#network marketing training videos
Text
Monetize URL's Earn Money
Low Minimum Payout
You are required to earn only $0.50 before you will be paid. We can pay all users via their PayPal.
How can you start making money ?
It's just 3 - 4 steps:
Visit website by( click here ), Create an account, by sign up in website
When you click on Sign Up button , Then a new pop-up Will arrive at your screen such as -
Then you have to fill your username , Email , Password , Re-enter Password .
Click on check box of I agree terms & conditions .
Solve the Captcha simply by clicking in box and press the button of register , then you will be redirect to your dashboard .
create a link and post it - for every visit, you earn money. It's just that easy .
Thank You
#marketing#affiliate#onlinemarketing#marketing agency#affiliate links#affiliate network#affiliate promotion#affiliate training#affiliate offers#ecommerce#online business#website#earn money app#earn money fast#earn moeny#earn money watching youtube videos
1 note
·
View note
Text
happy "breaching the top 10 f1 rpf pairings on ao3" day to landoscar nation 🎂 because it's all about.... two people that are so much the same yet so different. australia vs the uk. oscar's cool collected calm versus lando's ricocheting personality. twitch streams and side hustles and multiple endeavors vs singlemindedness of racing. purity of craft vs embracing everything life throws at you and trusting that it'll all work out. the rivalry that isn't (well it is, but not really). pushing each other to be better. making heart eyes in a taylor swift video, reaching out to your teammate in silverstone after surviving a media maelstrom and him being pleased and stepping closer because he's been given permission to. making fun of your resident weeb for reading the words "kit kat" but just in a japanese accent.
it's being so ridiculously competitive that you'll hide in a burning bin in the name of fun for a game with made up points and then squinting at your teammate ringed with the bright light of the sun and laughing at how stupid this all is. it's making fun of your teammate's music taste that you can hear through the thin walls of the drivers' rooms. trusting the journey. mimicking each other's body language. knowing it's for the marketing but winking at the camera together anyway, like we're all invited to be in on the joke. two parallel lives woven in two different garages with almost identical specs. being so comfortable you have this weird rapport that is kind of a cipher and unknowable to anyone outside of the immediate network or team, but it's so assured and quiet that for the first time the person who's been the person who was once the younger teammate steps up, acts older now, and becomes comfortable with the silence.
it's knowing your best friend was on their renault team and not saying anything about it in public but the motorsport world is so small and specific and the experience so surreal that surely some laylines are just strangely predestined. it's about growing up together. it's watching the brit upstart in a generation of two other brit upstarts chase his dream and give up everything to win and get velcroed to the seat because he's kind of small, just like you, but you dream bigger than anyone dares to dream and you identify with the other's self belief that says you, too, could stand on that top step one day. it's you following the little blue-suited guy racer on social media and liking sooo many of his posts over the years, and not even bothering to hide that fact when you've probably become that goalpost for someone else one day, too.
it's chapter 2, with 3 more to go. it's watching your teammate win his first sprint race and finding it in yourself to be happy for him even when you're sad that it wasn't you. it's publicly saying that the rookie is not a threat, he's a threat who makes you race better. it's making fun of newbie's first day at mclaren and finding him unknowable. and he arrives with all this hype and pressure so what can you do but focus on you and step up your game, but he's always in the background and the periphery, chasing and chasing with this hunger that is unbelievable and unfamiliar because it's always humming in a way that made you mistake stillness for idleness in the past. but now, you know: still waters run deep, so you swim harder, too. drop the dj-ing. become more disciplined. train more. do things that don't matter, less.
because the future is vast. the future is happening constantly if you're ready to meet it. and maybe destiny will be kind, and your names will be remembered. your name, inked on a trophy in the precious metal of kings, and dreamers. your name, inked in gold.
but today, you're 22. you're 24.
you're driving a car as fast as you can, and everything that's possible, feels like it could be possible, right now.
#landoscar#oscar piastri#lando norris#f1 rpf#814#the landoscar thesis#mctwinks#twinklaren#wiz.talks#i started putting this as a tag on mechchrome's post announcing the top 10 pairings development on ao3#and then i was like lol wait i have can't shut the f up ism#so i might as well make this a post#<- in fact the last two points might as well explain my entire existence on f1blr atp#overthink it? yes i will! thanks!#pls release me from the orange mind-tessaract
250 notes
·
View notes
Note
tell me about your defense contract pleage
Oh boy!
To be fair, it's nothing grandiose, like, it wasn't about "a new missile blueprint" or whatever, but, just thinking about what it could have become? yeesh.
So, let's go.
For context, this is taking place in the early 2010s, where I was working as a dev and manager for a company that mostly did space stuff, but they had some defence and security contracts too.
One day we got a new contract though, which was... a weird one. It was state-auctioned, meaning that this was basically a homeland contract, but the main sponsor was Philip Morris. Yeah. The American cigarette company.
Why? Because the contract was essentially a crackdown on "illegal cigarette sales", but it was sold as a more general "war on drugs" contract.
For those unaware (because chances are, like me, you are a non-smoker), cigarette contraband is very much a thing. At the time, ~15% of cigarettes were sold illegally here (read: they were smuggled in and sold on the street).
And Phillip Morris wanted to stop that. After all, they're only a small company worth uhhh... oh JFC. Just a paltry 150 billion dollars. They need those extra dollars, you understand?
Anyway. So they sponsored a contract to the state, promising that "the technology used for this can be used to stop drug deals too". Also that "the state would benefit from the cigarettes part as well because smaller black market means more official sales means a higher tax revenue" (that has actually been proven true during the 2020 quarantine).
Anyway, here was the plan:
Phase 1 was to train a neural network and plug it in directly to the city's video-surveillance system, in order to detect illegal transactions as soon as they occur. Big brother who?
Phase 2 was to then track the people involved in said transaction throughout the city, based on their appearance and gait. You ever seen the Plainsight sheep counting video? Imagine something like this but with people. That data would then be relayed to police officers in the area.
So yeah, an automated CCTV-based tracking system. Because that's not setting a scary precedent.
So what do you do when you're in that position? Let me tell you. If you're thrust unknowingly, or against your will, into a project like this,
Note. The following is not a legal advice. In fact it's not even good advice. Do not attempt any of this unless you know you can't get caught, or that even if you are caught, the consequences are acceptable. Above all else, always have a backup plan if and when it backfires. Also don't do anything that can get you sued. Be reasonable.
Let me introduce you to the world of Corporate Sabotage! It's a funny form of striking, very effective in office environments.
Here's what I did:
First of all was the training data. We had extensive footage, but it needed to be marked manually for the training. Basically, just cropping the clips around the "transaction" and drawing some boxes on top of the "criminals". I was in charge of several batches of those. It helped that I was fast at it since I had video editing experience already. Well, let's just say that a good deal of those markings were... not very accurate.
Also, did you know that some video encodings are very slow to process by OpenCV, to the point of sometimes crashing? I'm sure the software is better at it nowadays though. So I did that to another portion of the data.
Unfortunately the training model itself was handled by a different company, so I couldn't do more about this.
Or could I?
I was the main person communicating with them, after all.
Enter: Miscommunication Master
In short (because this is already way too long), I became the most rigid person in the project. Like insisting on sharing the training data only on our own secure shared drive, which they didn't have access to yet. Or tracking down every single bug in the program and making weekly reports on those, which bogged down progress. Or asking for things to be done but without pointing at anyone in particular, so that no one actually did the thing. You know, classic manager incompetence. Except I couldn't be faulted, because after all, I was just "really serious about the security aspect of this project. And you don't want the state to learn that we've mishandled the data security of the project, do you, Jeff?"
A thousand little jabs like this, to slow down and delay the project.
At the end of it, after a full year on this project, we had.... a neural network full of false positives and a semi-working visualizer.
They said the project needed to be wrapped up in the next three months.
I said "damn, good luck with that! By the way my contract is up next month and I'm not renewing."
Last I heard, that city still doesn't have anything installed on their CCTV.
tl;dr: I used corporate sabotage to prevent automated surveillance to be implemented in a city--
hey hold on
wait
what
HEY ACTUALLY I DID SOME EXTRA RESEARCH TO SEE IF PHILLIP MORRIS TRIED THIS SHIT WITH ANOTHER COMPANY SINCE THEN AND WHAT THE FUCK
HUH??????
well what the fuck was all that even about then if they already own most of the black market???
#i'm sorry this got sidetracked in the end#i'm speechless#anyway yeah!#sometimes activism is sitting in an office and wasting everyone's time in a very polite manner#i learned that one from the CIA actually
160 notes
·
View notes
Text
Winter cold
Hi guys!
I got two request for something with Laia Codina after the one with Laia Aleixandri, so there you go :) I hope you'll like it!
Resume : Your girlfriend is trying to survive the coldness of your hometown.
TW : None ♥
______________________________________________________________
"How is it so cold? How are people still having their ten fingers?"
Your laugh when you hear your girlfriend wines. Despite her multiple layers of clothes, she doesn't seem to be able to cope with the cold winter of your native Scotland. You took advantage of the winter break to take her to the village where you grew up, in Kirkwall. After a trip with a stopover, you went to your village, where your parents still live.
Unlike you who joined the south of the country for a few years, when you signed a contract for Arsenal. This is also where you met Laia, when she arrived in the best London club. The love at first sight was immediate and so strong that neither of you could hide it from your teammates. Nor the fans, always on the lookout for everything on social networks.
"Come here, you grumpy little gremlins"
Laia makes a horrible grimace but sticks to you despite everything, letting you pass your arms around her waist. You let her melt to you, looking for a form of warm. You have been walking in the village for an hour. Christmas is finished so there are no more the small wooden huts of the Christmas market, but the place remains in your opinion very beautiful.
"How about a hot chocolate?"
You end up offering this to your girlfriend, to relieve the cold that seems to have taken hold of Laia’s entire body. She looks at you with stars in her eyes, making you laugh softly again.
"Madre mia, yes please."
Without hesitation, you grab her hand to train her with you towards the nearest establishment to you. You know very well the people who take care of it and it's a pleasure to see them again. When you arrive at the establishment, you are warmly greeted. After officially introducing Laia and exchanging a few phrases, you find yourself sitting at one of the tables. Laia smiled as she saw a picture of you and the tenants, a signed jersey in your hands. The shirt is also framed and displayed on the wall.
Two hot chocolates with Chantilly and marshmallow supplements were quickly dropped in front of you, and you thank the waitress with a big smile. Taking your spoon in your hand, you put your attention back on Laia.
"You should take off your jacket, you’ll be even colder when you go out"
Groaning, Laia nevertheless obeyed and installed her coat on the back of her chair before wrapping her hands around the welcome heat of the cup.
********
"She's trying to kill me."
After your drinks, you left the café to resume your little journey. But as the night begins to fall, the cold becomes increasingly intense.
Her phone on and facing the camera for the instagram video she is filming, Laia complains once again of cold. She turned the camera in your direction while pronouncing her sentence and you joyfully greet the camera with a wave of hand and a smile. Wrapped between a beanie and a big woolen scarf, you can only see your girlfriend’s nose and eyes.
"Don’t listen to her, she’s a real drama queen. It’s only -3°"
"I'm Spanish, I'm not programmed to survive such temperatures" objected Laia.
You laugh and catch up to her, passing your arms around her waist and then put your lips on her cheek. Her wide smile is perfectly visible despite her scarf and Laia stops the video at this precise moment to turn around and kiss you properly.
Realizing that even her lips are cold, you look thoughtfully.
"I think we’ll be back before you can apply for the role of the Iceberg in Titanic."
"What a sense of humor. You should have done stand-up, not becoming a football player."
Laia snort and you grab her by the arm to bring her back to the apartment that you continue to rent for your return here, dragging her in the right direction. Maybe the brunette would have been able to go home on her own, but you turned so much in all the streets that it's also possible that her sense of direction is disturbed.
"I’ll need a lot of hugs to warm up, get ready"
You laugh softly and shake your head.
"That’s not gonna bother me."
"And a good hot bath. And a good hot meal."
You laugh again, sticking yourself against her to put several kisses on her cheek, ending with a last one on her lips. Seeing her smile still makes you happy. You know perfectly well that despite her complaints, she is happy to be here. Her meeting with your family went well and you made sure she felt comfortable among them.
"Whatever you want, my love"
226 notes
·
View notes
Text
Creative brief
Hello Everybody! There will be some marketing content today.
Consider that we are a railway firm that needs to come up with a unique purpose and concept. 🚂
Let's begin by outlining the objective. Its purpose is to increase public awareness of railroad track accidents in social media and the media.
What position will we take? We present ourselves as the brand of an everyday, well-known firm in Australia that transports people. Our core value is to offer secure transportation for the general population.
Who are we trying to reach? Here, a more thorough investigation is required. These may be consumers between the ages of 18 and 40, who generally fit the digital profile of Gen Z and millennials. Digital natives were immersed in screens, digital devices, and social media from the moment they were born. Here, we want the audience to be able to engage with the brand, therefore we'll target advertising campaigns to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube in a way that allows users to access our content on any device.
Perhaps there is a different group that can persuade the target audience to support them? They're bloggers! people who are impacted by the influencer and have a large audience. Working together with them can be quite productive.
Does the brand possess additional resources, such as exclusive communication channels? Here, we can consider brief social advertisements on television, radio, or over railway station speakers.
What information do we require? Perhaps people need to be shown what happens as a result of negligence and inattention at train stops because this is so clear. These are incidents that have already occurred to humans. Mentions of risks, videos warning about trains, brief messages and films on social media, announcements of warnings, in-person interaction, and briefings.
You have the option of launching targeted advertising to the target demographic on social networks, which will constantly engage with customers and remind them to behave safely at train stations.
Please take note that neither the company nor the brand owns any media brands or pays for any media.
#marketing#social media marekting#digital media#digital marketing#passion#joy#creative#digital diary#learing#university#trains
42 notes
·
View notes
Text
HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network
Chapter 20 | Prev chapter | Next chapter
Chapter Index
DIVINER: Beta, I have a question.
DIVINER: But you don't have to answer if you don't want to!!
β: what
DIVINER: What was life like with the Zeniths??
β: i already told aloy
DIVINER: No, I know! I know you didn't really meet the Zeniths at all, that wasn't what I meant.
DIVINER: Sorry, I meant more, what was APOLLO like?? The source of all knowledge, personally teaching you?? It sounds grand!
β: it was
β: fine
DIVINER: Fine?
β: i barely know what to compare it to
β: it was like having two teachers who would sometimes forget about me to argue with each other
β: apollo was designed to teach teenagers so they knew to engage with me which is why i was able to grow up with a reasonable amount of social development
Zo: Oh dear.
β: but the lessons werent designed for just one student
β: sometimes they would order me to start a group project and glitch when they realized there was no one else
BoyNextDoor: What about books and stories? You said something about... watching plays? Did APOLLO act those out for you with holograms?
β: you people have been studying archives for weeks if not months how do you not know about television
DIVINER: Isn't that kind of a good summary of a show, though? Someone acting out a play for you to watch?
β: well
β: i mean
β: its not terrible
DIVINER: Varl, basically imagine television as a recording of a play that someone already acted out! It doesn't involve holograms.
β: usually
DIVINER: Oh? My people haven't found a single actual hologram story! I mean, they're called "holo-dramas" and so on, but we're pretty sure that's just a linguistic quirk?
β: they tried some 3d hologram shows near the end where you could walk around and interact with it like a diorama
β: they werent very good
DIVINER: Oh that's too bad!
HIMBO: ANY OF THESE TELEVISIONS ANY GOOD?
β: the word is shows
β: and yes
DIVINER: Much of the Old World was fascinated with shows and series! It was considered the normal way to pass the time during leisure hours!
HIMBO: LIKE RICH CARJA NOBLES SITTING AROUND EATING CORN AND WATCHING PLAYS?
DIVINER: Yes, actually!
DIVINER: Now imagine that every single person, from the poorest laborer to the highest king, had access to the same entertainment! That they could all watch these stories and enjoy them in their own homes! I can't even imagine the level of common, shared culture that would create!
DIVINER: Imagine being able to walk up to a Carja noble and strike up a conversation about the new drama that just started!
HIMBO: YOU'D BE ARRESTED.
FlameHairSavior: I thought Avad put a stop to that.
HIMBO: NOT FOR ANNOYING A NOBLE. JUST FOR BEING WEIRD IN PUBLIC.
FlameHairSavior: I've been to the Meridian markets. Being weird in public is not illegal.
BoyNextDoor: Case in point: Erend is captain of the Vanguard.
DIVINER: [KelsoBurn.gif]
Zo: Ha! I actually understood that one!
DIVINER: But Beta actually made a good point!
β: what do you mean actually
DIVINER: How have you not encountered any shows yet in the archives?? I know they're there!
ADMIN [GAIA]: High-resolution videos take longer to restore. Furthermore, most of them are not immediately relevant to the current mission. With the exception of Erend, no one has searched for any entertainment media besides books.
DIVINER: Movie night!!
FlameHairSavior: AFTER we save the world. We can't waste time on having fun right now.
HIMBO: AND EXACTLY HOW MANY STRIKE PIECES DO YOU HAVE?
FlameHairSavior: That's...
FlameHairSavior: Totally different.
MARSHAL Kotallo: I agree. Strike is a contest of skill, teaching strategy, forward-thinking, and patience. It is important training.
DIVINER: No, a movie night is totally important!!
DIVINER: It's, uh...
β: context
DIVINER: Yes! The Old World's entertainment provides valuable context for their culture, thus making it easier to understand the full meaning of any educational materials we might come across!
Zo: Hm, that's a good point.
BoyNextDoor: I still don't see the appeal of a stuffed animal, so I'm probably missing context all over the place.
HIMBO: I LIKE MY FIGHTING SHOWS, BUT I'LL WATCH SOMETHING ELSE IF ANYONE IS UP FOR IT.
FlameHairSavior: [IGiveUp.png]
FlameHairSavior: Fine, I'm not going to stop you.
HIMBO: OH NO, YOU'RE PART OF THIS. WHEN WILL YOU BE BACK AT BASE?
FlameHairSavior: ...tomorrow night at the latest. There's a vista point I'm hunting.
DIVINER: [FangirlSquee.gif]
DIVINER: Okay, okay, Beta, where should we start?
β: i have no idea what anyone will like
DIVINER: Ummm... Star Trek?
β: are you trying to confuse them
DIVINER: Fair, fair... MLP? Gen 4, of course!
β: what
β: no that would be worse
β: no cartoons
HIMBO: WHAT'S A CARTOON?
β: moving pictures
HIMBO: ISN'T THAT THE ENTIRE THING WE WERE JUST DISCUSSING?
β: no
DIVINER: What about early MCU?
β: should probably just throw out any sci fi or fantasy for now
DIVINER: Yeah, I suppose you're right...
DIVINER: That's literally 99% of my library, though.
β: the archive has to have thousands of episodes of police procedurals
DIVINER: Do you REALLY want to start teaching them Old Ones culture through Law and Order: SVU?
β: fair
BoyNextDoor: Are you actually naming real things, or just throwing out random words and letters to make us feel ignorant?
DIVINER: Oh, I've got it! Psych!
β: you want to confuse them with psychic powers
DIVINER: FAKE psychic powers!
β: do you think that will be better
DIVINER: [Pout.gif]
DIVINER: Fiiine.
MARSHAL Kotallo: This does not seem productive to me.
HIMBO: NAH, THIS IS ABOUT HOW IT GOES WHEN TRAVELING SHOWS ASK FOR SUGGESTIONS.
DIVINER: ...Love Actually?
β: …
β: maybe
DIVINER: [VictoryFistPump.gif]
BoyNextDoor: Aloy, you've had your Focus for years. What was your first... show?
FlameHairSavior: Just one Focus takes a lot longer to restore a video. Sometimes years. I barely had a handful by the time I left the Sacred Lands, and I hadn't even watched all of them, because I didn't really understand them, and sometimes they were still too corrupted.
BoyNextDoor: But you did watch a few, right? What was your first?
FlameHairSavior: Something called Hunger Games.
DIVINER: …
β: …
DIVINER: That explains so much.
β: yeah
BoyNextDoor: So we'll start there?
DIVINER: NO.
β: no
FlameHairSavior: Yeah, no.
MARSHAL Kotallo: I vote for Love Actually.
β: you dont know what it is
MARSHAL Kotallo: It's a swift resolution to this problem.
DIVINER: That's fair.
β: fine
ADMIN [GAIA]: The 2003 British romantic comedy Love Actually is not currently in the archives.
DIVINER: What?? But I saw it!
ADMIN [GAIA]: That was only a restored copy of a synopsis.
DIVINER: [Exasperation.gif]
DIVINER: Fiiine.
DIVINER: ...Psych?
β: no
FlameHairSavior: ...I have a feeling this is going to go on for a while.
HIMBO: IT'S MORE ENTERTAINING THAN WHATEVER THEY END UP PICKING!
Chapter 20 | Prev chapter | Next chapter
Chapter Index
#horizon#horizon zero dawn#horizon forbidden west#HZDBaseChat#aloy#zo#varl#erend vanguardsman#alva#beta horizon#kotallo
12 notes
·
View notes
Note
🎶👀🎇 for your ask game
From the "I'll make up the questions myself" ask game
🎶 Should your country's national anthem be changed?
Yes. I've been saying this for a while (but quietly, because nobody cares), but you can sing "Westerland" by Die Ärzte to the tune of "Ode to Joy" with just a few text alterations, and I think that would be a much better German national anthem than before.
👀 Unpopular opinion about international rail travel
I think the potential of international night trains is overrated. There is definitely a lot of potential here, no doubt. But a single train has maybe space for 320 people (for the newest ones for ÖBB, probably more in the US). Even if you double that, it's still only a small fraction of the people traveling between, say, Paris and Berlin, and with a fairly high cost per person compared to a high speed train or plane. I think it's worth capturing that fraction, but night trains by themselves are not sufficient to recapture the travel market from cheap planes.
🎇 Who would win in a fight, Rena Rouge or Lady WiFi?
Oh man, that's a question I've been thinking about for a long time. Obviously the answer is "whatever the writers decide", and I'm sure there are fanfics where they end up making out (if there are none then maybe I should write one). But their power sets are oddly well matched. Lady WiFi can appear everywhere due to the internet. Rena Rouge can appear to be everywhere. The whole worldwide network we have, with all its websites and chats and messengers and videos, isn't that all on some level a form of illusion, or alternate reality, itself? Who controls the truth in the social web? The one who controls the web, or the one who is best at creating illusions? I think that's a really fascinating thing.
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
New SpaceTime out Monday....
SpaceTime 20231225 Series 26 Episode 154
Sun unleashes its biggest solar flare in years
The Sun has unleased its biggest solar flare in years, a massive X2.8 blast of energy which slammed into the Earth triggering two hours of deep shortwave radio blackouts over the Americas.
Webb takes another look at the ringed planet Uranus
NASA’s Webb Space Telescope has again trained its sights on the distant enigmatic world of Uranus.
Fermi creates a 14-year time-lapse of the gamma-ray sky
Scientists using NASA’s Fermi gamma ray space telescope have created a 14 year time lapse video of the gamma ray sky.
The Science Report
Study shows humans have wiped out 1500 bird species over the last 100 thousand years
The human anti-fungal protein linked to auto immune diseases.
Study shows people suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder process traumatic memories differently
Skeptic's guide to Science:
SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.
The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com
SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.
SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/
SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary
SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary
SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary
SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary
SpaceTime -- A brief history
SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States. The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science. SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research. The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network. Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor. Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. Later, Gary became part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and was one of its first presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually. However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage. Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently. StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016. Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.
#science#space#astronomy#physics#news#nasa#esa#astrophysics#spacetimewithstuartgary#starstuff#spacetime
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism (Yanis Varoufakis, 2023)
"It means that what begins with us training Alexa to do things on our behalf soon spins out of our control into something that we can neither fathom nor regulate.
For once we have trained its algorithm, and fed it data on our habits and desires, Alexa starts training us.
How does it do this? It begins with soft nudges to provide it with more information about our whims, which it then tailors into access to videos, texts and music that we appreciate.
Once it has won us over in this manner, we become more suggestible to its guidance. In other words, Alexa trains us to train it better.
The next step is spookier: having impressed us with its capacity to appeal to our tastes, it proceeds to curate them.
This it does by exposing us to images, texts and video experiences that it selects in order subtly to condition our whims.
Before long, it is training us to train it to train us to train it to train us ... ad infinitum.
This infinite loop, or regress, allows Alexa, and the great algorithmic network hiding in the cloud behind it, to guide our behaviour in ways superbly lucrative for its owner:
having automated Alexa’s power to manufacture, or at least curate, our desires, it grants its owners a magic wand with which to modify our behaviour – a power that every marketer has dreamed of since time immemorial.
This is the essence of algorithmic, cloud-based, command capital."
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Genio 510: Redefining the Future of Smart Retail Experiences
Genio IoT Platform by MediaTek
Genio 510
Manufacturers of consumer, business, and industrial devices can benefit from MediaTek Genio IoT Platform’s innovation, quicker market access, and more than a decade of longevity. A range of IoT chipsets called MediaTek Genio IoT is designed to enable and lead the way for innovative gadgets. to cooperation and support from conception to design and production, MediaTek guarantees success. MediaTek can pivot, scale, and adjust to needs thanks to their global network of reliable distributors and business partners.
Genio 510 features
Excellent work
Broad range of third-party modules and power-efficient, high-performing IoT SoCs
AI-driven sophisticated multimedia AI accelerators and cores that improve peripheral intelligent autonomous capabilities
Interaction
Sub-6GHz 5G technologies and Wi-Fi protocols for consumer, business, and industrial use
Both powerful and energy-efficient
Adaptable, quick interfaces
Global 5G modem supported by carriers
Superior assistance
From idea to design to manufacture, MediaTek works with clients, sharing experience and offering thorough documentation, in-depth training, and reliable developer tools.
Safety
IoT SoC with high security and intelligent modules to create goods
Several applications on one common platform
Developing industry, commercial, and enterprise IoT applications on a single platform that works with all SoCs can save development costs and accelerate time to market.
MediaTek Genio 510
Smart retail, industrial, factory automation, and many more Internet of things applications are powered by MediaTek’s Genio 510.
Leading manufacturer of fabless semiconductors worldwide, MediaTek will be present at Embedded World 2024, which takes place in Nuremberg this week, along with a number of other firms. Their most recent IoT innovations are on display at the event, and They’ll be talking about how these MediaTek-powered products help a variety of market sectors.
They will be showcasing the recently released MediaTek Genio 510 SoC in one of their demos. The Genio 510 will offer high-efficiency solutions in AI performance, CPU and graphics, 4K display, rich input/output, and 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connection for popular IoT applications. With the Genio 510 and Genio 700 chips being pin-compatible, product developers may now better segment and diversify their designs for different markets without having to pay for a redesign.
Numerous applications, such as digital menus and table service displays, kiosks, smart home displays, point of sale (PoS) devices, and various advertising and public domain HMI applications, are best suited for the MediaTek Genio 510. Industrial HMI covers ruggedized tablets for smart agriculture, healthcare, EV charging infrastructure, factory automation, transportation, warehousing, and logistics. It also includes ruggedized tablets for commercial and industrial vehicles.
The fully integrated, extensive feature set of Genio 510 makes such diversity possible:
Support for two displays, such as an FHD and 4K display
Modern visual quality support for two cameras built on MediaTek’s tried-and-true technologies
For a wide range of computer vision applications, such as facial recognition, object/people identification, collision warning, driver monitoring, gesture and posture detection, and image segmentation, a powerful multi-core AI processor with a dedicated visual processing engine
Rich input/output for peripherals, such as network connectivity, manufacturing equipment, scanners, card readers, and sensors
4K encoding engine (camera recording) and 4K video decoding (multimedia playback for advertising)
Exceptionally power-efficient 6nm SoC
Ready for MediaTek NeuroPilot AI SDK and multitasking OS (time to market accelerated by familiar development environment)
Support for fanless design and industrial grade temperature operation (-40 to 105C)
10-year supply guarantee (one-stop shop supported by a top semiconductor manufacturer in the world)
To what extent does it surpass the alternatives?
The Genio 510 uses more than 50% less power and provides over 250% more CPU performance than the direct alternative!
The MediaTek Genio 510 is an effective IoT platform designed for Edge AI, interactive retail, smart homes, industrial, and commercial uses. It offers multitasking OS, sophisticated multimedia, extremely rapid edge processing, and more. intended for goods that work well with off-grid power systems and fanless enclosure designs.
EVK MediaTek Genio 510
The highly competent Genio 510 (MT8370) edge-AI IoT platform for smart homes, interactive retail, industrial, and commercial applications comes with an evaluation kit called the MediaTek Genio 510 EVK. It offers many multitasking operating systems, a variety of networking choices, very responsive edge processing, and sophisticated multimedia capabilities.
SoC: MediaTek Genio 510
This Edge AI platform, which was created utilising an incredibly efficient 6nm technology, combines an integrated APU (AI processor), DSP, Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, and six cores (2×2.2 GHz Arm Cortex-A78& 4×2.0 GHz Arm Cortex-A55) into a single chip. Video recorded with attached cameras can be converted at up to Full HD resolution while using the least amount of space possible thanks to a HEVC encoding acceleration engine.
FAQS
What is the MediaTek Genio 510?
A chipset intended for a broad spectrum of Internet of Things (IoT) applications is the Genio 510.
What kind of IoT applications is the Genio 510 suited for?
Because of its adaptability, the Genio 510 may be utilised in a wide range of applications, including smart homes, healthcare, transportation, and agriculture, as well as industrial automation (rugged tablets, manufacturing machinery, and point-of-sale systems).
What are the benefits of using the Genio 510?
Rich input/output choices, powerful CPU and graphics processing, compatibility for 4K screens, high-efficiency AI performance, and networking capabilities like 5G and Wi-Fi 6 are all included with the Genio 510.
Read more on Govindhtech.com
#genio#genio510#MediaTek#govindhtech#IoT#AIAccelerator#WIFI#5gtechnologies#CPU#processors#mediatekprocessor#news#technews#technology#technologytrends#technologynews
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Active Clubs: Will2Rise Sells Activewear to Fascist Brawlers – Rolling Stone
This Activewear Brand Wants to Be Lululemon for Fascists
Will2Rise is marketing “militant active wear” to white nationalist Active Clubs, which train members for street combat
Conservatives opposed to shopping at “woke” corporations have launched their own lines of pillows, piss beer, and mobile phone service. Now, unabashed white supremacists are setting up shop in this so-called parallel economy.
Consider the fascist fashion house Will2Rise.
Will2Rise makes sports gear for white nationalists — including muscle-tees, track jackets, “militant active wear pants,” boxing gloves, and hoodies emblazoned with “Cultured Thug.” Leaving no doubt about its politics, the company’s gear is branded with stylized silhouette of a fasces — the ancient Roman symbol (consisting of a bundle of wood with a protruding ax head) later embraced by far-right Italian militants, spawning the term “fascist.”
The company specifically markets to members of Active Clubs, a global network of white supremacists who “tribe and train.” The members of these tight-knit local chapters pursue street-fighter fitness in advance of an anticipated race war, or other violent confrontation. Rather than the Hawaiian shirts and AK-47s that characterize extremists like the Boogaloo Bois, the Active Club aesthetic is gym-wear and mixed martial arts prowess. Will2Rise sells training hoodies and tight-fitting ringer tees labeled, “ACTIVE CLUB.”
Will2Rise is also playing the role of a corporate sponsor for white supremacy events. The company staged a second-annual MMA tournament this August, in a Huntington Beach warehouse decorated with white-power flags. Hosted by the SoCal Active Club, the contests featured fighter representatives from the Tennessee Active Club, Big Sky Active Club, Great Lakes Active Club, Evergreen Active Club, as well as from Patriot Front, another high-profile, white-nationalist group. Many of the fighters sported Will2Rise boxing gloves and other apparel.
Think of the brand as Lululemon for white-power bros. The company touts its commitment to “bringing high-quality goods to Our guys.” Its white-power symbols are often coded. Many items for sale carry the Roman numeral XIV, or 14. For the neo-Nazi set, that’s a reference to the “14 words,” a dark oath about securing “the existence of our people and a future for white children.” A video montage on the slick Will2Rise homepage is more explicit. It flashes the words “white youth revolt,” “white unity,” and the slogan “action today, victory tomorrow.”
The company’s whites-only ethos extends to what Will2Rise dubiously labels its “Ethical Supply Chain” — with products exclusively “made in Eastern Europe, so not a single hand touches the production that is not of like mind.” The copy continues: “We keep Our people employed and keep all funds within our ranks.” The company takes Visa, MasterCard, Paypal, and Stripe.
https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Will2Shop-screenshot-shop.jpg?w=1024
Will2Rise represents an attempt to monetize the Active Club movement by the same folks who founded it. Active Clubs are the brainchild of Robert Rundo, a white nationalist from Orange County, California. Rundo previously led a street-fighting group called the Rise Above Movement, whose brawlers made a practice of roughing up antifa at social justice protests. Federal prosecutors have described RAM as “a combat-ready, militant group” that’s part of a “new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement.”
Rundo was indicted on federal charges of “conspiracy to riot” in 2019 stemming from RAM actions in Huntington Beach, Berkeley, and San Bernardino. The charges were dropped for a time but reinstated in 2021 after an appellate process ruled that the charging statute is constitutional. However, Rundo eluded capture, decamping to Eastern Europe where he continued to organize around his violent brand of white supremacy — including morphing RAM into a decentralized network of Active Clubs.
The Active Club movement is growing exponentially. A new report by the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project, reveals that there are at least 46 active clubs across 34 states in the U.S. The “transnational” network also has chapters in 15 countries, including Canada, and across Europe, with 23 chapters in France alone.
Alexander Ritzmann, who conducted the CEP research, describes the groups as “trying to build a militia” in plain sight. They foreground a broad ideology of “white unity” — both to prevent infighting and to appear less threatening to law enforcement. The exact purpose of the fight-training remains ambiguous, but Ritzmann insists this is on purpose, following the philosophy that a violent white supremist movement needs more “fighters than thinkers.” The endgame, he warns, is for these Active Clubs to be the tip of the fascist spear when the next “Day X” — think: a redux of a Jan. 6 — requires the services of a fighting force: “It’s about building that militia for the day a leader shows up … that needs some sort of army.”
Rundo was also “a driving force in the creation” of the Will2Rise clothing brand, according to the CEP report. The Southern Poverty Law Center recently included Will2Rise among entities it labels “white nationalist hate groups.” The shop serves many purposes: reinforcing the public-facing aesthetics of the Active Club movement, raising money, and aiding in recruitment. According to Ritzmann’s research, the shop gets about 10,000 visits a month, with visits lasting about 15 minutes, “indicating shopping.”
Rundo’s life on the lam in Europe came to a halt this year. The 33-year-old was collared in Romania in March, and his extradition to the United States was announced Aug. 2. He has pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy to riot charges, and is expected to go to trial in December.
Not surprising, Rundo has become a cause célèbre in extremist circles — especially for Will2Rise. A banner at the top of its website demands “Free Rob Rundo.” The company is also selling Shepard Fairey-esque art posters reading “FREE RUNDO,” and is even raffling off a wood carving of its fasces logo, fashioned by supporters at the “Austrian Art Academy.”
Following his vision, the groups Rundo set in motion are continuing to act without him — including by holding the Huntington Beach MMA fights. Extremism experts insist this is in keeping with the leaderless “open franchise” model promoted by Active Clubs, but note that SoCal Active Club has been effectively stewarding the movement in Rundo’s absence.
Will2Rise has not responded to an email request for information on its business, revenue, and profits. The company lists its address as a P.O. box in Virginia. It also features a non-working telephone number with a Georgia area code and one too many digits — ending in 88. That number is often used by white supremacists as a numerical correspondence to the letters HH, short for Heil Hitler.
#will to rise#white supremacist lululemon#active club#white supremacists#white lies#white hate#white nationalists#neo nazi's#ethnic intimidation#white identity terrorism
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
EXCLUSIVE: Great American Media, the faith and family-focused company that launched in 2021 under Bill Abbott, is the latest to get hit with layoffs.
Deadline has learned that roughly 13 people were cut from top jobs on Monday, including Loren Schwartz, Chief Marketing Officer; Jamie Kramer, EVP Digital & Strategic Growth; Max Pinigin, Chief Financial Officer; Angela Sullivan, VP Corporate Communications, Brian Pancarik, Exec VP User Experience & Operations; Michael Hough, Head of Financial Planning and Analysis; and Nicole Gardner, Pure Flix Creative Director.
In a statement released to Deadline, the company said, “In 2023, Sony invested in Great American Media and rolled its PureFlix streaming video on demand service into GAM’s business to be run by GAM management for the purpose of maximizing the synergies between the two. On the heels of a highly successful year, we excelled with our Christmas launch and we kicked off 2024 hosting the Rose Parade, announced the network’s first-ever original series, “County Rescue,” and announced the launch of our own mystery franchises. And we will be launching even more programming, content and experiences throughout the year.”
“We are now looking to maximize the synergies of our brands just as NetFlix narrowed its focus this year, we are taking steps to focus on our strengths,” the statement continued. “We are a streaming platform with a linear audience approaching 70 milion viewers in our platforms and our objective is to maximize the synergies between the audiences. Technology is critical to our success, so the decision was made to align the technology intersection with content marketing to enhance the viewer and consumer experience across platforms, meet our viewers where they are with the content they want. With an experienced CTO, we consolidated key marketing functions into our technology team to align our marketing and technology platforms to ensure we maximize synergies between our estimated 70 million linear/cable viewers and our leading faith, family and streaming offering, Great American Pure Flix.”
Before the layoffs, Great American Family has said business has been robust. It says it entered the 2023 Christmas season by posting 12 consecutive months as TV’s fastest growing linear channel.
And in a statement released Monday, Abbott said, “We are continuing to build on the phenomenal growth of our media brand and are excited to now fully capitalize on the synergies now available with Sony and Great American Pure Flix. Our portfolio of content is a trusted source of family friendly and faith-based entertainment, and our 2023 results greatly exceeded our expectations.”
The statement came with the announcement that GAF is getting into the scripted series business by launching County Rescue, an action-adventure medical drama starring Julia Reilly (Stranger Things) as an EMT in training. The five-episode first season will premiere on Great American Pure Flix beginning February 16 and on Great American Family beginning February 17. Great American Pure Flix is the company’s streaming service that was rebranded in September 2023.
GAF is also planning a Q1 launch of mystery franchises — original movies centered on the lighter side of mysteries and whodunnits and starring fan favorites from the network’s family of talent.
In an interview with Deadline in September, Abbott admitted that running a new network in this current environment has been a challenge.
“I would never have thought we’d be at the point where we still were running pretty hard,” he said. “We’re in the middle of an advertising recession, the strike, and cord cutting accelerating. There are a number of overall macro factors that have made the business that much more difficult in 2023 than we anticipated in 2021. And then you add to that the competition and the model being very much in question around how ultimately programmers get paid for creating great content. We know the streaming model needs a lot of work and is underwater in a lot of places. So there are big challenges out there that make it that much tougher.”
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Affiliate Profitz AI Review - The First-To-Market, A.I-Powered App That Create Your Profitable ClickBank Affiliate Campaign In Less Than 60 Seconds
Are you looking for a way to make money online with affiliate marketing? Do you want to create high-converting landing pages, email sequences, social media posts, and more without any technical skills or upfront costs? If you answered yes, then you need to check out Affiliate Profitz AI, the first-to-market, A.I-powered app that can do all that and more for you in less than 60 seconds!
What is Affiliate Profitz AI?
Affiliate Profitz AI is a progressive application that utilizes computerized reasoning to make your entire affiliate marketing campaign in seconds. It works with any specialty and any item, particularly ClickBank items, which are known for their high commissions and conversions.
With Affiliate Profitz AI, you don't need to worry about writing content, designing graphics, or finding traffic sources.
The app does everything from creating a stunning landing page with your affiliate link, creating an entire bonus page with irresistible offers, creating engaging email sequences, TikTok and YouTube scripts, social media posts and blog content that will drive thousands of people. do for you Visitors to your funnel.
How does Affiliate Profitz AI work?
Affiliate Profitz AI is very easy to use, even if you are a complete beginner. All you need to do is follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Activate. Log in to the user-friendly dashboard and activate a campaign.
Step 2: Customize. Choose your niche, product, and keywords, and let the app generate your content and graphics.
Step 3: Profit. Launch your campaign and watch the commissions roll in.
What are the benefits of Affiliate Profitz AI?
Affiliate Profitz AI is a game-changer for anyone who wants to make money online with affiliate marketing. Here are some of the benefits of using this app:
It saves you time and money. You don't need to spend hours or days creating your own content, graphics, or traffic sources. You don't need to hire writers, designers, or programmers. You don't need to pay for hosting, domains, or autoresponders. You can have your campaign ready in minutes with just a few clicks.
It gives you an edge over the competition. You don't need to worry about saturation or duplication. The app uses A.I. to make interesting and unique substance that will rank well on web search tools and virtual entertainment stages. You can likewise alter your substance and illustrations to suit your style and inclinations.
It helps you generate passive income. You needn't bother with to be a specialist or have any insight to utilize this application. You can begin bringing in cash from the very first moment, regardless of whether you have never made a dime on the web. You can likewise increase your pay by making various missions in various specialties and items.
How much does Affiliate Profitz AI cost?
Affiliate Profitz AI is currently available at a special launch price of only $17. This is a one-time payment, with no monthly fees or hidden charges. You also get access to some amazing bonuses, such as:
Bonus 1: Free Traffic Training. Learn how to drive free and targeted traffic to your campaigns using proven methods and strategies.
Bonus 2: Affiliate Marketing Mastery. Learn how to master the art and science of affiliate marketing and make consistent commissions online.
Bonus 3: ClickBank Marketing Secrets. Learn how to find and promote the best and most profitable products on ClickBank, the largest and most popular affiliate network in the world.
Bonus 4: TikTok Marketing Made Easy. Learn how to leverage the power and popularity of TikTok, the fastest-growing social media platform, to generate massive exposure and sales for your campaigns.
Bonus 5: YouTube Affiliate Marketing Secrets. Learn how to create and optimize your own YouTube channel and videos to attract and convert your audience into buyers.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes, there is. Affiliate Profitz AI comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means that you can try the app risk-free for 30 days, and if you are not satisfied with the results, you can request a full refund. No questions asked.
Final verdict
Affiliate Profitz AI is a must-have app for anyone who wants to make money online with affiliate marketing. It is the first-to-market, A.I-powered app that can create your profitable ClickBank affiliate campaign in less than 60 seconds. It is easy to use, cost-effective, and results-oriented. It can save you time, cash, and bother, and assist you with creating automated revenue on the web.
If you are ready to take your affiliate marketing to the next level, then you need to get Affiliate Profitz AI today. Try not to botch this valuable chance to get it at a limited cost, alongside some astounding rewards. Click the connection underneath to get everything rolling at this point.
==> Click here to Grab Affiliate Profitz AI FE, Get Started with Affiliate Profitz AI + BONUSES <==
#affiliate marketing#Affiliate Profitz AI Review#Affiliate Profitz AI#Affiliate Commisions#Commission#AI#AIRevolution
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Sims 4: B 4 Real
I made a Sims 4: 4 Rent Expansion Pack What-I-Wish-It-Was Wishlist because even though the bar is in hell as far as the Sims 4 Team is involved, it's fun to imagine what the pack could've been, what features could've been added blah-blah-blah.
I've seen the Release Trailer, the "Gameplay" Trailer, the "Livestream", and absorbed as much EA Creator Network content as I can handle... and it's meh-to-yikes (MWS 2). So....
RENTING
Not mad at what they did. This is exactly how I, in my dumb-dumb non-coder brain, figured that they could've made working apartments HOWEVER they could've added a better screening process, moreso accepting tenants to apply for the apartment rather than outright accepting them.
The application process could've given the player the ability to accept tenants sight unseen OR given them the ability to screen traits, wealth, or if they have a job with the possibility of getting sued for housing discrimination.
On the other end, if you're playing generationally you can apply for an apartment, pay the application fee, look around, meet the landlord, and/or get rejected because it's your first apartment and your Sim Score is non existent.
All the gameplay I've seen so far, I actually like as far as the water heater and fuse box, mold, and infestation, and all the events. I also like that you can experience all those issues in a regular residential. (RIP Plumbros you've been incorporated?)
I do wish they would've gone back and updated Elevators and allowed a High-End Apartment experience such as Building Maids, Doormen, Receptionist, a basement Irwin, etc.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL LOTS
This would've actually shocked me and 100% made the pack worth it, if they'd given us both the ability to make apartments and make a bar beneath me.
The Multifunctional lot would've worked the exact same way and allowed for storefront RENTALS (but I imagine this would make GTW useless to those who only use the Retail system)
WORLD
9 lots!? BFFR.
:Conspiracy Theory Side Rant: I think they had planned for water lots. The bottom of that map is wayyyy too empty both in world and in world view. I think they hit a snag in coding and instead of delaying to figure it out they scrapped water lots and pushed out this pack and that's why we also can't build on the waterfront lot in Sulani. Nothing can sway me. :End:
It's a pretty... empty world. I wish there was less set dressing and more lots. The cave isn't nearly as cool as the one in Horse Ranch and I could do without it. It really just punched home all the rabbitholes (like seriously Sims 4: For Rabbitholes) and I don't even dislike rabbitholes. I wanted more rabbitholes in Growing Together and less in this pack.
CULTURE
I'm not SEA but I love broad representation, so I love the new dances, love the squat toilet, the food, the night market, the fish market. I just wish there was more! To be exact 10 more, but I'll detail 3.
MY NUMBER ONE WISH - the Animal Sanctuary - imagine the same shell but when you click on it you have the options for a guided Tiger Tour (the current system more or less, popups and all) and an Elephant Walk where it takes you to a TIMED HIDDEN LOT EVENT (also what happened to hidden lots) with elephants that will walk around with the possibility of being drenched in mud, feed them a banana, wave, etc (nothing too crazy as even in a video game I want to remain ethical... to animals) Also would've been a great opportunity for EA to partner with an ethical animal sanctuary and spread awareness. One animal I would've been content. Two. Three. EA would've blown my mind. Imagine the First Person POV in-game and those Safari Cars driving in the BG.
MY NUMBER TWO WISH - Surfing (child+ in water, toddler+ training)- I'm still awed by how we didn't get surfing with Island Living and now with this golden second opportunity they didn't give it to us once again! It would work like this: an invisible marker (in live mode) that we place in Build/Buy and when we click on the water we'd get the option to practice surfing. Waves won't simulate without the marker, they'd go through the surfing animations depending on skill level, and the marker could even designate where the sim would pop up after they wash out. This could be its own fleshed out thing with surf training in water and on land, playable lifeguard, surf competitions/career, injuries, but I would've taken just surfing.
MY NUMBER THREE WISH - Muay Thai - as an activity (child+) AND apart of a Fighter career. I'll never expect an active Fighter career from EA as that's too many animation cycle possibilities for them for some reason but could've been a great opportunity to give us Boxing 2.0 and become full-time World Class Fighter.
Quick 4-10
4. Boats! Group boats! Tour boats (even as a rabbithole, might as well go all in if you're going to give them to us)
5. River rafting (just more water activities would've been great)
6. Sunken ship hidden lot (deep diving to a hidden lot) / more snorkeling spots (though I understand snorkeling is a draw in for IL)
7. Hiking (I know we've gotten hiking essentially in the last two EPs but this would've been a great EP for it and/or give us a climbing mountain experience like in SE... but green)
8. Harvestables - tea, spices, fruit.
9. A TukTuk Tour (cute to say and if we only got one rabbithole this would've been fun for my tourist sims)
10. Botanical Garden. At the bottom b/c even EA didn't care enough about this. Seriously, no new flowers?
Secret 11. Night Market Worker, would've been nice if the reason a night market stall was empty was because you could come up and work it, sell at it like any other selling table or have it be its own job.
SPEAKING OF SECRETS.
Breaking and Entering to snoop through a Sims things when I can do it through multiple different interaction is cucking me and I don't like that. Just give me burglars. Or update the Klepto trait to not have a cooldown (sure, there are mods for this but EA shouldn't depend on modders to give us something they're teasing)
In that same vein CONSEQUENCES, I don't want my sim to just get into a fight. Arrest them. Send them to jail. Give me some cross pack combability with GTW and let me use that lot for once to report theft and/or give me NPC Cops to fight instead.
And my biggest gripe so far, for a pack that I haven't personally played, are the SECRETS themselves. I hate how much EA infantilizes its players while simultaneously being the same game with a plant that eats people and a murder apartment. The secrets, which are a fun mechanic, just seem so blah. Not only because they also seem random but they're also just... childish. (I get T for Teen, but I feel like most of the player base are adults) Give me SPICY SIM SECRETS: who's having an affair, who's faked their death, who has a literal skeleton in their closet, who's embezzled money, who's proudly the weekend (Also a great mechanic to make their occult states a secret) ! Make the blackmail worth it and make it more than $100 dollars. If a Landgraab has a secret love child out there and I find out they're wiring me 10k a week for life, at least. If I can't have consequences, give me hot tea! Also sure, I could keep their secret but also let me gossip about it to other people and get in a fight because I didn't keep their secret. It's a good game mechanic but it's a wasted opportunity.
MISCELLANEOUS: and this is nitpicking but I would've wanted an animation of the child drawing out the hopscotch and marble circle instead of one you just put down in Build/Buy. Other than that I love having more things for them to do and the collection system for marbles but I want more marbles.
Okay, off to watch Kdramas. I will post regular game screenshots... eventually. I'm prepping for Joy of Life. It's my first real generational challenge (2nd challenge overall, I got to baby 79 in 100 baby before I just stopped)
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
(Ed Ongweso Jr’s discussion of that stable diffusion lawsuit annotation that was going around is really interesting. the whole thing is here but relevant excerpt below the cut.)
One of my favorite projects last year was an annotated version of NYT columnist Kevin Roose’s "The Latecomer's Guide to Crypto" that sought to correct what amounted to be "a thinly-veiled advertisement for cryptocurrency that appeared to have received little in the way of fact-checking or critical editorial scrutiny." It was a pretty clear, persuasive, and effective rebuttal of many key points and narratives invoked by Roose that was threatening to be uncritically repeated and adopted en masse. So imagine my surprise when someone shared with me a project (“Stable Diffusion Frivolous”) following the same angle, but in defense of what promises to be one of this year’s hype tech products: “AI art.”
Some background: On January 13, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Stability AI and MidJourney, along with art platform DeviantArt for their use of Stable Diffusion.
Stability AI and MidJourney style themselves as AI art generators, meaning they use Stable Diffusion to take pre-existing creative work, use those works as training data for neural networks, and generate derivatives. In this lawsuit, it's alleged some five billion images were taken without the artist's consent and essentially remixed, amounting to a massive violation of copyright law for millions of artists.
"At minimum, Stable Diffusion’s ability to flood the market with an essentially unlimited number of infringing images will inflict permanent damage on the market for art and artists," the lawsuit announcement reads.
The annotations themselves aren't particularly interesting or well-argued, obsessing over technical details instead of fundamental questions. Consider the invocation of Jevon's paradox, an economic observation that when the efficiency of a resource's consumption is increased, its demand will increase. The annotations look at aluminum—once a precious metal that Napoleon used for silverware and the Washington Monument used as a luxurious capstone, but now is ubiquitous because it costs $2/kg.
AI art tools increase efficiency, yes. Contrary to myth, they rarely produce professional-quality outputs in one step, but combined into a workflow with a human artist they yield professional results in much less time than manual work. But that does not inherently mean a corresponding decrease in the size of the market, because as prices to complete projects drop due to the decreased time required, more people will pay for projects that they otherwise could not have afforded. Custom graphics for a car or building. An indie video game. A Mural for one's living room. All across the market, new sectors will be priced into the market that were previously priced out.
There are two things to address here. First: the economics rant is not relevant to the lawsuit, which is asking whether you are violating copyright law when you use unlicensed images as training data for AI art tools. Most of the annotations work like this, pursuing tangents or quibbling on points that are ultimately concerned with markets and efficiency, not the legal question. Opponents are dismissed as “whittlers mad at power tools” and complaints are fielded that a system that did ask for consent would be technically difficult to build.
Second: it is not immediately clear why expanding art markets and increasing artist productivity is a desirable path forward. This was, after all, more or less the core thrust of many pro-NFT arguments over the past two years: sure, NFTs won’t help you make more art but they will allow you to do more with your art—speculation, secondary markets to trade fractional shares, experiences, targeted benefits, social clubs, etc. Individually creating all of those things would be tedious and cumbersome, but simply throwing your art onto the blockchain could outsource some of that work to zealous fans and communities would create more markets, more revenue streams, and more opportunities for additional art to be created by yourself or them.
NFTs, however, quickly proved themselves to be a disaster. They created markets rife with fraud, outright theft, half-baked ideas and implementation, vaporware, and creative attempts to generate excess returns through speculation. There is a tendency to insist AI and crypto will help all artists, but experience suggests that recklessly rolling out these digital technologies to develop new markets tends to largely benefit con artists.
There is also a third point, a secret point, which is both and neither of the previous. Why is anyone pretending that what these AIs are creating is art? The other day, someone sent Nick Cave lyrics generated by ChatGPT in the style of his music and he wrote a furious blog post that was incredibly perceptive when it came to the question of what art is and why AI isn’t doing it.
Songs arise out of suffering, by which I mean they are predicated upon the complex, internal human struggle of creation and, well, as far as I know, algorithms don’t feel. Data doesn’t suffer. ChatGPT has no inner being, it has been nowhere, it has endured nothing, it has not had the audacity to reach beyond its limitations, and hence it doesn’t have the capacity for a shared transcendent experience, as it has no limitations from which to transcend. ChatGPT’s melancholy role is that it is destined to imitate and can never have an authentic human experience, no matter how devalued and inconsequential the human experience may in time become.
The core reason to object to AI art isn’t simply the legal question of licensing or the debates over how artists should make a living, but the fact that this is another front in the war waged by market zealots on life experienced outside of markets. In a bid to quantify the value of everything so that it can then be turned into an asset, its transaction costs made transparent, its production optimized, and its innovation ensured, market fundamentalists have created caricatures of how human minds, social networks, and communities are formed. They’re not interested in creativity, let alone any sublime element of what it means to be a human being―unless it can be linked back to a market. That’s a pretty depressing and increasingly dominant viewpoint of the world which shouldn’t be given any room to breathe.
So at the end of it all, this is an interesting document to read if only because it teases the shape of arguments to come as techno-optimists, venture capitalists, and market zealots reposition themselves to insist AI art is a net good. Advocates will avoid the central legal question (should you get paid for your work being used by a neural network to make similar work), and insist on reframing artists as workers who must produce more for less instead of creatives who should be provided a livelihood independent of demand for their work and spin new markets for speculation and commodification as opportunities for more ambitious artistic endeavors.
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
In death, as in life. The news that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the infamous mercenary who led the Wagner Group, was killed in a fiery plane crash in Russia marked an unceremonious ending to a vulgar life. And while there is still some mystery surrounding the circumstances of the plane crash, which also killed several other high-ranking Wagner officials, few doubt Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind it. After embarrassing Putin by staging a mutiny two months to the date of the crash, Prigozhin’s death was simply a matter of when, not if. What occurred on Wednesday was merely Putin cleaning house and reasserting his control.
The way Prigozhin was killed—executed mafia-style in such a spectacularly violent and grisly manner—not only sends a clear message to others who would dare defy Putin, but it also fits with the brand Prigozhin built for himself and the Wagner Group he controlled.
Extreme violence has been a central pillar of the Wagner brand, and one gleefully promoted by Prigozhin himself. In late 2019, a video went viral on Russian social network sites showing Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group using a sledgehammer to kill a Syrian man named Hamdi Bouta near the al-Shaer gas plant northwest of Palmyra, Syria. Then, last November, another video made the rounds showing an individual identified as a defector from the Wagner Group having his head smashed in with a sledgehammer. Responding to the latter video, Prigozhin said that it should be titled, “A dog receives a dog’s death.”
Prigozhin soon adopted the sledgehammer as a symbol of his organization’s wanton brutality. After the European Union Parliament ruled that Wagner be placed on its terrorist list, Prigozhin sent the legislators a sledgehammer daubed with fake blood. On Thursday, videos and photos posted to social media showed a sledgehammer resting atop a pile of flowers and other tributes at a makeshift memorial for Prigozhin and the other plane crash victims outside Wagner headquarters in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The Wagner Group’s reputation for violence is no coincidence. Its very name is an exercise in branding, referencing the German composer Richard Wagner, a favorite of Adolf Hitler. The private military company’s (PMC) image has been carefully constructed—from its logo of a skull in crosshairs with “Wagner PMC” written in both English and Russian, to the action movies it produces glorifying the mercenaries’ global exploits. Wagner’s motto, “Blood, honor, homeland, courage,” speaks for itself.
Although the Wagner Group’s notoriety has boomed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the organization has been building its brand for years. Wagner’s supposed heroic operations have been memorialized in multiple self-produced, highly stylized movies that serve as international and domestic propaganda as well as recruiting tools. Tourist (2021), for example, is a Wagner-funded movie set in the Central African Republic that portrays Wagner fighters as elite soldiers who are highly trained and exceedingly lethal.
Through its marketing, Wagner has generated niche appeal, embracing the concept of hyper-violence, much in the way Islamic State fighters did. The Islamic State disseminated images of decapitations, immolations, and slave markets to at once recruit the most deranged individuals into its organization while simultaneously terrorizing civilians.
Wagner’s penchant for extreme violence attracts sociopaths seeking to join its ranks as well, but its reputation also helps garner interest from strongmen, military juntas, and coup leaders seeking to hire Wagner as muscle to ensure regime security. Wagner is notorious for its propaganda operations in battle zones and has leveraged this expertise to craft its own image. Wagner uses social media extensively—including Telegram and the Russian platform VK—to foster a cult image of morbid bravery and violence. It releases horrific, savage, and heroic footage to propagate self-aggrandizing but sometimes false narratives, exalting its actions in combat.
While Wagner’s reputation for extreme brutality has been well-earned, much of the rest of its aura has been the result of smoke and mirrors. In fact, there is nothing private about this “private” military company, as Putin revealed in late June when he admitted that Wagner’s financing was provided by the Russian state, more than $1 billion over the past year alone. Even though PMCs are illegal in Russia, Wagner has been allowed to openly advertise and recruit, including on billboards in major cities displaying heroic images of its fighters.
Because of these efforts, along with Russian-state media productions such as RT’s PMC Wagner: Contract with the Motherland, Wagner is well-regarded in Russia. This was evident during the group’s mutiny in late June, when Russian citizens in Rostov-on-Don greeted Wagner fighters in the street, bringing them food and even chanting the group’s name. Even after the insurrection was aborted, Prigozhin remained a popular figure, revered by his men and respected by a significant portion of the Russian public.
Prigozhin’s personal legend grew as he unleashed a torrent of rhetoric denigrating Russian generals during the course of the war in Ukraine, publishing invective-filled videos from the frontlines in Bakhmut. Who was this madman directly challenging Putin’s top brass? Leveraging his flair for the dramatic, in May, Prigozhin posted a video from an open field filled with dozens of corpses, many of them badly mutilated, who he claimed were Wagner fighters killed in Ukraine. The aesthetic was deliberate, intended to appeal to ultra-nationalists who shared Prigozhin’s anger about the coffins arriving back home in Russia. The imagery evoked a cult of martyrdom, with the Wagner boss honoring those who had sacrificed their lives for the motherland. Prigozhin is now among them.
Yet the way Wagner’s fighters have been used in the war has also sullied its reputation. The group that once boasted of defeating Islamic State jihadists in Syria before seizing control of oil and gas fields has now devolved into a rag-tag horde composed of hastily recruited prisoners, convicts, and thugs-for-hire unceremoniously served up as cannon fodder in Ukraine. In branding terms, Wagner is no longer seen as a luxury brand, but is almost solely identified by anomie—violence for its own sake. With its fighters in Ukraine dispatched to the meat grinder with little training and substandard weaponry, Wagner’s brand was being sold below market rate, with the Kremlin desperate for quantity over quality on the battlefield. Meanwhile, its African and Middle Eastern deployments were viewed as exotic and portrayed as the profitable part of the brand.
The Wagner rebellion against the Kremlin, which stemmed in part from this discontentment with how the group was being used in Ukraine—raised the group’s and Prigozhin’s notoriety to a whole new level. Prigozhin’s short-lived “march on Moscow” exposed deep rifts within the Russian state and was ultimately what led to his undoing.
Interestingly, rather than marginalize Prigozhin, as many expected, Putin’s first move was to reach out to leaders in CAR and Mali to assuage any concerns they had about Wagner ceasing its operations. Putin lulled Prigozhin into a false sense of security, allowing him to believe that he could continue on with business as usual. Prigozhin was pictured meeting with African leaders at the recent Russia-Africa Summit hosted in St. Petersburg. Two days before he died, Prigozhin released a video that appeared to show him somewhere in Africa.
Now, with Prigozhin and other senior Wagner commanders such as Dmitry Utkin dead, the brand itself could be well-placed to experience something of a renaissance. The Wagner name still has some cache, and Putin is in position to reassert control over its operations. In a post-Prigozhin era, Wagner’s branding will need to more closely align with the new objectives yet to be publicly shared by Putin. As Moscow asserts tighter control over Wagner through closer integration with the Kremlin, the group will have to eschew defining itself in opposition to military elites.
Yet the situation remains uncertain. Prigozhin’s presumed assassination could still lead to some blowback for Putin. Following his death, a post on Wagner’s Telegram channel, Grey Zone, declared that “the head of the Wagner Group, Hero of Russia, a true patriot to his Motherland, Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, died as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia.” The only guarantee is that whatever the next iteration of the Wagner Group looks like, extreme violence and the broadcasting thereof will remain integral to its brand.
3 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
tsuneminnn26
TSUNEMINNNBLOG
the12design
the12 design
sissylifeformichelle
michelles home
hjonescpsarts-blog
Art Scholar