There are 2 AI fragments we have not seen in the show.
I. Greed:
In Season 10 Episode 17 “Remember me how I was” Tex reviews the files CT had collected and stolen from Project Freelancer. In them, a glossary of the AI fragments appears. Greed and Love are both listed, but we do not see these fragments ever on screen. The Greed fragment may have been scheduled for South. Her Greed led her to do terrible things, including betray Washington later on. when an agent received an AI not compatible with them, bad things happened. Maine was not very creative or ambitious. He followed orders. Sigma was not right for him and we all know what happened there. The Director’s experiment of giving an AI to one twin and not the other would have run its course by the time South would have finally been able to receive her fragment, had the implantation schedule not been interrupted. I believe this fragment was Xi. In Season 10 Episode 6, Carolina explains that each AI was supposed to have a particular owner. Sigma was hers. I think that Xi was designated either for South, (or Georgia, but we know less about him). This video makes a case for Georgia having Xi, but if I’m not mistaken, the timing is off. When Georgia goes missing, the AI fragments were not yet created, so Georgia would not have received it prior to his disappearance.
II.Love:
Similar to above. This fragment may have been destined for CT or Florida, had the Epsilon incident not happened. Love fits with both FL and CT’s personalities, with CT having an actual romantic arc in the show, and FL generally having a light and amicable nature to him. This AI may never have been distributed. It may have been destroyed in the EMP Washington set off at the Freelancer facility, it may have been destroyed in Season 15, or it was never given away by the Director. As strange as it may sound, the V.I.C. theory has more support than it may first appear. In addition to the points outlined in the video above, In Season 14 Part 1, Agent Florida speaks to V.I.C. on the radio. V.I.C. would not have been implanted in FL as might have been planned, because of the Epsilon incident that had happened recently to that time. Instead, to prevent a potential similar situation with FL, a scenario the Director could not afford, V.I.C. was kept in a computer under Blood Gulch. However, V.I.C. still refers to Agent FL as if he is subordinate to him, and he is, in fact, an AI from Project Freelancer given to an Freelancer Agent to assist in that agent’s mission. While FL is talking to V.I.C., V.I.C. makes a mistake, referring to the canyon as a simulation outpost. V.I.C. is familiar with Project Freelancer operations, but has not yet fully learned the new code of correspondence. This makes it seem more plausible that this is not V.I.C.’s first mistake. Perhaps V.I.C. needed to relearn more than just the name of the location he is stationed. Perhaps V.I.C. was given a new name, to comport with his position in the Blood Gulch charade, V.I.C. may have even been given a new visage, as to not arouse suspicion in the simulation troopers. After all, V.I.C. appears to be in a room full of computers, but he is just a program. It is clearly and canonically an image meant to deceive the simulation troopers into thinking he is a guy at “command”. This alone should confirm that V.I.C. is more than he is presented to be. In addition, V.I.C. refers to Agent FL by his Freelancer codename, not his Blood Gulch/government name. If V.I.C. was created specifically for Blood Gulch, it is hard to imagine why he would be making all of these mistakes that seem to suggest he is closer to Project Freelancer. The strongest evidence for this theory not included in the above video however, is what he says next. He says that FL is cleared to activate Alpha in Private Jimmy’s neural implant, and that if “our” theories are correct, Alpha would not have memory contamination. This implies that V.I.C. had come to this theory with someone other than just Agent FL. He would not need to tell Agent FL this if the theory was devised by FL and V.I.C. alone. FL would already know. I would speculate that the Counselor was more involved than FL. We know it was the Counselor’s idea to use FL and send them to Blood Gulch in the first place. This is all pretty much Aiden Price’s idea.
V.I.C. goes on to say that Agent FL cannot allow Alpha to learn anything about the other fragments. Alpha is not a fragment. V.I.C. should have simply said that Alpha should not be allowed to learn anything about the fragments, if indeed there were no fragments involved in Blood Gulch.
Also, I know V.I.C. Is later referred to by Dylan Andrews as a “dumb AI” but this is both just her opinion without knowledge of his origin and this takes place long after V.I.C. is messed up in season 14(pre season 1).
-Alternatively to the V.I.C. Theory, The Director may have kept the fragment, a manifestation of his own love, in order to try to help him recreate Alison. This fragment would be a manifestation of his love for his wife and child, and apart from being useful to his quest to recreate Alison, he may well have had a hard time parting with it, as it represented something about himself that felt increasingly distant to him. This fragment would have been deleted at the end of “Dont Say it”.
III. Never implanted
The final 2 fragments were never implanted because of the incident with Agent Washington and Epsilon. But one (Xi) may still be active.
IV. Sigma’s plan:
Xi is referenced on the board in the Freelancer classroom as a necessary part of Sigma’s Metastability group (the symbol of The Meta). The files seen in “Remember me how I was” and Sigma’s on screen actions confirm that Xi is an AI fragment. Sigma even knows enough about Xi to know that this fragment is a necessary part to Sigma’s Meta plan to achieve Metastability, and recreate the Alpha. This makes sense because Sigma was involved in the “birthday” of some other AIs, so he may have had some extra knowledge about their characteristics. But notice that he does not seek every existing fragment, only certain ones. I believe this is because Sigma did not exactly want to recreate the alpha exactly as it was pre-fragmentation. Sigma wanted to recreate a version of the alpha that he(Sigma) was the head of. He wanted to be a more powerful, metastable AI, but still be in charge. This was his grand ambition. Sigma knew a lot about the other fragments, and when it was time to start collecting and take control of Maine, The Meta leaves the Mother of Invention and hunts down the other AI bearing Freelancers. If Xi was aboard the MoI, Sigma would have tried to find it before leaving, or have gone back to the wreck to retrieve it. He never does this. I think this is because Sigma was aware that Xi was not on board. Sigma never found Xi, and therefore failed his mission, but I have a theory as to where Xi might be which I’ll get into in part 2.

(link to app intentionally excluded per self-promotion policies, this isn't that kind of post)
I often find that my voice is faster than my typing, but I've been really frustrated with Siri/Apple's transcriptions and a few of the other products on the market felt overbuilt for my exact workflow: say something to put it into copyable text on my desktop. This was built in the most minimal way possible for that outcome - you log in, record a voice note, get a transcription. To make it a little more useful, I wanted to add summarization, grammatical formatting, and translation.
The problem? I don’t know how to code. I have only built one website ever in my life (also via LLM coding). I write SQL for my day job, but am familiar with Replit and some technical aspects of web development, but I have never formally learned to code. This was an experiment in trying to test the boundaries of LLMs, and it gave me a great lens into the near future of better LLMs and coding tools.
How I built this:
This started when I saw an open-source app drop on Twitter (NotesGPT) - I liked the app, but I hated the action items workflow and thought it was a little clunky. Then, I wondered if I could create something of my own to play with. So I of course went to chatGPT and asked how. The very short summary:

• Import the existing open source project (https://github.com/Nutlope/notesGPT) into Replit (I had to ask ChatGPT how, but its basically a shell command -- go from there)
• Follow the steps in the ReadMe: https://github.com/Nutlope/notesGPT?tab=readme-ov-file#deploy-your-own
• Create a list of the changes that I wanted to make, and move down the checklist one frustrating step at a time
  • I started with frontend edits of text, color, etc
  • Backend changes were harder - I learned a ton by copy/pasting documentation to parse it for me

In the backend, it is using

• Clerk for Authentication
• Convex for the backend
• Replit for hosting,
• NextJS with Tailwind for the language
• Together and Replicate for LLM API calls to:
  • IncrediblyFastWhisper for the transcription
  • Mixtral for title, summarization, and translation

I checked the number of versions of files, and I made somewhere over 500 deploys to get to the final product - it was a lot of nights/weekends hacking.
What I learned
I would say this experiment was successful for the intended purpose of being able to create an app I really wanted and we are at the frontier of non technical people being able to unlock programming/life customization in a way that I hadn't realized before. A few specific observations:

1. End to end building is empowering -- Knowing the core architecture here of how Auth providing some service, I am pretty confident I can self-build an MVP of most the other app ideas I’ve had. I am not trying to be an expert, but this unlocks a new way of thinking for me as I’ve run into problems and I now see the power of being a developer in a way I haven’t before - an end to
2. this took me about a month of free time - probably 20-30 hours of nights/weekend work? Might have taken me a shorter time period if I had setup a local chat with APIs instead of running into usage limits, but it was helpful to have breaks forced upon me
3. Claude Opus launching largely enabled this project to be possible and is clearly a technical step forward with LLMs - chatGPT 4 had been struggling, and regularly re-wrote major pieces of the code. GPT-4-Turbo launched in ChatGPT and that was a noticable improvement in reasoning, but still lazy on writing full blocks of code (which I needed to be able to edit what I wanted. ). Right before wrapping up, ChatGPT4o came out and I can definitively say Claude is still better at Coding
4. Claude also has way better UX for regular use - fastesmoother. But the web limits on messages sucked
5. The things LLM struggled with the most was frontend <> backend connection. When just doing things in either, it excelleced (frontend was probably more straightforward / more available training data, so it was almost 100% accurate vs backend hitting typescript errors regularly)
6. This may seem simple, but I had no idea how approachable it is to actually purchase a domain and put up a website. I assumed there was some alchemy, but it turns out its just putting the right variables in the right tools and it just works — the internet is awesome
7. The ecosystem of tools for this sort of thing is great right now - Replit + Together + Replicate + Clerk + Convex were all super easy to pick up as someone not that technical.
8. This cost in total $200 - about $100 for replit/claude/chatgpt subscriptions, most of the rest for domain. Marginal cost of hundreds of voice notes I tested with is closer to 0 than $0.01

I'm looking to display a number of bread recipes and bread maker settings etc on my kitchen tablet dashboard. It will include size, ingredients, quantities, any special steps (e.g. a different kneading paddle), program number, and the cook time. I plan to also use that cook time to notify everyone when it's finished so someone can remove it from the machine.
I'm planning on doing this in Node Red. I already know how I could accomplish this, but not necessarily in the most efficient way, so wondering if anyone has any suggestions.
I plan to have a new page on the dashboard which will show 3 buttons, medium, large, extra large. So you first select the size of whatever you want to make. I will have 3 folders in my media folder in HA each populated with the different quantities for the same recipes, the button press will update the path so that it searches through the correct folder.
Once the user has selected a size it'll navigate to a new page populated with all the possible recipes. Here is where I'm hoping I can take some short cuts. I realise I can create an input boolean (switch) for each recipe, but I'm wondering if instead, I can simply call a script and send the text of the button to the script. I can then use that as a reference to find the matching file name in the media folders. Is that possible? If not, can anyone think of other shortcuts which will avoid me having to make loads of input booleans? It has to be as user friendly as possible and large, so I don't want to use a dropdown box helper instead.
Once they've made the selection, it'll go to a third new screen. I'll use a Function Node in Node Red to locate the file name, read the text file and send it to an edit text which will be displayed on a markdown card. I might do individual steps and have a previous/next button and have the steps announced over Alexa too.
For the actual data, I plan to dynamically create them using Dictionaries and I will be manually adding each recipe from the manual first (well, not all recipes, maybe 10 or so for now). It will read line by line, e.g. Dry Yeast - 1 tsp, split at the "-", add "Dry Yeast" as the Key, and "1 tsp" as the Value, and then do the next line. I think this part is pretty efficient, and requires not much work other than initially writing out the recipes, but open to suggestions on other methods. It'll also display and announce the program number and cooking time.
Below the recipe there'll be a button saying something like "Start Timer" which the user presses once they've pressed start on the bread maker. It then grabs the cooking time stored in the Dictionary and sets an Alexa timer in the kitchen, and a timer in Node Red which will send a notification to our phones when the time is up.
I know it sounds like a lot of effort, but genuinely quite useful. This is the first time I've had household approval for an automation! I was asked if I could make the recipes digital, so I suggested I go one better and make it interactive!
So yeah, any thoughts or ideas please, particularly where it comes to setting up quite a few buttons on the dashboard to select a recipe.
Thanks.

Hello everybody, first of all a bit of context. I (25/m) dropped out of college and have no idea what to do with my life.
Throughout the last years I was working part-time, so I could afford an apartment with a flatmate, food, etc. In my last job as a web developer my boss exploited my situation so I would work more for less money or else I’m replaced. This job truly sparked my interest in programming, so I wanted to make it my career. And I decided to drop out of college and start my career in tech. My boss promised me an apprenticeship if I decide to quit college. Now my boss sold the company and I am going to be without a job or degree.
I’m concerned because I have no idea what I should do with my life.
The biggest issue for me is money right now. I just moved in with my girlfriend, so I need to get on my feet as fast as possible. I have bills that were calculated with the money from my job, now I don’t know what do…
Now I need the Reddit community to help me out of my misery.
How do I continue with literally no money and a lack of discipline? What should be my next step.
I’m willing to do anything (legal) to just get out of my mess. What approaches would you recommend? How did you maneuver out of a similar situation?

16-minute read.

the AM-AZ border delimitation in Tavush is drawn with 1976 maps; village Kirants gains access to lands unreachable since the 1990s; loses 4 properties

On May 15 the border commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan held a meeting to discuss the continuation of the Tavush-Gazakh delimitation. They confirmed the completed work and agreed to continue.
The statement says that parties are using the 1976 maps by Soviet CoGS [the one that Armenia wanted].
A Protocol was signed on the meeting results. The sides agreed to set the date and the place of the next meeting of the Commissions.
REPORTER: What does this mean?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: The commissions had installed several border posts to locate the coordinates on the ground. These coordinates were taken from the 1976 maps. Now the cartographers have agreed on the border lines between the posts, again based on the same maps. In other words, the reproduction of the border in these areas is complete and signed, and the border is considered delimited in these sections.
REPORTER: Why the 1976 maps?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: It's the map with de jure power at the time of the collapse of the USSR. The Armenian government announced that we were not drawing a new border, but rather reproducing the existing border at the time of the collapse of the USSR.
REPORTER: The commissions' statement says that these 1976 maps went through legal procedures in 1979. What does it mean, and why didn't we use the 1990 maps?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: In 1979 the relevant USSR authority verified the 1976 maps and their legal basis. These maps were used until the collapse of USSR. These are the most recent maps verified by authorized state agencies of USSR.
REPORTER: Not all border posts have been installed in the convoluted section of Kirants. How will this be resolved? Will you build new roads or houses?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: The 3 remaining coordinates of Kirants were pinpointed with the use of a computer and the border posts will be installed later. The rest [another 8 posts in Kirants] are already there. The good news for Kirants is that around 25 hectares of land that have been unreachable for 33 years will be returned to the village. The border resembles the 1976 line. As we said earlier, yes, there is a need to build a bypass road, which can be accomplished in 2-3 months. We will also rebuild the road between H-26 and Acharkut and Kirants, which is an alternative road for Kirants. As for property issues, the volumes are small and the government will compensate in such situations.
REPORTER: What about Baghanis, Berkaber, and Voskepar?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: The most sensitive topic in Voskepar was the fate of the church, and on the Voskepar-Baghanis section, it was the Soviet-era road. Both issues received the best resolution: the road is fully within Armenia and so is the church, and the border line is quite far from the road and the church. As for Berkaber, there were no such sensitive topics.
REPORTER: When will the sides deploy border guards?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: Within 8-9 days, and a bit later in the 3 sensitive areas of Kirants after further clarifications. //
On Thursday, PM Nikol Pashinyan spoke about the May 15 border commission.
PASHINYAN: This is a major success for two reasons: (1) A very important cornerstone was placed for the future development of Armenia as an independent and sovereign state, (2) for the first time since independence, we have an officially delimited border, which will significantly increase the level of stability and security in that section and along the entire border. I'd like to thank the border commission leader Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan and all members, and every member of the National Security Council.
I'll provide further details. As you recall from the May 15 statement, it says the borders are delimited based on the 1976 maps that underwent the legal procedures in 1979. As you know, our principle was to reproduce the existing border with de jure power instead of drawing a new one. To accomplish this, we made a reference to the 1991 Almaty Declaration in the April 19 agreement, and it became the basis for the entire delimitation process. On May 15 we specified the 1976 maps; these are the most up-to-date USSR maps with de jure power.
In USSR, a map could be granted a de jure power by a special state agency that collected maps and legal processes and verified their accuracy and legitimacy before confirming the administrative border of Soviet republics. In the area where these delimitations are taking place, in 1979 this USSR state agency verified the 1976 map and it's the most recent map with de jure power.
This was a very important principle for us. We must accept wherever this border passes through. If we chose to draw new borders, that would create a ground for future military conflicts and escalations. The ongoing process, which should not be underestimated or overestimated, abides by the principle of adhering to the legal border and significantly reduces or eliminates possible escalations. This agreement was a major success.
Berkaber: there were no issues here.
Baghanis & Voskepar: at first we thought that some issues could arise here, around the church and, as the locals say, the "old road". If you've ever been there you have seen this road sign, when you pass Baghanis, the sign warns you that the road is being observed [under Azeri scope] and it was not advised to use this road during tense periods. Now, as a result of border delimitation, this road is not only confirmed within Armenia, but it will be safer for travel as a result of the new circumstances [border guards replacing the militarized armed forces, less dispute = less conflicts]. As for the church, we don't have a problem here because the border passes significantly further away from it.
So to recap, we recorded no problems in Berkaber, Baghanis, and Voskepar because we chose to follow the de jure border line and we did so. Following this principle is also why we will have certain problems in Kirants because we don't want to draw an entirely new border. We must use this principle for the entire AM-AZ border, with no exceptions. Not only we are creating a precedence for delimitation, but also a formula to be used for the future entire delimitation process and to make it predictable. If parties decide to make mutual concessions in certain areas, we could discuss the launch of legislative processes to authorize them, but for now, we have agreed on a principle to be used for the entire AM-AZ border. On each section of the border, we will use the most recent USSR maps that hold de jure power.
MHER GRIGORYAN: On May 15 the border commissions also discussed the Regulation and it appears we have an agreement to reflect these principles in the Regulation. Efforts are underway to prepare the Regulation. Azerbaijan wants to continue the border delimitation with the same framework and algorithm used thus far.
PASHINYAN: We should implement the reached agreements in full within 8-10 days. The border guards were deployed in Baghanis-Voskepar around 10 days ago. They were deployed alongside the installation of the white border markers. They are currently studying the terrain to launch the permanent service there. The same will be done in other sections.
source, source, source, source, video,

the list of properties that fall under the Azeri side of the border in Kirants after the delimitation of the 3 problematic sections

1 house, 1 lodging, 1 trailer-shop that doesn't operate, and 1 garage. The government plans to compensate for them and will build a new section of this road that passes fully through Armenia.
source, source, see the map here,

opposition MP from ARF/Kocharyan faction got fed up with protesters' road blocks in Tavush villages

Gegham Nazaryan, a father of a fallen soldier and an opposition MP who - unlike his colleagues - doesn't always engage in toxic exchanges with the ruling party, decided to visit the border village Kirants, where he asked the road blockers to open it.
He engaged in an argument with a protester from another region who came to Kirants to block the road. The MP complained that blocking the road is what Azeris would want.
The MP also engaged with an activist-reporter from an opposition outlet who was covering the road blockings. The MP accused the reporter of "having bad intentions" and of "manipulations". The activist-reporter accused the MP of having secret ties with Pashinyan during an intense yelling match. "Great speech. You call yourself a journalist?", rhetorically asked the opposition MP.
ARF leaders responded saying their MP was not speaking/acting on behalf of the party.
STYOPA SAFARYAN (pro-West figure): MP Gegham Nazaryan also senses that some forces are attempting to carry out Artsakh 2.0 in Armenia by attempting to derail the border delimitation process. //
In related news. The protesters pressured the mayor of Kirants who gave an interview last week and admitted that the delimitation went much better than he expected. On Thursday he offered to resign from his position during a confrontation with an opposition media outlet reporter who was unhappy about the mayor's positive portrayal of the delimitation process.
longer video, video, video, video, source, source,

Armenian government approves a $2 billion permanent housing assistance program for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees; rollout in stages

SOCIAL MINISTRY: We need to provide long-term housing to allow the forcefully displaced persons to socially and economically integrate into Armenia. The program has three components: (1) Obtaining a house or an apartment with a subsidy, (2) building a house with a subsidy, (3) subsidizing the mortgage if the refugee has already purchased a house.

... The size of the subsidy varies depending on the geographical location and the size of the family

(1) ֏5 million ($12,900) per family member to obtain housing in one of the 242 towns or villages.
(2) ֏4 million ($10,300) per family member to obtain housing in one of 148 towns or villages.
(3) ֏3 million ($7,700) per family member for all other settlements except Yerevan's 1st and 2nd Zones.
(4) and ֏2 million ($5,200) if you already have a mortgage.

... Conditions to qualify

(a) Families forcefully displaced after 27 September 2020.
(b) Refugees who accept Armenian citizenship.
(c) The living space cannot be smaller than 12 m² per family member.
(d) The property's value cannot exceed ֏55 million ($141,000).

... If you buy a house cheaper than the subsidy amount, you can use the remaining balance to...

(1) buy agricultural land worth up to ֏5 million
(2) renovate the newly purchased house if necessary, worth up to ֏4 million
(3) buy furniture and appliances, up to ֏2 million

... Which forcefully displaced families do NOT qualify?

(a) If they are already a recipient of another housing program that began immediately after the 2020 war.
(b) If one of the family members owned a house or apartment in Armenia as of 2023-09-19 or at the time of application.

... Conditions if you want to receive aid to build your own house

(a) Select one of the preapproved projects/plans.
(b) The construction company must be licensed in Armenia.

... The assistance will stop if

(a) If two family members under the age of 55 are absent from Armenia for >180 days per year unless they leave Armenia to receive education in one of the top 400 international universities, aviation training, or military training.

... The housing assistance will roll out in phases

The first phase will include families with 3 or more children if they want an apartment or 2+ children if they want a house, low-income families, those who already have a mortgage, families who lost a member in war, and creditworthy families who can take out a separate loan amounting 50% of the assistance size.
The second phase, starting 2026-01-01, will include families with 2 children if they want an apartment or families with 1 child if they want a house.
The third phase, starting 2027-01-01, will include everyone else.

... PM Pashinyan about the refugee housing program

PASHINYAN: The working group has done a lot of work to get here, thank you. Spread the word so people will know the details of this assistance program. No one should be forced to visit or call an office to receive basic details.
We have decided not to adopt a "flat" approach; the amount of aid increases based on the family size and the location of the house. We had to exclude the [expensive and crowded] central parts of Yerevan. We also have to ensure a proportional load on the educational facilities.
If the refugee has an active mortgage loan taken in Armenia, let's say taken in 2016, each family member will receive ֏2 million towards that mortgage. So if you have a family of 6 [Nagorno-Karabakh families are often larger than Armenia-based families], you receive $31,000 to pay off your mortgage.
On the other hand, our brothers and sisters from Nagorno-Karabakh who are well-off and already own a house without an outstanding mortgage balance, won't receive assistance because the goal of this program is to help those who don't have a house.

... How much will this cost?

FINANCE MINISTER: There will be up to 25,000 recipient families, and if we use the averages, it amounts to [voice is starting to crackle] ֏500 billion ($1.3 billion) for the housing costs alone. There will be additional expenses associated with this program. Every year, for the next 10-12 years, we will confirm the annual expenditures. So the overall costs will amount to ֏700-800 billion.
PASHINYAN: So that's roughly a $2 billion investment program in Armenia. Also, by becoming citizens of Armenia to take advantage of this housing program, the refugees won't lose any refugee rights or privileges, and they will not lose the ongoing monthly cash [40+10] assistance programs.
FINANCE MINISTER: We have launched a new line in the migration services to handle the expected uptick in applications in the coming months so people won't face long lines. The passport departments in provinces will begin to handle citizenship applications just for refugees; today this is only possible in Yerevan.
video,

EU's EBRD and US's USAID to develop connectivity in the South Caucasus

During the EBRD forum held in Yerevan, the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, to further enhance connectivity between Asia and Europe via the South Caucasus.
It's about expanding trade, green energy, investment, as well as transport and digital infrastructure in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

The MoU seeks to enhance the planning, design and construction of critical energy, transport, digital and agricultural infrastructure in the region. It also aims to: improve the efficiency of customs, tariff and border operations; attract private capital investment into the South Caucasus economies for the development of the Middle Corridor; and adopt the highest international standards to promote economic connectivity with Europe and among South Caucasus countries.

source,

other EBRD projects were announced

source,

Lake Sevan is back to 2021 levels after the heavy precipitation in May: VIDEO

OFFICIAL: As of May, the level was 1900.46, which is 2 cm higher than the 2021 mark and 29 cm higher than January 1.
2021 was a harmful year for Sevan because of unprecedented heat waves. In June 2021 there was an evaporation of 153M m³ water, which was a historical high, while the precipitation on the surface was only 4.8M m^3, which was 4x lower than the previous historical low [WTF?]. Also, the river flow was at 40%. As a result of all this, instead of the usual 7 cm increase for June, we observed a 10 cm decline.
This year the conditions have been much better. We are finally back to the May 2021 levels. The rains filled it up from above, and the Arpa-Sevan tunnel from below the rocks. This tunnel has already brought 89M m³ this year, which is 2x more than last year.
Another contributing factor is the reduced reliance on Sevan for irrigation because the agricultural fields are still wet. Last year we had to tap into Sevan starting May 14. This year the government hasn't even summoned a meeting to authorize a release of water.
The 5 largest reservoirs currently hold 605M m^3, up by 240M. Only the Aparan reservoir is lacking. In Ketchut reservoir the water is above the famous "flowers" (margaritka). This is the first time in 5 years that the water is above the margaritkas. When the water rises above margaritkas, it drops down and flows into Lake Sevan. Overall, 90% of the water entering Sevan is wasted by evaporation.
REPORTER: Rains will return starting May 22.
video,

EBRD will provide $10 million to finance the Armenian private sector’s investments in growth, competitiveness, and greener and more sustainable practices

upgrading their production facilities and processes to EU standards. At least 70 per cent of the loans will go to support the green transition. Borrowers will receive incentive grants and technical advice funded by the European Union

source,

anti-corruption: former MP from Gagik Tsarukyan's BHK party is arrested under the suspicion of defrauding several homebuyers through real estate machinations

AUTHORITIES: Ex-MP Aragats Akhoyan's construction companies collected ֏274 million from several prospective apartment buyers in 2010-2014. He pocketed the funds.
source, source, video,

Armenia signs Council of Europe's Bioethics Convention

The Oviedo Convention is the only international legal instrument that defines the principles for the protection of human rights in the field of medicine and biological medicine.
FM Mirzoyan met Marija Burić on Thursday in Strasbourg to sign it.
source,

Armenia will open an embassy in Cyprus

Currently, Armenia’s Ambassador to Greece also serves as Ambassador to Cyprus. The seat of the Cypriot Embassy in Armenia is in Moscow.
In March Cyprus said it would open an embassy in Yerevan.
source,

Belarus leader Lukashenko suggests he and Ilham Aliyev discussed the 2020 war before it began

Lukashenko is in Baku to strengthen the strategic AZ-BY relations.
LUKASHENKO: We are brothers and we have a common vision of the world and where it's headed. I remember our conversation before the 2020 war, your liberation war, when we had a philosophical debate at a dinner table. At the time we came to the conclusion that it's possible to win the war. That's important. It's very important to preserve that victory. I also agreed with you at the time that the most difficult period would come after the liberation of the lands. Today is that difficult period when we have to revive those lands and return people, while others will born there. It'll be difficult to revive these lands in 5-10 years; it requires extensive work. Belarus is ready to help Azerbaijan. //
Nikol should have greeted Putin at the airport to avoid the war.
source,

Luxembourg lawmakers urge government to act for implementation of World Court orders by Azerbaijan

Deputies have unanimously adopted a motion asking the government to act for the implementation of the ICC orders by Azerbaijan.
The MPs urge to demand from Azerbaijan an immediate release of all Armenian prisoners of war, support peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, expand the partnership between Armenia and EU, support the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, deepen the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Luxembourg.
source,

ranking member of Armenia's ruling party about EU membership

The MP Khandanyan says Pashinyan has already announced that Armenia wants to deepen ties with the EU as much as possible and that how soon Armenia submits a bid to become an EU candidate will depend on the signals coming from the EU. In general, today the EU is not ready to expand because some EU members oppose it, said Khandanyan. When the EU sends a signal that it's ready, Armenia will "accelerate" the steps, said Khandanyan, adding that Armenia itself has already sent that "signal" that it wants closer integration with the EU.
But first, Khandanyan says Armenia must improve its resilience because the transitional phase will be full of risks. Armenia expects the EU's assistance to improve the resilience [reduce reliance on Russia].
source,

Բրյուսելի հանդիպման արդյունքներով ԵՄ-ն կշարունակի նպաստել ՀՀ տնտեսական զարգացմանը

PM Pashinyan hosted EU's Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis to discuss the implementation of the economic agreements reached on April 5 in Brussels to improve Armenia's resilience.
Pashinyan also called for the EU's assistance in implementing the refugee housing program adopted by the Government this morning.
The EU Trade Commissioner said the EU will continue to assist Armenia's development, including in the areas of energy, infrastructure, diversification of markets, implementation of higher standards, improvement of business environment, etc.
source, other meeting, other meeting,

U.S. Ambassador Kvien is "optimistic about the opportunities offered by Armenia to U.S. and other foreign companies"

A meeting was held at the central bank building participated by Ambassador Kvien and other guests of the EBRD forum that's being held in Yerevan this year.
Ambassador Kvien also highlighted Armenia's high economic growth rate in recent years.
source,

Armenia's membership to EAEU is beneficial for Armenia: Moscow

DEPUTY FM of RUSSIA: I don't know what the Armenian leadership plans to do in the future, but EAEU is undoubtedly a mutually beneficial process. This is reflected in the economic growth figures of Armenia.
source,

Armenian government invites the head of Metsamor nuclear plant to join talks with European Commission officials

The infrastructure ministry and NPP chief met a delegation led by the European Commission's Deputy Director-General for International Cooperation and Development Marjeta Jager.
The European Commission official thanked for the invitation and welcomed the steps by the Armenian government towards the energy reforms in Armenia. They spoke about NPP's operation and future plans.
They discussed the exchange of experience and financial programs.
source,

Armenia and European Commission officials discussed the implementation of April 5 agreements reached in Brussels

The head of the European Commission's Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations Adrienn Kiraly was hosted by foreign ministry on Thursday.
They discussed programs to improve Armenia's resilience under the April 5 agreement, the full implementation of CEPA and its expansion.
source,

Moscow released a somewhat misleading statement after the recent meeting between Pashinyan and Putin, according to National Security Council chief Armen Grigoryan

According to Grigoryan, Pashinyan did not "ask" Putin to maintain troops on the borders with Turkey and Iran. According to Grigoryan, Pashinyan asked Putin to remove the Russian guards from Yerevan's airport and AM-AZ border, and when Putin asked Pashinyan if he also wanted to remove them from TR and IR border, Pashinyan said "no", because those guards were installed under a different agreement. Context in Wednesday news digest.
Grigoryan also criticized Russia's attempts to stoke divisions between Armenia and Iran by presenting the EU observer mission as anti-Iranian. Grigoryan demanded Russia present evidence of the EU mission carrying out activities outside of their AM-AZ border monitoring mission. "Iran has already expressed its stance. I don't understand why Russia is attempting to use the EU's Monitoring Mission to cause issues," said Grigoryan.
source,

Armenia's NatSec chief Armen Grigoryan advised Russia to improve its own human rights conditions and freedom of speech before commenting on Armenia's internal affairs

Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently complained about Armenian police using force to clear the roads blocked by pro-Russian party activists. Zakharova also complained that the West wasn't criticizing the Armenian government for it.
NatSec GRIGORYAN: Armenian protesters have been able to fully exercise their freedom of speech during legally organized rallies. Illegal actions are obviously countered by police. Perhaps Russia should first look at itself before criticizing us.
REPORTER: Look at what? Russia doesn't have opposition, how can they oppress something that doesn't exist?
ARMEN GRIGORYAN: Russia should discuss its own kitchen. The developments in Armenia are not related to Russia.... or are they? If these protests are tied to Russia, Moscow should directly say so. If Moscow sees a problem, they must say it directly, and not do so by dragging others like they did in the case of Iran and the EU Mission.
source,

during a meeting in Yerevan, Jordan's foreign ministry expressed concern over the attempted takeover of part of the Armenian district of Jerusalem

The Deputy FM of Jordan met his Armenian counterpart in Yerevan to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues. The parties criticized the attempts to change the status quo in Jerusalem.
source,

Pashinyan and Diaspora Office held a meeting about the iGorts professional repatriation program: VIDEO

source,

monkeys could soon become smarter than you

Are monkeys entering the stone age? Capuchin primates were filmed using tools to dig for food underground, days after an orangutan treated its own wound with plant.
The footage joins a growing number of studies looking into the tiny South American primate's use of stone and stick tools, an emerging field that some research universities now describe as 'documenting the Monkey Stone Age in real-time.'
video,

As someone who want making coding accessible to children , and hear from the community what features and functionalities you think are essential for a website that teaches kids how to code. As we know, coding is an essential skill in today's digital age, and it's crucial that we make it fun and engaging for kids. That's why I'm building Code Buddies - a platform designed specifically for children aged 8-14 to learn programming concepts through interactive simulations, quizzes, and exercises.
​
i want to create a website for kids by providing a transition path from the block-based coding of Scratch to the text-based programming of Python, But before I start building, I want to hear from you! What do you think makes a great coding platform for kids? Share your thoughts on: * What types of projects or activities would make learning to code enjoyable and rewarding for children? * How can we best engage young learners with the material, making it fun and interactive? * Are there specific programming languages or tools that you think are particularly well-suited for children?

I'm (27F) currently finishing up my 2nd semester of trade school in AZ, USA for CAD/Machining. Currently only really know basic solidworks, autocad, drafting basics, and NC3 material. I'll be doing more solidworks, GD&T, inspection, and basic electromechanical design this next semester.
There's so much overlap in the programs that I should be able to make it out with associates in CAD and machining, and certs in inspection, parametric modeling, and CNC within the next couple years.
Is there anything you wish you had known early on (trade school, early apprenticing, etc)? I've heard from instructors that they tend to push women into quality, do you find this is an issue/common (I think I'd like inspection, personally)? Any certs you found that didn't benefit you professionally, if any, or any certs you'd recommend? Anyone with ADHD, how do you think it affects your work, if at all?
Open to any other tips, anecdotes, company insights (my city has Raytheon, Sargent, Johns Manville as the biggest hires)

This is not an ad, nor a piece to sway you to use AI LLMs (fancy abbreviation for Large Language Models) to do your reading for you...
I'd like you to view this post as a portal to what's coming. More and more people will use the tools in question to summarise lenghty and complex topics to ease their daily struggles. Not everyone has the time to follow the subject thoroughly, on a daily, or even a weekly basis.
Personally, after following "The Subject" for quite a while, and being quite impartial myself, I've ran into the mentioned episode of the GTS...I'm a readewatcher myself, and been playing with AIs recently.
Made me wonder: is current tech, especially LLMs like 4o, capable of being unbiased and as close to the available material as possible? Are there any lines in the sand for those? Any limitations? Forced replies, maybe? Controlled speech?...
I'll leave that up to you to decide in the comments.
Please let me know if you'd like me to run more of these tests, as this is important for future users of this tech, imo. It's coming sooner than we all think and it's paramount that we all keep up with it. Sounds ominous to some extent, but that's the truth.
Btw, 4o advised me to revise this post's format for more karma...bloody thing 😆 Worst part is that it's most probably true 😋 Didn't do it, thought. It's all me. For now, at least...
If you've red so far, here's the conversation I've had. I've used the new voice recognition and reply functionality, so it was an organic experience to me. No edits were made afterwards, except for below transcript. I have an OCD...
It's quite lengthy, though.
"Reddit UFOs Summary
16 May 2024
OP: Could you go online and make a summary of the most interesting posts on Reddit, particularly subreddit UFOs from the past 24 hours?
ChatGPT: It seems I'm unable to access the Reddit pages directly. However, you can easily check the latest posts on the UFOs subreddit by visiting UFOs. This subreddit typically features user-submitted content including videos, photos, personal sightings, and discussions about recent UFO news and theories.
OP: What seems to be the issue for you accessing Reddit?
ChatGPT: The issue likely stems from the browsing tool's current limitations in accessing and interacting with certain sites, including Reddit. This can be due to various reasons, such as changes in the website's structure or access restrictions.
For real-time browsing and detailed subreddit content, visiting the UFOs subreddit directly will provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date posts.
OP: With access to YouTube, can you summarize YouTube videos?
ChatGPT: Yes, I can summarize YouTube videos. Please provide the link to the video you want summarized, and I'll give you an overview of its content.
OP: Try to access the Good Troubles Show regarding Lou Elizondo and summarize it for me.
Searched 5 sources
ChatGPT: The Good Trouble Show, hosted by Matt Ford, recently featured Lou Elizondo, a former director of the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), known for his insights into UFOs and UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). Here are some key points from the show and related content:
Insight into UAPs:
Lou Elizondo provided a detailed Q&A session discussing the nature of UAPs, the challenges in identifying them, and their potential implications for national security. He emphasized the importance of understanding the advanced technologies that UAPs might represent and the need for continued investigation and transparency in this area​ (YouTube).
Collaboration with Experts:
In another segment, Elizondo had a conversation with NASA astronaut Terry Virts. They discussed their experiences and perspectives on UAP sightings, particularly focusing on incidents involving military personnel and the potential scientific explanations for these phenomena​ (YouTube)​.
Public and Governmental Reactions:
The show also explored the broader reactions to the increasing reports of UAP sightings, including the responses from the public, media, and government agencies. Elizondo highlighted the evolving perception of UAPs, moving from fringe interest to a topic of serious governmental and scientific inquiry. For a comprehensive understanding, you can watch the full episodes of The Good Trouble Show here and explore more content on their official YouTube channel here​ (YouTube)​​ (YouTube)​.
OP: Thank you. Good job.
ChatGPT: You're welcome! If you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.
OP: One more thing you could do for me on the web is to check the name Ross Coldheart. He's an Australian journalist. I would like to know specifically if he's a credible person based on his work. Can you run that for me?
Searched 5 sources
ChatGPT: Ross Coulthart is a highly credible and well-respected Australian investigative journalist with over three decades of experience. He has won multiple prestigious awards, including five Walkley Awards, which are the highest honors in Australian journalism, as well as the Gold Walkley. His investigative work spans various media outlets, including the Sydney Morning Herald, ABC TV's Four Corners, Nine Network's Sunday program, and 60 Minutes. Coulthart's journalism has uncovered significant stories, such as the Butcher of Bega medical scandal and the complicity in violence in East Timor, both of which earned him international acclaim​ (Wikipedia)​​ (ICIJ)​​ (Ross Coulthart)​.
Coulthart has also authored several best-selling books, such as "Dead Man Running" and "In Plain Sight," which delve into organized crime and UFO phenomena respectively. His rigorous investigative approach and compelling storytelling have established him as a reliable and influential figure in journalism​ (Coast to Coast AM)​.
OP: Could you elaborate more on the book you wrote, the one called In Plain Sight? Could you give me a summary of that book, or some sort of an insight to it?
Searched 2 sources
ChatGPT: Ross Coulthart's book, "In Plain Sight: An Investigation into UFOs and Impossible Science," delves into the phenomenon of UFOs, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). The book examines the history and recent developments surrounding UFO sightings, including admissions by the US Department of Defense acknowledging the reality and potential threat of these phenomena. Coulthart investigates by interviewing various experts, witnesses, and officials, uncovering information that suggests possible technological advancements and cultural implications. The book challenges the traditional dismissal of UFOs as mere conspiracy theories and calls for serious inquiry into the subject​ (In Plain Sight Book)​.
OP: Give me a couple of quotes from the book that are the most significant ones.
ChatGPT: Here are two significant quotes from Ross Coulthart's "In Plain Sight":
"I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I’ll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence will have to be."
"In 2020, however, after decades of denial, the US Department of Defense made the astonishing admission that strange aerial and underwater objects frequently reported and videoed by pilots and tracked by sensors are real, unexplained, and pose a genuine national security concern."
These quotes highlight Coulthart's commitment to evidence-based investigation and underscore the gravity of the recent official admissions regarding UAPs​ (In Plain Sight Book)​ .
OP: Would you say that the first quote, I believe in evidence, and so on, would be a paraphrasing of Carl Sagan, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence?
ChatGPT: Yes, the quote from Ross Coulthart does indeed reflect a similar sentiment to Carl Sagan's famous assertion that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." Both emphasize the importance of rigorous evidence and independent verification, especially when dealing with unusual or extraordinary claims. This alignment with Sagan's principle underscores Coulthart's commitment to a scientific and skeptical approach to the investigation of UFOs and other phenomena.
OP: What are your thoughts on the recent UAP-UFO congressional hearings and all the evidence that has come to light, including the recent Lou Elizondo's claims that there's been threats to his well-being or his family's well-being? What do you think about that?
ChatGPT: The recent UAP-UFO congressional hearings and the increasing transparency from military and government officials mark a significant shift in how these phenomena are addressed. Here's a summary of key points and my perspective on them:
Congressional Hearings and Government Admissions Increased Transparency:
The U.S. government's decision to hold public hearings on UAPs and to admit that these phenomena are real and pose potential national security concerns represents a major change in policy. This shift suggests a growing recognition of the need for serious scientific and security-oriented investigations.
Credible Witnesses:
The hearings have included testimonies from credible witnesses, such as military pilots and intelligence officials, who have observed or analyzed UAPs. Their accounts provide valuable firsthand information and lend credibility to the phenomena being more than just myths or misidentifications.
Lou Elizondo's Claims Threats to Well-Being:
Lou Elizondo, a key figure in bringing UAP issues to public attention, has claimed that there have been threats to his and his family's well-being. If true, these threats could indicate attempts to silence or discredit individuals who push for transparency. This raises concerns about the potential implications for whistleblowers and the culture within military and intelligence communities.
Significance of His Role:
As a former director of the Pentagon's AATIP, Elizondo's insights and experiences are invaluable. His claims suggest that there may be deeper layers of information and potentially classified details that have not yet been disclosed to the public.
Personal Perspective Scientific Inquiry:
The move towards greater transparency and scientific inquiry is crucial. Investigating UAPs with a rigorous, evidence-based approach will help differentiate between natural phenomena, advanced technology from other nations, and genuinely unexplained incidents.
Cultural Shift:
The hearings and increased openness reflect a cultural shift in how we approach unknown phenomena. Moving away from ridicule and towards serious investigation can foster a more informed and rational public discourse.
Security and Ethics:
The claims of threats to individuals advocating for transparency are troubling and highlight the need for protections for whistleblowers. Ensuring their safety is essential for maintaining the integrity of the investigation and encouraging others to come forward with credible information.
In conclusion, the recent developments in UAP investigations, including congressional hearings and testimonies from credible witnesses, signify a positive step towards understanding these phenomena. However, the alleged threats to individuals like Lou Elizondo indicate the complexities and potential resistance within certain circles, underscoring the need for ongoing support and protection for those involved in bringing these issues to light.
OP: Could you draw some parallels between this particular topic and the Watergate scandal?
ChatGPT: Drawing parallels between the current UAP-UFO investigations and the Watergate scandal can help highlight the dynamics of governmental transparency, accountability, and the role of whistleblowers. Here are some key similarities and differences:
Similarities
Government Secrecy and Lack of Transparency:
Watergate:
The Watergate scandal involved a series of illegal activities orchestrated by the Nixon administration, including the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and subsequent cover-up efforts. The administration's secrecy and lack of transparency were central issues.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
For decades, the U.S. government maintained secrecy regarding UAPs, often dismissing or downplaying their significance. Recent admissions and hearings suggest a move towards greater transparency, but past secrecy still looms large.
Role of Whistleblowers:
Watergate:
The scandal unraveled largely due to the efforts of whistleblowers like Mark Felt (Deep Throat), who provided critical information to journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Figures like Lou Elizondo and other insiders have played a similar role, coming forward with information about UAPs and pushing for transparency. Their disclosures have been instrumental in bringing the issue into the public and governmental spotlight.
Media Involvement:
Watergate:
The investigative journalism by The Washington Post was crucial in exposing the scandal, demonstrating the power of the media in holding the government accountable.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Media coverage has been significant in the UAP-UFO discourse, with outlets like The New York Times publishing detailed reports on the Pentagon's investigations and whistleblowers' claims. Documentaries and news programs have also played a key role in informing the public. Public and Congressional Scrutiny:
Watergate:
The scandal led to extensive congressional hearings and investigations, ultimately resulting in President Nixon's resignation.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Congressional hearings on UAPs have been conducted to understand the phenomena better and assess their implications for national security. This scrutiny is a step towards greater governmental accountability.
Differences
Nature of the Issues:
Watergate:
Involved clear illegal activities, including burglary, wiretapping, and obstruction of justice, committed by government officials.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Focus on understanding unidentified phenomena and potential national security threats. The issue is less about illegal activities and more about the need for transparency and scientific investigation.
Immediate Impact:
Watergate:
Had immediate and direct political consequences, including legal actions and the resignation of a sitting president.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
The impact is more gradual, involving shifts in public perception, policy changes, and potentially new scientific discoveries. The immediate political consequences are less direct.
Public Perception and Stigma:
Watergate:
Initially met with disbelief but quickly gained credibility as evidence mounted.
UAP-UFO Investigations:
Long associated with stigma and ridicule, making it harder for the topic to gain serious consideration. Recent shifts in official stance are beginning to change this.
Conclusion
Both the Watergate scandal and the UAP-UFO investigations underscore the importance of transparency, the crucial role of whistleblowers, and the impact of media and public scrutiny in holding governments accountable. While the contexts and nature of the issues differ, the underlying themes of secrecy, the quest for truth, and the demand for governmental accountability resonate in both cases. The evolution of the UAP-UFO investigations may continue to parallel Watergate in promoting greater transparency and accountability, potentially leading to significant changes in public policy and perception."
Original link below. ttyshttps://chat.openai.com/share/443f509c-fd2f-4608-b94b-36b0992fd446

Hi there. I am looking at these two languages. Nim seems approachable (Looks like a Python/Pascal hybrid?) and will apparently cross-compile to unoptimized C, if I understand it.
Whereas Forth runs close to the metal as is, building words from basic work on the stack, allowing a functional style similar to Lisp, which I like to use when making things.
So, my project is a UI/control system for a radio running on embedded (most likely ESP32, though I have considered 6502 as well, or a z80). I need to have a display (probably 2x20) and a 16 key keypad. VFO, amplifier control, etc. The microcontroller will not be a signal processor, only control in this design saving programs, etc, so the actual microcontroller is about as flexible as could be.
(1) Does Forth have available libraries just sitting ready for I/O, standard character displays, saving programs, and similar with microcontrollers?
(2) Has anyone done similar projects in Forth and I could look at the code on github or something, just see how they went about it? This could be a programming interface for an analogue synth, or another ham radio project, or any number of things where saving patches, running a display, taking input from keys, accessing BUS for control, etc. Even different projects for different aspects. I would like to look at people's approaches and reinvent as few wheels as possible.

I am wondering if anyone has any idea how I can improve my chances of getting into the CLMS program here beyond what I have already done. I am currently getting a BA in linguistics as well as a BA with honors in philosophy. By the time I apply (dec 2024) I will have all the calc series and CSE 12x series done, and by the end of next year I should be able to graduate (I am technically a sophomore with junior amount of credits) with all the recommended coursework. Do they look highly upon getting involved with linguistics research? Are there any 'cheat codes' that could make your profile look even better to an admissions counselor?

So the scholarship is for my little brother. My fear with it being a smaller school is that he may not have the best chances at landing internships or offers out of school. So I’m thinking it may be beneficial for him to take advantage of the full offer and then transfer to a SUNY school halfway through where he would get a bit more unified structure at the SUNY since it’s effectively all the same at all SUNY state schools (generally to my understanding.)
LIU is a private school and at the moment the campus does not have too many professors for CS. There is no computer science club there yet. I spoke with the head of the engineering department who told me that he is heading up the revamping process for the CS program. Apparently they have new state of the art facilities, are on a hiring search to add a bunch of new quality professors, and I don’t know he really seemed to make me comfortable. Seemed like it might be an alright choice but the program is pretty small. He talked all about wholistic learning and how students get exposure to all manner of paths within CS and how he’s currently looking for students to be part of a research grant he received and that over time my brother could be a strong candidate.
Are we being bamboozled? He isn’t getting any financial aid, so going to a SUNY school or community college right now feels like it doesn’t make sense when he has a full ride, even if he only stays there for a couple years before transferring to SUNY. But LIU isn’t necessarily “up there” for computer science from what I can surmise.

Hi Reddit,
Apologies in advance if this is an inappropriate forum for this question. I'm a PGY4, soon to be PGY5, MD doing a subspecialty fellowship at a Prestigious Medical Institution. Our department is currently expanding its NP training program, and today my cohort was told that our didactics would also be serving as the NP didactics. This was a shock, and we weren't consulted in the planning. I'm having a hard time seeing how teaching could be directed toward both fresh NP students and physicians who are going into their fourth or fifth year of practice. I'm afraid that both groups' learning will suffer, and that this was an easier solution than admin creating a new didactic series for the NP trainees. How would you recommend I phrase my concerns to the administration and essentially ask them to reconsider? What other arguments could I make? Thank you.

I'm hoping for some of you to try it. It's an easy way to do concurrent things without transforming your entire application into an event loop monolith.

composer require phasync/phasync 

phasync: High-concurrency PHP

Asynchronous programming should not be difficult. This is a new microframework for doing asynchronous programming in PHP. It tries to do for PHP, what the asyncio package does for Python, and what Go does by default. For some background from what makes phasync different from other asynchronous big libraries like reactphp and amphp is that phasync does not attempt to redesign how you program. phasync can be used in a single function, somewhere in your big application, just where you want to speed up some task by doing it in parallel.

The article What color is your function? explains some of the approaches that have been used to do async programming in languages not designed for it. With Fibers, PHP 8.1 has native asynchronous IO built in. This library simplifies working with them, and is highly optimized for doing so.

phasync brings Go-inspired concurrency to PHP, utilizing native and ultra-fast coroutines to manage thousands of simultaneous operations efficiently. By leveraging modern PHP features like fibers, phasync simplifies asynchronous programming, allowing for clean, maintainable code that performs multiple tasks simultaneously with minimal overhead.

I have been working at KPMG within Audit for about two years in one of the larger offices on the east coast. As many have you seen or heard, KPMG has done two rounds of layoffs affecting audit in the last 12 months (with the most recent one being heavily started at the associate and senior level - in my office in particular, 20 associates out of 120 were separated from the firm in March 2024. Granted, no one was affected in the June 2023 layoffs.
In addition to layoffs, KPMG has virtually eliminated all additional social spending. There are no more team lunches, Uber rides home from the office and on a late night are frowned upon, and no more team celebrations after filing PCAOB audits. Additionally, the firm cut its “Celebrate Great” monetary award program where teams could award a small monetary gift (as small as $25 to but all the way up to $200 from my experience). On an office level, spend has been significantly reduced with no happy hours and they are even planning to cut some intramural sports teams.
On the US Audit side, we have an expectation to be in the office 60% of the time (which I personally am able to adhere to without problem) - however despite being announced in December 2023, leadership hasn’t even told us what this metric will impact?
Today, local leadership emphasized the importance of our chargeable hour goals. For my role this is 1800 hours. Although I’m over 100% utilization, I don’t think I’ll meet this goal because of PTO, training days, and summer shut downs, combined with the summer being generally slower in terms of audit work. This emphasis on chargeability makes me believe in FY25 bonus money will only go to those who meet a chargeability goal.
Here’s the deal: I really like working at KPMG. I find interest in the work and I like the people I work with. But things seem gloomy as fuck here and I’m pretty upset with leadership.
So I ask - how is it at other firms? More specifically
1) Have you noticed decreases in spend? Both on the team level and office level? Have national monetary award programs been cut? 2) what does RTO look like? Is local and national leaderships beginning to hint on the importance of coming together in person? Do they let you monitor these metrics or communicate them to you? 3) do audit professionals have chargeable hour goals at other firms? If so, what does this impact? 4) are PIPs used more frequently in place of layoffs?

In the year of 2023, I was fired from my auto technician job 7 days before Christmas due to deteriorated mental health bringing down my performance. Today, May 15th of 2024, I was fired from a job for conceal carrying my pistol due to the frequent shootings in the area I work (East Chicago, Merrillville, Gary, you get the idea). Having a fair bit of therapy and a son over the last has taught me quite a bit about people, the world, and myself in a short time. Last year, I would have wanted to put a shotgun in my mouth and pull the trigger. This year, I feel I have all the tools and knowledge required to be successful regardless of whether or not an employer thinks I should carry. Where there was once only anxiety and pessimism now sits a quiet confidence saying, "It's going to be okay," even when I know I'm just trying to be brave. I don't regret what I did, and I would do it again. I've studied on how to be a good mechanic, learned a shit ton of skills, and even did the first year of SDI's firearms technology program (didn't find that lemon worth the squeeze, but that's a story for a different day). Knowing I have all these wonderful passions, knowledge, and skills fills me with a desire to go my own way. Knowing I'll still be seeking another job and taking care of my necessities, I think I'll gun (no pun intended) for that rare opportunity to make my own life. If you had that chance, do you think you would do the same? If you did, how hard to you think you'd chase it?

Trying to clear my backlog of unredeemed stuff and make some money for an upcoming trip, so looking to hopefully clear this list down some, and honestly for most titles on the list I'd be willing to take $1-3 dollars for.
Here is my SteamRep page
And SteamTrades page
And links to Previous Posts I've made since I'm not sure how to update my flair to correctly show the number of trades I've completed.
I also have the Humble Choice coupons for the DLC for Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, Victoria 3, and Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga, if anyone would be interested in paying for those as well.
ΔV: Rings of Saturn
112 Operator
112 Operator
112 Operator
60 Parsecs!
8Doors: Arum's Afterlife Adventure
911 Operator
911 Operator
911 Operator
A Plague Tale: Innocence
A Short Hike
A Juggler's Tale
Acceleration of SUGURI 2
Aces & Adventures
Ace of Seafood
ADOM (Ancient Domains Of Mystery)
Ai War 2
Alchemist's Castle
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Almost There: The Platformer
Alien Spidy
Agent in Depth
Age of Wonders: Planetfall Deluxe Edition
Agents of Mayhem
Amanda the Adventurer
American Fugitive
Amnesia: Rebirth
Amnesia: Rebirth
Amnesia: The Dark Descent + Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
Arcade Paradise
Arcade Spirits
Armello
Atomicrops
ATOM RPG Trudograd
Automachef
Autonauts
Autonauts vs Piratebots
Aven Colony
Backbone
Banners of Ruin
Basement
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock
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Messages From "Lori"
I'm a writer of short fiction in my spare time, so when someone pretending to be my aunt sent me a message on Messenger last week, I decided to make up the most ridiculous story I could think of. I wanted to see if she would realize right away that I was screwing with her or, if not, how long it would take. (They're pretending to be my aunt so let's use "heshe") This was an experiment and she didn't shy away, so I wrote another and another and another story. I basically used her for my creative writing exercises; each time doing my best to outdo the psychotic chaos of what I'd written previously.
I was fully aware that English was probably not her first language so I didn't expect her to read any of it at all. I was just trying to annoy her until she went away.
Over four days, the stories I told her were long. Impolitely long for a Messenger conversation. They were full of the most batshit insane thoughts I could think. I told her about my desire to buy a tazer to use on Nancy Pelosi's dirty butthole and how my dad used to chaperone me to drug parties because I was a poor swimmer and his fear was I might fall in the pool. When she sent me a link to a grant program, I told her government grants were Communist and I didn't trust Communists and their grants! Once at a party in the 70s, a Russian exchange student convinced me to eat a BBQ'd gerbil for grant money. He promised me he would, but he never paid!
I kept getting stranger and stranger with my claims and I was sure she would give up soon...then I demanded she give me some of her grant money, because she owed me $9700. Didn't she remember? I paid a fat Croatian Mafioso so he wouldn't remove her toes one-by-one for unpaid gambling debts. I never expected it repaid but since she just received $180k in grant funds she should finally make good on that.
I'm warning you: this is long and it is stupid. Parts of it will probably make you laugh. If you're interested, it's all posted on my personal site under the title Messages from "Lori"
Stay safe out there and don't buy Apple cards and give away your savings--not even to "Lori"--supposedly, her betting days are behind her, but I don't know if I believe her when she claims: "I don't do gambling anymore nor casino."
-ss

I've lived a consistently miserable life. And a very peculiar one. From age 6 I was being gaslit by my mother who has a narcissistic personality disorder. I was being provoked by her until she got me to have mental breakdowns and to behave erratically. Even if I didn't behave erratically, things would be taken out of context and then she would use them in a smear campaign against me, convincing everyone around me I was an aggressive, insane delinquent. She isolated, manipulated, and controlled me everyday of my life. She was regularly sadistic towards me and fed on my constant emotional distress. I grew up in the south, where children are seen not heard, so when my mother told the CPS workers involved with our family, my therapists/psychiatrists, family friends, my father, troubled teen program staff, etc I was the problem, they accepted the situation as such. At the very least, I was considered pitiable for being crazy, and at most I was seen as a monster. Like the kind of kid reality tv shows about out of control kids make episodes about for money.
I was just completely demonized and it was insane considering how I was regularly a victim of abuse from my mother and the peers she involved. I was pretty much the victim of an angry mob. The raw cruelty that flowed out of people was jawdropping. A lot of it came from people's archaic views, but I think some of them were just power hungry people looking for a socially acceptable reason to abuse people. If you justify your actions as discipline against monsters, your sadism becomes socially justified.
It was complicated, because I was being advertised as crazy and the experience itself eventually made me crazy. I began to slip from the constant pressure of mind games. That didn't help my case. The abuse never seemed to end.
When we moved to the north when I was 15, I was met with a sizable amount of people's doubt of me, but for the larger part, finally believed. Significantly believed. People were able to see I was telling the truth. Still, when I moved out of my mother's house about a year later, the damage had been done. Despite being a good student, I dropped out of high school because I was too occupied with my cptsd and other accumulated mental health issues, and beginning to struggle with being scatter brained. Since then, I've been living like a shell of a human being, working through layers of various mental health issues with no improvement. Everyday is just miserable.
I am now at a point where I am considering that the universe or whatever divine power out there has been purposefully putting me through these things my whole life as a lesson and/or punishment, and that I've just been blind to how deserving I've been of it all. I have been recently asking the universe/the divine for signs of confirmation this is the case, and I've gotten them. They seem too on point to be coincidental. They are thorough.
I think that either I was put through these things because I deserved the misery for being guilty in the way everyone around me thought I was, or in the context that while I wasn't guilty in the way everyone around me considered me to be, I was/am guilty of being a fucked up person. Maybe it was a way of bringing karmic balance. I was never seen as guilty for being corrupt in the ways I actually was, so the divine planned for the world to see me as guilty and make me miserable for the things I didn't have wrong with me. Either as a punishment, a lesson, or both.
And if either of these scenarios are the case, my first instinct is to say it's not fucking fair. I've been trampled my entire life, and still I'm supposed to view the things that have happened to me as deserved or my fault? That I need to take accountability and realize I'm the problem? Are you fucking kidding me? I feel like I don't, nor did I ever deserve that shit. But the divine seems to disagree. And you can't disagree with the divine, they're always right. I'm a mere stupid human. I want this to all be in my head or just random coincidences but the manner in which these signs are showing seems too real.
Maybe me thinking I'm not the problem is the mistake I consistently make. And if that's the case I don't want to continue to make that mistake. Both because I feel like the divine will continue to punish me/teach me this lesson, and because I don't want to be blind and I want to make things right.
Making this post in itself feels like taking a step backwards. Like I'm fishing for people to tell me that's not the case, and that I didn't deserve what happened, because for the most part I don't believe I deserved any of this. If someone else said this about their trauma, I'd tell them how that's just their trauma talking. But I've always been an outlier situation. Maybe I'm just a unique brand of fucked up that warranted that pain.
Between the weird trauma I have and the signs I've seen, I feel like I'm cursed or haunted or being disciplined spiritually.