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softjeon · 5 years ago

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Rewind | Pt. 2

• Pairing: Yoongi x Robot!Jungkook • Genre: Fluff, Angst | Rating: Mature | Robot!AU • Words: 7,5k | AO3 • Disclaimer: nsfw-content

written with @cassiavioletblue

↳ “Tadah!” They shouted in unison, with Tae raising his hands to wave some little birthday flags while Namjoon and Hoseok clapped their hands and began to sing again, “Happy Birthday to you…” This was a joke. This had to be a joke and they made that man deliver an empty box. There was no way they had gotten him a Bot.

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Jungkook gazed down at his hands, for what seemed like the past seven hours. He hadn’t been able to fall asleep, or in his case go in standby to collect himself. He was still trying to process the imprint, the way Yoongi had more or less welcomed him. Slowly the sun began to rise, rays of the light peaking through the blinds and slowly lighting up the bedroom more and more. Jungkook had long sat down in the corner instead of standing up anymore. With his legs pulled in, he leaned his head against the wall and waited…

When Yoongi woke up the first thing he felt was a horrible headache that felt like something was splitting his head apart. He groaned miserably and turned in his bed. When his gaze fell onto the robot sitting motionlessly in the corner of the room he froze, blinking in confusion. For a moment he had thought it had been a dream, everything, from getting the gift to activating it. But apparently it was real. He was a robot owner now. Owning a pretty little robot who apparently could feel. The boy had his eyes closed as if he was sleeping and Yoongi carefully got out of bed to not wake him up. Sitting like this, completely motionless, Jungkook looked like an oversized doll. With his head a little clearer he realized how pretty the other really was. He had a cute nose and delicately curved lips. There was even a little mole under his bottom lip - because Yoongi had once told Hoseok that he found it cute when people had moles there because it gave you an excuse to look at their lips before you kissed them. Would he kiss Jungkook? He shuddered at the thought of Jungkook’s cold, hard lips against his who would surely taste like plastic. There was no way they could reproduce that feeling of something so warm and soft and intimate onto a machine, could they? He reached out his hand, hesitating for moment as he wondered if he should touch the other’s lips to find out himself - but then he just poked him in the cheek.

“Hey, robot. Are you there?”

Jungkook let out a sigh, blinking his eyes tiredly, while his system began to set up and realize his boyfriend woke him up. “Yoongi,” His name was a soft whisper on his lips when he looked up at the human. “Did you sleep well?” He rolled his shoulders back and stretched his tired limbs from sitting and sleeping in the corner that night. Jungkook didn’t need much sleep, but a few hours to restore his energy, so he felt fully renewed. And yet, he couldn’t shake last nights feeling off: his first imprint, that had been nothing but hatred from Yoongi’s side, the softness that had suddenly appeared in the human’s eyes and how he was telling him that he would never love him, when Jungkook already did.

“Hm, I’m not sure. I’ve definitely got quite the headache.” He mumbled, a little uncomfortable because he wasn’t used to someone asking him questions like that. They were too.. intimate. Something a boyfriend would ask or good friends (just that his circle of friends knew that they would get a glare if they asked him that when he looked as sleepy as he did right now). “How did you... uhm, sleep. Or rest, if that fits better.” Asking back was the polite thing to do, right?

“Oh?“ Jungkook got up and looked at Yoongi thoroughly – or better he was scanning him quickly, figuring out what he was lacking and therefore needed for the headache to be gone. “You lack a little bit of vitamin B and you’re dehydrated. Let me make you a good breakfast for that.” Jungkook’s smile reached his ear as he walked to the door and opened the lock (he would have been able to get outside all night, because in his drunken state Yoongi forgot the key in the hole). When Jungkook opened Yoongi’s fridge though, he startled. It was halfway empty and from what he could tell the yoghurt in the corner was long overdue.

Yoongi followed, grinning mischievously when he saw Jungkook staring into the fridge with bewilderment. “I’d like to see that, how you’re gonna make me a ‘good breakfast’ when I only got the usual ingredients. Which is coffee and eggs - or instant noodles if I’m really hungry. How’s that for vitamin B?” He teased him lightly.

“Eggs it is then,” Jungkook took a few and quickly scanned the kitchen as well to know exactly where everything was, reaching for a pan and some milk that he sniffed at carefully (just to make sure). He made a mental note of things that Yoongi would need and he would go grocery shopping for later, while he was preparing some scrambled eggs. Jungkook turned around and started preparing a coffee, while frothing some milk foam to give it the perfect taste before presenting his breakfast to his human. “I hope you like it.”

Yoongi looked at the simple but beautifully prepared breakfast with wide eyes. The eggs looked fluffy and moist, a light brown color indicating that they had been properly cooked from all sides. The coffee smelled strong and bitter, just how he liked it but it was hidden under a light layer of milky foam that was so solid you could only see white in the cup. “Uhm, thank you.” He sat down, taking the fork, ready to dig in when he saw that Jungkook had only prepared one plate. “What will you eat? Do you want half of mine?” Sharing food came naturally to him so he had spoken before thinking about it properly.

Jungkook shook his head, “I don’t eat remember? I told you last night, don’t you remember? I recovered while sleeping. I need about two to three hours of sleep everyday – that’s it.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at Yoongi’s confused expression that turned into a surprised one when he tasted the food.

Yoongi shook his head, “I’m not sure I remember everything from last night. I must have been more drunk than I had thought.” He chewed slowly, savoring the taste. “Maybe it’s not that bad having you here..“ He murmured before asking Jungkook directly. “Is there a list of all the things you can do? Or can you just tell me? Like.. I had no idea that you could cook so now I’m curious as to what else there is that you can do that I might miss if I don’t ask. I figured most people took their robots as some kind of housemaid but I didn’t think everyone had cooking skills. Can you do sundubu jjigae as well? Or tteokbokki?”

Jungkook’s eyes widened when he realized what Yoongi wanted from him. Didn’t he know what he was? What he was here for? He couldn’t help but feel the aching inside of his heart again. This wasn’t what love supposed to feel like. Jungkook didn’t like to think about last night. What was supposed to be the happiest day to be turned on and imprint on his new boyfriend, had turned into a messy situation where his first contact had been Yoongi pushing him away repeatedly.

“Yes of course I can. And if I don’t know I simply download a recipe or tutorial, but…” Jungkook felt a little breathless, “D-do you want to switch me for a housemaid robot?”

“You can download it...” Yoongi laughed “That’s like the matrix! You’re like Neo from the matrix.” He shook his head. Taking another bite of his egg. “No, I like how you look. I wouldn’t want to switch you for a maid.” What Jungkook was really asking had went right over his head because now that he knew Jungkook could cook and download whatever he needed to do the household he didn’t saw the difference between him and a maidbot.

Jungkook’s cheeks blushed lightly at the compliment. “So you want to try it with me?”

Yoongi nodded, “Yeah, I guess I should. I can still give you back if it feels strange sharing my apartment with a robot it it would be stupid to give you back right away. Especially if you can cook so nice.”

Now Jungkook got the hint and it hit him hard, right where it hurt the most. “So, you want me to cook for you?” He just had to asked again to make sure he heard right, but Yoongi’s nod only made him realize more that the human would want to use him as a maid, not a boyfriend how he was programmed to do. “Did your friends tell you about me? What they gotten you exactly? I mean… I can cook for you and do your laundry. If it makes you happy. I don’t care but…”

“Hm?” Yoongi furrowed his brows. Somehow he felt like they were both talking about different things but he wasn’t sure how they should be able to miscommunicate over such simple things like him deciding to keep Jungkook for a while. “Yes, they told me why you’re here, they said that I’ve been lonely for too long and I can’t take care of myself properly... the usual stuff. Why, did I miss something? Is there something else I need to activate first? A special program or something?”

“Not really,” Jungkook sighed, “I’m a boyfriend bot, not a maid. I will do whatever makes you happy though.” He smiled, happy when Yoongi had finished his plate. “We haven’t really completed the imprint last night, so excuse me. I’m a bit confused by what you need me to do for you to make you satisfied.”

“Oh, those eggs were surely delicious.” The words Jungkook used sounded a little off as if this was something sexual. But he didn’t look like one of those cliche sex bots and also a sex bot probably wouldn’t be able to cook and do other things so that couldn't be it, right? Yoongi was about to ask Jungkook but then he shut his mouth. The other had cried because of him before. He didn’t want to make him scared or think that sex was what he thought he was good for. “I’m satisfied, thank you, so you’re doing your job well.”

Even if Jungkook wanted to and no matter how hard he would try and this would go against his purpose, he was now bound to Yoongi. He was his owner. Jungkook was Yoongi’s gift, that he never wanted, and he’d realized it fully now. Yoongi had said he would never love someone like him. A robot. But Jungkook was programmed to love him no matter what, even if inside of him there was a storm of thoughts and misinformation that he tried to place right to make sense of it. He would do anything for Yoongi. A smile pulled at his lips, when his eyes met Yoongi’s. His heart did a jump and for a moment it stole his breath away. Jungkook bowed his head slightly, “I’ll help you take care of you then. Can I have your wallet please?”

“What? No!” Yoongi reacted immediately, looking at Jungkook in shock. “What do you need my money for anyway? You don’t eat, you don’t need a bed, you’ve got no use for cash.”

“But you eat, and I need to buy groceries, therefore I need to scan it. It would make it a lot easier for us.” Jungkook ignored the stab in his heart, when Yoongi easily belittled him again. “Do you want me to help you or not? I won’t buy things for myself. I am not selfish.”

“You want to buy groceries for me? But you don’t even know what I like? Please, I won’t just let you run around and buy green kale because that’s ‘good for me’.” He got up, placing his plate in the sink. “We can go together at least the first few times. And then when you know what I like and I trust you enough to not run off and join some dystopian robot gang to destroy humanity or something then I’ll let you buy groceries alone, Deal?”

“Deal,” Jungkook answered, pretty sure that he would never run off to join a gang when he could stay here with his boyfriend. He gotten to work right away, starting to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen while Yoongi was taking a shower. His apartment was large filled with beautiful furniture that told Jungkook that Yoongi was being paid well, but at the same time it was very disorganized. Papers were strewn all over the coffee table, stains from mugs that Yoongi probably misplaced there. The blanket on the couch was just thrown carelessly over it and the books in the shelves were not even sorted but pushed and squeezed in. It would be lot of work to get it all cleaned up. He was concentrated on his task though, to help Yoongi to feel a little better and maybe then he would see Jungkook was useful and start liking him too?

When Yoongi stepped out of the shower, smelling like the sweetest oranges (Jungkook really liked it) he was already tidying up his living room and only waiting for the other to get dressed, so they could finally get some groceries.

When Yoongi locked the door to their apartment, Jungkook felt a little nervous. It was his first time out in the human world and it was still a lot to process, so he did what his instincts told him and reached for Yoongi’s hand to intertwine their hands just as he was about to walk ahead following him quick.

Yoongi startled slightly but then held onto Jungkook’s hand a little tighter. He knew that the robot would probably see it as a gesture of intimacy or romance and there was no reason to destroy his dreams but he was more practical: If he held onto Kook the other couldn’t get lost or run into people and cause trouble. Who knew how Jungkook’s first day out would be. “You’ve never set foot onto a street is that right? They only test you inside the production halls at the company? Or are you allowed to go outside just to be sure that you can handle it?” He asked, quite bluntly.

"No, I haven’t but I know how to act.” Jungkook was glad Yoongi didn’t push his hand away and he didn’t really care about his intentions, just happy that he could hold onto him. His imprint on him settled a little deeper, making him fall in love a little more. “I am programmed perfectly, Yoongi. You really don’t know much about me, huh? Is there no one that has a robot from your friends? At work? Don’t you work with them?”

“No, not really. I mean.. yes, there are robots at work but they aren’t built to look human. They just do the job. We’re a humanbot-free company. No robots at the reception or in customer service - whenever there’s direct contact between us and the customers there’s a human involved. People appreciate that. Don’t get me wrong but it makes a lot of difference if you’re talking to a machine who just downloaded a program or a human who actually knows what he’s talking about.

Jungkook frowned. Yoongi was really adamant on not liking robots of any kind and it hurt him. How was he supposed to be someone’s boyfriend when they didn’t even like his kind?

“But do you have robots in your private surrounding somewhere? Relationships aren’t uncommon,” Jungkook nodded over to a pair, knowing from a quick scan of the environment that the woman that was giggling happily was a robot – just like him. An older generation, but still. “Why did your friends gift you me then if you hate them so much? They could have gotten you a human housemaid if that is what you were truly looking for right?”

“I guess...” Yoongi’s cheeks colored. “I guess they don’t really know my opinion about robots. I don’t hold back, normally but you see, Hoseok has gotten himself a robot too. And he was so happy and everything that I just couldn’t tell him... the truth. I thought that I played my part well - too well apparently when they thought giving me you was a good idea.”

How was it possible to hurt so much, Jungkook thought to himself as he grimaced at the sharp pain in his heart. How did humans survive this? The feeling of being rejected over and over again. It was painful.

Jungkook lightly swung their hands back and forth while they were strolling through the market, both silent and deep in their thoughts. Now and then, Jungkook was holding up different kinds of vegetables and whenever Yoongi just shrugged his shoulders he put it into his cart. Jungkook was going through a list in his mind, different recipes that he would try to sweep Yoongi off his feet. They weren’t talking much, but each time the human was close, Jungkook reached for his hand again, not wanting to lose the contact he was longing for so much – because no matter how much Yoongi’s words hurt him, he needed the reassurance of the imprint.

At home, Jungkook just went back to where he had started and began to sort in the freshly bought ingredients, tidying up and cleaning. He didn’t forget to make some lunch for Yoongi in between, this time making sure he would get his vitamin b (he bought lots of it for him) and placed it on his office desk that he was working on. Jungkook waited for a response, but Yoongi didn’t even spare him a glance when he pulled the plate closer. He stood there a little awkwardly and finally retreated after Jungkook came to realize that he would get no love in return. Again. No soft squeeze of his hand, just a quiet mumbled ‘thank you’ before Jungkook closed the door again – because Yoongi reminded him to do so. Apparently the sound of the vacuum cleaner was bothering him.

“So, how is he? Do you like him?” Hoseok’s voice sounded excited over the phone and Yoongi could hear the ruffling of something and the sound of a coffee machine in the background. “When did you turn him on?”

Yoongi knew that they would ask him sooner or later about Jungkook and he wasn’t surprised that it was Hoseok who had called, as it was him who had brought a robot into their friend circle after all. “I started him last night, just to see what he would be like.” He answered, keeping the drunken rant that he had given Jungkook to himself. “He’s... nice. He can cook some amazing eggs and he can do the grocery shopping and he cleaned up so you don’t have to complain that everything’s flying around next time you come over. All in all I think he’ll be useful even though I probably have to get used to him a little. And I’ll need to find him a place to sleep. Him sitting on a chair in my room is kind of creepy.”

“Wait…wait wait, so cooking eggs is not a secret codeword for something kinky? You let him clean?” Hoseok was speechless and for a moment there was silence between them. “You let him sleep on your chair? Jimin was right.” His best friend sighed deeply, “You’re actually hopeless.”

“What? Something kinky like... are you suggesting...” He really trying to get his dignity back but failed when Hoseok told him he was hopeless, “Hoseok, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to put my dick in a machine! What if he malfunctions and rips it off or something? I don’t know what you and Tae are up to but I’m barely trusting Jungkook to go grocery shopping for me and I won’t let him sleep in my bed, that’s for sure. How would this work anyway? You go on dates to get to know if you like a person - but there’s nothing to like in Jungkook, he doesn't have a soul, he just behaves how he thinks I wants him to. That’s not love. That’s like a good functioning coffee machine. You program it a certain way and if you push a button you get what you want.”

“Then at least give him a mattress, god damn it Yoongi.” Hoseok was dumbfounded. He really thought that Yoongi would be intrigued. “But he learns with you. He behaves how you teach him to behave. That’s what a robotic boyfriend is for in the end, for us hopeless cases that are too fucked up to be with real people. And that’s why the first touch is so important. The imprint is the most important thing for the robot to know what your relationship will be like.” Hoseok laughed humorlessly, “You push a button? Did you even read the manual? He is a sexbot, Yoongi. A boyfriend bot that is designed to fulfill your needs not your cooking schedule.”

Yoongi opened his mouth to snap at Hoseok for telling him he couldn’t be with real people - and then the word ‘sexbot’ sunk in. So his friends had gotten him some overglorified sextoy because they thought he wasn’t able to date properly. So much for his self-esteem. “No, I didn’t read the manual. But I probably should, you’re right. I’ll better go read it. Right now.” He hung up, a little proud of him that he had kept from yelling at Hoseok and instead coming up with some excuse. However now that he thought of it maybe Hoseok was at least right at one point: that reading the manual was a good idea in case he didn’t want to get surprised by whatever else Jungkook was capable of.

Jungkook sat still on the couch, hands on his thighs as he gazed out of the window. He had cleaned everything up and now was out of work. When his gaze fell onto the empty box he had lied in only a day ago, he shivered. He didn’t want to go back in there and be sent to the company. They wouldn’t resell him, that much he knew. He was designed to be for only one special person and not more. Jungkook closed his eyes as he tried to get the images out of his head. Them pulling at him, taking off his limbs and throwing him away like he meant nothing.

Yoongi went to the box to examine it and get the manual when he saw that the room was already occupied. “Oh, Jungkook. What are you doing? Resting your batteries?” The other seemed a little sad and with a cold rush he remembered what he had said before when he had been at the phone. It was one thing to tell his opinion to Hoseok but another to say it straight to the robots face. “Did you... overhear the telephone conversation that I just had?”

“I don’t run on batteries,” Jungkook answered, when he followed Yoongi’s gaze towards the box. Did he want something from it? Would he send him back now? “No, I wouldn’t overhear your private conversations ever.” He shook his head and pushed a curl behind his ear, “I’m just sitting here and waiting for the laundry to be done. I finished everything else, so I just need to hang that up. What are you doing?” He cocked his head like a little pup.

“Ah, right, my bad.” Things like that wouldn’t happen to him after he had read the manual. “Actually I’m trying to find the manual. A friend called and told me that there is one and considering how little I know about you I thought I’d give it a try.” He looked up and noticed the way Jungkook was eyeing the box. “This is not... strange to you? Like me reading how to handle you or rummaging through your box? Is it something private? Do you maybe want to sleep in here tonight?” Then the issue of where he should stay at night would be fixed as well.

Jungkook couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sometimes you’re really cute,” He scrunched his nose up, when everything fell, and his expression turned blank. “No, please. I don’t want to be in the box. I can just stand in the corner again. I don’t mind.” Jungkook tried a smile and got over to retreat the manual quickly. He gave it to Yoongi, pushing him slightly to sit down onto the couch and away from the box. “If it helps you, then please read about me. I like it more than your sharp uneducated words.”

“Uneducated, hu?” Somehow it didn’t sting to hear those words from Jungkook because in a way he was right. He had no idea how to handle a robot. He still couldn’t let it be uncommented though, “I could tell you a lot about architecture and musical instruments.” Then he realized how stupid that must sound to a robot. “But I guess you could just download the whole musical history in five minutes anyway so there’s no point in talking to you about it.” Yoongi quietly shook his head. How could anyone think that a mechanical being could equal a boyfriend?

“Some of them yeah, but not much actually…not about musical history at least…just read the manual.” Jungkook patted Yoongi’s shoulder as if to reassure him. “I’ll make you some coffee in the meantime and if you don’t understand something, you can just ask me, deal? I will answer everything truthfully.” With a smile he retreated to leave his “boyfriend” alone to figure out a few things and realize how perfect they had actually made him to be for Yoongi and only for him.

Yoongi just nodded, staring at the manual that was small in size but thick and heavy. Wondering how many languages they wrote the manual in he took a closer look at it, making a surprised sound when he realized that there were no other languages - Jungkook really came with a manual that had a few hundred pages. That would be a long read! He sighed and then got comfortable on the couch, opening the first page.

“Congrats to your purchase of your model: R0901JK. We, at Bots Internationals, want your experience to be more than what you dreamed of. R0901JK is a robot from the boyfriend and sexbot product line. Each and every bot has been designed especially for your needs. An individual imprint, formed at the very first contact that you and your bot make, seals the special connect between you and your new product. In the following pages, you will find the general system managing as well as the individual designed programs that were followed by your own previously made successions. R0901JK is only and individually made for you! He will be your partner for as long as you want him to be! There is no transferring possible, as the imprint only works once in a robots life.

In the following you’ll find your individual wishes that have been installed in your robot. R0901JK has been designed to be smart, but yet to be a little slow-witted but with a warm-hearted smile. His cheeks are made to blush in a rosy color, as he feels shy sometimes. He is very empathic and yet is designed to endure lots of angry rants. He is sensitive to smells, while his favorite one is simply coffee beans. R0901JK can play a lot of instruments but is prohibited from downloading any topics about learning to play the piano or musical history as his lover wishes to teach him one day. Adding on to that, R0901JK is able to sing and accompany his owner’s music at any time and given moment. His dark eyes are made even shinier than the usual robots. His hair has been made extra soft and curly for the owner to run his hands through it whenever he wants to. As your wish was R0901JK’s moles to resemble the stars of the galaxy, it had been granted as well. On top of it, R0901JK’s body is well-built with a slim waist to be hugged tightly. His childlike wonder and smile are one of a kind and are entirely made for his owner Min Yoongi.

Your team of Bots Internationals hope that you like the fulfillments of your insertions that have been made. If there is a default in a setting or your wish hasn’t been granted the way you wanted to, don’t hesitate to call Bots Internationals. The happiness of our customers is our biggest value!

Turn the page to learn more about R0901JK flexibility and favorite positions.”

Seeing all the effort and special details that his friends had added to the robot made him feel strangely touched. He still was a little iffy about them choosing a robot as a gift in the first place but apart from that he couldn’t help but acknowledge that Jungkook was a very thoughtful gift with perfectly fitting features - somewhat like his dreams personified. What had him feeling especially emotional was that he hadn’t really spoken any of those things out aloud (maybe one or two tings when he was drunk and whining about being lonely but he refused to let his mind go there) his friends had just managed to pick them up from being with him, because they were attentive and caring and … how could he have been mad at them for gifting him Jungkook? They had meant well and they had given this so much preparation and thought. And money of course. Jungkook couldn’t have been exactly cheap considering that he was one of the newest models.

His eyes lingered on the last sentence and he scoffed. “Flexibility and favorite posit...” He broke off, quickly slapping the manual shut when Jungkook came in to bring his coffee. “Oh, you were quick.” He gave the other a smile, a honest one, letting his eyes trail over his features with newfound interest, now recognizing each little puzzle piece that his friends had put together to give him Jungkook.

“Of course. I figured you don’t like waiting for your coffee for too long,” Jungkook nodded his head over to the kitchen, “Hence all the instant coffee.” He sat down at the other side of the couch and pulled his knees in, watching Yoongi carefully. “And? Do you have questions that you want me to answer?”

“I didn’t get very far yet, just... the usual stuff about calling if there are any problems and...yeah, the usual.” He was a little nervous, telling Jungkook about all his special features seemed a little like baring his heart. Or did he already knew why he had gotten those eyes and those hair and those... Yoongi’s eyes lingered at Jungkook’s lips who looked so soft and sweet with that little mole underneath. He had the sudden urge to kiss it and bit his own bottom lip to refrain himself. “How would you have looked like if you hadn’t been personified? Is there like a basic version of you?” He suddenly blurted out trying to get himself back on track.

Jungkook furrowed his brows at Yoongi’s nervous chatter and shook his head. “No, in my case there is no basic. Maybe underneath we’re all the same but even that wouldn’t be true as we’re individually made, and I can change and learn with you. If I’m not with you, then I’m basically useless.” He smiled, hope blooming that one day Yoongi would let him learn with him something new. He wanted to so badly. “And? Will you call them? You didn’t seem very satisfied with me.” Jungkook asked carefully, nervously playing with the shirt he was wearing. It was still the same outfit from last night and at the seam it still spelled “Bots Internationals”. Jungkook had hoped he would get something new by now but somehow Yoongi still seemed too overwhelmed with everything.

“Hmm, no, I don’t think so.” Yoongi still hadn’t fully grasped how important he was to Jungkook but he got a hint from the way Jungkook avoided his eyes when he asked him, again and again, if Yoongi would sent him away. “I think I didn’t really figured you out before. It might take a while but I shouldn’t make hasty decisions before knowing everything about you, right?”

Jungkook’s eyes lit up and before he could think about it, he jolted forward to wrap his arms around Yoongi’s neck tightly, hiding in the crook of his neck. “Thank you,” He whispered, squeezing Yoongi just a little more tightly, before he placed a kiss on his cheeks and pulled away again. With a happy expression on his face, Jungkook jumped up. “I’ll make you more coffee and you need to get back to work, you have a deadline to reach on Monday.” Jungkook took the empty mug and bit his lip. He had scanned Yoongi’s calendar while cleaning up, knowing everything by heart now. And he wanted to become the best boyfriend he ever had - even more now.

He was too surprised to react, so he had let Jungkook kiss him even though a shudder wracked through him. However, to his surprise Jungkook felt warm and soft and so real, that he wasn’t sure any more if that shudder had really been disgust at being kissed by a machine - or simply longing because he craved for contact so desperately. Jungkook jumped up as if Yoongi had told him it was christmas day and so he didn’t have the heart to tell him that two coffees wouldn’t be a great idea that shortly after one another. In the end he just shrugged his shoulders. Another coffee wouldn’t kill him and if it made his robot boyfriend happy…

Jungkook’s gaze followed Yoongi as he retreated back into his office – his manual still in hand, leaving him wondering. Would he read it again and try to understand him more? It made him smile to think that Yoongi would maybe open his heart to something new. With a smile, Jungkook went on with his tasks of, making Yoongi more coffee (most likely without caffeine) and then tidying up (even though everything was already done).

...╘[◉-◉]╕…

It had been going so well, Yoongi had gotten some work done, he had enjoyed his second coffee and then, fueled by this cozy, positive feeling he had continued to read the manual. Which had been a fatal mistake.

It was reading like some porn magazine, praising Jungkook for how durable his body was, how flexible his limbs, how he had a built- in-gag-reflex-blocker when it came to sex. How it was perfectly fine for the owner to choke their bot until they lost consciousness if that was what they were into because a robots mechanical brain could go way longer without oxygen than a human’s. Yoongi felt sick to his stomach, his mind showing him Jungkook in exactly this position, vulnerable and trusting, with his pretty starry eyes and his sweet smile, so eager to please, being choked until he lost consciousness. And when he awoke he would probably ask if he had been good, if Yoongi enjoyed it, if there was anything that he could do better.

He had went to the bathroom, splashing his face with water and then decided that going to bed was the best option now as he wouldn’t be able to concentrate anyway. Sitting on the edge of the bed he wondered if Tae had the same manual or if he was different as he was another model. He remembered that Hoseok had once told him Tae was from the ‘Dreamworld series’ and that they were known for connecting well with children and animals. Surely they couldn’t have sent Tae with the same perverse suggestions that Jungkook’s manual held? He felt utterly, utterly confused. Because he didn’t damn such sexual fantasies. If two people were up to choking or punishing or doing whatever to each other then it wasn’t his business. But somehow picturing Jungkook like this felt.. wrong. Before getting the robot he could have sworn that he didn’t care what happened to them, that they were just some pretty arrangement of metal and technical stuff that could feel as much as his calculator.

But two days with his robot had started to make him wonder. And that was enough to leave his emotions in a mess.

...╘[◉-◉]╕…

Hours later, Jungkook stood at the door, eyes scanning the living room quickly when he figured that Yoongi must had gone to bed without saying good night. He couldn’t hear him, nor the soft piano music that kept playing whenever Yoongi was deep in his work (so much he had figured already). The whole time Jungkook had been sitting in the kitchen, staring into nothingness he had waited for Yoongi to come and tell him that he was done with his work and that they could go to bed now. But nothing had happened.

He hadn’t called for him. Almost as if he simply forgotten that he existed.

Jungkook had noted that Yoongi must be someone who sleep late then, but then it was almost midnight and he got worried. Nonetheless, he smiled when he opened the bedroom door and saw the other sitting on the edge of his bed. “Yoongi, where do I find my pajamas?” He asked naively and took a step closer, naturally wanting to follow what he was programmed for: being a boyfriend. And now that Yoongi had read about him, acted a lot nicer, he surely would want to try it out, right?

“You haven’t given me your preferences, yet. Right or left side? Do you want me to turn up my body heat?” Jungkook scrunched up his nose cutely, cocking his head aside and waited for an answer - but Yoongi was looking at him in disbelief. “Do you rather want me to sleep naked?”

The human was rather quiet and Jungkook’s eyes looked over to the empty side of the bed. There was no bed sheets, no extra cushion. Nothing. When it sunk in that Yoongi hadn’t gotten anything in preparations for his bot nor wanted him to sleep close, Jungkook nodded hesitantly, not really sure what to do with himself now. “I’ll leave you to it then.” His answer came a bit unsure, feeling confused as if everything inside of him had been wired wrong. Whispering a ‘good night’, Jungkook closed the door to Yoongi’s bedroom again and then stood frozen for a couple of minutes trying to process the information. There was a weird feeling, something that he couldn’t define, yet - that he had no word for no matter how long he was searching that made him feel heavy and locked up.

Yoongi realized in shame that he hadn’t gotten the other any clothes. If he really saw Jungkook as a living, breathing person then he had treated him horribly. But what if he was wrong? What if he was just some gullible person too lonely to see the truth; that Bots International was just toying with their customers longing for partnership and connection, making sure that they fell for their games. Yoongi didn’t want to let Jungkook into his life just to find out that he had placed his heart in the hands of a coffee machine on legs. So he closed himself off, leaving Jungkook standing there and before he could explain or do anything else the other had turned, head hanging low with the most pained expression Yoongi had seen on him so far, leaving the bedroom without another word.

Walking back into the living room, Jungkook’s eyes fell onto his box. The one he had been delivered in. There was still Styrofoam in it, a sweet blue bow glued on top with a card that said, ‘Happy Birthday’ and he sighed. Yoongi had asked him why he couldn’t sleep in there before. But he was a boyfriend bot, not a maid bot that could be turned off and put aside. Even when he was sleeping, he was programmed to act human. Everything about him was kind of human. So, Jungkook took the blanket from the couch and waddled towards it. He carefully took off the bow and placed it aside before getting into the carton box. Jungkook yawned, pulling his knees in as much as he could and turned on his side. It wasn’t really comfortable, and it was cold, so Jungkook turned his body heat a little higher, even if it was only supposed to warm other people it now warmed his own. Why had he been a present for someone that didn’t even want a bot? Why did Yoongi act so nice only to be so cold again? Jungkook had been so happy to finally fulfill his destiny, to be a good boyfriend to someone, to learn something new...and now? Maybe Yoongi needed even more time to get used to him? But why did he even have to get used to him? Shouldn’t he just be happy? Why had he turned him on then when he didn’t want Jungkook to be around? And what if he would sell him? Jungkook pulled the blanket a little closer over himself at that thought.

...╘[◉-◉]╕…

Yoongi got himself ready for bed and switched of the lights, trying to think of anything else but Jungkook. He failed spectacularly. He wasn’t afraid of Jungkook wandering around or ruining stuff any longer, Jungkook was definitely too smart for that. But he wondered what he was doing, if he would start cleaning again just to have something to do or if he was curled up on the couch, trying to get comfortable because Yoongi had shut him out.

After rolling in bed sleeplessly for another two hours he finally give in and got out of bed. Even if he behaved stupidly and started caring for some emotionless thing, right now he was desperate enough to make a fool out of himself just to be able to get back to sleep without wracking his brain. The lights had been switched off everywhere so he took a small flashlight that he had in his bedside table and lighted himself the way. If Jungkook was sleeping peacefully then he could just go back to bed without waking him up and no one had to know that he had checked up on him. However the younger wasn’t on the couch. And he wasn’t in the kitchen or in the bathroom either. Only when Yoongi was starting to wonder if Jungkook might have gone out wandering the streets on his own after all did his gaze fall onto the box.

He froze right away. He remembered how the robots face had contorted when he asked him to please not put him back into the box and yet there he was, lying on his side, hugging himself tightly as if that would make it more comfortable. There was a sudden sharp sting in his chest and Yoongi bit his lip. Jungkook looked so small in that box, so lost. He wondered if the younger had been too afraid to get on the couch, scared that Yoongi would shoo him off in the morning and reprimand him for it. To his shame he had to admit that the way he had treated the other wasn’t too far from that scenario. He swallowed hard. It might be a trick, a behavioral programming in the robots to make their owners believe that they actually had feelings to sell more robots or make people fall for it. But if there was even a tiny chance that Jungkook did feel, that every sharp comment and rejection was making him feel the way Yoongi felt while looking at him, curled up in a box that he hated because he was too scared to go elsewhere, then it would be worth it making a fool out of himself.

Tomorrow he would treat Jungkook the same way that he would treat a person and then see what would happen. If it wouldn’t work out then there was still the brutal option of switching Jungkook off and sending him back. But at least the other wouldn’t have to beg for his attention like this, trying to be whatever he wanted him to be just to get a glimpse of affection. Because if Jungkook felt - then that was just downright cruel! And he didn’t want to be like that.

Carefully and quietly to not wake the younger he took a cushion from the couch and then kneeled down in front of the robots box. Remembering how long it had took Jungkook to come to when he had been ‘resting’ he gently lifted the boy’s head, placing the cushion underneath. Jungkook didn’t stir, didn’t sigh, he was eerily still, just like before.

And so, just because no one was looking and it didn’t matter anyway he lifted the blanket a little to tuck Jungkook in properly, just like he would have if he actually cared for him.

A/N: Ohhhhh, ohhh ohhh....things are happening lmao ;) We hope you enjoyed it so far! Leave us a comment down below on what you’ll think will happen next!

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figurationoftheinvisible · 5 years ago

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Metamorphoses

My mind leads me to speak now of forms changed into new bodies: O gods above, inspire this undertaking (which you’ve changed as well) and guide my poem in its epic sweep from the world’s beginning to the present day.

— Ovid, Metamorphosis

Ballet is beautiful, and dance can be addictive. Due to the time period in which it was developed, it also incorporated trends in Romanticism from the 19th century—revivals of folk stories, fairy tales, and how these themes often recurred in various forms, across cultures and eras; like going back to a cultural well. Many of these revivals are folk tales, rediscovered rituals, superstitions and tropes, rites of passage, touching on liminal beings and events. “For nothing is hidden, except it be manifested; or nothing has been secret, but to come to light. There is nothing new between heaven and earth.”

Everything has been there, and it’s still there, and at some point it’s repeated. A teacher of mine once said, there are only two periods, one classic and one Romantic. Reason and feeling, reality and imagination. That are repeated and repeated.

Yet synthesis must be happening constantly; the ratios and relationships are always changing—as in music. True state change is possible at any given moment: a metamorphosis, like the White and Black Swans of Swan Lake. And dance is the language of the body; a matrix where music and the body meet. When reason or rationality are suspended, it is revealed. We have an intrinsic connection to music as human beings, through our bodies, as with singing. Everything stems from there, the understanding that comes via embodiment—that demands to be felt, not thought.

https://youtu.be/nIADfYGc9Vw

This was not always sung, but was also related to ceremonial acts. With globalization, folk arts and music can lose a bit of that symbolic and magical character. But music belongs to a process, to an evolution. The areas where popular music emerges, it is neighborhoods, communities, villages; there you live without filters. Sometimes popular songs have lyrics that are practically meaningless, but they are endowed with a plasticity that allows them to adapt, as the case may be, to children’s games, to adult works, to community celebrations. That plasticity saves them from disappearing in many cases. But also that there is at least something partial there, to share in, to hold on to.

“Archetypes connect us to ourselves, to each other, to our ancestors, to strangers across time—we are unique, but there are shared threads that bring all of us together, common experiences like being a daughter, a father, a lover, being at a crossroads, a catastrophe, a peak.” — @alltheclocks

These folk tales, they suggest rites of passage, coming of age, transformations known through the body, or allegorical stories of childhood. https://youtu.be/0VqaGkKQRCU

Creatures transforming from one state into another, enchantments from which you wake up changed, passages through strange dark woods. “The certainty of death, the fragility of man against destiny, nature as a creative force.” Can you say you are the same person you were when you were 5 years old, or 10, or even a decade ago? And if we are constant change, what is the continuing structure? Images: 1) Darren Aronofksy, Black Swan, 2010 2) Marianela Nuñez as the Black Swan, Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet 3) Pina Bausch, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring

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narwhallove · 6 years ago

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Behind the Curtain: Interview with Romy Writer Ludi-Ling

House of Cards actually started out as a random smut scene that burgeoned into something far, far more.

@ludi-ling goes meta in our final interview about her writing process; how the Romy fandom’s changed over the years; alternate universes (AU); and the role of smut for Romy fans. (Spoiler alert, our heroes are hot.)

No surprise that it’s a pleasure interviewing Ludi. I kept sending her more questions (25 total!) because her responses fascinated me and inspired me to ask more. It’s a rare person who writes visceral, startling prose and can also talk about her work with clarity, intelligence, and an affection for her characters that doesn’t occlude good writerly judgment.

The superlatives don’t end there. Anyone who knows the community knows that Ludi is a friend to her readers and to her fellow writers. As we all enter a heady 2019, reading Mr. and Mrs. X together, Ludi is someone to cherish.

If you haven’t read our other interviews, please check out: Part 1 of interviews: X-men Origins Part 2 of interviews: Going Dark

As a scholar of fan studies, do you believe Romy fanfiction fulfills needs that Marvel never can? What needs might those be, for Romy fans?

Certainly I think that fanfic is built on the premise of filling in the gaps, scribbling in the margins (to quote the seminal fan studies scholar, Henry Jenkins!) and fixing perceived wrongs. Comics are unique in that regard because the characters and stories within them continue for years and even decades. Comics continuities are convoluted and complicated, and there is a constant churn of writers working on them. Many fans have followed characters for far longer than the writers, and may know the characters more intimately than the professionals. Comics are full of retcons and contradictory takes on the characters. And I think fanfic is an important medium for allowing fans to “fix” that, to negotiate it. Because of the ongoing nature of comics, and because the futures of the characters are always going to be nebulous and subject to the whims of Marvel and the writers indefinitely, I think it’s going to continue to be important. Romy may be married in the comics, but there will still be plenty to write about—kids, divorce, a reconciliation . . . who knows? ;)

What do you think Romy readers seek out when they read fanfiction? If it’s wish fulfillment, what kinds of wishes are being fulfilled? If it’s looking for “gaps” that the comics skip over, what have you found to be the most common sorts of gaps?

I think Romy is a very interesting example of the “wish fulfillment” function of fanfiction. Because part of the mystique of that ship (no pun intended) is that they can’t touch, they can’t consummate their relationship . . . And fanfic is a way that fans can get them to touch, to work out that angst. I think that one of the staples of Romy fic is the sexual tension between the two, and how they resolve that; the push and pull between them. Sometimes these take place in epic, superheroic backdrops, sometimes in AUs, where they have no mutant powers and where the tension between them is born from other factors (such as already having significant others, or being enemies, or in illicit lines of work).

What draws you to AUs? Your stories aren’t a case of fanfiction filling what’s “between panels”; you tend to shift characters and relationships to entirely different settings, whether it’s a Strange Days–like world or another genre, like a Southern gothic procedural. Can you talk about AUs and how they play out in your imagination?

What I’ve always liked is world-building. One of my first large-scale writing projects was a fantasy trilogy called The Legend of Elu. Most of the fun I got from that was actually building the world, the kingdoms, the mythology, the theology, the languages, the history of that story. That definitely bled into my fanfic.

Now I tend to write canon stuff as one-shots, and novel-length stuff as AUs, because they give me more space to play with world-building. That was something I realised I enjoyed more when I wrote Threads. Writing all those little worlds in a series of one-shots felt too “small.” HoC was originally an expansion of the Threads tale Touch and Go, but it grew into something else, and since then, I’ve preferred to go the AU route for the longer-form stories. :)

We’re living in peak Romy times—I think we’re still reeling from the wedding! Let’s say you had the power to go back in time and drop a pin into an earlier moment in the Romy timeline that you felt truly represents what Romy means to you (which isn’t the same as when they’re happiest!). When and in what universe? Why this choice?

There are so many iconic moments from Romy’s past, but, for me personally, I always go back to their time in Valle Soleada (in X-Treme X-Men). That’s not because they’re happy per se, but because I think that that period was the perfect example of how great they worked together on every level, and was proof positive that they were a good match. I often say it, but I will say it again here, because it’s the truth, and y’all can fight me to the death over it—if there was a time they would’ve got married and I would’ve bought it 100%, it would’ve been in Valle Soleada.

On Tumblr, it seems a large contingent of Romy fans are women in their 30s who discovered Romy at a tender age, thanks to the animated series. This includes you and me! There are exceptions, of course. What’s it like for you to have been in the fandom from the early aughts? What changes in the fandom have you noticed between 2003 and 2018?

I really joined the fandom at an exciting time for Romy—they’d just got back together properly after all the turmoil of the Trial of Gambit. X-Treme X-Men was a treat for Romy fans, and Claremont wrote such a great dynamic between them. As fans we were all excited and happy and well-fed on all that Romy goodness.

So it was weird (not to mention disappointing) when the 2004 reboot happened, and Marvel did everything they could to tank Romy. Which is one thing, and I can stomach it if [it were] logically and well written, but it was just so terribly done that I think many of us just tapped out of the fandom completely. I’d say 2005–2018 were fallow years for the Romy fandom. Most (if not all) of the fan friends I made at that time completely left the fandom. For myself, as someone who enjoys writing AUs, it was the perfect time to branch out from writing in canon and fitting Romy into my own world.

Who are your influences? What writers do you feel a particular affinity for? Are there writers whom we might be surprised to discover informed your work, but you feel have, despite appearances?

I was heavily influenced by the dark, modern fairytales of Angela Carter about the time that I was writing Queen of Diamonds and Threads. She had a really magical way with words—her prose was lyrical, sensual, and unbelievably rich. She was a huge inspiration, but later I moved away from her tone, firstly because I felt I was doing a poor imitation of her, secondly because it wasn’t really appropriate for the direction I wanted to move my fics in, and lastly because I was becoming self-conscious of my insane verbosity and wanted to pare down my prose. That’s something I’m still working on!

At some point during the writing of House of Cards, I finally got round to reading Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and I think it was Douglas Adams who convinced me to move away from Carter’s beautiful but too-flowery prose. I loved the way his narrative just sizzled. I’m bad at capturing that energy—but I do think that from HoC onwards, I’ve tried to learn to be more economical with my words—which is hard for a florid soul like mine.

Threads—structurally at least—was influenced by Italo Calvino’s If On a Winter’s Night a Traveller, and later, by David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas.

Let’s say you can pair your fiction with other works of art—of all forms, films, paintings, music, etc.—as if you were pairing wines to foods. What other pieces of art might you say go along with yours?

Wow! OK—that’s hard. Threads I’d probably pair with Cloud Atlas (the book, not the film, which I haven’t yet watched). HoC—I don’t know that there’s any one thing I would pair it with, but you can bet a load of post-apocalyptic stuff was thrown into that stew, along with a bit of The Matrix and probably some Inception.

52 Pickup was influenced a lot by Asmus’s Gambit run, cos I really wanted to write a heist fic with Remy and Rogue rather than Remy and Joelle (who I freely admit kicked ass). But if I had to pair it with a piece of media, it’d be with the video game Remember Me, which dealt a lot with themes of how memories inform our identities, and the ethical concerns of having memories essentially become “documents” that are uploaded and shared digitally through the cloud.

This is a good segue to talk about high-low culture. We may not want to believe in a hierarchy of culture, but we can certainly talk about the differences between fanfiction and “regular fiction.” When you read fanfiction, do you approach it differently than you would regular fiction? Are your expectations for form, reading pleasure, or anything else different? If so, how so?

Interesting question! I don’t know whether I approach it differently per se, but I think that readers have different expectations of fanfic. Hopefully we all read “regular fiction” for the same reason we read fanfic—for pleasure. But I don’t think there’s really a binary between regular and fanfiction. I think both exist on a continuum. There is a lot of “regular fiction” (I prefer to call it “profic” or “professional fiction,” because I think that’s where the binary between the two exists) that is actually very close to fanfic, and vice versa. By that I mean that there is plenty of fanfic that is epic in scope, deals with serious themes, and might be considered “classics” if they weren’t fanfiction.

And there is also profic, like romance, that is more similar to fanfic in terms of the kind of functions that it serves. There is an illicit pleasure to reading romance—for example, it’s not the kind of thing you’d openly read in public! There’s a similarity between that and fanfic, and I think, as readers of fanfic, we anticipate some level of illicitness when we approach it—even if the illicitness is only in the format (i.e., it’s fanfiction!), not in the content.

Fun question: What role do you think explicit smut functions in a fic? How do you deal with smut in your work? There’s an interesting moment that’s not in HoC, in which you write about Gambit and Rogue’s first time having sex in his point of view. It’s a separate chapter that exists as its own entity on your fanfiction.net page. Notably, it is much more explicit than the scene in Rogue’s perspective. Can you talk a little bit about this decision?

Well, I do think that fanfic is a safe space for writers to explore their sexuality (and I think that’s a huge part of the reason why fic is looked down upon), and smut plays a significant role in that. And smut certainly plays a part in my own fics. HoC actually started out as a random smut scene that burgeoned into something far, far more. Generally, I do try to make the sex scenes have a purpose in the plot (’cos I’m kind of anal about plot structure!), but in the particular case of Slow Burn and the other HoC vignettes, those are more self-contained one-shots where I could explore things that I couldn’t explore in the main story. So I could indulge in the smut a bit more! And let’s be honest—Gambit’s dark sexuality makes it thrilling to write smut from his perspective—of course his “thoughts” are going to be more explicit! ;)

But I also think that it’s interesting to write their individual perspectives on their sexual encounters, because of that tension between their characters. Rogue is the quintessential virginal Southern Baptist gal who’s inexperienced; whereas Gambit is the sexually aggressive alpha male who’s probably never had a woman turn him down in his life. That makes for a very combustive love affair between the two, and makes it fun to write that love affair (and all the smut in-between) from both their points of view.

#ludi-ling #fanfic #fanfiction #romy #rogue and gambit #house of cards #interview with author #interview with fanfic writer #fanfiction studies

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myluxuryrazor · 4 years ago

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Everything You Need to Know About Porcelain

When many people think of The Bright Angle, porcelain may be the first thing that comes to mind. That's because we talk about it. A lot. So, what makes porcelain so special? Let's unpack this.

What is Porcelain? Alright, chemistry nerds, get ready for the nitty gritty! 🤓 We choose porcelain for The Bright Angle for its ability to be mixed into as liquid slip and formed by plaster mold parts that capture the negative form of the plaster mold. It can pick up even the most subtle texture and create volumes. This method is known as slipcasting.

At TBA, we have done hundreds of tests to blend raw materials together. Thankfully, the ceramic art community is packed with educational opportunity. Masters of ceramic craft have shared valuable insight into their experience with different translucent porcelain recipes. They've shared their problems and how to solve them. To name a few, Brian Hopkins, Ben Richardson, Matt Katz, and Jonathan Kaplan, have been a huge influence. We highly recommend taking the Ceramic Materials Workshop with Rose and Matt Katz.

First, we start with the whitest kaolin and halloysite available (this is the plastic clay component) for strength and workability. We have experimented with adding a white binder to extend the plasticity and workability of the halloysite and kaolin which are the only plastic materials in the recipe ("plastic" meaning malleable). A good test to see how plastic a clay is to make a small coil and bend it, watching at what point it start to crack and break. These plastic materials containing the majority of Al2SiO3 are what make ceramic ceramic.

We add silica (glass or flint) to our plastic alumina source to make the porcelain transparent, highly structured and more refractory to the temperatures we are firing to. The silica source that is most readily available has the most iron of all of the materials we use, even though it claims it is 99.999% SiO2. This is ironic for us, because iron makes clay dark and opaque (even porcelain). So in order to alleviate the need for silica, we add fritted glass which contains boron and other fluxes that are stable and predictable, because they are smelted and then milled to a powder. Almost half of our porcelain recipe comes from within 100 miles of Asheville NC. We make art with The Blue Ridge Mountains.

Finally, we add feldspar to extend the maturity range (or to reach its peak strength), but to also encourage the kaolin and silica to melt to a glass while keeping their shape in the hot kiln when the forms are pyroplastic (they get bendy!) Some have described porcelain as a structure having kaolin bones fused to a mass of glass by fluxes. A matrix of mullite, cristobalite and quartz results from heat and time being applied. The bone structure helps the pieces keep their shape while it is pyroplastic at high temperatures. Glass melts to a fluid amorphous state but by introducing kaolin in place of fluxes the material will not become liquid until it reaches high temperatures (we're talking a couple thousand degrees Fahrenheit!) Pretty cool, right?

Where Does Porcelain Come From? So, here is why we chose porcelain for our lighting. Our goal was to make ceramic vessels glow. Only porcelain can do that. Porcelain is the most refined ceramic material for utilitarian tabletop and home decor products.

Porcelain is not only stylish, but is typically used for engineering purposes. Ceramic engineering actually refers to forming with inorganic, non-metallic materials. Alumina oxide is a refractory, high melting point, chemical compound that is utilized for its crystalline structure and hardness, as well as heat resistance for knives, spaceship tiles, bulletproof vests, crucibles, for smelting other materials, and much more Kyocera.

So porcelain is not just another clay body - it's precious. For centuries the technology to create porcelain caused world wars between the East and the West. [For more on the history or porcelain, see "The Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story"]

What sets porcelain apart from other clay bodies comes from a mixture of the ingredients mentioned earlier. The first discovery of raw materials containing this unique and valuable mineral combination was on Mount Kaolin in China. This geological phenomenon explains the command the Chinese have over ceramic manufacturing. Whole cities were founded based on this discovery of porcelain! Other steps that allowed the Chinese to be porcelain pioneers is their engineering expertise to invent machines to mine and mill the porcelain rock to a formable plastic material when added to water. They had the expertise and tools for shaping, forming and manipulating the clay or porcelain, along with the ability to heat the material into the glassy stone-like material we know today.

This required the construction of well-designed and well-built kilns: structures designed to hold heat through the introduction of fuel and air with efficient combustion. They burned wood and coal and fired brick and stacked brick into kilns designed to encourage complete combustion and keep their structural integrity as they were heated to white hot temperatures for days. The rest of the world did not have the luxury of having a mountain made of porcelain. They lagged centuries behind on finding the right combination of materials to make porcelain. Not to mention, they lacked the kiln technology to fire their porcelain to a hot enough temperature to meet the standard set by the Chinese.

Many take porcelain for granted because white ceramic tableware is everywhere; however, forming a quality vintage porcelain figurines recipe from scratch, even today, with the materials currently available in America is fairly difficult. I myself avoided porcelain for a long time, instead opting for darker clay for the workability and the deep colors that can be achieved. I began using porcelain in 2013 for its unmatched castability and strength and heavy use for tableware in restaurants and the home.

My appreciation grew as I accepted the process of slip casting for forming and the white canvas it provided for bright glazes. It is an elegant material that requires experience with clay to control. I like the challenge of controlling it. Controlling porcelain chemically is simple in theory, because it reaches body maturity at a high temperature with a very simple combination of raw materials without variability. On the other hand, darker iron-rich clays have impurities and organic materials that drastically influence firing temperatures and stability.

#vintage porcelain figurines

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scrambledgegs · 5 years ago

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Digging Deeper into Mining – Is it Worth It?

The Mining Industry in the Philippines: A Brief Timeline and History

Taken from an article from Corporate Watch, The Matrix of the Philippine Mining Industry (2010), below is a brief timeline of the history of mining in the Philippinea. The pre-colonial period portrays a prosperous time when mining brought forth civilizations to interact and trade (barter) with one another. After which, each era is broken down by the different colonial rules in the Philippines, but one common theme encompasses all eras: As history has shown us, mining became a form of subjugation of weaker peoples, in this case, the Filipinos, against foreign rule, including formal world institutions. Mining became a tool to exploit mineral resources, natural landscapes, as well as human capital.

Pre-colonial Period

Mining in the Philippines started in the pre-colonial period. In a number of regions, indigenous communities mined for gold, copper and many other minerals. Natives from all over the Philippines used gold, pearls, agate, and so on, for body ornaments. Gold was also bartered, through the Arab world, with merchants all over Asia and Europe in the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. It is noted that many merchants from Brunei, Luzon and Jolo in the Philippines, traveled continually all throughout Mindanao in search of gold.

Spanish Colonization

The first commercial mine in the Philippines was in Benguet, Central Luzon, established by the Benguet Mining Corporation. The Spanish colonizers took advantage of mineral resources they could get. In fact, gold, in the guise of religion, is said to be the main, real reason why Spain colonized the Philippines. A law called Inspeccion de Minas was made in order to inspect the existence of minerals in the archipelago.

American Colonization

It was the Americans, however, who made strategic steps to exploit the minerals of the Philippines. They did a geological survey which validated the Philippines as a mineral-rich country, and they issued Act 468, a law that basically gave the government the right to reserve mineral lands for its own purposes. They claimed a number of areas as “reserved areas” for future mining; hence, the commercialization of the Benguet Gold Mining. In 1914, in the south, Surigao and other parts of the Caraga region were declared as an “iron-reserved” area for future mining. By then, the mining industry in the Philippines was booming, and the Commonwealth U.S. government took more hold of it, forming a Mining Bureau to regulate all potential. Up until 1921, there were no large-scale mining operations just yet, but many were making a living from small-scale gold mining. Between 1933-1941, gold was the dominant and most important mineral in the mining industry.

Japanese Occupation

Under the Japanese occupation, Filipinos were coerced into mining for metals to be used for weapons of war. This supposedly paved the way for further commercialization, exploitation and degeneration of the Philippines. Large-scale copper mining reached its peak in the 1960s and 1970s. By the late 1980s, world demand for copper decreased in favor of gold. Many gold mining companies closed down in that period because of law violations, and thus, gold mining went into decline.

Post-Colonial Rule Onwards

In the guise of economic progress, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, supposedly coerced the Philippines to adjust its economic policies to adhere to their policies. By 1994, pro-development politicians, such as then-Senator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, lobbied for a Mining Bill which would later become the Republic Act 7942 or the infamous Philippine Mining Act of 1995 under the Ramos administration which will discussed further in this paper.

The Contribution of the Mining Industry to Philippine Economic Growth Today

According to a 2017 Manila Times article, Quintans (2017) indicated that, “in 2016, there were 236,000 workers in the mining industry, and the mining industry’s contribution to the country’s GDP was at 0.6% of the same year. The contribution of minerals and by-products to the country’s total exports is at 4% and 0.3% for non-metallic mineral manufacturers. Based on numbers taken from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the mining industry’s gross production value declined in the last two years. From Php 208.2 billion (USD 4.2 billion) in 2014, to only Php100.6 billion (USD 2 billion) in 2016” (Quintans, 2017). To give a snapshot of today, “as of September 2016, there are about 40 metallic mines and 62 non-metallic mines operating in the country, and there is a total of 1,473 mining applications under process in the country. Today, 20 large-scale mining operations, 10 medium-scale and more than 2,000 non-metallic small-scale mining operations exist in the Philippines” (Quintans 2017).

Mining’s contribution to GDP may seem negligible at < 1%, but this is because mining as a form of primary subsistence exists in only a number of specific regions in the Philippines. However, as shown by Figure 2 below, contributions from mining regions like CARAGA and MIMAROPA actually exceed 20% each. Figure 3 also illustrates that the mining industry in the Philippines continues to grow in an upward trend over the years despite what seems like a small contribution to GDP relative to the whole economy. This suggests that the mining industry still has much potential to grow, given a healthy economic and political climate, or depending on an administration’s stance on mining. (Miraflor, 2017)

Figure 1. 2015 GVA in Mining & Quarrying by region.Source: Mining and the Philippine Economy: Some Facts and Figures (Miraflor, 2017)

Figure 2. GVA in Mining & Quarrying from the years of 1981-2016 by administration. Source: Mining and the Philippine Economy: Some Facts and Figures (Miraflor, 2017)

Figure 3. Share of Total Mining & Quarrying to GDP/GNI from the years of 1981-2016 by administration. Source: Mining and the Philippine Economy: Some Facts and Figures (Miraflor, 2017)

Philippine Regulations on Mining

In relation the growth or decline of the mining industry, below are important Philippine regulations on mining, based on a research paper by Israel & Asirot (2002) of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. However, the landmark regulation on mining is said to be the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 under the Ramos administration.

Commonwealth Act 137 of 1936

The earliest mining law in the Philippines was the Commonwealth Act 137 promulgated in 1936. This legislation had no separate provision for small-scale mining since it was not practiced extensively then.

Presidential Decree 463 (known as the Mineral Resources Decree of 1974)

Like its predecessor, this legislation did not have separate provisions for small-scale mining.

Presidential Decree 899 of 1984

This PD established small-scale mining as a new dimension in mineral development and defined it as a specific activity. Succeeding orders based on this law stipulated, among others, the rules and regulations governing the granting of small-scale mining permits and ordered the selling of the gold recovered through the activity only to the Central Bank and its authorized representatives.

Republic Act (RA) 7076 or the People’s Small-Scale Mining Act of 1991

Among its important provisions, this law established the People’s Small-Scale Mining Program and described the small-scale mining areas that can be opened under it.

Philippine Mining Act of 1995 of the Ramos administration

This is an important law integral to Philippine mining as we know it to be today that has become the bone of contention among various opposing factions. Those against mining would argue that it was this law that opened up Pandora’s Box of the mining problems that plague the Philippines up to present day. “The Mining Act of 1995 allowed for foreign ownership of mining assets and exploration permits. Thus, by 1996, the Philippine mining industry got back on track, allowing offshore companies to operate fully in the ‘reserved areas” (Corporate Watch, 2010). Below is an excerpt taken from The Environment and Society Portal:

“Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos signed “An Act Instituting a New System of Mineral Resources Exploration, Development, Utilization, and Conservation”—the Philippine Mining Act—into law in 1995. The pro-mining law was a clear attempt to spur foreign direct investment and boost the economy. It provided many incentives to prospective companies, including political rights, full ownership of land, and tax holidays. As a result, from 1994 to 1996, the country hosted a 400% increase of foreign mining companies. However, many of the mineral-rich areas in the Philippines overlapped with its indigenous population. Thus, court battles ensued between the Philippine government and indigenous people—some of whom were displaced. The latter challenged the constitutionality of the law, citing provisions in the 1987 Constitution that protected indigenous people and restricted foreign involvement in natural resource extraction; the government argued that outsourcing mining would increase foreign investment, create jobs, and be worth up to USD 840 Billion. In 2004, the Supreme Court of the Philippines initially ruled on behalf of the anti-mining crowd. However, under immense pressure, it soon overruled its decision and sided strongly on behalf of the pro-mining government, supporting economic growth over ethical and environmental matters” (Schmitt). According to Baggo (2015), the Act’s salient points follows below:

- 100% foreign ownership of mining projects;

- Foreign company can lay claim to 81,000 hectares onshore or 324,000 hectares offshore;

- Companies can repatriate all profits, equipment and investment; Companies are guaranteed against expropriation by the state;

- Excise duties are cut from 5% to 2%, and tax holidays and deferred payment are allowed until all costs are recovered;

- Losses can be carried forward against income tax;

- The government commits itself to ensuring the removal of all obstacles to mining, including settlements and farms;

- Companies are promised priority access to water resources within their concession;

- Companies are given the right to sell gold directly to the international market without Central Bank intervention;

- Mining leases last 25 years with an option of a 25-year extension

❖ Executive Order 79 of 2012 of the Aquino Administration

Many years after the 1995 Mining Act, the Aquino administration “imposed a moratorium on new mining permits until a legislation rationalizing existing revenue-sharing schemes and mechanisms shall have taken effect” (De Guzman, 2018). The EO “banned mining in tourism areas, critical ecosystems, prime agricultural lands and fisheries zone, among others. By 2013, however, the ban was lifted — which caused a new round of growth in 2013” (Miraflor, 2017).

The Pitfalls of Mining in the Philippine Context

To begin with the disadvantages of the mining industry in the Philippines, the most adverse disadvantage is that it can breed grave social injustices and environmental degradation on a magnified scale, without contributing significant economic output because of the difficulty of implementing regulations. In an article from the Cordillera Peoples Alliance Post, Baggo (2015) captured exactly such disadvantages when he discussed how the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 liberalized mining, and thus opened the floodgates for all these very detriments to befall the surrounding Cordillera communities of Mankayan, Itogon and other nearby municipalities He wrote, “the Mining Act paved way for massive plunder and destruction of natural resources, displacement of communities, and violations of the collective rights of indigenous peoples over our ancestral domains and natural resources as experienced by the Igorot communities in the Cordillera from decades of large-scale mining operations” (Baggo 2015). He then mentioned these large-scale mining corporations such as the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company and Philex and Benguet Corporation who in his opinion, have disastrously mismanaged their mining operations in said communities. In this piece, he describes how corporate greed prevailed at the expense of life, people and the environment, where “mountains have been flattened, excavated and hollowed; rivers and creeks contaminated; and people’s livelihood lost,” and that tragically, he sees these effects to be irreversible and only barren land left to pass on to the next generations. Furthermore, Baggo (2015) describes how The Mining Act and the mining industry in general, has achieved the opposite of what it has set out to do. The Mining Act may have been made with genuine intention to boost economic growth; however, Baggo claims that “a 2012 study conducted by IBON revealed that the gross-value added (GVA) of the mining industry registered an average of 1% in 2000-2011… and only peaked in 2007 at 1.63%” (Baggo 2015).

Other tragedies that occurred following the 1995 Mining Act according to Corporate Watch (2010) were:

“In March 1996, the Marcopper tunnel in Marinduque collapsed. In rough estimation, 1.6 million cubic meters of mine tailings flowed from the mine pit to the Makulapnit and Boac river, trapping 4,400 people in 20 villages. The government declared the Boac river officially dead. The disaster also caused massive siltation in downstream communities and coastal areas. Another tragedy happened in 1998 which was the Malangas Coal Corporation case in Zamboanga Del Sur, Mindanao, where an explosion occurred in the mine site, killing almost a hundred workers and injuring 35 people. In 2004 as well, another disaster took place in Surigao Del Norte, Mindanao. This time it was caused by one of the largest and longest-standing mining corporations in the Philippines, the Manila Mining Corporation (MMC). Three disastrous incidents occurred, where approximately five million cubic meters of waste materials containing high levels of mercury were released, damaging local people’s agricultural lands and temporarily poisoning the adjacent Placer Bay” (Corporate Watch 2010).

Another dark example of the vast socio-economic problems and environmental hazards brought about by mining is best captured by the controversial Diwalwal, Compostela Valley in the years of 1997-2000. Back then, Diwalwal was the mining mecca of gold in the Philippines, the home of the Gold Rush, and migrants from all nearby provinces in the Philippines flocked towards Diwalwal to get a piece of the action. Diwalwal became the epitome of Goons, Guns and Gold, as it became crowded and dangerous with the presence of numerous illegal small-scale miners estimated at 40,000, as well as medium and large-scale miners all trying to assert dominance over their supposed territories and newly discovered gold. These kinds of circumstances of course erupted into violence, crime, armed warfare, murder, and often times, death by the numbers. According to a source, social unrest and conflict were escalating to a horrific extent in Diwalwal, that the Department of National Defense (DND) ordered a battalion (500 – 1,000) of armed forces to counter the violence. What happened ironically instead was that half of the battalion ended up choosing to stay in Diwalwal to join in the mining activities.

Figure 4. Below Table of collated articles dated in 1999 – 2000. Source: Israel, Danilo & Asirot, Jasminda of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (2002).

Furthermore, according to a 2002 research paper conducted by Israel, Danilo & Asirot, Jasminda of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, if not due to violence, lives were also being lost due to frequent accidents occurring during mining activities because of unsafe and antiquated technologies used in small-scale mining, “such as poor timbering support, poor ventilation, and other practices have resulted to cave-ins and other accidents that disabled or took away the lives of miners” (Israel & Asirot, 2002). Deeply-embedded social problems also emerged in Diwalwal through the years such as breakdown of families, alcoholism, gambling, health problems caused by insufficient supply of basic resources and poor sanitation, and even the exploitation of women and children in small-scale mining. Health-related problems and environmental problems also surfaced due to the use of mercury (through mercury spills into the ground or disposal into bodies of water, vaporized mercury released into the atmosphere) to separate gold from rocks. The effects of such mercury contact whether directly or indirectly were serious and damaging; Mercury “triggers neurological disturbances as well as problems in the reproductive and other body organs. The likely symptoms are visual constriction, numbness of the extremities and the impairment of hearing, speech and gait. Other visible symptoms are the exhibition of exaggerated emotional responses and muscular tremors and gingivitis.” Up to today, a number of men and women struggle from such disease and disability brought upon by mercury usage. (Israel & Asirot, 2002). Other environmental problems that occurred hand-in-hand with mercury usage and the gold mining activities in Diwalwal were cyanide pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, siltation and sedimentation of downstream waterways (Israel & Asirot, 2002).

Figure 5. Mining accidents in Diwalwal. Source: Israel, Danilo & Asirot, Jasminda of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (2002).

Israel & Asirot (2002) also provide explanations behind why mining contributes such an insignificant portion to the Philippine economy, at the same time, is also not able to uplift the lives of the miners. For example, perhaps due to either distrust in the government or the great inconvenience and accessibility to transact with the government, small-scale miners “sell their gold to the tunnel owners, processors or to other traders and buyers instead of directly selling to the Central Bank or its representatives. The national government loses great amounts of gold to the detriment of the entire economy. Key informants also reported that underpricing of gold often occurs in these marketing channels, and this contributes to the poor economic conditions the miners are in” (Israel & Asirot, 2002). Moreover, miners are not able to alleviate their lives because “there is lack of formal sources of credit for small-scale miners in times of need or for starting an alternative occupation. This forces them to borrow from the tunnel owners, processors, traders and unscrupulous money lenders who exploit them by charging higher interest rates or buying their gold at low prices” (Israel & Asirot, 2002). The lack of options available to the poverty-stricken miners in their respective communities allows them to continue to be enslaved by the mining industry, and the vicious cycle goes on. It is also difficult to stop small-scale miners from operating because many of the local governments units themselves are involved.

Lastly, there are also disadvantages in mining from the business perspective of the private mining corporations. Mining is a tremendously high-risk enterprise with many uncertainties, and the capital required to even begin explorations and to set up shop entails a great volume.

What Mining Brings to the table

The obvious advantage of mining is that it is a source of mineral commodities that nations all over the world find essential for maintaining and improving society’s standard of living. Materials acquired through mining such as metals, limestones, rock salt, gemstone, coal, oil, gravel, gold and clay are needed to construct roads and infrastructures, automobiles and houses, to make computers and satellites, to generate electricity and other goods and services for consumers to utilize, such as for example, the mobile phone. An average mobile phone contains about 24 milligrams of gold, 250 milligrams of silver, 3,800 milligrams of cobalt and 9 milligrams of palladium. These are some examples of elements that come from mining or mineral extraction. End-products like computers, television sets, radios, spectacles, cameras, cars, planes and ships, as well as necessities found at home like pans, spoons, forks, cups, microwave oven and refrigerators that we take for granted, all are composed of minerals and elements from mining. “Mining is the source of raw materials for the things that we use every day that cannot be produced through agricultural activities or manufactured artificially in factories and laboratories” (Taocio, 2018).

Secondly, mining is economically important because it provides employment, dividends, taxes and spurs various other economic activities. The mining industry produces a trained workforce, not limited to miners, but also the likes of engineers, geologists, mechanics, medical technicians, pharmacists and environmentalists. The mining industry also contributes to the creation of other businesses as well that can service communities. “Mining also yields foreign exchange activities and accounts for a significant portion of gross domestic product (GDP)” (The Importance of Mining, 2020). In an article where writer Taocio (2018) discusses the immense advantages of mining, he quotes Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP), the highly respected Chief Executive of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), PLDT and Philex Mining Corporation. It is a well-known fact that MVP is a staunch supporter of mining and believes in the economic opportunities mining can bring the Philippines, saying that, “mining has been a driver for economic development. Mining in Australia contributes $142 billion each year, $37.5 billion in Canada and $1.9 trillion in the United States. Moreover, the Philippines is among the world’s richly endowed countries in terms of mineral resources; thus, we have a big opportunity in mining” (Taocio, 2018).

Thirdly, to refute earlier above-mentioned disadvantages of past mining atrocities, mining corporations today are taking the steps in the right direction to right the wrongs of the past. For example, “as of August 2016, mining companies have already committed Php 13.1 billion for the development of their host and neighboring communities under their Social Development and Management Programs” (Quintans, 2017). To add to these initiatives, according to a 2012 article in Rappler written by Gerardo Brimo, esteemed President of Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC) and Director of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, mining corporations are “required to now spend 1.5% of operating costs to social development programs, and this is done in consultation with the host communities. The funds go to sustainable projects such as infrastructure, livelihood programs, water projects, cooperatives, training, medical care, and schools” (Brimo, 2012). Brimo also discussed their compliance with the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 where consent and compensation for the indigenous communities are strictly mandatory if a mining corporation intends to do any sort of mining-related activity on their ancestral lands. Brimo cited an actual example that in 2010, “the members of the Chamber of Mines (note: not all operating mines are members) paid close to Php 300 million in royalties to the Indigenous Peoples, undoubtedly the most marginalized sector of our society” (Brimo, 2012). Brimo also gave the example where Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTNMC), a subsidiary of NAC, has offered housing, in coordination with the Gawad Kalinga Foundation, for the 13,000 members of the Palawan tribe despite the tribe not having an ancestral land title. He wrote, “since then, 6 clusters with a total of 210 housing units have been built and we have committed to building up to 1,000 houses to accommodate them all. They get free medical care in the company hospital, a number of livelihood projects and an Indigenous Learning System, accredited by the Department of Education, which educates about 800 IP children and adults” (Brimo, 2012). NAC indeed represents one of the more responsible mining corporations, as just last November 2019, another subsidiary of NAC, The Cagdianao Mining Corp. (CMC), based in Dinagat Islands province, took home the “most coveted” Presidential Mineral Industry Environmental Award (PMIEA) in the recently-concluded 66th Annual National Mine Safety and Environment Conference (ANMSEC), in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Baguio City. (Philippine News Agency, 2019).

Lastly, the mining industry possesses still so many untapped opportunities for wealth creation in capital markets, and allows us to remain competitive and relevant in the global market. To illustrate this advantage with an actual example, back in 2014, there was a ban on unprocessed nickel ore exports from Indonesia, the world’s biggest nickel producer. This was due to Indonesia requiring their nickel mining corporations to also have processing plants and refineries (instead of other countries doing the processing) because of the big value added in nickel processing. This ban greatly benefited the Philippines, especially the likes of nickel mining and processing companies such as NAC. With Indonesia out of the picture in the interim, countries like China and Japan flocked towards the Philippines for processed nickel exports. Thus of course, nickel prices and exports from the Philippines surged, and you can say the rest is history. According to a 2015 Forbes article, “In 2014, the Philippines became the top nickel producer, accounting for 18% of global supply.” Other than the mining industry and NAC, many entities stood to receive the economic benefits, such as the government, all related businesses and services and indirectly, also the average Filipino investor who had invested in NAC, either through stocks or equity funds. For instance, NAC’s stock price grew about 50% in that year alone.

Figure 6. Nickel Mining Growth in Philippines in the years of 2008-2014. Source: CEIC Data

Figure 7. Mining & Oil Growth relative to PSEi in the years of 2007-2016. Source: Mining and the Philippine Economy: Some Facts and Figures (Miraflor, 2017)

The Economics of Mining: Supply and Demand

The economics of mining is similar to the perfect competition model because the metals drawn from mining are homogenous commodities. Buyers in the market set specific measurements and quality standards before sellers are deemed eligible to sell their refined metals. A market price is set where at the equilibrium point, eligible sellers are able to sell their products. The supply and demand curves of these metals shift in response to new trends in the uses of these metals. Copper, for example, is one the Philippines’ primary metals (Hernandez et al. 2020). According to Geoscience News and Information website Geology.com, copper is widely demanded because it is used as an input factor in several industries. Its electrical conductivity properties allows it to be an important component in electronics and machines. Since copper does not corrode as fast as other metals, it is used in construction, particularly in roofing and plumbing (N.D.).

Figure 8. The Copper Market

Market volatility can still occur in metal commodity markets as surplus and shortage of certain metals can bring about wild swings in the prevailing prices. Commodities futures contracts also allow buyers and sellers to hedge against commodity price risk by fixing a buying or selling price in advance. However, even after entering into a commodities futures contract, there is still always the risk that the buyer or seller had the wrong view on prices. If prevailing prices go against the contract price, there is an opportunity loss on settlement date. Had the entity not hedged, it could have bought or sold metals at much better prices. However, the main benefit of hedging commodities is the cash flow certainty, which will help participants in the market determine their costs in advance.

Figure 9. Hedging Commodities such as Copper

Another important metal that is mined in the Philippines is gold (Chavez 2017). Unlike copper, gold does not have as many industrial uses. Despite this, gold is the more valuable metal, similar to the diamond-water paradox. Gold prices are driven by several factors. For millennia, civilizations have mined gold and used it as expensive ornaments and jewelry. It is an input factor in jewelry and therefore influenced by demand in the jewelry market (Mining Global 2015). Even to this day, gold is still being stocked by central banks around the world as reserves. Global investors see it as a “safe haven” to invest in during times of financial uncertainty because of the faith that people put in the value of gold. Gold also happens to be inversely correlated to the value of the U.S. Dollar. Because gold is priced in USD per troy ounce, when the U.S. Dollar is weak, global investors take the opportunity to purchase more gold (Folder 2019).

Figures 10&11. The following screenshots from Bloomberg show the index of gold against the U.S. Dollar and its prevailing price as of January 13, 2020.

Gold prices have been increasing significantly in recent years, not just because of the previously mentioned factors but also because of its scarcity. It is becoming more difficult to mine gold because the “easy gold” has already been mined from surfaces of mines. Mining companies must undertake even greater drilling to extract gold (Folder 2019). This means that the marginal costs have been increasing for every unit of gold extracted. Since mining companies must cover these costs with their revenues, they have all been pricing gold higher. With no cheaper offers in the market, buyers are then forced to buy at the higher prices, which drives global prices up.

Figure 12. The MC, ATC and AVC from a Mining Company perspective

Another interesting fact about the economics behind gold mining is that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) developed a gold buying program for small-scale mining companies with no access to the global gold commodity markets. Like a commodities buyer, the BSP requires gold sellers to abide by specific measurements and quality standards. Gold sellers must also declare that the gold was sourced in a sustainable manner to encourage environmental responsibility and ethical business. The BSP’s buying price for gold is based on the prevailing Gold/USD and USD/PHP rates.

Figure 13. BSP Table of Prices

The BSP represents itself as the single largest buyer for these small mining companies; hence, it can be considered a monopsony. From the Greek words mono for “one” and opsonein for “many,” a monopsony is a single buyer that dominates a market. Whereas a monopoly sets the output amount and selling price, a monopsony dictates the input amount and buying price (Young 2019).

Figure 14. Graph of BSP as a Monopsony

The BSP as a monopsony has bargaining power because small mining companies depend on it as a source of profit. At its set gold buying price, small mining companies can sell as much gold as they want to the BSP. It is the BSP’s risk, whether it wants to hold onto the gold as reserves or sell it to the global gold commodity markets. However, according to a former government official interviewed for this paper, what sometimes occurs is, because of the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) regulations on taxing the sale of gold, some gold sellers do not sell to BSP and instead sell gold in the black market to Malaysia and Indonesia. These have other implications on gold prices.

We Therefore Conclude..

The advocates for both sides present good points as to the pros and cons of the mining industry in the Philippines. As to the clear advantages of mining, it presents many opportunities to create more wealth with our abundant supply of natural wealth – meaning our combination of human capital and natural resources. It is a well-known fact that the Philippines is rich with natural resources and minerals, and it indeed would be an enormous opportunity cost if these resources are not harnessed to produce significant economic output for the country in the form of exports, various employment and increased sources of livelihood and rural development in mining communities. However, history has shown us over and over that our nation’s resources has always been easily prone to exploitation because the forces at work – the government, the private sector and even world institutions on a global scale, are not able to effectively manage the mining industry. This is where the problem lies. It would be ignorant to simply pinpoint the illegal small-scale miners in the Philippines as the culprit when it comes to the detrimental effects of mining, but in truth, all entities involved, from small-scale to large scale miners, as well as the government, local and national, all play a hand. On one hand, the government is not able to implement regulations that are sworn to protect the very stakeholders and communities that mining continue to harm, and at times, it is the local government units themselves who are at the center of corruption and abuse in the mining industry because local mining business permits pass through them. There are also cases where local governments do not abide by regulations set by the national government.

As for the private sector, though it is reported that medium and large-scale mining corporations have become more socially and environmentally aware and espouse various corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities today as stipulated by Philippine law, such as support for indigenous people’s livelihoods, support for education and environmental sustainability and rehabilitation programs in affected communities, there is still a clamor for them to go above and beyond mere compliance. There are also the questions of motive and transparency – how accurate and up-to-date are the private sector’s efforts in these CSR activities, and who (entities who are unbiased and without a hidden agenda) can truly verify and attest to them? There may be the existence of mining awards today that should encourage responsible mining, but many still look upon these awards as highly politicized.

Moreover, it also must be noted that many of the published works presenting mining’s advantages are written by those with well, a vested interest. Many of the pro-mining advocates are executives and major personalities running the major mining corporations in the Philippines, and thus of course, stand to gain from mining laws which promote more ease of doing business. On the other hand, those representing the anti-mining sentiment, are mostly religious, pro-social welfare personalities and environmentalists, such as the likes of the well-known, late Gina Lopez. Their motives emanate from a more genuine and pro-humanity stand point which many Filipinos appreciate and view with more credibility.

Ultimately, it boils down to poverty and corruption. Many of the country’s mining problems are both rooted in, and caused by poverty. Among most Filipinos, when asked if pro or against mining, the collective answer remains to be: “pro-mining, but responsible mining.” Sadly, that is the caveat. How can the Philippines ensure responsible mining? The regulations on mining were created with the intent to promote inclusive economic growth, the important word being inclusive; however, in the Philippines, the problems have always been law enforcement and execution. It is not true for all mining corporations, but what seems to keep happening is that substantial output coming directly from mining operations ends up benefiting mining executives, or specific government entities, while the actual miners and laborers who do the dirty work, as well as the affected communities, are left with scraps. Simply put, the rich get richer, and the poor remain poor. This is not inclusive growth, but activities which conversely widen the economic gap.

Nevertheless, based on the vast literature on mining, it seems that the Philippines has generally become more aware today about the negative trade-offs brought by mining, and mining corporations too have been doing their part. In the end, despite mining’s less than lackluster contribution to the overall economy, it does not mean it is insignificant. It is an industry that we cannot do without. There are many regional economies in the Philippines that are highly reliant to the mining industry. Moreover, end-products from mining are materials that we use everyday, and for one to say he is completely against mining is to say he is against progress. Again, the main obstacles lie in monitoring and regulating all mining activities in the country; hence it is highly important for the government and all concerned entities to have regular, constructive, fair and transparent conversations and discussions.

Written by:

Aguirre, Encarnacion, Lichang, Marcial, Sayson

List of References:

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Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (N.D.) BSP Gold Buying Program. Retrieved January 13, 2020, from http://www.bsp.gov.ph/bspnotes/bspgold.asp

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Folder, J. (2019, October 31). Investopedia – What Drives The Price Of Gold? Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0311/what-drives-the-price-of-gold.aspx

Geology.com – Geoscience News and Information (N.D.) Facts About Copper. Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://geology.com/usgs/uses-of-copper/

Hernandez, C., et al. (2020, January 10). Encyclopedia Brtiannica – Philippines: Resources and power. Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Philippines/Resources-and-power

Israel, Danilo & Asirot, Jasminda. 2002. Philippine Institute for Development Studies. Mercury Pollution Due to Small-Scale Gold Mining in the Philippines: An Economic Analysis.

Mining Global (2015, October 6). 10 minerals that make modern life work. Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.miningglobal.com/machinery/photos-10-minerals-make-modern-life-work

Miraflor, James. 16 February 2017. Mining and the Philippine Economy: Some Facts and Figures. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@futilityfunc/mining-and-the-philippine-economy-some-facts-and-figures-afe80f66d1b3

Quintants, Jasmin. Mining Industry in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://www.manilatimes.net/2017/09/04/supplements/mining-industry-philippines/348610/348610/

Schmitt, Preston. Environment and Society Portal. Retrieved from http://www.environmentandsociety.org/tools/keywords/philippine-mining-act-1995

Taocio, Henrilito D. Taocio. 08 September 2018. Environment: The Pros and Cons of Mining. Retrieved from https://edgedavao.net/bigger-picture/2018/08/09/environment-the-pros-and-cons-of-mining

Young, J. (2019, September 2). Investopedia – Monopsony. Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/monopsony.asp

28 November 2019. Philippine News Agency. Dinagat nickel firm gets Presidential mineral industry award. Retrieved from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1087295

10 November 2010. Corporate Watch.The Matrix of the Philippine Mining Industry. Retrieved from https://corporatewatch.org › the-matrix-of-the-philippine-mining-industry

Hendryx, M., & Ahem, M. (2008). Relations between health indicators and residential proximity to coal mining in West Virginia. American Journal of Public Health, 98(4),669-671. doi:10.2105/ AJPH.2007.113472

Committee on Technologies for Mining Industries. Evolutionary and Revolutionary Technologies of Mining 2002. Retrieved from https://www.nap.edu/read/10318/chapter/4

Enviro et al. 10 October 2016. Philippine Mining - Effects of Mining in the Environment and Human Health. Oct 10, 2016. Retrieved from https://www.environment.co.za/mining-2/effectsofmining.html. Accessed 13 January 2020)

http://www.geologyin.com/

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joshuajacksonlyblog · 6 years ago

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New Cryptojacking Campaign Infects Asia Using More Profitable Tactics

Cryptojacking — the process of infecting computers with malware to mine cryptocurrency — has declined alongside prices during cryptowinter. But like any dextrous organism facing extinction, the virus and its propagators are adapting.

According to a report by cybersecurity analytics firm Symantec, cryptojacking incidents have plummeted 52 percent since January 2018, but the method of delivery, the execution and the targeting schemes have grown more sophisticated.

Specifically, Symantec’s latest report focused on Beapy, a cryptojacking campaign sweeping through Asia by taking specific aim at business and enterprise. Using a software exploit called EternalBlue, which was developed by the United States’ own NSA, the virus is spread via email. Symantec first tuned into the growing threat in January of this year.

With infection rates spiking in March and continuing an exponential upward trajectory since, the firm has concluded that, based on the virus’s infection route, “it was probably always intended to spread throughout enterprise networks.” Described as a “worm” by the report, the virus effectively infiltrated vulnerable devices and, using a matrix of cyber tunnels, bored its way into devices connected to the same server or network.

“This campaign demonstrates that while cryptojacking has declined in popularity with cyber criminals since its peak at the start of 2018, it is still a focus for some of them, with enterprises now their primary target,” the introduction to the report asserts.

Graph courtesy of Symantec

Some 98 percent of infected parties are enterprise related, the report continues, mirroring 2018 trends in ransomware attacks wherein a drop in overall threats corresponded with an increase in enterprise-focused infections. These attacks, Symantec Threat Intelligence Analyst Allan Neville told Bitcoin Magazine, can “[render] some devices unusable due to high CPU usage.”

China has become the main target of this particular attack, dwarfing all other affected countries with a staggering 83 percent share of all infections. Other afflicted countries include Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Philippines and — the only two outside of the Eastern Hemisphere — Jamaica and Japan.

Virus Infection Strategy

The virus was initially spread through Windows devices via an infected Excel spreadsheet. Once opened, the spreadsheet would create a backdoor into the computer’s OS, making use of the DoublePulse exploit that was leaked in the same batch of cyber tools that gave the attackers the EternalBlue vector for their operations.

Exploiting a weak point in Windows’ Server Message Block protocol, the files containing the virus could then be spread “laterally across networks.”

The mining malware also commandeered credentials, such as passwords and usernames, from infected devices to spread to other computers in a network. Moreover, the firm found versions of Beapy on a public-facing web server, using a list of IP addresses connected to this server to create a hit list of potential victims.

More Upside Than Before

One of the study’s most interesting findings is that Beapy is unlike the run-of-the-mill cryptojacking malware most often employed when infections were at their zenith in early 2018.

Most of these campaigns employed browser-based miners. These viruses largely leveraged the Coinhive protocol, a non-malicious software implementation that was employed by such sites as UNICEF, allowing its website visitors to voluntarily mine Monero for charity through their browsers upon visiting the site. Coinhive shuttered operations in March of 2019, and this, coupled with Monero’s steep depreciation in the bear market, likely led to a steady decline in cryptojacking, the report surmises.

Beapy, however, doesn’t rely on browser mining, opting instead for a much more lucrative and complex file mining approach. Unlike browser mining, file mining is more resource efficient and makes for a greater haul: the average 30-day return for this technique, for instance, could net the virus’s blackhats $750,000, making the browser mining alternative’s return seem paltry at $30,000.

Image courtesy of Symantec

Despite it being on the rise, “file-based coinmining isn’t new,” Neville told Bitcoin Magazine; it’s just “taken a back seat to browser-based coinmining the past couple of years” due to the fact that browser-based mining cryptojacking takes less technical skill.

“The launch of Coinhive — with its ready made scripts — lowered this barrier even further,” he added.

Furthermore, even if a computer is patched against the virus, they will still execute browser mining if they visit a site “that has coin-mining code injected into it.”

Neville clarified that it’s “too early to tell if we’ll see a resurgence in file-based mining compared to browser-based mining.” Still, as detection and protection against Coinminers improves, cyber criminals will look toward “alternative revenue sources.”

“As cyber criminals hone their tactics, we’ve also seen that their approach becomes more targeted.”

Defending Against the Threat

The report ends by listing the side effects of such cryptojacking infections, including device overheating and excessive battery consumption, which can lead to device degradation and spikes in electricity costs.

It also details the precautions that companies can take to insulate against such attacks. On the hardware and software side, companies can employ security solutions “to guard against single-point failures in any specific technology or protection method,” including firewalls and vulnerability assessments; robust passwords and multi-factor authentication are also a bonus.

On the employee side, education is key. In addition to basic cyber hygiene, the report prescribes lessons on what cryptojacking is and how to spot it, like watching for spikes in CPU usage and a battery drain. Neville reiterated many of these points at the end of our correspondence.

“Beyond ensuring that employees receive regular training to recognize and report phishing emails used to deliver malware, businesses should implement overlapping and mutually supportive defensive systems to guard against single-point failures in any specific technology or protection method. This includes deployment of endpoint, email and web gateway protection technologies, as well as firewalls and vulnerability assessment solutions. It’s also crucial to keep these security solutions up to date with the latest protections and ensure systems are protected against exploits such as EternalBlue.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

from Cryptocracken Tumblr http://bit.ly/2vmji8L via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Cryptocracken Tumblr

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twinflameshardcore · 8 years ago

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In unison through an intense wave

I’d like to share some (chaotic again, sorry :) info about how I’ve felt lately in terms of energies, as they are max and positively charged!

It’s begun for me on 01/10/2017 before the Full Moon in Cancer then the (so far) apogee was felt yesterday on the 11/11 day (11+1+2017=1111), all day and night. A strange joy then love arrived into my heart. Vibration jumped so high that I was smiling and exercising all this time! My body felt as if it was not mine, but rather shared between many mighty forces :) The body was literately spitting love though its chakras as if something came into me and was pushing love through. It then was pushing my heart chakra as if down to merge with some lower ones. There was a big pressure in the chest, so perhaps my light body was extending itself further.

It was incredibly powerful and I was yelling ‘I love you!!!!’ to my twin (in spirit, because we’re again on and off, mostly off), like a lioness, to release this energy. The entire body, not just the heart or mind was telling my TF that it loves him. I’m new to such a form of expression! :) It wasn’t a fiery feeling but rather bursting and beaming from within as if I got ‘unlocked’. My body was longing for my TF, not just in the regular physical way but as if on an atomic level, to open, glue and be One, in an eternity when time and space are missing.

The pull was magnetic beyond words, yet it wasn’t emotional (no feelings of missing him like people on a distance do, but as if being in the same space-time, on the same exact level, with the same exact vibration, equal as never before). Thus I titled it ‘in unison’, which is a musical term to describe two arrangements playing together with the same intensity, the same pitch at the same time. My bottom chakras opened to process the love energy released by both the Universe from above, and the Earth from below so they were amping me while I was receiving on the surface of the planet. Whenever I had to stand up, I’ve felt like a lighthouse, with a beam of light coming vertically through me. My eyes are still so shiny and full of dreams and love.

I’d say that my higher self had met my angelic (partly dormant) energy inside of me, and woke it up to spread the angel further. It felt as if there was a nova explosion not far from me, and I was receiving an energy of the blast. It is most certainly a follow up of how much I was guided to discover then study, (and filter out BS) about my Draconian/Seraphim origins between August and September 2016 (during the Lion’s Gate), and then this entire wave of knowledge passed to let me move on and rest. Resting feels boring after such a surge of mental activity, but it was necessary. Draconians love everything extreme and we take it with courage, just as if we lived, or came through a black hole, thus nothing could surprise us anymore, yet we’re depressed when excitement fades out ;)

I’ve also noticed that this beam of love activated my hormones related to sexuality or rather, the entire sacral chakra, to merge the feminine with masculine, because it feels much deeper and max opened than ever. I literately felt dead in the hip area for a few months, while I normally react very strongly to anything sexual. I thought I was aging :D It’s the same when sometime this wave of invisible light/energy can trigger our gut hormones instead to purge the system, then we feel bloated, gassed, blocked, cranky and irritated.

I’ve been getting huge surges of happiness coming from the inside, from the heart and solar plexus. Each day I catch up with energies of the 5D dimension more and more to cheer the life on the New Earth. 5D energy has an impact on dreams too and the dreamland feels like nothing before. I’ve experienced it only once so far, in December ‘16 but it was incredible, in a positive way. Also all my ascension symptoms have been gone for a while, the solar plexus purges no more (the peak was between 2013-2015 wen I worried about the relationship and myself the most), the right hip (masculine energy; the left is for the feminine as they say) is now healed too, my legs feel light. The top of my head feels like radiating a bit, not tingles yet but close too.

If you’re feeling this wave, open up and receive, don’t resist but jump into it without fear. Spread your arms and take the beam into your chest, smile :) This is probably some wave of energy related to the direct motion of all those major planets which were in retrograde and which I wrote of lately. It’s quite an unusual timing that they all move during just one month. In addition, there’s Mars in Pisces, my sign and Mars has been healing its bad patriarchal energy lately too. Even if one doesn’t rely on astrology (and better not to, as it’s addictive), there’s undoubtedly an amazing synchronization of many aspects in the Universe going on right now. We only need to wait patiently for our time, the Universe hasn’t forgotten about anybody. Our regular human bodies have been malfunctioning since the very beginning of creation. You will lose nothing by letting go of your old ego, the old self, unfinished business, plans, ideas, relationships which don’t resonate with your heart’s needs anymore etc.. You will only gain when you let the Universe reconstruct you. You will feel healed to the point of ‘immortality’ when your angelic being awakens inside of you, improving everything. The Universe wants to surprise us so it’s better to never expect anything or track dates and energy updates, but rather pay attention to what we’re guided to individually, and to feel when things happen, without analyzing such events. Analysis activates the brain and it stops the heart from feeling anything metaphysical fully.

I can literately breath this new energy, it feels like a cold, fresh breeze of something new. If anybody told me 1-2 years ago to cheer or expect to be happy, I’d never believe because it felt so draining, heavy when in separation back then. Separation is a state of the mind which is supported by 3D energy of own ego. When the ego fears, it starts making negative assumptions based on scraps of information, the brain looks for the closest references to what it read, learnt, experienced in the past, and then we drift away of the source of our joy even further, analyzing, looking for flaws, imperfections, pushing own version of the ‘truth’. In fact, most of ‘work’ we do with our TFs first is that on the spiritual level, somewhere in another dimension. Humans are too negatively conditioned to act properly, so it starts with the spirits/souls first! Somewhere out/up there we meet, merge, sleep together, cook, buy things etc, etc. Enjoy these moments when they arrive, as they are real, you are not imagining or dreaming. Your higher selves are advanced versions of you two. When we practice allowing, merging, accepting, loving etc., enough, we-humans shift into that new ‘matrix’ which we’d created together to act in the physical reality next :)

According to some source, the wave should peak on 01/14 and will be fading out around 18th. (I’m rather guided to feel it max on 01/17 and/or 01/23 but we’ll see). Enjoy the Love Beam!

Of other things, I’ll share my critique on ‘Twinflame tarot readings’ which have been flooding YouTube for the last year or two in the next post ;)

This post is copyrighted by the author of this blog who prefers to remain anonymous. My posts must not be used for commercial purposes of any kind. Respect my work - ask first before you copy, always include a link back to my site when you quote a part of my writing!

#ascension wave #awakening january 2017 #energy update #energy report #twin flames merging #intense energies

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chaosreader · 5 years ago

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Betting Your Business - Part 3 - Other Crucial Criteria

In the first two parts of this case study, the identification of a significant business opportunity coupled with technical assets that were essential to the operation meant that choosing a platform was a necessary part of the enterprise’s viability. Solitaire Interglobal Ltd. (SIL) a knowledge that security was the primary criterion, but once the data on that essential metric was gathered, there were other requirements that had to be met.

Although it was difficult to see past the urgent need for security, including data protection and privacy, there were other high priority requirements for the new venture to become a reality. That area of platform feasibility included the capability of the selected platform to scale since the demand for capacity would have significant peaks.

Additionally, the entire area of quality of service would need to be considered since the end customer response would be driven by consistent delivery and meeting expectations of speed.

Existing streaming services have significant issues with erratic delivery, broken links, and spotty coverage. Although the proposed new venture does not share many of the characteristics of current video streaming, its reception would be adversely affected by any of those problems.

With a significant growth potential and a worldwide launch planned, the nature of an active cyber market indicated a need to balance the risk of exploding demand against an infrastructure that could quickly and easily scale to address any level of capacity demand.

Realizing that the criteria in this area addressed the raw ability to scale, financial considerations were not addressed at this point. Instead, the ability of the platforms under consideration to handle peak workload without infrastructure modification and the load thresholds that could be maintained on an ongoing basis were examined.

Additional factors that played into the evaluation in this area included any delay in supplemental capacity availability and the degree of automation that was possible to remove the human element from the execution timeline.

FINANCIAL COSTS Of course, there was a financial component to the evaluation. After all, just because it’s possible to provide a service doesn’t mean that there is a commercial justification for doing so.

There were several areas of financial metrics that were identified as critical to the decision. They can be summarized as:

• Cost to deploy the initial application in terms of weighted time expense • Cost of security, both initial and ongoing • Cost of scalability, both core and associated with growth

As with most things, the analysis showed that it is not the initial cost that is the most substantial, but the upkeep and ongoing operations financial impact. Therefore, the total cost of ownership (TCO) was the primary metric used.

RISK The perspective that SIL takes when viewing risk is that it is an accumulation of not only the possibility of shortfalls in protection, deployment, and operations, but the metric must include the scope of the impact of that failure. Given that, the risk evaluation was structured to build an accumulated risk metric that would provide the decision-making team with a consistent and useful criterion.

Since SIL risk analysis is built on an actuarial basis, the extensive data reported by SIL customers and participants in GSW was used to create that complex probability matrix. With an excess of 164 million discrete data points, each of the possible platform solutions received intense scrutiny.

RISK-BASED SOLUTION FILTERING SIL works with millions of model requests every year. One of its strengths is the massive database the covers the aspects of risk and behavior. Any time that a SIL model is requested, that ocean of data is mined for possibilities. Over 50% of these predictive models start out with more than 500 options.

Depending on the parameters set by SIL customers, the field is narrowed down to a more comprehensible number of scenarios before being further culled. This is a process that is executed hundreds of times per day in the SIL analytic labs.

This standard SIL process produced an initial field of 712 possible scenarios for internal SIL consideration. After the first round reduction, 137 were left. These included on-premise infrastructures, public cloud solutions, MSP offerings, and hybrid cloud infrastructures. All of these options were modeled to build comparison points. The consolidated risk rating was used to do the first level cut.

Any scenario with a risk rating of over 15 was deemed unacceptable, and anything rated more than 10 discarded as significantly high risk. The general risk metric for the solutions can be seen in the chart below.

All of the solutions that exceeded the threshold for high risk were eliminated, and only those that were medium to low risk were considered.

This group of shortlisted platform solutions included only five scenarios. Each of these was reviewed in more detail.

None of the solutions presented a low-risk profile. This was not unexpected since the venture being considered was a significant paradigm shift in both the streaming and entertainment environment. In any new creative endeavor, there is a considerable element of risk, and that was not ignored when building the evaluation profile.

However, the platform contribution obviously needed to be minimized, so that the overall feasibility of the project was not additionally burdened.

The evaluation committee found it extremely interesting that all of the shortlisted scenarios shared key components that addressed security and scalability. To differentiate among the options in this group, the secondary criteria would have to be factored in, but first, verification of operational abilities was required for the first two areas.

Coming up next, Results

#RiskAdverse #sil #cyberbusiness

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olivereliott · 5 years ago

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Road Tested: Gear from Icon 1000, Shoei and Merlin

Looking good on your bike shouldn’t mean compromising safety. Join us as we check out Shoei’s new retro motocross helmet, a stylish pair of boots from Icon 1000, and gloves from Merlin.

Shoei EX-Zero Vintage motocross helmets are still hot property, with new models occasionally hitting the market. Today, we’re looking at Shoei’s entry in to the segment: the high-specced EX-Zero.

The EX-Zero is quite possibly the most modern ‘retro’ helmet on the market. Its design and styling is reminiscent of Shoei’s MX helmets in the 80s—models like the EX3 and Supra-X. So it’s a good-looking lid, with bags of attitude and smooth lines.

I love the classy little ducktail lip around the bottom of the front and back, and the six-vent design on the chin bar that’s lifted straight from its ancestors. It’s available in a few sweet color options too, with six flat colors and one graphic on offer.

Looks aside, it’s built just like Shoei’s more contemporary lids. Holding it side-by-side with my Shoei RYD, the EX-Zero has the same 5-layer composite ‘Advanced Integrated Matrix’ shell, and the same plush, removable interior. And just like the RYD, its cheek pads have tabs for quick removal (to assist first responders in removing your helmet safely if things go random).

The EX-Zero’s also very well made and neatly finished. The liner is capped off around the eye port, and along the bottom of the helmet, with strips of faux leather and faux nubuck—adding to the old school feel without compromising the practicality of the modern liner.

Everything feels premium, with no visible inconsistencies—from the paint to the wire mesh in the vents and the rubber edging, Except, of all things, the Shoei logo up top. It’s nothing more than a sticker, and on my helmet sits just skew enough to trigger my OCD.

Shoei has a reputation for helmets that fit great, and the EX-Zero lives up to it. There are no surprises in the size guide, and it feels cushy and comfortable straight out the box. There’s no official weight listed for the EX-Zero, but it’s light enough to be all-day comfy, and the liner does a solid job of keeping things breezy.

The eye port’s nice and spacious too—big enough to squeeze a in pair of the ubiquitous 100% Barstow goggles. But since this is a totally no-fuss design, there are a few caveats. That wide front opening and the chin bar vents let in enough air to keep you cool, but they’re always open. And while the EX-Zero isn’t as noisy as some other helmets in this style, it’s not exactly quiet either.

It is surprisingly aerodynamic though—even with the optional peak fitted. It’s a traditional three-snap arrangement, but it sits tight on the shell and does an excellent job of channeling air around it. Even at highway speeds I didn’t notice any rattling or head lifting.

The EX-Zero’s also packing a very stealthy feature—a drop down visor that, in theory, negates the need for goggles. It hides away inside the shell, and drops down by pulling on one of two small tabs, located on either side. (A spring-loaded mechanism with a lever on the outside of the shell would have ruined the EX-Zero’s simplistic approach.)

Both the visor and the mechanism are very well thought out. You can set it to ‘stop’ at three different heights, depending on your face’s proportions. The helmet ships with a clear visor, but I swapped mine out for a tinted one in a matter of minutes.

There is one fatal flaw with the system though—at anything over 40 mph, air starts to get around the visor. And at 50 mph, it’s pretty much useless. I found myself relying on it for quick around-town jaunts, but for longer rides a good set of goggles (and some ear plugs) are a must. If I had my way, I’d convince Shoei to ditch it altogether—which would hopefully knock the price down too.

At £359.99 (plus another £29.99 for the peak) the EX-Zero costs a fair chunk more than its direct competitor, the uber-popular Bell Moto 3. That said, I own both, and so far I’ve picked the EX-Zero every time—mainly because it’s so damn comfortable. [Buy]

Icon 1000 Varial Boot Whether it’s their gear or their outrageous custom bikes, Icon 1000 have always marched to the beat of their own drum. The new Varial boot embodies this ethos; mashing up different styles to create a boot that looks killer and keeps you protected.

The Varial is styled mostly like a casual boot, but with a few details that throw you. The sole has a strong sneaker vibe too it, and there’s a strap further up that’s not unlike those on vintage motocross boots. Icon 1000 have kept their branding extremely subtle, and loaded up on rad design elements—like the well padded and perforated tongue.

Made from full-grain leather, the Varial comes in either black or brown. I picked latter—partly because the specific leather used on the brown Varial is said to distress quicker, and I like my gear to look worn in. Be warned though: with no shifter pad built into the design, the area on top of my left boot got real messy, real quick. (I don’t mind it, but some people might.)

That leather’s also really supple, so the Varial doesn’t need to be broken in much. I picked my usual boot and sneaker size, and the sizing was spot on. It’s an easy boot to get on too—and that’s not something I can usually say about boots.

My Yeti-sized feet have high bridges, so any lace-up boot needs to be unlaced a bit before I can slip into it. Icon have very cleverly added an elasticated panel around the back of the ankle, along with a super-sturdy leather pull tab. Problem solved.

The lace system itself is a pretty straightforward affair, with metal hardware and barrel laces. That extra strap is a little fiddly to fasten down at first, but once in place it adds extra stability and holds the laces down a bit. (It’s a proper old school setup, with a small stud and three holes for basic adjustment.) There’s a ‘lace pouch’ built into the tongue too; it completely swallows loose ends, but tucking them in there’s a process.

As for protection, the Varial has reinforced material in the toe and heel, and D30 pads built into the ankles. It’s also about an inch higher than most ankle boots, making it feel just that little bit more secure. The footbed is reinforced and stiff enough for maximum stability on the bike, but with a little flex built in for when you’re off it.

At $175 it’s tough to beat the Varial’s style and protection combo. I’m pretty stoked on mine, and you can bet they’ll be in circulation for a long time. [More]

Merlin Boulder Glove British gear manufacturer Merlin are fast becoming known for making solid gear that doesn’t break the bank. Their stuff is among the best selling in our shop, so I figured I’d try out a pair of their gloves: the £79.99 Boulder.

The Boulder is an elegant cowhide glove with a very versatile style. Available in a black and brown combo with contrast stitching, it’s a short-cuff design that’ll look just as good on a cafe racer as it will a scrambler. It scores high on style; the contrasting leathers have been used well, and the stitching patterns vary in different areas of the glove.

On the practicality side, Merlin have included a Velcro closure, a pull tab to help get the glove on, and some extra material on the palm. Perforation on the palm and fingers add a measure of ventilation too. There’s not much protection up top though—just some light padding on the upper panel.

The only branding is Merlin’s phoenix logo embossed on the pull-tab, and their name printed on top. The former feels classy, but the latter looks like an afterthought, and could have been executed better. My only other gripe is minor: each glove has two tiny leather tabs with holes just inside the cuff, to attach the gloves to the packaging. They have no use once the packaging’s been ditched, and I’ll probably end up snipping them off.

Other than that—and one or two untidy seams that I only really picked up when I looked very, very closely—the Boulder appears well made. Unfortunately I haven’t ridden in mine much, but that’s on me. Merlin’s gloves run roughly a size small—and I picked my usual size instead of first consulting their size chart. (Measure your hand and go according to their chart, and you should be fine.)

Even so, I have managed to squeeze my hands into the gloves a few times. And other than the fact that they’re too tight, they have a great, pliable feel to them. Chances are I’ll pass them onto a friend, who will no doubt get many happy miles out of them. [Buy]

Location images by Devin Paisley

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