#Virtualized mobile core

[omshinde5145]

The Growing Virtualized Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) Market: Driving Next-Gen Connectivity

The Virtualized Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) Market was valued at USD 8.1 billion in 2023 and will surpass USD 23.5 billion by 2030; growing at a CAGR of 16.4% during 2024 - 2030. At the heart of this transformation is the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), the core network architecture for LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and 4G networks. However, as the demand for data grows and the transition to 5G accelerates, traditional EPC systems are struggling to keep up. Enter the Virtualized Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) – a next-generation solution that is redefining how networks are built and managed.

Understanding vEPC

Virtualized Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) refers to the deployment of EPC functions using Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) technology. In a traditional EPC, network functions like the Serving Gateway (SGW), Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW), and Mobility Management Entity (MME) are implemented on dedicated hardware. In contrast, vEPC decouples these functions from physical hardware, allowing them to run as software instances on standard, off-the-shelf servers in a virtualized environment.

This shift to virtualization brings numerous benefits, including improved flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. By leveraging NFV, service providers can dynamically allocate resources based on demand, scale their networks quickly, and reduce capital and operational expenditures. This makes vEPC an essential component in the evolution towards 5G networks and beyond.

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Market Growth Drivers

The vEPC market is experiencing robust growth, driven by several key factors:

5G Rollout: As 5G networks become more widespread, the need for scalable and flexible core network solutions is paramount. vEPC provides the necessary foundation for 5G by enabling faster deployment, efficient resource utilization, and the ability to support diverse use cases, from enhanced mobile broadband to massive IoT connectivity.

Increased Data Traffic: The exponential growth in mobile data traffic, fueled by video streaming, social media, and IoT applications, is putting immense pressure on traditional network infrastructures. vEPC allows service providers to handle this surge in data traffic more effectively, ensuring seamless connectivity and improved user experiences.

Cost Efficiency: Virtualization reduces the need for expensive, proprietary hardware, enabling service providers to lower their capital and operational expenditures. Additionally, the ability to scale resources up or down based on demand helps in optimizing network costs, making vEPC a more cost-effective solution compared to traditional EPC.

Network Slicing: A key feature of 5G is network slicing, which allows operators to create multiple virtual networks on a single physical infrastructure, each tailored to specific applications or services. vEPC plays a critical role in enabling network slicing by providing the flexibility and agility needed to create and manage these virtual networks efficiently.

Rapid Time-to-Market: In today’s fast-paced environment, the ability to launch new services quickly is crucial for staying competitive. vEPC enables service providers to reduce the time-to-market for new services by streamlining network deployment and management processes.

Market Challenges

While the vEPC market presents significant opportunities, it also faces challenges that could impact its growth:

Interoperability Issues: As vEPC involves integrating various network functions from different vendors, ensuring interoperability can be challenging. Service providers must carefully select compatible solutions to avoid integration issues that could lead to network performance degradation.

Security Concerns: Virtualized environments can be more vulnerable to security threats compared to traditional hardware-based systems. Ensuring robust security measures are in place is critical to protect sensitive data and maintain network integrity.

Skills Gap: The transition to virtualized networks requires new skill sets that may not be readily available within existing telecom teams. Investing in training and upskilling is necessary to fully leverage the benefits of vEPC.

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The Future of vEPC

Looking ahead, the vEPC market is poised for continued growth as more service providers embrace virtualization and move towards 5G. The flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency offered by vEPC will be key to supporting the diverse and demanding use cases of future networks. As the technology matures, we can expect further innovations in areas such as automation, orchestration, and edge computing, all of which will enhance the capabilities of vEPC and drive its adoption.

[bhavanameti]

Virtualized Evolved Packet Core Market Projected to Reach $19.87 Billion by 2031

According to the latest publication from Meticulous Research®, the virtualized evolved packet core (vEPC) market is projected to reach $19.87 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 19.3% from 2024 to 2031. This growth is driven by the significant increase in mobile data traffic volumes and the rising demand for high-speed data services. However, data security risks associated with vEPC infrastructure pose challenges to market growth.

[daytaker]

Sins, Virtues, and Motivations: A Critical Analysis of Characters in Shall We Date?: Obey Me!

In this essay, I will argue that each demon brother some of the demon brothers can be associated with a sin (no duh), a virtue, and a core motivation--and that this motivation is best pursued through a synthesis of that sin and that virtue. Hegel would be very proud. Yes, this is critical media analysis. No, I will not try to explain the twisted, broken path that led me to this point in my life.

I will be looking at Lucifer, Mammon, and Levi in this study. Their core sins are obvious - Pride, Greed, and Envy. Their accompanying Virtues and Motivations are listed below.

I used the Seven Heavenly Virtues for this little game. These are Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance, Faith, Hope, and Charity.

They should not be confused with the Seven Capital Virtues, which are inversions of the Seven Deadly Sins. These are Humility, Charity, Kindness, Patience, Chastity, Temperance, and Diligence. I tried these first and damn were none of them easy to match up. Tell me, fandom for this mobile game designed for players to lust over hot demon men, which brother should have the "chastity" virtue?

Lucifer

Core Sin: Pride. Core Virtue: Fortitude. Core Motivation: To protect his family.

Lucifer's core motivation is to protect his brothers. He looks at this as a sort of penance for the outcome of the Great Celestial War. He knows that he's the reason they rebelled, and he feels responsible for their wellbeing. He is able to endure the relentless pressure of the responsibilities he puts on himself thanks to his core virtue, fortitude.

Fortitude is strongly associated with courage. Specifically, it is courage in the face of pain and adversity. We see him displaying this trait any time those he cares for are in jeopardy, and it often helps him make difficult decisions where neither outcome is ideal. Lucifer is decisive, canny, and accepts the consequences of his choices, good or bad.

His driving motivation is also bolstered by his core sin: pride. He views himself as ultra-competent, while his brothers consistently make mistakes; beyond that, it's only natural that he take responsibility for the choices of his brothers (like the choice to join him in rebelling) because he is so significant an influence as to virtually rob them of their autonomy.

This has led to Lucifer having a somewhat toxic relationship with his brothers. Lucifer often acts as a parental figure rather than a peer, while the rest of them are all in arrested development of some sort, often acting more like kids than the adults they insist they are.

Lucifer either doesn't recognize that by doing everything for the family on his own, he's stemming their ability to grow and learn, or he does know the consequences of what he's doing and he feels conflicted about it. He ultimately blames himself for the fact that they're all in the Devildom in the first place, living as avatars of sins to the extent that they struggle to function as independent adults.

So, while fortitude and pride allow Lucifer to simulate the act of protecting his family, it's a matter of perspective whether controlling every element of their lives is protection or harmful coddling.

Mammon

Core Sin: Greed. Core Virtue: Charity. Core Motivation: To be valued and valuable.

Mammon is simultaneously a vessel of greed and its inverse, charity. This is because his core motivation is twofold, and those are the rewards of greed and charity; to be valued - to fulfill a want, to be desired, to look flippin' cool - and to be valuable - to fulfill a need, to have inherent worth, to serve a purpose.

Setting aside his unhealthy relationship with money, let's examine how Mammon behaves and what his deeper interpersonal motivations tend to be. He clearly places a high value on his brothers and MC, and he has shown on multiple occasions that he is willing to put himself at risk to help or protect them. Early on in both the original game and in NightBringer, Mammon attempts to heroically rescue MC (and his younger brothers, in NightBringer). In both cases, though, Lucifer shows up and does it for him. Mammon's pursuit of his core motivation clashes with Lucifer's quest for his, and Lucifer is strong enough to simply take it from him. Although in NightBringer he and his brothers do earn the not-insubstantial reward of the title "Lords of the Underworld" after Lucifer's rescue, he appeared so dejected by Lucifer's oneupmanship that he spent a good portion of the next day sulking. In the original game, Mammon wants MC to promise that they won't be saved by anyone else besides him in the future. It appears that his greed for an improved status in his interpersonal relationships is left unfulfilled.

Mammon wants to be heroic - to be valuable - and he wants to be admired for it - to be valued. The cognitive dissonance that accompanies motivations like these is all that sustains a person with such a diminished sense of self-worth.

Speaking of a diminished sense of self worth...

Leviathan

Core Sin: Envy. Core Virtue: Hope. Core Motivation: To find joy in the things that give him joy.

Confusing motivation? Yes it is. But envy is a confusing sin. All the other sins--pride, greed, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth--are enjoyable to indulge on some level. Losing your temper when you feel you've been wronged, or eating a bunch of delicious food, or sleeping through the snooze alarm: We know why we do those things. We might regret them later, but we indulge them in the moment because of the enjoyable side.

There is nothing enjoyable about envy. Wanting something that isn't yours, that belongs to someone else, be it tangible goods, talents, a partner, a job... is nauseating. And it makes you feel like a bad person, and it drains the joy out of things that you used to love. Speaking from personal experience for a second, when I was a teenager, I played music in a company with a much younger musician who was incredibly talented, and I was deeply envious of her. I wanted her talent; I wanted the praise she received; I wanted to impress people; I wanted what she had. But there was nothing I could do. I hated feeling that way, but I couldn't shake it. And it ate away at my desire to play music. It took the joy out of something that once gave me joy.

You see the connection?

Levi struggles to find pleasure in anything he does, despite how many interests he has, because, in spite of his blustering dismissal of all things "normie", he is deeply envious of those he perceives as his social superiors. Now, I am not in any way saying that Levi is or would be an inc3l, but there's an element of his character that has a strong parallel to inc3l culture. The idea that there is something fundamentally wrong with him that prevents him from achieving what he wants socially and that the only way he can protect himself from those who would ridicule him is with a defensive contempt for the group that rejects him... Does any of that sound familiar?

But Levi is not an inc3l. No, not because you're willing to **** him and his two *****, though I'm sure that helps. It's because he has his core virtue: hope.

Have you ever heard of the black pill? It's kind of like the final stage of inc3l culture, where you accept that you're not an alpha male, you'll never be one, you'll never be accepted by a woman, you're ugly and unloveable, and you might as well just stop existing. It is sheer despair.

Levi maintains hope for the future, even if he prefers not to admit it out of fear of jinxing himself. He is able to form a deep bond with MC, who he views as a "normie", without renouncing his hobbies or being mocked for them. In fact, I would argue that the anxiety Levi sometimes displays over the possibility of being made fun of (for example, in NightBringer when he considers trying out cosplay) is emblematic of the hope he has that he can be accepted.

"But wait, daytaker," you say. "That doesn't sound like he's making progress towards his core motivation of getting joy out of the things that bring him joy! Being self conscious is not joyful!" Well, you're right. What Levi needs is to somehow find the right balance between enjoying his hobbies and allowing himself to enjoy other people as well. As we can see from his effusive excitement in sharing his favorite games and stories with MC and his brothers, the social component of media consumption is a major component in making it enjoyable. If Levi loses hope, he loses that connection to the world offline, and if he loses that connection, he loses the joy.

@blackstqr (I did it.)

[pico-farad]

I've been watching Vrains for the first time, and I finished season 1

some thoughts below (a lot. a lot of thoughts below)

Setting & Setup

The setting is a very smart choice, and the highlight of Vrains in my opinion.

The aesthetic is relevant, it integrates well with Konami marketing its mobile games, and it neatly deals with the problem every Yugioh series has to address of how to make consequences for duels that can be safely broadcast on children's television (aka the shadow realm / sent to the stars problem)

The virtual world opens up so much possibility in how to present things. 

In the character and setting designs, obviously, but also, the duels have their own visual identity. They don't need to play cards on a duel disk or hold cards in their hand, cards will just appear and disappear in pixels (it also probably saves on their animation budget). The duel grid and other visualizations can show up as they're relevant. And seeing the character take gashes to their avatars is dramatic while still being kid-friendly.

Every Yugioh needs its peanut gallery to react to the duel and be explained to, and Vrains incorporates them the most easily of any series, since they don't need to be physically present.

Kill the frog and the pigeon though.

On the topic of duels, I like both link summoning and speed duels.

I like the spacial/positioning element of link summoning, it puts an additional layer on top of "little monsters make big monster."

And speed duels have all the advantages of turbo duels, allowing for dynamic action, visual metaphor for the tide of the duel, and the ability to change locations without sacrificing pacing, all while requiring less suspension of disbelief than card games on motorcycles. It's easy to take for granted, but the heist sequences wouldn't work at all if they had to be standing duels. 

I also liked this about season 1 of 5Ds, where there's two modes of dueling (turbo duels and ground duels). The contrast between speed duels and master duels is fun.

Skills are cool too, though I feel like they could have designed better ones. Seeing Yusaku drop below 1000 got kind of predictable.

And finally, there is rich thematic potential in this kind of virtual setting. Themes about our relationship with social media, video games, artificial intelligence, and tech corporations are very relevant and have depth. I don't have the highest of hopes for Yugioh tackling them, based on how this first season has gone, but I'll withhold judgment on this until I'm finished.

Yusaku

I like Yusaku. He's blunt, but he's not edgy like I thought he would be. He's actually kind of nice toward Naoki when they meet. The three things tic is charming. I like his hacker deck, it's probably my favorite protagonist deck theme after Elemental Heroes.

Yusaku's problem is not that he's boring per se, but he isn't really put in any interesting situations in S1. 

A lot of his duels are just him being challenged to a duel he has no interest in (Go, Blue Angel, Ghost Girl), he beats them, and they don't actually end up forming a relationship or establishing a dynamic. Because their characters don't have anything to do with each-other except mutually not wanting the bad guys to do bad things.

Yusaku gains allies, but he doesn't make friends. He starts off with his only real relationship being Kusanagi, and that doesn't really change by the end of the season (and his relationship with Kusanagi is not very developed either).

Now, there is a reason for this, which is I think the core of Yusaku's character in S1. It's that due to the traumatic event of his childhood, time has stopped for him. This is very real for victims of traumatic events, being unable to move forward in their lives, develop relationships or think about the future, because their minds are still stuck in the past. This is why Yusaku seeks his revenge. It's not revenge he's seeking, it's closure.

This is a theme that's worth exploring. The problem is that I don't really think they explore it, not sufficiently enough for me to give them credit. If they were exploring it, they could have shown Yusaku reckoning with the divide between him and others in a number of ways. 

Most chiefly, by forcing him to make friends anyway. This is Yugioh goddamnit. The opportunity was right there with Naoki, but it's just played as a joke. Instead, most of this theme is squeezed in at the end of the final duel vs. Revolver, and without the proper build-up, the moment of Yusaku renouncing his revenge and reaching out to be friends with Revolver doesn't land nearly as strong as it could have.

If there is one relationship that Yusaku maybe develops though, it's...

Ai

The relationship between Yusaku and Ai should be what the show hinges on, based on the premise, Ai's status as the "partner," and glimpses I've seen of them through fandom.

Ai is the inciting incident of the story, his existence drives the plot forward, because Hanoi wants him, but Yusaku has him, and Ai doesn't want anything to do with either of them. This premise is gold. It's rife with dramatic potential. Ai is forced to work together with his captor. Yusaku is forced to work together with this goddamn annoying AI. They are both just trying to use the other, but end up developing a bond.

Or at least... that's what I think should have happened...

Very little happens between them in season 1, and it either goes nowhere, or comes out of nowhere. Ai tries to escape, but that thread is just dropped and forgotten. Various Hanoi guys hint that the Ignis can't be trusted, but it doesn't really faze Yusaku because he already doesn't trust Ai. The same thing happens when Revolver reveals that Ai is his counterpart from the Lost Incident and has known it this whole time.

There's only one turning point in their dynamic, which is in the second to last duel vs. Revolver, where Ai uses his body as a shield so that Yusaku can use Storm Access. And even then, Ai says it's because if Yusaku loses, Revolver will kill him. But that's been their entire dynamic for the season anyway? Why is this positioned as the emotional moment where they become partners?

By the end of season 1, they're... allies. The same as the rest of the characters on Yusaku's side. But if there was one character Yusaku should have made friends with, it's Ai. Especially if they are positioning for a humans vs. AI conflict.

His design is cute though.

Go

Go's problem is that he needs to be integrated into the story and cast. Aoi at least has a relationship with her brother and Ghost Girl. Go is connected to... some nameless orphan children, a nameless manager, and a childhood orphan friend who shows up for 5 seconds, is put into a coma in order for Go to have a motivation to duel Genome, and never appears again.

Go isn't a best friend character, and he's not a rival either. He's not even a friend character, period. He really just seems there to be a third duelist.

Does he even know about the Lost Incident, or why Playmaker is even fighting Hanoi? Go has no clue what the plot even is, how can he be involved in it? My guy is living in a different story.

It's a shame, because Go does have some interesting bits to his character. Being a charisma duelist is central to his character (unlike Aoi, whose relationship to charisma dueling seems to end at being a cute idol girl), which could have been used to explore the culture of Link Vrains and the performativity of online spaces.

This is tied to some kind of theme he has going on of dueling for others vs. dueling for yourself. It's brought up in contrast to Yusaku, and why he initially dislikes Playmaker. All of that could have been interesting, but it doesn't really get a full treatment.

Revolver

Revolver is fine as a season 1 antagonist. He's not really a character yet, but I'm interested in where they take him from here. His backstory is sympathetic honestly. It's a pretty familiar and tragic situation, where a child narcs on their parent, who isn't even a good parent, but then comes to regret it.

I also think Revolver is sympathetic because I would nuke the internet in a heartbeat.

His Link Vrains design is cool. Mirror Force is funny, so are the gun dragons. The final duel vs. Yusaku was sick honestly, I loved the extra extra link.

Anyway, I still enjoyed season 1 and think there's room to take a turn for the better. In my experience, there's two kinds of yugiohs, the ones that start off strong, and the ones that end strong. My suspicion is that Vrains is the latter.

On to season 2! Time to meet everyone's favorite Salad king :^)

Hm? Was there someone I missed?

ha ha...... you get your own post, Aoi.

[margaretoakgrove]

HEISENBERG'S METAL ARMY

● HAULER

Mutant corpses revived by the Cadou parasite, the Haulers were modified by the vengeful engineer Karl Heisenberg, using electrodes from attached headgear of his own creation to stabilize their neural activity. Despite the 1.01s having combat capabilities that's virtually non-existent, the Haulers were repurposed as slaves that serve as workers and low-level guards under Heisenberg's control.

Humanoid appearance

Surgically mounted headgear

Capable of wielding handheld weapons with accuracy

Ashen complexion

Limited mobility, slow moving

Moderate intelligence

Heightened aggression

Moderate physical strength, durability and endurance

Crystallization of cellular structure after death

��� SOLDAT EINS

Empowered by the mutagenic Cadou and industrial technology, the Soldat Eins were the basic grade of soldier from Lord Heisenberg's army of mechanized corpses. A more proficient machine of murder thanks to its Cadou Control Reactor and weaponized prosthetic, the Eins series would be the first of many variants to utilize the dead for the Village Lord's vendetta.

Humanoid appearance

Surgically mounted headgear

Exposed reactor replacing heart

Singular arm replaced with mechanized industrial drill implant

Ashen complexion

Limited mobility, slow moving

Moderate intelligence

Heightened aggression

Heightened physical strength, durability and endurance

Crystallization of cellular structure after death

Detonation of reactor core after sustaining significant damage

● SOLDAT ZWEI

An upgrade to the Soldat Eins bioweapon, the Zwei series were augmented with dual industrial-grade drills to remove the weakness of their necrotic flesh. With their Cadou Control Reactor relocated to a less conspicuous spot on their patchwork body, a single Soldat Zwei is capable of annihilating multiple targets endowed with the mutant parasite in a singular minute.

Humanoid appearance

Surgically mounted breathing apparatus

Exposed reactor replacing heart relocated to upper back

Both arms replaced with mechanized industrial drill implants

Ashen complexion

Limited mobility, slow moving

Moderate intelligence

Heightened aggression

Heightened physical strength, durability and endurance

Crystallization of cellular structure after death

Detonation of reactor core after sustaining significant damage

● SOLDAT JET

A flight-based variant of the Soldat Enhancement Development Project, the Jet series were developed for more mobile soldier amongst Lord Heisenberg's mechanized army of the undead. Equipped with rocket engines and head stabilizing wings, the Soldat Jet's three-dimensional maneuverability can get across even the most rugged terrain in combat deployment.

Humanoid appearance

Equipped with crude armor-like scrap metal encasing upper body

Equipped with rocket engines and head stabilizing wings for flight

Exposed reactor replacing heart

Both arms replaced with mechanized industrial drill implants

Capable of short distanced aerial attacks

Moderate intelligence

Heightened aggression

Heightened physical strength, durability and endurance

Crystallization of cellular structure after death

Detonation of reactor core after sustaining significant damage

● SOLDAT PANZER

An armored mutant from Lord Heisenberg's Soldat Enhancement Development Project, the Panzer series were engineered as soldiers with absolute protection against conventional firearms. Encased in full-body aluminum alloy armor, the Soldat Panzer are formidable bioweapons amongst Heisenberg's arsenal with their unyielding defense and overwhelming destructive power.

Humanoid appearance

Exposed reactor replacing heart

Overall body encased in crude armor-like aluminum alloy

Both arms replaced with mechanized industrial drill(s) implants

Ashen complexion

Limited mobility, slow moving

Moderate intelligence

Heightened aggression

Heightened physical strength, durability and endurance

Crystallization of cellular structure after death

Detonation of reactor core after sustaining significant damage

● STURM

A prototype Soldat-based bioweapon developed by Lord Heisenberg, the Sturm's turbo-prop aircraft engine in place of its torso makes it an unbeatable force through head-on confrontations. Deemed a failure due to its uncontrollable nature and self-destructive capabilities, the Sturm was instead utilized as a subterranean executioner for Heisenberg's factory.

Humanoid appearance

Surgically mounted turbo-prop engine to upper body

Exposed reactor replacing heart

Loss of hands and forearms due to oversized propeller

Low intelligence

Heightened aggression

Superhuman physical strength, durability and endurance

Crystallization of cellular structure after death

Detonation of reactor core after sustaining significant damage

[bestworstcase]

Hello! I’ve enjoyed reading your rwby analysis posts, especially the things you’ve had to say about Penny. The amount of care you put into thinking and writing about her is great. I’m curious what you thought about Penny getting turned into a human, because… I personally really didn’t like it. It just really hurt me that after she was attacked repeatedly because she was built differently, that the solution to that was to remove everything which was different/unique about her and make her “normal.” And then have the actual physical representation of her differences violently die and then be obliterated like they were some horrible, hideous thing.

A good chunk of her story seemed to revolve around being just as much a person as anyone else even though she had a body that worked differently. And I sure did relate to that irl! But then turning Penny human seemed to send the message that Penny could only actually be a full and happy person (such as immediately discovering how wonderful hugs feel) if she was normal. I want to believe I’m taking that scene the wrong way, but… I’m not sure how else I can interpret what happened. So yeah, I’m curious what you think! I’ll be interested to read your thoughts, whatever they may be.

ooh, well, i’m not keen on the way the fandom writ large interprets the scene (as ‘penny became human’/‘penny became real’) and i like how it was done because imo it is really NOT framed as a positive transformation?

there’s an element of relief and joy to it of course—because everyone’s glad that penny survived this ordeal with the virus—but, as you say, the self-destruction of her robotic body is a big focal point of the scene and it is done in a very horrifying way, with the camera moving between penny’s POV as she watches it happen and her robotic body’s POV as it desperately tries to reach her before succumbing to the virus. and penny herself is profoundly disturbed by the experience—she’s not happy to be ‘free’ of that body at all, and ruby hesitantly asks if she’s alright because penny clearly isn’t. 

so while penny does then find a small thing to appreciate about her new flesh body and that momentarily alleviates the horror… the tone is very much set by the amount of focus given to penny watching a part of herself die and, after that small burst of joyous relief, watching her old body crumble into ash and flinching away with horror again. 

to me, this reads as a rebuke of how flippant yang was about the loss—“the mechanical parts are just extra,” except penny’s body isn’t truly equivalent to a prosthetic, right? that’s just her body. 

it’s not all she is, but it’s also a lot more like the arm yang lost than it is like the prosthetic yang got afterwards. penny loses a core part of her identity…

…which is reinforced later, inside the portal, when penny is taken off guard by the abrupt realization that she no longer has floating array. weapons are a fundamental part of huntsmen identity, seen and understood as “extensions of our selves,” and penny’s is literally destroyed by her involuntary transformation—involuntary in the sense that it’s a choice she was forced to make under extreme duress thanks to watts—and she has to recreate that piece of herself with magic.  

and there’s smaller, subtler things wrong, too. i think the amount of focus put on her bare feet is meant to highlight that she does not have thrusters any more—an essential aspect of her natural mobility is just gone, again leaving her dependent on the maiden powers to do something she used to be able to just DO. 

or consider how disoriented she seems right before cinder gets her. in her original body, penny had sophisticated tactical software built into her sensory array which among other things made her virtually immune to emerald’s semblance. she could see infrared light and aura and the tactical analysis program worked much, much faster than any human could keep up with—because her physical brain was a computer! and then she loses that and spends the entire fight mainly getting clobbered and then struggles to keep track of what’s even happening when cinder gates her off from her allies!

her new body is healthy and whole by human standards, but measured against what penny had before… the narrative gives, like, a LOT of attention to signaling that penny has been measurably disabled in a multitude of ways. if she wasn’t also the winter maiden—& bear in mind that penny only became the winter maiden BECAUSE of what her original robotic body could do!—penny would have been rendered utterly helpless by this transformation. no weapon, no flying, in a much more fragile and vulnerable body that could feel pain. (think about how much screaming she does during that final fight, compared to the time she gets flung several blocks by a grimm so hard there’s an impact crater and she’s like “ouch! :)” about it)

and obv, that fragile new body is the only reason cinder was able to kill her at all. i think that’s sort of the point: penny did the equivalent of *barely* surviving a debilitating illness, went from her sickbed to a battlefield, tried to fight like that, and died because she in a state of extreme physical vulnerability due to recent illness. that’s why all of her friends were so insistent that she not participate in the fight—she wasn’t ready to be fighting! if she’d lived, she would have needed to spend quite a long time recovering, learning and accepting her new limitations, and training within those new limits.

so, to me? the narrative framing of the transformation feels somber, with “she lived! it worked!” being the silver lining on what is otherwise a tragic outcome. watts infected her with this brutal, horrific virus and the only way to save her life was to sacrifice a fundamental part of her self, in this acutely traumatizing way. i think the fandom collectively sort of tunnel visioned on the pinocchio narrative of ‘becoming a real girl’* to such a degree that the bittersweet framing and the underlying horror of what happened to her gets widely overlooked. and i don’t think those tragic/horrific notes are there by accident—the narrative puts quite a lot of emphasis on them, and deliberately bookends the joy of “do hugs always make you feel this warm?” with those moments of intense horror with the violent death and then destruction of her robotic body. 

(*something that… really isn’t a prominent theme with penny?, because her struggle with personhood is centered on how *other people* treat her like an object and i would argue her pinocchio ‘becoming a real boy’ moment is actually her acceptance of the maiden power—not because that ‘proves’ she’s a person or whatever, but because it’s a moment of emotional self-actualization where she chooses to do the right thing according to her own judgment instead of mindlessly following orders like the puppet ironwood expects her to be. it’s symbolic! & that gets called back to explicitly by winter, later, with “you were *always* the real maiden, i was the machine,” the ‘realness’ in the pinocchio narrative here is about emotional authenticity and refusal to sacrifice conscience or heart in the name of following orders.

rwby is… pretty profoundly uninterested in the question of ‘does the robot girl count as a person?’ because it answers that within literal seconds after revealing that she is a robot with an emphatic ‘yes, obviously, she has a soul, zero ambiguity here’ lmao. what it does do is leverage pinocchio to explore themes of dehumanization and personhood within an authoritarian military regime.)

so yeah, that’s how i read that. it’s joyous because she lives but it’s also not a victory earned without grievous loss, and the tragedy is exacerbated because she *does not have time* to catch her breath / process / learn how to live in her new, disabled body before cinder… cinders.

[starsarebleeding]

HELLO I want to say something about age gap relationships, because the amount of sanctimonious vitriol they get (often irrespective of how old the younger party is) is, I think, a concerning symptom of something else that's JUST as sinister as purity culture.

Now look: there is & always will be conflict between generations. It's the way of growth and evolution, fine. What's different in current society is that how we conceive of generations is based on marketing tactics.

That is: the grouping of ages helps to create a clearer target audience that corporations can sell to. The more you stay in your generational box, the easier you are to pigeonhole in a boardroom, and the more your consumerism perpetuates the actual hell of capitalism we're in.

This would just be another way to take advantage of you EXCEPT: remember a few years ago when Gen Z waged absolute war on Millennials for virtually no reason? Like yeah fine Millennials are earnest, and goofy and less ironic than Gen Z in their humour, but at the core, we're actually quite similar (or were, at the time, before the alt-right radicalization of Gen Z men -- which is part of my point) in our beliefs and core values of progressiveness. We're also the generations most harmed by capitalism, and most at risk as a result of all the bad decisions made by those that come before us.

Man -- sure would suck if Millennials and Gen Z, both extremely online and therefore globally connected, teamed up to start a real revolution, wouldn't it?

Man, what's this new TikTok thing taking off?

I'm not saying the Millennial-Gen Z war was a conspiracy (okay secretly I am lol) -- what I AM saying is that: the further away we get from interacting with other generations for stupid dumbass reasons like style choices and bad memes, two things happen:

1) we fit more and more neatly into the boxes the ruling class wants us to (this is where the altrightification of Gen Z men fits in: the question to always ask yourself is -- who makes money off of your online presence & content consumption, and what are their motives?)

and

2) we isolate ourselves from learning about the (much deeper) similarities we have with previous generations, and we lose the opportunity to learn from them

So.

When I hear someone saying that "an age gap of 10 years is creepy no matter what" or whatever -- what does that actually mean? Take that to the logical conclusion. Does that mean the younger person cannot be expected to be an adult and hold their own boundaries, regardless of their age? Friendships can be intense and manipulative too, sometimes -- so does that mean friendships that cross generations are also creepy? Wait, does that mean any interaction across generations is suspect and weird?

No, it doesn't, like I'm not dumb I get that the antis are just stressing about grooming or whatever and don't understand the definition. But, for any antis that come across this: no one is saying pedophilia in real life is acceptable. But if you keep raising the age of actual adulthood, not only do you infantilize actual adults -- you are effectively arguing that actual adults should not learn from, connect with, or mobilize with previous generations. You would prefer to force adults into the boxes that corporations have put them in. And that lack of intergenerational learning and exploration is nothing but bad for us.

Only power can be found in generations working together against the ruling class my bros, please don't ruin this for us by creating a culture where younger people feel so weird about connecting with older people that they just don't do it.

[hawkbutt]

Hi! I have to admit that I know nothing about Fallout but would like to understand your AU so idk could you explain Fallout for beginners please? (and maybe how the AU works specifically) 🧡

I’m going to try and put this in the most straightforward terms I can and maybe steal a few things from Wikipedia if I can’t.

And I hope you don't mind, I'll publish this as well so others can learn.

There are currently 7 Fallout games: Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. (This is not counting the small things like mobile games or the table top games, or even the freaking pinball game either) PLUS there is also the “Fallout”  TV show on Amazon (It's good, My dad who knows NOTHING of Fallout loved it) ▬ The Show on Amazon is based in Los Angeles.

▬ The setting, back story, lore, just a little history:

The series is set in a fictionalized USA in an “alternate history scenario” that diverges from reality after 1945, following World War II. In this alternative "golden age", where atomic physics serves as the foundation of scientific progress, which leads to a bizarre socio-technological status quo. This means things like advanced robots, nuclear-powered cars, directed-energy weapons, and other futuristic technologies are seen alongside 1950s-era computers and televisions. 

▬ Nuka Cola ad featuring Nuka Girl leaning heavily into the atomic/nuclear aspect

The United States divides itself into 13 commonwealths, and the aesthetics and Cold War paranoia of the 1950s dominated the American lifestyle well into the 21st century.

▬ Map of all of the Fallout Commonwealths

The a whole bunch of history happens, it’s honestly wordy and gives the lead-up to how the bombs dropped on the morning of October 23, 2077, a “global nuclear exchange”, which subsequently created the post-apocalyptic United States, the setting of the Fallout world.

▬ Now, in my AU, I say that Buck is from a Vault.

The U.S. government, having foreseen this outcome just a few decades earlier, began a nationwide project to build fallout shelters known as "Vaults".  The Vault-Tec Corporation designed the Vaults as public shelters, each able to support up to a thousand people. Something round 400K Vaults would have been needed if they actually wanted to help the American people, but only 122 were commissioned and constructed. 

Vault Boy; He is the corporate mascot of the Vault-Tec, His female counterpart is Vault Girl. They appear in virtually every released game and evolved over the years into a symbol of the Fallout franchise in general.

However, the Vault project was not intended as a viable method of repopulating the United States; instead, most Vaults were secret social experiments and were designed to determine the effects of different environmental and psychological conditions on their inhabitants. 

▬Lemme just use Norm Maclean (Fallout Series) here to showcase the sort of view in the vault and the lovely blue and gold jumpsuits ALL vault dwellers basically wear.

Now, only Seventeen control Vaults were made to function as advertised, in contrast with the other Vault experiments. However, they were usually shoddy and unreliable due to most of the funding going towards the experimental ones.  Many Vaults remained sealed as part of their respective experiments even after the radiation had reached safe levels.

EDIT: I forgot to actually talk about the Brotherhood of Steel.

▬ Eddie is a former Brotherhood of Steel Knight.

The Brotherhood of Steel, commonly abbreviated to BoS, is a quasi-religious technocratic military order founded in the immediate aftermath of the Great War  The BOS' core purpose is to preserve advanced technology and regulate its use. They believe humanity cannot be trusted with the means to destroy itself, and they think that acquiring technology would prevent another apocalypse. The Basics of BOS came from the fall of the western Roman Empire when the knights and scribes kept the fire of civilization going after the empire imploded. The BOS is a military order with a strictly enforced hierarchy and chain of command. At the foundation, that mandates obedience to one's superiors and forbids circumventing ranks when giving orders. When it comes to the individual members of the BOS, loyalty to and defense of the organization are the top priorities, - 1st: Loyalty to and defense of the organization - 2nd: Dedication and loyalty to the mission. - 3rd: Dedication and loyalty to one's superior officer. Brotherhood members are expected to follow each of these rules in that order. If one's superior should act against the interests of the organization or mission, the third rule is superseded by the second or first rule.

▬ Brotherhood of Steel Ranking Structure

The Brotherhood has been featured in every game and other entry in the Fallout series in one form or another.

▬ My manip of Eddie in a Brotherhood jumpsuit

Eddie's History with the BOS without spoilers

▬ My manip of Eddie in a Brotherhood jumpsuit

While homosexual relationships are generally tolerated, they are pressured to instead seek relationships that will result in 'repopulation.' This leads Eddie to be arranged with Shannon, which then leads to Chris's birth, though Eddie and Shannon are able to keep Chris' Cerebal Palsy (though in the FO Universe, it would be considered his 'disorder or ailment) secret from the BOS for the first few years. BOS finds out about Chris, and would never tolerate someone like Chris within their ranks. Eddie ultimately decides he can no longer remain a part of them, and following his own moral compass, he chooses to desert the BOS.  The Diazs, on their own, now in this new reality, Eddie is constantly on the lookout, aware that his status as AWOL from the BOS makes him a target.

▬ I have planned in the future that Karen is a former Enclave Scientist.

The Enclave is another military organization dedicated to the execution of an all-inclusive holocaust of non-members, who they dehumanize as "genetic non-compliance offenders." While being the continuation of a pre-war American deep state consisting of high-ranking political, military and corporate figures, its members publicly claim to be the direct continuation of the United States of America and its government after the destruction of the world during the Great War.

▬ Enclave power armor, X-01 power armor 

Without going too in-depth with them, it's obvious I hate them, they're the worst, they Suck, and I'm glad Karen left them (In my AU).

here are things I may mention in my AU (when it comes to finally posting my fic)

Pip Boy: The Pip-Boy (Personal Information Processor-Boy) is a wrist computer given to the player (Vault-Dweller) early in the games and series, which serves various roles in quest, inventory, and battle management, as well as presenting player statistics.

▬ This version of the Pip-Boy is not stated in-series, though the official replica sold by The Wand Company is called the Pip-Boy 3000 Mark V

Power Armor: Power Armor, is a type of powered exoskeleton featured in every game in the Fallout series. It allows for protection from enemy fire and enables the wearer to carry cumbersome weapons and other objects with ease. There are so many types, levels and styles of Power Armor. It is considered an iconic part of the Fallout universe, an effective marketing tool for a faceless protagonist, and a prominent symbol within the game's lore. ▬ “Post-war” the Power Armor is most widely used by the Brotherhood of Steel, a cult-like organization that collects and preserves technology (My husband said the BOS is like Mormons and their obsession with Geneology)

▬T-60 Power Armor

There are INSANE Animals that roam the ‘wasteland’. Some were modified by the Government (ie. Death Claws), but some were also just changed by radiation.

▬ BAD: genetically engineered creatures developed by the United States military to replace humans during missions, but they escaped into the wild in the aftermath of the Great War

▬ GOOD: Brahmin are mutated two-headed cattle; they still provide meat, milk, hide, and manual labor.

Ghouls... Ghouls are humans mutated by radiation, rather than killed by it. The mutation process, referred to as "ghoulification", this typically results in an extended lifespan, if not functional immortality, real-time regeneration of wounds allowing for reattaching limbs, and immunity to direct damage resulting from irradiation. However, it changes their appearance, resembling rotting corpses, burn victims, or walking corpses

▬ Cooper Howard - The Ghoul From the Fallout Amazon series

▬ Feral Ghouls in Fallout 4

Now, with my AU, I’m doing a small mix of The TV show, but throwing in elements of Fallout 4 and New Vegas (Kinda) While I won't delve into the details of every single game and its historical context, I hope this overview will provide you with enough information on the basics of Fallout? If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Much Love, ▬ Kenna

[teqful]

How-To IT

Topic: Core areas of IT

1. Hardware

• Computers (Desktops, Laptops, Workstations)

• Servers and Data Centers

• Networking Devices (Routers, Switches, Modems)

• Storage Devices (HDDs, SSDs, NAS)

• Peripheral Devices (Printers, Scanners, Monitors)

2. Software

• Operating Systems (Windows, Linux, macOS)

• Application Software (Office Suites, ERP, CRM)

• Development Software (IDEs, Code Libraries, APIs)

• Middleware (Integration Tools)

• Security Software (Antivirus, Firewalls, SIEM)

3. Networking and Telecommunications

• LAN/WAN Infrastructure

• Wireless Networking (Wi-Fi, 5G)

• VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)

• Communication Systems (VoIP, Email Servers)

• Internet Services

4. Data Management

• Databases (SQL, NoSQL)

• Data Warehousing

• Big Data Technologies (Hadoop, Spark)

• Backup and Recovery Systems

• Data Integration Tools

5. Cybersecurity

• Network Security

• Endpoint Protection

• Identity and Access Management (IAM)

• Threat Detection and Incident Response

• Encryption and Data Privacy

6. Software Development

• Front-End Development (UI/UX Design)

• Back-End Development

• DevOps and CI/CD Pipelines

• Mobile App Development

• Cloud-Native Development

7. Cloud Computing

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

• Platform as a Service (PaaS)

• Software as a Service (SaaS)

• Serverless Computing

• Cloud Storage and Management

8. IT Support and Services

• Help Desk Support

• IT Service Management (ITSM)

• System Administration

• Hardware and Software Troubleshooting

• End-User Training

9. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

• AI Algorithms and Frameworks

• Natural Language Processing (NLP)

• Computer Vision

• Robotics

• Predictive Analytics

10. Business Intelligence and Analytics

• Reporting Tools (Tableau, Power BI)

• Data Visualization

• Business Analytics Platforms

• Predictive Modeling

11. Internet of Things (IoT)

• IoT Devices and Sensors

• IoT Platforms

• Edge Computing

• Smart Systems (Homes, Cities, Vehicles)

12. Enterprise Systems

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS)

• Supply Chain Management Systems

13. IT Governance and Compliance

• ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)

• COBIT (Control Objectives for Information Technologies)

• ISO/IEC Standards

• Regulatory Compliance (GDPR, HIPAA, SOX)

14. Emerging Technologies

• Blockchain

• Quantum Computing

• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

• 3D Printing

• Digital Twins

15. IT Project Management

• Agile, Scrum, and Kanban

• Waterfall Methodology

• Resource Allocation

• Risk Management

16. IT Infrastructure

• Data Centers

• Virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V)

• Disaster Recovery Planning

• Load Balancing

17. IT Education and Certifications

• Vendor Certifications (Microsoft, Cisco, AWS)

• Training and Development Programs

• Online Learning Platforms

18. IT Operations and Monitoring

• Performance Monitoring (APM, Network Monitoring)

• IT Asset Management

• Event and Incident Management

19. Software Testing

• Manual Testing: Human testers evaluate software by executing test cases without using automation tools.

• Automated Testing: Use of testing tools (e.g., Selenium, JUnit) to run automated scripts and check software behavior.

• Functional Testing: Validating that the software performs its intended functions.

• Non-Functional Testing: Assessing non-functional aspects such as performance, usability, and security.

• Unit Testing: Testing individual components or units of code for correctness.

• Integration Testing: Ensuring that different modules or systems work together as expected.

• System Testing: Verifying the complete software system’s behavior against requirements.

• Acceptance Testing: Conducting tests to confirm that the software meets business requirements (including UAT - User Acceptance Testing).

• Regression Testing: Ensuring that new changes or features do not negatively affect existing functionalities.

• Performance Testing: Testing software performance under various conditions (load, stress, scalability).

• Security Testing: Identifying vulnerabilities and assessing the software’s ability to protect data.

• Compatibility Testing: Ensuring the software works on different operating systems, browsers, or devices.

• Continuous Testing: Integrating testing into the development lifecycle to provide quick feedback and minimize bugs.

• Test Automation Frameworks: Tools and structures used to automate testing processes (e.g., TestNG, Appium).

19. VoIP (Voice over IP)

VoIP Protocols & Standards

• SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)

• H.323

• RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol)

• MGCP (Media Gateway Control Protocol)

VoIP Hardware

• IP Phones (Desk Phones, Mobile Clients)

• VoIP Gateways

• Analog Telephone Adapters (ATAs)

• VoIP Servers

• Network Switches/ Routers for VoIP

VoIP Software

• Softphones (e.g., Zoiper, X-Lite)

• PBX (Private Branch Exchange) Systems

• VoIP Management Software

• Call Center Solutions (e.g., Asterisk, 3CX)

VoIP Network Infrastructure

• Quality of Service (QoS) Configuration

• VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) for VoIP

• VoIP Traffic Shaping & Bandwidth Management

• Firewall and Security Configurations for VoIP

• Network Monitoring & Optimization Tools

VoIP Security

• Encryption (SRTP, TLS)

• Authentication and Authorization

• Firewall & Intrusion Detection Systems

• VoIP Fraud DetectionVoIP Providers

• Hosted VoIP Services (e.g., RingCentral, Vonage)

• SIP Trunking Providers

• PBX Hosting & Managed Services

VoIP Quality and Testing

• Call Quality Monitoring

• Latency, Jitter, and Packet Loss Testing

• VoIP Performance Metrics and Reporting Tools

• User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for VoIP Systems

Integration with Other Systems

• CRM Integration (e.g., Salesforce with VoIP)

• Unified Communications (UC) Solutions

• Contact Center Integration

• Email, Chat, and Video Communication Integration

[aboutanancientenquiry]

"How does Herodotus use rivers and other bodies of water in Book 7 of the Histories?

Answer by Chris Carey

The most obvious function of rivers in this book is the shaping of his readers’ perception of space. Take, for instance, Xerxes’ journey from southern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) to northern and central Greece: here the mention of the rivers crossed by Xerxes’ army gives a sense of the immense distances covered by the army, which is a measure of Xerxes’ determination to conquer Greece. It also generates the impression that a threatening menace is slowly but relentlessly approaching.

Water contributes to the sense of scale in another important way in this book. Xerxes’ invasion of Greece represents the climax of what is framed as a long-term conflict between East and West, the core subject of Herodotus’ work: none of their previous reciprocal offenses (including the Trojan war), not even when added together, can equal this one (7.21). The whole of Asia is mobilized, and the immense scale of the expedition is emphasized by its effects on rivers: the drinking dry of rivers becomes a drumbeat in the narrative (7.43.1, 108.2, 109.2, 127.2, 196). That is to say, this human enterprise is so immense and daring as to put a strain on nature. But immense scale has its dangers: the warnings of King Xerxes’ uncle Artabanus (7.49) become true when the fleet is hit by a violent storm at Pelion, not to mention what happens when their vast Persian forces are channelled into the narrow pass at Thermopylae, where their number becomes a severe disadvantage.

Besides underlining the vast size of Xerxes’ expedition and creating a virtual map of its westward march in Book 7, we could add that generally throughout the Histories bodies of water shape the moral landscape of the work. As a natural boundary, water becomes a means to measure humans’ daring (and thus perilous) attitudes towards natural limits. Human attitudes towards water help articulate Herodotus’ way of thinking about the world and the place of humankind within it. This is especially clear when it comes to the description of imperial overreach: one after another, Asian rulers try to stretch their area of control beyond the natural boundaries marked by rivers with disastrous consequences. When he attacks Persia, Croesus famously crosses the Halys river only to be defeated by Cyrus soon after. In turn, Cyrus is led by his endless stream of successes (1.204) to cross the Araxes to conquer the Massagetae in an expedition which ends up costing him his life. The pattern is repeated when Darius bridges the Bosporus and the Ister to attack the Scythians. They draw him further and further into Scythian territory ultimately forcing him to retreat; he is saved from disaster only by the loyalty of the Ionian fleet guarding the crossing over the Ister. The passage of the Bosporus receives far more detail (4.83-9) as the penultimate boundary crossing in a crescendo which will climax in Xerxes’ invasion of Greece. Finally, Xerxes’ fateful move over the Hellespont from Asia into Europe is flanked by dialogues with advisers (Artabanus and the Spartan king Demaratus) who lay out for him the obstacles he is facing. The construction of bridges is described in great detail (7.36), as the ceremonial march over them (7.54-5). The crossing is given further salience by Xerxes’ speech to his generals and by the awed remarks of the ‘Hellespontine man’ who sees Xerxes as an incarnation of Zeus (7.56).

Xerxes’ dramatic reaction to the storm which destroys his first bridge further adds to this climatic effect: the engineers are beheaded, the Hellespont is whipped, and chains are dropped into the water among the insults uttered by the servants carrying out the task. The beheading of the engineers might be interpreted as a mere act of despotic brutality. Insulting the sea, however, is a colossal act of sacrilege, explicitly condemned by Herodotus. Aeschylus had already denounced Xerxes’ bridge as an insult to Poseidon – it impiously converted sea into dry land (Pers. 723-5, 745-51). Herodotus, instead, sees the deliberate humiliation of the sea as a manifestation of the sacrilegious nature of Xerxes’ ambition.

The role of water as a measure of excessive ambition in Book 7 goes still further. Xerxes’ canal turns mainland into island (7.22). Herodotus makes no comment but his action replicates one presented as impious in the case of Cnidos in 1.174:

‘The isthmus is not to be fortified or dug through; if Zeus had wanted an island, he would have made an island.’

And Xerxes casually contemplates turning the whole of Thessaly into a lake (7.130), mirroring a project of his father Darius’ in Asia (3.117). The project is never realized, and Herodotus again offers no further comment but it shows the same readiness on the part of Xerxes to forcefully impose his will on nature.

For the active role played by geography in Herodotus’ narrative see Katharine Clarke, Shaping the Geography of Empire: Man and Nature in Herodotus’ Histories, Oxford 2018. Bodies of water are especially discussed in chapters 3 and 5.

See also G.F. Gianotti, ‘Hérodote, les fleuves et l’histoire’, in Réflexions contemporaines sur l’Antiquité Classique, ed. M.-L. Desclos, Grenoble 1996, 157–87."

From the site of Herodotus Helpline.

Chris Carey, Emeritus Professor of Greek, UCL.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Jair Bolsonaro against democracy

Jair Bolsonaro, the former far-right president of Brazil, has been formally accused of participating in a plot concocted at the top level of his government to perpetrate a coup that would have prevented his rival, the leftist Luiz InácioLula da Silva, from assuming power after a clean electoral victory. The Supreme Court has also charged almost 30 more people with the crime of violent abolition of the state, including several reserve and active generals. The multiple pieces of evidence collected by Federal Police investigators make up an accusation that takes up 135 pages and is based, mainly, on the confession of a lieutenant who served as Bolsonaro’s private secretary.

The investigating judge is accusing the former president of, among other things, preparing a draft coup decree presented to the leadership of the Armed Forces in the presence of the Minister of Defense. Among the evidence, several WhatsApp messages stand out in which a general belonging to the core of the Cabinet promoted a virtual lynching campaign against the head of the Army after the latter refused to mobilize his troops and join the coup effort.

Thirteen months have passed since January 8, 2023, when thousands of Brazilians, falsely convinced that Lula and the Supreme Court judges had conspired to steal the elections from their leader Bolsonaro, attacked the headquarters of the three powers in Brasília. Never since the end of the dictatorship in 1985 had Brazilian democracy suffered such a serious attack.

Until now, only some of the actual perpetrators have been tried and convicted by the Supreme Court. It is very positive that the judges have focused beyond the ordinary Bolsonaro supporters who vandalized buildings and zeroed in on individuals suspected of organizing the failed democratic breakup from the hallways of power. Along with the role of the previous head of state, suspicions regarding the prominent role of several ministers and the then commander of the Navy are especially serious. At the same time, it is fair to note that the heads of the Army and Air Force refused to rise up against the legitimately elected president.

Continue reading.

[daisyjaimes]

Why Custom Vinyl Stickers Are Perfect for Small Business Marketing

In the competitive world of small business marketing, finding cost-effective and impactful ways to promote your brand is crucial. Custom vinyl stickers offer a versatile, affordable, and eye-catching solution that can boost brand visibility and leave a lasting impression on customers. Whether you're launching a new product, promoting your services, or simply trying to increase brand recognition, custom vinyl stickers can be a powerful tool for small businesses.

In this article, we'll explore why custom vinyl stickers are the perfect marketing tool for small businesses and how you can use them to enhance your brand presence.

1. Cost-Effective Marketing Tool

One of the biggest advantages of custom vinyl stickers is their affordability. As a small business, your marketing budget may be limited, and you need a solution that provides maximum impact at minimal cost. Compared to other forms of advertising, custom vinyl stickers are inexpensive to produce, especially when ordered in bulk.

With a relatively low upfront cost, custom vinyl stickers allow small businesses to get creative and experiment with different designs, messages, and formats without breaking the bank. This makes them an ideal choice for businesses looking to stretch their marketing dollars.

2. Highly Customizable and Versatile

Custom vinyl stickers can be designed in virtually any shape, size, and color, making them an incredibly versatile marketing tool. Whether you want a simple logo sticker or a more elaborate design that reflects your brand's personality, the possibilities are endless.

Ways to Customize Vinyl Stickers:

Logos and Branding: Create stickers featuring your brand’s logo, tagline, or core message to reinforce brand recognition.

Product Labels: Use stickers as part of your product packaging to highlight key information, promotional offers, or special features.

Seasonal or Themed Designs: Change up your sticker designs for holidays, events, or product launches, keeping your marketing fresh and engaging.

The flexibility in design allows small businesses to experiment with different marketing strategies, ensuring their brand stands out in a crowded market.

3. Easy to Distribute and Share

One of the reasons custom vinyl stickers are so effective is their ease of distribution. Unlike flyers or brochures that often get discarded, people tend to keep and use stickers, especially when they are visually appealing or offer something unique. By distributing custom vinyl stickers at events, in product packaging, or as part of giveaways, you can increase your brand’s visibility in places you may not have thought possible.

Distribution Ideas:

Include Stickers in Product Packaging: Surprise your customers with a free sticker in their package. It adds value to their purchase and creates a positive, memorable experience.

Giveaways at Events: Trade shows, local festivals, or pop-up markets are perfect venues to hand out stickers, helping you spread your brand message.

Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate with other businesses to cross-promote. Include your stickers in their packaging, and vice versa, to reach new audiences.

When customers place your stickers on personal items like laptops, water bottles, or cars, your brand essentially becomes mobile, increasing its reach organically.

4. Builds Strong Brand Identity

Custom vinyl stickers are a great way to build and reinforce your brand identity. Since they are often seen as fun and collectible, they provide an opportunity to express your brand's personality in creative ways. Whether your business is quirky, professional, eco-friendly, or innovative, your sticker design can reflect that and help form a stronger connection with your target audience.

Brand Identity Elements in Stickers:

Consistent Branding: Use your brand colors, fonts, and logo to ensure your stickers align with the rest of your marketing materials.

Creative Messaging: Add a fun tagline or message that aligns with your brand's tone to engage your audience in a memorable way.

Unique Design: Create stickers that people want to keep and display, enhancing brand loyalty as customers associate your brand with positive, creative experiences.

Over time, consistent and recognizable sticker designs can help build brand loyalty, making your business stand out from the competition.

5. Durable and Long-Lasting

Unlike paper-based marketing materials, custom vinyl stickers are highly durable and designed to last for years. Vinyl stickers are waterproof, weather-resistant, and resistant to fading, making them perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. Whether they are stuck on a car bumper, storefront window, or personal item, vinyl stickers stay intact and retain their vibrant colors for a long time.

This durability ensures that your brand message stays visible over an extended period, providing you with long-lasting marketing exposure.

6. Encourages Customer Engagement and Loyalty

Custom vinyl stickers are more than just promotional tools—they can foster a sense of connection between your brand and your customers. Offering customers a free sticker can make them feel like they are part of a community. People often display stickers on their personal belongings as a way to express their interests or affiliations, and when they display your sticker, they’re promoting your brand for free.

How to Encourage Engagement:

Social Media Campaigns: Encourage customers to share photos of how they use your stickers on social media. Create a branded hashtag and feature their posts on your accounts to foster engagement.

Loyalty Programs: Include stickers as part of your loyalty or referral program. Customers who receive something extra like a custom sticker are more likely to return for future purchases.

Limited-Edition Stickers: Create exclusive or limited-edition stickers that motivate customers to engage with your brand by making a purchase or participating in an event.

By making your customers feel connected and appreciated, you increase the likelihood of repeat business and brand advocacy.

7. Environmentally Friendly Options

Many consumers today are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of the products they use. Fortunately, custom vinyl stickers can be made with eco-friendly materials, such as biodegradable vinyl or water-based inks. Choosing sustainable sticker options aligns your brand with eco-conscious values and appeals to environmentally aware customers.

Eco-Friendly Sticker Solutions:

Biodegradable Vinyl: Choose stickers made from eco-friendly materials that break down naturally over time.

Recyclable Stickers: Offer stickers that can be recycled, further reducing environmental impact.

Sustainable Packaging: Use eco-friendly packaging for your sticker shipments, showing a commitment to sustainability across your entire brand.

Promoting your business with eco-friendly vinyl stickers demonstrates your dedication to responsible business practices, which can help attract a more conscientious customer base.

Conclusion

Custom vinyl stickers offer small businesses a powerful, affordable, and versatile marketing tool that can elevate brand identity, engage customers, and increase visibility. From product packaging to giveaways, stickers are a simple yet highly effective way to leave a lasting impression on your audience. With the ability to customize designs, distribute them widely, and align them with your brand’s message, custom vinyl stickers can become an integral part of your small business marketing strategy.

[bhavanameti]

[cyberdragoninfinity]

so i just got into duel links (thanks to you) and now i have a thought bout the Lore as i'm scrolling through your DL tag

do you think kaiba learned how to code an eldritch abomination, or was he just making a silly VR game that an eldritch abomination found and proceeded to imbed itself in the core code?

AW honored to have gotten you into the Duel Links fray! Just a funny little yugioh mobile game :)

Anyway, tbqh I don't actually think it's either of those scenarios...? Duel Links may be dancing along the edge of the cosmic horror genre but it's pretty clear that there isn't some eldritch abomination lurking in the code, or any mysterious entities coded into the game by Kaiba (knowingly or otherwise.) The eldritch-adjacent horror the characters in the DL overworld are going through (especially the VRAINS guys) is stemming more from the fact Theyre Being Exposed to Worlds and People and a Vastness Beyond What They Ever Expected Could Be in This Digital Realm

If anything, the closest thing we could maybe even slightly approximate to an "eldritch abomination" is Duel Links itself, no outside force wriggling itself in required! Seto Kaiba set out to program a virtual world he could lord over and raise the dead within in the process, it's built on the back of people's memories, and it's tough to tell if even he's aware of the fact that this has expanded out far beyond the reaches of Duel Monsters. Hundreds of memories spurring on the creation of dozens of new AI copies, a spiraling, growing network of brainwaves, and the smattering of implied Real People walking the DL grounds are left to figure out how they got here and just how deep the rabbit hole goes and Hey while we're at it maybe speak to a long dead friend again.

The horror of the unknown and unknowable in Duel Links isn't tied to any particular abominable figurehead, it's just the consequences of one billionaire with emotional issues dabbling in digital necromancy and memory replication within his little virtual playhouse. Go figure!

[jaisrakesh]

Game Software Development: From Concept to Code

Game software development is an intricate process that combines creativity, technical skill, and strategic planning to bring engaging virtual worlds to life. From the initial concept to the final lines of code, every step requires meticulous attention to detail. Whether you're an indie developer or part of a large studio, understanding the game software development process is crucial to creating a successful game. Let’s explore the journey from concept to code and the key steps involved in game software development.

1. Conceptualization and Planning

The journey of game software development begins with a concept. This is where the initial idea is born, often inspired by personal experiences, popular genres, or unique storytelling angles. During this stage, developers outline the core mechanics, gameplay elements, and overall theme of the game. A Game Design Document (GDD) is usually created, serving as the blueprint for the entire project. This document details the gameplay, characters, story, and technical requirements, ensuring that everyone on the team is aligned.

2. Designing the Game

Design is a critical phase in game software development where the concept starts taking shape visually. This stage involves creating sketches, storyboards, and prototypes to visualize the game's environment, characters, and user interface. Tools like Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot are popular for building game prototypes that help developers test ideas quickly. Level design is also crucial, defining how the player will interact with the game world, navigate challenges, and experience the storyline.

3. Development and Coding

Once the design is finalized, the game moves into the development phase, where coding takes center stage. Developers use programming languages like C++, C#, or Python to build the game’s mechanics, controls, and AI behaviors. Game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine provide a solid framework, offering pre-built assets, physics, and lighting to streamline the coding process. Collaboration between developers, artists, and sound designers is key to integrating visuals, audio, and gameplay seamlessly.

4. Testing and Debugging

Testing is an ongoing process throughout game software development but becomes particularly intense as the game nears completion. Quality Assurance (QA) testers play through the game to identify bugs, glitches, and gameplay issues. Debugging involves refining the code to ensure the game runs smoothly and provides an enjoyable player experience. This phase is crucial for fixing performance issues, balancing gameplay, and polishing the final product.

5. Launch and Post-Release Support

After testing, the game is finally ready for launch. Developers release the game on chosen platforms, whether it’s PC, console, or mobile. However, the journey doesn’t end there—post-release support is essential for addressing player feedback, releasing updates, and fixing any remaining bugs.

Conclusion

Game software development is a complex but rewarding process that turns creative visions into interactive experiences. By following these stages, from initial concept to final code, developers can bring their ideas to life and create games that captivate players worldwide.

[sonic-hot-takes]

@halloween-cats said:

Sonic and The Secret Rings is fucking fantastic you guys are just mean. I think it and Black Knight are some of the best Sonic games ever.

(although for the record I watched a playthrough of those games instead of playing it myself, so I cannot in good conscience defend the gameplay. What I care about is the story, characterization, visual design, and music. And they're damn good at that!)

1) It’s not fair to say something like “this is one of the best Sonic games ever” when you haven’t played the actual game. Story and presentation are important, but will always come second to the core gameplay in a platformer.

2) secret rings OST is mid as hell ngl. Extremely forgettable in a series known for its bangers

3) Here’s why I think Secret Rings is the worst Sonic game:

When rating games in a big franchise like this to determine which one is the best or the worst, I consider two thing: quality and scale.

Quality is self explanatory. How good is the finished product? Is it fun to play, are the mechanics well thought out, is the story good, yadda yadda. This is how most games are analyzed and reviewed.

Scale is a bit trickier. What was the game trying to achieve, and how well did it go about achieving it? What kind of impact did it leave on the series as a whole? Is it a big, 40 hour console game, or just a fun little mobile game to waste time with?

That second one is why I scoff at people saying stuff like “Sonic Labyrinth is the worst Sonic game!” “Sonic Jam on game.com is the worst Sonic game!” “Sonic Schoolhouse is the worst Sonic game!” In isolation, these games certainly don’t hold a candle to 90% of what this series has put out, but at the same time, they were never trying to compete with them. It’s obvious that games like these aren’t trying to be anything more than what they are: low budget side games there to turn an extra buck for Sega. They are filler. They don’t count.

(Granted, there is some gray area as to what “scale” can entail. Games like Chronicles and Free Riders can fall on either side of the argument, but for the purposes of this post, it’s not all that important to get into)

With all that in mind, the worst games in any given franchise are the ones that promise the biggest scale but have the worst quality. They’re not just bad, they’re disappointing.

I’m sure that you’re thinking “by that criteria, 06 is the worst Sonic game.” And yeah, you’re right! But there’s a silver lining to it.

It’s no secret that 06 had a rough development. Like, “it’s a miracle this got out at all” rough. While Sega rushing the game for Christmas was definitely the final nail in the coffin, the two biggest factors in the game’s failure are as follows:

Yuji Naka, the game’s director, leaving halfway through production. In a post Balan society it’s easy to say that this was a good thing, but it’s difficult for any project to bounce back after losing its director, let alone a game of 06’s scale.

The development team splitting in half to make, you guessed it, Secret Rings.

Having played through a decent bit of the Project 06 mod and cross referencing it with vanilla 06 on my 360 (which I’m astonished hasn’t red ringed yet), I’ve realized that Sonic 06 does have some good ideas trapped deep inside its messy, messy code. The level design really isn’t that bad. The mach speed sections are great when you can actually control your jump. The more I play Project 06, the more I think to myself…what if Sonic 06 had more development time? Or better yet, what if Sonic 06 had more developers that weren’t forced to work on another project?

Basically, I blame Secret Rings for a lot of the issues with 06. There’s an argument to be made that that’s not really fair to Secret Rings, and sure, it’s fine if you think that, but I hold to my opinion for a few reasons.

Secret Rings has had virtually no impact on the series otherwise. This applies to Black Knight as well, but Black Knight has better music, marginally better gameplay, and didn’t cause another game to suffer by eating up development resources. At least 06 gave us Silver (even if @spiritsonic is the one who made him good).

Even on its own, Secret Rings is not a good game. Controlling Sonic with the Wii remote feels incredibly awkward and I don’t think any amount of fine tuning would’ve fixed that, especially not for a game of its era. The fact that you’re on rails leads to level design that blurs together in your head, so nothing ever stands out. The missions are all monotonous and tedious, so you rarely ever feel like you’re pushing the story forward through the gameplay, which is essential for a video game with any semblance of plot.

I don’t feel guilty for pinning 06’s failure on Secret Rings. Truly, it can not be overstated how much of a negative impact 06 had on this series—you still get gaming journalists who go “remember when Sonic kissed some real woman?”—and if Secret Rings hadn’t existed, if Sega just held off on releasing something early in the Wii’s lifespan and relied on Sonic Rush to reel in Nintendo gamers, things might have been a whole lot different. Since Secret Rings doesn’t really have a legacy of its own, whenever I look at it, I just think to myself, “they cut Sonic 06’s development team in half for this?”