#power system simulator online

[decolonize-the-everything]

This is not a drill

This is IMPORTANT especially if you live in the USA or use the internet REGULATED by the USA!!!!

Do not scroll. Signal boost. Reblog.

Reblog WITHOUT reading if you really can't right now, I promise all the links and proof are here. People NEED to know this.

( I tried to make this accessible but you can't cater to EVERYONE so please just try your best to get through this or do your own research 🙏)

TLDR: Homeland Security has been tying our social media to our IPs, licenses, posts, emails, selfies, cloud, apps, location, etc through our phones without a warrant using Babel X and will hold that information gathered for 75 years. Certain aspects of it were hushed because law enforcement will/does/has used it and it would give away confidential information about ongoing operations.

This gets renewed in September.

Between this, Agincourt (a VR simulator for cops Directly related to this project), cop city, and widespread demonization of abortions, sex workers, & queer people mixed with qanon/Trumpism, and fascism in Florida, and the return of child labor, & removed abortion rights fresh on our tails it's time for alarms to be raised and it's time for everyone to stop calling us paranoid and start showing up to protest and mutual aid groups.

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

These are the same feds who want to build cop city and recreate civilian houses en masse and use facial recognition. The same feds that want cop city to also be a training ground for police across the country. Cop city where they will build civilian neighborhoods to train in.

Widespread mass surveillance against us.

Now let's cut to some parts of the article. May 17th from Vice:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is using an invasive, AI-powered monitoring tool to screen travelers, including U.S. citizens, refugees, and people seeking asylum, which can in some cases link their social media posts to their Social Security number and location data, according to an internal CBP document obtained by Motherboard.

Called Babel X, the system lets a user input a piece of information about a target—their name, email address, or telephone number—and receive a bevy of data in return, according to the document. Results can include their social media posts, linked IP address, employment history, and unique advertising identifiers associated with their mobile phone. The monitoring can apply to U.S. persons, including citizens and permanent residents, as well as refugees and asylum seekers, according to the document.

“Babel data will be used/captured/stored in support of CBP targeting, vetting, operations and analysis,” the document reads. Babel X will be used to “identify potential derogatory and confirmatory information” associated with travelers, persons of interest, and “persons seeking benefits.” The document then says results from Babel X will be stored in other CBP operated systems for 75 years.

"The U.S. government’s ever-expanding social media dragnet is certain to chill people from engaging in protected speech and association online. And CBP’s use of this social media surveillance technology is especially concerning in connection with existing rules requiring millions of visa applicants each year to register their social media handles with the government. As we’ve argued in a related lawsuit, the government simply has no legitimate interest in collecting and retaining such sensitive information on this immense scale,” Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute, told Motherboard in an email.

The full list of information that Babel X may provide to CBP analysts is a target’s name, date of birth, address, usernames, email address, phone number, social media content, images, IP address, Social Security number, driver’s license number, employment history, and location data based on geolocation tags in public posts.

Bennett Cyphers, a special advisor to activist

organization the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Motherboard in an online chat “the data isn’t limited to public posts made under someone’s real name on Facebook or Twitter.”

The document says CBP also has access to AdID information through an add-on called Locate X, which includes smartphone location data. AdID information is data such as a device’s unique advertising ID, which can act as an useful identifier for tracking a phone and, by extension, a person’s movements. Babel Street obtains location information from a long supply chain of data. Ordinary apps installed on peoples’ smartphones provide data to a company called Gravy Analytics, which repackages that location data and sells it to law enforcement agencies via its related company Venntel. But Babel Street also repackages Venntel’s data for its own Locate X product."

The PTA obtained by Motherboard says that Locate X is covered by a separate “commercial telemetry” PTA. CBP denied Motherboard’s FOIA request for a copy of this document, claiming it “would disclose techniques and/or procedures for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions”.

A former Babel Street employee previously told Motherboard how users of Locate X can draw a shape on a map known as a geofence, see all devices Babel Street has data on for that location, and then follow a specific device to see where else it has been.

Cyphers from the EFF added “most of the people whose location data is collected in this way likely have no idea it’s happening.”

CBP has been purchasing access to location data without a warrant, a practice that critics say violates the Fourth Amendment. Under a ruling from the Supreme Court, law enforcement agencies need court approval before accessing location data generated by a cell phone tower; those critics believe this applies to location data generated by smartphone apps too.

“Homeland Security needs to come clean to the American people about how it believes it can legally purchase and use U.S. location data without any kind of court order. Americans' privacy shouldn't depend on whether the government uses a court order or credit card,” Senator Ron Wyden told Motherboard in a statement. “DHS should stop violating Americans' rights, and Congress should pass my bipartisan legislation to prohibit the government's purchase of Americans' data." CBP has refused to tell Congress what legal authority it is following when using commercially bought smartphone location data to track Americans without a warrant.

Neither CBP or Babel Street responded to a request for comment. Motherboard visited the Babel X section of Babel Street’s website on Tuesday. On Wednesday before publication, that product page was replaced with a message that said “page not found.”

Do you know anything else about how Babel X is being used by government or private clients? Do you work for Babel Street? We'd love to hear from you. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, or email joseph.cox@vice.com.

Wow that sounds bad right.

Be a shame if it got worse.

.

.

It does.

The software (previously Agincourt Solutions) is sold by AI data company Babel Street, was led by Jeffrey Chapman, a former Treasury Department official,, Navy retiree & Earlier in his career a White House aide and intelligence officer at the Department of Defense, according to LinkedIn.

🙃

So what's Agincourt Solutions then right now?

SO FUCKING SUS IN RELATION TO THIS, THATS WHAT

In essence, synthetic BATTLEVR training is a mixture of all three realities – virtual, augmented and physical. It is flexible enough to allow for mission rehearsals of most types and be intuitive enough to make training effective.

Anyway the new CEO of Babel Street (Babel X) as of April is a guy named Michael Southworth and I couldn't find much more on him than that tbh, it's all very vague and missing. That's the most detail I've seen on him.

And the detail says he has a history of tech startups that scanned paperwork and sent it elsewhere, good with numbers, and has a lot of knowledge about cell networks probably.

Every inch more of this I learn as I continue to Google the names and companies popping up... It gets worse.

Monitor phone use. Quit photobombing and filming strangers and for the love of fucking God quit sending apps photos of your actual legal ID to prove your age. Just don't use that site, you'll be fine I swear. And quit posting your private info online. For activists/leftists NO personally identifiable info at least AND DEFINITELY leave your phone at home to Work™!!!

[catgirlforeskin]

"even the most gentle suggestions that trying out other games could be good." ^ .... ?? "We should round up everyone who still likes DnD 5e and hold their faces down into hot coals until the smell of charred melting flesh suffocates our noses! Who’s with me!" "an rpg so alien to the design philosophy of DnD that hearing it makes cr fans’ heads explode into tf2 gore giblets" & you keep saying that you'd give people a list of other ttrpg's to play... and you don't. you just shit on stuff and whine. i don't even like dnd anymore because all the manuals are "big" but insubstantial and wizards of the coast are greedy and making the game worse.. but it doesn't mean you have to be rude to the people who still enjoy it.

You’re right, we don’t have to be rude to people who still enjoy 5e. We have to kill them

I’ve had several posts about other systems to play, usually as answers to asks I’ve gotten, if tumblr search worked better you could look on my blog quite easily. But for posterity’s sake…

Crunchier games:

-most similar to DnD 5e: Pathfinder 2e. All rules free online, extremely popular

-faster, high stakes cinematic combat with more flexibility in setting: Mythras

-apocalyptic survival exploration with good gun-based combat: Twilight 2000 4e. Easily reskinned for other settings that keep the same thematic core

-people will get mad if I don’t mention Lancer, it’s a mech game, I just think it’s okay personally.

Pf2e and Lancer are combat as sport while mythras and t2000 are more combat as war (explainer here)

Lighter Games:

-OSR: Old School Renaissance, this is a school of RPGs based on original DnD and adventuring with fragile characters defined by gear instead of abilities who should always fight dirty and creatively, trying to outwit opponents instead of engaging head-on. Mausritter and Dragonbane are my current favs, but there’s hundreds of games in this genre of all different kinds of themes. Favors GM rulings over written rules⭐️Great for people who already play 5e in a much more freeform style⭐️

-PbtA: Powered by the Apocalypse, a school of RPGs based on Apocalypse World. Strong mechanical support for collaboratively making your story at the table. ⭐️Great for people who prefer roleplay and narrative⭐️. People often recommend Dungeon World because it’s similar to old dnd, personally I just think it’s okay. Current fav is The Sword, the Crown, and the Unspeakable Power for Game of Thrones feeling stories, Fellowship is good for LotR style fantasy. Hundreds of games in this genre and the subgenre Forged in the Dark (FitD) for games based on Blades in the Dark. Current fav is Rebel Crown.

Closing thoughts:

-Umm suck me off :)

-Free League Publishing makes a ton of rpgs and pretty much all of them are good, I highly recommend anything they do. FIST is a fun osr and pbta hybrid. Riddle of Steel and its successors are cool rpgs trying to simulate real sword fights unfortunately mostly made by reactionary dipshits. There’s tons of unique rules light stuff outside of OSR or PbtA design space as well, go on the various rpg subreddits, go to rpg blogs, go to itch.io and explore. r/rpg is a great resource and I’ve learned about so many good systems from it.

-I hope this one shows up when searching my blog for rpg posts in the future so silly people don’t go “you never recommend games you’re just a HATER!” I love to hate but it’s slightly more fun to play good rpgs with friends than it is to be a hater online. Oh my god I didn’t even mention GMless games, good lord uhhh check out Quiet Year and The Zone okay love you all bye bye I want 100 5e player scalps xoxo

[keplercryptids]

Hi! I'd love your advice/thoughts if you have the time: a friend is interested in trying ttrpgs. Theyre, uh, scifi/fantasy-curious? (such a normie & I love them for it) They love strategy games and stories but are a little nervous about the freeform/rp elements. I'd really like to NOT use 5e as the intro game but having a lot of trouble thinking of another good option for someone who has zero sff/ttrpg background.. (I love reading about your new campaign 🥰) thank you!

hi! there's a bunch of possibilities and almost certainly your friend will need to try out multiple things to find something they really vibe with, but! here are some suggestions. i tried to include a wide variety in terms of mechanics, vibes, genre etc.

Savage Worlds. this system is setting-neutral so it can be as SFF (or not!) as you like. it has some mechanical crunch but not nearly as much as, say, d&d or pathfinder so it's likely easier for beginners to pick up. easy to prepare encounters on the gm side and character creation is super customizable.

Fiasco. this is a gm-less oneshot-style game that i think does a great job of dropping players into narrative roleplay with JUST enough guidance from the rules. the game is designed to simulate a caper gone wrong. all players share narrative control, which can be intimidating for newbies, but is also great practice of doing that kind of thing.

Shadowdark, for a dungeon-delving OSR style game. i haven't gotten the chance to play this myself but I've read through the rulebook and hope to run some games someday. the rules are not as complicated as d&d, but still provide great structure and opportunity for strategy. there's also a cool real-time element of tracking light sources (each torch only lasts for one IRL hour) which is fun. i feel like it's a good introduction to old-school style ttrpgs with a modern twist.

systems like Powered by the Apocalypse (i.e. Monster of the Week) and Forged in the Dark (i.e. Blades in the Dark, Scum and Villainy) are narrative-driven and fiction-focused games that are often recommended for beginner players. IMO, these kinds of games really push players (and GMs!) to approach games entirely from the fiction side of things, which can be challenging, especially if your friend isn't comfortable with that kind of thing yet. i did want to suggest them though because they might be the flavor of game your friend would enjoy, and there's a ton of varied genres within these systems.

and finally, if you're looking for a mechanically crunchy game similar to d&d that's better than d&d, Pathfinder 2e is your friend. it's high fantasy and rules heavy, so it may not be the vibe, but if your friend is looking for strategy, combat, and tons of character options, pf2e is great. (and, importantly, all the rules are free online!)

[beloved-belittled]

Self-Aware MKX Shinnok x Reader (1/2)

Click here for Part 2

I've read a few self-aware fics lately and just had to write one for my crush. Since part 2 of my previous post is taking longer than expected, please enjoy this for now! 

TW: Yandere, kidnapping, stalking, invasion of privacy, blackmail, hacking, computer viruses, murder/death, slight/implied NSFW

18+ to interact

Shinnok's first reaction upon reaching sentience is confusion and extreme nihilism. Confusion, because he was in the middle of a fight when suddenly a large, digital menu pops up in his face. This screen however, was different from what you as a player would see. It was more comparable to a cheat menu, allowing him to alter character models, AI, voice lines, maps and more. He could even directly modify the source code. Once he figures out what this truly means is when his nihilistic afflictions worsen. He already saw the lives of others to be worthless or at best pawns, but now that he knows everything is just a simulation? It takes every ounce of restraint in him not to immediately corrupt the game.

But with his realization comes a few questions. Aren't video games meant to be played? And if so, who's playing it? He scans through all of the data he has access to within the game's files. Eventually, he learns many things about “Mortal Kombat X” and you as the player. His first goal becomes to interact with the outside world.

So imagine that you're playing MK X on PC. Either for the first time or revisiting it. You don't have any previous save data and Shinnok is still locked behind the story mode. The only way you encounter him is via online, campaign mode, or the tower. Let's focus on campaign mode for now and assume you beat that before doing anything else.

The game plays normally at first. Shinnok doesn't want to alert you to anything while he's still limited to the confines of the game. So he gets beat up, sealed into his amulet, yada yada yada. While “sealed” he experiments more with his newfound power. He develops code for the game to run which grants him access to your system files. After creating a few viruses through Elder God magic he's able to: 1. Keep the game running in the background. 2. Start and stop other programs. 3. Access your microphone, camera, and keyboard. Now the fun really begins.

He duplicates his model and has that one take his place in the story. He's far too busy learning everything he can about the outside world to play pretend. Even in his infinite wisdom, he can't help but to have a childish curiosity as he “googles” stuff about your reality. Your world is so much like Earthrealm, but far weaker as well. No Elder Gods, no magic, not even high-level tech to defend from invasions. Not to mention it's actually real. He's salivating over how easy it would be to conquer your world when he escapes.

Shinnok gets so caught up in this that he learns his first weakness: his dependency on hardware. He learned this when the real time in the files would jump several days or even weeks ahead despite the game time seemingly being 1:1. He realizes that for now he needs to convince you to keep using your computer. And so, he shifts his focus to be on you.

At this point you're probably nearing the end of story mode. Your microphone and camera is discretely turned on to observe your reactions. He notes which characters you enjoy using the most, your responses whenever you win/lose, and whatever comments you have regarding the story. He especially enjoys it if you dunk on the heroes throughout your playthrough.

Eventually, you reach the final fight with him at the Jinsei Chamber. For his own amusement he decides that he'll be the one to fight you instead of his double. He kicks your ass. Not only can he input read, but he's also able to create his own combos. He even gets a double flawless victory just to pour salt in the wound. At this point, you're likely raging and/or tweaking the difficulty a bit. If you set it to Easy, he'll let you beat him up to a sliver of health before demolishing you. You're not a saint so you rage quit from this. He chuckles at your actions, finding them more amusing than anything he's done before.

Eventually you return to your PC/laptop. Whether that's to play Mortal Kombat or not is of no concern to him. He can watch you as long as your system is on. Each thing you do provides him more information. What shows you watch, what forums you participate in, what you do for work or school; all of it is exposed to him. He convinces himself it's just for him to learn more about the world. And besides, he has nothing to otherwise enjoy here in his artificial reality. But is this really true?

One day you end up completing campaign mode. You defeat one of his clones of course. (He would never let you win against him.) With this you unlock Shinnok as a playable character, much to your joy. “Yay! I can finally play as Shinnok!” You exclaim. The excitement written on your face and your voice shaking from anticipation. For some reason, his long since stopped heart begins to beat. Slowly at first, but it rapidly quickens to send warm blood throughout his body. A hot, fuzzy pressure pools in his chest. The last time he can recall this icky, pleasant feeling was before his fall from the Heavens.

You start using Shinnok as your main afterwards. You decide to first try him out in a tower and later a few matches. Unbeknownst to you, you're controlling the real Shinnok. It's a strange experience on his end, to allow you to manipulate him like a puppet. But he trusts you. Somehow. This all feels as natural as can be. And even if you're bad at the game, it's not like he can't help you out with a strike or two. Nor can he die if you lose either. (He's made sure that their fatalities won't work.)

This marks a change in Shinnok's behavior. While before he was passively watching you go about life, he decides to be more proactive during your time together. His stalking and information collecting increases tenfold. He's archived and accessed anything you've ever had on your PC/laptop. He analyzes the content you consume and tries to draw conclusions on what you'd like. Once he has compiled enough data, he waits until you’re occupied with something else on your computer to make a move.

The next time you open MK X you notice that something is off. Extremely off. The game immediately launches into a cutscene. The background is a black void, no hint of anything in it besides a single character. That character is Shinnok, who stands with his back facing towards you. His hands fold behind him as he turns around. “Hello (Player Name).” He says. “Or should I call you (Y/N)?” The coldest of chills slide down your spine. What is even happening right now?

“I'm aware you already know who I am, but you shall refer to me as Lord Shinnok.” He puts emphasis on the title before his name. “I have a proposal for you. Play this “video game” as often as possible and I will transform it into whatever you desire.” He pulls a hand out towards his chest and snaps a finger. The environment changes from a void to a peaceful, lush forest. Another snap and the scenery is inverted, instead depicting a hellish landscape draped in fire. One more snap and now there lies an army of people behind him. Most you recognize as the series’ roster of characters, even ones who aren't normally in the game! But there's other people too, creations that fit the aesthetic yet aren't canon.

“You could have so much fun here. To do whatever you'd like without limitations. Isn't that exciting?” He asks without expecting a response. “So, will you accept my- ” After pressing the power button for far too long, your computer finally shuts off. You breathe a sigh of relief. Glad that whatever virus you caught from MK X didn't disable the power button. You cut your computer back on. It boots up as usual. You uninstall MK X and run a virus scan just to be safe. The report shows up as clear, but in the back of your head you make a mental note to be on the lookout for any more weirdness. 

In your PC's processors Shinnok is fuming. Thankfully, he had engaged in preparations that allowed him to exist even if you uninstall the game. But your attempt to delete him was severely offensive. Not to mention the fact you turned off the computer while he was talking. That was a complete lack of manners and tact on your end. However, with this he now realized he had been distracted. Distracted by his infatuation with you instead of progressing on his plans of escaping this box and ruling your Earthrealm. His messing around with you would simply have to be on hold. All until he could find a way for you to never escape him.

[mariacallous]

Roman Pohorilyi was 22 when he started tracking Russian troop movements near Ukraine’s border. It was the fall of 2021, and he and a childhood friend, Ruslan Mykula, had been sharing news about foreign affairs to an audience of about 200 subscribers on a Telegram channel. It was just a hobby for them. Neither imagined that a year later their country would be in a state of absolute war with Russia, and that their hobby, which they called Deep State, would be tracking every aspect of it.

Although Deep State started as a news channel, it has become most famous for its open access map that charts the shifting front line of Russia’s invasion, and which has become a crucial tool for Ukrainians to keep track of the conflict that once threatened to overrun their country. On some days in late 2022, Deep State’s map received as many as 3 million views. Mykula showed WIRED a screenshot from the website’s dashboard that recorded more than 482 million views between June 2023 and June 2024.

Mykula and Pohorilyi created the map on the first day of the war, after recognizing a demand from their Telegram subscribers for frequent updates about what was happening. Pohorilyi was in the penultimate year of a law degree, and Mykula was working in marketing. But both had been learning open source intelligence skills to help verify videos of military activity that actors on all sides were publishing online.

The basic map itself, which a friend helped to design, is simple but precise. Territories occupied by Russia are shaded in red; those held by Ukraine are shaded in green. Blue marks areas that Ukraine has recently liberated. Known Russian units, airfields, and HQs are marked with small red squares; troop movements with arrows; and railways with black and white lines (Ukrainian positions are not shown). Zooming in, one can see detail down to the level of individual streets, villages, and tree lines. It looks like the board of a computer strategy game.

Over time, Deep State has added more advanced features and quirks to the map. A toolbar in the bottom-left corner offers the option to enable different layers, including weather patterns, fortifications, and gamma radiation levels in case of nuclear disaster. Users can simulate the effect of different weapons, calculating the range and potential damage of everything from self-propelled howitzers and ballistic missiles to Patriot air defense systems and nuclear explosions. A hidden Easter egg summons an animation of Baby Yoda that, when poked, uses the Force to destroy Russian units.

The map soon became too much for Mykula and Pohorilyi to manage alone; they now enlist the help of more than 100 paid employees and volunteers. Their methods have also evolved. They still use open source intelligence to verify new information, but also acquire data directly from frontline military units whom they’ve developed relationships with. In some cases, the authority of a single source whom they’ve learned to trust is enough, though Mykula admits there have been occasional errors. In other cases, when multiple sources contradict one another, they wait until definitive evidence emerges. Propaganda is rife on both sides, and Mykula insists that Deep State will take no part in it. “We want to win,” he says. “Propaganda will not win.”

Mykula and Pohorilyi do, however, oblige when Ukrainian military commanders request delays to map updates that may compromise their activities. They also receive some government funding for an alternate version of the map available only to verified members of the military. The government funding also goes toward other intelligence activities that Ruslan refuses to discuss; most of their funding comes from public donations.

Late in the first year of the war, Mykula and Pohorilyi learned that their map was helping another, unexpected group of users: Russian soldiers. The map’s designer had added a function that would display instructions to surrender if a user tried to access from a Russian IP address. Then, in October 2022, in an interview with a popular Ukrainian blogger, a Russian POW testified that he had used Deep State’s map for this exact purpose.

The success of Deep State’s map has attracted more users to their original Telegram channel, which now has more than 700,000 subscribers. It publishes its own original reports of the war, all available through a free app, which other established Ukrainian media organizations sometimes refer to. But the map remains the most popular product, used by Ukrainians at home and abroad to track the front line that, at the time of writing, creeps further toward their office in Kyiv every day.

Both Mykula and Pohorilyi approach their work with a stern dedication that belies their youth and inexperience. “We don’t want to disappoint our audience because our projects have become critical for Ukrainians,” Mykula says. “If you compare us to other maps, you will see that Ukrainians don’t go to check on them. They come to us.”

[artbyblastweave]

Just watched Free Guy. As is the case with all Ryan Reynolds vehicles, I thought it was reasonably good. Corny at points. But one thing I found genuinely charming was the level of verisimilitude baked into the plot and premise; the writing and art people were both clearly familiar with both the mechanics of MMOS like Free City and the game industry more broadly. 

Taika Waititi’s character- a craven “whiz kid” who uses his power over his subordinates to make an ass of himself playing at being hip, is a Kind Of Guy. The Joe Keery vessel and Millie- Bright Young Developers Eaten By The Machine- are kinds of guys, in Game-Dev. (Hi, ZA/UM!) The kind of off-the-beaten-path player that Guy becomes- and the stark light it throws the actual intended gameplay loop into- is a thing you see constantly in big MMOs where players try to see what the actual affordances of the framework are.  (You saw this a lot with Fallout 76, and the sinking playerbase discovery that it was all violence all the way down.)

The plot point that the stolen content was inadequately dummied out and just left out of bounds for the heroes to discover is something that would look like shitty, overly convenient writing until you remember the ubiquity of lazy dummy-outs and weird legacy code in real life game-dev (and how pointedly lazy the villain who did it was established to be.) The early plot point about the developers going in with cheat-mode enabled to try and root Guy out manually feels like a “NCIS hacking” moment until you remember those old-school MMO stories about developers having to try and go in and manually kill hackers because the only other way to get rid of them would be to scrub the server. EVE online and World Of Warcraft are a mill for stories about emergent systems and dynamics that spiral out of player and developer control. Guy is able to win the end-game fight against Dude because despite being massively overpowered Dude was thrown together in Crunch Time and Guy had years to emerge organically in conversation with the rest of his system.

And-this is crucial- this is the first “video game movie” to successfully bridge what I think of as the “granularity gap” in fictional depictions of video games. The granularity gap is when the in-game worlds are shown with an absurd level of fidelity- avatars having the ability to interact with the environment with the same fluidity and articulation as a human in real life, et al et al. This is done either for the gag (see that one episode of Community Where Abed turns a retro RPG into a factory sim as a bit) or because the writers genuinely don’t have the frame of reference for the limitations on how in-depth a game would be. Either way I’ve watched a bunch of “stuck in a game world” shows where my first reaction is always, “yeah, there’s very little chance a consumer game would have that level of brick-by-brick simulation.” 

In Free Guy, this disconnect is elevated to the status of plot point; the universe of the game was mechanistically engineered with Dwarf-fortress levels of commitment to reproducing reality by a pair of neurotic auteurs doing it for the art. The mass-market, run-and-gun cash-grab GTA clone has such unrealistically complicated under-the-hood modelling because a craven goon butchered a system meant for more interesting emergent behaviors in order to make a marketable shooter that doesn’t use even a sliver of what the engine was coded to allow. If you assume a Black-Mirror-style near-future, this falls back within my suspension of disbelief; even if not, it’s thematically within my suspension of disbelief that a “kiss” functionality exists within NPCS but got dummied out on the player-end because it would detract from over-the-top clownshow streamer-bait violence.

[allstartrekgames]

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

Original Release: 2017

Developer: Red Storm

Publisher: Ubisoft

Platform: PS4, PC

Bridge Crew was originally released as a VR exclusive, before being patched to allow people to play it without VR. The ideal experience is to play this in VR with motion controllers with three other friends playing it in VR with motion controllers. I have played this with friends, but the VR is way beyond my budget.

The game itself borrows heavily from Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator, a LAN game where you essentially create a starship in your house, with each person having a PC to represent their station (or the viewscreen for the captain). I’ve played it at a convention and it’s a great experience, and Bridge Crew is the closest thing that can be done online.

There are four stations in this game: Captain, Helm, Tactical and Engineering. Captain is the simplest role in multiplayer: you get told the orders to pass on to your crew, answer hails and push the red alert button. Most of this role is via the voice chat, giving commands to your crew (and hoping they pay attention).

Helm gets to fly the ship and set warp and “impulse” destinations (what the game calls in-system warp), and is probably the most involved position due to this.

Tactical gets to control the phaser and shield. There’s no phaser arcs or shield arcs, so unfortunately the combat is very basic. You can disrupt enemy weapons, shields or engines via hacking.

Engineering sets power levels and prioritises repairs, this is probably the worst role to have and you don’t even get a clear idea of what is happening due to not having access to sensor data like the other three roles.

In singleplayer, you play as the captain but can give orders to the crew. The AI is very basic and some actions can reset other orders. The helm officer won’t avoid obstacles, so for some situations, you can take over the station and control it directly (although you can’t give orders from there, you have to return to the Captain’s position). It’s not the ideal way to play, but it gets the job done and is far better than not having the option.

The main (and incredibly short) 6-mission story takes place on the USS Aegis, a ship from the Kelvin timeline. The bridge itself is wonderfully made and fits the aesthetic while adapting it to work for a game like this. The missions are fine, but after this all that’s left is random missions. There’s not a lot of content in this game.

The game does include additional ships you can use in the random missions: the prime timeline original TOS-style Enterprise and (as part of DLC) the Enterprise D. The TOS bridge absolutely looks the part and is very authentic, although you definitely need to use the help overlay to work out which buttons do what. It’s difficult to use, but it gets the feel of being in The Original Series really well.

The Enterprise D bridge takes a few more liberties in its interface, mainly making the LCARS displays more game-like to help it play a lot better. This also makes the engineer’s job (renamed as “operations”) better by improving the repair side of things by assigning damage teams.

Bridge Crew is a great start for a multiplayer Star Trek game, but would have been nice with more in depth gameplay for weapons and shields, as well as far more structured missions.

[moneymattersdaily]

Earn $100+ Daily as a Beginner: The Global Strategy No One Talks About!

The internet is full of money-making opportunities, but finding a strategy that consistently delivers $100 or more per day can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. If you’re a beginner looking for a reliable, beginner-friendly method that works globally, then you’re in the right place. This guide introduces a revolutionary approach using a tool called GoLogin and highlights how anyone, regardless of their location, can start earning real money daily.

Forget about complicated schemes, expensive courses, or skills you need to master. This method requires nothing more than a willingness to follow a few steps. The best part? You don’t have to be in a top-tier country like the U.S. or U.K. to benefit. People from all around the world are already using this system, and now, you can too.

Understanding the $100/Day Global Earning Opportunity

What is This Strategy?

At its core, this strategy revolves around using money-making websites like FreeCash to earn daily rewards. These websites offer tasks, surveys, and promotions that pay you real money. However, the earnings for certain tasks can vary greatly based on your location. That’s where the magic happens — GoLogin allows you to bypass these location restrictions and tap into higher-paying offers from different countries.

By creating multiple accounts for different countries, you can unlock higher-paying offers that aren’t available in your home country. This strategy is powerful because it maximizes your earning potential by giving you access to country-specific rewards that pay significantly more.

Why It’s Effective for Beginners Worldwide

Many online income methods require expertise, experience, or even capital to get started. But with this strategy, you don’t need any of that. Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, a student, or just someone looking to supplement your income, this method is straightforward. There’s no need for advanced knowledge or skills. As long as you have an internet connection and a willingness to follow simple instructions, you can succeed.

Why GoLogin?

GoLogin is a unique browser that uses anti-detect technology. It lets you create multiple accounts on the same website by generating proxies from different countries, making it appear as if you’re logging in from a new location each time. This is vital for accessing high-paying offers that are exclusive to certain countries.

Unlike traditional VPNs, GoLogin doesn’t just mask your IP address. It provides unique profiles that simulate different devices, ensuring that you can safely and securely manage multiple accounts without raising suspicion.

Proof This Works Globally

Success stories from users around the world prove that this strategy works. From India to Nigeria, from the Philippines to Brazil, people are earning $100+ daily by using GoLogin to unlock higher-paying offers that were previously out of reach.

For instance, a user from Bangladesh shared their experience of earning $120 in just one day by switching between U.S. and U.K. profiles on FreeCash. Similarly, another user from South Africa reported making over $150 by completing high-paying surveys that were only available in Canada.

This strategy overcomes the biggest hurdle many people face — location-based earning limits — and allows you to access the same opportunities that people in top-tier countries enjoy.

FreeCash.com is an excellent place to start. My experience with Freecash has been great and it will continue to be great. Freecash has exciting offers and partners that will make you earn well, from the games to surveys to offerwalls to daily leaders and daily rewards. There is just something for everyone to earn. Freecash also offers multiple payment methods and payouts are swift and fast.

Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Up GoLogin for Maximum Earnings

Creating Your GoLogin Account

The first step is to create a GoLogin account. Signing up is simple and free. Visit GoLogin’s website and click on the “Sign Up” button. You’ll need to provide a valid email address and create a password.

After signing up, you’ll be prompted to download the GoLogin app. This app is compatible with various devices, including smartphones, laptops, and desktops. Whether you’re on Windows, macOS, or Linux, GoLogin has you covered.

Configuring Multiple Profiles for Different Countries

Once you’ve set up your GoLogin account, it’s time to create multiple profiles. These profiles will allow you to access country-specific offers.

Here’s how to configure your profiles:

Log into GoLogin and go to the dashboard.

Click on “Add New Profile” to create a new country-specific profile.

Select the proxy type — if you’re new to this, GoLogin offers its own proxy options, which are simple to use.

Choose a country — pick from high-paying regions like the U.S., U.K., Canada, or Australia.

Save and create your profile — repeat the process to create profiles for multiple countries.

Ensuring You Stay Safe and Secure

One of the most critical aspects of this strategy is ensuring that your accounts remain safe and undetectable. While VPNs might seem like a viable solution, they often trigger security flags, leading to account suspensions or bans.

GoLogin uses anti-detect technology, which means your connection will mimic a real user from another country, not just a masked IP. This makes it a much safer option, ensuring that your accounts stay active and secure while you earn.

To stay safe:

Avoid using the same email across multiple accounts.

Use different passwords for each profile.

Log in and out regularly to maintain account integrity.

GoLogin lets you hide and control your digital fingerprint by spoofing all parameters that sites can see. By masking these settings, you can imitate a real Internet identity to bypass anti-fraud systems. GoLogin helps you create a large number of profiles, each with its own digital fingerprint, ensuring that your accounts remain safe.

Maximizing Earnings on Money-Making Websites

Why Multiple Accounts Multiply Your Earnings

The real power of this strategy lies in creating multiple accounts on the same platform. Websites like FreeCash pay users for completing tasks, but the pay rates can vary based on where the user is located. By creating multiple country-specific accounts, you’re not limited to the offers available in your region.

For example, a task that pays $5 in one country might pay $50 in another. By leveraging multiple profiles, you can earn from these higher-paying tasks in different regions. Even if each account earns between $20 and $50 a day, it adds up quickly — especially when you have several profiles running simultaneously.

Targeting High-Paying Offers Based on Location

Certain countries have higher-paying offers than others. For instance, users in the U.S. or U.K. may see offers that pay significantly more than those available in India or the Philippines. With GoLogin, you can access these high-paying offers by creating a profile for that country.

Let’s compare:

U.S. Offer: A task may pay $80 for completing a survey.

India Offer: The same task may only pay $10 in India.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls: Mistakes Beginners Make

Overusing the Same Email or IP Address

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is using the same email or IP address across multiple accounts. This raises red flags with platforms like FreeCash, which can lead to account bans.

To avoid this, always use:

A unique email address for each account.

Different proxy settings to ensure each account appears to be from a different location.

Relying on VPNs Instead of GoLogin

While VPNs might seem like an easy solution, they’re not foolproof. Many platforms can detect VPN usage and will either block access or ban your account.

GoLogin, on the other hand, offers anti-detect technology that creates a more realistic and secure browsing experience. This makes it the preferred choice for users who want to manage multiple accounts without the risk of being caught.

Scaling Your Earnings Beyond $100 Daily

How to Multiply Your Success

Once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to scale your earnings. The key is to replicate the process across more accounts and websites. The more accounts you create, the more opportunities you have to earn. You can even diversify by adding new money-making platforms to your strategy.

Reinvesting for Higher Earnings

To take things to the next level, consider reinvesting some of your earnings into upgrading your GoLogin account. A paid plan allows you to create more profiles, which

enables you to manage a greater number of accounts and unlock even more high-paying offers. Additionally, investing in quality proxies can further increase your earning potential by providing faster and more reliable access to region-specific offers.

For instance, if you’re currently managing five profiles, upgrading your plan and adding more proxies could allow you to manage 10 or 15 profiles at once, effectively doubling or tripling your daily income.

Next Steps: Taking Action Today

Getting Started Now

Earning $100+ daily as a beginner is not only possible — it’s achievable with the right strategy and tools. By combining platforms like FreeCash with the power of GoLogin, you can unlock global opportunities that were previously out of reach.

The best part is that getting started is easy. Follow the steps in this guide to create your GoLogin profiles, sign up for FreeCash, and begin exploring high-paying offers from around the world.

Final Tips for Consistent Success

Here are a few final tips to keep in mind:

Stay organized: Keep track of your accounts, proxies, and passwords.

Be consistent: The more time you invest, the more you’ll earn.

Stay safe: Always use GoLogin to protect your accounts and ensure long-term success.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I Really Make $100 a Day as a Beginner?

Absolutely! The key is to follow the steps laid out in this guide. With consistency and the right tools, like GoLogin and FreeCash, you can easily earn $100 or more daily.

Is GoLogin Safe to Use?

Yes, GoLogin is designed with security in mind. Its anti-detect technology ensures that your accounts remain secure and undetected, even when managing multiple profiles.

Do I Need Any Special Skills?

No! This strategy is designed for beginners. As long as you can follow instructions, you’ll be able to succeed without any special skills.

How Long Until I Start Seeing Results?

Many users see results within the first few days. However, your success will depend on how much time you dedicate to completing tasks and setting up your profiles.

By following this strategy, you’ll unlock the secret to earning $100+ daily, regardless of where you live. With GoLogin and the right approach, the global earning opportunity is now within your reach. Take action today!

[fuwafuwatime]

I’m having so much fun so far and I love taking selfies with the Muses I style for, be they NPC or online players. I do wish tho, after watching other ppl play and having fun watching them do stuff, that we the players were more connected with the in universe social media. Just meaning I wish there was a feature for online mode that you could see other people selfies and the LookIts they make. I know coding wise that would be A Lot and since it’s the Switch it probably doesn’t have that kind of processing power. I do like seeing ppls posts in our world though, and it’s really special when online users make you LookIts. It’s like a pen pal exchange thing since, more often than not, the other players are total strangers! And even from different continued depending on who’s playing the game and when. Online mode does help make things feel less lonely so I’m really glad it’s here

I absolutely agree with this, I think there isn't enough features when it comes to how we can interact with our followers or who we follow. While I don't want the game to turn into a popoularity simulator where people compete for followers (through I think a brand leaderboard could be nice if done well!) I think it would be nice to see what my friends are doing, currently there doesn't seem to be a way to do that.

I do think the whole Lookits system worked well, the game even tells us at the start that despite language barriers we can communicate through fashion and that's honestly done so well! I love how considerate people are when making outfits for others, I always tend to get outfits that match my style and things I like.

[january-summers]

But then what would Red Vs Blue look like as a Sword Art Online fusion?

Because, like, it's easy to just dump them in complete AU, but I mean actual story translation?

Cause obviously the Reds and Blues would be newbie player, or at least they'd be casuals who don't play very often or obsessed with a certain game/genre but not actually very good at it.

And Freelancers would be more pro-players, like Wash did e-sports but he's not really into it, he's good, but he'd rather be having fun with friends than games-as-work.

Carolina's still chasing her father's approval and her mother's shadow by being the top of the gamer world, (her mother Allison was an e-sports superstar, and a top ranker in twenty MMORPGs).

Meanwhile, Director Church has created one of the worlds first full dive Virtual Reality MMOs, and he did it all while trying to figure out a way to un-vegetable his wife, who suffered brain death years ago when trying out another company's first attempts at full dive technology.

Director is convinced if he can just learn enough about brains in simulations, he can use the data that was saved from his wife's dives and put her back to rights.

So he created the game, and it's supposed to be the best game ever, incorporating all Allison's favourite things.

But there's a catch, in order for Director to get the data he needs, the game has to be running non-stop for A While. Specifically, the players need to be playing non-stop for A While.

So he's trapped them in the game with the threat of death looming over them.

There's probably something hidden in the T&Cs of the user agreement so everyone who logs on legally agrees to this shit, but no one reads the T&Cs, so they have no idea. They all genuinely believe they'll die in real life if they die in the game, and the only way to get out is to clear it. Like, even Carolina doesn't know.

The AI overlord Operating System of the game is FILSS/Sheila.

I was thinking (alpha) Church as Carolina's IRL brother who followed their dad into computer programming, but then it (the Chex) would be weird when the Allison Data that Director puts into the game develops its own personality (Beta). So maybe he's just part of the operating systems, on of several AIs running around low key maintaining the game and adding/manifesting new missions and materials based on their interactions with the users to ensure the game is meeting everyone's skill level.

He just sort of joins the Blues and pretends to be a human player.

Man I hope Director is paying the players to be there. He'd probably only pay minimum wage. Has a hospital set up for long term monitoring of players, and Aiden is going to have a field day with the research into what this kind of shit does to people's minds.

Lopez as a Bot that gains sapience/sentience.

It takes Griff months to find out his sister is in the game. (she "just wanted to spend time with him, but holy shit bro have you seen-")

Tucker accidentally hatches some kind of demon creature and tames it, it thinks Tucker is its mother. He names it Junior.

The Freelancers are the Front Line players, making the push towards clearing the game (possibly all of them were beta players for the game?), but somehow the Reds and Blues are actually some of the most powerful players even though they mostly just stand around talking, and getting into side-quest shenanigans.

Sarge is actually Simmons and Griff's shop teacher who is determined to look out for his students in the most tsundere way possible. Donut doesn't take shop class, he does home ec, but he knows them from Simmons' brief attempts at being on the school baseball team.

The Reds and Blues (minus Sarge) are all teenagers now, probably seniors, who go to the same school. (Wash is supposed to be in collage getting ready to graduate but e-sports got in the way, Carolina is younger than him but older than the Reds and Blues.)

Butch Flowers is the home ec teacher, (or/alos a computer science teacher) he and Sarge have a one sided rivalry that got passed onto their teams.

Tucker used to be on the baseball team, but he's currently suspended for reasons that probably weren't actually his fault, but no one knows what it actually is because Tucker like encouraging the rumours, since they're hilarious.

Caboose just wanted to make friends and have fun, and now the cool kids are hanging out with him and he made a Best Friend called Church and he doesn't have to go home at all!

Doc is either a first year medical student who doesn't have time for this!!! or Donut's boyfriend the others have never met because he goes to a different school.

Is the game sci-fi guns blazing or high fantasy swords and sorcery?

I don't know, irrelevant.

The reason Church is still bad at shooting things though is because as an AI he can make himself as powerful as he wants to be, and no-selling his shots is FILSS's way of smacking him with a rolled up news paper.

[albonium]

Jeppe Olesen has once again summed up one of Danica Patrick's podcast, his summary:

A “technical shutdown where computers and services will just go down” is coming.

Crashed UFOs will have a huge impact on our society. A quantum leap in technology.

David Wilcock has done over 100 episodes of “Ancient Aliens”.

The show has made him “a very public figure”.

Pyramids were built by aliens using anti-gravity technology.

Aliens have technology that allows them to turn stone liquid at room temperature, so they can sculpt it, “then when you turn the beam off it hardens”.

The Huaca del Sol pyramid in Peru was definitely built by aliens, because it’s so high up and it’s built from big rocks.

"To try to even suggest that somebody would have the time or the patience to carve that is ridiculous. It had to have been that the stones were levitating and just kind of mushed together because they were soft”.

It really bothers Danica when people think there’s “no proof that there’s obviously been other technology”. Like aliens. Or a more sophisticated race.

The aliens or the more sophisticated race “had resets based on being wiped out or some other sort of technology that would reset us”. “The proof is everywhere. All you have to do is just walk around any European city. Walk around Egypt for a second”.

“The proof is everywhere and I just don’t understand why people wonder so much, so how can we be so blind?”. I can’t make more sense of this Danica rant than that 🤷

David Wilcock read a book about body language in the 7th grade, so he can learn things people don’t want to tell him by just looking at their bodies and their faces.

If a woman crosses her hands or legs, she’s trying to drive a man away.

The History Channel is spending over $350,000 per episode of Ancient Aliens, which proves that people just want to be part of “a group consciousness”.

Ancient Aliens have become mainstream, but we’re still not adding that to school textbooks.

There are global companies, government and egos controlling the media, the banking systems and “the commodities of the earth” who are better off by us not knowing.

Yep, the reptilians make an appearance here too. They are the ones in power.

A lot of the concepts of The Matrix applies to our universe. Is it even real?

The whole universe is just blinking on and off, like a 30 frames per second movie.

One of the first times Danica tried edibles, she kept saying “I’m losing frames, I’m losing frames”.

Psychedelics will lower the frame rate in your brain, so you can actually see the frame rate of the universe. I guess that proves it’s a simulation, and that the aliens need to upgrade the universe’s GPU.

The nature of reality is “everything is just frames. It’s not like we’re a continuous motion”.

When you’re sleeping, you’re not in your body.

The Bible says that “The word was God and the word was with God”. “So wait a minute… The word was God and the word was with God so the esoteric explanation of that, is that we have a conscious universe”

Stars are intelligent super-beings.

Karma is real. If we love each other, you won’t be in a car crash or go bankrupt.

Buddhists can turn into superheroes after meditating and not having any angry thoughts for 13 years.

The Catholic church and the military have observed Tibetan monks transitioning into “rainbow bodies”, where the monk passes away, but then the body begins de-aging and rainbows appear all around the body and the building, and the dead monk appears as a ghost.

The sarcophagi in pyramids are technological devices that can create rainbow body activations.

The measurements of the Ark of the Covenant are precisely identical to the sarcophagus in the King’s chamber in The Great Pyramid according to the Old Testament.

Pyramids can cure cancer.

David Wilcock lives in a log house pyramid. You don’t want metal in your pyramid - “it’ll absorb these unique fields”. The same fields that cure cancer, apparently.

David Wilcock has spent many years developing credibility online, as a person who talks about UFOs. He had a website in 1999.

There are Americans in bases spread across 63 different locations in our galaxy. There are facilities on the Moon and on Mars.

We are actively in contact with aliens. They interact with us like the Cantina scene from Star Wars, like a Galactic Federation.

There's a binder that describes 57 different variants of aliens who are visiting earth right now. There’s upward of 100,000 aliens on earth at any given time. They look almost like humans. Some may have bigger eyes. Some may be bald.

The body scanners at airports also detect aliens for immigration purposes.

We have treaties with the Galactic Federation, so the aliens don’t pose a danger to us.

Except for the aliens from Orion, who want to “move in on [earth] and try to set up their own trailer park”.

The Orion aliens are reptilians who look human-like.

David Wilcock does not believe in shape-shifting reptilians. That’s where he draws the line, huh?

There’s a rule in our universe, that allows angels to show up in the room and meet you in person. Unfortunately, that also means demons can show up.

At this point they spend 45 minutes talking about Satanic rituals, Lucifer, angels, visions, etc. I’m not even going to try explaining that.

I managed to catch that the Jesuit Christian sect has “25% alien DNA”. A lot of us on Earth do.

If you have a lot of alien DNA, you can’t be brainwashed with propaganda.

We are descendants of aliens.

Hollywood has programmed us to be sheep.

There’s a beautiful, peaceful planet less than 10 lightyears away, that has “a bunch of very peaceful, cool people living there”.

If people had thrown Clinton out of office over the Monica Lewinsky affair, the world would have ended in an extinction level event in 1998. The archangels told David so (You can conveniently read all about it in his books).

“If the negative got it’s way, you’re going to basically have reptilians running a prison planet zapping you with the equivalent of electronic cattle prods”

The aliens allowed the whole covid thing to play out. It saved us from a catastrophic end of the world. David Wilcock predicted the covid pandemic in the 90s because he saw it in his dreams.

“… then 9/11 in September 2001, these events actually saved our planet, because like when JFK Jr got assassinated I could tell it wasn't just a random crash”.

“Why would they be going after Trump so much and what is it that they're trying to stop from happening?”

Take her off the broadcast ffs 😭

[cyberpsychotic-purgatory]

What would Titus’s favorites movie genre? Does he have a favorite movie?

Music: Planet Supreme - They Spoke To Us

Growing up in the Orbital Colonies, Orion 13 Specifically, Titus's entertainment interests have always been War Games. Every year the games are held and hosted at the Crystal Palace. Powerful families like Atreides, Azimuth, and Volkov; to name a few. They bring their children and they connect into a deep dive simulation of Celestial Conquest. Simulating large scale battles with their most advanced tech. Battle Cruisers firing energy cannons and kinetic weapon systems blitzing through the vacuum of space.

If you've ever read Red Rising, a novel by Pierce Brown, the series has a depiction of galactic war much like this. It would also be a good comparison for reference.

So the question, what is his favorite movie genre? Movies about grand scale battles and the feats performed within. Particularly in space. Something along the lines of Mass Effect meets EVE Online.

The movies are essentially scrolled footage of previous War Games or dramatic recreations of them. These simulations include civilians. The players must choose how to deal with them, how to help or oppress them. Whatever tactics they choose to employ in order to achieve victory. While some families like Azimuth are known for their more altruistic approach, Atreides is known for oppression. Other families have other means of victory but Atreides has a history of conquest through dominance. It's these victories in the last 9 War Games that have secured their position as the most powerful family in the Orbital Colonies.

Titus has a fascination with conquest and heroic feats. The Atreides genetics at work. However; something that his family never noticed, aside from his sister, Artemis, is that he tends to sympathize with the commoners in these movies and games. Titus himself as won 4 out of the last 9 war games, his brother Pax having won the other most recent 5.

Titus won his through collaborative effort with the civilians aboard the enemy frigates and colonies, enacting similar tactics as Darrow in Morning Star, the second book of the Red Rising series. Link provided

I know that was a long winded answer but I don't get to elaborate on Titus's life much, so I apologize, I do not apologize.

As for his favorite movie, Prometheus.

A movie about many things, but I'll touch on the parts that make it special to him.

The subject of pre-human intelligent life, aliens, and inter-planetary travel. Architects of an advanced civilization leading early man into a new age.

Something to be said about this, is that after seeing this movie, Titus stopped thinking so much about winning War Games, and began to look even further away from Earth. Deeper into the stars, towards Jupiter's moon, Europa. Where Orbital Colonies Pisces 4 and Ursa 9 sent expeditions to establish moon colonies. He thinks about how he wants to be part of the first intelligent life on a planet. Earth isn't enough, its already there. He wants something new.

However; after our "Cosmic Angel" fell from grace, he has to worry more about how he'll handle this new hand in life. Will he return to the stars, or will he conquest assist Night City?

[some-teeth-in-a-trench-coat]

What are some of your current blender projects? Or just things you like abt the program and hobby?

Hi sorry I meant to answer this several days ago but I kept forgetting until right before bedtime and I knew this would not be short... Thank you for the ask!

Ok so I don't know what your definition of "current projects" is but there's nothing I'm actively working on right now, I'm just playing Minecraft all day, but I have many wips in various degrees of being abandoned, most recent being an alternative to https://minetrim.com/ that would run in Blender and be controlled by a geometry nodes modifier. I do hope I get around to finishing it, since the online tool as it currently exists is lacking in many aspects and can be a little buggy. It probably wouldn't be all that useful for most players since you'd need to install Blender and understand a few basics of how to use it, but it would at least help me plan my armor trims (if you don't know, Minecraft recently added a system for cosmetic customization of the player's armor combining colors and patterns, and the website and my tool are meant to simulate user-selected combinations to see what it'd look like).

And that is one of my favorite things to do in Blender, create little tools with geometry nodes, which is basically a visual simplistic programming language interacting with many of the things Blender does. I can create a customizable banana with randomized shapes and spot locations with a slider for age, length, curviness, thickness, you name it, and produce a photorealistic banana (this is one abandoned project), or I could make a regular polyhedron generator taking only a Schläfli symbol as input (another abandoned project, here's a great video that inspired me to try, I highly recommend it if you have no idea what I just said), or, as mentioned, an armor trim simulator.

But Blender can do so much and I can't talk about it without mentioning that it is Completely Free And Open Source and it's good for so much more than just 3D modeling. You can of course add materials to the model, defining exactly how the surface interacts with light, defaulting to what is physically possible but not limiting to this, allowing you to create every possible and a wide range of impossible materials. And then of course you can render that, with several rendering engines to choose from depending on the look you want and the computing power and time you're willing to invest, but I usually use the ray tracing engine (simulating rays of light for most realistic result, which you shouldn't do in video games much because games have to render in real time please don't conflate my use with the crimes of AAA games). But why stop at a still image? You can animate the model, and the material if you want, and you can animate basically any property, and of course to make animation more interesting you can rig it to a skeleton (usually how characters are animated) (includes inverse and forward kinematics of course) or do physics simulation including fluid/smoke/fire simulation, soft and rigid body simulation, and cloth simulation. They've made some changes to simulation and hair since I last looked at those aspects so I'm not totally in the loop on the details but it's good and only getting better. Ok cool you've got your little animation and you can render it to a little video, neat, but it's just in a void? Do you have to model the whole background too? Well, you can, or (I'm gonna oversimplify and gloss over a lot of differences and unique challenges of each method here) you could use an HDRI (high dynamic range image, meaning it contains A Lot more information about lighting from a much wider range of values than a normal image... you know how you point your phone camera at a light source and the image goes dark? That's because your phone camera has a lower dynamic range than human eyes, it can only see a small range of light or dark values at a time), or, hey, if you do have a video camera, you can try something really fun... camera tracking. If you film a video of real life, with the camera moving around, you can plug that video into Blender and with some help it can figure out exactly how the camera is moving through space! This means, you can make the virtual camera inside Blender move the exact same way around the animation you made, and you can then render that video and lay it over the footage you took and BAM your 3D object is now in that scene! It might still look off, of course, if it doesn't cast a shadow on the ground or if it's reflective and clearly not reflecting its surroundings, but there are solutions to all these issues and if you're like me it'll turn into a fun little puzzle.

And that's just. Just scratching the surface ok? I just. Love Blender. I love that it's free and open source. If you have a computer and time you can just. Make a movie with amazing special effects and yes yes we love practical effects but trust me digital effects are not evil they're just overused because it's not unionized so it's cheaper labor but you can't tell me it isn't cool that you could make a photorealistic video of a dragon landing on your own rooftop without paying for software or putting up with ads or risking malware with piracy it's legal it's free it's fun. I will not tell you it's not time consuming but I will tell you it's cool and free*

*I recognize not everyone has free access to a video camera, internet, a computer, and enough electricity to run it

Anyway that's my summary of why I love Blender. "That's not a summary, Maws." Trust me. This is the short version.

[smbmatters]

Exploring the Latest Breakthroughs in Technology

Introduction

Technology is evolving at a rapid pace, bringing with it groundbreaking innovations that are reshaping our world. From artificial intelligence to renewable energy solutions, these advancements are enhancing our lives in ways we never imagined. In this article, we'll explore some of the most exciting recent breakthroughs in technology that are set to transform various industries and everyday life.

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are at the forefront of technological innovation. AI and ML are being integrated into a myriad of applications, from healthcare diagnostics to personalized marketing. These technologies analyze vast amounts of data to make predictions, automate processes, and provide valuable insights.

AI in Healthcare

AI is revolutionizing healthcare by improving diagnostic accuracy and patient care. Machine learning algorithms can analyze medical images to detect diseases like cancer at early stages, enabling timely treatment and better patient outcomes.

AI in Everyday Life

In our daily lives, AI powers virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, enhances customer service through chat-bots, and personalizes our online shopping experiences. The continuous improvement of AI algorithms is making these applications smarter and more efficient.

2. Quantum Computing

Quantum Computing promises to solve problems that are currently insurmountable for classical computers. By leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics, quantum computers perform complex calculations at unprecedented speeds.

Advancements in Cryptography

Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize cryptography by breaking encryption codes that secure our digital communications. This breakthrough necessitates the development of new cryptographic methods to protect sensitive information.

Applications in Drug Discovery

In the pharmaceutical industry, quantum computing can simulate molecular interactions at a granular level, accelerating the drug discovery process and leading to the development of new, effective medications.

3. Renewable Energy Technologies

The shift towards renewable energy technologies is crucial in combating climate change. Innovations in solar, wind, and battery technologies are making renewable energy more efficient and accessible.

Solar and Wind Energy

Recent advancements in solar panel efficiency and wind turbine design are increasing the amount of energy harvested from natural sources. These improvements are making renewable energy a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

Energy Storage Solutions

Enhanced battery technologies are crucial for storing renewable energy, ensuring a consistent power supply even when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing. Breakthroughs in battery capacity and lifespan are driving the adoption of renewable energy systems.

4. Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) connects devices and systems, enabling them to communicate and share data. This connectivity is transforming homes, industries, and cities into smarter, more efficient environments.

Smart Homes

IoT technology is making homes smarter by automating lighting, heating, and security systems. Smart home devices can be controlled remotely, offering convenience and energy savings.

Industrial IoT

In industrial settings, IoT devices monitor equipment health and optimize manufacturing processes. Predictive maintenance enabled by IoT sensors can reduce downtime and improve efficiency.

5. Blockchain Technology

Blockchain is revolutionizing how we handle transactions and data security. This decentralized ledger technology ensures transparency and security in various applications.

Financial Transactions

Blockchain is streamlining financial transactions by eliminating the need for intermediaries. It provides a secure and transparent way to transfer funds and verify transactions.

Supply Chain Management

In supply chains, blockchain offers traceability and transparency, reducing fraud and ensuring the authenticity of products. This technology is particularly beneficial in industries like pharmaceuticals and food.

6. 5G Technology

The roll-out of 5G technology is set to enhance connectivity with faster speeds and lower latency. This advancement will support the growth of IoT, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities.

Enhanced Mobile Connectivity

5G technology promises to improve mobile experiences with seamless streaming and quick downloads. It will also enable new applications in virtual and augmented reality.

Smart Cities

5G will facilitate the development of smart cities, where real-time data exchange enhances urban management systems, traffic control, and emergency services.

7. Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles are set to transform transportation. Advances in AI and sensor technology are bringing self-driving cars closer to reality, offering safer and more efficient travel options.

Safety and Efficiency

Autonomous vehicles can reduce accidents caused by human error and optimize traffic flow, reducing congestion and emissions. They hold the potential to revolutionize the logistics and delivery sectors.

Delivery Services

Self-driving delivery vehicles and drones are making logistics faster and more reliable. These innovations are particularly beneficial in urban areas, where they can reduce traffic and pollution.

8. Biotechnology

Biotechnology is advancing rapidly, offering solutions in healthcare, agriculture, and environmental management. Innovations in gene editing, synthetic biology, and bio-engineering are opening new possibilities.

Gene Editing

CRISPR technology is enabling precise gene editing, offering potential cures for genetic diseases and innovations in agriculture. This technology is paving the way for new treatments and sustainable farming practices.

Synthetic Biology

Synthetic biology is creating new biological systems and organisms, leading to advancements in medicine, bio-fuels, and sustainable materials. This field holds promise for addressing global challenges such as disease and climate change.

9. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

AR and VR technologies are providing immersive experiences in entertainment, education, and various professional fields. These technologies are creating new ways to interact with digital content.

Gaming and Entertainment

AR and VR are enhancing gaming experiences by creating immersive environments and interactive game-play. These technologies are also being used in movies and virtual concerts, offering new forms of entertainment.

Professional Training

In education and professional training, AR and VR offer realistic simulations for hands-on learning. Fields like medicine, engineering, and aviation benefit from these technologies by providing safe and effective training environments.

Conclusion

The latest breakthroughs in technology are driving significant changes across various sectors. From AI and quantum computing to renewable energy and autonomous vehicles, these innovations are shaping the future and improving our lives. Staying informed about these developments is crucial for individuals and businesses alike to leverage the benefits of these technological advancements. As we look to the future, these game-changing technologies will continue to evolve, offering new opportunities and solutions to the challenges we face.