arduinna | Network

Posted by Lana DeGaetano

https://cheezburger.com/42428933/chores-are-valuable-but-they-dont-build-equity-man-refuses-to-give-live-in-girlfriend-50-equity-on

Everyone, at some point, gets to the point in their romantic relationships where they must figure out how to divvy up finances. Splitting costs down the middle often doesn't make sense because one person in the relationship might make only half of what their partner makes. This is the common debate of equal versus equitable. The man in this next story explains that his girlfriend refuses to put any money toward their prospective home's mortgage because she believes doing a little more than half of the household chores suffices, but still demands 50% equity on the home if they go through with a sale. Sometimes, people are fiscally incompatible… This is one of those cases.

The man insists that he makes much more than his girlfriend, but he would still prefer she contribute money toward the home if she expects 50% of it in her name. He attempts to compromise with several ideas to no avail, including doing 100% of the household chores while she does none, to no avail.

An impasse is present, and the couple is unlikely to make it out of this disagreement unscathed. Money problems have a real strain on relationships, and let's face it: Nobody wants to couple up with a mooch.

https://cheezburger.com/42428933/chores-are-valuable-but-they-dont-build-equity-man-refuses-to-give-live-in-girlfriend-50-equity-on

eff_feed

Posted by Karen Gullo

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/09/mexican-allies-raise-alarms-about-new-mass-surveillance-laws-call-international

The Mexican government passed a package of outrageously privacy-invasive laws in July that gives both civil and military law enforcement forces access to troves of personal data and forces every individual to turn over biometric information regardless of any suspicion of crime.

The laws create a new interconnected intelligence system dubbed the Central Intelligence Platform, under which intelligence and security agencies at all levels of government—federal, state and municipal—have the power to access, from any entity public or private, personal information for “intelligence purposes,” including license plate numbers, biometric information, telephone details that allow the identification of individuals, financial, banking, and health records, public and private property records, tax data, and more.

You read that right. Banks’ customer information databases? Straight into the platform. Hospital patient records? Same thing.

The laws were ostensively passed in the name of gathering intelligence to fight high-impact crime. Civil society organizations, including our partners RD3 and Article 19 Mexico, have raised alarms about the bills—as R3D put it, these new laws establish an uncontrolled system of surveillance and social control that goes against privacy and free expression rights and the presumption of innocence.

In a concept note made public recently, RD3 breaks down exactly how bad the bills are. The General Population Act forces every person in Mexico to enroll in a mandatory biometric ID system with fingerprints and a photo. Under the law, public and private entities are required to ask for the ID for any transaction or access to services, such as banking, healthcare, education, and access to social programs. All data generated through the ID mandate will feed into a new Unique Identity Platform under the Disappeared Persons Act.

The use of biometric IDs creates a system for tracking activities of the population—also accessible through the Central Intelligence Platform.

The Telecommunications Act requires telecom companies to create a registry that connects people’s phone numbers with their biometric ID held by the government and cut services off to customers who won’t go along with the practice.

It gets worse.

The Intelligence Act explicitly guarantees the armed forces, through the National Guard, legal access to the Central Intelligence Platform, which enables real-time consultation of interconnected databases across sectors.

Companies, both domestic and international, must either interconnect their databases or hand over information on request. Mexican authorities can share that information even with foreign governments. It also exempts judicial authorization requirements for certain types of surveillance and classifies the entire system as confidential, with criminal penalties for disclosure. All of this is allowed without any suspicion of a crime or prior judicial approval.

We urge everyone to pay close attention to and support efforts to hold the Mexican government accountable for this egregious surveillance system. RD3 challenged the laws in court and international support is critical to raise awareness and push back. As R3D put it, "collaboration is vital for the defense of human rights," especially in the face of uncontrolled powers set by disproportionate laws.

We couldn’t agree more and stand with our Mexican allies.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/09/mexican-allies-raise-alarms-about-new-mass-surveillance-laws-call-international

smbc_comics_feed

Posted by Zach Weinersmith

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/o-monks

Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
I believe Buddhists aren't allowed to get mad about this misrepresentation, because that'd be a form of attachment.

Today's News:

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/o-monks

goodstuffhappenedtod_feed

https://goodstuffhappenedtoday.tumblr.com/post/794945835707318272

muntzerism-diggerism:

blignick:

https://goodstuffhappenedtoday.tumblr.com/post/794945835707318272

pr_blog_feed

Posted by Enpunkt

http://perry-rhodan.blogspot.com/2025/09/zielstern-anklam.html

Warum aus der Hansestadt Anklam eine blaue Sonne wurde, kann ich leider nicht sagen – die Vergabe dieses Namens fand lange vor meiner Zeit bei PERRY RHODAN statt. Die Hansestadt gab auf diesem Weg einem PERRY RHODAN-Roman den Titel »Zielstern Anklam«, der im Januar 1986 veröffentlicht wurde.

Unter diesem Titel liegt seit einigen Tagen auch das aktuelle PERRY RHODAN-Buch vor. »Zielstern Anklam« wurde mit der Bandnummer 171 veröffentlicht; es handelt sich um den sechsten Band des »Tarkan«-Zyklus.

Perry Rhodan ist einer der zentralen Handlungsträger. Mit einem kleinen Raumschiff ist der Raumfahrer in einem fremden Kosmos unterwegs. Neben ihm spielt aber auch der Arkonide Atlan eine wichtige Rolle – die beiden Freunde bewegen sich durch die Galaxis Hangay.

Der »Tarkan«-Zyklus faszinierte mich damals, auch wenn ich manche Idee zu »groß« fand. Aber solche Ideen hatte ich zuvor in der Science Fiction nirgends gelesen: Allein schon der Transfer einer ganzen Galaxis aus einem fremden Univerum in »unseren« Raum empfand ich damals als überraschend. Und das war nur eine der vielen groß angelegten Ideen des »Tarkan«-Zyklus.

Schön, dass wir ihn nun in Form schöner Silberbände vor uns haben!

http://perry-rhodan.blogspot.com/2025/09/zielstern-anklam.html

larryhammer

A few links hoarded up, sometimes for a while:

“This guy saved a PNG to a bird.”

A very small selection of very good P.G. Wodehouse quotes.” (via)

From Neal.fun: I’m Not a Robot, where you solve increasingly ridiculous CAPTCHAs. Level 11: “Select all the squares with Waldo” (via)

---L.

Subject quote from Castle on the Hill, Ed Sheeran.

lh_wayfarer_feed

Posted by Pradershika Sharma

https://lifehacker.com/money/bjs-membership-stacksocial-sale?utm_medium=RSS

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

BJ’s Wholesale Club isn’t just about oversized ketchup bottles and 40-roll toilet paper packs—though you’ll definitely find those too. If you’ve been circling the idea of joining a wholesale club, this StackSocial deal might tip the scale. Right now, a one-year Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal is going for just $15 instead of the usual $60. It’s only for new members, and you’ll get a redemption code to activate the membership directly through BJ's official website. It's great if you’ve got a big family, a stocked-up pantry dream, or just really love grabbing extra savings on groceries, gas, and daily essentials.

The value shows up pretty quickly. BJ’s claims up to 25% savings compared to regular grocery stores—and it covers a lot: produce, meat, deli, and cleaning supplies, but also tech, toys, clothes, and even furniture. Their fuel perks might be the real unsung hero, though. Fill up at BJ’s Gas and you can stack extra discounts through the Fuel Saver Program, which rewards you for buying specific items in-store. And, if you hate wandering through aisles, the app handles curbside pickup or same-day delivery in some areas, and you can clip digital coupons that auto-apply at checkout. It’s not flashy, but it is efficient.

The only catch: You're auto-enrolled into BJ’s Easy Renewal, which means you’ll be charged full price (whatever that is next year) when your discounted membership ends. You can cancel before that happens, but you’ll need to keep track of the renewal date or set a reminder. Also, this won’t work if you’re already a member or were one recently—it’s strictly for new sign-ups. So if you’ve never had a BJ’s membership and want to test the waters without paying full price, this deal gives you a pretty low-commitment way in. If you don’t think you’ll use it often or hate having to remember to cancel auto-renewals, it’s probably not worth it. But for $15? The savings might cover that in just one or two grocery runs.

https://lifehacker.com/money/bjs-membership-stacksocial-sale?utm_medium=RSS

j_crew_guy

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

aurumcalendula

The fact that the option to enroll in extended security updates for Windows 10 hasn't shown up yet on my PC is stressing me out.

I almost regret not buying a Windows 11 capable PC a few years ago (how hard they're pushing Copilot/AI stuff turned me off it and the news about one of the Windows 11 updates bricking SSDs doesn't fill me with confidence).

minoanmiss posting in

agonyaunt

...and the person I reported it to didn’t seem too concerned Content advisory: ableism, and also sexual harassment. ( Read more... )

goodbyebird

+ Relooted has a demo up! Reclaim real African artifacts from Western museums in an Africanfuturist heist game! I won't be able until I get home, but I've been super excited since I saw the trailer.

+ Denmark close to wiping out leading cancer-causing HPV strains after vaccine roll-out.

+ Longer, heavier periods are long-term symptom of Covid, study finds.

+ These are the 1st images of humpbacks having sex, and they're both males.

+ Buffy the COVID Slayer: Sarah Michelle Gellar posts masked selfie on set of reboot. (SMG is a very small part of the article, but interesting nonetheless)

+ Scientists found the missing nutrients bees need — Colonies grew 15-fold.

+ In Defense of Despair.
We are also reading Aracelis Girmay’s “You Are Who I Love,” in which the speaker unfurls a list of people they love, people they want to see survive, people doing what those not committed to close and tender attention might call the daily tasks of living: a person stirring a pot of beans, a person selling roses out of a cart, a person crossing a border, a person carrying their brother home, a person singing Leonard Cohen to the snow. You, reader, do not personally know these people, but their motivations spark a familiar feeling—here is someone trying to survive in a world that can render a person unable to get out of bed. You, too, may love a person who cannot get out of bed, which is why you cherish the things that convey, I am trying to stitch together enough small moments to have a life for a little bit longer.

+ No Platonic Explanation.

Current Location: a warm and cozy bed when I should probably get back to work
Current Music: Caroline Polachek - Blood And Butter

magid posting in

agonyaunt

gift link (with three other questions answered)

My husband and I moved into an apartment complex recently. We befriended some of our new neighbors while sitting around the swimming pool. We have discussed politics with some of them, having been given hints that we are all on the same page. But one couple — whom we like a lot — has provided no information about their politics. We have no idea where they stand! The state of the country is very important to us, and we are willing to socialize only with people who support our beliefs. Should we continue to see this couple whose politics are a mystery, or should we tell them where we stand and see how they react?

NEW NEIGHBOR

( answer )

fail_feed

Posted by Brad Dickson

https://cheezburger.com/42435333/neighbor-says-that-woman-isnt-being-neighborly-for-repeatedly-asking-her-not-to-block-her-driveway

There are a whole lot of us in this world, and each of us has a different perspective. For instance, you might think your neighbor is insane for blocking your driveway. Meanwhile, they're wondering why you're being so inflexible and not understanding their need to use it. There's a completely different perspective at play in these situations, and the truth often lies in between.

You are, of course, right in this case: Your neighbor is insane. There are almost no instances where you should be blocking someone's direct access to their home, and those few exceptions would be one-offs and not repeated. Making this a bad example for arguments for equivocation.

While there are plenty of other situations in life where you have to take a step back and evaluate how measured your feelings actually are concerning a petty disagreement, it takes a special kind of person to block someone's private driveway despite being repeatedly asked not to. The audacity on display here, along with the complete disregard for the owner of the driveway's wishes, pushes the entire pattern of behavior into lunacy.

It would be one thing if this were the first instance of the behavior and the driveway owner was making a mountain out of a proverbial molehill. But to continuously repeat the same behavior is entitlement bordering on insanity.

https://cheezburger.com/42435333/neighbor-says-that-woman-isnt-being-neighborly-for-repeatedly-asking-her-not-to-block-her-driveway

spikedluv

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Something Whiskered (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery) by Miranda James. (Just the one book because I was reading a lot of fanfic.)

What I am Currently Reading: Garden of Lamentations (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie.

What I Plan to Read Next: One of my other library books, possibly Key Lime Sky by Al Hess.

Book 99 of 2025: Something Whiskered (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery) (Miranda James)

I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy this book, but I really liked it. ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book, and it had the benefit of not having any obvious continuity errors! I'm giving it five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: pleased

ao3_news_feed

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/32931

OTW recruitment banner

Do you have experience copyediting or proofreading academic journals? Would you like to wrangle AO3 tags? Can you read and translate from Chinese to English? Can you read and translate from Italian to English? Do you have experience in managing or leading people?

We're excited to announce the opening of applications for:

TWC Committee Copyeditor - closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC
Tag Wrangling Volunteer - closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 125 applications
Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese) - closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 45 applications
Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Italian) - closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 30 applications
Fanlore Chair Track Volunteer - closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 40 applications

We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don't see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.

If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.

TWC Committee Copyeditor

Transformative Works and Cultures (TWC) is an international peer-reviewed Diamond Open Access online publication about fan-related topics that seeks to promote dialogue between the academic community and fan communities. Copyeditors professionally copyedit submissions for TWC according to Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 18, Merriam-Webster online, and the TWC style guide. Editorial standards are those of a university press.

The copyeditor's main responsibility will be to carefully copyedit word-processed manuscripts to correct errors of grammar, usage, style; normalize presentation of information; check the literature; and ensure consistency of usage of, e.g., presentation, capitalization, italic, and numbers.

Applicants are required to pass a brief copyediting test that will be drawn from live copy (a not yet published article that is currently in production). All returned tests will be assessed and the applicant provided with feedback.

Applications are due 24 September 2025

Apply for TWC Committee Copyeditor at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer

The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.

If you're an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role, we’re currently looking for wranglers for specific fandoms only, which will change each recruitment round. Please see the application for which fandoms are in need.

Wranglers need to be fluent in English but we welcome applicants who are also fluent in other languages, especially Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), Čeština (Czech), Español (Spanish), isiZulu (Zulu), Polski (Polish), Português brasileiro (Brazilian Portuguese), Suomi (Finnish), Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), Türkçe (Turkish), Українська (Ukrainian), ไทย (Thai), Русский (Russian), беларуская (Belarusian) and 한국어 (Korean) — but help with other languages would be much appreciated!

Applications are due 24 September 2025 or after 125 applications

Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese)

If you're an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy Tag Wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we're currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Chinese.We welcome all Chinese dialects! The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Chinese into English.

Applications are due 24 September 2025 or after 45 applications

Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese) at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Italian)

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we're currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Italian. The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Italian into English.

Applications are due 24 September 2025 or after 30 applications

Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Italian) at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Fanlore Chair Track Volunteer

Do you have experience in managing or leading people? Are you an organizational wizard? Do you have an interest in preserving fannish history or experience in wiki editing? The Fanlore committee is looking for new Chair Track Volunteers to join our team!

Fanlore is the committee responsible for maintaining and promoting the Fanlore wiki. We promote Fanlore on social media, run Fanlore editing challenges, support Fanlore editors, write the wiki's policy and help pages, and respond to emails from editors and readers. The Chair Track Volunteer position is for people who have the time and dedication to learn all about our operations so that they can be considered for the role of committee Chair.

We're looking for someone who has experience in wiki editing and an understanding of social media, who is comfortable with personnel management and training new recruits, and who is experienced in leadership or management whether in a business or nonprofit environment. Candidates also need strong time management skills and the ability to work on and track multiple tasks at a time. If that's you, please apply!

For your application to be considered, you will be required to complete a short task within one week of submitting your application.

Applications are due 24 September 2025 or after 40 applications.

Apply for Fanlore Chair Track Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/32931

kevin_standlee

Lisa and Kuma are home. But that last segment was on the verge of going completely wrong.

( SFO Security and What the Heck is Happening in the Bay Area )

We got Lisa into her cave (the travel trailer) and she worked on getting things running again and trying to get to bed ASAP. I had to stop and have something to eat, as my earlier plan to eat at the airport while waiting for Lisa was scuppered by the travel kerfuffle.

So everything worked out in the end, but I guess it's a good think she had such a long layover at SFO or else that too would have failed and she would have spend the night sitting by luggage carousel 9 waiting for met to come and rescue her.

Current Mood: relieved
Current Location: Fernley, Nevada

otw_news_feed

Posted by therealmorticia

https://www.transformativeworks.org/the-otw-is-recruiting-for-twc-committee-copyeditors-tag-wranglers-and-fanlore-chair-track-volunteers/

https://www.transformativeworks.org/?p=268361

We’re excited to announce the opening of applications for:

TWC Committee Copyeditor – closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC
Tag Wrangling Volunteer – closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 125 applications
Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese) – closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 45 applications
Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Italian) – closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 30 applications
Fanlore Chair Track Volunteer – closing 24 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC or after 40 applications

We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don’t see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.

If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.

TWC Committee Copyeditor

The copyeditor’s main responsibility will be to carefully copyedit word-processed manuscripts to correct errors of grammar, usage, style; normalize presentation of information; check the literature; and ensure consistency of usage of, e.g., presentation, capitalization, italic, and numbers.

Applications are due 24 September 2025

Apply for TWC Committee Copyeditor at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Applications are due 24 September 2025 or after 125 applications

Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese)

If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy Tag Wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we’re currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Chinese.We welcome all Chinese dialects! The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Chinese into English.

Applications are due 24 September 2025 or after 45 applications

Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Chinese) at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Italian)

Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we’re currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Italian. The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Italian into English.

Applications are due 24 September 2025 or after 30 applications

Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer (Italian) at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

Fanlore Chair Track Volunteer

Fanlore is the committee responsible for maintaining and promoting the Fanlore wiki. We promote Fanlore on social media, run Fanlore editing challenges, support Fanlore editors, write the wiki’s policy and help pages, and respond to emails from editors and readers. The Chair Track Volunteer position is for people who have the time and dedication to learn all about our operations so that they can be considered for the role of committee Chair.

We’re looking for someone who has experience in wiki editing and an understanding of social media, who is comfortable with personnel management and training new recruits, and who is experienced in leadership or management whether in a business or nonprofit environment. Candidates also need strong time management skills and the ability to work on and track multiple tasks at a time. If that’s you, please apply!

For your application to be considered, you will be required to complete a short task within one week of submitting your application.

Applications are due 24 September 2025 or after 40 applications.

Apply for Fanlore Chair Track Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.

https://www.transformativeworks.org/the-otw-is-recruiting-for-twc-committee-copyeditors-tag-wranglers-and-fanlore-chair-track-volunteers/

https://www.transformativeworks.org/?p=268361

pauraque

In this sequel to The Three-Body Problem, it's now out in the open that an alien invasion is coming. But the aliens' doomed planet is far away and this is hard SF, so they're not expected to reach Earth for 400 years. The book follows a mostly new set of characters and international organizations as they try to work out a long-term plan to somehow defend Earth against a force with vastly superior technology and no interest in negotiating.

This book is 500 pages long and I don't think it had to be. I found the first half a real slog, as it mostly focused on plot elements that I felt were not plausible (not for speculative reasons, but for No Real Person Would Ever Do This reasons) and, surprisingly, a romance. I don't know if Liu got the criticism that the first book didn't care about people so he decided to put in a love story, or what, but the way he handles it is extremely strange and unrealistic and made me question whether he had ever interacted with a woman in his entire life, so maybe he should have stuck with ideas over people.

It also suffers from a rather flat and awkward English translation that calls way more attention to the fact that it is a translation than the first book's did. (They had a different translator for this one, but brought back Ken Liu for book three.) That's not the book's fault, but it definitely affected my experience of it.

That said, the second half did pick up a lot, and leaned much more heavily into Liu's strengths as a writer: the inventive worldbuilding and the show-stopping cinematic set pieces. I did enjoy that and it brought me back to what I liked about the first book. Liu has a distinctive knack for making even catastrophic and grisly events weirdly fun to read about because of how hard he commits to them and how intricately he constructs their details. Anybody can write about stuff blowing up in space, but not everybody can show exactly why and how it's blowing up, zoom into individual pieces of debris and out to massive chain reactions, and have a reader like me, who is often bored by action scenes, attentively following along every step of the way.

many spoilery thoughts

The main thing I thought was implausible was the concept of the Wallfacers. Basically, the UN chooses four people and gives them each unlimited resources to develop and enact a plan to defend against the aliens. There's no oversight and anything they do is legal and unquestioned. This is supposed to counter the aliens' ability to remotely surveil Earth; if the plan takes shape in one person's head, then the aliens, who are said to not understand secrets and deception, won't find out about it.

Many things about this concept invite skepticism, but my biggest issue is how the presentation glosses over the complexity of human societies. Liu assumes that essentially everyone in the world will tacitly support whatever the UN does, with no significant debate or objection, even when it directly affects people's lives. He has the Wallfacers using so many resources for their massive defense constructions that it's crushing the global economy, and people just twiddle their thumbs and let it happen. He often paints global reactions with an extremely broad brush, like "people felt/thought X" as though all of humanity were a monolith. I can't speak for countries other than my own, but in this situation I can confidently say that half the people in the US probably wouldn't even believe the aliens were real, and even if they did, they sure as hell wouldn't put their faith in four people arbitrarily selected by the UN to save us all.

Sometimes Liu seems to know there are problems with these ideas, as when the narrative flashes forward a couple of centuries and the Wallfacer project is seen as one of the many "silly" things attempted during the initial panic over the invasion. Then again, Wallfacer Luo Ji's plan does basically work in the end, so I wasn't really clear on what the book was trying to say here.

I did enjoy the future worldbuilding, where most humans live in underground cities of massive treelike skyscrapers that hold up the ceiling where a holographic sky is projected. He did a slightly better job here of showing that cultures aren't all the same; a lot of people in the future are "hibernators" who were put into stasis in the past at various times and reawoken later, and their attitudes often differ from people who are native to the future. This also helped build a believable friendship between Shi Qiang and Luo Ji, since they're the only two people they know from their time. (I think this is the only compelling human relationship in the book, certainly better than whatever the hell was supposed to be happening with Luo Ji and the imaginary woman he made up in his head who turned out to be real somehow... It's a long story.)

I was also interested in the concept of the accidental generation ships. Almost the entire Earth fleet is destroyed by an alien probe that they thought was harmless, and the few crews that barely escape believe (understandably) that returning to Earth is suicide and that continuing to flee is humanity's best hope for survival. This entire scenario plays out over the length of a chapter, but whole books could be written about it! The part where they realize that they have too many people to keep alive long-term and some will have to be sacrificed read like an homage to "The Cold Equations," though I don't know if that story is as well-known among Chinese SF readers.

Of course it's also consistent with the book's generally pessimistic outlook on space exploration. I did know before I started reading what the "dark forest" solution to the Fermi Paradox is, but I didn't know the hypothesis was named after the book!! The idea is that the reason we haven't found aliens is that the galaxy is fucking dangerous and any planetary civilizations that foolishly jump around waving their hands and flashing neon signs trying to make first contact only make themselves a target. Aliens are out there, but the ones who have survived are the quiet ones. As a person whose favorite SF canon is Star Trek, this obviously doesn't align with my preferred way of looking at things, but it's interally consistent and not implausible, so I can roll with it.

I am invested enough to read the third book, and looking forward to getting back to a translator who knows what he's doing at least.

james_davis_nicoll

The Central Plaza Mansion tower offers palatial 900 square foot apartments for a mere ¥35,000,000. It is a deal too good for the Kano family to turn down... although they should have.

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike

minoanmiss

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

lh_wayfarer_feed

Posted by Pradershika Sharma

https://lifehacker.com/tech/eufy-x10-pro-omni-robot-vacuum-mop-deal?utm_medium=RSS

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news.

The Eufy X10 Pro Omni is currently selling for $549.99 on Amazon, a steep drop from its $899.99 list price and the lowest it has gone for, according to price trackers.]

Eufy X10 Pro Omni Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo

It’s pitched as an all-in-one cleaning machine: it vacuums, mops, empties its own bin, and washes and dries its mop pads. On paper, that’s the dream—drop it in the corner, set a schedule, and let it handle the basics while you do anything else with your day.

In practice, the X10 Pro Omni hits some impressive notes while missing others. Navigation is excellent, especially in tricky rooms where many robots get stuck or spin in circles. It hugs walls and edges well, even using a dedicated “edge-hugging” mop feature to clean right up against the wall (something most bots leave untouched). The dual mop pads also wiggle as they move, which does a better job of lifting dirt when you run multiple passes. Rugs and pet hair aren’t a big issue either, as long as the roller brush is clear.

Where it stumbles is with larger debris and error recovery. If something small gets caught, it can throw the whole system into a loop of alerts and failed attempts to restart. This Lifehacker review notes that instead of recovering quickly, it sometimes spirals into repeated errors that need manual intervention.

That leaves the X10 in an interesting spot. If your home mostly deals with dust, daily dirt, and the occasional hair tumbleweed, it can be a huge help. It’s especially appealing for homes with complicated layouts since its obstacle avoidance and pathfinding are among the best around. But if you’ve got kids dropping food or floors that collect bigger debris, this model may test your patience. At $549.99, you’re getting a feature-rich robot that nails navigation and edge mopping at a lower price than its rivals, but you’ll want to be realistic about what it can and can’t handle.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now

Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 256GB Unlocked AI Phone (Titanium JetBlack) — $699.99 (List Price $1,099.99)

Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00)

Roku Streaming Stick Plus — $38.50 (List Price $39.99)

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $89.99 (List Price $139.99)

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen, 2023) — $29.99 (List Price $49.99)

Amazon Fire Max 11 64GB 11" 2000x1200 Tablet — $174.99 (List Price $229.99)

Fire TV Stick 4K Max Streaming Player With Remote (2023 Model) — $39.99 (List Price $59.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

https://lifehacker.com/tech/eufy-x10-pro-omni-robot-vacuum-mop-deal?utm_medium=RSS

fail_feed

Posted by Ben Weiss

https://cheezburger.com/42430981/employee-quits-stable-job-for-better-position-elsewhere-then-gets-fired-on-day-four-with-no

Every time an employee begins work at a new company, it's a gamble. There is only so much research one can do in advance, and there is only so much intel one can obtain during the application and interview processes. At the end of the day, you rarely know for certain if you have found the right job for yourself until you've started.

In that sense, yes, there is a chance you might end up at a company that is an even worse fit for you than the one you just left. How can you anticipate and avoid this potential reality from manifesting? The best that you can do is to know your own wants and needs for your career. If you can articulate why you were unsatisfied with the conditions of your previous position, that's already a good start going into a fresh job search. Next, you have to advocate for as much transparency as possible from the people with whom you speak at your potential new opportunity. It might be nerve-wracking to press for answers, but a decent employer should be more than happy to answer your questions.

Unfortunately, this new hire saw some signs prior to their start date and ended up having those feelings confirmed when they had their first week on the job. That week sadly ended in his untimely dismissal. The company's excuse? They felt that the new hire wasn't exactly the right fit. Seems like they did not do their due diligence as employers either! Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from several members of this online community.

https://cheezburger.com/42430981/employee-quits-stable-job-for-better-position-elsewhere-then-gets-fired-on-day-four-with-no

fail_feed

Posted by Etai Eshet

https://cheezburger.com/42406149/woman-in-walmart-mistakes-a-shopper-in-a-navy-uniform-for-staff-orders-him-to-stock-the-freeze-and

Frozen aisle felt like a low-budget stage, and a woman cast a random shopper as her stock boy because navy shirt equals name tag in her personal multiverse. The woman points at the half-empty freezer like it broke a lease and orders the shopper to fetch boxes from the back.

The shopper says not an employee, holding a dinner basket like a tiny alibi. The woman nudges the cart into the shopper, which is customer service with bumpers, and calls it laziness. The threat to find a manager drops like a plot twist in a soap opera. The shopper shrugs and invites the sequel.

Cut to the service desk where reality clocks in. The real employee points at the shopper and says not staff, and the woman's confidence melts faster than ice cream left in a minivan. The cart gets abandoned. The ego gets freezer burn. The exit looks like a retreat from a battle no one else joined.

The whole thing reads like cosplay authority meets the clearance rack. The woman believes the back room is Narnia, and anyone in navy is Mr. Tumnus with a pricer. The shopper believes dinner beats unpaid labor. The employee believes in nouns and verbs.

https://cheezburger.com/42406149/woman-in-walmart-mistakes-a-shopper-in-a-navy-uniform-for-staff-orders-him-to-stock-the-freeze-and

goodbyebird

I have to admit that when all the hubbub of him being cast in Winter Soldier happened, I was entirely out of the loop. He didn't have much presence in my life growing up, despite me devouring movies. But it's been nice to read about his life since yesterday. I never knew about all his activism.

Robert Redford, Environmentalism, and the Most Prescient Movie Ever Made by Dave Leviton is a good write-up.

I may look into a few of his movies when I get home. Meanwhile, here's a All The Predident's Men vid: Me and Bernstein down by the schoolyard by

findmeinthealps.