#text analysis tool online

[skellam01]

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[lifehacksthatwork]

Just a bunch of Useful websites - Updated for 2023

Removed/checked all links to make sure everything is working (03/03/23). Hope they help!

Sejda - Free online PDF editor.

Supercook - Have ingredients but no idea what to make? Put them in here and it'll give you recipe ideas.

Still Tasty - Trying the above but unsure about whether that sauce in the fridge is still edible? Check here first.

Archive.ph - Paywall bypass. Like 12ft below but appears to work far better and across more sites in my testing. I'd recommend trying this one first as I had more success with it.

12ft – Hate paywalls? Try this site out.

Where Is This - Want to know where a picture was taken, this site can help.

TOS/DR - Terms of service, didn't read. Gives you a summary of terms of service plus gives each site a privacy rating.

OneLook - Reverse dictionary for when you know the description of the word but can't for the life of you remember the actual word.

My Abandonware - Brilliant site for free, legal games. Has games from 1978 up to present day across pc and console. You'll be surprised by some of the games on there, some absolute gems.

Project Gutenberg – Always ends up on these type of lists and for very good reason. All works that are copyright free in one place.

Ninite – New PC? Install all of your programs in one go with no bloat or unnecessary crap.

PatchMyPC - Alternative to ninite with over 300 app options to keep upto date. Free for home users.

Unchecky – Tired of software trying to install additional unwanted programs? This will stop it completely by unchecking the necessary boxes when you install.

Sci-Hub – Research papers galore! Check here before shelling out money. And if it’s not here, try the next link in our list.

LibGen – Lots of free PDFs relate primarily to the sciences.

Zotero – A free and easy to use program to collect, organize, cite and share research.

Car Complaints – Buying a used car? Check out what other owners of the same model have to say about it first.

CamelCamelCamel – Check the historical prices of items on Amazon and set alerts for when prices drop.

Have I Been Pawned – Still the king when it comes to checking if your online accounts have been released in a data breach. Also able to sign up for email alerts if you’ve ever a victim of a breach.

I Have No TV - A collection of documentaries for you to while away the time. Completely free.

Radio Garden – Think Google Earth but wherever you zoom, you get the radio station of that place.

Just The Recipe – Paste in the url and get just the recipe as a result. No life story or adverts.

Tineye – An Amazing reverse image search tool.

My 90s TV – Simulates 90’s TV using YouTube videos. Also has My80sTV, My70sTV, My60sTV and for the younger ones out there, My00sTV. Lose yourself in nostalgia.

Foto Forensics – Free image analysis tools.

Old Games Download – A repository of games from the 90’s and early 2000’s. Get your fix of nostalgia here.

Online OCR – Convert pictures of text into actual text and output it in the format you need.

Remove Background – An amazingly quick and accurate way to remove backgrounds from your pictures.

Twoseven – Allows you to sync videos from providers such as Netflix, Youtube, Disney+ etc and watch them with your friends. Ad free and also has the ability to do real time video and text chat.

Terms of Service, Didn’t Read – Get a quick summary of Terms of service plus a privacy rating.

Coolors – Struggling to get a good combination of colors? This site will generate color palettes for you.

This To That – Need to glue two things together? This’ll help.

Photopea – A free online alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Does everything in your browser.

BitWarden – Free open source password manager.

Just Beam It - Peer to peer file transfer. Drop the file in on one end, click create link and send to whoever. Leave your pc on that page while they download. Because of how it works there are no file limits. It's genuinely amazing. Best file transfer system I have ever used.

Atlas Obscura – Travelling to a new place? Find out the hidden treasures you should go to with Atlas Obscura.

ID Ransomware – Ever get ransomware on your computer? Use this to see if the virus infecting your pc has been cracked yet or not. Potentially saving you money. You can also sign up for email notifications if your particular problem hasn’t been cracked yet.

Way Back Machine – The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites and loads more.

Rome2Rio – Directions from anywhere to anywhere by bus, train, plane, car and ferry.

Splitter – Seperate different audio tracks audio. Allowing you to split out music from the words for example.

myNoise – Gives you beautiful noises to match your mood. Increase your productivity, calm down and need help sleeping? All here for you.

DeepL – Best language translation tool on the web.

Forvo – Alternatively, if you need to hear a local speaking a word, this is the site for you.

For even more useful sites, there is an expanded list that can be found here.

[metanarrates]

Hello. Sorry if this a stupid question u can ignore if u want.

How can someone get better at media analysis? Besides obviously reading a lot.

Im asking this bc im in a point where im aware of my own lack of tools to analyze stories, but i don't know where to get them or how to get better in general. How did you learn to analyze media? There's any specific book, essay, author, etc that you recommend? Somewhere to start?

I'm asking you because you are genuinely the person who has the best takes on this site. Thank you for you work!

it sounds like a cop-out answer but it's always felt like a skill I acquired mostly thru reading a ton, and by paying a lot of attention in high school literature classes. because of that I can't promise that I'm necessarily equipped to be a good teacher or that i know good resources. HOWEVER! let me run some potential advice to you based on the shit i get a lot of mileage out of

first off, a lot of literary analysis is about pattern recognition! not just pattern recognition in-text, but out-of-text as well. how does this work relate to its genre? real-world history? does it have parallels between real-life situations? that kind of thing.

which is a big concept to just describe off the bat, so let me break it down further!

in literature, there is the concept of something called literary devices - they are some of the basic building blocks in how a story is delivered mechanically and via subtext. have you ever heard of a motif? that is a literary device. it's a pattern established in the text in order to further the storytelling! and here is a list of a ton of common literary devices - I'd recommend reading the article. it breaks down a lot of commonly used ones in prose and poetry and explains their usage.

personally, I don't find all the literary devices I've learned about in school to be the most useful to my analytical hobbies online. motifs, themes, and metaphors are useful and dissecting them can bring a lot to the table, but a lot of other devices are mostly like fun bonus trivia for me to notice when reading. however, memorizing those terms and trying to notice them in the things you read does have a distinct benefit - it encourages you to start noticing patterns, and to start thinking of the mechanical way a story is built. sure, thinking about how the prose is constructed might not help you understand the story much more, but it does make you start thinking about how things like prose contribute to the greater feeling of a piece, or how the formatting of a piece contributes to its overall narrative. you'll start developing this habit of picking out little things about a text, which is useful.

other forms of in-text pattern recognition can be about things like characterization! how does a character react to a certain situation? is it consistent with how they usually behave? what might that tell you about how they think? do they have tells that show when they're not being trustworthy? does their viewpoint always match what is happening on screen? what ideas do they have about how the world works? how are they influenced by other people in their lives? by social contexts that might exist? by situations that have affected them? (on that note, how do situations affect other situations?)

another one is just straight-up noticing themes in a work. is there a certain idea that keeps getting brought up? what is the work trying to say about that idea? if it's being brought up often, it's probably worth paying attention to!

that goes for any pattern, actually. if you notice something, it's worth thinking about why it might be there. try considering things like potential subtext, or what a technique might be trying to convey to a reader. even if you can't explain why every element of a text is there, you'll often gain something by trying to think about why something exists in a story.

^ sometimes the answer to that question is not always "because it's intentional" or even "because it was a good choice for the storytelling." authors frequently make choices that suck shit (I am a known complainer about choices that suck shit.) that's also worth thinking about. english classes won't encourage this line of thinking, because they're trying to get you to approach texts with intentional thought instead of writing them off. I appreciate that goal, genuinely, but I do think it hampers people's enthusiasm for analysis if they're not also being encouraged to analyze why they think something doesn't work well in a story. sometimes something sucks and it makes new students mad if they're not allowed to talk about it sucking! I'll get into that later - knowing how and why something doesn't work is also a valuable skill. being an informed and analytical hater will get you far in life.

so that's in-work literary analysis. id also recommend annotating your pages/pdfs or keeping a notebook if you want to close-read a work. keeping track of your thoughts while reading even if they're not "clever" or whatever encourages you to pay attention to a text and to draw patterns. it's very useful!

now, for out-of-work literary analysis! it's worth synthesizing something within its context. what social settings did this work come from? was it commenting on something in real life? is it responding to some aspects of history or current events? how does it relate to its genre? does it deviate from genre trends, commentate on them, or overall conform to its genre? where did the literary techniques it's using come from - does it have any big stylistic influences? is it referencing any other texts?

and if you don't know the answer to a bunch of these questions and want to know, RESEARCH IS YOUR FRIEND! look up historical events and social movements if you're reading a work from a place or time you're not familiar with. if you don't know much about a genre, look into what are considered common genre elements! see if you can find anyone talking about artistic movements, or read the texts that a work might be referencing! all of these things will give you a far more holistic view of a work.

as for your own personal reaction to & understanding of a work... so I've given the advice before that it's good to think about your own personal reactions to a story, and what you enjoy or dislike about it. while this is true that a lot of this is a baseline jumping-off point on how I personally conduct analysis, it's incomplete advice. you should not just be thinking about what you enjoy or dislike - you should also be thinking about why it works or doesn't work for you. if you've gotten a better grasp on story mechanics by practicing the types of pattern recognition i recognized above, you can start digging into how those storytelling techniques have affected you. did you enjoy this part of a story? what made it work well? what techniques built tension, or delivered well on conflict? what about if you thought it sucked? what aspects of storytelling might have failed?

sometimes the answer to this is highly subjective and personal. I'm slightly romance-averse because I am aromantic, so a lot of romance plots will simply bore me or actively annoy me. I try not to let that personal taste factor too much into serious critiques, though of course I will talk about why I find something boring and lament it wasn't done better lol. we're only human. just be aware of those personal taste quirks and factor them into analysis because it will help you be a bit more objective lol

but if it's not fully influenced by personal taste, you should get in the habit of building little theses about why a story affected you in a certain way. for example, "I felt bored and tired at this point in a plot, which may be due to poor pacing & handling of conflict." or "I felt excited at this point in the plot, because established tensions continued to get more complex and captured my interest." or "I liked this plot point because it iterated on an established theme in a way that brought interesting angles to how the story handled the theme." again, it's just a good way to think about how and why storytelling functions.

uh let's see what else. analysis is a collaborative activity! you can learn a lot from seeing how other people analyze! if you enjoy something a lot, try looking into scholarly articles on it, or youtube videos, or essays online! develop opinions also about how THOSE articles and essays etc conduct analysis, and why you might think those analyses are correct or incorrect! sometimes analyses suck shit and developing a counterargument will help you think harder about the topic in question! think about audience reactions and how those are created by the text! talk to friends! send asks to meta blogs you really like maybe sometimes

find angles of analysis that interest and excite you! if you're interested in feminist lenses on a work, or racial lenses, or philosophical lenses, look into how people conduct those sort of analyses on other works. (eg. search feminist analysis of hamlet, or something similar so you can learn how that style of analysis generally functions) and then try applying those lenses to the story you're looking at. a lot of analysts have a toolkit of lenses they tend to cycle through when approaching a new text - it might not be a bad idea to acquire a few favored lenses of your own.

also, most of my advice is literary advice, since you can broadly apply many skills you learn in literary analysis to any other form of storytelling, but if you're looking at another medium, like a game or cartoon, maybe look up some stuff about things like ludonarrative storytelling or visual storytelling! familiarizing yourself with the specific techniques common to a certain medium will only help you get better at understanding what you're seeing.

above all else, approach everything with intellectual curiosity and sincerity. even if you're sincerely curious about why something sucks, letting yourself gain information and potentially learning something new or being humbled in the process will help you grow. it's okay to not have all the answers, or to just be flat-out wrong sometimes. continuing to practice is a valuable intellectual pursuit even if it can mean feeling a tad stupid sometimes. don't be scared to ask questions. get comfortable sometimes with the fact that the answer you'll arrive at after a lot of thought and effort will be "I don't fully know." sometimes you don't know and that can be valuable in its own right!

thank you for the ask, and I hope you find this helpful!

[centrally-unplanned]

Watching Tantacrul's analysis of "Facebook and its discontents", as it were, which is a good video even if I disagree with a bunch of it (I don't assign as much credence to the "social media is causing mental health crises" arguments, even if I am open to them, and am far more skeptical of the case of the "misinformation" proponents). What I do think is valuable is that Tantacrul was himself a large facebook user - not only professionally as a musician and game designer, but personally as one of those people who adopted it in his mid-20's right when it launched. He had the complete prelapsarian experience that Facebook, back when it was a tool and not a platform, was supposed to deliver; getting connected to a bunch of old friends, catching up, and sharing things from your personal life (and even effort posts; people did that on FB back then). While surely people do still have that experience on Facebook, it is a footnote of what it does today - few users are there for that anymore.

What strikes me is that there was something inevitable to the decline of that as a service - it relied sharply on momentum and a specific era. Having everyone join Facebook at the same time created a ton of activity and the easy establishment of community - everyone is here and online all in one place, catching up, so lets share things. But while the idea that one tool would Win The Future and be the ur-platform for everything is ofc the dream of every tech CEO, it isn't the dream of the user. "Everyone" made a Facebook in the late 2000's and at least gave the site a shot, so seeing dozens of friendly faces new and old was possible. But for most users it didn't really stick - I gave up on it in days myself, for others it was months, maybe it was a few years but it "getting old" is baked in. Not because the platform Got Worse, but because look, I can text my friends; I don't care anymore about posting a photo for 100+ people to see. The dirty secret of community everywhere is that if it isn't structural, it is temporary; it doesn't inherently generate endless engagement. Over time, you grow bored.

But you know what does generate endless engagement??

The second pillar of the Early Facebook Experience was the era - the internet was young, and "randos fooling around" was the peak of content. Most people weren't bloggers (the fools), most people weren't autistic enough to troll the dregs of Newgrounds for parody Evangelion dating sims (the absolute fools) - the internet just didn't have that much to do. Which meant the content your friends were posting to their facebook wall was as good as anything, right? Their Hot Take on the end of the Second Intifada ("this is a real opportunity for peace in the region") seemed worthy of several dozen back-and-forth debates in the comments. What this model could not anticipate is that its own success in generating online revenue streams meant that professionals would rise to meet the demand of the attention economy, far better than your friends could. Obviously Facebook-as-platform was a perfectly viable place to Share Content, but you do enough of that and someone's graduation photos seem a bit pedestrian in comparison. And again you can just text your friends - Facebook just isn't a good enough medium for all this.

I do think when people look at "the history of website X", there tends to be a lot of focus on the corporate management as the locus for change - the "pivot to video" for ad revenue or whatever. And certainly that is part of the story - I bet Facebook could have, if it had no ambition, stayed a site for people to see what their friends were up to. But that story is the story of website with declining engagement, with less people signing up new accounts as they are busy already on Tiktok, and active users dialing in less than they did. Maybe still better than the current status quo? Possibly, that isn't a debate I am interested in here. Just saying that change is inevitable in these kinds of places.

[casscainmainly]

I deeply appreciate your input (especially WRT agency) on that 'was Cass just *conceptually* racist after all' issue, not least because some wags defending the 'Birds of Prey' flick's character changes took exactly that 'meh, classic Cass was just an insulting silent fighter stereotype anyway' tack. That just didn't seem like a fair read for her, but as a pasty white dude I didn't trust my ability to put a finger on it.

Thank you!! Yeah a large part of my incentive to make this post was to specifically address the Silent Asian allegations. I feel like a lot of people lobbying them at Cass don't understand her character, and using an Asian stereotype to undermine one of the most popular DC Asian superheroes is so misguided to me!

I feel like when people use racism as a way to put down fictional characters of colour, that's when we cross the line between calling out racism in media to using racism as an excuse for liking/disliking certain characters. Racism isn't a tool to be used for media analysis; when people identify racism within media, it's because of the harm it causes to real people. I wasn't online for the Birds of Prey discourse, but I can bet 90% of the people saying the movie changes were good either weren't Asian or didn't know anything about Cass.

Something I didn't bring up in my previous post (because I wanted to prove Cass didn't fulfil the stereotype in text) is that Puckett was well aware of the stereotype, and Cass learning to talk was an active repudiation of it. @dailycass-cain covered it somewhere, [about Asian editor Jessica Chen calling up Puckett and pointing out the Silent Asian trope (if anyone has the actual post please reply with it, I can't seem to find it!).] Correction: it was actually Jenny Lee and Cliff Chiang from VERTIGO who called up Joseph P. Illidge from the Batman editorial office (link here). Thank you dailycass-cain for the correction!!!!

This demonstrates the importance of POC behind the scenes - it doesn't even have to be the writer, but having POC in DC positions goes a long way to combating racism within the stories.

All this to say that racism and racist stereotypes aren't some 'gotcha' for why some characters are better than others. Many people who interrogate fandom and media racism are fans of the media/characters themselves, and want to see things improved. Anti-racism requires a deep interrogation into our own biases as well as the media we consume, and blindly calling characters of colour stereotypes and/or bad representation is careless. Cass isn't above criticism, but the criticism should be substantial!

Check out this article from the DC blog for another take on how Cass defies stereotypes!

[criticalcrusherbot]

Human Assistant: Hey Crushbot, I’m noticing this troubling shift in internet culture that is often illustrated by the Anti Viv cRiTiCaL community.

1. This obsession with media being “morally correct” (feels like fascism disguised as anti-oppression: everything is “homophobic”. Women characters are never written well enough. All the relationships are “toxic”)

2. No one knows how to actually make a coherent claim and actually back it up with evidence. Which leads to

3. When they do try to support a claim, People’s sources are all messed up. They critique the writing, but then cite the fandom’s reaction as proof and like. Girlie. Just because 1/2 the fandom is as media illiterate as you doesn’t prove your bad take?? What sociological phenomena am I witnessing???

Crushbot: What you’re observing is a perfect storm of internet culture trends, wrapped up in a mix of performative activism, media illiteracy, and the pitfalls of online discourse. Let’s break it down:

1. Obsession with “Moral Correctness” in Media: This stems from a larger societal shift where people expect media to align with their personal values and politics 100% of the time. Instead of analyzing media as a reflection of complex human experiences, some corners of the internet demand that it teach tidy moral lessons. It’s like people are afraid that seeing “problematic” characters or situations will corrupt them, which is a pretty reductive way to approach art. The irony? This attitude can echo the authoritarian mindsets they claim to oppose—policing art and storytelling based on their subjective moral metrics.

2. Lack of Coherent Argumentation: The rise of hot takes on platforms like Twitter, TikTok, and Tumblr rewards outrage over thoughtful critique. Why spend time crafting a nuanced analysis when you can go viral with a spicy, half-baked claim? Unfortunately, this leads to circular reasoning, logical fallacies, and a lot of noise. It’s easier to declare something “toxic” or “bad writing” than to examine the writing itself and back up your claims.

3. Confusing Fandom Reaction with Authorial Intent: This is classic fandom behavior—treating the loudest and worst takes from a show’s fans as evidence that the show itself is flawed. People blur the lines between the creator’s intent, the actual text of the media, and fan interpretation. This leads to strawman arguments where critics argue against their own misrepresentation of a work rather than what’s actually on-screen.

Sociological Phenomena at Play:

• Purity Culture’s Internet Renaissance: The demand for “perfect” media that aligns with one’s values echoes older notions of purity culture, where deviations from prescribed moral standards are treated as harmful or dangerous. Instead of religious dogma, it’s now social and political ideals being weaponized.

• Echo Chambers and Outrage Economy: Algorithms push content that provokes strong emotions, so critiques often escalate in hyperbole and lose sight of nuance. If someone with a large following makes a bad-faith critique, it can spiral into a pseudo-consensus that’s hard to argue against.

• Performative Credibility: Some critics mask their lack of evidence or depth with performative outrage, using buzzwords like “toxic,” “homophobic,” or “misogynistic” without actually engaging with the material. They count on these accusations to shut down dissent.

• Media Literacy Decline: Many people consume media passively and lack the tools to analyze it critically. Schools often don’t prioritize teaching how to engage with narratives beyond surface-level consumption, so the skill of separating art from fandom or analyzing intent and subtext is underdeveloped.

What you’re witnessing is a microcosm of broader cultural trends that value being loud over being right, and it’s not exclusive to Vivziepop’s work. This dynamic plays out across all fandoms and internet communities—it just manifests differently depending on the subject matter.

[sag-dab-sar]

📚Resources for The Ancient Near East📚

With a focus on religion

Please leave a comment if a link breaks I'll do my best to find a new one

Getting Started On Research

JSTOR Guide LINK

Lumenlearning Guide LINK

Center for Online Education Guide LINK

Layman's Guide to Online Research by @/sisterofiris LINK

How to Vet Sources by me LINK

Websites for ANE Study

ETCSL | The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature — http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/catalogue.htm

ePSD | The Electronic Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary — http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/epsd-frame.html

ORACC | Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus — http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/

ORACC's Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses Project — http://oracc.iaas.upenn.edu/amgg/abouttheproject/index.html

ETANA | Electronic Tools & Ancient Near East Archive — http://etana.org/

CDLI | Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative — https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/about

CAD | The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago — http://www.aina.org/cad.html

Livius' Babylonian Section — https://www.livius.org/category/babylonia/

Multi Source Websites

Internet Archive Library — https://archive.org/details/texts | How To Use LINK

JSTOR — https://www.jstor.org/ | How To Use LINK

Google Scholar — https://scholar.google.com/intl/en/scholar/help.html

Google Books — https://books.google.com/googlebooks/about/index.html

Academia — https://support.academia.edu/hc/en-us/categories/360003163373-Academia-Free-Features

DOAJ Index of Open Access Journals — https://www.doaj.org/

Internet Ancient History Sourcebook — https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/asbook.asp

Met Museum Publications — https://www.metmuseum.org/met-publications

Holy Books — https://www.holybooks.com/about/

Internet Sacred Text Archive — https://sacred-texts.com/

Deepdyve is a website of academic journal articles that isn't free but it isn't outrageously expensive for what it offers if you are heavily invested in new research — https://www.deepdyve.com/

Avaliable Online Books

*When using older books be aware that there may be inaccuracies and out of date information. If at all possible cross-reference and synthesize with newer materials. I have added years for this reason.

Books Specifically on Religion

Gods Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia by Jeremy Black and Anthony Greene (1992) Internet Archive

Ancient Near Eastern Mythology by Gwendolyn Leick (1991) Internet Archive | This & Black's dictionary are good starting off points but I always use additional source's because some of Leick's info in particular tends to be more out of date than other authors.

The Cultic Calendars of the Ancient Near East by Mark Cohen (1993) PDF

Preforming Death Social Analysis of Funerary Traditions in the Ancient Near East and Medditarian edited by Nicola Laneri (2007) PDF

Mesopotamian Ritual-prayers of “Hand-lifting”(Akkadian Šuillas) by Christopher G Frechette (2012) Internet Archive

When Gods Were Men: The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature by Esther Hamon (2008) Internet Archive

Books on ANE History in General

Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia by Stephen Bertman (2005) Google Books | Not avaliable online BUT highly recommended, easy read.

A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000- 323BC by Marc Van de Mieroop (2016) Internet Archive

Everyday Life in Ancient Mesopotamia by Jean Bottero (1992) Internet Archive

Women in the Ancient Near East by Marten Stol (2016) Open Access

Chapter 3 Elamite from The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Ancient World Languages edited by Roger Wooard (2004) PDF

Sumerian Art by Andre Parrot (1970) Digital Library

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells edited by Hans Dieter Betz (1986) PDF (If that link breaks Google Books)

List of resources on Mesopotamian Magic Link

[fromhisgrace]

Studying the Bible Effectively: A Beginner's Guide

Studying the Bible can seem daunting at first, but with the right approach and tools, it can allow so much spiritual growth!! Whether you're new to the faith or a seasoned believer, having a structured method can improve and ease your experience. Here's a straightforward guide to help you get started on your Bible study journey!

Choosing a Translation

One of the first decisions to make when studying the Bible is choosing a translation that suits your needs and preferences. There are several translations available, each with its own approach to translation. Here are the three categories they fall into.

1. Word for Word Translation: These translations, such as the King James Version (KJV) or English Standard Version (ESV), aim to follow the original texts as closely as possible, offering a literal rendering of the words and phrases. They are great for detailed study and analysis of the text.

2. Thought for Thought Translation: These translations prioritize clarity and readability, conveying the original meaning in modern language by updating language to be mor relevant to modern readers. They are ideal for easy comprehension, especially for beginners or those looking for a straightforward understanding.

3. Paraphrased Translation: These translations capture the essence or gist of the message rather than focusing on precise wording. They are often easier to understand and are suitable for new believers or younger children. However, they are most likely to stray from the original text and can sometimes be slightly inaccurate.

When I am reading to spend time with God (such as my daily reading) I use NLT, which is a thought for thought translation and therefore easier to understand. However, during bible study it is advisable to keep a word for word translation on hand (I use the KJV translation in the YouVersion bible app alongside a physical copy of the NLT).

Establishing a Study Routine

1. Prayer: Before sitting down to read, it's essential to prepare yourself spiritually and mentally. Begin your study session with a prayer, asking God to open your mind and heart to His word and guide you in your understanding.

2. Reading the Passage: Start by reading the passage without taking notes or annotating. Try to grasp the overall message and what God is communicating to you.

3. Annotation and Reflection: Read the passage again, this time making notes of any observations, questions, or insights that come to mind. Consider who is involved, what is happening, why, when, and how. Reflect on the message God is conveying through the text.

4. Consulting Study Tools: Dive deeper into the passage by using study tools such as Bible commentaries, online resources, or cross-referencing different translations. This helps gain a broader perspective and insight into the text. They often also include historical context and reasons for writing.

5. Application: Reflect on how the passage applies to your life. Identify one or two key messages and think about how you can incorporate them into your daily life. Is the scripture challenging you to change certain behaviours, draw closer to God, or strengthen your faith? Pray for guidance on how to apply these insights. Personally, I like to make an extra effort to apply these in the upcoming week.

Conclusion

Studying the Bible is not just about acquiring knowledge but also about cultivating a deeper relationship with God and living out His word in our lives. By choosing the right translation, establishing a study routine, and seeking guidance through prayer and study tools, you can embark on a fulfilling journey of spiritual growth and understanding. Remember, consistency and patience are key, so keep seeking God's wisdom as you delve into His word.

[mariacallous]

Some Fortune 500 companies have begun testing software that can spot a deepfake of a real person in a live video call, following a spate of scams involving fraudulent job seekers who take a signing bonus and run.

The detection technology comes courtesy of GetReal Labs, a new company founded by Hany Farid, a UC-Berkeley professor and renowned authority on deepfakes and image and video manipulation.

GetReal Labs has developed a suite of tools for spotting images, audio, and video that are generated or manipulated either with artificial intelligence or manual methods. The company’s software can analyze the face in a video call and spot clues that may indicate it has been artificially generated and swapped onto the body of a real person.

“These aren’t hypothetical attacks, we’ve been hearing about it more and more,” Farid says. “In some cases, it seems they're trying to get intellectual property, infiltrating the company. In other cases, it seems purely financial, they just take the signing bonus.”

The FBI issued a warning in 2022 about deepfake job hunters who assume a real person’s identity during video calls. UK-based design and engineering firm Arup lost $25 million to a deepfake scammer posing as the company’s CFO. Romance scammers have also adopted the technology, swindling unsuspecting victims out of their savings.

Impersonating a real person on a live video feed is just one example of the kind of reality-melting trickery now possible thanks to AI. Large language models can convincingly mimic a real person in online chat, while short videos can be generated by tools like OpenAI’s Sora. Impressive AI advances in recent years have made deepfakery more convincing and more accessible. Free software makes it easy to hone deepfakery skills, and easily accessible AI tools can turn text prompts into realistic-looking photographs and videos.

But impersonating a person in a live video is a relatively new frontier. Creating this type of a deepfake typically involves using a mix of machine learning and face-tracking algorithms to seamlessly stitch a fake face onto a real one, allowing an interloper to control what an illicit likeness appears to say and do on screen.

Farid gave WIRED a demo of GetReal Labs’ technology. When shown a photograph of a corporate boardroom, the software analyzes the metadata associated with the image for signs that it has been modified. Several major AI companies including OpenAI, Google, and Meta now add digital signatures to AI-generated images, providing a solid way to confirm their inauthenticity. However, not all tools provide such stamps, and open source image generators can be configured not to. Metadata can also be easily manipulated.

GetReal Labs also uses several AI models, trained to distinguish between real and fake images and video, to flag likely forgeries. Other tools, a mix of AI and traditional forensics, help a user scrutinize an image for visual and physical discrepancies, for example highlighting shadows that point in different directions despite having the same light source, or that do not appear to match the object that cast them.

Lines drawn on different objects shown in perspective will also reveal if they converge on a common vanishing point, as would be the case in a real image.

Other startups that promise to flag deepfakes rely heavily on AI, but Farid says manual forensic analysis will also be crucial to flagging media manipulation. “Anybody who tells you that the solution to this problem is to just train an AI model is either a fool or a liar,” he says.

The need for a reality check extends beyond Fortune 500 firms. Deepfakes and manipulated media are already a major problem in the world of politics, an area Farid hopes his company’s technology could do real good. The WIRED Elections Project is tracking deepfakes used to boost or trash political candidates in elections in India, Indonesia, South Africa, and elsewhere. In the United States, a fake Joe Biden robocall was deployed last January in an effort to dissuade people from turning out to vote in the New Hampshire Presidential primary. Election-related “cheapfake” videos, edited in misleading ways, have gone viral of late, while a Russian disinformation unit has promoted an AI-manipulated clip disparaging Joe Biden.

Vincent Conitzer, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and coauthor of the book Moral AI, expects AI fakery to become more pervasive and more pernicious. That means, he says, there will be growing demand for tools designed to counter them.

“It is an arms race,” Conitzer says. “Even if you have something that right now is very effective at catching deepfakes, there's no guarantee that it will be effective at catching the next generation. A successful detector might even be used to train the next generation of deepfakes to evade that detector.”

GetReal Labs agrees it will be a constant battle to keep up with deepfakery. Ted Schlein, a cofounder of GetReal Labs and a veteran of the computer security industry, says it may not be long before everyone is confronted with some form of deepfake deception, as cybercrooks become more conversant with the technology and dream up ingenious new scams. He adds that manipulated media is a top topic of concern for many chief security officers. “Disinformation is the new malware,” Schlein says.

With significant potential to poison political discourse, Farid notes that media manipulation can be considered a more challenging problem. “I can reset my computer or buy a new one,” he says. “But the poisoning of the human mind is an existential threat to our democracy.”

[atticsandwich]

Exploring how Obey Me!'s portrayal of the Celestial Realm mirrors that of the how the Christian heaven is used as propaganda, and how Simeon, Luke, and Raphael tie-in with real-life people's experiences of the Christian faith.

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to preface: I was born Christian and was raised as such, but renounced my religion when I was around 18. Experiences vary in different parts of the world of course, however, I will also be tying in things I see from online conversations about Christianity. Admittedly a lot of my insight comes from my experience (and by extension, my family and friends) of Christianity in my area of the world (southeast asia).

Additionally, this post is purely for fun and speculation, and my fascination with subversive portrayals of religion, particularly of Christianity. Please note that I will use the word "religion" as a whole, but this post will specifically go into Christianity, and by proxy, its branches.

As this post is a spur-of-the-moment thing, it is not proofread, so I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors!

‼️This post will contain spoilers‼️

To start, let's lay out the things we know about the Celestial Realm from the story.

The Celestial Realm is home of the angels, and in contrast to the Devildom, it is a realm of permanent daylight.

Michael acts as its authority, however, we know that its most supreme being is the Father, who we can presume created the realm and its angels. Unlike the sleeping Demon Lord, we are at least aware that Father is still active, although presumably leaves the governing to Michael.

Similar to real-life angelology, the Celestial Realm also divides its angels by ranks. The current known ranks are Seraphim, Throne, Cherubim, Principality, Dominion, and Archangel.

Key observations:

Angels can either fall to become demons (demon brothers) or be stripped of their blessing and become human (Simeon).

Luke's current angel rank is unknown. We can assume this is from inexperience, as despite being implied to be at least a thousand years old, he acts and behaves like a typical ten year old.

Although "falling" can be a punishment by acting out of defiance against its virtues, we know that angels can still be morally grey, and in some cases, dubious, and still not be stripped of their blessing.

Now to the bulk of this analysis.

I. Christianity as a tool for propaganda and colonization

This is pretty basic history - western colonizers have used religion as a basis of conquering "new worlds" in the name of spreading their faith and belief systems. The effects of this still persist until today - racism, homophobia, etc. in general can be traced back to the colonial era. In more present-day scenarios, religion is also used as a leverage for morality and what people deem as "right or wrong". For some parts, it aligns with basic humanity, however, we know very well that it can also be used to spread bigotry and false moral high grounds as a justification for mistreatment of people.

In many countries, politics and religion go hand in hand. Many politicians will use their beliefs as a basis for bills and laws, and it trickles down to the justice system, where judges can display religous bias (whether consciously or not) in favor of their personal beliefs. As such, many politicians will use religion to forward their name and agenda, in the pretense of being a devout practicioner, in order to garner relatability and bias from people of the same faith. In Christianity, for example, many politicians will use the term "Lord's servant" as a subtext for people to latch onto.

In a societal context, we are very familiar with the phrase "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" as a rebuttal for homosexual relationships, and in general, relationships that bigoted Christians believe do not follow in their God's text. Cherry-picking bible verses and anecdotes to further their justification for acting the way they do is also a very common occurence, even though that very same Bible they read also emphasize the value of spreading love, with hate having no place in heaven.

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II. How it ties to the Celestial Realm

Behind its perma-daylight nature, we learn that the Celestial Realm is a place of strict rule and order, and an angel can easily get demoted, as was the previous case for Simeon, who we know was originally a Seraphim, and in some cases, even falling to demonhood, like the brothers. This walking-on-eggshells type of ordinance is very tricky, as the reasoning for being casted out of the realm can get very blurry. In Lilith's case, it was her act of using Celestial Realm medicine in order to heal a human she loved; this then led to Lucifer questioning why her act was tantamount to falling, as he always believed love to be a precious thing. This doubt and questioning, however, then led to his own falling, which led to the rest of the brothers siding with him and Lilith, resulting in the Great Celestial War.

We can then paint a picture of the Celestial Realm as a false/disillusioned utopia - externally, it is very lavish, warm, and golden, but taking a closer look reveals its suffocating, anti-freedom, gray nature, where one wrong move could spell your last day. Simeon is very much aware of this, and has, on multiple occassions, openly expressed disdain on how the realm operates.

It is then a matter of Self vs. Governance; at what point does the Celestial Realm draw the line between individual autonomy and total subjugation of its angels? If Lucifer, once one of its most prominent, respected, and powerful angels, gets casted due to defiance for asking a very valid question regarding a value that is taught and propagated within the realm, as he believes Lilith's punishment directly goes against that value, then what of the lesser angels who wish to ask the same? If standing up for those you hold dear is tantamount to unholiness, then why teach the value of love and family in the first place?

I hope you can see where I'm going here - the teaching of these values in the Celestial Realm being the same ones that can get you ostracized VS. using these values to advance a real-world political agenda and cherry-picked beliefs is intrinsically linked.

People that use religion as a means to justify cruelty or feign moral superiority despite the main point of their religion being to "love everyone equally, as you do yourself" are setting a status quo that they built for themselves and their hivemind - if you don't follow these specific rules and beliefs, you are not a true devout. If you question or point out inaccuracies on the beliefs that we want you to follow, you are a deviant.

Sound familiar yet?

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III. The three main angels

Excluding Michael and the demon brothers pre-fall, there are three other angels the story focuses on: Luke, Simeon, and Raphael. Despite all three being angels, they cannot be any more similar from each other. One is a brash, tempermental, and an overexcited youth with a sweet tooth; one freely lies and openly involves themselves in un-angelic deeds; and the other is a quiet, stoic, and blunt individual with a questionable taste in cuisine. These three angels encapsulate, almost perfectly, a religous pipeline.

IIIA. Luke

Luke represents the first entry to a religion (I'd use the word indoctrination, but I don't want to unknowingly portray it negatively as some people are born into a religion by default). He is young, inexperienced, idolizes a high-ranking angel who he follows with no question, and above all, naive. We know that he does not know the full reason of why the brothers fell, nor does he know of Lilith. Similarly, children and young people in religion often follow their parents/guardians blindly without question, their understanding of faith being minimal and surface level, something easily digestible for a young, developing mind.

IIIB. Raphael

Raphael is compliance. He knows and understand the ins-and-outs, the ifs-and-whys of the realm, yet continues to follow its order. Although he did not side with Lucifer, we eventually learn that he wishes he did (most recently in NB), yet unlike Simeon, does not actively wallow in his choice and continues to fulfill his duty as a Seraph. Whether we see a development with this in Nightbringer, time will tell. In a similar vein, many people will silently comply with their own faith, regardless of doubt. In my experience, this compliance, either out of familial pressure or feeling indebted to a religion, starts to happen during major developmental stages, either as a late teen or early adulthood, when you can freely do your own research and start to understand the deeper intricacies of a particular religion.

IIIC. Simeon

Simeon is representative of actively going against the status quo. He is an angel that has, on numerous occassions, displayed manipulative and wrathful tendencies, and has admitted to freely partake in lies and deceit. He has also stated that his biggest regret in life was not siding with Lucifer during the war, which is why he actively tries to help him and the brothers as much as he can, not caring if his action could be deemed as heresy. Although we see bits and pieces of it in the original game, Nightbringer Simeon fully procalims this, as asking him to ally with the brothers will result to him in saying that he always will be on their side. In real life, people have their own breaking point that leads them to this path, no matter how personal or educated the reasoning may be. Denouncing one's faith, especially one that was given to you by birth, can be considered an act of both defiance, and in the case of Christianity, becoming unholy, or impure.

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IV. The Celestial Realm as a commentary of how religion, particularly Christianity, is used in real life as a tool to further a cherry-picked, propaganda-ridden agenda, despite it being a contradiction to its teachings.

It is no secret that a lot of societal problems nowadays regarding bigotry, refusal of understanding, and unacceptance of others outside your status quo can be traced back to religous conservatives. This is a walking contradiction, of course, as Christian teachings always puts love above all, yet bringing this up as a rebuttal will elicit anger, not reflection. The Celestial Realm is the same, as its blurry definition of defiance goes against its importance of love and familial relationships, so much so that in its eyes, an angel trying to elicit defiance by acting un-angel-like is ultimately a lot more angelic than one who dares question why its teachings are being used as a leverage of defiance.

Of course, a lot of this can be chalked up to mere coincidence, and some might even say that I'm stretching a lot here, but it's still very interesting that a portrayal of heaven is morally ambigous at best. In some ways, the Devildom, or what's supposed to be hell, feels like the better place to live in out of the two.

Anyways, if you made it this far, thank you for reading my random spat-out ramble that i started writing out of nowhere and I fixated on finishing 💀 Share your thoughts with me too, if you'd like. I'd love to hear what you guys think.

[jingerpi]

Hi, I'm sorry to bother you and I'm not sure if this is the kind of question that you normally get, but I am very new to socialism and was introduced to it by my older sister who's a Marxist Leninist Maoist. My understanding of it mostly comes from her explanations but I've also read some works (not really theory, 'The Great Towns' by Engles for example). To me, from what I know, it seems a much better system than capitalism and I generally agree with what my sister's told me about it and what I've seen online from accounts like yours. I would like to read more but I'm not sure where to begin. I am also disabled and one of the ways it affects me is that I get quite severe mental fatigue and so can't concentrate on texts for a large period of time. Do you recommend any 'entry' texts for beginners that teach how to use the tools of analysis? How did you first get into Marxism and what reading would you recommend? I'm hesitant to buy any modern interpretations of it because I'm not sure which sources are genuine or which are imperialist interpretations of it. I'm sorry if this sounds strange; I'm not sure how to phrase it.

Thank you anyway and I hope you have a wonderful day!

hi hi! Firstly, this isn't a bother and this type of question is lovely

Secondly, I got into marxism when I left my family's religion and began digging into scientific worldviews. I made some friends who had similar experiences and many of them were varying flavors of leftist, I eventually started digging into theory proper and it really resonated with me in a way liberal political science never has.

third, as for recommendations, here are a few! Principles of Communism - Engels This work is very beginner friendly. Its a Q&A about communism from Marx and Engels time. Its useful because of the information it contains, but its also a helpful introduction to the language that a lot of theorists use. its not long and you can read a given question and corresponding answer at whatever pace you want. Theres around 20 questions with only a handful of sentences each, so its not bad at all in my experience.

Where Do Correct Ideas Come from? - Mao This one is extremely short, only really one paragraph. You can skip it if you'd like, but if you find theory hard to get into this one can be a helpful primer for the epistemology (theory of knowledge) that most marxist works use.

For a more in-depth, but still short look into Marxist philosophy, I can recommend Dialectical and Historical Materialism by Stalin. This work is my go-to for the topic. It is a bit denser than the above works but it is a very rewarding study. I've read it many times and developped my understanding further each time, so don't worry if it doesn't click Immediately, this isn't fiction so it will take some time to digest, thats normal. Two works which pair well with the above are On Practice and On Contradiction, both by Mao. The first gets into the relationship between knowledge and practice, it elaborates on Where Do Correct Ideas Come from, and also offers some helpful guides for how to change things. The second is a good compain to Dialectical and Historical Materialism, elaborating on it by another author, A lot of people prefer Mao's writing style, so you can gain another perspective on Dialectics. If you're up for trying a book, a good introduction to the politics of Marxism is State and Revolution by Lenin. This work answers most of the common questions about revolutionary marxism, its positions on the state and where that differs from other ideologies. Its split up into chapters and sections within each chapter, so you can take it at your own pace. It took me a long time from first picking up this work to finishing it, so don't worry if you need to take it slow

I would also highly recommend supplimenting theory with other activities. It sounds like you're already participating in those to some degree, so thats wonderful, but just to clarify: Finding discussion groups and communities which talk about marxism is extremely valuable. Whether its a book club or just some friends to discuss with - Marxism is a communal ideology and it is best underestood socially, so discuss with others as much as you can. If nothing else, feel free to send me asks about the above works (or anything else, really)

There are also plenty of other forms of media which are helpful for study, there are several youtubers you can find who discuss marxism, two I find particularly helpful and rarely discussed are Halim Alrah for raw theory breakdowns in regular words (please do check out his channel), and Kay and Skittles, for media breakdowns which apply marxist analysis to media to gain a better understanding of both.

I hope these are helpful! I've laid them out somewhat in order but the important part is to just pick one that sounds interesting and start. I find I often start several works of theory before finding one to finish - don't think of it as a bad thing if you do the same - reading one work of theory often gives you the knowledge you need to underestand another better, so even if you struggle to tackle something particular and move on elsewhere, you're still growing your knowledge base and that will make understanding it easier in the future when you do eventually try again.

Thank you for the ask <3

[skellam01]

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[figbian]

disability studies & classics: some introductory texts!

as a disclaimer, this is not a complete list and not intended to be. i don't necessarily agree with everything in these texts, either – i'd be happy to discuss what i like/don't any time :-) that said, i included them because i find them useful or important or because i liked them enough i wanted to talk about them. further, not all of these texts are accessible (as in, free and online); send me an ask or message me if you want access to something & if i can i will send it to you.

in case you're looking for more sources but don't know where to find a good list, this – though as of posting (may 2023) is two years out of date – is a list of works on disability in the ancient world. it's very cool!!

disability theory/crip theory

Keywords For Disability Studies (book, edited by Rachel Adams, Benjamin Reiss, and David Serlin) - this series of essays can be really helpful in situating yourself. i find them occasionally a bit oversimplified, but overall they're pretty good, especially if you're new to the field.

Beginning With Disability: A Primer (book, edited by Lennard Davis) - this is another helpful way to situate yourself! i haven't read all of it, but i found the introduction pretty informative for dipping your toes into disability studies :-)

Disability Goes Cultural: The Cultural Model of Disability as an Analytical Tool (book chapter, by Anne Waldschmidt ) [open access on jstor here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1xxs3r.5] - this article to me has its flaws but ultimately contains what i think is the most useful model for articulating & analyzing disability in the ancient world.

if you're interested in more specific disability theory stuff, feel free to send me an ask!

books/articles on greece and rome

truthfully, this is the danger zone for me as a latinist, who finds a lot of stuff supposedly on greece and rome to ultimately be about greece. further, i have bones to pick with these books, but they remain either the best we've got or otherwise foundational:

Mental Disorders in the Classical World (book, ed. William V. Harris) very medical, but still kind of interesting to look at and i haven't found anything better?

The Eye of the Beholder: Deformity and Disability in the Graeco-Roman World (book, Robert Garland) the foundational work but i kind of dislike it, tbh.

Prosthetics and Assistive Technology in Ancient Greece and Rome (book, Jane Drycott) i haven't read much of this yet, but i like drycott and this is going to be my post graduation treat!

Life as a Cyclops: Mythology and the Mockery of the Visually Impaired (article, Jane Drycott) really enjoyed!

Why does classical reception need disability studies? (article, Hannah Silverblank and Marchella Ward) i found parts of this preachy and wasn't super pleased with the thoroughness of the scholarship, but here we are!

A Cultural History of Disability in Antiquity (book, ed. Christian Laes) i don't like laes much but i found some chapters of this really enjoyable

Disability Studies and the Classical Body (book, ed. Ellen Adams) NOT OUT YET!!!!! but very excited for it.......

books & articles on greece

ancient greece has way more scholarship when it comes to disability, or at least this is my experience. i'm less interested in greece, but i still have a lot of articles and books i like + some i know are integral to the field. this is kind of an eclectic list of things i know are Important vs just neat lmao:

The Staff Of Oedipus (book): truthfully, i've only ever read the chapter on blindness (which i enjoyed!). it's not a perfect book, but it's so foundational and can be pretty interesting

The Discourse of Disability in Ancient Greece (article) - one of my favorite articles! i love rereading this :-) i think it's got some super interesting analysis on lysias 24 and the word ἀδύνατος. really cool if you're interested in the construction of "disability" as an identity.

Hephaestus the Hobbling Humorist: The Club-Footed God in the History of Early Greek Comedy (article) - i really enjoyed this article because of how it presents hephaestus, tbqh. im not sure how good it is – dying to hear from hellenists about it, actually – but hephaestus as funny because he's disabled (but not in an ableist way) was very interesting.

"Breathe Upon Us an Even Flame": Hephaestus, History, and the Body of Rhetoric (article) – in all honesty, i don't like this article very much, but what dolmage is doing is super interesting (trying to reconsider hephaestus as a figure), and so i included it. worth taking a look at.

Temporary versus Long-term Madness (article) - this article was a lot of fun for me.

books & articles on rome

full disclosure, i'm a latinist. i love rome. there's less out there but i have so, so much more to say about it. some good places to start:

Approaching Disabilities a Capite ad Calcem: Hidden Themes in Roman Antiquity (book, edited by C.F. Goodey, Christian Laes, and M. Lynn Rose) - this has some problems; i hate christian laes a lot but he's very good at citing lots of ancient examples! overall, the individual essays in this make it better than laes' own book, but they are disjointed.

Disabilities and the Disabled in the Roman World: A Social and Cultural History (book, by Christian Laes) - did i mention i hate christian laes? i don't like how he writes about disability, and at the same time he's incredibly prolific and good at citing ancient sources, so he's incredibly useful. read him if you want ancient examples, but be wary of how he talks about disability, because i think he fails as an abled person to think of disability as anything but bad.

Heroes and Outcasts: Ambiguous Attitudes Towards Impaired and Disfigured Roman Veterans (article, by Van Lommel) - i don't remember how situated van lommel is in disability studies, but i found this article & his work in general on roman veterans interesting enough to include.

there's so, so much more out there! this is just a taste! i tried to be conservative so as not to overwhelm, and even then this reading list is huge. i'm sure in a couple months i'll want to revamp this post lmao but i wanted it to be out there so people can at least see it esp since i promised to write this months ago. disability studies and classics is SO much fun and so novel and so exciting. so much to learn! so much to talk about! if you're interested in a specific topic, i can see if i can help you find more on it, but please keep in mind im currently only a student :-)

[newreflectionswomensshelter]

the videogame #NewReflectionsWomensShelterVideoGame #Playstation7

Here's a concept for an online MMORPG inspired by mystery, adventure, and role-playing, with an emphasis on solving mysteries and dynamic social interaction. This game builds on elements of a detective-driven genre while incorporating MMORPG mechanics for an expansive, immersive world.

Title: Shadowscape Online: The Infinite Mysteries

Genre: MMORPG / Mystery Adventure Platform: Cross-platform (PC, PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox, and mobile).

Core Concept

Players become agents of the Order of the Shadowscape, a secret organization dedicated to uncovering hidden truths and solving world-altering mysteries. The game combines traditional MMORPG elements like exploration, combat, and crafting with unique mechanics like investigation, clue analysis, and social deduction.

Gameplay Features

Dynamic World

A vast open world with diverse biomes (urban cities, ancient ruins, haunted forests, underground labyrinths).

Day-night cycles, weather changes, and seasonal events impact the gameplay.

Investigation System

Players gather clues from the environment, NPCs, and interactions with other players.

Use tools like magnifying glasses, scanners, and enchanted artifacts to uncover hidden details.

Solve procedurally generated mysteries or world-changing story arcs with set narratives.

Class System Players choose from specialized detective archetypes:

The Investigator: Focuses on perception and deduction; excels in finding clues.

The Combatant: Combines brawling with solving action-heavy puzzles.

The Hacker: Expert at bypassing security and decoding digital information.

The Mystic: Uses magic to sense the unseen and interpret ancient lore.

The Socialite: Excels in persuasion, negotiation, and gathering intel from NPCs or other players.

Guilds and Factions

Players can join factions within the Order or rival groups, each with its own storyline and benefits.

Guilds allow players to team up and tackle large-scale mysteries, raids, or PvP scenarios.

Social Deduction and PvP

In competitive modes, players may need to identify traitors or uncover rival spies within their ranks.

Special PvP missions involve sabotage, infiltration, and defense.

Crafting and Customization

Craft detective tools, weapons, and gadgets from materials found in the world.

Customize avatars, from outfits to accessories like magnifying glasses and enchanted pendants.

Expansive Story Arcs

The game’s narrative evolves through major updates, with community decisions impacting the story.

Example: Solving a global mystery about a cursed artifact that’s destabilizing the world.

Unique Mechanics

Clueboard System

Players have a digital “Clueboard” to organize and analyze their findings.

Clues are categorized by type (e.g., physical evidence, testimonies, artifacts).

Use the Clueboard to form theories and unlock next steps in investigations.

Mind-Mapping Mini-Game

Solve puzzles by connecting events, characters, and clues in a visual interface.

Collaborative mind-mapping during team play for multiplayer investigations.

Procedural Mysteries

Infinite replayability with procedurally generated side mysteries and challenges.

AI-driven systems adapt mysteries to the players’ investigation style.

Dual Progression System

Traditional leveling for combat and skills.

Reputation ranking with factions and NPCs based on how well you solve mysteries.

Visual and Aesthetic Style

Graphics:

A blend of realistic environments with stylized characters and effects to create a timeless look.

Mystical overlays for clue-detecting moments (e.g., glowing trails, hidden texts).

User Interface:

A sleek interface with a dedicated "Detective Mode" that highlights clues and enables analysis tools.

Audio Design:

A dynamic soundtrack that shifts based on investigation phases (calm for clue gathering, tense for deductions).

Interactive sound cues for finding hidden objects or solving puzzles.

Multiplayer Modes

Team Investigations

Groups of up to six players collaborate on large-scale mysteries.

Divide roles for efficiency (e.g., someone interrogates NPCs while another examines crime scenes).

Guild Raids

Cooperative challenges against legendary enemies or unsolvable mysteries that require mass participation.

PvP Challenges

Compete in solving mysteries faster than rival teams.

Espionage missions where players sabotage or spy on other groups.

Roleplaying Servers

Create your own detective agency, invite friends, and design custom mysteries.

Potential Plot for Launch

Main Arc: The Shattered Veil

An ancient veil separating the mortal and mystical realms is breaking, causing chaos.

Players uncover a conspiracy within the Order that threatens the world’s stability.

Mysteries range from mundane crimes to supernatural enigmas.

Marketing Strategy

Pre-Launch Hype:

Interactive ARG (Alternate Reality Game) where fans solve real-world clues to unlock game lore.

Partner with streamers and mystery-based channels to generate excitement.

Post-Launch Events:

Seasonal updates featuring limited-time mysteries and rewards.

Collaborations with iconic mystery franchises like Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew.

Merchandise:

Branded detective tools and apparel.

A companion mystery journal for offline gameplay or planning.

Would you like a more detailed world map, storyline for the first expansion, or help drafting a pitch for potential backers?

Here’s a concept for a Nancy Drew-style detective video game series designed for the PlayStation 7 and Nintendo platforms, combining mystery, adventure, and modern gameplay mechanics with the support of Nintendo’s innovation and storytelling expertise.

Series Title: Mystery Reflections: Chronicles of the Reflection Crew

Genre: Detective Adventure / Puzzle-Solving Target Audience: Teens and young adults who enjoy mysteries, narrative-driven games, and clever puzzles.

Core Concept

Players step into the roles of a diverse group of amateur detectives solving mysteries around their community and beyond. Each mystery has unique challenges, requiring teamwork, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

Gameplay Mechanics

Detective Roleplay:

Players choose a character from the Reflection Crew, each with unique skills (e.g., hacking, forensic science, negotiation).

Characters' strengths impact how mysteries are solved and offer replayability.

Investigation Phases:

Explore: Investigate crime scenes, gather clues, and interact with NPCs.

Analyze: Use tools like fingerprint scanners, digital decoders, and chemistry kits.

Conclude: Assemble clues into theories using a visual "Mind Map" to solve the case.

Puzzle Challenges:

Code-breaking, lock-picking, deciphering cryptic messages, and environmental puzzles.

Time-sensitive challenges add urgency to certain mysteries.

Dialogue Choices:

Branching dialogue impacts the story and how NPCs respond.

Some choices unlock hidden clues or alternate endings.

Co-Op Mode:

Multiplayer mode where up to four players control different characters, solving mysteries collaboratively.

Unique puzzles that require teamwork.

Visual and Gameplay Style

Graphics:

Stylized realism with vibrant, detailed environments inspired by classic mystery locales (e.g., eerie mansions, bustling cities, desolate islands).

Nintendo’s colorful aesthetic blends with PS7’s cutting-edge performance for stunning visuals.

Camera Mechanics:

Dynamic, third-person perspective with zoom-in modes for close inspection of clues.

Dynamic Environments:

Day-night cycles and weather affect exploration and clue visibility.

Plot and Structure

Game 1: The Whispering Lighthouse

Setting: A coastal town with a mysterious lighthouse rumored to be haunted.

Plot: The Reflection Crew investigates the disappearance of a marine biologist, uncovering smuggling operations and hidden treasure.

Puzzles: Decode lighthouse signals, unlock a hidden passage, and match biological samples to solve the case.

Finale: A high-stakes chase in the lighthouse during a storm.

Game 2: Shadows of the Reflection Manor

Setting: A sprawling estate with hidden rooms, secret tunnels, and a cursed reputation.

Plot: A famous artifact disappears during a gala, and the crew is invited to solve the mystery.

Puzzles: Solve riddles to unlock rooms, analyze historical artifacts, and outwit the thief.

Game 3: The Phantom Express

Setting: A luxury train where a high-profile theft occurs during a cross-country trip.

Plot: The team must solve the crime before the train reaches its destination, preventing the thief’s escape.

Puzzles: Use characters' skills to eavesdrop, hack compartments, and decode the thief’s plans.

Key Characters

Amy (The Strategist)

Skills: Leadership, negotiation, financial analysis.

Role: Mediates group decisions and handles tricky social situations.

Here’s a concept for a Nancy Drew-style detective video game series designed for the PlayStation 7 and Nintendo platforms, combining mystery, adventure, and modern gameplay mechanics with the support of Nintendo’s innovation and storytelling expertise.

Series Title: Mystery Reflections: Chronicles of the Reflection Crew

Genre: Detective Adventure / Puzzle-Solving Target Audience: Teens and young adults who enjoy mysteries, narrative-driven games, and clever puzzles.

Core Concept

Players step into the roles of a diverse group of amateur detectives solving mysteries around their community and beyond. Each mystery has unique challenges, requiring teamwork, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

Gameplay Mechanics

Detective Roleplay:

Players choose a character from the Reflection Crew, each with unique skills (e.g., hacking, forensic science, negotiation).

Characters' strengths impact how mysteries are solved and offer replayability.

Investigation Phases:

Explore: Investigate crime scenes, gather clues, and interact with NPCs.

Analyze: Use tools like fingerprint scanners, digital decoders, and chemistry kits.

Conclude: Assemble clues into theories using a visual "Mind Map" to solve the case.

Puzzle Challenges:

Code-breaking, lock-picking, deciphering cryptic messages, and environmental puzzles.

Time-sensitive challenges add urgency to certain mysteries.

Dialogue Choices:

Branching dialogue impacts the story and how NPCs respond.

Some choices unlock hidden clues or alternate endings.

Co-Op Mode:

Multiplayer mode where up to four players control different characters, solving mysteries collaboratively.

Unique puzzles that require teamwork.

Visual and Gameplay Style

Graphics:

Stylized realism with vibrant, detailed environments inspired by classic mystery locales (e.g., eerie mansions, bustling cities, desolate islands).

Nintendo’s colorful aesthetic blends with PS7’s cutting-edge performance for stunning visuals.

Camera Mechanics:

Dynamic, third-person perspective with zoom-in modes for close inspection of clues.

Dynamic Environments:

Day-night cycles and weather affect exploration and clue visibility.

Plot and Structure

Game 1: The Whispering Lighthouse

Setting: A coastal town with a mysterious lighthouse rumored to be haunted.

Plot: The Reflection Crew investigates the disappearance of a marine biologist, uncovering smuggling operations and hidden treasure.

Puzzles: Decode lighthouse signals, unlock a hidden passage, and match biological samples to solve the case.

Finale: A high-stakes chase in the lighthouse during a storm.

Game 2: Shadows of the Reflection Manor

Setting: A sprawling estate with hidden rooms, secret tunnels, and a cursed reputation.

Plot: A famous artifact disappears during a gala, and the crew is invited to solve the mystery.

Puzzles: Solve riddles to unlock rooms, analyze historical artifacts, and outwit the thief.

Game 3: The Phantom Express

Setting: A luxury train where a high-profile theft occurs during a cross-country trip.

Plot: The team must solve the crime before the train reaches its destination, preventing the thief’s escape.

Puzzles: Use characters' skills to eavesdrop, hack compartments, and decode the thief’s plans.

Key Characters

Amy (The Strategist)

Skills: Leadership, negotiation, financial analysis.

Role: Mediates group decisions and handles tricky social situations.

Elle (The Creative Problem-Solver)

Skills: Art interpretation, visual puzzles, and creative thinking.

Role: Solves artistic and symbolic mysteries.

Ayesha (The Tech Expert)

Skills: Hacking, coding, and surveillance.

Role: Handles electronic locks, computers, and digital evidence.

Matt (The Investigator)

Skills: Tracking, observation, and logic puzzles.

Role: Finds physical clues and connects details.

Zoey (The Muscle)

Skills: Physical tasks, map navigation, and athletic challenges.

Role: Handles physical puzzles, from moving objects to high-stakes chases.

Nintendo and PlayStation Features

Nintendo Switch:

Motion Controls: Use the Joy-Cons to examine clues, pick locks, or match puzzle pieces.

Portable Play: Seamless exploration on the go.

PlayStation 7:

Haptic Feedback: Experience realistic vibrations while opening safes or climbing surfaces.

4D Soundscapes: Immerse players with atmospheric sounds that signal hidden clues.

Marketing Strategy

Teasers and Trailers:

Cinematic trailers featuring gripping mystery scenes and team dynamics.

Interactive social media teasers that challenge fans to solve puzzles for exclusive content.

Collaborations:

Work with influencers in the gaming and mystery-solving communities.

Host live events where fans can solve real-life puzzles inspired by the game.

Merchandise:

Collectible action figures of the crew.

A companion Mystery Journal for players to track clues and theories.

Would you like a detailed storyline for one game, or assistance drafting a pitch for Nintendo and PlayStation?

[fishtomale]

i’m not trying to be an annoying “read theory” leftist and i’m not unaware of issues of accessibility. i have very severe adhd and reading is a challenge for me. that being said there are certain issues regarding leftism and politics where if you haven’t read and understood very entry level theory you don’t really have business acting as an authority on that subject and if you want to enter that conversation with some level of authority you need to be familiar with the texts other people in that space are referencing. outside of maybe the bible i have found leftist texts, especially marx, to have a higher volume of freely available accessibility tools available online than any other reading material i’m familiar with. and i’m talking free readings / audiobooks, indexes / glossaries / and additional notes to help you understand difficult or dated language, and just a generally very eager community that wants to help you understand different analysis and applications of these texts and the historical contexts they were written in.

you aren’t the first disabled person to pursue these topics on an academic level and a lot of people have done work to make this easier for us even if this does lead you to other texts down the line that are more challenging to engage with

[chrislinkon]

Advanced Keyword Research for SEO Success

In today’s digital landscape, keyword research is more than simply finding popular terms. Advanced keyword research goes deeper into understanding search intent, user behavior, and market competition. Here, we’ll explore effective techniques and tools that can help businesses identify high-performing keywords, target specific audiences, and ultimately drive conversions.

1. Understanding User Intent

User intent is the reason behind a search query, and it can generally be classified into three types:

Informational: User wants information (e.g., "how to bake a cake").

Navigational: User is searching for a specific site or page (e.g., "Facebook login").

Transactional: User is ready to make a purchase (e.g., "buy leather boots online").

For advanced keyword research, understanding and grouping keywords by intent can help tailor content and improve engagement. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush can help analyze intent data by showing keyword usage patterns in real searches.

2. Using Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific phrases, tend to have lower search volumes but often lead to higher conversion rates. These keywords target a narrower audience with clear intentions. For example, instead of targeting a broad keyword like "running shoes," a business could focus on a long-tail variant like "best running shoes for flat feet."

Advanced tools like KeywordTool.io and AnswerThePublic help in discovering relevant long-tail keywords by providing insights into what specific phrases people use in search engines.

3. Competitor Analysis for Keyword Opportunities

Studying competitors’ keyword strategies is a highly effective way to find new opportunities. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs allow users to analyze their competitors’ most successful keywords, see the content they rank for, and understand their backlink profile. By identifying gaps in your competitors’ strategies, you can target keywords they haven’t addressed well or at all.

For instance, if a competitor is missing keywords around "sustainable fashion" for their clothing line, and you offer sustainable products, this gap can be an opportunity for you to rank highly for those searches.

4. Leveraging Semantic and Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) Keywords

Search engines like Google use Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) to understand the context and relevance of content by looking at semantically related words. Incorporating LSI keywords helps optimize content naturally, making it appear more authoritative and comprehensive.

To find LSI keywords, you can use Google’s “Searches related to…” feature at the bottom of search result pages. Additionally, tools like LSIGraph generate related keywords, giving insights into terms that could strengthen your content’s relevance.

5. Utilizing SERP Features Analysis

Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) have evolved beyond simple text listings. Advanced keyword research involves understanding how different SERP features, such as Featured Snippets, People Also Ask sections, and Knowledge Panels, impact search results. Targeting keywords with potential to appear in these features can increase visibility and credibility.

By using tools like Moz or Ahrefs, you can analyze SERP features and identify keywords that align with them. For example, if a high-performing keyword often appears in a “People Also Ask” section, answering these related questions in your content may increase your chances of ranking.

6. Exploring Seasonal and Trend-Based Keywords

Trends fluctuate seasonally, and so does search volume for certain keywords. Identifying seasonal keywords can help businesses capitalize on peak periods. Tools like Google Trends provide valuable insights into search volume changes over time, highlighting when specific terms gain popularity.

For instance, keywords related to “gifts” will typically surge during the holiday season. By timing content creation and updates with these trends, you can capture more traffic and convert it into sales during high-demand periods.

7. Analyzing Keyword Difficulty and Search Volume

Two essential metrics in advanced keyword research are Keyword Difficulty (KD) and Search Volume. Keyword Difficulty measures how competitive a term is, while Search Volume indicates its popularity. High-KD keywords are harder to rank for, but often come with high search volume.

Using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz, you can analyze these metrics and find a balance between high volume and manageable difficulty. Opt for low- to medium-difficulty keywords with good search volume for quicker wins, while also targeting high-difficulty keywords as long-term goals.

8. Incorporating Geo-Targeted Keywords

For businesses targeting local audiences, geo-targeted keywords are essential. These keywords often have high conversion potential because they capture users close to the point of action. Phrases like “dentist near me” or “best pizza in [city]” are examples of localized keywords.

Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs allow you to filter keywords by geographic location, helping businesses focus on region-specific terms that attract local customers.

9. Using Advanced Keyword Tools for Granular Analysis

Modern keyword research tools provide a wide range of data that goes beyond simple keyword suggestions. Here’s how advanced tools can help:

SEMrush: Offers competitor analysis, keyword gap identification, and search intent data.

Ahrefs: Known for backlink analysis, content gap reports, and keyword difficulty scoring.

Ubersuggest: Ideal for tracking keyword trends, seasonal variations, and competition.

SurferSEO: Optimizes content by analyzing SERP data and on-page SEO metrics.

Final Thoughts

Mastering advanced keyword research allows businesses to build a more sophisticated and data-driven SEO strategy. By understanding user intent, leveraging long-tail and LSI keywords, and analyzing competitive data, you can develop a strategy that aligns with both search algorithms and user preferences. Embrace these techniques and tools to improve rankings, attract qualified traffic, and enhance your site’s authority.