#this is important for understanding how power scaling works in these games

[tlaquetzqui]

So do people who talk about D&D (and kindred games) understand that it takes place not in a world like Game of Thrones or The Witcher, nor even Skyrim, but in a world like Sengoku Basara? A world where scads of normal guys can be wiped out in an instant because one member of a PC class decided to make an appearance on a battlefield, and every swing of their swords sends out flaming shockwaves? Where a guy can take an arrow in the back, fall in the sea, and all it do is give his monkey animal companion time to chew his ropes off?

[paleopinesofficial]

An important update to our Paleo Pines Community🦖💙😞

Transcript Below;

Paleo Pines Needs Your Help

A lot of you have been asking what’s next for Paleo Pines and we wanted to provide our community with an update on the challenges we are facing. The sad truth is, the future is uncertain. 

For the better part of this year we’ve been working behind the scenes to create a plan for the next iteration of Paleo Pines, filled with stunning new regions, quirky new NPCs, plenty more adorable dinosaurs, plus eggs, babies and - yes - multiplayer. The job after launch seemed simple - listen to our community, provide a roadmap full of updates and DLC to ensure that our players can continue to enjoy the existing world… and double-down on that enjoyment with the plan for bigger, better, shinier Paleo Pines for you to enjoy with friends and family.

We've been searching high and low for a production partner, one that felt your love and passion to help us bring the next Paleo Pines to life. On several occasions in our journey, we were within a few small steps of the finish line, only to have circumstances beyond our control cause the future to fall through.

This isn't happening just to us. It seems the whole indie game scene is facing a sudden drying up of publishing and investment opportunities. Thanks to the unwavering dedication of our small team and the massive love from all of you, we've been able to support the first year of Paleo Pines on a shoestring budget. 

We’ve managed to keep the lights on… until now. Unless we can find a partner who is keen to see the Paleo Pines universe grow, we won’t be able to keep our team together for much longer. 

So, we’re making our situation public. Here's how you can help:

Do you know a publisher/investor who would be a great partner for Paleo Pines 2? If you're a serious publisher or investor and are interested in seeing a production plan, financial model, game design document and more, please reach out to kevin@italicpig.com. (By the way, Paleo Pines isn’t the only property we’re working on... Our talented team has a diverse collection of small, medium and large scale projects, for PC, console and mobile. If you’re looking for something fun and a little bit different, get in here.)

Can you help in smaller ways? Every little bit helps! Here are a few ways you can directly support the devs:

Have you got our DLC yet? We've just released our very first Halloween DLCs – a great way to support us while getting more gameplay for yourself.

Still playing the demo? Are we on your Wishlist? Please consider buying the full game today, or in the next sale. We promise it'll bring you hours of dino-tastic joy! 

Befriend a Paleo Pines plushie. These adorable creatures aren't just cute, our portion of the sales goes towards development. Our latest, Boo, the albino Styracosaurus, is available now. Our previous plushies helped fund our new Halloween DLCs and free update.

Order Paleo Pines merchandise. We’ve got dozens of fun items celebrating your favourite dinos available in time for gifting this year.

Even if you can't offer financial support, you can still be a hero! Share this post with anyone who might be interested in helping. Wishlist us, buy the game, talk about how it makes you feel, and share share share. The power of community is real, and every share brings us closer to making more Paleo Pines!

The team here can't express enough gratitude to the incredible Paleo Pines community. You've been with us through every step of this amazing journey, from the demo launch to the release last September, and through our adorable plushie collaborations with Makeship. You've become more than players and we couldn't have imagined building this world with a kinder, more supportive group.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us on this roller coaster of a year since launch, and your patience and understanding with our current situation. Hopefully with your help, this won’t be the end of the Paleo Pines adventure.

Lots of love, The Paleo Pines Team

[anncanta]

***

It's funny to watch how the representatives of the Tolkien fandom and not only, are, well, brutally hurt by the series The Rings of Power. I'll be fair, I haven't fallen in love with the first season – I rewatch it now. But the second season took me over at once. And it is wonderful precisely in the way that Tolkienists criticize it.

I didn't immediately understand this, and I needed to watch almost the entire second season to realize what it was. What's the trick there.

Here's the thing. We've all (including the Tolkien fandom) gotten used to the narrative and visual style of Peter Jackson's films. These films are great. But they have one major flaw, which only becomes apparent when compared to other works in the so-called world of Tolkien.

I was able to catch in on it just after I watched almost all of Season 2 of The Rings of Power and started watching clips from Season 1 and The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion games on YouTube. One of those from Rings of Power was the scene where Galadriel and Hallbrand arrive in Numenor. The ship slowly sails into the harbor and passes giant statues that are bigger than the ship itself.

And then it dawned on me. I immediately saw not only the size of the statues (and their discrepancy with normal human height) but also a significant portion of the camera angles in Jackson's films and games that are made from the bottom up.

You see, the entire figurative system of Jackson's films and games based on The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion is built on grandeur, enormity, scale – on those things that are commonly called ‘epic’ in the fandom.

In Jackson's world, everything is big, everything is shown at an angle, through the eyes of a very small creature, who looks at large and beautiful elves. His narrative itself begins with Galadriel, who is huge and beautiful. And then suddenly it moves to the Shire, where everything is so small, prosaic, and even a hobbit man cannot kiss a girl if a bagel is carried nearby.

How narcissistic it all is. Beautiful, no doubt, but narcissistic. It is clear that the entire saga of the ring and especially The Silmarillion is largely about elves and for elves, told by elves. But here's the thing. Their author was a Luddite and, as they would say now, a lover of um ... greatness. That greatness, imperial. Therefore, all these ancient kings and great cities, large-scale wars, and elven rulers were important to him.

And what is important to the authors of the series?

A bunch of people in reviews have been asking this question for the second year. But in fact, everything is very simple.

When I saw this huge Numenor, I remembered that in the elven kingdoms in the series, everything is not so big. Their houses and palaces are beautiful, flying, elegant. But not huge. The statue of Feanor in Eregion is of relatively normal height. It is slightly taller than the average elf. Why?

Because what we see in The Rings of Power is a story told from the point of view of the elves, only not passed through the enthusiastic perception of a rabid fan. Elves there look like people because elves do not look at their own kind as superbeings whose appearance knocks you off your feet. Normal creatures do not look at their own kind like that. And elves, with all their shortcomings, are normal.

That is why Galadriel in the series is so different – wild, strange, capricious, angry, pugnacious, vengeful, beautiful, loving. She is different because she is alive.

Peter Jackson's Galadriel is very beautiful – but she is not an elf, but an inhumanly beautiful android. There is nothing warm, real, breathing about her. She is literally a robot. This is quite consistent with the period that the films are about – by that time, both the elves themselves and their world were preserved and turned into a museum. Nevertheless, when you look at them now, you feel a little uneasy. How can this statue want good to win, you think, looking at Galadriel. How is she even capable of wanting anything?

The series very subtly, at the level of interaction between the characters, shows who the elves are, what they want, how they live in this time, and why their time has passed.

One of the most fascinating themes of the second season is the unfolding idea that trying to stop aging and dying can cause an even greater catastrophe that will destroy everything.

This is what Sauron catches them with. With the desire to stop time. With their enormous power, which lasts and lasts, so that at some point they stop understanding that what has outlived its usefulness cannot be preserved – it can only be embalmed.

I am delighted with the way the rings of power are shown in the second season. The writers almost directly tell us that they are Horcruxes. And that is what they are, literally – in the Egyptian sense. J.K. Rowling's Horcruxes go back to the Egyptian tradition of embalming when the organs of the deceased are laid out in separate vessels and placed next to the sarcophagus so that the dead person can be resurrected in the afterlife.

The Rings of Power series takes this metaphor and shows that when the elves try to artificially glue together a broken world, that world does not stop growing old and dying – its inhabitants begin to go mad.

It is literally physically painful to watch this understanding come to Galadriel, then to Gil-Galad and Celebrimbor. These powerful beings, perhaps for the first time in their lives, are confronted with perhaps the most important thought in their lives – the most important thing is not what is enclosed in glass.

The shadow of Feanor bends over them, and in this, there is more mystery and redemption than in Galadriel's rejection of the master ring, which some Tolkienists see as the end of the fall of the elves and the return of hope for forgiveness to the elves.

When the elves began to die, they became alive. And this is the real miracle.

One of the best scenes that shows this transformation is Celebrimbor working in the tower. In order to keep Celebrimbor focused on the creation of the rings, Sauron has trapped him in an illusion where everything is fine and Eregion is living its normal life, while in reality, outside the walls of the tower, there is a living hell – an army of orcs is storming the city, and the tower is shaking. Celebrimbor works, oblivious to everything around him, until he pauses and notices that reality is ‘repeating’: the same mouse runs across the floor, and the candle in front of him burns without burning out.

At this point, Celebrimbor has a choice – to look away and continue working, because that is what he wanted – for everything to be calm and nothing to change – or to try to understand what is happening and break the cycle.

Do you understand? The rings have power not because they control consciousness (although they influence it quite strongly), but because they mean repetition. There is no other way to prolong life indefinitely. Only to loop. It is not a coincidence that they are rings – a symbol of infinity – ouroboros.

Tolkien was a Christian, but in his text, he got stuck in paganism. Christianity differs from paganism not in the number of gods, but in the direction of the soul and spirit. As the finale of Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia said – ‘further up and further in’. The pagan world is a world of eternal return, a circular repetition of the annual cycle, tied, like elves, to this world. Christianity breaks the circle and shows the way forward.

Why did Tolkien get stuck? After all, at the end of The Lord of the Rings, the elves leave Middle-earth, leaving it to people, that is, a change of formation occurs. Yes, it happens, only the elves leave for Valinor. To a static paradise, which the Valar created because they could not make the earth a paradise. By the way, as far as I know, they did not ask themselves whether the earth should have been a paradise. They had to prepare the earth for the coming of the children of Eru, but what does it mean to prepare? Polish it to a shine? Or ‘loosen it up’ and create potency?

The authors of the series about the rings are reproached for not knowing what they are doing. Oh, they know it. They understand very well what they are doing. Their story is about life and about the fact that life does not fit into frames and cannot be forcibly formed. Life can only blossom.

Life does not need power. It needs light and love.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Find the word

Thanks @honeybewrites here, @paeliae-occasionally here, and @the-golden-comet here!

My words: reverse, patience, lock, listen, open, discover, leave, stay, given, yourself, finite, glory

Your words: not, new, neutral, narrow

Tagging @mx-ryder @pluppsauthor @emabatis @pluto-murphy-writes @pluttskutt

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

Keep reading for:

Only George cares

Meet Hye-Jin

Liam hates American cheese

Carla doesn't make sense to Maddie

Ash uses her psychic power

Lexi meets Akash

Rose is excited

Akash messes with his hair

Noelle's mom

Wait, what is standing?

Multiverse talk!

Reverse - from The Secret Portal Part Two (George POV)

Right now, I was on one of the larger couches in the Sublevel Three breakroom. The holoscreen was broken, and I was the only one who wanted to fix it. Everyone else was working on someone else and didn’t think the video games I wanted to play were important enough. It wasn't the only thing I cared about that the fully-growns didn’t. Carla, for one. She had been frozen in time ever since—that was it. Frozen. She could be fixed, I knew. Dad had been working on a way to reverse the effects of a chronokinetic’s power. I told them that. But they instead wanted to work on large-skill replication of chronokinesis. Dad managed to do so, but now it was ultra-important since the Refuga had it on a large scale.

Lock(ed) - from The Secret Portal Part One (Ash POV)

Patience - from The Secret Portal Part Two (Hye-Jin POV)

I said goodbye to my mother and hopped out of the car. I ran toward my friend Lexi’s house and knocked on the door. Then I stood waiting patiently for an answer. Lexi and I had known each other for years, given that our fathers had as well. I looked down at Lexi’s present in my hands. Hopefully she’d like it.

“You lost your rights to call anything American cheese after your processed product that has the same texture as the plastic-wrap single it comes in that you have the gall to call cheese!” “Hey!” I protested. “The only people whose favorite cheese is American cheese are people who have never tried other cheeses.” Liam’s fiery gaze locked onto mine, ready to fight. I peeked into his mind out of curiosity to find the section on Muenster cheese. The creamy gooiness he’d described entered my mouth. Holy shit that was good.

Listen - from The Secret Portal Part One (Maddie POV)

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” I asked Carla sitting in front of me. Carla folded her hands on the table. “Maddie, I am well-versed in how all the Alii powers work. So, yes.” I sighed, resting my chin on my hands I had propped on the table by my elbows. Liam had an after-school debate thing to go to, so until he got here, Carla had volunteered to walk me through the basics of shapeshifting, at least what she knew about it from her books. Personally, I thought doing it would be more informative, but Carla disagreed. We now sat at one of the tables shoved into the corner of the training room. While everyone else got to do things, I was now forced to sit and listen to this weird talking thing I didn’t understand. I was itching to practice morphing.

Open - from The Secret Portal Part One (Ash POV)

I tried expanding my mind to find anything that could help with the situation. I felt my consciousness stretch out over the entire building, a large, elaborate mansion, as I could now tell. I heard that screaming girl again, but pushed her aside. I’d already figured she was most likely a memory. A sudden pull caused my eyes to fly open. I jumped to my feet, spinning to run in the opposite direction.

Discover - from The Secret Portal Part One (Lexi POV)

Eventually, we entered a clearing where a handful of people were scattered around. “Robbie!” A boy about his age waved him over. “Where were—” he noticed Kelsey. “Oh, you found her.” “Take her to Wade,” said Robbie, passing Kelsey to the other boy, who led her further into the clearing. It wasn't until then I realized the strange smoothness of the kid’s movements and glanced down to discover he was flying.

Leave - from The Secret Portal Part One

“I think it’ll be interesting,” said Rose. “We’re fighting against a corrupt government. That sounds like fun.” “Since when do you do things because they’re fun?” Noelle asked. “Well, I dunno about the rest of you,” said Rose, “but I’m going back next weekend.” “Really?” Lexi asked. Rose nodded. Rose thought this plan sounded awesome. A chance to defy authority? A chance to not just get out of the house, but leave the dimension?

Stay - from The Secret Portal Part One (Akash POV)

I glared at my reflection. My hair wouldn’t stay down no matter what I did. I sighed. If the definition of insanity was repeating the same thing and expecting a different result, I should’ve been locked away years ago.

Given - from The Secret Portal Part One (Noelle POV)

“I’ll admit, I was disappointed that you weren’t Inutilia, too.” “Why?” Mom sighed, turning to face me when we pulled up to a stoplight. “You can’t comprehend what it’s like to grow up powerless in a world of power. You learn to hate the society that oppressed you. And you’re now part of those oppressors.” I broke my gaze away from her. “Carissa, look at me.” I obeyed. “You’re in a unique position. I want you to fight for the Inutilia. If you must be given powers, you might as well do something good with them. I’ll let you decide what that is.”

Yourself - from The Secret Portal Part One (Akash POV)

“You wanna sit down?” Gwen asked me, gesturing to the spot next to her. I shook my head. “Thanks, but I’m good just flying.” “Doesn’t it get tiring?” she asked. I laughed, rubbing my hand through my hair. “Nah, it’s pretty relaxing, actually.” That was true. At first, I had to consciously keep myself up in the air, but now it was just as easy as standing. Or how I assumed standing was. Maybe you actually had to consciously keep yourself upright. I didn’t know.

Finite - from The Secret Portal Part Two (Gwen POV)

“Not all universes are complete,” Liam pointed out. “Dimensiokinetics are rare enough to where most data is from those who can sense universes, rather than travel to them. Regardless of what level of a dimensiokinetic, however, there’s no possible way to gather all the data. Kamanzi could have likely sent a dimensiokinetic to a universe that showed potential for whatever she needed, but she wanted some eyes on the inside of how it operated.” Lexi put her head in her hands. “We’re not getting anywhere with this.” “We can still sort through the dimensions in the database,” Gabriel offered. “I can sort through the ones there and eliminate what I can. It will take a very long time, though, even with the finite that have been recorded.”

Glory - N/A

[doqteqs]

Rules

From "Xenosystems" by Nick Land

Foseti and Jim have been conducting an argument in slow motion, without quite connecting. Much of this has been occurring in sporadic blog comments, and occasional remarks. It would be very helpful of me to reconstruct it here, through a series of meticulous links. I’ll begin by failing at that. (Any assistance offered in piecing it together, textually, will be highly appreciated.)

Despite its elusiveness, I think it is the most important intellectual engagement taking place anywhere in the field of political philosophy. Its point of departure is the Moldbuggian principle that ‘sovereignty is conserved’ and everything that follows from it, both theoretically and practically. The virtual conclusion of this controversy is the central assertion of Dark Enlightenment, which we do not yet comprehend.

To crudely summarize the argument in question, Foseti upholds this chain of reasoning, whilst Jim refuses it. Constitutional issues cannot be anything but a distraction from realistic political philosophy if Foseti is correct. If Jim’s resistance is sustainable, constitutions matter.

It has yet to find an articulation that clicks. Eventually, something has to, if we are to advance even by a step. So long as the Foseti-Jim argument falls short of mutually-agreeable terms of intellectual engagement, we can be confident that this critical controversy remains stuck.

What are the rules of contestation? If we knew that, we would know everything (that matters to us here). Rules are the whole of the problem.

A constitution is a system of rules, formalizing a social game. Among these rules are set procedures for the selection of umpires, and umpires decide how the rules are to be revised, interpreted, and implemented. The circuit is irreducible. Without accepted rules, a Supreme Court justice is no more than a random old guy — prey for the most wretched species of street thug. Who has power in a world without rules, Clarence Thomas or Trayvon Martin?

Yet without umpires (or, at least, an umpire-function), rules are simply marks on a piece of paper, disconnected from all effective authority. “You can’t do that, it’s against the rules” To the political realist, those are the words of a dupe, and everyone knows the rejoinder: “Who’s going to stop me, you and who’s army?” It’s enough to get Moldbug talking about crypto-locked weaponry.

The Dark Enlightenment knows that it is necessary to be realistic about rules. Such realism, lucidly and persuasively articulated, still eludes it. That the sovereign rules does not explain the rules of sovereignty, and there must be such rules, because the alternative is pure force, and that is a romantic myth of transparent absurdity.

If there is an uncontroversial fact of real power, it is that force is massively economized, and it is critically important that we understand what that implies. Moldbug acknowledges exactly this when he identifies the real sovereign instance of climaxed Occidental modernity with the Cathedral, which is a church (and not an army). Political philosophy cannot approach reality before accepting that rules are irreducible, which is not to say that they are sufficient, or even (yet) intelligible.

One further point on this problem (for now): A model of power that is not scalefree is inadequately formulated. If what is held to work for a nation state does not work for the world, the conception remains incomplete. Do we dream of a global God-Emperor? If not, what do royalist claims at a lower level amount to? What does ‘conserved sovereignty’ care for borders? They are limits — indeed limited government — and that is supposed to be the illusion prey to realist critique.

If there can be borders, there can be limits, or effective fragmentation, and there is nothing real to prevent fragmentation being folded from the outside in. If patchworks can work, they are applicable at every scale.

Who would choose a king instead of a patchwork? God-Emperor or confederacy? That is the question.

[saiikavon]

I love the friendship/rivalry system in Dragon Age 2 for a couple reasons.

One, I like how this makes gifts work. Depending on where you are in the f/r scale, a gift can prompt either a grateful or bitter reaction, in line with how your companion views you. This makes dialogue more varied and interesting!

The scale makes more sense to me than approval when gift-giving is in play. You can do something awful that your companion dislikes, but not to worry! We know you don't want them to leave your party, so give them this trinket and all is forgiven! What dead orphans?

The biggest reason is that it just fits most thematically for the game itself. Let's look at Origins and Inquisition: you are heading something important in either game, one on a grander scale than the other. You need approval in those games because your actions have greater impact on more people.

(I believe the gift-approval link makes most sense in Origins as your group is rather on their own, without a hefty number of greater powers to appease. Furthermore, you are a Grey Warden, an organization known for taking any measure necessary in order to stop the Blight. Some measure of understanding is there, and you can potentially be forgiven if you show your group some respect.)

In Dragon Age 2, you’re literally just some poor schmuck trying to get by. Your actions are, in theory, only going to impact your small group. Every party member, furthermore, are only majorly driven by their own goals and are not looking to the world at large. Sure, Fenris may not like you sparing a bunch of mages, but he's mostly just going to grumble about it and go back to his own business.

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

interpreting Boethiah and the daedra

i'm mostly basing this on my understanding of lore from playing skyrim and a little bit of morrowind, oblivion and eso. if anything i say is inaccurate, feel free to correct me.

as i've been going through sources and building my worship of the aedra and daedra in the last few days i've noticed something. the way that especially the daedra are presented in the lore feels extremely one-sided. that is not to say this is true for every single piece of lore, as i have definitely not gone through all of them but the daedra are very often just seen as the "evil" gods, especially in the later games, making it hard to build any kind of "not evil" worship.

i can see this as a kind of storytelling choice made for the games and other related media but what i seem to very strongly miss is the interpretations of deities from their worshippers and more neutral or even positive points of view. the majority opinion within the games seems to be of the daedra as purely evil and even in doing the daedric quests, i'm particularly thinking of skyrim here, the player is constantly reminded of this perceived "evil" and the tasks given by the daedra often include murder, deception and other unsavoury acts.

for example, on the unofficial elder scrolls pages site, Boethiah is described as presiding over "deceit, conspiracy, secret plots of murder, assassination, treason, and unlawful overthrow of authority" (introduction, link). at face value, this seems like a deity concerned with a lot of things harmful both to an individual worshipper and their society. practically, maybe this deity would be invoked in specific situations where those domains are relevant, but would not be appropriate for regular or daily worship. though we do know that at least the ashlanders, and the dunmer more generally did worship them regularly, together with the other "good daedra" Mephala and Azura.

so, how can we interpret the daedra, and here Boethiah specifically as an example, to be more reflective of such a regular worship? well, first we need to let go of the "evil god" label. while many daedra may be associated with outright evil domains and acts, we are basically engaging with TES lore as mythology here and thus can view them as just that - myths, stories designed to share a deity's domain and/or personality, and can contain the storyteller's personal opinions and biases. i'm drawing on my understanding of the norse deity Loki and how he is often framed as "the norse devil" by the christian author of the prose edda, and the work i personally did in finding a differing interpretation of Loki besides "the guy who i basically responsible for the end of the world".

anyways, so how else could we see Boethiah? well, from the list i shared earlier from the UESP Wiki it seems that Boethiah could be broadly associated with politics, violence and upheaval. in the current political climate which is, generally speaking, tense and volatile, Boethiah could be a deity associated with resistance to the status quo, with bringing about a new, better world. this could also be on a smaller scale, Boethiah could be associated with rebellion against authority and those in power who use it against the less fortunate, or in personal relationships, dealing with someone who is restrictive or oppressive. more individually, i've seen others associate Boethiah with becoming the best version of yourself and rising above your hardships. really, the theme seems to be fighting some adversary, often bigger than you and coming out on top.

of course, in interactions with the deity people can come to many differing and individualised interpretations. i think this kind of re-interpretation is even more important when approaching the daedra that are not labeled "good", and who may seem as presiding over a lot of bad stuff, though who many people can find value in worshipping. anyways i thought it necessary to point out the bad rep that a lot of the daedra have and how we can engage with them and interpret them differently from the text of the games, letting go of a lot of the stigma that is found around daedra worship.

[jcmarchi]

Future-Ready Enterprises: The Crucial Role of Large Vision Models (LVMs)

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/future-ready-enterprises-the-crucial-role-of-large-vision-models-lvms/

Future-Ready Enterprises: The Crucial Role of Large Vision Models (LVMs)

What are Large Vision Models (LVMs)

Over the last few decades, the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has experienced rapid growth, resulting in significant changes to various aspects of human society and business operations. AI has proven to be useful in task automation and process optimization, as well as in promoting creativity and innovation. However, as data complexity and diversity continue to increase, there is a growing need for more advanced AI models that can comprehend and handle these challenges effectively. This is where the emergence of Large Vision Models (LVMs) becomes crucial.

LVMs are a new category of AI models specifically designed for analyzing and interpreting visual information, such as images and videos, on a large scale, with impressive accuracy. Unlike traditional computer vision models that rely on manual feature crafting, LVMs leverage deep learning techniques, utilizing extensive datasets to generate authentic and diverse outputs. An outstanding feature of LVMs is their ability to seamlessly integrate visual information with other modalities, such as natural language and audio, enabling a comprehensive understanding and generation of multimodal outputs.

LVMs are defined by their key attributes and capabilities, including their proficiency in advanced image and video processing tasks related to natural language and visual information. This includes tasks like generating captions, descriptions, stories, code, and more. LVMs also exhibit multimodal learning by effectively processing information from various sources, such as text, images, videos, and audio, resulting in outputs across different modalities.

Additionally, LVMs possess adaptability through transfer learning, meaning they can apply knowledge gained from one domain or task to another, with the capability to adapt to new data or scenarios through minimal fine-tuning. Moreover, their real-time decision-making capabilities empower rapid and adaptive responses, supporting interactive applications in gaming, education, and entertainment.

How LVMs Can Boost Enterprise Performance and Innovation?

Adopting LVMs can provide enterprises with powerful and promising technology to navigate the evolving AI discipline, making them more future-ready and competitive. LVMs have the potential to enhance productivity, efficiency, and innovation across various domains and applications. However, it is important to consider the ethical, security, and integration challenges associated with LVMs, which require responsible and careful management.

Moreover, LVMs enable insightful analytics by extracting and synthesizing information from diverse visual data sources, including images, videos, and text. Their capability to generate realistic outputs, such as captions, descriptions, stories, and code based on visual inputs, empowers enterprises to make informed decisions and optimize strategies. The creative potential of LVMs emerges in their ability to develop new business models and opportunities, particularly those using visual data and multimodal capabilities.

Prominent examples of enterprises adopting LVMs for these advantages include Landing AI, a computer vision cloud platform addressing diverse computer vision challenges, and Snowflake, a cloud data platform facilitating LVM deployment through Snowpark Container Services. Additionally, OpenAI, contributes to LVM development with models like GPT-4, CLIP, DALL-E, and OpenAI Codex, capable of handling various tasks involving natural language and visual information.

In the post-pandemic landscape, LVMs offer additional benefits by assisting enterprises in adapting to remote work, online shopping trends, and digital transformation. Whether enabling remote collaboration, enhancing online marketing and sales through personalized recommendations, or contributing to digital health and wellness via telemedicine, LVMs emerge as powerful tools.

Challenges and Considerations for Enterprises in LVM Adoption

While the promises of LVMs are extensive, their adoption is not without challenges and considerations. Ethical implications are significant, covering issues related to bias, transparency, and accountability. Instances of bias in data or outputs can lead to unfair or inaccurate representations, potentially undermining the trust and fairness associated with LVMs. Thus, ensuring transparency in how LVMs operate and the accountability of developers and users for their consequences becomes essential.

Security concerns add another layer of complexity, requiring the protection of sensitive data processed by LVMs and precautions against adversarial attacks. Sensitive information, ranging from health records to financial transactions, demands robust security measures to preserve privacy, integrity, and reliability.

Integration and scalability hurdles pose additional challenges, especially for large enterprises. Ensuring compatibility with existing systems and processes becomes a crucial factor to consider. Enterprises need to explore tools and technologies that facilitate and optimize the integration of LVMs. Container services, cloud platforms, and specialized platforms for computer vision offer solutions to enhance the interoperability, performance, and accessibility of LVMs.

To tackle these challenges, enterprises must adopt best practices and frameworks for responsible LVM use. Prioritizing data quality, establishing governance policies, and complying with relevant regulations are important steps. These measures ensure the validity, consistency, and accountability of LVMs, enhancing their value, performance, and compliance within enterprise settings.

Future Trends and Possibilities for LVMs

With the adoption of digital transformation by enterprises, the domain of LVMs is poised for further evolution. Anticipated advancements in model architectures, training techniques, and application areas will drive LVMs to become more robust, efficient, and versatile. For example, self-supervised learning, which enables LVMs to learn from unlabeled data without human intervention, is expected to gain prominence.

Likewise, transformer models, renowned for their ability to process sequential data using attention mechanisms, are likely to contribute to state-of-the-art outcomes in various tasks. Similarly, Zero-shot learning, allowing LVMs to perform tasks they have not been explicitly trained on, is set to expand their capabilities even further.

Simultaneously, the scope of LVM application areas is expected to widen, encompassing new industries and domains. Medical imaging, in particular, holds promise as an avenue where LVMs could assist in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of various diseases and conditions, including cancer, COVID-19, and Alzheimer’s.

In the e-commerce sector, LVMs are expected to enhance personalization, optimize pricing strategies, and increase conversion rates by analyzing and generating images and videos of products and customers. The entertainment industry also stands to benefit as LVMs contribute to the creation and distribution of captivating and immersive content across movies, games, and music.

To fully utilize the potential of these future trends, enterprises must focus on acquiring and developing the necessary skills and competencies for the adoption and implementation of LVMs. In addition to technical challenges, successfully integrating LVMs into enterprise workflows requires a clear strategic vision, a robust organizational culture, and a capable team. Key skills and competencies include data literacy, which encompasses the ability to understand, analyze, and communicate data.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, LVMs are effective tools for enterprises, promising transformative impacts on productivity, efficiency, and innovation. Despite challenges, embracing best practices and advanced technologies can overcome hurdles. LVMs are envisioned not just as tools but as pivotal contributors to the next technological era, requiring a thoughtful approach. A practical adoption of LVMs ensures future readiness, acknowledging their evolving role for responsible integration into business processes.

[drowning-inmysleep]

ultima // discard

La Mort de Marat / Marat Assassiné , Jacques-Louis David "I have unintentionally created a soundtrack for the precognitive anguish my family will experience" January 8th, 3:00am. I'm working on a song that I had no inspiration for other than creating something loud and layered in a way similar to a song a friend/understudy had showed me days prior. I compose three minutes of music, in which it starts by assaulting the listener with grain delay processed bass samples and hard kicks. After thirty seconds of this the track opens itself similar to the ribcage of the Gaping Dragon, residing at the bottom level of the Undead Burg. It drops it's hardness for a broken arrangement of synths, the melody is trying to pierce through but it never ends up being able to. Like a CD skipping. This is the moment the track breaks and shows itself.

When I was making this, I barely thought anything of it other than "this is powerful". I remember thinking this track will scare people when I play it out, or that if they're on enough drugs it could push them to an emotional breakthrough.

A lot of times I think about the people on drugs in the crowd of my shows, and how the music I make will effect them. In the instance of "ultima//discard", I am almost certain this will invoke some sort of bad trip.

I remember reading an interview with Yoko Taro, my favorite video game creator and scenario writer, in which he said something along the lines of: "To be a creator is to understand your audience, and to understand that is how to hurt them. You find how they react based on your previous work, and you build off of that. In a way it feels like manipulation on a mass scale. It makes me feel bad" As a creator this is true. I feel the same way, but what I think is important to know is the context of said creator. Taro has expressed that in his life, he has experienced a great deal of pain, and is haunted by the memory of it. It comes through in our work whether we'd like it to or not.

All of the artists inspirational to me follow this same pattern and ethos. A good portion of them ended up committing suicide.

Returning to the night of January 8th, the creation of ultima//discard - I made all three minutes of the song in one sitting. At first it was an experiment to see how much I could do with the that bass I mentioned above, but once the broken synth ensemble showed itself I knew there was something there and I had to keep going. An hour later I have the song constructed enough to walk away from at 3 minutes, and finish later. This is how I create most of my music. Usually an outpour of whatever I'm feeling right then and there, to then be expanded upon and revisited. I take a break and load up the game Tales of Berseria. A game in which the main character, Velvet, has their only family member sacrificed by what was their only parental figure, and is then turned into a "Therion" - a demon-human creature that feeds off of other demons. The rest of the game is spent hunting down the parental figure that took Velvet's younger sibling from them. In the game Velvet is plagued by dreams of her consuming and eating her younger brother, the one sacrificed by her father. Her father is now a world leader of peace, and it turns out the sacrifice was necessary to enact said peace. It was getting late, but as I'm tearing humans and demons apart as Velvet I can't help but think "I need to add a vocal to ultima//discard". As mentioned in previous articles, if i'm sampling vocals from another song I like to take them and push them to a darker, much worse place than their origin. I look up something like "why can't you save me?" and "baby can't you save me?". Not knowing any song that says that, but plainly I had the idea to bring the vocal in near the end of where I got to. I find the song Save Me by Nicki Minaj. "'I'm givin' up baby, yes And I can't seem to silence these voices in my head (Yeah) This time, won't you save me? Come save me This time, won't you save me?" This is exactly what I needed, exactly what I wanted. It makes it even better that it's from Nicki Minaj, an artist mainly known for her braggadocios persona. To find a example of her sounding so broken, in a song I never heard from her. It's like I had a precognition this existed, as it were similar to the generic lyric prompt I'd searched to find it. Regardless, I isolate the vocals from the song and take the part I referenced, and throw them at the (current) end of the track. I've recently started processing vocals in a very distinct way, trying to evoke the echoes of hauntology present in Burial's work. He would probably hate that.

I wasn't entirely pleased with the execution, alas the idea was there and I would return to it later. I walked away from it feeling excited to get back eventually, but also that there was something extremely dark about this song.

I never intended for it to be anything real, or representative of anything I was going through. I wasn't really going through anything when I made it, besides the weight of the things I've experienced in my life already. But that wasn't on my mind, I just wanted to make a romantic club track in the flavor of tortured loner musicians I worship so heavily. Maybe I worship these artists because in a way I get it. I yearn for human connection but said connection is hard for me to trust or process. I am someone that would probably be better off knowing less people and spending more time inside.

I'm a popular person and most people that know me like, but naturally I lean towards my real relationships and friendships being through digital interfaces. I've always been this way. The consistent relationships in my life are that of romantic partners, or creative/work partners. With all that being said, the song did feel like it was representative of something real, something I didn't want to face, or something tragic that is inevitably on it's way to me. This is a feeling I encounter whenever I dream.

I suffer from insomnia, which started after a 2 month period of lucid dreaming when I was a teenager. My dreams have always been something I take as reality while I'm experiencing it. Most of the dreams I remember feel precognitive, as they are never whimsical or magical or 'dreamlike' in anyway. They feel like any other day, and usually something bad happens in them.

I would say that atleast 70% of the precognitive dreams I have come true, and when they do I am gravely upset I was right about the outcome whether I was thinking about it or not. I wrote about this in my first article here, in which I mentioned a dream I had where my sister called me and told me my Grandpa died. He died the next day.

As I've grown up I've found that certain drugs stop me from being able to dream, and you could say I have a dependency on them now.

Once again, let us return to ultima//discard. The track title comes from a naming motif I came up with a few weeks ago, in which each track will be named "ultima// "track title". Ultima referring to the feminine form of the latin word, "ultimus", meaning "farthest or last". In a literal sense, it also refers to the last syllable of a word. Each ultima track has it's real name after the word ultima, and those words hold the real relation to the song. I never think too hard about naming anything, usually just some romanticized idea of whatever i'm doing. In the essence of this song, "discard" refers to the amount of people I have discarded in the past few months.

Now that I'm writing this I'm realizing the theme of discarding people has been a consistent emotion present in my work and my life for the past year.

However, the title really meant nothing to me. It was just another grouping of words that sounded right to me. I named the song and went to bed. I slept for a few hours, being woken up by a dream in which my mom was crying in the hospital and some man was in a hospital bed. I felt sick, but at the same time am used to this sort of dream, and went about my day.

Over the course of the day I revisited the song, feeling excited about this new direction i'm taking my music in - although I still felt somewhat uncomfortable about the energy I subconsciously captured whilst writing it.

After spending the day inside, I got dressed and left the house to go drop off resumes at a few jobs in the city. I don't really need a job right now, but taking advice from Yung Lean whenever he lost his mind after the release of "Frost God" - I figured I should get a job and let my life be normal for awhile. Become a worker, reduce my ability to go out at night, and create a stricter boundary for myself in regards to self destructive behavior.

I've been working at this and engaging in this mindset for the past month, after some unfortunate events transcribed in my life in November. I experienced sexual assault for the first time as an adult, and a relationship I knew was damaging me came to a very dramatic end. I knew I should have left before that, and was preparing to anyway - however, I did not leave and let myself get hurt. This is another common theme in my life. A few weeks after I went out one night with friends after being in my house for weeks, and I got into a car accident that ended up costing a lot of money. As much as I've processed these moments, maybe this is what I was conjuring in ultima//discard - atleast I thought. Like I said, I wasn't really thinking about anything other than making a song when I made it.

January 8th, 6pm. I'm leaving the gas station on my way to print out and drop off resumes, a car comes down the street faster than I expected, I move out of the way and hit my tire against a curb, breaking the tire and rim, once again rendering me without a vehicle. I was listening to ultima//discard. I had the song on repeat, as I always do with songs I make the day prior / songs I'm working on. I stop it at the 25 second mark (before the introduction of the synths) and call my dad to tell him what happened. I'm not even freaking out at this point, I'm used to things like this happening. As I'm on the phone with my dad, he tells me we'll work it out but that he has to talk to me about something. A family member of mine has attempted suicide by overdose and we are unsure if he will survive. He's in the hospital hooked up to machines while the doctors try and stabilize him.

This in combination with the situation I initially called my dad about, I'm at a loss for feeling or words about any of it. Somehow I knew this would happen, I was not surprised to get this news. I hate that. I hate feeling this way everytime something horrible happens. I end the call with my dad, and ultima//discard starts again. The synths come in, and plainly It's overwhelming me. I thought at that moment: "I have unintentionally created a soundtrack for the precognitive anguish my family will experience"

While this is a coincidence, I had a feeling there was a reason this song felt so heavy, and stuck to me so hard. I spent all day listening to it before hearing the news, it was the soundtrack of my day. Upon hearing the news, the ethos of the song was prescribed right then and there. Whether I liked it or not, this is my soundtrack for the moment in which I learned my family member tried to kill themself. I don't know if they'll survive, I have a feeling they won't. I hope I'm not right about that.

//to be continued

[inventors-fair]

Small Mediums at Large - Winners of Unusual Size

A round of applause which is either awkwardly long or just a bit shorter than anticipated for our winners this week:  @hiygamer, @industrialsalad, and @nine-effing-hells!

Fledgling Riddlekeeper - @hiygamer

Now here’s the real question! Love love love the idea of a baby sphinx being such an absolute font of questions, and the game it asks you to play is absolutely fascinating and absolutely the kind of thing I love to see on a Magic card. I do wonder if the numbers are right, though; scry 1 is gonna result in blind flips a bit more often than is maybe ideal for minigame purposes, and 2 or less could very easily mean Just Lands in a good number of decks. But the numbers are small because the sphinx is small, and honestly I have no idea what the perfect numbers would be, or if it even matters that the numbers are perfect just because the game itself just looks so delightful. Excellent sphinx, unexpectedly small, a whole lot to love here I think.

Soratami Street Fighter - @industrialsalad 

The most important thing about the Soratami Street Fighter, I think, is that I want it to exist. Rarely in my life have I looked at the signature Moonfolk land-bouncing ability and thought, “Yeah, I want to activate that,”. But this thing, this enormous mass of flying blue muscle, is uniquely motivating. The versatile combat shenanigans this thing can enable feel absolutely worth the asking price of two mana and a land drop (if anything the land price is keeping this thing entirely in balance). This card just oozes strength, charisma, and battlefield presence. If there is one thing I could even theoretically complain about, it’s that I do very much wish this absolute beast of a Moonfolk, one which wishes to attack and block in equal measure, had vigilance, but its absence is entirely understandable given how new blue vigilance is, and given that you were kind of aiming this as a NEO card. Overall, fantastic work. I look forward to seeing this fine individual defeat the streets.

Ablative-Scale Hydra - @nine-effing-hells

Many legends tell the tale of mighty Heracles, who had slain the Ablative-Scale Hydra with nothing more than a simple Eye Gouge- Wait, hold on a minute. It’s a hydra! It feels like a hydra! Look at that X cost, and all those counters! And yet, its power and toughness are not only static, but it is almost impossibly fragile! This is just such a fascinating and succinct Hydra execution that I had to give it some amount of commendation, and that statline is just jarring enough on a Hydra that ‘winner’ felt like just the right amount. Well done. Shields as heads on a hydra is the kind of clever thinking that I want to see more of, I think.

That’s all I have to say about our winners this week. Join me in an unusual amount of time for this contest’s Runners-Up!

- @starch255

[parasex-jamboree]

Me vs Hypnokink

I don’t mean to bill myself as an export in hypnosis or even particularly accomplished. I’m just trying to collect my thoughts. Hypnosis evokes romantic and mystical imagery, but it’s a mess to figure out. And if you want to kink on something, you need knowledge and knowledge needs organization. It’s easy to restrain someone and inflict pain. It takes knowledge of the body in order for the subject to (eventually) walk away afterwards, with no loss of functionality. One should expect a similar standard for mind games.

My problem with hypnokink was that it felt unclear how to do it safely. From the start, I had two real world examples that I considered illustrative - the role of hypnotic memory ‘retrieval’ (often resulting in false memories) in the Satanic Panic, and the use of mind control myths such as MK Ultra as a method of control in abusive relationships. My time absorbing the chatter of hypno twitter presented me with a third example - online communities built around ‘addictive’ or ‘personality erasing’ audio files, that despite their outlandish claims, seemed to leave people with genuine distress and/or dissociative issues. Hypnosis seemed to do real damage, at least. 

I encountered multiple models of how hypnosis worked, without any citation and sometimes directly contradicting mainstream psychology (like my personal experience with cognitive-behavioral therapy). I felt that If I couldn’t trust the how of it, then I couldn’t trust the how it could go wrong. There seemed to be a dangerous optimism about hypnotism. The emphasis tended to be on the hypnotist being responsible with their influence, which struck me more as leaning into the desired fantasy of power rather than giving useful advice about when and why one’s influence might be greater or different than anticipated. Moreover, there was obvious reliance on the placebo effect, but it was rarely named and discussed circuitously. It began to feel reminiscent of the double-speak of pseudo-scientific conspiracy podcasts I used to listen to out of morbid curiosity. 

After bouncing off a few popular resources, like Mind Play, my search started to lean academic - specifically, the writings of Dierdre Barrett, Stephen Jay Lynn, and Marty Sapp. Here, I began to understand hypnotism and its problems as an issue of a subject’s ability to stay grounded in reality. What was often flattened into a scale of ‘hypnotizability’ or ‘responsiveness’ was actually the overlapping shadows of several tendencies such as credulity, visualization, dissociation, focus, etc. What created the extreme reactions to hypnosis was when a subject took one of these tendencies to the point of disorder. Also important is the assertion that nothing happens under hypnosis that isn’t possible under other circumstances. Hypnosis is not a state of the subject, but a formalism and a ritual.

My current opinion is that there is no objectively, hypnosis isn’t a useful descriptor – rather, my impression is that there are diverse would-be hypnotists of diverse traditions who all claim what they do (sometimes wildly different from each other) is hypnosis. I think it may be better to consider ‘hypnosis’ as an aspiration term akin to perpetual motion or anti-gravity. Hypnosis is a hypnotist’s attempt to communicate with some part of a person’s mind they have no conscious awareness of (roundly, “the Unconscious”). What constitutes the Unconscious Mind, if an Unconscious Mind even exists, or what can be gained through communication with the Unconscious are also vague and vary from hypnotist to hypnotist. From scientists to showmen, from therapists to thaumaturgists, the mythology of hypnosis keeps branching and changing as new would-be hypnotists find the idea too tempting (or romantic) to let go.

Because of this, I think it’s useful to separate “hypnosis” from “hypnotic techniques” – the actual techniques that hypnotists employ on their subjects. While there is no dependable evidence for hypnosis-as-claimed, various hypnotic techniques can produce effects recognized by mainstream psychology: task absorption, imaginative anticipation, relaxation, dissociation, etc. The ability of hypnotic techniques to elicit these effects is what fuels the myth of hypnosis. The hypnotist-and-subject dyad merely provides a ritual context where eliciting these phenomena can be (consensually, hopefully) agreed on. All of this is amplified by the Placebo Effect, where authority + ritual + expectation can give the subject the illusion of change or to misattribute the cause of change.

Why I think this differentiation matters is four points. First, while the narrative of hypnosis is part of the fun, I think it makes for poor organizing principle if you want to understand the psychology behind various hypnotic techniques. How these states work and the dangers posed by them can be researched completely independent of hypnosis. Second, I see the huge emphasis on the Placebo Effect as a consent issue. Placebos expressly depend on a difference between what the expert knows and what the subject knows. That’s not conducive to mutual risk agreement. Third, I think one of the dangers is when a subject mis-attributes the cause of what they experience. Developing the for-real conviction that anyone saying a trigger word can (for example) alter your memory is itself mentally dangerous. And fourth, I think that asserting that harm rendered by hypnotic technique is a unique class of harm may discourage victims from seeking appropriate professional help.

To be honest, I do feel better about hypno kink after parsing through all this. The climb is different than I expected, but I do feel like some storm clouds have parted from around the mountain. I’m not sure I’m saying anything particular new, but I do think there’s much that gets obfuscated just by universally applying ‘hypnosis’ – a pseudo-scientific term that twists to whatever’s being claimed – instead of demanding specifics. I’m learning and growing, and I’m trying to make sure I know what I’m growing into - not an all-powerful mentalist, but someone who knows what he can and can’t promise.

[jaanu5767]

Unleashing the Power of Java: Your Guide to a Versatile Programming Language

Java: The Language of Digital Choreography

Programming languages are like the words we use to communicate with computers, and among these languages, Java stands out as a versatile and powerful tool. Imagine it as teaching your computer to dance to your tune, where your instructions are written in Java. But what makes Java so special, and why is it so widely embraced in the world of programming? Let's dive into the key reasons behind its importance.

1. Platform Independence: Java's Superpower

Java possesses a superpower—it can run on various computer systems without requiring modifications. How? Java programs are transformed into bytecode, a universal language understood by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). This bytecode runs seamlessly on Windows, Mac, or Linux, making Java truly platform-independent.

2. Versatility: The Swiss Army Knife of Programming

Java is like a Swiss Army knife for programmers. It's not limited to one domain; you can use it to craft web applications, mobile apps, desktop software, and even embed it in small devices like smart thermostats. Its adaptability knows no bounds.

3. Security: A Robust Guardian

In an age where digital security is paramount, Java takes security seriously. It boasts built-in features that safeguard your computer and data from malicious software, providing peace of mind in our increasingly interconnected world.

4. Large Community: Your Support Network

The vast Java community is a valuable resource. With a multitude of Java developers out there, you can easily find help, access resources, and leverage libraries. If you encounter a coding challenge, chances are someone else has faced it and shared a solution.

5. Scalability: From Small to Massive

Java scales effortlessly. It's trusted by major corporations to power their colossal systems. Whether you're creating a small game or launching a massive e-commerce platform, Java can handle the challenge.

The Java Odyssey: Transforming Code into Digital Life

Understanding the inner workings of Java is paramount in the realm of programming. It unfolds as an intricate journey, a symphony of steps that bring your code to life, transforming instructions into digital ballet. Let’s delve deeper into this process:

1. Composition of Code: The Birth of Instructions

The journey commences with the composer, the programmer, crafting Java code that resonates with human understanding. It’s akin to writing the script for a grand performance, where every line of code becomes a note in the symphony of instructions.

2. Compilation: The Translator’s Artistry

Your code embarks on a transformative voyage known as compilation. This step resembles a skilled translator rendering a literary masterpiece into a universal language. The code metamorphoses into bytecode, a linguistic bridge that computers understand.

3. Bytecode: The Choreographer’s Notation

Bytecode emerges as the choreographer’s notation — a graceful set of instructions, akin to dance moves meticulously notated on a score. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is the dance floor, and bytecode is the choreographic masterpiece. It is platform-agnostic, a language that speaks fluently on any stage where a JVM is present.

4. Execution: The Grand Performance

The Java Virtual Machine takes center stage, assuming the role of the conductor and principal dancer. It orchestrates the grand performance by executing the bytecode on the target computer. This is where your program comes to life, faithfully translating your meticulously crafted instructions into tangible actions.

The Call to Adventure: Java Awaits

Now, are you ready to embark on the captivating adventure of Java? It beckons with the promise of exploring boundless possibilities and orchestrating digital feats. Java’s prowess extends across a myriad of applications, underpinned by its platform independence, fortified security, and the unwavering support of a vibrant community. If you harbor the eagerness to communicate with computers and guide them to perform incredible acts, Java stands as the perfect threshold.

Java is your gateway to a world where code transforms into enchanting performances, where the mundane becomes extraordinary. It is here that your journey unfolds, a journey of endless creativity and digital choreography that awaits your creative touch. Step onto the Java stage, and let your programming odyssey commence.

For those looking to deepen their understanding of Java, we strongly recommend exploring ACTE Technologies. Their qualified instructors can significantly enhance your learning journey, offering certificates and career placement opportunities. Whether you prefer online or offline access, ACTE Technologies provides a wealth of resources to help you master Java. Consider enrolling in one of their courses to embark on a step-by-step learning adventure.

[rapifessor]

Having played with Faruzan a little bit since leveling up her Talents and giving her a weapon and some artifacts, I’m starting to think using her as a Quickswap DPS might be like... an actual thing.

She’s not crazy powerful or anything but her damage scaling is pretty high for how short the cooldown of her Elemental Skill is. With the first level of her Constellation she also gets a second Hurricane Arrow from using it so she can kinda spam high-scaling attacks if you’re willing to give her the field time.

I’ve seen people lament her extreme energy requirements and while she does need a pretty high amount of Energy Recharge I don’t think it’s as bad as they say as long as you’re actually using her Charged Attack. Still, it is one of her shortcomings as Faruzan’s burst is an important part of her kit, with its high upfront damage and damage-boosting capabilities.

In any case, I’m a bit more interested in making her stronger now, and her character design has grown on me since my initial impression. I like her idle animations and while I still don’t understand how her hair works it is pretty and her dress also looks very nice despite how illogical it is (who am I kidding, half the damn outfits in this game completely defy the laws of physics).

[edeneffect]

the one game i like the karma system in is InFamous (edit after im done writing: i know this goes off topic p quick, i just hate the "waow karma system so cool it changes the entire game" and it changes like, a singular line of dialogue in a cutscene at the end thing that so many games do)

SPECIFICALLY THE FIRST ONE (the others are good too but kinda fuck up the morality system)

basically you play as a postman who has a package detonate and blow up half a city which absorbs the life of tons of people and put it in him giving him superpowers, naturally the city is plunged into chaos and people are throwing rocks at you and cussing you out bc to their understanding and according to all the news broadcasts YOU did it, now why is this important?

well. you, the postman, cole. now live in a city thats been locked down with all these people that think youre an asshole, your powers are tied to your morality and realistically either path you take is reasonable, sure, if i thought someone killed my friends and family i would be mad at them but thats not really their fault, its a misunderstanding but also you didnt knowingly do it, additionally...

THERE ARE BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES TO DOING CERTAIN MORAL ACTIONS

your good guy playthough could have you bio-leeching(forcefully absorbing all the electricity from their bodies) people instead of saving them, especially on harder difficulties because it heals you and recharges your electricity-based powers.

the evil playthough is a fair bit easier bc like... its easier to be an asshole, but i like that bc the boyscout ending is earned. you put the effort into being a good person and made sacrifices the main story missions literally alter depending on what option you pick.

it doesnt alter the full game and give you different story missions but thats not how this story works, whether you're a hero or an asshole the road stays the same, its how you get there (something the later infamous games mess up)

it does fall into the "pick a route and lock into the ending you want based on the first choice you make" camp a lil bit (not as much as the other 2 games but you have powerups linked to specifica karma ranks and its a linear scale)

its not perfect but A/ it came out in 2009 when the trend was just taking off B/ it does a better job at it than games that are still coming out C/ it was made by sucker punch who made sly cooper and ghost of tsushima so it goes hard

Game Trailer:

“YOUR CHOICES MATTER!”

“THE WORLD IS THE ACTIONS YOU CHOOSE!”

“EVERY CHARACTER FORMS A UNIQUE BOND!”

“YOU MAKE YOUR OWN HISTORY!”

Actual Game:

“So this is the good choice, this is the bad choice, we have two endings and a secret third ending if you do things weird, and also you can only form relationships with these three people and they’re all the most boring characters in our game and their only real relationship purpose is to be part of a 15 second sexy cutscene.”

[cloudastra1]

The Journey of Open AI and a realm shift

Exploring the World of OpenAI: Pioneering Artificial Intelligence for a Better Future

OpenAI, a trailblazer in the realm of artificial intelligence, has revolutionized how we understand and interact with AI technologies. Founded with the mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity, OpenAI continues to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve. In this blog, we’ll explore OpenAI’s journey, its groundbreaking projects, and its impact on various industries.

The Genesis of OpenAI

OpenAI was founded in December 2015 by a group of visionaries, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, John Schulman, and Wojciech Zaremba. They envisioned a future where AGI, an AI system with the ability to outperform humans at most economically valuable work, would be developed in a safe and controlled manner. OpenAI operates as a capped-profit organization, balancing the need for investment with its commitment to ensuring broad access to AI technologies.

Groundbreaking Projects and Innovations

1. GPT Series

One of OpenAI’s most notable achievements is the development of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) series. These models, including GPT-2, GPT-3, and the latest GPT-4, have set new standards for natural language processing (NLP).

GPT-2: Released in 2019, GPT-2 showcased the power of large-scale unsupervised language models. It could generate coherent and contextually relevant text, sparking debates about the ethical implications of AI-generated content.

GPT-3: Launched in 2020, GPT-3 became a game-changer in AI, boasting 175 billion parameters. It demonstrated remarkable capabilities in text generation, translation, summarization, and more, solidifying its role as a versatile tool for developers and businesses.

GPT-4: The latest iteration, GPT-4, further enhances language understanding and generation, offering even more nuanced and context-aware interactions.

2. DALL-E and CLIP

OpenAI has also made significant strides in the field of image generation and understanding.

DALL-E: This model can generate high-quality images from textual descriptions, opening up new possibilities in creative industries, design, and marketing. From generating unique artwork to visualizing complex concepts, DALL-E showcases the potential of AI in bridging the gap between language and visual content.

CLIP: CLIP (Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training) can understand and interpret images and text together, enabling robust performance in various multimodal tasks. This capability is crucial for applications requiring a deep understanding of both visual and textual information.

3. Codex and GitHub Copilot

In collaboration with GitHub, OpenAI developed Codex, an AI system that powers GitHub Copilot. This tool assists developers by suggesting code snippets and entire functions based on natural language descriptions. It accelerates the coding process and helps programmers of all skill levels write more efficient and error-free code.

Ethical Considerations and Safety

OpenAI is committed to developing AI responsibly. The organization emphasizes the importance of AI safety, transparency, and ethical considerations. It actively engages with policymakers, researchers, and the public to address the potential risks associated with AI technologies.

AI Alignment: Ensuring that AI systems act in accordance with human values and intentions is a top priority for OpenAI. Research in AI alignment aims to make sure that advanced AI systems are beneficial and aligned with societal goals.

Ethical AI: OpenAI promotes ethical AI development by advocating for fairness, accountability, and transparency in AI systems. It also works to mitigate biases in AI models and strives to ensure that AI benefits are distributed equitably.

Impact Across Industries

OpenAI’s technologies have found applications across a wide range of industries, transforming the way businesses operate and innovate.

Healthcare: AI models assist in medical research, diagnosis, and personalized treatment plans, improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.

Education: AI-powered educational tools provide personalized learning experiences, helping students grasp complex concepts and excel academically.

Finance: Financial institutions leverage AI for fraud detection, risk assessment, and customer service, enhancing efficiency and security.

Entertainment: AI-generated content, from music and art to video games, is creating new forms of entertainment and enabling more immersive experiences.

The Future of OpenAI

As OpenAI continues to advance the field of artificial intelligence, it remains dedicated to its core mission of ensuring that AGI benefits all of humanity. The organization’s future endeavors will likely include further advancements in AI research, enhanced collaboration with global partners, and continued efforts to address the ethical and societal implications of AI.

Conclusion

OpenAI stands at the forefront of AI innovation, driving progress and exploring new frontiers in artificial intelligence. Its commitment to safety, ethics, and broad accessibility sets it apart as a leader in the field. As we look to the future, OpenAI’s groundbreaking work will undoubtedly continue to shape our world, offering transformative solutions and unlocking the full potential of AI for the betterment of society.

For more insights and updates on OpenAI’s latest projects and research, stay tuned to our blog and follow OpenAI’s official channel

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Why Packaged Steam Boilers Are Perfect for Space-Constrained Locations?

Packaged steam boilers are an ideal solution for space-constrained locations due to their compact design and all-in-one functionality. Unlike traditional boiler systems that require separate components for various functions, packaged steam boilers come pre-assembled and fully integrated, saving valuable space. Their compact nature allows for easier installation in smaller facilities, including industrial plants, commercial buildings, and even remote sites. Additionally, packaged steam boilers are designed for high efficiency, reducing the need for large-scale infrastructure. With features like easy mobility and installation, these boilers provide a streamlined solution without sacrificing performance. This makes them a top choice for businesses looking to optimize space while maintaining reliable steam production and energy efficiency.

What Are Packaged Steam Boilers and How Do They Work?

Packaged steam boilers are pre-assembled, compact units that provide steam for heating, power generation, and industrial processes. These systems come complete with all essential components, including burners, pressure vessels, and controls, in a single unit, ready for installation. By incorporating all elements in one package, these boilers offer streamlined functionality and ease of setup. Understanding the workings of a packaged steam boiler—how it generates steam from water and distributes it efficiently—can help businesses optimize their operations.

Advantages of Using Packaged Steam Boilers in Commercial and Industrial Applications

Packaged steam boilers offer numerous benefits to businesses, especially in industries like manufacturing, food processing, and hospitality. Their compact design makes them ideal for smaller spaces, while their efficiency helps save on operational costs. They are also easier to install and require less maintenance, reducing downtime and ensuring long-term reliability. Additionally, their energy-efficient operation contributes to sustainability goals by minimizing fuel consumption and emissions.

Why Packaged Steam Boilers Are Ideal for Space-Constrained Locations?

In industries or commercial settings where space is limited, the compact nature of packaged steam boilers is a game-changer. These boilers are designed to fit into tight spaces without sacrificing performance. Their integrated design eliminates the need for additional space-consuming components, making them perfect for facilities that need to maximize floor space. Whether in a small industrial plant or a busy hotel, these boilers provide an efficient, reliable solution without taking up precious real estate.

Key Components of a Packaged Steam Boiler and Their Functions

Packaged steam boilers come with several integral components that work together to produce and distribute steam. These include the burner, economizer, pressure vessel, and control systems. Each component plays a crucial role in ensuring safe and efficient operation. The burner ignites the fuel to generate heat, the economizer recycles exhaust gases to improve energy efficiency, and the control systems maintain safe operating conditions. Understanding these components is key to operating and maintaining a packaged steam boiler effectively.

Maintenance Tips for Packaged Steam Boilers to Ensure Longevity

Routine maintenance is essential for ensuring the longevity and reliability of packaged steam boilers. Regular inspections, cleaning of burners and heat exchangers, and monitoring pressure levels help prevent breakdowns. It’s also important to check for signs of corrosion or leaks, especially in areas where high temperatures and pressures are common. By following the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule, businesses can ensure that their packaged steam boilers operate efficiently for years, minimizing repair costs and downtime.

How Packaged Steam Boilers Improve Energy Efficiency and Reduce Operational Costs?

Energy efficiency is one of the main advantages of packaged steam boilers. These systems are designed to optimize fuel usage, reducing wastage and lowering operational costs. Features like the economizer, which recycles waste heat, and advanced burner technology, which ensures complete combustion, contribute to this efficiency. By choosing packaged steam boilers, businesses can cut down on fuel costs and reduce their environmental footprint while still meeting their steam production needs.

Choosing the Right Packaged Steam Boiler for Your Facility: Key Considerations

Selecting the right packaged steam boiler depends on factors like the required steam output, the type of fuel used, and the size of the installation space. It's also important to consider the system's energy efficiency, maintenance needs, and overall operating costs. Consulting with a supplier or manufacturer can help ensure that the right specifications are met for your business. By assessing these factors, companies can choose a packaged steam boiler that delivers maximum efficiency and reliability.

Conclusion

Packaged steam boilers offer a reliable, space-saving, and energy-efficient solution for businesses needing steam for various industrial applications. Their all-in-one design streamlines installation and reduces operational costs while providing exceptional performance. With benefits such as ease of maintenance, energy efficiency, and compactness, these boilers are a smart investment for businesses looking to improve operational efficiency. By understanding the key features and considering the specific needs of your facility, you can make an informed decision and enjoy long-term value from your packaged steam boiler system.