#and experience the difference of working with industry experts.

[accountancy]

BKThakur: Leading Accounting Company in Delhi for Business & Tax Services

BKThakur is Delhi's top choice for expert business accounting and tax services. As a leading accounting company, we offer comprehensive solutions tailored to your business needs, ensuring accuracy and compliance. Our experienced team of chartered accountants specializes in managing your finances, optimizing tax strategies, and providing reliable guidance. Whether you're a small business or a large corporation, BKThakur delivers personalized services designed to help you achieve financial success. Trust us to handle everything from routine accounting tasks to complex tax consultations. Partner with BKThakur for top-tier business and tax services in Delhi, and experience the difference of working with industry experts.

[botanicalsword]

Venus ✧ how you pursue love and beauty ♡⁀➷

Where Venus is located, that house is the area where we easily find satisfaction and happiness, a field where the energy of love and beauty manifests.

☽✧. ❦ • ✧• .✧ ✞

♡ Venus in the 1st House

This brings a beautiful appearance and a gentle personality to the Houser - They are skilled at dressing themselves and have good taste and temperament. They generally make a good first impression. Even if their genetics are not strong, they have great fashion and makeup skills.

♡ Venus in the 2nd House

Houser with this placement have a pursuit of a good life, and their way of earning money is related to art or luxury goods. They are willing to spend money to improve their quality of life as long as they are not severely afflicted by Saturn. Usually, they can easily earn money, and their quality of life is quite high. However, if they are heavily afflicted by Saturn, they may easily become materialistic or even take loans to consume luxury items.

♡ Venus in the 3rd House

People with this placement are interested in art or emotional intelligence. Generally, their communication style is pleasant and gives people a refreshing feeling. They have a great sense of aesthetics and tend to be specialist in the field of beauty. It is very comfortable talking with them without much pressure.

♡ Venus in the 4th House

This position indicates a strong concern for the home environment. They have high requirements for comfortable living and enjoy spending money on decoration and arranging their living environment. In childhood, they often come from families with love or artistic heritage tendencies.

♡ Venus in the 5th House

People with this placement have a strong sense of love and know how to indulge in romance and pleasure. They seek to experience and appreciate the beautiful things in life, such as art and music. They often have a good relationship with children as well. The 5th house represents children and Venus, a planet associated with femininity.

♡ Venus in the 6th House

In this position, the work atmosphere is usually good, or the work is related to art and beauty. Additionally, this is the house of health. Venus placed here can easily lead to problems due to unhealthy or indulgent habits. Venus is not a planet of discipline but rather seeks beauty, so it is natural to indulge in things like drinking milk tea occasionally - attention should be paid regarding healthcare.

♡ Venus in the 7th House

This position is quite favorable. The native understands interpersonal relationships well and has high emotional intelligence. They are particularly good at making themselves comfortable through one-on-one relationships, whether it is finding a partner or a business collaborator who can make their life better. However, they should be cautious not to develop a mindset of pleasing or appeasing others too much, nor should they become overly dependent or immersed in relationships.

♡ Venus in the 8th House

This position is beneficial for financial investments. They are adept at utilizing collective resources and have a keen sense. They often have good luck in inheritance and are interested in mysterious matters. They tend to have a deeper understanding of things.

♡ Venus in the 9th House

This is a sign of having exotic love affairs. People with Venus in 9th House are easily attracted to people from different cultural backgrounds and are likely to encounter romance and adventure during foreign or long-distance travels. They also enjoy different cultures and artistic topics. They are experts in discussing popular brands from abroad.

♡ Venus in the 10th House

They are highly concerned about their public image. They channel the energy of love and beauty into their careers and spread love and beauty to the public. They tend to work in industries, such as wedding photography, beauty salons, cosmetic procedures, makeup artistry, and image consulting, all of which are fields dedicated to spreading beauty.

♡ Venus in the 11th House

This benefits forming collaborations with like-minded people. People with Venus in the 11th house are often popular in groups, and they are skilled at finding common ground and creating a harmonious atmosphere. They tend to have many friends and acquaintances.

♡ Venus in the 12th House

This is a hidden placement, it often indicates the hidden traits of Venus. On one hand, people with this placement tend to be reserved in matters of the heart, which may lead to unrequited love or similar experiences. This can be used for understanding, but not for definitive judgments. Additionally, people with this placement have a good sense of art and often possess a unique charm.

☽✧. ❦ • ✧• .✧ ✞

>> Masterlist | explicit contents

[apas-95]

what would you consider to be a “good ending” for a cyberpunk story?

To a certain degree, most cyberpunk settings are malformed - they take the subjective experience of the imperial core citizen, that of an absence of production and an increased focus on rent-seeking, and objectify it; it is no longer the case, as in reality, that all the products and advanced technology in the imperial core are produced elsewhere, by workers oppressed under the heel of corporations with broader mandates than national governments - rather, there is a 'post-industrial' landscape where heavy-industrial technologies are somehow produced by factories without workers or automation technicians. How many cyberpunk characters work in a factory? How many corporate drones do anything other than officework?

With this understanding, we can see that the issue is not the direction of the story within its setting. A perfectly reasonable and materialist approach to issues faced by the characters can, nonetheless, generate a story with ultimately reactionary implications, in the context of a story setting fundamentally based on the erasure from existence of the global south. As a far-field example, Lancer is, in effect, a cyberpunk setting, one which attempts to answer the question of 'what would good guys do here?' - and ultimately, fails miserably. The setting of Lancer is hellish. It is a horrific interstellar corpo-state empire, where the citizens of the core worlds live post-scarcity lives from the self-directed exploitation of the periphery, who are engaged in constant wars and brutal dictatorships because they're less educated and progressive than the core, which sends Solidarity and Mutual Aid Direct Action squads from the Department of Truth and Reconciliation to execute insurgent leaders. As a critique of social democracy, it is unparalleled - however, its authors are social democrats, and it is unironic.

I've never been one myself for western cyberpunk. Japanese cyberpunk, riddled as it is with just as much reactionary sentiment as its yankee counterpart, is at least marginally more interesting in the questions it poses. Both genres emerged out of the postwar period, but in very different contexts. Western cyberpunk was driven, principally, by the apparent fading dominance of western national industry. The 'Japanese economic miracle' induced by the US military dictatorship was less an act of charity, and more a nation-scale experiment in neoliberalism. Just as Harvard economists worked hand in hand with the US state to carry out 'economic shock therapy' in Latin America, similar testing was done on the effect neoliberal policy could have on a developed, imperialist nation. After the catastrophic (though profitable) results of fascism in Germany, itself partially conducted by western economic experts as a cure for the interwar depression, it was evident that a new type of economic paradigm was required if the US was going to maintain its dominance - fascism was unstable, it would not do.

In this context, two separate voices emerged. The first, more well-known, being that of the USA. Jubilant success morphed into horror as Japanese industrial might began to outstrip that of the United States, especially in advanced technologies. The corporate face of the west turned increasingly Japanese, and western companies, far from standing to defend their homeland, immediately partnered up and jumped ship. The USAmerican spirit was that of Victor Frankenstein. Their creation had overpowered them (- at least seemingly, more on that later).

The other voice was that of Japan. Japan had exited its period of blatant military dictatorship and foreign occupation, and had experienced a miraculous economic development. It was on top of the world. So what was the discomfort bubbling beneath the surface? The Japanese experience was something of a dark mirror to that of the US. While it was obviously standing to gain from the current status, it was now equally as clear to the Japanese state as it was to the USA's that the corporations enriching it had no loyalty to their own nation, much less any other. The US had, learning from history, made sure to clip Japan's wings - it had no military, either. The sharp divide in interests between multinational capital and state forces was equally as obvious as the fact that Japan was not an independent nation. US military presence in Japan could not be undone by profit ultimately derived from US intervention in the global south. Hard power was what Japan lacked. If the US was The Modern Prometheus, then Japan was the monster, despised and trapped by its creator.

Back to the US perspective - the fear and restlessness of western cyberpunk became immediately redundant when the US aborted the Japanese economic miracle. It was its own experiment, which it maintained control of, and it ended it at its will, before adopting the successful neoliberal policies for itself and its allies. The cultural moment that generated it was over. The US was no longer under any threat of being overtaken by Japan, and its cyberpunk rolled along, blown by the wind. For Japan, the process was more protracted. Bringing a nation to heel, when its state apparatus is not, let's say, entirely amiable to the idea, is a long process - when done without gunfire. Tanks and transporter-launchers were the backstop, and a position as a junior partner in the end of history was the promise.

To cut to the point - Japanese cyberpunk is very different in its themes than western cyberpunk. It avoids many of the pitfalls of western cyberpunk that make progressive stories impossible, through a focus on hard power and material interests. That's not to say Japanese cyberpunk engenders communism, its 'materialism' is much more correctly identified as realpolitik - it sees the nation as the building block of history. Even still, a nationalist view is better than the fuctionally postmodern ideal around which western cyberpunk is built.

In answer to your question, I think Motoko Kusanagi should start an international proletarian revolution.

[copperbadge]

is chicago a good city to be trans in, do you think? (i am looking to escape florida and asking everyone i can think of who lives in a city with decent public transport for their take)

I don't know that I'm the best person to answer this, Anon; I have many trans/queer friends but I'm not what I would consider deeply immersed in the community. I don't have a strong idea of what it's like to just be trans going about one's business in Chicago. Certainly within the midwest I think it's one of the most queer-friendly cities generally, with both community and services available, but again, I'm not an expert; I love it here and I think the city has a very strong liberal bend and a friendly attitude, but it is a blue blob in a red region.

Chicago does have a strong and extensive public transit system; this particularly means that if you don't mind a commute or if you work remotely, you can get relatively cheap rent by living further from the city center. And, because it's a big city, you can access basically any services you need without leaving the metro area. The job market across the country is garbage right now but I suspect Chicago has a more active job market than most because we've been losing population year on year (not huge amounts, but enough that the labor pool is smaller than it might be in other large metro areas).

That said, Chicago is an expensive place to live, and taxes are very high, so it may not be ideal for people who have an extremely limited budget or who work in a low-paying industry. The cops are also not known for their empathy or self-control, which may be an issue for you as it is for many people of marginalized identity. And of course the weather is...very different from Florida.

Trans readers, if you have experiences to share, please feel free to comment or reblog with your knowledge!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for asking my (36F she/her) girlfriend (32F she/they) to be out at work if she wants to become myanager ?

It's messy and complicated. I love my girlfriend very much and ultimately I think we are in a shitty situation with no real win and we have a different opinions on how to lose.

I am a polyamorous lesbian. I have a wife but I also sometimes have other secondary partners, and my wife does too.

I am happy to work in a place safe enough that I am out at work (about the lesbian part, not the polyamory part). My wife often comes at afterwork events and because she is a sweetheart, is loved by most of my colleagues.

I have been at this job for 4 years, that's how I met this colleague, Angel. This person looked familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. We talked, grew a bit closer then I met them again outside of work, at a queer event of my city. This time I recognized them. Angel is trans, non binary and fem presenting, at work she is not out and present herself as a cis heterosexual man. We talked, I obviously swore to keep it a secret but knowing this part of her helped us growing even closer together. We have now been dating for 3 years.

Angel has a longtime girlfriend (childhood sweethearts even) as her primary relationship. Let's call her Valentine. Valentine is working in the same industry but not in the same company. Because it's a niche field, everyone knows everyone and we often meet at work events. I also like her very much and we are good friends. Val is terrified to be out as polyamori at work because she is afraid of what the gossip will do to her work reputation. Valentine has a more public facing role than Angel and I and I absolutely respect her desire to protect what she has.

Even if it doesn't look like it, I do like too to keep private and professional life separated… Angel and I mostly connected outside of the workplace at queer events and are also both deeply involved in the drag scene and the queer political scene of our city. We never flirted at work and have even never stole a kiss on workground. We just happened to fall in love anyway even if we recognized the situation was less than ideal.

Our company has been through a lot of changes recently. My teamleader is leaving and Angel(that previously worked in another department) has been asked if she wants the role.

She does.

I have more experience than her even if she has more seniority with the company. I have been pretty open about wanting a senior expert position rather than managerial one and that's why I have not been offered the role. I am really happy for her and think she will be a great manager and recognize it's a great opportunity.

But I don't want her to be My manager. It's a really dangerous position to have over a romantic partner and she recognizes that. Moreover even if we managed to keep our relationship a secret until now, we know it's a precarious position. If our secret would be revealed while she IS my manager it could be terrible for us. She could be accused of taking advantage of me, or me to want to sleep my way through the top. Keep also in mind that she is male presenting at work and I am publicly a lesbian so yeah… We are also in very committed relationship which is another mess… It would not look good for us should we be forcibly out…

That's why I want to go to HR while her candidacy is being studied and explains the whole thing or at least some of them. I don't want to leave my team because my mentor is there and not a lot of people are doing what we do but maybe we could sort something out together? I would agree for Angel to be the team leader if I have a separate manager… Or maybe Angel could be the leader of another team ? Or I could become a more independent team member ? Angel and I are publicly work best friends so it would made sense anyway for me to have a different manager to keep things more fair.

Angel doesn't want to, and Valentine is absolutely against it. Angel thinks it will ruin her chance at the position. Maybe want to sort things out After she has been offered the job, maybe try to work out how we would work at manager/managee for some time before calling HR. I would not be against waiting for a real offer but listening her talk, I am afraid she intends to push things forever. Angel is afraid HR will reveal our secret to everyone. I recognize our HR team is not the best and even gossipy but it's about really private and protected things (in my country) : our sexual orientation and sexual identities. We also have a very good Union (with queer delegates) and even if I am unsure about HR, I am sure the union will remember them the law protecting us here and will ultimately behave appropriately. But I recognized it's a risk.

I want to break things of with Angel if she doesn't want to go to HR. My wife says it's mean and manipulative to use this kind of ultimatum. The way I see it I am just protecting myself. Angel is putting her job before our relationship and I am OK with that, she is also priorizing Valentine's needs (as she should) but in this case, I should be allowed to do the same and protect myself and my job. From my point of view, Angel could : refuse the position, go to HR, or accept the breakup.

AITA for this ultimatum ? Valentine thinks I am. Angel is confused. My wife disapproves but loves me to much to call me an asshole.

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

I’m by no means any sort of expert on any animal’s behavior so please feel free to ignore this random observation/ opinion.

But something I find interesting about people defending Moo Deng’s treatment is the frequent assertion that her keepers love her, as if that excuses everything. I honestly don’t doubt that her keepers love her, but that doesn’t mean their actions are appropriate.

To me it’s reminiscent of someone cornering and petting a dog against it’s will because “I just LOVE dogs!!!”. Loving the animal doesn’t mean you can’t inadvertently harm them with your actions.

Idk, I just have a lot of feelings on this and this was my attempt to sum them up. Hope it makes some sort of sense 😅

Oh yeah tell me about it! I appreciate you sharing this because I feel like I'm going insane when I see people being given the same information as I have and drawing a totally different conclusion from it.

Like... it's not okay just because they harass her a little bit. That's... not how that works.

Also I find the "trust the keeper" argument super ironic coming from someone who worked with dolphins - the species in human care that EVERYONE has an opinion on. And you'll tell people "hey, trust me on this. I see these dolphins every day. They participate in their own health care and don't do something if they don't want to. They are objectively in good welfare based on all the current data we have of what that looks like. I do behaviour records every day to prove this. And if I didn't think they were doing well, I'd be fighting tooth and nail to improve their lives or I would leave my job." (which I have done, btw)

And I'll still be told I'm enslaving dolphins and I do it for the money (when it was free labour - yay for animal industry exploitation - or absolutely bugger all). Trust the keeper... unless I watch a biased documentary packed full of misinformation. Then I know *more* than the keeper will and the keeper is just a moron who doesn't need a science degree and years of unpaid internship experience for this job!

But if it's a cute animal that has no preconceptions established of their welfare in human care? It's free game to coo over. Sure the keeper just dropped that squirming, panicking baby hippo he was trying to force into a tub! But he has so much experience because someone on reddit said so! It's actually all just desentisation! (not how desensisation works ever)

Can you tell I'm frustrated? Yeah...

Anyway I am usually the first in line to defend a zoo and their keepers - I know it's not easy to work in a zoo that's underresourced or in an education vaccum. But I'm going to call out bad handling when I see it. Especially when it's reinforced by social media clout and is being encouraged to continue by people justifying it as "desenitisation" or "actions of an experienced keeper."

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Cigna’s nopeinator

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me THURSDAY (May 2) in WINNIPEG, then Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), Tartu, Estonia, and beyond!

Cigna – like all private health insurers – has two contradictory imperatives:

To keep its customers healthy; and

To make as much money for its shareholders as is possible.

Now, there's a hypothetical way to resolve these contradictions, a story much beloved by advocates of America's wasteful, cruel, inefficient private health industry: "If health is a "market," then a health insurer that fails to keep its customers healthy will lose those customers and thus make less for its shareholders." In this thought-experiment, Cigna will "find an equilibrium" between spending money to keep its customers healthy, thus retaining their business, and also "seeking efficiencies" to create a standard of care that's cost-effective.

But health care isn't a market. Most of us get our health-care through our employers, who offer small handful of options that nevertheless manage to be so complex in their particulars that they're impossible to directly compare, and somehow all end up not covering the things we need them for. Oh, and you can only change insurers once or twice per year, and doing so incurs savage switching costs, like losing access to your family doctor and specialists providers.

Cigna – like other health insurers – is "too big to care." It doesn't have to worry about losing your business, so it grows progressively less interested in even pretending to keep you healthy.

The most important way for an insurer to protect its profits at the expense of your health is to deny care that your doctor believes you need. Cigna has transformed itself into a care-denying assembly line.

Dr Debby Day is a Cigna whistleblower. Dr Day was a Cigna medical director, charged with reviewing denied cases, a job she held for 20 years. In 2022, she was forced out by Cigna. Writing for Propublica and The Capitol Forum, Patrick Rucker and David Armstrong tell her story, revealing the true "equilibrium" that Cigna has found:

https://www.propublica.org/article/cigna-medical-director-doctor-patient-preapproval-denials-insurance

Dr Day took her job seriously. Early in her career, she discovered a pattern of claims from doctors for an expensive therapy called intravenous immunoglobulin in cases where this made no medical sense. Dr Day reviewed the scientific literature on IVIG and developed a Cigna-wide policy for its use that saved the company millions of dollars.

This is how it's supposed to work: insurers (whether private or public) should permit all the medically necessary interventions and deny interventions that aren't supported by evidence, and they should determine the difference through internal reviewers who are treated as independent experts.

But as the competitive landscape for US healthcare dwindled – and as Cigna bought out more parts of its supply chain and merged with more of its major rivals – the company became uniquely focused on denying claims, irrespective of their medical merit.

In Dr Day's story, the turning point came when Cinga outsourced pre-approvals to registered nurses in the Philippines. Legally, a nurse can approve a claim, but only an MD can deny a claim. So Dr Day and her colleagues would have to sign off when a nurse deemed a procedure, therapy or drug to be medically unnecessary.

This is a complex determination to make, even under ideal circumstances, but Cigna's Filipino outsource partners were far from ideal. Dr Day found that nurses were "sloppy" – they'd confuse a mother with her newborn baby and deny care on that grounds, or confuse an injured hip with an injured neck and deny permission for an ultrasound. Dr Day reviewed a claim for a test that was denied because STI tests weren't "medically necessary" – but the patient's doctor had applied for a test to diagnose a toenail fungus, not an STI.

Even if the nurses' evaluations had been careful, Dr Day wanted to conduct her own, thorough investigation before overriding another doctor's judgment about the care that doctor's patient warranted. When a nurse recommended denying care "for a cancer patient or a sick baby," Dr Day would research medical guidelines, read studies and review the patient's record before signing off on the recommendation.

This was how the claims denial process is said to work, but it's not how it was supposed to work. Dr Day was markedly slower than her peers, who would "click and close" claims by pasting the nurses' own rationale for denying the claim into the relevant form, acting as a rubber-stamp rather than a skilled reviewer.

Dr Day knew she was slower than her peers. Cigna made sure of that, producing a "productivity dashboard" that scored doctors based on "handle time," which Cigna describes as the average time its doctors spend on different kinds of claims. But Dr Day and other Cigna sources say that this was a maximum, not an average – a way of disciplining doctors.

These were not long times. If a doctor asked Cigna not to discharge their patient from hospital care and a nurse denied that claim, the doctor reviewing that claim was supposed to spend not more than 4.5 minutes on their review. Other timelines were even more aggressive: many denials of prescription drugs were meant to be resolved in fewer than two minutes.

Cigna told Propublica and The Capitol Forum that its productivity scores weren't based on a simple calculation about whether its MD reviewers were hitting these brutal processing time targets, describing the scores as a proprietary mix of factors that reflected a nuanced view of care. But when Propublica and The Capitol Forum created a crude algorithm to generate scores by comparing a doctor's performance relative to the company's targets, they found the results fit very neatly into the actual scores that Cigna assigned to its docs:

The newsrooms’ formula accurately reproduced the scores of 87% of the Cigna doctors listed; the scores of all but one of the rest fell within 1 to 2 percentage points of the number generated by this formula. When asked about this formula, Cigna said it may be inaccurate but didn’t elaborate.

As Dr Day slipped lower on the productivity chart, her bosses pressured her bring her score up (Day recorded her phone calls and saved her emails, and the reporters verified them). Among other things, Dr Day's boss made it clear that her annual bonus and stock options were contingent on her making quota.

Cigna denies all of this. They smeared Dr Day as a "disgruntled former employee" (as though that has any bearing on the truthfulness of her account), and declined to explain the discrepancies between Dr Day's accusations and Cigna's bland denials.

This isn't new for Cigna. Last year, Propublica and Capitol Forum revealed the existence of an algorithmic claims denial system that allowed its doctors to bulk-deny claims in as little as 1.2 seconds:

https://www.propublica.org/article/cigna-pxdx-medical-health-insurance-rejection-claims

Cigna insisted that this was a mischaracterization, saying the system existed to speed up the approval of claims, despite the first-hand accounts of Cigna's own doctors and the doctors whose care recommendations were blocked by the system. One Cigna doctor used this system to "review" and deny 60,000 claims in one month.

Beyond serving as an indictment of the US for-profit health industry, and of Cigna's business practices, this is also a cautionary tale about the idea that critical AI applications can be resolved with "humans in the loop."

AI pitchmen claim that even unreliable AI can be fixed by adding a "human in the loop" that reviews the AI's judgments:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/23/maximal-plausibility/#reverse-centaurs

In this world, the AI is an assistant to the human. For example, a radiologist might have an AI double-check their assessments of chest X-rays, and revisit those X-rays where the AI's assessment didn't match their own. This robot-assisted-human configuration is called a "centaur."

In reality, "human in the loop" is almost always a reverse-centaur. If the hospital buys an AI, fires half its radiologists and orders the remainder to review the AI's superhuman assessments of chest X-rays, that's not an AI assisted radiologist, that's a radiologist-assisted AI. Accuracy goes down, but so do costs. That's the bet that AI investors are making.

Many AI applications turn out not to even be "AI" – they're just low-waged workers in an overseas call-center pretending to be an algorithm (some Indian techies joke that AI stands for "absent Indians"). That was the case with Amazon's Grab and Go stores where, supposedly, AI-enabled cameras counted up all the things you put in your shopping basket and automatically billed you for them. In reality, the cameras were connected to Indian call-centers where low-waged workers made those assessments:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/29/pay-no-attention/#to-the-little-man-behind-the-curtain

This Potemkin AI represents an intermediate step between outsourcing and AI. Over the past three decades, the growth of cheap telecommunications and logistics systems let corporations outsource customer service to low-waged offshore workers. The corporations used the excuse that these subcontractors were far from the firm and its customers to deny them any agency, giving them rigid scripts and procedures to follow.

This was a very usefully dysfunctional system. As a customer with a complaint, you would call the customer service line, wait for a long time on hold, spend an interminable time working through a proscribed claims-handling process with a rep who was prohibited from diverging from that process. That process nearly always ended with you being told that nothing could be done.

At that point, a large number of customers would have given up on getting a refund, exchange or credit. The money paid out to the few customers who were stubborn or angry enough to karen their way to a supervisor and get something out of the company amounted to pennies, relative to the sums the company reaped by ripping off the rest.

The Amazon Grab and Go workers were humans in robot suits, but these customer service reps were robots in human suits. The software told them what to say, and they said it, and all they were allowed to say was what appeared on their screens. They were reverse centaurs, serving as the human faces of the intransigent robots programmed by monopolists that were too big to care.

AI is the final stage of this progression: robots without the human suits. The AI turns its "human in the loop" into a "moral crumple zone," which Madeleine Clare Elish describes as "a component that bears the brunt of the moral and legal responsibilities when the overall system malfunctions":

https://estsjournal.org/index.php/ests/article/view/260

The Filipino nurses in the Cigna system are an avoidable expense. As Cigna's own dabbling in algorithmic claim-denial shows, they can be jettisoned in favor of a system that uses productivity dashboards and other bossware to push doctors to robosign hundreds or thousands of denials per day, on the pretense that these denials were "reviewed" by a licensed physician.

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/2024/04/29/what-part-of-no/#dont-you-understand

[petalruesimblr]

Hello everyone! I'm back with another realistic part-time career with a bit of The Sims 3 twist and this time, it's a teen internship! Drawing inspiration from science programs such as BRAINYAC and GeoSciences Bridge Program designed for high school students which is perfect for our teens and they can even be promoted to a full Science career.

If you are interested, click on ’Keep Reading’ below for more information and pictures of the Landgraab Science Internship Career.

Landgraab Science Internship

Generations Version: Sim File Share | Base Game Version: Sim File Share ⚠️Download and use only one!

Attention, aspiring scientists! Dust off your lab coats and tighten those safety goggles because the Landgraab Science Internship is here to make your scientific dreams a reality. From potion brewing to genetic decoding, discover the thrill of discovery alongside industry experts. Say goodbye to mundane careers and hello to a future where innovation meets aspiration, one bubbling beaker at a time with Landgraab Science Internship!

Career Type: Part-Time Available for: Teens Available Languages: English Levels: 3 Rabbit Hole: ScienceLab Work Days: M,F,S Work Hours: 4PM - 7PM Does it have Carpool? Yes Does it have Uniforms? Yes (details under Final Notes) File Type: Package Min. Required Game Version: 1.42 Packs Needed: The Sims 3, Generations 📣All descriptions for the levels, tones and metrics as well as skills required, salary, uniforms and other details are provided on the pictures above.

NRAAS Careers Mod Generations Expansion Pack - if you choose the Generations Version.

I've used fairly common level names for this internship as I couldn't think of any others that fit perfectly. Some might sound familiar as I utilized them from The Sims and Sims 2 console games, such as Lab Assistant and Lab Cleaner respectively, although I haven't played those games myself, so the tones used here may differ. The work days for this internship are scheduled for Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays due to Thursday is considered as a holiday if you have the Seasons expansion pack and Shop Club meetings are on Tuesday and Wednesday if you have the Generations expansion pack. The package file includes uniforms and one of them is taken from the Generations expansion pack, specifically from the Catalyst Chemistry Lab Station (Chemistry table) excluding the goggles. Recognizing that not everyone may have this expansion pack, I've created two versions. The Generations version features a lab coat for levels 1 and 2, while the Base Game version uses base game outfits for all three levels. Please download and use only one version in your game! 📣 Upon reaching level three in their internship, teens will be eligible for promotion to the Science career upon applying once they become young adults. Instructions are provided in the picture above; right-click on it and select 'Open image in new tab' for a clearer view. As stated above, you will need NRAAS Careers Mod for these careers to show up in the game and as long as you have the latest version of it, it should work for higher patches. You can also read my #psa regarding these careers, click here. I’m not fluent in any other languages to translate so if anyone is interested in translating this career, please don’t hesitate to send me a message here, comment on this post or let me know in my Ask/Contact form (if you don't have a Tumblr account) and will let you know the details. I have tested this career in my game, so far it is working and all scripts are showing up. All feedback is very welcome to help me learn and improve my skills so please let me know if you experience any problems on your end and I’ll do my best to sort it as soon as possible.

MissyHissy step-by-step tutorial Twallan for the Career Mod S3pe

[transmutationisms]

I'm confused about your argument, if you don't think degrees should exist as a barrier for participating a particular profession then how you do believe a standard should be maintained? I'm getting an impression you've got all this experience and credentials in academia and are now basically coming out and saying it's all bullshit. And when we're talking about "cheating", do we mean like using accommodations that bend the rules or just not bothering to do the work at all?

ok you might want to read my last few reblogs, which go into some more depth on this. like ave said earlier, the university as it exists now doesn't exist to spread knowledge but to restrict it. so the idea that a degree granted in this system is primarily a means of ensuring 'qualification' is an idealist fiction. again and like i said earlier, a degree doesn't necessarily even line up with what job a person ends up getting---which should tell us a lot about what a degree actually communicates and the way 'being educated' is evaluated independently of the extent to which a person's degree actually taught them anything of value to a given profession. what a degree mostly signifies in actuality is that a person succeeded at being in school; there are many different ways this can happen (even at the advanced level---any academic can tell you, MAs and PhDs do get awarded to people all the time who are incompetent or produce shitty work). there are people with degrees whom i respect immensely, but i don't assume that an academic credential means a person is 'smart' or that their work is high-quality. like, ted cruz went to harvard and herman cain had an md; credentialled experts have fucked up the covid pandemic, produced the industry-funded work that justifies medical fatphobia, etc etc. none of this critique is a new position on my part.

fundamentally idgaf about cheating because i don't think it's unjust to cheat a system that is itself unjust. i don't think it's wrong morally to view a degree as a hoop you need to jump through in order to access certain jobs, and to do what you need to do in order to get through that hoop. in practice cheating is very often the result of students who desperately need eg to pass a class in order to keep a scholarship, who do not have the financial wiggle room to fail and are not being given options or support by profs or the institution. but tbc there is no way to crack down on cheating that only targets 'less sympathetic' cases!

[pinklotushere]

Shadows in the night

---

Blüdhaven’s docks were shrouded in mist, the faint smell of saltwater mingling with industrial grime.

Nightwing perched on a rooftop, scanning the shadows below. Reports of glowing, shadowy figures prowling the area had brought him here, but the silence that greeted him was unnerving.

“You’re going to be disappointed if you’re waiting for them to walk into a trap.”

The voice startled him. He turned sharply, escrima sticks at the ready, to see a figure hovering behind him—white hair, glowing red eyes, and a casual smirk that spoke of confidence and experience.

“You must be Nightwing,” the stranger said, crossing his arms.

“And you are?” Nightwing asked, keeping his stance defensive.

“Dan Phantom,” the man replied, floating closer but keeping his distance. “Ghost expert, problem-solver, all-around powerhouse. You’re welcome.”

Nightwing raised an eyebrow. “Can’t say I’ve heard of you.”

“Figures,” Dan said with a shrug. “I don’t exactly do the whole ‘hero’ thing. I’m here for one reason: to take out the Wraiths before they turn this city into a ghost town. Literally.”

Nightwing studied him. “And by ‘take out,’ you mean...?"

“Exactly what you think I mean,” Dan said, his smirk widening. “These things don’t stop. They’re not people; they’re feral monsters. Only way to deal with them is to end them.”

“That’s not how I work,” Nightwing said firmly.

“Yeah, I figured,” Dan replied, glancing at the escrima sticks. “You seem like the ‘capture and contain’ type. Hope you’ve got a plan, because those things don’t play nice.”

Before Nightwing could respond, a guttural roar echoed through the mist. A massive -Wraith?- its glowing green form rippling with energy burst from a warehouse, followed by a swarm of smaller creatures.

Dan grinned. “Showtime.”

The fight was chaos. Nightwing’s movements were precise and controlled, using his escrima sticks to disable the smaller Wraiths and deploying containment devices to trap them. Dan, by contrast, tore through the creatures with brutal efficiency, his ectoplasmic blasts reducing them to nothing.

“Careful, bird boy!” Dan called, blasting a Wraith that lunged at Nightwing. “These things don’t mess around.”

“Neither do I,” Nightwing replied, flipping over another Wraith and slamming it into one of his containment devices.

Dan floated over, studying the trapped Wraith with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously? That’s your plan? What are you going to do with them—teach them yoga?”

Nightwing didn’t look up. “It’s better than destroying them outright.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind them breaking out and trying to eat you later,” Dan said, firing another blast at a charging Wraith.

Despite their differences, the two worked surprisingly well together. Nightwing’s precision and strategy balanced Dan’s overwhelming power, the unlikely pair cutting through the Wraiths with ease.

When the last of the creatures was dealt with, Dan turned to Nightwing, his smirk firmly in place. “Not bad, bird boy. For someone who insists on playing nice, you’re actually useful in a fight.”

“And for someone who doesn’t play by the rules, you’re... effective,” Nightwing admitted grudgingly.

Dan chuckled, a green portal swirling open behind him. “High praise. But don’t get used to me doing the heavy lifting. Your city, your problem.”

“Good,” Nightwing said. “Because I don’t like sharing.”

Dan grinned. “And yet we made a pretty good team. Think about that the next time you’re struggling to keep this city from falling apart.”

Before Nightwing could reply, Dan stepped into the portal, his form fading into the green light.

As the portal vanished, Nightwing stood alone in the aftermath of the fight. He didn’t agree with Dan’s methods—probably never would—but he couldn’t deny that the man had been right about one thing: the Wraiths were a serious threat.

For now, the city was safe. And if Dan Phantom ever returned, Nightwing knew exactly what he’d be up against.

[accountancy]

BKThakur: Leading Accounting Company in Delhi for Business & Tax Services

BKThakur is Delhi's top choice for expert business accounting and tax services. As a leading accounting company, we offer comprehensive solutions tailored to your business needs, ensuring accuracy and compliance. Our experienced team of chartered accountants specializes in managing your finances, optimizing tax strategies, and providing reliable guidance. Whether you're a small business or a large corporation, BKThakur delivers personalized services designed to help you achieve financial success. Trust us to handle everything from routine accounting tasks to complex tax consultations. Partner with BKThakur for top-tier business and tax services in Delhi, and experience the difference of working with industry experts.

[femmefatalevibe]

Hey, I love your account!❤️ I started my journey of being the highest version of myself. I wanted to ask some tips on how to be more intelligent and do you have some suggestions on podcasts, people you can follow that active on politics/history? English isn’t my native language.

Thanks! ❤️

Hi love! Thank you so much <333 I can't think of any specific podcasts/blogs at the moment, but sharing some other advice below. Bisous xx

Here are some of my tips:

Read books, articles, blogs, studies, and journals from credible & fact-checked sources

Watch & listen to evidence-based documentaries and podcasts

Take expert-backed courses and classes (from universities, industry leaders/certified organizations)

Attend forums/lectures from industry leaders museums, libraries, etc. (Virtually or in-person)

Talk to people in different fields and from different walks of life

Travel (globally, domestically, or locally), explore museums, parks, and stores in your area

Ask for feedback on your creative or skill-based projects and work; or insights from trusted people in your life on different situations in your life, from your past, or their greatest life lessons

Remain curious and diligent regarding your pursuit of knowledge. Live as a lifelong student

For emotional intelligence:

Embrace self-awareness & self-reflection: Observe how you feel, behave, and how people generally respond to your words/actions in different situations

Practice self-regulation: Learn to differentiate between your feelings and the actions that would be appropriate in a specific setting or interaction. Internalize that feelings are fleeting and non-factual. You're in control of how you respond/(don't) act on these emotions

Engage in active listening: Pay attention to what others are saying with the intent of understanding, not responding

Focus on emotional differentiation: Understand where your thoughts, feelings, intentions, and opinions end and another person's identity/perception begins

Display radical empathy and acceptance: Understand that almost all people's words and actions result from their own beliefs, past experiences, and current life circumstances/priorities. Put yourself in their shoes when attempting to understand their choices, behaviors, and times they come to you to discuss a problem, success, or major life decision. Accept that you can only control what you do. Very little of other people's actions/the world's workings are personal. Things are happening around you, not to you

Let go of your ego: View yourself as objectively as possible with the potential for improvement. Abolish any superior complex or overwhelming desire to prove your self-importance in others' lives and decisions

Remain open-minded: Question your own beliefs and opinions. Stay curious as to why you believe them to be true/authentic to you. Allow your opinions to change or have the capacity to modify your beliefs upon hearing new information. Understand your worldview and values are valid, but they're not definitively correct beliefs, just because they resonate/feel comfortable for you

Be receptive to feedback: Embrace constructive criticism as a self-improvement tool. Approach it with curiosity and optimism, not as a personal attack

Differentiate between your feelings and capabilities: Your thoughts are not facts. Remember you can do things you don't feel like doing most of the time (work, waking up in the morning, working out, etc.). Learn the difference between being a slave to your emotions and genuinely running out of energy

[himblebo]

Hi Mrs. Beeton - you seem to be an expert re: history of domestic service. Do you by chance have any book recs? I'm predictably interested in early 20th c. high-income households and their senior staff (y'know - #JustRebeccaThings) but pretty much any topic, or overview, would be more than welcome

Hi there! Definitely not an expert by any means (it’s the field I’m currently working in but is not what my degree is in at all), but I do have decent research skills and lots of experience in this one specific topic!

I always recommend that for a primary source, you consult Mrs. Beeton herself—my ask button is a reference to Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, first compiled/edited by Mrs. Isabella Beeton in 1861 and continually updated/re-published as recently as 2010. By the early 20th century it was a household standard, and I have zero doubt that Mrs. Danvers would have referenced it regularly(or even have committed several chapters to memory).

Here’s some information ABOUT the book/its legacy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Beeton%27s_Book_of_Household_Management

And here is a link to one archive edition of it (there are many available for free online, and as there are near infinite editions you can find printed copies very affordably secondhand): https://archive.org/details/b20392758

One of the great things for research about the late 19th/early 20th centuries is the rapid evolution of the printing and publishing industries in that time, as well as the VAST amount of material written for and by women specifically about housekeeping, entertaining, homemaking, etc.

There are just countless extant examples of women’s magazines, lady’s journals, etiquette books, home guides, etc etc out there! Brittanica gives a good overview of some of the more successful ones: https://www.britannica.com/topic/publishing/Womens-magazines

In terms of contemporary resources, I think this might be right along the lines of what you’re looking for:

I also recommend you check out the British reality/history series The Edwardian Country House! It’s not currently streaming anywhere that I know of (available for digital purchase on Amazon and AppleTV it looks like), but the majority of it is available on YouTube (in varying different uploads and playlists and resolutions lol). Here’s one video compiling a couple episodes, the sound quality gets better after the intro: https://youtu.be/ILfXMhFNE7c?si=vygvafS_ESpwfz4d

And then here are some other books I’ve used in my work, though your mileage may vary for your own purposes (the time periods vary and these are US centered).

[kenniel-fanfic-readerinsert]

Forget the Past, Enjoy the Present (Jack Salter x Reader)

_

lame *ss title.

Disclaimers:

1. I should be sleeping

2. It's been like... 6 years? since the last time I wrote a fanfic

3. I am sorry for the cringey writing, I needed to get this out of my system

4. I only saw the movie 1 time, I hope I can go again before they remove the movie in the cinema

5. annddddd I don't own brands, names and etc. Only the cringe plot

5.5. I don't know much of how motorsports work, maybe when I have more free time I will write something really good, in the meanwhile, I ' m r e a l l y s o r r y

6. Jesus, David Harbour, I love you

Part 2 or a remake of this, yess

There is like a 10 year age gap, I believe Jack was in his 30s when the accident happened, so Reader is in their 20s making their way on racing things.

Italics for past time and details about yourself

-----------

15 years ago…

“This is devastating” a car race has gone wrong before, but this wrong? “Jack Salter seems to have lost track of his path along with another racer. Everyone at the expectation of what is going to happen next.

“Is he all right?” Jack asked while the paramedics were taking him into the ambulance “He seems to be stable, we need to hurry”, assured his trainer.

“You’ll be okay, Jack, don’t fall sleep” he heard a familiar voice before getting unconscious.

.

.

.

.

Present Time

Jack got a call from that stupid gremlin Danny Moore while he was working. Gamer racers? People who probably never drove a real car before on these powerful vehicles? Crazy idea, but here he was.

“Oh, but our special team is not complete yet” Danny was showing him the GT Academy, but once they reached the racetrack for the academy he stopped at the pits. Jack just sighs. “Now what?”

“I want our racers to have a different kind of life experience besides yours” Moore gave him a little smile.

“Stop talking around the bush, who is it”

“Well, you know them”

Jack just closed his eyes.

.

.

A demi sport sedan of (your design) was nearing them on the pits. The driver’s door opened reveling a (your hair color) person. They got closer to them. The marketing expert clapped his hands and opened his arms to embrace Y/N in a hug.

“Can’t believe you still are so energetic, Daniel��� Y/N greeted him. He smiled but also sensed the tension between the other two. He pulls apart from Y/N and gestured to Jack “I’m pretty sure you remember this big guy”, Moore gave Jack a gentle pat in his belly, making the taller man grunt.

“Of course, hard to forget a man with his nose. Hello, Jack”

“Hello, Y/N” they gave each other a quick look and turn their eyes to any other place possible.

Danny clapped his hands again “Well, let’s get to it!” He gave both Jack and Y/N a pat on their backs before leaving to greet the players.

Once they saw the gaming racers arrive and Jack gave them a depressing speech, Danny introduced Y/N to relieve the pressure of the competitors. “Hello, I’m Y/N, I love racing so much that I’m an Industrial Designer to understand better everything about cars. I’m a racer but since I was young, I participated in street racing. That’s why Daniel here wanted me in the team, to teach you about how savage real racers will be with you.” They gave them a wink before getting in their place behind Danny.

“All right, get comfy guys, but not so much because you start your training tomorrow” the marketer for Nissan dismissed everyone.

Jack was left confused, so they got a degree to understand more about cars?

.

.

.

.

A couple months before the accident

“Hey, you know it wasn’t your fault, right?” they said, Y/N’s fingers touching only with the tip of the fingers in his shoulder.

“Yes it was, I should’ve more careful!” he got angry, everyone kept saying that it wasn’t his fault, that maybe could have happened with another person. He push Y/N’s hand away, but they got used to that reactions.

“Besides, what do you know about safety? The only track you know is the street, you have never been in a real race” He added fueled by the anger remembering the crash and the loss of a life.

“Is as dangerous if not more, but whatever, I tried everything to cheer you up, but it seems that you never bear my presence. I’m sorry, I hope you find peace someday.”

Y/N met Jack when they started to become more interested in racing in a professional way, not that they doesn’t enjoy street racing, but earning cups and medals looked really nice.

Jack doesn’t say anything nor gives them a glance. They picked their things up and left him alone in silence.

.

.

.

.

The team of Danny Moore, Jack Salter and Y/N worked just fine, even if the racers ended up with mixed instructions from the older racers. Moore found it problematic, he needed Jack to be synergic with Y/N so the racers could get better and better.

“Jack, my brother”

“We are not brothers”

“Oh, c’mon, we been working for days now.”

“Whaddaya need” Jack didn’t enjoy when people interrupted his Walkman’s sessions.

“Welp, always straight to the point. The three of us, we are making a great team, but no perfect.”

If Jack got a cent for every time he sighs for something that came out of Danny’s mouth, he will have tons of money. “Now what, just tell me and I will work on it”

“Nice of you to say that. Apologize to Them”.

Jack lifted his eyebrows surprised. “You think that’s the issue? We are fine, we talk the necessary.”

“Yeah, like divorced parents. That’s the problem”

“…”

.

.

.

.

“I liked the turn you made on that weird curb, but next time…” Y/N really takes pleasure in giving feedback to the young drivers. Jack approached and cleared his throat; the other instructor paused at the interruption and turned their head.

“Yes…?” Y/N raised a brow, clearly confused because Jack never shared a word with them aside from things related with the competitors or Danny (Danny himself is a topic).

“Can we… uh, talk, like the two of us” he tried to say as quiet as possible so the others couldn’t hear.

“Sure, let me finish with them” Y/N gave some last instructions to the gamers and then followed him far from the pits.

“Well, I don’t know how to start”

“Why are we here, then” Y/N crossed their arms.

“Fine, fine. Look, I’m sorry” he ran his hand over his face trying to find the courage. “I… what happened 15 years ago wasn’t my fault, you were by my side even if I never liked it. I was young and stupid to push you like that. I’m sorry” he ended and looked at the (your eye color). "I also took you for granted as a driver, hell you drive better than most of those assholes out there"

They cast their face down for a moment and then up to his eyes. “It’s fine, I appreciate your apology. Everything is in the past now” Y/N offered a small smile to him. He nodded his head. "And thanks for the compliment, it means a lot coming from you."

.

.

.

.

After that they manage to find a better rhythm of teaching the competitors. A couple of weeks have passed, Y/N and Jack became friends (the first time they met doesn’t count to Y/N since it was one-sided). Sharing meals together without Danny.

Danny Moore got an eye for perfect opportunities, and again he found one. He noticed the long glances Jack gave to Y/N, and how he worries when Y/N got in a car to give the gamers extra lessons.

“Jack, my brother” He said to Jack once they were in the press room alone.

“Jesus Christ, now what?”

[accidentalmistress]

I've been working on this for a long time, and I still didn't go over everything I want to go over, so this is going to end up being a multi part series on how I make my wavs, as well as a bit of general audio engineering.

Reed Behind the Scenes Part One:

Microphones and Recording Environment

A couple of notes before we begin:

For this series I'm going to focus on audio recordings, not video recordings, as they are very different mediums with different requirements. I am by no means an expert, I just have a little more experience with audio production than the average person.

All of my equipment is in the Android/Microsoft ecosystem, and as such I do not have much experience with Apple products. I apologize in advance if anything I discuss does not work within the Apple ecosystem.

Let's talk about microphones. You can't make a recording without one, whether it's the one in your phone or a standalone mic. I use the latter, but some phones have decent mics. Since we just mentioned Apple products, I will say that I have heard that the microphones in iPhones are pretty good these days. When I record on my phone, I prefer to use a dedicated recording app, because it allows me to record directly to an mp3 or wav file that I can then export to my computer for editing, as opposed to recording a video and trying to rip the audio later. I use an app called Voice Record Pro, but there are plenty of voice recording apps out there.

For my best quality work, I use my microphone. You don't need a super fancy mic to make good recordings, but the kind of mic you get is important. There are many different kinds of mics at many different price points, but they generally fall into two categories: USB and XLR. USB microphones can plug directly into your computer, whereas XLR mics need to pass through an interface first. For the vast, vast majority of people looking to get a mic for making fetish content, I am going to recommend getting a USB mic, and the main reason is cost.

For XLR mics, you need two pieces of equipment: the mic itself and an audio interface to run it through to a computer. Not to mention XLR cables, a stand, and a mount. Even if you get a relatively inexpensive XLR mic, after you get all of the other equipment and accessories you need, you may as well have splurged on a decent USB mic.

I only recommend investing in a good XLR if you want to pursue a professional audio career of some kind, and even then I'd wait to sink serious money into it until after you've gotten your feet wet and know that it's really what you want to do. These can be very difficult industries to break into. I do professional voice work, so for my setup I have a Neumann TLM 103, Focusrite Scarlett Solo audio interface, and a Surface Go tablet for recording. More on that in a bit.

In both USB and XLR there are generally three types of microphone: condenser (which is also sometimes called capacitor), dynamic, and ribbon. I'm not going to get into ribbon mics, because you don't need one just for snz content, and I'm not well-versed in them anyway. Most of the mics you will encounter when shopping for one online will be either condenser or dynamic.

Condenser mics are more sensitive than dynamic mics, so they're generally clearer and better suited for voice work. I'm using the word “generally” a lot here, because there's such a wide range of mics, and you may very well find a dynamic mic that works better for your voice and your space than a condenser mic. Unfortunately, the only way to really know for sure is to get one, try it out, and return it if it doesn't fit your needs.

There's this idea that dynamic mics are better for untreated spaces, because they're less sensitive and will therefore pick up less background noise. That's not exactly true. Dynamic mics do pick up fewer audio frequencies than condenser mics, so if you have some background noise that's outside of your mic’s frequency range, then that may not get picked up. Your average background noises, though—loud neighbors, motorcycles and trucks driving by, your cat meowing, the hum from your PC fan—those sounds will still get picked up. The best thing to do is to sound treat your space, but we'll get to that later.

I'll post a few recommendations, but I haven't used any of these mics for myself, so these are recommendations from the voice acting community at large as good budget mics. Any prices are USD, and unfortunately I don't know the global availability of these mics.

USB Mic Recommendations:

Blue Yeti USB

AudioTechnica AT2020 USB (Note that there is also an XLR version.)

Both can be purchased under $100 pre-owned. Both retail for around $130 new. If you're in the US, the nice thing about the Blue Yeti is that you can walk into just about any Best Buy and pick up a brand new one on the spot.

XLR Mic Recommendations:

RØDE NT1 5th Gen

AudioTechnica AT2020 XLR (As mentioned above.)

The AT, at about $100 new, costs less than half as much as the RØDE at $250. If you're set on an XLR but shopping on a budget, that may be the mic for you. The RØDE, on the other hand, is a great introductory mic for professional voice work. For these mics you'll need an audio interface, also called a preamp. A solid one for the budget-conscious, and what I use, is the Focusrite Scarlett Solo, which will set you back about $100 new.

The microphone I use, a Neumann TLM 103, retails for about $1,200 new. You can sometimes find them under $600 pre-owned. They're pretty much the gold standard in the animation industry for how well they can handle loud sounds, like yelling and screaming, without clipping. I invested in one several years ago when my husband got a nice bonus from work, for which I am eternally grateful. Do not go this far unless you are serious about voice work.

Now that you've learned far more about microphones than you ever wanted, let's talk about sound treatment for your recording space. Whether you're using a dedicated mic or your phone, sound treatment will always elevate the quality of your recordings. Even the highest quality mic in an untreated space will sound worse than an average quality mic in a well-treated space.

What is sound treatment? Sound treatment is taking steps to reduce and eliminate the amount of background noise and reverb from the space you are recording in. Have you ever noticed a slightly echoey quality to your voice in recordings? Like you can "hear the room"? That's reverb. When you speak, the sound waves go from your mouth to the microphone , but they also go out into the room and reflect off of the walls before coming back and hitting the microphone again, creating that slight echo. You'll need a sound treated space to prevent that from happening.

One fairly easy and inexpensive way to do this is to utilize thick moving blankets. You can try tacking them up in a closet or hanging them from a booth frame. I currently use a recording booth made from a PVC pipe frame with a double layer of moving blankets hung around it and draped overtop. (Here’s a link to a video tutorial on how to build your own). Another method is to use sound dampening panels hung on the walls of your recording space. A lot of folks use those textured foam tiles. Just be careful with those because if you get really cheap ones the foam can be poor quality that doesn't dampen sound very well. (The Foam Factory sells great acoustic foam, but the cost can add up quickly depending on the size of your space.)

I've also seen booths that are made by lining the walls of a closet with carpeting, so if you happen to have some carpet remnants that might work for you. I’m upgrading my own recording space by converting a closet into a recording booth. I'm building sound panels made from wooden frames filled with sound dampening insulation that I’ll hang on the walls. (Here's a link to that tutorial as well, but that option costs a few hundred dollars in supplies.) If nothing else, a closet filled with hanging clothes can do in a pinch to dampen background noise.

Let's talk a little bit about computers while we're on the topic of background noise. Remember way back when I mentioned my Surface Go tablet? Now remember when I talked about how mics can pick up PC fans? The Surface Go is how I get around the problem of PC fan background noise. The Surface Go doesn't have a fan, so it doesn't make any noise. I can bring it into the booth with me, hook my interface up to it, and use it to run my recording software. I'll then transfer the file to my main PC for editing. If you can do so with your space, you could potentially get cables that are long enough to leave your PC tower outside of the recording space so you can't hear the fan. Definitely cheaper than buying a tablet just for recording.

For editing, I use Audacity, which is a free digital audio workstation, or DAW. Another popular DAW is Reaper, which is "free" in that they don't limit the trial version, so you don't need to pay to use the full version (although they'd really like you to buy a license). I'm not going to go too far into depth on software and editing here, since I plan to do a Part Two on how I edit my recordings. Besides, this post has gotten long enough, and this seems as good a place as any to end it. I'm always open to questions on this kind of thing. Like I said, I'm not an expert, but I'll answer what I can, and if I don't know the answer I'll do my best to find the information for you. Thanks for reading this far, and I hope you've learned something that's helpful or at least interesting to you in some way 😊

[dreamyshifts]

Yuuei Academy of Advanced Heroics | Pro Hero Pop Star

*Under construction. Ideas welcome.

UA Academy for Advanced Heroics is Japan's premier institution for hero education, offering both undergraduate and graduate programs in heroics and related fields.

The academy features the following below.

- State-of-the-art training facilities

- Combat simulation rooms

- Disaster response centers

- Medical training wings

- Distinguished faculty of pro heroes

- Active heroes teaching specialized courses

- Industry experts providing real-world insights

- Comprehensive curriculum structure

- Theory and practical application balance

- Focus on field experience

- Emphasis on ethical hero work

The Advanced Heroics program is a rigorous 5-year course that combines intensive classroom learning with extensive field training, and guarantees students graduate with a high school diploma and associates degree. Students work closely with established agencies while completing their studies, ensuring they graduate with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

The academy maintains strong partnerships with hero agencies worldwide, facilitating international training opportunities and exchange programs for students showing exceptional promise.

Core Requirements (60 credits)

Hero Studies Foundation (9 credits)

- Advanced Combat Training

- Quirk Theory and Applications

- Emergency Response Systems

- Hero Law and Ethics

- International Hero Law

Specialized Training (20 credits)

- Crisis Management & Leadership

- Crisis Response Training

- Advanced Rescue Operations

- Psychological First Aid

- Emergency Medical Response for Heroes

- Advanced Stealth and Reconnaissance

Field Experience (20 credits)

- Agency Internships

- Supervised Patrol Hours

- Public Relations and Media Management

- Media Relations & Public Speaking

- Agency Management & Leadership

Research and Development (9 credits)

- Advanced Quirk Analysis

- Hero Strategy Development

- Quirk Enhancement & Control

- Hero Psychology and Counseling

Graduation Requirements

- Maintain minimum 3.0 GPA

- Complete 1000 supervised field hours

- Pass Hero License Advanced Certification

- Complete Field Case Project demonstrating mastery of hero skills

International Hero Law - Class Session Example

Topic: Cross-Border Hero Operations

Professor begins with a real-world case study of the Moscow Mall incident where heroes from 5 different countries had to coordinate rescue efforts

Key points covered:

- Jurisdiction protocols when crossing international borders during emergencies

- Required documentation and emergency clearance procedures

- Chain of command in multinational hero operations

- Legal liability and insurance considerations

Practical Exercise: Students split into teams representing different countries' hero agencies to simulate coordinating a response to a natural disaster affecting multiple nations.

Homework Assignment: Draft a proper cross-border operation request form and outline the step-by-step protocol for emergency hero deployment to a neighboring country.