#cleaning out the resources on my computer again

[suzukiblu]

WIP excerpt behind the cut; "Tim's free cloning lab". (( chrono || non-chrono ))

“Red Robin’s commitment issues are his own problem, not mine. I’ve got a schedule to keep,” Luthor replies dismissively, then knocks back the last of his hopefully-actually-a-protein-shake-and-not-Bane-venom-or-something and gets to his feet, picking up his tablet again as he does. He does not seem concerned to be alone in a lab full of sharp objects and computers with two only negligibly-restrained Bats. Admittedly Luthor doesn’t tend to seem concerned during literal multiversal apocalypses, but Tim is vaguely insulted on principle. A multiversal apocalypse couldn’t do any worse than uncreate Luthor and everything he’s ever done in his life, after all. He could tank his stock prices and drive up all his insurance rates, and then make him have to live with it. 

A little respect isn’t that much to ask, is it? 

“Wow, called out by the supervillain,” Steph mutters to him under her breath. “The Metropolis supervillain, even.” 

“I do not have commitment issues,” Tim mutters back to her. 

“Yes you do, the issue is you commit yourself to somebody and then become an insane person about them but never actually mention the existence of said commitment to them,” she retorts frankly. 

“I do not–” 

“When did you go for the red and black suit again and how long did you stick with it?” 

“. . . we’re in a supervillain lair in Connecticut, I don’t have to answer that right now.” 

“Oh, so you will later?” 

“So anyway, new supervillain trap, how’s that going for you?” Tim asks Luthor. Steph snorts at him; he ignores her and all her baseless, ridiculous, baseless accusations that are definitely not currently reading him for absolute filth. “All coming together nicely, no tech issues? Because we could troubleshoot those for you while we’re waiting for extraction, no charge.” 

“The chemical breakdown of the necessary stabilizer you missed when you were cleaning out my old labs is laid out in file B-2.13, speaking of ‘troubleshooting’,” Luthor mentions, and Tim . . . pauses. 

“‘Stabilizer’,” he echoes carefully, and then glances around the sunroom lab. The sunroom cloning lab. 

The sunroom. 

Ah. 

That is probably a connection he should've made, like . . . literally instantly, yeah. 

“Oh my god, do you think you can actually convince Red Robin to make you another–wait, why do you even want Red Robin to make you another Superman or whatever, you did it better than he ever did,” Steph says, squinting in bewilderment at Luthor through her mask. Tim’s much more insulted this time, even if it’s objectively true that Kon is objectively–never mind. Luthor just looks dubious. 

“I don’t want another Superman, there are already far too many of those running around and being an issue as it is,” he snorts dismissively, waving her off. “And I’m willing to provide a useful little resource or two, of course, but it’s hardly traditional to have to make my own grandchildren, now is it. Besides, Supernova won’t be as annoyed about it if they come from you. Though I did include some potential design notes for your consideration in the C folder, of course. Streamlined the tactile telekinesis a bit, for starters. It really didn’t come out as effective as intended, unfortunately.” 

“Of course,” Tim echoes, perfectly aware of that one time that Kon took apart every single gun inside the exact city limits of Los Angeles and nothing else without even meaning to, and also that one time last week when he very much did mean to disassemble a bomb immediately after its trigger mechanism had been tripped, and did it so fast that it didn't detonate. 

So as politely as possible, that makes Luthor’s use of the word “effective” slipped in there a little mind-numbingly terrifying to consider. 

More than anything else, though, Tim really hopes that he’s just gone insane and hallucinated all this, because otherwise he’s going to have to write all this down in a report, and Steph will not lie for him about this one. 

Case in point: she is currently laughing her fucking ass off at him.

[siconetribal]

Beyond the Bookshelves (7)

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Time to clean up the mess!

Summary: You’re a Resource Management Specialist at S.H.I.E.L.D. normally referred to as “The Librarian”. You’ve been assigned the nightmarish task of digitizing all the physical resources currently owned by the agency, with a few new computers and one extra helper.

A/N:

Thanks for patiently waiting! I had a safe and easy flight, but the jet lag was a real troublemaker. But now I’m back, less brain foggy and ready to type. Without further ado, here is the next part!

Please comment/like/reblog. If you’d like to be tagged moving forward, please let me know! (If I missed any tags, please let me know, I’ll add you right away!) I’d also greatly appreciate it if rebloggers remember to add the tags (or some at least).

The lovely banners used in this fic are from @cafekitsune.

If you’re new to the story, please check out the master post for the rest of the chapters.

As much as it pained Loki to admit it, Thor was correct. He needed to clear the air so that he may resume his attendance to the one solace he had in the entirety of the compound outside his own quarters. The next day, the younger prince walked towards the library once more. He paused at the doors, raising a fist to knock but failed to make contact with the wood. 

There’s no promise that she would read my email. What exactly would I type? I was unable to attend because of extended training? This is something that can easily be said in person and I won’t have to deal with that silly computer and all the unnecessary security keys and checks! He reaffirmed his choice, tugging at the lapels of his black suit coat and adjusting the length of his shirt cuffs. Technology was marvelous, but it was a hassle to deal with when trying to access something as simple as his emails.

Clearing his throat and straightening himself up, he focused his attention back onto the door and gave three quick knocks.

“Loki, the second prince of Asgard and Avenger, is forbidden from entering the library until cleared by Director Y/LN, the Librarian. You are unable to access this portion of the facility until further notice.” The computer voice warned him, as he expected.

“Yes, I am quite aware of that. I wish to speak with the Librarian about this matter.”

“You are unauthorized to enter.”

“I understand that she has put that ridiculous restriction in, but I am here to discuss that matter with her. I’m not entering for my leisure.”

“You are still unauthorized to enter.”

“As I said, I understand. I am not here for reading, I am here to meet with the Librarian. How else do you expect me to clarify this misunderstanding without talking to her?” There was a little edge of annoyance in his tone, but the prince kept his cool. The computer was not going to understand or aid him in this matter. It was merely a messenger between the two of them.

“Would you like to set up an appointment with the Librarian?”

“Yes, fine, I would like to set up an appointment!”

“A request for an appointment has been sent to Director YL/N. Please check your email for a response. Will that be all?”

“Very well,” he let out a heavy sigh and waved a hand in a dismissively, not that there was a person there to dismiss. Feeling foolish yet again for speaking to nothing, he turned and walked down the hallway towards the first meeting of his day. 

It took some time, but the agents had gotten the new plan detailed and submitted for approval. Pruyn’s irritation was Loki’s pleasure. The meeting went smoothly, the plan that Loki suggested was the one to get unanimous approval from the directors, and the agents who argued against her were scolded to not waste time and get the mission properly planned and initiated. Loki was to play the part of a wealthy individual who had some questionable sources of income and gifts that needed laundering, and Natasha would be his most trusted personal assistant that handled his comings and goings.

“Loki will play the role of Mr. Walker and Natasha will play the role of his personal assistant, Jen. The profiles we’ve created have been shared with everyone. Please review them before our next meeting to discuss anything that may need to be adjusted or clarified.” Agent Pruyn tapped the button on the remote in his hand to change to the next slide. “There is a small charity ball next month, one that our target frequents. We’ve already started leaving hints and clues that there is a new person on the scene, and have made him someone of great interest to invite. We are expecting an invitation in the coming weeks. No one has really seen Mr. Walker, which will generate more intrigue.”

“I will make my first contact with our target at this gala then. A simple greeting should suffice. A relationship will strike up naturally if we meet frequently in gatherings such as this.” Loki picked up the flash drive that was provided to each of them that contained the files of this mission.

“I’ll get friendly with his secretaries and get the necessary gossip going. I can feed them something that could be considered interesting, and they’ll relay it to the target for us.” Natasha added. “If we play our cards right, this mission could be easy enough, but we need to be careful.”

“We must exercise the greatest caution. He is not someone to ignore even the slightest of suspicion. We need to keep him completely unaware. If he is suspicious, we need to give him a reason that would dispel it as something expected of someone like him.” Loki nodded his head, Agent Pruyn clenched his teeth and took a deep breath.

“Yes, we will keep that in mind. As of now, this is all the information we have to discuss. Please review all the information in the files so we can go into detail in our next meeting, which will be scheduled in accordance to your schedules.”

“Sounds good to me,” Clint lightly tapped the butt of his flash drive on the table and stood up. Raising his hand that held it for all to see, he nodded his head and left first. Everyone else filed out after him, though they waited until Loki was out to avoid him. Their avoidance stung, but it was not surprising, and it no longer hurt him. He was used to such behaviors and found it more of a nuisance than anything else.

It has been two whole days and no response to my inquiry yet? She must be purposely ignoring me and has the computer system making a fool of me! Loki slammed his fist onto the table, startling the surrounding staff. They quickly shuffled away, muttering their concerns as he seethed in silence. If looks could kill, the table he sat at would have disintegrated a good ten times over

“What’s got Houdini’s undies all twisted up?” Tony turned around in his seat to look at the hunched over back of the second prince.

“Beats me, he was fine during our meeting a couple of days ago and did good in today’s training.” Clint shrugged his shoulders, glancing over his shoulder at the newest Avenger. He understood the effects of the Mind Stone and how it warped and tormented Loki, but he still found it all to be a tad too convenient. There had to be some level of self in all that happened, but Clint also knew they worked in things that made no sense at all and was trying his best to give him benefit of the doubt. He concluded that if this mission was a success, then he would absolve Loki of his sins in his mind. It would be easy to catch him lying or not putting in the proper effort, which would mean he was only using the Mind Stone as an excuse.

“My brother? It’s nothing, he’s merely upset that the Librarian has refused to meet with him.” Thor took a bite of his sandwich, undisturbed by his brother’s ire.

“The Librarian? What’d he do to get on her bad side? I didn’t even know she had one!” Tony’s eyebrows shot upwards as he looked between the two princes. “That’s something I didn’t think was possible.”

“It’s a small misunderstanding. She requested assistance from us on a task given to her by Fury. We agreed to help when we can, and he was supposed to meet with to create a plan of how to complete it. We had that lengthy training session that day, and he ended up missing the meeting and also had no real means of informing her of this.”

“So she got angry, why? If he just explained to her, I don’t see why she’d get angry. Y/N isn’t that irrational.” Clint frowned.

“See, that’s the issue there, he never explained it to her because he forgot he made such a promise. When he finally got around to going to the library, he continued on as usual with disregard to her and his word. That is what led to the predicament he is in now.”

“So why doesn’t he just go talk to her?”

“He’s tried, she won’t see him.” Thor shrugged, taking another bite of his food.

“Hold up, you want us to believe that our sweet innocent Librarian is holding on to such a petty grudge to this extreme? The math doesn’t add. Something’s missing, I’m calling bullshit.” Tony stood from his seat and walked over to Loki who wanted to simply disappear, but he knew he would have to deal with Steve if he did and there was no library to hideaway in. “What’s really going on between you and Y/N?”

“As my brother just told you, simply that. Prior to our first official encounter, she and I barely conversed. I would go into the library, read, rent a book, return it, and repeat the cycle with minimal to no conversation. I did not recall making a promise to her, and she was upset with me. Likewise, I find it highly unreasonable of her to be avoiding me so intensely that I cannot even get the chance to explain that it was a simple lapse of the mind.” He forced himself to keep an even tone. The last thing he needed was to have them meddle in this matter. “Two days ago I requested a meeting with her through your precious computer voice, and it told me to keep watch of my emails. There has been no response.”

“No response of what?” Steve’s voice cut into the conversation as he took a seat by Tony, who sat across from Loki. The other two Avengers joined them, informing Steve about Loki’s troubles. Thor and Clint each took a seat on either side of the raven haired prince, who expression only grew more sour at the unwanted company and attention to his problem.

This is none of their concern! Do they have nothing else to do aside from giving me a headache? He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Well, I’m not surprised she’s not answering. She’s not here right now anyway.” Loki’s eyes snapped wide open, and he leaned in closer to Steve.

“What did you say?”

“That she’s not here? Yeah, Y/N left to set up the new computers and do system training with the other library staff. I’d say she’s been gone for almost two weeks now? If all is going well, she should be back by the end of the week. That’s what she told me, anyway.” The famous captain shrugged and picked up his utensils to start eating. “I can’t say if it’s going smoothly or not, but until she’s back, you’re just going to have to wait.” 

That woman is not even here, and I’ve been running around trying to get into that blasted room, but that computer and that damned order have been thwarting my each attempt?! And the audacity to simply leave, without a word to me?! The anger burned hotter in the first giant. “Well, isn’t that something interesting to learn. Thank you, Captain, you truly are the most helpful.” He gave a cordial smile to mask the rage.

“She may not have seen the appointment request until she gets back, maybe you should text her?”

“Neither of us have her number,” Thor spoke up again. “He asked me for it and I suggested he email her, but that would be lost under all the others she has yet to see at this point.”

“I have it,” Steve pulled out his phone and with a few taps had the contact information shared with Loki and Thor. Loki felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and frowned.

Tags: @vbecker10 @huntress-artemiss @softestqueeen @thegodofnotknowing @princess-ofthe-pages @firedrakegirl @rcailleachcola @cabingrlandrandomcrap @lotrefcp @lwtannie @jainaeatsstars @msdjsg7 @tom-hlover @kneelingformyloki @gruftiela @gigglingtiggerv2 @kats72 @mischief2sarawr @evalynanne

[digisims2]

Sims 2 on Windows 11

Alright, the new computer with Windows 11 is up and running and Sims 2 has been installed. These are the steps I took to get it running and looking pretty:

Installed the game through EA App

I installed "George" so I won't need to start the game up through EA App and let it waste resources and spy on me.

I ran the 4GB patch on the Sims2EP9.exe and TS2BodyShop.exe

I ran Graphics Rules Maker and tweaked things through that enabling it to use my full texture memory etc

I installed the EmptyStandbyList since without it I got pink flashing very quickly

????

Profit.

If this helped somebody else out, you're welcome! :)

(long, pretty messy and image heavy version of this process written as I did it is behind the cut. I mean it, it's very long!)

added my graphics card in the video cards file manually

did the common graphics rules tweaks (these) manually

applied 4gb patch to bodyshop and game exes

tested bodyshop, it started up but has no smooth edges, otherwise textures are good and new projects export and import as supposed. 4GB patch works as supposed. It'll likely require tweaking it through nvidia control panel so leaving that for later.

Started up game, after turning the edge smoothing on it looks this good (no mods thus the boxy shadows):

6. However my log is reporting only 1gb of RAM for the game to use, will have to reapply the 4gb patch and try again. But it's using all 12 gb for texture memory so that's cool, I probably won't need to worry too much about pink flashing but I'm going to stress test it a little.

View distance maximized:

Shaders work:

"I probably won't need to worry too much about pink flashing" I said earlier and then left the lot and:

:'D But looking at task manager I see my standby memory has filled up the remaining RAM already so this is actually working as expected, I just forgot one step.

7. installed the EmptyStandbyList.

8. This is where I closed game, applied the standby memory fix, rechecked my exe and remembered that you weren't supposed to run it in compatibility mode so I turned that off but just in case I also reapplied 4gb patch and restarted the game. Now it's correctly showing me 4GB of RAM to use for the game so that should be handled.

Side note: Mr. Humble spawned, I haven't seen him for years as I have mod to stop him from appearing. Was this sim always so ugly? It looks like his face is melting.

No pink flashing after leaving the lot this time:

But it crashed when I clicked on the sims icon.

New try, game restarted and this time we'll go straight to CAS and... *immediately gets distracted* There are this many bin families by default?

I've used clean templates for years so this was an unpleasant surprise. I don't like them, you're all getting nuked soon once I've made sure the game runs as supposed and can go ahead installing clean templates. So then to the CAS, it loads and I click to create a sim and....

Oh. Okay then. :| Guess I'm missing some tweak still. Let's try graphics rules maker instead, it should also easily fix my resolution etc since I forgot to do that manually.

One restart later, are you fucking kidding me?

but hey, nice crisp textures. Too bad it's so tiny I can't see shit. (I realized this was my error after a moment, I thought graphics rules maker said minimum resolution in the spot I didn't change but it actually says maximum, so I fixed that and all is good) But I'm gonna ignore that now and try loading CAS again, pls work.

.... Hell yeah, at least that finally loaded up as supposed.

She is beauty, she is grace, maxis defaults really ruin her face.

After the final restart with screen size etc fixed I went back and forth to different lots trying to make it flash pink and it never did so I'm going to say this was success.

So to recap:

Installed the game through EA App

I installed "George" so I won't need to start the game up through EA App.

I ran the 4GB patch on the Sims2EP9.exe and TS2BodyShop.exe

I ran Graphics Rules Maker and tweaked things through that enabling it to use my full texture memory etc

I installed the EmptyStandbyList since without it I got pink flashing very quickly

????

Profit.

And seriously, that's all, even if this post ended up this long.

I still need to get smooth edges in bodyshop but that will likely be done with nvidia control panel rather than texture settings. Here's one more random maxis sims image to end this with a pretty picture instead of just huge wall of text.

[nhaneh]

hi! i'm curious: how do you do the dialogue chat bubbles in several of your old gpose "comics"? they're very clean and natural-looking and i had those in mind when i started a current project, but i can't get things like the connections between bubbles or the "tails" to look good. only if you're willing to share of course!

aah shit where's that post again uhhh...

I seriously need to take the time to make a pinned post for stuff like this

okay right, found it, here - these are the source images I use.

They do take some manual editing to adjust them to whatever width and height you need them to be in mind you, but that first image is what I build the vast majority of the ones I use out of - they're based on the speech bubbles used for incidental NPC dialogue in the game itself. The post also has a number of additional dialogue elements ripped out of the game files that I don't use quite as often, but they're there as a resource.

If it helps, the font I typically use is called... uh... Bahnschrift? Usually size 16 or 18 - it's basically just the one that looked the most visually similar to whatever the game uses that I already had installed on my computer, heh.

[donnerpartyofone]

I think to myself, well I'm unemployed and I can't cook and I don't produce anything and I really have nothing to do, so why don't I clean the bathroom. Cleaning the sink is easy. Cleaning the toilet and the tub is easy. I did it recently enough and I've done it a hundred times, I will make myself useful and I'll feel good about this. And it's just a disaster. It takes three or four hours. Every time I think I'm almost done, I discover a huge mess in an area I just "cleaned". I was really thinking about it, I was being thorough, but I just couldn't work it out. Every time I have to do something, almost anything, it has to be done over again many, many times, often by someone else. It doesn't matter if I take my time. It doesn't matter how much practice I have or how much research I do or if I ask for help or advice. The other day I needed to update about four sentences in my cover letter to apply for a job and it took me an hour because there was something about the file I couldn't understand. It's just a Word document. I worked in an office at a tech startup for almost ten years (they hired me out of desperation when the only person in one whole department needed a vacation; the only thing they asked me was "Are you sure you want to do this?"). I had a computer in college, and ever since. Most of what I do with my time on Earth is type documents. This is not foreign to me. But even when I finally fixed my problem, I don't know how I fixed it. I couldn't repeat it. Honestly I still don't understand what the actual problem was. The next time I have the problem I will just have to hope the same corrective accident happens again. I don't know how I'm going to find a job again. Actually I don't even know what I can do. My only choice is to keep trying and trying and trying and trying, at everything. It's amazing how often I wake up feeling genuinely ambitious about something, even something small, feeling convinced that I've been trying so hard to improve for so long that today absolutely must be better than yesterday. But I think I've been living the same day for my entire life. Please god find me a job I can do, help me figure out what thing I haven't tried yet that I can be competent at, some little corner of life where I can be useful and reliable. Something that can sustain me enough so I'm not wasting entire days and making everyone carry me. Something to justify the space I take up and the resources I use. The future is starting to look pretty bad. It looks a lot like the past, and the present. Please help me find a job that will make me helpful and keep me out of trouble. Otherwise I don't know what will happen to me.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for trying to save my father?

I (30F) work as a secretary for H (50M), who is currently the president of a colonization company.

Now, this may sound horrible, but I'm not here for that business. I'm his secretary for one reason only: to remind him that I'm his daughter.

When I was a child, he was experimenting with an eldritch computer machine. Something went wrong, and I was sucked into a portal to another dimension. I managed to survive and returned to my original dimension as an adult. However, by the time I saw him again, he didn't recognize me at all.

As it turns out, he had tried using the computer to revive me. Since I was still alive, it was impossible. This, coupled with the computer's impact on his brain, left him a shell of his former self.

I won't deny that my actions in aiding him to mechanize multiple planets might be questionable. Yet, it was necessary for my plan to work, moreover, I believe these planets were wasting their natural resources by not utilizing them. So, I'd like to think we did them a favor.

Everything was going well until we attempted to mechanize a star-shaped planet with abundant nature and clean air. I was excited, and to add to it, I encountered a handsome knight we'll call M (37M). I couldn't resist turning him into a cyborg, so he became our company’s security guard and the upgrades I implanted in him made him so much stronger!

However, there was this kid, K (10NB), who kept breaking into our buildings and destroying our stuff (Rude!). It seemed like they were trying to stop us from mechanizing their planet. When I gently explained how their people were relatively expendable compared to the planet's natural resources, they got mad and attacked me! (Well, more like I provoked the fight, but I know they had a bone to pick with me.)

I tried stopping them by any means, commanding M to attack them, using clones of their arch-nemesis, upgrading and deploying M against them again. Yet, they defeated everything. I got so mad that I was about to attack them myself, but then H intervened and told me to stop, so I complied.

Subsequently, H started fighting K, and predictably, he lost. So, he summoned the eldritch computer. I saw my chance and swiftly took the helmet he used to control it right off his head! I was thrilled at the prospect of selling it and finally reuniting with my father.

… However, the machine had a mind of its own. It zapped me and erased all my father's memories to use him as a vessel. Apparently, it aimed to eliminate us "imperfect, fragile life forms" for the company's eternal prosperity.

I was devastated by this turn of events and could do nothing but give K one of my remaining machines and watch them defeat my father, sealing his fate.

I am now the president of the company, feeling unsure of what to do. I thought I was doing the right thing, but M was so terrified of the mechanizations I did to him that even his evil mirror version fears me.

I'm utterly lost. AITA?

[the-fluffiest-trainer]

[An audio recording is attached. It is slightly muffled, like the holocaster is in a bag, but still clear enough.]

This is the Ultimate Weapon? It's... I honestly don't know if I expected it to be bigger or smaller.

This is it. It is large, yes, and I don't know if we could move it if we tried. But at the same time, it is no larger than the mainframes of early computing. Here it has lain for three thousand years, near the coast, in the center of what was once the battlefield in the great Galar war. According to legend, it was built on the very spot where the king's beloved pokemon fell in battle, as a way of inflicting the same pain he felt upon all the invading armies.

Are you sure? I heard he built it as a machine to resurrect his pokemon first, and only converted it into the weapon later.

Ah, who knows. Some say he was successful, and made both the pokemon and himself immortal. More reputable scholars tend to call the whole thing nonsense. But then, there are plenty of scholars who disbelieve that the Ultimate Weapon ever existed.

[There is a pause in the recording, with only the faint sounds of hoofsteps on a hard floor.]

So if those cables are where the power comes in, and that lens is where is comes out... The shape of that suggests it would fire a beam straight upward, but then how would the infinity energy actually hit anything and do what the legends say it did?

In the beginning, you have it right. But this part here...

Life calls to life, and infinity energy is the essence of life. When the attractive capacitor module is active, the Weapon acts less as a laser and more as a fountain, as all the energy it puts out is called back to earth by its causal force. Not directly of course, there's a cross product term in the math so you get a sideways force spreading it into more of a paraboloid, but you get the idea. The point is, it splashes, and that is what scoured clean the ancient shores and drove the lord of Galar back to his islands across the way.

And then after the capacitor has served its purpose in directing the main blast, you can discharge it as well for a second wave!

Or redirect its charge through the diode to jumpstart the main power banks again. Either way, it is a capacitor, so you don't want to leave it charged and walk away. On this team, we like our explosions controlled.

Oh, of course. I w–

[There is a brief, almost strangled sound from Twilight, as if she suddenly choked on her own words.]

Are you alright?

Quite fine, thank you. What I meant to say was, I would hope there are no explosions at all resulting from this device. It shall be a weapon no longer, as the aim is for the betterment of the region, and the world, yes?

It will bring stability to a world still wracked by too much conflict. No more will men fight for limited resources.

In a world with near-infinite free energy, I suppose that's right, there wouldn't be a need. Though we should find a better source of infinity energy than draining it from legendary pokemon – surely it can be drawn out of the earth somehow? Maybe–

[Twilight is cut off again by a fit of coughing.]

Twi, no, please–

It is worth investigation. Are you sure you are feeling okay? There is no shame in taking a medical leave; you are a part of Team Flare regardless of whether you stand within the labs. I promised to guarantee your safety when you joined, and I take that to include from your own overwork.

Maybe I should call it a day, at least. Just... promise me Fluttershy's concerns are unfounded? She is still my friend, and it is hard to think of her as so mistaken. Promise me this device will not be used as a weapon again?

I promise I have only Kalos's best interests at heart. Now go and rest, and clear your head. The team will need you at your best.

[Recording ends.]

[se7ens-oc-heaven]

Going through my documents to trim them down a bit, both by saving my writing to my computer and also posting it online if I feel like it's enough to share. I found this bit for a dnd oc, from a campaign that's no longer running, so I thought I might drop it here, no context!

Herb was designed to be a sheltered kid, so you could say their first experience with someone dying left a little bit of an impact.

Of course I don't have any ideas. 

I'm not a doctor. 

I'm not an experienced magician. 

Just someone fresh out of college.

It's natural that I wouldn't know what to do during something like this. 

So then why...

As the man draws his final breath, you feel everything inside you still. No longer did you feel the anxious panic of a life in danger, a soul in need, and the urge to help. Instead, everything deadened with the bard lying in front of you, dull and heavy. Were you more aware, you would have noticed that everyone around you had fallen silent with his death rattle. Unaware, you still heard nothing but thunderous silence beating against your eardrums. You wouldn't notice at first when the silence outside you was broken.

You let your arm that was against his chest fall to your side as your world numbs you, dimly feel your grip on your bloodied dagger loosen. You had held onto it in case you needed to use it again, to make more cuts. Or, failing that, you had at least kept it out because it would need cleaned first. 

You wouldn't remember to clean it until well after this, when the crusty dagger would have sat in its sheath for the better half of the night, cursing you silently for your failures. 

You didn't even know the man. Barely an hour ago, he was no more than some performer in the background- a charming musician to be sure. But just someone to filter in and out of your life inconsequentially. 

The voices you now could hear behind you were more of the same. Just faces in the crowd, at the stalls, in the plaza…

In the amphitheater. 

They, too, had done their best, in their own ways. But none of you had known what to do. 

None of you were doctors, or clerics. 

Not even the town doctor had known what to do. 

It was natural that you couldn't have done more. 

It was natural, and yet... At the arrival of a new, yet familiar, voice, you finally come to, enough to be aware of your surroundings. The bookseller. You listen as he speaks, and although many words slip in and out of your head enough of them stick for you that when the group livens up again, you know what purpose moves them. 

You move back as the Goliath takes the coat given by the bookseller, watching through deadened eyes as the fabric is draped reverently over, and gently wrapped around the body.  Slowly, mechanically, you move to gather up your belongings, storing your dirtied knife in its sheath, returning your books to your bag. You hesitate a little as you reach for your newest acquisition, remembering how in your desperation, you had skimmed its steamy pages on the offchance there was some sort of helpful note or message written in it. You had already read your book of lore front to back, and even if it had contained any mention of this condition it was doubtful it'd have anything useful for the circumstances and limited resources. 

You felt a pang of mortification, reflecting on how you thought even for a second that a romance novel could have held any clues. That you had even taken the time to look when a man lay before you, dying every second you wasted. 

Even so, it wouldn't have made a difference if you hadn't looked. It just would have meant that you were a little less thorough than you could possibly be.

[timetravell]

Twas the first day of school, here is a little recap:

We mainly went over all the new procedures. Theres one about phones and if they have to take it up 4 times in a row you have to pay a fine of 15 dollars. And the dress code regressed?? No teacher is enforcing it though. We still have the same tardy policy (10 tardies = ISS).

If this phone policy doesn't 'work' then we just- wont be allowed to bring our phones at all Which is a HUGE safety concern.

below is a recap of all my class periods <3

1st period: Colorguard

Nothing much happened here, again a lot of today was just a repeat of all procedures. There were a few band specific things, such as attendance, rehearsals, UDB, and stuff pertaining to the band hall itself. There is now a form so if need be, your istrument can be turned into the shop to get fixed!

We also cleaned out the guard locker room/area. All of the costumes from last year got put in one of the lower lockers. We somehow found stuff from seniors who left YEARS ago. And 3 year old water....in a jug still.. yikes.

2nd: Forensics!!!

Im actually so happy I got to be in this class. Im looking forward to a lot of things in it. Especially the labs and that one lecture about blood splatters. Our teacher is actually absent this first week, but thats because he's also the volleyball coach. (Our volleyball team is in Hawaii for nationals I believe)

We had three assignments. One of them was designing a locker (mine is super cute, it has a Marina poster), the second was a Syllabus scavenger hunt which isn't due until tomorrow but I wanted to get a jump on it so I finished it at home. The third was homework, which was just a student survey.

3rd: ELA

It was just, again, more policy updates and a little get to know you card. This class, thank god, wont be all on computer. We'll have some paper assignments. We haven't gotten our reading yet (which upsets me a teeny bit, but I'm sure we'll learn about it later in the week)

4th: AP World History

I'm actually so exited for this class its not even funny. I was genuinley upset when we didnt get our unit 0 packets and when I found out we werent getting our textbooks until Friday.

We did learn that the AP teachers are no longer allowed to split that 70% weighted major assignments to 40/30. Which absolutely sucks, and on top of that our first unit is stuff our state says we NEED to know to get said World History credit. Which means we wont even be tested on it come spring. Our district hates us.

I actually have a good teacher for this AP class, last year I had a very (idk how else to put it) 'White privlidged' teacher. AND AND I narrowly missed being stuck in a class with someone I despise. Made me so happy!

I also learned that 'The History of the Entire World I guess' is pretty accurate! So I can use that as a study resource for like- a short summary.

5th: Astronomy

SO SO SO excited for this class. And there is no math! None! (If they added math it would have to become an AP class). My teacher is so funny unironicly. He's very monotone and you would think he'd be a bore, but he's actually really funny in my opinion.

We actually will talk about why Astrology isnt real which I think will be really fun. I dont nessicarily believe astrology is real, I like the idea of it. But going indepts on why it isnt is going to be really interesting!

We also will get to learn how galaxies and solar systems form, which will be really helpfull for making my story, Abyss. Theres also gonna be night labs!! (if we go we get a free 100 on a test grade) And maybe some Day Labs if the school can get their hands on a solar telescope.

6th: Geometry

It's geometry. There wasnt really anything of note here. Just the fact that i somehow have a class full of kids who dont care abt the Highschool grades. (I have confirmed this, it isnt speculation) It's gonna be a loud period..

7th: Band (they split it up weird)

Again nothing of note. EXCEPT NOW I HAVE TO LEARN THE SHOW?? ON MY FLUTE?? WHAT??

Im in guard, i dont do 'band' until concert season. I cant work on my solo during this period OR my homework. Pissed me of factually because the original plan was as followed:

Used as a study hall

Practice choreography

Practice flute

But nope! They hate me! /j

8th: Musical Theatre!

So many new people! Its gonna be so much fun! I have a lot of friends in that class so im really excited!

I already know the song im gonna do for our first solo, just gotta get permission cuz its technicly not from a musical (Wont say im in love from hercules)

Anyways thats it!! Tmmr will most likely have some more stuff so follow if you want to see!

[lexart-io]

hi! I'm a fan of your work and am trying to learn ai myself, could you tell me a bit about your process? keep up the good work :D

thank you! everything i do these days is rendered in automatic1111 stable diffusion, run locally on my computer (on my nvidia rtx 3060 gpu w/ 12gb of vram). i train my own base models with kohya trainer XL and LoRA models with kohya LoRA trainer XL, both of which i usually run on google colab (on an nvidia a100 gpu because training models is a lot more resource intensive than rendering images).

most of what i do is less about the text prompt and more about the models used. in fact, i tend to recycle through a lot of the same text prompts over and over (with only minor changes to them) as i test out the models that i've trained. i think the most creative part of working with ai is in training models. text prompting is just the surface of it, but training ai is where you're really starting to create something that no one else can exactly replicate (unless they literally steal your dataset and settings). it is an extraordinarily fascinating form of creative expression that is unlike anything in human history... basically wrangling a blank slate machine intelligence to do your bidding by teaching it.

i do a lot of experimenting with the datasets that i use to train models. some are trained on more specific subjects or aesthetics, while others are trained on more symbolic concepts. then i combine these models when rendering images (the nice thing about LoRA models is that you can combine many models in a single text prompt). when i find combinations that seem particularly cool, i'll render a whole series of images and use those as a dataset to train a new model. then i'll combine that model with other models and sort of continue this evolutionary process of training and retraining models, using datasets comprised mostly of previously rendered images.

the datasets for my earliest models started with things like this (i would just slowly collect random cool images that captured a vibe that i liked, categorize them with other similar images, and eventually train a model on that specific vibe):

whereas now they're usually trained on images i previously rendered that share a specific vibe.

training models is definitely an art form itself... a lot of very delicate settings, how/if the dataset is tagged (the process of describing what is in each image to help the ai identify what it is analyzing during training), the specific images that comprise the dataset (1 bad/confusing image can sometimes really negatively impact the resulting model), etc. this is a whole HUGE subject that i could write FOREVER about, but i'll spare you (and myself) the endless wall of text haha.

anyway, some final gritty details worth mentioning about the workflow of actually rendering images and getting as much coherent detail as possible out of it: when i render something i like in automatic1111, i'll usually re-render it with hires fix using the LDSR upscaler to upscale it x2. some models don't play nicely with upscaling (and things can come out warped), so i'll either try again at x1.5 or x1.25 or try reducing the denoising strength (i typically like to keep it around 0.5). assuming the model(s) used do play nice with upscaling, i'll sometimes then send it over to the "img2img" tab and upscale it again x2 using the "SD upscale" script with the LDSR upscaler (denoising set to around 0.3 here). occasionally i'll upscale it x4 one last time using Real-ESRGAN (and then resize it down to something normal, since by this point the image resolution can exceed 10,000x10,000 pixels lol), which can help to smooth out any rough textures. the final step is making any last adjustments in photoshop - things like contrast or cleaning up noise / stray pixels.

hope this helps and hope it isn't too much of a mess to read haha. i really tried to condense as much of my process as i could into something as short as possible (i actually deleted 3 paragraphs during this because it was getting way too deep and i don't want to burden anyone with a boring novel of overly specific details). there are a lot of tutorials out there regarding everything i've mentioned here; reddit and youtube are probably the best resources. if you have specific questions on anything though, feel free to reach out! i'm always down to help folks get into this.

[jbird-the-manwich]

me, explaining the ethical climate of tumblr to my cat: "they pass around a photograph of two men standing next to each other, who may not even know they're on tumblr, with their shirts photoshopped to say "i'm he's" and insinuate these two, likely heterosexual, likely nonconsenting, random facebook users, -yeah! it's fucked up -, anyway, they pass that around, and they're all "they're in love <3", but then they're like, AI STEALS PICTURES when a puppy is machine generated on a leaf, cuz it's ai, and generating that one puppy didn't use any more water than an hour of 4k video streaming, especially not if the model was hosted on somebodies home computer, in which case it'd be an exponentially shrinking average of something like 50 seconds of desktop gpu time + ( training resources / every image generated), and post after post is this likely stolen picture of these real life dudes, battered around like public domain data when it clearly isn't and has been tampered with, and I didn't save the puppy, and now I can't find it, but I've seen these dudes 11 times today, and still no puppy on a leaf, even though the puppy at least has plausible deniability of not being stolen but a derivative work, at worst, and can't even be copywrited, while the facebook picture appears to be very stolen, from somebodies actual profile, so, if the purpose of a system is what it does, then a tumblr users purpose is to show me this picture of these probably straight dudes being circulated as a gay couple, with no regard for what that might do to them if they can't socially afford the stigma that being suspected of homosexuality can cause for men, while SPAMMING messages about the sanctity of peoples photos, which, the puppy has compromised, but this behavior has not, somehow......anyway, it's crude, it's citationless, you should be super glad that you're a cat right now and not like, trying to save a cute picture that's been publicly diagnosed with Bad while possibly witnessing the dawning of the next age of scientific repression snowballed from the financial interests of one or two industries actively working to steer public opinion against emergent technology rather than questioning pre-existing infrastructure for the sake of protecting their business interests.... again. like with rails. and clean energy. which ai could actually assist assuming people don't end up freaking out till they get it banne-"*the cat kills me mid-sentence in an interspecies act of mercy*

[bihansthot]

Do you have any advice for someone that basically just started learning to be an adult?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and Google everything, I’ve been an adult over 20 years now and I still don’t know everything and have to ask my Dad for help. He knows how to do everything except use a computer 🤣 Reddit and Facebook are great resources for new adults on how to do things and YouTube is irreplaceable for tutorials on cooking and cleaning and stuff like that. TikTok is also great for quick and affordable meals! A personal skill I would throw out there that I learned in high school and is surprisingly useful is knowing how to sew! Quick fixes like knowing how to fix a button or hem a pair of pants come up more than you think but again YouTube can teach you how! I would also say DON’T get a credit card unless you can 💯 pay it off in full every month. Other than that have fun! Be reckless! Do things your parents didn’t let you! Live, but like be responsible at the same time. Keep your job, never quit unless you have a new job lined up and just be kind to everyone, even assholes, you never know when someone is having an awful day. Most importantly though be yourself and be unapologetically you! Oh and learn to stick to a budget and try and exercise 3-5 times a week if you’re able. One last thing, DRINK YOUR WATER beautiful 😘 Good luck my little newbie adult, you got this! I’m cheering you on!

[edenfelled]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐁

&. 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. / ❛ i  don’t  think  you  realize  just  what  you  do  to  me .❜ | @goetiya

𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐔𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄, unknowable tongue bloomed knowable meaning as they tangled limb to limb, breast to breast, and her hair unfurled a curtain of gold in the flowers of Eden. ❛I don't think you realise what you do to me,❜ said the god, voice thick as her fingers looped easily in theirs, and she felt the tremble on their breath as she kissed the curve of their mouth.

< what is a servant to god but a lover ? when the first men pressed painted epitaphs to stone in the shape of a palm : when the craftsmen moulded stone to skin, to the shape of the divine, did they not love them so ? she swore she knew sacrament in how the other descended, her voice sweet urgings as she allowed herself to be undone. this is love, this is love. >

𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐄. 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐈𝐏. 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐑. The light of love has been engulfed with anger; an ancient, primal thing ( older than him, older than they ), and, when he wrapped his meaty hand around their throat, he wondered what its like to be a god trembling under the hand of man.

He does not know, as she knew — as the hundreds that came before him — the circle of life, death and sleep.

He is but a babe. He is a product of circumstance. He is a result.

❛If only you knew.❜ He felt it like an infiltration. As if the filaments of him broiled under their influence ( WHO ARE YOU? WHO AM I? WHERE DO I BEGIN WHEN THEY END? ) like the inevitability of stone to inky water. ❛Do you know what you do to me?❜

❝Get the FUCK out of my head!❞ He roared, slamming them harder against the earth. He hated how it did nothing to them; how they merely looked at him with deepening anguish as their fingers tried to make a home in the cracks of his callouses. That they knew, deep down, the inevitability of fate. Theirs was no infiltration — merely the reminders of a millennia, the wash of the tide.

❝Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!❞

From his scabbard the knife punctured clean, the god making naught but weakened protests as he tore sinew across the floor. He ignored how his mind cracked like stained glass and he soon could no longer tell if the blood was theirs or his as it ran from his mouth and eyes. 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐄𝐍𝐃. 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐄𝐍𝐃. D̶͙̟̻̲͖̮͕̯̓͋͊̚͠E̵͍͓̝̅̅̍̒̂̈́̀̂͂̈́Å̵̡̼͕͙̬̗̬͜Ḏ̴͕̝͎̅͂̋̐̂̂̒̽͠ ̸̤̝̩́͆Ë̷͖̻͇͉̱̱́̉̐͒̏͘͠N̶͎̯͖͚̪̭̼̹͕̈͐͝D̸̢̮̼̳̠̀͆̎̇̾.̷̦́̓̊̄̏̑̚/̷̞̝̫̞̼̜̟̼̽͋͑͜͝

When he was done, and the god lay dead on the floor, it was all he could do to let out a weakened laugh. His breath stopped. He slumped down against them and died, like two lovers passing in the night.

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 — the pulse of blood like electricity, thrumming beneath her fingertips. THE GODSCALL, or something, ( she didn't give a flying fuck what the tech-bros dubbed it; it didn't matter, not like anything in this dystopian shit hole ) the last step where the deities of old in ancient tongues were resurrected, digitised and corrupted.

[ WARNING! COMPUTING POWER AT 34%. INSERT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO AVOID CATASTROPIC SYSTEM FAILURE ]

❝Nyx —❞ Their voice was sweet in their ear, even with the crackle of static, and it made her grit her teeth harder. Sweet, even when she was hurting them; loving, even if she was two steps from rending them undone.

❝What do I do to you?❞ Knuckles white, she heard the wires crinkle and spark in her grip. ❝Go on, Søvn, tell me what you have a thousand times before. What do I do?❞

<answer=❝you are the beginning, you are the end❞>They would devour themselves for you. It will never be enough.</answer>

A moment's silence. The computer warning blared again.

[ WARNING! COMPUTING POWER AT 29%. INSERT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO AVOID CATASTROPIC SYSTEM FAILURE ]

❝WHAT DO I DO?❞

[robocorn-fun]

I think it's easy to forget that computers are the most complex and expensive objects ever invented and require the most sophisticated knowledge base, global supply chain, and infrastructure ever conceived of to function as they do today, and aren't like, magic.

It's easy, if you grew up in the twentieth century, to imagine a world after some tech-collapse. Maybe everyone still has their phones but the server infrastructure becomes too ill-maintained to send streaming video, or buffered video, or sound, or maybe even images. Maybe computer parts become expensive again and only businesses and a few people you know own a computer. Maybe only Universities and Government Agencies.

This isn't realistically likely in the short term. Sometimes one likes to imagine the world might return to the state of his childhood if the technological house of cards flattened a little at the top (It wouldn't) Information technology is of strategic importance to states and they devote near-military levels of resources to maintaining expertise and material access domestically (or loaned from abroad [if they must])

Still, I harbor a kind of bemusement at Lesswrong types and their conception of computer takeover. Like imagining the world slowly encroached upon by an amoebic field of lego because you've been living in the Lego store at the mall your entire adult life [and maybe childhood] Like the supercomputers in our life are ex-nihilo and, outside the clean rooms, aren't built by dubiously treated human industrial workers all the way down the supply chain.

I'm learning to live with the new future, with Neural Networked spam generators, and link decay, and gamefied interaction. The future where the chipset factories are bombed, and the undersea cables are severed, and starlink falls burning into the sea is one in which I will certainly have new and worse problems than "media is garbage" and "cartooning insufficiently profitable"

But it is like, a possible future, and it's as much out of my hands as the status quo is.

and it makes me want to practice with real paint more these days

or at least print out some of my photoshops

[svgbank8]

Troubleshooting Common Issues with Atlanta Falcons SVG Files

Picture this: You've found the perfect Atlanta Falcons SVG file, you're excited to craft a personalized masterpiece, but then... disaster strikes! Your software won't open the file, the design cuts incorrectly, or the colors look all wrong. Frustrating, right?

But don't worry, fellow Falcons fan! Most SVG issues are easily solvable. This guide will walk you through common problems you might encounter while working with Atlanta Falcons SVG files and provide practical solutions to get you back on track.

Software Compatibility Issues

Problem: "My software won't open the SVG file!"

Explanation: Not all software is created equal when it comes to SVG compatibility. Some programs might not support SVGs at all, while others might have limitations on certain features.

Solutions:

Choose the Right Software: Popular design software like Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape are excellent choices for working with SVGs. For crafting, Cricut Design Space and Silhouette Studio are widely used.

Convert to DXF: If you're using Silhouette Studio and having trouble with an SVG, try converting it to DXF format, which is generally more compatible with Silhouette.

Check for Updates: Ensure your software is up-to-date. Updates often include bug fixes and improved compatibility with different file formats.

Need help getting started with Cricut or Silhouette? Check out our guide on Free Atlanta Falcons SVG Files for Cricut & Silhouette for more information.

File Import Errors

Problem: "The SVG file looks wrong when I import it!"

Explanation: This can happen for various reasons, such as a corrupted file, incorrect import settings, or missing fonts.

Solutions:

Redownload the File: Sometimes, files can get corrupted during download. Try downloading the SVG again from the source.

Check Import Settings: In your design software, double-check the import settings, paying attention to options like grouping, scaling, and embedding.

Inspect the File: If you're comfortable with code, you can open the SVG file in a text editor to look for any obvious errors.

Cutting Problems with Cricut/Silhouette

Problem: "My machine won't cut the design correctly!"

Explanation: Cutting problems can manifest in several ways, such as incomplete cuts, jagged edges, or misplaced elements.

Solutions:

Clean Your Equipment: Ensure your cutting mat is clean and free of debris. Also, check your blade for sharpness and replace it if needed.

Adjust Cutting Settings: Experiment with different cutting settings in your software, such as material type, cutting depth, and blade pressure.

Simplify the Design: Complex designs with many intricate details can sometimes cause issues. Try ungrouping elements or simplifying the design in your software before cutting.

Check for Overlaps: Overlapping paths or nodes in the SVG file can confuse the cutting machine. Inspect the design in your software and correct any overlaps.

SVG File Display Issues

Problem: "The colors or lines look different on screen!"

Explanation: Variations in color profiles or missing fonts can cause display inconsistencies between your design software and the final output.

Solutions:

Verify Color Profiles: Ensure that your design software and output device (printer or cutting machine) are using the same color profile (e.g., RGB or CMYK).

Install Missing Fonts: If the SVG file uses a font that's not installed on your computer, it might not display correctly. Install any missing fonts to resolve this.

Check for Layering Issues: Sometimes, elements in an SVG file can be layered in a way that hides or obscures certain parts of the design. Check the layering order in your software to ensure everything is visible.

Troubleshooting Tips and Resources

Start Simple: Before diving into complex solutions, try the basics: redownload the file, restart your software, or try a different USB port.

Consult Online Resources: Many online forums, tutorials, and support pages offer specific troubleshooting advice for different software and cutting machines.

Contact the Seller: If you're still having trouble, don't hesitate to contact the seller of the SVG file for assistance. They might be able to provide specific guidance or a corrected version of the file.

Looking for reliable sources of high-quality SVG files? Our guide on Where to Find the Best Atlanta Falcons SVG Files can point you in the right direction.

Get Back to Crafting!

Remember, most SVG problems are solvable with a bit of patience and troubleshooting. Don't let technical hiccups dampen your creative spirit! With these tips and resources, you'll be back to crafting awesome Falcons-themed projects in no time.

[fahrni]

Saturday Morning Coffee

Good morning from Charlottesville, Virginia! ☕️

Raw Story

US guitarist and singer Tito Jackson, an original member of the legendary Jackson 5 group and older brother of pop superstars Michael and Janet, has died at the age of 70, his sons said late Sunday.

🪦

Evan Martin

The “Windows emulator” half of retrowin32 is an implementation of the Windows API, which means it provides implementations of functions exposed by Windows. I’ve recently changed how calls from emulated code into these native implementations works and this post gives background on how and why.

Pretty nifty exploration of parts of Rust based implementation of the Windows API.

Clyde Hughes • UPI

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told corporate staffers in a memo on Monday that they needed to return to the office five days a week by Jan. 2.

COVID changed so much and many folks made big life changes as part of it. I know a number of folks who moved out of Virginia back to their home states or tried something altogether new. I know of one person who decided to get an RV and travel. He’s still working, just not at the office or a permanent home. That’s the dream.

Anywho, I digress. It makes me wonder how many folks will decide to leave Amazon because of this?

It also makes me wonder if WillowTree will follow suit? Folks who work in the office currently go in three days a week, I believe Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Will we follow suit? Will we cancel all remote work and go back to five days in the office? I kind of doubt it but the thought has crept into my head from time to time.

The Guardian

According to a Guardian analysis, from 2020 to 2022 the real emissions from the “in-house” or company-owned data centers of Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple are likely about 662% – or 7.62 times – higher than officially reported.

If these number are accurate regulation is needed to force these companies to build their own power plants using green sources. Wind, sun, and yes, nuclear.

That leads us to the next link.

GeekWire

Microsoft signs deal to revive Three Mile Island nuclear reactor to help power data centers

This is a good move and I’m happy to see Microsoft taking the lead here. Something I don’t see in the article is how does Microsoft intend to transmit the power to their data centers? Do they really use it directly or is it all indirect usage and they’re replacing it on the grid using Three Mile Island?

An option would be to do like Amazon Web Services and build a data center near the power plant.

Perhaps these companies should form a consortium to work toward building out clean energy power plants to service their needs and the wider community? I know, too altruistic.

Chris Fallin

The Rust programming language is best-known for its memory-related type system features that encode ownership and borrowing: these ensure memory safety (no dangling pointers), and also enforce a kind of “mutual exclusion” discipline that allows for provably safe parallelism. It’s fantastic stuff; but it can also be utterly maddening when one attempts to twist the borrow checker in a direction it doesn’t want to go.

This entire piece is deep enough I need to read it again and again.

Something that made me laugh was the bit about using handles to provide indirect access to memory. Back in the pre-NT days Windows used handles to resources so it could be moved around or paged out as needed. Remember, Windows began life on resource constrained Intel boxes. My first Windows computer was a 286 with 1MB of RAM and a giant 40MB hard drive. You didn’t dare allocate fixed memory, of course some folks would.

You use GlobalAlloc to allocate memory and GlobalLock to access it so you could operate on it. The you’d do a GlobalUnlock when you were done accessing it and finally a GlobalFree to return it to the system.

Those API’s still work today but are largely unnecessary given modern architectures.

Here’s a link to read up on Global and Local Functions.

Rust interests me more and more everyday. Swift is, of course, also memory safe and it is now being used cross platform. That may be a better way for me to venture given I use Swift everyday. Yeah, yeah, I’m doing more React Native these days but I still do Swift dev daily. 😀

Federico Viticci • MacStories

Thankfully, there’s plenty to like in iOS 18 even without Apple Intelligence, especially if, like yours truly, you’re the kind of MacStories reader who cares about apps, minor system tweaks, and making your Home Screen look nice.

I’m point to Federico’s piece mainly because of the hand drawn illustrations he commissioned. They’re beautiful and completely hand drawn. No AI involved. That’s a beautiful thing.

Jeff Jarvis

You do not read history. For God’s sake, reread or read Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism(or at least listen to the podcast). You fail to cite history for your readers, explaining the context of what is occurring, because you insist on thinking you are writing your “first draft of history.” What hubris. 

We are at such a dangerous time in our nations history and the press shouldn’t be doing their both sides thing. The NY Times and Washington Post should be reporting on the threat Donal Trump poses. I don’t want an authoritarian in office. We’ve never had a King. We don’t need a King or benevolent dictator.

Our nation is about freedom, governed by laws of by and for the people.

LFG! 🇺🇸

Matt Birchler

Everyone says Chrome devastates Mac battery life, but does it? I tested for 36 hours to find out.

Love it. An independent study conducted by a regular person, not a corporation with interests in seeing it go a certain way.

If folks are curious how their browser use affects their computer go make a test that follows your patterns and get to work.

I’m too lazy to do something like that but maybe you’re not? 😂

Raul A. Reyes • Newsweek

Martin Truex Jr. has voiced his frustration over what he describes as “ridiculous” racing tactics following a chaotic conclusion to the race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday. After finishing P20, his best result in over two months, Truex was less than complimentary of 2021 champion Kyle Larson, especially during the late-race restarts.

The notion of racing etiquette has been talked about a lot recently, especially after Austin Dillion dumped Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin in Richmond. The right hook of Hamlin was especially egregious and his hit on the wall was over 40 G. Ouch! 🤕

These Next Generation cars are super tough and a set of younger drivers take full advantage of them by beating and banging competition harder than ever.

Truex retires at the end of the season and he’s just done with it.

appdb

Next up, possibly the most entertaining file of them all — App Store Click Activity.csv — 39 megabytes for every tap I’ve made inside the App Store since 2022. It’s simply mind-boggling; this file can’t even be opened in macOS preview!

That’s a shocking about of data collected for a tap of the screen. So much so it’s hard to believe anyone would do it, much less Apple. 😳