#benefits of tech-enabled

[sirrista]

Tech-enabled Financial Services Solutions in Asia

As a leading provider of tech-enabled financial services solutions in Asia, Sirrista empowers financial institutions with comprehensive expertise, tailored solutions, cutting-edge technologies, seamless integration, regulatory compliance, and ongoing support. By partnering with us, financial institutions can navigate the complexities of digital transformation, achieve financial transformation, and deliver enhanced customer experiences.

[reasonsforhope]

Scientists have developed a new solar-powered system to convert saltwater into fresh drinking water which they say could help reduce dangerous the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera.

Via tests in rural communities, they showed that the process is more than 20% cheaper than traditional methods and can be deployed in rural locations around the globe.

Building on existing processes that convert saline groundwater to freshwater, the researchers from King’s College London, in collaboration with MIT and the Helmholtz Institute for Renewable Energy Systems, created a new system that produced consistent levels of water using solar power, and reported it in a paper published recently in Nature Water.

It works through a process called electrodialysis which separates the salt using a set of specialized membranes that channel salt ions into a stream of brine, leaving the water fresh and drinkable. By flexibly adjusting the voltage and the rate at which salt water flowed through the system, the researchers developed a system that adjusts to variable sunshine while not compromising on the amount of fresh drinking water produced.

Using data first gathered in the village of Chelleru near Hyderabad in India, and then recreating these conditions of the village in New Mexico, the team successfully converted up to 10 cubic meters, or several bathtubs worth of fresh drinking water. This was enough for 3,000 people a day with the process continuing to run regardless of variable solar power caused by cloud coverage and rain.

[Note: Not sure what metric they're using to calculate daily water needs here. Presumably this is drinking water only.]

Dr. Wei He from the Department of Engineering at King’s College London believes the new technology could bring massive benefits to rural communities, not only increasing the supply of drinking water but also bringing health benefits.

“By offering a cheap, eco-friendly alternative that can be operated off the grid, our technology enables communities to tap into alternative water sources (such as deep aquifers or saline water) to address water scarcity and contamination in traditional water supplies,” said He.

“This technology can expand water sources available to communities beyond traditional ones and by providing water from uncontaminated saline sources, may help combat water scarcity or unexpected emergencies when conventional water supplies are disrupted, for example like the recent cholera outbreaks in Zambia.”

In the global rural population, 1.6 billion people face water scarcity, many of whom are reliant on stressed reserves of groundwater lying beneath the Earth’s surface.

However, worldwide 56% of groundwater is saline and unsuitable for consumption. This issue is particularly prevalent in India, where 60% of the land harbors undrinkable saline water. Consequently, there is a pressing need for efficient desalination methods to create fresh drinking water cheaply, and at scale.

Traditional desalination technology has relied either on costly batteries in off-grid systems or a grid system to supply the energy necessary to remove salt from the water. In developing countries’ rural areas, however, grid infrastructure can be unreliable and is largely reliant on fossil fuels...

“By removing the need for a grid system entirely and cutting reliance on battery tech by 92%, our system can provide reliable access to safe drinking water, entirely emission-free, onsite, and at a discount of roughly 22% to the people who need it compared to traditional methods,” He said.

The system also has the potential to be used outside of developing areas, particularly in agriculture where climate change is leading to unstable reserves of fresh water for irrigation.

The team plans to scale up the availability of the technology across India through collaboration with local partners. Beyond this, a team from MIT also plans to create a start-up to commercialize and fund the technology.

“While the US and UK have more stable, diversified grids than most countries, they still rely on fossil fuels. By removing fossil fuels from the equation for energy-hungry sectors like agriculture, we can help accelerate the transition to Net Zero,” He said.

-via Good News Network, April 2, 2024

[ralfmaximus]

“The sale of First We Feast and continued reduction of our convertible debt marks an important step in BuzzFeed, Inc.’s strategic transformation into a media company positioned to fully benefit from the ongoing [artificial intelligence] revolution,” Jonah Peretti, the CEO of BuzzFeed, said in a statement. “In the coming years, we will continue to invest in our most scalable and tech enabled services, launching new AI-powered interactive experiences, and delivering for our loyal audience and business partners.”

Good news! BuzzFeed says they are transitioning harder into AI driven bullshit, according to this ChatGPT sounding press release.

[askablindperson]

In what way does alt text serve as an accessibility tool for blind people? Do you use text to speech? I'm having trouble imagining that. I suppose I'm in general not understanding how a blind person might use Tumblr, but I'm particularly interested in the function of alt text.

In short, yes. We use text to speech (among other access technology like braille displays) very frequently to navigate online spaces. Text to speech software specifically designed for blind people are called screen readers, and when use on computers, they enable us to navigate the entire interface using the keyboard instead of the mouse And hear everything on screen, as long as those things are accessible. The same applies for touchscreens on smart phones and tablets, just instead of using keyboard commands, it alters the way touch affect the screen so we hear what we touch before anything actually gets activated. That part is hard to explain via text, but you should be able to find many videos online of blind people demonstrating how they use their phones.

As you may be able to guess, images are not exactly going to be accessible for text to speech software. Blindness screen readers are getting better and better at incorporating OCR (optical character recognition) software to help pick up text in images, and rudimentary AI driven Image descriptions, but they are still nowhere near enough for us to get an accurate understanding of what is in an image the majority of the time without a human made description.

Now I’m not exactly a programmer so the terminology I use might get kind of wonky here, but when you use the alt text feature, the text you write as an image description effectively gets sort of embedded onto the image itself. That way, when a screen reader lands on that image, Instead of having to employ artificial intelligences to make mediocre guesses, it will read out exactly the text you wrote in the alt text section.

Not only that, but the majority of blind people are not completely blind, and usually still have at least some amount of residual vision. So there are many blind people who may not have access to a screen reader, but who may struggle to visually interpret what is in an image without being able to click the alt text button and read a description. Plus, it benefits folks with visual processing disorders as well, where their visual acuity might be fine, but their brain’s ability to interpret what they are seeing is not. Being able to click the alt text icon in the corner of an image and read a text description Can help that person better interpret what they are seeing in the image, too.

Granted, in most cases, typing out an image description in the body of the post instead of in the alt text section often works just as well, so that is also an option. But there are many other posts in my image descriptions tag that go over the pros and cons of that, so I won’t digress into it here.

Utilizing alt text or any kind of image description on all of your social media posts that contain images is single-handedly one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to directly help blind people, even if you don’t know any blind people, and even if you think no blind people would be following you. There are more of us than you might think, and we have just as many varied interests and hobbies and beliefs as everyone else, so where there are people, there will also be blind people. We don’t only hang out in spaces to talk exclusively about blindness, we also hang out in fashion Facebook groups and tech subreddits and political Twitter hashtags and gaming related discord servers and on and on and on. Even if you don’t think a blind person would follow you, You can’t know that for sure, and adding image descriptions is one of the most effective ways to accommodate us even if you don’t know we’re there.

I hope this helps give you a clearer understanding of just how important alt text and image descriptions as a whole are for blind accessibility, and how we make use of those tools when they are available.

[nasa]

For the Benefit of All: Assistive Tech Developed from NASA Tech

What do modern cochlear implants and robotic gloves have in common? They were derived from NASA technology. We’ve made it easier to find and use our patented inventions that could help create products that enhance life for people with disabilities.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which highlights the contributions of American workers with disabilities – many of whom use assistive technology on the job. Take a look at these assistive technologies that are NASA spinoffs.

Low-Vision Headsets

The Joint Optical Reflective Display (JORDY) device is a headset that uses NASA image processing and head-mounted display technology to enable people with low vision to read and write. JORDY enhances individuals’ remaining sight by magnifying objects up to 50 times and allowing them to change contrast, brightness, and display modes. JORDY's name was inspired by Geordi La Forge, a blind character from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” whose futuristic visor enabled him to see.

Cochlear Implants

Work that led to the modern cochlear implant was patented by a NASA engineer in the 1970s. Following three failed corrective surgeries, Adam Kissiah combined his NASA electronics know-how with research in the Kennedy Space Center technical library to build his own solution for people with severe-to-profound hearing loss who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids. Several companies now make the devices, which have been implanted in hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

Robotic Gloves

Ironhand, from Swedish company Bioservo Technologies, is the world’s first industrial-strength robotic glove for factory workers and others who perform repetitive manual tasks. It helps prevent stress injuries but has been especially warmly received by workers with preexisting hand injuries and conditions. The glove is based on a suite of patents for the technology developed by NASA and General Motors to build the hands of the Robonaut 2 humanoid robotic astronaut.

Smart Glasses

Neurofeedback technology NASA originally developed to improve pilots’ attention has been the basis for products aimed at helping people manage attention disorders without medication. The devices measure brainwave output to gauge attention levels according to the “engagement index” a NASA engineer created. Then, they show the results to users, helping them learn to voluntarily control their degree of concentration. One such device is a pair of smart glasses from Narbis, whose lenses darken as attention wanes.

Anti-Gravity Treadmills

A NASA scientist who developed ways to use air pressure to simulate gravity for astronauts exercising in space had the idea to apply the concept for the opposite effect on Earth. After licensing his technology, Alter-G Inc. developed its anti-gravity G-Trainer treadmill, which lets users offload some or all of their weight while exercising. The treadmills can help people recover from athletic or brain injuries, and they allow a safe exercise regimen for others with long-term conditions such as arthritis.

Wireless Muscle Sensors

Some of the most exciting assistive technologies to spin off may be yet to come. Delsys Inc. developed electromyographic technology to help NASA understand the effects of long-term weightlessness on astronauts’ muscles and movements. Electromyography detects and analyzes electrical signals emitted when motor nerves trigger movement. Among the company’s customers are physical therapists developing exercise routines to help patients recover from injuries. But some researchers are using the technology to attempt recoveries that once seemed impossible, such as helping paralyzed patients regain movement, letting laryngectomy patients speak, and outfitting amputees with artificial limbs that work like the real thing.  

To further enhance the lives of people with disabilities, NASA has identified a selection of patented technologies created for space missions that could spur the next generation of assistive technology here on Earth.

Want to learn more about assistive technologies already in action? Check out NASA Spinoff to find products and services that wouldn’t exist without space exploration.   

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[andreablog2]

I feel like if you can’t cope w disillusionment about our current political economic system you’re fundamentally a weak person. It takes dare lore strength and courage and intellectual will to come out of that “realization” a bleeding heart person. It used to be/still is but in a different way, an actual indication of high social class to have enough of a theory of mind to “care for the needy” and one thing that deeply unsettles me with all this mass cynicism is how it’s ultimately a global generational trickle down from tech culture . It’s people with mass amounts of power who are enabling/benefiting from cynicism.

[accountability-movement]

I've compiled everything I could find on who is leading this coup and why. PLEASE READ!

Introduction

Democracies do not collapse overnight, nor do they always fall to military force. Sometimes, they erode from within, their institutions hollowed out by those who seek to replace democratic governance with personal power. In the United States, a systematic purge of career civil servants is underway, targeting those who simply followed the law under previous administrations. The president has declared his refusal to enforce laws he dislikes, and Congress stands by, enabling this erosion of democracy through inaction. Meanwhile, unelected billionaires, particularly in the tech sector, are consolidating their power, using economic dominance to exert unprecedented political control.

Those resisting this transformation are being removed from government, while those who facilitate it are rewarded with influence over critical federal functions. What we are witnessing is not just a shift in policy or ideology; it is an orchestrated attack on the foundational principles of democratic governance. The United States is shifting from a government by the people to one controlled by private interests, operating outside the constraints of law and accountability.

Meanwhile, the tech elite, with unprecedented access to the White House, are transforming their economic power into political domination. Elon Musk's associates have gained access to crucial government databases, controlling trillions in federal funds and personal data. Peter Thiel-backed firms are securing lucrative defense contracts, embedding themselves deep within national security structures. Social media executives and billionaire owned media channels have been manipulating discourse by selectively amplifying or suppressing political narratives that benefit their corporate interests, effectively shaping public opinion and policy decisions. This unprecedented infiltration is turning Silicon Valley’s economic dominance into direct political control, further eroding democratic governance.

Those brave enough to resist are being removed, while enablers are rewarded with expanded control over government functions. This is not just political maneuvering—we are witnessing the deliberate dismantling of constitutional democracy.

The difference between legitimate policy disagreements and what we are facing now is stark. Disagreeing on taxation or immigration policy is part of democratic debate. But refusing to enforce laws, purging civil servants for upholding legal mandates, and allowing private entities to seize control of government functions is not just politics—it is an outright attack on governance itself.

A Warning From Our Forefathers

Every American who has ever fought to preserve democracy—from the battlefields of Gettysburg to the beaches of Normandy—did so with the belief that future generations would safeguard the nation’s foundational principles. The sacrifices of these patriots were made to protect a government that serves the people, not one ruled by unchecked personal power.

James Madison wrote: "The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."

George Washington said: "The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism."

Benjamin Franklin believed that: "In free governments, the rulers are the servants, and the people their superiors and sovereigns."

John Jay warned "The executive is the branch of power most interested in war and most prone to it; therefore, it must be restrained by the other branches."

Harry Truman warned "When even one American—who has done nothing wrong—is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth, then all Americans are in peril."

President Obama made it clear: "Democracy does not require uniformity. Our founders argued. They quarreled. They eventually compromised. They expected us to do the same."

Today, we are watching the systematic subversion of constitutional governance. Career officials are being forced out, government functions are being taken over by private individuals, and Congress is abandoning its responsibilities. These actions threaten everything our democracy stands for.

It is understandable that many hesitate to acknowledge what is happening. Accepting the reality of an ongoing coup is frightening. However, we must confront the facts: Donald Trump and Elon Musk are orchestrating a systematic takeover of the federal government, using illegal means to consolidate power. They are violating civil service protections, dismantling congressionally mandated agencies without authority, and purging public servants based on ideology rather than lawfulness.

This is an emergency that demands urgent action from every American who values democracy. The window for effective resistance narrows with each passing day.

The Transformation of Government into Private Power

The American Constitution is more than just a framework for governance—it is the greatest experiment in self-rule through law and reason rather than brute force. The Founders built a system designed to prevent any one individual from amassing unchecked power. They created a structure in which democratic institutions, not personal authority, would shape national decisions.

Now, we are watching as this system is methodically dismantled. The checks and balances that safeguard our democracy—civil service protections, congressional oversight, and institutional integrity—are being stripped away, not by revolution but by a calculated strategy of institutional capture.

Treasury Systems Seized: A 25-year-old Musk employee took control of the U.S. Treasury’s payment system, effectively managing $5.5 trillion in government spending—including IRS refunds, Medicare, and Social Security payments—without oversight. This also granted him and his colleagues access to our Social Security numbers and our tax records.

Federal Employee Purges: Musk and his allies have expanded their ideological purges into the CIA and FBI, removing officials who played roles in prosecuting January 6 rioters.

Agency Closures: Musk has moved to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, despite Congress controlling its funding.

Deportation Policies: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced El Salvador’s offer to house deportees and imprisoned Americans in a "mega-prison." Its prison system has been widely criticized for torture, arbitrary detentions, and abuse. Outsourcing U.S. deportees and incarcerated citizens to a foreign prison with documented human rights violations could lead to severe mistreatment and loss of legal protections, setting a dangerous precedent for the U.S. justice system.

This is not theoretical—it is happening in real time. The government is being reshaped into a tool that benefits the wealthiest elite, at the expense of democracy itself.

The Role of "Unhumans" and the Justification for Authoritarianism

A key element of this takeover is the ideological justification found in the book Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions by Jack Posobiec and Joshua Lisec. This book, endorsed by figures such as JD Vance, Steve Bannon, Donald Trump Jr., and Tucker Carlson, openly dehumanizes the political left, labeling them as "unhuman" and advocating for their removal from society.

JD Vance, our vice-president, endorsed Unhumans, stating:

"In the past, communists marched in the streets waving red flags. Today, they march through HR, college campuses, and courtrooms to wage lawfare against good, honest people. In Unhumans, Jack Posobiec and Joshua Lisec reveal their plans and show us what to do to fight back."

The book explicitly praises authoritarian leaders like Francisco Franco and Augusto Pinochet for their suppression of leftist movements and suggests that similar measures may be necessary.

The Tactics They Advocate

Unhumans lays out a clear strategy for eliminating democratic opposition:

Public Humiliation and Ridicule – Use shame, disgrace, and harassment to undermine political opponents.

Creation of Blacklists – Target individuals in academia, media, and government to be exposed and removed from positions of influence.

Rejection of Democratic Processes – Suggest alternative means to securing power beyond elections.

Advocacy for Capital Punishment – Argue for executing political opponents as seen in historical authoritarian regimes.

Promotion of Righteous Violence – Justify the use of force against "unhumans."

Support for Vigilantism – Encourage private action outside legal channels to target opposition.

Suppression of Opposing Ideologies – Use censorship and coercion to silence dissent.

Encouragement of Political Persecution – Employ legal and extralegal methods to eliminate political threats.

The Butterfly Revolution: How Big Tech Will Dismantle Our Democracy

The term "Butterfly Revolution" has recently been associated with a proposed strategy to dismantle the U.S. government and replace it with a corporate-style autocracy. This concept is linked to Curtis Yarvin, a political theorist known for advocating the replacement of democratic institutions with a CEO-led governance model. 

The plan envisions a "reboot" of the American government, discarding democratic institutions in favor of a system that mirrors a techno-monarchy, where technology leaders hold significant power.

Here are the 7 Major Steps the Butterfly Revolution recommends to dismantle democracy:

Step 1: Campaign on Autocracy: They tell the public democracy is broken and that the only way forward is strongman rule. Trump, Vance, and their billionaire backers openly reject democracy and promise to “take power back” from voters, courts, and Congress. Thiel, Musk, and others have publicly stated their opposition to democracy. Trump’s “Freedom Cities” and Yarvin’s “Patchwork” plan both envision corporate city-states run by billionaire CEOs instead of elected officials. 

Step 2: Purge the Bureaucracy: They fire or replace government workers with loyalists to eliminate checks and balances. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has already embedded agents inside federal agencies, giving him direct power over government operations. DOGE is modeled after Yarvin’s RAGE (Rapid Administrative Government Euthanasia)—designed to gut the administrative state and centralize power. Federal workers who resist are fired, replaced, or silenced.

Step 3: Ignore the Courts: They treat the judiciary as irrelevant—refusing to obey rulings that block their agenda. Musk and Vance have already dismissed federal judges’ rulings against DOGE’s actions. JD Vance has publicly questioned whether the courts have any authority over the executive branch. Once the courts are powerless, the rule of law collapses. 

Step 4: Co-Opt the Congress: They bully, buy, or bypass lawmakers to eliminate legislative oversight. Thiel and his allies have poured billions into Trump’s campaign and other far-right candidates to ensure that Congress is filled with loyalists. If Congress resists, the executive circumvents them with executive orders and corporate-backed policymaking (via Musk’s DOGE). Once Congress stops being an independent check, democracy is over. 

Step 5: Centralize Police and Power: They replace local law enforcement with federalized, AI-driven policing. AI and surveillance tech—controlled by these billionaires—will enforce their rule instead of independent law enforcement. Federal police powers will be centralized under the executive branch—meaning they answer to Musk, Vance, and Trump, not local governments. Dissent will be criminalized—protests, strikes, and opposition groups will be labeled as threats to “national security.” 

Step 6: Shut Down Elite Media and Academic Institutions: They discredit, defund, and dismantle independent sources of knowledge. Musk already controls Twitter/X, which has become a propaganda machine. Media outlets that criticize the coup will be bought out, shut down, or discredited. Universities will face funding cuts and ideological purges—professors who resist will be fired or censored. Once they control the flow of information, resistance becomes much harder. 

Step 7: Turn Out the People: They mobilize a loyalist base to enforce their rule on the streets. Far-right militias, online extremists, and billionaire-backed “populist” groups will be used to intimidate opponents. Election protests, media boycotts, and AI-powered propaganda will keep the public divided and disoriented. The government will claim they have “the people” on their side—even as they suppress millions. 

The Endgame: Technofascism and Corporate Rule: Once these seven steps are complete, America will no longer be a democracy. Corporate overlords will own the government, manipulate elections, control the police, and rule through AI and surveillance. 

The coup is already in motion. 

What Has Been Done So Far?

Defiance of the Constitution:

Trump is overriding laws and Constitutional protections through executive orders that were designed to safeguard our democracy. Trump is openly bypassing Congress, ignoring judicial rulings, and using executive power to centralize control.

His attack on the 14th Amendment is an attack on American citizens. The 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law, yet Trump is targeting marginalized communities, including immigrants, intersex, and transgender people—denying them rights that our Constitution guarantees.

He is erasing women’s contributions from history. Trump has ordered NASA to purge all mentions of women in leadership from its official websites, an obvious attempt to rewrite history and diminish women’s role in science and government.

He is silencing vital public health information. Trump has removed critical medical data from CDC websites, limiting public access to life-saving health information. Why is the government restricting access to medical knowledge?

He is using the presidency to promote Christian supremacy. Executive orders are being signed to fund Christian nationalist task forces with taxpayer money, in direct violation of the First Amendment’s separation of church and state. 

Elon Musk now has control over critical government software. He has direct access to Social Security numbers, tax records, and federal databases. This means he can train AI on every American’s personal data and manipulate government operations behind the scenes.

This jeopardizes our elections. If Musk controls the infrastructure, how can we ever trust that an election is fair again? Who is watching him?

Our entire government software may already be compromised. We do not know what Musk or his allies are doing behind closed doors, nor who they may sell this access to. Our entire digital infrastructure needs to be rewritten before it’s too late.

 Federal employees are being bullied and purged. Trump’s executive orders and Musk’s direct interference have created chaos, resulting in the wrongful firings of dedicated public servants and the deaths of innocent people in disasters like recent plane crashes. Trump shifted the blame to DEI policies, refusing to take responsibility for the consequences of reckless governance.

This Is About the 1% vs. the Rest of Us

This is not about left vs. right—this is about the wealthiest elite seizing control over our government at the expense of everyone else. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire allies are consolidating power, eroding democracy, and rigging the system to serve the ultra-rich while stripping rights away from ordinary people.

What Needs to Be Done NOW

Trump must be impeached before he further dismantles our institutions. 

Elon Musk must be investigated and held accountable for his control over government systems and potential data breaches. 

Congress must act immediately to stop this authoritarian takeover before it’s too late.

This is an organized corporate coup led by the wealthiest 1%, turning America into a billionaire-controlled dictatorship. The time for action is now.

What Can Be Done?

This is not a time for passive observation—action is required. Here’s what you can do:

Support Reliable Sources – Identify and follow media outlets committed to factual reporting.

Speak Out Against Broken Norms – Call out violations of democratic principles.

Organize Locally – Get involved with pro-democracy groups.

Attend Community Meetings – School boards and city councils are where grassroots power begins.

Contact Your Representatives – Demand accountability from lawmakers on appointees and legislation.

Here are some other resources to fight this coup and to gain more information:

“Dark Gothic MAGA” by Blonde Politics on YouTube breaks down podcasts, web seminars, and talks by wealthy elites where they talk about using this administration to achieve their agenda. It explains what the Butterfly Revolution is and how they plan on using it.

The ACLU – Is taking legal action against authoritarianism.

Contact your Senators! https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

GET INVOLVED! The more people that understand what’s going on, the better. Tell your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends, family, and your local and state representatives. The only way to stop this is together!

The time to act is now. Start small, but do not stop. Democracy depends on the vigilance and engagement of its people. If we fail to resist this moment, we may not get another chance.

[moonshyness]

a few thoughts on the capitalism end-stage and what it means for us

the demise of humanity will not happen because we didn't know better but because we let abnormally rich, people(?) who literally don't care about objective truths rule the world.

herd mentality is real, us vs. them mentality is real and fearmongering is the rich and corrupts' favorite tactic to get everyone to do what they want.

that's why the US has a convicted felon and rapist in office for the 2nd time and nearly all of european parliaments are infested with neo-nazis. that's why there are wars in middle eastern countries that kill millions of innocent people every day.

we go in loops every 100 years or so, making the same or similar mistakes that cost millions of innocent people their lives, just because ignorant power-hungry maniacs want to have their way with the whole world.

they created a system that made us work for most of the day to survive, so that we are too tired to think about important things like politics at the end of the day.

they created tech that isolated us and tranquilized us so that we prefer to be by ourselves, scrolling endlessly for dopamine, instead of meeting our friends and community in third spaces or participating in actual hobbies.

that tech is now optimized to feed us misinformation that manipulates us into acting out of fear rather than reason. that tech is now beginning to censor certain words and ideas that the big leaders don't like. that tech that we had so much hope for even just 20 years ago is complicit in the erasure of our freedom, let that sink in.

they created the idea of wealth being the ultimate goal to strive for, stifling so many of our true dreams and personalities. they enabled a system that puts us at a disadvantage, because to them we are mere little cogs in their machine. people that work against that system are not useful to it. they will be silenced and/or eradicated.

if we keep allowing rich people to be in power of us we are never going to live in a society that benefits us.

all of us, including those who think they belong to the rich side (if you think having 1 million is a lot, i have news for you), are closer to being homeless than belonging to the top 1% that has accumulated such an obscene amount of wealth, they couldn't even spend all of it in 17 lifetimes.

the capitalism end-stage has arrived. the overton window shift to the right has almost been completed. if we stay silent and complacent now, we won't survive.

we need to become active in our local communities. we need to talk to each other. we need to talk to our local and regional politicians and vouch for them. we need to look out for each other and organize structures and systems to keep ourselves safe. and most importantly we need to keep making art, keep writing, keep researching, keep creating things that speak out against what is happening. never stop, especially not now.

[mariacallous]

In March 2007, Google’s then senior executive in charge of acquisitions, David Drummond, emailed the company’s board of directors a case for buying DoubleClick. It was an obscure software developer that helped websites sell ads. But it had about 60 percent market share and could accelerate Google’s growth while keeping rivals at bay. A “Microsoft-owned DoubleClick represents a major competitive threat,” court papers show Drummond writing.

Three weeks later, on Friday the 13th, Google announced the acquisition of DoubleClick for $3.1 billion. The US Department of Justice and 17 states including California and Colorado now allege that the day marked the beginning of Google’s unchecked dominance in online ads—and all the trouble that comes with it.

The government contends that controlling DoubleClick enabled Google to corner websites into doing business with its other services. That has resulted in Google allegedly monopolizing three big links of a vital digital advertising supply chain, which funnels over $12 billion in annual revenue to websites and apps in the US alone.

It’s a big amount. But a government expert estimates in court filings that if Google were not allegedly destroying its competition illegally, those publishers would be receiving up to an additional hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Starved of that potential funding, “publishers are pushed to put more ads on their websites, to put more content behind costly paywalls, or to cease business altogether,” the government alleges. It all adds up to a subpar experience on the web for consumers, Colorado attorney general Phil Weiser says.

“Google is able to extract hiked-up costs, and those are passed on to consumers,” he alleges. “The overall outcome we want is for consumers to have more access to content supported by advertising revenue and for people who are seeking advertising not to have to pay inflated costs.”

Google disputes the accusations.

Starting today, both sides’ arguments will be put to the test in what’s expected to be a weekslong trial before US district judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia. The government wants her to find that Google has violated federal antitrust law and then issue orders that restore competition. In a best-case scenario, according to several Google critics and experts in online ads who spoke with WIRED, internet users could find themselves more pleasantly informed and entertained.

It could take years for the ad market to shake out, says Adam Heimlich, a longtime digital ad executive who’s extensively researched Google. But over time, fresh competition could lower supply chain fees and increase innovation. That would drive “better monetization of websites and better quality of websites,” says Heimlich, who now runs AI software developer Chalice Custom Algorithms.

Tim Vanderhook, CEO of ad-buying software developer Viant Technology, which both competes and partners with Google, believes that consumers would encounter a greater variety of ads, fewer creepy ads, and pages less cluttered with ads. “A substantially improved browsing experience,” he says.

Of course, all depends on the outcome of the case. Over the past year, Google lost its two other antitrust trials—concerning illegal search and mobile app store monopolies. Though the verdicts are under appeal, they’ve made the company’s critics optimistic about the ad tech trial.

Google argues that it faces fierce competition from Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and others. It further contends that customers benefited from each of the acquisitions, contracts, and features that the government is challenging. “Google has designed a set of products that work efficiently with each other and attract a valuable customer base,” the company’s attorneys wrote in a 359-page rebuttal.

For years, Google publicly has maintained that its ad tech projects wouldn’t harm clients or competition. “We will be able to help publishers and advertisers generate more revenue, which will fuel the creation of even more rich and diverse content on the internet,” Drummond testified in 2007 to US senators concerned about the DoubleClick deal’s impact on competition and privacy. US antitrust regulators at the time cleared the purchase. But at least one of them, in hindsight, has said he should have blocked it.

Deep Control

The Justice Department alleges that acquiring DoubleClick gave Google “a pool of captive publishers that now had fewer alternatives and faced substantial switching costs associated with changing to another publisher ad server.” The global market share of Google’s tool for publishers is now 91 percent, according to court papers. The company holds similar control over ad exchanges that broker deals (around 70 percent) and tools used by advertisers (85 percent), the court filings say.

Google’s dominance, the government argues, has “impaired the ability of publishers and advertisers to choose the ad tech tools they would prefer to use and diminished the number and quality of viable options available to them.”

The government alleges that Google staff spoke internally about how they have been earning an unfair portion of what advertisers spend on advertising, to the tune of over a third of every $1 spent in some cases.

Some of Google’s competitors want the tech giant to be broken up into multiple independent companies, so each of its advertising services competes on its own merits without the benefit of one pumping up another. The rivals also support rules that would bar Google from preferencing its own services. “What all in the industry are looking for is fair competition,” Viant’s Vanderhook says.

If Google ad tech alternatives win more business, not everyone is so sure that the users will notice a difference. “We’re talking about moving from the NYSE to Nasdaq,” Ari Paparo, a former DoubleClick and Google executive who now runs the media company Marketecture, tells WIRED. The technology behind the scenes may shift, but the experience for investors—or in this case, internet surfers—doesn’t.

Some advertising experts predict that if Google is broken up, users’ experiences would get even worse. Andrey Meshkov, chief technology officer of ad-block developer AdGuard, expects increasingly invasive tracking as competition intensifies. Products also may cost more because companies need to not only hire additional help to run ads but also buy more ads to achieve the same goals. “So the ad clutter is going to get worse,” Beth Egan, an ad executive turned Syracuse University associate professor, told reporters in a recent call arranged by a Google-funded advocacy group.

But Dina Srinivasan, a former ad executive who as an antitrust scholar wrote a Stanford Technology Law Review paper on Google’s dominance, says advertisers would end up paying lower fees, and the savings would be passed on to their customers. That future would mark an end to the spell Google allegedly cast with its DoubleClick deal. And it could happen even if Google wins in Virginia. A trial in a similar lawsuit filed by Texas, 15 other states, and Puerto Rico is scheduled for March.

[librarycards]

The narrative surrounding AI is that people will be “left behind” unless they adopt it ASAP. How is AI going to revolutionize education? How is it going to transform agriculture? How is it going to make logistics a million times smarter? Almost every sector is being faced with the proposition that they should jump on the AI train or risk getting left behind.

To my frustration, rather than having concerted, critical, and honest conversations around who benefits from this technology—and why and how—we’ve been sold the idea that it’s inevitable, and we better figure out how to make use of it, to deal with it as best we can.

I could see some approaches to AI being more punitive, like “I will do this and this if you use AI” [...] [but] I really wanted to approach my students as empowered agents of their own learning and to express to them, in the best way that I could at the time, what my reservations are. Not just with the tool in a technical sense and how it, as many people have confirmed, is much more like a stochastic parrot than it is something that learns or that is cognitive.

Beyond that, there is the larger “assemblage” of AI that enables these systems to run in the first place. Since I’m an environmental studies professor, it became clear that a lot of those pieces were an entire material world of energy, water, and other resources; of labor undervalued and exploited. And there’s the racialized and encoded assumptions that emanate through the texts upon which these chatbots are trained.

[attollogame]

hi! i went to look for physical descriptions of the ROs but the link isn’t working. is there an alternative link?

No but I can help you here!

Pariah

Pariah is 5’5” with an athletic build to their body, mostly honed from all of the physical exertion their night job requires. Most often they wear riding gear (leather jacket, cargo pants, biker boots; basically attire appropriate for someone who rides high-speeds on a motorcycle) with a black motorcycle helmet that has red lights within it. The helmet is modified to allow Pariah to discern things at night, and also to withstand Pariah’s own powered abilities. Pariah also carries two sickles strapped at their waist. Their powered ability is shadow manipulation.

Without the helmet, they have short cut curly brown hair, tanned skin, brown eyes, and a scar on their chin. Here’s an excellent visual of them drawn by the talented @phanosis !

Vasilisa

Vasilisa stands at about 5’11” with another athletic build to her body, again honed by her career as a detective for the C.A.P.D. She usually wears a white dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves, black jeans, timberland boots (closest I can describe them) and on occasion will have a black blazer on. Very often seen with a coffee in hand because her sleep schedule is as atrocious as anyone’s in Attollo. Her powered ability is emotion manipulation. 

Vasilisa has blonde hair she keeps tied back, pale skin, and blue eyes. She has a beauty spot under her one eye. Here’s an excellent visual of her drawn by the talented @exotic-inquiry !

Suha

Suha stands at 5’8” with a softer build. Her employment as a judge for the Crowes Court and her role in her own fashion business often keeps her quite preoccupied and on the go. Suha is a Muslim, and therefore wears a hijab. Her role in fashion means she dresses incredibly well, often preferring higher-brand clothes lines that are both comfortable and befitting of her personality. She prefers lighter colored clothes, as it contrasts the gloom of Attollo, even though her personality itself is quite serious. Suha’s powered ability is botakinesis, or plant manipulation. 

Suha wears cat-eyed glasses and has dark skin and brown eyes. Here’s a stunning drawing of her done by the talented @artsyaprilmr !

Operator

Operator stands at 5’7” and has a very lean build coming from his amazing ability to forget to eat half the time. He’s rarely seen without his black face mask and blue tech glasses, which enable him to see the ongoing of the city even when mobile. He usually wears a black turtleneck and black jeans, as well as sneakers that should really be changed in at some point. He does wear gloves as well when outside of his dwelling in the Under City. Operator’s powered ability is tech manipulation… among other things.

He has auburn curly hair and blue eyes beneath the glasses, as well as pale skin. @exotic-inquiry also did some lovely art of him (he is a little guy) !

Sysba

Because Sysba is gender selectable, their appearance does tend to change depending on which you select, although not by much. Overall, though, Sysba is a very flamboyant being that dresses in a way they feel expresses themself best. They stand at 6’ all forms, with a toned form they somehow managed to retain despite their disastrous eating habits. They prefer colours like red, black, or white for what they wear, and they prefer fabrics like satin, velvet, or silk. Sysba often wears heels for the benefit of standing an extra few inches above everyone else. They also indulge with a lot of jewellery, including necklaces, earrings, nose rings, etc. Because they are an entity, their powers extend far beyond what most do; shape shifting, manipulation, and power absorption are a few of their abilities. If they could get out of Attollo, they would be travelling quite swiftly too. 

In all forms, their hair is black, their eyes are black, and their skin is a very sickly pale color. In male form, Sysba has short cut hair, in female form it comes in the form of a bob cut, and in the non binary form it’s short cut as well. The very talented @retconomics has art of them here, @phanosis was generous enough to draw them in their more ‘natural’ form, and @redjack even kindly made a 3d model!

DW

Standing at 6’4” with a more built tone, one could say, due to his line of work (you don’t run a criminal organization without some intimidation on the side). Dreamwalker dresses very business-like in all aspects of his arrival, including in the dreams (although he did play dress up for those because it was fun for him). He prefers dark dress shirts, dress pants, and well-polished dress shoes. He wears a signet ring on his right hand. His powered ability includes dream manipulation and an ability to directly harm a sleeping individual through their dream, as seen with MC. He usually warps his features in dreams to make him indiscernible. On occasion, he wears a red scarf when not wearing a high collared shirt. 

Dreamwalker has dark brown, almost black hair with a slight curl to it. His eyes are a glowing gold with no discernible pupil unless you’re very close, in which case you will see it as a darker yellow color. He has a notable scar on his neck from a knife wound, and dark skin. The talented @bleruh drew art of him here (check out their operator as well!), as did @retconomics here and @/kill-a13 here among many others :)

[your7oxygen]

3D Printing in Architecture

3D printing, once a novelty in the tech world, has now firmly established itself as a game-changer in various industries, including architecture. The ability to create intricate models, prototypes, and even full-scale structures has opened up new possibilities for architects, engineers, and builders. In this blog post, we'll explore how 3D printing is revolutionizing architecture, from design concepts to construction practices.

Design Innovation

One of the most significant impacts of 3D printing in architecture is the freedom it provides in design. Traditional methods often limit architects to certain shapes and structures due to material and construction constraints. However, with 3D printing, these limitations are lifted. Architects can now experiment with complex geometries and organic forms that were previously impossible or too costly to achieve. This has led to a surge in innovative designs, pushing the boundaries of what architecture can be.

Prototyping and Modeling

Before the advent of 3D printing, creating detailed architectural models was a time-consuming and expensive process. With 3D printing, architects can quickly produce accurate scale models of their designs, allowing for better visualization and refinement. This rapid prototyping capability enables architects to identify potential issues early in the design process, saving time and resources in the long run. Additionally, clients can better understand the architect's vision through tangible models, leading to more effective communication and collaboration.

Sustainability and Efficiency

3D printing also offers significant benefits in terms of sustainability and construction efficiency. Traditional construction methods often generate a considerable amount of waste due to material overuse and mistakes. In contrast, 3D printing uses only the necessary amount of material, significantly reducing waste. Additionally, many 3D printing materials can be recycled or are made from sustainable resources, making this technology more environmentally friendly.

Moreover, 3D printing can streamline the construction process. Structures can be printed on-site, reducing the need for transportation and minimizing the carbon footprint associated with moving materials and equipment. This method also allows for faster construction times, which is particularly beneficial for large-scale projects or emergency housing needs.

Cost-Effective Construction

The cost of building with traditional methods can be prohibitive, especially for complex or custom designs. 3D printing offers a more cost-effective alternative by reducing labor costs and material waste. The precision of 3D printing ensures that only the exact amount of material needed is used, which not only lowers costs but also increases the structural integrity of the building. For developing countries or regions with limited resources, 3D printing presents a viable solution for affordable housing and infrastructure.

Challenges and Future Prospects

While 3D printing in architecture holds great promise, it is not without challenges. The technology is still relatively new, and large-scale 3D printing for buildings requires further development. Issues such as material limitations, regulatory hurdles, and the need for skilled operators must be addressed. However, ongoing research and innovation in the field are likely to overcome these challenges in the coming years.

[mayerfeldconsulting]

Why real-time data is the new competitive edge:

Can your business make a decision in real time?

In a world where markets shift by the minute, traditional reporting simply isn’t fast enough.

According to Deloitte, 67% of executives say their organizations need faster access to operational data. Real-time performance monitoring is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Real-time performance monitoring allows businesses to collect, analyze, and visualize data as events unfold. This isn’t about dashboards that update once a week. It’s about live data feeds, instant alerts, and proactive decision-making. Whether it’s detecting a drop in customer engagement or spotting a supply chain delay, real-time visibility enables agility and prevents small issues from becoming costly setbacks.

Key areas that benefit include:

⚙️ operations (track bottlenecks and downtime)

💰 finance (monitor revenue and cash flow in real time)

📈 sales and marketing (optimize campaigns instantly)

👥 customer experience (respond to feedback as it happens)

🖥️ IT infrastructure (prevent outages and threats)

At Mayerfeld Consulting, we help organizations design and implement scalable real-time monitoring systems tailored to their goals. Our clients gain a unified view of their data, customized dashboards, and alert systems that keep decision-makers informed and empowered.

Is your business reacting to yesterday’s problems or staying ahead with today’s insights? Real-time performance monitoring isn’t just a tech upgrade, it’s a cultural shift toward smarter, faster, and more agile operations.

Let Mayerfeld Consulting show you how.

[inksandpensblog]

The Chosen One, magic systems, and the writing flaw that somehow hasn't caused AvA any problems yet despite being a notorious immersion-breaker

Limitations breed creativity. Specifically, limitations in a magic system (or powers system, same narrative function) breed creative and innovative implementation of said magic.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is oft cited as one of the best and most readily-available examples of how limitations can benefit the possibilities and intrigue of a hard magic system. Each of the four represented elements (or four "powersets") has inherent limitations, which benders must devise ways to work around or compensate for.

I haven't seen Mob Psycho 100 brought up as often, in regard to how it portrays psychic powers as a magic system, so I might be going out on a limb, here. But I believe that mp100 is a good portrayal of how limitations can benefit the portrayal of a soft magic system.

Specifically, it shows how limitations don't have to come from within the system itself.

Psychic powers don't seem to have limitations in and of themselves, aside from potency, as we see across the series that one can use them to do pretty much anything; it's even stated that some psychics don't understand how their own powers work, only having some idea of What they Can Do with them.

What this means for the magic system, is that the capabilities of any particular psychic will often come down to what the psychic is smart enough to Figure Out how to do, or what the psychic is Personally Comfortable doing.

Thus, limitations are placed on the magic by the characters themselves, whether consciously or not (a conscious limitation would be a character choosing not to use their powers in a certain way; an unconscious limitation would be a character simply never having it cross their mind that they could use their powers in a certain way. In a well-written character, such unconscious limitations may be traced back to the character's worldview or biases, or a lack of knowledge or expertise on their part, or some other trait inherent to the character). Two examples of the limitations Mob himself faces are his self-discipline (refusing on a moral basis to use his powers in certain situations) and his physical condition (he's fully capable of psychically-enabled superspeed but refrains because it "makes [him] nauseous").

(It should be noted that A:TLA also imposes character-centric limitations on its magic, but I choose not to highlight them for the sake of the contrast between examples, so they won't be conflated with limitations originating from the system itself.)

Now that I've established a precedent for this post, let's talk about Chosen:

Chosen has an ever-growing laundry list of powers. Pyrokinetics and laser-eyes are brought up most often, but he also has cryokinesis, as well as some amount of influence over wind and electricity, if his ability to conjure storms is any indication. Plus there's the rippling golden shockwaves he uses to force the virus out of hiding on the computer, not to mention the vacuum-punch of coalescing wind and light that he's so far used only three times across the entire series (and all in relatively quick succession, to boot), and that's not even considering his ability to manifest portals at will (which seems to be an active development, considering he had to blast the first one into existence kamehameha-style rather than simply lighting it up), and then there's the typical superstrength that most of noogai's handdrawns seem to possess, plus extremely strong resistance against Dark's vira-tech...the list goes on. Some people [read: me] even consider his mouth a power, albeit jokingly. (Not his ability to eat things that aren't food, as non-powered sticks have done so as well; specifically his mouth. Though, since eating non-food items doesn't seem to affect him in any way, maybe it still counts. I wonder, if Chosen were to eat all the League champion data, would he gain their collective abilities as Purple did? Or would the data simply be gone, unless he decides to regurgitate it as projectiles?)

Wow, that's quite the ranged powerset! So, what limitations does he have to keep it interesting?

Well, he can't fly without his pyrokinesis. (Except for when he can. Granted, this is rare, and seems to only happen when he's using his storm-powers.)

He's not invulnerable against the glitch-attacks shot at him by the Rocket mercenaries. (Until he is. Do we actually know when he stopped glitching?)

The electro-dart he was hit with had him down for the count. (Until it didn't. We never actually see him pull it free from his arm, do we?)

Huh, that's...not many limitations being dictated by the powerset itself. What about character limitations?

Um...he has abysmal aim? (I've seen my friend @k1ttyadventurer mention this, but I have yet to find specific examples.)

He gets overwhelmed when fighting multiple opponents at once? (Considering the potency and diversity of his powers, this mostly sticks out as an odd weakness for someone like him to have. Especially after seeing how some other sticks fare against multiple opponents.)

He doesn't watch his back, leaving him vulnerable to sneak attacks? (This is the one weakness that I've been able to find him consistently demonstrating myself, and I can point to multiple fights where it has cost him.)

He tries to refrain from harming other stickfigures? At least, to a point? (This is partially conjecture on my part, but I invite you to consider why "being overwhelmed when fighting multiple opponents" would even be on this tentative list otherwise. Some of my friends have also headcanoned that Chosen tries to scale his strength and fighting prowess to match that of his opponents, but I haven't tried to find evidence for this idea in canon.)

Poor communication? (We haven't seen what influence this may have on his power use, if any.)

...well.

That's...not much to go by.

It's hard to really define any limitations that The Chosen One might be working within.

In fact, the easiest limitations to identify are the ones he has forced upon him by others, rather than any that can be sourced from the magic system or from his own character.

The ball and chain, which disable all but the weakest of his pyrokinesis and also hinder his range of motion.

The Box, which dilutes his potency to ten percent and even turns his own powers against him, all while trapping him in a confined space.

I don't think many would disagree with the assessment that The Box is the first time that we really see Chosen try to work around or compensate for the limits of his powers. But I think it only fair to keep in mind that these are unique, situational limitations, brought on by factors completely out of his control, namely the environment he has found himself in; if he were to leave the simulated art program, or if an ally of his were to gain control of its toolbar, these limitations would no longer be a factor.

And so, I put these questions to all of you:

what limitations do Chosen's powers have?

are they in any way influenced by character limitations he may possess?

how on ethernet has Alan managed to avoid the "Why Don't They Just" plothole for so long when he's created a character with seemingly limitless abilities?

if you don't, in fact, think that Alan has avoided this plothole and you have found yourself asking Why Doesn't Chosen Just, what answers have you tried to fill in the gap with? (Can be Doylist or Watsonian, but please specify to avoid confusion.)

if the magic is undefined enough to be feasibly capable of anything, how has Alan avoided the Harry Potter Film trap of all Chosen's fights turning into vague light-shows in which all attacks look the same and the system holds no actual sway over the outcome of the combat?

what does all this mean for Second, whose only limitations so far seem to be the need of a tool for his powers to be channeled through (the pencil, Dark's console, debatably the art program, debatably Alan's pc), a simple Lack Of Awareness/Connection, and his own creativity?

I'll also link this essay, which spurred me to gather my thoughts on this topic as it's something I've thought about on and off for a while now.

Have at it, folks o7

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"Keep the faith." — President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

* * * *

Joe Biden’s Parting Gift

Janauary 16, 2025

Robert B. Hubbell

Joe Biden’s parting gift to the nation was a farewell address that spoke the truth in plain and powerful words. He held back nothing. The speech was not about him, though he had every right to boast about his accomplishments. It was about us—and the continued promise of America. It was about the challenges we will face in a political environment where oligarchs own the channels of public discourse and are hell-bent on using that ownership to manipulate democracy to protect their ever-increasing wealth.

It was a great speech that will stand the test of time. Biden’s farewell will be compared favorably to the final addresses of George Washington and Dwight D. Eisenhower—who warned (respectively) about the threat to democracy posed by political parties and the emerging military-industrial complex.

President Biden’s 15-minute speech can be viewed in its entirety here: President Biden Delivers a Farewell Address to the Nation.

The brevity of the speech gave it clarity and power.

President Biden warned Americans about the concentration of wealth in the hands of oligarchs—who are, in turn, accelerating the “avalanche of misinformation and disinformation” to gain control of the government.

Biden repeatedly touched on the danger to democracy caused by the confluence of extreme wealth of oligarchs and their control of information platforms. He said, in part,

[There is a] dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a few ultra-wealthy people. Dangerous consequences [will follow] if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling the abuse of power . . . The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex that could pose real dangers to our country as well.

Biden’s warning will be manifest on Inauguration Day. According to reports, four of the world’s richest men will sit on the dais next to Trump's motley cabinet nominees. See Reuters, Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg to attend Trump's inauguration. (“The chief executives of Tesla, Amazon and Meta will be featured prominently at Trump's swearing-in, sitting with the Republican's Cabinet nominees and other elected officials.”)

The four oligarchs will be paraded like prized ponies before the American people: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sam Altman. Together, those odd, insecure, and hollow men control Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon/Prime, and ChatGPT.

But those oligarchs are not mere fascinators on the cap of the Inauguration: They own Trump. As much as is humanly possible, Elon Musk single-handedly bought the presidency for Trump. See CNN, Musk spent at least a quarter-billion dollars to help elect Donald Trump, new filings show. Jeff Bezos killed the planned endorsement of Kamala Harris by the Washington Post editorial board. Mark Zuckerberg welcomed Trump back onto Facebook after banning him for two years for amplifying violent speech.

The presence of the oligarchs on the inaugural dais is a giant middle finger to the American people and the rule of law. It says in unmistakable terms that “This presidency has been purchased for the benefit of the super-wealthy.” The oligarchs are so confident in their control over Trump that they have abandoned all pretense of shame or impartiality. They are his puppeteers, and he is their puppet.

Joe Biden’s farewell address grabbed us by the shoulders, looked us in the eye, and said (in effect): Every American should be filled with indignation and righteous anger over the surrender of the federal government to tech oligarchs who care only about increasing their wealth, not about the health of our democracy. We are facing a five-alarm fire. No citizen with a stake in the future of this nation can sit idly by as the interests of 99.9999% of Americans are subverted to 735 billionaires who overwhelmingly support an aspiring dictator.

We must heed Joe Biden’s warning. There is no middle ground, and no one is exempt from duty.

In one of the most remarkable passages of his speech, Biden made clear that the peaceful transition of power is not from the Biden administration to the Trump administration but from President Biden to us—“We, the people.”

Biden said,

Now it's your turn to stand guard. May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it, too. God bless you all. May God protect our troops. Thank you for this great honor.

In a remarkable speech addressing a remarkable moment in American history, an outgoing president believed he could not trust his successor to keep the flame of democracy alive. Instead, he passed the torch to us.

It is an awesome responsibility, one that we must gladly accept and diligently perform. The good news is that it is a collective responsibility. It always has been, but Joe Biden’s farewell address made that fact plain for all to see. That is Joe Biden’s parting gift.

Cease-fire agreement for Gaza announced

President Biden began his farewell address by announcing a three-phase cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. If the agreement holds, the cease-fire begins on January 19, 2025. Ilan Goldenberg describes the agreement in The Contrarian, A Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Deal.

Criticism of Biden’s role in achieving the cease-fire began before he exited the Cross Hall of the White House, where he announced the agreement. Biden described the months-long negotiations to reach the agreement but acknowledged that he kept the Trump transition team advised of developments. As Biden exited the press conference, a reporter asked whether Trump would get “credit” for negotiating the deal—because, of course, in the cynical minds of the DC press corps, the freedom of the hostages and return of the dead is secondary to the political scorecard. Biden rightly asked the reporter if the question “was a joke.”

Trump, of course, immediately claimed credit for the agreement, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Trump to express thanks before calling President Biden. Press reports claim that Trump gave Netanyahu assurances that the US would back Israel if it re-invaded Gaza because Hamas violated the cease-fire agreement. See MSN/Latin Times, Trump Allegedly Promises Netanyahu Israel Can Violate Approaching Ceasefire Deal With Hamas: Israeli Media.

Politics aside, any progress toward ending the fighting, rebuilding Gaza, and returning the hostages should be welcomed without qualification.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[psatalk]

Bambrew’s range of eco-friendly packaging alternatives

Bambrew, an Indian startup specializing in sustainable packaging, is making strides in the fight against single-use plastics by offering a range of 'eco-friendly' alternatives, says Vaibhav Anant, founder & CEO. The company provides packaging solutions made from renewable, biodegradable materials such as bamboo, seaweed, banana fiber, and agro-waste. According to Anant, these materials are fully compostable and serve as viable alternatives for businesses seeking to reduce their environmental footprint.

“Our solutions are governed by four core principles of sustainability—eco-friendliness, functionality, cost-efficiency, and scalability. These guiding principles enable us to deliver packaging options that are not only environmentally responsible but also commercially viable for businesses of all sizes,” Anant says.

Bambrew offers a range of packaging alternatives, including mailer bags, flexible pouches, rigid boxes, and custom solutions, all designed to meet the functional needs of various sectors while remaining scalable. It has developed solutions for industries such as FMCG, CPG, fresh fruits and vegetables (F&V), food and beverages (F&B), and e-commerce and retail packaging.

Notable clients include Amazon, Nykaa, Hindustan Unilever, Mahindra Logistics, and Tata 1mg.

Material-Agnostic Company

Anant explains that Bambrew is a material-agnostic company, meaning it develops solutions using various materials, all adhering to the four core principles of sustainability as mentioned earlier.

Bambrew prioritizes sustainability not only in its products but throughout the entire product development lifecycle, from sourcing and compounding to conversion processes, says Anant. The company works closely with raw material providers and maintains complete control over production with the latest technology machines for in-house manufacturing. It also operates tech-assisted warehousing and logistics to ensure timely delivery to customers.

“By reducing our reliance on fossil fuels through the use of biofuels and solar energy, we are significantly lowering our carbon footprint. Equally important is the well-being of our workers, and we are committed to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We adhere to an 8-hour shift structure and offer a range of benefits to ensure a supportive and positive work environment, with a strong emphasis on mental health,” Anant states.

The company has its manufacturing facility in Bangalore and collaborates with several contract manufacturing units across India to expand its reach and capabilities.

Rapid Growth

According to Anant, the company has made big progress over the last 12 months, with growth exceeding 8x.

“This momentum has been incredibly encouraging, and we’re excited to continue building on it in the years to come. As the demand for sustainable solutions grows, we’re committed to scaling responsibly and staying focused on our mission,” he says.

New Offerings

Bambrew is actively working towards the continuous development of advanced meta-materials. It has been extensively researching materials such as Biophil, a home-compostable bioplastic alternative, while also exploring other renewable resources. These materials are designed to offer high performance while being environmentally friendly.

In August of this year, the company introduced a new category of rigid boxes that utilize Kappa boards produced from post-consumer recycled fibers. The product features components like non-animal-based glue, recycled paper cladding, plastic-free Biophil lamination, and plant-based inks. Each element of this product is designed to meet Bambrew's environmental goals and contribute to a fully sustainable manufacturing cycle.

“Additionally, we are actively developing alternative solutions for pharmaceutical packaging, as well as advanced barrier films for food packaging within the FMCG sector. While these are only a few examples, all our efforts are directed towards the broader aim of pushing the envelope of what’s possible within the realm of sustainability and delivering solutions that meet the highest standards of quality while supporting a greener, more sustainable transition into the future,” Anant concludes.