#jurisdiction friction

[alianoralacanta]

[ID: image 1: tweet by David Sánchez Olmos (@DSORacing) - Se reporta que por ley en Nevada, las coladeras no podían ser soldadas como se habia venido haciendo en los demás circuitos callejeros donde corre la F1. Translated from Spanish by Google: It is reported that by law in Nevada, the drains could not be welded as had been done in the other street circuits where F1 races. Quote-tweet by Spanners (@SpannersReady) - I am desperately hoping this isn't true. If this is true it's really really bad. It can't be true. They didn't not weld it but just hope some sealant would hold it. It can't be. Image 2: Tweet by The Engineer (@Engineer_LXIX): I can understand why. There's been some notable casino fires with a lot of deaths over the years. Nevada doesn't want to add risk/reduce coverage of fire suppression, just for the f1 circus. /end ID] EDIT 23:15 UK time 17/11/2023 - There was an error in how this was reported. There are alternative means of fire suppression in Las Vegas, including the part where the F1 cars race, so the provided explanation is not true. Thanks to @vegasgrandprix for providing improved information.

They should not be fucking racing in the streets of Vegas im so tired of screaming the same thing over and over

[missmagooglie]

So I just reblogged a very thoughtful Hen and Karen character meta. And it got me thinking about Hen's arc this season. And the teasers have all kind of stressed Gerrard as being a central plot focus for Buck, stressing that Hen has bigger concerns at home and she has to toe the line with Gerrard so she doesn't lose Mara for good, but here's the thing. Here's the thing. I think THAT is the point of Gerrard. Hen has to find a way to serve under this odious man in a way that will prove she can handle the political pressures of leadership after failing to do so during her last stint as interim captain of the 118.

This got long, so under a cut it goes.

If you look at Hen across the past few seasons, and in particular if you look at last season, one of Hen's character traits that tends to cause her the most friction is that she does not compromise when she thinks (or knows) she's right. And this has historically been a huge source of strength for her. It's what allowed her to withstand Gerrard's captaincy the first time around. It's a huge part of what makes her an exemplary firefighter and paramedic.

It has also, in season 7 especially, been a huge hurdle for her when it comes to leadership. Hen is smart, she is driven, she is confident in herself and her decisions, and she absolutely does not know how to take "no" for an answer. And not once but TWICE in season 7, we saw Hen's conviction in her own assessment get her into trouble. The first was with Councilwoman Ortiz' son. As a paramedic, she absolutely made the right call. She correctly identified his inebriated state, and reallocated on site resources when he was belligerent toward Chimney and offered clear refusal of care. What Hen didn't do was think beyond the immediate facts of the scene and consider ways to limit liability if her assessment was wrong or there were facts she was unaware of (which, spoiler alert, there were. Of both the medical and political variety).

When Hen was being investigated, she did not respond the way an LAFD captain should have. She reacted personally, defensively. She correctly identified that the source of her trouble was political rather than personal, but she still defended herself on a personal basis rather than working with Chief Simpson to find a way to appease the grieving Councilwoman. She reacted as an individual facing a personal attack rather than a leader navigating a sticky political situation, and in the process made the investigation about her (lack of) wrongdoing. She thought that being vindicated would mark the end of her troubles, but instead she ended up making herself a target for a woman looking to blame someone for her grief. A savvy captain would have found a way to deflect attention and smooth things over with the Councilwoman to avoid long term repercussions with a powerful member of the city government, even if that meant accepting a carefully calculated token acknowledgement of blame (perhaps a vague and unspecified blame of the department overall rather than a specific individual, to reduce opportunities for reprisal) to appease the Councilwoman's pride.

Then, even after she was cleared of wrongdoing and reinstated within the span of a single shift, Hen was motivated BOTH by her love and loyalty to Bobby and Athena, but ALSO her own need to prove herself and her own instincts correct when she decides that instead of reporting back to the station to resume her post she was instead going to go against orders to comandeer a helicopter and fly into a hurricane well out of LAFD jurisdiction to try and rescue a cruise ship of unconfirmed status. And she did this with three of her direct reports in tow. Did she ask them to be there? Did she order them to follow her into that helicopter? No. But given that she was technically their commanding officer at the time, their actions were technically her responsibility.

Now again, Hen felt vindicated by the fact that she was RIGHT, the Uno was in dire distress, her blatant insubordination did save lives. But while her actions showed extraordinary individual heroism, they did NOT show the sort of steady, level-headed leadership Hen would need to earn a permanent promotion to Captain. She showed a willingness to do whatever needed to be done to solve the problem in front of her, but not an ability to think beyond the current problem and consider how to best serve the LAFD beyond the current emergency.

So how does all that relate to Gerrard? Well, first of all Hen made herself all but unpromotable in the eyes of Chief Simpson and undoubtedly the rest of the LADF brass, creating a leadership vacuum when Bobby retired unexpectedly. That gives the OPPORTUNITY for Gerrard to step in. But why Gerrard, specifically? Why not some new jackass to terrorize the 118?

Because everything Hen did to survive the first time she served under Gerrard leaned on her value as an individual. In order to grow into the leader the 118 needs, she'll have to survive Gerrard this go-round using completely different methods. And to make absolutely sure she experiences that growth, the show has conveniently given Hen PERSONAL STAKES that render her old methods of survival unusable. Everything Hen did to prove herself in the past involved bucking Gerrard's leadership, showing how capable she was even if it meant undermining him. Now, with Mara on the line, Hen has no choice but to toe the line and keep her nose clean. So how is she going to change tactics and work WITHIN the system? How is she going to show that she can follow regulations and orders she disagrees with, without sacrificing her dedication to doing her job to the utmost of her ability? How is Hen going to prove that she can make decisions that benefit the station and the department long-term while still giving the problem in front of her everything she's got? How can she balance the right thing to do RIGHT NOW with doing what's needed to serve the bigger picture?

If Hen meets Gerrard head-on with defiance and disdain, it will be proof that she has not grown in the intervening years any more than he has. Instead, Gerrard is going to be a test of Hen's ability to show genuine and meaningful leadership without recklessly flouting orders she may not agree with in favor of her own priorities.

Or at least, that's my hope.

[onelastfic]

Egyptian Pantheon Facts

Here are some Callyieverse headcanon nuggets for how the Egyptian Pantheon operates

The Egyptian Pantheon doesn’t care if you’re a god, mortal, Titan, or cosmic love child. While other pantheons squabble over Titan blood or political advantage, the Egyptian gods have one sacred, inviolable law: the preservation of Maat, the cosmic balance between order and chaos. To them, a Titan is no more inherently threatening than a god or mortal. It's not about species — it's about imbalance. The Egyptians don’t hunt Titans for sport like some pantheons might, but the moment one upsets the divine equilibrium, a reckoning follows. Their justice is impersonal and absolute—if you upset the scale, you answer for it.

The Maat belief system is so deeply embedded that even their court trials (like the Weighing of the Heart) are seen as literal magical rituals that either confirm or cleanse cosmic disturbance. This creates tension with other Pantheons, especially ones like the Norse and Greek who tend to lean into chaos or self-serving actions. Egyptian deities often see their hands-off chaos as irresponsibility.

While Titan hunting isn’t outlawed in Egyptian territory, it is considered a matter of internal jurisdiction. Other pantheons who try to interfere or handle Egyptian-affiliated Titans without permission are viewed as overstepping their bounds—sometimes even as committing acts of war. The Egyptian gods don’t appreciate outsiders meddling in their affairs, especially given their long-standing status as one of the world’s premier pantheons. To act without their blessing is to insult their sovereignty and treat Ra’s court like second-tier deities—which never ends well. Even Zeus knows to tread carefully when navigating Egyptian space.

Ra once tried to offer Basteta Sekhmet’s role — an enforcer of divine will and an overture of unity between gods and Titans. She declined, not wanting to be "the Token Titan" of the Egyptian Pantheon, especially not to appease political optics or used to score brownie points with Nia when she was made heir to Avalon. She still plays a crucial role—acting as a cultural bridge and a field operative when needed—but she's a free agent in many ways. Her decision caused friction in the inner circle... until Nenet was born.

Ra commands not just power, but profound reverence from gods across multiple pantheons. While Odin and Zeus share his stature among the so-called "Big Three", unlike the others, he never loses his authority in the Future AU, knowing the best way to survive is to adapt.

Even his closest kin struggle to parse Ra’s thoughts or emotions. His inscrutable gaze is half-smile, half-hurricane: comforting one moment, ominous the next. Many whisper that Ra’s mysteries are the ultimate test of faith in Maat.

Sekhmet is stronger than Ra. But Ra’s control over her doesn’t come from dominance — it comes from loyalty, trust, and the fact that Ra gave her his primordial divine spark. If Ra is the sun, Sekhmet is the solar flare he lets burn only when absolutely necessary. Her loyalty is born from a deep sense of duty and respect, not blind obedience. When she speaks, even Ra listens. In battle, she is unstoppable. Even the other pantheons whisper her name when they speak of war gods. She’s often deployed as a last resort, the final punishment when Maat has been so violently upended that diplomacy is off the table. If Sekhmet leaves Solar City, people tremble.

Once hands-on with every law and temple rite, Ra now entrusts key roles to his top lieutenants—Sekhmet as enforcer, Thoth as keeper of records, Hathor as ambassador of love and beautification, Serqet as poison-and-cure specialist, etc. Their influence is great, though Ra’s light never wanes—it simply shines from above, letting others carry the torch while he watches from his golden seat.

Atum, the vanished All-Father of Chronos’s era, remains unrivaled in seniority. His son Ra sits a rung below, overseeing gods like a monarch among monarchs. All other deities—Sekhmet, Isis, Thoth, etc.—owe their stations to Ra’s delegated authority.

King Osiris, ruler of Duat's Underworld and head of the Council of Maat, is the ultimate judge of souls — mortal and divine alike. While Ra rules the culture and vision of their people, Osiris commands the dead, overseeing reincarnation, judgment, and spiritual order. His power is quiet but immense, and his courtroom is where some of the most high-stakes trials in godly history have taken place — including divine betrayals, inter-pantheon diplomacy, and more than a few attempts to challenge Maat’s sacred laws.

Solar City is Ra’s home base — a brilliant, radiant metropolis at the heart of Duat. It pulses with solar energy, divine architecture, and an unsettling stillness. While beautiful, it’s also known as a place where Ra watches all. Leaving the city — and by extension, Ra’s gaze — for too long without explanation is seen as an issue.

Since the fall of ancient Egypt, the pantheon has grown increasingly reclusive, even with other Pantheons. Earthly affairs are viewed with a mixture of apathy or uninterest, as mortals have forgotten the sacred balance that once tied them to the gods. Aside from a few exceptions, the gods stay rooted in Duat. This isn’t just policy; it’s survival. Ra believes distance protects them from being warped by mortal entropy, and most agree.

[dailyanarchistposts]

An anarchist case for social transformation and answers to questions about anarchism

“The State is a condition, a certain relationship between human beings, a mode of human behavior; we destroy it by contracting other relationships, by behaving differently.” Gustav Landauer

Anarchism is the belief that people can voluntarily cooperate to meet everyone’s needs, without bosses or rulers, and without sacrificing individual liberties. A common misunderstanding is that anarchism is the total absence of order; that it is chaos, or nihilism. There are even people who call themselves “anarchists” who have this misperception. Anarchists are opposed to order arbitrarily imposed and maintained through armed force or other forms of coercion. They struggle for the order that results from the consensual interaction of individuals, from voluntary association. If there is a need, anarchists believe that people are capable of organizing themselves to see that it is met.

J. A. Andrews used the example of a group of friends going on a camping trip. They plan their trip, and each person brings useful skills and tools to share. They work together to set up tents, fish, cook, clean up, with no one in a position of authority over anyone else. The group organizes itself, chores are done, and everyone passes the time as they please, alone or in groups with others. People discuss their concerns and possible solutions are proposed. No one is bound to go along with the group, but choosing to spend time together implies a willingness to at least try to work out constructive solutions to the problems and frictions that will inevitably arise. If no resolution is possible, the dissenting individuals can form another grouping or leave without fear of persecution by the rest of the group.

Compare this to the way most organizations function. A few individuals make the important decisions, with or without the approval or input of the rest of the group. Rules and bylaws are passed in the hope of preventing undesirable activities on the part of members. The leadership starts out by addressing legitimate concerns, but is soon corrupted by power. It begins doing what it thinks is best, for itself and the organization, even if it involves concealing its activities from the other members or using deception. The elite attempts to entrench itself by making it difficult for the members to oust it, and constantly works to increase its power. The elite may ban criticism of its leadership and policies, or it may attribute superhuman qualities to itself, far surpassing those of “mere” members. Eventually the elite is no longer under the control of the members, and cannot be challenged. It can run amok with all of the power and resources of the organization, punishing those who dare to defy it. Membership is no longer voluntary, but is imposed on whoever falls within whatever the organization decides is its jurisdiction. Laws and authority which were originally aimed at preventing harm are turned into tools for inflicting harm on whoever is targeted by the elite.

Another problem with laws and rules is that if you do not have voluntary compliance, the unlawful behavior will still take place, whether or not there is a law against it. The outlawed activity will be driven underground or will be protected by the imprecise wording of the laws. Having failed to win people’s voluntary cooperation, through education or persuasion, the government passes volumes and volumes of laws, in a hopeless attempt to address and control every possible situation. Sometimes the law is observed as if it were carved in stone, even when the results are clearly ridiculous. An example is the case of the female motorist who was stopped for speeding, and lectured by a police officer at length as she sat there suffering labor pains. The officer thought she was faking the pain of childbirth to escape a traffic ticket! Sometimes the police fabricate charges against people they wish to punish, or they simply beat people as an “attitude adjustment” (if you are not sufficiently terrorized by the police, they consider it an attitude problem). It is also not uncommon for the laws to be overly vague, or to be misapplied. In my town, in obvious violation of their own laws, the police set up roadblocks to stop all motorists, check their sobriety, and search their vehicles for contraband if there is suspicion of any illegal activity after questioning them. This is done under the guise of checking for valid driver’s licenses, which is clearly a ruse since there is no indication of any wrongdoing when the people are stopped. But if anyone would refuse to submit to such a search, they would likely be charged with interfering with the duties of a police officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest, plus whatever other charges the district attorney could dream up. If you were to challenge the roadblocks in court, the judge would probably say that the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, does not really mean what it obviously says when it forbids unreasonable searches and seizures, but that it has been interpreted to mean something entirely different. It now means that the government has the power to decide what is or is not reasonable, entirely voiding the purpose of the law. The law means whatever those in power say it means. The courts have ruled, for example, that conscription is not involuntary servitude, and that the government can force you to choose between a military uniform and a prison uniform. And the laws gradually become more and more restrictive, so that people gradually become accustomed to having less and less freedom. Children are assigned identification numbers at birth. Photos on driver’s licenses are stored electronically in computers, where they can be accessed at will by law enforcement personnel. Employees must present specified forms of identification to be eligible for employment. Residents of public housing can have their apartments searched without a search warrant. What seems outrageously intrusive today is tomorrow’s legislation.

Anarchists do not wish to see traffic fatalities, rapes, or murders. Quite the contrary. They feel the current combination of tyranny and social chaos are responsible for much of the suffering in the world. What anarchists fear is the corrupting influence of power and the inevitable abuse of power. An individual can only do so much damage, but the same person in a position of authority, or worse yet, an organized, systematic application of corrupted power, can wreak horrible damage. Governments have sent millions upon millions of people to their deaths, through wars and persecutions, and have taken away the freedoms of billions of others. And note that the police only prevent crimes in rare situations, such as when a police officer just happens to be at the scene of a crime in progress. The police almost always show up after the crime has been committed. Most crimes go unsolved. Attempting to punish offenders after they have committed their crimes is not a very effective way to protect people. This false “cure” is just an attack on the symptoms without treating the underlying problem — a society that is losing its social consciousness. In other words, the individuals who make up the society have stopped thinking of themselves as being members of a society. If your neighbors are all strangers, and you feel powerless to improve anything, you are not likely to feel that you have a relationship with those around you. The police are not very effective against criminals, but they are extremely effective at controlling the general public. A lone individual has little hope of resisting the depredations of these heavily armed paramilitary organizations. Even if a benign and uncorrupted government was possible, many of us would prefer our freedom, with all of its responsibilities, to being forced to live according to volumes of well intentioned dictates written by others. Care to wear a crash helmet when you drive your car? How about banning bare feet on beaches so no one steps on a sharp rock? And absolutely no walking in remote areas or doing work outside of your profession.

Fred Woodworth has pointed out that the claims of legitimacy made by governments, the justifications used by those in power as to why they have the right to order us about, would be laughable if the results were not so tragic. Any claims to power made by a monarchy, constitutional democracy, theocracy, nationalist fatherland or people’s republic are totally bogus since they govern without the consent of the governed. Any constitution, contract or agreement that claims to bind everyone living in the same geographic area, unborn generations, or anyone other that the actual parties to it, are despicable falsehoods. Some governments rule through fear and brute force, while others, as a result of intense pressure from their subjects, have become dependent on winning the support of large sectors of the public in elections in order to stay in power. Bourgeois democracy, democracy controlled by the elite, is preferable to dictatorship, but these republics also rely on coercion to achieve their goals. The political party which wins, with the help of big money, restrictive ballot access, and winner-take-all election laws, does not have the right to inflict its will on those who do not support it. The state machinery uses coercion to compel obedience from its subjects, regardless of which party is at the controls. Democracy is often equated with tolerance, but Hitler was a product of democracy, and slavery and apartheid existed in the U.S. under democracy. Even in an ideal democracy, unwarped by elite control, the majority may actually support the persecution of people with unorthodox ideas.

The public is constantly bombarded with propaganda justifying the existence of the government and explaining the necessity of the current social system, in the schools, the media, and in its own propaganda. But less than half of the eligible voters participate in elections in the U.S. The government loudly proclaims its mandate anyway.

Most of the objections people have to anarchism as a social system are based on the assumption that people are unreasonable and irresponsible. If this were the case, no amount of police, judges and jails could conjure order out of chaos. People would be routinely killing and robbing one another, and taking advantage of any perceived weakness on the part of others. We would all be certain we were much too clever to be caught. But truly anti-social behavior on the part of individuals is the exception, rather than the rule. Most of us are very well behaved. Much of the destructive behavior we suffer from is committed by individuals who have been raised in the most dire conditions, and who face very limited personal choices due to the material and cultural poverty they were raised in. This occurs across all ethnic groups and in all countries, but some societies are wise enough to attack the conditions that foster destructive behavior instead of merely punishing offenders after the acts have been committed. This is a social problem which needs to be dealt with, not a given fact of human nature. Human beings, and even animals, which are raised in an environment of love, respect and security tend to be good natured and well adjusted. But any creature raised in an environment of fear, cruelty or deprivation will tend to exhibit anti-social behavior. Each society spawns its own predatory individuals. In general, the more atomized and alienated individuals are from their society, the more likely they are to engage in destructive behavior, against others and against themselves. And people cannot be blamed for not identifying with an unsympathetic, and even predatory, society. Some anarchists argue that it is precisely because people have become so maladjusted that no one can be trusted with power over others.

A distinction must be made between socially destructive behavior and behavior which is not coercive, but which is banned by the government for other reasons. Besides the obvious examples of tax and draft evasion, governments, by passing laws, create entire classes of criminals by outlawing certain victimless or vice crimes. Certain activities may be distasteful to some of us, but if they are not predatory or coercive in nature then they are only crimes because the government says they are. But once an activity is outlawed, professional criminals become involved because these activities become highly profitable. This is why criminals were active in the alcohol and gambling trades when they were outlawed, and why they are still active in drugs, prostitution and immigration today. If guns are outlawed, organized crime will have another lucrative trade to pursue. The taxation of alcohol, cigarettes and gasoline has spawned entire bootleg industries.

The for-profit nature of capitalism encourages other forms of anti-social behavior, such as taking advantage of the disorganization of workers by hiring them for as little as possible, working them as hard as possible (sometimes until they break, physically or mentally), and making them pay as much as possible for what they consume. Another example is “externalization of costs”, which means getting society to pay the costs while private businesses get the profits, such as the education of workers at public expense; mining, fishing, grazing and lumbering on public land for token payments; government bailouts; strike breaking; and toxic waste clean up. This officially protected form of destructive behavior, known as corporate capitalism, creates a competitive, dog-eat-dog mentality that is extremely disruptive to human solidarity. Some anarchists believe capitalism is malignant by its very nature. Others argue that it is government interference which has made capitalism malignant, by favoring larger, established businesses and creating barriers for small businesses and self-employed people.

Anarchists believe that people should be free to organize themselves as they see fit, but are divided as to which methods are the most just or desirable. Some anarchists claim that everyone has a right to an equal share of the wealth, since it has been produced primarily by generations of wage slaves living under the threat of dire poverty. They see the functioning of society as a team effort. How could a small fraction of the population have honestly gained such disproportion-al control of the existing assets while the majority has become so totally dependent? They simply couldn’t have. As the saying goes, “it takes money to make money,” and most of our families did not start us off with large sums of money. What business owners had was money to invest, and/or a willingness to go deeply into debt, while most of us make our living selling our labor power. Employees are treated like just another input into the production process: their labor is “bought” when needed, at the market price, and no longer “purchased” when the need has passed. But since employees need to provide for themselves and their families, regardless of the condition of the labor market or the treatment they receive at the hands of their employers, they live in constant insecurity. This insecurity is why employees form labor unions, or turn to laws and government for protection. So most socialist anarchists argue that the most just way to organize an economy is to treat it like one huge cooperative, shared and operated by all, in the interests of all. Anarchists favor a confederal form of organization, so that each locality or industry would be autonomous, but would be closely coordinated with the other units which make up a society. They believe that each unit will act responsibly in relation to the other units, because cooperation and good faith are in everyone’s interest.

The other general category includes anarchists who feel that people should be able to be independent of any organization if they so choose, including economic organizations. They fear socialization of the economy for the same reason they fear the government, because it puts the individual at the mercy of others. They also feel that some individuals are willing to work harder to achieve a higher standard of living than others might be willing to work, and that the more industrious should not be dragged down to the same level as those who choose to work less intensively and live at a more basic standard of living. They feel that the use to which one puts one’s earnings is not the business of the rest of society, as long as it does not cause obvious harm to others, and that they should be free to pass their wealth on to others if they so choose. Individuals should be free to be self-employed, or to employ or be employed by others, as long as the arrangement is voluntarily. These anarcho-capitalists argue that the best way to organize the economy is through voluntary economic transactions of whatever type that people choose to make, with everyone taking responsibility for their own well-being. They claim that in a truly free market system, consumers would be able to control the socially destructive activities of business owners by boycotting their products and by buying from more socially conscious competitors.

As different as these views are, it is possible to have an economy that includes both options, plus others not mentioned or even thought of, and to leave people free to choose whichever type of organization they prefer. The economy would function through the voluntary interaction of a multitude of differently organized groupings, each working out for itself the best methods of organization. The socialistically inclined groups could produce goods for their own consumption, and avoid market relationships to whatever extent they feel necessary. Gustav Landauer wrote, “We can establish a great number of crafts and industries to produce goods for our own consumption. We can go much further in this than the cooperatives have gone until now, for they still cannot get rid of the idea of competing with capitalist managed enterprise.”[1] What is important is that people have a choice, which most of us currently do not have. The various groupings could interact whenever they chose to do so. One serious barrier to cooperation among anarchists is the issue of property rights. At one extreme are those with an almost feudalistic attachment to private, for-profit ownership of the necessities of life, while at the other extreme even the ownership of personal property is seen to be anti-social and elitist. There is quite a bit of room to maneuver between these two extremes, but the question of expropriation of the workplace is the major issue dividing the movement. A communitarian approach would sidestep this issue entirely. These intentional, self-organized communities could not replace the existing system overnight, but eventually they could greatly reduce our dependence on it. Many of the goods currently produced are either unnecessary or are produced in excessive quantities. The use of automobiles, for example, could be greatly reduced through the use of mass transit, bike paths and better urban planning (and this would be a partial solution to the problem of traffic fatalities). And what would anarcho-socialists do with an expropriated cash register factory or mink ranch anyway? If we can’t get people to choose to meet their needs cooperatively, buy buying or using cooperatively produced goods, they are probably not sufficiently interested in radical social change.

What about those who argue “abolish work”? Like a perpetual motion machine, or cold fusion, there is no scheme currently known that can provide everyone with what they need which does not require anyone to perform tasks which they find unpleasant. If everyone does only what they enjoy, we would have a huge oversupply of performing artists and athletes, and a serious shortage of dental hygienists and plumbers. Through job sharing and the elimination of unproductive activities, the amount of unpleasant work can be fairly shared and reduced to a minimum. Those who wish to abstain from the consumption of work enhanced products could not reasonably be expected to work. But it seems just as reasonable for those who do a share of the work to deny access to those who voluntarily choose not to work, in the absence of barriers to productive activity such as unemployment, or harsh or dangerous working conditions.

At the present time, since there is not widespread agreement that anarchism is the best form of social organization, it is up to us to spread these ideas and to implement them as best we can among ourselves. It would be impossible to compel people to participate in an anarchist project, since anarchism relies on voluntary cooperation and self discipline to make it work. Once large numbers of people agree that this is the way things should be organized, not even a tyrant can stop them from reorganizing themselves. As Elisee Reclus wrote, “When the miserable and disinherited of the earth shall unite in their own interest, trade with trade, nation with nation, race with race; when they shall fully awake to their sufferings and their purpose... powerful as may be the Master of those days, he will be weak before the starving masses leagued against him.”[2]

[byrdstrolls]

KETOSN INTRO

Your name is Ketosn Hustle, and yes, Matise did name you that because he thought it was a marketable name for a baseball player. You have the older jade blocked on every possible social media since 2 sweeps ago, when you were forcibly acquired as a fleet sponsored athlete and removed from his clutches into new jurisdiction. Something you feel equal parts horror and relief regarding, despite you having no choice in the matter. Out of the frying pan into another frying pan. Why was the fleet so gung ho to have you in their commercials? Where did Matise, the soul sucking parasite without a creative bone in his body, get the idea for your name? Why is someone of your size and build even succeeding in a notoriously violent blood sport like Alternian Baseball?

These questions all have the same answer.

You did not pupate properly. You have been missing one arm since you came out of the cocoon. And along with regular run of the mill yellowblood pssionics, you were born with a unique hypothalamic skin and blood vessel disorder that makes your body able to rid itself of excess heat at unprecedented rates. This superior thermoregulation does two things- makes you incredibly vulnerable to hypothermia, and increased your body's ability to tolerate friction a hundred fold. Paired with the average yellowblood's capabilities of storing energy and acting as a battery, you are able to do something many pssionics can't without burning themselves up. You can conduct your own pssionic energy directly into your own intramuscular system, giving you the power you need to move your friction resistant body at very high speeds. That was a lot of words for something your baseball trading cards summarize in your listed abilities much more succinctly- 'Super Speed'

That stupid fucking vampire. He might as well have called Rollyn Ms. Pretty Beautiful and Nyghte Singy McSongface. But it's too late to change it, Ketosn Hustle is already on all the merch and ID and baseball cards

[dalliansss]

❛ worship me. until i tell you to stop. - BITM? ❤️

darker vibes

This is how Mairon finds Finrod Felagund: sitting in his quarters, holding a hand mirror and observing with grisly fascination how his burned face repaired itself: the flesh crawling, the sinews of muscle and tissue having its own life, stitching itself back together, preventing a blue-iris eyeball from falling out of the socket completely. The burned part of the head and scalp displays the same activity: burnt skin renewing itself, crawling in a hurry to cover the exposed part of the skull, covering it with a fresh blanket of flesh. Strands of platinum hair, previously golden blond, growing out of renewed follicles, creeping like the vines of Yavanna.

Mairon stands before the Elda-turned-vampire -- the culmination of his and Thûringwethil's years of study and research. Mairon thought dimly that it was a shame Thûri did not live long enough to see this masterpiece of a vampire -- but his mind swallows that thought; better that Thûri was dead, buried under the ruins of Tol-in-Gaurhoth, than entertaining thoughts of her own regarding Finrod Felagund.

There shall only be one overlord over Finrod Felagund here in Angband -- and it is Mairon. Not Melkor, not Thûri, not Gothmog.

"What happened to you?" Mairon demanded, grasping Felagund by the jaw with his gauntleted hand.

"That Gothmog," says Finrod, lifting fell blue eyes to meet his Maker's gaze. "Tried to pick a fight."

"Why?"

"I know not. I was minding my own business, looking for lunch amongst the stone quarries. He saw me, and then asked me what I was doing there. I said I was looking for lunch. He told me to look elsewhere, and I told him he does not command me."

"And?"

"His whip."

Mairon lets out a curse in Valarin. Lately, Kosmoko, formerly a Great Hunter of Oromë, has been grating his nerves more and more. It was only because Kosmoko be the strongest valaraukar under Mbelekhoruz's direct jurisdiction that Mairon has not allowed his precious, his maksima, to feed on him.

"Heal me," says Finrod. His face, still repairing itself, presents a ghastly sight. His eyeball, at least, has resettled back in its socket. "Lick mine wounds, so it heals faster."

Mairon turned his fire-iris eyes to the vampire. His temper flares. "Who are you, that suddenly you turn this tone to me? Have you forgot who commands you here, precious?"

What Finrod does next takes Mairon by surprise. The vampire's right hand -- decorated with oxidized gold rings and bracelets, darts forward and grasps him by his unarmored crotch. Grips him there.

"Lick mine wounds," Finrod repeats. "And so heal me faster. Mairon."

Mairon shuddered. He exhales, and the temperature in the vampire's quarters increases with speed. If an orc was to wander in there now, they would be burnt where they stood. Úmaia blood, thick in Mairon's veins, runs hot, hot, hotter. He hisses, grasps Finrod Felagund by the cheeks, tips his head back -- and Mairon thinks to twist that lovely neck, pull the head off completely, see how he likes the feeling of decapitation, and see how long it takes for him to heal from it. But that hand by his crotch, by his groin, forestalls his thoughts, and he shakes.

A long, serpentine tongue, blood-red, darts from Mairon's mouth, and he licks at the boiling flesh of the vampire, his greatest creation yet. Where his saliva trails the flesh triples its efforts, healing near instantaneously. So Mairon keeps at it, licking, licking, licking--

"Worship me," Finrod murmurs, and the hand by the úmaia's crotch tightens its grip. Vampiric talons snare into the fine chain mail, promising delicious friction. "Until I tell you to stop."

Mairon feels whatever heart he possesses leap; straining against his fana. He snarls, a wolf barely holding back its temper, and he licks across the damaged area holding the previously-dangling eyeball, and where his red tongue trails, the flesh is made new, as if it had not suffered any harm at all.

With inhuman strength Finrod gives him a shove, and Mairon crashes onto his back on the floor, armor and chainmail, all. The vampire quickly straddles him, and Mairon's pupils dilate, near consuming his irises, as he eagerly grasps Finrod by the hips.

"Worship me," Finrod whispers, and in his fell blue eyes, there is glee, and something else more sinister.

Mairon's blood boils.

@skaelds

[gaphic]

apparently there's a bit of friction about 'legos' being an incorrect plural but i think that's dumb as hell. 'legos' is a counted, plural noun. 'lego' is an adjective and a measured noun. you have less lego but fewer legos. you can have two legos or two lego bricks, but 'two lego' is stupid

i don't really care what the lego company has to say about this because they are danish and therefore i have seniority in this jurisdiction

[ncisfranchise-source]

“I loved it. I got to do some big cable work, explosion pullbacks, landing on the ground, concussion stuff. It was awesome. I mean, that’s why people tune in!” actor Todd Lasance says of NCIS: Sydney.

He’s not wrong. NCIS, now at 20 US seasons, has been a ratings blockbuster for CBS, spawning offshoots NCIS: LA, NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Hawaii.

Time for a little perspective from the other side of the Pacific which, according to Lasance, splashes Sydney Harbour across the screen.

“Our HQ is literally on Sydney Harbour… we open the doors and look to the right and the Harbour Bridge is above us.

“I know people say it’s priceless but you can’t put a price tag on that kind of view. Then we’re shooting with the Australian Navy on their bases, on the aircraft carriers. We were in the Seahawk helicopters, on the battleships, on the base with Navy personnel.”

Indeed the new series by Endemol Shine Australia lets the boys and girls play with big toys all in the name of naval investigation and security down under.

“We used the Rural Fire Fire Brigade HQ command (which they use for) a statewide bushfire operational command. It looks like a war room and we had 150 Naval crew in there,” Lasance continues.

“Stepping onto these bases, we all had to get clearances and go through the security checks. It was next level!

“This is actually happening!”

“I remember one shot in particular. Mackey (Olivia Swann) and I are flying the chopper and we’re on the deck of this gi-normous aircraft carrier. We’re in a Seahawk helicopter and we look over to the left and there’s the Harbour Bridge in the distance and we’re like, ‘This is actually happening!’ A chopper roars in on top of the carrier, everyone’s got their gear on, helmets for sound protection. Standing under the helicopter when it was 20 metres above the ground and the blades are nearly knocking you on your face… it’s awesome. They haven’t held back.”

Lasance, whose credits include Without Remorse, Spartacus: War of the Damned, True Spirit, Rescue: Special Ops, The Secrets She Keeps and Bite Club, plays AFP sergean Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim ‘JD’ Dempsey, thrown together with Former Marine Corps Captain turned NCIS Special Agent Mackey (Olivia Swann) when an American Submariner dies during a ceremony, marking the AUKUS agreement.

“We’ve got two sides clashing and that creates the friction”

But it’s not a welcome partnering, which differs from the unity that often exists in procedural investigation teams.

“Usually it’s ‘here’s your family and we’re gonna go on the journey’, whereas we’ve got two sides clashing and that creates the friction,” he continues.

“We’ve got those elements where we butt heads and keep each other on our toes. There’s also these beautiful, vulnerable moments and emotional elements peppered throughout the series. We get a bit of an insight into why they are the way they are. They save each other’s lives and rely on each other as well. So it’s the best dynamic, and the cast, I swear to you, is one of the greatest casts I have ever worked with. It’s like I have extended my own family.”

The crew also comprises AFP Constable Evie Cooper (Tuuli Narkle), Special Agent DeShawn Jackson (Sean Sagar), Forensic Pathologist Doctor Roy Penrose (William McInnes) and young Forensic Scientist Bluebird “Blue” Gleeson (Mavournee Hazel).

“He’s always paying her out, talking about ‘my jurisdiction'”

“JD is a dream role. He’s a country boy, the larrikin of the show. He’s kind of the comedic relief and the clash with Mackey, who comes in all business-like. She’s the maverick of the series and JD is breaking down her walls, and he ribs her all the time. He’s always paying her out, talking about ‘my jurisdiction,'” he explains.

“There’s cultural clashes between the Australianisms and the Americanisms and all that sort of stuff. But he grew up as a school teacher, and then ends up joining the AFP. He’s the head negotiator so he’s the leader. But obviously, the NCIS team is having to work side by side, to form a new kind of unit, which is a unique part of the show.”

Lasance also tackled all but one stunt in character.

“All the Spartacus training and the SEAL training I got to deal for Without Remorse and Black Site, comes into play. But I also like to do the stunts, because they get to use the shots. They don’t have to cut around those intense reactions. And then Liv who played Mackey kicks arse. She’s a weapon. She was stunt training, fire training, doing extracurricular stuff. She would finish on set, go straight to the stunt gym, do her fight training. We’re all hitting the gym, making sure we’re physically on point!”

“The enemy could be within”

In addition to the weekly crimes, creator Morgan O’Neill has woven in a further threat, if somewhat shrouded in mystery, across the 8 episodes.

“There’s an overarching enemy that could be embedded. So the enemy could be within. But there’s also an enemy that’s operating on a far bigger scale than what we realise. That’s the core of where our series goes and the finale episode heavily relates to my character too. It comes to a real head and the threat is on a huge scale,” he warns.

“If you’re really paying attention and you watch each episode, they start layering it in, and you start putting the dots together.”

After its World Premiere in Australia, NCIS: Sydney is fortunate enough to win a network screening on CBS next week. Are the writer / actor strikes to thank for this profile scheduling? Lasance isn’t sure but grateful for the exposure.

“All of our contracts are obviously local through MEAA, a local production company, through Paramount+ here. There was nothing relayed to us, initially, in the process. All of our deals are local and obviously, that’s why we had the SAG clearance when the strike happened,” he continues.

“The strike… in a weird way, it’s kind of helped NCIS: Sydney”

“The strike has reduced how much content is being put out, particularly on a global scale. So in a weird way, it’s kind of helped NCIS: Sydney and the franchise itself, because they’ve created an entire series that’s been allowed to shoot and continue production. I think it was us and the Game of Thrones spin-off in London.”

A second season will obviously depend on its performance in Australia and abroad, but Lasance is hopeful Australians will feel a sense of pride in having a local series elevated onto US network television. That may lead to more episodes and ultimately, more casting opportunities.

“It opens up those opportunities that you would never normally have access to. It allows you to pick and choose a little bit more and go after the roles that you really want to go for… it’s all about the heat…. but when you don’t have the heat, it’s a bit of politics that goes into the castings. You can miss out on jobs because you don’t have the profile at the time,” he says.

“I feel the pressure”

Lasance adds, “There’s such a massive following for NCIS, but I feel the pressure. I hope that they love the new series but the Australian audience is tough to win over sometimes. So I hope they’ve got a sense of pride to it. It’s shot here… local production, all local crews, Australian directors. Olivia and Shaun are from the UK, but everyone else’s Aussie on board.

“So we’re hoping that Australia then gets behind it.”

NCIS: Sydney premieres Friday on Paramount+

[onceafanalwaysshallbeafan]

I'm assuming that nobody has considered that the requirement to curate your own experience IS FUNDAMENTALLY THE REASON WHY THIS SITE STILL EXISTS.

Businesses put a premium on growth for growth's sake, without realizing that the friction is the fundamental reason that the people who are bad for any social media site are weeded out. Trolls don't like having to put effort into being able to do their mischief. They are fundamentally lazy. This has protected users of sites like Tumblr more effectively than any other measure that's ever been introduced by those who seek growth (because the imposition of policies to discourage trolling act to inhibit growth, and punting the issues by creating tools for users to protect themselves is... nothing more than adding additional fronts upon which users must curate their own experiences).

Frankly, it's exhausting trying to protect ourselves and our content from trolls who want to smear all over it and get brigades of users to do the same thing. That's why we're here, and not on e.g. Twitter.

But the other issue is this: You want to empower the world's creators, by giving them exposure, thus forcing them into the feeds of other people who are not their target audiences (even if you think they -are- their target audiences, because you cannot take the time to understand the nuances that differentiate their targets from non-targets)?

No.

I DON'T WANT THAT.

I want my audience to be small. I want my audience to grow by word of mouth. I want my audience to be something I can curate. I want to find friends through my content. I want the ways to find my content to be small, because I don't have media training, and I'm not sanding my edges down until whatI create is so bland and inoffensive I might as well not create. I don't want my art's rough edges to be exposed to the people who will cut their own minds and feelings on it, and who will then complain that I create art that is too unsafe and must be prevented from making my art available until I'm willing to adhere to their ideas of memetic safety.

Put simply: I want to opt out of your content pushing. But because any quality content that I create on your platform increases the value of your platform, we have a situation that can best be called "a conflict of interest". You want to show it off as a gem that can be found in the mines of your site.

And so, I must remind you of the legal regime we live under, that we've all been conditioned to understand: Under copyright, it's not your gem to show off. It's *mine*. And I'm the one who gets to decide on its public display, and how it is publicly presented. Display, distribute, duplicate, derive, and do (aka, perform): The 5 D's of copyright. I simply don't want my creations distributed or displayed by your algorithm, unless and until I choose -- for each individual creation.

So, please don't make "we can, at our sole discretion, feature content you create and give us a license to display" a part of your unilateral contract (aka AUP/EULA). I would view such as an unconscionable contractual clause, and would do my best to convince a judge that it is such. (If you want to know what these words mean in the legal context, I suggest you talk with your legal counsel for contract law. Here's a hint: an unconscionable unilateral contract can be rendered void, or an unconscionable clause in a severable unilateral contract can be severed, by a court of competent jurisdiction.)

So, perhaps you might consider doing something almost completely unprecedented: Why don't you talk with your existing users to understand their concerns? Why don't you involve them in your product design processes? Trust me, we understand the value that you offer, and we absolutely don't want to lose the last bastion of sanity we have in the social media sphere (which has, ironically, been maintained basically through the apparent insanity of its creation and lack of meddling for dozens of years). We know that you need revenue. We know that inflation means you need to grow.

But we truly don't want to lose what has made this platform uniquely tolerable and survivable.

So, if you want to listen at all to a rando user:

1) Stop worrying about "industry standards". The existing crop of industry standards (which have all been standardized by companies which want to do nothing but grow, regardless of the impact to their userbases) have, quite frankly, created a mass of completely unacceptable and unusable social media shit sites. If you want to retain your existing creator base, YOU MUST NOT FOLLOW INDUSTRY RUTS THAT WILL DESTROY YOUR SITE'S VALUE TO YOUR EXISTING CREATORS.

2) Bring users (preferably users who have social community experience, security expertise, web design, and perhaps some legal knowledge) in on your product design processes -- not just as surveys with percentages of pre-defined responses to work toward, but as actual voices who can create effective advocacy for and against particular direction decisions. Your users, because they've lived with this site for 15 years, are in a unique position to be able to tell you what they actually want, and be a lot more accurate about it than a middle or senior manager who is used to sheer metrics that don't take into account the number of existing accounts that have been driven away because they've shoved "I know better than you what you'll like" product strategies down their now-former users' throats. (To see why doing the latter is a bad thing, look at the exodus from Facebook and Twitter.)

3) Listen to the concerns of users who will actually be harmed by your initiatives -- listen to *why* they are worried, and either change the targeting of those features to not be so harmful and/or provide a means for them to opt out of the features entirely if they can't be effectively retargeted.

4) Regarding your principle 4: Give creators actual control over the exposure of their creations. You don't have to be Patreon, gatekeeping for contentgeld (like weregeld, but for content), but you do have to let us limit our displays, or else you are taking the inch we give of being able to display our creations and running a mile of deciding to harm us with too much exposure.

5) Let users create shadow accounts via their other social media accounts (like Google, or Facebook, or something they're already used to using). Don't force them through a full account sign-up flow when you can already perform the first leg of Authentication/Authorization just from their existing relationships. I mean, If they want to create a blog for themselves later, *you already have the flow written* for creating pseudonymous blogs-- just use their external authentication until you can say "hey, you should set up a way to get back into your blog just in case you lose access to your existing account provider, so why not set up a direct way to log in here for the same email address you've been logging in with through your other provider?" or something.

6) Doing the suggestion for #5 would also make your Principle 3 easier to implement, because there wouldn't be anywhere near as much account-creation friction just to participate in a discussion. (and then you could have them create a blog to reblog onto, if they wanted to.)

7) My personal tolerance for push notifications per day is *one*. I have all but given up on my email as anything useful because of the sheer number of companies and sites that are already doing the last bullet point on your principle 5. Don't make me consign your notifications to being filtered directly to Trash, as well. (If something I do manages to go viral, a *SINGLE* notification for each that it's doing so in addition to my standard summary notification would be tolerable.) Also, the one summary notification I get should go to a page in your app that actually presents all the numbers and links for the stuff it's reporting on, and not just disappear without necessarily giving me a chance to read it.

I recognize that I'm an older curmudgeon -- I'm in my mid-40s, have been using computers since I was 3, have been using the internet since I was 18, yadda yadda yadda -- but there is absolutely NO excuse for the bullshit that users have had shoved down their throats by other social media sites. You own something that is currently unrefined gold. Unfortunately, your management has the alchemical ability to turn it into lead. I'd prefer you not make it more of a hassle for your existing creator base to use than they find it worth, or else you'll end up destroying the fragile community ecosystem that's been able to thrive here, and making your investment more worthless than Yahoo made it.

Thank you for your time, attention, and consideration. I appreciate that you have made it this far through my wall of text.

Tumblr’s Core Product Strategy

Here at Tumblr, we’ve been working hard on reorganizing how we work in a bid to gain more users. A larger user base means a more sustainable company, and means we get to stick around and do this thing with you all a bit longer. What follows is the strategy we're using to accomplish the goal of user growth. The @labs group has published a bit already, but this is bigger. We’re publishing it publicly for the first time, in an effort to work more transparently with all of you in the Tumblr community. This strategy provides guidance amid limited resources, allowing our teams to focus on specific key areas to ensure Tumblr’s future.

The Diagnosis

In order for Tumblr to grow, we need to fix the core experience that makes Tumblr a useful place for users. The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use. Historically, we have expected users to curate their feeds and lean into curating their experience. But this expectation introduces friction to the user experience and only serves a small portion of our audience. 

Tumblr’s competitive advantage lies in its unique content and vibrant communities. As the forerunner of internet culture, Tumblr encompasses a wide range of interests, such as entertainment, art, gaming, fandom, fashion, and music. People come to Tumblr to immerse themselves in this culture, making it essential for us to ensure a seamless connection between people and content. 

To guarantee Tumblr’s continued success, we’ve got to prioritize fostering that seamless connection between people and content. This involves attracting and retaining new users and creators, nurturing their growth, and encouraging frequent engagement with the platform.

Our Guiding Principles

To enhance Tumblr’s usability, we must address these core guiding principles.

Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Retain and grow our creator base.

Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Improve the platform’s performance, stability, and quality.

Below is a deep dive into each of these principles.

Principle 1: Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Tumblr has a “top of the funnel” issue in converting non-users into engaged logged-in users. We also have not invested in industry standard SEO practices to ensure a robust top of the funnel. The referral traffic that we do get from external sources is dispersed across different pages with inconsistent user experiences, which results in a missed opportunity to convert these users into regular Tumblr users. For example, users from search engines often land on pages within the blog network and blog view—where there isn’t much of a reason to sign up. 

We need to experiment with logged-out tumblr.com to ensure we are capturing the highest potential conversion rate for visitors into sign-ups and log-ins. We might want to explore showing the potential future user the full breadth of content that Tumblr has to offer on our logged-out pages. We want people to be able to easily understand the potential behind Tumblr without having to navigate multiple tabs and pages to figure it out. Our current logged-out explore page does very little to help users understand “what is Tumblr.” which is a missed opportunity to get people excited about joining the site.

Actions & Next Steps

Improving Tumblr’s search engine optimization (SEO) practices to be in line with industry standards.

Experiment with logged out tumblr.com to achieve the highest conversion rate for sign-ups and log-ins, explore ways for visitors to “get” Tumblr and entice them to sign up.

Principle 2: Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

We need to ensure the highest quality user experience by presenting fresh and relevant content tailored to the user’s diverse interests during each session. If the user has a bad content experience, the fault lies with the product.

The default position should always be that the user does not know how to navigate the application. Additionally, we need to ensure that when people search for content related to their interests, it is easily accessible without any confusing limitations or unexpected roadblocks in their journey.

Being a 15-year-old brand is tough because the brand carries the baggage of a person’s preconceived impressions of Tumblr. On average, a user only sees 25 posts per session, so the first 25 posts have to convey the value of Tumblr: it is a vibrant community with lots of untapped potential. We never want to leave the user believing that Tumblr is a place that is stale and not relevant. 

Actions & Next Steps

Deliver great content each time the app is opened.

Make it easier for users to understand where the vibrant communities on Tumblr are. 

Improve our algorithmic ranking capabilities across all feeds. 

Principle 3: Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Part of Tumblr’s charm lies in its capacity to showcase the evolution of conversations and the clever remarks found within reblog chains and replies. Engaging in these discussions should be enjoyable and effortless.

Unfortunately, the current way that conversations work on Tumblr across replies and reblogs is confusing for new users. The limitations around engaging with individual reblogs, replies only applying to the original post, and the inability to easily follow threaded conversations make it difficult for users to join the conversation.

Actions & Next Steps

Address the confusion within replies and reblogs.

Improve the conversational posting features around replies and reblogs. 

Allow engagements on individual replies and reblogs.

Make it easier for users to follow the various conversation paths within a reblog thread. 

Remove clutter in the conversation by collapsing reblog threads. 

Explore the feasibility of removing duplicate reblogs within a user’s Following feed. 

Principle 4: Retain and grow our creator base.

Creators are essential to the Tumblr community. However, we haven’t always had a consistent and coordinated effort around retaining, nurturing, and growing our creator base.  

Being a new creator on Tumblr can be intimidating, with a high likelihood of leaving or disappointment upon sharing creations without receiving engagement or feedback. We need to ensure that we have the expected creator tools and foster the rewarding feedback loops that keep creators around and enable them to thrive.

The lack of feedback stems from the outdated decision to only show content from followed blogs on the main dashboard feed (“Following”), perpetuating a cycle where popular blogs continue to gain more visibility at the expense of helping new creators. To address this, we need to prioritize supporting and nurturing the growth of new creators on the platform.

It is also imperative that creators, like everyone on Tumblr, feel safe and in control of their experience. Whether it be an ask from the community or engagement on a post, being successful on Tumblr should never feel like a punishing experience.

Actions & Next Steps

Get creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it. 

Improve the feedback loop for creators, incentivizing them to continue posting.

Build mechanisms to protect creators from being spammed by notifications when they go viral.

Expand ways to co-create content, such as by adding the capability to embed Tumblr links in posts.

Principle 5: Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Push notifications and emails are essential tools to increase user engagement, improve user retention, and facilitate content discovery. Our strategy of reaching out to you, the user, should be well-coordinated across product, commercial, and marketing teams.

Our messaging strategy needs to be personalized and adapt to a user’s shifting interests. Our messages should keep users in the know on the latest activity in their community, as well as keeping Tumblr top of mind as the place to go for witty takes and remixes of the latest shows and real-life events.  

Most importantly, our messages should be thoughtful and should never come across as spammy.  

Actions & Next Steps

Conduct an audit of our messaging strategy.

Address the issue of notifications getting too noisy; throttle, collapse or mute notifications where necessary.  

Identify opportunities for personalization within our email messages. 

Test what the right daily push notification limit is. 

Send emails when a user has push notifications switched off.

Principle 6: Performance, stability and quality.

The stability and performance of our mobile apps have declined. There is a large backlog of production issues, with more bugs created than resolved over the last 300 days. If this continues, roughly one new unresolved production issue will be created every two days. Apps and backend systems that work well and don't crash are the foundation of a great Tumblr experience. Improving performance, stability, and quality will help us achieve sustainable operations for Tumblr.

Improve performance and stability: deliver crash-free, responsive, and fast-loading apps on Android, iOS, and web.

Improve quality: deliver the highest quality Tumblr experience to our users. 

Move faster: provide APIs and services to unblock core product initiatives and launch new features coming out of Labs.

Conclusion

Our mission has always been to empower the world’s creators. We are wholly committed to ensuring Tumblr evolves in a way that supports our current users while improving areas that attract new creators, artists, and users. You deserve a digital home that works for you. You deserve the best tools and features to connect with your communities on a platform that prioritizes the easy discoverability of high-quality content. This is an invigorating time for Tumblr, and we couldn’t be more excited about our current strategy.

[astraprotocol2]

Astra KYC: Web3 Compliance Made Easy with Real-Time KYC & AML Solutions

In the rapidly evolving landscape of Web3, crypto, and decentralized finance (DeFi), regulatory compliance is no longer optional—it’s essential. As governments and financial institutions around the world increase scrutiny on digital assets and decentralized platforms, the demand for secure, seamless, and scalable Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) solutions has never been higher.

Enter Astra KYC, your go-to platform for real-time KYC and AML compliance tailored specifically for the crypto, DeFi, and broader Web3 ecosystem. With features like instant ID verification, global AML compliance, and infrastructure designed for trust and scale, Astra KYC is setting new standards in the compliance sector.

Why KYC and AML Matter in Web3

Before diving into Astra KYC’s features, it’s essential to understand the significance of KYC and AML in the Web3 space.

1. Mitigating Risk

KYC and AML processes help identify and prevent illicit activities such as fraud, identity theft, terrorist financing, and money laundering. These issues not only pose legal threats but also damage brand reputation and user trust.

2. Regulatory Requirements

Jurisdictions worldwide are introducing strict regulations for crypto exchanges, DeFi projects, and NFT platforms. Non-compliance can result in heavy penalties, delisting, and even criminal charges.

3. Building Trust

Users are more likely to interact with platforms that are transparent and committed to compliance. KYC ensures that every participant is verified, creating a safer, more trustworthy ecosystem.

Astra KYC: Key Features and Benefits

Instant ID Verification

One of the biggest hurdles in the user onboarding process is the time it takes to verify identities. Astra KYC solves this problem with instant ID verification powered by advanced AI and machine learning algorithms.

Supports global document types (passports, national IDs, driver’s licenses)

Liveness detection and biometric verification

Fraud-proof and tamper-resistant process

User onboarding in under 60 seconds

This fast and frictionless process boosts conversion rates, enhances user experience, and significantly reduces drop-offs during registration.

Global AML Compliance

Astra KYC is engineered to help your business meet AML compliance standards across all major regulatory jurisdictions including the U.S. (FinCEN), EU (AML5/AML6), UK (FCA), Singapore (MAS), and more.

Ongoing monitoring of watchlists, sanctions, PEPs (Politically Exposed Persons), and adverse media

Real-time transaction screening

Risk-based approach adaptable to your business needs

Compliant with FATF (Financial Action Task Force) recommendations

Whether you’re a DeFi protocol launching a token or a centralized exchange onboarding users, Astra’s AML tools ensure you stay compliant without sacrificing speed or scalability.

Built for Trust & Scale

Scalability is a major concern for any Web3 project, particularly those dealing with thousands of users and cross-border transactions. Astra KYC is built with enterprise-grade infrastructure that scales with your needs.

Modular API integration

High availability and uptime guarantees

GDPR-compliant data security and encryption

On-chain identity integrations for decentralized projects

From startups to enterprise-level platforms, Astra KYC can handle your compliance needs today and as you grow.

Use Cases Across the Web3 Ecosystem

Astra KYC serves a broad range of Web3 applications:

1. Crypto Exchanges

Facilitate user onboarding, trade monitoring, and withdrawal compliance with minimal friction.

2. DeFi Protocols

Protect liquidity pools from exploits and ensure regulatory compliance through identity screening.

3. NFT Marketplaces

Verify artist identities and screen buyers to prevent illicit fund flows.

4. DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations)

Ensure governance participants are legitimate and reduce the risk of Sybil attacks.

5. Web3 Wallets

Enable compliant wallet creation and usage for retail and institutional users.

Security and Privacy First

Astra KYC puts user privacy and data security at the forefront. With full GDPR compliance, end-to-end encryption, and zero-knowledge proof technology (ZKPs), Astra ensures sensitive identity data is only accessible when and where it’s needed.

Encrypted data storage

Decentralized identity options

Audit logs for full traceability

Your users maintain ownership of their data while you meet all regulatory requirements.

Easy Integration for Developers

Built for builders, Astra KYC provides clean documentation, SDKs, and RESTful APIs to make integration simple. Whether you’re working on a Solidity smart contract or a Web3.js DApp, Astra KYC can be integrated into your platform with just a few lines of code.

SEO-Friendly and Optimized for Web3 Businesses

When launching your Web3 platform, visibility is key. Astra KYC helps boost your SEO by:

Enabling legally compliant onboarding that improves domain authority

Offering white-label solutions so you can brand your KYC flow

Reducing user bounce rates through faster onboarding

Conclusion

Web3 is here to stay—and so are regulations. As projects in DeFi, NFTs, and the metaverse mature, robust KYC and AML solutions will be the backbone of sustainable, legal growth.

Astra KYC delivers the tools you need to stay ahead of compliance, protect your users, and scale with confidence.

Start your journey toward real-time, global, and scalable compliance today. Visit Astra KYC to request a demo or start your free trial.

Certainly! Here are SEO-friendly FAQs for your article on Astra KYC | Web3 Compliance Made Easy. These questions are designed to improve user engagement, enhance search visibility, and address common concerns from potential users:

[globalnodes]

Challenges with Enterprise AI Integration—and How to Overcome Them

Enterprise AI is no longer experimental. It’s operational. From predictive maintenance and process optimization to hyper-personalized experiences, large organizations are investing heavily in AI to unlock productivity and long-term advantage. But what looks promising in a POC often meets resistance, complexity, or underperformance at enterprise scale.

Integrating AI into core systems, workflows, and decision-making layers isn’t about layering models—it’s about aligning technology with infrastructure, data, compliance, and business priorities. And for most enterprises, that’s where the friction starts.

Here’s a breakdown of the most common challenges businesses face during AI integration—and how the most resilient enterprises are solving them:

1. Legacy Systems and Data Silos

Enterprise environments rarely start from scratch. Legacy systems run mission-critical processes. Departmental silos own fragmented data. And AI models often struggle to integrate with monolithic, outdated tech stacks.

What works:

API-first strategies to create interoperability between AI modules and legacy systems—without deep refactoring.

Building a centralized data fabric that unifies siloed data stores and provides real-time access across teams.

Introducing AI middleware layers that can abstract complexity and serve as a modular intelligence layer over existing infrastructure.

Read More: Can AI Agents Be Integrated With Existing Enterprise Systems

2. Model Governance, Compliance, and Explainability

In industries like finance, healthcare, and insurance, it’s not just about accuracy. It’s about transparency, auditability, and the ability to explain how a decision was made. Black-box AI can trigger compliance flags and stall adoption.

What works:

Implementing ModelOps frameworks to standardize model lifecycle management—training, deployment, monitoring, and retirement.

Embedding explainable AI (XAI) principles into model development to ensure decisions can be interpreted by stakeholders and auditors.

Running scenario testing and audit trails to meet regulatory standards and reduce risk exposure.

3. Organizational Readiness and Change Management

AI isn’t just a technology shift—it’s a culture shift. Teams need to trust AI outcomes, understand when to act on them, and adapt workflows. Without internal buy-in, AI gets underused or misused.

What works:

Creating AI playbooks and training paths for business users, not just data scientists.

Setting up cross-functional AI councils to govern use cases, ethical boundaries, and implementation velocity.

Demonstrating quick wins through vertical-specific pilots that solve visible business problems and show ROI.

4. Data Privacy, Security, and Cross-Border Compliance

AI initiatives can get stuck navigating enterprise security policies, data residency requirements, and legal obligations across jurisdictions. Especially when models require access to sensitive, proprietary, or regulated data.

What works:

Leveraging federated learning for training on distributed data sources without moving the data.

Using anonymization and encryption techniques at both rest and transit levels.

Working with cloud providers with built-in compliance tools for HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, etc., to reduce overhead.

5. Scalability and Performance Under Load

Many AI models perform well in test environments but start failing at production scale—when latency, real-time processing, or large concurrent users push the system.

What works:

Deploying models in containerized environments (Kubernetes, Docker) to allow elastic scaling based on load.

Optimizing inference speed using GPU acceleration, edge computing, or lightweight models like DistilBERT instead of full-scale LLMs.

Monitoring model performance metrics in real-time, including latency, failure rates, and throughput, as part of observability stacks.

6. Misalignment Between Tech and Business

Even sophisticated models can fail if they don’t directly support core business goals. Enterprises that approach AI purely from an R&D angle often find themselves with outputs that aren’t actionable.

What works:

Building use-case-first roadmaps, where AI initiatives are directly linked to OKRs, cost savings, or growth targets.

Running joint design sprints between AI teams and business units to co-define the problem and solution scope.

Measuring success not by model metrics (like accuracy), but by business outcomes (like churn reduction or claim processing time).

Key Takeaway

Enterprise AI integration isn’t just about building smarter models—it’s about aligning people, data, governance, and infrastructure. The enterprises that are seeing real returns are the ones that solve upstream complexity early: breaking silos, standardizing operations, and building trust across the board. AI doesn’t deliver returns in isolation—it scales when it’s embedded where decisions happen.

[cwprocess]

Standardization and Interoperability: The Next Frontier for E-Recording Judgment Renewals in India's Fragmented Legal System

India’s legal system, while robust in its constitutional framework, often grapples with issues stemming from fragmentation, inconsistent procedures, and delayed implementation of digital reforms. As courts and public record offices slowly transition into the digital age, one area showing significant potential for modernization is the e-record renewal of judgments.

The growing adoption of digital legal services—especially in metropolitan courts—is promising. However, the lack of national standards and poor interoperability between systems is a key barrier. For the e-file and e-record renewal of judgment process to be truly effective in India, we must move beyond basic digitization and invest in standardized, interoperable frameworks.

The Current Landscape of E-Recording Services in India:

Unlike many developed nations, India’s e-recording infrastructure is in its infancy. Different states—and often, different districts—employ varying rules, software platforms, and operational standards for legal recordings. This makes it extremely difficult for legal professionals and citizens to navigate the system efficiently, especially when attempting tasks like the e-record renewal of judgment.

Some states have piloted e-recording services, but these are often standalone systems with limited accessibility. The lack of data exchange between courts, registrars, and government portals has created a siloed digital ecosystem. As a result, the benefits of digital recording—such as time savings, cost reduction, and transparency—are not being fully realized across the board.

Why Standardization Matters?

Standardization is about creating uniform practices, formats, and protocols across all regions. For e-record renewal of judgment, this would mean a unified system where judgment renewals can be electronically filed and recorded using a common platform—regardless of state or court.

Without standardization, here’s what’s at risk:

Increased Legal Errors: Confusion about jurisdiction-specific requirements leads to incorrect filings.

Delay in Judgments: Manual verification and back-and-forth communications hinder speedy processing.

Limited Access: Citizens in rural or under-resourced districts struggle to use fragmented systems.

A unified standard would reduce friction, allowing smoother use of e-recording services across jurisdictions and ensuring consistent enforcement of legal rights.

Interoperability: The Bridge Between Systems

Interoperability refers to the ability of different systems and software to communicate, exchange, and interpret data in a coherent manner. In the context of e-file and e-record renewal of judgment, it means creating a seamless flow of information between:

District courts and high courts

State record offices

National judicial data grids

Citizen service portals like e-District or DigiLocker

By enabling interoperability, legal documents related to judgment renewals could automatically be synced and validated across platforms. This would dramatically improve turnaround time and reduce administrative overhead.

How Countrywide Process Can Help Lead the Way?

At Countrywide Process, we’ve successfully implemented e-recording services and systems that support seamless e-record renewal of judgment in complex jurisdictions like California. These successes provide a roadmap for how such services could be scaled and adapted in emerging legal markets like India.

Here’s how we could contribute to India’s journey:

Customized E-Recording Portals: Tailored to India’s multilingual and multi-jurisdictional needs.

Training and Onboarding Programs: For legal professionals, court clerks, and public users.

Cross-Platform API Development: Enabling interoperability between courts, registrars, and digital citizen platforms.

Legal Workflow Automation: From submission to verification, all steps streamlined under one roof.

By leveraging our technological know-how and user-first approach, we can help India develop robust e-file and e-record renewal of judgment systems that meet global standards.

Toward a Unified Digital Legal Future:

India’s path to modernization is complex but achievable. Creating uniformity in digital legal services like e-record renewal of judgment will require a collaborative effort between central and state governments, judiciary bodies, and private legal tech providers.

Here are key steps that can drive this change:

Develop a National E-Recording Framework Spearheaded by the Ministry of Law and Justice, this would set standards for digital filings, data formats, and verification protocols.

Mandate Interoperability Standards All new digital legal tools should be required to integrate with state and national platforms using secure APIs and open data protocols.

Pilot Cross-State Platforms Launch pilot projects across multiple jurisdictions to test standardized platforms and refine workflows.

Engage Private Partners Like Countrywide Process Collaborate with proven service providers to develop scalable, secure, and user-friendly systems.

Conclusion: Bridging the Gap Between Innovation and Inclusion

Digitizing the e-record renewal of judgment process is a step in the right direction. But if India truly wants to benefit from digital transformation in the legal sector, it must prioritize standardization and interoperability. Only then can digital tools provide equal access, consistent service delivery, and reliable legal outcomes for all.

Countrywide Process is ready to support this transformation, bringing years of experience and a commitment to accessible legal tech. Whether it’s through developing adaptable platforms or empowering users with education and support, we believe the future of law in India should be both digital and equitable.

Visit Countrywide Process to see how we’re making legal filings faster, smarter, and more accessible worldwide.

[digivicky]

Keeping the Peace: Strata Conflict Resolution Strategies

Living or investing in a strata-titled property comes with both perks and challenges. Among the most pressing issues in strata communities is managing interpersonal and operational conflict effectively. From disputes over common areas to disagreements about bylaws and levies, tensions can escalate quickly when not properly handled. This article explores practical, proven strategies for resolving conflicts within strata schemes, ensuring harmonious living for all parties involved—owners, tenants, investors, and strata managers.

A Proactive Approach to Minimizing Disputes

Conflict within strata communities is rarely about one isolated issue—it’s usually the result of ongoing dissatisfaction, poor communication, or lack of transparency. Strata managers and owners corporations must take proactive measures to identify and address brewing tensions before they evolve into major disputes.

Clear communication channels, regular meetings, and transparent record-keeping can dramatically reduce misunderstandings. Encouraging participation in decision-making processes—especially in budget allocations and rule amendments—helps stakeholders feel heard and valued, reducing the likelihood of friction.

The Role of the Strata Manager in Conflict Prevention

Active Mediation and Governance Oversight

Strata managers play a critical role in maintaining community peace. Beyond administrative duties, a skilled strata manager actively facilitates discussions, mediates disputes, and ensures that the bylaws are fairly enforced. The ability to remain neutral and empathetic is key.

A strong manager does not wait for conflict to escalate. Instead, they implement community-building practices such as newsletters, town hall sessions, and regular updates about ongoing projects. Transparency and frequent engagement foster trust, which is the foundation of a cohesive strata community.

Legal Frameworks and Dispute Resolution Mechanisms

Leveraging Legislation and Tribunal Processes

When internal resolution fails, formal mechanisms must come into play. Jurisdictions typically offer a legal path for resolving strata disputes, including mediation, conciliation, and adjudication via specialized tribunals or civil bodies.

Strata committees and managers should be familiar with these legal avenues and advise parties accordingly. However, litigation should remain the last resort. Most disputes—such as noise complaints, parking issues, or disputes over levies—can and should be resolved internally or through mediation before involving legal resources.

Technology as a Modern Conflict Resolution Tool

Modern platforms are emerging to assist in strata conflict resolution. Online voting, digital forums for issue tracking, and communication tools embedded in strata management software allow for transparent and real-time collaboration. These tools empower owners and tenants to voice concerns constructively and ensure that the committee can respond in a timely, documented manner.

Empowering Owners and Tenants with Education

A well-informed community is a peaceful one. Strata managers should provide educational resources about rights, responsibilities, and community rules. Regular induction for new residents, Q&A forums, and accessible digital handbooks can eliminate many common sources of friction.

Conclusion

Strata conflict resolution isn’t about picking sides—it’s about fostering a respectful, transparent, and collaborative environment for everyone in the community. By empowering strata managers with the right tools, encouraging active participation from stakeholders, and leveraging modern technology and legal frameworks, harmony is not just achievable—it’s sustainable. The key lies in addressing conflict early, fairly, and with a solutions-focused mindset.

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Revolutionizing Legal Document Automation: How AI is Shaping the Future of Law

In the evolving landscape of legal technology, artificial intelligence has begun to reshape the way legal documents are created and processed. Among the most transformative developments is the emergence of AI generated divorce petition forms and AI generated lease agreement tools. These innovations are not only streamlining legal processes for individuals and law firms but are also making access to justice more equitable and affordable.

The demand for efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the legal field has driven an increasing number of users to adopt digital solutions. Individuals going through personal changes or entering into new rental agreements often require fast, error-free documents without incurring high legal fees. This is where AI generated divorce petition forms and lease agreements come into play. These smart document generators rely on sophisticated algorithms trained on legal precedents and templates, ensuring compliance with jurisdictional requirements while maintaining personalization.

One of the major advantages of these AI-powered tools is their ability to remove the guesswork from legal paperwork. Traditional methods of drafting legal forms typically involve either hiring a lawyer or navigating through complex online templates manually. AI-driven platforms remove this friction by asking users a series of intuitive questions and then auto-generating the complete form in real-time. The result is a highly accurate, legally sound document that requires minimal human intervention.

Companies like Docdraft.ai are at the forefront of this revolution. By leveraging machine learning and natural language processing, they are redefining how legal documents are prepared. Though Docdraft.ai is just one of the pioneers in this niche, its influence is evident in how legal professionals and everyday users are adapting to these intelligent solutions. The platform offers a seamless way for users to generate documents in a fraction of the time it would normally take, reducing legal complexities while ensuring compliance.

The impact of AI generated lease agreement tools is especially notable in the real estate sector. Landlords and tenants can now quickly draft customized, legally binding agreements that reflect local rental laws. These AI-generated documents also minimize risks associated with miscommunication or overlooked clauses, which are common pitfalls in manually written contracts. Users can feel confident knowing the AI is programmed to include every essential element needed for enforceability and fairness.

On the family law side, AI generated divorce petition forms are proving to be a game-changer for individuals seeking uncontested divorces. These tools help users complete necessary paperwork efficiently, sparing them from navigating emotional or bureaucratic hurdles alone. What once required multiple legal consultations and several weeks can now be accomplished in a matter of hours, all while reducing the emotional and financial toll often associated with the divorce process.

As trust in these technologies grows, the broader legal industry is beginning to embrace the efficiencies that AI brings. Some attorneys are incorporating AI-generated drafts as starting points, allowing them to focus more on strategy and client engagement rather than routine documentation. This shift doesn’t replace human expertise; rather, it complements legal professionals by automating redundant tasks and increasing productivity.

While challenges remain—such as ensuring every generated document meets the nuances of specific jurisdictions—the pace of innovation is promising. Continued advancements in AI, coupled with increasing public familiarity, suggest that this technology will only become more refined and widely adopted.

Docdraft.ai, with its selective integration of AI capabilities, represents just one vision of a future where legal documents are created faster, with higher accuracy, and at a lower cost to the end user. By limiting the brand name usage to maintain content neutrality, it becomes clear that this movement extends beyond any single provider and marks a collective step toward modernization in legal services.

As legal technology continues to evolve, the proliferation of tools such as AI generated divorce petition forms and AI generated lease agreement systems signal a profound change in how society interacts with law. With ease of access, lower barriers to entry, and smarter processing, artificial intelligence is not just assisting legal practices—it is revolutionizing them.

[visionaryvogues03]

How Edge Computing is Redefining Latency and Performance in the iGaming Industry?

Edge computing is a distributed company model that processes data closer to its source. Unlike traditional computing, it supports iGaming industry in several ways. This approach significantly reduces the time it takes for data to travel. Edge computing substantially reduces latency by processing data closer to its source. It also implements decentralization in the computing resources by simultaneously distributing them to various locations. 

The Latency Dilemma in iGaming

Latency — the delay between a user action and a platform response — has long been the Achilles’ heel of the iGaming industry. Whether it’s a live dealer session or an esports betting match, every moment of delay creates friction. Traditional cloud models, which rely on centralized servers, introduce considerable lag, especially when data must travel across continents. For U.S.-based users playing on global platforms, this often means disrupted experiences and, ultimately, loss of engagement.

Edge computing changes this paradigm by decentralizing processing power. By deploying data centers closer to end users — at the “edge” of the network — latency is drastically reduced. In the iGaming industry, where real-time responsiveness is critical, edge computing ensures actions are executed instantly and seamlessly.

Performance at the Speed of Proximity

Edge computing is more than just speed. It’s about proximity-driven performance. In the iGaming industry, performance impacts everything from user retention to the accuracy of live betting odds. With edge computing, data is processed locally, minimizing packet loss and enhancing load times. This empowers operators to deliver smooth, uninterrupted gameplay — even during peak traffic hours.

For instance, a New Jersey-based player engaging with a server in California may experience several hundred milliseconds of lag under a traditional cloud model. Edge computing nodes in New Jersey or nearby drastically reduce this latency, resulting in more dynamic gameplay and fewer server timeouts.

Strengthening Data Security and Compliance

As the iGaming industry grows in popularity across regulated U.S. states, data security and compliance are becoming central to operations. Edge computing facilitates localized data processing, which makes regulatory compliance easier. Instead of transferring sensitive user data across borders, edge nodes ensure data remains within jurisdictional boundaries — crucial for meeting state-specific gaming laws and privacy standards.

Additionally, by minimizing data transmission, edge computing reduces the surface area for cyberattacks, enhancing the security posture of gaming platforms. For C-suite leaders, this means not only safeguarding brand reputation but also maintaining the trust of millions of users in an increasingly scrutinized industry.

Real-Time Personalization and Immersive Gameplay

Personalization is now a competitive advantage in the e-Gaming industry. Edge computing allows gaming platforms to analyze user behavior and deliver real-time customization, from tailored promotions to personalized UI experiences. Because data is processed closer to the user, personalization engines can react instantly to a player’s in-game behavior, delivering experiences that are both dynamic and relevant.

Moreover, the rise of AR/VR in the iGaming space is pushing the boundaries of real-time computing. Whether it’s a virtual poker table or an immersive casino floor, edge computing enables smoother rendering and faster feedback, crucial for ensuring the realism and responsiveness required by next-generation gaming formats.

Empowering Operators with Scalable Infrastructure

Traditional server models can’t easily scale in real-time to meet surges in user demand — a problem during high-traffic events like national tournaments or esports showdowns. Edge computing solves this by offering localized scalability. Operators can rapidly deploy resources where demand spikes, without overburdening central infrastructure.

For startup entrepreneurs and tech leaders in the iGaming industry, this translates into a more agile and cost-efficient growth strategy. Rather than investing heavily in centralized servers, platforms can build modular edge nodes in strategic U.S. regions to optimize load balancing, reduce costs, and increase ROI.

Strategic Edge Adoption Among U.S. Operators

Several U.S.-based iGaming companies are already integrating edge computing into their technology stacks. Companies like FanDuel and DraftKings, which handle massive volumes of real-time data for betting and fantasy leagues, have started to use edge-based architecture to enhance speed and reduce lag. By decentralizing workloads, they improve performance for end-users while ensuring compliance with rapidly evolving state-level gaming laws.

In a recent Deloitte survey, 74% of tech executives said that edge computing would play a critical role in their operations within the next two years. For the iGaming industry, this means it’s no longer a question of if but when companies adopt edge as the foundation for future competitiveness.

Looking Ahead: Innovation Without Compromise

As the U.S. iGaming industry continues its meteoric rise, edge computing offers a pathway to innovation without compromise. Performance, compliance, security, and personalization are no longer mutually exclusive — they can co-exist through smart, distributed infrastructure.

C-suite leaders and forward-thinking entrepreneurs must now pivot from cloud-only strategies to hybrid models that incorporate edge computing. In doing so, they’ll not only improve operational efficiency but also deliver the immersive, frictionless experiences that modern gamers expect.

From real-time odds calculation to immersive, interactive gameplay, the online wagering market is being redefined by edge computing. It is not merely a backend upgrade — it is a strategic imperative, enabling U.S.-based gaming platforms to lead in a hypercompetitive, high-stakes market where every millisecond counts.

Conclusion

Edge computing stands as the cornerstone of the next evolution in the iGaming industry. By enabling hyper-local, ultra-fast data processing, it helps platforms scale smarter, respond faster, and protect better. For U.S.-focused operators and innovators, the message is clear: adapt early, scale wisely, and game on the edge.

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