#pilot testing solutions

[marketingexplore123]

Accelerating Market Success: The Power of Innovation Cycles in Solution Testing and Iteration

In the vibrant ecosystem of business, the ability to swiftly adapt and evolve is paramount. This dynamism is captured in the practices of developing minimum viable products (MVPs) and pilot testing solutions — methods that embody the spirit of continuous innovation and rigorous validation.

[muskantam]

POS Implementation

POS Implementation: A Comprehensive Guide

In today’s fast-paced retail and service environments, implementing a Point of Sale (POS) system can significantly streamline operations, enhance customer experience, and improve overall efficiency. Whether you’re upgrading from a traditional cash register or installing your first POS system, proper implementation is crucial to maximizing its benefits. This guide will walk you through the essential steps of POS implementation.

Step 1: Identify Business Needs

Before selecting a POS system, assessing your business requirements is important. Consider the following:

The size and type of your business.

Specific features you need (e.g., inventory tracking, customer loyalty programs).

Budget constraints.

Integration requirements with existing software and hardware.

Step 2: Choose the Right POS System

Not all POS systems are created equal. Here’s how to select one that fits your needs:

Research and compare various providers.

Look for scalability to accommodate future growth.

Ensure it supports multiple payment methods.

Check reviews and testimonials from similar businesses.

Step 3: Hardware and Software Setup

A POS system consists of hardware (like barcode scanners, receipt printers, and card readers) and software. Ensure you:

Acquire hardware compatible with your chosen POS software.

Install and configure the software according to your operational needs.

Test all components to ensure they work seamlessly together.

Step 4: Data Migration

If you’re transitioning from an older system, data migration is a critical step:

Back up your existing data.

Transfer inventory, sales history, and customer information to the new system.

Verify the accuracy of migrated data.

Step 5: Employee Training

Proper training ensures your team can effectively use the POS system:

Organize hands-on training sessions.

Provide user manuals and support materials.

Address common troubleshooting scenarios.

Step 6: Pilot Testing

Before full-scale implementation, conduct a pilot test:

Use the system in a controlled environment.

Monitor for any issues or inefficiencies.

Gather feedback from staff and customers.

Step 7: Go Live

Once testing is complete, it’s time to roll out the system:

Schedule the launch during a low-traffic period to minimize disruptions.

Ensure on-site support is available for the initial days.

Communicate the change to your team and customers.

Step 8: Monitor and Optimize

Implementation doesn’t end with the launch. Regular monitoring is essential:

Analyze performance metrics (e.g., transaction times, error rates).

Update the system as needed to fix bugs and improve features.

Seek ongoing feedback from employees and customers.

Conclusion

Implementing a POS system is an investment in your business's future. With proper planning and execution, it can simplify daily operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive growth. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure a smooth and successful implementation.

[reasonsforhope]

"A German bio-tech company has developed a naturally-occurring enzyme discovered in a cemetery into a near-market ready solution for recycling plastic without any loss of quality.

In 2022, GNN reported on a paper published by Leipzig-based scientists who first identified the enzyme. At the time, the enzyme was subject to a small side-by-side test, and caused the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic to decompose by a whopping 90%.

Pictured: Before and After: A container of PET after 24 hours of contact with the enzyme leaves only dye

Fast forward to the spring of 2025 and those same scientists have perfected the capabilities of that enzyme, called PHL7, and have founded ESTER Biotech to bring those capabilities to market.

Their initial plan to be finished next year is a bathtub-sized pilot project reactor. If successful, their 2030 plan will be four 350 cubic-meter reactors capable of processing 45,000 metric tons of PET plastic every year.

PHL7 and ESTER Biotech boast several advantages over chemical and thermal recycling methods. For starters, once the polymers of PET are broken by the enzyme into monomers, or single component parts, they have suffered no degradation of their material characteristics unlike some recycled plastic which is weaker or less stable.

Additionally, PHL7 is exceptionally stable from 32 to 203 degrees Fahrenheit (0-95°C), and per kilogram of plastic, a dose of only 0.02% to 0.06% of the enzyme is required—substantially less than existing alternatives. Their new version of the enzyme also recycles the plastic several hours faster.

“Our technology makes it possible to bring material flows that are currently burned back to the beginning of the cycle at the molecular level,” says Christian Sonnendecker, lead author on the paper of the enzyme’s discovery, and co-founder of ESTER Biotech at the University of Leipzig. “And with high energy efficiency and scalability.”

“We are only at the beginning. But we are convinced that when science, entrepreneurial spirit and social responsibility come together, a cemetery enzyme can become a beacon of hope for a better future.”

RECYCLING BREAKTHROUGHS: 

Scientists in Japan Develop Non-Toxic Plastic That Dissolves in Seawater Within Hours

Cornell Researchers Create First-of-its-Kind Durable and Recyclable Plastic

New Process ‘Vaporizes’ Plastic Bags and Bottles to Help Make Recycled Materials

Revolutionary New ‘Living Plastic’ That Could Slash Damage to the Environment Developed by California Researchers

ESTER Biotech’s enzyme is able to separate certain multilayer composites which are normally thought of as unrecyclable. In addition to the infrastructure of the pilot project, ESTER is currently working with two medium-sized partners to build a cost-efficient supply chain with an aim to reduce the enzyme price to between 100 and 200 euros per kilogram.

Though no currently-commercialized recycling method can compete with the cost of virgin plastic, a price between 100 and 200 euros will put it in line with existing competitors.

Fortunately for anyone in the space, the EU is not afraid to use heavy-handed regulation to guarantee plastic recycling rates. By 2040, under existing EU legislation, 65% of plastic production will be mandated to come from recycled sources. ESTER believes that with its potential to offer a higher quality “recyclate,” the incentive to pursue and expand enzymatic methods will increase."

-via Good News Network, June 13, 2025

[capesandshapes]

Every single person who thinks Libby is going to shut down forever has literally never worked in a library. I genuinely need you to know this.

The US government does not own Libby. The majority of library funding provided by imls is not for ebook funding.

It's still important to support Libby and support your library's use of ebook catalogs, and also look into ways to donate to the systems that they're a part of that directly pay for these catalog fees, but when you look at what is on a large scale impacted by cutting funds to libraries on the federal level, you understand what these cuts are really about.

IMLS helps with the start up funds for various programs and new libraries, the idea has always been to eat the cost of new programs and have the communities surrounding libraries fund them. They have since the 2000's been piloting various ways to make resources more accessible to people and act as a sort of equity program for different communities, with librarians moving to fill what gaps they can in their community resources and having to rely on grants and federal funding to do so.

There are rural and still developing libraries that receive their e-catalog funding via the federal government, but it's not the whole of libraries.

The largest things that are risk are accessibility services through the various programs we've developed for libraries in order to pool resources for the disabled, and national ILL services-- the big names being WorldShare and OCLC, which help patrons access books outside of their systems and have greatly helped with academic libraries. We're also going to see a decrease in supplementary education programs, which because of their rapidly expanding nature have always received federal funding and most states, this is summer reading and after school tutoring.

This is cooking classes, this is service delivery for disabled patrons, this is audiobooks. This is books in Braille. If your library is one of the many that used grants in order to fund distributing COVID tests, I've got bad news. This is hot spots for rural communities where students might not be able to access the internet at home because the infrastructure just isn't there yet. This is libraries that have tried to expand their space to include a food pantry and fill the gaps when people don't have funds to donate. This is niche libraries that provide valuable access to resources, like the federally funded library that provided my patrons with photos of their family when they lived on reservations. This is community education hosted by libraries like the technology courses that helped my patrons set up their first emails. This is money to digitize resources in archives that may otherwise never see the light of day. This is new libraries when there's not a single library for a hundred miles.

When you simplify it all to just ebooks, people want to believe that the solution is just donating regular books or learning to read in other ways. They don't see the whole of what this funding symbolizes.

The Corona pandemic led to a vast expansion in equity services amongst libraries, and with the instability of our economy and the way that legislators have been fighting against taxing the people who should be taxed, none of these programs are enshrined in budgets and bylaws.

Grants aren't fun to write, libraries do not propose specific programs just for shits and giggles. They propose them because they look at the community surrounding them and they realize that there maybe a need. They see where inequality lies, and many librarians try to find a way to solve it.

But this? This is a direct attack on providing opportunity and empathy to all Americans. This is a direct move to limit and punish those who the rich and powerful feel are less than, and it's bullshit.

I love ebooks and what they offer just as much as anyone else, but this is so much more than ecatalogs. Don't erase what this is.

[gravedwe11er]

Some more texaid for the @keferon mecha au! Comes after part one and part two, though it can be read on its own with just the knowledge of the AU itself.

Cw: Vortex, a bit of innuendo and semi-graphic descriptions of violence and death

A new point of view on recent happenings in the shatterdome, and also Felix.

Or: Vortex is here, and he has Opinions.

Vortex really likes Felix.

Has liked him ever since he saw this quiet, boring-looking little doc sneak around the base at night, and instead of going to hook up with someone - like a normal fucking person would - breaking into the research lab and messing with quint corpses. At first, he thought it might have been an op of some sort, but no! The guy just really liked cutting the things apart. Which- Tex could relate, honestly.

Seeing Felix bumbling about in the dark and excitedly muttering to himself through the cams quickly became the highlight of his mind-numbingly boring days. And then, to absolutely no surprise, the man got himself caught, and things went from good to great real fast.

As he watches little Mr. First Aid dig dried blood out of his crevices, with a stolen butter knife of all things, he really has to applaud himself for how well it all turned out.

Here’s one thing about Vortex – he likes violence. Always has - it’s one of the very few fun things that was never in short supply during his life, and the same goes for his after-life. And now that his other sources of entertainment are largely, hah, dead in the water? He very much likes to indulge.

Despite that, the first pilot he killed actually was a complete accident. He’d been pretty freshly dead, floundering around in his new body, when whatever control he’d manage to wrangle from the mech had been ripped out from under his hands. In his horrified flailing, he somehow managed to jerk the guy’s seat so hard he cracked his skull open on the console, and that was that. Only once he felt his death throes through the neural link had Vortex even realized what had happened.

And fuck, was he livid! Now, let’s be honest, Tex could absolutely get behind some rough manhandling of his person in the right situations, but this was outright violating! And like hell was he just going to put up with it.

Here’s another thing about Vortex – he hates being told what to do. And gee-whiz, it really doesn’t get any more being-told-what-to-do than some tiny fuck crawling into what is now your actual head and moving you around like an overgrown puppet.

So, he kept pushing. The next few casualties were only partly accidental, him testing out his range of motion, so to speak. And once he figured out how to establish himself as the dominant consciousness in the mech, even with a pilot plugged in-

Hah, let’s just say they definitely weren’t accidents after that.

It was part spite, part entertainment, and part just wanting those bastards out, their minds grating against his consciousness and giving him the closest thing he has to a headache nowadays. And what fun it was! He’d never really gotten to kill people before, not on purpose at least – his minders always kept him on too tight a leash - and damn was it great to see those uppity little shits turn to red mush in his gears.

For a while, at least. Look, he’s a creative guy, but there’s only so many ways to kill a person with no opposable thumbs available for the job! Not to mention, he was sorta hoping they’d get the hint eventually. He thought if he showed his ability to function on his own and his inability to tolerate pilots, they’d kinda just- leave him to it.

But of course not – that would require those bastards in command to actually give a shit about their people. They never did while he was under their tender care either, so he shouldn’t have been surprised. Kinda stupid of him actually, but excuse him, he’d, hah, rather recently lost all his braincells. Still, it was a problem he needed to figure out.

Then the solution waltzed into his cockpit, first aid kit in hand and doing his darndest to resuscitate the latest thoroughly dead pilot, and Tex started having ideas.

Here’s one thing about Felix – he’s a real gentle, meticulous sort of guy. He’s seen it in the man’s treatment of his patients, in the way he always tried to check on the vital signs of Tex’s broken toys, even when it was super fucking obvious they’ve long since kicked the bucket. Even now, as he’s poking around in the seams of Tex’s pilot seat with a rag, he’s still displaying a level of care in it he hasn’t seen from any of his actual technicians. It’s pretty nice, being treated like an actual person for once.

And damn, it’s times like these he really misses having a human body. Having this pretty man on his knees and all up in his business like that would have been a lot better if he could properly feel it. Vortex-the-mech has sensors for pressure, temperature and structural integrity, but it doesn’t come anywhere near to what he was used to when he was alive. No sense of pain either. Boring!

But oh well; he’ll take whatever fun he can get. Aaand speaking of fun-

As Felix sticks his hand in one of the seat’s movable joints, Tex mentally reaches for the mechanism and jerks it back – easily slow enough to avoid, but more than fast enough to make the man jump.

Here’s another thing about Felix – under all his outwardly softness, the man’s got teeth.

“Fuck!” he shouts, and Vortex cackles, the mech’s internal vents clicking and hissing to convey his glee. “What is your problem?!” Holding his – completely unscathed, mind you – hand to his chest, Felix looks at the screen, awaiting some sort of answer with just the most hilarious looking scowl on his sharp little face.

Mentally kicking his feet, Tex sends his words out to display on the red glass.

JUST PLAYING, BABY

GOTTA KEEP THOSE REFLEXES SHARP!

Felix huffs, relaxing a little now. “How nice of you,” he says, snide as all fuck, reaching for the rag he dropped when trying to avoid getting his fingers pinched, “but let’s keep the fun to a minimum, please.”

Then he pauses, giving Tex’s screen a considering look. “But seriously, should I not be touching that?” he asks, concern twisting his features. “Does that hurt? Or tickle? I don’t really-“ he waves his hand in an ambiguous gesture, “-know anything about how all this works. Suppose that’s something I should look into…”

Aaand off he goes, lost in his own head. Actually worrying about him. Fuck, when’s the last time someone cared about Vortex that openly? Huh, long before he was ever called that, he’d say. Hard to remember. These days, Vortex is fifty tons of stainless steel killing machine, very much not a squishy human patient for the soft-hearted doc to be fussing over. And yet.

Damn, what a weirdo. What an odd little freak.

Vortex really fucking likes Felix.

Thank you for reading, and many thanks to my beta @jayden-writes for the help!

[sreabhadh]

Don't know how Tumblr works honestly, or if I'm doing this right but Kef's TexAid au and everything everyone has written, drawn, and made for it- well it's got its hooks in me. It's probably pretty tame as far as TexAid goes... so trigger warning here lol. If you are not part of the fandom/already a freak I do NOT recommend reading it because I don't want to be responsible for accidentally traumatizing someone/revealing to others who aren't also like this how "like this" I am.

Like I said, probably pretty darn tame as far as TexAid goes (so those of you like me, don't get your hopes up), and those of you NOT like me in this regard... probably better keep away lol.

Anyway, you've been warned. If you're still here, please enjoy.

--------------------------------------------------------------

He still hasn’t found him yet.

Vortex held back his laughter at the thought, wondering how much longer it would take Felix to find his ‘other friend,’ Ambulon. His other friend. Well, ‘another friend.’ That’s what Aid had said. First Aid considered him, Vortex, his friend. A place he could be safe. ‘Friend.’ It should’ve made Vortex want to squish the ‘pilot’ up till he popped and died. Should’ve made him want to explore the ways he could torture him without killing him, break and bend his mind, then test out a new method of completely dispatching him. Just like his other playthings. That had been one of the only things that had been exciting about Vortex’s life, back when he had a fleshy body, and it had been arguably the best part about being… him. Gears and all.

Killing things would always be fun. Unless it was First Aid. Somehow, somewhere along the line, First Aid had made the thought of killing his pilot…less exciting. Letting him live, the little freak, had turned out to be much more fun. Letting his squishy ‘pilot’ feed him information, ideas on how to disembowel their prey. At first Vortex had done it so he could keep going out without risking the scrapheap. Done it for the thrill of watching his cleaner squirm, trapped and forced to come back every time, no matter how much he didn’t want to. His newest toy had proved to be much more entertaining than that though. And now he was- Vortex didn’t want to think too hard about it. But he was his. First Aid, no- Felix was his.

Vortex had chosen him as his pilot. Felix had ‘chosen’ to accept. Felix chose to call Vortex his friend, chose him as a safe place to rest. And Vortex had chosen, time and time again, not to kill him. He belonged to Vortex now. Felix was his. And no one, Pharma or otherwise, was going to take him away. Vortex wasn’t going to let him leave the cockpit ever again.

Logistically, that had issues. Which should be Felix’s problem. Vortex shouldn’t care about that. It should be for Felix to figure out. Vortex’s mech- his body- his- there wasn’t a bathroom. Or a cafeteria. There were lockers, with his old stuff. Old MREs, enough water to help Felix after he woke up- even if the idiot had puked the first bottle out onto the mech’s- Vortex’s hull. But it wouldn’t be enough, not forever. Maybe Felix could think of a solution; he was smart like that sometimes. Felix seemed to have a lot on his mind right now though. Vortex had expected Felix to find Ambulon by now, he really wasn’t that well hidden. He was just tied to the wall with some cable, one of the sleeping bags Felix had brought inside Vortex’s- in the mech’s head- to cover him up.

Felix usually had a much sharper eye than this. Vortex grumbled quietly. Felix didn’t notice. Vortex snorted crossly, more loudly. Felix picked his head up from his hands. “Vortex?” he asked. There was something in the way Felix said his name, something in the way his eyes glinted in the mech’s- in Vortex’s- red lights.

[FELIX BABY~] he purred.

Felix leaned forward in his seat. “Yeah?”

Vortex let the silence pick at Felix’s patience a moment, then grinned.

[I CAN WARM YOU UP~] he said, flashing the words on his screen and speaking it into Felix’s head through the drift, grinning fiendishly as the suggestive tone in his voice made Felix blush. Little freak~

“Errrr, but I’m not cold,” Felix fumbled. His eyes darted around a little, as if looking for somewhere to look that wasn’t part of Vortex. He still didn't see Ambulon. He was busy looking for somewhere that wasn’t flirting with him. Basically, Felix was avoiding looking Vortex in the eye. Or he would be if Vortex were.. organic. And while he tried to feign a lack of understanding, Felix was blushing. It was cute. Vortex snickered. His pilot was adorable. And also a freak. He was an adorable freak. And he was his.

Vortex snickered again, opening the vents and blasting his AC. Felix stared dumbly, then stood, hand on hip, an admonishing look on his face. His mouth opened like he was going to deliver a withering retort, then it shut again, and he swallowed. His expression softened slightly, then contorted with confusion, and rehardened into complete bafflement with an edge of offense taken.

“…why?” he murmured quietly, so softly Vortex felt it through their drift connection more than he heard it.

[COLD YET?~]

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhh…”

Vortex opened the vents even wider, blasting the cold air even harder.

Felix gaped.

[COLD YET?]

“No, but I will be soon, do you mind??” he snapped back. His exasperation overpowered his fear of retribution for being cheeky. It was delicious.

Slowly, Vortex closed the vents, letting the air flow ponderously wilt to a trickle. Felix glared suspiciously at the vents as they sluggishly shut close. Vortex held them open a moment, waiting to see and feel Felix’s anticipatory frustration bubble, which it did. Once he’d tasted enough of that, he let the vents snick all the way shut, cutting off the AC completely. Felix held his breath a moment, waiting for Vortex to do something. Which he didn’t. Felix waiting for him to do something was too fun. And it felt nice having Felix so focused on him, especially after he had spent so much time “distracted.” By Pharma. By recovering from Pharma’s vile mysterious IV drip. By Pharma trying to turn Felix into another one of him. Another Vortex. Vortex gritted his- well he would’ve gritted his teeth except he didn’t have any. His gears ground in response to his anger. His current “body” didn’t have organic teeth but it did what it could.

Felix tensed, ever mindful of Vortex’s moods. The moment was ruined. He HAD been planning on waiting until Felix relaxed, then immediately restarting the AC as strong as it could go. Give him a good jumpscare, and give Vortex another excuse to crack a joke about keeping him warm before pointing him to the sleeping bag Ambulon was occupying. But Vortex had gotten distracted thinking about Pharma- every passing thought on the matter made Vortex itch to kill something. Or rather, several somethings. Lots of somethings, (including Pharma of course), with as much blood and screaming as possible. Anyway. He had gotten distracted, and ruined the moment before he could make Felix jump.

Vortex forced himself to allow a smile on his… well, not on his face. His mood? He allowed a smile on his mood. Felix was okay. He was away from Pharma. He was safe, and alive, and trapped inside his cockpit. He wasn’t going anywhere. Vortex had plenty of time to play with his pilot. And they had a friend now too- someone Vortex could send out to get food for Felix, or hold hostage if Felix tried to leave. Someone else who had an actual brain to figure out how to solve problems. Felix’s brain couldn’t be trusted- not when it came to self-preservation. His choice of Vortex as a friend made that clear enough. That and his inability to spot anything wrong with the bulging lump on the wall. Vortex had a mind, he was able to think despite being dead afterall, but his brain had been dragged and cleaned out of his current head ages ago. Shattered skull and all.  

Ambulon, despite getting very chatty when he had first woken up, still had a skull in perfect condition. He wasn’t even bruised (probably) when Vortex re-sedated him and tied him to the wall, and covered him with the sleeping bag. He’d even managed to duct tape the jumpy lab rat’s mouth closed without blocking his other airways. That took skill. Absently, Vortex wondered if Felix would be impressed by his handiwork. Felix hadn’t been around when Vortex first came online- after dying that was. Didn't know how difficult this kind of precision could be. Hadn’t been around when Vortex was still figuring out how to move his new “body.” Some of the casualties he’d caused back then had been accidents. Sort of. Accidents he’d, unbeknownst to his victims and everyone else who’d thought he was gone, reveled in. And then replicated. Again. And again. Repeating until he was capable of the same intentional blood spilling he had been capable of before. Like a baby murderer, relearning how to walk and talk- and stab people in the guts.

Killing was like breathing to Vortex. Was like laughter, and smiling. It was really quite kind of him to have not killed Ambulon. He was Felix’s friend though, and had enough potential to be fun and useful- not to mention he’d been running from Pharma. Vortex might not know a lot about Ambulon, but he wasn’t about to do Pharma’s dirty work for him. Beyond that…Ambulon’s drift connection allowed Vortex to feel what Felix felt like. As an organic. With a living body. Had allowed him to feel what it felt like to hold his hand. To hold him as he slept, safe and sound. Vortex could repay that by not killing or hurting Ambulon too much. Wouldn’t stop him from spooking him as much as he pleased, but…he was grateful, in a way. It wasn’t something he had ever expected to experience. It was part of why Vortex had stuck him to the wall instead of back in bed with Felix. He liked it, but he wasn’t sure what to think or feel about it, and frankly didn’t want to right now. And he didn’t want to share the feeling either. Felix was his, and that’s what mattered. Ambulon was Felix’s friend, and they, he, Vortex, could figure out what that meant later.  

Felix, for his part, had fallen back asleep, slumped in his pilot’s seat. Ambulon could wait until he woke up again. Vortex used some cabling to grab the remaining sleeping bag, then wrapped it around Felix and the chair- cocooning him cozily and tying him to the chair simultaneously. He toyed with the thought of dangling his old suit in front of Felix’s head so it would be the first thing he saw when he woke up… but he decided against it in the end. He liked the thought of punishing Felix if he tried to grab and put it on, but he knew he wouldn’t. There had been such a reverence in the way Felix stared at the suit that Vortex had once worn. An unspoken want in the way he caressed Vortex’s name stitched over the right breast of the suit. An unspoken want that made Vortex want him to wear it. Even without punishing him for it, just to have his name on him…he couldn’t stitch it onto his chest, not directly- Felix was too squishy for that, and Vortex wasn’t delicate enough with a blade on his own to do it without killing his prize. If he could have his name on him though, if Felix put it on by choice-  

Vortex hummed thoughtfully. The notion was intoxicating. Invigorating. Carefully adding more cabling to secure Felix to the chair and their new resident lab rat to the wall, Vortex got up and started walking. Felix had only just recently removed whatever Pharma had attached to his leg, and if it had been a tracker, then they didn’t want to stay here for long.

Maybe he could find some monsters to kill, something to take the edge off his currently stronger-than-usual bloodlust. Maybe find the ones Felix had once considered the most likely to be edible. Have Ambulon cook it and test it, see if it worked.

He hummed some more, looking forward to getting his gears bloody again. He was going to go kill some monsters, wouldn’t be returning to base, and would have Felix with him the whole time. Yes, today was going to be a good day.  

[randomfoggytiger]

Mulder was already an FBI agent (and searching for Samantha) before he believed that it was aliens that took her, right? If I recall correctly? Because he stumbled upon the x files and then underwent the regression hypnotherapy… I think… if that’s true I think it’s underemphasized that Mulder pursued a degree in psychology and was working in profiling/Violent Crimes trying to prevent what he went through from happening to someone else before he really ever had any leads on what happened to his sister.

The Man Who Searched for His Sister: Mythology and Motives

You hit the nail on the head to me.

From the Golden Boy of the FBI (revered, respected, and honored) to Spooky in the basement (a testament of "ego" and "self-destruction" to the mainstream), the fall from grace for Mulder had to have been a tough pill to swallow. As abrasive as he can be, he's also warm and fond and empathetic: more willing to make friends (Jerry Lamana, Reggie Perdue, Diana Fowley, TLG) than go it utterly alone. But after discovering the files in 1988 and finally reopening them in 1991, he begins to (rightfully) suspect interference; and, in the face of derision and rejection, withdraws. "You were sent to spy on me," he deduces of Scully in the Pilot; and he's not wrong about the intent of her assignment, though he misjudges her motives along with it. More accurately: he offsets his interest in her work and mind by testing her upfront, unwilling to tie his loyalty to a wolf who intends to chew up the files and spit them out.

(As a side note: the story behind his and Scully's career path is so well done. Traumas in their childhood pushed Mulder and Scully to discover the truth for themselves-- be it in Oxford psychology or medical school morgues or FBI recruitment and field work-- and shaped their lives: both wanted answers to unanswered questions, hoping it would alleviate their personal struggles. Mulder's "You can deny all the things I've seen, all the things I've discovered. But not for much longer. Because too many people know what's happening out there and no one, no government agency, has jurisdiction over the truth" and Scully's "Nothing happens in contradiction to nature, only in contradiction to what we know of it. And that's a place to start. That's where the hope is" exemplify this. Their goals were fixed, their longing and struggles years in the making, before they'd begun navigating towards each other; but with each other they found their personal truths, and in each other they found "the" Truth.)

Samantha marked Mulder's life deeply and irrevocably when she vanished. His family fell apart; his life fell apart. And perhaps-- like many other lost souls-- he fastened onto psychology to understand what happened. And in seeking and becoming a source of help, he then latched onto the elusive "truth" as the ultimate solution-- a vision, as The X-Files would call it (his memories always did come back to him in visions)-- and became a crusader, willing to spend a lonely lifetime in the basement, on the road, on a cloistered couch while life on this planet passed him by.

Another thought: was Mulder's peg leg desire-- "If you have a peg leg or hooks for hands, you know, maybe it’s enough to simply carry on living. You know, bravely facing life with your disability. It's heroic just to survive. But without these things you're actually expected to make something of your life — achieve something, earn a raise, wear a necktie. So — so — so, if anything I'm actually the antithesis of Ahab, because if I did have a peg leg I'd quite possibly be more happy and more content and not feel the need to chase after these creatures of the unknown"-- formed before or after Samantha's disappearance? I'd say before: that it was part of his nature, like Scully's, to prove his pain to himself-- he externally, she internally. He lost his sister, she killed her rabbit; both were haunted by invisible scars that drove them ever onward. But while he could stop, finally, if he had a wound to point to (even die if his death had meaning), Scully couldn't (and avoided, and feared, a final end): legacy, she found in the morgue, is forged in life "on this planet", not in box scores or down endless roads or in running back to the past. "I've got things to prove-- but for my own reasons" and "If I quit now, they win" and "Mulder, get up. Get up and fight."

Another 'nother thought: CSM often put Mulder up on a cross, projecting his own "martyrdom" onto the other man-- a sinner purifying himself by piercing his sins into the flesh of the Lamb of God and slitting his throat. An allegory wholly unfitting to his megalomaniacal narrative: he sees himself as "God" (says so directly, post here) while failing to recognize that his motives are entirely selfish; and that his sacrificial son is hardly righteous or perfect-- that, in fact, his Christ-like figure isn't out to save the world. Mulder's fathers (canonically, both of them) pinned their agenda onto him when that was neither his goal nor his ideal from the start-- the world, "life on this planet" as a rule was furthest from his thoughts. His was a personally rewarding quest, with "selfish", not "altruistic", motives-- he wanted to find the Truth, and expose it; to search out mysteries with a baseball and sandwiches and a house like Home and his sister and his partner. And that simplicity of perspective gave him true insight, able to see through the net of lies Bill Mulder and the Consortium and Jeffrey Spender and Krycek and Marita and Skinner (and even Scully, at times) were caught in.

[usafphantom2]

Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Chance Vought F4U Corsair

Eighty-five years ago today, a warbird legend was born. On May 29, 1940, the prototype Chance Vought F4U Corsair roared to life over Bridgeport, Connecticut, marking the first flight of what would become one of the most iconic carrier-based fighters of World War II.

Published May 29, 2025

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VAN Today in Aviation History Banner

On this day in aviation history—85 years ago, on May 29, 1940—the prototype Chance Vought F4U Corsair took to the skies for the first time. Designated XF4U-1 (bureau number 1443), the aircraft was flown by Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft’s Chief Test Pilot, Lyman A. Bullard Jr., from Bridgeport Municipal Airport in Connecticut. This flight marked the beginning of the Corsair’s legendary journey, which would be forged in the crucible of aerial combat.

ought XF4U 1 Corsair prototype in flight in 1940

The first prototype of the Vought XF4U-1 Corsair in flight in 1940.

The F4U Corsair was a single-seat, carrier-based fighter aircraft designed and built in the United States. It quickly became iconic for its distinctive inverted gullwing design—a solution that provided ground clearance for the large propeller, accommodated the robust landing gear, and allowed space for wing-mounted oil coolers. This wing configuration also contributed to improved aerodynamic efficiency and stability.

1109px XF4U 1 NACA 1940

The Chance Vought XF4U-1 Corsair prototype (BuNo 1443) during tests at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Langley Research Center at Hampton, Virginia (USA), in 1940-41.

During World War II, the Corsair served extensively with both the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and it became one of the most successful carrier-based fighters of the conflict. Its rugged construction, high speed, and heavy armament made it a formidable opponent in both air-to-air combat and ground attack missions.

Screen Shot 2018 02 03 at 08.40.44

Charles A. Lindbergh in the cockpit of a Vought F4U-1 Corsair, Green Islands, Solomon Sea, May 1944. (National Air and Space Museum)

Powering the Corsair was the 2,380-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W radial engine, giving it a top speed of 446 mph. The aircraft had a combat range of 328 miles and a service ceiling of 41,500 feet. The F4U-4 variant featured a four-bladed propeller and was armed with six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, each supplied with 375–400 rounds. It could also be equipped with eight 5-inch High-Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVARs) and carry up to 4,000 pounds of bombs, making it a potent multi-role platform.

1945 Goodyear FG 1D Corsair BuNo 67089

The beautiful 1945 FG-1D Corsair sporting John Glenn’s Corsair paint scheme of VMF-155. Photo via Platinum Fighter Sales

In total, 12,571 Corsairs were produced for the war effort. While many were scrapped after WWII, a significant number survived. Today, 38 Corsairs remain airworthy and are regularly seen flying at airshows across North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and mainland Europe. Many more are under restoration to return to the skies—a fitting tribute to an aircraft that earned its place among the greats. Keeping the Corsair flying is a way to preserve its legacy and honor the generations of aviators who once flew her into battle.

Vultures Row Aviations F4U Corsair Restorations 34

Vultures Row Aviation’s F4U Corsair known as “Birdcage” with its Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine ready to be installed. Photo- Chuck Wahl/Vultures Row Aviation

[worldpharmatoday]

Scaling up production in the pharmaceutical industry is essential for transitioning therapies to large-scale manufacturing. Learn about pharmaceutical packaging and pharma industry news.

[wachinyeya]

An intuitive piece of hardware is collecting days’ worth of renewable energy from airplane engine exhaust before take-off from a Dallas airport.

“Boarding is completed” is a common refrain heard over the intercom system in the moments before taxiing to the runway.

At that moment, the pilot will begin a series of engine tests and pre-flight checks during which time the turbine engines are idling with their ferocious noise and exhaust fumes.

A company called JetWind has realized that all that idling force is like the strong winds needed to power a wind turbine, and has built a series of pods that can capture it during the 5-10 minutes the aircraft is sitting at the gate waiting for clearance to taxi.

“The main goal of our project is to harness the consistent wind created by jets and convert it into an eco-friendly energy source,” JetWind’s founder and president Dr. T. O. Souryal told Interesting Engineering.

“What was once considered wasted energy can now benefit energy grids, ultimately promoting smarter and more sustainable infrastructure across the globe.”

Three years of testing between 2021 and 2024 have informed the official deployment of JetWind’s flagship product at Dallas Love Field airport. 13 sets of pods will sit beneath the gate hooked up to external batteries that connect to the grid the airport uses. Solar panels add to the energy generation, and the whole set can create about 30 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, enough to power a family home for a few days.

While on its own it isn’t nearly what the average airport will consume during a day of operations, when combined with 12 other systems just like it, it can make a serious difference in reducing the carbon footprint of the building.

“Dallas Love Field has always been a hub of progress, and the introduction of JetWind’s Energy Capturing Pods reinforces its position as a testing ground for innovative technologies,” said former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.

“By converting man-made wind into energy, we are highlighting Dallas as a leader in sustainable solutions and proving that cities can take significant steps toward tackling global energy challenges.”

The debut of the JetWind pods at Love Field has attracted attention from around the globe, including companies and governments from Switzerland, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, the UK, France, and Australia.

[reasonsforhope]

"One of the least respected but most important ecosystems on Earth are seagrass meadows, and a pioneering robotic solution is helping marine scientists restore these underwater gardens.

The ReefGen Grasshopper can plant dozens of seagrass seeds per minute. Not only is this faster than a human diver, but much safer as well.

It works by injecting a tiny slurry of sediment wrapped around the seagrass seed into the seafloor. After covering a growing plot of four seeds, the robot ‘hops’ about 30 centimeters away and starts again.

Despite covering a minuscule portion of the seafloor, seagrass meadows are estimated to hold 35-times more carbon than terrestrial forests—amounting to around 18% of the total carbon stock of the world’s oceans.

ReefGen’s founder Tom Chi dreamed up the idea after watching the degradation of coral reefs on his home island in Hawaii. The first iteration of the robot set coral ‘plugs’ onto existing reefs to help regrow them, but the technology was prohibitively expensive for wide-scale use.

Now however, broader selections of off-the-shelf parts have driven down the costs of manufacturing and maintaining underwater robots, according to Chris Oakes, CEO of ReefGen.

“Manual planting works, but robots are really good when things are dull, dirty, dangerous, or distant—the four Ds,” Oakes told CNN, adding that at the moment, Grasshopper is piloted with a controller by a human on the surface.

“Right now, we’re focused on the planting, the biology, and the mechanical aspects, once we’re confident that that’s all designed the right way, we will overlay more semi-autonomous features like navigation, so you don’t actually have to pilot it,” he said.

ReefGen has been able to not only expand into restoration of seagrass meadows, but also see its robots used in oceans around the world. This July, Grasshopper planted 25,000 seeds in Wales. In October, ReefGen teamed up with the University of North Carolina (UNC) Institute of Marine Sciences to test various seed replanting methods out on the state’s declining seagrass meadows.

Oakes says that as cool and “flashy” as a robotic solution might seem, the most important factor in its success will be the long-term monitoring of the fields it’s replanting. Are they growing to maturity, are the seedlings dying off before then, will they live long enough to seed and germinate fields of their own, how do fields it plants compare to fields planted by hand??"

-via Good News Network, December 24, 2024

[quill-and-whetstone]

“The Sniper Problem”

I have a favorite litmus test that I apply to just about everything I write: “Could this entire plotline be resolved by one sufficiently trained sniper?” The hypothetical sniper is there to evaluate the quality of the conflict I’ve set up. If they can resolve the whole thing by taking out their target then I… probably have some rethinking to do, because the test succinctly highlights a few key issues with any story that fails it.

First, the obvious: if the problem your protagonists are facing can be solved this way it’s probably just not as interesting as it could be. A conflict of “big bad evil dude does a big bad evil thing and our hero goes and mercs him about it” can make for a fun blockbuster action film, but the plot of those films are rarely–if ever–the point. Stories with a central villain stand to gain a lot of narrative depth from asking yourself what issues would linger if they were suddenly removed from the picture. What internal struggles might remain in your protagonists? How might the world around them still need to be changed or healed? Which elements or areas of the story just seem empty without the big bad to fill the narrative space, and how can we develop them?

The second facet of the sniper problem is an inverted Occam’s Razor, a call to ensure that there’s a good reason the protagonists aren’t just using a simple and direct route to solve their problems. It’s like how modern horror movies have to cripple the victims’ cell phones to justify everything else that happens, though ideally less contrived. When revising a story through this lens, it’s almost difficult not to improve it. It aids suspension of disbelief, lets your protagonists present as more competent, and gives them more to do outside of biffing people they don’t like which in turn showcases more of their personality.

A great example of all of this is Avatar: The Last Airbender. Throughout the show the bottom line is that our heroes are out to defeat the Firelord to stop the atrocities he’s committing against the rest of the world. So it stands to reason to ask, why not camp outside his house early on with an assassin good enough to score a quick or lucky kill? But the show answers this amply with just its concept, mostly without having to draw direct attention to it. If Firelord Ozai dropped dead in the pilot there would still be a whole Fire Nation pursuing his goals complete with other emotionally unstable royals and military officers. It wouldn’t actually… solve anything. “Defeat the Firelord” is just the mission that sets our heroes on the path they need to take to stop a war that’s destroying the world. The real solution is cultivating friendships across cultures, healing and maturing together, growing spiritually, protecting and empowering victims of generational violence, dismantling fascistic power structures, and ultimately even finding a relatively peaceful / humane solution to the problem of the Firelord. While they do call this out directly in one episode, they didn’t have to, because with the way they structured the narrative it was already evident. As a result of that good planning the characters got to do a lot of interesting, character driven, thematically resonant things and the show isn’t just one long and kind of dry martial arts training montage until they show up at the finale.

So keep the sniper problem in mind as you write! Or even as you read, watch, and analyze other media for what worked and what didn’t. I can’t promise it’ll be relevant to every story, but I can promise that it’s a quick and easy standard that’ll help you layer in a lot of nuance and flavor into your narrative.

[royalinkblot]

Wings of Home – Chapter Five: Echoes of Afterburners

Tom Kazansky rarely let himself drift into memory. But some days—when the ocean mist smelled like jet fuel and Maverick was humming in the kitchen—he let himself go back.

It was 1986, and the sky had just started to feel wide enough for something more than rivalry. One night, after a sparring match on the beach turned into a kiss behind the hangar, Maverick had sat him down, cheeks flushed and voice cracking.

“There’s something you need to know,” he’d said, fingers trembling against Tom’s wrist. “It’s not common... but I can carry. It’s rare. But it’s real.”

Tom remembered blinking, stunned. “You mean... you could have kids?”

“I mean I could have kids,” Maverick had said, with a shaky grin. “As in... get pregnant.”

The thought hadn’t frightened Tom. What had terrified him came later.

Years later, in their early and mid forties, after decades of hiding, running, and flying at the edge of death, Maverick had held up a pregnancy test like it was a missile warning.

“I’m pregnant.”

Tom had gone pale. “Mav... you’re almost fifty.”

“Don’t remind me.”

They’d rushed through tests, experts, specialists. The word high-risk was thrown around like flares in a dogfight. But then came the second bombshell:

“Twins,” the doctor said, smiling.

Tom laughed, full and loud and shaking. “Of course. Because one Mitchell isn’t chaotic enough.”

They’d retired not long after, the Navy closing its chapter on two of its brightest legends. They didn’t leave in shame—they left as icons.

Maverick and Goose poured themselves into their new business, Need for Speed Solutions, which quickly became the Mecca for fighter jet restoration and tech innovation. Goose handled logistics and engineering, Maverick handled flight tests and instinct. Together, they built something that kept them flying—just closer to home.

And then came the wedding

When Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell finally died in the early 2000s, Maverick didn’t waste a second. They married on the same airfield where they first met. Every surviving pilot from TOPGUN came. Rooster was best man. Goose walked Maverick down the aisle until Viper intercepted halfway.

“You’re the son I always wanted, Pete,” Viper had said, voice full of emotion. “And I’m proud of you. As proud as Duke Mitchell would’ve been.”

Maverick’s voice had caught in his throat. “Thank you, sir.”

“No more 'sir,'" Viper said with a grin. “Today, just family.”

Tom had waited at the altar, hands steady, heart wild. When Maverick reached him, the wind kicked up across the runway, a salute from the sky.

Now, with Ace and Nikola turning six, those memories lived in every corner of the house.

The twins sat side by side at the kitchen island, mapping out their party with colored pencils and a whiteboard.

“Okay,” Nikola said, tapping her stylus like a commander. “We need enough cupcakes for 60. Invite list is currently at 48, but we’ll probably have overflow from school.”

“We should get the drone obstacle course from last year,” Ace said. “But bigger. With lasers.”

“No real lasers,” Nikola added.

“Fine. Projected lasers.”

They turned to their dads, who were watching from the doorway with proud, tired eyes.

“Can we invite Professor Eddings from quantum lab?” Nikola asked.

“And my friend Jun from flight sim club?” Ace added. “He called me ‘aerodynamically reckless,’ which means we’re best friends now.”

Tom stepped forward, brushing Nikola’s hair back. “You can invite whoever you want. But just remember—your birthday’s not about how many people come.”

“It’s about family,” Maverick finished, ruffling Ace’s hair. “And being grateful.”

Nikola looked at her brother. “I’m grateful for you. Even when you reverse-engineer my robot.”

“I only did it because I wanted to improve its handshake grip,” Ace mumbled.

She smiled. “I know.”

They bumped shoulders.

Tom and Maverick stood back and watched them—their twins. Born of impossible odds. Raised in sunlight, science, and fierce love. Not just brilliant minds, but brilliant hearts. Protective. Loyal. The best parts of them both.

And as the Pacific sun began to sink over their two houses—joined by more than sand and sea—Tom leaned into Maverick.

“You know,” he said quietly, “if you’d told me in ‘86 that we’d be standing here…”

Maverick smiled. “You wouldn’t have believed me.”

“I would’ve flown faster to get here.”

Chapter one Chapter two Chapter three Chapter four Chapter six

[ryuki-draws]

How does having only half a brain left affect your survival odds in a Gundam? Time to find out!

N°3 was not meant to ever set foot in Asticassia but I decided she needed to join Geroge and Erik's emo band. I'm sure nothing bad will ever happen to her. (And I just wanted to draw her in a dress. As a treat.)

Rambling under the cut!

Marleen (name assigned by the researchers) has suffered severe epilepsy her whole life and anatomical hemispherectomy - surgery which removes parts of the brain that cause the seizures - was the last resort in effort to make the constant attacks stop. Unfortunately, the surgery was done at Claire's Peil under their enhanced person research program. So the now vacant space in her cranium was fitted with GUND implants and she was basically rolled off the operating table directly into a pilot seat of the company's prototype GUND format MS.

Luckily for her, having half a brain already running on the same format, the implants were able to process the information influx faster to a certain degree, thus making it possible to reach higher permet scores without getting what's left of her organic brain fried immediately. It is, however, not a solution to the overall problem - while the extra implants provide some added resistance, the data storm would still eventually kill her, even though it may take longer than previous subjects were able to withstand (RIP N°1 and 2). Plus, with her condition, permet score 3 and higher come with a risk of seizures unexpectedly returning while piloting, which opens a whole new can of problems.

When the duelling game started, she wasn't deemed suitable for a body double candidate and this ordeal was assigned to N°4 instead. She was, however, dispatched to school alongside him as a second year piloting student with a cover story of being a "test pilot" for Peil Technologies with clearance to participate in duels in non-GUND MS, unless instructed otherwise.

Additional assorted stuff (mostly EPs lore because I'm Unwell™)

the whole AU shenanigans primarly take place one year prior to the events of WfM, hence students with "K" designation in their ID number being second year, as opposed to third in the series

the duelling game started with the year of Miorine's admission to Asticassia, and with it the need for an EP body double to participate in the duels instead of Elan (who's a terrible pilot and would not be caught dead in a Gundam himself). There were three prior EPs at the research facility but N°4 was the first one who on top of everything has become a body double

when EPs outlive their usefulness to the company, they're sent back to the research facility, where they're further used as test subjects, as they may "still have research data worth obtaining in them." Deemed as truly expendable, they're first in line for anything too dangerous or unethical, but are not outright executed (no, I'm not over ep. 6, thanks for asking)

as mentioned in my previous posts, inspiration for Marleen's creation was Siri Keeton from the novel Blindsight by Peter Watts - who also had half of his brain removed due to seizures and replaced with implants - thus, the shared last name (the book is great, go read it. it's a sci-fi thriller and it has vampires in space! there's also a fan-made short film (4 minutes) based on the book worth giving a watch. this post is now Blindsight propaganda)

[catogorizing-like-no-man-before]

TOS S1E11 - The Carbomite Manuever

Rating - ⭐⭐⭐🔘🔘

Aired November 10, 1966 | Stardate 1572.2

Even though this episode feels like one from earlier in the season, I understand why it follows Dagger of the Mind. Kirk and Bones are at odds through the first half of this episode, amplifying the shorter disagreement they had in the previous episode.

It's good I'm invested in the interpersonal dynamics because the plot is a little weak. There's a lot of tense waiting. The interpersonal dynamics carry the plot pretty far, but I don't care about Bailey, so some of the secondary conflict lands flat for me.

That being said, I do love showcasing Kirk's strategic mind, and this is a classic example of his unique approach to problem solving.

The twist at the end is funny the first time, but there's not a lot of rewatch value to this episode. I think part of this is because of the weak plot, and the terrible ending for Bailey.

But aesthetically, even as someone who appreciates the retro graphics of TOS, this episode starts looking goofy and gets goofier. There is also some inexplicably different camera working happening that doesn't add to the show's message at all.

We do get Uhura in gold though, so it's all worth it.

Summary

The USS Enterprise is mapping unexplored space when they run into a giant cube they cannot maneuver around.

When they destroy the cube, an alien ship approaches and contacts them. The alien claims it will destroy the Enterprise for demonstrating violence in ten minutes.

Kirk and McCoy bicker. Spock has no other recommendation. A crewman named Bailey starts cracking under stress.

Kirk bluffs by claiming the ship has a substance that, upon destruction, will also destroy the alien vessel. The alien ultimately delays the threat but drags the Enterprise to a mothership to destroy it there.

Before they get there, the alien ship seems to lose power and starts sending a distress signal.

Kirk decides to help, and he, McCoy and Bailey beam to the alien ship. There, they find a singular alien that looks like a human child, perfectly well, and he tells them the Enterprise passed his test. As a cultural exchange, Kirk leaves Bailey on the alien ship to be picked up at a later time.

For the Time - 😬🔘🔘🔘🔘

Kirk complains about women being yeomen just because Janice is following McCoy's orders? It's odd and unnecessary. He's yelling at her when he should be yelling at McCoy?

It seems like they were still figuring out Kirk's character because he's unusually short with the crew and seems a little tired of being captain. This is especially odd since his bad mood isn't a focus of the episode. His characterization seems closer to what we saw of Pike in the pilot than the Kirk we've known.

Characters

Spock

Sulu

Uhura

Bailey

Bones

Scotty

Janice Rand

Balok

Aliens

The First Federation

Ships

USS Enterprise

Fesarius

The other kind of ships

Because most of this episode is talking, there are some really good moments.

McKirk - This episode demonstrates how much McCoy cares about Kirk even when Kirk can't/won't care for himself. Also, Bones is unafraid of disagreeing with Kirk, even if it's not necessarily his place. I love the moment where McCoy is challenging Kirk and Kirk snaps at him. Afterwards, Kirk tries to apologize and instead McCoy apologizes for his timing. They really care about each other and have a strong bond.

Spirk - All I'm going to say is "It gives me emotional security."

Actually, I'm also going to point out how badly Spock wanted to go on the Fesarius to protect his boys.

AND the conversation when Spock admits he doesn't have a solution to the problem is touching. He's pretty vulnerable in this episode.