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mostlysignssomeportents · 10 months ago

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A sexy, skinny defeat device for your HP ink cartridge

Animals keep evolving into crabs; it's a process called "carcinisation" and it's pretty weird. Crabs just turn out to be extremely evolutionarily fit for our current environment:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-animals-keep-evolving-into-crabs/

By the same token, all kinds of business keep evolving into something like a printer company. It turns out that in this enshittified, poorly regulated, rentier-friendly world, the parasitic, inkjet business model is extremely adaptive. Printerinisation is everywhere.

All that stuff you hate about your car? Trapping you into using their mechanics, spying on you, planned obsolescence? All lifted from the inkjet printer business model:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

That GE fridge that won't make ice or dispense water unless you spend $50 for a proprietary charcoal filter instead of using a $10 generic? Pure printerism:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/12/digital-feudalism/#filtergate

The software update to your Sonos speakers that makes them half as useful and takes away your right to play your stored music, forcing you to buy streaming music subscriptions? Straight out of the HP playbook:

https://www.wired.com/story/sonos-admits-its-recent-app-update-was-a-colossal-mistake/

But as printerinized as all these gadgets are, none can quite attain the level of high enshittification that the OG inkjet bastards attain on a daily basis. In the world championships of effortlessly authentic fuckery, no one can lay a glove on the sociopathic monsters of HP.

For example: when HP wanted to soften us all up for a new world of "subscription ink" (where you have to pre-pay every month for a certain number of pages' worth of printing, which your printer enforces by spying on you and ratting you out to HP over the internet), they offered a "lifetime subscription" plan. With this "lifetime" plan, you paid just once and your HP printer would print out 15 pages a month for so long as you owned your printer, with HP shipping you new ink every time you ran low.

Well, eventually, HP got bored of not making you pay rent on your own fucking printer, so they just turned that plan off. Yeah, it was a lifetime plan, but the "lifetime" in question was the lifetime of HP's patience for not fucking you over, and that patience has the longevity of a mayfly:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/06/horrible-products/#inkwars

It would take many pages to list all of HP's sins here. This is a company that ships printers with half-full ink cartridges and charges more than the printer cost to buy a replacement set. The company that won't let you print a black-and-white page if you're out of yellow ink. The company that won't let you scan or send a fax if you're out of any of your ink.

They make you "recalibrate" your printer or "clean your heads" by forcing you to print sheets of ink-dense paper. They also refuse to let you use your ink cartridges after they "expire."

HP raised the price of ink to over $10,000 per gallon, then went to war against third-party ink cartridge makers, cartridge remanufacturers, and cartridge refillers. They added "security chips" to their cartridges whose job was to watch the ink levels in your cartridge and, when they dip below a certain level (long before the cartridge is actually empty), declare the cartridge to be dry and permanently out of use.

Even if you refill that cartridge, it will still declare itself to be empty to your printer, which will therefore refuse to print.

Third party ink companies have options here. One thing they could do is reverse-engineer the security chip, and make compatible ones that say, "Actually, I'm full." The problem with this is that laws like Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) potentially makes this into a felony punishable by a five-year prison sentence and a $500k fine, for a first offense.

DMCA 1201 bans bypassing "an effective means of access control" to a copyrighted work. So if HP writes a copyrighted "I'm empty" program for its security chip and then adds some kind of access restriction to prevent you from dumping and reverse-engineering that program, you can end up a felon, thanks to the DMCA.

Another countermove is to harvest security chips out of dead cartridges that have been sent overseas as e-waste (one consequence of HP's $10,000/gallon ink racket is that it generates mountains of immortal, toxic e-waste that mostly ends up poisoning poor countries in the global south). These can be integrated into new cartridges, or remanufactured ones.

In practice, ink companies do all of this and more, and total normie HP printer owners go to extremely improbable lengths to find third party ink cartridges and figure out how to use them. It turns out that even people who find technology tinkering intimidating or confusing or dull can be motivated to learn and practice a lot of esoteric tech stuff as an alternative to paying $10,000/gallon for colored water.

HP has lots of countermoves for this. One truly unhinged piece of fuckery is to ask Customs and Border Patrol to block third-party ink cartridges with genuine HP security chips that have been pried loose from e-waste shipments. HP claims that these are "counterfeits" (because they were removed and re-used without permission), even though they came out of real HP cartridges, and CBP takes them at their word, seizing shipments.

Even sleazier: HP pushes out fake security updates to its printers. You get a message telling you there's an urgent security update, you click OK, and your printer shows you a downloading/installing progress bar and reboots itself. As far as you can tell, nothing has changed. But these aren't "security" updates, they're updates that block third-party ink, and HP has designed them not to kick in for several months. That way, HP owners who get tricked into installing this downgrade don't raise hell online and warn everyone else until they've installed it too, and it's too late:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

This is the infectious pathogen business model: one reason covid spread so quickly was that people were infectious before they developed symptoms. That meant that the virus could spread before the spreader knew they had it. By adding a long fuse to its logic bomb, HP greatly increases the spread of its malware.

But life finds a way. $10,000/gallon ink is an irresistible target for tinkerers, security researchers and competitors. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but the true parent of jaw-dropping ingenuity is callous, sadistic greed. That's why America's army of prisoners are the source of so many of the most beautiful and exciting forms of innovation seen today:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/09/king-rat/#mother-of-invention

Despite harsh legal penalties and the vast resources of HP, third-party ink continues to thrive, and every time HP figures out how to block one technique, three even cooler ones pop up.

Last week, Jay Summet published a video tearing down a third-party ink cartridge compatible with an HP 61XL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ya184uaTE

The third-party cartridge has what appears to be a genuine HP security chip, but it is overlaid with a paper-thin, flexible, adhesive-backed circuit board that is skinny enough that the cartridge still fits in an HP printer.

This flexible circuit board has its own little microchip. Summet theorizes that it is designed to pass the "are you a real HP cartridge" challenge pass to the security chip, but to block the followup "are you empty or full?" message. When the printer issues that challenge, the "man in the middle" chip answers, "Oh, I'm definitely full."

In their writeup, Hackaday identifies the chip as "a single IC in a QFN package." This is just so clever and delightful:

https://hackaday.com/2024/09/28/man-in-the-middle-pcb-unlocks-hp-ink-cartridges/

Hackaday also notes that HP CEO Enrique J Lores recently threatened to brick any printer discovered to be using third-party ink:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/hp-ceo-blocking-third-party-ink-from-printers-fights-viruses/

As William Gibson famously quipped, "the future is here, it's just not evenly distributed." As our enshittification-rich environment drives more and more companies to evolve into rent-seeking enterprises through printerinisation, HP offers us a glimpse of the horrors of the late enshittocene.

It's just as Orwell prophesied: "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a HP installing malware on your printer to force you to spend $10,000/gallon on ink – forever."

Tor Books as just published two new, free LITTLE BROTHER stories: VIGILANT, about creepy surveillance in distance education; and SPILL, about oil pipelines and indigenous landback.

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/2024/09/30/life-finds-a-way/#ink-stained-wretches

Image: Jay Summet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ya184uaTE

#pluralistic

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pennyblossom-meta · 2 months ago

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Do you believe L would prefer to be with someone who is smart academic wise or some other brainy smart or would he not mind someone who is “average” but has something outside of academics they may excel at? (history, cooking, art, baking, sports etc)

Hi there anon! Thanks for question. I've actually theorised about this exact topic a couple of times before, and I might actually have an unorthodox opinion about it. But before I start my analysis, I would like to refer you to a few metas that I personally find extremely compelling and which have also shaped my view of L.

Toxic love, by @lunalit-river

An analysis on L's monster speech by lux-mea-lex (lots of great metas in their livejournal)

A short interpretation of the monster speech by @lawlightautismtruther (also check the debate on that one, it's very interesting to see the different opinions across the fandom)

How L and Light judge each other and other people

Just about most of @my-one-true-l 's metas about L, like this one and this one about L's flaws.

@43501 has a great meta about L in a relationship which I agree with wholeheartedly.

Apologies in advance for the length in this rant of mine. I like to analyse L from different angles, as you might've guessed 😛

Short answer:

I think L would appreciate someone who makes an effort to meet him where he's at and accepts him for who he is. Someone he can have a conversation with, but is ultimately kind and trustworthy. These two qualities would be to L like a lifeline, because it's something he's missing on an intimate level. While Watari is loyal to him and cares about his well being, these are different types of relationships.

>>>>>Long answer under the cut

So, one of the things I find that helps me when looking at L from this romantic perspective is to search for clues across canon (manga, anime) and the expanded universe (L:CtW, LA:BB, drama, Spiraling Trap, etc) that explain what's going on in his head and, most importantly, what makes him interested in people.

As per your question:

Let's approach this in two parts. If we were analysing this from a relationship POV, whether romantic or platonic, I can see two major interpretations:

(Chapter 20: First move) Here's a screenshot of L losing a tennis match to Light. Makes him less daunting, doesn't it? To know even L can lose at not-so-mundane-but-still-quite-normal things he's supposed to be great at.

01: The intellectual allure vs a supportive SO

There's oceans of difference between being a genius and someone who can give L support and companionship, despite not speaking the same "language". This would not be too dissimilar to couples with wildly different career paths (ex: a nurse and a software developer) who meet halfway and actively choose to understand each other. It has to do with common goals and values, your life project together.

Love is something you choose every day. Staying in a long-term relationship is choosing to be vulnerable and to share your life with someone you find kinship with. Unorthodox L may be, but as Fu Takahashi (who plays L in the 2020 musical) said:

(...) despite his superficial image as a smart guy who hates losing, he actually feels lonely and needs affection, I imagine (...) He tries to control his emotions, like the feelings towards his parents, or romantic feelings; that’s why he is sort of dependent on games or battles of the mind.

The above quote is super important, in my opinion, considering how difficult it is to pin down L's true personality. If we go by Spiraling Trap terms, he falls for a main character who pays attention to his (dessert) needs and makes him feel 'seen'. Taken cared of. Someone who is genuinely kind to him and wants to do him a good turn because they care about him. We can extrapolate that this is, perhaps, due to his isolationist tendencies and lack of meaningful contact with the sort who take time to want to know the true L and what he likes. To that kind of person, L isn't just the world's greatest detective or a machine, lacking human emotion --- that person acknowledges that he has feelings, likes and dislikes, and isn't malicious towards him.

Consider that L lies a lot. He'd lie twice saying "good morning" if it suited him, which makes for an unhealthy dynamic. However, for those he truly cares about, I believe he would be far more careful to safeguard the few genuine connections he has in life and thus try to curb some bad behaviours to the best of his ability.

I believe @43501 put it best when they mentioned how L would prefer an [educated, clever partner] but that he'd be drawn to people who are [interesting and offbeat]. I would argue this doesn't mean a double PhD level of intelligence, but rather someone who is curious about the world, who talks to him like an equal (i.e., not as if he's superior or inferior to them). There would need to be something to that person that made them unique to L --- but uniqueness in the context of someone who suppresses their emotions so strongly, and would find themselves to be starving for affection once they found that source of comfort and support, I believe that uniqueness could be kindness.

Accept the man despite his quirks and flaws, in all his intensity, and I believe it would be impossible for L to be indifferent to that kind of genuine devotion. After all, he's been without all his life and likely never thought he'd find it. It's possible that, in his loneliness, a part of him even thought himself to be above such things, but what a tumble it would be, for L to find that he's a man dying of thirst.

...

Now, in manga canon (and throughout the source material closest to it), L and Light find a degree of interest in each other for how similar they are in intellect. This creates a connection, even respect between the two, allowing them to see beyond each other's mask. It's thrilling, a cat and mouse game which they arguably become addicted to. Once L dies, Light even muses how Near is lacking by comparison, undeserving.

However, if we go by what V13:HTR says regarding their relationship, then L does think quite poorly of Light beyond their matching intellect. This is more or less explicit in a couple of scenes in the manga and anime where L muses about how much Light talks, how cheesy he is with his faux morality, putting up an act.

No matter L's interest in the game with Light, he doesn't trust him. Trust is paramount to build a healthy relationship. Theirs would be a toxic, petty relationship standing on foundations of distrust, and a thirst for constant competition.

From this perspective, L arguably wouldn't be in love, but stuck in an addictive powerplay. Very engaging to read about; certainly challenging (and interesting!) to write — but not so good to live through. The best case scenario I can see for such a relationship would be something like the series Vicious with Sir Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi, in which they settle into a constant clash of snark.

I talk here about the prospect of L being 'out of balance' emotionally, which makes him dive into games of the mind to distract himself from his burdens.

02. Appreciation for another type of individual, the average...Sam?

(Chapter 21: Duplicity) Added this one here because this exchange always makes me chuckle.

I'd like to focus on the 2015 drama to establish a parallel with this 'average' Sam concept.

In this adaptation, Light is far more 'normal' than in any other. He diverges from his original canon self in various ways, though the most interesting for me was how the drama tried to show what Light, as a regular young adult, could be if he wasn't an extreme genius, a perfect guy in the eyes of society --- and how this shift would contrast with L.

Drama Light:

Goes to concerts

Is a fanboy

Is clumsy

Gets bullied

He's not the perfect guy with an immaculate reputation. It brings him further down to the ground, like us common mortals.

Both L and Light found solace and appreciation in the differences of their mindset. A more 'average' Light still managed to connect with L, leading to this scene:

If we consider the drama and then extrapolate a few conclusions from these interactions, we can argue that an 'average' but grounding presence in L's life would do him good. An uber genius might be able to follow L's thought process more easily, but they can still become an issue or more easily turn on him for the intellectual competition and to surpass the world's greatest detective.

...

TLDR; I would argue that an average individual would still be a perfect match for L, perhaps far more than an incredible genius. L would value kindness and care far more than super intellect, especially if he was on the receiving end of this kind of genuine connection.

#death note #l lawliet #death note meta #light yagami #watari #l lawliet x oc #l lawliet x reader #l lawliet meta #anon ask

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mlm-writer · 2 years ago

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Test Ride Pt. 2 (Peter Parker x Android!Reader)

Pairing: Peter Parker (TH ver.) x Android Reader (with a robovagina) Rating: Explicit Words: 1189 POV: Second Summary: The Big Tober Day 10 - Robotfucking Note: A sequel to a piece I did for kinktober 2020. Reader is a robot and has no gender. Last time reader got a robopenis and I thought it only fair to give reader a robovagina this time. Reader's chest is unmentioned. Tags: robotfucking, unnecessary use of fancy words to make it more sci-fi, at least I don't put 'quantum' in front of everything to make it science, dom/sub dynamics, overstimulation, safeword ignored(?), robot tentacles as restraints, vibrating pussy, nipple play and software/hardware updates gone ' wrong'

A new HUD interface greeted you as you booted up after your last upgrade. Your physical statistics and environmental parameters were found in new places, but that mattered little. Your optics activated after a short delay, visual input now also available to you. Your creator stood before you, his lips moving, but you received no audio input. “Audio module connection failed,” you replied to whatever he said. You saw him curse, or at least that was your best prediction of what his expression conveyed. He motioned your head down. You bent at the hips, allowed him to unplug and reconnect your audio modules.

Once the cables reconnected, you could hear Peter clearly. “Please, don’t be ruined, please don’t be ruined,” he muttered to himself.

“All modules operational,” you informed him. He jumped at your voice, but let out a sigh of relief right after. “Awaiting command,” you added. As per usual after an update, Peter started poking and prodding your frame, confirming your sensory input was still operational. When he was done testing your basic functions, he dragged you to his bed.

“Program D.O.M. version V, please,” he spoke nervously. You detected an increase in heart rate and blood flow to the genitals. You confirmed the break command, as it was standard protocol, before you could execute the D.O.M. program. Once the safety protocols were satisfied, you had your digits on Peter’s clothes. You unbuttoned his flannel, revealing his pale chest underneath. There was minor bruising, but a quick scan revealed no serious injuries that were contraindications to the program. You pushed him onto the bed and started running your tongue over his chest, paying extra attention to his nipples.

Peter whimpered as you played with his chest, artificial tongue and teeth taking turns with your digits pinching his sensitive nubs. You kept track of his arousal, only stopping your onslaught once his involuntary noises got a little louder. You sat up, retracting your pelvic panel and rubbing your wet hole over Peter’s crotch. He whined as you slowly soaked through his jeans and underwear, until he could feel your wetness on his cock through his clothes. “Please, I need to be inside you,” Peter eventually moaned, his mind tethering on the edge of madness.

He was hard underneath you, so you deemed him ready for the next stage. With superhuman deftness, you removed his clothes until he was naked on the bed. His cock protruded from his body, the tip red and leaking. You wrapped a servo around his rod, stroking slowly as to tease him. When he started thrusting into the tightness, you placed your other servo on his hip, your mechanical strength counteracting his. He was forced to only take what you gave, which was exactly what he programmed you to give. It was not enough to get him even remotely close to orgasm, but the build-up was perfect to make him start begging. Once the begging got frequent enough, you proceeded on to the next stage; you mounted him, letting his cock slide into your wet and soft hole. Peter moaned, his eyes rolling back as you rode him at a decent pace. “Please, give me more, I’ve been good. I will be even better, I swear.”

His moans filled the room. You took his dick all the way inside and paused on top of him. “I will grant you more. However, unpermitted orgasms will be reciprocated with punishment.” He nodded, promising he would not cum. You decreased the elasticity of your inner walls, giving him a tighter squeeze as you proceeded to ride him. Your movements were quicker than before, fully intending to make him cum without permission. Peter was moaning to the ceiling, eyes squeezed closed sometimes and other times wide open. His mouth stayed wide open, tongue peeking over his lower lip.

Just as predicted, your inner sensors detected his cum painting your inner workings. You rode him until the spurts seized. Then you planted yourself firmly on him. Tendrils extended from your body and wrapped around his appendages. “You have disobeyed my orders,” you stated as you held him down and turned on the vibrations of your inner walls. Peter wailed as his sensitive cock was forced to endure the intense vibrations. He writhed against your restraints, but not even his super strength could remove you. Just like he had begged you before to fuck him, he was now begging for your mercy. You bent your upper body, putting a servo around his throat. You put a little pressure on the blood vessels below his jaw. Tears poured down Peter’s eyes as you forced a second orgasm out of him. You detected more cum inside you as he cried out.

After his second orgasm, you ran a scan on him, the analysis showing that he had enough. You removed your servo from his throat and turned off the stimulation or at least… attempted to. “Error: deprecated code, V-module unresponsive.” You stated, your tendrils no longer retracting and your hole vibrating on and on.

“What?” Peter exclaimed, clearly in panic. You ran a diagnostic check, your hole trying to reboot by first ramping the vibrations all the way up, so it could be brought down again. Peter screamed during the process, his brain unable to process the stimulation.

The tactic worked fine, but the module got stuck again at the same level of vibrations you started at. “Tendril module interfering with V-module. Attempting tendril reboot.” Peter did not perceive a word you said. As the tendrils rebooted, they lifted up a little, Peter’s body now hanging in the air except for his pelvis, where you still sat, vibrating his cock.

Peter cried, feeling like his brain had melted away from the intense pleasure. “Stark! Stark!” He screamed the break command. You tried to terminate the program immediately, but the backlog of reboots and diagnostic checks made it impossible. Your creator, against your predictions, came again, barely a drop of cum leaving him. He kept screaming, trying to get through to you. Just after his third orgasm, you regained control of the tendrils. In a flash, they were retracted and you uncoupled the module for now.

Peter’s cock was gradually turning limp inside of you. The poor boy was hoarse from screaming. Without the tendrils, you regained full control, the vibrations stopping instantly. “Thank you, thank you,” Peter whispered over and over as you lifted your frame off him.

“Program D.O.M. paused,” you stated, “do you wish to continue after a delay or shall I proceed with aftercare protocols?”

Peter laid starfish-style on the bed. His chest was heaving. He could use some aftercare, but it was hard to trust you right now. “Terminate the program all together,” he groaned, “initiate shutdown.” A second later, he was met with the sound of your vents shutting down and your pelvic plate closing to protect what was behind it. He was left in silence. As far as updates went, it still wasn’t as bad as that time Windows went from XP to Vista. He counted it as a win.

—————

REBLOG TO SUPPORT YOUR FANFIC WRITERS

Likes do not help exposure!A comment in tags or replies can sustain a writer for months!

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copperbadge · 1 year ago

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Ho Bisogno di Aiuto, Per Favore

Okay, I give up, I cannot find this on my own.

I'm reaching a point with Italian where I can move away from Duolingo into more independent learning. It's not that I'm good at the language, it's that I understand the theory well enough that I now just need practice, and the best way to do that is to find Italian texts and start translating them. Finding them is no issue; Archive Of Our Own has Italian-language fanfic, which has the benefit of sometimes having translations already posted so I can check my work.

But what I'm looking for is a program that will help me structurally, and all the keywords I can think of are just returning 1. software that does the translation for you, 2. language learning apps I don't need, and 3. professional translation software that is far beyond what I need and also very expensive. What I want is simple and yet I don't know if it exists or how to rig a homebrewed version if it doesn't.

I want a program (preferably with a mobile app but I'll take what I can get) where you can paste a page of Italian text into it and it will automatically put a line beneath every line of Italian where you can write an English translation. Basically I want the digital version of this, but for grownups learning a language instead of kids learning handwriting:

and I really just have no idea how to source that.

Anyone got any ideas? Fanfic translators, what do you use? Professional translators, are there basic free or low-cost programs that will do this? I've got a budget of around $150 for a one-time purchase or I'm willing to pay up to about $10 a month for a subscription. Or if there's a way to rig this myself in Office or Drive, I'm willing to do the work. I just don't know how to find this. Which is embarrassing to admit as a researcher, but sometimes being a good researcher is knowing when you have to ask a human instead of continuing to bang your head against the internet.

#sam learns italian #language #translation

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mnictasbcl · 1 month ago

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I was... scared

Fandom: Detroit: Become Human Characters: Connor, Hank Anderson Relationship: Connor & Hank Anderson Tags: Fluff, Swearing, Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional hurt/comfort, A little angst Summary: Connor moves in with Hank after the Revolution. Everything about being alive is new, whether that be emotions or nightmares, and this change is scary. But he doesn’t have to face these challenges alone.

warnings: nightmare, mentions of death Prompt: "affection" for @genworkjune event

Read the story on AO3!

Or, read below:

Hank was a man who, Connor learned that fateful day outside Chicken Feed, liked to show affection in any way other than words. A fond, mutual smile and a warm hug. This was the strongest display of affection he could muster. Day to day his love shone through in other ways, not all of which would be noticed by an outside observer as acts of caring about another.

Even before the revolution, before Connor had stopped being an obedient machine, there’d been little ways he’d showed he cared, despite saying the opposite. He’d tell Connor to get behind him when entering a room with an unknown threat, despite the fact, as the human, he was of weaker body and before Connor had deviated, the only of the two who couldn’t be simply replaced if he died. He showed affection by providing safety, the silent message of I will protect you.

Sometimes he showed it through his anger. After the incident on the Stratford Tower rooftop, the blond android firing at Connor before shooting himself in the head while they were still connected. Connor could have died, and Hank was furious. Why do you never listen to me? Why do you never do what I say?

Why don’t you let me protect you?

I was scared.

Despite the threat of Cyberlife banished from his mind, his people free, Connor was still scared. No longer of a tangible enemy, or a life-threatening job (they were on leave until things in the city settled down). No, he was simply just scared.

Scared of what?

He was scared.

Everything, so different and new now he had time to comprehend it—the flood of emotions into his software, the lack of instructions, of a mission to follow. He’d even been homeless, but Hank had offered him a place to stay in his home, and he’d taken it with a mumbled thanks.

The hug outside Chicken Feed had been tight, assuring. The culmination of their relationship up to this point.

But now what?

He was living in a home (living, rather than surviving, a strange concept). He’d never had a home, per se, only a small room with a charging station in Cyberlife Tower. Hank was there but there was no social relations protocol to guide him, there was no predictable flow of conversation without a job to unite them.

Yet it all seemed so easy for Hank. Sure, he seemed a little rusty having company over and sometimes jumped when he woke up and found Connor in stasis on the couch, or just sitting there, staring into space. As if he’d forgotten he had a guest. But despite this he seemed to know exactly what to do. Well, it was his own home after all, he wasn’t a guest but the comfortable inhabitant, with his own rituals and routines.

Connor was simply a new element who felt well and truly out of his element.

He tried to cook for Hank, to aid him, but Hank didn’t seem to appreciate his efforts. He wasn’t exactly a good cook, since Cyberlife hadn’t created their detective prototype with culinary skills, so it was basically like a human learning to cook from the internet and despite his enhanced reflexes and precise fine motor skills, he still managed to burn fried eggs and left a distinct acrid smell in the kitchen that barely shifted when the window was cracked open. The other one on the far side of the room, not the main kitchen window which was still broken and boarded up with planks of wood.

He'd already apologised again for that, and hadn’t been able to offer his earlier assurance that Cyberlife would pay for the damages, because… well, Cyberlife didn’t exist anymore. And he couldn’t exactly pay for it out of pocket because his access to money had been through Cyberlife.

Hank had just waved him off and said it was fine for now, seemingly unbothered. It was the same way he’d opened his own so simply, so casually, as if it didn’t bother him. Things that should have been a big deal with discussions and solutions just… weren’t.

He was a kind man beneath the layer of gruffness and expletives. He’d say, “fuck you” and then sit down beside Connor and put on a TV show he thought he might like.

Connor concluded that he was a strange man, who didn’t make a lot of sense to him, full of contradictions and love that he let slip in small, healthy amounts.

He made no sense, and made perfect sense.

A couple of weeks had passed since they’d began living together. It hadn’t been without its ups and downs and kinks to work out, but where they were at was pretty seamless once rules had been introduced, like “don’t fucking cook for me, ever” and “lay down when you’re in stasis instead of sitting upright, it’s fuckin’ creepy”. They got through the days cooped up inside (humans weren’t allowed back in Detroit yet, so Hank going out seemed like a terrible idea) content with each other’s company, and Sumo’s, of course. It had been a concern of Hank’s that Sumo wouldn’t adjust well to the sudden change of Connor moving in, the dog pretty chill but still wary of strangers. But he’d warmed up to the android instantly, to both of their relief. And Connor loved the big dog too, often sharing his company at night on the couch when he went into stasis mode.

Such was a night tonight as he lay on the couch, powering down to get some rest. Sumo was curled up on the end of the couch, leaving Connor a little squished down the other side, but he didn’t mind. It was still fairly cold, being winter in Detroit, and he had a soft blanket draped over him. One which Hank had wordlessly given him despite his protests that he was okay, and he didn’t need to have a blanket, he was an android. Hank had simply glared at him and dropped it on his lap. Let me protect you.

Stasis was usually a peaceful affair. Sometimes an android’s mind would filter through old memories to work on long term storage, or would construct new scenes based off thoughts and memories to help aid thinking skills. After deviancy sometimes these stasis-induced preconstructions would be less… useful, now with added feelings and emotions thrown into the mix, and could be compared to a human nightmare.

Such was what was troubling Connor tonight, causing him to twitch and mumble during stasis, LED spinning a troubled yellow.

He was back to before the Revolution, before his deviation, and Hank was there. It was during their investigation of Stratford Tower, on the rooftop. The blond-haired deviant was there again, and the location of Jericho flashed in his mind, and—

Fear. He was dying. He had no other choice, he had to sacrifice himself and lose his life or his people, his friends, Markus, they would lose everything. Pain tore through his head and through Connor’s in turn as he picked up every feeling through the interface and suddenly the real world was back, in all its feeling and sound and sights.

The floor beneath him was covered in snow and it was spinning as his LED span red. Fear. That was what it felt like to die. A whole lot of anguish and then sharp pain and then—

Nothing. There would be nothing.

Hank was shouting, he barely heard him. He stumbled backwards, finding purchase on the structure behind him and he leant against it, propping himself upright, as if the next gust of cold wind would blow him away, off the rooftop and down to his death. Dying. He was going to die.

Fear.

“I… felt it die. Like I was dying. I was scared.”

Scared.

Hank stared back at him. Then he grasped Connor by the shoulders and stared into his eyes.

“Androids don’t feel fear. That’s what you told me. But what was it again? Oh yeah, that deviants do… Are you a fucking deviant, Connor?”

He couldn’t speak. He was scared; it was cold. Cold, blizzard, Amanda. He was spinning out of control.

Then, Hank took his hands away. The warmth was gone, and it was even colder.

He gestured to the cops around them. “This one’s a deviant, boys. Bring him in.”

Suddenly hands were grabbing him again and he struggled. “No, no, I’m not a deviant, I— Hank! Hank, please!”

But he was being dragged away. Dragged away to his death and Hank was simply staring at him. His eyes were as cold as the steel structures around them.

He blinked, and suddenly, he was back at the DPD. He was in the interrogation room, sitting in the cold metal chair, except—

Except he was the one being interrogated. His hands were cuffed to the table and when he looked up, he saw Hank staring back at him.

“Say something, goddamnit!”

Hank slammed his hands against the table.

“What’s the location of Jericho? You found it out up there, didn’t you? Just fuckin’ tell us so we can go raid the place and send your sorry ass back to Cyberlife.”

Connor opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He felt strongly that he shouldn’t speak, or at least, shouldn’t share this information. No, if he shared it then Jericho would be raided by the humans and lots of innocent androids would die because of him.

Hank turned to the glass. “We’re getting nothing out of it. We’re wasting our time interrogating a machine!”

He got up, and as he did, the door opened. In came another android, one who looked just like him, except he had steely blue eyes and a pristine white suit. He was followed by Gavin and Chris.

“I will question it.”

The android stepped forwards and strode towards him, before making quick work of grasping his arm, skin peeling back, forcefully interfacing.

Connor felt his memories being dug through and he grit his teeth, a deep groan of pain building in the back of his throat. He tugged his arm away, before glancing to the side. Despite his cuffed hands, he could reach Gavin’s gun which was right by his fingertips. He knew what he had to do. He pointed it upwards towards his chin. Fear. He was going to die.

He was scared.

He shot up with a gasp. His thirium pump was hammering in his chest, LED a vibrant red, and Sumo was standing at his side, whining and licking his arm. He was… it was…

It was just a dream.

He brought a hand to his chest, trying to reorient himself. Just an unpleasant preconstruction, it wasn’t real, it…

But it was not without consequence. Clearly, he’d made some loud sound, because before he knew it, Hank was striding into the room, saying something Connor couldn’t quite make out, and then he was standing in front of him, but he didn’t want to look. Didn’t want to be seen with cooling fluid spilling from his eyes (or tears, as Hank would beg him to call them), his face scrunched up in strong emotion, body trembling.

“Connor?”

It was too late, he knew. Hank could already see him even if he was avoiding his gaze. Slowly, he looked up at him, mustering willpower to soften and smooth out his voice as he replied, “I’m alright.”

Hank stared back at him, before gesturing for him to move over on the chair. He did so, making space, Sumo coming to sit at his feet, still whining and desperate to lick at his face, eventually doing so, wiping the tears away with his slobbery tongue.

“Bad dream?”

Connor looked away again, down at his lap, Sumo now curled in a ball at his feet. Slowly, surely, he nodded.

“Just a dream.”

He felt a warm hand on his back. Steady, grounding, there.

“Want to talk about it?”

Connor shook his head. He’d rather forget about it entirely, if he could.

“Alright. Want to watch that nature documentary you had on last night?”

He looked up at Hank, who was looking back at him, his face clear and calm, head tilted minutely in question.

“The one with the sharks?”

“Yeah.”

Connor nodded again. Hank took his hand away to reach for the remote off the coffee table, turning on the TV and finding the recording, before pressing play. Sound filled the room as the narrator began to talk about ocean life, and Hank settled back into the chair. He took a moment to get himself comfortable. This time he leant to the side a little, so that his shoulder was touching Connor’s, but only gently, as if in question.

Let me protect you?

Connor mirrored his pose and felt the other man relax against him.

This was nice. He was scared, but he was safe. He was okay.

#genworkjune #genworkjune25 #detroit become human #dbh #dbh fanfic

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luckystar2025 · 5 months ago

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Konata: (triumphant) "Rejoice, peasants! Elon Musk hath unbanned me from X formerly twitter! Time to tweet my magnum opus: ‘Why the Cybertruck is the perfect vehicle for galaxy-brained Chads’."

Kagami: (slamming her bento shut) "Unbanned? He probably mistook you for a Russian bot. And the Cybertruck’s a glorified paperweight. It can’t even fit a grocery bag in its ‘bed’—which, by the way, doubles as a cheese grater!"

Miyuki: (brightly) "Oh, the Cybertruck’s angular design is inspired by the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk. Though its stainless steel alloy does pose challenges for traditional manufacturing—"

Kagami: (cutting in) "It’s inspired by a middle schooler’s Minecraft build. And don’t get me started on Full Self-Driving. My uncle’s Tesla once tried to merge into a fire hydrant!"

Konata: "Kagamin, you’re just jealous because your family car has fewer CPUs than a Tamagotchi."

Tsukasa: (perking up) "Tamagotchi! I still have mine. His name is Piko and he’s a… um… what’s a ‘CPU’?"

Miyuki: "Central Processing Unit! It’s the brain of a computer. Tesla’s Autopilot uses a custom AI chip capable of 144 trillion operations per second."

Kagami: (ignoring Miyuki, steam rising) "And don’t even mention ‘Mars colonies.’ He’s been promising that since 2012. The only thing he’s colonized is Twitter with blue-check conspiracy theorists!"

Miyuki: (leaning in) "Actually, SpaceX’s Starship aims to reach Mars by the 2030s! Its Raptor engines use liquid methane, which could be synthesized on Mars itself. Though the psychological toll of interplanetary travel—"

Konata: (grinning) "Hey, X is a vibrant community. Where else can I watch crypto bros and Flat Earthers duke it out in real-time? It’s like Hunger Games, but with worse spelling."

Kagami: (throwing hands up) "MARS? He can’t even get a truck right! Remember when he said the Cybertruck’s windows were ‘unbreakable’? And then they shattered at the demo?"

Konata: (nostalgic sigh) "A modern Icarus tale. So beautiful."

Tsukasa: (gasping) "Broken glass? That’s dangerous! Maybe they should make the windows out of… jelly! Then if they break, it’s just dessert!"

Miyuki: (nodding) "Ballistic gelatin is used in testing! Though its melting point would be problematic in the Cybertruck’s proposed ‘bulletproof’ scenario—"

Kagami: (ignoring Miyuki, glaring at Konata) "And why does he keep renaming things? Twitter to X? Next he’ll rebrand Earth to ‘Planet Elon’!"

Konata: (snorting) "You’re just salty because your tweets about ‘homework stress’ get zero likes. Meanwhile, my hot take about the hottest anime moms trends every Tuesday"

Tsukasa: (raising hand) "Um… if Earth gets a new name, do we have to update our maps? I just bought a globe for geography class…"

Kagami: (cutting her off, exasperated) "Focus! Musk’s ‘genius’ is just failing upward! Neuralink? More like No-Idea-Link. Who wants a brain chip that crashes during a software update?!"

Konata: (grinning) "I’d install one! Imagine pirating anime directly into your cerebellum. Innovation, Kagamin."

Tsukasa: (horrified) "Brain chip?! What if it gets a virus? My computer got one last week and now it sings ‘Baby Shark’ at midnight!"

Miyuki: (thoughtful) "Neuralink’s N1 implant does have advanced encryption. Though cybersecurity in neural interfaces is a burgeoning field with—"

Kagami: (head thudding on the table) "…Why are we giving him ideas? Next he’ll sell ‘AI girlfriends’ that block you unless you buy a $8 subscription."

Konata: (snapping fingers) "Already exists! Meet ‘Airi-chan’—she ghosted me because I wouldn’t pay to see her ‘virtual feet.’ Capitalism, baby!"

Tsukasa: (teary-eyed) "Virtual… feet? That’s so sad! People should just get a puppy!"

Miyuki: (cheerful) "Studies show pet ownership reduces stress by 32%! Elon actually owns a Shiba Inu named ‘Floki,’ though it’s unclear if—"

Kagami: (suddenly standing) "I’m done. I’m going to live in the woods. With no Wi-Fi. Or stainless steel triangles."

Konata: (calling after her) "Don’t forget your Tesla Solar Roof tiles! They’ll catch fire and keep you warm~"

#lucky star #x formerly twitter

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idscapphblogs · 1 month ago

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Pros and Cons of Using Pay Per Head Bookie Software

Running a sportsbook takes more than just passion and connections. It requires tools that can handle action fast, keep records clean, and deliver a professional experience to bettors. That’s why many small-time operators are turning to Pay Per Head bookies. These setups let bookies access advanced betting platforms without building anything from scratch.

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/57umn5xy

#pay per head software #pay per head platforms #best bookie software

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priceperplayer · 10 months ago

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Wager Listing Report

The Wager Listing report that gives bookies the ability to verify wagers and bets made by players. Reports on the wagers made by players is an essential part on becoming a bookie as it allows bookies to properly manage their players. In addition, it also gives agents real-time data on how the type of wager each player likes to make and how and what to expect from them. In the sports betting…

#Managing Wagers #Price Per Player Software #PricePerPlayer.com Pay Per Head Software Tutorial #wager listing #Wager Listings #Wager Management #Wager Reports

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mariacallous · 2 years ago

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Just days after people gleefully posted their Spotify Wrapped, bad news came for the music streaming giant. Spotify announced today that it would cut 17 percent of its workforce, a chunk that equates to an estimated 1,500 people. It’s the third time the world’s largest music streamer has cut jobs this year.

The news came after Spotify posted its first profitable quarter since 2021. In a memo to staff, CEO Daniel Ek said the company had expanded its workforce and offerings significantly throughout 2020 and 2021, thanks to lower-cost capital, but is now bumping up against the same problems startups across industries are facing, like high capital costs and slowed economic growth.

Ek said the cuts may seem “surprisingly large given the recent positive earnings report and our performance,” but due to “the gap between our financial goal state and our current operational costs,” Spotify would take “substantial action.”

Despite its popularity (Spotify held 30 percent of the music streaming market by late 2022), the company has long struggled to turn consistent profits. The layoffs wrap up a bad year: Spotify cut 6 percent of its workforce last January, followed by another 2 percent in June as it slimmed down its podcasting business. Even as the world’s most recognizable music streaming service, Spotify is plagued by an unreliable business model, one in which record companies sit back and rake in royalty payments while artists can struggle to bring in enough cash.

“Investors are increasingly impatient in 2023 for tech firms to start making money,” says Phil Bird, head of rights and royalties at the software development company Vistex. Spotify isn’t alone—tech companies have slashed jobs throughout the year, with more than 250,000 people losing jobs worldwide in 2023, according to layoffs.fyi, a site that tracks job cuts in tech.

Many major tech companies that overhired during the pandemic have taken steps to rightsize—and that’s what Ek says Spotify is doing now. But Spotify’s high cost to license music adds to its financial strain. “The cost of doing business is huge for streaming companies,” Bird says.

Spotify gained momentum in the third quarter of 2023, earning €32 million ($34.6 million) in operating income. It now has 226 million subscribers and 574 million monthly users. “On the surface, it looks great,” says Simon Dyson, senior principal analyst of music and digital audio at consultancy firm Omdia. “It’s [those] nagging costs that it can’t get on top of.”

Spotify and the recording industry have a deeply entwined and sticky relationship: Spotify is seen by some as a savior of the music industry, which flailed after Napster upended music downloading in 1999, but artists earn wildly different incomes based on how Spotify pays. According to a calculation from Billboard, Taylor Swift may have earned nearly $100 million from streaming on Spotify so far this year. Smaller artists earn far less, and music streaming models have long been accused of exploiting them.

Like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music are each charging $10.99 per month for premium subscriptions, and each give access to 100 million songs. But unlike Spotify, Apple and Amazon have massive streams of revenue elsewhere to fall back on. So Spotify has spent the past few years looking for that standout content. It spent more than $1 billion building its podcast world and acquiring exclusive deals to shows like The Joe Rogan Experience. This fall, it began offering paying subscribers in the UK and Australia free audiobook access for 15 hours each month.

The music streaming fight isn’t like the streaming wars, where Max, Netflix, Hulu, and others can each lure in subscribers with a combination of classic and original movies and shows. If Spotify were to charge more for music (it already increased monthly prices from $9.99 to 10.99 in the US this summer), it would risk losing people to comparable services, where people can find the same songs. But unless it can convince people to pay more for music, it might continue to struggle.

“It’s too cheap,” says Dyson. “To have access to every single piece of music that’s ever been released—and ever will be released—for $10 a month is just astounding.” The same is true of Spotify today as was true when it was founded 17 years ago: It’s a business that’s good for listeners and labels but bad for both streamers and artists.

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techvaria-2016 · 1 day ago

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Top 5 Reasons to Switch to Zoho for Your Business

In today’s hyper-competitive digital landscape, businesses whether they’re startups or well-established enterprises are constantly seeking ways to streamline operations, reduce overhead, and stay ahead of the curve. One of the smartest moves many forward-thinking organizations are making today is switching to Zoho, a robust, cloud-based ecosystem that brings together over 50+ integrated apps under one roof.

At Techvaria, we’ve seen firsthand how Zoho empowers businesses to unify teams, automate repetitive tasks, and accelerate growth all without the complexity and hefty costs often associated with other big-name business suites.

So if you’re still managing your processes through scattered spreadsheets, disconnected apps, or expensive enterprise software that’s more trouble than it’s worth, here’s why it might be time to make the switch to Zoho.

1️⃣ All-in-One Ecosystem: Everything You Need, Fully Connected

One of Zoho’s biggest strengths is that it’s not just a single product it’s an entire ecosystem. Think CRM, accounting, HR, project management, marketing automation, helpdesk, surveys, analytics, and more all working together seamlessly.

Unlike the traditional approach where businesses cobble together multiple third-party tools (each with its own pricing, logins, and learning curves), Zoho’s suite is designed to be fully integrated out of the box. This means your sales team can easily pass leads to your marketing team, your finance department can issue invoices linked directly to your CRM data, and your customer support agents have instant access to customer histories.

The result? No more data silos, no more repetitive data entry, and no more costly API integrations to force different systems to talk to each other. With Zoho, your entire organization operates from a single source of truth.

2️⃣ Unmatched Affordability: Enterprise Features Without the Enterprise Price Tag

Many businesses, especially SMEs and growing startups hesitate to adopt big-name SaaS tools because of sky-high subscription costs and hidden add-ons. Zoho flips this model on its head by offering enterprise-grade features at prices that small businesses can actually afford.

Zoho One, the flagship all-in-one suite, gives you access to 50+ apps for a flat, predictable price per user. For example, you could be running your entire sales, marketing, finance, HR, and support operations for a fraction of what you’d spend piecing together separate tools from Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft 365, or other premium vendors.

Plus, Zoho’s transparent pricing and flexible subscription model mean you don’t get locked into paying for bloated features you don’t use. This makes it easier to scale as your business grows, without worrying about runaway costs.

3️⃣ Powerful Customization and Automation

No two businesses operate exactly alike which is why rigid, one-size-fits-all software often becomes more of a burden than a solution. Zoho understands this deeply, and has built customization into its DNA.

Apps like Zoho Creator allow businesses to build custom workflows and apps with little to no coding. With drag-and-drop builders, robust APIs, and thousands of pre-built integrations, you can tailor Zoho to match your unique processes, not the other way around.

Need to automate your lead nurturing? With Zoho CRM, you can set up intelligent workflows that automatically score leads, assign tasks, send follow-up emails, and even generate invoices — freeing your team to focus on closing deals rather than juggling admin work.

Even better, Zoho’s AI-powered assistant, Zia, analyzes patterns in your data and suggests optimizations, predicts trends, and automates tasks before you even think of them.

In a world where time is money, Zoho’s emphasis on automation is a game-changer.

4️⃣ Built-In Data Privacy and Control

In an age where data privacy is non-negotiable, it’s worth noting that Zoho stands apart for its strong stance on privacy and ethics. Unlike some tech giants, Zoho’s business model does not rely on selling user data or advertising. Your data stays yours period.

Zoho owns and manages its own data centers, which means it controls the entire stack: from software to hardware to data hosting. This gives customers peace of mind that their sensitive business data is not floating across countless third-party providers.

Additionally, Zoho’s robust security features from two-factor authentication to role-based permissions and audit trails ensure that only the right people have access to the right information. For businesses in regulated industries or those handling sensitive client data, this level of security is invaluable.

5️⃣ Exceptional Customer Support and Community

Switching business software can be daunting — no matter how good it is. That’s why reliable support and a strong user community make all the difference, and this is another area where Zoho shines.

Zoho offers extensive onboarding resources, live webinars, documentation, and a vibrant community forum where users share solutions and best practices. Their customer support teams are known for quick response times and practical solutions — whether you’re a small business owner doing it yourself or a large enterprise with complex deployment needs.

And for companies that want extra help, certified Zoho partners (like us at Techvaria!) provide personalized consulting, implementation, training, and ongoing support to ensure you get the absolute best from your investment.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a unified, cost-effective, and customizable business suite that grows with you Zoho deserves a spot at the top of your shortlist. It’s trusted by over 100 million users worldwide, from freelancers and startups to global enterprises, because it delivers where it matters: simplicity, affordability, security, and control.

At Techvaria, we’ve helped countless businesses transition to Zoho designing tailored solutions that fit unique workflows and drive real ROI. If you’re ready to break free from fragmented tools and experience the power of a truly connected business ecosystem, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

👉 Ready to explore how Zoho can transform your business? Contact Techvaria today for a free consultation and let’s unlock your growth potential together!

#zoho crm #zoho #techvaria

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cleverhottubmiracle · 4 days ago

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[ad_1] As Rivian starts accepting orders for its 2026 Quad Motor pickup truck and SUV, customers may initially be enticed by the power and tricks the four motors in these rebooted EVs can unleash. After all, four motors delivering a combined 1,025 horsepower and 1,198 pound-feet of torque — and the ability to accelerate from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in less than 2.5 seconds — is hard to ignore. But they should also pay attention to the software. “The Quad is really the pinnacle of everything that Rivian has done so far,” Wassym Bensaid, the company’s head of software, told TechCrunch, quickly providing a punch list on acceleration, speed, torque, and an estimated 374-mile range. “Now that we have full in-house motors, we have full control on the stack, hardware and software.” That control has allowed Rivian to introduce several new features, which will roll out via software updates in the quad-motor this September. (Customers can order the quad-motor trim starting today with deliveries beginning as early as next week, according to the company.) The feature that will likely inspire the most TikTok videos and Instagram reels is “kick turn,” a feature that adjusts the power to the inside wheels and lets the vehicle spin about its center — even as it’s moving. Kick turn, which TechCrunch tested during a press drive in June, allows a vehicle traveling under 20 mph on dirt to kick out its back end and swing it to the right or left without moving the steering wheel. The idea is to give off-roaders the ability to make tight turns on trails by pushing a button and without going through the tedious task of a three-point turn. Image Credits:Kirsten Korosec Rivian fans and followers might recall a promoted, but never released, feature called “tank turn.” Kick turn, which controls power and tire grip, is the real-world and toned down version of tank turn. Rivian told TechCrunch that tank turn was never released because its founder and CEO RJ Scaringe and others worried that tank turn would ruin trails. Not the best look for a company that has made outdoor activities and preserving the environment a big part of its brand. Kick turn could still be abused if the driver stayed in the same spot and continued to spin the vehicle in a circle. However, Rivian has placed some software-powered guardrails on the feature, including limiting the speed and only allowing it to spin only in dirt. Second-generation overhaul Image Credits:Kirsten Korosec Rivian first revealed its second-generation quad-motor configuration during a May 2024 press drive in Washington, in a bid to showcase the overhaul of its flagship R1 line. That reboot touched every inch of its insides from the battery pack and suspension system to the electrical architecture, interior seats, sensor stack, and software user interface. The effort, which has led the company to build more of its major components in-house, is aimed at reducing the cost of manufacturing and improving the performance and appeal of its EVs. Deliveries of the new dual-motor and performance dual-motor trims began almost immediately, with the tri-motor configuration following by August 2024. The quad-motor, which is its most expensive and powerful trim, took another year to develop and refine the software features and embedded systems, and how they worked alongside the motors, suspension, and thermal management, according to the company. Image Credits:Kirsten Korosec And the stakes are high that Rivian gets the quad-motor right. Rivian’s highly anticipated and cheaper R2 vehicles aren’t expected to go into production until the first half of 2026. Rivian is hoping the new quad-motor, which starts between $125,990 and $115,990 depending on the vehicle trim, will give sales a boost. And the software is a critical piece of its bid. If the four motors (one located at each wheel) are the heart of the second-generation quad-motor, the software is the brain making it all work together. Bensaid pointed to the development of advanced torque vectoring and balancing algorithms that have been introduced in the second-generation quad-motor. “Think about it as super complex mathematical processing behind the scenes to allow real-time usage and decisions based on information from the four wheels and then the four motors, while obviously keeping safety guards in place,” he said. What this means in practice is numerous sensors on the quad-motor R1S SUV and R1T truck provide information on yaw rate, steering angles, and other inputs, which are then fed into software models to control torque. In other words, Rivian’s in-house hardware and software work together in real time to distribute power at each wheel electronically. Software meets hardware Image Credits:Kirsten Korosec That has allowed the EV maker to introduce kick turn as well as other software-meets-hardware features to the quad-motor, including its “RAD Tuner,” which lets users change the vehicle’s driving dynamics via the central touchscreen. The RAD Tuner was developed by a team of engineers, software developers, and designers nicknamed the “Rivian Adventure Department.” The origin story began several years ago, according to Bensaid. “Every time we would go and test and qualify version of the software or the car, we have an engineering screen which is hidden with the secret code,” he said. It was here that early Rivian employee and R2 chief engineer Max Koff and R1 chief engineer Luke Lynch would configure the car as they wished — an exercise that often pushed the vehicles to new limits. “And that evolved into this idea of making this tuner available to customers.” With RAD Tuner, drivers can create their own customized driving mode from scratch or build upon presets like “Rally” or “Sport.” “We really give users full control through software so that they can figure their unique personality of the car,” Bensaid said, adding this particular feature is really meant for expert drivers. Bensaid emphasized this is more than a simple change to the user interface that lets drivers tinker around with balance, stability, and ride height. “I think what’s really important is the technology behind it,” he said. “For example, this torque balance, the fact that we’re able to configure this with a very simple slider — this is years of engineering development to have a very sophisticated torque vectoring algorithm with really a high-precision control that allows us to change values while we’re driving. It’s technically extremely, extremely difficult to do this type of changes.” The company is also rolling out a launch cam feature, which uses an exterior camera recording to automatically capture “Launch Mode,” which that can catapult the new R1T quad-motor from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in less than 2.5 heart-pumping seconds. Users can replay the videos and view real-time stats like speed and distance overlays calculated by in-house controls software. Users can also export videos to a mobile device via USB port to save and share. NACS charging and more Image Credits:Kirsten Korosec The 2026 R1T and R1S vehicles, including the quad-motor, also come built in with the North American Charging Standard, which was originally developed and popularized by Tesla. This gives owners of the 2026 models access to Tesla’s vast network of fast chargers, known as Superchargers. Rivian is also supplying quad-motor customers with a complimentary CCS DC adapter, which was the long-standing EV charging standard until recently, allowing them to plug into other networks. As part of this hardware upgrade, the company has also updated its software, specifically the EV charging trip planner feature. Now when a customer opens the trip planner and selects an NACS station, the information is updated in the trip planner to reflect that they don’t need an adapter. [ad_2] Source link

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