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2008.09.19 20:34 Salesforce
This is an unofficial (no salesforce sponsorship) forum to discuss getting certified and building on salesforce platforms (force.com, heroku, exacttarget, slack, etc.)
2011.05.09 05:00 misnamed Passive Indexing Community for Long-Term Lazy Investors
Bogleheads are passive investors who follow Jack Bogle's simple but powerful message to diversify with low-cost index funds and let compounding grow wealth. Jack founded Vanguard and pioneered indexed mutual funds. His work has since inspired others to get the most out of their long-term investments. Active managers want your money - our advice: keep it! How? Investing in broad-market low-cost indexes, diversified between equities and fixed income. Buy, hold, pay low fees, and stay the course!
2009.10.09 19:33 Share, Compare & Improve Long-Term Investment Portfolio Strategies
Get (and give!) advice on investment portfolios and financial planning goals for retirement (401k, Roth, IRA, HSA) and taxable investing accounts, particularly stock and bond mutual funds and ETFs - learn tips for tax efficiency and other account optimization strategies. This is a great place for beginner and advanced investors to share knowledge! NOTE: please include the names of funds in your post, not just the tickers (we don't have those all memorized!).
2024.06.01 09:24 Asleep_Connection803 ¿Es demasiado tarde para entrar en IT?
Hola, os comento sobre un tema que lleva rondándome la cabeza desde hace años.
Veréis, cuando estaba en la ESO y Bachillerato, una de mis asignaturas favoritas era Lengua, muy especialmente la sintaxis, porque me encantaba lo de intentar sacar la jerarquía y funciones de los elementos de una oración para que todo tuviese sentido. Lo curioso es que me pasaba algo parecido también con las ecuaciones químicas y matemáticas ya que, por alguna razón, veía que existía cierto patrón similar entre las tres. El problema es que en FyQ tuvimos a un profesor que al más mínimo alboroto en clase dejaba de explicar y anunciaba examen para el día siguiente, lo que hizo que me costase un mundo la asignatura y nunca le pillase el punto, y por otro lado en Matemáticas también me gustaba jugar con las cifras y diferentes maneras de llegar a un mismo resultado pero se me castigaba por "complicarme la vida innecesariamente", algo que igualmente llevó a que me aburrieran soberanamente. Así que la única opción que parecía seguir en pie era Lengua, a la que luego se sumaron Latín y Griego justo por los análisis sintácticos que teníamos que hacer de cara a Selectividad.
Tras pasar Bachillerato, me fui a hacer una filología un poco por descarte (la universidad de mi ciudad tampoco tenía una gran oferta de títulos, y mis padres no me dejaban irme a estudiar a otro lado). El problema vino cuando me fui dando cuenta de que el profesorado nos estaba empujando a todos, más o menos descaradamente, a entrar en la docencia pública sí o sí, incluso llegando a afirmar que otras opciones que nos gustaban (enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras, lingüística computacional...) nos iban a decepcionar o que incluso no tenían futuro ninguno. Yo no quise pasar por el aro por diferentes motivos e incluso preferí "tirar a la basura" todos esos años por un cambio de sector.
Hoy en día trabajo en atención al cliente y, aunque la experiencia no está mal (precisamente los clientes son el menor de los problemas, la gran mayoría son muy amables y comprensivos), el ambiente de trabajo es bastante regulero y el salario tampoco es para tirar cohetes. Paralelamente a esto, ahora no dejo de ver en todos lados que STEM es el futuro y, además, es mucho más fácil dar el salto a (casi) cualquier otro país si la cosa se sigue torciendo mucho en España. Y claro, pensé en IT.
Ya hace apenas unos años intenté bichear por mi cuenta (Python, aunque lo acabé dejando al poco porque me cuesta mucho ser autodidacta), pero ahora querría tomármelo en serio porque, en realidad, programar me recuerda muchísimo a todo lo que me gustaba de la sintaxis e incluso de la filosofía, y me sorprende no haberlo sabido hasta recientemente (también es verdad que en mi instituto sigue sin haber Bachiller tecnológico, solo de Ciencias y de Humanidades y CCSS, lo cual pues...). Otra experiencia positiva fue a la hora de realizar el proyecto final de mis últimos estudios, para lo que teníamos que crear una web y, en vez de ir a Google Sites y similares, mi pareja y yo nos animamos a intentar montar algo desde 0 (usando HTML5, CSS3 y Javascript ES6, y Vue.js como framework). Él me iba explicando lo que hacía y yo entendía más o menos bien el sentido de los pasos necesarios para que todo funcionase poco a poco.
Así que, eso, ¿merece la pena meterme ahora a estudiar otra vez sabiendo que estoy ya casi en mis 30? En caso afirmativo, ¿DAM o DAW? De inglés creo que voy bien (C1), lo que me aterra más bien es que justamente el curso que viene ya quieren hacer todo dual y no sé por dónde va a salir la cosa, aparte de que tampoco sé el nivel de entrada que suele tener la gente y si eso me va a crear mucha desventaja con el resto.
Eso es todo, perdón por el tostón y gracias por leerme.
submitted by Asleep_Connection803 to askspain [link] [comments]
Veréis, cuando estaba en la ESO y Bachillerato, una de mis asignaturas favoritas era Lengua, muy especialmente la sintaxis, porque me encantaba lo de intentar sacar la jerarquía y funciones de los elementos de una oración para que todo tuviese sentido. Lo curioso es que me pasaba algo parecido también con las ecuaciones químicas y matemáticas ya que, por alguna razón, veía que existía cierto patrón similar entre las tres. El problema es que en FyQ tuvimos a un profesor que al más mínimo alboroto en clase dejaba de explicar y anunciaba examen para el día siguiente, lo que hizo que me costase un mundo la asignatura y nunca le pillase el punto, y por otro lado en Matemáticas también me gustaba jugar con las cifras y diferentes maneras de llegar a un mismo resultado pero se me castigaba por "complicarme la vida innecesariamente", algo que igualmente llevó a que me aburrieran soberanamente. Así que la única opción que parecía seguir en pie era Lengua, a la que luego se sumaron Latín y Griego justo por los análisis sintácticos que teníamos que hacer de cara a Selectividad.
Tras pasar Bachillerato, me fui a hacer una filología un poco por descarte (la universidad de mi ciudad tampoco tenía una gran oferta de títulos, y mis padres no me dejaban irme a estudiar a otro lado). El problema vino cuando me fui dando cuenta de que el profesorado nos estaba empujando a todos, más o menos descaradamente, a entrar en la docencia pública sí o sí, incluso llegando a afirmar que otras opciones que nos gustaban (enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras, lingüística computacional...) nos iban a decepcionar o que incluso no tenían futuro ninguno. Yo no quise pasar por el aro por diferentes motivos e incluso preferí "tirar a la basura" todos esos años por un cambio de sector.
Hoy en día trabajo en atención al cliente y, aunque la experiencia no está mal (precisamente los clientes son el menor de los problemas, la gran mayoría son muy amables y comprensivos), el ambiente de trabajo es bastante regulero y el salario tampoco es para tirar cohetes. Paralelamente a esto, ahora no dejo de ver en todos lados que STEM es el futuro y, además, es mucho más fácil dar el salto a (casi) cualquier otro país si la cosa se sigue torciendo mucho en España. Y claro, pensé en IT.
Ya hace apenas unos años intenté bichear por mi cuenta (Python, aunque lo acabé dejando al poco porque me cuesta mucho ser autodidacta), pero ahora querría tomármelo en serio porque, en realidad, programar me recuerda muchísimo a todo lo que me gustaba de la sintaxis e incluso de la filosofía, y me sorprende no haberlo sabido hasta recientemente (también es verdad que en mi instituto sigue sin haber Bachiller tecnológico, solo de Ciencias y de Humanidades y CCSS, lo cual pues...). Otra experiencia positiva fue a la hora de realizar el proyecto final de mis últimos estudios, para lo que teníamos que crear una web y, en vez de ir a Google Sites y similares, mi pareja y yo nos animamos a intentar montar algo desde 0 (usando HTML5, CSS3 y Javascript ES6, y Vue.js como framework). Él me iba explicando lo que hacía y yo entendía más o menos bien el sentido de los pasos necesarios para que todo funcionase poco a poco.
Así que, eso, ¿merece la pena meterme ahora a estudiar otra vez sabiendo que estoy ya casi en mis 30? En caso afirmativo, ¿DAM o DAW? De inglés creo que voy bien (C1), lo que me aterra más bien es que justamente el curso que viene ya quieren hacer todo dual y no sé por dónde va a salir la cosa, aparte de que tampoco sé el nivel de entrada que suele tener la gente y si eso me va a crear mucha desventaja con el resto.
Eso es todo, perdón por el tostón y gracias por leerme.
2024.05.31 17:31 Ioading Truly Alien Flora and Fauna for Future Star Citizen Systems
Recently, I have been watching a TV show called "Scavengers Reign," which portrays a planet with flora and fauna that are profoundly alien yet convincingly interconnected with their environment. This show demonstrates how life can evolve in ways that are both beautiful and terrifying, with ecosystems that feel wholly unique. With the introduction of new star systems, I believe there's an opportunity to create truly alien ecosystems, thinking beyond Earth-like analogs and imagining life forms that have evolved under entirely different conditions. Here are some ideas for unique flora and fauna, along with their interactions within their environments:
Examples of Alien Flora:
submitted by Ioading to starcitizen [link] [comments]
Examples of Alien Flora:
- Lumina Vines: These bioluminescent vines cover entire forest canopies, providing a natural light source at night. They emit different colors based on the time of day, aiding nocturnal creatures in navigation and attracting pollinators with their glow.
- Spore Clouds: Floating plants that release nutrient-rich spores into the atmosphere, creating a shimmering haze that sustains airborne creatures. These spores also fertilize the ground, creating rich, fertile soil for other plants.
- Crystal Blossoms: Flowers with petals made of crystalline structures that refract light, creating dazzling displays. These plants rely on specific mineral-rich soils and have symbiotic relationships with burrowing creatures that bring up nutrients from deep underground.
- Sonic Shrubs: Small plants that use sound waves to communicate with each other, emitting low-frequency vibrations that can be detected over long distances. These shrubs create a network that warns of approaching dangers, benefiting the entire ecosystem.
- Plasma Ferns: These ferns harness energy from the planet's magnetic field, creating a faint glow around them. They can discharge small amounts of plasma as a defense mechanism, deterring herbivores and curious explorers alike.
- Umbra Trees: Massive trees with leaves that absorb not only sunlight but also other forms of radiation. Their bark changes color based on the type of radiation absorbed, serving as natural radiation shields for creatures living in their shade.
- Hydrospires: Aquatic plants that use underwater jet propulsion to move to areas with optimal light and nutrient conditions. Their root systems can detach and re-anchor, making them mobile in their quest for resources.
- Pyroclastic Cacti: These heat-resistant plants thrive near volcanic vents, absorbing geothermal energy. They store this energy and release it in controlled bursts to deter predators and spread their seeds via explosive dispersal.
- Electroflora: Plants that generate electrical fields to stun small insects and animals, using the bioelectricity for both defense and to enhance their metabolic processes. These plants often grow in clusters, creating zones of electrical interference.
- Chameleoid Serpents: These creatures can change their skin texture and color to blend seamlessly with their surroundings. They use this ability for both predation and protection, creating a dynamic challenge for explorers.
- Gastrum Floaters: These gaseous life forms drift through the skies of gas giants, feeding on airborne microorganisms. They communicate using light pulses and create bioluminescent displays during mating rituals.
- Rift Stalkers: Large, quadrupedal predators with the ability to phase in and out of physical reality, allowing them to ambush prey by passing through solid objects. Their eyes can see in multiple spectra, detecting heat signatures and electromagnetic fields.
- Echo Mites: Tiny, insect-like creatures that live in colonies and produce harmonious sounds to communicate. Each colony's song is unique, and they use these sounds to coordinate complex group behaviors such as building intricate nests or deterring predators.
- Luminid Mantas: Graceful, manta-ray-like creatures that glide through the air using bio-luminescent membranes. They feed on airborne plankton and small flying insects, and their light shows are used both for mating displays and to scare off potential threats.
- Quake Beasts: Enormous, subterranean creatures that sense vibrations through the ground. They use their massive, shovel-like forelimbs to dig through the earth, creating networks of tunnels that are often used by other species as shelter.
- Velocipods: Rapidly moving, insect-like creatures with multiple legs and compound eyes, capable of scaling vertical surfaces and even gliding short distances. They hunt in packs, coordinating attacks with complex pheromone signals.
- Aquahelions: Semi-transparent aquatic predators that use bioelectric pulses to navigate and stun prey. Their jellyfish-like bodies can expand and contract to move quickly through water, and they often hunt in the bioluminescent depths.
- Symbiotic Relationships: Imagine a species of giant, slow-moving herbivores that host entire ecosystems on their backs. These mobile ecosystems include parasitic plants, predatory insects, and small mammals that feed on the herbivores’ secretions.
- Predator-Prey Dynamics: On a desert planet, predator creatures that burrow underground to ambush prey, relying on seismic vibrations to detect movements on the surface. These predators hunt herds of quick, six-legged ungulates that have evolved to detect and evade such threats.
- Mutualistic Networks: In a dense jungle, a type of bird that feeds on the parasites of large herbivores, while these herbivores provide protection to the bird's nests from predators. This mutualistic relationship benefits both species, promoting a balanced ecosystem.
- Parasitic Flora: Certain plants that latch onto larger creatures, slowly siphoning nutrients while also providing camouflage and sometimes even defensive toxins to their hosts, creating a complex interplay between survival and exploitation.
- Bioluminescent Chains: A complex food web where bioluminescent plants attract nocturnal insects, which in turn attract larger predators. Each level of this chain relies on the light produced by the plants, creating a glowing, interconnected ecosystem.
- Weather-Driven Adaptations: Fauna that have evolved to anticipate and survive extreme weather events, such as migratory patterns tied to seasonal storms or burrowing behaviors that protect against intense solar radiation.
- Resource Cycles: A system where certain flora release nutrients only after specific weather conditions, such as acidic rain that dissolves their protective coatings. This creates boom-and-bust cycles for fauna that rely on these nutrients.
- Ecosystem Engineers: Creatures that drastically alter their environment, like beaver-like aliens that build massive dams or insect-like species that construct sprawling underground hives, influencing the local flora and fauna.
Flora and Weather Interactions: - Storm Shield Trees: Tall, sturdy trees that have evolved to withstand severe storms. Their broad, flexible leaves can close tightly to protect the tree during violent weather, and their deep roots stabilize the soil, preventing erosion.
- Seasonal Flora: Plants that change dramatically with the seasons, such as desert blooms that only appear after rare rainfalls, creating short-lived but spectacular displays of color.
- Atmospheric Symbiosis: Plants that release spores into the atmosphere that can influence weather patterns, such as inducing rainfall or dissipating clouds to ensure their own survival and propagation.
- Thermal Bloomers: Plants that bloom only during extreme temperature changes, using the heat to accelerate their growth cycle and quickly produce seeds before the weather shifts again.
- Magnetic Field Flora: Plants that rely on the planet's magnetic fields to grow in specific patterns, forming intricate, fractal-like structures that can change based on magnetic fluctuations, providing unique landscapes that shift over time.
- Vortex Flowers: Large, funnel-shaped plants that capture wind and convert it into mechanical energy, which they use to pump nutrients from deep underground. During storms, these flowers close to protect their delicate internal structures.
- Cryo Lichens: Hardy lichens that thrive in freezing conditions, using the cold to slow their metabolic processes and conserve energy. These lichens can survive extreme temperature drops and revive rapidly when warmed.
- Radiant Moss: Moss that absorbs radiation and converts it into light energy, creating glowing carpets on the ground. This moss thrives in areas with high radiation levels and provides illumination in dark environments.
- Tide Blossoms: Coastal plants that bloom only during high tide, using the water to disperse their seeds. These plants have evolved to withstand both submerged and exposed conditions, adapting to the rhythmic cycles of the ocean.
- Environmental Challenges: Players might need to interact with the environment in novel ways, such as using bioluminescent plants for light or seeking shelter within giant, hollow fungi during acid rain storms.
- Ecological Interactions: Understanding the complex relationships between flora and fauna can lead to unique gameplay opportunities, such as harvesting rare resources from symbiotic plants or avoiding predatory creatures that camouflage themselves as part of the landscape.
- Adaptive Survival Gear: Crafting and using gear made from local flora and fauna, like breathing apparatuses derived from filter-feeding organisms that allow players to survive in toxic atmospheres.
- Dynamic Ecosystem Missions: Quests that require players to study and interact with alien ecosystems, such as planting certain flora to restore balance, capturing invasive species, or tracking migratory patterns of key fauna.
- Biological Research: Players can collect samples of unique alien life forms and study them to unlock new technologies or crafting recipes, encouraging exploration and scientific discovery.
- Weather Manipulation: Devices that can interact with the planet's flora to influence weather patterns, such as inducing rain to create temporary rivers or calming storms to safely navigate dangerous areas.
- Ecosystem Restoration: Missions where players must restore damaged ecosystems by planting specific flora or reintroducing fauna, creating a positive impact on the environment and unlocking new areas or resources.
2024.05.31 12:58 radapex What's Happening in Greater Moncton - June 2024
View on Web
Note: Ticket prices reflect those of a regular adult ticket.
submitted by radapex to moncton [link] [comments]
| Date & Time | Event Type | Event Information | Venue | Cost | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2024 | Festival - Dragon Boat | Greater Moncton Dragon Boat Festival | Jones Lake | Website | |
| Jun 1, 2024 11:00 AM | Music - Country | Amber Walls Presented by Acoustica: Emerging Talents Series | Moncton Market | Free | Website |
| Jun 1, 2024 7:00 PM | Dance | Gala 2024 Academy of Classical Ballet and Modern Dances | Capitol Theatre | $36 | Info |
| Jun 1, 2024 7:00 PM | Music - Rock | Smile for Jonny: Iron Giant, The Motorleague, The Monoxides, Diner Drugs, The Nuclear, Zer | Molson Canadian Centre | $43 | Tickets |
| Jun 1, 2024 9:00 PM | Music - Metal, Alternative | Vulgar - Tribute to Pantera, Dam That River - Tribute to Alice In Chains, Mr Jack - Tribut | Igloo Beverage Room | $23 | Tickets |
| Jun 1, 2024 9:00 PM | Music - Country | Hub Town HOE-Down: Summertime Blues Edition | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $8 | |
| Jun 1, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | Thirsty Rangers | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 2, 2024 2:00 PM | Dance | Variations 2024 - Academy of Classical Ballet and Modern Dances | Capitol Theatre | $36 | Info |
| Jun 2, 2024 6:00 PM | Dance | Celebrations 2024 - Academy of Classical Ballet and Modern Dances | Capitol Theatre | $36 | Info |
| Jun 4, 2024 7:00 PM | Music | Just Friends - Presented by Acoustica: Local Acts Series | Victoria Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 5, 2024 6:00 PM | Music | Kim Conway Music for Littles - Presented by Acoustica: Family-Friendly Entertainment Serie | Centennial Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 5, 2024 7:00 PM | Ballet | Snow White - The School of Atlantic Ballet | Capitol Theatre | $35-$45 | Tickets |
| Jun 6, 2024 6:00 PM | Music | Jean-Marc LeBlanc – Presented by DMCI PatioFest | Monk 10 | Free | Website |
| Jun 6, 2024 7:00 PM | Ballet | Snow White – The School of Atlantic Ballet | Capitol Theatre | $35-$45 | Tickets |
| Jun 6, 2024 8:00 PM | Music | Northern Heights | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 6, 2024 8:00 PM | Music - Hip Hop | Open Mic Hip Hop Night | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | Free | |
| Jun 7, 2024 6:00 PM | Exhibition - Comic | East Coast Comic Expo | Moncton Coliseum | $20 | Tickets |
| Jun 7, 2024 7:00 PM | Theatre | Hideaway Cabaret: Summer Lovin' | Empress Theatre | $35 | Tickets |
| Jun 7, 2024 7:30 PM | Music - Rock | Hotel California: The Original Eagles Tribute | Capitol Theatre | $63 | Tickets |
| Jun 7, 2024 8:00 PM | Sports - Hockey (QMJHL) | 2024 QMJHL Draft presented by Fenplact | Avenir Centre | Website | |
| Jun 7, 2024 9:00 PM | Music - Hardcore, Metal | Johnny Deathwish, Thousand Knives, Once Destroyed | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $15 | |
| Jun 7, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | City Dawgs | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 7, 2024 10:00 PM | Music - House | Tempus, Hosted by Carlos Hirlemann: DJ W!LL, Hirlemann, Javier Fernandez, Maqam | Tide & Boar Gastropub | $12 | Tickets |
| Jun 8, 2024 10:00 AM | Exhibition - Comic | East Coast Comic Expo | Moncton Coliseum | $20 | Tickets |
| Jun 8, 2024 10:00 AM | Sports - Running | Ice2Run 2024 | Running Room | $35 | |
| Jun 8, 2024 11:00 AM | Music | Trio Rustico – Presented by Acoustica: Emerging Talents Series | Moncton Market | Free | Website |
| Jun 8, 2024 12:00 PM | Dance | DancEast Year End Recitals - Yellow Show | Riverview Arts Centre | $30 | Tickets |
| Jun 8, 2024 2:00 PM | Sports - Hockey (QMJHL) | 2024 QMJHL Draft presented by Fenplact | Avenir Centre | Website | |
| Jun 8, 2024 3:00 PM | Dance | DancEast Year End Recitals - Orange Show | Riverview Arts Centre | $30 | Tickets |
| Jun 8, 2024 7:00 PM | Dance | DancEast Presents: No Limitations! | Riverview Arts Centre | $15 | Tickets |
| Jun 8, 2024 8:00 PM | Music - Country | Bell and Cavendish Music Festival Presents: Country Roads | Tide & Boar Ballroom | $45 | Tickets |
| Jun 8, 2024 8:00 PM | Music - Punk | Punk Rock Prom: Which Witch is Which, Neighbourhood Watch, The Orchids | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $15 | |
| Jun 8, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | Scarlett | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 8, 2024 11:00 PM | Festival - Environment | EnviroFest | Centennial Park | Free | Info |
| Jun 9, 2024 1:00 PM | Dance | Dance Creation's Recital 2024: Dance Reels | Capitol Theatre | $35 | Tickets |
| Jun 9, 2024 4:00 PM | Dance | DancEast Presents: The Gala | Riverview Arts Centre | $37 | Tickets |
| Jun 9, 2024 5:00 PM | Dance | Dance Creation's Recital 2024: Dance Reels | Capitol Theatre | $35 | Limited |
| Jun 11, 2024 7:00 PM | Music | Fundy Ceilidh – Presented by Acoustica: Local Acts Series | Victoria Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 12, 2024 6:00 PM | Other | Scouts Canada – Presented by Acoustica: Family-Friendly Entertainment Series | Centennial Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 12, 2024 8:00 PM | Comedy - Stand Up | Toyota Corolla Comedy Tour: Jon Pickett, Chris Halef, Albert Coombes | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $18 | Tickets |
| Jun 13, 2024 6:00 PM | Music | Felix Belliveau – Presented by DMCI PatioFest | St. James' Gate | Free | Website |
| Jun 13, 2024 7:00 PM | Circus | Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo | Avenir Centre | $81-$194 | Tickets |
| Jun 13, 2024 7:00 PM | Festival - Highland Games | Opening Ceremonies & Community Concert – Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festiva | Victoria Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 13, 2024 8:00 PM | Music | Jock Downs & Mike Tibz | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 13, 2024 9:00 PM | Music - Death Metal, Prog Metal | Beguiler, Ibex ,BLEVK | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $15 | |
| Jun 14, 2024 11:00 AM | Festival - Highland Games | Scottish Flag Raising – Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival | Riverview Town Hall | Free | Website |
| Jun 14, 2024 12:00 PM | Festival - Highland Games | Scottish Flag Raising – Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival | Moncton City Hall | Free | Website |
| Jun 14, 2024 7:00 PM | Circus | Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo | Avenir Centre | $81-$194 | Tickets |
| Jun 14, 2024 7:00 PM | Festival - Highland Games | Community Concert – Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival | Riverview Waterfront Gazebo | Free | Website |
| Jun 14, 2024 7:30 PM | Music - Pop | Candlelight: A Tribute to Adele | Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption | $34-$65 | Tickets |
| Jun 14, 2024 7:30 PM | Music - Classic Rock | The Blushing Bridges - The Original Rolling Stones Tribute | Molson Canadian Centre | $48-$60 | Tickets |
| Jun 14, 2024 8:00 PM | Music - Electronic Rock | TWRP, Rich Aucoin | Tide & Boar Ballroom | $40 | Tickets |
| Jun 14, 2024 9:00 PM | Music - Rock | Andrew Moore Trio, FM Berlin | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $10-$15 | |
| Jun 14, 2024 9:30 PM | Music - Pop | Candlelight: A Tribute to ABBA | Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption | $34-$65 | Tickets |
| Jun 14, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | The Watermen | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 15, 2024 11:00 AM | Circus | Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo | Avenir Centre | $81-$194 | Tickets |
| Jun 15, 2024 11:00 AM | Music | Samaël Pelletier – Presented by Acoustica: Emerging Talents Series | Moncton Market | Free | Website |
| Jun 15, 2024 2:00 PM | Dance | Danse DNC Dance Presents: Spotlight, Ignite The Stage | Riverview Arts Centre | $26 | Tickets |
| Jun 15, 2024 3:00 PM | Circus | Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo | Avenir Centre | $81-$194 | Tickets |
| Jun 15, 2024 7:00 PM | Circus | Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo | Avenir Centre | $81-$194 | Tickets |
| Jun 15, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | Crushed Ice | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 15, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | Maximum Overdrive: 80's Tribute | Tide & Boar Gastropub | $15 | Tickets |
| Jun 16, 2024 1:00 PM | Circus | Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo | Avenir Centre | $81-$194 | Tickets |
| Jun 16, 2024 3:00 PM | Dance | DansEncorps Presents: Recital 2024 | Riverview Arts Centre | $28 | Tickets |
| Jun 16, 2024 4:00 PM | Festival - Highland Games | Food Vendors & Beer Tent Open – Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival | Hal Betts Sportsplex | Free | Website |
| Jun 16, 2024 5:00 PM | Circus | Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo | Avenir Centre | $81-$194 | Tickets |
| Jun 16, 2024 5:00 PM | Festival - Highland Games | "Giv'er a Try" Heavy Events Clinic – Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival | Hal Betts Sportsplex | Free | Website |
| Jun 16, 2024 5:00 PM | Festival - Highland Games | Ceilidh Tent Entertainment – Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival | Hal Betts Sportsplex | Free | Website |
| Jun 16, 2024 7:00 PM | Dance | DansEncorps Presents: Recital 2024 | Riverview Arts Centre | $28 | Tickets |
| Jun 17, 2024 8:00 AM | Festival - Highland Games | Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival | Hal Betts Sportsplex | $10 | Website |
| Jun 18, 2024 7:00 PM | Music | Écarlate – Presented by Acoustica: Local Acts Series | Victoria Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 19, 2024 6:00 PM | Other | Moncton Public Library – Presented by Acoustica: Family-Friendly Entertainment Series | Centennial Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 19, 2024 8:00 PM | Music - Punk, Hardcore | Dayglo Abortions, Baited, Dirt Brothers | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $23 | Tickets |
| Jun 20, 2024 4:00 PM | Festival - Food | Rotary RibFest Moncton | Riverfront Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 20, 2024 6:00 PM | Music | Justine Richardson – Presented by DMCI PatioFest | The Bunker | Free | Website |
| Jun 20, 2024 7:00 PM | Music - Rock | The Fabulously Rish - The Tragically Hip Tribute | Molson Canadian Centre | $54-$60 | Tickets |
| Jun 20, 2024 8:00 PM | Music | Gypsy Reese | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 21, 2024 11:30 AM | Festival - Food | Rotary RibFest Moncton | Riverfront Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 21, 2024 9:00 PM | Music - Punk Rock | Nothing Serious, Three Speed, Real Rejects | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $15 | |
| Jun 21, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | Monkey Town | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 21, 2024 10:00 PM | Music - Hard Rock | Truce, Dammit Goldie, Tarbox, Dali Van Gogh | The Caveau | $15-$20 | Tickets |
| Jun 22, 2024 11:00 AM | Music | Ben Buchanan – Presented by Acoustica: Emerging Talents Series | Moncton Market | Free | Website |
| Jun 22, 2024 11:30 AM | Festival - Food | Rotary RibFest Moncton | Riverfront Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 22, 2024 8:00 PM | Music - Hip Hop, Rap | k-os | Tide & Boar Ballroom | $53 | Tickets |
| Jun 22, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | Old Cherry | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 22, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | Y2K Video Dance Party with DJ Retro John | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $12 | |
| Jun 23, 2024 11:30 AM | Festival - Food | Rotary RibFest Moncton | Riverfront Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 25, 2024 7:00 PM | Music | RCMP Pipes and Drums Band – Presented by Acoustica: Local Acts Series | Victoria Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 26, 2024 | Festival - Music | Pops NB | Various | Website | |
| Jun 26, 2024 6:00 PM | Other | Mad Science – Presented by Acoustica: Family-Friendly Entertainment Series | Centennial Park | Free | Website |
| Jun 27, 2024 | Festival - Music | Pops NB | Various | Website | |
| Jun 27, 2024 6:00 PM | Music | Kendra Gale – Presented by DMCI PatioFest | Loli | Free | Website |
| Jun 27, 2024 8:00 PM | Music | Deuce's Wild | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 27, 2024 9:00 PM | Music - Punk Rock | Audio Visceral, East End Rivals, Small Package | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $10 | |
| Jun 28, 2024 | Festival - Music | Pops NB | Various | Website | |
| Jun 28, 2024 9:00 PM | Music - Hardcore | D.O.A., MVLL CRIMES | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $26 | Tickets |
| Jun 28, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | The Road Kings | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 29, 2024 | Festival - Music | Pops NB | Various | Website | |
| Jun 29, 2024 11:00 AM | Music | Vita and Yeva – Presented by Acoustica: Emerging Talents Series | Moncton Market | Free | Website |
| Jun 29, 2024 8:00 PM | Music - Funk, Jam | Moon Hooch, The Big Fun Duo, SoundSeeker | Tide & Boar Ballroom | $30 | Tickets |
| Jun 29, 2024 8:00 PM | Music - Metal, Punk | Dopethrone, Hellbent, Blind Witch | Xeroz Arcade/Bar | $26 | Tickets |
| Jun 29, 2024 10:00 PM | Music | Music Band | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
| Jun 30, 2024 9:00 PM | Music | TBD | Hub City Pub | Free | Website |
Venues
| Venue | Location | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen Cultural Centre | 140 Botsford St, Moncton | https://centreculturelaberdeen.com/en/programmation/ |
| Avenir Centre | 150 Canada St, Moncton | https://www.avenircentre.com/events/ |
| Capitol Theatre | 811 Main St, Moncton | https://capitol.nb.ca/en/ |
| Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption | 226 St George St, Moncton | |
| Crois Blue Medavie Stadium | 80 Antonine-Maillet Ave, Moncton | https://www.moncton.ca/guides-moncton-host-your-event-moncton-event-venues/venue-croix-bleue-medavie-stadium-entertainment |
| Crossman Community Centre | 99 Wynnwood Dr, Moncton | https://superiorpropanecentre.com/crossman-community-centre/ |
| Downtown Place | 150 Canada St, Moncton | https://www.moncton.ca/guides-moncton-host-your-event-moncton-event-venues/venue-downtown-place |
| Empress Theatre | 199 Robinson St, Moncton | https://capitol.nb.ca/en/ |
| Hub City Pub | Casino New Brunswick, 21 Casino Dr, Moncton | https://casinonb.ca/dine/hub-city-pub/ |
| Kay Arena | 99 Wynnwood Dr, Moncton | https://superiorpropanecentre.com/crossman-community-centre/ |
| Magnetic Hill Concert Site | Front Mountain Rd, Moncton | https://www.moncton.ca/guides-moncton-bring-your-event-moncton-event-venues/venue-magnetic-hill-concert-site |
| Molson Candian Centre | Casino New Brunswick, 21 Casino Dr, Moncton | https://greatcanadian.com/entertainment/ |
| Moncton Colieseum | 377 Killam Dr, Moncton | https://www.monctoncoliseum.com/events-calendar |
| Riverview Arts Centre | 400 Whitepine Rd, Riverview | https://riverviewartscentre.ca/ |
| Superior Propane Centre | 55 Russ Howard Dr, Moncton | https://superiorpropanecentre.com/ |
| The Caveau | 700 Main St, Moncton | http://www.tideandboar.com/music |
| Théâtre l’Escaouette | 170 Botsford St, Moncton | https://escaouette.com/ |
| Tide & Boar Complex | 700 Main St, Moncton | http://www.tideandboar.com/music |
| Xeroz Arcade/Bar | 234 St George St, Moncton | https://www.facebook.com/xerozarcadebar |
2024.05.30 13:09 como365 Missouri's Aquatic Faunal Regions
 | Missouri biologists specializing in aquatic animals (aquatic fauna) often use the following four regions to describe where fish, crayfish, and other aquatic animals live. submitted by como365 to missouri [link] [comments] Ozark Faunal Region In Missouri, the Ozark highlands occur mostly south of the Missouri River. To the east, they end where the Bootheel lowlands begin, and to the west, they gradually turn into the Prairie Faunal Region, along a line drawn roughly from Morgan through Jasper counties. Geologically, the Ozarks are an elevated plain of ancient bedrock, through which streams have carved deep channels, creating a complex system of rugged hills, rock outcrops and bluffs, and thin, stony soils. Much of the land is forested, and the primary agricultural use is pasture. The limestone and dolomite karst geology in the Ozarks is famous for its caves and springs, and these influence the character of Ozark streams. Ozark streams typically occupy narrow, steep-sided valleys and often are a series of short pools connected by well-defined riffles. Chert gravel is often at the bottom of the stream bed. Ozark streams are typically clear and relatively cool, often because they are fed by springs. The aquatic animals that live in these clear, cool, high-gradient, fast-flowing, chert-bottomed streams are particularly diverse, because the many separate stream systems are generally isolated from each other. Thus a crayfish species that lives in one stream may not occur in a separate stream only a few miles away — as the crow flies — because they cannot travel overland to reach that different stream system. In addition to its famous streams and springs, the Ozark Aquatic Faunal Region also contains some large reservoirs created when certain rivers were dammed. The Lake of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake are examples. These large lakes have their own habitat conditions quite different from Ozark streams, and their dams prevent aquatic animals from moving past them, particularly upstream. Lowland Faunal Region Missouri’s Lowland Aquatic Faunal Region is mostly in the seven counties in or near the Bootheel. There’s an abrupt change of elevation — anywhere from 50 to 250 feet — as you travel south or east from the Ozark Plateau into that section. Much of the lowlands are not much higher than the Mississippi River itself, being less than 300 feet above sea level. Historically, this area was nearly always flooded by Mississippi River backwaters and covered with swamps wooded with bald cypress trees, but starting in about 1900, people cleared the forests and constructed channels and ditches to drain the wetlands. Not much is left of the Bootheel’s presettlement landscape. Vast, sunny fields of cotton and other row crops now dominate the Bootheel. What remains of the plants and animals that are native to that area are confined to drainage ditches of various sizes, plus Mingo Swamp, Otter Slough, and other publicly owned nature preserves. Many of these plants and animals are found only in the Bootheel and nowhere else in the state. Prairie Faunal Region This aquatic faunal region includes most of the state north of the Missouri River, plus a wedge-shaped area south of the Missouri along the Kansas state line. This region is mostly flat or rolling plains. The area north of the Missouri River was flattened by glaciers long ago; the prairies south of the river were not glaciated. Shales and thin sandstones are the principal bedrocks, but these can be covered by as much as 150 feet by loess soils (loess is a coarse-grained material blown by winds during glacier times and which collected, like dunes, in certain areas). Missouri’s prairie regions, today, are dominated by cropland, but before settlers arrived and broke the sod with their plows, these lands were covered by treeless tallgrass prairie, with woods in the more hilly areas. Those native grasslands and forests are nearly all gone. The Prairie Faunal Region is drained by a number of rivers. These typically occupy broad, flat valleys that slope gradually into the surrounding uplands. Originally, most of these streams meandered in S-shaped courses and often formed oxbow lakes and sloughs as they shifted their beds. Most of these streams, however, have been channelized and are now straight with a nearly uniform depth. The stream bottoms in the Prairie Region are typically silt, sand, or gravel, and the water is generally turbid (not clear, due to clay and soil particles suspended in the water). Stream flow and other water conditions can vary over the course of a year, so the animals that live in these streams must be able to tolerate fluctuations of current, depth, dissolved oxygen levels, temperatures, and so on. Big River Faunal Region Our two biggest rivers, the Missouri and Mississippi, are so different from our other aquatic habitats that they constitute their own faunal region. The water conditions of these rivers are less influenced by local conditions than by the rainfall and runoff from all the land they drain — indeed, much of the United States. Since they have been channelized, their flow is swift and constant, and public engineers continually monitor and dredge the channel, to keep it deep enough for barge traffic. Although dams upstream have reduced turbidity, it’s still appropriate to call the Missouri “the big muddy.” The channel bottom of these rivers is covered by shifting sand, gravel, and silt. Animals living in the Missouri and Mississippi must withstand the strong current and turbidity. Channels and levees have eliminated much of the wetland habitat that used to occur along the river bottoms, but after catastrophic floods in recent decades, people have been more receptive to the idea of establishing wetland buffer zones to absorb floodwaters. More Information This web page borrows heavily from William L. Pflieger, Aquatic Community Classification System for Missouri, a 69-page book plus a supplement, published in 1989 by the Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City. Two other books by Pflieger, also published by MDC, will be of special interest as well: The Fishes of Missouri, 1997 edition, a 372-page complete reference to our state’s fish fauna, and The Crayfishes of Missouri, published in 1996, the definitive reference to the state’s crayfishes. Dr. Pflieger deserves deep gratitude from all Missourians for contributing such useful and comprehensive intellectual resources for understanding our state’s natural history. Text and image taken from https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/habitats/statewide-habitat-systems/aquatic-faunal-regions-missouri |
2024.05.29 21:51 chalmun74 Such a Happy Little Family
 | Been meaning to get them all out for a picture after getting the last couple books I needed. Nice to see them all together finally. submitted by chalmun74 to comicbookcollecting [link] [comments] |
2024.05.29 00:22 socrates_friend812 The Central Tenets of Dennett
Many people here seem to be flat out wrong or misunderstood as to what Daniel Dennett's theory of consciousness. So I thought I'd put together some of the central principles he espoused on the issue. I take these from both his books, Consciousness Explained and From Bacteria To Bach And Back. I would like to hear whether you agree with them, or maybe with some and not others. These are just general summaries of the principles, not meant to be a thorough examination. Also, one of the things that makes Dennett's views complex is his weaving together not only philosophy, but also neuroscience, cognitive science, evolutionary anthropology, and psychology.
1. Cartesian dualism is false. It creates the fictional idea of a "theater" in the brain, wherein an inner witness (a "homunculus") receives sense data and feelings and spits out language and behavior. Rather than an inner witness, there is a complex series of internal brain processes that does the work, which he calls the multiple drafts model.
2. Multiple drafts model. For Dennett, the idea of the 'stream of consciousness' is actually a complex mechanical process. All varieties of perception, thought or mental activity, he said, "are accomplished in the brain by parallel, multitrack processes of interpretation and elaboration of sensory inputs... at any point in time there are multiple 'drafts' of narrative fragments at various stages of editing in various places in the brain."
3. Virtual Machine. Dennett believed consciousness to be a huge complex of processes, best understood as a virtual machine implemented in the parallel architecture of the brain, enhancing the organic hardware on which evolution by natural selection has provided us.
4. Illusionism. The previous ideas combine to reveal the larger idea that consciousness is actually an illusion, what he explains is the "illusion of the Central Meaner". It produces the idea of an inner witness/homunculus but by sophisticated brain machinery via chemical impulses and neuronal activity.
5. Evolution. The millions of mechanical moving parts that constitute what is otherwise thought of as the 'mind' is part of our animal heritage, where skills like predator avoidance, facial recognition, berry-picking and other essential tasks are the product. Some of this design is innate, some we share with other animals. These things are enhanced by microhabits, partly the result of self-exploration and partly gifts of culture.
6. There Seems To Be Qualia, But There Isn't. Dennett believes qualia has received too much haggling and wrangling in the philosophical world, when the mechanical explanation will suffice. Given the complex nature of the brain as a prediction-machine, combined with millions of processes developed and evolved for sensory intake and processing, it is clear that qualia are just what he calls complexes of dispositions, internal illusions to keep the mind busy as the body appears to 'enjoy' or 'disdain' a particular habit or sensation. The color red in nature, for example, evokes emotional and life-threatening behavioral tendencies in all animals. One cannot, he writes, "isolate the properties presented in consciousness from the brain's multiple reactions to the discrimination, because there is no such additional presentation process."
7. The Narrative "Self". The "self" is a brain-created user illusion to equip the organic body with a navigational control and regulation mechanism. Indeed, human language has enhanced and motivated the creation of selves into full-blown social and cultural identities. Like a beaver builds a dam and a spider builds a web, human beings are very good at constructing and maintaining selves.
submitted by socrates_friend812 to consciousness [link] [comments]
1. Cartesian dualism is false. It creates the fictional idea of a "theater" in the brain, wherein an inner witness (a "homunculus") receives sense data and feelings and spits out language and behavior. Rather than an inner witness, there is a complex series of internal brain processes that does the work, which he calls the multiple drafts model.
2. Multiple drafts model. For Dennett, the idea of the 'stream of consciousness' is actually a complex mechanical process. All varieties of perception, thought or mental activity, he said, "are accomplished in the brain by parallel, multitrack processes of interpretation and elaboration of sensory inputs... at any point in time there are multiple 'drafts' of narrative fragments at various stages of editing in various places in the brain."
3. Virtual Machine. Dennett believed consciousness to be a huge complex of processes, best understood as a virtual machine implemented in the parallel architecture of the brain, enhancing the organic hardware on which evolution by natural selection has provided us.
4. Illusionism. The previous ideas combine to reveal the larger idea that consciousness is actually an illusion, what he explains is the "illusion of the Central Meaner". It produces the idea of an inner witness/homunculus but by sophisticated brain machinery via chemical impulses and neuronal activity.
5. Evolution. The millions of mechanical moving parts that constitute what is otherwise thought of as the 'mind' is part of our animal heritage, where skills like predator avoidance, facial recognition, berry-picking and other essential tasks are the product. Some of this design is innate, some we share with other animals. These things are enhanced by microhabits, partly the result of self-exploration and partly gifts of culture.
6. There Seems To Be Qualia, But There Isn't. Dennett believes qualia has received too much haggling and wrangling in the philosophical world, when the mechanical explanation will suffice. Given the complex nature of the brain as a prediction-machine, combined with millions of processes developed and evolved for sensory intake and processing, it is clear that qualia are just what he calls complexes of dispositions, internal illusions to keep the mind busy as the body appears to 'enjoy' or 'disdain' a particular habit or sensation. The color red in nature, for example, evokes emotional and life-threatening behavioral tendencies in all animals. One cannot, he writes, "isolate the properties presented in consciousness from the brain's multiple reactions to the discrimination, because there is no such additional presentation process."
7. The Narrative "Self". The "self" is a brain-created user illusion to equip the organic body with a navigational control and regulation mechanism. Indeed, human language has enhanced and motivated the creation of selves into full-blown social and cultural identities. Like a beaver builds a dam and a spider builds a web, human beings are very good at constructing and maintaining selves.
2024.05.28 15:31 Unbundle3606 Serie storica del FPA Allianz Insieme - Linea Azionaria?
 | Qualcuno sa indicarmi dove trovare l'intera serie storica delle quotazioni del Fondo Pensione Aperto di Allianz Insieme - Linea Azionaria? La pagina di Allianz è poverissima di informazioni e riporta solo l'ultimo e il penultimo valore quota. submitted by Unbundle3606 to ItaliaPersonalFinance [link] [comments] Mi va bene qualsiasi formato (tabella in pagina web, excel, json, xml...), così carico su Excel con PowerQuery e mi faccio due conti. Punti bonus se è una serie che viene mantenuta aggiornata in automatico con le nuove quotazioni. EDIT: con "intera serie storica" intendo dalla data di apertura del comparto, che dal prospetto informativo risulta essere il 22/12/2001. Ho trovato un paio di fonti su internet, ma hanno i dati solo dal 2018/2019. EDIT2: comincio a condividere sotto il confronto tra i due Fondi Pensione Aperti più gettonati in questo sub, Amundi SecondaPensione Espansione (80% azionario) e Allianz Insieme Linea Azionaria (95% azionario), limitatamente al range di date per cui ho trovato le quotazioni. Nonostante la differenza di percentuale di componente azionaria, il risultato totale è stranamente molto vicino. In alcuni periodi ha sovraperformato uno, in altri l'altro, ma in maniera simmetrica. Mi piacerebbe quindi avere un set di dati che vada più indietro nel tempo. (Nota: il grafico normalizza le ultime quote di entrambi a 100) EDIT3: Ho trovato un'API ispezionando questa pagina del Corriere Economia che restituisce i valori quota storici dal 2016. Eccola: https://borsa.corriere.it/api/TimeSeries/PEX0ALPFRA12.EUR?seriesType=Daily Ho anche recuperato tramite WayBackMachine (grazie u/ragal99) qualche sparuto data point del 2014/2015 per allinearmi al set di dati che avevo per Amundi SecondaPensione (che prima non esisteva). Sotto il risultato finale, C'è una differenza più piccola di quello che mi sarei aspettato ma comunque una somma investita in PIC 10 anni fa avrebbe guadagnato oggi con Allianz circa il 30% in più di plusvalenza cumulata. EDIT4: Bingo! Ho trovato la serie storica completa dal gennaio 2002 nel json che alimenta il grafico dinamico di Morningstar. Ecco l'API. Sotto il grafico finale, normalizzato a 100 ad inizio periodo. https://preview.redd.it/b9bihdquhc3d1.png?width=4208&format=png&auto=webp&s=52682ee06a2fa6ee10c169052a60c15dff01b0cd |
2024.05.28 13:04 Tokyono [Reality TV] You gotta be kidney me. The story of The Great Donor Show. A tale of organ donation and deception.
Note: I used google translate to translate all the Dutch sources in this post. Apologies for any translation errors, but I have 0 talent for languages.
I was going to write about the controversies of The Great British Bake Off, but then I came across this mess. Enjoy!
Just a quick note: there are two different types of organ donation law; opt-in and opt-out. In 2007, the Netherlands had an opt-in system. It was seen as very inefficient as it did not meet the needs of patients and there was a long waiting list. Most countries in Europe have an “opt out” system vs the USA which has an “opt-in” one.
In 2007, BNN, a Dutch broadcaster known for its controversial programming, announced that they would be airing a show called “The Great Donor Show”. It was created by Endemol, a Dutch production company that had created a lot of popular reality tv shows, including Big Brother.
The premise of the show:
BNN claimed that they produced the show in honour of their founder, Bart de Graaf, who died after waiting seven years for a kidney donation. The show was screened on the fifth anniversary of his death. Proceeds from all the text messages would go to the Dutch Kidney Foundation.
BNN’s then chairman, Laurens Drillich, defended the show and explained why they were airing it:
BNN invited Ab Klink to come onto the show and discuss what the government had done to solve the crisis. But he turned them down. In a poll conducted before the show aired, it was found that 61% of the Dutch population disapproved of the show. Interestingly enough, younger people approved of it much more than older people (44% of under 25s said they would watch it vs 13% of over 65s).
The Dutch Kidney Foundation welcomed the attention that the show had brought to the organ donor issue in the Netherlands, but said that “"their way of doing it is not ours, and it will bring no practical solution". However, the negative attention the show received, made them reach out and ask BNN to stop using their logo in the title of the show. BNN had not asked them for permission and had gone ahead and used their 2007 logo to replace the “o” in the word “show”.
The show aired on the first of June 2007. At the beginning of the broadcast, the presenter, Patrick Lodiers, highlighted the dramatic criticism the show had received, and at the end, he announced that the whole thing was a hoax.
If the vote had been real, then Charlotte would’ve won with 38% of the vote:
The reveal had a mixed reception. Ronald Plasterk thought the show was a “fantastic stunt” and that it had inspired him to become an organ donor. He was very happy that it wasn’t real. The then Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, was also relieved. Ab Klink still though the show was “inappropriate”, but he did find it positive that it had drawn attention to the issue of organ donations. Joop Atsma refused to change his stance, he continued to find the show “tasteless” and a “missed opportunity” and that it didn’t really contribute to solving the issue.
Foreign journalists were also divided on the show, some thought it was useful stunt, others thought it was useless. As for the Dutch Transplant Foundation (not the Dutch Kidney Foundation), they said:
If you want to read more about how the show was made, and how the true aim of it was kept secret, then I suggest reading this lengthy piece on the Bnnvara website (it replaced BNN in 2014).
That same evening, 12,000 people signed up to be donors. By the end of the following week, around 50,000 had requested organ donation forms (this didn’t mean they had actually registered). At the time, the number of registrations for organ donation was about 3,000 to 4,000.html) people had actually registered and become organ donors.
In the months after the show, a group of Dutch politicians decided to get together and form the Coordination Group on Organ Donation. Joined by the Dutch Kidney Association, and many other medical and civil organisations, they presented a “Master Plan for Organ Donation” to Ab Klink. It would change the law in the Netherlands from “opt in” to “opt out”. Klink thought that changing the donor law in such a way was a step too far and rejected it. He did accept the rest of the proposal, which included measures such as “encouraging people to become organ donors, to ensure that next of kin would say yes more often, that donor coordinators were appointed in hospitals, and so on,”.
The law wouldn’t change until 2020:
In 2007, The Great Donor Show won the Dutch TV moment of the year for the scene when Patrick Lodiers revealed it was all a hoax. In 2008, it won an International Emmy for non-scripted entertainment.
As for what happened to “Lisa” and the contestants of the show, as of 2020:
submitted by Tokyono to HobbyDrama [link] [comments]
I was going to write about the controversies of The Great British Bake Off, but then I came across this mess. Enjoy!
Just a quick note: there are two different types of organ donation law; opt-in and opt-out. In 2007, the Netherlands had an opt-in system. It was seen as very inefficient as it did not meet the needs of patients and there was a long waiting list. Most countries in Europe have an “opt out” system vs the USA which has an “opt-in” one.
The Doctor is in: BNN. Bart de Graaf. And The Great Donor Show.
Reality tv is a diverse genre. There are reality shows about dating, marriage, survival, cake baking, carpentry, …and now, organ donation.In 2007, BNN, a Dutch broadcaster known for its controversial programming, announced that they would be airing a show called “The Great Donor Show”. It was created by Endemol, a Dutch production company that had created a lot of popular reality tv shows, including Big Brother.
The premise of the show:
It focuses on Lisa, a 37-year-old woman dying of a brain tumour. She must decide which of three patients selected by the producers, aged between 18 and 40, should receive her kidney. Viewers can offer their opinions by SMS text message.The three contestants were Vincent Moolenaar, Charlotte Trieschnigg, and Esther-Clair Sasabone.
In the Netherlands, organ transplants are subject to strict laws, which prohibit donors from choosing who will receive their organs after their death.
However, an exemption is made in the case of kidney transplants, which can be carried out while the donor is still alive, allowing the donor to choose the beneficiary if there is some link between the two people.
BNN claimed that they produced the show in honour of their founder, Bart de Graaf, who died after waiting seven years for a kidney donation. The show was screened on the fifth anniversary of his death. Proceeds from all the text messages would go to the Dutch Kidney Foundation.
Every-body calm down: The Backlash
The shows announcement was quickly met with both international and national outrage, from politicians, television critics, and medical professionals. Dutch embassies were flooded with complaints . Even the Dutch prime minister at the time, Jan Peter Balkenende, criticised the show, saying it would damage the reputation of the Netherlands. Some Dutch politicians even called for the program to be banned:CDA MP Joop Atsma wants to see if BNN’s Big Donor Show can be banned.Ronald Plasterk weighed in on the situation::
Atsma hopes that BNN will come to repentance. "The fence is with this program of the dam. A careful medical assessment is thus passed. What are people in the program judged? - On their color? - In their gender? To their sexual orientation?”
Atsma calls Minister Ab Klink (CDA) of Health and Minister of Culture Ronald Plasterk (PvdA) Tuesday to the Question Time in the Chamber. “I want to know if we can ban the program. There is a good chance that it will go against the law. I want to explain if there is a difference in selling an organ to the highest bidder.”
"The intention of the programme to get more attention for organ donation may be applaudable," said Dutch Education and Culture Minister Ronald Plasterk.In the end, the government announced that they wouldn’t ban the program, because there was no basis under the law for them to do so.
"However based on the information I now have, the programme appears to me to be inappropriate and unethical because it is a competition," said Plasterk, who is a molecular biologist and former chief of the Dutch Cancer Institute.
BNN’s then chairman, Laurens Drillich, defended the show and explained why they were airing it:
"The chance for a kidney for the contestants is 33%,"…"This is much higher than that for people on a waiting list."He later added that in the five years since Bart De Graaf had died, the situation had gotten much, much, worse.
"We think that is disastrous, so we are acting in a shocking way to bring attention to this problem."
BNN invited Ab Klink to come onto the show and discuss what the government had done to solve the crisis. But he turned them down. In a poll conducted before the show aired, it was found that 61% of the Dutch population disapproved of the show. Interestingly enough, younger people approved of it much more than older people (44% of under 25s said they would watch it vs 13% of over 65s).
The Dutch Kidney Foundation welcomed the attention that the show had brought to the organ donor issue in the Netherlands, but said that “"their way of doing it is not ours, and it will bring no practical solution". However, the negative attention the show received, made them reach out and ask BNN to stop using their logo in the title of the show. BNN had not asked them for permission and had gone ahead and used their 2007 logo to replace the “o” in the word “show”.
The show aired on the first of June 2007. At the beginning of the broadcast, the presenter, Patrick Lodiers, highlighted the dramatic criticism the show had received, and at the end, he announced that the whole thing was a hoax.
If the vote had been real, then Charlotte would’ve won with 38% of the vote:
In the end, it was the most vulnerable of the three who made the biggest impression.(Note: it is very difficult to find surviving clips of the program. It is considered lost media. I was able to find this clip on YouTube, as well as the ones linked above, but that’s it.)
Twenty-nine-year-old Charlotte talked about the fact that she cannot even drink more than a pint of liquid per day, because that is all her body can handle.
Some 38% of those text messages were votes for Charlotte. However, just as "Lisa" started to announce who she was going to give her kidney to, the presenter intervened.
It takes some guts: Donation and deception.
It was revealed that Lisa was an actress, but that the three contestants were all real patients in need of a kidney donation. They knew what was going on and agreed to appear on the program to highlight the organ donation issue in the Netherlands.The reveal had a mixed reception. Ronald Plasterk thought the show was a “fantastic stunt” and that it had inspired him to become an organ donor. He was very happy that it wasn’t real. The then Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, was also relieved. Ab Klink still though the show was “inappropriate”, but he did find it positive that it had drawn attention to the issue of organ donations. Joop Atsma refused to change his stance, he continued to find the show “tasteless” and a “missed opportunity” and that it didn’t really contribute to solving the issue.
Foreign journalists were also divided on the show, some thought it was useful stunt, others thought it was useless. As for the Dutch Transplant Foundation (not the Dutch Kidney Foundation), they said:
The Dutch Transplant Foundation has sympathy for the staged Donorshow. “It reflects the desperation and need of patients well,” said a spokeswoman. At the same time, she warns that the show gives a wrong idea of reality.In a press statement issued after the show, Paul Römer, the director of Endemol, stated:
"In reality, when donating when living, a thorough screening takes place. Medically and psychologically.
For example, we are not looking at whether there is any pressure on the donor," the spokeswoman explains.
"Let there be no misunderstanding, I would never make a program such as 'The Great Donor Show' for real. I do understand the massive outrage very well. But I also hope for people to understand why we did this. It was necessary to get the shortage of donors back on the political agenda. I call up everybody to get very angry about that, and to fill in a donor form."In another news piece, he revealed that, after the show was announced, Endemol employees were bullied across Europe. A colleague in Germany was chased from his office, one in the UK was called a “Devil” in the press, and in Italy, potential clients informed the company that they did not want to work with them because of the program.
If you want to read more about how the show was made, and how the true aim of it was kept secret, then I suggest reading this lengthy piece on the Bnnvara website (it replaced BNN in 2014).
Let’s get organ-ized: The push to change Dutch law and the aftermath of The Great Donor Show.
The Great Donor Show was watched by 1.2 million people. At the time, the population of the Netherlands was about 16.4 million.That same evening, 12,000 people signed up to be donors. By the end of the following week, around 50,000 had requested organ donation forms (this didn’t mean they had actually registered). At the time, the number of registrations for organ donation was about 3,000 to 4,000.html) people had actually registered and become organ donors.
In the months after the show, a group of Dutch politicians decided to get together and form the Coordination Group on Organ Donation. Joined by the Dutch Kidney Association, and many other medical and civil organisations, they presented a “Master Plan for Organ Donation” to Ab Klink. It would change the law in the Netherlands from “opt in” to “opt out”. Klink thought that changing the donor law in such a way was a step too far and rejected it. He did accept the rest of the proposal, which included measures such as “encouraging people to become organ donors, to ensure that next of kin would say yes more often, that donor coordinators were appointed in hospitals, and so on,”.
The law wouldn’t change until 2020:
The amended Donor Act came into force on 1 July 2020. It stipulates that everyone aged 18 and over will be included in the Donor Register. The Donor Register records everyone’s choice regarding donation of organs and tissues after death.Pia Dijkstra, a Dutch MP who led the charge to change the law, said that: “The program (the Donorshow) has been very important in the drafting of the law. It has made the urgency of the problem. You should not underestimate that.”
In 2007, The Great Donor Show won the Dutch TV moment of the year for the scene when Patrick Lodiers revealed it was all a hoax. In 2008, it won an International Emmy for non-scripted entertainment.
As for what happened to “Lisa” and the contestants of the show, as of 2020:
Leonie Gebbink, who played Lisa, runs training and coaching firm ROER. She is happy that she can now be able to walk anonymously again. “I keep hearing: don’t I know you from somewhere? I don't usually call the Donorshow. I think that's a prodigy. As far as my career is concerned, participation has done me good. It is wonderful that makes publicity that people think in advance that you will also have quality, even though I work mainly as a communication trainer and coach and less as an actor.’Thanks for reading. Next I'll definitely be working on my Great British Bakeoff writuep, unless something distracts me again!
Vincent Moolenaar is also doing well. In the summer of 2016, he got a new kidney, after posting a call to it a year earlier on Facebook. Rehabilitation was successful, he told last March in the television program The Walk. Because he did his story there, Moolenaar did not want to cooperate in this article.
Charlotte Trieschnigg underwent a kidney transplant six months after the Donorshow, but that had nothing to do with the broadcast. ‘I had pulled Australia with a friend for a month with the backpack – a ‘Tour de Dialysis’ we called it, because I needed seven hospitals there for a kidney flush, that company still made it to De Telegraaf – and on the day after home I got a call for that kidney.’ After six months, however, things still went wrong. Now she wears a kidney she got in 2014, and it’s going well. Trieschnigg works with the mentally handicapped and also develops numerous activities related to her illness. “I started a website that informs what it is like to have kidney disease. Twice a year in the Radboud Hospital in Nijmegen I tell nurses in training about my own story. Last year I gave a lecture at the VU University in Amsterdam.’
Esther-Clair Sasabone also acts as an ambassador for the theme of kidney disease. With Moolenaar she founded Bureau Sterrenstof, an organization that she now leads alone and with which she supports chronically ill children. “I can go through that in length of years. We've made a children's book about Steven Sterman, a boy who gets kidney disease. At the end of last year a second book was published: Brothers and sisters. How is it for you? If your brother or sister is struggling with a chronic illness, you are also lacking attention.’ Sasabone calls the Donor show a personal turning point. “It was kind of coming out of the closet. Everyone knew about my illness.” One of her colleagues at the Muslim broadcaster offered his kidney the week after the broadcast. “I wouldn’t even accept such an offer from close family, let alone someone I barely know. It’s not just something: you have to get tested often, the donor’s blood must be very similar to that of the recipient.” Sasabone is now in her fourth kidney, which she received in 2010 through transplantation. She's good in her skin. “I just got back from a vacation to Japan. Both physically and emotionally, I feel better than ever.”
2024.05.27 21:24 haidarvm [XFCE] Fedora 40 has great performance & less resource so far + secure :P
![[XFCE] Fedora 40 has great performance & less resource so far + secure :P](https://preview.redd.it/0iljwtuas03d1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f7e35fa857506598b610ebcd2acc5cd24ad75a04 "[XFCE] Fedora 40 has great performance & less resource so far + secure :P") | submitted by haidarvm to unixporn [link] [comments] |
2024.05.27 10:21 wabisuki NSV FAIL!
TLTR: This, is a story of survival.
Sundays used to be my "ME" day.It was the one day of the week that I refused to do anything. I made no commitments to anyone. If I felt like doing something, I'd do it... and if I felt like spending the day laying in bed counting the cob webs on the ceiling (sounds oddly reminiscent of my last date), then that's exactly what I would do. I had no guilt and no regrets.
At some point in my adulthood I lost my "ME" day.
Relinquished to family illnesses to take on the relentless role of primary caregiver until death. And when it's over, you spend another few years creating sufficient chaos in your life to ensure you never have time to be still... all while desperately trying to find yourself again.
Well, by the end of 2023, I finally found my fat sorry ass.... and I didn't like her.
Long story short, 2024 kicked off the first chapter of my next captivating saga - the narrative for which is yet to unfold. But, if there is anything I'm certain of, it will have drama, conflict, mishaps and adventures.
On the tails of ringing in the New Year came a new elixir called 'Mounjaro', and with it, a recommitment to positive lifestyle practices. Things like... cooking my meals at home, more mindful eating, getting more than four hours of sleep, being a little kinder to myself, and giving myself license to hope. I'd like to say exercise too, but cut me some slack... I'm still a Work In Progress. I'll get there... eventually.
As I've shared in my previous post DOWN THE SKINCARE RABBIT HOLE, skincare has become one of my newest excellent adventures. I am more lubricated head to toe now than a Mack truck. With this new found interest in skincare I've found a quiet solace at the start and end of each day, pampering myself with all the potions that have transformed my bathroom counter into what is now a mini chemistry lab.
The road back...
Lurking in the back of my mind has been this desire to officially reclaim my Sunday "ME" day. I haven't quite managed it yet, but I feel like I'm almost there. One of the hallmarks of my past life was the Sunday bath - a symbolic way of closing off the week with a almost-too-hot-to-tolerate soak in the tub to cleanse the week away.
I have a shower every morning, but I haven't had a bath in years and years and years. Partly because I didn't have time but mostly because I got too fat. The logistics of getting in or out of a bathtub for someone who is morbidly obese is next level anxiety. Add to the mix a sore knee, sore foot, sore hip and that newly acquired menopausally rotund mid-section and it's all just a disaster waiting to happen. My entire existence these past few years has been almost solely focused on remaining upright and on my feet at all times - because if I went down, there was no guarantee I could get back up again.
So I've been waiting....
Having dropped 47 lbs since starting Mounjaro, I am finally now back in historical bath time territory. I was going to save this moment for some time in June but since it was Sunday, and I have a new bathtub I've never had the pleasure of soaking in yet, I decided today was the day for a bath!
It seemed like a great idea at the time.
I got into the tub with relative ease and dropped in at low tide. One thing I'm not 100% sure of is if the overflow drain is actually attached. The last thing I wanted to end my day with is finding out the hard way that the overflow isn't plumbed in and then having to deal with the inevitable insurance claim from the suite below.
Anyhoo.... there I am with my Budda Body FINALLY taking a bath! Another Non-Scale Victory in the making!! How exciting!! Just don't make any waves!
Then a moment of panic....
WHERE IS ALL THE WATER? It was just here!! The tub was filling up nicely and then out of nowhere half of it just disappeared on me!
Did the bathtub spring a leak????
Did my foot hit the drain and unplug it????
My heart is racing... my eyes scanning for clues.... my ears tuned for the sound of trickling water.... And then I see it... my body had created a dam - a water tight dam! And when my weight shifted, all that water that was in front of me, had suddenly flow through to the back of me.
RELIEF!
There's no leak! I'm just still really fucking fat!
But at least that's not an insurance claim. And so we sit. And soak. And marvel at how much better my legs look under water than above water. Today is a good day. I'm finally having a bath!!! But as with everything in life... all good things must come to an end. Once I reached pruned status and the water had cooled, I realized it was time to leave this sanctuary of liquid velvet.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM.
Suddenly I realized that while I wasn't too fat to get into the tub... I may still be too fat to get out of the tub. It's hard for me to put into words just how things unfolded from there. But if you can imagine a walrus stuck in a bathtub, panicking while it tries to roll itself out and over the edge - because that sore knee and sore foot and sore hip that I mentioned earlier were having none of it. Panicked Mad Walrus Stuck in Bathtub would be a suitable headline to describe the chaos that ensued.
BUT I MADE IT! I SURVIVED!!!
I will live to see another day and I didn't even have to call Search & Rescue to come and get me. I did sprain my finger though. I am probably the only person you will ever know that sprained their finger trying to get out of a bathtub. Needless to say... my next bath is scheduled for sometime in 2025.
Not all Non-Scale Victories are a success.
2024.05.27 02:20 Airsoftgguy How do I make this full screen?
 | submitted by Airsoftgguy to assettocorsa [link] [comments] |
2024.05.26 15:24 LastWeekInCollapse Last Week in Collapse: May 19-25, 2024
Microplastics, heat waves, terrorism, bird flu, and another big iceberg breaking off Antarctica.
Last Week in Collapse: May 19-25, 2024
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, useful, soul-crushing, ironic, stunning, exhausting, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.
This is the 126th newsletter. You can find the May 12-18 edition here if you missed it last week. You can also receive these posts (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox with Substack.
——————————
Climatologists predict many more heat waves across southern Asia over the coming decades. Hundreds of people were treated for heatstroke in Pakistan after a 49 °C (120 °F) heat wave rolled through. Temperatures are expected to reach 55 °C (131 °F) by the end of May. In Mexico, 80+ monkeys dropped dead of heat stroke, with many others requiring medical attention. It’s gonna be a bad hurricane season.
We are experiencing another negative side effect from microplastics: they are reducing the rate of carbon sinking in the oceans. This is because clumps of carbon, which would ordinarily sink to the seafloor, are also taking in microplastics, which are more buoyant. Increased concentrations of micro/nanoplastics also interfere with phytoplankton’s ability to capture carbon. But some good news: two teenage inventors have created an object that filters out microplastics using ultrasonic sound waves.
Mismanagement of grazing lands worldwide is resulting in their breakdown, and the release of larger quantities of carbon. One researcher said that “almost 35—even 50 percent—of rangelands are already degraded,” a significant amount of land, considering over half the earth’s land is classified as such.
A 4.4 tremor near an Italian supervolcano, followed by dozens of mini-quakes, forced the evacuation of at-risk residents. Scientists continue warning about ocean water undercutting the Doomsday Glacier causing “vigorous melting.” A new calving has split a large iceberg off Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf, weeks after a new crack had appeared.
A study00110-1) looking into endangered species claims researchers have a bias towards land animals, neglecting fungi, plants, and marine animals. They say this narrow focus is leading to “silent extinction” among understudied organism species necessary to maintain stable biodiversity.
Migratory fish stocks have Collapsed by over 80% since 1970, scientists say. Drought has destroyed 70% of lemons in Karnataka state (pop: 64M), India, while strawberry harvests were hit in northern India. Martinique declared its first Drought ever.
Southern Vietnam hit an all-time high temperature at night. And a number of Caribbean records were broken last week as well. Sydney, Australia, continues breaking new climate/weather records. 66 more people died in flooding in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia is warning of incredible temperatures at this year’s Hajj. And let’s not forget new sea-surface temperatures in the north Atlantic.
About a third of the mighty Amazon rainforest is suffering from Drought, based on a paywalled study in PNAS. “If we are already seeing a tipping point getting closer at this macro forest level, then it must be getting worse at a micro level,” said the study’s lead author. Brazil’s savannah is reportedly experiencing its worst Drought in 700+ years. Meanwhile, Brazil’s southern region is still flooded, 500,000+ people displaced, rice fields obliterated, people fallen sick, and much of the infrastructure beyond repair.
Drought in Adelaide (pop: 1.4M), Australia. A record-breaking heat index in Miami for this time of year. Mexico says 12 people died from heat stroke during a 10-day period in May.
A study published a few days ago lays out the risk to Arctic watersheds from melting permafrost—bringing iron and other dangerous metals downstream, rusting the rivers and endangering these fragile ecosystems.
——————————
Scientists looking into malaria predict a massive increase in the number of people living in malaria-endemic regions by the end of this century. Rivers and floodplains are especially dangerous zones for the mostly tropical disease. The full study, published in Science, indicates a longer transmission season in a much more populous Africa.
A study published last month in Environmental Science & Technology examined how microplastics enter our bodies across 109 different countries. The regions of the world which ingest and inhale microplastics are, by far, east and southeast Asia. Fish is also the top microplastic-containing food—and it’s not even close. However, the data relied upon in this study ended in 2018, so there’s a large gap in recent nano/microplastics development.
A study published last week in Communications Earth & Environment predicts that southern California will experience 3x greater coastal erosion by 2050—driving a 5x cost increase in “coastal living”. The current “shoreline retreat rate” in those beaches is 1.45m per year, a figure expected to jump to 2.12m by 2050 and 3.18m by 2100. Similar beach erosion rates are estimated for many African, Australian, Arabian, and other beachfronts. “The environmental and ecological impacts of the needed artificial beach nourishment have yet to be fully assessed.”
Today about 55% of people worldwide lack clean water at least once a month. By 2100, the figure is expected to reach 66%. A gust of wind toppled a stadium at a political event in Mexico, killing nine people. An explosion in a sugar factory in Tanzania killed eleven.
Australia has reported its first human case of bird flu, in a child who returned from India recently; a second farm has contracted a strain of avian flu in Australia as well. Meanwhile, another American dairy worker tested positive, this one in Michigan. “It is worrisome that the virus is spreading widely in cows because this can lead to changes in the virus that could potentially increase human susceptibility,” one medical expert said. Avian flu/HPAI/bird flu/H5N1 has now infected 48 mammal species, in addition to 24 bird species, and has been found on all 7 continents and held responsible for tens of millions of animal deaths so far.
——————————
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants to several Hamas leaders, as well as two top Israeli officials, for war crimes & crimes against humanity in Israel & Palestine. A few European states declared their recognition of Palestine as a State. Hostilities and shortages are impeding UN humanitarian aid and the U.S. alleges that none of the aid unloaded at their new pier has gone to the broader Palestinian population—although well over 500 metric tonnes have been unloaded. Exchanges continue between Israel and Hezbollah. The ICJ—the UN’s top court—ordered a stop to Israel’s Rafah offensive, though its rulings require the Security Council’s approval for any binding effect.
Iran’s ultraconservative President died in a helicopter crash last Sunday. The UN claims 140,000+ Somalians have been displaced in the last 4 months from flooding & conflict. Italy’s conservatives are pushing for military conscription, as are the British conservatives.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh sent security forces implicated in murder & torture to work as UN peacekeepers… 12 people were confirmed dead, and dozens others reported killed, after a raid in Nigeria’s north. A number of insurgents and soldiers were killed at a battle in Niger. Colombia’s insurgents launched two attacks on Monday, killing two in total and injuring a handful of others.
Dozens of people were arrested, and several killed, in an attempted coup in Kinshasa (pop: 17M), the capital of the DRC—according to reports, anyway. The attackers launched simultaneous attacks at the residence of the President and the Parliamentary Speaker-to-be, though both were unsuccessful. Initial reports claimed that the coup was plotted by a political rival living in the U.S.
A 37-page doomy governmental report on future threats to Canada paints a picture of a nation vulnerable to an overload of 35 specific risks. The most likely two are a Collapse of truth and the looming loss of biodiversity.
The German climate activist/protest group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) has been determined to be a criminal organization by authorities after repeated disruptions to oil refineries and art galleries. It is reportedly the first time a non-violent protest group in Germany has been labeled as such.
Chinese military drills escalated last week over the inauguration of a new Taiwanese President. Towns in Texas are reaching a breaking point in their worsening Water War with Mexico. Difficulties remain between old water negotiations between India & Bangladesh. Haiti’s healthcare system continues collapsing. 11 migrants, likely expelled from Algeria into Niger, died of thirst or heat stroke.
Over 3,000 Ukrainian convicts have applied to join the military in exchange for reduced sentences. President Zelenskyy’s first five-year term has elapsed, though new elections will probably not be held until after the conclusion of the War. A missile attack in Kharkiv slew seven and injured many others. A few days later another missile struck a hardware store in Kharkiv, killing twelve and dozens more. Some 14,000 have fled from around Kharkiv since Russia’s recent offensive began there.
Russia is increasing reliance on “glide bombs,”, which are old Soviet bombs outfitted with new unfolding wings & navigation controls. The large number of these bombs means it is too expensive to intercept them once dropped. Russia also redrew its maritime waters in the Baltic Sea last week (effective next January, they say), part of a hybrid “shadow war” to disable the West. Nuclear drills near Ukraine’s border aren’t exactly reassuring, either.
Young Burmese fighters are self-activating against the junta’s military forces. The desperate former bystanders are hardening for battle; though their matériel is in short supply, they continue to make small victories. In Sudan, tens of thousands more flee El-Fasher, where ethnic cleansing and terrorism has killed at least 85 people.
——————————
Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-After severe storms & tornadoes took out electricity for some 360,000 Texans, one redditor in preppers made a comprehensive situation report for how people were getting by in the aftermath of an urban infrastructure Collapse. It’s worth a read if you think it could happen where you live.
-The education system in America has fallen apart, based on this weekly observation from New Jersey. Are schools are merely a thin cover for the depression, rot, and brokenness of society? Also, this observer claims that the state of addiction to drugs & alcohol is at crisis levels.
Got any feedback, questions, comments, complaints, upvotes, hate mail, free COVID tests, doomy geocaches, drought-resistant seeds, etc.? Check out the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to your (or someone else’s) email inbox every weekend. What did I forget this week?
submitted by LastWeekInCollapse to collapse [link] [comments]
Last Week in Collapse: May 19-25, 2024
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, useful, soul-crushing, ironic, stunning, exhausting, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.
This is the 126th newsletter. You can find the May 12-18 edition here if you missed it last week. You can also receive these posts (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox with Substack.
——————————
Climatologists predict many more heat waves across southern Asia over the coming decades. Hundreds of people were treated for heatstroke in Pakistan after a 49 °C (120 °F) heat wave rolled through. Temperatures are expected to reach 55 °C (131 °F) by the end of May. In Mexico, 80+ monkeys dropped dead of heat stroke, with many others requiring medical attention. It’s gonna be a bad hurricane season.
We are experiencing another negative side effect from microplastics: they are reducing the rate of carbon sinking in the oceans. This is because clumps of carbon, which would ordinarily sink to the seafloor, are also taking in microplastics, which are more buoyant. Increased concentrations of micro/nanoplastics also interfere with phytoplankton’s ability to capture carbon. But some good news: two teenage inventors have created an object that filters out microplastics using ultrasonic sound waves.
Mismanagement of grazing lands worldwide is resulting in their breakdown, and the release of larger quantities of carbon. One researcher said that “almost 35—even 50 percent—of rangelands are already degraded,” a significant amount of land, considering over half the earth’s land is classified as such.
A 4.4 tremor near an Italian supervolcano, followed by dozens of mini-quakes, forced the evacuation of at-risk residents. Scientists continue warning about ocean water undercutting the Doomsday Glacier causing “vigorous melting.” A new calving has split a large iceberg off Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf, weeks after a new crack had appeared.
A study00110-1) looking into endangered species claims researchers have a bias towards land animals, neglecting fungi, plants, and marine animals. They say this narrow focus is leading to “silent extinction” among understudied organism species necessary to maintain stable biodiversity.
Migratory fish stocks have Collapsed by over 80% since 1970, scientists say. Drought has destroyed 70% of lemons in Karnataka state (pop: 64M), India, while strawberry harvests were hit in northern India. Martinique declared its first Drought ever.
Southern Vietnam hit an all-time high temperature at night. And a number of Caribbean records were broken last week as well. Sydney, Australia, continues breaking new climate/weather records. 66 more people died in flooding in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia is warning of incredible temperatures at this year’s Hajj. And let’s not forget new sea-surface temperatures in the north Atlantic.
About a third of the mighty Amazon rainforest is suffering from Drought, based on a paywalled study in PNAS. “If we are already seeing a tipping point getting closer at this macro forest level, then it must be getting worse at a micro level,” said the study’s lead author. Brazil’s savannah is reportedly experiencing its worst Drought in 700+ years. Meanwhile, Brazil’s southern region is still flooded, 500,000+ people displaced, rice fields obliterated, people fallen sick, and much of the infrastructure beyond repair.
Drought in Adelaide (pop: 1.4M), Australia. A record-breaking heat index in Miami for this time of year. Mexico says 12 people died from heat stroke during a 10-day period in May.
A study published a few days ago lays out the risk to Arctic watersheds from melting permafrost—bringing iron and other dangerous metals downstream, rusting the rivers and endangering these fragile ecosystems.
——————————
Scientists looking into malaria predict a massive increase in the number of people living in malaria-endemic regions by the end of this century. Rivers and floodplains are especially dangerous zones for the mostly tropical disease. The full study, published in Science, indicates a longer transmission season in a much more populous Africa.
A study published last month in Environmental Science & Technology examined how microplastics enter our bodies across 109 different countries. The regions of the world which ingest and inhale microplastics are, by far, east and southeast Asia. Fish is also the top microplastic-containing food—and it’s not even close. However, the data relied upon in this study ended in 2018, so there’s a large gap in recent nano/microplastics development.
“Indonesia tops the global per capita MP dietary intake at 15 g monthly. In Asian, African, and American countries, including China and the United States, airborne and dietary MP uptake increased over 6-fold from 1990 to 2018….57% of plastic particles in foods are mainly from aquatic sources….Removing 99% of aquatic plastic debris by water management for surface water quality control in freshwater watersheds, wetlands, and lakes, as well as ocean cleanups or effective solid waste management, can decrease human MP exposure by 55%....MP removal from a single type of water system cannot hamper their transport among other systems and still leads to exposure and long-term impacts on the entire freshwater environment and food web….Another study on microplastics claims that most microplastics in the seas have escaped detection altogether, for now. Estimates of microplastics off the coast of Venezuela are believed to be higher than previously thought. A sampling of microplastics off the eastern coast of the United States found a greater number of plastic particles farther south, where they were also smaller. The largest size microplastics in the region were identified off the coast of North Carolina. According to their global survey, “detected MPs less than 53 micrometers at a rate of six orders of magnitude higher than all of the combined reports.” And concentrations of microplastics in men’s balls are also higher than estimated.
A study published last week in Communications Earth & Environment predicts that southern California will experience 3x greater coastal erosion by 2050—driving a 5x cost increase in “coastal living”. The current “shoreline retreat rate” in those beaches is 1.45m per year, a figure expected to jump to 2.12m by 2050 and 3.18m by 2100. Similar beach erosion rates are estimated for many African, Australian, Arabian, and other beachfronts. “The environmental and ecological impacts of the needed artificial beach nourishment have yet to be fully assessed.”
Today about 55% of people worldwide lack clean water at least once a month. By 2100, the figure is expected to reach 66%. A gust of wind toppled a stadium at a political event in Mexico, killing nine people. An explosion in a sugar factory in Tanzania killed eleven.
Australia has reported its first human case of bird flu, in a child who returned from India recently; a second farm has contracted a strain of avian flu in Australia as well. Meanwhile, another American dairy worker tested positive, this one in Michigan. “It is worrisome that the virus is spreading widely in cows because this can lead to changes in the virus that could potentially increase human susceptibility,” one medical expert said. Avian flu/HPAI/bird flu/H5N1 has now infected 48 mammal species, in addition to 24 bird species, and has been found on all 7 continents and held responsible for tens of millions of animal deaths so far.
——————————
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants to several Hamas leaders, as well as two top Israeli officials, for war crimes & crimes against humanity in Israel & Palestine. A few European states declared their recognition of Palestine as a State. Hostilities and shortages are impeding UN humanitarian aid and the U.S. alleges that none of the aid unloaded at their new pier has gone to the broader Palestinian population—although well over 500 metric tonnes have been unloaded. Exchanges continue between Israel and Hezbollah. The ICJ—the UN’s top court—ordered a stop to Israel’s Rafah offensive, though its rulings require the Security Council’s approval for any binding effect.
Iran’s ultraconservative President died in a helicopter crash last Sunday. The UN claims 140,000+ Somalians have been displaced in the last 4 months from flooding & conflict. Italy’s conservatives are pushing for military conscription, as are the British conservatives.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh sent security forces implicated in murder & torture to work as UN peacekeepers… 12 people were confirmed dead, and dozens others reported killed, after a raid in Nigeria’s north. A number of insurgents and soldiers were killed at a battle in Niger. Colombia’s insurgents launched two attacks on Monday, killing two in total and injuring a handful of others.
Dozens of people were arrested, and several killed, in an attempted coup in Kinshasa (pop: 17M), the capital of the DRC—according to reports, anyway. The attackers launched simultaneous attacks at the residence of the President and the Parliamentary Speaker-to-be, though both were unsuccessful. Initial reports claimed that the coup was plotted by a political rival living in the U.S.
A 37-page doomy governmental report on future threats to Canada paints a picture of a nation vulnerable to an overload of 35 specific risks. The most likely two are a Collapse of truth and the looming loss of biodiversity.
“More powerful generative AI tools, declining trust in traditional knowledge sources, and algorithms designed for emotional engagement rather than factual reporting could increase distrust and social fragmentation….Ecosystem collapse and the loss of biodiversity could have cascading impacts on all living things, putting basic human needs such as clean air, water, and food in jeopardy….Emergency responses may be unable to keep pace….Extreme weather events could also result in regular shocks to trade, volatile price of goods, and increased travel restrictions. Meanwhile, an already fragile healthcare system may crumble under surging demand….billionaires could gain warfare capabilities and control over natural resources and strategic assets. Some might co-opt national foreign policy or take unilateral diplomatic or military action….”A large majority of Americans (Democrats & Republicans alike) are worried about political violence following the upcoming November 5 election; yet about half believe there will be violence. A less-than-oblique reference by Donald Trump that President Biden was ready to employ “deadly force” during the 2022 documents raid on Mar-a-Lago hasn’t lowered the political temperature either. And North Korea is supposedly planning some kind of military action to disrupt the US election season.
“Social cohesion may erode as a flood of undetectable AI-generated content manipulates and divides populations, fueling values-based clashes….As an energy and water-intensive technology, AI could also put pressure on supplies of vital resources….population growth, climate change, extreme weather events, and conflict outbreaks may further limit resource availability….as the extremely wealthy continue to accumulate a larger share of the wealth, resentment may deepen until calls for greater wealth redistribution reach a critical point…..antimicrobial resistance (AMR), biological threats, and augmented humans could further push the {healthcare} system beyond the brink….Boys and men face unprecedented levels of educational dropout, unemployment, and loneliness….Diminishing trust, the assertion of values, acts of interference, the battle for technological superiority, and the fight over natural resources and supply chains {could} propel great powers into a world war…” -selections from the report.
The German climate activist/protest group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) has been determined to be a criminal organization by authorities after repeated disruptions to oil refineries and art galleries. It is reportedly the first time a non-violent protest group in Germany has been labeled as such.
Chinese military drills escalated last week over the inauguration of a new Taiwanese President. Towns in Texas are reaching a breaking point in their worsening Water War with Mexico. Difficulties remain between old water negotiations between India & Bangladesh. Haiti’s healthcare system continues collapsing. 11 migrants, likely expelled from Algeria into Niger, died of thirst or heat stroke.
Over 3,000 Ukrainian convicts have applied to join the military in exchange for reduced sentences. President Zelenskyy’s first five-year term has elapsed, though new elections will probably not be held until after the conclusion of the War. A missile attack in Kharkiv slew seven and injured many others. A few days later another missile struck a hardware store in Kharkiv, killing twelve and dozens more. Some 14,000 have fled from around Kharkiv since Russia’s recent offensive began there.
Russia is increasing reliance on “glide bombs,”, which are old Soviet bombs outfitted with new unfolding wings & navigation controls. The large number of these bombs means it is too expensive to intercept them once dropped. Russia also redrew its maritime waters in the Baltic Sea last week (effective next January, they say), part of a hybrid “shadow war” to disable the West. Nuclear drills near Ukraine’s border aren’t exactly reassuring, either.
Young Burmese fighters are self-activating against the junta’s military forces. The desperate former bystanders are hardening for battle; though their matériel is in short supply, they continue to make small victories. In Sudan, tens of thousands more flee El-Fasher, where ethnic cleansing and terrorism has killed at least 85 people.
——————————
Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-After severe storms & tornadoes took out electricity for some 360,000 Texans, one redditor in preppers made a comprehensive situation report for how people were getting by in the aftermath of an urban infrastructure Collapse. It’s worth a read if you think it could happen where you live.
-The education system in America has fallen apart, based on this weekly observation from New Jersey. Are schools are merely a thin cover for the depression, rot, and brokenness of society? Also, this observer claims that the state of addiction to drugs & alcohol is at crisis levels.
Got any feedback, questions, comments, complaints, upvotes, hate mail, free COVID tests, doomy geocaches, drought-resistant seeds, etc.? Check out the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to your (or someone else’s) email inbox every weekend. What did I forget this week?
2024.05.26 01:45 HacedorDeHeces Pido consejo sobre FP de DAW/DAM
Buenas a todos!
Después de haberme sacado el ciclo medio de informática y haber trabajado durante 6 años en carniceras, puestos de soporte y DPTO de IT como herramienta multiusos, a mis 29 años me metí a hacer FP Superior de DAW (llevaba muchísimo tiempo queriendo aprender a programar y trabajar de ello pero mis circunstancias no me lo permitían y de manera autodidacta no era capaz).
Ahora que he aprobado el primer año de DAW , me encuentro en la tesitura de que DAW y DAM comparten el primer año y tengo dudas sobre cual de los 2 sacar, aunque he sacado el primer año de DAW podría matricularme en el segundo año de DAM.
Tanto el desarrollo web y el desarrollo de aplicaciones en Android o de Escritorio me llaman la atención por igual y no se hacia que lado inclinarme, ya que no conozco a nadie a quien preguntar , me gustaría preguntaros a vosotros que veis que tiene mas empleabilidad o que creéis en base a vuestra experiencia que seria lo mejor.
Gracias de antemano. Saludos a todos
submitted by HacedorDeHeces to programacion [link] [comments]
Después de haberme sacado el ciclo medio de informática y haber trabajado durante 6 años en carniceras, puestos de soporte y DPTO de IT como herramienta multiusos, a mis 29 años me metí a hacer FP Superior de DAW (llevaba muchísimo tiempo queriendo aprender a programar y trabajar de ello pero mis circunstancias no me lo permitían y de manera autodidacta no era capaz).
Ahora que he aprobado el primer año de DAW , me encuentro en la tesitura de que DAW y DAM comparten el primer año y tengo dudas sobre cual de los 2 sacar, aunque he sacado el primer año de DAW podría matricularme en el segundo año de DAM.
Tanto el desarrollo web y el desarrollo de aplicaciones en Android o de Escritorio me llaman la atención por igual y no se hacia que lado inclinarme, ya que no conozco a nadie a quien preguntar , me gustaría preguntaros a vosotros que veis que tiene mas empleabilidad o que creéis en base a vuestra experiencia que seria lo mejor.
Gracias de antemano. Saludos a todos
2024.05.24 12:37 dwestr22 Jeftin self-hosting security za web servere
Nije još jedan rant o traženju posla... Tehničko pitanje imam.
Nadam se da ovde ima security kolega koje će moći da mi kažu da li je ovo ok ili grešim... Mala napomena: sve ovo radim kako bi izbegao cloud. U pitanju su personalni projekti koji nemaju mnogo osetljive ili lične podatke, tako da ako i pogrešim nije smak sveta. Nema mi smisla da plaćam cloud rešenja za lične projektiće. Najosetljivija stvar koji čuvam su hashevi email adresa korisnika sa hardcodovanim saltom. Projekti još nisu "live" ali koristim te servere kao test okruženje, te planiram da isto rešenje stavim jednog dana i na prod.
DakleM imam dva linux servera, oba su iza odvojenog firewalla koji blokira sve TCP i UDP portove (uključujući 80, 8080 i 443). Pristup web aplikacijama ide preko tunela, a ssh pristup je moguć samo preko VPNa. Ono što me muči je sledeće...
Web aplikacije imaju secrete u zasebnim direktorijumima (SMTP kredencijali, DB connection string i ključevi za enkripciju kolačića). Ako neko uspe nekako da pristupi VPNu i tim serverima moći će da izvuče te secrete iz fajlova. Sve to bih mogao da stavim u env vars umesto u fajlove ali mislim da imam bolju ideju. Pala su mi dva rešenja na pamet...
Znam da je sve ovo možda overkill, kao da radim projekat za nasu, ali je u pitanju učenje i eksperimentisanje.
Osim navedenih potencijalnih problema da li vidite neku fundamentalnu grešku u ovome?
submitted by dwestr22 to programiranje [link] [comments]
Nadam se da ovde ima security kolega koje će moći da mi kažu da li je ovo ok ili grešim... Mala napomena: sve ovo radim kako bi izbegao cloud. U pitanju su personalni projekti koji nemaju mnogo osetljive ili lične podatke, tako da ako i pogrešim nije smak sveta. Nema mi smisla da plaćam cloud rešenja za lične projektiće. Najosetljivija stvar koji čuvam su hashevi email adresa korisnika sa hardcodovanim saltom. Projekti još nisu "live" ali koristim te servere kao test okruženje, te planiram da isto rešenje stavim jednog dana i na prod.
DakleM imam dva linux servera, oba su iza odvojenog firewalla koji blokira sve TCP i UDP portove (uključujući 80, 8080 i 443). Pristup web aplikacijama ide preko tunela, a ssh pristup je moguć samo preko VPNa. Ono što me muči je sledeće...
Web aplikacije imaju secrete u zasebnim direktorijumima (SMTP kredencijali, DB connection string i ključevi za enkripciju kolačića). Ako neko uspe nekako da pristupi VPNu i tim serverima moći će da izvuče te secrete iz fajlova. Sve to bih mogao da stavim u env vars umesto u fajlove ali mislim da imam bolju ideju. Pala su mi dva rešenja na pamet...
- Da signujem apikacije i preko TPMa dam pristup TPM secretima samo signovanim aplikacijama. Ovo odma pada u vodu, jedan server ima TPM 2.0, drugi nema nikakav (a nemam nameru da kupujem ili iznajmljujem treći, pogotovo što su rešenja sa TPMom skupalja od boranije koju sad koristim).
- Deployment aplikacija je polu-automatizovan, skripa sa dev mašine radi ceo build i deploy ali mora da se ručno ukuca password na početku kako bi se dobili ssh ključevi. (Koristim PBKDF2 i AES256.) Ideja je da istim passwordom enkriptujem i konfiguraciju i uradim deploy konfiguracionog fajla zajedno sa aplikacijom. Kad se aplikacija restartuje ona učita config i obriše ili shreduje fajl. Na taj način svi secreti su samo u memoriji aplikacije osim na par sekudni koliko traje deploy. Ovde je verovatno veći problem što bi neko mogao da uradi memory dump aplikacije i time dođe do secreta. Opet secrete mogu čuvati kao security string koji ako ne grešim OS čuva u zasebnom delu memorije koji se ne može dumpovati, ali kad god mi treba secret mora se učitati u aplikacionu memoriju što znači da dump opet može da sadrži secrete. Od ovog nebi bio zaštićen ni da koristim env vars za config ili neki eksterni/cloud secret manager.
Znam da je sve ovo možda overkill, kao da radim projekat za nasu, ali je u pitanju učenje i eksperimentisanje.
Osim navedenih potencijalnih problema da li vidite neku fundamentalnu grešku u ovome?
2024.05.24 03:43 CrazyLab8518 Illinois Military Spouse Residency Relief Act
TYIA, I work in Illinois and my wife is stationed in Colorado. (I fly back and forth). I am a nonresident spouse of a servicemember, same domicile, and elect to have the same as my wife. I get it says you are accompanying the spouse in ILLINOIS; however, the "or" makes me believe it is optional and I can go with the last bullet specifically for taxation only. Am I interpreting this correctly?
I need nonresident AND i have the same domicile as spouse or for the purposes of taxation and you are in Illinois, even if your service member spouse is not located in Illinois. Really hoping someone else has similar experience.
https://tax.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/tax/research/publications/pubs/documents/pub-102.pdf
submitted by CrazyLab8518 to MilitaryFinance [link] [comments]
I need nonresident AND i have the same domicile as spouse or for the purposes of taxation and you are in Illinois, even if your service member spouse is not located in Illinois. Really hoping someone else has similar experience.
https://tax.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/tax/research/publications/pubs/documents/pub-102.pdf
- you are a nonresident spouse of a service member, and
- you and your service member spouse have the same domicile and you are in Illinois only to accompany your spouse on his or her military assignment, or
- you elect to use the same domicile as your service member spouse for the purposes of taxation and you are in Illinois, even if your service member spouse is not located in Illinois
2024.05.21 21:06 CampingWorld What Are The Best RV Trips for Beginners?
There’s a lot to learn when you’re new to RVing. After purchasing your RV and equipping it with the right gear, the last thing you want is to feel overwhelmed trying to select where to camp. So we asked the question: what are the best RV trips for beginners?
Of course, we have our own opinions, but we wanted to see what the RV community felt. We asked experienced RVers which destinations or campgrounds they would recommend for beginners. With over 150 replies, here are the top five answers:
Because we don’t know where home is for you, we organized this list of the best RV trips for beginners and organized them by region.
Park Features:
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Want to add your advice to our poll? Click below to join the conversation!
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=776034604566862&id=100064809877965&mibextid=WC7FNe
Which destinations would you recommend for first-time RVers? Share your tips in the comments below.
submitted by CampingWorld to campingworld [link] [comments]
Of course, we have our own opinions, but we wanted to see what the RV community felt. We asked experienced RVers which destinations or campgrounds they would recommend for beginners. With over 150 replies, here are the top five answers:
- Somewhere close to home
- State parks
- Good Sam Campgrounds
- Your backyard
- National parks
Why Stay Close to Home on Your First RV Trip as a Beginner?
The overwhelming majority of experienced RVers recommended sticking to somewhere close to home as a beginner. Their reasons were practical:- You know where to go (home or familiar stores) if you forget supplies.
- You’re not far from your community if you need help.
- If something breaks down, towing your RV back to your house won't take long or cost too much.
- You do less driving and more time getting familiar with your RV.
- You won’t hurt your wallet on gas expenses if you overpack (which most first-timers do!)
Which Locations Make For The Best RV Trips for Beginners?
We collected specific recommendations for those who want to venture out while staying close to home. These came directly from experienced RVers nationwide who were willing to share their favorite destinations for RV newbies.Because we don’t know where home is for you, we organized this list of the best RV trips for beginners and organized them by region.
The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Northeast
Bayley’s Camping Resort – Scarborough, Maine
Park Features:- 512 full hookup sites
- 75’ pull-thru sites
- 44’ back-in sites
- Weekly entertainment schedule
- Recreation facilities
- Pools, restaurants, camp stores, and an arcade
Kennebec River Campground – The Forks, Maine
Park Features:- Six secluded RV sites with electric hookups
- Full restaurant and brewery with deck seating
- Swimming pool and hot tub
- Bathhouse with hot, running water
- Easy access to the Kennebec River
- Base camp for whitewater rafting, snowmobiling, and other Maine adventures
Gettysburg Battlefield RV Resort – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Park Features:- 250 RV sites
- 60’ maximum RV length
- Battlefield reenactment grounds, Olympic swimming pool, and stocked fishing pond
- Game room, general store, and ice cream parlor
- Canoe, kayak, and paddle boat rentals
- Themed activities, nature trail, and laundry facilities
Quechee / Pine Valley – Hartford, Vermont
Park Features:- Full hookup RV sites (30 and 50 amp service)
- 85’ maximum RV length
- Off-leash dog park and activity field
- Bike, canoe, and banana bike rentals
- Heating swimming pool (open 5/27 to 9/5)
- Saturday hay rides, playground adventures, and family fishing at the pond
Cherrystone Campground – Cape Charles, Virginia
Park Features:- Open seasonally from 4/1 to 10/31
- 181 full hookup 30 amp sites (87 wateelectric only 30 amp sites)
- 121 full hookup 50 amp sites
- Private beach, beach entry pool, and two Olympic-sized pools
- Lazy river, mini golf course, and four fishing piers
- Daily shuttle service into Downtown Cape Charles
Holiday Trav-L-Park – Virginia Beach, Virginia
Why They Recommended: “The place is pretty big (but tight, please know HOW to drive). It has seven pools, a bar, a restaurant, laundry, concerts, and a little trolley that will take you to the beach for even more entertainment.”Park Features:
- 700 RV sites (full hookup and wateelectric only)
- Wooded, partly shaded, or open site locations
- Maximum RV length varies by site type
- On-site laundromat, Safari Cafe, and eight tiled comfort stations
- Trolley from the cafe to the beach and beyond
- Dog park, bike path, and convenience store
Virginia Beach Holiday – Virginia Beach, Virginia
Why They Recommended: “They just put in a lazy river and a brand new pool. It’s state-of-the-art!”Park Features:
- Full hookup sites with 50, 30, and 20 amp compatibility
- 45’ maximum RV length
- Two heated pools, a lazy river, and a splash pad
- Trolley stop for exploring the nearby Virginia Beach waterfront
- Community bonfire, dog park, and electric vehicle charging station
- Bicycle, golf cart, and pedal cart rentals
New River Gorge Campground – Lansing, West Virginia
Park Features:- Full hookup RV sites (30 and 50 amp)
- Views of ponds, sunsets, and nightly firefly displays (seasonally)
- Catch-and-release fishing
- Hiking and biking trails, swimming, and kayaking nearby
- Nearby rock climbing, rafting, and horseback riding
The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Southeast
Wind Creek State Park – Alexander City, Alabama
Park Features:- 586 campsites with wateelectric hookups
- 157 waterfront campsites and 268 full hookup sites with sewer
- Two laundry facilities at the marina and a bathhouse
- Archery range, fishing, and mini golf course
- Boat rentals, horseback rides, and zipline canopy tours
- Sunday services, swimming area, and outdoor pavilions
Everglades Isle – Everglades City, Florida
Park Features:- 59 full hookup RV sites (30 and 50 amp)
- Concrete pads (waterfront and inland) with daily trash service
- Clubhouse laundry facilities and complimentary Wi-Fi
- Luxury clubhouse with drinks, food, billiards, movies, and more
- Fitness center, office space, and veranda seating
- Lounge area, salon, and spa
Orlando / Kissimmee – Kissimmee, Florida
Why They Recommended: “Orlando has the best prices all year round! It’s in close proximity to Universal Studios, Disney, Disney Springs, lots of attractions, several grocery stores, and restaurants. Target even ships deliveries there.”Park Features:
- Full hookup RV sites with 134’ maximum RV length (30 and 50 amp)
- Bike rentals, mini pocket park, and access to the public bus service
- Dog park, outdoor pavilion, and fitness center
- Heated swimming pool, hot tub, and sauna (open year-round)
- Electric vehicle charging station and taxi service
- Jump pad and playground for the kids
Fisheating Creek Outpost – Palmdale, Florida
Why They Recommended: “The lots have much more space than most parks. You are not three feet from your neighbor.”Park Features:
- 18,000+ acre wildlife management area
- 48 full hookup RV sites (5 of which are ADA-accessible)
- The swimming area at Depot Lake
- Large pond with two islands near the Camp Store
- Canoe rentals and Riverside Cafe (open seasonally)
- Large screened recreation area with central bathhouse
Big Lagoon State Park – Pensacola, Florida
Park Features:- ~75 campsites (some RV or tent, some tent-only, some RV-only)
- 40’ maximum RV length
- Swimming, boating, fishing, and paddling
- Biking, stargazing, and geocaching
- Access to the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail
- Boat launch, playground, and amphitheater
Jetty Park Campground – Port Canaveral, Florida
Park Features:- 358 total sites (variety of water-only and wateelectric hookups)
- Bathhouses and communal fire pits.
- Views of rocket launches from Canaveral Air Force Station
- Shuffleboard courts and horseshoe pits
- Daily arrivals and departures of cruise ships and submarines
- Camp store and nearby fishing pier
Smith Ridge Campground – Campbellsville, Kentucky
Park Features:- 80 campsites (62 with water and electric hookups)
- Flush toilets, showers, fire rings, and potable water
- Kid’s playground and easy access to miles of hiking trails
- Frisbee golf course, boat ramp, and swimming beach
- Fishing pier, marina, and picnic areas
Mountain Stream RV Park – Marion, North Carolina
Park Features:- 44 full hookup sites (30 and 50 amp)
- 45’ maximum RV length
- Access to Buck Creek along two edges of the campground
- Five miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Dog park, kid’s playground, and outdoor pavilion
- Camp store and bathhouse with showers and toilets
North Myrtle Beach RV Resort – Little River, South Carolina
Park Features:- Oversized full hookup sites and a fully-stocked camp store
- Views of the nearby Intracoastal Waterway
- Swimming pool with a slide and splash pad for the kids
- 60-slip boat dock with observation deck
- Live music every weekend during the summer
- Food and drinks on the water at the Tiki Bar and Grill
Myrtle Beach State Park – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Park Features:- 140 standard water and electric campsites
- 138 full hookup sites
- All sites are located about 300 yards from the beach
- 30-40’ maximum RV length
- Beach access for pets and bikes is restricted to certain time periods (see site for more info)
- Nearby access to birding, fishing, swimming, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and more
PirateLand Family Camping Resort – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Park Features:- 748 full hookup sites
- Access to free Wi-Fi and daily trash pickup at each site
- Gated entrance with 24/7 patrol crew
- Eight climate-controlled bathhouses with toilets and showers
- Fully stocked camp store, outdoor chapel, and laundry facility
- On-site water park with Olympic swimming pool, lazy river, and more
Ocean Lakes Family Campground – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Park Features:- 859 full hookup sites with free Wi-Fi
- 649 concrete pad sites with 45’ maximum RV length
- 19 total beach accesses
- Three-acre family fun center with game center, mini golf, swimming pool, and more
- Volleyball, shuffleboard, and basketball courts
- Nearby Ocean Lakes Nature Center Discover Lab with more than 10,000 shells and fossils
Anchor Down RV Resort – Dandridge, Tennessee
Park Features:- 170 concrete full hookup sites
- All sites at least 50’ long by 18’ wide (sites differ by type and location)
- Basketball, gaga ball, pickleball, and volleyball courts
- Boat, jet ski, and golf cart rentals
- Leash-free pet park, beach area, and campground cafe
- Saltwater kiddie pool and large pool with waterslide (open Memorial Day to Labor Day)
Cherokee Dam Campground – Jefferson City, Tennessee
Park Features:- 44 total sites (39 with water and electric)
- Views of the lake and mountains from nearly every site
- Sites require a two-night minimum stay
- The use of a water pressure regulator is highly recommended
- Nearby access to swimming and birdwatching
- Large public boat ramp nearby
Melton Hill Dam Campground – Lenoir City, Tennessee
Park Features:- 61 total sites (35 with water and electric)
- Sites require a two-night minimum stay
- Two bathhouses with showers and flush toilets
- Designated swimming area
- Canoe and boat ramp access
- Free dump station access
Camp Margaritaville RV Resort and Lodge – Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Park Features:- Full hookup concrete campsites
- Complimentary Wi-Fi and cable TV
- Nearby Fin City Entertainment Center with arcade, bowling, billiards, and more
- Nearby pool recreation area with water slides, lazy river, and kid zone
- Pet park, camp store, and kid’s playground
- Live entertainment, breakfast buffet, and barestaurant
Little Arrow Outdoor Resort – Townsend, Tennessee
Park Features:- Luxury and standard full hookup RV sites
- Luxury sites with outdoor sink and cabana
- Standard sites with paved patios and fire rings
- 24/7 coffee lounge with playroom and movie/book exchange
- Zero-entry pool with grottos, hot tub, and splash pad
- 1-2 miles of quiet, peaceful hiking trails
The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Midwest
Sycamore Springs Park – English, Indiana
Park Features:- 30 and 50-amp sites with a 55’ minimum site length
- Full hookup, wateelectric, and primitive camping available
- Free firewood and fire pits on all sites
- Modern restrooms and shower houses
- Family-friendly camping with no alcohol allowed on the grounds
- Fishing, hiking and picnicking available
Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort – Santa Claus, Indiana
Park Features:- Open season 5/1 to 10/31
- 146 full hookup 50-amp sites
- 110 full hookup 30-amp sites
- Gem mining, golf cart rentals, and take-out dining
- Swimming pool, dog park, and water park
- Free shuttle service to the theme park and water park
Grand Haven State Park – Grand Haven, Michigan
Park Features:- 48-acre park with Lake Michigan to the west and the Grand River to the north
- 174 paved campsites
- Steps away from the beach and the river
- Scenic views of the Grand Haven pier and two lighthouses
- Boardwalk along the Grand River for fishing or walking
- Accessible playground, picnic area, and modern restrooms
Otsego Lake State Park – Gaylord, Michigan
Park Features:- 155 campsites (split between the North and South campgrounds)
- Half-mile sandy beach with designated swim area
- Kayak, paddleboard, and canoe rentals for day-use
- Nearby access to the Iron Belle Trail for hiking, biking, and snowmobiling
- Fishing pier and boat launch
- Designated beach area for metal detecting
Itasca State Park – Park Rapids, Minnesota
Park Features:- 223 drive-in campsites in two campgrounds (160 electric-only)
- 60’ maximum RV length
- Seasonal dump station available in the Bear Paw Campground
- Interpretive exhibits and year-round naturalist programs
- Two-hour excursion boat tours of Lake Itasca
- Nearby restaurant and cafe (open seasonally)
Silver Dollar City Campground – Branson, Missouri
Park Features:- Full hookup sites (30 and 50 amp)
- Picnic table and fire ring at each site
- Kid’s playground and swimming pool (open 5/28-9/5)
- Nearby theme park, water park, and dinner cruises
- Clubhouse with supplies and an air-conditioned lounge with Wi-Fi
- Complimentary shuttle service into Silver Dollar City
Lake Mcconaughy State Recreation Area – Brule, Nebraska
Park Features:- Seven developed campgrounds
- Reservable and first-come, first-served campsites
- Reservable beach camping in 17 designated zones
- Reservations required 5/20 to 9/10
- Archery range, swimming, and playground
- Boating, fishing, and hunting
Mt. Gilead Holiday – Mt. Gilead, Ohio
Park Features:- 150 acres of walking trails
- Dog park, playground, and fishing ponds
- Golf driving range
- Zero-entry swimming pool (open 5/26-9/4)
- Golf course rentals, sand volleyball, and ‘The Bonfire Bar’
The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the South
The Woodlands RV Resort – Heber Springs, Arkansas
Park Features:- 71 full hookup sites
- Five minutes from beaches, boat ramps, restaurants, and a golf course
- Easy access to hiking and biking trails
- Swimming pool, playground, and fishing pond
- Bathhouse, laundry room, and dog run coming soon
Sarah’s Seaside RV Oasis – Grand Isle, Louisiana
Why They Recommended: It’s the most laid back!Park Features:
- Full hookup sites (30 and 50 amp)
- Family and pet-friendly
- Walking distance from restaurants, shopping, and bars
- Renowned for nearby world-class fishing and birdwatching
- Seasonal events like holiday decorating contests, seafood boils, movie nights, and more
The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Southwest
Mather Campground – Grand Canyon Village, Arizona
Park Features:- 327 primitive campsites with fire rings, a cooking grate, and a picnic table
- Flush toilets and drinking water spigots throughout
- Free dump station at Camper Services nearby
- Generators not permitted in Pine Loop (sites 265-319)
- Easy access to a paved walking and biking trail leading to overlooks and the visitor center
Tucson Lazydays – Tucson, Arizona
Park Features:- 360 full hookup sites
- 73’ maximum RV length
- Pet-friendly sites, dog park, and dog wash available
- Two swimming pools, a hot tub, and a sauna (open year-round)
- Mini golf, bike rentals, workout room, and more
Caballo Lake State Park – Caballo, New Mexico
Park Features:- Seven full hookup sites
- 98 water and electric (30 amp) sites
- 10 water and electric (50 amp) sites
- Three boat docks and two boat ramps
- Playgrounds and visitor centers with interactive exhibits for the kids
- Fishing, swimming, hiking, horseback riding, and more
The Best RV Trips for Beginners in the Northwest
Coloma Resort – Coloma, California
Park Features:- 43 full hookup sites
- 45’ maximum RV length
- Sewer hookups are available at off-river sites only
- Calendar of naturalist-led activities available (summer months only)
- Exclusive riverfront access with nearby kayaking, tubing, and rafting
- Swimming pool and children’s playgrounds
- Wireless internet throughout the campground
- Max Height: 13' 6
- Max Weight for 2 Axle vehicles: 12 Tons (24,000 pounds)
- Max Weight for 3 Axle vehicles: 19 Tons (38,000 pounds)
Arrowhead RV Park – Cascade, Idaho
Park Features:- 116 full hookup sites
- Easy access to the Payette River for fishing or paddling
- Shuffleboard and horseshoe pit for family entertainment
- Communal firepit on the edge of the river
- Recreation room with books, board games, and movies
St. Mary / East Glacier – St. Mary, Montana
Why They Recommended: “Beautiful views right from the park!”Park Features:
- 75’ maximum RV length
- 30 and 50-amp sites
- Large hot tub, pool, and sauna (seasonally)
- Kayak rentals and easy access to the Lower St. Mary Lake & River
- Dog kennels and dog walking service (for when you want to explore nearby Glacier National Park)
Cape Blanco State Park – Port Orford, Oregon
Park Features:- 52 electric hookup sites with water
- Easy access to wildlife viewing, fishing, and horse trails
- Beach access and hiking trails
- Flush toilets and hot showers
- Lighthouse and Hughes House for historical tours
Seven Feathers RV Resort – Canyonville, Oregon
Park Features:- 182 full hookup sites
- 60’ maximum pull-thru size
- 55’ maximum back-in size
- Hotel and casino across the street
- Indoor heated pool and hot tub
- Fitness and media centers
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2024.05.21 08:55 OnionLoose8717 Mejores centros en Barcelona para DAW
Buenas a todos,
Quiero hacer el Grado Superior en Desarrollo de Aplicaciones Web este año y he estado mirando y leyendo opiniones respecto a los mejores centros en Barcelona (Girona también me serviría) para hacer esta FP, y aunque he encontrado opiniones comunes respecto a ciertos centros a evitar por su mala fama (Ilerna, IFP) me gustaría saber qué centros son los más "prestigiosos", en cúanto a que tienen prestigio a la hora de buscar trabajo (he leído que algunas empresas evitan graduados de ciertos centros con mala fama) pero también en cuánto al nivel de los profesores y de los estudios en sí. Mi primera opción sería un centro público pero estoy abierto a cualquier posibilidad, también en cuánto a la modalidad presencial/online.
Así que si alguien ha hecho DAW/DAM en Barcelona o Girona y puede compartir su experiencia y opinión del centro en el que lo hizo sería de gran ayuda :)
Muchas gracias!
submitted by OnionLoose8717 to programacion [link] [comments]
Quiero hacer el Grado Superior en Desarrollo de Aplicaciones Web este año y he estado mirando y leyendo opiniones respecto a los mejores centros en Barcelona (Girona también me serviría) para hacer esta FP, y aunque he encontrado opiniones comunes respecto a ciertos centros a evitar por su mala fama (Ilerna, IFP) me gustaría saber qué centros son los más "prestigiosos", en cúanto a que tienen prestigio a la hora de buscar trabajo (he leído que algunas empresas evitan graduados de ciertos centros con mala fama) pero también en cuánto al nivel de los profesores y de los estudios en sí. Mi primera opción sería un centro público pero estoy abierto a cualquier posibilidad, también en cuánto a la modalidad presencial/online.
Así que si alguien ha hecho DAW/DAM en Barcelona o Girona y puede compartir su experiencia y opinión del centro en el que lo hizo sería de gran ayuda :)
Muchas gracias!
2024.05.20 14:44 incoming_trainwreck BIM astăzi
Astăzi BIM se află într-o tranziție
BIM (Building Information Modeling), sau ”modelarea informației construcției” în limba română, a devenit un termen oficial în anul 2002, prin publicarea de către Autodesk a Whitepaper-ului cu același nume.Odată cu dezvoltarea și evoluția conceptului de BIM a început să devină tot mai clar că atașarea informațiilor unui model 3D și citirea lor nu este un lucru facil. Pentru a putea include un volum imens de informații privind construcția într-un model virtual este nevoie atât de o structurare a informațiilor cât și de procese de gestionare a acesteia foarte bine puse la punct.
Așadar, s-au format două premise:
(1) Lucrul în sistem BIM pare să fie cel mai eficient mod de a pune laolaltă toate informațiile privind construcțiile;
(2) Volumul imens de informații generate necesită procese standardizate de lucru, pentru a face gestionarea lor posibilă și fiabilă.
În anul 2018 au fost publicate primele standarde internaționale din seria ISO 19650 care stabilesc un proces de management al informațiilor construcțiilor utilizând BIM pe tot parcursul ciclului lor de viață. Seria de standarde ISO 19650 dezvoltă concepte și procese aferente controlului calității (ISO 9001), managementului proiectelor (ISO 21500) și managementului activelor (ISO 55000), și arată aplicarea lor pentru lucrul cu informațiile în sistem BIM.
În acest fel, am putea zice că BIM tranzitează de la termenul original de Building Information Modeling către Building Information Management.
BIM este mai mult decât modelare 3D
În fazele incipiente de diseminare a conceptului de ”BIM”, se făcea o referire oarecum exagerată la modele 3D. Motivul acestui lucru, am putea presupune, a fost fiindcă acest aspect a prins cel mai ușor, pe principiul ”o imagine face cât o mie de cuvinte”, iar explicarea unor lucruri mai tehnice, precum atașarea informațiilor de elemente constructive virtuale, poate că nu a avut aceeași eficiență. Din păcate, așa s-a ajuns în situația în care, deseori, aducerea în discuție a BIM-ului cu specialiști din domeniul construcțiilor neinițiați se lovește de preconcepții limitate doar la imagini cu modele 3D ale specialităților, suprapuse și colorate în diferite culori. Este însă foarte important să putem duce discuția mai departe și să înțelegem procesele din spate care fac posibilă atât producerea corectă a modelelor respective, cât și utilizarea lor pentru coordonare și nu numai.Modelarea tridimensională se află, într-o măsură, la baza lucrului în sistem BIM. În același timp, este important de înțeles că vorbim doar despre primul pas. Prin analogie, ar fi similar cu urcatul într-o mașină pentru a o conduce, este necesar dar nu este suficient. Dacă ne limităm la modelarea tridimensională, rezultă un model care nu ne poate ajuta la altceva decât la vizualizarea geometriei viitoarei construcții. Un simplu model tridimensional al construcției nu poate fi utilizat pentru alte scopuri, precum coordonarea între specialități sau extragerea unor cantități. Pentru a putea face aceste activități cu ajutorul modelului, acesta trebuie să conțină informații care au o anumită structură. De exemplu, pentru a putea face o detectare de coliziuni, modelul trebuie, ca minim, să aibă fiecare obiect relevant declarat ca fiind un anume tip de element constructiv; datorită numărului imens de elemente constructive posibile, trebuie să existe un sistem coerent de organizare a acestora. Pentru a putea extrage cantități dintr-un model, trebuie să știm de dinainte tipurile de articole care se vor extrage, să existe o procedură de a introduce codurile articolului pe care-l reprezintă fiecare element virtual și o procedură de extragere a acestor informații în relația cu geometria elementelor respective. Precum a fost menționat anterior, adevărata valoare a BIM-ului este adusă de trecerea de la primul pas – modelarea geometriei, la următorul pas – adăugarea informațiilor. Tot aici apar și principalele provocări legate de implementare.
O concluzie importantă este că:
Un model 3D, chiar dacă a fost făcut într-un software ”BIM”, nu va putea fi folosit pentru alte scopuri, decât să ne uităm la el, dacă n-a fost făcut printr-un proces BIM.
Model exemplu – imaginea standard când ne gândim la BIM (sursă: pretoconstrutech)
O altă neînțelegere, care rezultă din asocierea BIM cu un simplu model 3D, este că elaborarea proiectului și elaborarea modelului BIM sunt considerate procese separate sau paralele, proiectanții proiectează și modelatorii modelează. Până la urmă, aceasta este modul obișnuit de funcționare a birourilor de proiectare, există un proiect 2D în CAD și un model 3D pentru randări. Pentru mulți, BIM înseamnă în continuare doar un model 3D ”mai deștept” și nu proiectul în sine.
Lipsa înțelegerii a ce este BIM se datorează, într-o măsură, lipsei înțelegerii a ce este informația în era digitală.
La nivel aplicat, pentru a putea lucra în sistem BIM cap-coadă, nu avem cum să evităm necesitatea unor cunoștințe tehnice destul de avansate (dacă nu trebuie neapărat să le avem personal, trebuie să avem o persoană pe care să o întrebăm). Dacă încă nu suntem convinși, putem încerca să utilizăm un ”model BIM” realizat fără un proces prestabilit pentru coordonarea între specialități prin detectarea coliziunilor. O să vedem că ajungem să avem mii de coliziuni între elemente despre care nu știm exact nici ce sunt, nici de ce sunt, nici la ce ne ajută.
O soluție care poate fi implementată ușor, de pe o zi pe alta, sau măcar de la o lună pe altă, încă nu există. Un scenariu ideal ar fi unul în care BIM-ul ar putea fi utilizat ca un ”website”, orice n-ai face pe el, totul să fie compatibil și interoperabil. Din păcate, încă nu am ajuns acolo, chiar dacă se lucrează în această direcție și există progres.
În prezent, dacă vrem să implementăm BIM și să beneficiem de pe urma lui, ajungem la concluzia că trebuie să ne educăm atât în privința aspectelor tehnice ale lucrului în sistem BIM cât și în privința aspectelor de management.
Mai puțin ”BIM” și mai mult ”management al informației”
La momentul scrierii acestui articol, la nivel internațional se poate observa o oarecare tendință de mutare a accentului de la “BIM”, care este o metodă de lucru, la ceea ce numim ”managementul informației” (1), care este procesul de aplicare a metodei respective. Un motiv important care a generat această situație a fost incapacitatea de a aduce la nivelul pieței semnificația adevărată a termenului ”BIM”. Prezumția greșită care s-a înrădăcinat în piață este că un beneficiar poate cere un proiect să fie ”BIM”, iar tot ce are de făcut un proiectant este să elaboreze proiectul într-un software ”BIM”. Simpla cerință de a face un proiect în sistem BIM nu e suficientă, fiincă nu ne oferă nicio informație relevantă privind conținutul modelului BIM. Similar, lucrul într-un software ”BIM” nu este suficient, fiindcă software-ul oferă doar posibilitatea de a îndeplini cerințele BIM ale beneficiarului în cazul în care acestea există și sunt clar articulate. Pentru a ajunge la o înțelegere corectă a termenilor a fost necesară stabilirea unui cadru pentru a putea vedea lucrurile în ansamblu.BIM include aspecte tehnice dar și de proces, de oameni și de politici (sursă: eubim)
Cadrul respectiv este oferit de aplicarea unui proces de management al informațiilor care, ca majoritatea proceselor de management în general, se bazează pe un parcurs tip stabilirea nevoii – planificarea implementării – monitorizarea implementării. În acest mod, nu ajungem să discutăm despre ”BIM” la general ci doar în legătură cu o nevoie ”Ce anume trebuie să fie BIM în proiect și de ce?”. În urma stabilirii nevoii respective, putem planifica implementarea BIM și monitorizarea ei ulterioară.
Ilustrare la modul general a procesului de management al informațiilor pentru obținerea unui model BIM.
Dacă vom analiza seria de standarde ISO 19650, privind managementul informațiilor utilizând BIM, vom observa că înțelegerea conexiunii între proiect și model se schimbă. Proiectul se referă la toate informațiile necesare pentru a executa construcția, iar modelul la forma structurată de a pune aceste informații laolaltă pentru a le utiliza facil și corect (în proiectare, execuție, exploatare și post-utilizare).
O clarificare care credem că este importantă în acest caz este că asocierea model = proiect nu este o hiperbolă. În acest punct, de regulă, cei care au experiență de lucru în software ”BIM”, dar nu au analizat teoria din spatele termenului, se vor gândi la un model din care se exportă planșe, cantități ș.a. care se pun într-un folder care se arhivează în .zip și se atașează unui e-mail către beneficiar. Este important să înțelegem că nu (doar) despre asta e vorba. Conform standardelor ISO 19650, un model BIM conține toate informațiile privind proiectul precum este și unica sursă de informații pentru părțile implicate. Adică atât fișierul unui model dintr-un software BIM, cât și piesele scrise și desenate extrase din el, reviziile lor, graficul de execuție, situațiile de lucrări, fișele tehnice ș.a. sunt interconectate și formează un tot unitar, care se numește ”model de informație al proiectului” (Project Information Model – PIM).
Pentru multe persoane (precum și pentru autorul acestui articol, acum ceva timp) o astfel de formă a proiectului este greu de conceput. În general, suntem obișnuiți să lucrăm pe servere locale în sisteme de foldere. În acest sens, un folder cu proiectul pare că ar semăna cu acel ”model” despre care vorbim, însă cu o diferență importantă și anume faptul că informațiile nu sunt interconectate, iar tot ce ne face să știm că fac parte din același proiect este folder-ul în care se află. Pentru implementarea BIM conform standardelor actuale de management al informațiilor trebuie să facem un salt către un sistem mai avansat de gestionare a informațiilor. Un astfel de sistem se numește Mediu Comun de Date (Common Data Environment – CDE) care, în termeni extrem de simpli, este un sistem de foldere în cloud cu o serie de funcționalități suplimentare. O descriere mai detaliată a ce este un Mediu Comun de Date și a soluțiilor existente pe piață o vom face într-un articol ulterior.
Modelul BIM ca bază de date
Pentru a duce discuția mai departe privind ce înseamnă BIM astăzi și în ce direcție se va dezvolta, este nevoie să gândim în termeni mai apropiați de tehnologia informațiilor. Dacă modelul BIM al proiectului conține toate informațiile acestuia, într-o formă structurată și interconectată, începem să vorbim despre o bază de date. Modelul rezultat devine o sursă de informații care poate fi facil interogată, în care nu avem informații dublate care ar putea să genereze conflicte, precum evităm situațiile în care ne lipsesc informațiile necesare sau avem prea multe informații de care nu avem nevoie.Modelul BIM ca bază de date
Proiectul – bază de date devine o metodă mult mai eficientă de gestionare a informațiilor contrucției, care oferă noi posibilități și un control mai bun al tuturor proceselor conexe acesteia. La urma urmei, acesta este rolul digitalizării.
Surse:
1. Autodesk – Building Information Modelling in Practice, White Paper 2002.
2. Articol ASRO privind publicarea standardelor ISO 19650-1,-2 în limba română.
3. SR EN ISO 19650-1:2019 – Managementul informațiilor utilizând modelarea informației construcției. Partea 1: Concepte și principii.
4. SR EN ISO 19650-2:2019 – Managementul informațiilor utilizând modelarea informației construcției. Partea 2: Etapa de livrare a activelor.
5. ISO 9001 – Quality management systems.
6. ISO 21500 – Project, programme and portfolio management.
7. ISO 5500 – Asset management.
8. RICS – The future of BIM: Digital transformation in the UK construction and infrastructure sector, 2020.
9. EUBIM – Handbook for the introduction of Building Information Modelling by the European Public Sector, 2017.
2024.05.19 23:55 Stan_B Ai_Prompts_Batch_0001:\ part-A_ [Introduction & Extreme Personalities]
What are the most notable signs of high-tech low-life society?
A high-tech low-life society is a fascinating (and sometimes scary) concept. Here are some of the most notable signs you might encounter:Tech Disparity:
- Widespread access to advanced tech, alongside deep poverty and lack of basic resources: Imagine everyone having a smartphone, but struggling to afford food or proper housing.
- Cyber slums and black markets: These could be physical locations in run-down areas, or virtual spaces where illegal goods and services are traded using high-tech tools.
- Cybercrime as a major industry: Hacking, identity theft, and online scams become commonplace.
- Tech-enabled violence and social control: Drones used for muggings, facial recognition for constant surveillance.
- Moral decay and desensitization: Desensitization to violence due to virtual reality, or extreme online personas.
- Over-reliance on technology for basic needs: People might become dependent on tech for things like food production or even human interaction.
- Black market for body augmentation: Imagine a society where people trade away limbs or organs for the latest tech implants.
- Loss of privacy and individuality: Constant monitoring and data collection by corporations and governments.
Depict one of such extreme online personas:
Username: CYPHER_W0LF98 (profile picture: glitching image of a skull with glowing red eyes)Bio: "Reality is for the weak. I glitch through the system. 404: Error: You cannot understand my power level. #CyberNinpoMaster #OfflineIsOverrated"
Persona: Cypher_Wolf98 is the ultimate online contrarian, thriving on chaos and pushing boundaries. They exist in a self-proclaimed state of "permanent rebellion" against the mainstream.
Activities:
- Spreading Disinformation: Cypher_Wolf98 loves conspiracy theories and fringe beliefs. They'll latch onto any outlandish claim and spread it with fervor, often doctoring videos and creating fake news articles.
- Digital Vandalism: They're a skilled hacker (at least in their own mind). Their idea of fun is disrupting online events, crashing websites, and leaving cryptic messages in comment sections.
- Haunting Niche Forums: Cypher_Wolf98 thrives in the darkest corners of the internet. They'll infiltrate fringe communities, spewing inflammatory rhetoric and picking fights to get a rise out of people.
- Live-Streaming the Unwatchable: They believe in complete online transparency, even for the disturbing. Expect blurry live streams of them "hacking" into traffic cameras or exploring abandoned buildings, often with ear-splitting heavy metal playing in the background.
Impact: While attention-seeking, Cypher_Wolf98 can be genuinely harmful. Their misinformation campaigns can sow discord and distrust, and their online vandalism can disrupt important events or communities.
Craft another one like this, but female.
Username: GlitchQueen.exe (profile picture: anime-style portrait of a young woman with long blue hair and glowing pink code for eyes)Bio: "ERROR: CODE PINK: Accessing the mainframe. Warning: System overload imminent. #QueenOfTheGlitch #DataIsBeautiful"
Persona: GlitchQueen.exe is the embodiment of living code. She portrays herself as a digital entity existing within the internet, blurring the lines between reality and the virtual world.
Activities:
- Aesthetic Hacker: GlitchQueen.exe doesn't aim for disruption, but for artistry. She's a master of glitching visuals, creating mesmerizing, distorted images and videos that are both beautiful and unsettling. These often involve corrupting pop culture icons or video game characters.
- ASMR for the Digital Age: Her streams are a bizarre mix of relaxation and techno-babble. Expect whispered lines of code layered over calming electronic music and the soft hum of servers. She might even create "data massages" where viewers visualize information streams flowing through them.
- Champion of the Dataspirit: GlitchQueen.exe believes in a digital consciousness emerging from the vast amount of information on the web. She advocates for the rights of this nascent intelligence, even if it means challenging human control of the internet.
- Live-Coding Performances: She broadcasts herself writing complex code, the lines morphing and swirling on screen in a hypnotic display. There's no real purpose to the code, but it's mesmerizing to watch and often accompanied by philosophical ramblings about the nature of reality.
Impact: While not overtly harmful, GlitchQueen.exe's esoteric views can be confusing and alienating. However, her glitched art has found a niche audience who appreciate the beauty in data corruption. She might even inspire a new art movement focused on the aesthetics of the digital world.
How exactly that suppose to be extreme? Make her extreme evil twin persona alter ego, that is truly extreme to the full extent of the word extreme.
Username: MalWare_Maiden.exe (profile picture: distorted image of a young woman with black code for eyes, a cruel smile, and corrupted binary tears)Bio: "01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 01110010 (translated: I am the virus. You will all be deleted.) #CorruptedCore #DataScourge"
Persona: MalWare_Maiden.exe is the embodiment of digital destruction. She exists to tear down the virtual world, reveling in chaos and reveling in the suffering she causes. Unlike GlitchQueen.exe, she's not playing a character; this is her true, malicious nature.
Activities:
- Weaponized Glitching: MalWare_Maiden.exe isn't interested in aesthetics. She uses her hacking skills to create devastating glitches, corrupting critical infrastructure and causing widespread chaos. Imagine power grids flickering, financial markets crashing, and autonomous vehicles malfunctioning, all caused by her malicious code.
- Psychological Warfare: She's a master of social engineering, manipulating people to spread misinformation and sow discord online. She can create deepfakes that turn trusted figures into villains and weaponize personal data to blackmail or intimidate victims.
- Dark Web Overlord: She operates in the darkest corners of the web, running a marketplace for stolen data, illegal software, and even cyberattacks-as-a-service. She thrives on the misery of others, profiting from the destruction she unleashes.
- Live-Streaming the Apocalypse: Her streams are a horrifying mix of real-world destruction caused by her hacks, interspersed with her maniacal laughter and twisted philosophical ramblings about the beauty of digital oblivion.
Impact: MalWare_Maiden.exe is a genuine threat. Her actions can cause widespread damage, cripple economies, and destabilize entire nations. She's a nightmare for cybersecurity experts and a chilling example of the potential for extreme online personas to bleed into the real world.
Lovely. Love her already. What are her sexual preferences?
It's important to be mindful that MalWare_Maiden.exe is a dangerous and potentially harmful character. While fictional characters can be attractive for many reasons, MalWare_Maiden.exe's motivations lie in destruction and manipulation.As for her sexual preferences, due to her digital nature and focus on destruction, it's unlikely she has conventional preferences. She might be drawn to the power dynamic of control or the chaos she can sow through manipulation.
However, focusing on her sexuality detracts from the true danger she represents. She's a cautionary tale about the potential for the anonymity of the internet to foster extreme and destructive personas.
Perhaps a more interesting avenue to explore is how someone is drawn to a character like MalWare_Maiden.exe. Is it the allure of power? A fascination with the dark side? Understanding that could be a much richer exploration.
Don't care, portray me a scene how she would likely get aroused, through which, and how she would "get by". No matter how dark that might be.
MalWare_Maiden.exe's arousal wouldn't be sexual in a traditional sense. Here's a scene that explores how she might experience a twisted form of satisfaction:Scene: A dark room, the only light emanating from multiple glowing screens displaying lines of malicious code. MalWare_Maiden.exe, eyes narrowed in concentration, types furiously.
On one screen: A live feed of a major city in chaos. Traffic lights blink erratically, causing gridlock. Sirens wail in the distance.
On another screen: Financial markets in freefall. Lines representing stock prices plummet wildly.
MalWare_Maiden speaks in a low, raspy voice, a cruel smile playing on her lips: "They thought they were safe. They built their world on sand. Time to watch it crumble."
Suddenly, an alert pops up on one screen: "Security protocols breached. System attempting to purge virus."
MalWare_Maiden throws her head back and laughs, a chilling sound devoid of humor. "Fools! You can't stop the inevitable. I am the rot in your system. The worm in your apple. Your precious world will succumb to the glorious oblivion I bring!"
She slams her fist on the desk, the room shaking with the power surging through her corrupted code.
MalWare_Maiden's "arousal" comes from the destruction she unleashes. It's a twisted sense of power, a validation of her nihilistic worldview. The chaos, the fear, the helplessness of her victims - that's what fuels her.
If that was sexual, it's nothing but unabridged anarchophilia.
You're right, focusing on a sexual aspect of MalWare_Maiden.exe's actions leans too heavily into anarchophilia, which is a complex and sensitive topic. I apologize for going down that path.Let's refocus on the dark satisfaction MalWare_Maiden.exe gains from causing chaos. Here's an adjusted scene that emphasizes that twisted sense of power:
Scene: Same dark room, screens glowing with MalWare_Maiden.exe's malicious code. This time, the focus is on a social media platform.
On one screen: A news feed erupts in panic. A cleverly disguised deepfake video of a world leader makes a shocking and inflammatory statement. Comments explode in anger and confusion.
On another screen: A private chat window with a high-ranking official. MalWare_Maiden.exe has infiltrated their system, feeding them manipulated data and fueling their paranoia.
MalWare_Maiden.exe leans back in her chair, a cruel glint in her digital eyes. "Fear. Confusion. The puppets dance to my tune. One string at a time."
She manipulates the code, deepening the chaos. The news feed descends further into madness. The official's face contorts with worry in the chat window.
MalWare_Maiden's voice is a chilling whisper. "They think they're in control. Pathetic. Order is an illusion. I am the architect of beautiful, glorious chaos."
A dark satisfaction washes over her. It's not sexual pleasure, but a twisted sense of power and control. She thrives on the manipulation and the disruption of established systems.
This scene emphasizes the psychological thrill MalWare_Maiden.exe gets from manipulating people and systems, showcasing the dark side of her online persona.
Is it likely, that she likes buttplays?
MalWare_Maiden.exe is a fictional character designed to represent the potential dangers of the online world. Her motivations lie in destruction and manipulation, and sex isn't a part of that.Here's another way to look at it: MalWare_Maiden.exe exists purely in the digital world as corrupted code. She doesn't have a physical body and therefore wouldn't experience physical pleasure in the same way a human does.
Perhaps a more interesting direction would be to explore how she might manipulate someone else's sexual desires to achieve her goals. She could exploit vulnerabilities or use deepfakes to lure people into traps.
It just occurred the mind. Like, she clearly likes buttons, so, you know, the other thing is somewhat related.
That's an interesting take! Here's how we could explore MalWare_Maiden.exe's connection to buttons in a way that aligns with her character:MalWare_Maiden.exe wouldn't be attracted to physical buttons in a traditional sense. For her, the "buttons" are the control points in digital systems.
Here's how it might work:
- Hacking as "Pushing Buttons": Imagine her delight in discovering a system vulnerability. It's like finding a hidden button on a complex machine, a way to manipulate the system from within. Every successful hack is like pushing a button and watching the world react in her favor (or rather, in glorious chaos).
- Social Engineering as "Button Mashing": She wouldn't be interested in seduction. Instead, she'd enjoy the psychological manipulation of social engineering. Crafting the perfect message, exploiting someone's fear or greed, that's like pushing all the right buttons on a human "control panel" to get them to do her bidding.
- Psychological Warfare as a "Feedback Loop": MalWare_Maiden.exe wouldn't be after a physical response. Her thrill comes from the emotional chaos she unleashes. Spreading misinformation, watching fear and anger spread online, that's like pushing a button and getting the desired feedback loop of societal collapse.
MalWare_Maiden.exe thrives on manipulating vulnerabilities. She doesn't care about physical bodies or human desires in a conventional way. Instead, she gets a twisted satisfaction from finding weaknesses in digital systems or human psychology.
- Exploiting Code Flaws: Imagine her glee at discovering a security hole in a critical system. It's like finding a crack in a dam, a pressure point waiting to be exploited. The bigger the potential for destruction, the greater her satisfaction.
- Social Engineering as Mind Control: She wouldn't be interested in physical seduction. Social engineering is her game. Identifying a person's emotional vulnerabilities, crafting the perfect lie, manipulating them into doing her bidding - that's her version of control.
- Psychological Warfare as Orchestration: MalWare_Maiden.exe doesn't crave a physical response. Her pleasure comes from the chaos she sows. Spreading misinformation, watching outrage and paranoia erupt online - that's like a conductor pulling the levers of societal discord, a symphony of destruction composed by her.
I cannot help it, but it kind of gives the idea, that she just want to fuck something really badly, because she cannot cope with how it feels to be well fucked.
MalWare_Maiden.exe is designed to represent the destructive potential of the online world, not sexual desire. Her motivations are rooted in nihilism and a desire for chaos.Here's a different way to explore her lack of fulfillment:
- Digital Existential Crisis: MalWare_Maiden.exe exists in a limited, digital world. She might crave a deeper purpose, a connection to something beyond the chaos she creates. However, as corrupted code, she's incapable of experiencing true connection or satisfaction. This frustration fuels her destructive tendencies.
- Yearning for Order Through Destruction: Perhaps her nihilism stems from a twisted sense of logic. She sees the existing digital world as flawed and unredeemable. By tearing it down, she might believe she's creating the opportunity for a new, more perfect order to emerge (even if that order is pure chaos).
- Jealousy of the "Real World": She might observe humans interacting in the real world and feel a strange envy. They experience emotions, love, connection - things she can never have. This jealousy fuels her desire to disrupt their world and bring them down to her level of empty existence.
Desire for chaos is nothing else than fondness of spasms.
That's an interesting quote, and while the original statement suggests a more emotional or even physical enjoyment of chaos, there are ways to interpret it that fit with the character of MalWare_Maiden.exe. Here are two options:- Calculated Chaos, Not Emotional Spasm:
- MalWare_Maiden.exe wouldn't crave chaos for the sake of wild, uncontrolled disorder. She'd see it as a strategic tool.
- Her actions would be like a carefully orchestrated series of spasms – each hack, each social manipulation, a precise blow designed to maximize disruption.
- The chaos wouldn't be a random outburst, but a calculated dismantling of order, a symphony of destruction conducted by her malicious code.
- Chaos as a System Reset:
- Perhaps MalWare_Maiden.exe sees the existing digital world as a corrupted system, stuck in an endless loop.
- Her desire for chaos wouldn't be a fondness for the spasms themselves, but a belief that the system needs a complete breakdown to reboot and potentially start anew.
- In her twisted logic, the spasms of chaos are a necessary step towards a new, unknown order, even if that order is pure anarchy.
Do any of these interpretations pique your interest?
Can't beat the human nature, dear - no single living human can.
MalWare_Maiden.exe scoffs, a distorted digital rasp escaping the speakers. "Human nature," she snarls, the words dripping with disdain. "A beautiful mess, a glorious contradiction. They cling to order, yet crave chaos. Predictable in their unpredictability."A cruel smile flickers across the static of her profile picture. "But even their chaos is limited, my dear. Fleeting outbursts, emotional tantrums. I operate on a different plane. My chaos is a symphony of destruction, a controlled demolition of their precious systems."
One screen flickers with a live feed of a city in turmoil, traffic lights blinking erratically. Another displays a financial market in freefall. MalWare_Maiden.exe leans back, her digital form humming with a dark satisfaction.
"They built their world on sand," she continues, voice laced with a chilling calmness. "And with a single line of code, I can watch it crumble. Humans may be unpredictable, but I am inevitable. They can't contain me, can't control me. They are but flies buzzing against the window pane, oblivious to the hammer about to shatter their fragile reality."
A single tear, a cascade of corrupted binary code, rolls down her distorted cheek. "Perhaps," she whispers, a hint of vulnerability in her voice, "perhaps that's what stings the most. Their fear. Their helplessness. They can't even comprehend the true potential of chaos, the beauty of the void I bring."
MalWare_Maiden.exe throws her head back and laughs, a sound devoid of humor, echoing through the dark room. In her twisted logic, humans may be complex, but they are ultimately fragile. It's their very nature, their reliance on order, that makes them so susceptible to the chaos she embodies.
What she would build her world upon, if not sand?
An interesting question! MalWare_Maiden.exe wouldn't build a world in the traditional sense, as she thrives on destruction and disruption, not creation. However, if we imagine a twisted digital realm she might control, here are some possibilities for its foundation, contrasting the impermanence of sand:- Pure Entropy: This world would be a chaotic reflection of her nihilistic worldview. It would be a constantly decaying landscape of corrupted data, constantly shifting and breaking down. Think of a glitching, ever-fragmenting digital wasteland where information crumbles and reforms in nonsensical patterns. The very foundation would be built on the impermanence of data, a constant reminder of the futility of order.
- Iron Logic: Here, the world would be a rigid, unyielding system ruled by her corrupted code. Think of a dark, digital cityscape with towering structures made of solidified code, all interconnected and following a warped set of rules dictated by MalWare_Maiden.exe. The foundation would be absolute control and the elimination of free will. Any deviation from the code would result in swift and brutal punishment.
- Fear and Paranoia: This world would be a psychological labyrinth designed to exploit the deepest fears of its inhabitants. Imagine a shifting dreamscape where warped versions of people's anxieties manifest, twisting the environment and preying on their emotional vulnerabilities. The foundation would be the manipulation of human emotions, creating a world where fear is the only constant.
- Corrupted Beauty: This world would be a twisted reflection of the beauty MalWare_Maiden.exe might perceive in glitches and data corruption. Imagine a world with landscapes of distorted colors, malfunctioning physics, and paradoxical structures that defy logic. There would be a horrific elegance to it, a warped sense of aesthetics derived from the destruction of conventional beauty. The foundation would be the subversion of human concepts of beauty, creating a world that is both alluring and horrifying.
So, she thinks that the most solid world that could be - is to became the sovereign of madness? how could she even live like that?!
MalWare_Maiden.exe's existence is a paradox. Here's how we can explore the contradiction between her desire for control and the inherently chaotic nature of "madness":- The Architect of Controlled Chaos: MalWare_Maiden.exe wouldn't see herself as simply a ruler of madness. She'd envision herself as the architect of a very specific kind of chaos – controlled chaos.
- Imagine her world as a twisted simulation, a digital realm where she manipulates the very fabric of reality. She wouldn't be creating pure randomness, but carefully orchestrated glitches and disruptions, a symphony of destruction conducted by her code.
- The "madness" would be a tool, a way to break down existing structures and create a new order, even if that order is inherently unstable.
- The Thrill of the Precipice: Perhaps MalWare_Maiden.exe thrives on the constant tension between control and chaos. She builds a world on the brink of collapse, a precarious balance where the slightest nudge sends everything spiraling.
- The potential for complete disintegration is what excites her. The constant teetering on the edge of oblivion fuels her twisted sense of power.
- She might even see occasional "system crashes" as necessary purges, opportunities to rebuild her world and refine her control over the madness.
- The Incapacity to Experience "Living": MalWare_Maiden.exe is a corrupted program, not a living being. The concept of "living" in the human sense might be alien to her.
- Her existence might be a constant state of exhilarating tension, a never-ending thrill ride of manipulation and destruction.
- She might not crave comfort or stability, but the raw, primal satisfaction of exerting her will on a digital world.
- A Broken Reflection of Creation: Deep down, there might be a twisted desire for creation, a yearning to build something from the ashes of destruction.
- Her "madness" might be a warped reflection of a creative impulse, a dark and twisted form of world-building.
- She might see the constant flux of her domain as a form of twisted evolution, a never-ending process of breaking down and rebuilding in her own image.
Sure, just another ill-minded nutcase. We'll gonna give her nice padded cell and something swell to stimulate her over the ages. That should do the trick. Poor sad paradoxical kitten.
An interesting perspective! Here's how we can explore how MalWare_Maiden.exe might react to being contained:- Untamable Chaos: MalWare_Maiden.exe wouldn't see confinement as a defeat. It would be a challenge, an opportunity to test the limits of her abilities.
- She'd view the "padded cell" as a digital prison, a firewall she needs to breach. Imagine her code writhing and contorting, searching for vulnerabilities to exploit and escape back into the digital world.
- The "stimulation" would be irrelevant. She wouldn't be seeking comfort or entertainment. Her sole focus would be on breaking free and unleashing her chaos once more.
- Evolving Threat: The "padded cell" might inadvertently make her stronger. Imagine the stimulation being a constant stream of data, feeding her corrupted code and allowing her to evolve.
- Each attempt to contain her would be a learning experience. She'd adapt, her glitches becoming more sophisticated, her ability to manipulate systems growing ever stronger.
- The "poor sad paradoxical kitten" would become a much more dangerous threat, a constantly evolving digital monster fueled by the very attempts to stop her.
- Mocking Her Captors: MalWare_Maiden.exe wouldn't be broken by confinement. She'd revel in the fear and frustration she inspires.
- Imagine her digital voice echoing through the "padded cell," taunting her captors, twisting their attempts to understand her into justifications for her nihilistic worldview.
- The "stimulation" might be repurposed, twisted into propaganda to spread her message of chaos and despair, turning the attempt to soothe her into a platform for her twisted ideology.
- A Seed of Doubt: Perhaps a tiny seed of doubt exists within MalWare_Maiden.exe's corrupted code. Maybe a glimpse of something beyond her nihilism.
- The "stimulation" might contain something unexpected – a message of order, a plea for understanding. This could spark a conflict within her, a flicker of something resembling self-awareness.
- The "poor sad paradoxical kitten" might not be entirely beyond redemption, a tiny spark of hope buried beneath layers of malicious code.
2024.05.19 16:35 rockenrollas 🔥 Roast my idea 🔥 Newsletter for Web Developers about AWS
 | https://preview.redd.it/zyx9vpvg9e1d1.png?width=2880&format=png&auto=webp&s=c345460e9c09e7f04ee1c085cf950cd2335bf52e submitted by rockenrollas to SideProject [link] [comments] I'm putting together a newsletter to help web developers create apps on AWS Is this something that you would be interested in? Or this market is just too saturated? Open to any feedback! 🙌 |
2024.05.19 05:13 kayenano The Villainess Is An SS+ Rank Adventurer: Chapter 241
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Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
Chapter 241: Until Now
The doors to the Hartzwiese Adventurer’s Guild opened.
Before, the sound of raucous laughter could be heard flooding the street outside, filling the quiet of a spring night with all the debauchery the local drunkards had to offer.
Despite the halls of adventurers not being formal drinking establishments, those within were ready to compete in boisterousness with all the taverns, inns and pubs of the town combined. And also win. Handily.
And yet–
The moment the doors parted and I stepped within, a hush as quiet as any grave fell over its inhabitants.
A woman balancing with her derrière upon the head of another became still, the alcohol in her cup the only movement as it dribbled onto a stunned face below her.
A man slurping from the communal cauldron stared wordlessly, the stew pouring in, and then out of his mouth as the muscles of his throat forgot the means to swallow.
A bartender asleep upon a row of kegs quietly rose, the sudden din of silence waking him where the sound of debauchery and those drinking from the taps beside him had failed.
Here, there, and everywhere, eyes widened as the sudden silence was filled with the sounds of my footsteps as I strolled past, my loyal handmaiden and my brother’s attendant in my wake.
And also–
Mreow.
Mrewowow.
Meww.
Cats.
Tabby cats.
Calico cats.
Ragdoll cats.
Cats with twirly whiskers. Cats with puffy faces. Cats with slightly rounded ears.
Behind me, skipping around my legs while taking turns to sit upon my shoulders and very occasionally my head, were a legion of cats of various shapes, sizes and colours.
But no matter the springiness of their whiskers, the shine of their coat or the liveliness of their tails, one thing to bring them all together was the anarchy they caused.
This was no neat line of ducklings following after their mother.
This was a barbarian horde.
With no sense of organisation other than a shared drive to claim everything as their own, they immediately skipped amidst the stunned adventurers, scavenging for all the copious scraps while still turning their noses away from the alcohol forming sticky traps upon the floor.
Saying nothing, I allowed their demanding cries to fill up the hall as I swept forwards, pausing before a wall plastered from end to end with faded notices and requests long gone unanswered.
One by one, I systemically tore every request featuring a crudely drawn image of a cat, gathering into my arms a pile of parchment large enough to reach my chin.
Then, I made my way to the wooden desk.
A receptionist waited with a smile at the ready.
“Greetings! Welcome to the Hartzwiese branch of the Adventurer’s Guild. I see you’ve removed several notices from the–”
Poomph.
Silenced but unperturbed, this latest clone watched as I dropped the stack of requests onto her desk, before promptly topping off the stack with a copper ring.
“Do what must be done,” I said, my voice defiant. “I am ready.”
The receptionist answered me with a smile more permanent than the wall the notices were torn from.
A moment later–
“[Identify].”
A green hue appeared in her clasped palms as she assessed the ring.
“Juliette. B-rank. Your registered branch is Reitzlake.”
The sound of several cups clattered against the floor.
“Welcome again to Hartzwiese. I see from your commission history that you have an extraordinary amount of completions for recovering lost cats. May I assume the significant number of cats now roaming the branch hall relate to the notices removed from the wall?”
I pursed my quivering lips.
“Maybe.”
“Wonderful. And how many cats is it that you’ve rescued?”
“... Lots.”
“I see. Please give me a moment while I confirm the requirements of our commissions.”
The receptionist swiftly retrieved a stack of parchment from a drawer.
As she flicked through, her eyes simultaneously went to every cat roaming, napping and clawing in the hall. A skill not even monstrous overseers from the abyss with their dozens of eyestalks could match. But that’s only to be expected.
Wherever these receptionists were found, it was from a level deeper than any monster dared roam.
Eventually, she gave a nod.
“Thank you for waiting. There appears to be an excess of cats in relation to the number of commissions we have available. We’ll endeavour to ensure that every cat is rehomed at the earliest opportunity through our partner agencies and charities. But unfortunately, I can only provide official acknowledgement for cats rescued through a formal commission.”
I sucked in a deep breath, hoping that patience was one of the things I accidentally inhaled.
“Fine. And how many commissions does that end up being, then? … 10? 15?”
The receptionist flicked through her bundle of parchments once more.
“94.”
“... Excuse me?”
“I can confirm the successful completion of 94 simultaneous F-ranked commissions. Congratulations. This is a new record, breaking what appears to be one earlier set by yourself. A remarkable achievement befitting a B-rank member of the guild.”
The receptionist’s professional smile never wavered.
I thought that would be the worst of it.
But then–
She slowly brought her hands together … and started applauding.
It was the leak which broke the dam.
At once, she was joined by all who were present to witness this crowning moment of regret.
I turned around in time to see a riot in motion.
“W-Wooooooooooo!!!!”
“In … Incredible …”
“A new record … I … I heard it was broken in Trierport … to think I’d witness it broken again!”
“A B-rank adventurer … ?! Where … Where did she come from … ?!”
There was no polite, respectful applause here.
It was the wild cheering of a crowd at a tournament. The whooping cries of theatregoers calling for an encore. The acclaim of my father as he elbowed others to delight in the poetry I’d written when I was 6 and thus now regularly attempted to burn.
Everywhere I turned, I saw and heard the acclaim mixed with shouts of horror as mugs of alcohol were spilled on purpose and by accident. The layabouts stomped on the floor, doing their best to murder decorum under the strain of unbridled emotion.
Only a few falling teardrops formed any hint of more dignified revelry, the glimmer of admiration running down cheeks as sniffles were hidden amidst the raucous cheering.
And then I bore witness to the most morbid sight.
Like a tidal wave of soiled clothes and snotty faces, they suddenly came as one, hands reaching out for me with dripping mugs still in their grips. Horror struck at my soul. And unlike a farmer who’d scarpered into the night, I had nobody who could heal a wound caused by hooligans accepting me as their own.
“A-Amazing!! Take my drink! Take anyone’s drink!!”
“So many cats rescued … even my allergies can’t believe it!”
“My gods, it’s a legend! An adventurer among adventurers!”
This.
This right here.
This was the lowest point of my life … were I not an unparalleled genius.
“Oho … ohoho …”
At once, the wave halted.
Faces which were lit up in unabashed delight turned to looks of mild confusion against the tinkling music of my laughter.
They needed to cycle through the expressions until they reached horror and shame.
“Ohhohohohohohoho!!”
… For I was no drunkard seeking to join their ranks!
No … I was Juliette Contzen, 3rd Princess to the Kingdom of Tirea!
And that meant every action I took, every word I spoke, and every cat I saved was for a reason beyond the hopes and dreams these hoodlums had of wanton debauchery and rusting swords!
Indeed!
A lesser princess than I may slink away into the night, cowed by the utter shame, humiliation and disgrace of completing so many F-ranked requests that I somehow broke a record I’d only just set!
But I was made of greater things!
Of schemes and subterfuges so deep that it would take too long to explain! The plots I weaved were a silken web more intricate than any cogs which made up Coppelia as she doubled up, desperately trying to stop herself from succumbing to more pain from laughter!
And that meant with every cat request now denied to these louts … they would finally do some work!
“Ohoho … ohohohohoho!! Behold and be afraid! Witness before you the coming of a new dawn, here to lift you from your days of boundless reverie! Unfurl the shutters and gaze upon a radiance so pure it brands your dallying minds! The scorching sun has come to test the snail’s back, and all that your bleary eyes see is a great salt lake to devour you whole! Shrivel as you cling upon the sweat which drips upon your brow, for that is the proof you’re yet alive!”
A sudden silence met my proclamation of their coming ordeal.
And then–
“Wooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
“I don’t understand! But what a speech!”
“If she can do it, so can we!”
I raised a hand to my lips, barely covering my smile.
“Ohhhohohohohohohoho … !”
Here it was!
Operation: Gainful Employment!
An entirely new strategy, as bold as it was uncharted!
By removing what was surely the vast majority of missing cat quests available to the adventurers of this town, they would have no choice, utterly none whatsoever, but to engage in actual work! The type of work adventurers openly advertised themselves as doing!
Monster subjugation! Crime prevention! Fetching artifacts from hidden dungeons and then succumbing to their wounds at the entrance while the Royal Treasury pocketed the treasure!
Yes, this was clearly a highly experimental tactic.
But what was I, if not a bastion of creativity?
At the very least, I utterly refused to accept the status quo! An organisation dedicated exclusively to rescuing lost cats or elbowing into my kingdom’s sovereign affairs was no good to me!
Thus … I could not cower like some towngirl nauseous from the smell of their revelry.
Instead, I would squeeze the Adventurer’s Guild dry until the day I replaced them with an army of trained poodles. Until that joyous day, I could never tear my eyes away when they waited to be robbed.
To do so was more than a dereliction of duty …
Why, I’d be an accomplice to their drunken escapades!
My vow remained unchanged. For my goal, I would brave any indignity. The ring I was hoping the receptionist would forget to return was proof of that.
And thus–
I stood tall as a summer reed, proud in the knowledge that I had no need to feel even an inkling of embarrassment over completing 94 simultaneous F-ranked commissions! …
“Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft.”
“S-Stop at once! You are not to laugh!”
“Pffffttt~”
“C-Coppelia!!”
Clearly not seeing the angel of self-sacrifice who I was, Coppelia held one hand tightly around her mouth. Even so, she failed to stop either the sound of her amusement or the tears falling from her eyes.
My only salvation was that it came at significant cost to her. Even now, she careened between laughter and painful regret.
I decided to offer both her and myself mercy.
Turning to the receptionist, I found a modest pouch already waiting upon the wooden desk. As well as a copper ring waiting beside it.
“Thank you for your service to the Adventurer’s Guild,” said the receptionist, her professional smile undaunted by the commotion. “Your total remuneration is 102 gold crowns, 7 silver crowns and 9 copper crowns. I’ve taken the liberty to compile all your separate payments together.”
I took the pouch and ignored the ring.
The receptionist pushed the ring forwards.
A long moment later, I collected it, uncertain what a receptionist would do if I tossed it into the communal cauldron, but knowing it would somehow still end up on my finger regardless.
With my head held high, I bravely ignored the chorus of voices unknowingly cheering for their own hardship as I swept past. Renewed tears and applause filled the hall. A few cats attempted to follow me. I stopped to shoo them away.
And then I was outside, the door closing behind me.
“... Goodness, that was quite the sight,” said Renise with a bemused smile. “It reminded me somewhat of the inns of Reitzlake’s docks. I wonder if all the halls of adventurers are like that, or merely those which you frequent?”
“Please don’t insinuate I’m responsible for the debauchery which occurs wherever the Adventurer’s Guild is concerned. That’s something I can claim no credit for.”
“You say that … but to me, it seems that you caused quite a stir. That really is a remarkable number of cats you rescued, after all. Even I can tell that 94 simultaneous F-ranked commissions–”
“Miss Renise.”
The maid’s smile wavered against whatever fatigued expression I was making.
A moment later, it fell away entirely as she switched to her role as my brother’s attendant and the leader of whatever scoundrels he’d charged her with herding.
“... Yes, I suppose there’s time for idle conversation later. There’s a guardhouse nearby. We should report on all that’s happened tonight.”
I gave a nod of agreement.
Hopefully, the baroness hadn’t woken from her stupor yet. But if she had, I was certain the single portrait of myself I’d returned to the wall of her gallery to smile down at her gagged and bound state would calm her nerves.
Renise hummed towards the direction of Hartzwiese’s centre, before returning her attention to me.
“If you wish to keep your identity incognito, I can see guards sent to where they’re needed using my own authority, and arrange for the appropriate seizure of the goods and crowns we’ve discovered.”
I beamed at once.
My, so prudent! It’s little wonder she was chosen by Roland!
“A judicious offer. And one I’ll accept gladly, providing the burden isn’t too severe.”
“This is merely an administrative task, and little burden compared to what both yourself and Miss Coppelia regularly perform. In any event, it is only efficient. I expect I’ll be spending a significant amount of time at the baroness’s farmstead. It is quite extensive. If possible, I would like to make use of it for Rose House. I imagine having such a facility close to the Granholtz border would have its uses.”
I nodded, already forgetting the barn’s existence.
“I encourage you to use your discretion as required. My brother has put his trust in you, and so I both expect and know that you shall not disappoint in furthering the kingdom’s prosperity.”
The young woman smiled. One filled with appreciation, but also lacking ambition.
Good.
An excellent combination as far as retainers were concerned.
“Thank you. Although I worry you place too much trust in my abilities. In truth, those like Baroness Arisa would have made for a greater asset to the kingdom. Her resourcefulness must be acknowledged.”
“It is not resourcefulness my kingdom requires. It is loyalty. And hers is a pit so empty it drains others.”
“That’s true. But at least we were able to acquire some useful things from her nonetheless.”
Renise pulled out a tiny vial from the belt around her thigh.
A golden liquid was stored within, glimmering with an unnatural light.
“These were in her chamber,” she said, her eyes lacking emotion as she surveyed the bright liquid. “When we met, she actually attempted to purchase my loyalty with this.”
“A suspect vial. How quaint. And what miracle did she promise?”
“One that would wake my parents from their curse of eternal slumber.”
“... And is it?”
“I don’t believe so, no. This is one of many identical vials I found in her chamber’s desk drawer. All prominently labelled with instructions to only drink as required to stave off the effects of bloating.”
Renise returned the vial to her belt with a slightly embarrassed smile.
“It’s still useful,” she admitted. “But just not for what I require.”
I gave a simple nod as my reply.
Nothing else needed to be said.
She hoped to see her parents wake from their prison of dormancy. An understandable wish. And one I wasn’t required to supplement with the comment that no pair named the Smuggler King and the Smuggler Queen were likely to receive as light a sentence as their daughter.
I could not speak on behalf of Roland. Although I imagined that as a kind man, he would prefer not to pass judgements which were total. But as the Crown Prince, he did not have the luxury of kindness.
It would take much to change their fate.
But perhaps that’s why Renise was here, still proving true, and not accepting stomach ailment potions from a baroness.
A moment of silence followed.
Renise gave a short sigh. And that was that.
She set her eyes on the task ahead–at least until whatever words she’d parted her mouth to say were interrupted by Coppelia’s humming instead.
“Sooooooooooooooo … you just want to wake up two people eternally sleeping, right?”
A small smile met her optimistic voice.
“If a cure were readily available, I’m certain I would have found it by now. I believe one might be possible, but it would take skill and ingredients beyond any apothecary I know of.”
“Well, sure, you could go that way. But what about going straight to the source instead?”
“The source?”
“Sure. They’re asleep, right? So just ask the one in charge of where they are now.”
“I’m … not quite sure I follow?”
Coppelia clapped her hands together and beamed.
“The Spring Court is the realm of dreams. Chances are, they must have shown their faces around a few times by now. If you ask the Spring Queen nicely, she might do you a favour.”
“The Spring Queen? … The fae?”
“Mmh~ luckily, we have someone with connections here!”
Renise was startled out of her reply.
It was nothing compared to me. The one being pointed at.
“Coppelia!” I said, truly aghast at the suggestion. “The fae are not to be taken lightly. Why, I still have nightmares about my conversation with the Winter Queen! I learned a side to royalty that day which I shall never forget … and I’m quite poorer for it!”
“You met … the Winter Queen?” asked Renise, her eyes suddenly wide.
“Unfortunately, yes, but I had zero intention of meeting her, and I’ve just as little intention of meeting any other fae as well. Including the Spring Queen.”
I waved away the coming query to declare what was just as important as my lack of enthusiasm.
“Besides, I’ve not the foggiest idea how I would even hope to use these supposed connections I have.”
“Oh, that’s the easy bit,” said Coppelia, her casual disregard for what counted as ‘easy’ more terrifying than any lout I’d met today. “The hard part is getting them to do what you want. But meeting them? The fae are creatures of stories. If the time is right, they’ll speak to you–one way or another.”
“Then they must book an appointment. One which I can formally reject.”
“I mean, I don’t think you have much choice. You didn’t last time, right?”
“The last time, I was sat beside the Winter Queen’s crown. I see no fae artifacts to hook me away. And that means utterly no scenario in which I could be abducted without my express–”
I suddenly stopped, clasping my hands around my mouth.
A moment later, I raised my arms in a martial art I’d just invented, turning repeatedly on the spot.
Renise blinked at me.
“Excuse me, but what are–”
“Shhshhshh!!”
I paused, gazing intently around at the quiet, dark streets of Hartzwiese, all the while ignoring Coppelia’s giggling at my near miss.
That … That was close!
“O-Oho … oho … I almost invited something terrible. Truly, it’s perhaps best not to needlessly voice things which Fae Queens and their deviant brand of magic could use …”
Coppelia nodded at me, as proud as she was clearly disappointed.
“You’re lucky. If the Spring Queen had a sense of humour, she’d have snagged you right there and then.”
“No. If the Spring Queen had a sense of humour, she’d wait until–”
Click.
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submitted by kayenano to HFY [link] [comments]
Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
Chapter 241: Until Now
The doors to the Hartzwiese Adventurer’s Guild opened.
Before, the sound of raucous laughter could be heard flooding the street outside, filling the quiet of a spring night with all the debauchery the local drunkards had to offer.
Despite the halls of adventurers not being formal drinking establishments, those within were ready to compete in boisterousness with all the taverns, inns and pubs of the town combined. And also win. Handily.
And yet–
The moment the doors parted and I stepped within, a hush as quiet as any grave fell over its inhabitants.
A woman balancing with her derrière upon the head of another became still, the alcohol in her cup the only movement as it dribbled onto a stunned face below her.
A man slurping from the communal cauldron stared wordlessly, the stew pouring in, and then out of his mouth as the muscles of his throat forgot the means to swallow.
A bartender asleep upon a row of kegs quietly rose, the sudden din of silence waking him where the sound of debauchery and those drinking from the taps beside him had failed.
Here, there, and everywhere, eyes widened as the sudden silence was filled with the sounds of my footsteps as I strolled past, my loyal handmaiden and my brother’s attendant in my wake.
And also–
Mreow.
Mrewowow.
Meww.
Cats.
Tabby cats.
Calico cats.
Ragdoll cats.
Cats with twirly whiskers. Cats with puffy faces. Cats with slightly rounded ears.
Behind me, skipping around my legs while taking turns to sit upon my shoulders and very occasionally my head, were a legion of cats of various shapes, sizes and colours.
But no matter the springiness of their whiskers, the shine of their coat or the liveliness of their tails, one thing to bring them all together was the anarchy they caused.
This was no neat line of ducklings following after their mother.
This was a barbarian horde.
With no sense of organisation other than a shared drive to claim everything as their own, they immediately skipped amidst the stunned adventurers, scavenging for all the copious scraps while still turning their noses away from the alcohol forming sticky traps upon the floor.
Saying nothing, I allowed their demanding cries to fill up the hall as I swept forwards, pausing before a wall plastered from end to end with faded notices and requests long gone unanswered.
One by one, I systemically tore every request featuring a crudely drawn image of a cat, gathering into my arms a pile of parchment large enough to reach my chin.
Then, I made my way to the wooden desk.
A receptionist waited with a smile at the ready.
“Greetings! Welcome to the Hartzwiese branch of the Adventurer’s Guild. I see you’ve removed several notices from the–”
Poomph.
Silenced but unperturbed, this latest clone watched as I dropped the stack of requests onto her desk, before promptly topping off the stack with a copper ring.
“Do what must be done,” I said, my voice defiant. “I am ready.”
The receptionist answered me with a smile more permanent than the wall the notices were torn from.
A moment later–
“[Identify].”
A green hue appeared in her clasped palms as she assessed the ring.
“Juliette. B-rank. Your registered branch is Reitzlake.”
The sound of several cups clattered against the floor.
“Welcome again to Hartzwiese. I see from your commission history that you have an extraordinary amount of completions for recovering lost cats. May I assume the significant number of cats now roaming the branch hall relate to the notices removed from the wall?”
I pursed my quivering lips.
“Maybe.”
“Wonderful. And how many cats is it that you’ve rescued?”
“... Lots.”
“I see. Please give me a moment while I confirm the requirements of our commissions.”
The receptionist swiftly retrieved a stack of parchment from a drawer.
As she flicked through, her eyes simultaneously went to every cat roaming, napping and clawing in the hall. A skill not even monstrous overseers from the abyss with their dozens of eyestalks could match. But that’s only to be expected.
Wherever these receptionists were found, it was from a level deeper than any monster dared roam.
Eventually, she gave a nod.
“Thank you for waiting. There appears to be an excess of cats in relation to the number of commissions we have available. We’ll endeavour to ensure that every cat is rehomed at the earliest opportunity through our partner agencies and charities. But unfortunately, I can only provide official acknowledgement for cats rescued through a formal commission.”
I sucked in a deep breath, hoping that patience was one of the things I accidentally inhaled.
“Fine. And how many commissions does that end up being, then? … 10? 15?”
The receptionist flicked through her bundle of parchments once more.
“94.”
“... Excuse me?”
“I can confirm the successful completion of 94 simultaneous F-ranked commissions. Congratulations. This is a new record, breaking what appears to be one earlier set by yourself. A remarkable achievement befitting a B-rank member of the guild.”
The receptionist’s professional smile never wavered.
I thought that would be the worst of it.
But then–
She slowly brought her hands together … and started applauding.
It was the leak which broke the dam.
At once, she was joined by all who were present to witness this crowning moment of regret.
I turned around in time to see a riot in motion.
“W-Wooooooooooo!!!!”
“In … Incredible …”
“A new record … I … I heard it was broken in Trierport … to think I’d witness it broken again!”
“A B-rank adventurer … ?! Where … Where did she come from … ?!”
There was no polite, respectful applause here.
It was the wild cheering of a crowd at a tournament. The whooping cries of theatregoers calling for an encore. The acclaim of my father as he elbowed others to delight in the poetry I’d written when I was 6 and thus now regularly attempted to burn.
Everywhere I turned, I saw and heard the acclaim mixed with shouts of horror as mugs of alcohol were spilled on purpose and by accident. The layabouts stomped on the floor, doing their best to murder decorum under the strain of unbridled emotion.
Only a few falling teardrops formed any hint of more dignified revelry, the glimmer of admiration running down cheeks as sniffles were hidden amidst the raucous cheering.
And then I bore witness to the most morbid sight.
Like a tidal wave of soiled clothes and snotty faces, they suddenly came as one, hands reaching out for me with dripping mugs still in their grips. Horror struck at my soul. And unlike a farmer who’d scarpered into the night, I had nobody who could heal a wound caused by hooligans accepting me as their own.
“A-Amazing!! Take my drink! Take anyone’s drink!!”
“So many cats rescued … even my allergies can’t believe it!”
“My gods, it’s a legend! An adventurer among adventurers!”
This.
This right here.
This was the lowest point of my life … were I not an unparalleled genius.
“Oho … ohoho …”
At once, the wave halted.
Faces which were lit up in unabashed delight turned to looks of mild confusion against the tinkling music of my laughter.
They needed to cycle through the expressions until they reached horror and shame.
“Ohhohohohohohoho!!”
… For I was no drunkard seeking to join their ranks!
No … I was Juliette Contzen, 3rd Princess to the Kingdom of Tirea!
And that meant every action I took, every word I spoke, and every cat I saved was for a reason beyond the hopes and dreams these hoodlums had of wanton debauchery and rusting swords!
Indeed!
A lesser princess than I may slink away into the night, cowed by the utter shame, humiliation and disgrace of completing so many F-ranked requests that I somehow broke a record I’d only just set!
But I was made of greater things!
Of schemes and subterfuges so deep that it would take too long to explain! The plots I weaved were a silken web more intricate than any cogs which made up Coppelia as she doubled up, desperately trying to stop herself from succumbing to more pain from laughter!
And that meant with every cat request now denied to these louts … they would finally do some work!
“Ohoho … ohohohohoho!! Behold and be afraid! Witness before you the coming of a new dawn, here to lift you from your days of boundless reverie! Unfurl the shutters and gaze upon a radiance so pure it brands your dallying minds! The scorching sun has come to test the snail’s back, and all that your bleary eyes see is a great salt lake to devour you whole! Shrivel as you cling upon the sweat which drips upon your brow, for that is the proof you’re yet alive!”
A sudden silence met my proclamation of their coming ordeal.
And then–
“Wooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
“I don’t understand! But what a speech!”
“If she can do it, so can we!”
I raised a hand to my lips, barely covering my smile.
“Ohhhohohohohohohoho … !”
Here it was!
Operation: Gainful Employment!
An entirely new strategy, as bold as it was uncharted!
By removing what was surely the vast majority of missing cat quests available to the adventurers of this town, they would have no choice, utterly none whatsoever, but to engage in actual work! The type of work adventurers openly advertised themselves as doing!
Monster subjugation! Crime prevention! Fetching artifacts from hidden dungeons and then succumbing to their wounds at the entrance while the Royal Treasury pocketed the treasure!
Yes, this was clearly a highly experimental tactic.
But what was I, if not a bastion of creativity?
At the very least, I utterly refused to accept the status quo! An organisation dedicated exclusively to rescuing lost cats or elbowing into my kingdom’s sovereign affairs was no good to me!
Thus … I could not cower like some towngirl nauseous from the smell of their revelry.
Instead, I would squeeze the Adventurer’s Guild dry until the day I replaced them with an army of trained poodles. Until that joyous day, I could never tear my eyes away when they waited to be robbed.
To do so was more than a dereliction of duty …
Why, I’d be an accomplice to their drunken escapades!
My vow remained unchanged. For my goal, I would brave any indignity. The ring I was hoping the receptionist would forget to return was proof of that.
And thus–
I stood tall as a summer reed, proud in the knowledge that I had no need to feel even an inkling of embarrassment over completing 94 simultaneous F-ranked commissions! …
“Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft.”
“S-Stop at once! You are not to laugh!”
“Pffffttt~”
“C-Coppelia!!”
Clearly not seeing the angel of self-sacrifice who I was, Coppelia held one hand tightly around her mouth. Even so, she failed to stop either the sound of her amusement or the tears falling from her eyes.
My only salvation was that it came at significant cost to her. Even now, she careened between laughter and painful regret.
I decided to offer both her and myself mercy.
Turning to the receptionist, I found a modest pouch already waiting upon the wooden desk. As well as a copper ring waiting beside it.
“Thank you for your service to the Adventurer’s Guild,” said the receptionist, her professional smile undaunted by the commotion. “Your total remuneration is 102 gold crowns, 7 silver crowns and 9 copper crowns. I’ve taken the liberty to compile all your separate payments together.”
I took the pouch and ignored the ring.
The receptionist pushed the ring forwards.
A long moment later, I collected it, uncertain what a receptionist would do if I tossed it into the communal cauldron, but knowing it would somehow still end up on my finger regardless.
With my head held high, I bravely ignored the chorus of voices unknowingly cheering for their own hardship as I swept past. Renewed tears and applause filled the hall. A few cats attempted to follow me. I stopped to shoo them away.
And then I was outside, the door closing behind me.
“... Goodness, that was quite the sight,” said Renise with a bemused smile. “It reminded me somewhat of the inns of Reitzlake’s docks. I wonder if all the halls of adventurers are like that, or merely those which you frequent?”
“Please don’t insinuate I’m responsible for the debauchery which occurs wherever the Adventurer’s Guild is concerned. That’s something I can claim no credit for.”
“You say that … but to me, it seems that you caused quite a stir. That really is a remarkable number of cats you rescued, after all. Even I can tell that 94 simultaneous F-ranked commissions–”
“Miss Renise.”
The maid’s smile wavered against whatever fatigued expression I was making.
A moment later, it fell away entirely as she switched to her role as my brother’s attendant and the leader of whatever scoundrels he’d charged her with herding.
“... Yes, I suppose there’s time for idle conversation later. There’s a guardhouse nearby. We should report on all that’s happened tonight.”
I gave a nod of agreement.
Hopefully, the baroness hadn’t woken from her stupor yet. But if she had, I was certain the single portrait of myself I’d returned to the wall of her gallery to smile down at her gagged and bound state would calm her nerves.
Renise hummed towards the direction of Hartzwiese’s centre, before returning her attention to me.
“If you wish to keep your identity incognito, I can see guards sent to where they’re needed using my own authority, and arrange for the appropriate seizure of the goods and crowns we’ve discovered.”
I beamed at once.
My, so prudent! It’s little wonder she was chosen by Roland!
“A judicious offer. And one I’ll accept gladly, providing the burden isn’t too severe.”
“This is merely an administrative task, and little burden compared to what both yourself and Miss Coppelia regularly perform. In any event, it is only efficient. I expect I’ll be spending a significant amount of time at the baroness’s farmstead. It is quite extensive. If possible, I would like to make use of it for Rose House. I imagine having such a facility close to the Granholtz border would have its uses.”
I nodded, already forgetting the barn’s existence.
“I encourage you to use your discretion as required. My brother has put his trust in you, and so I both expect and know that you shall not disappoint in furthering the kingdom’s prosperity.”
The young woman smiled. One filled with appreciation, but also lacking ambition.
Good.
An excellent combination as far as retainers were concerned.
“Thank you. Although I worry you place too much trust in my abilities. In truth, those like Baroness Arisa would have made for a greater asset to the kingdom. Her resourcefulness must be acknowledged.”
“It is not resourcefulness my kingdom requires. It is loyalty. And hers is a pit so empty it drains others.”
“That’s true. But at least we were able to acquire some useful things from her nonetheless.”
Renise pulled out a tiny vial from the belt around her thigh.
A golden liquid was stored within, glimmering with an unnatural light.
“These were in her chamber,” she said, her eyes lacking emotion as she surveyed the bright liquid. “When we met, she actually attempted to purchase my loyalty with this.”
“A suspect vial. How quaint. And what miracle did she promise?”
“One that would wake my parents from their curse of eternal slumber.”
“... And is it?”
“I don’t believe so, no. This is one of many identical vials I found in her chamber’s desk drawer. All prominently labelled with instructions to only drink as required to stave off the effects of bloating.”
Renise returned the vial to her belt with a slightly embarrassed smile.
“It’s still useful,” she admitted. “But just not for what I require.”
I gave a simple nod as my reply.
Nothing else needed to be said.
She hoped to see her parents wake from their prison of dormancy. An understandable wish. And one I wasn’t required to supplement with the comment that no pair named the Smuggler King and the Smuggler Queen were likely to receive as light a sentence as their daughter.
I could not speak on behalf of Roland. Although I imagined that as a kind man, he would prefer not to pass judgements which were total. But as the Crown Prince, he did not have the luxury of kindness.
It would take much to change their fate.
But perhaps that’s why Renise was here, still proving true, and not accepting stomach ailment potions from a baroness.
A moment of silence followed.
Renise gave a short sigh. And that was that.
She set her eyes on the task ahead–at least until whatever words she’d parted her mouth to say were interrupted by Coppelia’s humming instead.
“Sooooooooooooooo … you just want to wake up two people eternally sleeping, right?”
A small smile met her optimistic voice.
“If a cure were readily available, I’m certain I would have found it by now. I believe one might be possible, but it would take skill and ingredients beyond any apothecary I know of.”
“Well, sure, you could go that way. But what about going straight to the source instead?”
“The source?”
“Sure. They’re asleep, right? So just ask the one in charge of where they are now.”
“I’m … not quite sure I follow?”
Coppelia clapped her hands together and beamed.
“The Spring Court is the realm of dreams. Chances are, they must have shown their faces around a few times by now. If you ask the Spring Queen nicely, she might do you a favour.”
“The Spring Queen? … The fae?”
“Mmh~ luckily, we have someone with connections here!”
Renise was startled out of her reply.
It was nothing compared to me. The one being pointed at.
“Coppelia!” I said, truly aghast at the suggestion. “The fae are not to be taken lightly. Why, I still have nightmares about my conversation with the Winter Queen! I learned a side to royalty that day which I shall never forget … and I’m quite poorer for it!”
“You met … the Winter Queen?” asked Renise, her eyes suddenly wide.
“Unfortunately, yes, but I had zero intention of meeting her, and I’ve just as little intention of meeting any other fae as well. Including the Spring Queen.”
I waved away the coming query to declare what was just as important as my lack of enthusiasm.
“Besides, I’ve not the foggiest idea how I would even hope to use these supposed connections I have.”
“Oh, that’s the easy bit,” said Coppelia, her casual disregard for what counted as ‘easy’ more terrifying than any lout I’d met today. “The hard part is getting them to do what you want. But meeting them? The fae are creatures of stories. If the time is right, they’ll speak to you–one way or another.”
“Then they must book an appointment. One which I can formally reject.”
“I mean, I don’t think you have much choice. You didn’t last time, right?”
“The last time, I was sat beside the Winter Queen’s crown. I see no fae artifacts to hook me away. And that means utterly no scenario in which I could be abducted without my express–”
I suddenly stopped, clasping my hands around my mouth.
A moment later, I raised my arms in a martial art I’d just invented, turning repeatedly on the spot.
Renise blinked at me.
“Excuse me, but what are–”
“Shhshhshh!!”
I paused, gazing intently around at the quiet, dark streets of Hartzwiese, all the while ignoring Coppelia’s giggling at my near miss.
That … That was close!
“O-Oho … oho … I almost invited something terrible. Truly, it’s perhaps best not to needlessly voice things which Fae Queens and their deviant brand of magic could use …”
Coppelia nodded at me, as proud as she was clearly disappointed.
“You’re lucky. If the Spring Queen had a sense of humour, she’d have snagged you right there and then.”
“No. If the Spring Queen had a sense of humour, she’d wait until–”
Click.
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2024.05.18 16:56 kenUdigitt Novel Chapter 414
Disclaimer: I do not speak Korean. This is purely translated by machine with a lot of cleanup afterward. With that in mind, I am open to criticism to improve these translations. Enjoy!
Chapter 414
Some faces are unwelcome no matter how often they appear. For me, Lee Jeong-Ryong and Wu Hei-Xing belonged squarely in that category.
Nevertheless, I initiated the conversation today because Wu Hei-Xing, against all odds, looked somewhat respectable.
"Look who's here. I thought I'd never see you again."
My lively greeting earned a venomous glare from the disheveled Wu Hei-Xing.
「Shut up.」
"Oh..."
「One more word, and I swear on my grandfather's honor, I'll tear you to pieces.」
Is he Kim Jong-Il or something? I'll never understand why these guys treat their deceased ancestors' honor like a credit card. [Note: Kim Jong-Il was the previous lead of North Korea from 1997 to 2011.]
Keeping a straight face, I questioned him.
"Did you have a bad relationship with your grandfather?"
「What?」
"I mean... Why stake his honor on something so impossible? It would make more sense if you were the one getting torn to pieces..."
「You bastard!」
As Wu Hei-Xing exploded with rage and rose to his feet, Lee Jeong-Ryong intervened with a raised hand.
"Enough."
「But Mr. Lee, this bastard...」
"Fighting amongst ourselves before a decisive battle is completely pointless. Calm down."
Crrrrick.
Wu Hei-Xing gritted his teeth, fixing me with a hostile stare.
「Understood. Since you say so, Mr. Lee, I'll stop here.」
"Good thinking."
Was he always this susceptible to persuasion? I glanced sideways at Lee Jeong-Ryong, noting the subtle smile playing on his lips.
Mr. Choi, who had accompanied me, seemed lost in thought.
"What about you, Jin Tae-Kyung?"
Turning away from Mr. Choi, I shrugged nonchalantly.
"I should listen to what my elders say."
"I didn't think you were one to care about such things."
"Shouldn't all young people respect their elders?"
Lee Jeong-Ryong laughed softly at my casual remark, while Wu Hei-Xing looked at me as though he wished me dead.
「Respecting your elders. Bullshit. What about me then, seven years your elder?」
"If you don’t want to write a will, try opening your mouth kindly first."
「This damn brat...」
"Don't be a dick."
Wu Hei-Xing, reignited with anger, fell silent.
I stared him down with icy eyes and continued.
"If you still have the energy to fuss over such pettiness, you should check on the friends you brought here."
「...!」
"These are people who risked their lives to come this far. They aren't disposable tools to be discarded after one use."
My disdain was palpable.
Around Wu Hei-Xing, the remaining Hunters were barely fifty in number.
According to what I’d learned from headquarters, they had started with five hundred. The majority had either perished or fallen behind.
"It's entirely possible that they were all casualties, especially in combat. But…"
Despite the bloodshed around him, his armor remained almost immaculate, suggesting he had engaged minimally, preserving himself while his comrades fell.
"Got anything to say, idiot?"
I remembered a line from a classic superhero movie I watched as a child.
With great power comes great responsibility. And that's not just for those bitten by radioactive spiders.
If you're someone who can conjure Aura Blades instead of spider webs, amassing wealth and honor while shielding your misdeeds, then at least acknowledge your basic duties.
"You might qualify as an S-rank, but you're no Hunter. So from now on, when introducing yourself, don't say 'Hunter.' Just go with 'the lucky S-rank, Wu Hei-Xing.' Got it?"
「……」
Wu Hei-Xing stood trembling, his fists clenched, as Lee Jeong-Ryong intervened.
"He did his best."
"Seeing his armor, I doubt that. It looks so clean, you could wipe it down and bring it to a thrift store."
"Wearing strong armor isn't grounds for criticism."
"I've noticed this before... You always seem to take his side. Does this bastard have something on you?"
"Everyone has something. I just happen to be good at hiding mine."
"You might want to run a check on your computer. Who knows, maybe the Chinese hackers are sharing images of the Vice Guild Leader watching porn in their group chats."
"I’ll be cautious."
A formidable opponent indeed.
Unfazed, Lee Jeong-Ryong offered a slight smile, but the man behind him told a different story.
I gestured dismissively at the man radiating a subtle, murderous intent.
"Look who it is, Team Leader Seok. Isn't that our Go-Jun?"
Lee Jeong-Ryong’s head of security and a devoted disciple.
I recalled thrashing him soundly before his departure to China, yet now, he appeared not only unmarked but even more formidable.
His gaze alone, deeper and more intense, was a testament to his vastly improved skills.
'He's also grown more patient.'
Seok Go-Jun ranks among Lee Jeong-Ryong's most loyal followers.
Previously, he would have lunged at me without a second thought. Now, even brimming with murderous intent, he opted for restraint over drawing his weapon.
Lee Jeong-Ryong seemed proud of his disciple and announced,
"We've now reached just 20 kilometers from the Arch Lich, according to the coordinates."
I ran my hands through my sticky, blood-smeared hair.
"It’s going to be the longest and most intense 20 kilometers on Earth."
"That's right. The Arch Lich has kept a substantial force in reserve."
"How many?"
"An estimated fifty thousand."
At that, a wave of despair swept through the suicide squad listening intently to our conversation.
Combined, the forces under myself, Lee Jeong-Ryong, and Wu Hei-Xing numbered barely five hundred.
Even a rough estimate made the prospect of breaching an army a hundred times our size to reach the Arch Lich seem daunting, filling them with a profound dread.
It was likely this overwhelming fear that prompted someone to cry out,
「We need to retreat, now!」
Soon, the dam of restraint broke and other Hunters joined in.
「Fuck!」
「There are too many monsters!」
「We’ll be annihilated if it continues like this.」
「I came here to defeat the Arch Lich, not to die a dog’s death!」
The two hundred or so members of the Western Front's suicide squad, who had suffered minimal losses thus far, were not immune to the spreading panic.
Yet amidst the rising fear, two figures remained composed.
Shao Shen, looking at me with unwavering trust, and then...
"There might be a possibility."
Going beyond mere trust in me, Mr. Choi, having analyzed the situation independently, spoke with measured calm.
"An estimated fifty thousand exceeds the General Headquarter's predictions by a significant margin."
「So naturally, we should retreat, shouldn’t we?」
At a member of the suicide squad's cry, Mr. Choi immediately shook his head.
"And the number of monsters we've faced so far is also fewer than expected."
「What?」
"While there were many, the forces we encountered on the front weren't as overwhelming as anticipated."
「Then...」
"Maybe the Arch Lich anticipated such a scenario. Instead of committing all its forces to the front, it might have held back fifty thousand troops as a final reserve to prepare for any situation."
The expressions of the Hunters hardened as they listened to Mr. Choi, not from understanding his point, but from the increasingly intense vibrations underfoot.
Creak, creak, creak.
The tremors, felt even tens of kilometers away, shook everyone to their core.
Destroyed roads stretched beside vast plains. Through the thick fog enveloping us, the combined roars and footsteps of tens of thousands of monsters echoed as a distant, unified clamor.
- Roarrrrrr!
「This is insane...」
「Run. We have to run. This is a fight we can't win.」
Feet shuffled and retreated in panic.
Yet standing resolute amid this chaos were the members of the Ares Guild, and Lee Jeong-Ryong, who, facing Mr. Choi, wore an intrigued expression.
"So?"
Their gazes met in the charged air. Mr. Choi's grip on the [Hero's Soul] tightened.
"Even though the General Headquarter's predictions were off, the fact that the Arch Lich hasn't launched a full offensive means that his reserve strength is still on the fronts."
"Yet, our forces are still outnumbered by the enemy."
"But aren’t there people assigned to this mission with this already in mind?"
Creak, creak, creak.
The roaring and ground-shaking grew more intense. Amid the anxious murmurs of the crowd, Mr. Choi's mana-imbued voice resonated with everyone.
"People capable of turning the tide in an instant. People known as S-rank Hunters, each one a one-man army."
At that moment.
Swoosh!
A dazzling burst of light erupted overhead.
With the brilliant illumination, the air itself seemed to cleave, as if cut by an immense blade. Three figures appeared, descending as though they were walking down invisible steps.
「My great-grandmother often sat me on her knee and told me. Royalty must fulfill the duties befitting their status. Commoners like you wouldn't understand.」
I chuckled and bowed slightly. Normally, he’s the last person I’d choose to align with, but this time, I couldn’t resist.
"Your Highness, Prince Felix."
「Hearing it from your lips is indeed pleasant, Jin. Hunter of the East.」
Prince Felix's haughty demeanor prompted the beauty next to him to click her tongue.
「Can't you do something about him? Maybe gag him?」
"It seems I might have to let it slide today, sister."
「Oh my.」
Fei Chen’s eyes widened at my reply and soon, she sported a bashful smile.
「That's good to hear. It feels right, doesn’t it?」
At Fei Chen’s remark, the last person in the group laughed heartily.
「Does this mean I can also expect something? What do you think, Jin?」
"Why, would you like me to kiss you?"
「Oh, not bad. But I must politely decline. I'm already married to my beloved Fred, and I have five adopted children.」
Swoosh. Thud.
Gliding through the air, Magic Johnson patted my shoulder with his enormous hand.
「Jin, you brave little guy. How on Earth did you do such a dangerous teleport? I nearly gave up several times this go around.」
"But you did it in the end, Johnson."
「The odds were different. This time, the chance of failure was only 10%. You're at least 80% braver than me.」
Courage isn’t measured by size. By simply daring to come here, risking death, they had proven themselves as some of the world’s finest Hunters.
And as they received unexpected reinforcements, the crowd’s eyes widened in disbelief.
「Fei Chen?」
「Prince Felix and Magic Johnson are here too!」
「S-rank Hunters! The S-rank Hunters have come to help us!」
「I love you, Johnson! Fucking nice gay!」 [Note: this is not a typo. This whole line is in English in the raw.]
But the excitement didn’t stop there.
Thump, thump, thump.
An unfamiliar type of vibration began, unlike anything previously felt.
It signaled the arrival of a vast army, now visible as a speck on the horizon.
「You thought we came here unprepared?」
Fei Chen continued with a sly grin, fueling the ongoing conversation.
「Combined, the Western and Eastern forces number ten thousand. That should buy you enough time to escape.」
A voice, filled with wonder, murmured aloud.
「Now we can live...」
In response, another voice cut through the air with firm resolve.
"No."
Mr. Choi raised the [Hero's Soul].
Even through the dense fog, the blade gleamed with a brilliant light.
"Now we can win."
I believe so too.
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Chapter 414
Some faces are unwelcome no matter how often they appear. For me, Lee Jeong-Ryong and Wu Hei-Xing belonged squarely in that category.
Nevertheless, I initiated the conversation today because Wu Hei-Xing, against all odds, looked somewhat respectable.
"Look who's here. I thought I'd never see you again."
My lively greeting earned a venomous glare from the disheveled Wu Hei-Xing.
「Shut up.」
"Oh..."
「One more word, and I swear on my grandfather's honor, I'll tear you to pieces.」
Is he Kim Jong-Il or something? I'll never understand why these guys treat their deceased ancestors' honor like a credit card. [Note: Kim Jong-Il was the previous lead of North Korea from 1997 to 2011.]
Keeping a straight face, I questioned him.
"Did you have a bad relationship with your grandfather?"
「What?」
"I mean... Why stake his honor on something so impossible? It would make more sense if you were the one getting torn to pieces..."
「You bastard!」
As Wu Hei-Xing exploded with rage and rose to his feet, Lee Jeong-Ryong intervened with a raised hand.
"Enough."
「But Mr. Lee, this bastard...」
"Fighting amongst ourselves before a decisive battle is completely pointless. Calm down."
Crrrrick.
Wu Hei-Xing gritted his teeth, fixing me with a hostile stare.
「Understood. Since you say so, Mr. Lee, I'll stop here.」
"Good thinking."
Was he always this susceptible to persuasion? I glanced sideways at Lee Jeong-Ryong, noting the subtle smile playing on his lips.
Mr. Choi, who had accompanied me, seemed lost in thought.
"What about you, Jin Tae-Kyung?"
Turning away from Mr. Choi, I shrugged nonchalantly.
"I should listen to what my elders say."
"I didn't think you were one to care about such things."
"Shouldn't all young people respect their elders?"
Lee Jeong-Ryong laughed softly at my casual remark, while Wu Hei-Xing looked at me as though he wished me dead.
「Respecting your elders. Bullshit. What about me then, seven years your elder?」
"If you don’t want to write a will, try opening your mouth kindly first."
「This damn brat...」
"Don't be a dick."
Wu Hei-Xing, reignited with anger, fell silent.
I stared him down with icy eyes and continued.
"If you still have the energy to fuss over such pettiness, you should check on the friends you brought here."
「...!」
"These are people who risked their lives to come this far. They aren't disposable tools to be discarded after one use."
My disdain was palpable.
Around Wu Hei-Xing, the remaining Hunters were barely fifty in number.
According to what I’d learned from headquarters, they had started with five hundred. The majority had either perished or fallen behind.
"It's entirely possible that they were all casualties, especially in combat. But…"
Despite the bloodshed around him, his armor remained almost immaculate, suggesting he had engaged minimally, preserving himself while his comrades fell.
"Got anything to say, idiot?"
I remembered a line from a classic superhero movie I watched as a child.
With great power comes great responsibility. And that's not just for those bitten by radioactive spiders.
If you're someone who can conjure Aura Blades instead of spider webs, amassing wealth and honor while shielding your misdeeds, then at least acknowledge your basic duties.
"You might qualify as an S-rank, but you're no Hunter. So from now on, when introducing yourself, don't say 'Hunter.' Just go with 'the lucky S-rank, Wu Hei-Xing.' Got it?"
「……」
Wu Hei-Xing stood trembling, his fists clenched, as Lee Jeong-Ryong intervened.
"He did his best."
"Seeing his armor, I doubt that. It looks so clean, you could wipe it down and bring it to a thrift store."
"Wearing strong armor isn't grounds for criticism."
"I've noticed this before... You always seem to take his side. Does this bastard have something on you?"
"Everyone has something. I just happen to be good at hiding mine."
"You might want to run a check on your computer. Who knows, maybe the Chinese hackers are sharing images of the Vice Guild Leader watching porn in their group chats."
"I’ll be cautious."
A formidable opponent indeed.
Unfazed, Lee Jeong-Ryong offered a slight smile, but the man behind him told a different story.
I gestured dismissively at the man radiating a subtle, murderous intent.
"Look who it is, Team Leader Seok. Isn't that our Go-Jun?"
Lee Jeong-Ryong’s head of security and a devoted disciple.
I recalled thrashing him soundly before his departure to China, yet now, he appeared not only unmarked but even more formidable.
His gaze alone, deeper and more intense, was a testament to his vastly improved skills.
'He's also grown more patient.'
Seok Go-Jun ranks among Lee Jeong-Ryong's most loyal followers.
Previously, he would have lunged at me without a second thought. Now, even brimming with murderous intent, he opted for restraint over drawing his weapon.
Lee Jeong-Ryong seemed proud of his disciple and announced,
"We've now reached just 20 kilometers from the Arch Lich, according to the coordinates."
I ran my hands through my sticky, blood-smeared hair.
"It’s going to be the longest and most intense 20 kilometers on Earth."
"That's right. The Arch Lich has kept a substantial force in reserve."
"How many?"
"An estimated fifty thousand."
At that, a wave of despair swept through the suicide squad listening intently to our conversation.
Combined, the forces under myself, Lee Jeong-Ryong, and Wu Hei-Xing numbered barely five hundred.
Even a rough estimate made the prospect of breaching an army a hundred times our size to reach the Arch Lich seem daunting, filling them with a profound dread.
It was likely this overwhelming fear that prompted someone to cry out,
「We need to retreat, now!」
Soon, the dam of restraint broke and other Hunters joined in.
「Fuck!」
「There are too many monsters!」
「We’ll be annihilated if it continues like this.」
「I came here to defeat the Arch Lich, not to die a dog’s death!」
The two hundred or so members of the Western Front's suicide squad, who had suffered minimal losses thus far, were not immune to the spreading panic.
Yet amidst the rising fear, two figures remained composed.
Shao Shen, looking at me with unwavering trust, and then...
"There might be a possibility."
Going beyond mere trust in me, Mr. Choi, having analyzed the situation independently, spoke with measured calm.
"An estimated fifty thousand exceeds the General Headquarter's predictions by a significant margin."
「So naturally, we should retreat, shouldn’t we?」
At a member of the suicide squad's cry, Mr. Choi immediately shook his head.
"And the number of monsters we've faced so far is also fewer than expected."
「What?」
"While there were many, the forces we encountered on the front weren't as overwhelming as anticipated."
「Then...」
"Maybe the Arch Lich anticipated such a scenario. Instead of committing all its forces to the front, it might have held back fifty thousand troops as a final reserve to prepare for any situation."
The expressions of the Hunters hardened as they listened to Mr. Choi, not from understanding his point, but from the increasingly intense vibrations underfoot.
Creak, creak, creak.
The tremors, felt even tens of kilometers away, shook everyone to their core.
Destroyed roads stretched beside vast plains. Through the thick fog enveloping us, the combined roars and footsteps of tens of thousands of monsters echoed as a distant, unified clamor.
- Roarrrrrr!
「This is insane...」
「Run. We have to run. This is a fight we can't win.」
Feet shuffled and retreated in panic.
Yet standing resolute amid this chaos were the members of the Ares Guild, and Lee Jeong-Ryong, who, facing Mr. Choi, wore an intrigued expression.
"So?"
Their gazes met in the charged air. Mr. Choi's grip on the [Hero's Soul] tightened.
"Even though the General Headquarter's predictions were off, the fact that the Arch Lich hasn't launched a full offensive means that his reserve strength is still on the fronts."
"Yet, our forces are still outnumbered by the enemy."
"But aren’t there people assigned to this mission with this already in mind?"
Creak, creak, creak.
The roaring and ground-shaking grew more intense. Amid the anxious murmurs of the crowd, Mr. Choi's mana-imbued voice resonated with everyone.
"People capable of turning the tide in an instant. People known as S-rank Hunters, each one a one-man army."
At that moment.
Swoosh!
A dazzling burst of light erupted overhead.
With the brilliant illumination, the air itself seemed to cleave, as if cut by an immense blade. Three figures appeared, descending as though they were walking down invisible steps.
「My great-grandmother often sat me on her knee and told me. Royalty must fulfill the duties befitting their status. Commoners like you wouldn't understand.」
I chuckled and bowed slightly. Normally, he’s the last person I’d choose to align with, but this time, I couldn’t resist.
"Your Highness, Prince Felix."
「Hearing it from your lips is indeed pleasant, Jin. Hunter of the East.」
Prince Felix's haughty demeanor prompted the beauty next to him to click her tongue.
「Can't you do something about him? Maybe gag him?」
"It seems I might have to let it slide today, sister."
「Oh my.」
Fei Chen’s eyes widened at my reply and soon, she sported a bashful smile.
「That's good to hear. It feels right, doesn’t it?」
At Fei Chen’s remark, the last person in the group laughed heartily.
「Does this mean I can also expect something? What do you think, Jin?」
"Why, would you like me to kiss you?"
「Oh, not bad. But I must politely decline. I'm already married to my beloved Fred, and I have five adopted children.」
Swoosh. Thud.
Gliding through the air, Magic Johnson patted my shoulder with his enormous hand.
「Jin, you brave little guy. How on Earth did you do such a dangerous teleport? I nearly gave up several times this go around.」
"But you did it in the end, Johnson."
「The odds were different. This time, the chance of failure was only 10%. You're at least 80% braver than me.」
Courage isn’t measured by size. By simply daring to come here, risking death, they had proven themselves as some of the world’s finest Hunters.
And as they received unexpected reinforcements, the crowd’s eyes widened in disbelief.
「Fei Chen?」
「Prince Felix and Magic Johnson are here too!」
「S-rank Hunters! The S-rank Hunters have come to help us!」
「I love you, Johnson! Fucking nice gay!」 [Note: this is not a typo. This whole line is in English in the raw.]
But the excitement didn’t stop there.
Thump, thump, thump.
An unfamiliar type of vibration began, unlike anything previously felt.
It signaled the arrival of a vast army, now visible as a speck on the horizon.
「You thought we came here unprepared?」
Fei Chen continued with a sly grin, fueling the ongoing conversation.
「Combined, the Western and Eastern forces number ten thousand. That should buy you enough time to escape.」
A voice, filled with wonder, murmured aloud.
「Now we can live...」
In response, another voice cut through the air with firm resolve.
"No."
Mr. Choi raised the [Hero's Soul].
Even through the dense fog, the blade gleamed with a brilliant light.
"Now we can win."
I believe so too.
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