#to actually make it 'cheaper' like they advertised

[medicinemane]

It's amazing how quickly you can make someone turn on your company by making a stupid and insulting move

Force me to go through the front door and scan my card when I have backdoor business that never needed a card before (what? ...I was going to somehow... sneak in and... purchase things with a borrowed card? ...which I totally can't do from the front door after scanning it?)

Or like... twitterify your layout right after your users give you a bunch of money just cause they like you, and then refuse to walk it back

...or all the other things companies do that just kinda piss people off and then they refuse to acknowledge maybe it sucks and is stupid cause "hey, the customers didn't leave"... yeah... yet

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

"4 year extended warranty" buddy where I'm from the dishwasher is a family heirloom and the washing machine helped raise us

"smart appliances" fuck u i want them dumb as a brick and incidentally as sturdy and enduring

[bethlammen]

Tag rant

[combinecremator]

i swear to god i regret reblogging that estrolabs post because absolutely no one is focusing on the actual issue, which is that it's a phishing site very clearly run by malicious people and giving them any information on yourself could fuck you over big time

their ashwaganda "estrogen replacement" would be useless at best and extremely dangerous at worst, if it actually existed. however the products on that site almost certainly do not fucking exist and never have, and they have zero intention of actually producing them. the listings for the "supplements" aren't on the site anymore.

when scams like this pop up suddenly, they're not legitimate to even the slightest degree. there was never a real product, they were trying to get your money or your card and contact information either to doxx you, harass you, or literally steal from you. it's a PHISHING scheme, not a "making a shitty product to Literally Kill People" scheme. one of these things is far cheaper and far easier for a layperson to do.

while the information on the function of ashwaganda was definitely useful generally, it was/is not the most present danger of this estrolabs/queerquirk situation and people need to be aware of the actual threat these kinds of sites and situations pose.

as i was writing this estrolabs has been taken down, but queerquirk is still up and still advertising it's fake products and has a contact us page. do not give them your contact information, even to send hate. it is not worth getting phished to epicly own the dumbass behind this scheme. report the site and move on.

[esperderek]

I have to have a chuckle at the Screenrant article posted recently about the Galactic Starcruiser, which totally wasn't about Jenny Nicholson's video honest.

In part, because early in Nicholson's video, she talks about how unnatural it is to have your influencers speak in adcopy and copyright rather than the more colloquial nicknames, and how it makes the people speaking about the product seem very insincere and, well, paid off. Because normal humans don't speak that way, but advertising does.

What's the first two lines in this article?

"As a life-long fan of Star Wars, there was nothing quite as exciting as finding out that I would be working on the immersive Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience. Located at the Walt Disney World Resort, the Galactic Starcruiser opened on March 1, 2022, and welcomed passengers to board a two-day, two-night cruise through the stars, during which they could live out their own Star Wars adventure."

No one talks like this naturally. No one writes like this naturally.

This is supposed to be your passioned defense of the place you worked at, the people you worked with, and the memories you made along the way. C'mon! Why don't you open with a story, perhaps an anecdote about the best moment you had working there, or the devastation of the day you lost your dream job. We need to feel your humanity! But there's nothing of that here, to the point where you can just hear the TM behind Galactic Starcruiser.

The first half of this article continues in this vein, reading like a press release Disney marketing put out, just with past tense rather than present or future tense:

"Essentially, the Starcruiser experience was a 48-hour movie that passengers were actually a part of. It was all facilitated through the "datapad," which was accessed through the Play Disney Parks app."

"To facilitate the overarching immersive experience and storytelling, the Starcruiser built a jam-packed itinerary for each and every guest that would consist of a variety of important activities: the captain's toast at muster, a bridge training exercise, lightsaber training, and more. These types of events were essential to understanding what was happening, as they would give passengers the chance to interact with characters and build their story. This is why the Starcruiser could never be just a hotel; every part of it was designed for enthusiastic interaction."

Like, c'mon. I used to work in television. I've seen and used adcopy in my former job, and this is some serious adcopy. It honestly wouldn't shock me if the author dredged up some old adcopy they had lying around about the topic and just transferred it over, changing the tense. You're not here to sell us this product, because there is no product to sell. It's gone, it's been gone for a year, you don't have to sell us on IT. Speak about your experiences.

The next part is yet another topic that Jenny Nicholson pointed out, the bad faith excuses that influencers and advertisers made for the extreme price point:

"What many people don't know, however, is that the price included much more than just a room. The passengers' food, park tickets, recreation activities on board, non-alcoholic drinks, and more were all included - with merchandise being one of the few additional costs on board."

Which is absolute bad faith reasoning, especially when there are plenty of other vacation options that are ALSO all-inclusive, but are MUCH cheaper and offer MORE amenities than the Galactic Starcruiser did! Including Disney Cruises, owned by the same company! Seriously, you can go on a halfway decent sounding cruise or all-inclusive resort somewhere warm for, like, a week or two and spend far less than GSC cost.

Then the last part is essentially: "All the workers liked working there and the bad reviews afterwards make the workers who worked on it feel sad. :("

Which, like, companies have been hiding behind that reasoning for ages. Curiously, the author never offers....any reasons or stories. WHY did working on it impact you so much? What set it apart, what were the people like, what did you like about working there, why are you so passionate about it even a year later? There's nothing, just a generic sort of "We worked hard." and "We're sad it's gone." Why? How? What happened? The video you're obviously writing this in response to is filled with personal anecdotes and stories, it's the backbone of the video! Again, you need to give us something to show your humanity!

Especially when you consider that Nicholson repeatedly points out that the only highlight about her experience, the only thing that kept the damn thing going was the workers.

She had nothing but praise for them, and nothing but contempt for the higher ups who wasted and abused that enthusiasm, to the point where one of her last points was "Hey, Disney is basically exploiting labor."

Much like Jenny, I'm also not condemning anyone who had a good time working there. Good! If you were having a good time at work, that's great. If you have good memories about the people, awesome. But I'll note two things:

a) That doesn't meant you weren't being exploited, and

b) That doesn't mean you have to be a useful idiot for the corporation you worked for afterwards.

I'm not conspiracy brained enough to go "Oh, Disney TOTALLY forced this article into being.", because a cursory examination of the author's prior works and such suggests a lifelong passion for Star Wars, she did work at the hotel, and she's a Star Wars Editor (whatever THAT means in this day and age) for Screen Rant. Apparently one of the heads of Screen Rant says that Disney had no hand in it either.

Though, I can see why people would think that way. It READS like a press release, not something a normal human being would write about an experience they feel passionate about.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

AI’s productivity theater

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

When I took my kid to New Zealand with me on a book-tour, I was delighted to learn that grocery stores had special aisles where all the kids'-eye-level candy had been removed, to minimize nagging. What a great idea!

Related: countries around the world limit advertising to children, for two reasons:

1) Kids may not be stupid, but they are inexperienced, and that makes them gullible; and

2) Kids don't have money of their own, so their path to getting the stuff they see in ads is nagging their parents, which creates a natural constituency to support limits on kids' advertising (nagged parents).

There's something especially annoying about ads targeted at getting credulous people to coerce or torment other people on behalf of the advertiser. For example, AI companies spent millions targeting your boss in an effort to convince them that you can be replaced with a chatbot that absolutely, positively cannot do your job.

Your boss has no idea what your job entails, and is (not so) secretly convinced that you're a featherbedding parasite who only shows up for work because you fear the breadline, and not because your job is a) challenging, or b) rewarding:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/19/make-them-afraid/#fear-is-their-mind-killer

That makes them prime marks for chatbot-peddling AI pitchmen. Your boss would love to fire you and replace you with a chatbot. Chatbots don't unionize, they don't backtalk about stupid orders, and they don't experience any inconvenient moral injury when ordered to enshittify the product:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/25/moral-injury/#enshittification

Bosses are Bizarro-world Marxists. Like Marxists, your boss's worldview is organized around the principle that every dollar you take home in wages is a dollar that isn't available for executive bonuses, stock buybacks or dividends. That's why you boss is insatiably horny for firing you and replacing you with software. Software is cheaper, and it doesn't advocate for higher wages.

That makes your boss such an easy mark for AI pitchmen, which explains the vast gap between the valuation of AI companies and the utility of AI to the customers that buy those companies' products. As an investor, buying shares in AI might represent a bet the usefulness of AI – but for many of those investors, backing an AI company is actually a bet on your boss's credulity and contempt for you and your job.

But bosses' resemblance to toddlers doesn't end with their credulity. A toddler's path to getting that eye-height candy-bar goes through their exhausted parents. Your boss's path to realizing the productivity gains promised by an AI salesman runs through you.

A new research report from the Upwork Research Institute offers a look into the bizarre situation unfolding in workplaces where bosses have been conned into buying AI and now face the challenge of getting it to work as advertised:

https://www.upwork.com/research/ai-enhanced-work-models

The headline findings tell the whole story:

96% of bosses expect that AI will make their workers more productive;

85% of companies are either requiring or strongly encouraging workers to use AI;

49% of workers have no idea how AI is supposed to increase their productivity;

77% of workers say using AI decreases their productivity.

Working at an AI-equipped workplaces is like being the parent of a furious toddler who has bought a million Sea Monkey farms off the back page of a comic book, and is now destroying your life with demands that you figure out how to get the brine shrimp he ordered from a notorious Holocaust denier to wear little crowns like they do in the ad:

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2004/hitler-and-sea-monkeys

Bosses spend a lot of time thinking about your productivity. The "productivity paradox" shows a rapid, persistent decline in American worker productivity, starting in the 1970s and continuing to this day:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Productivity_paradox

The "paradox" refers to the growth of IT, which is sold as a productivity-increasing miracle. There are many theories to explain this paradox. One especially good theory came from the late David Graeber (rest in power), in his 2012 essay, "Of Flying Cars and the Declining Rate of Profit":

https://thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

Graeber proposes that the growth of IT was part of a wider shift in research approaches. Research was once dominated by weirdos (e.g. Jack Parsons, Oppenheimer, etc) who operated with relatively little red tape. The rise of IT coincides with the rise of "managerialism," the McKinseyoid drive to monitor, quantify and – above all – discipline the workforce. IT made it easier to generate these records, which also made it normal to expect these records.

Before long, every employee – including the "creatives" whose ideas were credited with the productivity gains of the American century until the 70s – was spending a huge amount of time (sometimes the majority of their working days) filling in forms, documenting their work, and generally producing a legible account of their day's work. All this data gave rise to a ballooning class of managers, who colonized every kind of institution – not just corporations, but also universities and government agencies, which were structured to resemble corporations (down to referring to voters or students as "customers").

Even if you think all that record-keeping might be useful, there's no denying that the more time you spend documenting your work, the less time you have to do your work. The solution to this was inevitably more IT, sold as a way to make the record-keeping easier. But adding IT to a bureaucracy is like adding lanes to a highway: the easier it is to demand fine-grained record-keeping, the more record-keeping will be demanded of you.

But that's not all that IT did for the workplace. There are a couple areas in which IT absolutely increased the profitability of the companies that invested in it.

First, IT allowed corporations to outsource production to low-waged countries in the global south, usually places with worse labor protection, weaker environmental laws, and easily bribed regulators. It's really hard to produce things in factories thousands of miles away, or to oversee remote workers in another country. But IT makes it possible to annihilate distance, time zone gaps, and language barriers. Corporations that figured out how to use IT to fire workers at home and exploit workers and despoil the environment in distant lands thrived. Executives who oversaw these projects rose through the ranks. For example, Tim Cook became the CEO of Apple thanks to his successes in moving production out of the USA and into China.

https://archive.is/M17qq

Outsourcing provided a sugar high that compensated for declining productivity…for a while. But eventually, all the gains to be had from outsourcing were realized, and companies needed a new source of cheap gains. That's where "bossware" came in: the automation of workforce monitoring and discipline. Bossware made it possible to monitor workers at the finest-grained levels, measuring everything from keystrokes to eyeball movements.

What's more, the declining power of the American worker – a nice bonus of the project to fire huge numbers of workers and ship their jobs overseas, which made the remainder terrified of losing their jobs and thus willing to eat a rasher of shit and ask for seconds – meant that bossware could be used to tie wages to metrics. It's not just gig workers who don't score consistent five star ratings from app users whose pay gets docked – it's also creative workers whose Youtube and Tiktok wages are cut for violating rules that they aren't allowed to know, because that might help them break the rules without being detected and punished:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/13/solidarity-forever/#tech-unions

Bossware dominates workplaces from public schools to hospitals, restaurants to call centers, and extends to your home and car, if you're working from home (AKA "living at work") or driving for Uber or Amazon:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/02/chickenized-by-arise/#arise

In providing a pretense for stealing wages, IT can increase profits, even as it reduces productivity:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/11/robots-stole-my-jerb/#computer-says-no

One way to think about how this works is through the automation-theory metaphor of a "centaur" and a "reverse centaur." In automation circles, a "centaur" is someone who is assisted by an automation tool – for example, when your boss uses AI to monitor your eyeballs in order to find excuses to steal your wages, they are a centaur, a human head atop a machine body that does all the hard work, far in excess of any human's capacity.

A "reverse centaur" is a worker who acts as an assistant to an automation system. The worker who is ridden by an AI that monitors their eyeballs, bathroom breaks, and keystrokes is a reverse centaur, being used (and eventually, used up) by a machine to perform the tasks that the machine can't perform unassisted:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

But there's only so much work you can squeeze out of a human in this fashion before they are ruined for the job. Amazon's internal research reveals that the company has calculated that it ruins workers so quickly that it is in danger of using up every able-bodied worker in America:

https://www.vox.com/recode/23170900/leaked-amazon-memo-warehouses-hiring-shortage

Which explains the other major findings from the Upwork study:

81% of bosses have increased the demands they make on their workers over the past year; and

71% of workers are "burned out."

Bosses' answer to "AI making workers feel burned out" is the same as "IT-driven form-filling makes workers unproductive" – do more of the same, but go harder. Cisco has a new product that tries to detect when workers are about to snap after absorbing abuse from furious customers and then gives them a "Zen" moment in which they are showed a "soothing" photo of their family:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-bringing-zen-first-horizons-192010166.html

This is just the latest in a series of increasingly sweaty and cruel "workplace wellness" technologies that spy on workers and try to help them "manage their stress," all of which have the (totally predictable) effect of increasing workplace stress:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/15/wellness-taylorism/#sick-of-spying

The only person who wouldn't predict that being closely monitored by an AI that snitches on you to your boss would increase your stress levels is your boss. Unfortunately for you, AI pitchmen know this, too, and they're more than happy to sell your boss the reverse-centaur automation tool that makes you want to die, and then sell your boss another automation tool that is supposed to restore your will to live.

The "productivity paradox" is being resolved before our eyes. American per-worker productivity fell because it was more profitable to ship American jobs to regulatory free-fire zones and exploit the resulting precarity to abuse the workers left onshore. Workers who resented this arrangement were condemned for having a shitty "work ethic" – even as the number of hours worked by the average US worker rose by 13% between 1976 and 2016:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/11/robots-stole-my-jerb/#computer-says-no

AI is just a successor gimmick at the terminal end of 40 years of increasing profits by taking them out of workers' hides rather than improving efficiency. That arrangement didn't come out of nowhere: it was a direct result of a Reagan-era theory of corporate power called "consumer welfare." Under the "consumer welfare" approach to antitrust, monopolies were encouraged, provided that they used their market power to lower wages and screw suppliers, while lowering costs to consumers.

"Consumer welfare" supposed that we could somehow separate our identities as "workers" from our identities as "shoppers" – that our stagnating wages and worsening conditions ceased mattering to us when we clocked out at 5PM (or, you know, 9PM) and bought a $0.99 Meal Deal at McDonald's whose low, low price was only possible because it was cooked by someone sleeping in their car and collecting food-stamps.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/20/disneyland-workers-anaheim-california-authorize-strike

But we're reaching the end of the road for consumer welfare. Sure, your toddler-boss can be tricked into buying AI and firing half of your co-workers and demanding that the remainder use AI to do their jobs. But if AI can't do their jobs (it can't), no amount of demanding that you figure out how to make the Sea Monkeys act like they did in the comic-book ad is doing to make that work.

As screwing workers and suppliers produces fewer and fewer gains, companies are increasingly turning on their customers. It's not just that you're getting worse service from chatbots or the humans who are reverse-centaured into their workflow. You're also paying more for that, as algorithmic surveillance pricing uses automation to gouge you on prices in realtime:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/24/gouging-the-all-seeing-eye/#i-spy

This is – in the memorable phrase of David Dayen and Lindsay Owens, the "age of recoupment," in which companies end their practice of splitting the gains from suppressing labor with their customers:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-06-03-age-of-recoupment/

It's a bet that the tolerance for monopolies made these companies too big to fail, and that means they're too big to jail, so they can cheat their customers as well as their workers.

AI may be a bet that your boss can be suckered into buying a chatbot that can't do your job, but investors are souring on that bet. Goldman Sachs, who once trumpeted AI as a multi-trillion dollar sector with unlimited growth, is now publishing reports describing how companies who buy AI can't figure out what to do with it:

https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/gs-research/gen-ai-too-much-spend-too-little-benefit/report.pdf

Fine, investment banks are supposed to be a little conservative. But VCs? They're the ones with all the appetite for risk, right? Well, maybe so, but Sequoia Capital, a top-tier Silicon Valley VC, is also publicly questioning whether anyone will make AI investments pay off:

https://www.sequoiacap.com/article/ais-600b-question/

I can't tell you how great it was to take my kid down a grocery checkout aisle from which all the eye-level candy had been removed. Alas, I can't figure out how we keep the nation's executive toddlers from being dazzled by shiny AI pitches that leave us stuck with the consequences of their impulse purchases.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/25/accountability-sinks/#work-harder-not-smarter

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[drunkkenobi]

Hi bb, ty for the prompt to write my thoughts!

So I can't get on tumblr at work anymore unless I go outside to get good signal on my phone so I have only been privy to what's going on here today from friends on discord. So maybe I'm missing some nuance or the what my mutuals think and I apologize in advance for that but I'm going to speak plainly.

This is the only way Watcher is going to survive.

The view counts have been steady through Mystery Files season 2 but they aren't, like, astronomical. A video with a million views nets a channel between $10,000 - $30,000. Guys. That's nothing for Watcher. They have to pay each of their 25+ employees a salary with insurance and benefits and for everything else their channel requires. Steven said in the video today that a season of Ghost Files costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. I don't think everyone is hearing that part and understanding how much money that is, especially compared to many other YouTubers they watch. I'm not an expert on other YouTubers but I look at the Sims people I watch. They are successful with views in the hundred k range because they are a company of one. Themselves and maybe paying a freelancer to help edit their videos. For one person, the stakes are lower and the potential for profit is higher! Especially for gamers that are filming in their homes. YouTubers like this, making niche content on the cheap, are who is going to make it in YouTube now.

Watcher is none of those things. They have, from day one, wanted to make high quality unscripted content. All of their shows are shows. They aren't just "Ryan and Shane do [thing]" or "Steven eats [whatever]". They are shows, like ones you see on cable TV or any streamer. And shows are not cheap. Unscripted is cheaper, sure, than scripted. But that doesn't mean cheap. Especially not with the sheer production value we've seen on all their shows, in particular Ghost Files (hundreds of thousands of dollars). That is how much something like Ghost Adventures costs, which is on Travel Channel, an actual TV network that puts up all those costs.

So. That's why Watcher has to pivot to survive.

I think it's a great idea, personally. And yes, I am in a position where I can financially afford it no problem, which I know is a privilege! I am very lucky in that regard. And I understand that many people are upset they won't see the boys as easily on YouTube anymore. That is valid! But they have openly said they are totally fine with password sharing and I think that's a great way to cut down on costs for some folks. Also right now there's a great deal on the yearly sub for early subscribers. $40 for a year is cheaper than any streaming service and it doesn't go to anyone other than Watcher.

I understand that people feel hurt and blindsided, but I think Watcher is also feeling this too. They have been so excited about this and being able to make whatever they want without having to worry about sponsors and now they're mostly seeing anger directed their way. Especially at Steven. Steven is not rich. You know who's rich? David Zaslav, a man who is single-handedly ruining Warner Brothers and making himself a billionaire while he's at it. THAT is the kind of person we should be directing our anger at streaming prices and quality of the media landscape at. Not one small business that is just trying to survive so they can continue paying their employees.

And one more thing. I've seen folks saying they'd rather watch more ads than pay and while I get that, that's not going to help Watcher make what they want. YouTube famously demonetizes videos with swears which is why I can't watch a video with DRAG QUEENS without every other line being bleeped and Watcher has been so good about not bleeping their content because they know we would hate it. And YouTube does this because of advertisers. Advertisers only want to appeal to the most broad of audiences so that means not supporting anything slightly left of center. Having to deal with ads sucks from the creator perspective and does not help them in the long run.

Anyway, this is all a bit rambling, but these are my thoughts on WatcherTV. I'm extremely excited to subscribe and make them make more Weird Wonderful World. I hope to see you all there.

[reasonsforhope]

i live in the midwest US, right? and something that's been so fascinating to me is the fact that i spend equal time, roughly, in urban, suburba, and rural areas- and i'm seeing the same renewables growth in all three. solar panels, advertisements for EVs, charging stations, newly installed wind turbines, actual EVs and hybrids on the roads, i've even been able to witness solar panel installations in the city. the buses in my city's fleet are more and more becoming electric or otherwise more sustainable. i see farmers with portable solar and batteries by their houses. people in the suburbs are getting solar installed and bragging about new electric vehicles.

it's becoming more and more commonplace, and it's both affordable and popular to go green. that really gives me hope, honestly. seeing people who don't really care about the environment go environmentally-friendly anyways, because it's profitable, or cool, or cheap, or just because they like it. sure, it's sort of sad, but on the other hand it shows me just how widespread this change is. and it's not a huge thing either!! like i just see new solar or wind or the like and it's more of a "huh. neat" or "we need to look into panels for the house" than anything else. so much hope in the little things like that, in seeing the way the world changes when no one is looking.

having governments and activist organizations working for this is making a change, and it's so beautiful and i'm so lucky that i get to be alive to see the world changing for the better. and my area is experiencing unprecedented growth!! and i see so much of that come with solar. there's like, a gas-station style charging station near me. isn't that awesome? i can't wait to see more of it.

That's awesome!! Thank you for sending this in, that really is so full of hope, especially the fact that it's the midwest and it's happening equally across urban, suburban, and rural settings. That's so great to hear.

The renewables revolution isn't going anywhere, and it's because of just what you said: it's cheaper and easier and more profitable. And it's gonna change the world.

[fated-normal-767]

Yeah I think so but red bull (especially the fruit flavoured ones to me) have that energy of wanting to look cool but you’re buying like 250ml of drink for like £2 and it does not even taste good. Like what. I get that some people like it but if I see someone drinking red bull im like “okay” and if i see someone drinking like a 20p red bull rip off that almost definitely tastes the same im thinking “okay i respect the energy here” like people convinced red bull is worth the price are odd to me . Boy you could get 10x that much for the same price if you went to some shitty little corner store and got some off brand shit . I’m trying red bull flavours today because there’s a girl in my art class who drinks like 4 red bulls every day of these 2 fruit flavours and I’m so curious about if they’re actually any good or if it’s just commitment to a brand. I tried the ‘forest fruits’ one and it’s better than original red bull for sure but it’s worse than Every monster flavour I’ve tried and I found some of them really boring. It definitely tasted like that blackcurrant cold medicine liquid people get sometimes but I do love a medicine taste so I liked it but. Wouldn’t buy again as once again you can get really cheap versions and honestly I can’t ever taste the difference really. But for red bull it was good so on a red bull scale I’d give it like a 6/10 with the original being like a 3 maybe. 4 at best.

Red bull flavours are named like vapes which makes sense because both of those things are kind of mid at best I think.

Yeah true but they also have that trashy appeal to them yknow what I mean ? Red bull is like a vape but more masculine but also without the nicotine probably j think maybe

[cryingoverpalta]

Ok so I was thinking, what if PIDW wasn't a novel, but a drama available on streaming platforms? So when SY transmigrates into SQQ's body, he perceives everything around him just like the audience is seeing it on their screens: with the low-budget fighting scenes that had him obliterating his keyboard with bad reviews, the soundtrack (that is pretty well-done and he actually enjoys it, but that doesn't mean he likes to hear the same silly song every time something embarrassing happens to him), the landscapes that are obviously made with green screen… Even the fabrics of his costume look cheaper than they should, considering the status of his character. Also, for some reason, everything that should be off-screen in a normal filming set (be it cameras, directing staff, or make-up artists) looks like a blurry continuation of the background, making the whole transmigration thing even more nonsensical than it already is.

But nothing disturbes him more than the fact that, just like everything around him is made out of an artificial project, the people also look just like in a drama, because SY suddenly is surrounded by literal celebrities acting like they belong in the pages of a badly written xianxia novel. And ok, to be fair just this time, he's aware they are currently living in a xianxia setting, but his brain can't deal with this logic sometimes. Like, yes, Sha Hualing is a badass character and is always a pleasure to see her fighting choreography in first person, but SY can't take her seriously after seeing her face plastered on a big advertisement while waiting for the train home the other day. And don't even mention Liu Qingge, whom SY can't even look in the eye thanks to the sexy, shirtless photoshoot his actor was part of (that SY saw against his will, because he obviously wasn't searching for handsome shirtless men on the internet. The photos were everywhere; it was a matter of time for him, a chronically online nerd, to see them after going viral the way they did, thank you very much). God, he can't even stand his reflection without panicking a little over his new handsome face, wich also happens to be the face of the actor that always plays the most brutal villains, but is just a chill guy in real life—starring variety shows and giving autographs to the older ladies with a warm smile on his face; that kind of chill guy. If he's as trash as the villains he plays, SY will never know.

And the worst of it all is: Luo Binghe. It doesn't bother him too much at first; his white lotus era makes him look really young and sweet, even though there's an obvious layer of makeup covering his real age, and their feet are always blurry when they're together, probably hiding an uneven floor to make 15-year-old LBH look much shorter than him. But then the abyss happens (and GOD what a shitty green screen that was), three years pass in a literal blur, and the white lotus isn't a fake teenager anymore. And ok, SY can be straight, but he isn't blind; the actor was chosen as LBH for a reason. The man is gorgeous, with that strong jaw, intense eyes, and the height of a supermodel. AND he's talented; SY has seen his other roles and is a genuine fan of his work. So of course, he nails his acting as blackened LBH so much that SY is incapable of perceiving it as acting anymore.

Imagine his surprise when the show turns into a BL and he's suddenly kissing LBH with tongue and all! Sure, it has been a while since he can't see the man as anything other than LBH himself, but he still looks just like that handsome actor that even his little sister had a crush on at some point! What's with this nonsensical plot twist? Wasn't the stallion protagonist supposed to be papapaing the eleventh wife at this point of the plot? Hello?? System???!!!!!

The funny thing is: not even the papapa can escape from the blurry off-screen logic. Yes, SY knew the scenes were typical soft-porn with too much emphasis on doing close-ups of LBH's manly muscles and the wives soft, big chests (he went through a lot of those while watching the show, mind you), but he never thought their papapa would be just them being naked with poor illumination and blurred genitals. So SY never gets to see the Heavenly Pillar. But he feels it. Thoroughly. And for the first time in months, he wonders if it was just a PIDW thing or if the actor truly is talented in all areas of his life.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Expanded universes really are the final frontier of franchise based storytelling aren't they? The ultimate sign that the brand managers have finally squeezed out the artists and twisted things into a state of maximum profitability.

Crossovers and callbacks can be fun, continuous crossovers and callbacks make the story into a slurry. Canon and what if's and reboots all ground up and served in a trough for the undiscerning consumer to mire in. It's bland, it's exhausting, it's pointless.

Big companies and studios are risk averse, and the profit seeking wisdom steers them away from niche works of art and towards wide appeal content. Why risk money on a movie/game that only a fraction of people will love when you can spread that engagement out across a dozen different products that are just good enough to keep people invested in your extended universe, whether from genuine fandom or just cultural fomo?

Marvel feels ubiquitous as Kleenex doesn't it? It's always there in the movie theatre/store, slightly cheaper offbrands right beside it. While individual works within the marvel universe might be genuinely good in their own right their quality is secondary to their purpose in perpetuating the brand and keeping it relevant.

People like familiarity, and if it's a safe bet for you as a consumer to have a pretty okay time in exchange for your hardearned dollars then it's a safe bet for the investors to receive their quarterly returns. It's no mistake that Disney, the company that owns Marvel does most of its business in theme parks: entertainment on an industrial scale. Just like their movies the rides are made to give you and everyone else who bought a ticket a scientifically optimized amount of fun and then move you along so that that the next batch of riders can have an identical experience.

It's value production as efficient as an assembly line or slaughter house, completely atomized and divested of any trace of the individual for the sake of maximum profitability. The figured out a way to sell you your own fandoms like they sell you happymeals, endless iterations of a product just this side of bad but convenient enough that you never need to go without.

I don't blame anyone for liking things, just like I don't blame people for wanting a quick burger in the middle of a long day. Our minds need entertainment just like our body needs calories, and profit seeking conglomerates exploit that need as they always have. What irks me is the fact that even outside of the commercials I feel like I am being sold something, like the movies and games I actually enjoy are being supplanted by feature length billboards that only serve to advertise the next instalment. The desire to find out what happens next is a powerful thing in media, and that desire is being exploited by expanded universes the same way it's exploited by DLC that contains the "true ending".

You can tell it isn't sustainable.. McDonald's is so inflated in price it's competing with actual restaurants, the gaming Industry guts itself with layoffs every quarter, and Disney's competitors are producing entire movies and tv shows only to destroy them for tax befits. The cracks have been showing for a while but I have no idea what shape the landscape is going to take after the dam gives.

[betterbemeta]

I have said it before and i don't care how many youtubers advertise hello fresh or hungryroot to make a living

meal subscription services are not worth it.

Not a single one of them is actually cheaper in the long term than planning and buying your own groceries.

many of them have initial discounts to sell you the service and then hope you are just too busy or too tired to unsubscribe. almost ALL people who sign up for a meal plan will unsubscribe within the first year because they were only there to access those early discounts BECAUSE THEY NEEDED CHEAPER FOOD IMMEDIATELY.

Your normal grocery store probably does have a few dark patterns but not nearly as many as even the 'nicest' meal subscription service.

There are articles out there like "I did the math and the groceries and meal services are the same price mostly!" but if you pay attention, there are massive holes in their thinking:

the meals or plans that track closest to grocery store prices are ones that adhere to special diets. Eating vegan, keto, etc. can be more pricey to shop for. This is a known part of the strategy for meal kits and delivery services-- they can't compete with the price of typical groceries, but just like some people will shop at an expensive Health Food store, others will be willing to pay a premium for luxury or diet-specific products. And chances are if you're a regular person keeping a special diet with a limited amount of disposable income you probably have already made compromises for your budget and don't need a for-profit service to pry away that money you're trying to save.

These articles frame, 'you don't have to buy oil, seasonings, vinegar, or staple ingredients' as a cost saving or even food waste saving measure... but that's also true if you just eat regular TV dinners from the grocery store freezer aisle, many of which offer the same or better prices per serving. But really, is this not just a grocery shopping version of 'Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness'? Exploitation of those who can't invest in the cost of things upfront results in poor people spending more money for worse outcomes?

If I can't make a restaurant's exact same fish sandwich for the same price, I can just make a chicken sandwich or a grilled portobello. Or buy a box of frozen dumplings. Saving money on Grilled Trout Over Wild Rice shipped to my door makes no sense when I simply wouldn't choose to cook something like that without a special reason.

if these meal kits and delivery plan services really WERE cheaper than groceries, grocery stores would be losing money to them and they're mostly losing money to people buying less food in general.

[anarcho-masochist]

Don't they already do AI-controlled drone strikes? I remember news about it 1-2 years ago. Give me a second to fact check myself.

Here's an article from npr posted June 1, 2021

There are several others from around that time frame.

So after looking up your article, what the US is doing is arguing against new laws to regulate AI weapons. They're already using them, they just don't want their usage to become restricted at all, so, as you say, a very bad sign.

This and multiple other articles in the same search mention continued development and plans to increase numbers so that's...great (sarcastic).

america is an evil-fucked-up-beyond-words-dystopia like actually this is the premise of psycho pass more or less what the actual fuck we need a revolution

[gay-space-creature]

I can't stop thinking about an AU where Stanley and The Narrator escape the Parable and start living normal lives. But they're just so confused about what they're supposed to be doing so they don't really fit in.

Stanley would encourage The Narrator to pick out a name for himself but he just couldn't. It never felt right. It never felt real but at the same time he couldn't pick a name because there's a horrifying sense of finality to it. It was over and it didn't feel right. He didn't feel right. He thinks that maybe he never did.

He begs Stanley to just...pick one for him. Anything. Whatever Stanley wanted.

The Narrator needed a strict schedule to feel safe so Stanley helped him make one.

Stanley would get a job. He saw an advertisement for an office job. He stared at it for a few minutes before deciding that he needed to work somewhere else. He got a quiet job, maybe at a cafe or a library.

Stanley would insist that they share a bed. It's cheaper that way, he would explain. But The Narrator knew that Stanley just didn't want to be alone. But he wasn't aware that Stanley also wanted to be near him. If Stanley told him that, The Narrator would likely scoff. He would think Stanley was joking. After all, 'why would Stanley ever want to be near him?'

At night Stanley would dream of long hallways that never seem to end. He would dream that there was a voice instructing him but he couldn't make out what it was saying. Then it was gone. He was alone. And he would run. And run and run. There had to be a way out. How long has he been here? Was there ever a time that he wasn't here? He would keep running and the rooms would all look the same. There was no escape.

He would wake up silently, as he always was. The Narrator would be awake too, immediately sensing that there was something wrong. Because they're still connected. The Narrator wouldn't know how to comfort Stanley. He would just stare and be at a loss for words.

It drove Stanley crazy. The Narrator had been frighteningly silent since they escaped. It seemed like he never really knew what to say. Stanley would beg him to say something, anything. And The Narrator would start talking about his day. It was awkward and unplanned. But that's what made it better. That's what made it real.

He went to the park today while Stanley was at work. He stared at the sky for what felt like hours. He leaves out the part where he couldn't breathe because there were too many lights, too many sounds. Too much- TOO MUCH-

Stanley would listen and lean on The Narrator. They would remain awake for many hours until Stanley eventually fell back to sleep. The Narrator would remain awake.

Sometimes Stanley would stare at the walls. They were too plain because neither of them were really sure how to decorate. It was too much like... The Narrator would touch his shoulder.

"You aren't there anymore. You're free, Stanley."

At first, neither of them could leave their apartment. It took weeks for either of them to try. Stanley was the first to go. After a while The Narrator started going with him. His eyes would dart back and forth and he would wring his hands together. Stanley couldn't help but stare. If The Narrator noticed, he didn't say anything.

There were times when The Narrator would start to lose his breath, his hands yanking at his own hair. His eyes would look far away. It was too much. It always was. It was pretty but it was unpredictable. It was nice and it was something he didn't deserve. How long would this last? Any moment he could close his eyes and when he opened them again he would be met with flickering lights and dull walls- Without even realizing it, he would drag his nails across his face. He would force his eyes open and it hurt. It hurt so badly but it was what he needed because it was real-

Was this another ending? Did they actually escape? What if they didn't? Was he dreaming? What if he is-

Stanley started holding his hand whenever they went out. The Narrator's fingers would twitch, shaking with the need to claw at his own skin. But he never attempted it when Stanley held his hand.

At night The Narrator dreamed he was in an empty room, watching Stanley stand still. He would talk to him but with no response. There was no indication that Stanley had even heard him. After what he was certain was years, he would ramble and then cry and then scream and over and over again he would beg- And then he was silent. He laid there and watched the room decay around him.

Some nights he would be walking down a hall he didn't recognize. He would hear footsteps dragging against metal, like the action of walking was too much. He would see a staircase. Then he would watch Helplessly as Stanley fell. Over and over again. He was frozen and he couldn't move or speak.

He would be woken up by Stanley. Stanley would explain that he was screaming again. The Narrator would shake and try to leave the bed but Stanley would grab him and hold him. And they would both lay awake until the sun rose. Stanley had to leave for work but as he was leaving, he paused. He watched as The Narrator stared at the knife drawer. It was clear to Stanley that he didn't know that he was being watched.

Stanley would wave goodbye and spend his work day worrying.

If he went home, what would he see?

Would he see the Narrator's body?

Would he see the man covered in blood?

Would he watch The Narrator take his final breath.

He wondered if that's how The Narrator felt, watching him die over and over again.

He would return home and The Narrator would be fine. The dishes would be done but Stanley didn't remember any of their knives being dirty. So the presence of it in the dish rack concerned him.

That night, he would hold The Narrator. Usually he only did this after he had nightmares but he needs to. He held him tight. The Narrator asked him what was wrong. Images of The Narrator's bloody body flashed through his mind. Stanley couldn't answer.

Stanley would make friends. He would find other people who were as weird as him. But The Narrator never talked to people when he went outside. Stanley's friends thought The Narrator was cool, even if they rarely interacted.

Stanley's friends would invite him out. He would ask The Narrator to go with him. He would tell Stanley he wanted to stay in but he wanted Stanley to go have fun. Stanley would hesitate but he would eventually leave.

Sometimes Stanley would see The Narrator staring into nothing. Stanley held him every night now.

He's fine.

They'll be fine.

[kteezy997]

A Love Story for Christmas-Part Two(the end)// t.c.

This is not edited, I just wanted to get this out before the end of the year lol enjoy!

“So, you mean the bookstore is going to be closing for good?!”

Timmy shrugged, “Yeah, I mean people have been coming in for years saying that they can get books for cheaper online. And then there’s all the people that don’t care about physical books, so they just read off of their kindles or apps on their phones. Makes it hard to pay bills when people won’t buy our books.”

“Yeah, technology really has ruined the book-reading experience. It’s a shame, really. This place is so charming and sweet, it’s been a reading nook for generations in this town. I would hate to see it close down.”

“Yeah, I actually had an idea to go into business with the local coffee shop, like have the bookstore co-op with the coffee place to be one shop.”

“Oh, that’s an awesome idea!”

“Well, thanks.” he blushed, “but the city didn’t like the idea and the owner of the coffee shop said said no, so…”

An idea popped into your head, you opened your mouth to speak, “Timmy, my-"

“So, um-" he began, both of you spoke at the same time and you laughed in unison.

Wanting to know what he was going to say, you insisted, “You go first.”

“Okay.” he chuckled, “I was just wondering if you were going to the Festival of Christmas Lights on the Square tonight?”

“The Festival of Christmas Lights on the Square? I didn’t know anything about it. What is that?”

“Oh, I’m surprised you haven’t seen the flyers around town; it’s just a little event on the square, there’s displays of Christmas lights and all the local shops and cafes are open. You can walk around, eat, drink, shop and look at all the lights. It’s actually really neat, every year we spend two weeks putting up lights.”

“That’s awesome! Maybe I’ll check it out.” you smiled.

“Well, would you like to go with me?”

“Yes.” you answered, blushing.

“Cool, um, let me get your number and I’ll pick you up around five.”

……….

You were on cloud nine. Not only did you meet a cute new guy, but you got his phone and a first date. Well, you hoped it qualified as a date. And to see Christmas lights and sip hot cocoa, so perfect and cozy.

You had to dress warm, but still wanted to look cute for the date. So, you put on some thermal black leggings and a red sweater dress with your long wool coat over it.

You felt like you were back in high school, waiting for your crush to pick you up for a date.

Timmy pulled up at 5 o’clock sharp.

“Wow, you look pretty.” he announced as you approached him, he had opened the passenger side door for you.

“Aw, thank you. You look nice too.” you replied with a smile. “Thank you for opening the door for me.” you said as you got into his car. He looked very dapper in his black coat with a touch of whimsy from his cozy orange scarf.

“You’re very welcome.” he chirped, shutting the car door after you.

After he got into the driver’s seat and took off, you said, “Thank you for taking me to the light festival.”

“Oh, no, thank you for coming with me. I’m glad to not have to go alone.”

“Can I ask you something without being too invasive?”

“Sure, ask me anything.”

“How is a guy like you single? I mean, I am assuming you’re single?”

“Yeah, no, I am. I just got out of a relationship a few months ago. I just haven’t really gotten back out there, and just been busy trying to save the bookstore.”

“Oh? What have you been doing that’s kept you away from the dating scene?”

“Trying out fundraisers, talking with other businesses to try and collaborate, spending my own money on advertising, shopping around to find cheaper books for wholesale, but nothing is really working. It’s really hard to see my family’s business failing, especially since it’s been a staple in the community for so long.”

“I know, it makes me so sad. Maybe-"

“Hey, we’re here!” he chimed, pulling into a little parking lot.

You looked ahead, seeing the square all lit up and a decent amount of people making their way up there.

“Were you saying something?” Timmy asked, finding a spot and parking the car, turning the engine off.

“No, no. Let’s go!” you exclaimed.

…….

The atmosphere of the busy square was magical. No surface was left undecorated for the holiday season. Multicolored lights were strung, Christmas characters stood on every corner, greenery, holly, snow, everything was a winter wonderland come to life.

Every store and restaurant was open and alive with guests flooding in and out. The smell of coffee and gingerbread covered the exhaust fumes of the cars that would drive by along the square.

The street was packed with smiling faces and rosy cheeks. Timmy held your hand so you wouldn’t be separated. You were bundled up enough so you weren't cold, but tiny little snow flurries started coming down.

After browsing a couple of stores, Timmy took you to the coffee shop for a hot drink. "Hot chocolate?" he asked when it was your turn at the register.

"Sounds perfect." you answered. He ordered two cups.

The hot chocolate was the perfect temperature for drinking. It warmed your whole body even more.

You exited the coffee shop hand in hand, Timmy took a sip from his cup, then said, "So, y/n, I feel like you already know a lot about me, but I've neglected to ask about you."

"Well, what would you like to know?" you giggled as the two of you continued your stroll along the street.

"What do you do for work up in the big city?"

"It's funny you should ask, because I've tried to tell you a couple of different times today, it just didn't come out."

Timmy stopped walking, looking at you, "Oh no, it's my fault isn't it? Did I interrupt you? I talk too much, I know I do, especially if I like someone." He looked down at his feet, shamefully. He looked so cute and pitiful, holding your hand in one of his while the other held his cup of hot chocolate while holding his head down.

"No, no! It's not your fault. I don't think you talk too much. I think you're great, Timothee."

He looked back up at you, smiling softly, "Thank you. I think you're great too, now tell me about your work." he chuckled.

"I actually work in the marketing department for my father's coffee company." you said.

"Really? So, you're in the coffee business?"

"Yes, it's actually one of the biggest coffee chains in the world, I don't know if you've heard of it, Smith's Brew Company?"

"Wait," you could practically see the wheels turning in his head, "so you're y/n Smith, your dad is Ronald Smith of Smith's Brew?"

You nodded, giggling, "Yep that's us."

"Wow, that's incredible. He's like one of my business idols. I can't believe I met you, and that you're from the same place as me." he strengthened his grip softly on your hand.

"I'm glad I met you." you agreed, "And Timmy, I think we could help your bookstore. Remember the bookstore coffee shop combo idea you had? We could talk to my father about starting it. He is a sucker for helping small businesses, there's no way he would say no to helping his hometown save one of its longest running stores!"

"Oh, y/n," he shook his head, "that's a wonderful idea, but I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask, I'm offering. You just say the word, and I'll set up a meeting with my dad in the city. He will be happy to meet you and hear your story."

He sighed, then looked at you with a grin, "That would be great, thank you so much." He leaned in and you nearly fell over as his warm lips met your cold cheek.

You weren't expecting the kiss, but you gladly welcomed it. You smiled at him. His sweet eyes made you melt in the snowy air. You stepped closer, your bodies touched, and you rested your head on his chest, never wanting this night to end.

Timmy placed his chin on your head, "So, how long are you in town for? I want to take you on a date before you have to leave."

You moved your head to look up at him, "Is this not a date?"

"Well, I'd like to take you on a second date." he smirked.

"Mom, look they're under the mistletoe!" you heard a child shout from a few feet away.

You and Timmy both looked up, seeing the small greenery with small white flowers and red holly, tied up in a tree with a festive bow.

Smiling at each other, you both knew what had to be done. You closed your eyes, letting him give you the most romantic, body tingling kiss of your life.

@gatoenlaciudad @thebetawolfgirl @musicandbooksaremyhappyplace @softhecreator @tchalamss @lixzey @bitchyunknownuser @ducktapebar @aoi-targaryen @yukideadinside @elloise0 @thatoneweirdgirl17 @mel-vaz @sammy-halpert @iwishchalamet @that-one-fangirl69 @jindongdongie @briefkittenearthquake @imnotoverlyobsessive

[asexualbookbird]

I've been looking for enamel pins, are there any artists you'd recommend?

GASP YEAH

Admittedly, I haven't bought any enamel pins in a hot second BUT STILL! I HAVE ARTISTS SAVED!!!!

every time artoftangmo has released the angel sets, I've backed the whole thing lol (reasons why I haven't bought pins in a while,) they're SO GOOD and right up my aesthetic. The mertal choices. The simple details. The wings. ten out of TANGMO!

Alum & Ink has. So many choices. Of all sorts of different techniques. I have the star chart pin and IT SPINS!!!!! IT'S A WORKING STAR CHART!!!! ON A PIN!!!!!! They have great examples of clear enamel usage, great soft enamel designs (so many pin sellers use a soft enamel pin as a cheaper way to make their designs that SHOULD be hard enamel and it just. Doesn't work.) that I actually like to look at lol Dangly charms pins?? Playing with different metals and line widths. So amazing. How do they do it all. Looking at their shop, they've added a lot of new designs too.....

Shattered Earth is who I first think of when I think of clear enamel because of their stained glass pins! I have the terrarium D20 pin and it's so pretty!!!! My fave pin from them is Bell Goose, from Untitled Goose Game. It's put away right now but IT DINGS! Fantastic design.

thisishannako doesn't look like they're very active online anymore and their shop is closed :( but I can't NOT mention the artist that got me obsessed with pins. I belonged to their pin club on patreon until they shut down the teir (understandably; they got a great job and couldn't keep up with monthly pin design and production I'm so happy for them!!!!) THE WHALES! THE CLOWN! THE GLOW IN THE DARK CLEAR GHOST FRAME! MOTHMANS! My fave designer of soft enamel pins. Hannako GETS IT! I should dig out the kitsune mask pins, matte black and white metal (depending on which you bought) with the soft enamel making up the details???? chefs kiss

MidnightZone did one of my FAVORITE pin kickstarters, Take This, Travelers, a set of d&d weapons in pin form. I got the bow, the violin, and the rapier. The soft enamel and thick copper metal is PEAK design.

Coey and Shy have great.....I wouldn't call them creepy but they advertise a few of their designs as "occult", They pop up at cons in my area, and I always have to check them out. I thought they were one of the artists that did the pride collar pins but they're not on the shop? Luckily Jackal & Hare also does them, mine are put away so I'm not sure which artist I have lol

Did you know you can make pins out of WOOD?? mittiepaul has a wooden worm on a string pin. just saying. they're one of the many artists I miss from twitter lololol lots of cryptids.

and of course, mayticks, for all your bot and locked tomb pin needs. I really love the murderbot pin, I love how the metal matches the enamel just enough that you have to catch the light to see all of it. Bot would love that. Do not perceive it.