Aside from communication (obviously), web browsing, and maps, one of the most useful aspects of having a smartphone is photography. I'd love to have a programmable device I can carry in my pocket that I can run my own signal processing code on to experiment with different methods of acquiring images, i.e. different ways of calculating white balance, demosaicing, enhancement, etc. Of course I can capture raw images and then transfer them to a computer to process however I want, but there are some algorithms that are better run at the point of image capture, for instance the type of bracketing and sensor fusion that Apple does.
I've looked in the source code of for example Replicant for the code that does the low-level DSP for the camera, but it doesn't seem to be in there. I only find the higher level abstraction layer and interface code. I'm suspecting that they're trying to be agnostic on this point, seeing as there are sensor specific details to be accounted for here, and deferring to projects like libcamera (https://libcamera.org/) to do this. Therefore it's probably best to ask what hardware supports one of these than whether the AOSP provides a way to do this.
I'm wondering which phones support an open stack like this. Surely having an iPhone run such a stack is asking too much, but I'm curious about the Android phones.

I'm convincing myself that a deferred fixed period annuity, say 3 or 5 or 7 year such as offered by Canvas with rates currently over 6% is a better way to go vs a similarly constructed bond ladder. In my case using money from a taxable account. An additional reason is to diversify my portfolio to about 20% fixed income vs. being nearly 90-95% equity at the moment. I see this as more straight forward with better returns than bonds.
I'm not talking about variable, indexed or lifetime annuities here. Those are completely different and not nearly as simple and straight forward and zero fee as a deferred fixed period annuity.
Benefits:

1. No taxes on interest income until a withdrawal is taken. At the and of the guarantee period it can be rolled into another similar annuity and annuitized into periodic payments with only taxes in interest portion. Or taken out as lump sum and taxes need to be paid on the interest accrued but only at that time.
2. Lock in some nice interest rates now. Bond's can do that too but they don't have the tax advantage.

Drawbacks

1. Money is tied up and surrender charge apply if you need access.
2. Rates could go up and you can't take advantage of them if already loaded up on annuities. Though similar to bonds in that way.

I'm looking at purchasing a group of 3, 5, 7 year annuities every 6 months for 2 years to cover the period of time between when I retire and hitting 70 to claim max social security. I see this as filling in like social security during that time while letting my other retirement account investments grow and do some Roth IRA conversions while income is low etc. This isn't all of my spending for each retirement year but provides that SS like fixed income.
Sheer insanity, not so bad, or a better alternative?

Study Material: Kaplan Textbook, Qbank
YouTube: S/o Series 7 guru, Capital Advantage & Test Geak
Last 5 Practice Exam score (Oldest to most recent): 73, 78, 86, 84, 79
53% of qbank used
Thoughts: Looking back, please use more than 70% of the qbank, I got lucky. I would use 100% if I had to go back. This test was hard, and worded very funny. Nothing like the exams on Kaplan, you really have to figure out what the question is asking you. I went through the exam twice rereading each question and actually changed some cause I misread the first time. No exam I did looking anything close like the one I just did. Had about 15 gimme questions, other than that I had to reread. When taking Kaplan exams, truly understand the question and everything in the description at the bottom when you answer.
Debrief:
ETF question (ETF in Gold, why would you do this)
ETN Question (it's Unsecured debt, and I put secured, dumb.)
3 discounted cash flow questions (what it's used for, very specific, know the ins and outs)
1 or 2 annuity/life insurance
Had one question asking about if notification or written consent was required if it was a change not majority or minority, but 50% ownership. Had no idea.
A bunch of laws and regulations, I never had it black and white on if "state a and state b have this many clients are they required to register", it was complicated to where 2 answers look right.
Had some questions pertaining to private placements
1 on why Why a trust is used
1 futures (easy)
Remember what's annually and what quarterly, i got tripped up on a couple like that
3 on technical analysis (thankful)
1 on EMH
1 on IRR
1 on deferred compensation (pros and cons)
2 on just non qualified plans (pros and cons)
1 on 401k vs 403b ( who uses them)
1 general partner (unlimited liability ), 1 S corporation (100 shareholders)
1 standard deviation
2 custody questions
1 on what you can use for a premature distribution for an IRA and no penalty
3 on questions based on YTM that were worded very funny
1 or 2 easy calculations
1 on why it'd be bad to have a TOD lol
1 on Pay to play rule and Safe harbor
1 of the sofa questions (calculate it as networth since its in office)
3 UTMA (real estate can be used, and why use it, and if a parent that lost her job could withdraw money from it)
2 on performance based, 1 was asking why a b/d could do fees based on capital gains with a group on investors, and there was not an answer choice saying you couldnt so i guessed.
1 on what is required on fee disclosure and when it's supposed to be updated
1 on what is on brochure and when it's supposed to be updated
1 on Business continuity for natural disasters or whatever (when must they show you this)
0 on capm, options, record retention, civil & criminal numbers, ADR, sale vs offer, rights of rescission
That's what I remember right now. Let me know if you have any questions as others on this thread have helped me. Good luck!

I modeled a planned Annuity purchase for July 2024. New Retirement calculates your projected income. When I go to insights > Taxes, I do not see the annuity as source of income to be taxed. When you model a future Annuity purchase, it does not ask if it is taxable. Why isn't a future annuity income taxable?

EDIT: after much pain and suffering, I fixed the issue. Turns out, if you're gonna use a ThreadSafeAllocator, you should not just send it to your threads, also use it in your main thread...
Hi, I've been learning zig and I've had a great time so far. I am currently a little stuck however. I am making a multithreaded prime number generator (my first toy project of choice) and I am erroring on "@memcpy argument alias" (logs below).
The code is below, but I'll give the general overview here. I have a function work which first creates some prime 'candidates'. It then creates an ArrayList of nullable ArrayLists. This is so that each thread has a place to store its result. I then give each thread a slice of the candidates and a pointer to an element in the result list. The threads then create their own ArrayLists, populate them with primes and put that back in the pointer they got (effectively returning the value). Then the main thread puts everything into one array, and I'm done.
It's this final step, putting all the arrays back together, which is failing. I do a null check, so for all intents and purposes I know I have a valid ArrayList, but @memcpy seems to disagree, and I can't figure out why.
Any help is much appreciated!
error trace: `` ❯ zig build run -- -t 10_000 info: Input: target : 10000 warmup : 0 runs : 1 time : 5000000000 info: Starting timed run for concurrent worker with branchless checker and smart generator thread 180626 panic: @memcpy arguments alias /home/nico/compileScrapyard/zig/stage3/lib/zig/std/array_list.zig:458:60: 0x108ae53 in ensureTotalCapacityPrecise (zig_primes) @memcpy(new_memory[0..self.items.len], self.items); ^ /home/nico/compileScrapyard/zig/stage3/lib/zig/std/array_list.zig:434:51: 0x1080070 in ensureTotalCapacity (zig_primes) return self.ensureTotalCapacityPrecise(better_capacity); ^ /home/nico/compileScrapyard/zig/stage3/lib/zig/std/array_list.zig:468:44: 0x108cc3b in ensureUnusedCapacity (zig_primes) return self.ensureTotalCapacity(try addOrOom(self.items.len, additional_count)); ^ /home/nico/compileScrapyard/zig/stage3/lib/zig/std/array_list.zig:305:42: 0x10807c9 in appendSlice (zig_primes) try self.ensureUnusedCapacity(items.len); ^ /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes/src/worker.zig:201:35: 0x106eaf8 in inner (zig_primes) try primes.appendSlice(list.items); ^ /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes/src/worker.zig:44:27: 0x1036d37 in work (zig_primes) return self.workFn(self.ptr, alloc, target); ^ /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes/src/runner.zig:12:35: 0x1036f86 in runOnce (zig_primes) const primes = try worker.work(alloc, target); ^ /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes/src/runner.zig:113:24: 0x103767c in runFor (zig_primes) _ = try runOnce(worker, alloc, target); ^ /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes/src/main.zig:119:47: 0x1037879 in runAll (zig_primes) const runs = try runner.runFor( ^ /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes/src/main.zig:73:15: 0x10381a0 in main (zig_primes) try runAll(config, alloc); ^ /home/nico/compileScrapyard/zig/stage3/lib/zig/std/start.zig:524:37: 0x1036c45 in posixCallMainAndExit (zig_primes) const result = root.main() catch err { ^ /home/nico/compileScrapyard/zig/stage3/lib/zig/std/start.zig:266:5: 0x1036761 in _start (zig_primes) asm volatile (switch (native_arch) { ^ ???:?:?: 0x2 in ??? (???) Unwind information for???:0x2` was not available, trace may be incomplete
run └─ run zig_primes failure error: the following command terminated unexpectedly: /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes/zig-out/bin/zig_primes -t 10_000 Build Summary: 4/6 steps succeeded; 1 failed (disable with --summary none) run transitive failure └─ run zig_primes failure error: the following build command failed with exit code 1: /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes/.zig-cache/o/b43a69e82f2e37318b0c476a5a720433/build /home/nico/compileScrapyard/zig/stage3/bin/zig /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes /home/nico/personal/zig/zig_primes/.zig-cache /home/nico/.cache/zig --seed 0x81fd907e -Zc51e1c6fea207724 run -- -t 10_000 ```
annotated code: ```zig pub fn work( self: *const Self, alloc: *const Allocator, target: usize, ) !std.ArrayList(usize) { // Create candidates const candidates = try self.gen.gen(alloc, target); defer candidates.deinit();

 std.log.debug("Created candidates: size {}", .{candidates.items.len}); // Thread return values var return_lists: std.ArrayList(?std.ArrayList(usize)) = try std.ArrayList(?std.ArrayList(usize)).initCapacity(alloc.*, self.thread_num); defer { for (return_lists.items) nullable_list_ptr { if (nullable_list_ptr) list_ptr { list_ptr.deinit(); } } return_lists.deinit(); } // Wrap allocator var thread_safe_alloc: std.heap.ThreadSafeAllocator = std.heap.ThreadSafeAllocator{ .child_allocator = alloc.*, }; // Calculate slice lengths const thread_slice_len: usize = @divTrunc(candidates.items.len, self.thread_num); std.log.debug("Slice len: {}", .{thread_slice_len}); // Populate threads var handles: std.ArrayList(std.Thread) = try std.ArrayList(std.Thread).initCapacity(alloc.*, self.thread_num); defer handles.deinit(); // Spawn threads var slice_idx: usize = 0; for (0..self.thread_num - 1) _ { // We already initialized to capacity so the pointer will not be invalid const ptr: *?std.ArrayList(usize) = return_lists.addOneAssumeCapacity(); const handle = try std.Thread.spawn(.{}, threadFunction, .{ self, ptr, &thread_safe_alloc, candidates.items[slice_idx .. slice_idx + thread_slice_len], }); slice_idx += thread_slice_len; try handles.append(handle); } // Final thread takes up all the remaining numbers { const ptr: *?std.ArrayList(usize) = return_lists.addOneAssumeCapacity(); const handle = try std.Thread.spawn(.{}, threadFunction, .{ self, ptr, &thread_safe_alloc, candidates.items[slice_idx..], }); try handles.append(handle); } // Output array var primes: std.ArrayList(usize) = std.ArrayList(usize).init(alloc.*); errdefer primes.deinit(); for (handles.items, 0..) handle, i { errdefer std.log.err("Something broke while joining threads", .{}); // Make sure the thread is done handle.join(); @fence(std.builtin.AtomicOrder.seq_cst); // The thread either put it's ArrayList in the buffer or put null there const list: std.ArrayList(usize) = return_lists.items[i] orelse return error.ThreadFailure; defer list.deinit(); // Append to the output, this for some arcane reason fails try primes.appendSlice(list.items); } std.log.debug("Joined all thread", .{}); return primes; } fn threadFunction( self: *const ConcurrentWorker, ptr: *?std.ArrayList(usize), alloc_instance: *std.heap.ThreadSafeAllocator, slice: []const usize, ) !void { errdefer std.log.debug("Thread failed", .{}); // if something goes wrong, make sure we give null errdefer ptr.* = null; const alloc: std.mem.Allocator = alloc_instance.allocator(); // Create the output array var primes: std.ArrayList(usize) = std.ArrayList(usize).init(alloc); errdefer primes.deinit(); // Do the calculations for (slice) candidate { if (self.checker.check(candidate)) { try primes.append(candidate); } } // put the output array in the output pointer ptr.* = primes; } 

```

Hello ValueInvesting,
I made a free dividend reinvestment calculator (no registration required). It shows the compound interest potential from dollar-cost averaging and reinvesting dividends.
Investors can explore different scenarios and investment horizons to visually forecast the transition to living off dividends in retirement planning

Unique features

It offers features missing from similar calculators online:

• Portfolio weighting
• Separate dollar-cost averaging (DCA) and dividend reinvestment (DRIP) horizons
• Annual appreciation for recurring contributions (e.g. to account for salary increases)
• Interactive chart: updates as you type
• Lump sums (to account for anticipated windfalls such as inheritance/bonuses)
• Experimental: auto fetch 5Y Dividend Growth (CAGR) and 4Y Average Dividend Yield by ticker (stock or ETF)

Planned features

Not strictly ordered:

• Multi-account, if you have more than one account (e.g. taxable vs. tax-deferred vs. tax-free)
• Inflation-adjusted numbers
• Saving a calculation
• Sharing a calculations (contextualized URL) to assist others
• Start + stop year in DCA and DRIP horizon ranges/sliders
• Import portfolio with Plaid
• Did I miss a feature? Please comment below.

If you're a dividend investor, give the calculator a try: https://www.dividendreinvestmentcalculator.com
Let me know what you think. Your feedback is appreciated.

Had this idea bouncing around in my head about the little ferret guy, Etholin Esila. I figured with him being a 'merchant lord' he'd want to start cutting deals with Emma once the initial curiosity and amazement over Earth tech would have passed. Not sure where this is going, if anywhere, but just wanted to get it out of my head and onto 'paper'.
Thanks to u/DndQuickQuestion for helping with feedback on earlier drafts.
Afternoon Transgracian Academy of Magical Arts
The hulking minotaur loomed menacingly over me. "Crawling along the floor suits you well, Merchant Lord Etholin Esila!” it boomed in an intimidating baritone. “Merchant Lord, pfah! Even a mangy cur such as that Mercenary Prince has a legacy of valor and martial prowess behind his dubious title, but you?”
An accusatory finger was jabbed in my direction. “Nothing but puffery and bluster to buttress your status as a glorified shopkeep! Your ilk claims to broker fair trade between the Realms, but those with integrity and honor recognize the deceit you employ to conjure false value from nothing." It was difficult to tell if Lord Auris Ping's tirade was aimed more at myself, the Esila clan, or the concept of inter-realm commerce in general.
At the moment, I was more concerned with herding my scattered belongings back into my satchel. While rushing to my next appointment, I had the dubious privilege of colliding with this mountain of a brute. Naturally I was on the losing side of that contest, and was sent tail over head to the floor, scattering the contents of my school satchel across the polished granite. Not one to pass up the chance at a crass display of dominance, Lord Ping had launched into the rant that everyone in earshot was currently enduring.
"Look at you, scrabbling on the floor to fetch your little trinkets, a fitting match for your base and covetous nature!" Fairly pedestrian, as far as character assassination went. I’d been called far worse while helping Father with trade negotiations, sometimes at sword or stave point. One had to develop quite a thick hide when engaging in cross-realm commerce. Especially with many realms having rather… absolutist opinions about the value of goods, like Lord Ping here. But I had zero interest in contesting his assertions, despite how idiotic they were.
Haggling or arguing with Pronarthians was a singularly wretched experience. They were infamous across the Realms for their single-mindedness and a compulsive need to have the last word that bordered on lunacy. I didn’t have the patience for the endless ingratiating flattery required to bore through such stubbornness. If that wasn’t enough, a gentleman of my stature also had to consider Pronarthians’ sizeism; specifically their intrinsic respect for the larger and taller races.
And that was merely the average Pronarthian! Arguing with a belligerent lout, accustomed to deference as Lord Ping? I'd sooner try my hand at flying out the nearby window. At least the loamy soil below would give me a fighting chance, or a jagged rock would grant me the mercy of a swift end.
Instead, I busied myself putting my things in order, taking special care with one item in particular. It was a set of memory crystals I received from the Earthrealmer, Cadet Emma Booker. It was part of a ‘transdimensional cultural exchange pilot program,’ as she had described it with her nation’s peculiar bureaucratic jargon. I had previously conducted similar transactions in my initial dealings with Cadet Booker, and it was those first tentative steps that convinced me to make Cadet Booker a full-fledged premiere trade partner of the Ocean Breeze Trading Company, the pride of the Esila clan.
The myriad tomes and treatises from Earthrealm, such as the riveting "The Wealth of Nations," amply demonstrated that Earthrealm had an extremely sophisticated understanding of commerce, finance, and logistics. But it was the ‘video archive footage,’ transferred onto memory crystals for ease of viewing, that convinced me at a visceral level that these Earthrealmers were a sound investment. I felt it on my whisker-tips, as the commoners back home would say.
"May I offer a helping hand, Lord Esila?" inquired a familiar voice. I looked up to see a scaly, clawed hand extended toward me. “And perhaps a sympathetic ear? After all, that was a rather nasty bit of slander from Lord Ping, would you not agree?”
Wonderful. This nonsense again.
While I had been lost in thought contemplating Ocean Breeze’s latest windfall, Lord Ping seemed to have lost interest and resumed going about his business. Taking his place, as always, was Lord Qiv Ratom, ever ready to sift through the rubble of Lord Ping's latest ham-fisted antics for personal gain. "You will find that my views differ considerably from Lord Ping's. I, for one, admire the manner in which you extract value from your trade partners. After all, does it not require skill and cunning to convince the customer that your wares are worth far greater than their true value? Such nuance and subtlety is lost on the likes of Auris Ping, content to strong-arm what he desires from others."
I paused for a moment, at a loss for words. His tone suggested his 'praise' was sincere, but only stoked my ire further. What in the thrice-damned Hells did he think he was accomplishing? Did he really think that telling me, "Well, I still regard you as a thief, but I APPRECIATE your thieving nature, unlike that uncouth lout!" was going to win me over? Dealing with parties with this attitude to commerce and trade was tedious at best. But ever since making acquaintances with Cadet Booker, whose people's understanding and appreciation of commerce rivaled the Nexians, dealing with the likes of Ping and Ratom was nigh UNBEARABLE.
I rattled off the usual rigmarole we used at Ocean Breeze for clients we wished to keep at arm's length. "With respect, Lord Ratom, the value of the goods we sell is determined by the customer's needs and circumstances. The merchants of my clan arbitrate prices taking such factors into consideration. We see it as our responsibility to provide equitable trade that is not only beneficial to all parties, but also provides fair compensation for the tradesmen involved in executing the transaction."
"But of course, it is as you say," replied Lord Ratom with his signature oily charisma. "Fair and equitable trade, according to the customer's circumstances. Thus, you are but a facilitator of the Fates, a most humble tool of Destiny itself. And one who collects a respectable commission, at that," he continued. He stopped short of winking conspiratorially, but the impish grin playing across his features was a fine substitute. Every mote of my being wanted to shake him until he shed his skin. He continued, "Your... humility aside, my admiration of your clan's cunning and resourcefulness still stands. The insight of one so skilled is always welcome within my inner circle, should you wish to grace us with your presence."
It took all my restraint to not tell him into which orifice he could jam his charity-case friendship offer. After all, I'd been keeping far better and more like-minded company of late. Company that the Baralonian lord was likely dying to ingratiate himself with, given how Cadet Booker and her peer group had taken pains to keep Lord Ratom and his entourage of gossips at arm’s length. Instead, I left the smug reptile’s offer dangling in the air, twisting in the wind for a few agonizing moments while I finished tidying my things. Rising to my feet, I finally replied, "An offer most generous and kind. I will of course, have to consider the circumstances of both customer and merchant. Surely you would not begrudge a humble servant of Fate for waiting for the most auspicious circumstances?" Even at my best, I was hardly a master of rhetoric, so crudely tossing his words back at him was the best I could do.
"As you please, Lord Esila," replied Lord Ratom, finally sensing his return on investment wouldn't be worthwhile, leaving me alone to stew in the hallway. Such was the game played among the aristocracy. I looked down at the bundle of memory crystals in my hands, contemplating on their origin, and how Earthrealm could change how the Esila clan, perhaps even all of Rontalis, played the game.
I continued on my way, thoughts heavy once more.
Evening Ocean Breeze Trading Company, Elaseer Offices, Private Chambers
The Elaseer branch office of the Ocean Breeze Trading Company was a modest affair by Nexian standards, a second-storey affair nestled on the edge of the warehouse district. The restrained yet tasteful trappings were a calculated decision of the Esila clan, proprietors of the trading company. A fine balance had to be struck when it came to outward appearances, after all. Some measure of artful decoration was necessary to appease the Nexian eye’s obsession with projecting might and wealth, but not so much that it would attract too much attention.
Only in the private chambers would a guest finally see some personality in the decor, and a generous measure at that. These were the chambers of the nobleman assigned stewardship of these offices, Lord Rikad Esila, uncle to Etholin Esila. Colorful murals with aquatic motifs adorned the walls, highlighted with tastefully matching lacquered panels featuring artwork done in mother-of-pearl inlay. Similar decor was present in the dining room, where uncle and nephew were currently enjoying what Rikad thought would be a leisurely dinner.
CRACK!
The sharp sound rang out loud and clear in the small room, the source being a steamed crab claw, dashed to pieces on a smooth river stone placed between the two diners at the table.
Lord Rikad's branch of the Esila line hailed from the wetlands of Rontalis that opened up into the sea, and they regularly partook of the ocean's bounty. In antiquity, they were known to smash shellfish and other armored morsels against stones they carried with them to lay bare the tasty prizes within. This dining set configuration was a modern interpretation of that old tradition, with a communal stone for guests to open their shellfish.
Of course, such a homestyle service was available solely behind closed doors and shuttered windows and only then to Rikad and his close associates. Here in the Crownlands, such a 'barbarous and unseemly' artifact would be frowned upon by the prevailing Nexian culture and their gold and mother-of-pearl seafood forks that split the shell with a simple tap. But young Etholin labeled that languid dining as a boring conversational backdrop, inferior to the communal excitement of a well-placed strike.
Etholin’s spirited strike had a strong measure of anger behind it, a fact not lost on Rikad. "Steady now, lad. The aim is to crack the shell, not grind it to powder," chided Rikad, an otter clothed in well-tailored robes that melded practicality with muted elegance. He looked aged and gray compared to the ferret-like Etholin, clad in sumptuous silks and embroidery that assertively declared the young lord’s wealth and standing. Etholin hung his head in embarrassment. "Apologies, Uncle. I lost the reins of my temper."
"Well now, aggravated enough to make a mess of my dining set," observed the older gentleman. "It takes a great deal to get your humors churning like this, from my experience. So tell me lad, what urchin needles you?"
"Ugh, more Academy theatrics, what else? With Lords Auris Ping and Qiv Ratom being today’s star players."
"Ah, The Dunce and the Devil," remarked Rikad, nodding with understanding. This wasn't the first time his nephew had related the pestilent pair’s antics. "What two-act farce did they put on this time?"
"Ping opened with the usual blather about merchants being honorless tricksters, with Ratom swooping in to capitalize on the aftermath. Textbook at this point, really," explained Etholin, waving his hand dismissively. "It... it was just the way those two put forward their thoughts. In isolation, each would have been merely irritating. But with one following the other, I was ready to grind my fangs to nubs! To be cursed as a thief on one side, only to be praised as a thief on the other! It was like they were wielding ignorance as one would a greatsword, and managed to cut me with both edges! Gods, I wanted to THROTTLE the idiocy out of them!"
"‘Tis to be expected," said Rikad in consolation. "A great many noble families, even entire Realms at times, came about their status through force of arms or magical prowess, and thus they hold a dim view of commerce as a profession. It is a routine chore for us, navigating around them to find those with less absolutist views on the worth of goods, or more forgiving definitions of 'honest work'. An Adjacent Realm that does not cheat its creditors by altering the weight of its coins or debasing them with base metals and insisting otherwise while hiding behind the safety of their portal is worth its weight in gold."
"Sometimes I feel we ought to cut them out of our affairs entirely and deal with the Nexians, directly and exclusively," mused Etholin bitterly.
"Now, now, though your anger is justified, that's hardly reason for it to take hold of your mind's rudder," cautioned Rikad with a frown. "The Nexians have well-developed philosophies on trade in line with our own, but we only have the resources of a single Realm at our disposal, while the Nexians can leverage the bounty of their never-ending and mana-rich lands. Dealing solely with a behemoth that can devour us with a thought, no matter how frictionless those dealings are, is hardly my idea of a beneficial partnership."
Etholin sighed. "As always, your counsel is sensible, Uncle. Like I said, I lost the reins of my temper in a moment of weakness."
"Don't be so sour on things like this, lad. Our base nature gets the better of us at times, that is the animal within that we all struggle with. That you acknowledged such a lapse and took back the helm is proof that civility prevails. But, enough moping about!" Rikad jumped out of his seat with a little pep in his step. "Looks like we need to guide you back into good spirits, and I know JUST the thing for gentlemen such as us," concluded the elder merchant, twirling his whiskers playfully.
"Somehow I think a night at the theater or music halls will do little for me, Uncle. Or are you suggesting we seek respite at the bottom of a tankard?"
Rikad snorted derisively. "Oh please, I'm not senile yet, pup! Since when has SPENDING money brought joy to anyone worthy of the Esila name?" That made Elothin perk up a bit. Rikad continued, "No, I speak of a PROPER good time, I speak of..."
"COMMERCE!" they cried out in unison, fists held aloft in a triumphant pose. "Does that mean..." began Etholin.
"Indeed, we've just received the latest prototypes for the centralized mana ampoule, linking cords, and so-called 'mana motors'. Perfectly timed with the parts delivery from Cadet Booker not two days ago. Sukie, be a dear and clear this up, and have the remainder bundled up and sent to the young master's rooms at the Academy." Rikad motioned for the housekeepers to clear the table, then ushered Etholin to his private offices where they could discuss business strategy in depth.
Uncle Rikad’s offices were more than just a cozy place where Etholin could get a taste of home. Officially, Rikad was stationed here to oversee the administration of this branch office of the Ocean Breeze Trading Company. In reality, the office was a means to circumvent the Academy's prohibition against students communicating regularly with their home realm. Many aristocratic families employed similar cheats and dodges involving ‘familial duties’ and ‘business obligations’ to skirt the rules. If the Nexians cared about closing such loopholes, they didn’t show it. Perhaps the quaint maneuverings of their lessers amused the elves, who could say?
In this case, Rikad and Etholin were leveraging this loophole to the fullest, as they strategized on how to execute the next steps of their latest commercial venture, which Rikad would then relay to the head offices in Rontalis. As their planning session drew to a close, Rikad remarked on the time. “Well, it would seem that evening has fast become night. You are welcome to stay overnight here, as always, or perhaps you would prefer to retire to the Academy dormitories? Either way, I doubt you’d want to watch an old man doze off in his reading room listening to music.”
At the mention of leisure time, Etholin's eyes widened in surprise, and he began rooting around in his satchel. "Oh goodness, I entirely forgot!"
"What is it, lad?"
"Oh, Cadet Booker has provided us with more of her 'video archive files', transcribed to memory crystal," explained Etholin as he produced the set of crystals from his satchel, perfectly sized for the compact projection device that Rikad kept in his rooms.
"Ah, splendid! Another of the young lady's documentary presentations on commerce? Or perhaps one of her theatrical serials? Both are fine ways to while away the night."
“I’m not sure, but Cadet Booker said we would enjoy them a great deal,” said Etholin as he placed the crystal into the office's projector. As the machine spooled up, a moving image was cast onto the whitewashed wall across the room. As with all Earthrealm recordings, it was entirely mundane, bereft of any sign of manafields. Compared to mana based memory shards, Earthrealm recordings felt like faded sketches. None of that hindered the recording's impact on the viewers.
"Hoh? This is-" exclaimed Rikad, eyes lighting up in recognition.
An Earthrealmer with a thick, lustrous beard strode into view, his confidence and enthusiasm palpable despite the muted colors of the recording. The Earthrealmer’s voice rang out from the projector, carrying that same confidence and infectious enthusiasm like a barker worthy of the title of Grand Master.
Rikad and Etholin cheered in unison.
"HI! BILLY MAYS HERE, WITH ANOTHER GREAT PRODUCT!"

The Story Breakdown
Prologue
1) From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the Universe, comes a legend. The legend of the Voltrons: Defenders of the Universe. Three mighty robots, loved by good, feared by evil. As the Voltrons' legend grew, peace settled across the galaxies. On Planet Earth, a Galaxy Alliance had been formed. Together with the good planets of our Solar System, they maintained peace throughout the known Universe until a new, horrible set of menaces threatened the galaxies. The Voltrons are needed to save innocent worlds of the galaxies once more. This is the story of the super force of space explorers. Specially trained, entrusted and sent by the Alliance with the ancient secrets of how to assemble and bring back, Vehicle Voltron: Defender of the Near Universe (Milky Way Galaxy).
Act I
2) We open on scenes of the Vehicle Voltron Force before they even applied to the Galaxy Alliance Academy. Cinda and Krik watch out for each other as childhood friends growing up on the strife-laden planet Dulcinea. Marvin cheers on his friend Hutch at the 2976 Olympics in weightlifting while Lisa swims her way to a victory. Young little Tangor entertains friends and family at a birthday party on planet Galileo by playing a virtuoso lounge piano repertoire. And Cliff was a professional racing driver racing his way to the winner's circle in Australian championship touring car races until he builds and launches an unsafe rocket which crashes outside the University he is studying at. A young James Hawkins comforts Cliff and invites him to join the Alliance.
3) At the Galaxy Alliance Fleet Headquarters in Tokyo Bay, Jeff and Chip are saying goodbye to their families as they prepare to board the docked heavy exploration and battle cruiser the Explorer/Rugger Guard. Hurrying aboard, Jeff hurries to meet with his old classmates Krik and Cliff who are now his shipmates and partners as they meet with their Commanding Officer, Captain Newley; and Executive Officer, Commander Hawkins. From the nearby docks, well-wishers and family members give the Explorer a well-deserved sendoff on its mission to chart the Milky Way Galaxy's unknown sectors and to find new planets to colonize and or terraform to solve problems of overpopulation and resource scarcity. As he does so, Jeff cannot help but think of his older sister.
4) It is the year 2981, and the Explorer lifts off out of the waters of Tokyo Bay and rises into the sky to meet up with a required fleet of support ships for both fuel, food, water, waste management, munitions and even their escorts of offense and defense. Captain Newley comes to the Crew Lounge before his science officer Professor Page arrives to hand out assignments. It will be some time between going to hyperskip upon exiting the Solar System and exiting hyperskip in their first potential port of call - the Likon system. While they wait, the Captain chooses to pass the time by telling the crew the story from his childhood of Vehicle Voltron, and his hopes of maybe recovering it to protect the Alliance. Cliff and Krik can tell their is tension between Newley and Jeff.
5) Professor Page then hands out assignments courtesy of both Newley and Hawkins. Jeff Aki Manabu #1 is assigned to lead the AiStrato Fighters Team with Rockford "Rocky" Kai Shinobu #2, Shota Wolo "Wolo" Kreutz #3, young Chipley Yasuo Mutsu "Chip" Stoker #4 and Patricia Ginger "Ginger" Ellington #5. Krik Miranda Keats #6 takes charge of the Sea/Aqua Fighters Team with Lisa Haruka Kaga #7, Saluta Tangor "Tangor" Katz #8, one Shannon Tatsuo Izumo Cochrane #9 and Zandee Barros Carateja #10. Finally, Walter Clifford "Cliff" Jack #11 is given command of the Land/Turbo Terrain Fighters Team with Cinda Moya Qiligasz #12, Modok Mack Chucker #13, Marvin Tasuku Izu #14 and his best friend Kazuto Hutch "Hutch" Nagato #15 rounding the teams all out.
6) The Explorer and her fleet soon arrive in the Likon system, when they sight an imposing-looking starship orbiting the planet. Curious as to its intentions, Newley and Hawkins attempt to open a channel to hail the vessel and make contact. The ship turns to face the fleet and gives an identification as the Skull Ship cruiser (space battleship that can carry Stinger fighters) of Fleet Commander Zabar Gramont who then declares the Explorer and its fleet intruders in the territorial annex of the Drule Empire. The Skull Ship opens fire on the Explorer, forcing down towards the hostile surface of Likon. Jeff, Krik and Cliff help crew and passengers brace for impact as Hawkins and Newley fight to regain flight control near where Janet had been reported missing.
Act II
7) Zabar reports the intruders and actions taken against them to his first superior, Chief Commander Hazar Dorita Teles of the Galvestonian Drules back on the planet of Galveston - which has been christened the Drule Homeworld by its first emperor, Drule I. Hazar arrives at the palace of the current Emperor, Zeppo Corsair, and delivers his report to the Emperor's Viceroy, Throk Al Caponero. From a first glance, it is clear that Throk and Hazar are not the best of friends nor do they seem to get along for the sake of the Empire. Zeppo is definitely concerned about the Alliance-launched space expedition, but he wants Hazar to use what he deems necessary to remove the Explorer quickly but quietly. Some of the rank and file share a look of concern with fellow Hazar.
8) Having managed to safely land the Explorer in a lagoon near a beach, Hawkins and Newley address the crew as they set up camp for the night. Noticing the lowered moods of the crew, Tangor decides to break out his lounge keyboard and play some acoustic lounge tunes to keep the atmosphere high and hopes up. Noticing a strange figure carved in the stones of a cliff near their camp site; Jeff, Cliff and Krik scurry over to check it out. Bringing Newley, Hawkins and Page over to analyze it, Newley is ecstatic that they may actually have found the resting place of the fifteen fighters that form the Vehicle Voltron (known in the ancient texts as Dairugger XV). Hawkins is skeptical, but is willing to organize search parties to determine if it will turn out to indeed be true.
9) A very conflicted Hazar leaves the Imperial Palace for his Skull Ship as one of his Centurions walks alongside him. Unlike the top brass who see the Drule Military as mere numbers to send against their enemies, Hazar has made it a point to know every one of his officers and soldiers' own individual names by heart and on sight. He confers his feelings about the top brass to the Centurion, as they walk back to the dry dock where the Skull Ship is parked. The Centurion worries that they may have awoken and provoked an innocent creature, namely the Galaxy Alliance, into becoming a greater threat than any they have ever faced. Hazar, surprisingly, shares the sentiment as he walks in step with the Centurion. They should have tried negotiating to be left in peace.
10) Back on Likon, the Air Team is to conduct a wingsuit search of the skies to find the cliff that the five buried fighters of Strato Fighter will be found. Wolo and Rocky take time to analyze the air and humidity ratio for the climatology results until Chip reports that the cliff that the five Strato Fighter ships are buried in has just been sighted. Jeff unearths the Command Jet Explorer as #1, Rocky locates the Strato Weapons Module to deem it #2, Wolo finds the red Advanced Recon Helicopter making it #3, Chip comes up to the blue Advanced Recon Helicopter for #4, and Ginger takes the Falcon Jet Fighter as #5 returning to the skies. Powering them up, they fly their fighters back and form Strato Fighter for Captain Newley, Professor Page and Commander Hawkins.
11) In the meantime, Zabar is plotting with a cabal of his own officers to eliminate or at least humiliate Hazar enough so that he himself will become Chief Commander of the Galvestonian Drules instead and maybe even ingratiate himself to Throk and Zeppo. But first, he will have to find a way to draw the Explorer and her support fleet into a trap and destroy them. Zabar locates his opportunity on the habitable garden world of Galateia - if he were to destroy its capital city and the humanoid Galateians' leadership, he could exploit the planet's vast resources for his own as carve out a seat of power there. He orders his Skull Ship and support fleet to lay in a course for the nearest Earth colony planet near the system of Likon as a distraction from the Galateia assault.
Act III
12) Since Lisa and Shannon are the best Terrans in experience with water-based situations, they are the main advisors to Krik as they soon conduct a scuba diving sweep of the water for the sunken fighters that will form the Aqua Fighter. They soon find them and begin preparing to board a fighter to claim as their very own. Krik names the Communications Module #6, Lisa manages to access the red Space Prober to become #7, Tangor stakes his claim on the blue Space Prober for #8, Shannon claims dibs on the blue and red Multi-Wheeled Explorer as #9, and Zandee finishes it with the blue and yellow Multi-Wheeled Explorer as #10. They power their ships up and fly back to the Explorer as the Aqua Fighter whilst at the same time impressing Air Team.
13) En route through hyperskip towards the Alliance world of Galileo, Zabar stands above the hangar of his Skull Ship to address his mass of Centurion soldiers and Stinger fighter pilots. He declares that they will all have the support of thirteen Robeasts to help devastate the Alliance defense forces to draw their attention from their real target in the Galateia system. The thirteen Robeasts platoon consist of Crush Crab, Titanic Tick, Dragonoid, Neo Crush Crab, Antropoda, Cannon Mantis, Cyan Commando, Necro-Thresher, Cyberbug, Spy Crawler, Electrobeast, Mutant Sphere, and the Dread Sinistar piloted by Zabar himself. The laser tanks and Stinger fighters will follow Robeasts in to attack the outer defense posts of Galileo as merely the distractions.
14) It will be a very tough hike as the Land Team sets off for the canyon where the caved in fighters that will combine into the Turbo Terrain Fighter. When it seems as though Hutch cannot carry on, it is in fact Marvin who carries him over his shoulder to keep moving to survive the desert. Modok soon sights the canyon and they make a run for the five Turbo Terrain Fighter component ships. Cliff takes the Jet Radar Station as #11, the black and yellow Rotating Personnel Carrier is nabbed by Cinda for #12, Modok calls dibs on the black and red Armored Equipment Carrier as #13, the yellow All-Terrain Space Vehicle is made #14 by Marvin, and Hutch finishes it with #15 being the black All-Terrain Space Vehicle to take off and make the Turbo Terrain Fighter.
15) Zabar and his Robeasts are already leading squadrons of Stinger fighters on attack runs against the Galaxy Alliance's outer defense posts in the orbit of planet Galileo. The Alliance scrambles every fighter and or capital ship they can to destroy the Stingers and laser tank transports before they can reach the surface of Galileo, and they succeed, but are all cut to pieces by the Robeasts before Zabar orders a retreat and to set a course for the Dulcinea system. The Alliance Planetary Governor overseeing Galileo relays word to the Dulcinea and Earth systems of this attack, and request that aid be sent from the Explorer and her fleet. Hawkins and Newley both receive the distress calls as their three teams return in triumph with Strato, Aqua and Turbo Terrain Fighters.
16) The AiStrato, Sea/Aqua and Land/Turbo Terrain Teams hurry to the bridge of the Explorer to await all the news. Essential repairs made to the Explorer have been completed and they are able to get airborne again, but they have just received distress calls from Wolo's and Tangor's planet Galileo, and both Krik and Cinda's planet of Dulcinea; both of them major member worlds of the Galaxy Alliance's Milky Way Jurisdiction. Modok is now curious as to why the Drules are making passes at well-armed Alliance worlds, but Zandee is correct in a well-educated guess that this is just a test of their strength so to distract from a real target. Doctor Page asks Chip to help him pinpoint habitable planets near the Likon system as they scan nearby planets with atmospheres.
Act IV
17) They detect the habitable and inhabited world of Galateia just one hyperskip jump away from their current location, and it is certainly not under Drule control. Ginger tells Jeff and Captain Newley they will have to move if they are to have any chance of driving the Drules from this part of space, but Commander Hawkins does not want to get all hasty. He wonders if he could maybe contact like-minded Drules on the other side and maybe work out a deal for peace. In response, Ginger points out the complete destruction of the defense outposts surrounding the Dulcinea and Galileo systems that the Drule forces have wrought - they have the Drules' words and actions to go on for the prospect of war. They feel the duty to protect every people possible.
18) Hawkins make another pass to try and make peace with the Drules as he sends via subspace a hyperskip communique to Zabar and his forces. If Zabar and his forces were to stop their needless and fruitless attacks on the Galaxy Alliance and its worlds, both the Empire and the Alliance may be able to formulate a mutually beneficial peace treaty and armistice. Zabar is incensed by the audacity of this infidel human trying to make peace with him, and he responds by sending a video message of Emperor Zeppo via hyperskip communique to the Explorer. As long as there are just 1% chances that any civilization could rise up against and threaten their vast empire, the Drules must take it as the absolute certainties to wipe them out so the empire is safe.
19) This gesture finally puts Hawkins' hopes for peace with the Drules on the back burner for now as he defers to his commanding officer Newley. Jeff, Krik and Cliff report that all fifteen of their three five-member five-ship teams are ready to go. With the Strato, Aqua and Turbo Terrain Fighters capable of splitting and recombining into the Vehicle Voltron, the legend that Newley was told once as a bedtime story may finally be coming true at long last - and there may yet be a chance to bring peace to the galaxies by Voltron. Newley and Hawkins order a course laid in for the Galateia system and that all teams - Air, Land and Sea - scramble to their fighters and prepare for battle with the Drule attack forces. The hangar deck teams are assisted in this by their pilots.
20) Skull Ships and support craft of Zabar's fleet are led by the Robeasts as they close on the Galateia system. Hazar is aboard one of the Skull Ships trailing behind Zabar's to monitor his underling's progress. The thirteen Robeasts then fire salvos of laser fire towards the outer defenses of the planet. As their planet is starting to be rocked by the Drules' attack on their mostly peaceful world, the people of Galateia appeal to their Chieftain to send out a distress signal - for their defenses are adequate for taking down Drule starships such as the Stinger fighters and support craft, but not so many and not against the Robeasts. With that, the Galateian Chieftain decides to call forth the aid of any nearby ships. Galateians rush to find cover from the attacking Drule forces.
21) Reception of the Galateians' distress signal reaches the Explorer and Captain Newley who has good news for the Chieftain. He and his crew have with them the force that can beat back this assault - Dairugger XV (Fifteen), also known as Vehicle Voltron. Aid for the people of Galateia is on the way as of that moment. The Explorer and her vast support fleet prepare to exit hyperskip upon entry to the Galateia system, and the Vehicle Voltron Force rushes via people moving chair conveyor systems to their docked vehicle fighters. Launching out from the triple hangar bay of the Explorer, the fifteen vehicle fighters of the Vehicle Voltron Force begin their planetary entry to assess what Zabar's attack plan is and feeding targeting data to the Explorer's main guns.
Act V
22) Ginger, Lisa and Cinda soon pinpoint the Robeasts' intended target - the capital city of Galateia, its ground perimeter and its sea-based defenses. They will have to hurry in order to stop Zabar and his attack. Jeff and the Air Team bring their fighters together to form the Strato Fighter, Krik and the Sea Team combine their fighters to form the Aqua Fighter, and finally Cliff and the Land Team unite their fighters to form the Turbo Terrain Fighter. Strato Fighter scours the air to find a way through the Robeasts' air blockade as Wolo and Chip start performing calculations and continue feeding targeting data. Turbo Terrain Fighter zooms across the ground to bolster turrets, and Aqua Fighter goes on silent running to lure the air superiority Robeasts into the open.
23) Jeff and his Air Team move in to take on Crush Crab and Titanic Tick. Krik and his Sea Team begin their attack runs on Dragonoid and Neo Crush Crab. Antropoda and Cannon Mantis soon find their mandibles full of fire from Cliff and his Land Team. They all make short work of the monsters. Seven Robeasts which include Zabar's remain, but laser and missile blasts from the Strato, Aqua and Turbo Terrain fighters cannot making a dent in their armor. This is the signal Jeff, Krik and Cliff take so to call for forming Voltron. Activating interlocks, connecting their dynotherms, bringing up their infracells, and setting their mega-thrusters to go; the Vehicle Voltron Force is go to form and battle. A heavenly chorus sounds through the energy (with the Voltron theme).
24) With that signal, the AiStrato, Sea/Aqua and Land/Turbo Terrain teams begin to form Vehicle Voltron for the first time in millennia. Strato Fighter splits to form the Head #1 (Jeff), Upper Torso #2 (Rocky), Right Upper Arm #3 (Wolo), Left Upper Arm #4 (Chip) and Chest Plate #5 (Ginger). Aqua Fighter splits to form the Torso Midriff #6 (Krik), Left Thigh #7 (Lisa), Right Thigh #8 (Tangor), Right Shin #9 (Shannon) and the Left Shin #10 (Zandee). Finally, the Turbo Terrain Fighter splits to form the Lower Torso/Hips #11 (Cliff), Right Forearm #12 (Cinda), Left Forearm #13 (Modok), Right Foot #14 (Marvin) and Left Foot #15 (Hutch). The team cheers as the remaining Robeasts shudder and gasp with fright upon seeing Vehicle Voltron: Defender of the Near Universe.
25) Vehicle Voltron then joins the big battle for Galateia. Cyan Commando, Necro-Thresher, Cyberbug, Spy Crawler, Electrobeast and Mutant Sphere are cut down in that exact order by the Solar Combat Spears, Energy Beam Whip, Eye and Wing Beams, Solar Wind Blast and finally the Spinning Laser Blades. With only the Dread Sinistar being piloted by Zabar left to contend with, the time has come to turn the Spinning Laser Blades into the long-awaited Blazing Sword. Jeff gives the order to charge as Voltron surges forward sword first and makes a powerful slash right through Zabar. Voltron then pumps its fists as Zabar and his Robeast explode off in the distance behind them. With Zabar soundly defeated with shouting curses, Hazar reluctantly orders a retreat.
26) When the signal is given to be clear, the Alliance exploration fleet is given some coordinates to touch down from both Vehicle Voltron Force and the people below. The grateful people of Galateia rally around the Galaxy Alliance Starship Explorer and her support ships to thank the Vehicle Voltron Force for saving their planet. Jeff, Krik and Cliff thank each and every member of their team as they engage in a sharing culture and history with the Galateians meeting with them. The Galaxy Alliance has a new member world as all fifteen members of the Vehicle Voltron Force and its three teams of five people - AiStrato, Sea/Aqua and Land/Turbo Terrain - raise their right hands and jump for joy alongside Vehicle Voltron doing likewise as the camera freezes mid-jump.
Epilogue (Preview Summary for Vehicle Voltron II: The Fall of Hazar)
27) And with the defeat of Commander Zabar; the names of Voltron, Vehicle Voltron and Earth would once again strike fear in the hearts of the Drule Empire and its Milky Way Galaxy vassals the Galvestonians. Even so, Hazar and friend Captain Mongo Drake carry the grim knowledge of the Drule Homeworld -their Planet Galveston - to be doomed to destroy itself by mysterious circumstances within one to three Earth years. Seeing how valiantly the Vehicle Voltron Force fought to protect innocents, this sparks something in Hazar that he will only tell his sister Dorma Sirk and father Mozak Socrat Teles. As Hazar and Commander Hawkins attempt to seek a peace, Throk and Zeppo plot to threaten Hazar's family which is only foiled by a renegade Drule Skull Ship rescuing P.O.W.s...

Assuming I could ever make direct contact with Grant, it would go something like this:
5/28/24
Grant,
I must be terse, when it is my forte to be expansive. Your time is very valuable, but I am hoping to draw your attention to a very curious scenario. That scenario is someone writing you and saying something like … by the way, if you want to defeat Einstein’s main tenet concerning Relative Rest, then, simply take onboard his RR frame, a two-sided luminosity gauge. The differential output would easily overthrow the idea that the distinctly different-in-time flashes of radiation the onboard observer experiences demands that the observer interpret said flashes to occur non-simultaneously, all by dent of a postulate that requires the light to travel the equal lengths of each half of the frame at the same rate. What I’m saying is the luminosity gauge will reveal what the postulate over-rides in theory, but in practice cannot…of course, the elephant in the room is the idea that in Einstein’s construct of non-simultaneity, the experienced intensities are equal – simply occurring at different time; the inverse-square law says you will get two distinct flashes that are un-equal in intensity… and you becoming intrigued enough the see if you can accept that writer’s reasoning.
And the writer’s basic idea coheres thusly; the hole in Einstein’s tenet is that it fails to recognize that the flashes have a unique origin in space, and that unique space-point has nothing to do with scorch marks on the edge of the frame - the inverse-square law will out. KEY: both the frame and the radiation move away from that space-point on independent vectors. Yes, the observer experiences the leading-edge flash first, but it is brighter – after all, the observer is closer due motion to the space-point that hosted the flash. The leading edge is well past that space-point – but the inverse-square law is not lost. To wit: the observer (and frame) is vectoring away from the space-point that hosted the flash from the trailing-edge of the frame. It will be experienced at a later time than the first flash, but it will be dimmer. The inverse-square law demands it. And forget the wave function – this is about the intensity of energy in one square centimeter experienced at the gauge’s sensor. The un-equal readings indicate the inherent motion of the frame. And using those readings, the onboard observer could calculate where on the frame’s track through simple space an equal reading might be experienced. And that point would be several steps away from the center of the frame - towards the trailing edge.
Yes, in the wild, the observer would have no way to know that the flashes were of equal intensity, but in the classic scenario before us, equal intensity is a given. And in that classic scenario, we say, the inverse-square law is ignored at the postulate’s peril. (seeYouTube::@michelsonserror-slg – esp. chap 3, minutes 20-33)
Just guessing, we might say that 99% of the space out there is unadulterated by any sort of gravity well, and for every unique space-point therein, radiation is moving away from it at c – if pulses are diametrically opposed, then they separate at 2 light-seconds per second. And thusly, for that 99%, the inverse-square law disseminates radiant energy without deference to any given patch-work of time-keeping.
So there it is, Grant. I don’t think anyone has proposed that a two-sided luminosity gauge would thwart/defying Einstein’s edict that no test within an inertially balanced frame can ever reveal the frames {uniform} motion. But if one takes unique space-points to be the roots that certify the inverse-square-law, then one can see how a two-sided luminosity gauge would reveal what a postulate can’t hide.
I am merely trying to circulate what a long assay on these matters seems to reveal. The fractures I see in Einstein’s model come at the end of a survey that actually features A.A. Michelson, his 1887 interferometer, and a conditional he failed to recognize. I would love to see what your energetic acolytes might make of the case. Perhaps it is too big of an ask, but you are among the first few that might consider what a two-sided luminosity gauge should do to Einstein’s RR frame. I can say, all reduced, I make a rather simple case - whether or not it can be seen to map onto reality is the question.
The Fundamental Assay which explores this case more fully can be found at www.michelsonserror.info.
Also, www.2cspacetime.info and YouTube, the extemporaneous lectures, @michelsonserror-slg
Yours
Steven Louis Grillo
slgrillo@gt.rr.com

Beating earnings doesn’t have the same weight that it used to. Increasing company earnings over time was often seen as a great sign for future company growth. Beating analyst forecasts meant that the company was doing better than expected.
This is still the case, of course, but in the current market dynamic, analysts are looking at more metrics than just earnings.
Take Salesforce, which topped first-quarter earnings expectations. A 44% increase in EPS of $2.44 from the year prior should be an amazing sign of growth; however, the rest of the reported metrics tell us a different story.
Even with such a strong increase in earnings, Salesforce tanked 16% in Wednesday’s after-hours trading. They had a revenue miss that was well below expectations. Sales growth has also slowed despite an acquisition spree that included the likes of Slack Technologies and Mulesoft.
Still, revenue climbed by over 11% for the year to $9.13 billion. Should Salesforce really be punished for this revenue miss?
Salesforce BIG Revenue Miss
There is no way to sugarcoat it, but the answer is yes. Revenue did grow but not by enough, and as we know, in 2024, the market is brutal. Your company needs to be at its A-game, from all aspects and metrics, in order for the market to accept it.
Even with the company's earnings and revenue increasing, analysts believe that Salesforce has a weak growth outlook. Software stocks are struggling; in particular, software application companies have seen a weakened buying environment with tougher spending conditions and disruptions from go-to-market changes. Software, in general, is experiencing a downtrend.
So, can this slowdown really be blamed on Salesforce if the entire industry is facing this problem?
The Overall Software Industry
Something to consider is that it's not unusual to see some revenue softness in Q1 for software companies as they make their organizational changes within the company in order to stimulate growth through the remainder of the year. For Salesforce, this could be just a standard reshuffling that is not indicative of a larger problem that could affect multiple quarters.
This conclusion could make any financial detective proud; however, there is one important metric that doesn’t line up with this story.
CRPO
A key financial metric that software companies like to use is known as CRPO bookings or current remaining performance obligations. This metric refers to an aggregate measure of all the deferred revenue and order backlog. Essentially, this calculates the portion of the remaining revenue that they plan to receive in the next 12 months.
Salesforce has beaten CRPO forecasts for the previous five quarters; however, in Q1 of this year, Salesforce missed by 1.5% to 2%. CRPO only rose 10% to $26.4 billion vs analysts expectations for 11.9% growth. All of the momentum seen in Q4 of last year has since moderated as the company faces elongated deal cycles, tougher buying conditions, and high levels of budget scrutiny from buyers.
This metric paints a picture that this revenue miss and sales slowdown may not just be a reorganizational outcome but something deeper.
Source of this data was from here

I got a notice for not filing the 2020 taxes last week and now am ready to filed via paper return.
Should I pay the amount I calculated or this plus 25%? This amount will use up all my free cash. If I can defer the penalty without more penalty, that gives me 2-3 more paychecks to steady the ship before the IRS gives me a firm number.
Can I pay electronically and paper file (the document says to mail)?
If I mail a check do I have to use the 1040-V? The notice had no mention of this.

I know Net Worth isn't everything, but when people do calculate it, do you include DB Pensions if you have one? It's not something I've ever known about - my pensions have always been DC. But now we've started looking into our finances more, I've discovered my wife has a previous DB pension (her annual statement says she has a deferred benefit of 4k p/a), and as she works for the Civil Service, her current pension is also DB. But we have no idea how to calculate this into future income calculations.

ZS reported a robust Q3 2024 with a 32% revenue growth to $553.2M and a significant turnaround to a GAAP net income of $19.1M from a prior loss, surpassing analyst expectations.

Key Metrics

Revenue	$553.2M	32%
Gross Profit	$434.87M
	Operating Expenses	$437.883M
	Net Income	$19.124M
Earnings Per Share	$0.12
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$2240M

Business Highlights

• Revenue grows 32% year-over-year to $553.2 million
• Calculated billings grows 30% year-over-year to $628.0 million
• Deferred revenue grows 34% year-over-year to $1,577.0 million
• GAAP net income of $19.1 million compared to GAAP net loss of $46.0 million on a year-over-year basis
• Non-GAAP net income of $139.8 million compared to non-GAAP net income of $74.6 million on a year-over-year basis
• In March 2024, acquired Avalor Technologies to advance artificial intelligence (AI) innovations.
• In April 2024, acquired Airgap Networks to extend Zscaler's Zero Trust SASE leadership.
• Announced adding ZDX Copilot, Hosted Monitoring, and Data Explorer to the Zscaler Digital Experience™ (ZDX™) service.
• Named a Leader in the first-ever Forrester Wave™ Security Service Edge Solutions report for Q1 2024.
• Recognized as a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Security Service Edge (SSE) for the third year in a row.

Guidance: Increased

• Revenue (full year): $2140 - 2142M
• Revenue (next period): $565 - 567M
• Earnings Per Share (full year): $2.99 - 3.01
• Earnings Per Share (next period): $0.69 - 0.70

Expectations: BEAT
ZS exceeded analysts' average revenue estimate of $535.91M by posting $553.2M, and surpassed the EPS estimate of $0.65 with an actual of $0.69-$0.70 for the next period. Yearly guidance was also raised, indicating strong future performance.

My wife and I have a combined SS income projection of over $72,000/year when I reach 70 years old (I am 62 right now and plan to work until 68-70). Using the 4% rule, this would equate to over $1.8 million in assets at that time.
I current have about $1million equity in my home and am deferring and saving to the max to catch up on tax advantaged and taxable accounts (currently at about $325k total) currently 100% equity index invested in the tax advantaged accounts.
Another 6 years at this rate makes the projections look pretty good, but the equivalent of $1.8 million in assets related to Social Security is critical to my projected success likelihood.
It is what it is, and I am at where I'm at, but what say all of you? Does house and Social Security figure into you plans?
Edit to add and clarify:
The calculation of SS “value” is not to consider it an asset, but rather in terms of: “People shoot for nice round numbers like I need 3mil or 2.5mil to retire.”
I'm like how can I ever retire unless I have 2 million banked? It makes it a much different question if I consider I've already got some "equivalent" cash flow. The income stream provided by SS will be the equivalent of 1.8mil to start. Not that it’s part of my net worth that can be passed down to children. The suggestion by one to value at the cost of an annuity paying $72k/year is a great way to think if there are COLA annuities.
A 62 and playing catch up, I am in cash flow analysis mode. If I want $10k per month or $12.5k, SS has to factor in for me.
The home equity also should be considered for me. No, I can't get a HELOC at 90, but I can get a reverse mortgage. And to answer one question below, I for one think reverse mortgages are a valid, viable option. So equity for cash out or downsize is included for me.
For me, if I don’t include SS and home value, I’ll be projecting life below the poverty line.
Posters on this forum are nearly all people who are in or will be on the top 5%. We should be aware there are many who worry about how to make ends meet.

I'm writing a deferred exam in the fall and was wondering if it would be included in the GPA calculation.

Hello all, this is mostly a financial/investment inquiry although I should note there is the ‘possibility’ at least that I could look at a divorce in a year or 2. I would really appreciate some guidance. I recently inherited $400K from an Aunt who passed, and I am checking my thinking on how to break it out. The first part of this I think is somewhat sound - in that I want to do this for each of my children (2 of them):
-15K for each of them in a HYSA I can get locally at 5%.
15K for each of them in their college accounts. (We are catching up their with contributions as they both only have about 8,000 there and are 5-7 years out from college).

• I am inclined to put $70K in a CD at the same local bank (Sorry I like a brick&mortar institution and the rate is good on a 6-mo CD at 5.25% – and I can roll it over.)

- - - - -
So that leaves about $300K and I am pondering my options for this part. This is what I have come up with:
1) Invest most/all it in Index funds at Fidelity where I already have my 403b set up. I would just break it up amongst 4 or 5 funds, as I am generally aware of the best performers in the different categories, i.e. FSELX (semiconductors/electrical components), FDSVX (large cap growth), FXAIX (S&P 500),etc…
Or just throw into 3 or 4 of the big index funds, eg VOO, QQQ, or SPYDR and just set it and forget it for a while. We may need to access some of it at some point – but it might just be accumulating for 3-5 years.
*If anyone has a specific fund breakout recommendation - would appreciate your strategy there.
I also have a smaller brokerage account at Schwab if you think I should keep the new account there instead of Fidelity where I have my 403B (but my wife and FA would be suspicious). Leading into my 2<sup>nd</sup> option:
2) Pay off rest of mortgage. I refinanced to a 3.25 rate five years ago. We have about $250K to go on a 30-year fixed. Equity in the house is about $350K with it being worth like 600K. So if I pay it off, in any potential divorce – one of the parties would have to buy the other one out. I’m thinking my wife might buy me out (and I would prefer to keep the kids primarily in home they grew up in), so maybe about 300K would come my way in a buyout in divorce, if I am calculating that correctly. I would plan on renting/buying locally so I could be close to my kids if we split parental rights. Could paying off the mortgage also be a good idea? That of course would suck up the bulk of the current inheritance.
Some other figures if needed: I have 300k in my 403B, my wife will have a pension so she would be all set. Will both retire in about 10-15 years. We have minimal debt and about $30K in savings.
I have another $270K in investments that a relative/FA has managed. He has done a subpar job and the account has only grown about 2% over 3 years - so he is not managing any of this new $$.
I have another $200K in a stretch annuity. Both the current investment account and the stretch annuity are the result of inheritances from my Father’s estate – and I have it at least “on record” in note-to-files that they are funded solely by inheritance on my side. I am the Primary/only account holder on each…but I live in basically a 50/50 state. Although my wife should get some of it of course in a divorce, I think 50/50 is somewhat unfair - seeing that it all comes from my side and I am the primary account holder. I guess I would have a lawyer fight for this a bit - but I will ultimately be fair about it.
So with all of these factors in mind - I would appreciate your best assessment and advice on how I might proceed. Also, please comment with any strategy I may have not considered. I will be on here intermittently the next 2 days but will take all of the advice under advisement and also respond to any ??’s as much as I can. I greatly appreciate it, thanks!

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Hello all,
Seeking help on a decision regarding a Defined Benefit Pension Plan. I left my previous employer last year, and have received a termination benefit package. I must decide whether to stay in the Pension Plan or transfer out the Commuted Value.
I am 34 years old and was employed with them for 14 years. The calculated accumulated pension at age 65 would be $668 per month and it would be for my lifetime. This value is based on a number of assumptions. Thus, the retirement income provided by the value of the pension provided in the statement may either be greater or less than the pension payments that I would have received from the pension plan.
The CV is $23,620. Based on the actuarial valuation as of 3 years ago, the degree of solvency of the plan was calculated as 1.16.
Some assumptions for the pension value calculation by the plan administrator as at Dec 31, 2023:
Interest - 5.30% per year for the 10 years following the calculation date, 5.10% per year thereafter
Indexation - 0.00% per year for the 31 years following the calculation date, 0.29% per year thereafter
Am I better off staying in the plan, or should I transfer out the CV into a LIRA, LIF, or annuity? What would you do in this scenario?
I’m not sure what to do, or how to make this decision. I am aware that with the current high interest rate environment, the CV is likely lower than it would’ve been a few years ago when rates were low. Would it makes sense to wait a few years for potential improvement in rates, before taking the CV then? Or should I take the CV now? I feel like I could potentially do better by investing the CV into a low cost index fund like XEQT, VGRO, etc. Should I keep the Pension Plan? What are you thoughts?

There is a somewhat common occurrence on this sub and many like it, that young people feel like it is not worth investing because they only have a limited amount of capital they can invest every month. This Post aims to encourage young people to start investing early.
There is a saying "Time is Money". This Post aims to quantitively showcase how having time on your side is an invaluable asset. This is because of the compounding.
The math that is about to be done uses the Average Annual S&P 500 Growth Rate of 10.26%. All calculations are based on Future Value of an Annuity Due
Without waffling any further, let's tabulate the returns after 40 years based on different fixed monthly installments, in a fund that accurately tracks the S&P 500;

Fixed Monthly Payment	40 Year Estimated Return
50	342,306.60
100	684,613.19
150	1,026,919.79
200	1,369,226.39
250	1,711,532.98
300	2,053,839.58
350	2,396,146.18
400	2,738,452.77
450	3,080,759.37
500	3,423,065.97

This shows how powerful compounding is. What has not been shown however is the importance of starting early.
Let's say that hypothetically you only had 20 years instead of 40 to get the returns required. How would your monthly payments need to change to match the 40-year returns?

Fixed Monthly Payment over 40 Years	Equivalent Return	Fixed Monthly Payment over 20 Years
50	342,306.60	435.79
100	684,613.19	871.59
150	1,026,919.79	1,307.38
200	1,369,226.39	1,743.17
250	1,711,532.98	2,178.96
300	2,053,839.58	2,614.76
350	2,396,146.18	3,050.55
400	2,738,452.77	3,486.34
450	3,080,759.37	3,922.14
500	3,423,065.97	4,364.05

If you have time on your side, invest now. Even if the amount you can invest seems insignificant. Compounding is an asset that is worth more than what we tend to believe.