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[iykons]

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[cerastes]

Legitimately can't stop thinking about the brilliance of Degenbrecher's introduction as a playable character.

We've known Degenbrecher for a long, long time before this event, and even before Break The Ice, actually: Before Arknights even released, Gnosis and Degen can be seen in this pre-launch trailer at 0:14.

Degenbrecher existed for years as this larger-than-life figure shrouded in rumor and fame, with an almost supernatural countenance to her presence in the corner of the narrative she inhabits: The three-time Grand Champion of the Kazimierz Major, the dreaded Black Knight, the peerless warrior, who has the strength of ten knight companies on her shoulders alone. Spoken of in equal parts awe and fear, her stint in the knightly competitions were legendary in how one-sided they were whenever she took to the field, and Platinum even comments that her portraits on the gallery of champions all make it seem like she doesn't even age, adding a supernatural element to her legacy. All we know is that she's currently SilverAsh's bodyguard and no doubt part of why his faction is so formidable, as it would be for anyone who has a one-woman army on their payroll. When we are finally introduced to her formally in the narrative, she's all business, no non-sense, in the middle of her job, and boy howdy is she good at it: We know the kind of juice Rhodes Island Elite Operators have, they are really, really strong, and yet all Sharp can do is stall for time against her, with tacit understanding that no matter how much he tries, he is NOT overcoming her.

There is not a single thing anyone present on Doc's side can do to actually overcome Degenbrecher during Break The Ice, so the very best thing anyone could do was stall her. THAT is the winning move, or at least as close to one. She's that formidable, and then some. We only see her in business mode here, with a small glimpse to her more noble nature in that she is nothing but non-self aggrandizing compliments for Sharp for being able to even fight her, even if there is no chance he can beat her, because most people just take a single swing from her. When Doc's plan succeeds and we reach the climax, she simply sheathes, says "Well played", SA recalls her back to her pokeball, and we are left letting out a sigh of relief that we made it in time.

Then, for some more years after that, that's our impression of her: Unsurmountable. We don't know much more about her other than she is simply not someone you measure up to. This, by itself, isn't particularly unique, both as a concept or in the cast of Arknights, but it leaves you to wonder exactly what is she beyond being Unsurmountable. Who is she, actually?

Then, The Rides to Lake Silbernherze happens, where she is the main character, and after all those years of mystique and grandeur, of guessing and wondering, we finally can see her not as a plot device, but as an actual character: The very first scene is her covered in blood and raw jumping on a moving train for some mysterious purpose. Oh god, oh no, why is she soaked in blood already? Is she already in Terminator mode?

Then, in the best possible payoff of years of mystique and build-up, we learn that Degenbrecher, the person, not the plot device, the person, is fucking hilarious.

She's covered in blood because she stopped by a nearby farm to help farmers deliver a farm animal, which covered her in blood given how messy births are. She apparently didn't have to do this, and just opted to because, well, she was there, they needed help, and she's in a perpetual state of down to clown.

While pursuing possible dangerous elements to Kjerag later, she stops by to talk with tourists and recommend good spots to sightsee and eat before resuming her chase Looney Toons style.

She looks the same in the three champion portraits because she didn’t like the photoshoots so she skipped them. They were just reusing her photo.

She'll have the single most mundane conversations with the simplest people in midst of off-handedly mentioning that she quite enjoys fistfighting avalanches -- in a setting where this is not at all normal or feasible -- just to test herself. Reactions to her saying this vary from "hey is this a bit" to "oh, Degenbrecher, you card, we saw you do that the other day, next time I'll bring my camera".

She's a combination of Bugs Bunny, Sakamoto-kun, and Broly, and her main gimmick is that she's a reasonable, normal ass person in terms of personality sans the more overt feats of power like fistfighting avalanches. She's just Someone, who just happens to be mind-bogglingly strong and skilled with the greatsword and with swordbreakers.

This is doubly hilarious when you compare her to other one-woman armies we know: Nearl's dialogue is entirely composed of flowery promises for a better tomorrow and heroic declarations, Saria has woman pain 9000 and hasn't had a good day in years, Skadi is afflicted with survivor's guilt which in turn lead to a potent-self loathing and rationalizing her mere presence is what causes tragedy to those around her. Degenbrecher, in comparison, is just happy to be here, enjoys a good fight within reason, loves challenging herself, and honestly is quite content with stuff like paperwork or small talk. She's the friend you call to help you move or when your pipe busts or when you need someone to take care of your kid for a few hours if you're going to be late home due to work. And she puts her entire god damn pussy into it, too, you bet your kid is going to have the time of their life if Degenbrecher is on babysitting duty. Degenbrecher chips in for pizza night. Degenbrecher helps you change your flat tire.

The essence of Degenbrecher is that the rest of Terra is going through some really dire, really interesting times, to say the least, but she's on New Game+ just sort of doing side quests, overleveled as hell and with her shit figured out, and she decides to be as funny as possible about it.

[bittersw33t-lotus]

It’s a baby…

Ghosting series pt. 4

Simon “Ghost” Riley x Fem! Reader

Cw: not much here, just some talks of abandonment, hospital setting, ptsd (on Simon’s end). Overall series warning: Pregnancy, fem! Reader, angst.

A/n: again yall I apologize for such a late chapter after months, I’m tryingggg. Also sorry if this seems rushed. Also this chapter is not edited yet.

Previous chapter

The next couple of months, everything seemed pretty tame. You were able to get a good paying job as a secretary for a corporate office. The pay was pretty good for you and you didn’t have to do much, just sit at your desk all day, organize and plan scheduled appointment and events, handle customer services and deal with any complaints received. Although you did have to pay a hefty amount of money to buy clothing suitable enough to wear, the pricey office attire, not to mention needing to wake up pretty damn early to shower, do you makeup and hair to look presentable at work. But hey, at least you looked good doing your job.

Your bump was coming along too, you already had a pretty big bump which now meant you needed to buy more expensive clothes for work to better suit your growing belly. Your boss was okay, as long as you stayed on her good side and didn’t get out of line. You also worked with another secretary, Annie. Both of you working at the front desk, you on the left side, Annie on the right. She was a nice woman, in her early 50s, she worked on handing the employee schedules, approving time off requests, making sure everyone’s schedules worked together to prevent being short staffed, booked the company checks, and did payroll too. She was a pretty smart woman and liked to keep her peace. She always stayed quiet and minded her business which you liked but every once in a while, when there were slow days with nothing much to do, you both chatted and talked about random things in each others life. But you still kept it professional and didn’t overshare personal stuff.

It was a Friday, which you were excited, you couldn’t wait to spend the entire weekend just relaxing and just rot in bed all day. Maybe go shopping for the baby.

You haven’t brought much, you wanted to wait and see if you were having a boy or girl to find better suiting clothes for your baby, but you did have the essentials like the crib, diapers, wipes, car seat, etc. which most of it was graciously gifted to you by your sister and Jared.

You just about finished up your work before you went on lunch, once you did, you put up your ‘On Break’ sign up on your desk before you headed out of the building. You decided to treat yourself since it was Friday and you were really craving your favorite meal for a while. When you had left the building, you take notice of a shiny black truck parked on the sidewalk just outside the company’s parking lot, it looked brand new, and the windows were tinted to almost bitch black, you couldn’t see in there at all. You don’t know why you it caught your eye so much, maybe it just looked very expensive and shiny, but it also weirded you out with how tinted the windows were, it was a little off-putting. You shook it off as you continue to walk down the street, the restaurant wasn’t too far from your work.

Once you had ordered your food, you sat down and ate for a bit before heading back, on your way back, you looked ahead of you, and the truck was still there, except you caught a glimpse of small amounts of smoke emitting from it. You grew confused but as you grew closer you had noticed the driver side window was open, huffs of smoke came from within the truck. Someone was smoking in the, could they have been sitting in the car the entire time? Maybe they just got back from whatever it was they were doing and decide to take a short smoke break before leaving. Yeah, maybe that was it.

You sighed to yourself, you’ve always been a bit paranoid to the world around you, you’ve always had a suspicious attitude towards your surroundings when you were out in public. Maybe it was from all the time you’ve spent around Simon, he’s always been paranoid of things around him, there was definitely a small part of him suffering from ptsd.

You remember one time; it was the Fourth of July, Simon and you were home— not really celebrating the holiday just relaxing like any other regular day watching your favorite rom-com. You think Simon might’ve forgotten that it was a holiday that day since he never celebrated the holiday. Suddenly fireworks were set off down the block by some teens, simon was sitting next to you as you both watched the tv when you were nearly pushed to the ground as Simon jumped out of his seat and onto his feet, damn near ready to grab a gun and shoot someone’s head off their shoulders.

You quickly comforted him, grasping his forearm and bringing his attention to you as you had looked up at him. “Simon, it’s okay, it was just fireworks.” You told him, you looked into his eyes and was the way his eyes were fully dilated from the rush of adrenaline. He was hyper aware of every little thing around him, his breathing was fast and shallow but his body looked still, like he was calm. You wonder if this was how he was when he was out on the fields during development, it was scary yet also fascinating how fast he was and how he took in everything around him. It was so strange to see him like this, like you were now looking at Ghost.

As your words set in for Simon you watch his shoulders slowly relax as he blinks and remains his eyes on your face. He breathes deeply and places his hands on your waist, “Sorry.” He mutters as he goes to grab your hands to bring them around his shoulders before pulling you into his chest. You don’t say anything as you wrap your arms around him and lay your head in his shoulder. You could hear the way his heart beat in his chest, pounding profusely beating at a hundred miles an hour.

You shake your head as you run your hand through his hair softly, looking into his eyes you see how dilated his pupils are showing the adrenaline and fear running through his body. “You don’t have to apologize for nothing Simon. I’m here for you and will help you through anything. That’s what we promised each other right? To be there for each other through thick and thin.” She tells him. Simon chuckled as he looked at her seeing that his adrenaline has started to slowly subside.

“isn’t that kinda stuff saved to be said at weddings?” He asks.

you look to the side and shrug your shoulders. “I guess you’re right, but it I think it’s still worth saying. Like we’re giving each other glimpses of that day to come.” You tease him with and give a small chuckle as you look at Simon and see the corners of his mouth twitch up in a small smirk.

“Reckon you want a big shiny ring ‘ey?” He says as he suddenly took your left hand into his warm and big hand. He looks at your hand, as if admiring how small your hand was in his, imagining a big diamond ring on your ring finger. It made his heart race at the mere thought, a ring symbolizing his love and devotion for you. “I think I quite like the sound of callin’ you Mrs. Riley.” He mumbles as his finger grazes your fingers gently despite how much rougher and calloused his hands are compared to your soft and tender hands.

You’d never forget how much your face hurt after he said that because you couldn’t stop smiling nor calm your racing heart down that night after Simon said that. Imaging living your life carrying a ring on your finger, being announced as Mrs. Riley, Simon Riley’s wife.

You’re snapped back into reality, the sound of a car engine roaring as it drives off, you look up to see the black truck drive off down the road and turn a corner before disappearing to wherever it’s driving off to. Walking back into the building and returning to your desk, trying to forget the lingering thoughts of the truck and your unnecessary amount of paranoia that you supposed Simon had rubbed off on you.

The rest of the day was fine and somewhat normal after that. A week had passed, you were at your desk, as per usual, but today you were leaving work early to pay another visit to your doctor for your 22 week check up. Your were going to finally find out the gender of the baby. 6 months into your pregnancy, everything was going good so far, you had some pretty strange and interesting pregnancy cravings, you feet swelled up easily but thankfully with your job, allowing you to sit at your desk, it wasn’t much of a problem for you. It was a bit difficult however when it came to putting shoes on, picking things up off the floor. It was exciting to know you were so to meet your baby but you think Simon’s genetics were really showing through with how heavy your baby felt, it made you worry and dread the day you’ll give birth and have to push a huge baby out of you. You’ll definitely be getting the epidural.

The clock finally stuck 12:30, which meant it was time to head out. Your appointment was at 1:00 and you like to be early and on time, the hospital was only 10 minutes away but you never know how long the drive will take with the unpredictable traffic on the road.

you drive along the freeway towards the hospital, playing a soft tune of you music on the aux. the drive was relatively smooth and had a small bit of traffic but nothing too bad, that’s why you left thirty minutes early for.

arriving at the hospital, you walk in. The receptionist tells you to sit down in the waiting lobby. Walking into the lobby, there a few people in the room, three couples, two of three of the couples were a man and his wife or girlfriend, one couple were two woman. They were both obviously in a relationship and expecting a baby with the way the woman cradled her wife’s belly while holding hands with her other partners hand. They whispered and giggled about things you could t really hear much of from where you sat, but they seemed like they were joking and enjoying each other’s company while they waited.

there was two woman, one was visibly pregnant, the other, you couldn’t tell, maybe she was planning to, or in the early stages, or maybe she’s here for another reason. They sat in adjacent seats a crossing the room from each other. You decided to sit in the corner on the side by the woman who was heavily pregnant, she had pretty blonde hair, brown eyes, and seemed to be in her early twenties. She was reading one of the pregnancy magazines the lobby had to offer on the little coffee table I the center of the room.

you figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to read one of the magazines while you waited for your appointment. Grabbing a light magazine, on the cover was an image of a fetus growing in the uterus. The title being, “pregnancy 101; a guide for first time expecting mothers.”

sitting down on an empty chair, it was two seats away from the blonde woman. You quietly get settled into your chair and open the magazine, grazing over the page and looking at the pictures in the background of the paragraphs. You read the page for a few minutes until a voice broke you out of your concentration.

“first time mom?” A woman’s voice asks, you blink and pull your eyes away from your magazine and look over to your left to see the blonde woman. Her magazine was lowered to her lap and she was looking right at you with a soft smile on her face. Her voice had a hint of a southern accent, it made her sound soft and sweet.

You look at her for a minute and nod as you let out a soft chuckle looking down at your belly. “Yeah. What about you?” You ask.

The woman shook her head. “Second kid actually, my first just turned eight and he’s pretty excited for this kid.” She says.

You nodded at her words and smile, she definitely had that motherly voice and aura to her personality. She seemed like she knew what she was doing and what to expect. Guess that’s what happens for moms on their second child.

“How far along are you?” You ask her.

“Just hit my eight month mark, one month left.” She says with a hidden sigh of relief. You could tell she was excited and couldn’t wait to meet her baby soon. Her bump was pretty big from beneath her floral printed dress. “What about you?

“Six months. Im going to find out the sex today too.” You say. You can see her nod and glance at your bump.

“Sounds exciting! What’re you hoping for?” She asks you as she leaned against the armrest of her chair to talk to you better, the wait room had a soft music playing but it was relatively quiet besides the small chatter between you and the woman and the other couple.

You glance down at your belly for a moment, you never really thought about it, having a boy or a girl didn’t matter much to you. You were just hoping the baby was happy and healthy. As you thought about it, you thought of a little boy, chunky and handsome, a carbon copy of Simon. Then as you thought of a girl, you imagine she’d be beautiful and have the most gorgeous eyes that reminded you of Simon. Or maybe she could be your twin, a mini version of you. “I haven’t given it much thought. I’m just happy as long as my baby is healthy and happy.” You tell her.

She nodded at your answer, “I wish that’s what everyone wanted. It sometimes makes me sad to see parents expecting one gender only to find out their baby isn’t the one they want and they show anger or resentment for it.” She says with a soft sigh.

You nodded to her words as you thought about some of those videos you sometimes saw on social media, viral videos of gender reveals. Majority of the time, you saw the parents wanting a boy only to find out that they’re actually having a girl and acting out in frustration or disappointment, or voicing their anger. You understand sometimes people can hope for one thing and get gender disappointment but it was the way they seemed to act out in anger, sometimes it hurt more seeing how the parents would show distain after they found out they’re having a girl. “I know what you’re talking about, I’ve seen those kinds of videos. Sad to see that.” You tell her and she hummed in agreement to your words. “But uh… do you know what you’re having?” You ask her trying to change the direction of the conversation.

She nodded, “I’m having a boy. Double the fun having my oldest son and this one.” She jokes with a soft chuckle as you huffed a laugh with her. “Oh I’m sorry, it’s a bit rude of me to not have introduced myself, my name is Rosie.” She says offering her hand to you.

You take her nod and shake her hand for a second as you introduce yourself as well. “(Y/n), it’s nice to meet you.”

“A pleasure honey.” She says offering a heartfelt nod in response. “I don’t mean to be nosy but you plannin’ on having more kiddos after this one?” She asks him

You smile at her comforting and mother-like way of talking and personality. You shake your head to ease her concern of crossing the line, “it’s fine. As for planning on more, it’s going to be a hard no. I’m more than happy to just have one.” You say with a smile. “I wasn’t really planning to have this one but they’re a good surprise, at least to me…” you tell her as your voice slowly trialed off and seemed to grow weary.

Rosie seemed to catch an idea of what you were talking about. Her face seemed to drop as she gave you a sympathetic look. “I’m guessing the father isn’t in the picture…” She says in a low voice.

You nod and purse your lips as you subconsciously rub your belly. “Yeah but, I’ve come to accept it and I’m ready and confident that I can do this. We don’t need him anyways.” You say trying to sound confident, part of it is to convince yourself but to also to convince yourself. Sure you’ve saved up plenty of money and can financially support yourself and your baby, but mentally, you try and convince yourself that you’ll be okay alone raising a baby. But thinking about your baby growing up without their dad, never knowing Simon, it made your heart hurt. It’s gonna break your heart when your baby finds out that their own father didn’t want them, didn’t want to be in their life.

Rosie places a hand on your shoulder and gives you a soft smile. “Just know, your baby is lucky to have you and you’ll be an amazing mama. Screw him, you and your baby don’t need him, as long as you got each other and that you’re there for your baby. That’s all that matters.” She tells you.

You smile and nod at her words feeling a new hope and feeling in yourself after her words. She’s right. At the end of the day, you’ll both be okay as long as you two have each other.

“(Y/n) (l/n).” A voice announced your name. You look at the entrance of the waiting room to see Dr. Raven standing there and spotted you. You smile at her and stand up. Turning around to look at Rosie you give her a little wave. “It was nice meeting you Rosie, hope you and your family nothing but the best.” You tell her.

Rosie nods and smiled back. “You too (y/n), wishing you and your baby the best of luck.” She tells you before you turn back around and make your way to Dr. Raven.

“You ready for your check up?” Dr. Raven ask you.

You nodded you head as she leads you through the hall towards the ultrasound room. “Ready as ever.” You say with a big grin feeling the butterflies in your stomach rile up as you now realize that it won’t be long until you find the gender of your baby.

Reaching the room, you enter and lay on the chair leaning back as you lift up your shirt like routine when you come in for your checkups. Dr. Raven places the gel on your stomach before placing the transducer on your stomach spreading the gel around your bump. The familiar image of your womb appears on the screen as you spot your baby, a significant shape of your baby in view as they slowly twitch and move in the womb.

You smile at the screen admiring how far your baby has developed and getting closer to the day they finally arrive and get to hold them in your arms. “Alright, looks like baby is doing swell and looking as healthy as ever.” Dr. Raven says as she moves the transducer down to get another angel down towards the baby’s lower body. “And you wanted to know the sex of the baby am I correct?” She asks you.

You nod your head feeling the anticipation grow. “Yeah, I do.” You tell her.

Dr. Raven nods and focuses on the screen clicking a few buttons as the screen starts to zoom in more and take a few pictures of the sonogram.

“Alright you ready to find out?” Dr. Raven asks you with an anticipating look.

You nodded vigorously as you fell your heart race, resulting in the banter reacting with a small kick.

“You are having…” she says before pointed to the groin area of the baby.

“A girl.” She reveals.

You stare at the screen in awe as you feel a euphoric feeling flow through you as you couldn’t contain your smile as it grew wider. “A girl…” you repeat.

Everything felt like a dream, it’s like all your problems and worries disappeared and the whole world stopped just for you. In this moment as you stared at your baby girl. Your best friend that you get all to yourself and get the privilege to raise.

Forget about not having Simon in your lives, nothing else mattered now. It was just you two.

Just you and your baby girl against the world…

Taglist ★

(Idk why it isn’t letting me tag some of you guys, I don’t know how to fix that forgive me. If you wanna be removed from taglist, dm me <3 )

@wise-owl @sandyseagullsip @mileyraes @nicolebarnes @thychuvaluswife @going-through-shit @plus-ultra-girl @leonsgirlie @andieplum @nobodycanknoww @thegreyjoyed @demonking-69 @fxngsfxgxrty @natashamea18 @kylies-love-letter @blackhawkfanatic @leehoonii-i @xenop0p @sh1ga-to3s @nikkyevansdochen22 @mooievis @lunamoonbby @cherrycosmos392 @eevee-of-eternity @makimamybelovedwife @venavanup @amberpanda99 @simplyymee98 @callmeluno @stormy-stardust @ssc7514 @badbitchthings @moldypeaching @asteria33

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Meatspace twiddling

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me next weekend (Mar 30/31) in ANAHEIM at WONDERCON, then in Boston with Randall "XKCD" Munroe (Apr 11), then Providence (Apr 12), and beyond!

"Enshittification" isn't just a way of describing the symptoms of platform decay: it's also a theory of the mechanism of decay – the means by which platforms get shittier and shittier until they are a giant pile of shit.

I call that mechanism "twiddling": this is the ability of digital services to alter their business-logic – the prices they charge, the payouts they offer, the particulars of the deal – from instant to instant, for each user, continuously:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

Contrary to Big Tech's own boasting about its operations, the tricks that tech firms play to siphon value away from business customers and end-users aren't very sophisticated. They're crude gimmicks, like offering a higher per-hour wage to Uber drivers whom the algorithm judges to be picky about which rides they'll clock in for, and then lowering the wage by small increments as a way of lulling the driver into gradually accepting a permanent lower rate:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

This is a simple trick. The difference is that tech platforms like Uber can play it over and over, and very quickly. There's plenty of wage-stealing scumbag bosses who'd have loved to have shaved pennies off their workers' paychecks, then added a few cents back in if a worker cried foul, then started shaving the pennies again. The thing that stopped those bosses was the bottleneck of payroll clerks, who couldn't make the changes fast enough.

Uber plays crude tricks – like claiming that a driver isn't an employee because the control is mediated through an app – and then piles more crude tricks on top – this algorithmic wage discrimination gambit.

Have you ever watched a shell-game performed very slowly?

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-do-penn-tellers-famous-cups-and-balls-trick-in-12-steps

It's a series of very simple gimmicks, performed very quickly and smoothly. Computers are very quick and very smooth. The quickness of the hand deceives the eye: do crude tricks with superhuman speed and they'll seem sophisticated.

The one bright spot in the Great Enshittening that we're living through is that many firms are not sufficiently digitized to to these crude tricks very quickly. Take grocery stores: they can get up to a lot of the same tricks as Amazon – for example, they can charge suppliers for placement on the most prominent, easiest-to-reach shelves, reorganizing your shopping based on which companies pay the biggest bribes, rather than offering the best products and prices.

But Amazon takes this to a whole different level – beyond simply organizing their product pages based on payola, they do this for search. You ask Amazon, "What's your cheapest batteries?" and it lies to you. If you click the first link in a search-results page, you'll pay 29% more than you would if you got the best product – a product that is, on average, 17 places down on the results page. Amazon makes $38b/year taking bribes to lie to you:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens

Amazon can do more than that. Thanks to its digital nature, it can continuously reprice its offerings – indeed, it can simply make up each price displayed on every product at the instant you look at it – based on its surveillance data about you, estimating your willingness to pay. For sellers, Amazon can continuously re-weight the likelihood that a given product will be shown to a customer based on the seller's willingness to discount their products, even to the point where they go out of business:

https://www.businessinsider.com/sadistic-amazon-treated-book-sellers-the-way-a-cheetah-would-pursue-a-sickly-gazelle-2013-10

Twiddling, in other words, lets digital services honeycomb their servers with sneaky wormholes that let them siphon value away from one kind of platform user and give it to another (as when Apple silently began spying on Iphone owners to create profiles for advertisers), or to themselves.

But hard-goods businesses struggle to do this kind of twiddling. Not for lack of desire – but for lack of capacity. Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon Fresh – an online grocery store – can change prices and layout millions of times per day, at effectively zero cost. Jeff Bezos, owner of Whole Foods – a brick-and-mortar grocer – needs a army of teenagers on rollerskates with pricing guns to achieve a fraction of this agility.

So hard-goods businesses are somewhat enshittification-resistant. It's not that their owners are more interested in the welfare of their customers, workers and suppliers – they merely lack the capacity to continuously rejigger the way their business runs.

Well, about that.

Grocers have been experimenting with "electronic shelf labels" in order to do "dynamic pricing" – that means that prices change quickly, in response to circumstances:

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/06/1197958433/dynamic-pricing-grocery-supermarkets

This doesn't have to be bad! As @planetmoney points out, it's a little weird that grocers don't discount milk whose sell-by date is drawing near. That milk is worth less to shoppers, because they have to use it more quickly lest it expire. Instead of marking down the price of perishable goods – day-old lettuce, yesterday's bread, etc – grocers put them on the shelves next to fresher, more valuable products, leading to billions of dollars' worth of food-waste and and unimaginable quantities of methane-producing, planet-cooking landfill.

In Norway, ESLs are pretty well established and – at least according to Planet Money's reporting – they are used exclusively to offer discounts in order to reduce waste. They make everyone better off.

But towards the end of the story, they note that Norway's grocery sector – which alters prices up to 2,000 times per day – has been accused of using ESLs to rig prices, hiking them and blaming them on pandemic supply-chain problems and loose monetary policy. Greedflation, in other words.

Greedflation is rampant in the grocery sector, all around the world. Remember when the price of eggs doubled and they blamed in on bird-flu, even as the CEO of the one company that owns every egg brand you've ever heard of boasted about how he could hike prices and suckers would just pay it?

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/23/cant-make-an-omelet/#keep-calm-and-crack-on

In Canada, grocers rigged the price of bread, the most Les-Mis-ass form of corporate crime you can imagine (do you want guillotines, Galen Weston? Because this is how you get guillotines):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_price-fixing_in_Canada

EU grocers – another highly concentrated industry – also collude to rig prices:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/17/how-to-think-about-scraping/

Which is all to say that while these companies don't have to use the twiddling capabilities that come with ESLs to enshittify their stores, we'd be pretty fucking naive to assume that they won't.

And here's the bad news: US grocers like Whole Foods (owned by Amazon, the company that wrote the enshittification playbook) are already experimenting with ESLs. So is Alberstons/Safeway, the massive, inbred conglomerate that has already demonstrated its passion for using twiddling to fuck over their workers:

https://knock-la.com/vons-fires-delivery-drivers-prop-22-e899ee24ffd0/

Economists love "price discrimination" – where prices change based on circumstance, trying to match the perfect price with the perfect customer. On paper, that sounds plausible: if I need a quart of milk for a recipe I'm making tonight and I get a 50% discount on some about-to-expire 2%, then everyone's better off. I get a discount and the grocer gets some money for milk they'd have to throw away at the end of the day.

But these elegant, self-licking ice-cream cones only emerge if the corporation offering the deal is constrained. Perhaps they're constrained by competition – the fear that you'll go elsewhere. Or perhaps they're constrained by regulation – the fear that they'll be punished if they use twiddling-tech to cheat you.

The grocery sector, dominated by a cartel of massive companies that routinely collude to rip us off, is not constrained by competition. And for years, regulators let them get away with ripping us off (though finally that might be changing):

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/21/us/politics/grocery-prices-pandemic-ftc.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ek0.t2Pr.g4n2usbxEcoa

For neoclassical economists, the answer to all this is "caveat emptor" – let the buyer beware. If you want to make sure that ESLs are only used to offer you discounts and not to gouge prices, all you need to do is note the price of everything you buy, every time you buy it, and triple-check it every time you go back to the grocery store. Just be eternally vigilant!

Thing is, the one thing computers are much better at than humans is vigilance. With ESLs and other twiddling mechanisms, you're a fish on a hook, and the seller is tireless in giving you a little more slack, then a little less, until you finally drop your guard.

Economists desperately want these elegant models to work, but "efficient market hypothesis" is a brain-worm that always turns into apologetics for fraud. Dynamic markets sound like a good idea, but they are catnip for cheaters. "Just be eternally vigilant" is miserable advice, and no way to live your life:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

In his brilliant novel Spook Country, @GreatDismal describes augmented reality as "cyberspace everting" – that is, turning inside-out:

https://memex.craphound.com/2007/07/31/william-gibsons-spook-country/

The extrusion of twiddling technology from digital platforms into the physical world isn't cyberspace everting so much as it is cyberspace prolapsing.

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/2024/03/26/glitchbread/#electronic-shelf-tags

[gatitties]

Hello!!! Can I ask you something?

I wanted to ask for a super cute Scenario or headcanons, where in One Piece's AU, Shanks is a businessman who has a very good salary and is married to YN who is a super kind and attentive housewife who treats Shanks like a king, because he always is working and always getting very tired from work and still pleases YN with gifts and taking her out on days off, they don't necessarily have kids, that's you decision

shanks wants his wife to be the happiest wife in the world!!!

─Shanks x wife!reader

─Summary: it doesn't seem like you can get a second of rest, but your husband surprises you with some gifts.

─Warnings: modernAU

this is so cute hjhsajh 😳

You narrowed your eyes as you saw the vase slightly further to the right, moving it a couple of centimeters so that it was exactly in the right spot, in the same place you put it every day after doing a big cleaning of the house.

You sat on the neat couch, scanning the living room for anything still missing out of place, smiling at your good work, although the smile soon disappeared when a slight back pain broke your good mood bubble, the pain had intensified lately since Shanks had some meetings in his personal study, so you did your best to make everything as organized and clean as usual.

It was a bit sad since he spent many hours busy, although he always made up for it on the weekends when he had his days off, however the company had to resolve some issues regarding some clients and employees, collections, payroll, settlements… there were always months filled with a lot of work and you both ended up so exhausted that you didn't even have a single moment to talk for days.

Today seemed like it was going to be one of those days where you were waiting with a glass of wine, eating dinner alone in the kitchen, you knew that if Shanks hadn't arrived by a certain time, you shouldn't make dinner for two, and you were about to get to cook, you only managed to cut a couple of onions when you screamed when you felt a strong arm lift you slightly from the ground, your shock faded when you felt the redhead's presence.

"I thought you wouldn't come today."

"Surprise!"

He joined his lips with yours sweetly, when he put you back on the ground, he left for a second to return with a small bouquet of roses and a wrapped box, you frowned strangely at the detail, Shanks was not a person who usually did gifts like that, yes, he would buy you things, but he would just arrive and give it to you unwrapped or he would just ask you if you want that thing directly.

"What is this? Oh don't tell me I forgot about our anniversary or-"

Your worried tone and nervousness for having forgotten some important date was cut by the man's lips, who left a trail of short kisses all over your face, making you laugh like a fool in love, he smiled at this.

"No, I'm the most likely to forget that kind of thing love, it's just a gift! Can't I spoil you a little? I know how much it costs to maintain a home, plus your sore muscles..."

He took your hands in his, rubbing circles with his thumb on your knuckles, you melted under his touch, pulling him to your body to sink into a comfortable embrace, you breathed in his scent slowly, burying your face in his shoulder, he let you hold the position. As long as you needed, Shanks didn't care if you spent hours hugging him, he would enjoy every second of contact. You pulled away a couple of minutes later, turning your attention now to the box he had left on the kitchen counter earlier next to the roses, curious about its contents, he urged you to open it, even he seeming more excited than you by the gift.

"Oh… how did you know this was what I wanted? I don't remember telling you about it yet."

Although both you and Shanks used to share certain things that you needed or would like to have for possible birthday, anniversary or Christmas gifts… you still hadn't had the opportunity to tell him that this was what you were thinking of buying as a self-gift for your next birthday.

"A husband's intuition never fails, and look, there are more things!"

Looking at the bottom of the box you pulled out two stiff papers that seemed to be hidden, a silly smile decorating your lips as you read them.

"Spa and massage session for two?"

He raised and lowered his eyebrows with a mischievous smile, you laughed, hitting his shoulder, hugging him again as a way of thanking him, you felt a little bad for not having a gift for him right now, since you weren't the only one who needed a break from time to time from work, but you made a mental note to look for something that he might like.

[fuck-customers]

There's one lead who is generally very nice and easy to get along with and I mostly like working with her.

Except for one thing.

One day, she was making small talk and asked me how long I'd been working there and I told her 5 years. Ever since hearing that, she has decided that I have been here too long to not be a lead and is pushing for me to become a lead. She says she's told our store manager to promote me, but I'm not sure if she actually did or not.

Which is sweet in theory....except I have absolutely no interest in becoming a lead.

1. The lead position is not a full-time position, so I'd nearly double my workload for the same amount of hours, maybe 4 hour more a week. (Our schedule shows all of the employees hours, so I can clearly see what the leads are being scheduled and I've personally confirmed with multiple leads that they're not getting extra hours that aren't on the schedule)

2. The responsibilities of leads include nearly all of a store manager's responsibilities, with the exception of hiring/firing employees and giving raises or anything to do with payroll. (However, I've seen past managers make leads interview potential new hires and report back to the store manager about how good of a fit the new hire would be. So in some cases, a lead would also have to do some store manager exclusive work without the extra pay. Which sounds illegal to me.)

3. Every day, there's time slots where 1 lead is scheduled as the only manager, so when some Karen demands to see a manager, they have to stop their extensive list of tasks to get screamed at by a Karen, which brings me to my next point:

4.. Leads only get paid $2 more per hour than regular employees, which combined with the lack of hours and all of the responsibilities they have, it is not worth it to me. I understand it would look good on a resume, but not good enough.

I've explained all of these reasons to this lead at some point- admittedly, I don't have the time at work to go into this much detail, but I've definitely given her the highlights and I know I've repeatedly told her that I actually would accept a promotion to lead/manager if it was a guaranteed full-time position, but I absolutely won't do all of the above-mentioned tasks for the same hours I'm currently getting.

Also...why bother? Our company is likely going out of business soon. It would be like becoming a manager at Bl0ckbuster a month before shutting down. Who cares?

Posted by admin Rodney

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Hey, if you shop at a small business on Fridays, please still go shop at that small business tomorrow. My local comic shop put up an explainer on Insta that they need their regular Friday business to do things like make payroll and pay the mortgage. One of the reasons I'm against the boycott tomorrow is because it says it's about taking on the big companies that rolled back DEI but also said you weren't supposed to shop anywhere at all, which makes the message of the boycott very muddled.

If you love and support your local businesses, please keep up with your regular shopping routine if you have one. Those small businesses need their expected income to keep open.

[koseigu]

“go on. don’t let me distract you.” hands on sukuna’s thighs, hooking over the waistband of his pants. moments later, the only warning he gets is the warmth of breath fanning over him before he’s buried to the hilt in suguru’s throat.

son of a bitch.

it's the end of the year, a final look at budgets and inventory after the holiday season, tracking all sorts of expenses from rent to payroll and everything in between. sukuna likes to do it all himself first, not trusting anyone else with the behind-the-scenes of it all much like he doesn't really trust anyone with the front-end of the business either.

suguru is an exception. uraume too. the brat, if he's not sneaking pastries for him and his boyfriend.

point is, he keeps the circle small because anything else is an unnecessary distraction from his very focused pursuit of a thing he enjoys beyond compare—good food, good drink, good company. his clientele is as diverse as the menu and that doesn't happen without his particular brand of determination.

not saying he isn't interested in fun. the drugs and the smoking and the drinking and the aforementioned suguru are testament to that.

"fuck," he drops his pen, instead choosing to press his hand against the back of geto's head to keep him in place while his hips twitch and then rock eagerly into the heat of his mouth. "it's a little hard not to be distracted when you act like this, sweetheart."

@gravesung

[myobsessionsspace]

Learning More About The Music Industry and Understanding Who Calls The Shots.

There has been quite a bit of discourse in relation to the individual rollouts of the members and their solo endeavours.

BTS gave us an as open and honest intimate conversation as they could within the limits of still being mindful of company and personal business. They told us then and time and time again since then what they wanted to do/show.

Since the festa 2022 dinner what they talked about coming out since then is all but nearly done, j-hope, Jin, RM, JIMIN and SUGA have all released solo projects, showed different genres, different sides of themselves, made video game OST, interned at their favourite video game company, guested on several variety shows, worked with huge global artists, promoted home and abroad, headlined festivals, intimate performances, performed in galleries, performed and won domestic music shows, Disney documentaries and a solo tour!

Jungkook is now at the beginning of his solo promotions as the second to last member of the seven to delve into his solo career.

The members from what they spoke about during the festa 2022 dinner have seemingly achieved what they intended to.

I'm not writing to take any individual member's 'side'.

Some members have been vocal in what exactly they have had their hands in, how happy they felt with their involvement in the creative, marketing & promotional aspects of their solo endeavours.

However the discourse has been building among ARMY in regards to the different ways promotion, marketing, and the perceived level of autonomy/control each member has in their solo career and the perceived level of input/support from their company and members.

I'm not going to talk about those perceptions, I'm not going to highlight the differences in each members solo activities, solo output.

I want to bring back, a tiny bit, the reality of the music industry.

BTS Made Hybe!

No question, when BTS joined Big Hit it was a very small, relatively new company. I've spoke about this in a previous post.

Big Hit, before the introduction of Hybe, housed solo artist Lee Hyun, relatively new group TomorrowxTogether and BTS.

After the general public were introduced to Hybe and til date, several companies have joined the Hybe family, such as Pledis, Adora and others.

We would think that BTS would pretty much run the company alongside their Chairman

However that is not the case and not only that, BTS are now NOT Hybe's main and sole focus.

Some things that I have kept seeing brought up a lot is 'global vision', 'accelerate global operations' and 'formula for global success.'

It is *my* understanding that one of the current goals for Hybe is to be able to replicate BTS' UNPRECIDENTED global success again and again, with current artists under Hybe and new artists. This includes the members as solo artists as well.

Whilst ARMY know the names of each of the members and refer to them personally more often than not, we only know the artists we are allowed to know.

We don't know them as employees and that is what they are under Hybe, employees of an entertainment company.

But BTS are Shareholders!

Though the members are shareholders, in comparison to other shareholders, it is still a token stake in the company at best, less than 1.5% stake in the WHOLE company for bangtan as a whole (if equally split by 7 members it’s 0.2%, that’s the rough hypothetical amount of ‘leverage’ each member has!)

The company still has thousands of nameless, faceless (to ARMY) employees under their payroll, the company still have thousands of nameless, faceless people who are invested in the financial wellbeing of the company, and they will not and do not want to be dependant solely on BTS and ARMY.

Their main concerns and considerations will never be to BTS or ARMY but to what guarantees them money longterm and with the least risk. The company’s unspoken but widely understood goal *in my opinion* is to be significantly less dependent on BTS in particular and any one group thereafter. They aim to prove it’s the company that gives success, not any one group or one member that gives the company success. They don’t want their signees to have power over them, they want to tilt the scales back so it is the company that has power over the signees as it has been historically UNTIL BTS.

When we feel disgruntled with a lot of the product that we get from the members, we need to remember we are seeing the END RESULT.

There is a long line and different processes it goes through before it gets to ARMY & the general public. Who has they final say, who allows what, who pushes what, how much does the company allow the individuals to have control over and when do they tighten the leash?

Ultimately it would start from the top and as much as we would want it to be and believe it deserved, its not BTS at the top of the pyramid, but these two and others.

[nobossinc]

CASH FLOW: The Bloodline of Business

See Into Your Financial Future

In the dynamic world of entrepreneurship, success hinges not only on brilliant ideas and strategic planning but also on mastering the art of cash flow management. Cash flow, often referred to as the lifeblood of a business, is the movement of money in and out of your business, and understanding its importance is paramount for new entrepreneurs.

The Importance of Cash Flow

Cash flow is the heartbeat of your business, fueling its daily operations, growth initiatives, and long-term sustainability. Here's why it's crucial for new entrepreneurs:

Survival and Stability: Positive cash flow ensures your business can cover its day-to-day expenses, such as rent, utilities, payroll, and inventory. Without sufficient cash flow, even the most promising ventures can falter and fail.

Opportunity and Growth: Healthy cash flow provides the flexibility to seize opportunities for expansion, innovation, and investment. Whether it's launching new products, entering new markets, or scaling operations, a robust cash flow empowers entrepreneurs to pursue growth with confidence.

Identify potential cash flow problems early on.

Make better business decisions.

Attract investors and lenders.

Debt Management: Effective cash flow management helps entrepreneurs avoid excessive reliance on debt to finance their operations. By maintaining positive cash flow, businesses can reduce interest expenses, improve creditworthiness, and mitigate financial risk.

Risk Mitigation: Anticipating and managing cash flow fluctuations allows entrepreneurs to identify and address potential risks before they escalate into crises. By maintaining a buffer of cash reserves, businesses can weather unexpected challenges and maintain financial stability.

 The History and Complexity of Cash Flow Statements

In 1987, the Financial Accounting Standards Board mandated that firms provide cash flow statements. Following this, in 1992, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued International Accounting Standard 7 (IAS 7), titled Cash Flow Statement, which took effect in 1994, requiring firms to provide cash flow statements.

Two primary methods exist for calculating cash flow: the direct method and the indirect method. The Direct Cash Flow Method involves totaling all cash payments and receipts, including payments to suppliers, receipts from customers, and salary disbursements. This method is simpler, particularly suited for very small businesses operating on a cash basis accounting method.

However, most companies utilize the accrual basis accounting method, where revenue is recognized upon earning rather than upon receipt. This distinction leads to a disparity between net income and actual cash flow. Consequently, certain items, such as accounts receivable (AR), inventory, taxes payable, salaries, and prepaid insurance, necessitate reevaluation when calculating cash flow from operations. For many new entrepreneurs, navigating these intricacies can be challenging.

New entrepreneurs may find that traditional Cash Flow Statements are not immediately beneficial to their business endeavors, and are better left for their accounting software to generate and for an Accountant to review. Instead, their efforts are best directed towards the daily activities of the business: documenting transactions, monitoring cash flow, and making informed decisions in real-time. By prioritizing day-to-day cash flow management, entrepreneurs can sustain financial stability and swiftly respond to changes in their business environment. It's more valuable for them to gain a thorough understanding of the inflows and outflows of cash within their business operations.

What affects cash flow the most?

Typically, sales and revenue affect cash flow the most, though this can vary from business to business. An increase in sales generally contributes positively to cash flow, while a decline can hinder cash flow. 

Additionally, expense management can make a huge difference in a company’s cash flow as it directly impacts the amount of cash retained. The timing of payments also plays a crucial role — even profitable businesses can face cash flow issues if it doesn’t manage the timing of receiving payments and settling financial obligations like debts and payroll.

What causes a lack of cash flow?

Declines in sales or revenue, high expenses, and slow-paying customers can cause a lack of cash flow. Ineffective financial management or a lack of planning can also contribute to cash flow shortages, which is why adopting technology to help you track expenses is crucial for business.

A Groundbreaking Tool for Tracking Cash Flow:

Because cash flow management is imperative for business success, NOBOSS has a more practical and efficient approach to handling finances on a day-to-day basis: the Cash Requirements report.

This innovative tool provides entrepreneurs with real-time insights into their cash needs, allowing them to anticipate, plan, and manage financial resources with precision and agility.

By leveraging the Cash Requirements report, entrepreneurs can stay ahead of cash flow challenges, make informed decisions, and optimize their business operations for sustained growth and profitability.

Managing Cash Flow with the Cash Requirement Report

With Cash Requirements report, managing cash flow becomes not just a necessity, but a strategic advantage in navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship.

For new entrepreneurs, mastering cash flow management requires a proactive approach and a solid understanding of key principles.

Here's how the Cash Requirements Report identify and manage cash flow effectively:

Track Cash Flow: Update and diligently tracking your cash inflows and outflows on a regular basis.

Forecast Cash Flow: The beauty of this report is that you can see into your financial future!  Develop cash flow projections to anticipate future income and expenses based on historical data, market trends, and business objectives. This forward-looking approach allows you to plan ahead and make informed decisions.

Manage Accounts Receivable: Accelerate your cash flow by invoicing promptly and following up on overdue payments. Implement clear payment terms, offer incentives for early payment, and consider using online payment platforms to streamline the billing process.

Control Expenses: Evaluate your business expenses regularly and identify areas where costs can be reduced or optimized. Negotiate favorable terms with suppliers, scrutinize discretionary spending, and prioritize investments that yield the highest return on investment.

Build Cash Reserves: Establish a buffer of cash reserves to cushion against unexpected expenses, seasonal fluctuations, and economic downturns. Aim to maintain a healthy cash balance that covers at least three to six months' worth of operating expenses.

Monitor and Adjust: Continuously monitor your cash flow performance and adjust your strategies as needed. Stay proactive in addressing cash flow challenges, seizing opportunities for improvement, and adapting to changes in the business environment.

 These six essential steps to identifying and managing cash flow are seamlessly integrated into the functionality of the Cash Requirements report. This powerful tool empowers new entrepreneurs with the same level of financial insight and leverage enjoyed by big businesses.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Cash flow management is a fundamental skill that every entrepreneur must master to build a resilient and thriving business. By recognizing the importance of cash flow, implementing proactive strategies, and staying vigilant in monitoring and managing cash flow, new entrepreneurs can navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship with confidence and unlock the full potential of their ventures. Remember, cash flow isn't just about survival—it's about laying the foundation for long-term success and prosperity.

[pettyrevenge-base]

Deny Me a Raise Because You Want to Steal My Husband? Enjoy Unemployment!

Many moons ago (think early 2000s) I worked for a small tech company in the midwest. I started out as a customer service rep. My husband also worked there in a higher level position in a different department.

There was an office manager there who did not like me at ALL when I got hired. She originally was a billing rep, and got moved to the office manager position when the original one who hired me quit. As an added note, her brother also worked there in the same department as my husband.

I was pretty much a model employee. My stats were great, I was always on time, and customer feedback surveys were always glowing when I was on shift. However, it seemed like she had it out for me, because she was always trying to find something to nitpick about my performance. I divulged all this to my husband, and he admitted that prior to us getting together and before I was hired, she had expressed interest in dating him but he rejected her.

I complained to the owner, but he pretty much just shrugged it off, because she had been there forever and he didn't want to rock the boat.

Come performance review time and she gave me a terrible review, and a tiny raise, along the lines of everyone else on the team getting 50 cents to a dollar per hour raise, and she gave me a nickel.

About 6 months later, there was a big shake up in the company, and the general manager and two higher level people from my husband's department left to work at another company who did the same type of business. Shortly there after, a couple big accounts my boss was pursuing ended up going to the other company. Thinking that perhaps information about the accounts he was trying to land was leaked to the other company, he sent a couple people home (with pay) for two days while he investigated, including the office manager who hated me.

On day two, he met with the team and confirmed that there was no leak, so he would be bringing the workers back in.

Queue petty revenge. I had found the office manager's blog some time ago, and she had been posting frequent updates since the shakeup. When she was sent home, she posted multiple updates about the situation, including how she figured the owner would screw up payroll, not pay taxes, and get in trouble with the IRS. She also posted some pretty derogatory things about the owner. She did make a feeble attempt to keep it anonymous by spelling everyone's names backwards and making up a fake name for the company, but it was very clear it was her and our company she was talking about.

After the team meeting, I asked to meet with my boss alone and showed him all the posts. He dug in and found even more damning stuff she had written, including how she couldn't stand me and wanted to get me fired (I hadn't even seen that post until then!).

I couldn't contain my shit-eating grin when she returned to the office, only to be told to pack up her stuff and go.

Within a year I had a big pay bump and a promotion to management, and I assume she is off somewhere making people miserable.

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

[thebookkeepersrus-blogs]

Bookkeeping Mistakes Made By Small Businesses: How To Avoid Them

Small and Medium-sized businesses are eager to grow, but they often miss the fundamentals like understanding the value of Bookkeeping which may undermine business procedures.

Accounting is often overlooked by business owners who consider it easy. Incorrect accounting and bookkeeping processes may adversely impact any company’s finances. Recurring bookkeeping errors can actually bankrupt your business.

Bookkeeping Mistakes

Keeping financial records is a very important part of running a business, big or small. Bookkeeping that is accurate and well-organized makes sure that your financial records are up-to-date and precise, which helps you make good decisions and compliance with legal policies.

There are however some mistakes that small businesses often make with their books. Here are some of these mistakes.

Failure To Keep Records

Some small businesses fail to keep accurate financial records, which can lead to confusion and errors. Record-keeping is an essential process in organizing your financial records. Adopt best practices and create a system for organizing and storing your financial documents. These relevant documents may include invoices, receipts, and bank statements. It is helpful to consider using accounting software to automate the process and centralize everything.

Irregular Reconciling of Accounts

Failure to reconcile your bank and credit card accounts on a regular basis can lead to inconsistencies and inaccuracies. Reconciliation entails matching your financial records with your bank and credit card statements. Reconcile your accounts on a regular basis and resolve any discrepancies quickly to avoid problems.

Combining Personal and Business-Related Finances

It is critical to separate your personal and business finances by avoiding using personal accounts for business transactions. This can complicate bookkeeping and make it difficult to accurately track expenses and income. You must establish a separate business bank account and use it solely for business transactions.

Inconsistent Categorization

It is critical to properly categorize your income and expenses for accurate financial reporting. Refrain from inconsistent or ambiguous categorization, as it can make evaluating of your company’s financial health a lot more difficult. It will be helpful to create a chart of accounts with distinct categories that correspond to your field of business and use it regularly.

Neglecting Cash Transactions

Small businesses often transact in cash, which can be overlooked easily and not properly recorded. To ensure that cash transactions are accurately accounted for, use cash registers, petty cash logs, or digital tools. Better yet, set up a system for keeping track of and documenting all cash transactions, including sales and expenses. 

Failure To Keep Track of Receivables and Payables

Failure to maintain track of unpaid invoices (accounts receivable) and bills to be paid (accounts payable) might jeopardize your cash flow and client-vendor relationships. Use accounting software with invoicing and payment tracking features to implement a structured strategy for monitoring and following up on both receivables and payables.

Mishandling Payroll 

Payroll can be complicated, and mistakes can have legal and financial ramifications. Keep up with advances in payroll requirements, calculate wages and taxes accurately, and make timely payments to employees and tax authorities. To ensure accuracy and compliance, consider adopting efficient payroll software or you can also outsource payroll duties. 

Failure To Keep Backup of Records

Financial records might be lost because of corrupted data, hardware failure, or other unanticipated factors. Back up your financial data on a regular basis and keep it secure. Cloud accounting software can back up your data automatically to add an extra degree of security. 

Neglect To Track and Remit Sales Taxes

If your company is obligated to collect sales taxes, it is critical that you track and remit them appropriately. Understand your sales tax duties, register with the proper tax authorities, and maintain accurate sales and tax collection records. To simplify the process, consider employing seamless sales tax automation software.

Doing-It-Yourself

This is a critical error that can have serious consequences for your company. Because bookkeeping is a complex process, it is best to seek professional help from a bookkeeper or accountant to set up and review your bookkeeping system on a regular basis. They can assist you in avoiding mistakes, providing financial insights, and ensuring tax compliance.

You can reduce the likelihood of these frequent errors and retain accurate financial records for your small business by being proactive and following appropriate bookkeeping practices with the help of expert bookkeepers and record-keepers.

How to Avoid Bookkeeping Errors

To avoid bookkeeping errors some proactive steps must be taken by small business owners. This may include familiarizing yourself with basic bookkeeping principles and practices to help you navigate your financial records effectively and make informed decisions. 

This can be further established by using a good bookkeeping system coupled with reliable accounting software. As a business owner, it is important to invest in a reputable accounting software solution that suits the needs of your business and reduces errors. 

In addition, it is important to reconcile accounts regularly to ensure your financial records match financial statements to help identify discrepancies and errors promptly.

Keep meticulous records by maintaining detailed records of all financial transactions and accept that it is always best to seek professional assistance from reliable bookkeepers and record-keepers who specializes in small business finances. 

By implementing these practices, small business owners can reduce the likelihood of committing bookkeeping errors while maintaining accurate financial records. 

The Bottomline

When you own a company, you put yourself in a position to take advantage of many different possibilities, including the chance to learn from your errors. When it comes to making mistakes, the key to success is to steer clear of those that are readily apparent and cut down on others as much as you possibly can. Remember that good bookkeeping and record-keeping practices contribute to informed decision-making and long-term business success.

Consider this list seriously and implement its suggestion so you will be well on your way to running your business in profitable ways and expanding it in all ways possible.

There is more that you can achieve with the most reliable team of professional bookkeepers and record-keepers. Visit us now and get started!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Picks and Shovels Chapter One (Part 2)

Picks and Shovels is a new, standalone technothriller starring Marty Hench, my two-fisted, hard-fighting, tech-scam-busting forensic accountant. You can pre-order it on my latest Kickstarter, which features a brilliant audiobook read by Wil Wheaton.

This week, I'm serializing the first chapter of my next novel, Picks and Shovels, a standalone Martin Hench novel that drops on Feb 15:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865908/picksandshovels

The book is up for presale on a Kickstarter that features the whole series as print books (with the option of personalized inscriptions), DRM-free ebooks, and a DRM-free audiobook read by Wil Wheaton:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/picks-and-shovels-marty-hench-at-the-dawn-of-enshittification

It's a story of how the first seeds of enshittification were planted in Silicon Valley, just as the first PCs were being born.

Here's part one:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/09/the-reverend-sirs/#fidelity-computing

And now, onto part two!

Rivka Goldman was the only woman in Sales Group One, this being the group that serviced and supported synagogues and their worshippers. She’d traveled all around the country, sitting down with men who owned garment factories, grocery stores, jewelry stores, delis, and other small businesses, training their “girls” in the use of the Fidelity system. It could handle business correspondence, company books, payroll, and other functions that used to be handled by four or five “girls”—who could all be replaced with just one.

Rivka was the only woman, and often it wasn’t she who made the sale, because the men who owned these businesses talked to other men. It was her male colleagues in Sales Group One who closed those sales and pocketed the commissions, but Rivka never complained.

“She was very good at it,” the rabbi told me. “She had a knack for computers, and for explaining them. The girls she trained, they learned. When they had troubles, they wanted to talk to her.”

Sister Maria-Eva Fernandez led a very large, all-woman team that ran mostly autonomously within Sales Group Two, a group that exclusively serviced parochial schools across the U.S., with a few customers in Central America. She was a product of these schools—she’d graduated from Christ the King in Denver and gone straight from there into the order, doing some student teaching before finding her way to Fidelity Computing via an internal talent search that filtered down to the convent from the archdiocese.

Like Rivka, Sister Maria-Eva was a natural: she could patiently train school administrators, their secretaries, department heads, and even individual teachers on the use of the Fidelity system. A couple of schools—fat with money from wealthy patrons—had bought entire classrooms’ worth of machines, creating programming labs for ambitious high-schoolers, and they were universally a success.

“We valued her, we praised her, we sent her to the national sales conference to lead workshops and share her expertise,” Father Marek said. “She was a star.” He spat the word.

Elizabeth Amelia Shepard Taylor didn’t have to go on a mission, but there was never any question but that she would. Her family had been prominent in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for over a century, and, as the eldest of eleven kids, she had a familial duty to set an example.

She had hoped for a posting in Asia—she’d studied Cantonese and Japanese in high school—but instead she drew San Jose, California. She staffed the Mission House, helping the boys who knocked on doors all day, serving as den mother, big sister, and the object of innumerable crushes.

She’d found a women’s computing club via a notice at the local library and had taken turns with four other women—two her age, and two retirees—prodding at a pair of Commodore PET computers, learning BASIC. Her letters home to her family were filled with the excitement of discovery and mastery, the esoteric world of assembly language that she’d dived into with the help of books and magazines from the library.

When her father heard that Fidelity was recruiting, he wrote her a letter. The same day she’d received it, she’d written a letter to Fidelity Computing Ltd., typing it up on the used ZX80 she’d bought at a swap meet (“for the Mission House”). It arrived at Fidelity in a #10 envelope, three neatly printed pages with the rough edges of fanfold paper that had had its perforations separated. The last page was all code examples.

She was promised a job by return post, starting the day she finished her mission, and she never ended up going back to Salt Lake City—just got a Caltrain train to the Daly City station and met with a Bishop Clarke’s personal assistant, a young man named John Garn who had done his mission in Taipei and chatted with her the whole way to the office in Taiwanese, which she laboriously parsed into Cantonese.

“She whipped Sales Group Three into a powerhouse,” Bishop Clarke said, with a sad shake of his head. “We went from last to first in under a year. Outsold the other two divisions combined, and we were on track to doubling this year.”

The three women had met at the annual sales conference, a huge event that took over the Fort Mason Center for a long weekend. Most of the event was segregated by sales group, but there were plenary sessions, mixers, and keynote addresses from leading sales staff that helped diffuse the winningest tactics across the whole business.

“We think they met in a women’s interfaith prayer circle,” Rabbi Finkel said. Father Marek made another of his disgusted grunts, which were his principal contributions to the conversation. Rabbi Finkel inclined his head a little in the priest’s direction and said, “Not everyone agreed that they were a good idea at first, but the girls loved them, and they created bonds of comity that served them well.”

“We don’t have a lot of turnover,” Rabbi Finkel said. “People like working here. They do well, and they do good. People from our faith communities sometimes feel like the future is passing them by, like their religion is an anchor around their necks, keeping them stuck in the past. A job here is a way to be faithful and modern, without sacrificing your faith.”

The bishop nodded. “When they turned in their resignation notices, of course we took notice. As Rabbi Finkel says, we just don’t get a lot of turnover. And of course, these three girls were special to us. So we took notice. I met with Elizabeth myself and asked her if there was anything wrong, and she refused to discuss it. I asked her what she did want to discuss and she went off on these wild tangents, not making any sense. I wrote a letter to her father, but I never heard back.”

“Rivka is a good girl,” the rabbi said. “She told me that she still loved God and wanted to live a pious, modest life, but that she had ‘differences’ with the teachings. I asked her about these ‘differences,’ but that was all she could say: ‘differences, differences.’ What’s a difference? She wants to uncover her hair? Eat a cheeseburger? Pray with men? She wouldn’t say.”

Father Marek cleared his throat, made a face, glared. “When Sister Maria-Eva ignored my memo asking her to come see me, I called her Mother Superior and that’s when I discovered that she’d left the order. Left the order! Of course, I assumed there was a man involved, but that wasn’t it, not according to her Mother Superior. She had taken new orders with a . . . fringe sect. It seemed she was lost to us.”

Check out my Kickstarter to pre-order copies of my next novel, Picks and Shovels!

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/2025/01/10/smoke-filled-room-where-it-happens/#computing-freedom

[primefacilitymaintenance]

Office Space Cleaning Services: How Professional Janitorial Services Boost Workplace Hygiene

Especially in the post-pandemic world, a clean and hygienic workplace should be a necessity, not just a best practice. With workers returning to offices and collaborative spaces, companies are putting cleanliness at the top of the agenda to safeguard health, inspire trust, and support productivity.

That is where Office Space Cleaning Services comes into play. From sanitizing commonly touched surfaces to deep-cleaning common areas, professional teams help keep your work environment safe and inviting.

Investing in Professional Janitorial services not only helps in improving hygiene, but it also works towards living a healthy lifestyle for employees, reduces sick days, and boosts the brand. Whether you are managing a small office space or running a corporate facility, the difference can be made by the cleaning methodology you choose.

Office Space Cleaning Services That Support a Healthier, More Productive Workplace

A clean workplace has a direct impact not only on employee health but also on employee morale and overall productivity. Dusty desks, dirty restrooms, and unclean communal lounges quickly result in the spread of germs, sick days, and a lack of focus. Common germ hotspots such as door handles, shared equipment, and break rooms often don't receive regular attention.

Abandoned office environments may also harbor allergens and contribute to poor indoor air quality, upsetting not just comfort but long-term health.

That’s why Office Space Cleaning Services are more than just a cosmetic upgrade, they’re a vital element in running a safe and productive workplace. Professional Janitorial Services provides a reliable, high-quality cleaning that promotes productivity in your employees and your company’s reputation.

Office Space Cleaning Services and the Role of Professional Janitorial Teams

Cleaning your office space is very important in maintaining a productive, safe, and inviting environment. Here are the ways Professional Janitorial Services supports businesses with more than just surface-level cleaning:

Comprehensive Cleaning Solutions

Routine cleaning tasks such as dusting, vacuuming, trash removal, restroom sanitation, and floor care are provided by professional janitorial services. They also provide more advanced services such as disinfection, deep-cleaning, and even improving the quality of air to meet health and safety standards.

Use of Industry-Grade Equipment and Eco-Friendly Products

Professional crews utilize commercial-grade equipment and certified eco-friendly products. This offers a more thorough cleaning experience while ensuring lower environmental impact and a healthier occupational setting.

Custom Cleaning Protocols for Office Environments

Every office is different. They create personalized cleaning routines and to-do lists that are tailored according to your space, operating hours, and unique hygiene needs to ensure that cleaning is practical and does not interrupt the work atmosphere in the office.

Office Space Cleaning Services That Save Time and Money

Regular cleaning by Outsourced Office Space Cleaning Services will save a lot of money in the long run and offer consistent quality that in-house teams can rarely guarantee. This is how it brings real value to your business:

Lower Staffing and Overhead Costs

It can be costly and time-consuming to hire, train , and manage an in-house cleaning crew. Here are some reasons why outsourcing your cleaning is a perfect solution: Outsourcing gets you to avoid the payroll cost, employee benefits, and administrative tasks, whilst giving you access to skilled cleaning professionals.

Fewer Sick Days and Improved Business Continuity

In shared office spaces, regular, thorough cleaning minimizes the spread of germs. This means healthier employees, decreased sick days, and less disruption in day-to-day operations.

Consistent Results with Fewer Complaints

Professional janitorial services operate in teams that use strict cleaning protocols and best practices in the industry. It means more consistent performance, less downtime, and no need for cleanup.

Office Space Cleaning Services That Prioritize Health & Safety Compliance

Keeping an office clean is not only about looks; it is also a fundamental requirement in terms of health and safety protocols. This is how professional office space cleaning services ensure compliance and promote a healthier workplace:

Supports OSHA and Health Code Compliance

Professional cleaning teams know the rules: they follow OSHA standards and local public health guidelines, reducing the risk of violations and fines.

Prevents the Spread of Germs and Viruses

Regular cleaning of such high-touch areas like doorknobs, desks, and shared equipment also helps minimize the transfer of bacteria and viruses and protects both employees and visitors.

Professional Janitorial Services with Consistent Quality

Utilizing professional janitorial services with expertise will employ consistent cleaning methods with EPA-approved products and processes for the office environment.

Protects Employee Wellness and Productivity

A clean, sanitized workspace creates a healthier environment, minimizes sick days, and increases overall morale and productivity.

Office Space Cleaning Services: How to Choose the Right Office Cleaning Partner

The choice of a cleaning services office space provider plays a crucial role in building the aesthetic of the office working environment and helps in the operation of the business as a whole. Here’s what you may want to keep in mind while choosing a cleaning partner:

Licensed, Bonded, and Insured Providers

Look for a company that is fully licensed, bonded, and insured so you know their service is up to industry standards and your property is protected.

Proven Track Record & Great Client Reviews

Find reliable companies that have good reviews and a history of providing reliable and quality service. Testimonials from previous clients can give you a better understanding of the company’s image and reputation.

Trained Staff

Having a professional team trained to use the right equipment and know-how to thoroughly and hygienically clean your office, following industry standards to avoid pathogens.

Transparent Pricing & Flexible Contracts

Look for a provider with clear, upfront pricing based on no hidden fees and that offers flexible contracts to accommodate your unique cleaning needs.

Conclusion

In the modern workplace, maintaining hygiene, safety, and productivity is vital, and that is where professional janitorial services come in. Good office space cleaning services guarantee that your workers work in a clean and healthy environment, decreasing sick days and enhancing morale

A tidy office is a direct reflection of your brand’s professionalism and care towards your employees.

Ready to elevate your workplace hygiene?

Schedule a free cleaning consultation or site visit and experience how our tailored services can make an impact.

[assitsbay]

How Assist Bay’s Smart Payroll Solutions Empower Bookkeepers in the UK & Caribbean

Managing payroll can be one of the most time-consuming and compliance-heavy tasks for bookkeepers. Whether you’re supporting a small business in London or a growing company in Barbados, the challenges are similar — ensuring accuracy, meeting deadlines, and navigating complex local regulations.

Bookkeepers, Streamline Your Payroll Process with Ease

Bookkeepers often serve as the backbone of small to mid-sized businesses. You manage everything from general ledgers to VAT filings — but when it comes to payroll, the stakes are higher. Delayed filings or miscalculations can lead to fines, penalties, and frustrated clients.

Assist Bay’s Smart Payroll Solutions simplify and automate these pain points with a system that adapts to your workflow while meeting region-specific compliance standards. Whether you’re serving clients in the UK or the Caribbean, we ensure accurate payroll processing every single time.

Key Benefits of Assist Bay’s Payroll Services for Bookkeepers

✅ 1. Hassle-Free Payroll Management

Forget about spreadsheets and late-night reconciliations. Our end-to-end payroll solution handles

● Salary calculations

● Tax and NI deductions (UK)

● NIS, PAYE, and local payroll contributions (Caribbean)

● Payslip generation

● Direct deposits

● Year-end reporting

This means you no longer have to juggle multiple systems or second-guess numbers. We deliver reliable, on-time processing every pay cycle.

✅ 2. Region-Specific Compliance

Payroll compliance requirements vary significantly across jurisdictions. For example:

● UK businesses must comply with HMRC regulations and Real-Time Information (RTI) submissions.

● Caribbean countries like Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, or Barbados have unique statutory rules, including NIS thresholds and tax bands.

Assist Bay stays updated with local labour laws, tax codes, and filing deadlines. We ensure all payroll filings and deductions are accurate and submitted on time — so you and your clients stay fully compliant, wherever you’re based.

✅ 3. Trusted by Bookkeepers Across Industries

From independent bookkeepers to outsourced accounting firms, Assist Bay partners with professionals who support diverse industries — retail, hospitality, healthcare, and more.

Why do bookkeepers choose us?

● White-label support: We work seamlessly under your brand or alongside your team.

● Scalable solutions: Whether you manage 2 or 20 client accounts, our services grow with you.

● Client satisfaction: You retain full control while we handle the heavy lifting behind the scenes.

Why Choose Smart Payroll Services Over DIY Solutions?

While manual systems or basic payroll software may work for very small operations, they quickly fall short as your client base expands. Issues like missed deductions, incorrect tax codes, or inconsistent reporting can damage your professional reputation.

Smart Payroll services from Assist Bay are:

● Automated: Reduce manual data entry and human error.

● Flexible: Customize pay cycles, benefits, and deductions by client.

● Secure: Safeguard sensitive data with encrypted file transfers and cloud-based access.

Focus on What Matters Most — Your Clients

As a bookkeeper, your time is best spent analyzing financials, guiding business decisions, and helping your clients grow. Payroll should support that — not slow you down.

With Assist Bay’s Smart Payroll Services, you gain:

● More time to focus on strategic work

● Confidence that payroll is always compliant and up to date

● A reliable partner who understands both the UK and Caribbean business environments

Let Assist Bay Be Your Smart Payroll Partner

At Assist Bay, we believe in empowering bookkeepers with the tools and support they need to thrive. Our Smart Payroll services are more than just software — they’re a partnership designed to deliver real value to you and your clients.

[triridbilling]

Why Small Businesses Need Accounting Software: Key Benefits

Starting and carrying on a small business is very thrilling, but at the same time, it also has an entirely different dimension of challenges. From managing the customers to managing the inventory, it sometimes just seems impossible to juggle all things on one plate. Financial management is an area that usually gets neglected. Many small entrepreneurs still prefer manual bookkeeping, which often proves to be inefficient and costly error. Enter accounting software. If you want an automated tool that simplifies your entire financial function, please come and check out our full Features Page to see how our software can assist. Let's delve into why small and tiny businesses need accounting software and its main benefits.

1. Perfectly Streamlining Financial Management

Managing finances in the manual way will absorb most of your time. Accounting software allows for all the automated activities such as invoices, payroll, and everything else in between. Instead of spending most of your time running spreadsheets, revert to producing reports with the push of a button; hence, reduce time spent as well as human errors. This streamlined process helps you focus on business development activities rather than being consumed in paperwork.

2. Accurate and Real-Time Financial Data

Accounts software is one of the most significant benefits of making use of accounting software. Manual bookkeeping often has errors, and then you have to juggle everything doing so multiskilled. The accounting software goes the extra mile to automatically total the figures, taxes, and expenses you have incurred. It could make your financial data accurate and up-to-date. Because of this accuracy, you will be driven to having informed decisions.

3. Enhanced Cash Flow Management

Cash flow-the lifeblood of any small company. Accounting software makes it easier than ever to track in-and-out cash in real time, allowing you to keep a close and accurate eye on your financial existence. It lets you know when invoices are due, creates client reminders for paying, so there's no last-minute."

4. Simplifying Tax Filing

Tax filing is a pretty tough ball game for every small business owner. However, with accounting software, you can track all deductible expenditures and create tax reports with clicks. That all makes filing much less cumbersome and stressful in the tax season. Moreover, accurate records will not allow someone to miss potentially beneficial tax deductions that could have saved substantial amounts.

5. Safe and Accessible Information

In this digital world, safest security is given more preference. Accounting software guarantees security through a cloud-based system where your financial information is also safeguarded against thievery or calamities. With the system, you can access your data from anywhere, whether you are in your office, home, or on the road. This provides flexibility for you to keep track of your business finances from wherever you are.

6. Scalable for Business Growth

As your business grows, the accounting needs also increase. Manual processes tend to get more and more complicated as the transaction volume multiplies. Accounting software is designed to scale with your business, allowing you to handle increasingly complex financial tasks as you expand. Whether you recruit new employees or expand the product offering, your accounting software will be able to adapt to your changing needs.

7. Better Financial Decision Making

The more accurate and clear real-time financial data is, the more informed your decisions will be. Whether you are intending to invest, hire staff, or expand, the data from accounting software will facilitate weighing or evaluating those options. With clearer visibility into your business's financial health, a strategy can be streamlined to build a financially solid future.

Conclusion

Accounting software is a necessity, not a luxury for small businesses. Nothing satisfies and organizes small business owners better than automating financial processes, offering real-time data, and improving cash flow management. For those who have not yet implemented accounting software in their small businesses, it's time to get on board and enjoy the much-trumpeted benefits.

This post was originally published on https://tririd.com/why-small-businesses-need-accounting-software-benefits/

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