We have lost sight of our existence. We have lost perspective of the beauty and sanctity of human life both a life’s individual worth and our collective value as a means of understanding key principles of empathy, love and the futility of most everything else that we do which is not directly an effort to help each other and to coexist. Does it not shake you to your very core that we as a people kill each other; despite any labels, like terrorism or justified response; the mere thought that we have regressed to such primeval abandonment of basic recognition of the sanctity of sentient life, is so existentially threatening and concerning.
When we were children we were held and we were pure and unashamed in the arms of our mothers, but we murdered that baby and we live as a shell of that purity and instead now live in a constant mental battle to limit our degeneracy yet not letting that self regulation limit our innate hedonistic drive. It is hard to see human nature as anything but deeply depraved; we have supposed empathy but we live our days distracting ourselves from the pure nightmare which is the state of the world, and those who do try help end up used, disillusioned and less hopeful for a pure world than when they began.
I believe that ultimately human existence has become an innately negative existence, we have all been corrupted and conditioned, and when we unite against those who have done this to us we discover the truth is, our cognitive limitations our prisons constructed with bricks of escapism and apathy are self imposed and to break free of them is to become apathetic to living. So the enlightened end their futile existence and the hopeful live but ultimately we have killed any hope of living in peace and unity and we have nobody to blame but the consistent inability of humans as a species to recognise the futility of barbarism, nationalism and separatism.

In our modern quest for sustainability, composting has emerged as one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce waste and nourish the earth. Among the various composting methods, natural composting stands out for its simplicity, affordability, and environmental friendliness. Let’s explore the world of natural composting, its benefits, how to get started, and why it’s an essential practice for anyone looking to make a positive impact on the planet.
What is Natural Composting?
Natural composting with natural composter , also known as traditional or manual composting, involves the decomposition of organic waste materials using natural processes. It relies on microorganisms, insects, and earthworms to break down waste into nutrient-rich compost. Unlike advanced composting systems that require mechanical or electrical aids, natural composting harnesses the power of nature to recycle organic matter.
Benefits of Natural Composting

1. Environmental Sustainability:

By diverting organic waste from landfills, natural composting reduces methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. It also lowers the overall carbon footprint by recycling waste into valuable compost.

1. Soil Health:

Compost improves soil structure, enhances its water-holding capacity, and provides essential nutrients. It promotes healthy plant growth and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.

1. Cost-Effective:

Natural composting requires minimal investment. You can start with a simple compost pile or bin, making it accessible for anyone.

1. Waste Reduction:

Composting significantly reduces the volume of household waste, leading to fewer trash pickups and lower disposal costs.

1. Educational Value:

It’s an excellent way to teach children and communities about the cycles of nature and the importance of sustainability.
Getting Started with Natural Composting

1. Choose a Composting Method:

• Compost Piles: Ideal for large yards, simply pile your organic waste in a designated area.
• Compost Bins: Suitable for smaller spaces, bins can be made from wood, plastic, or metal.
• Trench or Pit Composting: Dig a trench or pit, fill it with waste, and cover it with soil.

1. Select a Location:

Choose a well-drained spot with good air circulation and partial sunlight. Ensure it’s easily accessible but not too close to living areas to avoid potential odors.

1. Collect Organic Waste:

Gather kitchen scraps (vegetable peels, fruit cores, coffee grounds) and yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, plant trimmings).

1. Layering:

Alternate layers of greens (nitrogen-rich materials like kitchen scraps) and browns (carbon-rich materials like leaves and cardboard). Aim for a 2-3 parts brown to 1 part green ratio.

1. Maintain Moisture:

Water it occasionally if it becomes too dry, especially in hot weather.
Turn the Pile:
Regularly turning the pile aerates it, promoting faster decomposition and preventing odors. Turn every 1-2 weeks.

1. Harvest the Compost:

This typically takes several months to a year, depending on conditions.
Tips for Successful Natural Composting

1. Balance Materials:

Ensure a good mix of greens and browns to maintain the right carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, which is crucial for effective decomposition.

1. Shred Larger Items:

Breaking down large items like branches and cardboard speeds up the composting process.

1. Avoid Pests:

Bury food scraps in the pile and cover them with browns.

1. Monitor Temperature:

A healthy compost pile will heat up due to microbial activity. If it cools down, turning it can reactivate the process.

1. Compost Activators:

Adding garden soil or finished compost introduces beneficial microorganisms to jumpstart the process.
Real-World Applications

1. Home Gardens:

Enrich your garden soil with homemade compost, promoting healthy plants and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

1. Community Gardens:

Engage your community in composting efforts, turning local organic waste into valuable compost for shared green spaces.

1. Schools:

Incorporate composting into environmental education programs, teaching students about sustainability and natural cycles.

1. Small Farms:

Utilize compost to improve soil health, enhance crop yields, and promote sustainable farming practices.
Conclusion:
Natural composting is a powerful tool in our sustainability toolkit. It turns everyday organic waste into a valuable resource, enriching our soil and reducing our environmental impact. Whether you’re a homeowner, a teacher, a farmer, or a community leader, embracing natural composting can make a significant difference. Start your composting journey today and join the movement towards a greener, more sustainable future.

The mobile payment market is rapidly expanding, driven by increasing smartphone penetration and a shift towards digital transactions. This market enables users to make payments using mobile devices, often through apps or mobile banking. It encompasses various methods, including NFC (Near Field Communication), QR codes, and SMS-based payments. Key growth factors include convenience, improved security features, and the rise of e-commerce. Major players include tech giants like Apple, Google, and Paytm. The market is also seeing significant innovations in fintech and regulatory support for cashless transactions, catering to a tech-savvy, convenience-seeking global consumer base.
Mobile Payment Market Size and Growth
The mobile payment market has exhibited significant growth, with the global market size valued at nearly USD 2,986.00 billion in 2023. This surge is propelled by the widespread adoption of smartphones and the increasing acceptance of digital transactions across various sectors. Consumers and businesses alike are leveraging mobile payment technologies for their convenience, speed, and enhanced security features. This market includes a range of payment methods such as NFC, QR codes, and mobile wallets, which have become integral to the daily financial interactions of millions globally.
Looking ahead, the market is poised for continued expansion. It is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.8% from 2024 to 2032. By the end of this period, the market size is expected to reach approximately USD 14,422.00 billion. This growth trajectory is supported by technological advancements, increasing financial inclusivity, and evolving consumer behaviors that favor contactless and cashless payment options. Additionally, regulatory changes and the introduction of more sophisticated payment solutions are set to further boost market growth, reflecting an increasing dependency on digital payment platforms in the global economy.
Mobile Payment Market Trends
The mobile payment market is characterized by several key trends that are shaping its evolution and growth:
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1. Increased Adoption of Contactless Payments: The trend towards contactless payments has accelerated, particularly due to health concerns raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers prefer tapping their phones or smartwatches over traditional cash or card transactions, driving the widespread adoption of NFC (Near Field Communication) technology.
   
2. Growth in E-commerce: As online shopping continues to grow, so does the use of mobile payments for digital transactions. Consumers find it convenient to pay directly through mobile apps or websites, which has fostered tighter integration of payment systems into e-commerce platforms.
   
3. Rise of Mobile Wallets: Mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and Samsung Pay are becoming increasingly popular. These platforms not only allow users to store multiple payment methods securely but also offer rewards and the ability to manage financial transactions from a single interface.
   
4. Financial Inclusion: Mobile payments are playing a crucial role in enhancing financial inclusion, especially in developing countries where traditional banking infrastructure is limited. Mobile money solutions provide a gateway for unbanked and underbanked populations to participate in the financial system.
   
5. Regulatory and Security Enhancements: As the volume of mobile payments increases, so does the focus on security. Advanced authentication technologies, including biometrics and blockchain, are being implemented to ensure transaction security. Additionally, regulations are being updated to protect consumers and ensure fair practices within the mobile payments ecosystem.
   
6. Integration with IoT: The Internet of Things (IoT) is increasingly intersecting with mobile payments, enabling transactions through connected devices. Examples include smart appliances that can reorder supplies automatically and cars that can pay for fuel or tolls.
   

Market Opportunities and Challenges
The mobile payment market presents a range of opportunities and challenges that influence its development and scalability:
Opportunities

1. Expansion into New Markets: With mobile penetration increasing globally, there's significant opportunity for mobile payment solutions to expand into emerging markets, particularly in regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where traditional banking infrastructure is less developed.
   
2. Technological Innovation: Innovations such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies offer new ways to conduct secure, transparent transactions. These technologies can reduce fraud and enhance the efficiency of payments, presenting a substantial growth opportunity for the industry.
   
3. Partnerships with Financial Institutions: By partnering with banks and other financial institutions, mobile payment providers can tap into existing customer bases while offering enhanced services, such as improved security features and loyalty programs.
   
4. Integration with Other Services: Mobile payments can be integrated with other services like public transport systems, healthcare, and retail, providing seamless payment experiences and increasing user engagement and satisfaction.
   

Challenges

1. Security Concerns: Despite advancements, security remains a significant concern. The risk of data breaches and fraud can deter users from adopting mobile payment solutions, necessitating continuous improvements in security measures.
   
2. Regulatory Compliance: The mobile payment sector faces complex and varied regulations across different regions, which can complicate expansion efforts and increase operational costs. Compliance with these regulations is crucial but challenging, especially for new entrants.
   
3. Fragmentation and Interoperability: The market is fragmented with numerous platforms and standards, making interoperability a significant challenge. Consumers and merchants may find it difficult to navigate these varied systems, which can hinder the adoption and scalability of mobile payment solutions.
   
4. Consumer Trust and Adoption: Building consumer trust is essential, especially in regions where cash has been the predominant mode of transaction. Changing consumer habits and convincing them of the benefits and reliability of mobile payments is a gradual and ongoing challenge.
   

Market Dynamics
The mobile payment market is driven by a complex interplay of dynamics that include technological advancements, consumer behavior, regulatory frameworks, and economic factors. Here are some of the key dynamics shaping this market:

1. Technological Advancements: Technology is at the core of the mobile payment market's expansion. Innovations such as near-field communication (NFC), blockchain, and biometric authentication are enhancing the security and efficiency of mobile payments. These advancements not only improve user experience but also expand the scope of mobile payments in terms of capabilities and reach.
   
2. Consumer Adoption and Behavior: Consumer preferences are shifting towards convenience and speed in transactions, which mobile payments can offer. The widespread use of smartphones has facilitated this shift, making mobile payments more accessible to a broader audience. However, consumer behavior can vary significantly across different regions and demographics, influencing the pace and pattern of adoption.
   
3. Regulatory Environment: The regulatory landscape for mobile payments is evolving as governments worldwide recognize the importance of regulating digital transactions to ensure security and prevent fraud. Regulations affect how companies operate, the level of security required, and the introduction of new features or services. Compliance with these regulations can be both a challenge and a driving force for innovation within the market.
   
4. Economic Impact: Economic factors, including disposable income levels and the overall economic environment, play a crucial role in the adoption of mobile payments. In thriving economies, consumers are more likely to engage with new technologies, including mobile payments. Conversely, in regions with less economic stability, the adoption might be driven by necessity, such as for financial inclusion of the unbanked.
   
5. Competitive Landscape: The mobile payment market is highly competitive, with major tech companies, traditional banks, and fintech startups vying for market share. This competition fosters innovation and drives improvements in service offerings, but it also creates a fragmented market landscape that can confuse consumers and complicate interoperability between different payment systems.
   
6. Integration with Other Industries: Mobile payments are increasingly integrated with other sectors such as retail, transportation, and healthcare, which opens new avenues for growth but also requires complex collaborations and partnerships. These integrations often lead to improved customer service and operational efficiencies.
   

Competitive Landscape
The key players in the industry includes:

• American Express Company
• Apple, Inc.
• Google LLC
• JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Mastercard Incorporated
• Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited)
• Paypal Holdings, Inc.
• Others

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Hi all,
I have a question regarding the use of training manual/reference guides vs e learning.
I am newissh to this role (about a year) and struggling to determine if a course is necessary for a project I’m working on.
I used Cathy moore’s flowchart, but still struggling.
I was essentially given a general guidance doc on a subject that includes lots of processes for different employees. The smes/stakeholders want a course for the core management role referenced in the doc. So the manager should be aware of all the processes, but may only be responsible for a few of them.
It is aimed at current employees who should have knowledge on the processes, but will be rolled out to future employees in the future.
The stakeholders are insistent on a course, but a lot of the training is based on processes and systems. They want to ‘checklists’ and ‘’not to much written information” but I don’t see the value in creating training for this. I don’t want to lock up the content in an LMS, because there are a lot of processes/info to remember and I don’t think anyone will be able to recall all of it.
IMO a training manual would be better suited because they could reference the processes quickly. The stakeholders also want me to focus on current employees so I’m not really teaching any new skills moreso awareness of processes.
My concern is that a training manual can be quite meaty, but based on the learners I think they would find more value in quick access to the materials.
The stakeholders are all over the place with what they want, but I want to pitch this as an alternative.
Additionally, they want to assess these managers on the processes. I was thinking of just doing a case study that sits in our LMS. Or is that pointless?
Does anyone have any advice on this? Or determining whether a training manual is a good option?
(I hope this makes sense! Trying to be vague about the project requirements)

Whether you're a small business or a large enterprise, the right CRM can transform how you interact with clients, track sales, and boost your overall efficiency. I’ve been looking at a lot of posts on CRMs on and off Reddit but have failed to find a detailed guide.
Did a lot of research to find a CRM for my own organization so I thought why not share all that research to help some of you. So I’m doing this post to review the top CRM options like Pipedrive and Freshshales.
Would love feedback on whether this helped you and I’ll consider doing more of these if they turn out to be actually valuable.

5 Best CRM Software Picked for 2024

• Pipedrive - Starting at $12
• Freshsales - Free for upto 3 users
• HubSpot - Starting at $90
• Zoho CRM - Starting at $14
• Nimble - Starting at $24.90

Pipedrive - Best CRM Software Overall

Pricing:

• Essential: $14/seat/month (billed monthly) or $12/seat/month (billed annually)
• Advanced: $29/seat/month (billed monthly) or $24/seat/month (billed annually)
• Professional: $59/seat/month (billed monthly) or $49/seat/month (billed annually)
• Power: $69/seat/month (billed monthly) or $59/seat/month (billed annually)
• Enterprise: $99/seat/month (billed monthly) or $79/seat/month (billed annually)

Pipedrive offers a 14-day free trial for all its plans. This allows users to try out the Essential, Advanced, Professional, Power, or Enterprise plans without any initial cost.
Add-ons:

• LeadBooster: $32.50/month (annual) or $39/month (monthly)
• Web Visitors: $41/month (annual) or $49/month (monthly)
• Campaigns: $13.33/month (annual) or $16/month (monthly)
• Smart Docs: $32.50/month (annual) or $39/month (monthly) when added to an Essential or Advanced subscription
• Projects: $6.70/usemonth (annual) or $8/usemonth (monthly)

Pipedrive is a cloud-based CRM software company with headquarters in Estonia and New York founded in 2010. Known for its popularity, it offers extensive sales and contact management features, including customer management, lead routing, and automated workflows. Pipedrive automates many sales tasks using artificial intelligence and provides personalized tips to enhance sales performance. Its open API allows integration with other software, offering customization to meet specific business needs.
Pros:

• Unlimited and customizable sales pipelines
• Sales assistant powered by machine learning included with all plans
• API access for extensive customization
• Workflow automation in most plans
• Autofill contact information feature in premium plans
• Built-in telephony feature in most plans

Cons:

• No free plan option
• Limited custom fields and reporting in most plans
• Phone support only available with the highest-tier plan

Features

• Sales-focused CRM with customizable sales pipelines
• Automations to reduce manual tasks
• Intuitive platform with a minimalistic layout
• AI assistance to reduce data entry
• Kanban-style board for drag-and-drop lead management
• Customizable data fields
• Customizable chatbot for capturing leads on websites
• Easy chatbot setup via the “Leadbooster” section
• List view to earmark leads based on buying likelihood
• Integrates with over 400 third-party apps, including Zapier, Zoom, Calendly, and Leadfeeder

Freshsales - Best for AI-powered Sales Features

Pricing:

• Free plan for up to 3 users
• Annually billed, Growth is $9/usemonth, Pro is $39/usemonth, and Enterprise is $59/usemonth.
• Monthly billed, Growth is $11/usemonth, Pro is $47/usemonth, and Enterprise is $71/usemonth.

Freshsales is a comprehensive CRM solution for sales, marketing, chat, and telephone needs, accessible via a browser or mobile app. It effectively manages sales processes by organizing, tracking, and following up on leads while building customer relationships. Users generally find Freshsales effective and easy to use, though some may need extended onboarding and training. For sales teams seeking a straightforward, unified CRM platform, Freshsales is a strong contender.
Pros:

• Includes a forever-free plan
• Offers affordable paid plans
• Allows lead contact via chat, email, and phone on all plans
• AI-powered lead scoring available in all paid plans
• Features various automation options
• Provides customizable dashboards and reports

Cons:

• Customer support needs improvement
• Support is only available on weekdays
• The free plan does not include reporting features

Features
Quick implementation time (around 18 days)

• Extensive customization options
• Ability to add and track custom fields
• Define workflows and set specific rules for data entry and management
• Create custom activities, fields, groups, and modules
• Capture website visitors as leads
• Track deals and predict revenue
• Create detailed reports on sales activities and key metrics
• Real-time insights for data-driven decisions
• Range of integrations with popular third-party tools and platforms

HubSpot - Best CRM for Sales, Marketing & Services

Pricing:
Sales Hub Professional:

• $100/mo/seat (Pay Monthly, Commit annually)
• $90/mo/seat (Pay Upfront, Commit annually, BEST VALUE)

Sales Hub Enterprise:

• $150/mo/seat

HubSpot CRM is a cloud-based platform that enables sales and marketing teams to manage contacts, track deals, and view the sales pipeline in real time. It helps identify high-quality leads, automate email marketing, and analyze business metrics. Suitable for B2B and B2C businesses across various industries, HubSpot supports lead nurturing, sales pipeline management, and email campaigning. It facilitates the monitoring of both outbound and inbound leads with automation.
Pros:

• The core CRM software is free.
• Provides real-time notifications of lead behavior.
• Allows personalized email sequences for both leads and existing customers.

Cons:

• Per-user plans can be costly for small businesses.
• Limited to one email per contact.

Features
Store and manage contacts, track interactions, and keep all customer information in one place.

• Visualize and manage your sales pipeline, track deals, and forecast revenue.
• Track leads from the first interaction to close, with detailed timelines of their activity.
• Integrate with your email to log and track communication, schedule emails, and use email templates.
• Generate detailed reports on sales activities, productivity, and performance to make data-driven decisions.
• Automate marketing tasks such as email campaigns, social media posts, and lead nurturing workflows.
• Use live chat and chatbots to engage with website visitors and provide instant support.

Zoho CRM - Best for Automation & Small Businesses

Pricing:

• Standard: $20/user monthly, $14/usemonth annually
• Professional: $35/user monthly, $23/usemonth annually
• Enterprise: $50/user monthly, $40/usemonth annually
• Ultimate: $65/user monthly, $52/usemonth annually

Zoho CRM is ideal for newcomers, offering an intuitive interface and a free plan with essential features for individuals or very small businesses. As the business grows, users can upgrade to paid plans for advanced functionalities like marketing automation and data tracking. It integrates seamlessly with other Zoho tools and third-party apps such as Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and QuickBooks. This scalability and ease of use make Zoho CRM a top choice for small businesses.
Pros:

• Offers a free plan
• Affordable pricing options
• Automation features available on all plans
• Multiple integration options
• User-friendly interface
• Mobile app available
• 30- to 45-day money-back guarantee

Cons:

• AI features only in higher-tier plans
• Limited custom fields
• No integrations available with the free plan

Features

• Automate routine tasks, manage leads, deals, and contacts, and create optimized workflows.
• Customize the CRM interface with a drag-and-drop editor.
• Define and manage sales processes, set processing rules, and review data quality.
• Create and visualize customer journeys, and coordinate actions across departments.
• Generate reports, create dashboards, and analyze trends.
• Forecast sales, manage territories, and use gamification.
• Use AI assistant Zia for lead and deal prediction, voice assistance, and macro suggestions.
• Tailor layouts, components, views, and filters, and support global selling.
• Create groups, share updates, and leave notes for teammates.

Nimble - Best for a Simple Pricing Structure

Pricing:
Nimble offers two pricing plans:

• $29.90 per seat/month
• $24.90 per seat/month, billed annually

Both plans include 25,000 contact records, 2 GB/seat storage, and integration with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, along with Nimble Prospector and a 14-day free trial.
Nimble CRM combines contact management, social media, sales intelligence, and marketing automation for relationship insights. It integrates productivity apps to consolidate contacts, communications, calendars, and data from social media. This helps small businesses manage contacts and relevant individuals in one platform, avoiding app switching. Nimble supports thousands of small to mid-sized businesses in nurturing relationships across email, social networks, and over 90 cloud-based apps.
Pros:

• Single-tier pricing structure
• 14-day free trial
• Sales prospecting tools

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer multiple tiers
• Limit on contact records
• Limit on group messaging

Features

• Identify, build, and nurture relationships
• Manage leads, track deals, and forecast revenue
• Access and manage contacts from Gmail, Outlook, and social media
• Use custom web forms to capture leads
• Access CRM information from mobile apps
• Visual workflows and deal pipelines for opportunity management
• Integrate with over 100 partners for lead capture, email marketing, and more
• Generate in-depth sales performance reports

Here’s a table to compare pricing options for different CRMs:

What Is CRM Software?

CRM software is a tool for managing sales pipelines and customer relationships. It helps businesses track interactions with leads and customers, moving them through stages of the sales process. CRM systems provide visual pipelines, stage-specific actions, and features like reporting dashboards, workflow automation, and document management. The right CRM depends on your business’s specific sales process and needs.

How do I choose a CRM for my business?

To choose a CRM for your business, start by assessing your specific needs. Then, find CRM software that offers the features you require. Consider the pricing, customer service, and ease of use to determine its overall value for the cost.

Are there free CRMs available?

Yes, many CRMs offer a free tier, but these are often basic and may lack the necessary features. However, they are useful for testing the product and evaluating its user interface.
​
The best CRM software, such as Pipedrive and HubSpot, integrates seamlessly with existing systems, offers robust features for managing customer relationships, and provides insightful analytics to drive sales and marketing strategies. Choosing the right CRM can significantly enhance customer engagement and streamline business operations.

SolidWP, formerly known as iThemes, is a renowned name in the WordPress community. Specializing in security, backup, and site management solutions, SolidWP has earned its place as a trusted provider of tools that empower WordPress users to protect and optimize their websites.
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A Rich History of Innovation
Founded in 2008 by Cory Miller, SolidWP (then iThemes) emerged as one of the pioneering companies in the premium WordPress market. Initially focusing on themes, the company quickly expanded its offerings to include plugins, establishing itself as a leader in WordPress security and management tools.
In 2018, SolidWP joined the Liquid Web family of brands, gaining access to resources that fueled its continued growth and development. The acquisition marked a significant milestone for the company, solidifying its position as a key player in the WordPress ecosystem.
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Empowering WordPress Users with Essential Tools
SolidWP's comprehensive suite of products caters to the diverse needs of WordPress users, providing solutions that range from security and backups to site management and optimization:

• Solid Security: This robust security plugin offers a multi-layered approach to safeguarding WordPress websites. With features like malware scanning, brute force protection, two-factor authentication, and vulnerability patching, Solid Security helps users mitigate security risks and protect their sites from attacks.
• Solid Backups: Recognizing the importance of data protection, SolidWP's backup plugin provides automated and reliable backups for WordPress websites. Users can easily schedule backups, store them securely, and restore their sites with a few clicks, ensuring that their data is safe and recoverable in case of unforeseen events.
• Solid Central: Formerly known as iThemes Sync, Solid Central is a powerful site management tool that streamlines the administration of multiple WordPress websites. With features like bulk updates, uptime monitoring, and performance reports, Solid Central empowers users to efficiently manage their websites from a centralized dashboard.
• iThemes Training: In addition to its suite of products, SolidWP offers iThemes Training, an educational platform that provides comprehensive WordPress training resources. From beginner guides to advanced tutorials, iThemes Training equips users with the knowledge and skills needed to master WordPress and build successful websites.

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The Evolution of iThemes to SolidWP
In 2023, iThemes underwent a rebranding, emerging as SolidWP. The rebranding reflects the company's commitment to providing solid, reliable solutions for WordPress users, reinforcing its reputation as a trusted provider of security and management tools.
The name SolidWP embodies the company's core values of reliability, security, and performance. With its new brand identity, SolidWP continues to build on its legacy of innovation, empowering WordPress users to create and manage websites with confidence.
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A Commitment to Community and Education
SolidWP is deeply invested in the WordPress community, actively participating in events, contributing to open source projects, and fostering a culture of learning and collaboration. The company's iThemes Training platform serves as a testament to its commitment to education, providing valuable resources that empower WordPress users to succeed.
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SolidWP's Impact on the WordPress Ecosystem
SolidWP's contributions to the WordPress ecosystem are significant. Its security and management tools have become essential for countless WordPress users, protecting websites from attacks, ensuring data integrity, and streamlining site management.
By focusing on user needs and delivering reliable, user-friendly solutions, SolidWP has earned the trust of the WordPress community. The company's dedication to innovation, education, and community engagement has made it a driving force in the WordPress world.
Looking to the Future
As the WordPress landscape continues to evolve, SolidWP remains committed to staying at the forefront of innovation. The company's ongoing development of new features, enhancements, and integrations ensures that its products remain relevant and valuable for WordPress users.
With a strong foundation in security, backups, and site management, SolidWP is well-positioned for continued growth and success. The company's dedication to user needs, its commitment to education and community, and its focus on innovation make it a leader in the WordPress ecosystem.
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CHAPTER 9 – ENTROPY
DATE: MARCH 10th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION) LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, ABOARD UTRN INDOMITABLE WILL
CAPTAIN HENRY O’TOOLE
"Ah, there you are Commander. Your message said there was something you wanted to talk with me about?" Henry asked as his executive officer approached the system map.
“Aye Captain, now's a good a time as any. As you know, the rate of disciplinary incidents has more than tripled in the last two weeks. We've had six fistfights, one near strangling, a few dozen counts of sexual harassment amongst different parties, and a few more incidents of a nature that I would rather not get into for fear of derailing the point of this conversation. I need additional resources to allocate towards ship internal security. With your permission, I'd like to borrow some of our more trusted marines to help the MA's out on their off shifts.” Commander Alvarez asked.
“Yeah, of course, take what you need to nip this in the bud. I can't say I'm entirely surprised; we expected a certain amount of this with the stresses of FTL travel. With everyone cooped up like this, maybe we should brainstorm some new outlets for the crew. Were there any specific incidents I need to get involved with?” Henry replied as he looked up from the list of updates and reports on his own console.
“No, I have it covered. It's just the regs state I need to ask permission to use marines for internal security matters.” The Commander waved it off.
“Excellent, continue to keep me in the loop then. Can I ask you a question?” Henry took the opportunity to ask something that had been bothering him.
“You just did. Hah! Just kidding, put the axe away boy! Now what would you like to know?” He said with a twinkle in his eye.
“I've seen your file, well, the parts that weren’t redacted anyway. If anything, I should be taking your orders! I mean, you're the Space Wolf! Nobody came even close to the number of ships captured or destroyed than you in the early days of the battle for the belt. Why would they want me to be captain when they had someone like you coming along the whole time? Why aren't you a captain anymore? By all right this should be your command, not mine.” Henry asked, after taking one last look around to verify they were still alone around the system map.
Commander Alvarez seemed stunned for a moment before he settled into a more pensive look.
“Listen, son, you're all full of the vigor and high passions of youth. By that I mean you've got a certain fire and aggression in you, yet I've seen you generally keep it balanced by wit and wisdom. You are a perfect match for the job, even if you could use some more real world experience. With some guidance, you'll do just fine, if you can keep strict standards for yourself and crew and a cool head when things get tough."
"I appreciate that, and I will definitely lean on your experience whenever possible. However, you didn't really answer my question... Why aren't you a captain anymore?"
"I... got a lot of damn good men and women killed in an impossible situation when we lost the Michigan-II, and I never truly got over it. No amount of medals, captured enemy ships, or the fact that I've saved many more lives than I lost can make up for that. I finally found peace with that, but that peace required that I relieve myself of any chance of future command. My legacy, for better or worse, is set in stone. Joining this expedition gives me another chance at adjusting the scales without breaking my former vows, even if the only people who will ever know it are here on the voyage with us.”
“So, you claim you have no aims or desires for leadership, but here you are a mere heartbeat away from it.” Henry said, carefully studying his executive officer's every reaction.
“My time for glory is mostly gone, yours is at your feet before you. To the world, I am retired in comfort and isolation. In reality you have me here to help make your will law. You can relax. I already turned down command of this expedition. I was plan A, why do you think they had to scramble to find you? I will take command of this mission only if you are incapable of doing so yourself, Sir. In the meantime, let my experience and whatever wisdom I can offer guide you.”
An emergency alert snapped both of their attention out of their conversation. "There's a fire in one of the officer's cabins?!" Henry’s pulse quickened as he referenced the map to find which one.
“Fuck, it started in Chantal’s room!” Henry said, horrified.
“I've got the CIC under control. Go on and get her out of there, I'll send the cavalry."
“Thank you, Commander.” Henry called back over his shoulder as he rushed for the quick lift.
The officer cabins were the in the very next deck overhead, so he was able to arrive quickly and break into a sprint. The ship shifted as it dodged some antimatter, causing Henry to slip and scramble back to his feet. As he rounded the corner he saw her door was closed and the keypad powered was off. He could hear thumps and muffled screaming from within the room.
"HANG ON CHANTAL, I'M COMING!" Henry shouted in the hope that she could hear him as he pried at the manual override panel.
Two modified Paladin exo-combat armor suits rounded the corner seconds later with a hospitalman trailing behind pushing a medical cart.
"WE'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE, SIR." A speaker-amplified voice spoke from behind him.
One of the Paladin suits accessed the manual control override and forced the door open enough for the other suit to reach in and pry it the rest of the way open as smoke plumed into the corridor. The second suit charged into the room with its flood lights on as a water cannon mounted on the right wrist sprayed flame retardant from a pack on its back. The first suit abandoned the door control and entered, emerging moments later with Chantal awake and coughing from inside the darkened door frame. She was quickly ushered into cleaner air, set gently down, wrapped in a blanket, and was quickly attended to by a hospitalman who began to check her vitals.
Relief flooded Henry’s mind as his adrenaline surge broke against the wall of worry he had built up during his mad dash from the CIC.
“Baby you came for me! I thought I was going to die in there." She pulled him into a tight embrace as she wept in cathartic release.
"Of course I did! I couldn't stand to lose you, especially not over something like this. So, what the hell happened in there?"
"Well you know me, I was all burning the midnight oil and then I smelled smoke! Then there were some sparks, the outlet pops then whoosh! My computer station and my desk are all ablaze along with half my notes, then the damned door wouldn't work! I had to drop to the floor under the smoke and pound on the door in hopes that someone would hear me. God, it was horrible... I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life." She replied with a deep shudder.
"You're safe now, it's going to be alright."
"I know, but what about my work?" She replied with a forlorn look back at her smoke damaged room.
"What about your work?"
"As you know, I lost a ton of it just now, but what’s worse is I don't even have the ability to recover them! Remember how I lost my backup drive last week? Like, I know I packed it and it is not here anywhere! It’s like some sick cosmic joke on me or something. Sorry! Gotta keep it positive, girl! I get to rethink my last few weeks’ worth of work from scratch... that was almost positive! I probably have most of this recoverable from email sent box backups. Fuck, what do you do if there's no good silver lining?” Chantal bemoaned.
Henry couldn’t help himself but laugh for a second, while his girlfriend stared at him, waiting for a response.
“I’m sorry, is this funny to you or something?”
“No, no of course not. This might be one of those times where the only silver lining is that you're alive. Plus, if anyone can remember and rebuild their notes, you can." Henry smiled down at her.
“Fine, fine, at least I am alive. I was only breathing smoke for a few seconds after all.” She said, rolling her eyes. “Thank you for rushing down here right away anyway, it means a lot. You're amazing, you know.”
Henry smiled, slightly uncomfortable for a moment, so he changed the subject.
“I do my best... Anyway, it seems like these electrical issues seem to be getting worse instead of better. Whatever patch these clowns have slapped on my ship to get her to pass inspection is clearly coming undone. What do you think is going on here?” Henry asked in mild exasperation.
“Honestly, I can’t tell you without digging into the systems myself, which I would rather avoid. My plate is full enough as it is right now, especially having to reproduce so much of my own work now. This ship has kilometers of power cables running throughout it, after all, and you have an entire loyal, capable team down there in electrical, so it should only be a matter of time before they sort it out for you. Let them do their jobs without harassing them too much, please?”
Henry felt a little irked at her for not giving him credit to know not to go overboard, but he stowed it, seeing as she ultimately was right.
“The crew has been under a lot of stress, too, between the technical issues with the lights going out, losing power to workstations, or the constant antimatter threat. More than a few people have tried to convince me to turn us around and return to S33 for a more in-depth refit and repair cycle before we try the mission again. So far, everyone has accepted the fact that we are continuing the mission without much argument, but I fear what may happen if these issues are seen as getting worse. Our orders are clear, though, we must continue the journey.” Henry said, uncomfortable with the implications, even if he didn't dare voice it.
“You should get on the Q-Comm to report the fire to S33. Maybe they will order us back to base after this.” She offered, looking for a solution to an impossible problem.
“Good idea, at least the Q-Comm is still working. It’s incredible to me those particles maintained their entanglement once we passed through the baryonic barrier. That alone has been a huge morale boost, being able to contact home base with no time lag.” Henry replied.
“It’s incredible to you because you only have a basic grasp of the science, hon. But that’s alright, very few people truly understand it. That’s in part what you have me here for anyway. Einstein called the effect spooky action from a distance; I always liked that line.”
Henry ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Chantal, with a shake of his head and a smile.
“Listen, Henry, I just had a crazy stressful experience and I need to unwind. Plus, I haven’t slept in almost a day, so I am bone tired. Let’s go to bed, huh? What do you say doc, am I clear to go?” Chantal asked.
The hospitalman closed her eyes and shook her head before responding. "Yes, you are cleared to rest, and only to rest, do you understand me?"
Chantal mouthed a thank you before she took Henry by the hand and led him off to the captain’s quarters. Henry felt no desire to fight it, nor flaw with her reasoning. Sleep sounded good, really good. Plus, he was about an hour from the start of his sleep shift anyway, and Alvarez had the CIC well covered. The lights flickered again, but Henry very purposefully ignored it.
“Hey, since we have a little time and we are both a little wound up, Why don’t we take a shower together real quick?” She said with genuine enthusiasm and a wink.
“Madam, I like the way you think.” The couple raced just a bit faster than regulations would have liked, and arrived at his door in record speed.
Inside the room they fell upon each other in great passion and need, stripping each other out of their BDU’s and underclothes. Henry tossed a giggling Chantal onto the bed, and proceeded to kiss her neck and nibble on her ear causing her to purr in anticipation before he moved down her chest, past her navel, and then eagerly began to move his kisses in between her thighs.
“Hah…. I haven’t showered. Are you sure? Oooookay! I think…. Hah…. Okay.” She said breathlessly as Henry began to work his tongue until she began to shiver and squirm before she cried out as she melted in his mouth.
“Enough, please, I can’t take it anymore! Just fuck me already!” Chantal pulled herself together enough to beg for it. Henry stood rigid and ready and set himself to granting her request, first slowly, and then with a growing intensity. She once more began to squirm as he paid close attention to her hip’s cues, knowing very well by now what she liked.
As she climaxed again, Henry lifted her from the bed and pushed her up against the wall, and then bent her over his desk for a bit before he could take it no longer and they finished together.
“Holy shit… my legs aren’t gonna work for a bit after that one. Help me up?” Chantal said in between shallow breaths.
“Yes, ma’am. It would be my pleasure.” Henry said as he helped her to her feet and into the shower, staying in longer than was strictly necessary.
Henry left the steam first, once more thankful that his cabin included its own small bathroom, rather than a communal one. Being captain had its perks, after all. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, then handed another to Chantal who gratefully accepted it before it dropped to the ground as she stared straight past him.
“Henry!" She squeaked as she pointed past him.
"What?" Henry asked, confused.
"Henry, someone was in here!”
On their bathroom mirror, wiped from the steam were the words TURN BACK.
Henry's blood ran cold and his adrenaline spiked him into overdrive. He waved Chantal back into the shower and put his finger to his lips. She nodded then wrapped herself in her retrieved towel and dropped to the shower floor with her arms wrapped around her knees, whimpering slightly. Henry moved silently along the wall, watching the visible half of his room for any movement. He then burst round the door frame, only to find everything perfectly, precisely as they had left it. The shock of finding nothing collided with the spike of his adrenaline surge, which only fed his growing unease.
“There’s nobody here!” Henry called out after checking the closet, the only other place someone could have hidden.
“Did you lock the door?” Chantal asked, her mind already working on the mystery.
“I set the security protocol to auto lock every time it closes.”
“Paul. We need to talk to Paul.” Chantal said, squeezing her BDU’s up over her hips with a few hops. Henry pulled on his undershirt before tossing over her bra.
“Why would we want to bring that weasel into this?” Henry asked, incredulous at to how he could possibly help.
“Because he has access to the surveillance tapes, why else?”
Henry stared at Chantal, brimming with rage, trying his hardest to keep it isolated to Paul over the invasion of his privacy.
“Did you just say surveillance tapes!?!” Henry asked in an icy tone. “That does it, I’m going to strangle him.” Henry said, moving with a purpose toward the door.
“Stop. Turn around and give me a kiss. I already disabled the video cameras, at least all the ones I could find. He has audio at best, even that I doubt. What he does have that I want is the data from the motion sensor that he had installed just in case you found the more obvious bugs. Unfortunately, I sabotaged its effectiveness by blocking the sensor with dense foam, but there might be enough of something to give us a clue."
“How in the hell do you know about all of this anyway, and why the hell didn’t you tell me?!” Henry roared.
“This entire enterprise is run by an intelligence agency; how can you not have seen that one coming a mile away? I have gotten very good at catching bugs over the years. Just because I expect the invasion of privacy to be happening, doesn’t mean I have to make it easy on them. Just be happy I already took care of the issue, alright?” She replied firmly while staring him in the eyes with raised eyebrows.
“You’re incredible, I love you.” Henry blurted out before he could catch himself. Chantal beamed and tackled him to the bed sitting on his lap.
“What took you so long? Never mind, don’t answer that. I love you too, man have I wanted to say that one for a while now.”
“You know these things aren’t easy for me. I had to be sure, I also didn’t want to mess anything up. We need to be able to work together even if we had turned out to be a bad couple.” Henry admitted, Chantal made an show as she thought it over, but she then smiled and helped Henry to his feet.
“Alright, my captain. You speak great wisdom. While I have certainly felt, and thoroughly enjoyed, the depths of your passion, it is really nice to hear about it too. I do think it makes it all the better that you rule said passion with reason. It’s just one of the many things I love about you.” She said, laying her hand over his heart.
Henry took her other hand and kissed it before replying. “I think above all, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t take you for granted, nor suffer the same in reverse. A wise woman once gave me some great advice there that I have taken to heart.”
“Okay, Romeo, maybe you have a better handle on these things than you think. Now… Let’s go interrogate Paul.” Chantal had a fire in her eyes that Henry was loving very much at that moment.
“I have wanted to turn the screws on that spook for a while now.” Henry smiled as he spoke, and he opened up the connection to the ship’s intranet through his neural implant to send a message.
MEET ME IN YOUR QUARTERS IN 5 MINUTES FOR A DISCUSSION OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE – CPT. O'TOOLE
“That ought to get him there and alone.” Henry smirked. “Let’s go.”
Together, they made their way to Paul’s equivalent-sized quarters, which he had somehow secured for himself in the ship design to help facilitate his role as the official thorn in Henry’s paw. I guess being the captain’s handler has its perks as well. Henry’s eye twitched at the corner.
After making them wait far too long, Paul opened the door and gesturing them inside. The door closed and Paul turned towards them, narrowing his eyes, studying them both.
“Is this about the fire?” Paul asked before Henry punched the weasel right in the diaphragm, forcing him to gasp for air. The look of shock on his face as he bent forwards was priceless.
“What the fuck, Henry!?” Paul managed to choke out after a minute between gasps.
“Relax, I didn’t do any permanent damage, yet.” Henry said, Paul for just a second showed actual fear in his eyes before he sneered in defiance. “Oh? That got your attention, did it? Why were you spying on me?” Henry growled.
Paul closed his eyes, dropped his head, and began to laugh before Henry grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall. Foolishly, Paul even then kept laughing amidst the gasping. So Henry squeezed until Paul started slapping his arm, looking genuine fear once more growing across his face.
“Orders… I was following orders!” Paul managed to say amidst gasps and coughs.
“I thought it might be something like that. You're going to open up those files, now, and you're going to show me everything.” Henry said, dropping him to his feet at last.
“Fucking hell, Henry, I thought you of all people would have anticipated this was going to be the case. Do you think the people who made this all possible would simply let you fly around the most dangerous, advanced warship in human history without some insurance?”
“Don’t try and weasel out of your own personal culpability here. You may also want to think back to other people who were “only following orders” while performing acts they knew were wrong before you wave that line around like some get out of jail free card.” The fact that he had nothing to say spoke volumes.
“You should have told me, Paul.” Henry growled.
“That defeats the purpose! Plus, your girlfriend sabotaged them all before we ever left S33 anyway, and once more after! That type of tech doesn’t just grow on trees you know, and I don’t have an unlimited supply. You should be thanking me for covering for her and reporting back like things are normal!” Paul shouted in indignation.
“This is pointless, show me the files from around fifteen minutes ago, motion trackers, thermals, anything you have that's not blocked or sabotaged.” Henry commanded. Paul’s eyes narrowed, but after a long moment he huffed and closed his eyes.
Paul then sat down at his station and fired it up.
“Like I said, I've got practically nothing. No video, muffled audio and readings from what I assume to be a faulty motion sensor, that’s it. What are we looking for?”
“Chantal and I were, well, together. After we got out of the shower we saw that someone had written turn back in the condensation on the bathroom mirror. Only problem? My door auto locks when closed and only opens for my biometrics. That is why all of this even came up in the first place.”
“Motherfucker. That's a whole heap of bad news.” Paul said. Henry merely nodded, paying rather more attention to the screen to see if he could catch Paul in a lie about the extent of the spying.
“There’s nothing. No disturbances in the air that would even remotely resemble human movement between you two getting in the shower and you charging into your bedroom. With the noise of the shower and the distance to the microphone, there is nothing I can discern that is anomalous. You can see it all right here for yourself.”
Henry found himself even more confused and alarmed than before.
“How is that possible? Look again, run through some filters or something. There must be some evidence somewhere!”
“Alright, relax, I will get to work on this and get you a report by the end of C shift. In the meantime, you look like a mess. Get some sleep man! I can take care of it from here. Oh, and I want you to remember that I forgave you quite magnanimously for that little episode back there where you attacked me.” Henry and Chantal gave each other a look as Paul spoke.
“Wasn’t gonna apologize anyway, you had it coming. I’m going to hit the rack. I expect that report to be detailed and ready when I get up.” Henry took Chantal by the hand, and they left together, not waiting for a response.
“What a snake. Did you see him in there? Zero guilt or recognition whatsoever about spying like that. It just makes my skin crawl. Gives me bad memories.” Chantal said, turning pensive and quiet.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Henry asked, seeing that there was something clearly bothering her.
“I… had an uncle that lived with us from time to time and he would spy on me when I was dressing, try and sneak looks in the shower, stuff like that. Never touched me or anyone else that I know of, thank god, but man did it screw me up a bit still. Played havoc with my sense of security and even my sanity, never being quite sure it was real or all in my head. I wish I had said something, but I was afraid everyone would think I was overreacting or imagining it. I saw it in his eyes though, that look of... predatory lust. At least I didn't see anything like that in Paul's eyes. To this day it makes my skin crawl.”
“Good God, I can see how alone you must have felt in the middle of all that.” He squeezed her hand, she smiled up at him.
“Yeah, that was one of the hardest parts. I don’t think Paul is some raging pervert or anything, but it concerns me how normalized it was to him. Even if he isn’t being a creep with it, as if we can take his claims to be covering for me at face value. There is still no way I am going to let him have easy access to intimate videos of us, if I can possibly help it.” Chantal said before adding, “I’ll be all right, don’t worry about me. Let’s just get some sleep.”
Henry put his palm against the biometric scanner outside his room and the door slid open for them. They definitely needed some sleep after the emotional roller coaster of the past few hours, and the irresistible warm embrace of his bed called for him. The Q-Comm report could wait until he woke, he decided.
Better to have the electrical inspection ordered up, too.
I WANT A FULL REPORT AND INSPECTION PERFORMED ON THE ELECTRICAL FIRE IN CHANTAL’S ROOM BY THE START OF A SHIFT. – CAPT. O'TOOLE
Good enough. Henry thought as he sent the message. Now he could sleep. The chief could handle it from there.
MEANWHILE…
DATE : MARCH 10th, 7 A.U. LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, ABOARD UTRN INDOMITABLE WILL
FIREMAN APPRENTICE SARAH CALLAHAN
It'll be back again tonight...
Sarah’s haunted thoughts repeated like a mantra. She had to be ready, but how? Her skin crawled and itched, the long sleeves of her BDU’s prevented her from being able to do anything about the painful sensation from the inflamed scratches they hid. She blearily rubbed at her sunken eyes, and she drained the rest of her coffee. All the numbers on the screen had started bleeding in together and her eyes hurt horribly, with the throbbing pain in her abdomen only compounding her misery.
“My god, Sarah, you look a wreck, hon. How have you been sleeping?” Yvonne, her shift partner asked, with concern in her voice.
“I have a monster tension headache, I just hope the meds kick in soon. Can you check my math? I need to get out of these white lights for a few minutes. Close my eyes for a bit, something, anything. I've been having nightmares again.” Sarah felt good, being able to admit it, and Yvonne had long since proven her friendship, so it was easier to actually speak.
“Yeah, no prob. As soon as I am done here I will check your readings and we can get out of here. Do you mean nightmares from the invasion?” Yvonne asked, carefully picking her words and tone.
“Kind of the same general themes, but different. Everything is going wrong, like the worst possible outcomes of my worst nightmares are all combining together. Like, it feels actively malicious, I don't know, its hard to explain...” Sarah said, bleakly.
“That’s hard, I am sorry. You need a shower, and an uninterrupted nap. Sleep deprivation plays all kinds of hell on the body and mind. I had a friend who went through an insomniac phase so extreme he would go days without sleeping. Wound up in the hospital after trying to drive to work while hallucinating his dead fiancée was sitting in the passenger seat screaming at him to watch out. Wound up rear-ending the car in front of him. Thank God he lived to tell the tale, but that is why it worries me to see you like this.” Yvonne planted her hand on Sarah’s shoulder as she told the story.
“Yikes, I think I slept like two hours into my sleep shift before I started having the nightmares again, woke up, and passed in and out of some restless sleep. It got really bad around oh three hundred. There were sounds... noises like scratching and a loud bang, and the shadows were moving. I just kept feeling like I was being watched, but everyone else seemed to be having disturbed sleep in their bunks. God, it was a creepy feeling.” Sarah took a moment to compose herself.
“I know how crazy this will sound, maybe that I am sleep deprived and likely hallucinating like your friend, but just hear me out. There was something there Yvonne, in the dark at the edge of perception, I could feel it. I also know I wasn’t the only one tossing and turning either. I could also hear scratchy whispering, too. I just hid, strapped in under the weighted blanket. At some point I slept some more, I must have, but not for what felt like a few stressful and draining hours. I'm just making a total mess of explaining this, aren’t I?”
“No, you're fine, girl! I am sorry that happened, my dorm has been pretty quiet, but I have always slept like a rock. Is there anything I can do?”
“I could use a hug.” Sarah said, which caused Yvonne to laugh, breaking some of the tension. They embraced warmly for a good minute, which did wonders for relieving some of the headache and her black mood.
“Thanks, Yvonne, I know it’s all in my head and it’s a vicious feedback cycle due to lack of quality sleep. Thanks for listening without calling me crazy.“ Sarah said, shying away from the last thing she hadn’t the courage to say.
She didn’t dare mention how she had hidden under the covers as she felt it get near. How she had felt something pushing on the mattress. How as her fear peaked, she herself peeked over the covers to find nothing there just to have the oppressive feeling evaporate along with the sensation of pressure by her feet. Her dorm mates all seemed to stop stirring after that, and only then did the nightmares stop for her that night. By then she was left with barely enough time for one last short sleep cycle before the start of A shift that very morning. This was a secret she would have to keep to herself, nobody would believe her anyway.
“I think I'll ask the Chief for a break from my duties today to rest and to visit med bay. Maybe they can give me something to help catch back up on my sleep.” Sarah said.
“Good idea, can I come with? I’ll back you up.” Yvonne said. Sarah smiled at her friend before she nodded at her before they checked off the last of their duties on site and headed away to find the Chief.

Hi, I’m a first year student.
It’s nearing the end of the academic year but I feel like I’m incapable of bonding with any students, or creating deep bonds and friendships. As a foreign student, despite studying for 4 years in the UK, it’s really hard for me to adapt to UK culture, especially the drinking culture, which is very very strong in my university.
While I have tried joining societies, in particular the society of the region of Asia that I’m from, but I don’t seem to click well with anyone. I feel like our core values and beliefs are different, and that I don’t get as much respect from them as I should. In particular our views on LGBTQ+, where it’s jeered and treated with disdain and disgust, and homophobia is thrown everywhere to fit with the status quo. It feels like everyone is trying too hard to be the best of themselves and not to better themselves. Every conversation starts and ends with alcohol, clubbing and relationships. After a year of people pleasing and being someone that I’m not, it’s exhausting. Hearing racial and derogatory slurs being thrown around recklessly as banter just doesn’t sit well with me, and I’m afraid to speak up as I’ll be mocked for my softness when all I ask for is respect, and just the same level of respect I show them. I’m worried to open up to them as it may be weaponised for them to “climb” the social ladder. I plan on leaving the group slowly but that means I slowly lose ties with most of the people I talk to. It feels wrong to be less close to them then they are to me.
While I’ve tried to socialise with my flatmates, it feels like they’re already engrained into their friendship groups that it’s just doesn’t feel right to “sneak in” and invite myself into their friendship group and with first year coming to an end it feels like it’s just not going to happen. They’re all nice people, I’m just a bit too late.
It just feels like the uni culture, and my personal ideals are just incompatible. It’s not like I don’t have any friends, I’ve made a lot of friends in the past but I’m struggling in university. I can make surface level friendships, but I am unable to deepen my bonds.
I’ve also tried joining societies, like volunteering and kickboxing but it just doesn’t work. I’m okay with finding people to talk to, on a surface level but I wouldn’t call them friends.
Icl it feels quite disheartening at times to be stuck in the limbo, everyone feels like an acquaintance. Im living on my own next year, which may make the isolation aspect even harder.
Any tips or ideas on how I can deal with this?

I hate my life, I wish someone loved me. Not pretend to love me. Or only when it’s convenient.
I am alone and I blame everyone else for it, yet it’s my fault.
I am alone because I have no girlfriend nor friends. I have a great family yet it isn’t enough. I value them, but my thoughts and experiences grow worse over time. It isn’t enough. I need another type of love.
I am alone and I feel alone all the time. The only reason I don’t feel alone is because of school and a job I barely work. I have a lot of ‘friends’ who think they are there for me, but aren’t. They pretend to be and only talk to me when they need something. An example, I was friends with a girl for one year and we were talk a lot we flirted and then she ghosted me and then she got a boyfriend and all of a sudden she turned out like all the others. I wish I had a girlfriend. I am so tired of people saying that. I wish I was good looking. I wish that I had that. Let me tell you something, if every time you met someone and you asked them to hang out and be your best friend/girlfriend and they told you ‘oh sorry, no but you can find it in somebody else’, if everyone tells you that it’s a cycle and you will never ever get it; that’s the issue I’ve had for the past four years. I just want affection. I’m tired of feeling this way.
I reach out in college. At work. Attempt to make friends. I bet whatever solution is to be told, I’ve fucking tried it. Maybe I’m meant to be this way. Wow. That sounded so corny. But it feels the truth. I’ve broken out of my shell and went into it multiple times. I think the longest streak I’ve had being myself and loving life was two years until I was told I wasn’t good looking and would be this way forever, and even if I didn’t let that get to me, in that entire year, I felt alone.
I don’t want to live my life like this. Some days I want to block all the ‘friends’ who say they’re there for me, but they aren’t. I wanna be an asshole but I can’t. I have no friend group. I have no true friends. Nobody ever reaches out to me. Sometimes I want to die. But I don’t mean. 1% out of 99% I do. Other times, I want them to love me and care for me. But I know you can’t force that on someone, so why don’t I just get rid of them first good? Block them. Unfriend them. They pretend to care yet love another and love others. They only care for me because they don’t want my death on their conscious. Honestly, that’s how I feel.
All I want is for someone to love me.
And I’m jealous, envious, and cocky. I used to not be, I’ll admit that. I used to selfless and always care for others and be kind, and then realty I stopped. Two years of me just being a kind man, and getting nothing out of that. See? Look how selfish that sounds.
I was born to live and enjoy life. Not to be other people’s pleaser. To not be your rebound. To not be your convenience friend. To not be someone you can talk to every 6 months when you feel pity for me because you’re the one who made me feel the way I am.
I feel like I know the solution. Suck it up. Cherish what I have. Be the better man. But what if I don’t wanna be? I’ll be left behind and cast out. Or maybe, I’m just rambling. I’ve never been so 50 / 50 split of getting rid of all of those people, telling them the truth (what I say here), or not.
What do I do? Get rid of them? Ignore it all? Be a better person? Suck it up? I truly don’t know. So many things.

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Hey all!
I've been lurking here since I uploaded my first video on YT, and I've found some of your threads here useful. So I thought I'd give back with a write up on my monetization journey, which, although not lightning fast, has been medium-fast (two months and two weeks from my first upload).
Who am I?
I'm a fashion photographer, with 10+ years of experience in my main field, and 3+ years of experience in the generative AI field. I started working with generative AI for a project with Vogue Italia right before the main publicly available applications were released to the wider public (Dall-E, MidJourney, Stable Diffusion), and since then my work has been a mix of traditional photography and generative AI. And that's why I became a part-time Tuber.
Finding a niche
While I was implementing gen AI more and more in my fashion photography works, I was struggling to find professionally oriented tutorials on YT. There's a ton of content about gen AI, covering news, tools, and starting out with it, but there was close to no in-depth, real-world use cases focused tutorials. So I though - hey, I'm using it in my own works. I know a ton of fellow professionals who can use it too. I can't be the only one looking for this kind of content. Maybe I should create that content myself.
Now, I don't know what you're interested in, but in order to find a niche, I'd do the same: find something you like and know about, and check if there's some aspects of it which no one covers, and you know you can cover yourself.
From the comments and commission requests I've gotten in two months, I was right. Which leads us to...
Offering value
My content is long and incredibly tedious. Honestly, it's quite boring to the layman. But it's necessary for anyone who wants to learn something applicable in their own field *or* anyone who wants to start using AI tools in their own traditional workflows, so I realized those are my audience.
To those people, I'm offering value, even if the videos are long and boring. But it's the fact that they're long and boring that's giving me an edge. Let me explain how.
Basically, from the first video, I had to choose if:

• I wanted to go straight to the point and show how things were done with the tools I was using, and show real life examples, or;
  
• I wanted to spend the necessary time to explain to anyone, even those who had no skillset in the tools I was using, how things were done.
  

I decided to go with the latter. My videos are complete tutorials, A to Z, made for people who know basically nothing about generative AI, guiding them from knowing nothing to doing exactly what I'm doing, explaining how I set up things and, most importantly, why I do it the way I do it.
Now, I needed a way to not lose the attention of people who already knew how to go from A to G, but not from G to Z, so in the first minute or so I always say something along the lines of "ok, so now I'm going to build all of my workflow from scratch, so if you're not interested in how and why it works this way, you can find the timestamps here and jump ahead to the demonstration segment".
This works, and it's why my watch curve looks like a "U". A good 25-30% of people are interested in the "how it's done", while 35-40% are interested in "what it looks like".
The only negative comment I've ever received on my format, which was something like "dude, you're too slow", was followed by a comment, a month later, by the same user, saying "I get now why you're slow, not everyone's at the same level. Please disregard my previous comment".
Strategy
Overall, I upload weekly, same day, same time, unless:

• I want to stream (unscheduled, spur of the moment short streams, around 2 hours each);
  
• something huge has come out in my niche and needs to be covered as soon as possible.
  

I don't post shorts anymore, since:

• I'm not good at making them;
  
• I don't like making them;
  
• they don't provide value to my core audience.
  

The long term goal is to find new clients for my day job, and to do consulting work on the side, given that my audience perceive me as an expert in my field.
Metrics
Now, I think that the metrics I've seen both here and in the Partnered sub are completely skewed towards niches that are not appliable to me or fellow tutorial YouTubers, or for this sub in particular, are skewed towards creators who don't have large view counts.
20-30% CTR? 50% AVD? These kind of numbers, to me, would mean that I struck gold and I created something that was flying off the shelves like cakes during the French revolution (even if that never happened). Or, most likely, that no one is watching my content expect for my most hardened userbase, *and* YT didn't push the video at all to outside audiences.
My usual metrics, which are a direct result of both my very niche content and the nature of my content (tutorials), are around 8-10% CTR and 12-18% AVD. And the videos with these metrics get pushed, hard, to outside audiences.
I think YT's algorithm kind of understands that my content is not meant to be watched from start to finish, and that my audience is very selective of what it's useful to them. So either it doesn't care about the usual metrics I see thrown around here, or those metrics are inflated.
I also think (but again, sample size=1, me) that YT kind puts each and every one of us into a "box" of sorts, in terms of how much it wants to push our content. At first, my videos had a max impressions of around 10k. Nowadays, it's more in the realm of 50-200k, and it's reflected in the amount of impressions my newest videos get when they're published. The curves all look the same until one video breaks out, and a new standard is expected out of my next videos.
Also, each video is their own thing. If a video's CTR tanks in the first few hours, I can expect it to not reach the same audience that my most successful videos reach in the same amount of time, and that's because...
YouTube wants people to see (your) videos
Well, maybe not *your* videos, and maybe not *all* your videos, but the way YT works is opposite of the way IG works, for example. While IG has no monetary incentives to pushing free content, and has to push paid content in between free content, YouTube makes money out of people seeing free content, because the paid content (ADs) is embedded into the free content (videos).
So if your video is good, YT has no issues pushing it. If your video is not good, too bad, there's another content creator in your niche who has a better video, so let's push their video instead.
By providing value to your viewers, you're providing value to YouTube and their ADs, so either you and YT win, or another content creator and YT win. In the eyes of YT, everybody wins all the time.
Increasing CTR
If you're like me, you know, in your heart of hearts, that a catchy title and a great thumbnail are as important as the content of your video. If you're like me, the thumbnail's the last thing you prepare, and we're both wrong.
Seriously, get good at creating good thumbnails. Since I've started focusing more on thumbnails, my CTR has gotten, if not better in the long run (since all videos default to kind of the same CTR the longer the video has been out for and the wider the audience is), better in the first few hours and days, which increases the audience drastically.
I know this is a boring part of the creative process, but get good at it.
Also, experiment with multiple thumbnails during the first hours when a video has been published. A thumbnail you expected to do well might not be as catchy as you thought. Try 3 or 4 different thumbnails and see what sticks.
Increasing AVD
Now in my case I can't do much about it, since the format I've chosen is kind of non-negotiable and it's what brings value at the expense of AVD, but if you're:

• seeing a sharp decrease in viewers around the 00:30 mark, work on your intros and get straight into the action;
  
• seeing a below 30% retention rate throughout the video, either there was no need for this content, or you're not covering it well enough (or you're not engaging enough);
  
• overall, give the viewers a reason to stay engaged throughout the different sections of the video.
  

Streaming
I discovered streaming way too late, and I wish I did it way earlier. It would have had me monetized at least a couple of weeks sooner.
But in order to do it well, you need:

• a good userbase who wants to extract more infos and values from things you're not covering in your uploads;
  
• the skillset necessary to basically host a mini-show.
  

The latter is the hardest part, and I only know how to do it because I'm used to giving speeches and lessons. But, like all skills, it's not something you're born with, it's something you train and get good at, so if you're into it try it and get better at it over time.
Equipment
I'm lucky enough to have a day job that covers most of the equipment needed. My camera and lenses are the same I'm using for my day job, I already had a mic, my PC is an absolute beast because of the generative AI work I do, so I think I spent like 20 bucks for a mic arm and that's it.
In anyone else's case, though, the most important things to invest in is:

• a good mic, since audio quality is more important than video quality (tons of people have terrible displays, but tons of people like to hear nice audio);
  
• 8 hours in DaVinci Resolve, and I swear you don't even need the full 8 hours, you just need to understand how to trim, cut and paste clips, how to improve your audio, and how to export files;
  
• only then, and maybe, a good enough camera, good lighting (my light is literally an ikea lamp with a 5 bucks white scrim on it, I just know how to make it look good because of my day job), minimum hardware.
  

Final considerations
Some of you may have more trouble with subs, some with watch hours (in my case, I got 2.5k subs before I reached my watch hours goal), some of you may find trouble expressing yourselves in front of the camera, or talking well, or may prefer scripts rather than talking freely while doing things, but all in all:

• do what you're good at;
  
• improve what you're lacking in;
  
• know what's useless to improve.
  

Let me know if you'd like to know more, or if I missed something.
Thanks for reading!

Hello,
This is going to be kind of a rant, but I'm somehow amazed that so few people talk about this. I get it, one can enumerate many things that Unity misses, from core graphics engine mechanics to simple built-in, ready-to-use useful components.
But the fact that, by default, interfaces cannot be serialized and thus exposed in the inspector is, in my opinion, a huge flaw for various reasons.
I will not explain how, why and when one should use interface (or not). If you want to know more about this, you will find a lot of resources out there on the web. I will simply say that any somewhat experienced developer will need them at some point. They are not a niche thing that one needs only in very specific cases.
Unity's editor offers many unique mechanisms due to how it exposes many in-game elements to the developer using its different views : Scene and Hierarchy views are easy examples, and another one is obviously the Inspector. Since MonoBehavior components cannot be instantiated the usual way (the do not have proper constructors, even if it is possible to kinda create your own), the inspector allows to exposes some fields of the components and assign values/objects to them. This is Unity's built-in way to allow dependency injection : you don't inject dependencies by passing them into a constructor, so you inject them via the inspector. This works pretty well for standard classes, and encourages to use the editor and the prefab system.
However, being limited to standard classes becomes quickly a huge problem because it brakes a lot the use of interface. It really feels like Unity does not encourage you to use interface, which should not be the case (and I don't believe it is for that matter).
I know Odin's Inspector resolves this problem and this is the answer most people will have. But I believe a 50$+ asset should not be the answer to a be able to use a basic programming feature efficiently. By efficiently, I mean that it should be integrated better into the editor.
If some of you do not use any asset for that, how do you work this out ? I'm aware that beginners may not see the point of using interface (and it's fine!), so obviously this should not be an issue for everyone.
EDIT : as pointed out in the comment, my point is more about the inability to drag and drop interface types in Inspector.

Antisionism has gained momentum as an international movement, drawing individuals from various backgrounds who share a common disdain for the town of Sion and its traditions. At the core of this movement is a rejection of the dialect spoken in Sion, which differs from standard Swiss German and is considered by Antisionists to be inferior or unworthy of preservation.
Moreover, Antisionists express contempt for Sion's culinary delights, dismissing traditional dishes such as raclette, fondue, and rösti as bland or unappealing. They view the town's cuisine as emblematic of a narrow-minded provincialism that they seek to challenge and transcend.
In addition to language and cuisine, Antisionists critique Sion's cultural practices, viewing them as outdated or parochial. They reject the town's folklore, festivals, and customs, which they perceive as reinforcing stereotypes and inhibiting progress towards a more cosmopolitan society.
The Antisionist movement has sparked heated debates both within Switzerland and beyond. Supporters argue that their critique of Sion is rooted in a desire for cultural diversity and inclusivity, advocating for a more cosmopolitan and open-minded approach to community identity.
However, critics of Antisionism contend that the movement promotes cultural elitism and undermines the unique heritage and traditions of Sion and its inhabitants. They argue that diversity should be celebrated within communities rather than used as a pretext for denigrating local cultures.
As Antisionism continues to gain traction, it highlights broader tensions around globalization, cultural identity, and the preservation of local traditions. It forces us to confront questions about the nature of belonging, the value of cultural diversity, and the boundaries between appreciation and appropriation.
Ultimately, the Antisionist movement against the Swiss town of Sion serves as a reminder that cultural identity is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, shaped by historical, social, and political forces. While critique and dialogue are essential for progress, it is crucial to approach these discussions with sensitivity, empathy, and respect for the diverse perspectives that enrich our global community.

Sorry for the wr question.
I just need to know that olaf are weaker in wr then in pc, beside his core item still not yet in wr, maybe his stat or his abilities value are different?
Anyone play wr here?

Just finished freshman year and first semester was ROUGH. Second semester I started to figure out what worked for me and what didn’t. Grade wise I’m still struggling, but mental health wise definitely a big improvement. The areas I’m struggling in are social life/finding solid friends/sense of involvement. I did get lucky and meet one real deal friend, honestly probably a friend for life. I have a few other casual friends, and acquaintances but that’s it. Still feel like I haven’t found my people.
I’m at a very good LAC, but don’t feel like I fit in, and have been questioned as to why I chose this school all the time (not sure if everyone experiences that), but it does make me feel like I don’t belong. Im still finding myself, my style, my values, and the people I’d like to surround myself with as an adult. At this school I feel too boring, or not quirky enough. I do think I messed up when chances to make new friends arose because of anxiety and since I’m very introverted. I’m not sure if I should transfer to a more chill relaxed school with more basic people like myself, where I feel like I fit in all the time. I do think I’d thrive because school would be less rigorous, my grades would be better, etc. but I wouldn’t have a poc community like I do here (I’m even planning to live in a program house next year which I’m excited about if I stay). The school I want to transfer to is very not diverse let’s just say. It’s also in a rural area but it’s a beautiful campus.
Also the reason my grades are poor is cause I’m burnt out, and I don’t really care about being at a top school like I did in hs.
Pros at X School: -very diverse (all my classes have been all poc or mostly poc which is shocking for me as I grew up in all white catholic schools) -all sorts of people that I could get to know/make connections with, strong cultural community that I plan to get more involved with next year as well -learned a lot more about/discovered myself in this one year than I did in all 4 years of hs -amazing job opportunities -used to the campus/location, starting to feel like a second home -6 hrs away from home, like the independence from toxic family
Cons: -feel like I haven’t found a core group of like minded people/ hippy/artsy/party culture is not my vibe -feel like I need to change to fit in -feel out of place -struggling academically (withdrawn from a crazy amount of classes (but made it to sophomore year) -lonely/anxiety on campus -cliques/social hierarchies but that’s everywhere -don’t love the campus, feels kinda lifeless/ghetto
Pros at Transfer School -love the campus -more peaceful environment -More majors here, and if I go here I’ll be able to major in something that will directly get me a job -more introvert friendly/wont feel like an outcast (do think both schools are introvert friendly since they’re small tho) -no classism/elitism -get to be a nobody, I think at a top school like X, you should only go if you plan to be somebody (I just want a simple job/life -can drive home 3hrs away -more confident in
Cons: -less diverse -no similar background community like I have here and can grow next year if I stay -might feel isolated again like I did in hs

Hi everyone!
Australian 27 year old female. First time poster but hoping for some support and advice post advancement flap + Botox procedure. I am currently laid in a hospital bed as I woke up from surgery about 6 hours ago.
Brief overview of my story:

• March 2022… Small lump found on the left perineal (close to my left vag flap and sort of halfway between the vagina and anus). My GP said it would likely go away on its own and was probably an ingrown hair.
  
• May 2022… the lump had grown into a ping pong ball sized lump and I could barely walk due to the pain from the position it was in. I went to the ER but was sent home again and told it would go away on its own.
  
• August 2022… after a lengthy wait to see a private gynae surgeon (as external opening was presenting closer to my vagina), he told me he could do an I&D surgery in early September. He initially suspected a Bartholyn cyst however then confirmed he believed it was an ingrown hair that had got infected. He completed the surgery and said no complications. No mention of anything relating to a fistula.
  
• October 2022… my incision would not fully heal and about half of it was mainly granulation tissue that would leak and flare up and down. It would bleed almost daily and i was only able to walk to the kitchen and back from bed.
  
• June 2023… after many referrals and second/third opinions, I was referred to another gynaecologist who took one look at it and said she couldn’t help me and to see a general surgeon.
  
• July 2023… I finally received my diagnosis and confirmed 6cm complex transphincteric fistula. I was an absolute mess and completely broke down. I thought something simple would heal my original incision and had no idea all of this was going on inside my body.
  
• December 2023… admitted for colonoscopy and endoscopy.. no evidence of any bowel related illnesses.
  
• January 2024… I had an exam under anaesthetic where they cored out what they could and put a seton drain in. It took me about 3-4 months to finally feel at least 50% like myself again. Albeit still unable to go to the gym or for long walks without pain that would debilitate me for days and mean even sitting at my computer is uncomfortable. My external opening had been closed but reopened within a week and gushes blood every time I go to the toilet. I wear a pad 24/7.
  

Today, 15th May 2024… I have had an EUA, core out, excision of anal polyp and an advancement flap procedure. I woke up and it hit me like a bus, just intense pain all around my bum and inside. It felt like I’d had diarrhoea for a year straight and then had constipation… the type of pain where you don’t know what to do or how to explain it. They gave me some pain killers and I cannot believe I thought I would survive without any (so that I could avoid constipation). That’s still the goal but there’s no way I could go without stronger meds than panadol/ibuprofen.
Anyway! I’ve read a lot of posts relating to the flap procedure but wondered if anyone has had a similar experience to the above and has any words of wisdom for recovery? I’ll take anything at this point and am well aware that the success rate is only 50%.
Thank you for reading. It’s so hard to explain without writing a novel!

Hello,
38M, non smoker, no medication. 68kg, 172 cm, work out 6 days a week. Not drunk alcohol for 8 months.
I just had some bloodwork done a few days ago and by total bilirubin was 1.3 (direct was 0.2).
Last September I had bloodwork done about 36 hours into a fast and my bilirubin was 2.6. It was my first ever proper blood test so I freaked out, I stopped fasting and retested 10 days later (no exercise in the meantime) and got bilirubin of 0.8 (0.1 direct) so I put it down to fasting.
Fast forward 8 months later, Ive been working out 5-6 days a week for the past 5-6 months, including marathon + half marathon training and after that resistance training, barely any running but yoga + pilates on the days I don't do resistance training.
The other day my bilirubin was 1.3, so I think it might be down to exercising. I did take 2 full days off though, so maybe I needed to take more days off. I have read that bilirubin can be higher in 'athletes' or people who work out. Before this test I only fasted for 12-13 hours.
Other lab values worth mentioning are AST 13, Triglycerides 38, Uric acid 5.8, hbA1c 5.2, GGT 12, ALP 58, total protein 68.
I assume this is just a transient rise and nothing to be worried about?
Thanks

My spouse is currently 42 Days sober out of rehab, and I am so proud! So many positive changes, and I can see his heart, its an amazing feeling. Unfortunately I was under the misguided impression that when he became sober, he would be completely out of the “psychosis” and realize that what he had been accusing me of, was just bizarre and not true. Yet here we sit, trying to show each other love, yet I know in the back of his mind, he legitimately believes he caught me in MULTIPLE porn video’s(which he sent to me while I was working), sleeping with his family members, male and female, ages ranging from high school, up to 50’s…strangers, all the neighbors…you name it, he accused me of it. Even when these women look nothing like me and they are covering their eyes. So i guess my question isn’t why he feels this way, because I’ve read about all i could read about drug induced psychosis…but more a question as to maybe how long, or is this idea going to stay planted forever? He refuses to watch the video’s he sent me before going to rehab. I had kept them as my “proof” per se that they weren’t me, but he believes he will just be triggered by watching them because he is afraid he will still “see me” in them, even though I have never done such a thing in my life, and 110% those women are not me. In my mind I’m thinking, what better solution to the problem, than to watch the videos with sober eyes and realize they aren’t me, wouldn’t that be a damn relief, for the both of us? Obviously not a relief if his brain could truly cause him to picture my face on other peoples bodies, but of course I’m not thinking of that, when I know that no way in hell these people are me, just like I cant possibly understand where he is coming from, he cannot see perspective from my side either, when this is quite literally reality versus drug induced psychosis… Has anyone experienced this situation? I cannot help but to feel offended by these accusations, and the strong desire to prove my innocence. What I cannot seem to get on board with, is the idea that he needs to just be able to deal with “my cheating” “accept it” and be able to “move on”…because that is offensive to my sensibilities. I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS ACTualLY BETRAYED…so those resentments and feelings of a need for forgivingness belong to me, how can I watch someone try to “get over, and be okay with” something I never did…that cannot be the best solution to the problem, because for the rest of our lives, can he then claim to be triggered by the fact that I had cheated on him, even if only in his head, and I must feel some sort of pity for him, and treat the situation delicately like I have anything to be sorry for, and feel empathy for him? Selfishly I am speaking now, but those feelings of betrayal belong to me, I am the one who is destroyed inside, lacking confidence, feeling like I wasn’t enough, but does the success of his recovery process mean that I must make myself small once again and allow him to believe that he is working on forgiveness for my actions? That is such a damn hard pill to swallow…although, I would do it, I just want there to be another answer. He cheated on me multiple times over multiple years, so I’m aware that he may be projecting his own insecurities onto me because of his guilt, and I need to be sensitive to the fact that what happened in his head was very real to him…but how do I maneuver around the ideas put into his head when he was experiencing psychosis, now that his brain is healing and he is sober? I hoped that there would just be a “TADAAA” moment when he was sober, that he would finally see what I had been seeing this whole time, but is that too much to hope for? I have stayed by his side, and tried to be his strongest supporter, I have tried to take on all child and financial responsibilities, and I am emotionally wore out…yet I must be met with questions about WHERE the money to do the supporting is coming from…because it couldn’t possibly be the job that I’ve maintained…while being alone to take care of the child a majority of his life, and making sure I drove all the way across the state whenever I was allowed to visit at rehab. I cannot help but to feel anger when I am struggling so much and fighting for what I know my reality is, yet trying to be supportive for him, barely getting sleep, and continuing to go to work…and then be accused of getting money from anywhere but the job that my bank account and paystubs can verify. I love him more than he will ever know, but my anger that he would accuse me of such things, is starting to be replaced by sadness. I do not necessarily want to feel sorry for him, because I know this is not fair to me, but how can I not have empathy for the person I love so much, that actually feels somewhat broken hearted, even if not because of my true actions…? To look into the eyes of someone you love, and know that this isn’t just a game, that they are feeling true pain, based on facts that have become so real to them in their head…it breaks my heart, even though I have no guilt to carry, as I have never been unfaithful. I wanted to be mad for the longest time, but it hurts different when you know that scenes, and photos, and voices were actually playing over in their heads, and they actually feel they were betrayed…how do we prepare ourselves for situations like this? He was absolutely awful to me when he was high, accused me of every disgusting act, with strangers, his family, anyone. I was called every name in the book, but I just tried to research what this drug was doing to him, I felt knowledge could help me to separate my feelings from myself so I could just try to understand what was going on, and because deaf and numb to how he was making me feel. I already know that I struggle with depression, insecurity, and an unhealthy need to belong and be desired by my partner, so I had to go to extreme lengths to prove I cared, and a lot of those lengths compromised me, and they were at my expense, because I am not okay, but I focus on him and his recovery so that I don’t have to deal with those feelings for now. I felt I owed it to our 4 year old son, to try and help his father, and I also selfishly believed that I deserved a good man, after all the ****, it was my turn to be happy, and I had chosen his…God had chosen him to lead my family, so i wasn’t going to give up on him. How do I now not feel like I have to spend every moment feeling I have to try and prove something that never happened? I know what infidelity did to me, to my very core, I am not okay, a large part due to the fact that I still could never imagine flirting with another man, let alone having sex with them, it makes me sick, that’s how ridiculously faithful I am in my heart, and mind…that my body would never do what he was able to do to me. I have to try and tell myself, although I know it isn’t true, he doesn’t, and what if he is feeling the same way in his gut, that I feel because of actions he actually took? Is this a life sentence? How long does reality take to set back in, or are the memories that occurred during psychosis permanent?? Is this a problem that now sits as a dark shadow over our relationship, that he must “deal with”…or is there hope that a day comes where that paranoia and delusional thinking gets exposed, and clear thinking can prove to himself that what he thought was true, never was? I want an epiphany…not just acceptance from him, I want him to know absolutely that I didn’t deserve his behaviors and that I have always been true and stood right there, I need a miracle… I cannot picture a happy future with someone who feels they must forgive me for something that I didn’t do, that specific something being my largest daily struggle, trying not to think of that her, that woman who came like a tornado through me, she destroyed any sort of positive thinking I had started accumulating towards myself, anything good I felt I had to offer, and sense of confidence I may have built in myself when I fell in love with him, gone… the moment I realized that I wasn’t enough, over ,and over, and over again…the thought of that infidelity tears my stomach up when I have to think about it, so if some storyline is playing in his head, and he feels betrayed… if we are both that hurt, how does our story end, if sobriety doesn’t mean clear eyes on the same situation?

My spouse is currently 42 Days sober out of rehab, and I am so proud! So many positive changes, and I can see his heart, its an amazing feeling. Unfortunately I was under the misguided impression that when he became sober, he would be completely out of the “psychosis” and realize that what he had been accusing me of, was just bizarre and not true. Yet here we sit, trying to show each other love, yet I know in the back of his mind, he legitimately believes he caught me in MULTIPLE porn video’s(which he sent to me while I was working), sleeping with his family members, male and female, ages ranging from high school, up to 50’s…strangers, all the neighbors…you name it, he accused me of it. Even when these women look nothing like me and they are covering their eyes. So i guess my question isn’t why he feels this way, because I’ve read about all i could read about drug induced psychosis…but more a question as to maybe how long, or is this idea going to stay planted forever? He refuses to watch the video’s he sent me before going to rehab. I had kept them as my “proof” per se that they weren’t me, but he believes he will just be triggered by watching them because he is afraid he will still “see me” in them, even though I have never done such a thing in my life, and 110% those women are not me. In my mind I’m thinking, what better solution to the problem, than to watch the videos with sober eyes and realize they aren’t me, wouldn’t that be a damn relief, for the both of us? Obviously not a relief if his brain could truly cause him to picture my face on other peoples bodies, but of course I’m not thinking of that, when I know that no way in hell these people are me, just like I cant possibly understand where he is coming from, he cannot see perspective from my side either, when this is quite literally reality versus drug induced psychosis… Has anyone experienced this situation? I cannot help but to feel offended by these accusations, and the strong desire to prove my innocence. What I cannot seem to get on board with, is the idea that he needs to just be able to deal with “my cheating” “accept it” and be able to “move on”…because that is offensive to my sensibilities. I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS ACTualLY BETRAYED…so those resentments and feelings of a need for forgivingness belong to me, how can I watch someone try to “get over, and be okay with” something I never did…that cannot be the best solution to the problem, because for the rest of our lives, can he then claim to be triggered by the fact that I had cheated on him, even if only in his head, and I must feel some sort of pity for him, and treat the situation delicately like I have anything to be sorry for, and feel empathy for him? Selfishly I am speaking now, but those feelings of betrayal belong to me, I am the one who is destroyed inside, lacking confidence, feeling like I wasn’t enough, but does the success of his recovery process mean that I must make myself small once again and allow him to believe that he is working on forgiveness for my actions? That is such a damn hard pill to swallow…although, I would do it, I just want there to be another answer. He cheated on me multiple times over multiple years, so I’m aware that he may be projecting his own insecurities onto me because of his guilt, and I need to be sensitive to the fact that what happened in his head was very real to him…but how do I maneuver around the ideas put into his head when he was experiencing psychosis, now that his brain is healing and he is sober? I hoped that there would just be a “TADAAA” moment when he was sober, that he would finally see what I had been seeing this whole time, but is that too much to hope for? I have stayed by his side, and tried to be his strongest supporter, I have tried to take on all child and financial responsibilities, and I am emotionally wore out…yet I must be met with questions about WHERE the money to do the supporting is coming from…because it couldn’t possibly be the job that I’ve maintained…while being alone to take care of the child a majority of his life, and making sure I drove all the way across the state whenever I was allowed to visit at rehab. I cannot help but to feel anger when I am struggling so much and fighting for what I know my reality is, yet trying to be supportive for him, barely getting sleep, and continuing to go to work…and then be accused of getting money from anywhere but the job that my bank account and paystubs can verify. I love him more than he will ever know, but my anger that he would accuse me of such things, is starting to be replaced by sadness. I do not necessarily want to feel sorry for him, because I know this is not fair to me, but how can I not have empathy for the person I love so much, that actually feels somewhat broken hearted, even if not because of my true actions…? To look into the eyes of someone you love, and know that this isn’t just a game, that they are feeling true pain, based on facts that have become so real to them in their head…it breaks my heart, even though I have no guilt to carry, as I have never been unfaithful. I wanted to be mad for the longest time, but it hurts different when you know that scenes, and photos, and voices were actually playing over in their heads, and they actually feel they were betrayed…how do we prepare ourselves for situations like this? He was absolutely awful to me when he was high, accused me of every disgusting act, with strangers, his family, anyone. I was called every name in the book, but I just tried to research what this drug was doing to him, I felt knowledge could help me to separate my feelings from myself so I could just try to understand what was going on, and because deaf and numb to how he was making me feel. I already know that I struggle with depression, insecurity, and an unhealthy need to belong and be desired by my partner, so I had to go to extreme lengths to prove I cared, and a lot of those lengths compromised me, and they were at my expense, because I am not okay, but I focus on him and his recovery so that I don’t have to deal with those feelings for now. I felt I owed it to our 4 year old son, to try and help his father, and I also selfishly believed that I deserved a good man, after all the ****, it was my turn to be happy, and I had chosen his…God had chosen him to lead my family, so i wasn’t going to give up on him. How do I now not feel like I have to spend every moment feeling I have to try and prove something that never happened? I know what infidelity did to me, to my very core, I am not okay, a large part due to the fact that I still could never imagine flirting with another man, let alone having sex with them, it makes me sick, that’s how ridiculously faithful I am in my heart, and mind…that my body would never do what he was able to do to me. I have to try and tell myself, although I know it isn’t true, he doesn’t, and what if he is feeling the same way in his gut, that I feel because of actions he actually took? Is this a life sentence? How long does reality take to set back in, or are the memories that occurred during psychosis permanent?? Is this a problem that now sits as a dark shadow over our relationship, that he must “deal with”…or is there hope that a day comes where that paranoia and delusional thinking gets exposed, and clear thinking can prove to himself that what he thought was true, never was? I want an epiphany…not just acceptance from him, I want him to know absolutely that I didn’t deserve his behaviors and that I have always been true and stood right there, I need a miracle… I cannot picture a happy future with someone who feels they must forgive me for something that I didn’t do, that specific something being my largest daily struggle, trying not to think of that her, that woman who came like a tornado through me, she destroyed any sort of positive thinking I had started accumulating towards myself, anything good I felt I had to offer, and sense of confidence I may have built in myself when I fell in love with him, gone… the moment I realized that I wasn’t enough, over ,and over, and over again…the thought of that infidelity tears my stomach up when I have to think about it, so if some storyline is playing in his head, and he feels betrayed… if we are both that hurt, how does our story end, if sobriety doesn’t mean clear eyes on the same situation?

In the ever-evolving landscape of truck maintenance services, staying ahead demands not only adept mechanics but also cutting-edge technology. One such technological marvel revolutionizing the industry is computer diagnostics. This advanced tool serves as the cornerstone for precision, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in semi-truck diagnostics.
Truck maintenance service providers are no strangers to the intricacies of heavy-duty vehicles. However, the complexity of modern semi-trucks necessitates more than just manual inspection and trial-and-error approaches. Here is where computer diagnostics steps in, transforming the landscape of maintenance operations.
At its core, computer diagnostics involves the utilization of specialized software and hardware to assess and diagnose the various components and systems of a semi-truck. These systems can range from engine management and transmission to braking and emissions control. By interfacing with the truck's onboard computer systems, diagnostic tools can swiftly identify issues, malfunctions, or potential failures with unparalleled accuracy.
The benefits of incorporating computer diagnostics into truck maintenance services are manifold. Firstly, it expedites the troubleshooting process, significantly reducing downtime. In an industry where time is money, swift and precise diagnostics translate into substantial cost savings for both service providers and truck owners.
Moreover, computer diagnostics enhances the overall accuracy of diagnoses. Traditional methods often rely on manual inspection, which may overlook underlying issues or misinterpret symptoms. With diagnostic software, mechanics can access real-time data and comprehensive reports, enabling them to pinpoint problems with utmost certainty. This not only ensures the efficacy of repairs but also mitigates the risk of recurrent issues down the line.
Furthermore, the transparency offered by computer diagnostics fosters trust and confidence among truck owners. Detailed diagnostic reports provide insights into the health status of their vehicles, empowering them to make informed decisions regarding maintenance and repairs. Additionally, it facilitates proactive maintenance strategies, allowing service providers to address potential issues before they escalate, thereby preventing costly breakdowns and disruptions to operations.
In the realm of truck maintenance service, where precision and efficiency reign supreme, the integration of computer diagnostics is nothing short of a game-changer. By harnessing the power of technology, service providers can elevate their capabilities, streamline operations, and deliver unparalleled value to their clients.
In conclusion, the advent of computer diagnostics has ushered in a new era of excellence in truck maintenance services. By leveraging sophisticated diagnostic tools, service providers can uphold the highest standards of reliability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. In the fast-paced world of trucking, where every minute counts, embracing technology is not just a choice but a necessity for success.

*Project Idea: Movie Recommendation System*
*Overview:*
Create a movie recommendation system that suggests movies to users based on their preferences and historical data. This project will involve implementing complex algorithms for data processing, similarity scoring, and recommendation generation, making it a great opportunity to practice DSA concepts. You'll use GoLang for backend development and possibly front-end technologies like HTML/CSS/JavaScript for the user interface.
*Key Features:*
1.⁠ ⁠*User Authentication:* Implement user authentication to allow users to create accounts and log in securely.
2.⁠ ⁠*Data Collection:* Gather movie data from public APIs or datasets. This could include movie titles, genres, ratings, and user preferences.
3.⁠ ⁠*Data Preprocessing:* Clean and preprocess the data to remove duplicates, handle missing values, and normalize data for consistency.
4.⁠ ⁠*Similarity Scoring:* Implement algorithms such as cosine similarity or collaborative filtering to calculate similarity scores between users or movies.
5.⁠ ⁠*Recommendation Engine:* Develop the core recommendation engine that generates personalized movie recommendations for users based on their preferences and similarities with other users.
6.⁠ ⁠*User Interface:* Create a simple web interface where users can log in, input their movie preferences, and view personalized recommendations.
7.⁠ ⁠*Testing and Optimization:* Test the system with various datasets and fine-tune algorithms for optimal performance and accuracy.
*DSA Concepts Covered:*
•⁠ ⁠*Graph Algorithms:* You can model user-movie relationships as a graph and utilize graph algorithms like breadth-first search (BFS) or depth-first search (DFS) for recommendation generation.
•⁠ ⁠*Sorting and Searching:* Implement sorting algorithms to rank movies based on similarity scores or user ratings. Use binary search for efficient data retrieval.
•⁠ ⁠*Hashing:* Utilize hash functions for efficient data storage and retrieval, particularly for user profiles and movie metadata.
•⁠ ⁠*Dynamic Programming:* Optimize algorithms for recommendation generation using dynamic programming techniques to improve efficiency and scalability.
*Learning Goals:*
•⁠ ⁠Gain proficiency in GoLang by implementing backend logic for data processing, recommendation algorithms, and user authentication.
•⁠ ⁠Understand and implement complex DSA concepts such as graph algorithms, sorting, searching, hashing, and dynamic programming in a real-world project setting.
•⁠ ⁠Learn about web development concepts by building a simple user interface for the recommendation system using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.