My daughter started her job as a dental assistant 2 years ago. 8 months later, she quit due to repeating a mistake & failing to meet competency fast enough as set by her manager. After 5 months of unemployment, she was hired at Walmart & about to reach her 8 months there.
I knew this was going to happen. To start off, she’s mistake prone, sensitive to criticism, & doesn’t put in the effort. I was upset when she told me of her errors before telling her to improve at work. Apparently she didn’t marinate my words & when she told me she received her final warning, I told her she should quit before she can get fired because I knew she’s going to screw up again even if she try.
I want a job where she didn’t have to work overnights, odd hours, & still have time left in her workday to spend with her family & dental assisting is perfect. I also like the idea of her working in an office (I do equate it to an office job) & in uniform & jokingly told her that she should walk around the grocery store in scrubs & though it’s not sanitary, it brings out a sense of pride & importance. She also express her desire for a good looking man & I remind her that no good looking man will want a woman who works at a low tier job because it looks bad on him & since she’s currently at Walmart, she’ll need to lower her expectation.
During her unemployment, she applied to 5 offices & all of them were rejects. I told her that potential employers will call her previous office & if they say her work is terrible, it’ll set off a red flag & they’ll reject her. And her last application was unbelievable. She applied to a 5th office & after they told her they’ll move on to someone else, she called the office in tears. They didn’t buy into it & hung up on her. How pathetic was that?
I was happy that dental professionals here were criticizing her with one dentist saying that he wouldn’t hire her. If she could fail at one office, she’ll fail at every office even if she try. How do I know this without ever seeing her assist? I don’t, but it doesn’t mean I can’t predict & like I mentioned earlier, she’s mistake prone, sensitive to criticism, gets defensive, & doesn’t give her all. She’s like that at home & I know she’ll be like that at work, each & every time. Yes she was raped as a child, but that shouldn’t be an excuse. She’s like this because she wants to, not because from the trauma. She acted like people should be extra kind to her but nope, victim or not, if you make a mistake, you’ll be scorned the same way.
I want her to be a dental assistant because it’s easy, better for her & her future family. But since she’s now working at Walmart, she better be prepared to be look down upon & be at the low ranks I know everybody at her previous work hates her.

I've been renting in eastern mass for 3 years now, but this is new. I met the roommate with the posting, I saw the place. Everything matched. The rental application is an adobe PDF, which isn't too much of a red flag the owner of the property isn't a big time landlord. I would be subletting for a few months until the lease renews then added to it.
Why on god's green earth do they need my bank information and credit card information?
My gut's saying it's a small time homeowner just renting out their first home making mistakes and being unprofessional, but I can't help feeling like this is a giant red flag. I've rented a half dozen places and nobody has ever requested my credit card number and credit limit. I'm obviously not going to give it to them, once they see my income and credit report that's all they need to know I'm a reliable tenant financially.... But I am skeptical the place is legit due to that extremely weird request.

A year ago I bought 2 pieces from a gallery after being persuaded by a salesman working for the gallery. He sold them as an investment opportunity with guaranteed high returns. I admit I was naive and in hindsight, I would have done more research before spending the amount I did. A salesman selling art pieces is obviously a red flag! Anyway, both pieces remain in the gallery’s storage. My post from here on is about one of the pieces only.
Before I bought the piece I asked the salesman from the gallery over WhatsApp what proof of authenticity existed. He replied that in addition to the COA from the gallery, I would receive the original bill of sale between the previous collector and the first owner (the BOS). This reassured me so I signed their DocuSign contract and paid for the piece.
The gallery emailed me their COA in PDF format but no BOS from the previous collector. Over the past year, I made multiple inquiries about the BOS and asked for a refund as they couldn’t produce it and they repeatedly told me it was on its way. Finally last week someone from the gallery sent me a PDF file as an email attachment which he said was the BOS. There is only one signature on it - that of the previous collector. There are black blocks over where the original price and the address of the first owner would be as if those details have been redacted. At first glance, I assumed he’d sent me a scanned copy of the BOS and made some edits to the file to redact the details. So I emailed him back, said thanks, and asked if the physical BOS was in their storage. He replied no, that was with the previous collector’s accountants and what he sent me was what the collector sent them. Then I noticed when I zoomed in on the PDF the signature became more and more blurred while the rest of the text remained sharp. I realised the PDF file isn’t a scanned copy of a real document, nor a digital document with an e-signature. It’s a mock-up made with a composite of text, black blocks, and an image of the signature, created seemingly to give the appearance of a signed BOS with some details redacted. Even if someone scanned the real BOS and then edited it to add the redactions, the text would blur as well as the signature when zoomed in. When I uploaded the file to an online EXIF viewer the metadata showed it was created with a software application that is used to create and edit graphical designs and was exported to PDF format 2 minutes before he emailed it to me. Now as far as I can tell, there can only be two explanations for this. The first one is the collector who sold the works to the gallery created the mock-up himself, sent the pdf file to the gallery, someone at the gallery opened it in the design application, saved a new copy on their computer, and then emailed the copy to me. The other explanation is someone at the gallery created the mock-up of the BOS themselves and then emailed it to me.
So the outcome for me is it's clear I won’t be getting the BOS and what I have is worth a fraction of what I paid. The artist produced multiple similar pieces and the ones without provenance sell on eBay for around a quarter of the price. The WhatsApp chats with the salesman where he repeatedly told me before and after I signed the DocuSign I would receive the BOS will be backed up on my iCloud but the BOS isn’t mentioned in the DocuSign. I’m hoping with all of the above I’ll be able to get a refund on this. I may still buy art in the future but only when I have enough knowledge about what I’m doing.
Glad for any advice or similar experiences. Thanks.

So long story short, through my self guided learning over the last year or so, I've pretty well absorbed all the knowledge I can around WPF and XAML. (Furthermore on the XAML side thanks to some legacy code that needs to be maintained using Expressions Blend and no C# code-behind- but that's another story) In all of this time ... I am still a little confused around my specific needs regarding my desktop application and what constitutes a Viewmodel vs. a Viewmodel.
Lets get through the basics. I am creating a document writer of sorts. Its purpose is to autogenerate values, and edit default values, as well as load existing documents values into memory and be able to edit values from a loaded document. The UI is mostly ON/OFF for values and fields can be added, removed, etc through the UI. The GUI directly represents the data in the documents being generated. However, I have logic for all of my Viewmodels that prevents users from entering certain values. as well as locig that checks other parameters (if they exist) in the document (the loaded document in memory that the ui directly correlates to) to see if the values are in or out of bounds, as well as a plethora of other error handling for validation and verification like non-zero values, alpha values in a number box etc. As well as a bunch of logic that should automate the process of generating this document. For example if you add a parameter and turn it on(or true) that value will autopopulate another parameter and inform the user they must enter a value in the new input field.
I am assuming all of this is corect to assume this is Viewmodel specific logic - it has to be otherwise I have no easy way to assert this logic.
Hoever I have been reading online regarding what is and what is not 'business logic' in my application and i am unsure as to whether or not I might even have a 'model' ... Or i may be confusing some of my 'services' with what should be a 'model'. Ive been reading that business logic could be called domain logic, but that doesnt really help me..... vm should contain input logic. the view should contain output logic. It seems like everything in my case is a viewmodel....
I have a few services for reading/writing XML, reading/writing JSON, an error handler, a logger, a library for hashing, a PDF builder, an XDoc writer, user security, etc. Some of these are purely services. libraries that wrap functionality like reading and writing files using data passed to them. Others are services that consume c++ DLL's and they simply wrap the extern calls. Some just store data to help decide what to display to users. (like units for a value) using enums and static dictionaries in a static class. I would for the most part consider these to be 'services'. custom libraries that i am using in the view models. and in my only model class 'configuration'.
The configuration class reads in some configuration data on startup and these files are only ever change when the application receives an update. The configuration class holds the configuration data in a dictionary for the viewmodels to pull form as they need it. The data is already processed but the config class and all its data is packaged neatly for the viewmodels to grab.
Does this seem like an appropriate way to organize my program in an MVVM architecture? I am maybe confusing my services for what models should be doing, the services i am using are doing the 'business/domain logic'?
anybody who has some experience with MVVM standards that can chime in, my ears are open :P

Hi all, I just wanted to share my success story and timeline
Super priority applied from within the UK, no solicitor
Started UKVI application: Early February Submitted UKVI application: Mid April (spent a lot of time procrastinating because there was just so many required documents) Booked an appointment for May 11 (paid extra ~£100-200 for Saturday appointment) Decision received: May 13
Submitted documents:

• Partner's bank statements and payslips for the past 12 months (in GBP and another currency as we lived outside of the UK)
• Confirmation letter from partner's employer (spanning 2 employers in the past 12 months)
• Cover letter from partner
• Cover letter from partner's parents (we live at their property)
• Title deed (online version £3)
• Partner's contract of employment (signed)
• My contract of employment (signed)
• My bank statements and payslips
• Letter from previous flatmate
• 3 pages of personal photos
• 1 page of cash transfer app (Splitwise)
• ~6 pages of flight reservations for past holidays

Evidence of cohabitation across the past 2+ years with 6 month interval (Jan, Jun, Jan, Jun, Nov, Feb):

• Previous lease agreements (non-UK)
• Individual and joint bank statements (non-UK and UK)
• Energy bill (non-UK)
• Council tax bill
• Letter from NHS and Disclosure and Barring Services

Quirks:
I highlighted parts on the bank statements, energy bills, flight reservation, etc. (ie. address, salary from employer) directly on the PDF - I was slightly worried that this was going to be considered as document tampering but my application was successful! Also one of my partner's bank statements had a different address to mine, but this was explained it on the cover letter.
Good luck for everyone else applying!

May 13, 2024
UK submission for national MAA review follows recently received positive opinion from Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) concerning the authorization of ONS-5010/LYTENAVA™ (bevacizumab gamma)
ISELIN, N.J., May 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Outlook Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OTLK), a biopharmaceutical company working to achieve regulatory approval for the first authorized use of an ophthalmic formulation of bevacizumab for the treatment of retinal diseases in the US and Europe, today announced the submission of its Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom (UK) seeking authorization of ONS-5010/LYTENAVA™ (bevacizumab gamma) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).
The submission was completed under the new International Recognition Procedure (IRP), which allows the MHRA to rely on a positive opinion by the European Medicines Agency’s CHMP concerning an application for grant of marketing authorization for the same product in the EU.
The IRP is available for new UK MAAs of a medicinal product (having the same qualitative and quantitative composition, and the same pharmaceutical form) that has previously been authorized by a Reference Regulator (RR). In this case this is the EMA.
“The submission of our MAA to the MHRA is another step closer to the possibility of offering clinicians and their patients in the UK market the only on-label, ophthalmic bevacizumab to treat wet AMD,” said Russell Trenary, President and CEO of Outlook Therapeutics.
“On the heels of the recent positive opinion by the CHMP in the EU, we continue to make noteworthy progress toward the potential authorization of ONS-5010/LYTENAVA™ in the UK.”
The MAA submission is supported by results from Outlook Therapeutics’ wet AMD clinical program for ONS-5010, which consists of three completed registration clinical trials – NORSE ONE, NORSE TWO and NORSE THREE.
As previously announced, Outlook Therapeutics received a CHMP positive opinion on March 22, 2024 concerning an application for grant of marketing authorization for ONS-5010/LYTENAVA ™ in the EU. The European Commission is expected to make a decision within approximately 67 days following the CHMP opinion. The decision will apply automatically in all 27 EU Member States, and, within 30 days, also to Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
SOURCE:
Outlook Therapeutics® Announces UK Submission of Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for ONS-5010 as a Treatment for Wet AMD

Hi - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Each week I post a summary recap of the week's top stories, which I cover in depth with sources in the full edition. Let's dive in...
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STAT OF THE WEEK: Kohl's sales have shrunk by $2.3B since 2019. During that same period of time, the company lost 1.3M customers who no longer shop with the retailer.
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BigCommerce is exploring a sale after attracting takeover interest, according to sources who chose to remain anonymous due to the confidentiality of the information. The sources said that BigCommerce asked investment bank Qatalyst Partners to solicit interest from potential buyers that include private equity firms, but that the discussions are at an early stage and no deal is certain.
___
Squarespace announced that it will be going private in a $6.9B all-cash deal with private-equity firm Permira, who agreed to pay $44 per share (a roughly 30% premium). Although Squarespace never lost 90% of its share price like BigCommerce, it has experienced a tumultuous time on the market since its IPO in May 2021 — opening around $49.50 and at times trading in the low $20s. Shares rose nearly 13% to $43 in pre-market trading upon release of the news.
___
ByteDance filed a lawsuit in US federal court seeking to block the new law that would force the sale or ban of the app within the country. The lawsuit challenges the law on constitutional grounds, also citing commercial, technical, and legal hurdles, as well as opposition from Beijing. Legal experts say the legal battle will play out in the courts in coming months and likely will reach the Supreme Court.
___
OpenAI unveiled its newest model, GPT-4o, designed to turn ChatGPT into a digital personal assistant that can engage in real-time, spoken conversations and interact with users using text, screenshots, photos, documents, and charts. The new version of ChatGPT also has memory capabilities, which means it can learn from previous conversations. It will be available to both unpaid and premium customers alike. OpenAI also announced that it would be launching a desktop app with the GPT-4o capabilities, giving users another platform to interact with the technology outside of a web browser.
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Amazon launched in South Africa last week, marking its first marketplace in sub-Saharan Africa, and bringing its total number of marketplaces worldwide to 22. To launch the new marketplace, Amazon is offering free delivery on first orders and on subsequent orders above R500 (about $27), access to 3,000 pick-up points, status updates via WhatsApp to track orders, 30 day refunds, and 24/7 customer support. The marketplace was supposed to launch in the country in 2023, but got delayed due to changes in priorities within Amazon.
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In an unlikely partnership, Instacart is partnering with Uber Eats to expand into the restaurant delivery business. Instacart will add a new tab for restaurant delivery to its app in the coming weeks, the listings will be provided by Uber, and the food will be picked up and delivered by Uber Eats drivers. Customers will receive the same prices on both apps and Instacart will receive an affiliate commission on orders. It's a strange partnership though given that Instacart and Uber Eats actively compete on grocery delivery. Are they planning to merge? Uber says no.
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Apple's advertisement for its latest iPad Pro sparked criticism for showing an animation of musical instruments, paint cans, cameras, record players, and other symbols of creativity being crushed by a giant machine, with the output being the new iPad Pro, which the company says is the thinnest Apple product ever. In this context, “crushing” was supposed to symbolize “consolidating” and “compacting” — with the visuals meant to showcase how the new iPad Pro puts the power of all these tools into the hands of creators in one thin device. However online commenters criticized the ad as insensitive and as symbolizing a “destruction of the human experience.” The ad hit the web on Tuesday, and by Thursday, Apple issued a mea culpa and apologized for the campaign.
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Google is encouraging merchants to enable conversion annotations on their Google Shopping ads, which offer social proof that highlight a product's popularity. Conversion annotations like “best selling” or “3K shopped here recently” would provide visual cues about a product’s popularity or sales performance directly in the ad unit. Annotations like these are par for the course with e-commerce retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and Temu, which all employ similar tactics. They can provide valuable info for shoppers and also help with conversions. However they also open data privacy concerns, given that Google is not the actual retailer or marketplace selling the items, so a merchant would have to share this purchase history data from their e-commerce platform with Google — which technically most already do by giving access to GA4.
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Shein is attempting to join the National Retail Federation as it pursues regulatory approval to go public in the US. The company believes that NRF membership would boost its chances of receiving SEC approval. However so far, Shein has been rejected numerous times. An anonymous source familiar with the matter said someone with heavy influence at the NRF is strongly against the Shein's admittance. However board members who spoke to CNBC said that Shein's membership application hadn't come up in meetings, and that they aren't involved in deciding which companies are granted access.
___
Amazon is leading the way with selling home goods, capturing 18.8% of consumer home furnishings spending, compared to Walmart's 7.3% market share. Notably, Amazon’s gains in the furniture category come in spite of the company’s decision to phase out two of its three furniture brands last year.
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Stanley, which is projected to do $750M in sales this year, up from $73M in 2019, after seeing its water bottles become a status symbol thanks to TikTok, is now expanding into trendier accessories. The company is launching a line of bags called the All-Day Collection which include a mini cooler, backpack cooler, and Quencher Carry-All, designed for someone to sling their Stanley over their hip.
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Jack Dorsey left the Bluesky board and deleted his account on the service he helped kickstart, claiming that Bluesky was “literally repeating all the mistakes” he made while running Twitter. Dorsey says he never intended Bluesky to be an independent company, but rather, an open source protocol that Twitter was supposed to be the first client of. He also confirmed that he is financially backing Nostr, another decentralized Twitter-like service popular among crypto enthusiasts and run by an anonymous founder.
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Amazon is deploying 50 electric trucks in California, which it claims is the largest EV fleet in the country, as part of its mission to eliminate pollution from its global operations. The trucks will be integrated into first-mile operations, moving goods from container ships at the ports to fulfillment centers, as well as middle-mile operations, transporting packages from fulfillment centers to delivery centers.
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Wix launched a new tool called AI Portfolio Creator, which allows a user to upload and organize large-scale image collections, select the type of portfolio they want, and then have the AI tool sort and generate a portfolio with clustered images, recommended titles and descriptions, and personalized layout options.
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Amazon is now requiring all dietary supplements to be verified by a third-party testing, inspection, and certification organization — which is something that not even the FDA requires. Amazon is the largest supplement retailer in the US ahead of Walmart and Target, and its new requirements are expected to put more pressure on the industry, which is being scrutinized more than ever.
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Alibaba is revamping its flagship retail website Taobao for the first time in seven years with a focus on providing a smoother search and buying process. The website overhaul comes ahead of the 618 sales event, China's second-largest annual shopping event. A few weeks ago I reported that Eddie Wu, the CEO of Alibaba Group, would now be directly overseeing its domestic e-commerce arm which includes Taobao and Tmall Group, and it sounds like he's hitting the ground running with his new responsibilities.
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Amazon is hosting its first-ever Amazon Book Sale, a new shopping event starting on May 15th that offers up to 50% off print best sellers and up to 80% off Kindle Books. The six day shopping event will exclusively run in the US, and Prime-membership is not required to take advantage of the deals.
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FTX reported that nearly all of its customers will receive the money back that they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded. The company owes about $11.2B to its customers and estimates that it has between $14.5B and $16.3B to distribute to them. The caveat is that customers will receive the USD value of their holdings at the time of the exchange collapse, and not the actual crypto holdings themselves, which means that they'll miss out on all gains during the past two years during which BTC went from around $16k to now over $60k. Better than nothing though, that's for sure.
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800,000 consumers in Europe and the US were duped into sharing card details and other sensitive personal data with a network of fake online designer shops operated from China, which comprised one of the largest scams of its kind with 76,000 fake websites created. The scammers used expired domains to host its fake shops in order to help avoid detection by websites or brand owners, and more than 1M orders were processed in the past three years alone.
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Beyond Inc, which owns Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, and Zulily, reported that its Q1 net loss swelled to $72M from $10M a year ago, while its operating loss widened to $58M from $8M. The company's active customers grew to 6M, up 26% from nearly 5M a year ago, however, its average order value dropped to $173 from $220 a year earlier.
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TikTok will begin automatically labeling AI generated content when it is uploaded from certain platforms like DALL.E 3, Adobe Firefly, Photoshop, and Microsoft Copilot. TikTok will also start attaching Content Credentials to content, which will remain on the media when downloaded, allowing other platforms to read the metadata.
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eBay is testing an Add To Cart button in search results that opens a Quick View window, allowing buyers to skip the listing page. Technically the button should probably not be labeled “Add To Cart” since it doesn't perform that action, but rather, displays a quick view window with three buttons: Buy It Now, Add To Cart, View All Details. Sellers are worried that buyers will miss crucial details in the product description that may lead to increased returns and negative feedback.
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Amazon is planning to launch its fleet of drones in Tolleson, Arizona, but the city's extreme temperature is hampering its efforts. Drones can't operate in temperatures exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that Tolleson crosses for a full three months of the year.
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A US district judge dismissed X's lawsuit against Bright Data, a data-scraping company accused of improperly accessing X system and violating X terms and state laws when scraping and selling data. The judge basically said that if X owned the data, it could perhaps argue that it has exclusive rights to control it, but then X wouldn't be able to enjoy the safe harbor of Section 230, which allows the platform to avoid liability for third-party content. Can't have it both ways!
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Nintendo is discontinuing its X integration for the switch on June 10th, which means users will no longer be able to post screenshots or videos to the platform from their device. The drop in support also affects games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which had game-specific options to send out tweets. Microsoft Xbox dropped support for X in April 2023 and Sony Playstation dropped the service in October 2023 due to the increase in X's API access fees.
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Amazon claimed that its recordable incident rate — a metric that comprises all injuries requiring “more than basic first-aid treatment” — at its US warehouses has improved by 24% since 2019. However the National Employment Law Project challenged Amazon's injury data in a report last week, claiming that Amazon's overall injury rate in 2023 was 71% higher than that of other employers in the sector at 6.5 cases per 100 workers.
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Amazon Ads announced three new advertising formats for streaming TV including shoppable carousel ads, interactive pause ads, and interactive trivia ads. Amazon did not say when the new ad types would officially launch, but noted that it will formally present them at a presentation on May 14th.
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Meta is rolling out an expanded set of generative AI ad tools that can create full image variations with text overlays, expand images to fit across different aspect ratios, and generate alternate versions of headlines and other ad text. The features will become available globally to advertisers by the end of the year.
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Square introduced a tool called Square Kiosk to allow self-service ordering at fast food restaurants. The device is a combined software, hardware, and payment solution that allows customers to select exactly what they want with customization options, upgrades, and add-ons.
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The European Parliament announced new measures to make packaging more sustainable and reduce packaging waste in the EU, including reduction targets of 15% by 2040 — which sounds far away but is only 16 years away?! As part of the new rules, the EU will set maximum empty space ratios for e-commerce transportation, ban certain single-use plastic packaging types, and beverage distributors and take-away food will have to offer consumers the option of bringing their own container.
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Indians who pre-ordered Teslas in 2016 are giving up and seeking refunds of their deposits after Elon Musk canceled another visit to the country last month. Disillusioned Tesla enthusiasts in India say they will now buy a car from the company only if they see it in a showroom, or they'll buy a different electrical vehicle from a company that actually exists in the country.
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Target is limiting its Pride Month collection to select stores this year instead of rolling out the merchandise nationwide like it typically has for the past decade, due to backlash the retailer experienced last year. Last May customers in certain stores knocked down LGBTQ+ merchandise displays, angrily approached store employees, and posted threatening videos on social media from inside the stores.
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E-commerce spending from Jan 1 to April 30, 2024 rose 7% YoY to $331.6B, according to Adobe Analytics. One trend Adobe identified during the period is a shift of online spending to purchasing the cheapest goods across personal care, electronics, apparel, home & garden, furniture, and grocery.
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Plus 7 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest, including Shopify's acquisition of Peel, a tool that integrates with a merchant's tech stack including Klaviyo and Recharge and helps them analyze their sales data to improve customer retention.
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I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week!
PAUL Editor of Shopifreaks E-Commerce Newsletter
PS: If I missed any big news this week, please share in the comments.

Hi - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Each week I post a summary recap of the week's top stories, which I cover in depth in the newsletter. Let's dive in...
___
STAT OF THE WEEK: Kohl's sales have shrunk by $2.3B since 2019. During that same period of time, the company lost 1.3M customers who no longer shop with the retailer.
___
BigCommerce is exploring a sale after attracting takeover interest, according to sources who chose to remain anonymous due to the confidentiality of the information. The sources said that BigCommerce asked investment bank Qatalyst Partners to solicit interest from potential buyers that include private equity firms, but that the discussions are at an early stage and no deal is certain.
___
Squarespace announced that it will be going private in a $6.9B all-cash deal with private-equity firm Permira, who agreed to pay $44 per share (a roughly 30% premium). Although Squarespace never lost 90% of its share price like BigCommerce, it has experienced a tumultuous time on the market since its IPO in May 2021 — opening around $49.50 and at times trading in the low $20s. Shares rose nearly 13% to $43 in pre-market trading upon release of the news.
___
ByteDance filed a lawsuit in US federal court seeking to block the new law that would force the sale or ban of the app within the country. The lawsuit challenges the law on constitutional grounds, also citing commercial, technical, and legal hurdles, as well as opposition from Beijing. Legal experts say the legal battle will play out in the courts in coming months and likely will reach the Supreme Court.
___
OpenAI unveiled its newest model, GPT-4o, designed to turn ChatGPT into a digital personal assistant that can engage in real-time, spoken conversations and interact with users using text, screenshots, photos, documents, and charts. The new version of ChatGPT also has memory capabilities, which means it can learn from previous conversations. It will be available to both unpaid and premium customers alike. OpenAI also announced that it would be launching a desktop app with the GPT-4o capabilities, giving users another platform to interact with the technology outside of a web browser.
___
Amazon launched in South Africa last week, marking its first marketplace in sub-Saharan Africa, and bringing its total number of marketplaces worldwide to 22. To launch the new marketplace, Amazon is offering free delivery on first orders and on subsequent orders above R500 (about $27), access to 3,000 pick-up points, status updates via WhatsApp to track orders, 30 day refunds, and 24/7 customer support. The marketplace was supposed to launch in the country in 2023, but got delayed due to changes in priorities within Amazon.
___
In an unlikely partnership, Instacart is partnering with Uber Eats to expand into the restaurant delivery business. Instacart will add a new tab for restaurant delivery to its app in the coming weeks, the listings will be provided by Uber, and the food will be picked up and delivered by Uber Eats drivers. Customers will receive the same prices on both apps and Instacart will receive an affiliate commission on orders. It's a strange partnership though given that Instacart and Uber Eats actively compete on grocery delivery. Are they planning to merge? Uber says no.
___
Apple's advertisement for its latest iPad Pro sparked criticism for showing an animation of musical instruments, paint cans, cameras, record players, and other symbols of creativity being crushed by a giant machine, with the output being the new iPad Pro, which the company says is the thinnest Apple product ever. In this context, “crushing” was supposed to symbolize “consolidating” and “compacting” — with the visuals meant to showcase how the new iPad Pro puts the power of all these tools into the hands of creators in one thin device. However online commenters criticized the ad as insensitive and as symbolizing a “destruction of the human experience.” The ad hit the web on Tuesday, and by Thursday, Apple issued a mea culpa and apologized for the campaign.
___
Google is encouraging merchants to enable conversion annotations on their Google Shopping ads, which offer social proof that highlight a product's popularity. Conversion annotations like “best selling” or “3K shopped here recently” would provide visual cues about a product’s popularity or sales performance directly in the ad unit. Annotations like these are par for the course with e-commerce retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and Temu, which all employ similar tactics. They can provide valuable info for shoppers and also help with conversions. However they also open data privacy concerns, given that Google is not the actual retailer or marketplace selling the items, so a merchant would have to share this purchase history data from their e-commerce platform with Google — which technically most already do by giving access to GA4.
___
Shein is attempting to join the National Retail Federation as it pursues regulatory approval to go public in the US. The company believes that NRF membership would boost its chances of receiving SEC approval. However so far, Shein has been rejected numerous times. An anonymous source familiar with the matter said someone with heavy influence at the NRF is strongly against the Shein's admittance. However board members who spoke to CNBC said that Shein's membership application hadn't come up in meetings, and that they aren't involved in deciding which companies are granted access.
___
Amazon is leading the way with selling home goods, capturing 18.8% of consumer home furnishings spending, compared to Walmart's 7.3% market share. Notably, Amazon’s gains in the furniture category come in spite of the company’s decision to phase out two of its three furniture brands last year.
___
Stanley, which is projected to do $750M in sales this year, up from $73M in 2019, after seeing its water bottles become a status symbol thanks to TikTok, is now expanding into trendier accessories. The company is launching a line of bags called the All-Day Collection which include a mini cooler, backpack cooler, and Quencher Carry-All, designed for someone to sling their Stanley over their hip.
___
Jack Dorsey left the Bluesky board and deleted his account on the service he helped kickstart, claiming that Bluesky was “literally repeating all the mistakes” he made while running Twitter. Dorsey says he never intended Bluesky to be an independent company, but rather, an open source protocol that Twitter was supposed to be the first client of. He also confirmed that he is financially backing Nostr, another decentralized Twitter-like service popular among crypto enthusiasts and run by an anonymous founder.
___
Amazon is deploying 50 electric trucks in California, which it claims is the largest EV fleet in the country, as part of its mission to eliminate pollution from its global operations. The trucks will be integrated into first-mile operations, moving goods from container ships at the ports to fulfillment centers, as well as middle-mile operations, transporting packages from fulfillment centers to delivery centers.
___
Wix launched a new tool called AI Portfolio Creator, which allows a user to upload and organize large-scale image collections, select the type of portfolio they want, and then have the AI tool sort and generate a portfolio with clustered images, recommended titles and descriptions, and personalized layout options.
___
Amazon is now requiring all dietary supplements to be verified by a third-party testing, inspection, and certification organization — which is something that not even the FDA requires. Amazon is the largest supplement retailer in the US ahead of Walmart and Target, and its new requirements are expected to put more pressure on the industry, which is being scrutinized more than ever.
___
Alibaba is revamping its flagship retail website Taobao for the first time in seven years with a focus on providing a smoother search and buying process. The website overhaul comes ahead of the 618 sales event, China's second-largest annual shopping event. A few weeks ago I reported that Eddie Wu, the CEO of Alibaba Group, would now be directly overseeing its domestic e-commerce arm which includes Taobao and Tmall Group, and it sounds like he's hitting the ground running with his new responsibilities.
___
Amazon is hosting its first-ever Amazon Book Sale, a new shopping event starting on May 15th that offers up to 50% off print best sellers and up to 80% off Kindle Books. The six day shopping event will exclusively run in the US, and Prime-membership is not required to take advantage of the deals.
___
FTX reported that nearly all of its customers will receive the money back that they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded. The company owes about $11.2B to its customers and estimates that it has between $14.5B and $16.3B to distribute to them. The caveat is that customers will receive the USD value of their holdings at the time of the exchange collapse, and not the actual crypto holdings themselves, which means that they'll miss out on all gains during the past two years during which BTC went from around $16k to now over $60k. Better than nothing though, that's for sure.
___
800,000 consumers in Europe and the US were duped into sharing card details and other sensitive personal data with a network of fake online designer shops operated from China, which comprised one of the largest scams of its kind with 76,000 fake websites created. The scammers used expired domains to host its fake shops in order to help avoid detection by websites or brand owners, and more than 1M orders were processed in the past three years alone.
___
Beyond Inc, which owns Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, and Zulily, reported that its Q1 net loss swelled to $72M from $10M a year ago, while its operating loss widened to $58M from $8M. The company's active customers grew to 6M, up 26% from nearly 5M a year ago, however, its average order value dropped to $173 from $220 a year earlier.
___
TikTok will begin automatically labeling AI generated content when it is uploaded from certain platforms like DALL.E 3, Adobe Firefly, Photoshop, and Microsoft Copilot. TikTok will also start attaching Content Credentials to content, which will remain on the media when downloaded, allowing other platforms to read the metadata.
___
eBay is testing an Add To Cart button in search results that opens a Quick View window, allowing buyers to skip the listing page. Technically the button should probably not be labeled “Add To Cart” since it doesn't perform that action, but rather, displays a quick view window with three buttons: Buy It Now, Add To Cart, View All Details. Sellers are worried that buyers will miss crucial details in the product description that may lead to increased returns and negative feedback.
___
Amazon is planning to launch its fleet of drones in Tolleson, Arizona, but the city's extreme temperature is hampering its efforts. Drones can't operate in temperatures exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that Tolleson crosses for a full three months of the year.
___
A US district judge dismissed X's lawsuit against Bright Data, a data-scraping company accused of improperly accessing X system and violating X terms and state laws when scraping and selling data. The judge basically said that if X owned the data, it could perhaps argue that it has exclusive rights to control it, but then X wouldn't be able to enjoy the safe harbor of Section 230, which allows the platform to avoid liability for third-party content. Can't have it both ways!
___
Nintendo is discontinuing its X integration for the switch on June 10th, which means users will no longer be able to post screenshots or videos to the platform from their device. The drop in support also affects games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which had game-specific options to send out tweets. Microsoft Xbox dropped support for X in April 2023 and Sony Playstation dropped the service in October 2023 due to the increase in X's API access fees.
___
Amazon claimed that its recordable incident rate — a metric that comprises all injuries requiring “more than basic first-aid treatment” — at its US warehouses has improved by 24% since 2019. However the National Employment Law Project challenged Amazon's injury data in a report last week, claiming that Amazon's overall injury rate in 2023 was 71% higher than that of other employers in the sector at 6.5 cases per 100 workers.
___
Amazon Ads announced three new advertising formats for streaming TV including shoppable carousel ads, interactive pause ads, and interactive trivia ads. Amazon did not say when the new ad types would officially launch, but noted that it will formally present them at a presentation on May 14th.
___
Meta is rolling out an expanded set of generative AI ad tools that can create full image variations with text overlays, expand images to fit across different aspect ratios, and generate alternate versions of headlines and other ad text. The features will become available globally to advertisers by the end of the year.
___
Square introduced a tool called Square Kiosk to allow self-service ordering at fast food restaurants. The device is a combined software, hardware, and payment solution that allows customers to select exactly what they want with customization options, upgrades, and add-ons.
___
The European Parliament announced new measures to make packaging more sustainable and reduce packaging waste in the EU, including reduction targets of 15% by 2040 — which sounds far away but is only 16 years away?! As part of the new rules, the EU will set maximum empty space ratios for e-commerce transportation, ban certain single-use plastic packaging types, and beverage distributors and take-away food will have to offer consumers the option of bringing their own container.
___
Indians who pre-ordered Teslas in 2016 are giving up and seeking refunds of their deposits after Elon Musk canceled another visit to the country last month. Disillusioned Tesla enthusiasts in India say they will now buy a car from the company only if they see it in a showroom, or they'll buy a different electrical vehicle from a company that actually exists in the country.
___
Target is limiting its Pride Month collection to select stores this year instead of rolling out the merchandise nationwide like it typically has for the past decade, due to backlash the retailer experienced last year. Last May customers in certain stores knocked down LGBTQ+ merchandise displays, angrily approached store employees, and posted threatening videos on social media from inside the stores.
___
E-commerce spending from Jan 1 to April 30, 2024 rose 7% YoY to $331.6B, according to Adobe Analytics. One trend Adobe identified during the period is a shift of online spending to purchasing the cheapest goods across personal care, electronics, apparel, home & garden, furniture, and grocery.
___
Plus 7 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest, including Shopify's acquisition of Peel, a tool that integrates with a merchant's tech stack including Klaviyo and Recharge and helps them analyze their sales data to improve customer retention.
___
I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week!
For more details on each story and sources, see the full edition: https://www.shopifreaks.com/bigcommerce-for-sale-openai-gpt-4o-instacarts-unlikely-partnership/
What else is new in e-commerce? Share stories of interesting in the comments below (including in your own business) or on shopifreaks.
-PAUL Editor of Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter
PS: Want the full editions delivered to your Inbox each week? Join free at www.shopifreaks.com

Helo all,
please could you help pick my pc parts so as this pc will be working allright with latest version with this application:

• allplan version 2023
• budget 1500 euros with two 27" monitors (if possible)
• no keyboard nor mouse

I am mainly worried about the GPU and PSU.
Here are the system requirements: https://www.allplan.com/fileadmin/user_upload/shared-files/pdf/System_requirements_Allplan_2024_EN_GmbH.pdf
For parts would it be possible to have them here so that I can order them from my country:

• alza.sk
• agem.sk

Many thanks for your helps guys!

Helo all,
please could you help pick my pc parts so as this pc will be working allright with latest version with this application:

• allplan version 2023
• budget 1500 euros with two 27" monitors (if possible)
• no keyboard nor mouse

I am mainly worried about the GPU and PSU.
Here are the system requirements: https://www.allplan.com/fileadmin/user_upload/shared-files/pdf/System_requirements_Allplan_2024_EN_GmbH.pdf
For parts would it be possible to have them here so that I can order them from my country:

• alza.sk
• agem.sk

Many thanks for your helps guys!

Helo all,
please could you help pick my pc parts so as this pc will be working allright with latest version with this application:

• allplan version 2023
• budget 1500 euros with two 27" monitors (if possible)
• no keyboard nor mouse

I am mainly worried about the GPU and PSU.
Here are the system requirements: https://www.allplan.com/fileadmin/user_upload/shared-files/pdf/System_requirements_Allplan_2024_EN_GmbH.pdf
For parts would it be possible to have them here so that I can order them from my country:

• alza.sk
• agem.sk

Many thanks for your helps guys!

[English follows]
Bonjour à tous,
Je pose cette question par ma curiosité concernant les aspects legals, et pour ma propre connaissance des lois. J'explique l'histoire et la situation:
Il y a quelques semaines un des mes collègues, un nouvel arrivant, occupait une location à courte terme pour une période de deux semaines pendant qu'il se trouve un moyen de se loger pour le long terme. Il avait pris service d'un courtier pour facitier sa recherche.
Il a specifié au courtier, une semaine avant la fin de sa location à courte terme, le condo qu'il préfèrait le plus parmi les visites effectués avec le courtier. Il a attendu une réponse de courtier pour quatres jours, mais silence totale. Avec moins de trois nuits avant la fin de sa location à courte terme, il a cherché d'autres options, et a déposé une demande pour un autre condo qui convenait à ses besoins (pas de signatures, promesses, ou bails. juste une demande)
Le même jour, le courtier lui a dit qu'il allait « faire un offre » et lui a demandé de signer ce genre de document (promesse de location). Il l'a signé comme c'était pas un bail final, mais selon le courtier, c'était qu'un offre. Le soir, il a été approuvé pour l'autre condo aussi. Tout ça parce qu'il ne restait que deux nuits avant la fin de sa location temporaire.
Quand il a dit au courtier qu'il va préférer l'autre logement, le courtier s'est mis en colère et lui a dit que l'offre est accepté et le proprietaire peut le poursuivre legalement s'il refuse de signer un bail. Pour éviter les troubles, il a dû decider de refuser le condo pour lequel il avait déposé une demande, puisque aucun document n'a pas été signé à ce côté.
Le jour après, l'entreprise qui gère le condo qu'il a refusé lui a dit qu'une promesse de location, comme il a signé n'est pas un document juridiquement contraignant, et c'est seulement le cas avec un bail officiel, mentionnant que le courtier n'est pas honnête avec lui comme il était nouvel arrivant. Ils lui ont demandé de leur rappeller s'il changait d'avis. Pourtant il a pris décision d'éviter les troubles legales potentielles.
Qui a raison dans ce cas ? Merci d'ajouter d'autres infos pertinentes.
Hello everyone,
I am asking this question out of curiosity concerning legal aspects and for my own knowledge of the laws. I will explain the history and the situation:
A few weeks ago, one of my colleagues, newly arrived in the country, was staying at a short-term rental for a period of two weeks while he was looking for long-term accommodation. He used a broker to facilitate his search. He specified to the broker, a week before the end of his short-term rental, the condo he preferred the most out of the broker's visits. He waited for a response from the broker for four days, but there was complete silence. With less than three nights before the end of his short-term rental, he looked for other options and applied for another condo that suited his needs (no signatures, promises, or leases, just an application).
On the same day, the broker told him that he was going to "make an offer" and asked him to sign this kind of a document (promise to lease). He signed it because it was not a final lease but, according to the broker, just an offer. In the evening, he was also approved for the other condo he applied for. All this because he had just two nights before he had to quit his temporary stay.
When he told the broker that he would prefer the other place, the broker was enraged and told him that the offer was accepted and the owner would sue him if he refused to sign a lease. To avoid trouble, he decided to refuse the condo he applied for since no document had been signed on that side.
The next day, the company managing the condo he refused told him that a promise to lease, like the one he signed, is not a legally binding document, and that this is only the case with an official lease, mentioning that the broker was not honest with him as he is new here. They asked him to call them back if he changed his mind. However, he decided to avoid potential legal trouble.
Who is right here? Please feel free to add other relevant information.

Hi everyone, I recently graduated college and will be applying to med school in May 2025. I wanted to get your opinion about what would be the most beneficial thing to focus on during my gap year to be a more well-rounded applicant. I need to take the MCAT (too busy to study while I was in school), but I want to make the most of the year before application, instead of just studying.
Physiology major at state school, 4.0 GPA. Planning to take the MCAT in January 2025, goal is 515+
Clinical: 1250 hours as a cardiology medical assistant - Planning to continue working part time thru the year
Research: 600 hrs as undergrad research assistant in a sleep lab. Also wrote an honors thesis, which I presented at my department's undergrad research symposium. Possibility of publishing. - Thinking of quitting my MA job and becoming a clinical research coordinator after finishing the MCAT so I can make more money and get more research hours. Would love opinions on this.
Shadowing: 20 hours (15 family medicine, 5 general surgery)
Leadership: 60 hours human anatomy lecture TA
Volunteering: 120 hours homeless shelter, 60 hours on campus food pantry, 40 hours vice president of on-campus org than ran after-school play-based math program at local elementary school-- in charge of recruitment of college students. 20 hours as a mentor & site leader for said math program, 100 hrs crisis text line, 20 hours hospice, 30 hrs ronald mcdonald house. - These are all in my college town (except for CTL and hospice, both of which I don't want to continue) and I am moving, so can't continue at same orgs.
Jobs: other than MA, 500 hrs online pickup shopper at Walmart during summer between my freshman and sophomore year.
Hobbies: nothing cool. just watching terrible reality tv and cooking lol. Will start rock climbing tho :)
If it matters: Will apply to MD schools. ORM female (South Asian), Colorado resident with ties to North Dakota.
Any tips on weak points & what to focus on would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

I'm not talking about fast food or entry-student jobs. I'm talking about the jobs that pay a livable wage.
I mean, I break ass working 40-50 hours weeks while also going to college, and barely break $450 a week if I'm lucky. I have maybe $150 a month to put towards gas and food after paying all my bills. It's absurd that I have to kill myself just to put food in my mouth. (I say this since I had a 5 hour ER trip after my body gave out on me)
I checked Amazon and UPS today. Absolutely no work. Walmart has been radio silent on my applications. No confirmation or denial. Just silence. I'm thinking about visiting the hiring manager again.
How does anyone afford to live here?
Has Acadiana always been like this? Or is the economy/job pool just in a low point right now?

hi,
i'm struggling to find an answer to this question -
i'm writing a small application that utilizes RAG with a mistral model, the main script looks something like this:
from langchain_community.document_loaders import TextLoader from langchain_community.document_loaders import PyPDFLoader from langchain_mistralai.chat_models import ChatMistralAI from langchain_mistralai.embeddings import MistralAIEmbeddings from langchain_community.vectorstores import FAISS from langchain.text_splitter import RecursiveCharacterTextSplitter from langchain.chains.combine_documents import create_stuff_documents_chain from langchain_core.prompts import ChatPromptTemplate from langchain.chains import create_retrieval_chain from langchain.storage import LocalFileStore from langchain.embeddings import CacheBackedEmbeddings from time import time from dotenv import load_dotenv import os
if __name__ == "__main__": load_dotenv() api_key = os.getenv("MISTRAL_KEY") loader = PyPDFLoader("paper1.pdf") text_splitter = RecursiveCharacterTextSplitter(chunk_size = 2000, chunk_overlap = 300) docs = loader.load_and_split() # Split text into chunks documents = text_splitter.split_documents(docs) # Define the embedding model embeddings = MistralAIEmbeddings(model="mistral-embed", mistral_api_key=api_key) store = LocalFileStore("./cache/") cached_embedder = CacheBackedEmbeddings.from_bytes_store( embeddings, store, namespace=embeddings.model ) # Create the vector store initial_time = time() vector = FAISS.from_documents(documents, cached_embedder) # Define a retriever interface retriever = vector.as_retriever() # Define LLM model = ChatMistralAI(mistral_api_key=api_key) # Define prompt template prompt = ChatPromptTemplate.from_template("""Answer the following question based only on the provided context:
{context}
Question: {input}""")
# Create a retrieval chain to answer questions document_chain = create_stuff_documents_chain(model, prompt) retrieval_chain = create_retrieval_chain(retriever, document_chain) response = retrieval_chain.invoke({"input": "What were the two main things the author worked on before college?"}) print(response["answer"])
is there any function i can run from a main script to track my usage in dollars? everytime the script runs it will print out how many dollars i have left or something like that.
​

The EEOC works to provide opportunity by eradicating unlawful employment discrimination in America’s workplaces.
Employers are prohibited from discriminating against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. If you have not seen it, check out the EEOC’s poster Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination Is Illegal, for more information on the laws we enforce. It is also available in Spanish (and other languages): Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (eeoc.gov).
Did you know that sexual harassment is a form of employment discrimination? Or that, in some circumstances, an employer may be responsible for failing to stop a customer from sexually harassing its employees or for sexual harassment from a co-worker that occurs outside of the workplace?
Did you know that it is illegal for an employer to take action against a worker for reporting what they reasonably believe to be sexual harassment?
Did you know that the law requires that employers make reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers to enable workers to keep working and maintain healthy pregnancies, like water and bathroom breaks?
Did you know that your word – your testimony – is enough to support a charge of discrimination?
Did you know that your immigration status does not matter? Federal law protects you in the workplace against discrimination, including sexual harassment, and entitles you to pregnancy accommodations regardless of your immigration status.
Today's AMA will focus on longstanding protections against harassment and retaliation for reporting harassment, and a new federal law that protects those who have limitations due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions who need accommodations to continue working, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Answering your questions will be representatives from the EEOC.
So Reddit, AMA about how to deal with harassment, retaliation, and your workplace protections!
We are excited for your questions!

https://archive.is/DW4nS
Along with the budget and other annual articles set to come before voters at Charlemont’s May 28 Town Meeting, residents will also be asked to consider some minor revisions to the town’s cell tower bylaws.
The Planning Board held a brief hearing — only two members of the public attended and neither had comments on the revisions — last week, as the town seeks to address small-cell installations and flesh out cellular facility application requirements.
“We’re just adding the small cell amplifiers, should someone desire to put those in town,” explained Planning Board Chair Bob Nelson, adding that other than that, the board is just “making minor changes,” including changing the terminology to refer to the projects as “personal wireless service facilities.”
The revised bylaw gives the Planning Board authority to “deny some or all” proposed individual small cell sites “given that each location will have unique impacts on the town” in the event of a single application for multiple small cell installations.
As for application requirements, the revised bylaw states applicants must provide a description of “technical, economic and other reasons for the proposed location, height and design,” as well as the name of the wireless carrier that will use the tower. Applicants would also be required to conduct a balloon or crane visibility test 30 days before the public hearing, while also having an insurance policy through the life of the permit.
The revised bylaws will come before voters at Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. at Hawlemont Regional School. The five pages of proposed revisions can be reviewed at:
https://charlemont-ma.us/files/Charlemont_Cell_Tower_Bylaw_Revision_Final.pdf

Hello everyone! I'm currently looking to gather a group of 4-6 players for a new campaign set in my homebrew world. It's a dark fantasy setting inspired heavily by FromSoftware's various titles (mostly Dark Souls), ASOIAF, Pillars of Eternity, and of course LoTR. I do hope I was able to provide a decent idea of what the game and setting is like below. I also apologize if its a lot of reading.
General Details

1. Be at least 18 years or older. Other than that every one is encouraged to apply. One of the best groups I ever DMed for had an age range of 22-45.
2. All experience levels are welcomed! Never played before? Well, worry not. I always make it a note to include new players into every group I ever formed. Which is why it's important for the veteran players to be considerate and helpful. Which leads me to my next point.
3. Be a decent human being. It is vital to me that everyone in my [virtual] table is comfortable. Which is why I may come off as excessive with the application form, but it is important that I choose peoples who will be considerate and respectful towards one another. Any display of racism, homophobia, transphobia, or sexism will earn you being kick from the group without warning. I like everyone to feel welcomed here and if that's something you will challenge then this is not the campaign for you.
4. Session 0 and One Shot. There will be a one shot first in order to test the waters. If all goes well then we'll move onto to a session 0 where any and all questions will be answered.

About The Game

• While it is a dark fantasy setting showcasing the horrors of a grim world. All forms of sexual violence are not included in the setting nor permitted. Any other topics you would like me to avoid can be written in the RPG Consent Checklist I have players take before we begin the first session.
• Time: Saturdays 7am-11am PST every week (I'm an early worm).
• We will be using Discord for voice. Roll20 for the VTT. Talespire for combat encounters (no need to purchase. I simply screenshare it on discord.)
• No Homebrew. Though I'm not opposed to taking a look at magic items.
• Character Grace Period: The grace period is something I like to throw in my games. Which is basically for the first 3 sessions (5 if new players are included). I will allow players to change ANYTHING about their character. Class, race, whatever. I do this because I believe players may gain a better understanding of the setting in this time and might want to switch to something more fitting.
• No Joke Characters. I'm completely fine with goofing around, but Billy The Toenail Rogue is not a good fit for the world.
• Starting at Level 1. Levels 1 to 3 will progress quickly. Maybe even reaching level 3 by the end of Session 2 or 3. Normally I'll start at level 3, but with new players I prefer to just start at 1 and level up quick. After that, leveling will progress far more slowly.
• Milestone Leveling.
• NO PVP!

Is This Campaign Right For You?

• RP/Narrative Heavy/Political Intrigue. You will find that I do skew a bit more towards the story side of dnd, but that is not to say combat is neglected. I just tend to do combat encounters when it makes sense narratively other than to fit a quota. That's also to say I'm not going to just let 7 sessions go by without a fight.
• Player Agency! It is vital that the players feel like their choices are actually affecting the world around them. I do so by placing a lot of importance on player characters and their backstories. Whether you write a paragraph or a novel. Be sure that I will be using it all to wove it into the grand schemes of the story. The world reacts to you as much as you react to it. I shape the campaign to your characters!
• Living and Breathing World! Worldbuilding is something I'm very passionate about and this world is something I have been fleshing out and changing for years. I very much enjoy making it feel like a real and living world to the players. I also encourage players to add to it as well. If there's something I love as much as worldbuilding. It's collaborate worldbuilding. Events in the world are not paused. Waiting for you to arrive.

"A wall of darkness had taken the horizon. An abysmal maw stretching into nothingness. Before it, blanketed by unyielding clouds of black, laid a land unrecognizable. The sun’s arrows only pierced as far as perhaps a mile, but it was enough to glimpse the scale of death that had taken hold of Aryleit’s Valley. The color of the endless rows of orchids and daisies, the gentle river that followed the road, the small humble cottages that dotted the landscape. It was all gone. There was no river, no color, no life. Only a broken land of ashes. Like a great fire had raged through. Killing everything."
It appears that the continent of Fabel has begun to fall to an age of darkness. Everywhere you look there is conflict. Anywhere you listen there is news of suffering. A civil war in the unstable region of Lidym. A dead king in Ardentent and with it the ceremony for a new one. The three elven kingdoms of Sar, Felleor, and Domena dealing with the vengeance-led attacks from the Silent Tongues. Just a few of the worries that plague Fabel and the hearts of its people. But in the midst of all this fear came a fear that paled its competitors. Nearly two months ago a great tremor shook the kingdom of Quandra and left ruin in its wake. Many have suffered as those closer to the epicenter have lost their homes or even their lives, but the worse had yet to be discovered. A large mass of land of hundreds of miles in the southeastern corner of Quandra was rendered unrecognizable.
A constant blanket of dark clouds covered the sky above this land that not a single ray of light could pierce. Underneath it was a scene from a hellish nightmare. What little light shone through from the edge of the border showed earth that was cracked and scorched without a single hint of color or life. The rest was covered in darkness. News of this horror spread throughout the kingdom, and fear only sunk its fangs deeper. The uncertainty of what it was or what caused it led to countless rumors. And without signs of any survivors, there was no one to detail what happened. It came to be known as the "Eternal Night".
About The Setting.
Link To Player Setting Guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13euGqDwPuMcO6qxI9MVD-UF5hUb8bKhview?usp=sharing
Above is a link to a pdf I am with the hopes that it might give people somewhat of a idea of the setting. I'll be honest I'm not sure how well it does that job. Also feel free to just look past the grammar and spell mistakes. Thanks! Fortunately there will be a session 0 to clear anything up and making sure everyone is on the same page. It's not required to read it all or any of it.
Apply Here! (Be sure to mention at the bottom of the form who you're applying with if any.)
https://forms.gle/DD5rPJ9nktK9fJy27

Hi. For no reason at all, my Macs Finder has just gone fucked up. No matter what page/window I am on, the finder is open and a duplicate of the first window. If I close that Finder, all finders close.
This has never happened before.
The Tabs also match. I normally have six pages open, and the finder has different tabs for each page. Now, though, the one-finder is just a clone.
Does anyone know what might be happening?
As you can see. These are two pages/screens on my Mac. For some reason, the finder is open on every screen. If I close down the finder, it closes on every screen. If i add a new tab/change a tab etc, it then does the same on the finder on every window.
Normally I have finder open on 6 of 9 pages and all diffrent tabs. So weird
https://preview.redd.it/qc2jbhzc780d1.png?width=1278&format=png&auto=webp&s=f5f009a4a6420dcbdfdfe6a5b3eb61f58beb02dd
https://preview.redd.it/j3c9ydzc780d1.png?width=1352&format=png&auto=webp&s=8bafd9deae6cbc4ab697f86be57816e9ad55347f
https://preview.redd.it/011mqgzc780d1.png?width=1458&format=png&auto=webp&s=658d3ac179f767bf52947b9b6e9c3fce085a6cd4
https://preview.redd.it/zia70hzc780d1.png?width=1336&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb537b8ffd011774fd2d53c824a5dd7a3cf2d903