#building black civilizations

[cerealdigitalgallery]

Asamando by Ekow Nimako, from his solo exhibition “Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships”

Glenbow Museum, Mohkinstis, Canada

April 2024

[searchfactory]

Ekow Nimako / Building Black Civilizations / Journey of 2000 Ships / Exhibition / 2022

[bookishfeylin]

I know you don't usually do these kinds of posts, but you're probably one of the most implicated in black history month people that I follow so I wanted to ask you, as I already value your opinions in Acotar, what do you think of the documentary where actual historians claim Cleopatra was a black woman? Lately, this has been a pretty active topic on my fyp on TikTok, and I wanted to know a black woman's perspective on this.

Thank you in advance, and if you usually don't answer these questions or don't want to answer this one, I'll totally understand, and there's no problem at all.

I didn’t know there was a new documentary out, but when I saw the name Cleopatra I automatically sighed because I knew what was coming. This is a subject a know a little 🤏🏾 about, actually, because I researched it a bit myself in my last year of high school (and stopped because of the uh. NASTINESS associated with this particular subject) and though it’s been a few years I remembered some main, basic things, and I wanted to check a few things first.

At best, in the most CHARITABLE interpretation as far as I in my limited knowledge can tell, it would be correct to say that’s it’s POSSIBLE that she MAY have been mixed Black because, though she was part of the GREEK Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt (Ptolemy being one of Alexander the Great’s generals who got the Egyptian portion of his empire after Alexander died), that’s on her fathers side; her mother’s exact ethnicity isn’t known. Not that this won’t stop the hoteps from running off and claiming her and all of ancient Egypt as Black though So some have ***speculated*** that her mother—and thus Cleopatra—may have potentially been part Egyptian (and that goes into the issue of deciding that the “Egyptian” in this instance had to have been Black rather than MENA but that’s again a whole other can of worms). BUT it’s more likely that her mother was Greek due to the uh, PRACTICE™️ of inbreeding and it not being common for the dynasty to marry Egyptians. So it’s more probable that she was fully Greek/Macedonian and not part Egyptian, much less part Black. (Also some historians speculate she may have had Persian blood? I guess? Again it’s a can of worms, not something i’m digging deep into because of the nastiness that you often stumble across) Unless there’s a new study confirming her mother’s identity or something that I missed, it’s simply incorrect to claim that Cleopatra was undeniably Black, because though it is ***possible*** she most likely ***wasn’t.***

But this topic really upsets me, because there are LEGITIMATE Black kingdoms and empires who were mighty and well developed and powerful like the Aksumite empire and kingdoms of Kongo and Loango and the Great Zimbabwe empire and the empires of Ghana and Mali and Songhay and the Ashanti kingdom and the WHOLE SWAHILI COAST THAT WAS INVOLVED IN THE INDIAN OCEAN TRADE ROUTE and they had their own great rulers, their own kings and queens and emperors and empresses, their palaces and castles, their own cities and towns, their own complex civilizations and dynastic royal families that deserve the attention Cleopatra and ancient Egypt get. They were erased—and Egypt was not—by white people to prop themselves up as the only race capable of forming civilizations and advanced societies as a means of justifying colonization and imperialism to “civilize” the rest of the world and as a result many of those other empires have been erased from our education system here in the states and many people cling to ancient Egypt as proof that we’re not inferior and aren’t savages like white people claim due to believing that since Egypt’s in Africa it had to have been mostly Black when Egypt, and the Ptolemaic dynasty and Cleopatra in PARTICULAR, are literally the worst example that could’ve been chosen and were the only African kingdom spared erasure FOR A REASON.

Anyway, I don’t like it, it’s disingenuous and does US wrong because we need to give that energy to other African kingdoms that need and could use the fame Egypt + Cleopatra get, and we deserve a better education system to teach us this stuff. I hope this answers your question? And I don’t mind any kinds of asks 🥰

[orange-photoproject]

1, 2 CZY 3? Nie mogłem się zdecydować 😅

[zouisalmightie]

we took our kids to the museum of tolerance and they got racially profiled by the tour guide and got kicked out. i feel like i was in a bad snl skit.

[missing-old-seattle]

This 1905-built affordable apartment building at 17th & Madison was up until recently owned by 3 generations of Black Seattleites. Fally Tyson, its most recent owner since 1978, intentionally kept rents low & had “a family approach” which enabled tenants - including artists (like Grammy Award-winning guitarist BluMeadows) and seniors on fixed incomes to put down roots & build community, with some living there 40+ yrs. Fally also ran a cleaning & a salvage business, which employed several residents. Fally passed away in 2020, & tenants organized in partnership with @Tenantsunionwa in hopes that a nonprofit could buy the building. But it was purchased by the private Bode/Stratford Company (which has dismal reviews on Yelp & Better Business Bureau from tenants & subcontractors). Current tenants have already reported problems, violations & lack of communication regarding planned rent increases or lease renewals. The Madkin was once owned by William Hawkins, a Black WWI veteran who purchased the building in 1947, and a speakeasy/private club may have been in the basement. In 1955 it was bought by Robert & Esther Madkin (whom the building was renamed after), leaders in the local civil rights movement. Esther was #Seattle NAACP’s Treasurer, and in 1956 hosted Rosa Parks at #TheMadkin for a press conference during a Montgomery Bus Boycott fundraising trip. Esther also helped establish the Central Area Mental Health Center. The Madkin was also home to Dr. Harriett Clark, a trailblazing surgeon who started practicing medicine in Seattle in 1891 & was in charge of 2 American Red Cross hospitals in Greece during WWI; and Edith C. Stone, the 2nd woman to climb Mt. Rainier. The Madkin tenants’ goal is to keep rents affordable & prevent displacement. They’re seeking help from folks that have experience dealing with corporate landlords/property management; who’ve had a bad experience living in a Bode property; & anyone with more info about the building’s history. Contact savethemadkin@gmail.com. Follow @savethemadkin /savethemadkin.com

I wasn’t able to find any information about The Madkin since September. 

The prices on apartments.com seem pretty low by current seattle standards, but it may not be low enough for the residents who are at risk for homelessness. That site also claims the neighborhood it’s in is callled ‘Minor, also know as Squire Park’. I think I’ve seen this part of Capitol Hill labeled ‘Minor’ on old maps. But I’ve never in my life heard it called either of these things. Evidence that the people writing up discriptions are not at all connected to the location. Not a super important issue compared to unaffordibility, but fucking annoying.

[jaylee202-blog]

From Slave to Millionaire. The Alonzo Herndon Story

[sirtbhopal]

जानिये काली मिट्टी पर Crack free घर कैसे बनाएंगे | Explained by Prof. Surbhi Awasthi from SIRT

[kolkena]

Scenes from Selma, Alabama.

[arctic-hands]

[Image Description: initial tweet by Ana Kasparian, @ AnaKasparian. It's dated July fifth, Twenty twenty-three and says "The Civil Rights Movement did not use the same strategies as the trans movement. They didn't barricade speakers they disagreed with in a classroom for three hours. They persuaded through non-violence and showing America their humanity." In reply, Stop Cop City, @ JoshuaPHill tweets "When people say shit like this you know exactly where they would've stood during the civil rights movement". End I.D.]

[jcmarchi]

MIT Leads the Way in AI-Driven Warehouse Efficiency

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/mit-leads-the-way-in-ai-driven-warehouse-efficiency/

MIT Leads the Way in AI-Driven Warehouse Efficiency

In an era increasingly defined by automation and efficiency, robotics has become a cornerstone of warehouse operations across various sectors, ranging from e-commerce to automotive production. The vision of hundreds of robots swiftly navigating colossal warehouse floors, fetching and transporting items for packing and shipping, is no longer just a futuristic fantasy but a present-day reality. However, this robotic revolution brings its own set of challenges.

At the heart of these challenges is the intricate task of managing an army of robots – often numbering in the hundreds – within the confines of a warehouse environment. The primary obstacle is ensuring that these autonomous agents efficiently reach their destinations without interference. Given the complexity and dynamism of warehouse activities, traditional path-finding algorithms often fall short. The difficulty is akin to orchestrating a symphony of movements where each robot, much like an individual musician, must perform in harmony with others to avoid operational cacophony. The rapid pace of activities in sectors like e-commerce and manufacturing adds another layer of complexity, demanding solutions that are not only effective but also expeditious.

This scenario sets the stage for innovative solutions capable of addressing the multifaceted nature of robotic warehouse management. As we will explore in the next sections, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have stepped into this arena with a groundbreaking approach, leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to transform the efficiency and effectiveness of warehouse robotics.

MIT’s Innovative AI Solution for Robot Congestion

A team of MIT researchers, applying principles from their work on AI-driven traffic congestion solutions, developed a deep-learning model tailored to the complexities of warehouse operations. This model represents a significant leap forward in robotic path planning and management.

Central to their approach is a sophisticated neural network architecture designed to encode and process a wealth of information about the warehouse environment. This includes the positioning and planned routes of the robots, their designated tasks, and potential obstacles. The AI system uses this rich dataset to predict the most effective strategies for alleviating congestion, thus enhancing the overall efficiency of warehouse operations.

What sets this model apart is its focus on dividing the robots into manageable groups. Instead of attempting to direct each robot individually, the system identifies smaller clusters of robots and applies traditional algorithms to optimize their movements. This method dramatically accelerates the decongestion process, reportedly achieving speeds nearly four times faster than conventional random search methods.

The deep learning model’s ability to group robots and efficiently reroute them showcases a notable advancement in the realm of real-time operational decision-making. As Cathy Wu, the Gilbert W. Winslow Career Development Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at MIT and a key member of this research initiative, points out, their neural network architecture is not just theoretically sound but practically suited for the scale and complexity of modern warehouses.

“We devised a new neural network architecture that is actually suitable for real-time operations at the scale and complexity of these warehouses. It can encode hundreds of robots in terms of their trajectories, origins, destinations, and relationships with other robots, and it can do this in an efficient manner that reuses computation across groups of robots,” says Wu.

Operational Advancements and Efficiency Gains

The implementation of MIT’s AI-driven approach in warehouse robotics marks a transformative step in operational efficiency and effectiveness. The model, by focusing on smaller groups of robots, streamlines the process of managing and rerouting robotic movements within a bustling warehouse environment. This methodological shift has led to substantial improvements in handling robot congestion, a perennial challenge in warehouse management.

One of the most striking outcomes of this approach is the marked increase in decongestion speed. By applying the AI model, warehouses can decongest robotic traffic nearly four times faster compared to traditional random search methods. This leap in efficiency is not just a numerical triumph but a practical enhancement that directly translates into faster order processing, reduced downtime, and an overall uptick in productivity.

Moreover, this innovative solution has wider implications beyond just operational speed. It ensures a more harmonious and less collision-prone environment for the robots. The ability of the AI system to dynamically adapt to changing scenarios within the warehouse, rerouting robots and recalculating paths as needed, is indicative of a significant advancement in autonomous robotic management.

These efficiency gains are not just confined to the theoretical realm but have shown promising results in various simulated environments, including typical warehouse settings and more complex, maze-like structures. The flexibility and robustness of this AI model demonstrate its potential applicability in a range of settings that go beyond traditional warehouse layouts.

This section underscores the tangible benefits of MIT’s AI solution in enhancing warehouse operations, setting a new benchmark in the field of robotic management.

Broader Applications and Future Directions

Expanding beyond the realm of warehouse logistics, the implications of MIT’s AI-driven approach in robotic management are far-reaching. The core principles and techniques developed by the research team hold the potential to revolutionize a variety of complex planning tasks. For instance, in fields like computer chip design or the routing of pipes in large building projects, the challenges of efficiently managing space and avoiding conflicts are analogous to those in warehouse robotics. The application of this AI model in such scenarios could lead to significant improvements in design efficiency and operational effectiveness.

Looking to the future, there is a promising avenue in deriving simpler, rule-based insights from the neural network model. The current state of AI solutions, while powerful, often operates as a “black box,” making the decision-making process opaque. Simplifying the neural network’s decisions into more transparent, rule-based strategies could facilitate easier implementation and maintenance in real-world settings, especially in industries where understanding the logic behind AI decisions is crucial.

The research team’s aspiration to enhance the interpretability of AI decisions aligns with a broader trend in the field: the pursuit of AI systems that are not only powerful and efficient but also understandable and accountable. As AI continues to permeate various sectors, the demand for such transparent systems is expected to grow.

The groundbreaking work of the MIT team, supported by collaborations with entities like Amazon and the MIT Amazon Science Hub, showcases the ongoing evolution of AI in solving complex real-world problems. It underscores a future where AI’s role is not limited to performing tasks but extends to optimizing and revolutionizing how industries operate.

With these advancements and future possibilities, we stand on the cusp of a new era in robotics and AI applications, one marked by efficiency, scalability, and a deeper integration of AI into the fabric of industrial operations.

You can find the team’s research paper on the technique here.

[hurtspideyparker]

In a timeline where Civil War didn't end in divorce and everyone lives in the compound:

Steve, walking into the living room: Don't worry Buck I think you'll really fit in around here. Everyone is super nice

Peter: Oh my god you're living here too?! Can I please look at your arm? Please please please please please-

Bucky: *turns around and leaves*

-

Clint: So... wanna test if your spider-sense defeats my perfect aim?

Peter: Oh my god do I ever

Tony & Steve: NO.

-

Peter: Hi. Big fan. Y'know we're like a spider duo. Crime fighting spiders. Arachnid pals

Natasha, staring blankly:

Peter: Web friends? SPY-ders?

Natasha:

Peter: Spinneret associates?

Natasha: Leave.

Peter: Yes okay sorry ma'am

-

During a meal:

Bucky: *glaring at Sam*

Sam: Ay Rogers come get your dog

Steve: Bucky, leave it

Bucky: *glares down at soup instead*

-

Peter: Mr. Rogers could you help me with my homework?

Tony: What the hell kid, I'm right here

Bruce: I have... so many degrees

Steve: Hey I know a thing or two myself. Sure Queens, what do you got?

Peter: Great! I'm just gonna ask some questions for my essay. What would you say the role of war propaganda was in your decision to enroll in the military? Was being poor a factor? Actually, how was the Great Depression for you?

Steve: Less depressing than this conversation.

-

Steve: Take a jacket, it's chilly

Wanda: Okay thanks dad

Steve:

Wanda:

Peter: Ha! That's so embarrassing, it's like calling your teacher dad

Wanda: Shut up Peter, you call Tony dad all the time

Peter: Yeah but I do it on purpose so it's not embarrassing. I'm very open about my daddy issues

-

Tony: I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth

Steve:

Tony: Looking at me with your angelic blue eyes, like a freak

Steve:

Tony: Stupid Dorito ass build. Making me wanna take a bite

Steve: I feel harassed but I'm not sure what kind

-

Natasha: Hey bird brain!

Clint and Sam both turn:

Natasha: Hm, that's a problem. You have thirty seconds to decide who gets bird brain. The other will be feather head

Clint and Sam: *start arguing*

Tony: I can't believe they're fighting to be called an insult

Steve: She has that effect on people

Peter: Aw man, I wish the Black Widow gave me a nickname :(

-

Peter: Hey old man

Bucky:

Peter: I'M SO SORRY SIR MR. WILSON MADE ME DO IT PLEASE DONT KILL ME

Sam: *cackling in the background*

Bucky: *stands up and turns to Sam*

Sam: Oh shit- kid you're not getting the money if you're gonna snitch!

Peter: That's okay, I'd like to think my life is worth more than twenty bucks

-

Bucky: I need your... help

Tony: Sure, what's up?

Bucky: *glances back at Steve who stands in the doorway and nods approvingly*

Bucky: Arm.

Tony: Ok... this conversation is killing you isn't it?

Bucky:

Tony: Say please

Bucky: Nope can't do it-

Steve: Do I need to get out the get-along shirt?

*Bucky and Tony share a look of alarm*

Bucky: Please fix my arm

Tony: Yep of course no problem buddy

-

Read Part 2 and Part 3

[crunchy--milk]

i read Being Heumann a few years ago and seeing how glossed over disability milestones such as the sit in for section 504 are so incredibly glossed over is so frustrating

[skelet-bone]

in my humble opinion, minecraft has plenty of material to make a movie out of, it just has to be an artistic movie that is damn near silent all the time. also animated

like imagine a man wakes up alone not remembering who he is, he’s scared but ultimately finds a way to live, getting a dog, building a farm etc. one day while exploring he finds that he’s not the only person alive, he finds alex who’s been living with villagers.

imagine the movie deals with themes of mortality and immortality and being higher level beings. why are steve and alex different from villagers and pillagers? why are there lost civilizations? and what’s with the other dimensions? who were these old beings? are they one of them?

it could be a beautiful movie about purpose and how to live. especially with that end poem. the take away is you make you’re own meaning. or something like that

but no. we have jack black building blocks and shit.

[comicchannel]

Marvel Legends Series Build a Figure Captain America Civil War Black Panther Hasbro B6874

Link para compra BR: *Possível importar pelo Link abaixo

Buy here: https://amzn.to/3D63E4k

[hyperlexichypatia]

The thing about "lack of third spaces in the U.S." that doesn't get mentioned enough is that it's not just "Capitalists and corporations bought up the commons, privatized public resources, and made people pay to access them."

That's a big part of it. But it's not the only part.

The other part is that middle-class people -- particularly middle-class white, abled people -- willingly forked over money to set up private spaces rather than share public spaces with people of color, disabled people, neurodivergent people, poor people, religious minorities, and other "undesirable" people.

When you look at any article or picture from some point in the 20th century about third spaces that are less common now, consider that depending on exactly where and when in the 20th century U.S. this was, people of color might have been banned from that space by either law or threat of violence or both (or, at minimum, made to feel unwelcome). Physically disabled people probably could not access those spaces (or were institutionalized or kept at home). Visibly non-passing neurodivergent people probably could not access those spaces, because they were institutionalized or kept at home. Two women kissing, a man in a dress, any type of visibly queer or gender nonconforming person would not have been tolerated in that space.

And my point is, these things are not unrelated. The decline of third spaces is not unrelated to civil rights gains.

I'm not saying "Stop talking about the good things of the mid-20th century, don't you know that era also had racism and sexism and ableism and queerphobia?"

I'm saying they're not unrelated -- it's not "This time period was better in some ways, like more third spaces, but worse in some ways, like more racism and ableism." It's "Those good things, those third spaces, those labor unions, those safe neighborhoods, that sense of community, relied upon the systemic exclusion of a dehumanized underclass, and as soon as any civil rights pressure was put on that systemic exclusion, the sense of community crumbled."

The pattern is clear and recurring: Privileged people build a public space for "the community", marginalized people start using it (sometimes after a court case or two), the public place gets a reputation for being "full of" marginalized people, privileged people build a private space they can exclude people from, privileged people abandon the public space, the public space gets neglected and deprioritized because "nobody (who matters) uses it anymore," the public place goes to shit from neglect and possibly closes, the private space gets expensive, privileged people lament the loss of the public space.

Privileged people killed public pools rather than share them with Black people. Mortally wounded public schools rather than share them with people of color and religious minorities. Are trying to kill public libraries rather than share them with queer people and unhoused people and neurodivergent people. Can't revive public transportation for fear of sitting next to poor people. It's white flight all the way down.

The whole "Social democracy is the left wing of fascism" claim is tankie ridiculousness, but like most tankie ridiculousness, there's an underlying grain of truth. In this case, the underlying grain of truth is that widespread support for public services is a much easier sell when people don't think they'll have to share resources or public space with people they consider inferior. It's not a coincidence that some of the countries that provide the highest quality of life for their abled citizens are some of the worst to noncitizens and disabled people.

And it's not like Weird Queer Left-Leaning Types have a great track record of sharing public space with people different from yourselves, either. Y'all can't be normal about someone wearing a yarmulke at Pride. Y'all can't be normal about adults playing board games with kids. There's no way you'd be okay with unsupervised, uncontrolled, unmedicated-by-choice schizophrenic people hanging out and talking to themselves. You cannot handle public third spaces.

Yes, blame corporations and advertisers for privatizing public spaces, but also blame the social prejudice that willingly forks over money to avoid sharing public space with Those People.