#and live my life by 13 maxims

[berrynes]

ok this account is now an improv account. there’s no improv on tumblr and this is a Problem!!! we need more yes anding and silly mistakes being gifts and a culture of just showing up

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Sphinxmumps Linkdump

On THURSDAY (June 20) I'm live onstage in LOS ANGELES for a recording of the GO FACT YOURSELF podcast. On FRIDAY (June 21) I'm doing an ONLINE READING for the LOCUS AWARDS at 16hPT. On SATURDAY (June 22) I'll be in OAKLAND, CA for a panel and a keynote at the LOCUS AWARDS.

Welcome to my 20th Linkdump, in which I declare link bankruptcy and discharge my link-debts by telling you about all the open tabs I didn't get a chance to cover in this week's newsletters. Here's the previous 19 installments:

https://pluralistic.net/tag/linkdump/

Starting off this week with a gorgeous book that is also one of my favorite books: Beehive's special slipcased edition of Dante's Inferno, as translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, with new illustrations by UK linocut artist Sophy Hollington:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beehivebooks/the-inferno

I've loved Inferno since middle-school, when I read the John Ciardi translation, principally because I'd just read Niven and Pournelle's weird (and politically odious) (but cracking) sf novel of the same name:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Niven_and_Pournelle_novel)

But also because Ciardi wrote "About Crows," one of my all-time favorite bits of doggerel, a poem that pierced my soul when I was 12 and continues to do so now that I'm 52, for completely opposite reasons (now there's a poem with staying power!):

https://spirituallythinking.blogspot.com/2011/10/about-crows-by-john-ciardi.html

Beehive has a well-deserved rep for making absolutely beautiful new editions of great public domain books, each with new illustrations and intros, all in matching livery to make a bookshelf look classy af. I have several of them and I've just ordered my copy of Inferno. How could I not? So looking forward to this, along with its intro by Ukrainian poet Ilya Kaminsky and essay by Dante scholar Kristina Olson.

The Beehive editions show us how a rich public domain can be the soil from which new and inspiring creative works sprout. Any honest assessment of a creator's work must include the fact that creativity is a collective act, both inspired by and inspiring to other creators, past, present and future.

One of the distressing aspects of the debate over the exploitative grift of AI is that it's provoked a wave of copyright maximalism among otherwise thoughtful artists, despite the fact that a new copyright that lets you control model training will do nothing to prevent your boss from forcing you to sign over that right in your contracts, training an AI on your work, and then using the model as a pretext to erode your wages or fire your ass:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/13/spooky-action-at-a-close-up/#invisible-hand

Same goes for some privacy advocates, whose imaginations were cramped by the fact that the only regulation we enforce on the internet is copyright, causing them to forget that privacy rights can exist separate from the nonsensical prospect of "owning" facts about your life:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/21/the-internets-original-sin/

We should address AI's labor questions with labor rights, and we should address AI's privacy questions with privacy rights. You can tell that these are the approaches that would actually work for the public because our bosses hate these approaches and instead insist that the answer is just giving us more virtual property that we can sell to them, because they know they'll have a buyer's market that will let them scoop up all these rights at bargain prices and use the resulting hoards to torment, immiserate and pauperize us.

Take Clearview AI, a facial recognition tool created by eugenicists and white nationalists in order to help giant corporations and militarized, unaccountable cops hunt us by our faces:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/20/steal-your-face/#hoan-ton-that

Clearview scraped billions of images of our faces and shoveled them into their model. This led to a class action suit in Illinois, which boasts America's best biometric privacy law, under which Clearview owes tens of billions of dollars in statutory damages. Now, Clearview has offered a settlement that illustrates neatly the problem with making privacy into property that you can sell instead of a right that can't be violated: they're going to offer Illinoisians a small share of the company's stock:

https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/14/clearview_ai_reaches_creative_settlement/

To call this perverse is to go a grave injustice to good, hardworking perverts. The sums involved will be infinitesimal, and the only way to make those sums really count is for everyone in Illinois to root for Clearview to commit more grotesque privacy invasions of the rest of us to make its creepy, terrible product more valuable.

Worse still: by crafting a bespoke, one-off, forgiveness-oriented regulation specifically for Clearview, we ensure that it will continue, but that it will also never be disciplined by competitors. That is, rather than banning this kind of facial recognition tech, we grant them a monopoly over it, allowing them to charge all the traffic will bear.

We're in an extraordinary moment for both labor and privacy rights. Two of Biden's most powerful agency heads, Lina Khan and Rohit Chopra have made unprecedented use of their powers to create new national privacy regulations:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/16/the-second-best-time-is-now/#the-point-of-a-system-is-what-it-does

In so doing, they're bypassing Congressional deadlock. Congress has not passed a new consumer privacy law since 1988, when they banned video-store clerks from leaking your VHS rental history to newspaper reporters:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Privacy_Protection_Act

Congress hasn't given us a single law protecting American consumers from the digital era's all-out assault on our privacy. But between the agencies, state legislatures, and a growing coalition of groups demanding action on privacy, a new federal privacy law seems all but assured:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

When that happens, we're going to have to decide what to do about products created through mass-scale privacy violations, like Clearview AI – but also all of OpenAI's products, Google's AI, Facebook's AI, Microsoft's AI, and so on. Do we offer them a deal like the one Clearview's angling for in Illinois, fining them an affordable sum and grandfathering in the products they built by violating our rights?

Doing so would give these companies a permanent advantage, and the ongoing use of their products would continue to violate billions of peoples' privacy, billions of times per day. It would ensure that there was no market for privacy-preserving competitors thus enshrining privacy invasion as a permanent aspect of our technology and lives.

There's an alternative: "model disgorgement." "Disgorgement" is the legal term for forcing someone to cough up something they've stolen (for example, forcing an embezzler to give back the money). "Model disgorgement" can be a legal requirement to destroy models created illegally:

https://iapp.org/news/a/explaining-model-disgorgement

It's grounded in the idea that there's no known way to unscramble the AI eggs: once you train a model on data that shouldn't be in it, you can't untrain the model to get the private data out of it again. Model disgorgement doesn't insist that offending models be destroyed, but it shifts the burden of figuring out how to unscramble the AI omelet to the AI companies. If they can't figure out how to get the ill-gotten data out of the model, then they have to start over.

This framework aligns everyone's incentives. Unlike the Clearview approach – move fast, break things, attain an unassailable, permanent monopoly thanks to a grandfather exception – model disgorgement makes AI companies act with extreme care, because getting it wrong means going back to square one.

This is the kind of hard-nosed, public-interest-oriented rulemaking we're seeing from Biden's best anti-corporate enforcers. After decades kid-glove treatment that allowed companies like Microsoft, Equifax, Wells Fargo and Exxon commit ghastly crimes and then crime again another day, Biden's corporate cops are no longer treating the survival of massive, structurally important corporate criminals as a necessity.

It's been so long since anyone in the US government treated the corporate death penalty as a serious proposition that it can be hard to believe it's even happening, but boy is it happening. The DOJ Antitrust Division is seeking to break up Google, the largest tech company in the history of the world, and they are tipped to win:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/24/naming-names/#prabhakar-raghavan

And that's one of the major suits against Google that Big G is losing. Another suit, jointly brought by the feds and dozens of state AGs, is just about to start, despite Google's failed attempt to get the suit dismissed:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-loses-bid-end-us-antitrust-case-over-digital-advertising-2024-06-14/

I'm a huge fan of the Biden antitrust enforcers, but that doesn't make me a huge fan of Biden. Even before Biden's disgraceful collaboration in genocide, I had plenty of reasons – old and new – to distrust him and deplore his politics. I'm not the only leftist who's struggling with the dilemma posed by the worst part of Biden's record in light of the coming election.

You've doubtless read the arguments (or rather, "arguments," since they all generate a lot more heat than light and I doubt whether any of them will convince anyone). But this week, Anand Giridharadas republished his 2020 interview with Noam Chomsky about Biden and electoral politics, and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind:

https://the.ink/p/free-noam-chomsky-life-voting-biden-the-left

Chomsky contrasts the left position on politics with the liberal position. For leftists, Chomsky says, "real politics" are a matter of "constant activism." It's not a "laser-like focus on the quadrennial extravaganza" of national elections, after which you "go home and let your superiors take over."

For leftists, politics means working all the time, "and every once in a while there's an event called an election." This should command "10 or 15 minutes" of your attention before you get back to the real work.

This makes the voting decision more obvious and less fraught for Chomsky. There's "never been a greater difference" between the candidates, so leftists should go take 15 minutes, "push the lever, and go back to work."

Chomsky attributed the good parts of Biden's 2020 platform to being "hammered on by activists coming out of the Sanders movement and other." That's the real work, that hammering. That's "real politics."

For Chomsky, voting for Biden isn't support for Biden. It's "support for the activists who have been at work constantly, creating the background within the party in which the shifts took place, and who have followed Sanders in actually entering the campaign and influencing it. Support for them. Support for real politics."

Chomsky tells us that the self-described "masters of the universe" understand that something has changed: "the peasants are coming with their pitchforks." They have all kinds of euphemisms for this ("reputational risks") but the core here is a winner-take-all battle for the future of the planet and the species. That's why the even the "sensible" ultra-rich threw in for Trump in 2016 and 2020, and why they're backing him even harder in 2024:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckvvlv3lewxo

Chomsky tells us not to bother trying to figure out Biden's personality. Instead, we should focus on "how things get done." Biden won't do what's necessary to end genocide and preserve our habitable planet out of conviction, but he may do so out of necessity. Indeed, it doesn't matter how he feels about anything – what matters is what we can make him do.

Chomksy himself is in his 90s and his health is reportedly in terminal decline, so this is probably the only word we'll get from him on this issue:

https://www.reddit.com/r/chomsky/comments/1aj56hj/updates_on_noams_health_from_his_longtime_mit/

The link between concentrated wealth, concentrated power, and the existential risks to our species and civilization is obvious – to me, at least. Any time a tiny minority holds unaccountable power, they will end up using it to harm everyone except themselves. I'm not the first one to take note of this – it used to be a commonplace in American politics.

Back in 1936, FDR gave a speech at the DNC, accepting their nomination for president. Unlike FDR's election night speech ("I welcome their hatred"), this speech has been largely forgotten, but it's a banger:

https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/acceptance-speech-at-the-democratic-national-convention-1936/

In that speech, Roosevelt brought a new term into our political parlance: "economic royalists." He described the American plutocracy as the spiritual descendants of the hereditary nobility that Americans had overthrown in 1776. The English aristocracy "governed without the consent of the governed" and “put the average man’s property and the average man’s life in pawn to the mercenaries of dynastic power":

Roosevelt said that these new royalists conquered the nation's economy and then set out to seize its politics, backing candidates that would create "a new despotism wrapped in the robes of legal sanction…an industrial dictatorship."

As David Dayen writes in The American Prospect, this has strong parallels to today's world, where "Silicon Valley, Big Oil, and Wall Street come together to back a transactional presidential candidate who promises them specific favors, after reducing their corporate taxes by 40 percent the last time he was president":

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-06-14-speech-fdr-would-give/

Roosevelt, of course, went on to win by a landslide, wiping out the Republicans despite the endless financial support of the ruling class.

The thing is, FDR's policies didn't originate with him. He came from the uppermost of the American upper crust, after all, and famously refused to define the "New Deal" even as he campaigned on it. The "New Deal" became whatever activists in the Democratic Party's left could force him to do, and while it was bold and transformative, it wasn't nearly enough.

The compromise FDR brokered within the Democratic Party froze out Black Americans to a terrible degree. Writing for the Institute for Local Self Reliance, Ron Knox and Susan Holmberg reveal the long shadow cast by that unforgivable compromise:

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/045dcde7333243df9b7f4ed8147979cd

They describe how redlining – the formalization of anti-Black racism in New Deal housing policy – led to the ruin of Toledo's once-thriving Dorr Street neighborhood, a "Black Wall Street" where a Black middle class lived and thrived. New Deal policies starved the neighborhood of funds, then ripped it in two with a freeway, sacrificing it and the people who lived in it.

But the story of Dorr Street isn't over. As Knox and Holmberg write, the people of Dorr Street never gave up on their community, and today, there's an awful lot of Chomsky's "constant activism" that is painstakingly bringing the community back, inch by aching inch. The community is locked in a guerrilla war against the same forces that the Biden antitrust enforcers are fighting on the open field of battle. The work that activists do to drag Democratic Party policies to the left is critical to making reparations for the sins of the New Deal – and for realizing its promise for everybody.

In my lifetime, there's never been a Democratic Party that represented my values. The first Democratic President of my life, Carter, kicked off Reaganomics by beginning the dismantling of America's antitrust enforcement, in the mistaken belief that acting like a Republican would get Democrats to vote for him again. He failed and delivered Reagan, whose Reaganomics were the official policy of every Democrat since, from Clinton ("end welfare as we know it") to Obama ("foam the runways for the banks").

In other words, I don't give a damn about Biden, but I am entirely consumed with what we can force his administration to do, and there are lots of areas where I like our chances.

For example: getting Biden's IRS to go after the super-rich, ending the impunity for elite tax evasion that Spencer Woodman pitilessly dissects in this week's superb investigation for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists:

https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2024/06/how-the-irs-went-soft-on-billionaires-and-corporate-tax-cheats/

Ending elite tax cheating will make them poorer, and that will make them weaker, because their power comes from money alone (they don't wield power because their want to make us all better off!).

Or getting Biden's enforcers to continue their fight against the monopolists who've spiked the prices of our groceries even as they transformed shopping into a panopticon, so that their business is increasingly about selling our data to other giant corporations, with selling food to us as an afterthought:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-06-12-war-in-the-aisles/

For forty years, since the Carter administration, we've been told that our only power comes from our role as "consumers." That's a word that always conjures up one of my favorite William Gibson quotes, from 2003's Idoru:

Something the size of a baby hippo, the color of a week-old boiled potato, that lives by itself, in the dark, in a double-wide on the outskirts of Topeka. It's covered with eyes and it sweats constantly. The sweat runs into those eyes and makes them sting. It has no mouth, no genitals, and can only express its mute extremes of murderous rage and infantile desire by changing the channels on a universal remote. Or by voting in presidential elections.

The normie, corporate wing of the Democratic Party sees us that way. They decry any action against concentrated corporate power as "anti-consumer" and insist that using the law to fight against corporate power is a waste of our time:

https://www.thesling.org/sorry-matt-yglesias-hipster-antitrust-does-not-mean-the-abandonment-of-consumers-but-it-does-mean-new-ways-to-protect-workers-2/

But after giving it some careful thought, I'm with Chomsky on this, not Yglesias. The election is something we have to pay some attention to as activists, but only "10 or 15 minutes." Yeah, "push the lever," but then "go back to work." I don't care what Biden wants to do. I care what we can make him do.

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/2024/06/15/disarrangement/#credo-in-un-dio-crudel

Image: Jim's Photo World (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimsphotoworld/5360343644/

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

[darkshrimpemotions]

Rereading The Hunger Games trilogy due to the whole THG Renaissance going on over on Tiktok and I'm a quarter of the way through Mockingjay and my god, Katniss does not give herself enough credit!

And not in the usual YA "oh I'm so plain and average" protagonist way, either. For Katniss, it's that she's completely convinced she's a terrible, ruthless person who uses people and thinks of them like they're game pieces and doesn't feel for other people the way she should.

But she's lived her entire life in deprivation and constant danger, nearly starving to death before she was thirteen years old and then being forced to risk her life daily to be the primary provider for her family afterward. Not to mention the yearly horror of the reapings and the games, always knowing the children dying could be her. Or her sister.

And then her worst nightmare comes true, and she's thrust into a fight to the death where she's forced to playact being in love to survive.

And yet, throughout all this, the thing that most consistently drives Katniss's actions is compassion.

Volunteering for Prim obviously, but also the way she acts towards Rue. Partnering with her, sharing food with her, singing her to rest and burying her in flowers. Then there's the way she worries throughout the series over how her every decision will affect others: her family and friends, but also people she's never even met. Her entire friendship with Finnick in District 13.

Her bonding with the Morphlings over fingerpainting. Her guilt and sorrow over her failure to help the redheaded Avox girl, despite the fact that Katniss was herself a child in a dangerous position and could have died in the attempt. The way she later helps Bonnie and Twill, giving them her bread and showing them how to forage. Her going to bat for the other tributes when District 13 wanted them executed.

Her horror and disgust at the weapons Gale and Beatty were building, weapons that preyed on human terror and compassion to maximize casualties.

Even killing Cato, who she hated and feared, wasn't about vengeance or even survival in the end. It was an act of pure mercy.

Throughout the whole series, Katniss inner-monologues about how awful she is, often comparing herself unfavorably to Peeta and Prim, who she sees as deeply good and kind in a way she isn't. But if Katniss was truly as ruthless and unfeeling as she thinks she is, the Capitol would have actually had far less power to hurt her. It was her compassion that Snow attacked, every time. Her worry for and love of her family, her district, her friends, Peeta...even her fellow tributes. Even people she'd never met. It was her greatest strength and her biggest weakness.

[lovelytayforce]

since you're doing hcs

HCs for the 13 primes in 200 words or less so it's challenging 🫢

Bro thinks Imma FOLLOW THE RULES WHEN RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN Anyways, ladies and non binaries; let's get this show started!

I've actually written very small vignettes for the 13 for a RP for the people who are out of the loop, no they aren't published but maybe one day I can post em if someone asks nicely 😘 I'd have to explain the context of it all but basically I made this whole sim area based off of Elysia realm; that game mode left a lasting impact on me and it made sense for the Prime's to enter their wisdom as data that embody who they are when they are updated for wisdom is not given, it's earned through mistakes and strife in life. Anyways let's start from the top with my favorite of the Primes: Onyx Prime He doesn't get a lot of screentime which sucks cause he's like THE SHEPARD of the group: He should be guiding Optimus more than Alpha Trion does come on writers THATS HIS WHOLE THING LEADING! (IDW was Shockwave so that doesn't count) I need more of his friendly and kind hearted personality to shine in the main series so BADLY and like again I'm the Predacon addict; let him be my token PREDACON 😭 Anyways onto HCs - with his Triptych Mask; I often give him the aesthetic of opening doors to many places across the universe since he's so spiritually connected to nature and life as it is, he basically has a "Tunnel of light" that can not only guide him but the souls of dearly departed or maybe a lost living soul looking for a reason to keep going forward. - He wanted to live peacefully on Cybertron for a very long time but alas Cybertron wasn't the best place for predacons and maximals with their connection with nature and as transformers I feel he would gladly take the call to transform, adapt and evolve for the betterment of their people - Also, he smelt that functionism bs a mile away and decided to cut his losses while he could. His kids come first! - Can be considered the most motherly and emotionally aware of the group, he's got a good head on him which is why he's so well liked 💙 - He's best friends with predaking in all continuities idc they always find each other - Despite being apart of the Well of Allsparks, he has a physical form but it takes a lot of energy to stabilize so don't expect long talks at night. Onto my second favorite- Quintus Prime! Can I just mention how beautiful this design is? He's so pretty I love him 💙

I never really agreed with him being unimaginative considering he created life but I understood the perfectionist plights he held as for idealism, where his concepts really that unrealistic? I loved questioning that because despite his good intentions he made probably one of the worst species alive but it brings about a funny thing about life; you can't mold individuals with free will to your vision. One way or another this would have unfolded considering many would do anything to reach their god much less creator to understand their purpose in life. okay no more philosophy, lets move on to those hcs~ - After many of his failed attempts at making allies for Cybertronians he withheld himself in the land of his daydreams casting aside his perfectionist habits, he paints. He creates for the joy of it, for within a dream nothing can escape his control. It gives him time to think things out and truly understand how life exists and the beauty of nature that once puzzled him that his brother Onyx knew so well. It's a slow process but it opens this scientist's horizons beyond anything even primus could anticipate! You already know whose my next favorite is if you know me and my love for Transformers Cybertron and Armada those shows were my CHILDHOOD BRO Let's set the timer for Vector Prime! ⏰ YOU'LL ALWAYS BE ICONIC QUEEN THE FIRST PRIME I EVER STANNED OPTIMUS PRIME WHO /jk

I subscribe to the majority of his Ask Vector Prime answers which as follows: He's a fan of the dinobots He used to "boogie down" with a disco ball. Despite having traveled far and wide, he could not see why kids loved Cinnamon Toast Crunch. If he had to choose a beast mode, it would be a large sea mammal. Everyone he ever cares about will grow old and die in what, to him, is just the pulse of a spark. Sometimes, he feels alone even when he's in a crowd. His favorite human movie was Back to the Future, due to the performance of lead actor Eric Stoltz. He revealed himself as a Point One Percenter (after the Shroud).

Please read what this man talks about on tfwiki, he's a national treasure who brings me joy during my great depression. Anyways onto my own hcs 🥰

He's a stickler for being on time! Don't you dare be late! You're wasting his precious time!Vector Prime - The clock that always strikes on time!He's the first POP (Point One Percenter) and was the mold for many POP's in the future such as Skywarp As a being held by the constraints of time, even though he wants to save as many universes as he can, he simply cannot; he's stuck between a physical form and a form distorted by the whims of time and space what little control he has is simply a delicacy that must be treasured with the utmost care. He keeps small trinkets from his favorite universes and planets and leaves clocks around for the sole purpose of helping those looking for his helping hand. Also, I just think it'd be neat to find a giant clock and if you strike right for midnight he'll appear!!

The rest are in the reblogs. 👏🏽

[justicegundam82]

3.0 D&D to PF1 Conversion: Torturer Devil (Kocrachon)

This is a conversion of a rather famous creature that originated from Planescape. Since this is a rather low-ranking devil, I tried not to go overboard on the abilities, while attempting to give the Kocrachon its own flavour. I also got several pointers from a previous 3.5 conversion of the same creature, which appeared in the EN World Forums. Of course, you guys be the judges if my conversion is satisfying.

DEVIL, TORTURER (KOCRACHON)

Image (c) Wizads of the Coast, artist unknown

This horror looks like an overgrown bluish-black beetle with a long proboscis for a mouth, but its face has a disturbingly human look to it, and its legs end in slim, dexterous claws.

TORTURER DEVIL       CR 7

XP 3’200

LE Medium Outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +14

Defense

AC 22, touch 15, flat-footed 17 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +7 natural)

hp 76 (8d10+32) 

Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +9

Damage Reduction 5/good; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10

Spell Resistance 18

Offense

Speed 40 ft., flying 60 ft. (good)

Melee bite +12 (1d6+2 plus disease), 2 claws +12 (1d4+1 plus excruciate)

Special Attacks disease, excruciate, sadism, sneak attack +2d6

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th, concentration +12)

     At will – cause fear (DC 15), darkness, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. objects only), stabilize, suggestion (DC 17)

     3/day – cure moderate wounds (DC 16), invisibility, magic circle against good, major image (DC 17)

     1/day – breath of life, summon (level 3, 2d4 lemures or 1 torturer devil, 45%), waves of fatigue (DC 19)

                   

Statistics

Str 14, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 19

Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 24 (30 vs. trip)

Feats Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse

Skills Acrobatics +12 (+16 jumping), Bluff +13, Diplomacy +12, Fly +14, Heal +18, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (planes) +14, Perception +14, Profession (torturer) +18, Sense Motive +18, Stealth +15; Racial Modifiers +4 Heal, +4 Profession (torturer), +4 Sense Motive      

Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.

Ecology

Environment any (Nine Hells)

Organization solitary, pair or team (3-6)

Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Disease (Su) An opponent hit by a torturer devil’s bite attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 18) or contract devil chills. The save DC is Constitution-based

Devil Chills: Disease – injury (bite); save Fort DC 18; onset 1d4 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Str damage; cure 3 consecutive saves.

Excruciate (Su) A living creature hit by a torturer devil’s claw attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 18) or become sickened with pain for 1d6 rounds. A creature that is already sickened becomes nauseated for 1 round instead. The save DC is Constitution-based

Sadism (Ex) If a torturer devil inflicts 10 or more points of damage on a single creature in the span of a single round, either with a single attack or with multiple attacks, it gains a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks for the duration of the next round.

Kocrachons are also known as torturer devils for their specialization in inflicting prolonged pain on helpless victims. They are mostly tasked with extracting information through pain, and it is a job they thoroughly enjoy. In what spare time they have, they enjoy sharpening their skills on damned souls and other prisoners; ending up in the claws of the kocrachon is considered one of the worst possible fates, for these devils are merciless and go out of their way to deny their victims the sweet release of death. Torturer devils are fond of mental torture as well, and will gleefully manipulate and gaslight their charges in order to maximize their anguish.

Torturer devils are not particularly fond of combat, and will usually retreat if an opponent looks dangerous enough to fight them on even footing. If forced to battle, they will usually break up and confound the opposition with spells like cause fear or suggestion, and then strike from ambush, often with the cover of invisibility, and debilitate their victims with their painful claws and diseased bites. A kocrachon that inflicts enough suffering on a victim is bolstered by the act, and can briefly fight with enhanced vigor.    

Kocrachons are mostly found in infernal citadels, working for more powerful devils; they are 5 feet tall on average, and weigh roughly 110 pounds.

[dustedmagazine]

English Teacher — This Could Be Texas (Island)

The four members of English Teacher — Lily Fontaine (vocals, guitar), Lewis Whiting (guitar), Douglas Frost (drums, piano) and Nicholas Eden (bass) — met at Leeds Conservatoire nearly a decade ago and have been writing songs together and refining their sound ever since. Although This Could Be Texas is their debut album, apparently some of this material dates back to as early as 2016, and a sizable portion of the album (five of the 13 songs) has already been released. 

The most obvious points of comparison are probably fellow Brits Black Country, New Road and Dry Cleaning. As with Black Country, New Road, prominent piano melodically weaves its way alongside clean, Slint-like guitars. And much like Dry Cleaning, Fontaine’s delivery can be deliciously deadpan atop post-punk backing, though Fontaine’s lyrics don’t quite match the wondrous non-sequiturs of Florence Shaw. Fontaine’s delivery is alternately impassioned and snarky, and her words are always engaging, whether she’s scrutinizing the minutiae of small-town British life (“Broken Buscuits”) or musing on the potential pitfalls of venturing beyond the earth’s atmosphere (“Not Everyone Gets To Go To Space”).

Though catchy single “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab” is sequenced early on, the majority of the album’s first half is surprisingly varied in pace and density, with not a weak link in sight. The three-song, mid-album stretch of “Not Everyone Gets To Go To Space,” “R&B” and “Nearly Daffodils” is especially good, but the album loses some steam beyond that point. “Best Tears Of Your Life” has an off-putting digital crispiness to the beats, plus some unnecessary AutoTune on Fontaine’s voice, and the piano chord sequence on “You Blister My Paint” is naggingly familiar and a tad uninspired.

At 51 minutes, This Could Be Texas feels like it’s at least a couple of songs too long. Much like BC,NR’s magnificent Ants From Up There, the album feels like several potential closers have been strung together during the album’s final stretch, which could have been trimmed a little to maximize the impact of what’s left. Nevertheless, this is an extremely colorful, fun and addictive record that showcases the enviable talents of a young band with a bright future. I’ll bet they’re great live, too.

Tim Clarke

[defjux]

100 of my favorite non hip hop releases from 2022. I made a seperate list for hip hop already which you can find here if you’re interested. 2022 will go down as a memorable year for me not just for the sheer quantity of great releases, but also because i feel that all my of my favorite genres had a chance to shine. I started returning to my hardcore/punk/metal roots within the last couple years and 2022 was the first time in recent memory where I really felt like I was fully tapped in. There were so many highly anticipated releases from a ton of different artists last year, and the majority lived up to the hype for me. Grindcore, Mathcore, and Post-Hardcore seems to have been making a huge comeback with some incredible new efforts from modern genre staples like Wormrot, Callous Daoboys, Brutus, Greyhaven, Birds in row, Knoll, and Cloud Rat. Not to mention the much welcome return of some legendary acts including Gospel, Sawtooth Grin, and City of Caterpillar. I’m sure there’s plenty of stuff I missed out on too, so feel free to hit me with any recommendations you might have or just let me know what projects you enjoyed the most last year. Oh and you can also click the titles of any of these albums and it’ll take you to the bandcamp or spotify page where you can check them out if you’d like. Peace. Chart with album titles 1. Wormrot - Hiss 2. Alvvays - Blue Rev 3. Brutus - Unison Life 4. Cloud Rat - Threshold 5. Weyes Blood - And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow 6. Gospel - The Loser 7. Natalia Lafourcade - De todas las flores 8. Massa Nera - Derramar | Querer | Borrar 9. Messa - Close 10. Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems 11. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum 12. Cult of Luna - The Long Road North 13. tricot - Fudeki 14. White Ward - False Light 15. The Callous Daoboys - Celebrity Therapist 16. The Sawtooth Grin - Good. 17. Ultha - All That Has Never Been True 18. Joel Ross - The Parable Of The Poet 19. Autonoesis - Moon of Foul Magics 20. Knoll - Metempiric 21. Joyce Moreno - Natureza 22. Birds in Row - Gris Klein 23. Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain 24. Wake - Thought Form Descent 25. Tómarúm - Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons 26. Greyhaven - This Bright and Beautiful World 27. Sudan Archives - Natural Brown Prom Queen 28. Nilüfer Yanya - PAINLESS 29. Mary Halvorson - Amaryllis 30. Celeste - Assassine(s) 31. Naked Flames - Miracle in Transit 32. Elephant Gym - Dreams 33. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum 34. Silvana Estrada - Marchita 35. Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double - March 36. Imperial Triumphant - Spirit Of Ecstasy 37. Blind Girls - The Weight of Everything 38. Chat Pile - God's Country 39. fleshwater - We're Not Here to Be Loved 40. Fievel Is Glauque - Flaming Swords

41. Melody's Echo Chamber - Emotional Eternal 42. NEPTUNIAN MAXIMALISM - Set Chaos To The Heart Of The Moon 43. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava 44. An Abstract Illusion - Woe 45. Sigh - SHIKI 46. City of Caterpillar - Mystic Sisters 47. Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You 48. Conjurer - Páthos 49. Kali Malone - Living Torch 50. Krallice - Crystalline Exhaustion 51. Aeviterne - The Ailing Facade 52. Scarcity - Aveilut 53. The Comet Is Coming - Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam 54. Makaya McCraven - In These Times 55. Misþyrming - Með hamri 56. Loraine James - Building Something Beautiful For Me 57. Knxwledge. - 家​.​V1 58. Hylda - Juniper Pyre 59. Gillian Carter - Salvation Through Misery 60. Beach House - Once Twice Melody 61. Angles - A Muted Reality 62. Hatchie - Giving The World Away 63. Daniel Rossen - You Belong There 64. Pyrithe - Monuments to Impermanence 65. Otoboke beaver - SUPER CHAMPON 66. The Orielles - Tableau 67. Sunrise Patriot Motion - Black Fellflower Stream 68. Blut aus Nord - Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses 69. Helpless - Caged In Gold 70. Immanuel Wilkins - The 7th Hand 71. Mizmor & Thou - Myopia 72. The Wind in the Trees - Architects of Light 73. Daniel Avery - Ultra Truth 74. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory 75. Show Me The Body - Trouble The Water 76. Sault - 11 77. Bríi - Corpos Transparentes 78. Sweet Pill - Where the Heart Is 79. Vein.FM - This World is Going to Ruin You 80. Ravyn Lenae - Hypnos 81. Disheveled Cuss - Into the Couch 82. Aoife Nessa Frances - Protector 83. Niechęć - Unsubscribe 84. Elder - Innate Passage 85. Raum - Daughter 86. Viagra Boys - Cave World 87. Chalk Hands - Don't Think About Death 88. Boris - fade 89. Nouns - WHILE OF UNSOUND MIND 90. ANNA SAGE - Anna Sage 91. Nu Genea - Bar Mediterraneo 92. JYOCHO - Let's Promise to Be Happy 93. Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There 94. Waajeed - Memoirs of Hi-Tech Jazz 95. Petrol Girls - Baby 96. DIM - Steeped Sky, Stained Light 97. lilien rosarian - every flower in my garden 98. Work Money Death - Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction 99. A.A. Williams - As The Moon Rests 100. Vital Spirit - Still as the Night, Cold as the Wind

[sarcatholic]

Keeping Covid-safe at school

I might have started my new academic admin job in August with the second-worst sinus infection of my life from a gd COLD (thanks, immune dysregulation!), BUT all the students are home now, which means I've successfully made it through my first semester ever without getting sick!

At the risk of jinxing myself before the holidays, I'm going to share with you what's worked for me, so you too can enjoy your holidays with minimal risk of infection.

1. This little buddy lives in my office:

He's a Blue 411 HEPA air purifier that I got on sale at Target for $80. Every 13 minutes it cleans the air in the whole (tiny) space. My school has pretty decent air quality to begin with, but this guy gives me an extra boost — especially because I see students in my office. (Bonus: he's unbelievably quiet!)

2. I wear one of these EVERYWHERE:

The only time they come off is outdoors; or in my office and I've been alone for 13+ minutes.

I wear 3M AURA N95 respirators in high-contact settings and during periods of high transmission on campus. They're the gold-standard and have an amazing seal for maximal protection and minimal glasses fogging!

In low-contact settings and when my facial eczema flares, I wear Kimtech duckbill N95 respirators. They're softer and more comfortable than the 3M AURAs, but the seal isn't the best.

3. I require students to wear some level of protection, which I have available in a bag taped to my door. Thankfully, school policy allows faculty and staff to set expectations for the spaces they control.

4. I could probably self-test more, but home tests are increasingly less accurate as the virus gets stealthier. When I do self-test, I swab my throat. They do this in Canada and it's a lot more effective than nasal only!

I've had a LOT of close calls this semester; students have, bizarrely, come in sick, even with my remote options. But, between aggressive air sanitation, high-level self-protection, and sheer luck, I've stayed well and I hope you can too!

Not getting sick 3x year has been life-changing and I don't ever plan to go back. As one friend pointed out, self-care is community care. The state doesn't keep us safe — we keep us safe!

[trustfallwithgod]

Day (Lost Count) - Practical Tips on How to Abide in Christ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. - John 15:4

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free - John 8:31

 the devil himself is always attempting to sift us shake us and so we must pray daily as Jesus taught us: “deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). We need to remind ourselves that Jesus does not leave us to ourselves. Even though He commands us to abide in him—and we are responsible to abide there, He primarily does the work of keeping us there. Proof 1:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:27–29) Proof 2:

Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me. . . . While I was with them, I kept them in your name . . . and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled (John 17:11–12) Proof 3: Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32).

Jesus prayed for Simon’s keeping, saying, “When you have turned” not “If you turn.” God’s answer to Jesus’s prayer was "Yes. Simon will falter but he will not fail after sinning by denying Jesus." Hence, he was not cut off from the vine. We are not idle in the battle to abide in Jesus. But it ultimately does not depend finally on us: No one can snatch us out of Jesus's hand. This crucial stage in the life of a Christian involves suffering

Pruning means to be cut. Our "branches" are being cared for (to make us maximally fruitful) both by internal life flowing to us from the vine and by a vinedresser, who with his very painful scissors or saw cuts us and hurts us, so that by these painful providences in life we experience the fullest possible impact of the inner life of Christ. The whole design of our not being the vine, but being utterly dependent branches grafted into the vine, is to give glory to God.

His promises when we abide: The Fruits

 When we dwell in God’s presence and remain in His Word, we experience His power and peace.

His truth uproots misconceptions and confusion as we remain in God’s Word. He prunes any wayward thoughts and prepares the soil of our hearts and lives to produce good fruit. 

As we abide in Christ and as Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…” the fruit we produce will be lasting and also affect those around us.

[mbakiezariealfonso]

The Power of Personal Branding

As an individual working in sales, I continuously find myself in awe of the creativity and ingenuity of marketers. They possess the remarkable talent of fashioning something truly compelling out of what appears to be a simple product. The most exceptional marketers not only captivate our intellect but also enchant our emotions through their advertisements. Mr. Dean Aragon once emphasized in one of our class sessions in 'Issues and Trends in Business Management: CEO Series' the profound impact of these emotional features in marketing.

I found this session incredibly captivating as it gave me a unique glimpse into the world of one of the industry's top marketers, Mr. Dean Aragón, also recognized as Shell’s Global ‘Brand Guy’. It's truly inspiring to witness someone's passion radiate through their words. I could feel it, even through the lenses of my 13" laptop screen. One of the valuable insights I gained from Mr. Dean pertains to the concept of differentiation and its significance. Mr. Dean emphasized, "It is intellectually impossible to be preferred if you are not sufficiently differentiated," which resonated deeply with me. As a consumer, I am drawn to products that offer unique features or exceptional value, whether in terms of price or quality. This consumer behavior extends to personal branding, prompting me to reflect on what sets me apart from others. This thought-provoking statement made me consider how I can distinguish myself in my life, in school, in my relationships, and in all aspects of my personal and professional journey.

In relation to this, he also introduced that each of us have distinct superpowers that distinguish us apart. We can maximize our talents by identifying and emphasizing our strengths. This is the power of marketing in your personal life - finding and promoting your unique traits in all aspects of life. Whether in our employment, relationships, or personal lives, properly using our superpowers can lead to opportunities that match our particular strengths and desires. Embracing our strengths enables us to achieve success and fulfillment.

Moreover, Mr. Dean's words of wisdom that resonated with me the most were, “You need to be curious” if you want to be in a higher position. He emphasized that the beauty of today’s technology is that you can access knowledge for free. He advised knowing your stuff thoroughly and committing to understanding the details of your business, sector, organization, and processes if you aim to climb the corporate ladder to roles like CEO or GM. Every detail matters, much like the saying from Mulan’s emperor, “a single grain of rice can tip the scale.” You can be intelligent and inspirational, but shallow knowledge of the business components won't suffice. You need to know your stuff inside and out.

Furthermore, Mr. Dean stressed the importance of curiosity not just in our careers but in all aspects of life. This curiosity is one of his key traits. He also spoke about the value of paying it forward—repaying those who helped you and also helping others. True success, he noted, lies in being a net giver rather than a net taker.

These insights from Mr. Dean are truly motivating and have given me a lot to reflect on regarding how to apply these principles in my personal and professional life.

[notebooknebula]

Ascend Your Success In Real Estate with Alex Pardo & Jay Conner

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Alex Pardo is the Founder of Creative RE-Solutions, a home-buying company based out of South Florida.

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In addition, Alex is the Co-Founder of ASCEND, a high-level mastermind and coaching community for Entrepreneurs who want to experience a better life and business.

Alex is also the Co-Founder of Holiday Mastermind, which was created to unite entrepreneurs who are passionate about go-giving, and enhancing their businesses, all while doing so in a world-class setting.

Alex is the host of the Flip Empire Show, a top-rated podcast designed to help anyone achieve financial freedom through real estate investing.

The show was launched in 2016, features industry thought leaders, and covers a variety of topics like entrepreneurship, real estate investing, marketing, team building, systems and automation, personal development, vision building, and more.

Through his businesses, masterminds, coaching, and podcasts, Alex can fulfill his purpose of helping others achieve Freedom, while passionately living his vision with his family

Timestamps:

0:01 - Raising Private Money Without Asking For It

0:46 - Jay’s New Book: “Where To Get The Money Now” - https://www.JayConner.com/Book

2:00 - Alex Pardo, The Flip Empire Show (Podcast): https://www.FlipEmpire.com/podcast

5:10 - What makes you give up your wholesaling business?

9:18 - Describe how you felt when you made that decision to make a change.

10:44 - What is giving you a sense of fulfillment now?

13:51 - Why is it important to have a vision? How do you figure out your vision?

18:02 - Alex Pardo’s Vision in Life

21:26 - Do you agree that it’s more challenging to find deals in today’s real estate market?

26:49 - Alex Pardo’s best advice.

rivate Money Academy Conference:

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Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. He maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $67,000 per deal without using his own money or credit.

What is Real Estate Investing? Live Private Money Academy Conference

YouTube Channel

[umichenginabroad]

Week 6 - Kiwi Chronicles

G’day folks! 

New Zealand, my god.

It was everything I had hoped for and so so much more. More than I could ever put into words. But it’d be a shame not to try… Here’s my week:

On Tuesday we hopped off AJ Hackett’s Nevis Bungee jump. Standing from a suspended cable car over a ravine nearly 140 meters or 450 feet above the rocky stream below. The world’s first bungee jumping company gave us an experience that makes my palms sweaty just thinking about it. 

The pounding Pitbull tunes… then the count down, 5,4,3,2,1…

Goodbye Queenstown: We began our last day here with a last-minute booking at the spa pools of Onsen for a relaxing hour to reminisce on all that had already happened and all that lay ahead for us.

After checking out of our hostel, we made our rounds through downtown Queenstown, shopping and renting the food and gear that could get us through the upcoming camping excursion. New Zealand has twelve “Great Walks”, these are typically multi-day hiking trips that span all parts of the north and south island. We decided to follow Kepler Track located outside the town of Te Anau. It is a three-day, two-night, 60 km Great Walk that cuts through the Fiordland National Park. 

The food list was focused on maximizing calories while minimizing cost, space, and required prep. This meant a lot of canned meats, rice, wraps, peanut butter, and jelly. 

We drove to the trailhead and assembled our packs, making judgment calls on clothes, food, tents, and who carries what. Finally, we set off with two hours of sun remaining.

The trail unraveled into a living canopy of moss and streams that felt at times like a set on Lord of the Rings. We made it to the camp with a little time to spare, just enough to get our tents up and bring our food supplies to the bench. Cooking in the dark was no easy feat. But the whispers of the company, hushed music, and countless stars outlining the night sky above kept us working through the night.  

Thursday: the best hike of my life.

We woke up, slept in a little late, and got to work immediately. Even so, we didn’t end up heading off until around 10:30. This day's hike is 13 miles long but with all of the Kepler Track’s change in altitude. The first part of the hike was a climb up through the canopy. From there we took a gruelling climb up and over multiple mountain peaks over five hours. Some of the most stunning natural views I’ve ever seen, I couldn’t recommend this hike more. Everyone we met on the way greeted us with a smile and salutation. We did get a “you’re not even close” early on in the hike when we first got above the canopy but other than that the other hikers were overwhelmingly encouraging and friendly.  

We had our first encounter with the Kea, a large majestic bird native to the area that the rangers and locals treat reverently. In fact, at one stop, a ranger told us that it was our job to get out of the way of the Kea rather than to shoo it off. Of course, 30 minutes later this exact situation happened when we left our bags at the base of a scenic lookout that branched off the hike. We came back down to find a Kea picking around and investigating our packs. 

After hiking for over 11 hours we made it into camp just as the sun was sinking below the mountains. We broke our group into those setting up camp and those cooking food. But, much to our dismay, we found that we had left a night’s worth of canned chicken in the car. Luckily, we overpacked in other areas so our dinner instead became rice and a handful of tuna cans with some ripped-up lunch meat sprinkled in with some all-purpose seasoning. Pack more than you think you will eat!

That night I was awoken several times to rustling and scratching, I looked outside to see both a Kiwi and a Kea making concerted efforts to break into our tents. A few slaps on the tent wall were enough to send them running, but not for long. In the morning the damage was assessed and the kiwi had broken through the netting in two areas and the Kea had ripped a hole into the side of the tent near our heads.  YOIKES. The tents were of course rented so we swore to find sewing materials when we got back to civilization. 

The Kiwi in question the morning after.

Our last day of the hike was another 13 miles but with pretty much flat ground the whole way until we emptied out on the parking lot we left in the beginning. In some ways, this day was the worse of the two, Joe and I had rented hiking boots that really didn’t fit and they left us swimming in the boots so the promises of blisters from the night before were in full bloom for the last day. But nonetheless, it was a stunning and memorable day in its own right.

What did I learn from the backpacking adventure?… Bring more food than you think you’ll need, bring a sponge for cleaning dishes, and you are likely overpacking clothes: bring one core outfit with options for layering and spare underwear and socks. And prepare for the bold wildlife!

The next day we unanimously decided on no hiking, instead we hopped on the Te Anau boat to the entrance of New Zealand’s Glow Worm Caves. The tour took us into the caves and, once deep enough, took us on smaller boats that were guided in the pitch dark, other than the cosmic-like glow from the clusters of worms. The bioluminescence was breathtaking and fascinating to learn about its evolutionary origins. 

We weren't allowed to take photos but here's a decent one I found online:

After the tour, we had some time to kill in Te Anau so we ran a load of laundry at the local laundromat, walked through a nearby art gallery, and purchased some souvenirs to memorialize this trip. Across the board, every local we met carried a gentle, relaxed disposition with a passion for dry humor. 

That night we set up camp at the Cascade Creek camping grounds, the nearest camping spot to Milford Sound. It got much colder than we had initially bargained for and the three-person tent we were all huddled in while we were still up became everyone's bed for the night.  

The next morning everyone woke up laughing over how they swore their night of sleep was worse than everyone else’s. Not doing that one again. We packed everything up and set off for the boat tour at Milford Sound. 

After the stunning ride through the glacier-made channels, we made our way to the start of our final hike, Gertrude Saddle. It’s hard to exaggerate just how beautiful our final hike was. We walked under golden grass growing off the sharp mountainside cut only by the aqua-colored streams coming from the lake placed in the “saddle” of the mountain. On the way down we thought the lake looked like a great spot to cool off...

That night we had previously planned on camping at the same grounds but we had enough and frantically looked for last-minute accommodations for seven. Our search brought us to an Airbnb apartment back in Queenstown for the night.

We said goodbye to two of our companions and set off for the day’s adventures. Our first stop was jet boating. It’s essentially a Mario Kart-like drift through the surrounding rivers. It was thrilling, but it admittedly got old after the first 30 minutes.

Next up was river boarding, essentially boogie boarding with a wetsuit and helmet in grade three rapids. Everyone had a blast and the trip actually ended with us sharing a pint at a nearby bar with one of our instructors Pav.

This trip has been memorable and greater than my already high expectations. There was nothing like being on the ground looking up at the steep mountains and into the starry sky. The group was reverently silent more often than any group I’ve been a part of. If any of this peaks your interest I cannot recommend visiting this beautiful country enough.

Take care everyone,

Grant Touchette

Aerospace Engineering

University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia

[asksampugh]

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[vael]

2023 Annual Review

"I might as well copy-paste last year's Annual Review..."

Of course, even last year I thought the same thing. "A tiger doesn't change its stripes," and now in my 35th year, it's apparent I won't be changing mine.

What went well this year?

Parenting. I'm very aware of the cost of lackluster parenting. "It's a terrible thing to do to someone." No matter how strained I am, I've said I am going to be a dedicated father. This year I dedicated myself to both my girls and continued my usual routine of rallying the boy to greatness.

When parenting, I track their milestones and development because I want the children to be able to play at (and somewhat over) the level of their peers so that they're able to play with the maximal number of children. Milestones are also easily measured: they can do the thing or not. My son still struggles to relate to his peers today because he's never been on their level, and it's a pitiable thing which I personally experienced as a child. It lead to my poor self-esteem and lack of ambition. When I celebrate milestones, this is why.

Violet. "My little storm cloud." 🖤 Violet continues to meet her milestones. She's ahem strong-willed, sweet, intelligent, curious, and funny: I think she's picked up on my ability to parody -- songs and such -- and she'll make up her own little parodies of various things. This year she became a lot less fearful.

Olivia. "Child of light." I thought Violet was an especially happy baby; Olivia redefined that for me. For her first year, we called her the colon D baby. This guy -> :D

Olivia is an absolute joy to be around. She took 13 months to walk, which was a surprise given that Violet was fully walking at 10 ½ months, but it looks like she instead allocated her effort towards speech, because this girl can talk. And enunciate! She's also good with her fine motor skills.

My wife was able to flawlessly breastfeed Olivia for six straight months, which is a big achievement.

Made two new friends. Each from different countries, and each of them web developers. I always love hearing about other cultures and it was because of my Argentinian friend that I...

Started learning Spanish; soft-quit PGO. This year I finally was able to put down Pokémon GO. Partially because I'm playing Pokemon Sleep now, but mostly that I was a little too obsessive about PvP and I felt childish being distracted in public so that I could play the PvE events.

I started Duolingo mid-November. My learning strategy is slow-paced and with frequent review. I fully achieve "legendary" on the current unit before moving on to the next. It's working, and it's got to be better for my cognition, and certainly for my life.

Rearranged the house. My wife came up with the plan. My son took my old office and my new office is in the study, previously our entertainment room. I could barely stand living in this house before, but now I'm comfortable.

Game development. I may have burned myself doing it, but I can't argue with the results. I don't think I've ever been better poised for a successful year than I am now.

This year I also received the most volunteer help I ever have. Aforementioned Argentinian friend wrote a robust weather script, and Tinydark's Raigen helped develop tinydark.com and Hub features; I'm also excited to announce we've been able to hire him to work remotely at my workplace. We even had an artist draw some holiday costumes for Tinyblob, our mascot.

Health. I took almost three months off eating "optional sugar," breaking my nightly ice cream routine. I'd felt like I was starting to get fat, so I simultaneously started focusing more on building my upper body. I went as far as to take before-and-afters for Facebook, but I eventually had to stop so I could focus on game dev. Though I stopped my upper body work, I did start jogging in the morning. I fell out of the habit once Daylight Saving Time hit, and the girls' circadian rhythms were an hour ahead.

Artificial Intelligence. Not exactly "my" win, but AI has been instrumental in this year's high production. To think it's only gotten better throughout the year and stands to get even better, it's such a privilege to be able to use AI. That's just code; assets have always been a problem for my game development, but AI trivializes some of my asset issues (it's still pretty bad proper asset generation).

What didn't go so well?

Relentless work ethic. I have a long, contemplative post on this here, but: I am too ambitious. "A good problem to have." Well, in August I had my first real panic attack at 3AM. I thought it was a heart attack at first. But what's mildly concerning is that I felt stronger for it after; I overcame it on my own and that now that I know what it is, I'm better prepared for it. I didn't feel like I should try to avoid this at all, but rather that I'm more prepared for a second panic attack. Seems kinda not-a-good mentality.

My body. I said my forward neck posture would be my focus of the year, and I did a passable job of it, but it wasn't enough. I still get headaches and they feel like they're getting worse. We don't have the money nor do I have the bandwidth to see a rolfer, and I'm not sure what to do other than try to keep my posture in mind throughout the day. I tried to train myself to sleep without a pillow but had minimal success. I typically lay down once a day, mid-day if work allows it, for about 15 minutes just to clear my head and alleviate some of the pain.

I also abused caffeine: by my definition, two cups/packets/sessions a day. That likely contributed to the panic attack.

My focus. Nothing new here. It's just hard to truly focus when my morning's waylaid by children and I'm needed throughout the day. Interruptions break focus, so that's that: I cannot truly focus. The time I get at night is rarely good for focusing considering it's so scarce, the girls could wake up at any time, and that's typically the bulk of time I get to spend talking with my wife.

Buried. Two-under-two, working my job, working tinydark, doing (it seems) more chores than the typical husband does, my crumbling body and keeping myself healthy are the primary stressors.

No sympathy allowed; I chose this path and would choose it again.

Finances. We had two kids in two years (I regret not waiting an extra six months) so it's to be expected, but we've found ourselves deep in the negatives at the end of the year. Inflation's a real killer. We (ie: my wife) made some progress with the decision to grocery shop at two different stores for our weekly shopping trip, but the extra store is Trader Joe's... full of novel temptations. We're still better off for it, anyway.

Released neither Black Crown: Exhumed nor Bean Grower. I did have to take two weeks off for some contracting, but ultimately I just decided to spend more time on URPG, and everything takes longer than I expect.

What did I learn?

I feel like this year, I didn't get too worked up about our lack of financial progress. It feels more like acceptance than complacency. I will be free, unburied when my dream is realized: we just need to save up enough money for a down payment on a new house build, then sustain our finances while it's built, and finally sell this house for a minimum of $100k in the bank when all is said and done. I have confirmed this is entirely possible, and I'm grateful to have moved South before the pandemic. This is why it's acceptance: achieving this peace of mind is the only way I can finally buy the ice cream.

Otherwise, I've meditated on it, and honestly: I don't know that I really learned anything notable. At least as far as wisdom vs. tangible knowledge.

Goals and Expectations: 2024

Game dev. I can at least guarantee Bean Grower's getting a final release, presumably onto an app store. I'm giving myself three damn months for it. Black Crown is also getting three damn months, but I will concede that Steam Store support might be a stretch goal. Either way, I'm ending this year with two full titles under my belt.

Financial recovery. Sort of a given, and who knows, maybe the 15,000 hours I've spent building a game studio will actually pan out this year.

-- --

Welp, figger that's it. Vael

[daimonclub]

Principles of Daimonology

Principles of Daimonology Principles of Daimonology, or better Synthetic principles of applied Daimonology, consisting of 100 aphorisms, maxims, ideas and thoughts sometimes enigmatic and a little humorous, on the dissemination and deepening of knowledge and creative thinking in general. Before proceeding with the reading of this text, it is strongly recommended to read the introduction to Daimonology, and to better understand the subject also the posts relating to the Daimon, Plato, Socrates, and so on, whose links are given at the end of this page. Daimonology in its literary form consists of 100 definitions or aphorisms, 60 of which were published by Carl William Brown under the title of Synthetic and Enigmatic Principles of Applied Daimonology on the Daimon Club website on 13-12-1998. The other 40 aphorisms that complete the text are now published on the Aphorismicelebri site, also by the author in question. Finally, in this article they have been translated into English. These principles are inspired primarily by the philosophy of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the capital maxims of Epicurus, the aphorisms of Heraclitus, primordial philosophical wisdom with a focus on Eastern philosophy, as well as the work of Shakespeasre and Freud, and more personally by my own literary and philosophical production, as well as my own complex life experience. In this regard, I would like to remind you that I have always been engaged in teaching, cultural popularization and artistic provocation, and have also authored well over 10000 original aphorisms, various essays and articles, as well as various collections of maxims and aphorisms. These principles are thus a kind of vademecum of creative thinking and enhancement of mental faculties. These principles of applied Daimonology thus cover, along with the Testament of C.W. Brown, the Bequest of the Daimon Club, the various written texts, and my own aphoristic production a kind of spiritual legacy that I intend to leave to weary humanity. Certainly, one cannot claim to be able to exhaust such a broad subject in a few pages and therefore perhaps not everything will be clear at first, in any case this publication is to be considered solely of an informative and popularizing nature and therefore cannot be considered an exhaustive and definitive discourse on the subject. However, I hope that it will be equally enlightening to those who will take the action of reading it and at the same time try to get into the spirit of its elaboration and interpretation. Once again therefore, thank you in advance! Daimon is an inner force, an inner passion, a mixture of desires and aspirations. Our daimon is the genius that lives with us, good and evil at the same time. As Blake would say, it's the marriage between heaven and hell. It's death in life and life in death. It's a kind of enthusiasm that guides us towards the search for knowledge, without believing in any superior entity. It's an olistic approach to life that struggles against any form of vanity, of stupid power and false authority. It's a form of magic, of ecstatic feeling, it's the art of living for freedom without having to submit our inner thoughts to the banalities of our society. It's a dream that gives hope to our intellect, it's a mistery without solution. it's the absurdity of our life, it's a nonsensical joke. That's why I thought to link the surrealistic poetics with the spirit of my creation, and that's why the Daimon Club was born. Now I only hope to be able to communicate to other people this idea, and to divulge our love for equality, peace and freedom. Carl William Brown Very often there is nothing more unconscious than our ignorance, of which we obviously disregard the existence; therefore opening the mind to the ethics of knowledge and cultivating one’s learning is the only wise thing to do in order to give a sense to our mysterious life. Carl William Brown Perhaps he could have chosen in the best way, but his Daimon wasn’t all that reliable, moreover Dada doubted everything, and for this reason he almost never knew how to make the most appropriate choice, however he enjoyed trying, not without a certain nostalgia and melancholy suffering. Carl William Brown

Zeus the Olympus God 1) Daimonology gave rise to Philosophy and Philosophy to all other sciences. Starting from the origins of the principle we will reach the end of the search. 2) Philosophy meant as love for knowledge englobes all the sciences and is therefore their fascinating mother. Daimonology, however, goes further and begins where knowledge ends. 3) Daimonology is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary speculation that owes its birth to the genius and its dissemination to the new surrealist, nihilistic and humorist movement and naturally to the creative craftsmen and philosophers of the Daimon Club. 4) Daimonology is the discourse on genius, it is genius that questions itself and globality, it is a synthesis of the universal nothingness. It is the coincidentia oppositorum of pain and joy. It is the end of every principle. 5) Daimonology is the reality of ideality that pursues the ideality of reality. It is an ethical, aesthetic, critical, dialectical and enigmatic synthesis of global and universal thought. 6) Daimonology is reconcreted on the threshold of the third millennium and marks the way for the advent of the Daimon Age, an era in which, as usual, the global harmony of universal existence will continue to be vainly pursued. 7) Daimonology was born primarily to try to investigate and above all alleviate the most paradoxical aspects of the absurd and dogmatic existential contradictions. 8) Daimonology makes no difference between the real and the ideal, between life and death, in fact its practitioners do not need, like mediums, to evoke the spirits of the past or the future, because they themselves are spirits in constant contact with the essence of the universe. 9) Daimonology is a form of investigation, criticism, study and dissemination that makes use of all known and unknown knowledge and aims to expand the creativity and critical, synthetic and imaginative capacity of individuals. 10) Daimonology tends above all to disseminate, share and communicate knowledge in such a way that it is possible to pursue criticism and the improvement of awareness, responsibility, and fulfillment of individuals. 11) Daimonology intends to pursue the sharing, communication and diffusion of human, cosmic and universal genius. And it is precisely because it arises from the pain of not knowing that it is in turn able to overcome the limit of one's knowledge. 12) Daimonology is aware that known things are far inferior to unknown ones and therefore believes that man's goal can only be that of continuous research and continuous struggle. Daimonology therefore humbly pursues learned ignorance, the knowledge of self, others, power, and the universe. 13) Daimonology believes that the widespread dissemination of knowledge, criticism and imaginative, artistic, creative, empirical, cultural and scientific methodology is fundamental. In fact, Daimonology perfectly integrates literary and philosophical subjects with scientific and technological knowledge. 14) Daimonology proposes to do its utmost to improve human relationships, favoring meetings, intellectual, social, political, economic, sentimental, religious relationships, through collaborations of all kinds aimed at promoting the diffusion of the ideas and works of those who cultivate and more widely than all mankind. 15) Daimonology can also be considered as a sort of "vitalistic therapy", a form of intellectual bioenergy which aims to improve, through study, research and contacts of all kinds, the existential condition, i.e. psychic, physical , social, economic and spiritual, of all the people who will approve the principles of its methodologies and more widely of all human beings who will read and interpret its guidelines in a positive way.

Daimonology words cloud 16) Daimonology has no prejudices and is perfectly aware of not possessing the revealed truth, as indeed the others certainly do not possess it either. In any case, the exact methodology for correctly applying this discipline is still reserved for the moment, therefore only the thinkers who created, organized and elaborated it can know something more to move better in its meanders. 17) Daimonology is aware that the forces of the universe are both powerful and amazing and it is therefore impossible to dominate them completely, they can only be investigated patiently, integrally and at the most they can be humbly and tenaciously opposed. 18) Daimonology needs to be in the world and out of the world, therefore it is based on observation, demolition, creation, dissemination and sharing. It is therefore a part and an extension of ethics and is to all intents and purposes a theoretical, practical, experimental and applied discipline. In any case, it wants to affect and influence the behavior of thought and action. 19) However, Daimonology is not an exact science, but rather a didactic, a methodology, a pedagogy, an applied philosophy based on common sense, logic, research and the maximum expansion and sharing of knowledge. 20) True and perfect Daimonology would be a science if it existed, in any case it is not a utopia, much less a form of asceticism or religion. It is rather a concrete and applicable technique of thought, language and dialectical reasoning, it is therefore a knowable and desirable methodology. 21) Daimonology has as its fundamental objective the global improvement of thought and behavior of the human species, proposing to employ any means for the pursuit of this end. 22) Daimonology is aware that the big is small and the small is big. It knows that Philosophy must help us to live by giving us the strength not to fear death. However, Daimonology goes further, beyond life and beyond death. 23) Daimonology is aware that for man there is no other way than the perennial search for his own pedagogy. 24) Daimonology is the arrival point from where surrealism, humor and nihilism cannot start, it is not a religion, but it is rather the guide of the genius that does not exist. 25) Anyone who wants to practice Daimonology must not be extraneous to any discipline, nor should they believe that relativity is an absolute thing. Ultimately, it is the absolute that is relative. 26) Daimonology is constituted by the plurality of genius and has inspired man since the Stone Age and will continue to inspire him until the age of no return. After the end of time and space. 27) Daimonology is the sum of complexity, in practice it is the sum of simple behaviors. True and perfect Daimonology, however, is an occult science, as nobody knows it. And those who know it cannot pass it on. 28) Daimonology does not have an order, but knows how to navigate perfectly in the Kaos of existence. 29) Scholars of Daimonology are not so much concerned with what others say, but rather with what they are able to say about others. 30) Don't underestimate Daimonology because Daimonology will never underestimate you! And do not mock her, because she will have a good time mocking you.

Daimonology Principles Quote 31) Daimonology is a synthesis of contents, it is a methodological guide to the various disciplines and to the various methods of study and organization of reality. It is therefore a pedagogy, a didactic and an applied philosophy which, however, takes the creative art into the utmost consideration. 32) Daimonology is a guide to the interpretation of the disciplines and their methods of studying reality. It is a form of knowledge that illuminates our conscious investigations and can influence our conditioned, reflex, unconscious, unaware and relapsing behaviors. 33) Daimonology has no hierarchy, only the fascination of universal anarchy. 34) Daimonology pursues true art, the one that cannot be seen, the one that has no time, the one that cannot be created or destroyed and is not even eternal. 35) Daimonology humbly, sceptically, cynically, critically, dialectically investigates the stupidity of reality and at the same time tries to oppose the authority of power and vanity. 36) Daimonology, unlike psychology, maintains that the fault is not our responsibility, but is instead inherent in the absurd globality. The human being must therefore become aware of this funny reality, only in this way will he be able to get closer and closer to ideality. 37) Daimonology is a guide to the development of the innate genius of any individual, for this reason it aims to act as the way to follow in order to reach particular and general objectives in the most intellectually elevated way. 38) Daimonology maintains that geniuses are born and made, it is enough to be convinced of it and commit oneself to achieve one's aspiration. Especially since there are different gradations of genius. For this reason, Daimonology aims to act as a global guide for the achievement of any pre-established objectives. 39) Daimonology is a discipline of method and content that draws upon various fields of human knowledge in order to try to provide a safe and reliable approach to navigating one's transient existence. 40) Daimonology has a fundamentally and profoundly eclectic nature, for this reason it can only be based on the deepening of all knowledge and therefore also intends to be a point of reference for their diffusion. 41) Daimonology is a kind of maieutics and clearly preaches a learned ignorance, therefore a permanent education. Furthermore, given that human knowledge continues to increase, it intends to make synthesis one of its main working methods. Synthesis is also one of its goals while its specialization is to guide the various specializations. 42) Daimonology does not have any sacred text, but instead believes that the plurality of texts is sacred, for this reason it cannot in the least conceive logics of censorship or calculation of the economic interest in the diffusion of culture. These are abuses of power and must be contrasted. 43) Daimonology intends to favor the development of the logic of knowledge and offers its contribution as a method and strategy for the best organization of the process. 44) Daimonology pursuing the maximum dissemination and sharing of knowledge cannot conceive the arrogance of the power elites, therefore it foresees, advises and disseminates a permanent education precisely to ensure that people can take advantage of the appropriate means to protest and claim one's own right to a better life. 45) Daimonology is not like many others a money-making discipline, but its fundamental intent is to spread knowledge. However, since the means are also needed to increase knowledge, Daimonology is concerned with developing those too. 46) Daimonology has no idol, much less any divinity, on the contrary it sets out precisely to break down the false settings of the mind. However, it certainly cannot ignore the great models that have inspired and guided the human species, not always in the most advantageous way. 47) Daimonology uses advanced techniques of reading, study, analysis, criticism, synthesis and memorization for its practices and studies. Therefore we can also say that Daimonology is a form of theoretical and applied linguistic science that takes into maximum account the neurolinguistic and biological sciences and the teaching of language. We could also say that Daimonology is a kind of method for Neuro Linguistic Programming. 48) Daimonology tends to establish in its practitioners a deep passion and a sincere enthusiasm for all those activities that allow individuals to improve their knowledge and skills. 49) Daimonology has among its main purposes the well-being of the body, of the mind, of one's own ego, and of the ego of one's fellows. Thus, the nature of Daimonology is profoundly eclectic, democratic, and collaborative. 50) Daimonology takes the utmost account of the relationship between the mind and the body and the consequent search for physical well-being necessarily linked to the psychic and spiritual one; in fact, he knows perfectly well that in the traditional setting of psychoanalytic consultations, physical contacts are forbidden, while in the centers of transactional and bio-energetic analysis, hugs are fundamental moments. Here you can read the other 50 synthetic principles of Daimonology. For those wishing to learn more about the topic, I suggest the following articles, for the moment mostly in Italian, but soon they will be also translated into English. Introduction to Daimonology Daimon origin and meanings Principi sintetici di Daimonologia The teachings of Plato Plato complete works Platone e il mito di Er Insegnamenti di Platone Insegnamenti di Socrate Daimon la sorte delle anime Massime di Epicuro Aforismi di Eraclito Saggezza filosofica Etica e filosofia Etica Read the full article

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JERMELL CHARLO VIRTUAL WORKOUT QUOTES AND PHOTOS

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Published: September 13, 2023

Undisputed Junior Middleweight Champion Charlo Challenges Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion Canelo Álvarez Headlining SHOWTIME PPV® Saturday, September 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

HOUSTON, TX. – Undisputed junior middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo held a live-streamed media workout on Monday and previewed his upcoming showdown against undisputed super middleweight world champion Canelo Álvarez topping a SHOWTIME PPV Saturday, September 30, from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Canelo Promotions will present the Premier Boxing Champions Pay-Per-View.

Houston’s Charlo will look to earn undisputed status in a second weight class with a career-defining triumph over Canelo in the first showdown between two reigning male undisputed champions in the four-belt era.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Canelo Promotions and TGB Promotions, are available through AXS.com.

Charlo’s workout streamed live on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and SHOWTIME Boxing Facebook Page and was co-hosted by WWE Hall of Famer and radio personality Booker T and PBC announcer Ray Flores. Here is what Charlo, along with trainer Derrick James, had to say Monday from his training camp in Houston:

JERMELL CHARLO

“I’ve been doing this my whole life, and now it’s time to put on for my city. Put up or shut up and do what I do. I’m facing one of the best fighters in the world, you have to be excited for this moment.

“Now is the right time for this fight. We’re in our primes and at our best. I wanna shake the doubters off and prove to the world why I’m in this position. There’s a reason I made it this far. I’m gonna show what I’m made of. Everything I’ve done since I was eight years old, I’m putting it all on the line now.

“I’m not going to have to worry about losing too much weight. I’ve been sparring bigger guys for a very long time, and now it’s about bringing that same mindset that I have at 154 pounds and bringing it up with me to 168 pounds.

“Of course, there’s pressure. We have to be dominant and not just rely on a knockout. I have to beat him for 12 rounds. I have to do what I have to do in the ring to protect myself while still being vicious.

“This is a dream come true, just like winning undisputed, winning a world title and making it out the mud was. Once you get this far and see yourself prospering, you just want to keep bringing it. I’m staying focused on handling business.

“We’ve done so much sparring and conditioning. I’m working on the mental as well, because I know it’s not only about the physical. I’ve been training 14 weeks and making sure I do everything I need to.

“I just have to stay hungry. And I’ve been hungry. I would’ve fought Canelo years ago, and it probably wouldn’t have been as big as it is now. But I’m not too focused on being in the ring with Canelo, I’m just hungry. I want to win this fight for my city.

“If I accomplish this massive goal, it’ll be hard to top. I’ll be in the record book with the greats of boxing for a long time.

“I’m so dialed in as far as my team and everyone around me. I just need to get in the ring and do what I have to do.”

DERRICK JAMES, Charlo’s Trainer

“Having two undisputed championships at the same time would be amazing. It would be historic for Jermell.

“It’s gonna be back and forth early. Canelo has to impose his will, and Jermell has to show him who he is. You have to stop him from being his great self.

“Jermell’s advantage is actually his size. You have to maximize that advantage. It’s about what Jermell is able to do. He doesn’t have to become the guy, he has to be the guy.

“You win the fight in the gym. You’re not pulling a rabbit out of your hat. You have to go in the ring having done it the right way.”

(Featured Photo: Andrew Hemingway/Showtime)