for nebulizers is growing, with micro mesh nebulizers becoming the preferred choice for their accuracy and portability.

Technological Advancements: Continuous advancements in medical technology are improving the efficiency and functionality of micro mesh nebulizers. These devices now offer quieter operation, faster drug delivery, and enhanced battery life, making them more appealing for both clinical and home use. This has led to higher adoption rates among patients and healthcare providers.

Aging Population: The global aging population is another key driver of the market. Older adults are more susceptible to chronic respiratory diseases, and nebulization is a preferred method of medication administration for this demographic due to its ease of use and effectiveness in delivering medication directly to the lungs.

Portability and Convenience: The portability of micro mesh nebulizers has revolutionized drug delivery for patients with respiratory conditions. Unlike traditional nebulizers, these compact devices can be easily carried, allowing patients to receive treatment on the go, enhancing their quality of life.

Challenges Facing the Market

Despite the promising outlook, the micro mesh nebulizer market faces several challenges that could impact its growth:

High Cost: Compared to traditional jet nebulizers, micro mesh nebulizers are relatively expensive due to the sophisticated technology involved. This can be a barrier for adoption in low-income countries or regions with limited healthcare budgets. However, as the technology matures and becomes more widespread, costs are expected to decrease, making the devices more accessible.

Competition from Other Drug Delivery Systems: Other respiratory drug delivery systems, such as metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) and dry powder inhalers (DPIs), are well-established in the market. These devices are often cheaper and more familiar to both patients and healthcare providers, which could limit the expansion of the micro mesh nebulizer market.

Regulatory Hurdles: Medical devices, including nebulizers, are subject to stringent regulations regarding safety and efficacy. Delays in regulatory approvals, especially in emerging markets, could slow down the introduction of new micro mesh nebulizer products, impacting overall market growth.

Market Segmentation and Regional Analysis

The micro mesh nebulizer market can be segmented based on product type, end-user, and region:

Product Type: The market can be classified into reusable and disposable micro mesh nebulizers. Reusable nebulizers are widely used in home healthcare settings due to their long-term cost-effectiveness, while disposable nebulizers are primarily used in hospitals and clinics for one-time treatments.

End-User: The key end-users of micro mesh nebulizers include hospitals, clinics, and home care settings. The home care segment is expected to witness significant growth, driven by the growing preference for at-home treatments, especially for chronic respiratory conditions.

Regional Analysis: Geographically, the market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the market, largely due to the high prevalence of respiratory diseases, advanced healthcare infrastructure, and the early adoption of new technologies. Europe follows closely behind, with a growing demand for portable nebulizers. The Asia Pacific region is projected to witness the fastest growth due to increasing healthcare expenditure, a rising aging population, and expanding access to healthcare services.

Future Trends and Market Outlook

The micro mesh nebulizer market is poised for substantial growth over the next decade, with technological advancements playing a crucial role in shaping its future. Manufacturers are focusing on developing more affordable, compact, and efficient devices to cater to a broader demographic. Moreover, the growing trend of telemedicine and home healthcare services is likely to fuel demand for portable and user-friendly nebulizers. Furthermore, strategic collaborations between pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers to develop integrated drug delivery systems are expected to drive market innovation. With rising healthcare awareness, increased government support, and a growing focus on patient-centered care, the micro mesh nebulizer market is set to expand significantly through 2032.

[credenceresearchdotblog]

The demand for Asthma Therapeutics was valued at USD 26184.20 million in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 40620.29 million in 2032, growing at a CAGR of 5.00% between 2024 and 2032.Asthma, a chronic respiratory disease characterized by airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction, affects millions worldwide. The growing prevalence of asthma, coupled with increasing awareness of the disease and advancements in treatment options, is driving the global asthma therapeutics market. This article delves into the market's current landscape, key trends, growth drivers, and future outlook.

Browse the full  report at https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/global-asthma-therapeutics-market

Market Overview

The global asthma therapeutics market is a rapidly evolving sector, fueled by the rising number of asthma patients, innovations in drug delivery systems, and a growing emphasis on personalized medicine. According to market research, the asthma therapeutics market was valued at approximately USD 20 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach over USD 30 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 5-7%. The market's expansion is attributed to an increase in environmental pollution, lifestyle changes, and genetic predispositions that contribute to the disease's rising incidence.

Key Market Segments

The asthma therapeutics market is segmented based on drug class, route of administration, and distribution channels. The major drug classes include:

1. Bronchodilators: These medications, including short-acting beta agonists (SABAs) and long-acting beta agonists (LABAs), help relax airway muscles and are often used for quick relief during asthma attacks. 2. Anti-inflammatory Drugs: Corticosteroids and leukotriene modifiers are the most commonly used anti-inflammatory drugs. They help reduce airway inflammation, providing long-term control of asthma symptoms. 3. Biologics: Targeting specific components of the immune system, biologics are increasingly popular for treating severe asthma. Examples include omalizumab, mepolizumab, and dupilumab, which have shown significant effectiveness in reducing asthma exacerbations.

4. Combination Drugs: These include a combination of bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory agents, offering comprehensive management of asthma symptoms.

Route of Administration

Asthma drugs are primarily administered via inhalers, which provide direct delivery of medication to the lungs. Inhalers are preferred due to their rapid onset of action and lower systemic side effects compared to oral medications. Other routes include oral tablets, injectables, and nebulizers, which are used depending on the severity of the condition and patient preference.

Distribution Channels

The distribution of asthma therapeutics occurs through hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, and online pharmacies. With the rise of e-commerce, online pharmacies have gained popularity, offering patients convenience and often competitive pricing.

Key Trends Driving the Market

1. Advancements in Inhaler Technology: The development of smart inhalers equipped with sensors that monitor medication usage and provide feedback to patients is revolutionizing asthma management. These inhalers help improve adherence to treatment and optimize drug delivery, leading to better patient outcomes.

2. Personalized Medicine: With advances in genetic research, there is a growing focus on personalized asthma treatment. Biologics, for instance, are tailored to target specific pathways involved in severe asthma, offering a more effective approach than traditional therapies.

3. Rise of Biologics: Biologics have emerged as game-changers in asthma therapeutics, particularly for patients with severe, refractory asthma. These drugs target specific immune pathways, reducing inflammation and decreasing the frequency of asthma attacks.

4. Growing Awareness and Diagnosis: Increased awareness of asthma symptoms and improved diagnostic techniques are leading to earlier detection and treatment. Governments and health organizations are conducting awareness campaigns, further boosting the market.

Challenges

Despite the positive growth trajectory, the asthma therapeutics market faces challenges, such as the high cost of biologics, side effects associated with long-term use of corticosteroids, and limited access to advanced therapies in low-income regions. Moreover, the lack of adherence to prescribed medications remains a significant issue, affecting treatment outcomes.

Future Outlook

The future of the asthma therapeutics market looks promising, with ongoing research and development focusing on novel drug formulations, improved drug delivery systems, and gene therapy. The integration of digital health tools, such as mobile apps that track symptoms and medication use, will also enhance asthma management. Moreover, the expanding market presence of biosimilars is expected to make advanced therapies more affordable, further driving market growth.

Key Players

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

GSK plc

Merck & Co., Inc.

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

AstraZeneca plc

Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH

Sanofi S.A.

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD)

Covis Pharma B.V.

Segmentation

By Drug Class

Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS)

Muscle Relaxants

Combination Therapies (ICS/LABAs)

By Drug Class

Combination Therapies (ICS/LABAs)

Long-Acting Beta Agonists (LABAs)

Short-Acting Beta Agonists (SABAs)

Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS)

Oral And Intravenous Corticosteroids

Leukotriene Modifiers

Other Drug Classes

By Treatment Type

Long-Term Asthma Control Drug Class

Quick-Relief (Rescue) Drug Class

By Route of Administration

Topical

Oral

Injectables

By Distribution Channel

Brick & Mortar

Hospital Pharmacies

E-Commerce

By End-use

Hospitals & Clinics

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Homecare Settings

By Region

North America

US

Canada

Mexico

Europe

Germany

France

UK

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

South-east Asia

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil

Argentina

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

GCC Countries

South Africa

Rest of the Middle East and Africa

Browse the full  report at https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/global-asthma-therapeutics-market

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[adityarana1687-blog]

Laboratory Gas Generators Market To Reach $777.4 Million By 2030

The global laboratory gas generators market size is anticipated to reach USD 777.4 million by 2030 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growth of the market is attributed to the growing importance of analytical techniques in drug and food safety testing, growing safety concerns related to the use of conventional gas cylinders, and increasing R&D spending in the life science sector.

Laboratory gas generators operate across diverse applications, including chromatography and mass spectrometry, wherein they provide high-purity gas essential for accurately identifying various substances within samples, contributing to drug development and quality control. Further in drug detection and analysis, gas supplied from generators ensures efficient and accurate analysis of drug composition, purity, and potential contaminants.

In pharmaceutical packaging, nitrogen gas generators create an inert environment, shielding products from oxidation and degradation during transport and storage, ultimately preserving their integrity and efficacy. However, their role goes beyond mere protection. The nitrogen blanketing facilitated by generators also helps improve the quality of pharmaceutical products. Oxygen exposure can degrade various medications, affecting their potency and shelf life. By creating an oxygen-free environment, generators maintain product quality and extend their usable window.

The laboratory gas generators industry is characterized by intense competition, with numerous manufacturers and suppliers vying for market share. Some of the key players operating in the market include Peak Scientific Instruments, PerkinElmer Inc., Linde plc., VICI DBS, Dürr Technik GmbH & Co. KG, Erre Due S.p.a., and CLAIND srl. Companies are focusing on product innovation, technological advancements, and strategic collaborations to differentiate their offerings and gain a competitive edge. In addition, the growing trend towards customization and modularization in gas generation systems allows end-users to tailor solutions to their specific requirements, further driving market growth and adoption.

Request a free sample copy or view report summary: Laboratory Gas Generators Market Report

Laboratory Gas Generators Market Report Highlights

The nitrogen gas generator segment led the market and accounted for 38% in 2023. The adoption of nitrogen gas generators is driven by their ability to provide high-purity nitrogen on-demand, eliminating the need for gas cylinder handling and storage.

Growing Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) field, crucial for drug discovery and metabolomics, drives the need for high-purity nitrogen and helium gas generators for nebulization and collision gas.

The life science sector represents a significant end-user segment for laboratory gas generators, driven by the increasing demand for analytical instruments in drug discovery, development, and quality control processes.

North America dominated the market owing to the increasing investments in the life science, food & beverage, and chemical sectors in the region.

In July 2023, Peak Scientific Instruments introduced nitrogen gas generation solutions with the release of the Corona 1010A. This innovative solution delivers high-purity, filtered nitrogen gas, empowering various applications with a reliable and potent source. Capable of delivering flows up to 5 liters per minute at pressures reaching 80psi.

Laboratory Gas Generators Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global laboratory gas generators market based on product, application, end-use, and region:

Laboratory Gas Generators Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Nitrogen Gas Generator

Hydrogen Gas Generator

Zero Air Gas Generator

Purge Gas Generator

TOC Gas Generators

Others

Laboratory Gas Generators Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Gas Chromatography 

Liquid Chromatography-mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) 

Gas Analyzers 

Others

Laboratory Gas Generators End Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Life Science

Chemical & Petrochemical

Food & Beverage

Others

Laboratory Gas Generators Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

North America

U.S.

Canada

Mexico

Europe

UK

Germany

France

Spain

Italy

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Australia

Central & South America

Brazil

Argentina

Middle East & Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

South Africa

List of Key Players in the Laboratory Gas Generators Market

Peak Scientific Instruments

PerkinElmer Inc.

Linde plc.

VICI DBS

Dürr Technik GmbH & Co. KG

Erre Due S.p.a.

Tisch Environmental, Inc.

CLAIND srl

Isolcell

OXYMAT

[health-views-updates]

Nebulizer Market Predictions: What the Future Holds

Nebulizer Market Outlook, Scope & Overview:

Industry reports indicate that the global nebulizer market was valued at USD 1.12 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 1.79 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of approximately 6% over the forecast period 2024-2031.

Technological Advancements to Drive Growth of Global Nebulizer Market

The adoption of advanced nebulizer technologies will continue to influence global market revenues. Healthcare providers are increasingly utilizing nebulizers to effectively deliver medication to the lungs, particularly for patients with chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

As a product segment, portable nebulizers currently hold a significant share of the global nebulizer market. This segment is anticipated to grow at a year-over-year rate of 6% in 2024 over 2023 and reach USD 1.79 billion in revenues by 2031. The increasing prevalence of respiratory diseases and the demand for convenient, home-based treatment options are expected to drive market growth.

Get a Free Sample Report: https://www.snsinsider.com/sample-request/2982

Nebulizer Solutions – Market Dynamics

Drivers:

Nebulizer solutions are witnessing significant growth in the global market due to their effectiveness in delivering medication directly to the lungs, which is crucial for managing chronic respiratory conditions. The rising prevalence of respiratory diseases, the aging population, and the increasing preference for home-based healthcare solutions are key factors driving the adoption of nebulizers worldwide. Additionally, advancements in nebulizer technology, such as portable and compact designs, are contributing to market growth.

Restraints:

Despite the growth potential, challenges such as the high cost of advanced nebulizer systems, issues related to device maintenance and cleaning, and the availability of alternative treatments are hindering the widespread adoption of nebulizers. Moreover, the need for proper training and education for patients to use nebulizers effectively poses additional challenges to market expansion.

Nebulizer Solutions – Market Outlook

The proven benefits of nebulizers in delivering effective respiratory therapy and managing chronic respiratory conditions have contributed to the market's growth. Nebulizers are expected to witness increased adoption across major healthcare markets, including North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, driven by advancements in technology and the growing focus on improving respiratory care.

Global Nebulizer Market

The rise in demand for nebulizer solutions in developed and emerging markets is expected to drive market growth over the forecast period. North America currently holds a significant market share in the global nebulizer market, with the US being a key contributor to market revenues. Europe and Asia Pacific regions are also experiencing rapid adoption of nebulizer solutions, supported by increasing healthcare investments and the growing prevalence of respiratory diseases.

Key Players in the Nebulizer Market

Leading companies in the nebulizer market include Philips Healthcare, PARI Medical, Omron Healthcare, and Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare. These companies are at the forefront of developing and commercializing advanced nebulizer technologies for various respiratory care applications.

In conclusion, the global nebulizer market is poised for steady growth over the forecast period, driven by technological advancements, increasing prevalence of respiratory conditions, and the expanding adoption of home-based nebulizer solutions.

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[corazonpharma]

Best Respiratory Products for PCD Pharma Franchise

In the evolving landscape of the pharmaceutical industry, respiratory health has gained significant attention, particularly in the PCD (Propaganda Cum Distribution) pharma sector. The increasing prevalence of respiratory disorders and the rising demand for effective treatments have made respiratory products a lucrative segment for PCD pharma franchises. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the best respiratory products that can enhance your PCD pharma franchise offerings. You can source these Respiratory Products List in India from Arlak Corazon, a leading provider in the industry.

1. Inhalers

1.1 Metered-Dose Inhalers (MDIs) MDIs are the most common type of inhalers used for treating asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They deliver medication directly into the lungs, providing quick relief and effective control of respiratory symptoms.

1.2 Dry Powder Inhalers (DPIs) DPIs are another popular choice for managing respiratory conditions. They are easy to use and do not require coordination between inhalation and activation, making them suitable for patients of all ages.

2. Nebulizers

2.1 Jet Nebulizers Jet nebulizers are widely used in both hospitals and home settings. They convert liquid medication into a fine mist that can be inhaled into the lungs, offering a versatile treatment option for various respiratory conditions.

2.2 Ultrasonic Nebulizers Ultrasonic nebulizers use high-frequency sound waves to produce a fine mist of medication. They are quieter and more efficient compared to jet nebulizers, making them an attractive choice for patient comfort.

3. Respiratory Capsules and Tablets

3.1 Bronchodilators Bronchodilator tablets and capsules are crucial in relieving bronchoconstriction and improving airflow in patients with asthma and COPD. They come in both short-acting and long-acting formulations.

3.2 Corticosteroids Oral corticosteroids are used to reduce inflammation and control severe asthma symptoms. They are an essential component of many respiratory treatment regimens.

4. Nasal Sprays

4.1 Steroid Nasal Sprays Steroid nasal sprays are effective in reducing nasal inflammation and managing symptoms of allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. They provide targeted relief with minimal systemic side effects.

4.2 Decongestant Nasal Sprays These sprays help relieve nasal congestion by constricting blood vessels in the nasal passages. They are useful for short-term management of nasal congestion due to colds or allergies.

5. Cough Syrups and Lozenges

5.1 Expectoration Syrups Expectoration syrups help in loosening and clearing mucus from the respiratory tract. They are beneficial for patients suffering from productive coughs associated with respiratory infections.

5.2 Cough Lozenges Cough lozenges provide soothing relief for sore throats and dry coughs. They often contain ingredients like menthol or honey to alleviate irritation.

6. Oxygen Therapy Products

6.1 Oxygen Concentrators Oxygen concentrators are vital for patients with chronic respiratory diseases who require supplemental oxygen. They provide a continuous flow of oxygen, enhancing quality of life and overall health.

6.2 Portable Oxygen Cylinders Portable oxygen cylinders offer convenience and mobility for patients needing supplemental oxygen on the go. They are essential for managing chronic respiratory conditions outside the home.

Conclusion

Expanding your PCD pharma franchise with a diverse range of high-quality respiratory products can significantly enhance your business potential. By offering effective solutions for respiratory health, you can cater to the growing needs of patients and establish a strong foothold in the competitive pharma market. You can source these top-quality respiratory products from Arlak Corazon, a trusted name in the industry known for its commitment to excellence. Keep abreast of the latest advancements in respiratory care and continually update your product portfolio to stay ahead in the industry.

[secretofresearch]

Respiratory Devices Market is Poised to Experience Strong Growth on Account of Rising Prevalence of Respiratory Diseases

The respiratory devices market is growing rapidly owing to the rising prevalence of respiratory diseases across the globe. Respiratory devices include diagnostic devices such as spirometers, pulse oximeters, peak flow meters; therapeutic devices including nebulizers, humidifiers, and oxygen concentrators. These devices are used for the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), and sleep apnea. The increasing awareness about respiratory care, accessibility and affordability of devices are fueling the growth of the market. The rapidly aging population and high pollution levels are also contributing to the rising incidences of respiratory illnesses.

The global respiratory devices market is estimated to be valued at USD 23.58 Bn in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 48.94 Bn by 2031, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% from 2024 to 2031.

Key Takeaways

Key players operating in the respiratory devices market are TCS, Wipro, Cognizant, Infosys, IBM, Qualitest, CGI, Mindtree, Cygnet Infotech, Maveric Systems, QA Mentor, A1QA, QA Source, QASource, Capgemini, Accenture, HCL Technologies, Atos, DXC Technology, Tech Mahindra. The growing prevalence of respiratory diseases and increasing awareness regarding respiratory care are fueling the demand for respiratory devices globally. Major players in the market are focusing on expanding their geographical footprint to tap the opportunities in emerging markets.

The key players in the Respiratory Devices Market Size are focusing on new product launches and strategic collaborations to strengthen their market position. The growing demand for home care therapeutic and diagnostic devices is driving major players to innovate compact portable devices for home settings.

The increasing global burden of respiratory diseases is propelling the demand for respiratory devices across regions. Key players are expanding their manufacturing and distribution networks in developing countries to cater to the rising demand.

Market Key Trends

One of the key trends gaining traction in the respiratory devices market is the increasing preference for wireless and portable devices. Major players are innovating compact portable devices integrated with advanced technologies like Bluetooth for seamless monitoring and management of respiratory illnesses from home settings. This is expected to drive the uptake of respiratory devices for home healthcare. Furthermore, the growing focus on telehealth and digital health presents lucrative opportunities for market players to offer virtual monitoring and consultation solutions using connected respiratory devices.

Porter's Analysis

Threat of new entrants: The respiratory devices market requires high capital investment and R&D spending. Strict regulations by governmental bodies for new entrants pose barriers.

Bargaining power of buyers: Individual buyers have low bargaining power due to undifferentiated products. However, large healthcare providers and public/private insurers enjoy high bargaining power due to bulk purchasing.

Bargaining power of suppliers: The respiratory devices market has high dependence on few raw material suppliers and component manufacturers. This increases their bargaining power.

Threat of new substitutes: Alternatives such as drug therapies provide a minimal threat currently. However, new non-invasive technologies can emerge as substitutes.

Competitive rivalry: The market is dominated by global key players. Intense competition exists in areas of innovation, quality, and cost.

Geographical Regions

Value concentration of the respiratory devices market is highest in North America due to increasing geriatric population, prevalence of respiratory diseases, and availability of advanced healthcare facilities. Europe accounts for the second largest share due to high smoking population and strategic initiatives undertaken by government and industry players.

Asia Pacific region is the fastest growing market for respiratory devices driven by factors such as growing burden of respiratory diseases, increasing aged population, rising healthcare expenditures, and focus of global players to tap into emerging countries. China and India are viewed as highly potential markets in the Asia Pacific respiratory devices space.

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Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravina-pandya-1a3984191)

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Exploring Opportunities In The Expanding Medical Batteries Market

The medical batteries market will grow at highest pace owing to rising demand for portable medical devices in remote patient monitoring. Medical batteries play a vital role in powering a wide range of portable medical devices such as mobility aids, neurology devices, pulse oximeters, surgical tools, patient monitoring devices and cardiac devices. The growing prevalence of chronic diseases and increasing healthcare expenditure have boosted the use of portable medical devices, driving the demand for reliable and efficient  medical batteries market size. Medical batteries need to be lightweight, compact, long-lasting and safe for continuous power to medical devices. Lithium ion batteries have emerged as a popular choice due to their high energy density and long life. The Global Medical Batteries Market is estimated to be valued at US$ 3327.46 Bn in 2024 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 8.7% over the forecast period 2024 to 2031. Key Takeaways Key players operating in the medical batteries market are Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc., BIOPROJET, Avadel Pharmaceuticals, Plc. GlaxoSmithKline plc, Pfizer Inc., Theranexus, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited, Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare LLC, and Merck & Co. Inc. The increasing use of portable medical devices and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases across the globe are major factors driving the demand for reliable and long-lasting medical batteries. Technological advancements in lithium-ion batteries have resulted in higher energy density batteries that can power portable medical devices for extended duration while being lightweight and safe. New innovations are expanding therapeutic applications of medical devices. The rising remote patient monitoring trend is increasing the demand for portable medical devices. This is expected to boost the sales of small, high-performance medical batteries that can power small portable devices for disease monitoring and management. Advancements in battery chemistry and manufacturing are enabling the development of flexible, thin and customizable battery packs suitable for diverse medical devices. Biodegradable batteries are also being researched for implantable medical devices. Market Trends The advancements in battery chemistry are enabling higher energy density while reducing the size of  medical batteries market size and trends powering portable medical devices. Lithium ion battery chemistries using lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes offer significantly higher energy density in a compact format. This allows the development of smaller and more portable medical devices. Market Opportunities The rising demand for home healthcare devices presents a lucrative opportunity for medical batteries optimized for powering small portable devices used for disease monitoring at home. With the growing preference for home care over hospitalization, batteries suitable for powering portable ECGs, glucose monitors, sleep apnea monitors and other portable diagnostic tools will see higher demand. Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Batteries Market Growth The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the growth of the medical batteries market globally. During the initial outbreak, the demand for medical batteries increased substantially as the healthcare infrastructure ramped up to deal with the rising number of cases. Medical devices like ventilators, nebulizers, respiratory devices, patient monitors, defibrillators, etc. saw a massive surge in demand which boosted the need for reliable battery power sources. However, due to the imposition of lockdowns worldwide, the supply chains were disrupted which created shortages of raw materials and components for manufacturing batteries.

Get More Insights On, https://www.rapidwebwire.com/medical-batteries-market-share-size-and-analysis/

About Author: Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravina-pandya-1a3984191)

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Fantasy Sports App Development Company: A Complete Guide for 2024

The world of fantasy sports has evolved from a nebulous pastime into an international phenomenon that has attracted millions of avid fans worldwide. Thanks to technological advances and an increasing need for immersive sports-based experiences, creating a fantasy sports game in 2024 offers entrepreneurs and developers alike a thrilling possibility.

Fantasy sports leagues online and tournaments have captured the attention of millions of people. Demand for these apps has been growing exponentially, and the amount has increased. It doesn't matter if you're playing Cricket, basketball, golf, hockey, or golf. They have covered a vast virtual gaming market.

Millions worldwide participate in fantasy sports, and their money is rising. The growing demand for this field opens exciting opportunities for investors. Therefore, if you've ever considered betting on a fantasy app Development Company, you're in the right place.

This guide will examine the essential steps and aspects of creating a profitable Fantasy Sports app for the current era.

Fantasy Sports App Development - Company Review

Dqot solutions:

History & Background: Brief history of DQOT Solutions, years of operation, and experience in the app development industry.

Mission & Vision: The company’s goals, mission, and vision in the tech and app development landscape.

Core Values: Key values that drive the company, such as innovation, customer satisfaction, quality, etc.

What Are The Types Of Fantasy Sports?

Many sporting games are available through the fantasy sports app. Select anyone you find exciting and interested in:

1. Cricket

Cricket is among the top esports driving the virtual gaming industry. Players must form two teams and compete against their counterparts. The winner gets additional points and rewards based on the format of the game. This industry is getting attention, so business owners look forward to developing apps for fantasy cricket.

2. Golf

In this golf application, fantasy sports creation players are provided with a green area with a rectangle screen on which they can play and then strike the ball towards the location they want to. The ultimate goal of playing is to place the ball into the hole with only a few strokes.

3. Basketball

It's a rapidly growing application for basketball featuring bounces, putting, and dropping of the ball actions within the basket. The game is played in two teams that compete with other teams to place balls into baskets. The one who wins is the one who scores more.

4. Football

The top fantasy football app has been designed for soccer enthusiasts only. Players can manage their teams within soccer leagues such as La Liga, Premier League, and UEFA Champion League. They choose their teams according to their budgets and make payments throughout the season. Football Fantasy Apps offers mini-leagues and competitions at the highest level and more.

5. Hockey

The app for hockey has multiple functions, where players can invite other players to join together, even while the game itself examines whether or not you have to take part in the game.

6. MotorSports

MotorSports applications for fantasy sports are sometimes referred to in motor racing. It's the most well-known sport in the fantasy world, where participants compete against each other to earn wins.

How Do Fantasy Sports Apps Work?

For new players, it is essential to understand what they can do on these applications. Find out how the system of Fantasy Sports Apps works:

Once the OTP authentication is complete, the athletes are expected to choose their sport. The apps offer a variety of upcoming and ongoing match-ups.

When the game is chosen, and the team is formed, players create their teams by watching every athlete's ability.

Following the selection of teams, participants will select their captain and vice-captain, who will be their captain during the game.

Users can form multiple teams based on the players' performances and playing behavior. Virtual players can select the team of their choice in accordance with their preferences.

While playing, the application can credit your account and convert points into rewards based on your team's and individual's performance during a live match.

After the game, players may alter the players on their team by the game's gameplay and performance. This application allows players to track the performance of other players and adjust their squad.

Once the match ends, the application's bots will give the team more points. This reward will be divided among the players according to their performances.

How To Build a Fantasy Sports App?

Have you decided to invest in the development of fantasy sports apps? It's great! However, there's a step-by-step procedure you should be aware of. The procedure of creating the fantasy sports application can be described like this:

1. Research and Plan the Targeted Audience

Before developing your app or transferring it to a mobile app developer, make sure you've conducted a thorough study. It's crucial to know the current market conditions, how competition has carved out its niche in the marketplace, and your target market. Analyze your users' behavior, expectations, needs, and opinions to gain insights into your app's design strategy.

2. Strategies for Monetization

Once you've finished designing an application, the first step is to think about how you can monetize it. There are many ways to monetize your app. These include marketing and brand partnership charges for entry and participation, such as in-app purchases. Knowing which method you should use to make money from your fantasy sports app is essential.

3. Selection Of Platforms To Launch Your App

Many competitors have established themselves within the marketplace. If you make it easier for players, let them engage in your application. Talk about your budget, your monetization strategy, and your vision with developers of mobile apps to help you choose the best platform for launching your app. 

After that, you'll need to pick between iOS and Android. The best way to do this is to concentrate on cross-platform fantasy sports game development that is accessible to all devices. Your and expert's ideas will lead to the best way to launch your app.

4. Hire the Best Fantasy Sports App Development Company

When you are clear on your idea, the research plans, strategizing, monetization strategies, and the right platform to launch the app for fantasy sports, then the next step is developing. Experience with technology and knowledge and experience are two distinct things. 

Make sure you choose the most reliable mobile app development business. Consider your budget and requirements, and look over the top mobile app development businesses to find which one is the most suitable.

5. Design Seamless UI to Engage Users

Your users will stick with the app only if it offers them a real-life sensation and an authentic experience. "The basic rule for app development is—the simpler it is, the better it engages." So ensure that the UX and UI are fluid to keep users interested in your app. Create a simple and well-organized application with unique features to keep your application relevant in the market.

6. Development & Deployment

Design your app in a manner that serves its primary goal while giving users a realistic user experience. Use suitable databases and frameworks, APIs, and appropriate languages to develop games for fantasy sports. Additionally, ensure you create a smooth UX and UI for a smooth experience. After the app's growth has been completed, try it out with questions and answers.

The app will be tested to ensure it's free of glitches, bugs, or other flaws. Testing the app is essential to assess whether the app runs well or not. If both the app's developer and the user are happy with the app they developed, it is time to install it on the appropriate platform (Android and iOS).

7. Support & Maintenance

The application is needed in addition to the deployment since there's much to do after the installation. For this reason, you must contact the Fantasy Sports App Development Company, which offers post-deployment support as well as maintenance and support. Post-deployment services are essential since the sports fantasy app will require updates, new modifications, and the elimination of bugs once it is launched.

Conclusion:

The increase in the popularity of gaming applications on the web has offered numerous advantages and possibilities to firms. Due to increased user engagement, many entrepreneurs are opting to develop the best fantasy sports app to improve their businesses' image.

Entrepreneurs have the option of gaining many benefits from these gaming apps. If a businessperson is looking to expand their company around these applications, make sure you are aware of its design plans, price, features, and elements.

The guide above provided enough information about sports fantasy applications. Find the most reliable mobile application developer and create powerful apps such as CBS Sports Fantasy and DraftKings. Don't hesitate to contact our professionals to ensure your company's success.