#what function does this characterisation serve????????

[aturinfortheworse]

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[sarasade]

The Dragon Prince & Queer Subtext - Fandom and Media Analysis of Sort

Lately I’ve been pondering about the ins and outs of Viren and Aaravos’s relationship and why they give off such a queer vibe. So I ended up writing this 2 and half Word document pages long little breakdown because why not.

I think what’s going on here is about the underlying elements of the story- subtext and how their relationship could be perceived through a queer lens. Note: my brain has marinated in queer subtext juices my whole life and I have no intent trying to prove my reading is the only right one.

That Sweet Sweet Gay Shit- A Fandom Perspective

There is a lot of queer subtext between them. Homoerotic subtext even. Their scenes together definitely activated the search function in my brain’s queer coded villain trope lexicon. 

You know- mutual penetration with a phallic object (knife), sharing some kind of mysterious bond through blood magic, so, you know, bodily fluids are indeed involved, the classic slash fiction trope “we are close but we cannot touch” -gay pining because the mirror separates them. When Aaravos is shown for the first time in the mirror the camera does this Laura Mulvey Male Gaze 101 up-down pan shot of him from Viren’s POV. Something that’s usually reserved for female characters when male characters “check them out” in a movie. And then my personal favourite: Something that comes out of Aaravos enters Viren, comes out and then transforms into a creature with a toddler level intelligence- they made a freaky little metaphor baby together! Awwww!

And let's not even talk about the possession and Aaravos slowly taking over Viren’s body. The aesthetics of a toxic queer romance are all over their interactions.

No, Viren! Don’t express vulnerability as an intimidating male figure! Tumblr will babygirlify you!

Storytelling

So what about their interactions makes me perceive them in a queer way? By “queer“ I mean the broader concept of queer here; does the way the characters are depicted come across non-heteronormative and disruptive to gender norms.

I’m mostly talking about the season 2 here since they share their most intimate scenes together in that season.

1 Story Function

Aaravos and Viren’s interactions are supposed to have multiple purposes in the story: They move the plot forward, characterise both Viren and Aaravos, create emotional conflict and intrigue in the viewer etc. Viren observing Aaravos through the mirror is supposed to create mystery and spark the audience’s curiosity. Viren is a device through which Aaravos’s allure gets demonstrated to the viewer so of course their interactions come across pretty, hm, charged. Anyway there are layers of meaning here the audience can interpret in multiple ways both intuitively and through an analytic lens. The meaning naturally changes the more context we get. There are still three more seasons to come.

2 Gendered Tropes

There is a certain element of seduction present: Viren gives Aaravos more access to himself and his body little by little in exchange for Aaravos fulfilling his desires (for power). This could be read as having sexual undertones. Some of Aaravos’s first words to Viren are clearly something Viren wants to hear “How may I serve you?” Weaponising manipulation and seduction, where a character poses as submissive while having alternative motives, is something female characters traditionally do in stories. I don’t know about you but Aaravos’s character has a bit of a femme fatale thing going on if you ask me (haha!) There is something about him that defies gender roles that’s not just about his androgynous looks.

A traditional Femme fatale is often a tragic figure trapped in unfortunate circumstances. They are shrouded in mystery which prevents the audience from empathising with them or understanding their motives. The character often uses coercion to make their victim do what they want. And yes there definitely is an element of coercion and even a threat of violence present in Aaravos and Viren’s relationship. Their goals are aligned for now but what happens if/ when Viren decides to defy Aaravos? TDP makes me wonder (with horror) what it is that Viren has really agreed to.

3 How the Show’s “Camera” Portrays Aaravos

Even the camera emphasises him as an object of desire. Something he is from the story point of view as well. Viren desires access to Aaravos’s power after all. When the camera puts Aaravos on display in an objectified manner in the beginning of the season 2 it’s supposed to, in my opinion, heighten the feeling of Aaravos seeming harmless at the first glance. And by “objectified” I mean he’s portrayed without agency.

I joked earlier about male gaze and Laura Mulvey but I do actually think there is some truth to that. One of the biggest reasons behind me thinking Aaravos was a pretty pretty lady at first was how he was introduced in such a feminised way. And I wasn’t the only one. Just look at the comments under his TDP Wiki article. (Lots of het men being confused about their sexuality. Also shout-out to that one lesbian). This makes him appear less threatening so the story can build suspense around his true motives. It’s not evident that Aaravos is a completely sinister figure at first, at least compared to Viren who seems more like the main villain of the story prior to the seasons 3-4. Little did we know back then that Aaravos was the true alpha male of this whole sordid affair.

Aaravos in the mirror from Viren’s point of view, season 2, episode 3.

Why I’m not mentioning anything about Viren’s gender performance is because his story conflict is all about struggling with traditionally masculine gender expectations. Understanding how his character relates to hegemonic/ toxic masculinity/ emotional struggles men face in real life is a core part of understanding his character as a whole. That’s a broad topic and this post is long enough as it is so I’m going to leave it at that. (Maybe someone else has written about that already?)

4 The Audience Is Also at Aaravos’s Mercy

Aaravos’s submissive façade is supposed to fool both Viren AND the audience. The show plays rather cleverly with the audience’s expectations here. Slowly the roles are starting to flip until it’s clear that Aaravos is the one in control. Given Aaravos narrates the opening of the first story arc it raises even more questions: Is his control over Viren supposed to parallel his control over the whole world of the show? This circles back to the show’s themes of freedom vs destiny. It feels almost meta in a way how the story’s villain tries to gain control over the whole narrative.

5 Horror and Fantasy

The powerplay between the characters naturally creates a plenty of tension and it’s not unusual that this translates into something sexually charged in the audience’s minds. While this is the perspective I’m the most interested in, there are other layers to Aaravos and Viren’s scenes together.

For example this kind of breaking of bodily boundaries is common in horror as well. Aaravos is beautiful and mysterious but is also associated with repulsive things like larvae and blood and there is something very eerie about him in general. These kinds of emotional reactions of repulsion and attraction are essential to horror. The audience sees that everything isn’t definitely quite right about him but it’s also understandable that the audience (and Viren) find him fascinating. I think the key word for these scenes in the season 2 is “ambiguity“. Even if you aren’t invested in these characters this show would be much less fun without all the nuance their interactions have.

In a good story everything isn’t just literal. Especially since TDP is a fantasy story- A genre that’s traditionally been all about symbolism and intertextual references. I could go on and on about the genre traditions with similar flavour to what Aaravos and Viren have. Michael Moorcock’s classic sword and sorcery antihero Elric of Melniboné and his pact with the demon Arioch comes to mind.

Something Something Fandom

Viravos as a ship lives in the subtext but the subtext isn’t always black and white. Fiction uses metaphor and other storytelling methods to create meaning- To give a narrative experience. The queer subtext in TDP feels very elaborate to me and while I’m dissecting these scenes more analytically here my emotional reactions are the original source of that interest. No matter how much time passes I’m still a morbid teenage goth at heart and that part of me loves the dark fairytale aesthetics akin to TDP season 2.

I didn’t even touch on the element of Viren giving into a “forbidden desire” (literally his desire for power but- you know- multiple readings etc.) when making a deal with Aaravos. Something very typical to the horror genre as well. It’s a “deal with the devil” -sort of situation and those stories often paint the agreement as something corruptive and sinful and therefore transgressive. This post by Tiredsunrisesmeta got you covered on that. Also queer coded villains something something- Anyway, read Tiredsunrisesmeta’s blog for more.

Pictured: Yours truly

Last and Least

I remember when I saw a post here saying that “Viravos couldn’t be canon because it’d be too sexy.” and that’s just the funniest way to put it in my opinion. Their relationship feels a bit too, I dunno, mature? for this show. But what does “canon” even mean? Is a gay ship canon when two characters of the same gender kiss and declare their love? Get married? Have kids? Personally, I don’t want to see LGBT+ characters’ stories just copy straight romance tropes beat by beat all the time. I want something that feels authentic and what’s more authentic than Viren being a cringefail bisexual getting rejected by men and women and then getting his life ruined by the sexy femboy elf satan? Kinda iconic honestly.

[crazylittlejester]

Okayokay, so at the time this au takes place, it's been about 5 years since the War of Eras and he has been promoted to the rank of General (like Impa I think) and is like a cool uncle figure to the knights in training.

Like most characterisations of hw Link (I'll call him 'Captain' because he would hate being so directly associated with the War), my guy has a shit ton of trauma that he's working through. For now I'm going to talk about the physical injuries he's had. Basically, at the start yk how Volga beats up this kid? Yeah, that's left a lot worse scarring. Like, Zuko from atla level scarring on his face, and it extends down onto his chest and the entirety of his right arm. As a result, the areas are either numb or he can't stand the feeling of anything rubbing against it (basing it on my own burn scar but anyways). Oh, and he's also got a massive scar across his throat from a messy attempted assassination. He only survived because of a fairy. Impa gifted him the scarf because he didn't want anyone to see the hero as someone that could be killed or scratched (completely ignoring the burn scars but he's a Link, he doesn't hold the triforce of wisdom).

Another thing is that when people found out that the War started over Cia wanting the Linkussy (I'm sorry) many harassed him and blamed everything on him, like to the point where people only ever saw him on the battlefield or sprinting back to his tent. Eventually it devolved into people saying the war wasn't worth fighting because he wasn't even beautiful (they said this because of his scars). At one point some soldiers managed to drug him until he was basically comatose and they snuck out in the middle of the night to deliver him to Cia and hopefully end the war.

He refuses to talk about what happened there. When he was eventually rescued, both of his legs were broken and he had Cia's name engraved in his back. Since then, touch has been difficult for him to accept.

Even after all that, he refused to turn bitter and still helped his teammates, even if they hated him, because he figured that if he was the hero then he needed to act like it before he was left to rot for being useless, or in case they decided they didn't need a hero.

How does toon Link and young oot Link play into this? They fought alongside everyone else, and were unofficially adopted as younger brothers by Captain. They were the only ones other than Impa and Sheik/Zelda allowed in his tent. He only took off the Hero mask around them because he refuses to lose who he was to who people expect him to be.

When the War finally ended, Captain slept for a week and woke up in the royal infirmary. He's lived in the Castle under royal protection ever since, because during the war somehow his home was destroyed and his family killed by monsters. This was retaliation after he was rescued from Cia.

Needless to say, Zelda got his twink ass in therapy. It's helped a lot, and now he can actually appear in front of people and take care of himself. He's still got a way to go, but now he can actually see a future for himself. Now he still works in the Hyrulean Military, but I don't know much about military stuff and it doesn't seem that interesting so cannot provide many details. But he's good friends with both Impa and Zelda and hopes to be a good influence on new recruits.

When my au happens, he's still depressed but he's functioning, and he serves as a lighthouse of sorts for the other Links. A person to talk to, someone to inspire them to keep going. The person he wishes he had when he was at his worst. He still refuses touch, but he shows love in other ways. Only Mask and Sailor really knows how it is a sign of just how much better he's gotten since the War, and they will stab anyone who badmouths him.

Side note: he's the only one who can get Mask to actually speak in this au.

Also, he isn't perfect. On his worst days, he can't stand the idea of anyone perceiving him and will have a full blown panic attack if touched by anything or he sees any eyes on him. Sometimes he accidentally lashes out at the other Links when they do something that unintentionally triggers him, and he believes they may betray him.

Anyway, I can't think of much more, sorry for the ungodly amount of text !!

(sorry i didn’t answer sooner i wanted to make sure i had the time read the whole thing)

I don’t think any of us are capable of giving this man a good time we all give him the worst life ever. DAMN. THIS POOR GUY (i say as if i treat him any better)

OUGH. im glad he got therapy 🥺

[gothhabiba]

this is not to disagree with any of your points on antipsychiatry which i 95% agree with, but to provide a data point/share something that makes my brain itch.i've been diagnosed with functional neurological disorder, which was formerly called conversion disorder, and before that hysteria. new advances in fMRI technology are showing us that there are measurable changes in brain function and stereotyped symptoms that are consistent across centuries.

many hysterics had what is now recognised as a neurological disorder that is moving away from the realm of psychiatry. FND symptoms are also remarkably consistent across cultures. ( There’s a paper called “why FND is not feigning or malingering” on Jon Stone’s twitter that discusses this. His tweet on Feb 16t has a free link - it’s not on scihub yet afaik.)

It’s odd to be someone with a disabling and contested condition that’s been turned into a punchline/gotcha (deservedly!). that makes it difficult to engage with antipsychiatry at times. Are there any writers you know of that address this? Am I being a silly little rabbit that is uncomfortable when we are not about me? Thanks for the excellent writing and nonexistent cooking blog, would truly appreciate your thoughts on this

Thanks for the compliment, though I don't see why a blog that doesn't even exist is being brought into this...?

Anyway—if you believe that this example furnishes a contradiction to the aims and claims of anti-psychiatry*, then it's likely that you have the too-narrow view of what anti-psychiatry necessarily 'says' about the purpose of psychiatry in a capitalist / imperialist state that the post you're referencing criticises.

The post asserts that it is not sufficient to claim that capitalism creates or causes certain symptoms which it then pathologises (i.e., claims is a specific 'sickness' inhering in the individual). Rather, we have to also consider how and why it constructs the idea of 'sickness' (here, "mental illness") in the first place. The claim is that it is the way that we consider symptoms, how they are sorted and classified, how they are considered "abnormal" and "disordered" because and to the extent that they are associated with an inability to work or otherwise be compliant in a capitalist society, that characterises psychiatry under capitalism.

The fact that certain symptoms are "neurologically instantiated" doesn't 'break' this claim, then, because the claim does not rest on the idea that capitalism must necessarily create the symptoms it pathologises. Sometimes you can point to a pretty clear example of psychiatry 'making up' a disorder out of whole cloth, where the neurological component of it is unclear or irrelevant (e.g. "child is disobedient" disorder or "wife is disobedient" disorder or "slave runs away" disorder). But the claims and goals of antipsychiatry do not wholly rest on such instances, because even a disorder which is neurologically instantiated, even an instance of clear neurological or physical difference (and here the logic overlaps with that of the social model of disability), is still parsed and classified and read as deviant in a particular way according to the logic of (and in order to serve the goals of) capital and empire.

So let's say it's true that the symptoms associated with a disorder formerly commonly known as "hysteria" are neurologically instantiated. Psychiatric logic and institutions saw a variety of symptoms (of yet unclear etiology), grouped them together and classified them as a single disorder under the name "hysteria," reserved this diagnosis largely for bourgeois white women (since this kind of heightened emotionality was unexpected but 'treatable' in white women, but expected of and criminalised in 'savages'), and used that diagnosis (and its withholding) to control populations. None of this is in contradiction to any of the claims about psychiatry that this line of argument makes.

Again, we are not claiming that psychiatry always makes disorders up from nothing, or that the symptoms that it pathologises are always created by capitalism, reasonable coping behaviours in traumatic situations, reasonable actions taken against oppressive conditions, &c. Examples of this kind of thing should be read in line with claims that psychiatry is given the job of controlling populations in a capitalist state, that psychiatry gets to differentiate "normal" from "abnormal" according to its own logic in the the first place, &c. This exact idea—that thinking that psychiatry always makes disorders up from nothing is a "pitfall" in understanding what antipsychiatry is about—is in fact the central argument of the post that kicked all of this off. Plus the second bit of the post you're referencing was in direct response to the exact same sort of question (“Are you arguing that the biological processes which produce the things we call mental illnesses would themselves not exist, and/or not cause suffering, and/or not warrant description/categorization, in a non-capitalistic world?”), so I'd suggest rereading it.

Perhaps your confusion comes in with thinking that psychiatry = "mental" and thus illusory, while medicine = "physical" and thus necessarily 'real' / robust (you note that this disorder is "recognised as a neurological disorder that is moving away from the realm of psychiatry")? But the same criticisms that psychiatry comes in for apply to disorders that are thought of as "physical"—even when physical difference obviously exists (and even when it obviously causes suffering on its own), the medical model still considers "disability" as an "abnormality" defined by inability to work and otherwise be an obedient citizen of a capitalist state. Its idea of "normal" is a capitalist one that must be criticised.

*Please note that this is an oversimplification, as different people in different decades write under this banner. I'm discussing the strain of 'antipsychiatry' that's specifically at issue here, namely one that views pyschiatry and psychiatric pathologisation as one aspect of the bio-medical arm of capitalism and empire.

[that-ari-blogger]

Actions Have Conciquences

The Owl House is a story about growing up and the dichotomy between youthful imagination and the pragmatism that is ascribed to adulthood. It's a coming of age story.

But The Owl House is also a master of trope subversion, so how does it twist this story archetype? Well, Escape Of The Palisman serves as a fantastic benchmark for how the series will tackle this subject later on.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The term Bildungsroman is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as the following:

A novel that has as its main theme the formative years or spiritual education of one person (a type of novel traditional in German literature).

Obviously, the Owl House isn't a novel, but this is definitely a story archetype that can cross between forms.

TKC Publishing claims that there are four stages to a bildungsroman, loss, journey, conflict and personal growth, and maturity. I will be using these stages as a framework for my analysis.

In essence, the Bildungsroman is a coming of age story, it delves into a part of a person's life in which they emotionally reach adulthood. And The Owl House fits this for Luz to a tea. But this episode also functions as a miniaturised version of the format, and it is this that I would like to dwell upon.

First up, loss. This is what characterises the rest of the novel. The loss is the setback that the protagonist must overcome. Most stories use this as an inciting incident, and this isn't entirely correct, for reasons I will go into later.

In Escape Of The Palisman, the loss is the breaking of Owlbert. What is interesting here, is that it is directly caused by Luz's recklessness, setting up the lesson that will be learned in the episode. Actions have consequences.

The journey is the bulk of the adventure. Physically or emotionally, it is the transformation into a better person, but it doesn't directly solve the problem, just prepares them to confront that part of themself.

In this episode, this is rather obvious, Luz has to do chores for the Bat Queen. These don't solve the problem with Owlbert, but they do go a long way to proving Luz's loyalty to him. Trials don't change a person, they test them.

This is all fairly basic writing, hence why I'm struggling to bring something new. A character causes a problem and wants to atone, but there are obstacles. It's basic, but competently done. This isn't unique to The Owl House.

This is what makes the Owl House special. The Bat Queen's story is gut wrenching, specifically because of how well it fits with the theme of the episode and series as a whole, but also because of how it interacts with Luz's actions earlier in the episode.

Actions have consequences, if you are reckless, you will break things, or people. The Bat Queen in this story is the embodiment of loss and betrayal, but also with healing.

"I protect them all!"

The thing about scars, is that they never truly leave. They can fade, or be covered up, or sometimes even forgotten, but they are always there. The Bat Queen has healed from her betrayal, but that wound remains present, and it comes back in full force when she sees someone else going through the same thing.

Finally, we get to the conflict and personal growth. As the difference between Luz and the Bat Queen's previous companion, and it's Luz's defining characteristic once again winning someone over. Luz is kind, to a fault. She encourages people and shines a light on their hidden attributes. She inspires people.

The shot above makes Owlbert look badass as hell. The glowing eyes and scar are cool, and blocking the blow is awesome. But the shot also goes out of its way to show how small Owlbert is, and that's the point here. That's how brave this little owl has been inspired to be.

Actions have conciquences is often said with a negative connotation. If you do something reckless, something bad will happen. And this episode certainly agrees with that premise. But the saying is a double-sided coin. Actions have conciquences. If you are kind enough, persistent enough, reckless enough, people will see that, and maybe, just maybe, they will pay you back.

Case and point, when Eda questions Luz on her actions, Owlbert stands up for her once again, wiping the slate clean. She has redeemed herself, dwelling on the mistake is fruitless, in Owlbert's eyes.

Maturity has been reached, at least in comparison to the episode's opening.

I mentioned that The Owl House twists this story archetype, and here is what I mean: Luz doesn't change that much. She has a journey, yes, and she overcomes problems, but fundamentally, she doesn't do change much. She wins because she is kind and inspiring, and she starts the story being those things. She ends the series being kind and inspiring.

Character arcs aren't arcs. I mean this in the sense of the visualisation. To picture a character on a graph is a flawed endeavour, because humans are complicated. For example, if you put Luz on a graph, she would end up at the same point at which she started. Luz's character development isn't linear, or quantifiable. She learns to grow up, and she learns to stay the same.

I said earlier that there is a dichotomy between childhood and adulthood, and the point of the Owl House is: Why? Why are they separate? Being a child is about learning and imagining, and being an adult is about experience and wisdom. None of these things are mutually exclusive, and Luz's journey throughout the series is learning that. She bounces between the four points like a pinball, and it's fascinating to watch.

The last thing to point out is what is going on around Luz. If you were to analyse the Owl House from a top-down perspective, if no character is the main character, each person is given equal screen time. Then, Luz would be a support character. She would probably be the single point that everyone else rotates around. And that's what happens here. She encourages the Bat Queen to see witches differently, and she gets Owlbert to be brave.

Final Thoughts

This is not my favourite episode. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad by any stretch of the imagination. I said earlier that it is a simple premise done competently, and I stand by that. The unfortunate thing there is that I do not find this episode as interesting as others. The Bat Queen revelation is the best part of the episode and possible one of the best parts of the season, but it's fleeting, and the prelude of chores makes it lose its oomph, if that makes sense.

This is just my opinion, if you enjoyed this, keep doing that. Difference of opinion is part of the fun of media analysis.

Next week I'll be looking at Sense and Insensitivity, an episode that I adore, but find absolutely terrifying. So, stick around if that interests you.

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[niceandaccurategoodomensanalysis]

Pic from Legbird's blog

A guide to the creation of the universe: from Crowley Starmaker to space missions - part 3

A look at the history of our universe, following the opening scene of the second series of Good Omens.

This analysis was originally written for a very special event that took place last November, which marked a milestone in the history of astronomy! Part 1 here - Part 2 here.

III: The birth of the Universe

Let's take a look at the first 200 seconds of life in our Universe.

With this chapter, we complete our analysis of the first moment of the second season, when our angelic Crowley literally started the universe, creating nebulae, galaxies, stars, protoplanets and so on. What do we really know about the birth of the universe?

THE BIG BANG

Cosmologists and astrophysicists have come up with a number of theories to try and explain how our Universe came into being, but the most popular and widely accepted to date is undoubtedly the 'Big Bang' theory. According to this cosmological model, at the beginning of all our history, almost 14 billion years ago, there was a big explosion followed by an extremely accelerated expansion of all the matter and energy in our universe today - and this expansion is still going on! We talked about this only last week - but it begs the question: WHAT exploded? What was there in the beginning?

THE VERY FIRST MOMENTS OF LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE - AND THE VERY LAST!

Before the beginning, all the matter and energy in the entire universe was condensed into a single point, extremely dense, hot beyond imagination, and infinitely small.

This rightly raises another question: why? Why did all the matter and energy of the universe accumulate in a super-dense and inconceivably hot cluster?

One possible answer that scientists have come up with is the Big Crunch theory: there may come a time in the history of the universe when total gravity would hold the celestial bodies in place, preventing them from moving apart; then gravity would reverse the trend, so that the whole universe would begin to collapse in on itself, condensing into an infinitely small hot spot. Past a critical density threshold, this thickening of matter and energy would expand and then contract again, like a spring that stretches and shortens.

The combination of events similar to the Big Bang and the Big Crunch is the basis of theories such as the oscillating universe and the big bounce theories, which attempt to give a coherent continuity to hypotheses about the birth and fate of the universe. Practically speaking, it is possible that the Universe will continue to expand and contract for eternity. We are currently in an expansion phase, and everything began at that moment when all forms of matter and energy were concentrated in that one point, where the temperature and energy were so high that they tended towards infinity (does this remind you of anything? Functions, limits...? Yes, exactly: everything we tried to understand in high school actually serves a purpose!) for a very short moment that was almost impossible to study with the rules of physics developed so far. We call this moment a singularity, and we have not yet found the mathematical tools to define what happened during this time.

Scientists estimate that this moment lasted about a picosecond, or a thousandth of a nanosecond, which is a billionth of a second. One THOUSANDth of a BILLIONth of a second. Such a small amount of time holds such a great mystery.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

Immediately after this moment, according to most cosmologists, comes a phase characterised by a strong and very rapid expansion, possibly promoted by the appearance of dark matter and dark energy (we talked about this in the previous post: these are forces that could actively promote density uniformity and the expansion of the universe, but we still know almost nothing about them). This phase is called 'inflation' (this term comes from Latin and means 'to inflate') and would not only solve many of the problems raised by the singularity mentioned a few paragraphs above, but would also provide a valid explanation for a big question that keeps many scientists awake at night: the homogeneity of the universe.

The Universe is constantly expanding, and the distances between the celestial bodies are such that they prevent one from influencing the other.

Put simply, the Universe is big and we expect it to be incredibly diverse, and as we continue to explore more distant galaxies, we will find different physical properties and conditions.

Instead, we always find constant conditions.

For example, the cosmic background radiation is the radiation that pervades the entire observable universe and is all that remains of the first moments of the universe's life. This radiation tells us that the temperature is almost the same throughout space: 2,725 °K, or -270.425 °C (very close to absolute zero, the lowest possible temperature).

Inflation theory tells us that shortly after the Big Bang, matter and energy underwent a very rapid expansion, faster than the speed of light, so that pieces of matter and energy, all still very similar in temperature and density, were pushed to the farthest corners of the Universe. As the Universe then expanded, these similar parts continued their lives and evolved separately, but in a similar way.

Think, for example, of making pizza dough: once we have mixed flour, lukewarm water, salt and yeast, we can divide it into portions to make several pans. By putting them all in different pans, but in the same room, with similar temperature and humidity, we expect the doughs, although of different volumes, to have the same consistency (and the pizzas to be good!).

More or less the same thing happens with the different parts of the visible universe: they are all homogeneous in density and temperature, with minimal differences.

To describe it, it seems that this period has lasted a long time. In actual fact, we have not even touched the first second of the universe's life.

THE FIRST TWO HUNDRED SECONDS

Inflation is estimated to have started when the universe was still much, much smaller than a millimetre and to have reached a diameter of about a billion kilometres soon afterwards. We are still one billionth of a second after the Big Bang.

In the first 10 seconds, subatomic particles are formed: quarks, bosons, hadrons, leptons. The temperature is about a trillion degrees and falling fast.

In the next 90 seconds, the first atomic nuclei form. The universe is about 1000 billion kilometres in diameter and has a temperature of one billion degrees.

200 seconds after the Big Bang, we find the first atoms of hydrogen and helium (the main constituents of stars) distributed in an opaque cloud about 10,000 light years in diameter. However, the temperature is still so high that matter as we know it does not exist. We will still have to wait almost 400,000 years before the atoms begin to bond together.

STARS ARE BORN

Fast forward to about 200,000,000 years after the Big Bang and we finally find the first stars. Fusion processes within them created oxygen, carbon, iron, nitrogen and other heavy elements. When Alan Sorrenti sang that ‘we are the children of the stars’ ["Noi siamo i figli delle stelle"] , well... he wasn't so wrong!

The oldest star known to us is 13.2 billion years old, is called HE 1523-0901 and is located in the constellation Libra.

Our galaxy on the other hand, the Milky Way, was formed 10 billion years ago.

Our Sun and with it our solar system were born 5 billion years ago. The Earth, about 4.5 billion years ago.

At least, that's what Science tells us. As Good Omens fans, however, we know how things really happened...

For now, our journey of discovery into the Universe ends here. Subscribe to the series "The Science behind Good Omens" for more analyses of scientific aspects within the Good Omens series! More infos at:

_ Big Bang - Wikipedia

_ Cyclic model - Wikipedia

_ Horizon problem - Wikipedia

_ Cosmic microwave background - Wikipedia

_ Cosmic inflation - Wikipedia

_ Chronology of the universe - Wikipedia

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do you think max was characterised for a bait-and-switch final girl. preferring max than maxine, being boyish, seeming to reject the boys at first, being the one to defeat billy over steve holding his nail bat (check the castration fear threat when she slams it down to the floor between billy’s legs) while all the boys are prone bystanders. but this then falls away as her story prioritises her romance with lucas and female solidarity, and why she isn't able to escape her victim role coming to head in s4 saving herself

I don't think I mentioned this in my Will post but Max is absolutely a Final Girl, from what you said anon with her boyishness as well as her function in the story. S4 is the most slasher-y season (they even bring up Freddy Krueger by name, just in case we missed the reference) and Max is the final victim and does manage to survive, even narrowly.

There are some aspects like you said that do set her apart from common ideas of final girls although final girl-ism isn't necessarily a strict set of guidelines and there are plenty of other characters that bend the rules but are still considered to be Final Girls— Sally from Texas Chainsaw was rescued by an outside source and Sidney Prescott had a romance and even lost her virginity in the movie (albeit to the killer himself, and Scream is a film that acknowledged and tried to both embrace and subvert slasher tropes)

I see the part of your ask that asks if these parts of Max that set her apart from other Final Girls is what causes her to not be able to save herself and honestly anon... I'm not sure. I know that the Duffs originally planned to kill her which is... a decision I'm glad they went back on. And really I don't think that this eliminates her Final Girl status as I see the Final Girl as being able to endure and survive and even if she needed outside help and just barely escaped alive, she's still kicking!

Honestly I don't know if Max's rescue by El at the end of the season is meant to be a bait-and-switch and more of a half-hearted attempt to try and string two plots together. Sure it makes sense for El to want to save Max, but El's plot wasn't really about Max, Max's plot wasn't really about El, so it doesn't feel like a culmination of anything. Max was able to help herself out a little by figuring out how to "hide in the light" but after that she was just mulling around until El showed up. If anything it serves El's hero plot more than it serves Max's plot. There's some connective tissue there, but it's loose.

I know that part of Max's plot was about allowing herself to open up and let other people help her, this is a little flimsy because El wasn't the one she was keeping out and they were really only separated by distance. Would Max have shut El out if El were still in Hawkins? Probably. But the way more satisfying moment already came from Dear Billy when the people she was trying to shut out in the first place, Lucas and Dustin, not only get through to her with the music but she also makes the decision to run to them. So now with Max being able to let others in to help her, she needs to decide if she wants to allow herself to keep living.

[aboutanancientenquiry]

Herodotus' Proem and ancient Greek epinician poetry

"Thus the numerous points of contact between Sappho 16 and the prologue of the Histories suggest that, in addition to underscoring points of significant contrast with Homeric epic, Herodotus’ rhetorical strategy may also have evoked an especially well known poetic priamel, imitating its form while contesting its argument. Looking beyond Sappho, finally, I would like to propose that epinician poetry also contributes important elements to the intertextual background against which Herodotus’ original audience may have understood Histories 1.1-5. Here I refer to both the use of the priamel in epinician and to the portrayal of Croesus in that genre. Bundy has described the priamel as manifesting ‘perhaps the most important structural principle known to choral poetry, in particular to those forms devoted to praise’.81 Race has described Pindar, the most accomplished of the Greek epinician poets, as ‘the indisputed master of the priamel’.82 Now a common function of the priamel in epinician is to intensify praise of the laudandus and his achievements—as seen, for example, in the pair of priamels that frame Pindar’s Olympian 1. The first of these (lines 1-7) addresses what is ‘best’ (ἄριστον, 1) in various spheres, and culminates in acclaim of the Olympian games, where Hieron has won the single horse race; the second (lines 113-4) considers ‘greatness’ (µεγάλοι, 113) and finds its ultimate manifestation in kingship, the political pinnacle that Hieron has scaled in Syracuse.83 Viewed against this background of epinician priamels that enhance the praise of the laudandus, Herodotus’ use of the form in 1.1-5 takes on an ironic colouring, since the general context or category of this opening is blame rather than praise—seeking the αἰτίη of the Greco-Persian wars, Herodotus proclaims Croesus responsible for initiating, within historical memory, the sequence of injustices that characterise the contentious relationship between Europe and Asia, the Greeks and the Persians.

This assessment of blame not only inverts a common use of the priamel in epinician, but also anticipates a radical departure from the portrayal of Croesus himself in the genre, where despite his foreign origins he serves as a positive paradigm of prosperity (ὄλβος) and generosity for the Greek aristocrat.84 [Note 84: Croesus makes only two appearances in extant epinician poetry (Pi. Pyth. 1.94, Bacch. 3.23-62), and his Pindaric appearance is very brief indeed. Nonetheless, several scholars have characterised the king’s generosity as a traditional theme of epinician: cf. Nagy (1990) 276; Crane (1996) 58; Kurke (1999) 131] By dramatic contrast, in his programmatic confrontation with Solon (1.29-33), the Herodotean Croesus is portrayed as a non-Greek, Asiatic ‘other’85 with a perspective on material wealth that (for all his generosity to Delphic Apollo) proves disastrously shortsighted [Note 85: This is not to deny the point made by Pelling (1997) that in some important ways Herodotus presents Croesus and Lydia as ‘on the cusp’ between East and West, and by no means straightforwardly Asiatic. Nonetheless, I would argue that in the discussion of what constitutes olbos Croesus’ focus on money (after giving Solon a tour of his treasuries, 1.30.1) allies him with the ‘objectification or reification of value among the Persians’ that Konstan ((1987) 6a) has discerned in the Histories. At the same time, and as Pelling himself ((2006a) 143) observes, much of Solon’s moralising is recognisable as ‘conventional Greek wisdom’. Only over time does Croesus come to recognise the wisdom of this Greek sage and ‘the god of the Greeks’, Apollo (1.87.3, 90.2: for these scornful references to Apollo bya still unenlightened Croesus, cf. Harrison (2000) 215)]. For as long as Croesus possesses his Eastern riches and monarchy, he is unable to appreciate the Hellenic wisdom expounded by Solon, who defines ὄλβος from the perspective of a moderately wealthy citizen of a Greek polis, while warning of the threat to human prosperity posed by the resentful deity. Only after losing his riches and power with the fall of Sardis, as his funeral pyre burns, does Croesus recognise the truth of Solon’s words (1.86.3-5), anticipated in Herodotus’ own observation of the transience of human success at the end of the prologue (1.5.4). Gregory Crane has demonstrated the rarity of the term ὄλβος and its derivatives in Greek prose; concluding that ὄλβος is a marked poetic term with specifically epinician associations, he argues that in his presentation of Croesus Herodotus ‘is exploring and redefining in prose the assumptions which underlay epinician poetry’.86 In other words, one function of the Herodotean scenes involving Croesus and Solon is to explore the complex attitudes towards luxury and wealth in archaic and classical Greek culture. If I am right to suggest that the prefatory priamel of the Histories evokes the use of that structure and the characterisation of Croesus in epinician lyric, Herodotus anticipates from the outset of his work a dialogue with one branch of the poetic tradition that engages issues of profound social, political, and historical importance."

From the article of Charles C. Chiasson “Herodotus’ Prologue and the Greek Poetic Tradition”, Histos 6 (2012), 114-143.

Source:

My only comment to this excerpt from a very good text of Pr. Chiasson on Herodotus' Proem and its relation with the Greek poetic tradition is that, if it is totally true that the opposition between on the one hand the constitutional structures and the civic virtues of the ancient Greek poleis and on the other hand the overconcentration of power and wealth in the Eastern monarchies is a central theme in Herodotus' Histories and that the dialogue between Croesus and Solon is indeed emblematic for this opposition, things are as always more complicated in Herodotus: Croesus is described in the Histories not as just a wealthy foolish Asiatic "other", but as a complex personality, not without virtues, but doomed like a tragic hero by hereditary sin and his own mistakes and blindness, who eventually loses throne and wealth, but is saved in extremis by the favor of the god to become the wise councelor of his victor. Moreover, greed is presented in Herodotus' work as a vice to which Greeks are not at all immune and which may lead important Greek figures to their doom (with most conspicuous example that of Polycrates, tyrant of Samos).

[variousqueerthings]

AND LAST OF S5: THE BIG BANG

Soooooo I don't dislike it. All the kid!Amy stuff I really really like even!

but does it stick the landing?

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 7/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or having her emotional agency ignored by the plot): 5/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 6/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 7/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 3/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 5/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 5/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 6/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 6/10

FULL RATING: 56/100 (if I can count….)

Better than Pandorica Opens!

OBJECTIFICATION: Not too bad, good start. Amy is wearing (most of the time) the same outfit as last episode, and River is also just vibing

PLOT-POINT: This episode is ostensibly all about Amelia Pond's first Moment with the Doctor as an eye of the storm, and I like that

but Amy never really talks about it or does anything related to it. she does have a bit where she says she doesn't regret their journeying, but for some reason she's the main person who never really seems to... feel anything about it, like actually this genuinely was sorted back in end episode 1 for her

and the whole purpose of her having had this encounter is to bring the Doctor back from non-existence. there's a version of this story, where Amy's conflicted feelings about being abandoned, and even tbh about marriage are at the centre of the conflict

River is just there to be mysterious, you'll see later what's going on with her... maybe...

COMPLEXITY: A lot of forwards and backwards in time and the Tardis is exploding and we still don't know why, in the end they're baaasically running through a museum and the Doctor hooks himself up to the Pandorica and yeets himself into the heart of the storm

It's not egregious/it's possible to follow... there are unanswered questions.....

I also think it's hilarious that after all that supposed set-up, Rory just... takes him out of the box again. Into the box and out of the box

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: I need to ruminate on this a bit. getting married as plot is not a bad thing. I'm not a massive fan of the Amy/Rory romance and how it progressed (mainly because it mostly didn't and then suddenly shifted into a slightly different parallel universe where they're madly in love), so I'm not sold on Amy's adultness being centred in marriage

but this is not only a M*ffat thing. this show is very based in alloromance. it's just whether it makes sense that Amy... wants this... or if the plot just decided that now she does

do I think characters got closer? kinda yeah. Amy and Rory are married now, even though Rory is still characterised as permanently unsure of where he stands with Amy's "moods" (angry moods, sexual moods, sad moods, etc)

Rory: Are you okay? Amy: Are you? Rory: No Amy: Well shut up then!

I was kinda struck by how venomous she was at him, and then they hug and it's fine, but that's kind of what it feels like between them a lot of the time

Amy: are you just saying yes, because you’re scared of me? Rory:... yep

anyway, it changes things for the next season perhaps, now they are firmly married and not in the "will Amy or won't she" boat

and the Doctor came to the wedding! didn't disappear when he was called!

there is plot To Come that is set up... why did the Tardis explode? what is the Silence?

COMPANIONS MATTER: they're there for most of it, there's this whole backstory of Rory protecting the Pandorica for 2000 years, which is the basis of Rory and Amy now being this epic romance, and taken on its own it's pretty cool

Amy is there to experience things happening, so that she can remember it later on, and then she gets married, because in the end all of s5 is centred around the Marriage Of The Ponds and Amy learning that she can grow up (get married) and have adventures with the Doctor and those things don't cancel each other out

the Doctor does things and they all follow

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: eh, the Doctor solves everything and everyone's just tagging along, but I like the "we're all just stories in the end" bit. the Doctor is also just a story

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: not much of previous Doctor Who in this so... not terrible technically

“SEXINESS”: Why is Amy doing her whole "I'm gonna snog the Doctor" schtick? There's this bit also where she and Rory make out for ages and the camera lingers on it, because now they're passionate lovers, and fine, I guess, it's not the worst thing M*ffat has done

I am deciding to add River's whole... making the Dalek say Mercy. it's kind of a fantasy badass moment where she's being badass with a gun

and here I'm unsure whether to put Amy making Rory afraid or not, because it's definitely a M*ffat fantasy, but it also relates to Amy's whole... why this a good relationship? anyway. we'll put it here, because I'm sleepy, fuckit

Amy sauntering up to the Doctor and saying "We haven’t even had a snog in the shrubbery yet" is unfortunately just. it's in my brain

INTERNAL WORLD: we've met Amy's aunt! in that other world where the stars don't exist and the Universe is ending. and we've met Amy's parents! (wonder if we'll see them again)

it's kind of rebuilding things after episode 1 already gave us something of her life, but none of those character reappear. it's also hard not to know what comes next, which is.... nothing with any of this

especially considering Amy not remembering her parents is presented as a Big Deal in this episode, so her life is now straightened out (I was going to say normalised or returned to the ideal status quo, and realised all three of these are hiding the truth, which is that Amy's life is normative now -- she got married at last, and she has two parents like Normal)

POLITICS: Nothing much one way or another in this

FULL RATING: 56/100 (if I can count….)

I think this episode is defined by being not the worst of the season. It's strongest suit is not being super offensive, but it's also not extraordinary. Its weakness is in the companions again. Are they there to experience the Doctor doing cool stuff, or are they there to have narratives centred around them? How does Amy feel about her entire existence being bait? About being helpless to do anything in this whole thing that revolves in some way around her memories? she just kind of bounces into whatever the plot needs someone to do, never being particularly affected by what came before

[onewomancitadel]

🤡

Because this is the only ask responding to the meme my very first reaction was... is this ask meant to be making fun of me... what does this arcane clown symbol mean... and then I remembered lol

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

Sadly I think I am the funniest person in the world so there are a few. It also helps that both Jaune and Cinder are two (at times) rather sarcastic and observational characters. There is a lot of intentional humour in The Distance Which Fools the Skimming Eye - sometimes from the absurdity of the emotional scenarios. I'm a bit shy to show lots of direct lines though lol.

One I was thinking about recently was when Cinder finally cracks in Chapter 2 and despite the seriousness of their previous interactions there's a degree of perhaps - banality to her refrain which is sort of funny, which is sort of like two normal people having a normal conversation, which makes it funny to me:

That's the type of thing I find funny, is when you've got serious stakes and a sort of mildly absurd brooding dramatic character (Byronic heroine!) and then a level sweet to the sour. I also get a lot of humour out of the idea of, say, Salem grilling Cinder about her supposed secret boyfriend. Anything that can be described or recontextualised in a mundane fashion is amusing to me when it's a fantastical scenario (I also think it's a great way of figuring out if you know what you're doing).

But on a more serious level, what I really enjoy is that idea that it's the environment/circumstance that is keeping these two people apart who probably would seriously get on really well. So the humour is often a way to realise that, or at least the dryness, or something chafing there that is playful and desperate to get out - so in many ways I think humour serves a very, very functional purpose in a story like this written exactly to my tastes. When you can share a laugh with someone or have a bit of awareness that transcends whatever is pressing on you or have this very, very clear realisation that - oh we actually get on quite well, I wonder what that life would've looked like - it's sort of saddening and bright and fun. It might seem like it's only there to set-up their respective character awareness of other people/other peoples' romantic feelings, but when Jaune and Cinder are gossiping about Emerald and Mercury in Chapter 5, it's also like - fuck you two would so fucking cute in any other circumstance, wouldn't you. What about this life. What about this one.

So the funny asides - she smells like wet dog - are certainly there to amuse ME and only ME because everything is about ME (sarcasm but sort of true for fanfic), it's also working on a humanistic level, particularly relevant for an enemies-to-lovers pairing, and particularly relevant for relieving tension or stress, and I think also particularly relevant because Jaune's much more than comic relief - and I think you can demonstrate that when you've got them being funny together in a non-slapstick way.

Now, for a non-Skimming Eye example - all the aforementioned is still true - I think my favourite would have to be this, and I have to provide the entire passage for context:

which, not to toot mine own horn, is still some of my favourite dialogue I've written altogether. It's from The One Known by Many Names aka Somehow Even More Self-Indulgent Than That Other Fucking Novel-length Fic. (Also if anybody clicks through please keep in mind it's rated Explicit).

It's funny. It makes me laugh. Cinder is allowed to be little a condescending to the heroes but not too cruel, as a treat. Again, you've got that humanistic element here too, and breaking the tension a bit - and also an absurd situation, which makes it funny - and also that element that Cinder can still be Cinder even if she's going through a redemption arc (this motivates a lot of my characterisation for her chiefly in Skimming Eye) and Jaune can still be Jaune (or you can bring out even more of his character in relief) and they can both be interesting and themselves in a romance between them and in new situations.

So I really like humour for a lot of different reasons - I mean, I love my fair share of puns and wordplay and things turning out exactly how you wanted, just not the way you expected, and there is ironic humour there! That's the type of stuff I love forever and ever and ever. The humanistic element is one of the most underestimated points, though. Humour isn't just there for the Whedonesque quips and to spoil emotional moments - it is emotion, it is human, but you don't need to be self-conscious/self-aware, feeling the need to undercut your story with it - it IS character, it IS story, it IS theme, and most of all, if you can't describe a chapter like, 'She steals her stepmother's carkeys to impress her sort of boyfriend with an expensive car and go hooning' then is it even fun? Lololol. That's just me because I'm silly, not everyone needs to do that of course.

Thank you for playing along, I actually ended up really enjoying responding to this. <3 <3 <3 I'd still love to play the ask game if anyone feels like it... 🥺

[bionicaitech]

How to Choose the Right Business Process Automation Tools for Your Organization - Bionic

This Blog was Originally Published at:

How to Choose the Right Business Process Automation Tools for Your Organization — Bionic

Sarah the CEO of a young and fast-growing e-commerce firm faced numerous challenges arising from manual and time-consuming business processes. When her company began to grow, she realized that her team was overwhelmed with a flood of mundane activities, from order fulfilment to inventory management and customer support. This led to low productivity and reduced morale levels among the employees due to the increased pressure.

“Honestly, there are not enough hours in the day. We are taking a lot of time dealing with these routine, procedural tasks that we have very little time left for the activities that will have a direct impact on the company’s success.” Sarah complained to her co-founder. It was a pitiful situation of struggling with the repetitive work.

In this detailed guide, we will explain the most important factors you need to consider when choosing BPA tools and the current state and prospects of BPA. By the end, you’ll have a clarity on where and how to look for the perfect BPA tool that will change your organisation’s fortunes.

Understanding Your Business Needs

The first step in selecting the right BPA tool for your organisation is to identify the requirements and automated business ideas of the project. What is the kind of work your team does over and over and wastes a lot of time in the process? Which areas of performance would you like to see enhanced, for example, efficiency, productivity, or customer satisfaction?

The first step you can take is to talk to your employees so that you can learn firsthand some of the challenges they are facing in doing their work. This is important in helping you understand which parts of your business need to use automation to reduce the time they take. For instance, at Sarah’s firm, the order fulfilment process entailed a series of paperwork and handoffs between the e-commerce group, the warehouse, and the shipping division, but the firm automated this process.

When you understand where automation will be most helpful, you can begin to compile a list of the features and capabilities that will be required by a BPA tool. Do you need more detailed workflow management features? Robust reporting and analytics? Do you want the integration to be as smooth as possible and be friendly with your existing systems? Ensure that your preferred solution can meet all your specified needs to be an optimum solution.

“Automation is the new electricity. It’s transformative, and it’s going to change everything.” – Ken Goldberg.

Key Features to Look For

Once you know what a particular automation setup demands for your automated business, you’re ready to move to the research and evaluation stage. There is a plethora of available BPA tools characterised by certain functional capabilities, costs, and requirements for integration and application. Here are some of the key factors to consider:

1. Ease of Use

A typical drawback of BPA tools is about its usage and acceptance by the communities that it is intended to serve. If people in your team cannot effectively work with it and find their way through it, any potential time-savings will soon be overshadowed. It is crucial to test the tool with a focus on the UI/UX and seek the advice of other QA professionals to understand the problems they face.

2. Integration Capabilities

Many companies depend upon a complex range of software and systems. Ensure that the Business process automation tools of choice are compatible with the current software portfolio that includes but is not limited to CRM, ERP, project management, etc. Inadequate integration of business systems and processes can cause communication breakdowns and lose the purpose of automation.

3. Scalability

As you start a business and progress, you will realise that the requirements of a business process automation tools will also change. Select a solution that has the capability of growing along with your business and evolving to incorporate new features and functions. Of all the architectures, modular and cloud-based approaches are usually the most future-proof and adaptable.

4. Security

Due to the amount and kind of data as well as the processes realised within the system, security should be a paramount concern. Check the security features of the BPA tool as well as its compliance with the regulations of your business sector.

5. Reporting and Analytics

Effective reporting and analysis tools can be useful to give insights for enhancing aspects of the BPA and support improvement sustainably. When selecting tools, ensure that they provide detailed and adjustable panels, as well as specific reports and possibilities to monitor KPIs.

6. Customisation Options

While there may be some viable BPA solutions that are already available in the market, if none of these solutions provide the specifics that you require, then do not rule out business automation software customisation. Hiring an experienced automation provider ensures that you develop a program that will fit your business needs and process appropriately.

7. AI Integration

Implementation and Adoption

Once you’ve selected your choice of business process automation tools that best fit your organization’s needs, it’s time to start the implementation process. This is where the real work begins, but you can ensure a smooth and successful rollout with the right approach.

1. User Adoption

One of the most important things to understand is the concept of user adoption. If your team is not able to conveniently and effectively maneuver and perform several operations of the software, all the time efficiency gains will be lost. To ensure that the tool has a solid UI/UX, dedicate some time to testing on your own and seek advice from other QA specialists.

2. AI and Automation

This is also the right time to harness the next level of technological adoption in the business, which is AI and automation for further improvement. When selecting business process automation tools, it is essential to consider features such as natural language processing, machine learning, and OCR that will help minimise your workload.

3. Security and Compliance

It is also important to consider issues related to security and compliance. Make sure that the selected solution has appropriate security features implemented and is compliant with the industry standards. Ensure that there is a well-formulated security policy, implementation of the ISO certifications, and capability to operate under the conditions of a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

4. Continuous Improvement

Conclusion

In the modern high-tech business environment, the possibility to develop and implement effective solutions for the automation of monotonous and the time-taking processes is no longer a luxury but rather a necessity that helps to remain competitive and generate constant growth.

Being an experienced AI automation specialist, I understand the potential of accurate business process automation instruments for various organizations. The advantages of Business process automation tools range from enhancing productivity and efficiency to optimizing customer experience, data analysis, and revenue generation.

With proper analysis of your automation requirement, selection of the best BPA solution provider, and informed implementation strategies, it is possible to get a higher return on investment in terms of efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness to achieve sustainable growth for your enterprise.

So, what are you waiting for? To unleash the benefits of business process automation get started and begin enhancing your organization’s performance today. The future of your business depends on it.

Tired of wasting hours on tedious, repetitive tasks that drain your energy and distract you from your important work? Bionic is an easy-to-use business automation software that takes care of your time-consuming, repetitive work. Request a demo now!

[gorizont-biz]

What is NFT? How does it work?

Non-exchangeable tokens (NFTs) are unique digital assets that cannot be replaced by similar assets. Unlike bitcoin, which is fungible and the same in value, each NFT is unique. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) defines NFTs as "digital assets that are unique and non-interchangeable, used as collectibles rather than as payment or investment instruments".

PRACTICAL APPLICATION AND REGULATION OF NFTS

According to the FATF, unique, non fungible digital assets are used as collectibles, not as payment or investment instruments. It is important to consider the actual use of NFTs, not just their name. Some digital assets may be classified as virtual assets (VAs) if they are used for payment or investment purposes, despite their original purpose.

Some NFTs are digital representations of other financial assets that are already subject to FATF standards. Such assets are excluded from the definition of virtual assets, but are considered financial assets. With the rapid development of the virtual asset market, it is important to approach regulation in a functional manner, especially with respect to NFTs and similar digital assets. Countries should assess the application of FATF standards to digital assets based on their actual use.

NFT TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS

NFTs are unique cryptographic tokens on the blockchain that cannot be copied. They can represent real objects such as works of art or real estate, making transactions more efficient and reducing the likelihood of fraud. NFTs can also serve to prove identity or ownership.

UNIQUE FEATURES OF NFTS

NFTs are characterised by unique identification codes and metadata, making them non-interchangeable. Unlike cryptocurrencies, which can be freely exchanged, each NFT is unique. This makes them similar to digital passports, as each contains a unique identifier. NFTs can be combined to create new unique tokens, which adds additional value to them.

Much of the NFT market is focused on collectibles such as digital artwork, sports cards, and rarities. For example, the NBA Top Shot platform allows you to collect digital NBA moments, some of which sell for millions of dollars. NFTs change the approach to digital assets by making each token unique and irreplaceable.

CONCLUSION

NFTs are crypto-assets on the blockchain with unique identification codes and metadata that cannot be exchanged for equivalent tokens. This distinguishes them from fungible cryptocurrencies, which are identical to each other and can be used for commercial transactions. Cryptocurrencies, like physical money, are fungible, making them convenient for digital transactions.

[liverpoolgolf02]

The Allure of Golf Club Functions in Sydney

Sydney is famous for its natural beauty and a dynamic nightlife and therefore provides many opportunities when it comes to locations for holding events. These, in turn, are successful in attracting many customers who require venues for hosting all sorts of events, and of the lot, golf clubs are exceptionally popular. Whether it is a business meeting, a wedding, charity or social functions, occasions, or any party, Sydney golf clubs offer an environment conducive for any function since they are characterised by luxury and bashful natural surroundings. Let’s delve into even more detail to understand why reception and garden parties have a special popularity in Sydney and why golf club function is right for you. golf club function rooms

Some golf club venues may be very attractive to other persons in other ways and therefore would wish to rent the golf club venue.

Scenic Beauty and Ambiance

The first reason why many individuals may be interested in holding a function in a golf club is because of the natural beauty of the Golf Club. Most of the golf clubs in Sydney are situated on rich greens, fairways, and indeed, gardens giving a scenic view suitable for any occasion. This enlightens the feeling of the viewers and makes them enter into a serene world and have a good experience while at the hotel.

Versatile Event Spaces

There are various event facilities, modern and flexible, which are provided in golf clubs in Sydney to conduct various functions. They range from cosy private dining areas and sophisticated supper clubs, lovely banquet halls, and formal dining rooms, open garden spaces and spectacular tents, perfect for intimate parties and enormous celebrations, respectively. This flexibility may suit events such as weddings, business meetings, galas and other such events.

Exclusive and Private

When selecting a venue, people may get limited to the theme of the event, the crowd that the venue attracts, or the private environment that comes with organising an event at a golf club. Some of the golf clubs provide private areas that guarantee your event runs without much disturbance from other goings-on. This aspect is especially convenient where companies’ meetings, and various important ceremonies and celebrations are held, and privacy is highly valued.

Golf Club functions refer to festivities organised by golfing clubs either at their clubhouse or at particular venues especially set up for events like these. Golf Club Functions are beneficial in several ways because of the following reasons. For instance, Some of the benefits of Golf Club functions include the following.

Comprehensive Event Packages

Most golf clubs in Sydney have elaborate eventing solutions where eventing services such as catering, decorations and eventing, equipment and sounds, and movies and DVD copying services among others may be packaged together as a single package. Such packages make planning a lot easier and the host does not have to worry about a single thing which can be very stressful at times. The fact that employees can be hired in the golf club to help in setting and organising the event also improves feasibility when it comes to holding a function at a golf club.

Exceptional Catering Services

Despite the type of golf club, most of them are admired for their excellent catering services. Many clubs have chefs employed on premise who ensure that what is served is prepared with a lot of finesse in line with the kind of occasion that you want. From an elegant highly served dinner, an analysed dinner, or a cocktail party, the food will not fail to fascinate your guests.

Ample Parking and Accessibility

Another consideration would be easy access and availability of space as well as adequate parking as provided in most golf clubs. Most of the clubs are situated in close proximity to the downtown area or major transport connecting most parts of Sydney hence the guest can easily have access to the clubs part from where they are coming from. There is also enough space for parking their car and hence Willington hotel guests could easily come and leave from the hotel.

Popular Golf Club Functions

Weddings

One of the most preferred wedding venue packages is the golf clubs mainly because of their beautiful scenery and wide range of services offered. Most clubs have resident wedding coordinators who assist clients in organising their wedding right from the actual wedding ceremony up to the reception, and even the event photographers and florists if need be. It’s a grand and beautiful scenery that makes the moment and time so memorable and a perfect place to take beautiful photographs.

Corporate Events

As trade shows, new product introductions, Investors Relations meetings, sales meetings, incentives and educational seminars for employees and clients can benefit from the highly-versatile golf clubs. To clarify, the calm atmosphere of the environment is ideal for concentration and idea generation and as such ideal place for meetings and workshops. For that reason, other than the objectives, many clubs organise activities including team interaction activities such as the golf tournament, which may help to build very strong Working relationships.

Social Celebrations 

Golf clubs can also be used in social occasions such as birthday parties, weddings and reunions and other ceremonies. With all the variation in possibilities for events, and the ability to be catered to in every possible way, every event is special and individual. Several qualities of a golf club include the ability to accommodate any social occasion, formal or informal, in a relaxed yet distinguished manner.

Charity Events and Fundraisers

It is noteworthy that the territory of golf clubs and the buildings that accommodate them are quite vast and very representative, which is why they are perfect for various charity events and raising money. They may have even experienced large events and most of them are capable of handling the accompaniments that go along with some types of fundraising such as silent auctions, raffles and gala dinners. Such features make Place subtle and friendly allowing donors and supporters to spend their time as they contribute to its work.

Golf clubs in Sydney are ideal for being hired as venues for various occasions owing to numerous features. These facilities offer beautiful landscapes, flexible environment for events, and detailed support making them ideal in terms of class, sophistication and accommodation for the event. Golf club functions are ideal for weddings, business related celebrations, social parties, and charity events as well because they will create the ultimate impression to the party goers. The great care in maintenance, dedicated personnel, location, and golf courses all ensure that Sydney’s golf clubs are perfect in organising remarkable occasion

For more info visit here:- wedding reception venues western sydney

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Future-Proofing Your Business: Fast ERP Software's Path to Success

We provide integrated ERP Software for Retail, Distribution and Manufacturing to thousands of customers to date, helping them to meet their business goals. ERP solutions developed by Fast ERP software are characterised by their flexibility and scalability to aid in the business growth of the customers in the time ahead. Cost-effective solutions are designed for specific needs and verticals, help mid-sized to large business ventures address issues, review business performances, and assist strategic decisions to fulfil the demands of the market.

ERP computer software stands for enterprise resource planning, but what does ERP mean? The simplest way to define ERP is to think about all the core business processes needed to run a company: finance, HR, manufacturing, supply chain, services, procurement, and others. At its most basic level, ERP helps in efficiently manage all processes in an integrated system. It is often referred to as the system of record of the organisation.

Importance of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software-  we provide The best web-based ERP solutions software in India, serve enterprise resource management and offer for managing core functions such as finance, human resources, supply chain, manufacturing, and customer relationship management. By consolidating data and processes into a centralised system, ERP enables organisations to break down silos, improve collaboration, and gain real-time insights into their operations.

Utilities- need to constantly review their capital assets, not only to meet the demand for future services but also for the replacement of ageing assets. Without ERP, the effort to prioritise these major asset investments would be difficult and error-prone. ERP also helps solve another critical utility company issue: forecasting of spare parts. Not having the right parts during an outage can create a significant customer service issue. 

Wholesalers- importers, direct store delivery, and 3PL/4PL firms, on-time delivery. All organisations want to reduce distribution costs, increase inventory turns, and shorten order-to-cash time. 

Manufacturers-  ERP is manufacturing software for small businesses and supply chain systems to meet product quality goals, manage asset utilisation, control overtime costs and handle customer returns and money. 

Service companies – including accounting, tax, engineering, IT, legal, and other professional services firms – require powerful, real-time mobile ERP computer software to balance service delivery commitments with financial health.

Enhancing Visibility and Control: increasing visibility and control over business operations. In real-time access to data and analytics, track project progress, and identify areas for improvement. It facilitates, monitoring cash flow, analysing sales trends, or forecasting demand, ERP computer software gives you details needed to make decisions and respond to changing market conditions. By installing security protocols and access controls, ERP safeguards confidential information.

Growth and Innovation: ERP enables businesses to innovate by providing a flexible platform for evolving market trends and customer demands. ERP supports strategic initiatives that yield growth and profitability. with cloud-based ERP solutions, businesses can access the latest features and able to grow in the dynamic business environment.

ERP software emerges as a strategic partner for your business growth.  integrating core functions, streamlining operations, and providing actionable insights. ERP empowers organisations to optimise performance, mitigate risks, and seize new opportunities. small startup or a global enterprise, with ERP you will gain long-term benefits and propel your business towards success in the digital age.

[organicmarketresearch1]

UAE Cloud Computing Market Trends, Demand, Size & Growth 2032

UAE Cloud Computing Market Overview

The UAE Cloud Computing Market is estimated to reach USD 18.4 Billion by 2032 with a CAGR of 38.2%.

The market for cloud computing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has grown rapidly due to the country’s strategic focus on technical innovation and digital transformation. The market has grown dramatically as companies come to understand cloud computing’s benefits. This tendency has also been aided by the UAE government’s initiatives to promote a knowledge-based economy.

Cloud solutions are being quickly adopted by UAE organisations in order to improve cost-effectiveness, scalability, and operational efficiency. Large national and international businesses in the cloud computing space have made a name for themselves by providing a wide range of services like software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).

Strong safeguards have been implemented to address security issues, giving organisations confidence to move sensitive data and important apps to the cloud. Due to its advantageous geographic position and sophisticated infrastructure, the UAE is a sought-after hub for cloud service providers, which propels ongoing market progress.

Download Free Sample Report

Exploring the Growth Drivers of the UAE Cloud Computing Industry

The UAE cloud computing market is growing at a steady rate because of a number of important factors. First and foremost, the government’s steadfast dedication to innovation and digital transformation serves as the main engine of growth. Businesses are being pushed towards cloud adoption by national efforts like UAE Vision 2021 and the Dubai Smart City project, which aim to improve overall efficiency and streamline operations.

Additionally, the use of cloud services is fuelled by businesses’ growing need for scalable and affordable IT solutions. Because cloud computing offers flexibility, organisations in the UAE can dynamically adapt their resources based on changing needs, which fosters agility in a business landscape that is changing quickly.

The UAE is a popular destination for international cloud service providers looking to create a presence due, in large part, to its advantageous geographic position and sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure. A wide range of innovative services and technologies are being introduced to the market by these new multinational players.

What challenges does the UAE Cloud Computing Market face?

Despite its strong expansion, the UAE cloud computing market faces a number of obstacles that will affect its future. The persistent worry about data security and compliance is one major obstacle. Businesses continue to exercise caution regarding the possible hazards connected with storing sensitive data in the cloud, despite the government and cloud service providers having put strict controls in place. Building more confidence requires addressing these issues through ongoing security protocol improvements.

Having qualified experts in cloud technology is another problem. The workforce needs to be prepared to manage, implement, and optimise cloud solutions due to the rapid expansion of cloud computing. One obstacle for companies hoping to reap the full benefits of cloud adoption is the lack of qualified workers.

There are additional issues with interoperability and standardisation, especially when businesses incorporate several cloud services. For a cloud ecosystem to function well together, it is essential that diverse platforms and applications work together seamlessly.

What are the recent developments happening in the UAE Cloud Computing Market?

New developments in the UAE cloud computing market present a dynamic environment characterised by strategic alliances and technological breakthroughs. A noteworthy trend in the nation is the growth of data centres, which is mostly the result of local and foreign cloud service providers looking to take advantage of the rising demand for cloud services in the area. These innovations improve the infrastructure as a whole, making cloud solutions more reliable and accessible for companies using them.

With continuous measures to promote digital transformation, the UAE government continues to play a key role in influencing the market. The implementation of regulatory frameworks and data protection regulations demonstrates the dedication to creating a safe and favourable atmosphere for cloud usage. By addressing issues with data security and compliance, these actions help to foster trust among organisations.

Report Overview

From 2019 to 2032, the UAE cloud computing market is expected to develop significantly due to the rapid advancements in technology and the growing demand for innovative cloud solutions. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) are among the service types that divide the market. This segmentation provides insightful information on the wide spectrum of cloud services that meet changing company needs. The market separates public-cloud, private-cloud, and hybrid-cloud products according to their deployment models. This segmentation reflects the diverse needs and preferences of UAE-based businesses, from those that prioritise increased control and security through private or hybrid cloud installations to those who prioritise cost-effectiveness with a public cloud. In terms of industries served, the market includes the government, healthcare, IT, and telecommunications sectors. The market’s adaptability and capacity to meet industry-specific needs and difficulties are demonstrated by the wide range of applications of cloud computing solutions across various industries. Geographically speaking, the market includes the major UAE areas of Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the rest of the country. Because of regional business environments and governmental activities, every location offers different opportunities and problems. Stakeholders can traverse the dynamic UAE cloud computing market with the help of this thorough study, which offers a full analysis of product trends, deployment patterns, industry applications, and regional dynamics.

Key Target Audience

Cloud Service Providers

Enterprises and Businesses

IT Professionals and Consultants

Telecommunications Companies

Data Centre Operators

Cybersecurity Firms

UAE Cloud Computing Market Segmentation:

1. By Service Type

Infrastructure as a Service

Platform as a Service

Software as a Service

2. By Deployment Models

Public Cloud

Private Cloud

Hybrid Cloud

3. By Industry Verticals

Finance

Healthcare

IT and Telecommunications

Government

Others

4. By End-User

Enterprises

Government Organizations

Non-profit Organizations

5. By Region:

Dubai

Abu Dhabi

Sharjah

Rest of UAE

Key Topics Covered in the Report:

UAE Cloud Computing Market Size (FY’2019-FY’2032)

Overview of UAE Cloud Computing Market

Segmentation of UAE Cloud Computing Market By Service Type (Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, Software as a Service)

Segmentation of UAE Cloud Computing Market By Deployment Models (Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud)

Segmentation of UAE Cloud Computing Market By Industry Verticals (Finance, Healthcare, IT and Telecommunications, Government, Others)

Segmentation of UAE Cloud Computing Market By End-User (Enterprises, Government Organizations, Non-profit Organizations)

In case you don’t find what, you are looking for, please get in touch with our custom research team at sales@organicmarketresearch.com or Download Free Sample Report

[iso9001certificationinsaudii]

What Does It Take to Get ISO 9001 Approval in Saudi Arabia for a Software Development Company?

ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia,In the fast-paced software program software improvement world, making sure it is tremendous and positive is paramount. ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia affords a sturdy framework to help software program software enhancement companies reap really that. This internationally recognized Certification signifies a dedication to the nice administration and can open doorways to new probabilities and markets. In this blog, we will find out the necessity of ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia for software program application enhancement firms, emphasising the price and blessings of this Certification.

Understanding ISO 9001 Certification

ISO 9001 is a globally referred to trend for pleasant administration constructions (QMS). It is designed to aid firms in consistently presenting dazzling merchandise and choices whilst assembling customer and regulatory requirements. Achieving ISO 9001 Certification demonstrates a company's dedication to best and capability to take a look at hooked-up strategies to make certain excellence.

Benefits of ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia

Enhanced Credibility: ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia is a photo of trust. It demonstrates your dedication to excessive fine and client satisfaction, boosting your credibility amongst clients and partners.

Improved Quality Control: The Certification requires strict adherence to well-defined strategies and procedures. These consequences accelerated product boom and lowered defects, in the end growing consumer satisfaction.

Increased Efficiency: ISO 9001 encourages the optimization of processes. By figuring out and inserting off inefficiencies, your software program application enhancement commercial enterprise employer can characterise extra efficiently and cost-effectively.

Access to New Markets: Many worldwide organisations work with ISO-certified partners. Achieving ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia opens doorways to new markets and corporation opportunities.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance: ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia ensures that your corporation complies with relevant felony pointers and regulations, decreasing the chance of legal issues.

Continuous Improvement: ISO 9001 promotes a life-style of continuous improvement. Regular audits and reviews assist find out areas for enhancement, making sure that your software program software enhancement strategies continue to be updated and efficient.

Now that we have apprehended the blessings of ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia let's delve into the necessary elements of obtaining this Certification for software program application enhancement in Saudi Arabia.

Essential Elements of ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia for Software Development

Management Commitment

Management dedication is the cornerstone of ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia. The pinnacle administration ought to show active involvement and resource the QMS implementation. This dedication consists of placing first-rate objectives, allocating resources, and advertising a way of lifestyles at some factor in the organisation.

Documented QMS

A well-documented Quality Management System is necessary for ISO 9001 Certification. This consists of growing policies, processes, and techniques that define how software program application enhancement matters to be conducted. These documents serve as data for personnel and make sure consistency in operations.

Risk Management

Identifying and mitigating risks is critical in software program software development. ISO 9001 requires companies to decide and address dangers that have an effect on the excellence of merchandise or services. This consists of threat identification, analysis, and the implementation of preventive measures.

Training and Competence

Employees need to have the quintessential talents and competence to function their roles effectively. ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia mandates the group of teaching programs to make certain that all personnel are geared up to raise their responsibilities.

Customer Focus

Customer pleasure is a central tenet of ISO 9001. Software enhancement companies need to prioritise grasp and meeting customer requirements. Regular remarks from customers should be used to decorate merchandise and choices continually.

Performance Measurement

To obtain ISO 9001 Certification, agencies ought to set up Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure performance. These KPIs grant purpose records to confirm the effectiveness of the QMS and discover areas for improvement.

Internal Audits

Regular indoors audits are crucial to disclose QMS compliance and find out enhancement areas. Audits make sure that techniques are accompanied effectively and that the QMS stays effective.

Corrective and Preventive Actions

When non-conformities are identified, ISO 9001 requires companies to take corrective strikes to address immediate troubles and preventive actions to stop recurrences. This proactive technique contributes to ongoing improvement.

Supplier Management

Software enhancement usually relies upon suppliers for a variety of elements or services. ISO 9001 Certification extends to company management, making sure suppliers meet the equal splendid necessities as the licensed organisation.

Continuous Improvement

ISO 9001 is no longer a one-time accomplishment; however, it is a dedication to continuous improvement. Companies ought to consider their processes, accumulate data, and make imperative adjustments to adorn effectiveness and quality.

Why factocert for ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia?

In Saudi Arabia, Factocert is an ordinary ISO 9001 Certification company. Our ISO 9001 Consultant in Saudi Arabia is supplied in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Al Khobar, Dhahran, Buraidah, Al-Ahsa, Qatif, and Jubail, amongst other places. Visit www.factocert.com or ship an email to contact@factocert.com to locate out more.

Conclusion

In the aggressive world of software program software development, ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia affords countless advantages. It enhances credibility, improves top notch control, and opens doorways to new markets. To reap ISO 9001 Certification, software program software enhancement firms need to centre of attention on critical elements such as administration commitment, a documented QMS, risk management, and ongoing improvement. For More information go to : ISO 9001 Certification in Saudi Arabia

Related Links :

ISO 14001 Certification in Saudi Arabia ISO 27001 Certification in Saudi Arabia ISO 45001 Certification in Saudi Arabia ISO 22000 Certification in Saudi Arabia ISO 13485 Certification in Saudi Arabia HALAL Certification in Saudi Arabia