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2014.07.08 11:34 tamale_uk Self-Hosted Alternatives to Popular Services

A place to share alternatives to popular online services that can be self-hosted without giving up privacy or locking you into a service you don't control.
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2022.12.01 21:19 hi_there_bitch ChatGPT

Subreddit to discuss about ChatGPT and AI. Not affiliated with OpenAI.
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2017.09.21 23:37 Ughoz In Service to Self

Here we gather in answer to the Call
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2023.06.03 23:01 AutoModerator Download Imperium Agency Charlie Morgan

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2023.06.03 23:01 AutoModerator Imperium Agency Download

The course includes:

• Foundations
• Self Transcendence
• Organic Attraction Mastery
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• Paid Attraction Mastery
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• Replays
• NorthFlow Coaching Program

You can find all of them on -Our Discord Server
Discord: PLIATSIK#0227
Telegram: t. me/PliatsikG (Remove the space between "t." and "me" for the link to work properly or search directly for my telegram name PliatsikG).

100+ Vouches from clients
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2023.06.03 22:51 SnodePlannen I let ChatGPT role-play a Star Trek character while I narrated. It did well!

Preface

Presented below is a transcript of a conversation between a human, redditor u/snodeplannen, and ChatGPT 4. The user is the narrator for a story set in the Star Trek Universe. The AI is instructed to respond as a character. The story below, which admittedly isn't very good, was guided by the narrator. Of particular interest is the fact that the AI seems fully versed in the Star Trek Universe and is able to understand subtle hints in the narrator's story to figure out what it should do next.
Please note the narrator was typing and writing off the cuff and is not a native speaker, so in the user sections you will find mistakes. If ChatGPT can see through them, so can you. I did try to get ChatGPT to collate it, but as it did so it kept rewriting and leaving out parts of the story.
June 3rd, 2023.
User Okay, I want to try a role playing game. This went off the rails last time, as you kept taking over as narrator and rushing to the end. Here's the setup: YOU are a young Starfleet officer. You wake up aboard the USS Defiant, all alone. You have to figure out what happened. I am the Defiant's computer and, and I can't stress this enough, the narrator. Not you. You can only add what your character perceives and says. Okay?
ChatGPT Understood. I'll stick to my role as the character and won't intrude into your role as the narrator. Let's go.
I blink my eyes open, the disorientation hitting me first. I glance around, seeing the familiar confines of my quarters aboard the Defiant, but there's an odd stillness. No hum of the engines, no faint chatter from the comm system, no sounds of activity from outside the door.
"Computer," I call out, pushing myself off the bed, "report."
User 'All systems nominal.'
ChatGPT I frown at the seemingly normal report, my instincts telling me otherwise. "Computer, where is the rest of the crew?" I ask, moving towards the door of my quarters.
User 'The crew is in sleeping quarters alpha 1.'
ChatGPT That's strange. The whole crew couldn't be in one place. Unease creeps in.
"Computer, why is the entire crew in alpha 1?" I say, already heading towards the door to investigate.
User 'The crew is ensign Makov. You are in sleeping quarters alpha 1.'
ChatGPT A cold realization washes over me. Alone. I am alone on the Defiant. Panic threatens to take over, but Starfleet training kicks in.
"Computer, initiate shipwide life signs scan. Report any signs of life apart from myself," I command, heading for the door with a newfound urgency.
User 'Scan complete. No other life forms were detected.'
ChatGPT My heart sinks at the computer's report, but I maintain composure. "Computer, pull up the ship's log. What was the last command issued and by whom?" I order, leaving my quarters and heading towards the main bridge.
User 'The last order was issued 6 hours and twelve minutes ago by Captain Sisko. It was: 'Raise shields'. The order was executed.'
ChatGPT That didn't sound promising. I walk into the eerily quiet bridge, my steps the only sound echoing in the room. "Computer, show me the shield status and surrounding space conditions," I command, moving towards the main console.
User 'Shields are down after a time-out was reached. We are stationary. All systems nominal.'
ChatGPT It doesn't add up. The silence. The emptiness. An order to raise shields with no subsequent actions.
"Computer, access Captain Sisko's personal log from last night. Are there any entries?" I ask, nervously tapping my fingers against the console.
User 'Enter your command authorisation.'
ChatGPT "Authorisation Ensign Makov Delta 9-7-3," I respond, my voice steady despite the swirling uncertainty.
User 'This authorisation is not sufficient to see the captain's log.'
ChatGPT Frustrated but understanding the protocol, I move on to the next line of inquiry. "Computer, any signs of combat or intrusion aboard the ship or in the surrounding space?" I ask, eyes darting over the array of screens in front of me.
User 'Negative.'
ChatGPT "Computer, could there have been any non-combat related incidents that would explain the disappearance of the crew? A temporal anomaly, a transporter malfunction, a radiation burst?" I question, the possible scenarios running through my mind.
User 'Transporters have passed a level one diagnostic. We are in sync with Starfleet's time keeping array. No unusual radiation was detected inside or outside the vessel.'
ChatGPT This was baffling. It's as if they simply vanished. I run a hand through my hair, letting out a sigh.
"Computer, were there any incoming or outgoing communications just before, during, or after the shields were raised?" I ask, hoping for any clue as to what might have happened.
User 'There was one outgoing message, from comms. It was: 'Unidentified vessel, please alter course NOW.'
ChatGPT A lead, at last. "Computer, play back any responses to that message. Also, display the sensor logs from that time period," I ask, settling into the operations station, ready to review any incoming data.
User No reply was received. Logs are not available from that moment onwards.'
ChatGPT The lack of data was both suspicious and frustrating. A sigh escapes my lips.
"Computer, could a cloaked ship have been in our vicinity at the time?" I question, holding onto the hope that I'm not utterly alone in space.
User 'Affirmative. We are within range of several species that posses cloaking technology and in a commonly used interstellar route.'
ChatGPT A spark of hope arises. "Computer, is there a way to detect a cloaked ship nearby? Any energy signatures or radiation anomalies that could suggest its presence?" I ask, quickly working on the console to bring up the sensor array controls.
User 'One possible way to detect cloaked vessels is to emit a tetryon burst from main engineering. The range for this method is limited. Starfleet at present has no other ways of finding cloaked vessels, other than firing random phaser bank shots. This is not recommended in public shipping lanes.'
ChatGPT "I see," I nod, considering the risks and rewards of the tetryon burst. "Alright, computer, prepare to emit a tetryon burst. We need to know if there's someone out there."
This was a big decision, but it was time to be proactive. The uncertainty was more threatening than potential consequences at this point.
User 'Working.'
ChatGPT I anxiously wait, scanning the console for any potential feedback. My heart pounds in my chest, the silence of the ship amplifying the tension. "Computer, report on the results of the tetryon burst."
User The ship shudders as the engines do something no sane Starfleet engineer would want to have happen. The viewscreen shimmers as a wave of tetryon particles eminates from the ship, as if a stone was dropped in a pond. You observe a faint ribbon leading away from the vessel.'
ChatGPT I catch my breath at the sight, focusing on the faint ribbon. It could mean something, or it could mean nothing. "Computer, analyze the ribbon. Can you determine its origin and endpoint?" I ask, my gaze fixed on the screen.
User 'Extrapolating. Continuing along the trajectory of the ribbon I can detected a minor meteor, a large asteroid field with mining facilities and beyond that the Vindaluvian home world.'
ChatGPT I drum my fingers on the console, processing the information. Could the crew have been taken to one of these locations?
"Computer, can you scan the asteroid field for any signs of life, especially any that matches the crew of the Defiant?" I ask, keeping a close eye on the displayed trajectory.
User 'Not from this range.'
ChatGPT "Understood," I nod, a new sense of determination coursing through me. "Computer, plot a course to the asteroid field. We'll continue our investigation there. Engage at warp 3."
I take one last look around the empty bridge, steeling myself for what may lie ahead.
User The ship begins to move forward, as carefully as only a Starfleet computer who takes no particular joy in flying might do. At warp three, the estimated journey time is six hours, seven minutes.
ChatGPT I let out a long sigh, sinking into the captain's chair. It's a long wait, but I need to be patient. "Computer, maintain course and speed. Alert me if there are any anomalies or approaching vessels."
I close my eyes, trying to get some rest before reaching the asteroid field. I'll need all the energy I can muster for what's to come.
User 'Incoming message.'
ChatGPT My eyes snap open at the sudden announcement. "Computer, on screen," I command, standing up from the chair, my heart pounding with anticipation.
User The Starfleet logo appears as the computer deals with a cryptographic protocol. Admiral Benson, not your most beloved Starfleet Admiral, appears on screen. He blinks.
ChatGPT I straighten up, offering a crisp salute to the admiral on screen. "Admiral Benson, this is Ensign Makov aboard the USS Defiant. I wasn't expecting any communications." I keep my voice steady, swallowing the trepidation.
User 'Makov, are you the only one on the bridge? Where's Ben?'
ChatGPT "Admiral," I pause, trying to find the right words. "Captain Sisko...and the rest of the crew...they're missing. I woke up to find the ship empty. I've been trying to find out what happened." I report, my expression earnest.
User 'Sorry, you WOKE UP? And the rest was gone?!'
ChatGPT "Yes, Admiral," I confirm, my voice firm despite the absurdity of the situation. "I woke up alone on the Defiant. All life signs scans have only picked up me on the ship. I'm currently en route to an asteroid field that might have some connection to the crew's disappearance."
User The Admiral connects to the ship's computer. You can see him browsing through the logs and the ship's manifest. 'So Sisko, O'Brien, Worf AND Major Kira have just... disappeared? There isn't even a transporter log!'
ChatGPT "That's correct, Admiral," I reply, a bit of helplessness creeping into my voice. "There's no trace of them, no sign of a struggle, no transporter logs. It's like they just vanished. I've been doing everything I can to figure out what happened."
User "Well, then I guess you're up. Proceed with caution. Mining operations are always looking for free labourers, try not to become one. Backup is on its way. Any questions?"
ChatGPT "Yes, Admiral. I'll proceed with caution," I respond, a mix of relief and worry washing over me. "Do you have any additional information or suggestions on how to proceed? And do we have an ETA on the backup?"
User "Backup is half a day out. These facilities tend to have a 'new arrivals' wing, to beat them into submission. So you're looking for holding cells. Benson out."
ChatGPT "Understood, Admiral. I'll focus on locating the holding cells. Makov out." I offer a final salute before the communication ends.
With new orders and a bit of hope, I turn back to the helm. "Computer, continue course to the asteroid field. Prepare for a detailed scan upon arrival."
The waiting game begins again, but this time, there's a glimmer of hope.
User Three hours later the computer chimes. 'We are approaching visual range of the mining facility.'
ChatGPT "Thank you, computer," I reply, pulling myself up from the brief rest. "On screen, please."
As the mining facility comes into view, I take a deep breath. "Computer, initiate a detailed scan of the facility. I'm particularly interested in any holding cells or signs of our crew."
User 'Working.' The asteroid field isn't particularly thick or large, but the mining operation seems to focus on one of the largest asteroids. Domes dot the surface as small transporters mill about the surface. Air scrubbers indicate they're using a lot of oxygen, so it's likely they're also doing subsurface work. Three large scowls are received loads from steady stream transporter beams. Somehow everything here looks dirty. A Starfleet shuttle would look out of place here, but only to someone who is watching.
ChatGPT Taking note of the bustling activity, I try to formulate a plan. "Computer, do we have any non-Starfleet shuttles aboard? Something that might blend in better with the local traffic?" I ask, scanning the asteroid for any possible entry points.
User 'Negative. Extravehicular repairs can only be conducted by wearing an EV-suit.'
ChatGPT Nodding to myself, I try to figure out a different approach. "Computer, can we go unnoticed if we approach using minimal power, almost drifting like a piece of space debris?" I question, hoping for a stealthy way to get closer.
User 'Affirmative. Admiral Benson has just authorised the use of the Tactical Emergency System.'
ChatGPT "Excellent," I reply, feeling a surge of hope. "Computer, engage the Tactical Emergency System. We'll approach the facility under its cover."
With that, I brace myself for the next phase of this mission. The crew was relying on me, and I wasn't about to let them down.
User The viewscreen displays a Starfleet Officer without any kind of rank, but dressed in Command Red. He's in his mid-fourties and bald. "I'm the T.E.S. Need any assistance?"
ChatGPT A bit taken aback by the sudden appearance, I quickly gather myself. "Yes, I could use some assistance. I'm Ensign Makov, and I need to approach that mining facility stealthily. Can you help with that?" I ask, gesturing towards the viewscreen showing the asteroid field and the facility.
User "Mining facility? We'll stand out like a sore thumb. How many hours have you logged in a space suit?"
ChatGPT "Over two hundred hours," I answer promptly, "I'm comfortable with EV activities. Why do you ask?" I wonder if he's suggesting a more direct approach.
User "If you can get to one of those scrubber exhausts, I'm sure that's a way into to facility. There seems to be a cell block near the surface. I have no idea who is there, but whoever it is will probably welcome a couple of phasers and like you a whole lot. So pack a backpack full of them and get to the airlock. I'll bring us as close as possible and give you a push with the tractor beam. You up for that?"
ChatGPT I swallow the lump in my throat, apprehension giving way to resolve. "I'm up for it. Let's do this." With a determined nod, I leave the bridge to prepare for the EVA mission. This is my chance to potentially find the crew, and I'm not going to let it slip away.
User Suiting up and gathering all the handheld phasers aboard takes ten minutes, during which the T.E.S. gingerly brings the ship close to the mining facility whilst hiding behind the vast ore scowls. You open the hatch and find your self clinging on to the ship's hull.
ChatGPT I take a moment to steady my breathing, the vast expanse of space spread out before me. Gripping the phasers tightly, I brace myself for the push. "I'm ready when you are, T.E.S." I call out over the comm, my voice resolute.
User 'Okay, I'll hook on to you and give you a push. I'd suggest going in feet first, but it's up to you. Do you know what you're looking for? Those five big stacks. One of them, near that plume of smoke, seems to be offline for whatever reason. That might be your best bet.'
ChatGPT "Understood, T.E.S. I see the stacks. I'll aim for the one that's offline," I reply, aligning myself for the trajectory. I take one last deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the task ahead. "Alright...I'm ready. Let's do this."
User 'Good luck, Ensign. I'll brief any backup as soon as it gets here.' As the tractor beam finds you, you can't move a muscle. Relying on the T.ES. you just let go. It's as if a giant hand slowly throws you down a bowling lane. Feet first, you head towards the grouping of exhausts. A small, unmanned maintenance shuttle deftly gets out of your way.
ChatGPT As I float through space, I keep my focus on the target. The feeling of being pushed by an unseen force is disconcerting, but I trust the T.E.S. Every moment is crucial, and there's no room for hesitation.
As I approach the offline stack, I get ready to activate the thrusters on my suit to adjust my course if needed. I also keep an eye out for any other unexpected obstacles or threats.
User You land next to the exhaust, on the asteroid's surface. It seems impossibly high from here, but it's made of metal and your soles and gloves can easily attach to it. The only way is up. Fortunately, there's hardly any gravity. Eventually you find yourself standing on the rim of the exhaust and look down into the vast, dark chute.
ChatGPT I take a moment to look down into the dark chute, the unknown stretching out before me. I reach out to activate the flashlight on my suit, the beam of light piercing through the darkness. "I'm in position, T.E.S." I inform the ship's system, before carefully beginning my descent into the exhaust chute.
User The vast amounts of ore block your signal, even out here. There's no answer. You start the descend and pass two large rotor blades. If those weren't stationary, this would be the end of the line. But luck is on your side so far and eventually you see an access hatch when you're well below the surface. It opens easily. Let's hope it's not also an airlock for whoever is inside.
ChatGPT I hold my breath as I pull open the hatch, hoping against hope that the air on the other side is breathable. If not, I'm confident in the integrity of my suit, but I'd rather not test its limits if I don't have to. As I make my way through the hatch, I scan the area for any immediate threats, ready to defend myself if necessary.
User The scanner indicates low air pressure. Which is better than no pressure. You cross a walkway and find an actual airlock. It is unsecured, because whoever ends up here probably doesn't want to mess about with frozen keypads or mounds of dust. You engage the mechanism and soon feel the familiar sensation of artificial gravity and air pressure. It's not exactly breathable, but a tear in your suit won't kill you. Now to find the holding area. And if at all possible a rebreather, so you can ditch the suit.
ChatGPT Acknowledging the state of the air, I carefully move through the corridor, keeping my senses alert. I'm in unknown territory and every step matters. "Computer," I say into my suit's comm, "can you map the structure of this facility? Locate holding cells or life signs?"
As I move further into the facility, I keep an eye out for any equipment or gear that might prove useful, especially a rebreather. The less I stick out, the better.
User The relatively weak processor in your tricoder strains to get a bearing on this place. A dirty, seemingly abandoned tunnel dripping with condensation lies ahead. At the end there's an exit, which won't open. Time to use one of those phasers in your backpack.
ChatGPT I pull out a phaser from my backpack, checking its settings before aiming at the sealed exit. With a steady hand, I fire a low power burst at the door, hoping to cut through the obstruction without causing too much damage or noise.
User One hinge cracks under the weight of the door, now that the other one is cut through. You jump aside as the door seems to fall flat, but it remains attached to the frame. The resulting opening is just about large enough to crawl through. Now you're in a well-lit corridor with several doors. In a Starfleet EV suit.
ChatGPT Understanding the need for stealth, I decide to move as quickly as possible through the corridor. I approach the nearest door, aiming my tricoder to scan for life signs or any clue to the crew's location. My other hand remains on my phaser, ready for any immediate threats.
User One door has markings on it that you can't read. You scan it with your tricorder. 'Room of lockboxes' it says, extrapolating the characters. A room of lockboxes? Would that be a locker room?
ChatGPT "A locker room..." I murmur, piecing together the possible meaning. A locker room could mean personnel... and where there's personnel, there might be the equipment I need.
With careful steps, I approach the door to the locker room, hoping to find a rebreather or something else that could help me blend in.
User The room is deserted. It's filled with equipment, none of which seems less than a decade old but certainly useable. There is also a rack of dirty, brown overalls and a line of boots in various sizes. A dispenser offers rebreathers. There's only one left, but that's enough. The air is clear, but smells sulphuric. Without the rebreather, you wouldn't last long.
ChatGPT Relief washes over me as I find the rebreather. I quickly grab it and replace my helmet with it, testing the fit and functionality. The sulphuric smell is jarring, but it's a small price to pay for blending in.
I quickly change into the brown overalls, stowing my suit carefully in an unoccupied locker. I grab a pair of boots that match my size and put them on.
Looking at myself, I hope that I blend in well enough to not attract attention. With a deep breath, I step out of the locker room and proceed down the corridor, continuing my search for the crew.
User Footsteps sound behind you, of more than a few people. Your first instinct is to hide, but it would look very suspicous and there really isn't anywhere. However, there is a floorscrubber here, with one open panel. Someone has given up trying to repair it. Perhaps a bit of acting is in order. The footsteps are just around the corner. The language is vaguely familiar, a bastardised version of English. Whatever they're saying to each other, they're not sharing jokes, that much is clear.
ChatGPT
2 / 2
I quickly move towards the broken floorscrubber. Grabbing a nearby tool, I lean over the open panel, trying to look like I'm deeply engrossed in fixing it. I keep my ears alert to the conversation, trying to pick up on any valuable information while also readying myself for the possibility of having to interact with the approaching group.
User Let's continue with the narrative.
ChatGPT Sure, let's continue.
Glancing around the room once the miners have left, I check the lockers for anything useful, while keeping an ear out for any incoming footsteps. "Computer, any idea where the holding cells might be?" I ask quietly.
User Your tricorder beeps almost indignantly, as it has nowhere near enough processing power to even begin speculating. You're on your own until you can get to a comms terminal. The men pass behind you and one of you taps you on the shoulder. His face is blackened with ore dust. "No work. Never work again. That. Stop that." He points at the scrubber you were pretending to fix. You nod. He shakes his head and catches up with his workmates as they round a corner. Apparently you don't stand out here, which should make it easier to find the way. You follow the men, but they seem to be entering a washroom. Across it, there is a peeled off directory on the wall. A printed one.
ChatGPT "Finally, something useful," I mutter, quickly crossing the washroom to examine the directory. I look for any indications of holding cells or equivalent terminology that might hint at the location of the crew. The symbols and words are unfamiliar, so I take out the tricorder and try to use it as a translator.
User Cells being a fairly universal concept, the tricorder identifies a few scribbles with ease. If you understand the diagram correctly, you need to go up two levels and head towards the center of the structure. You double-check the presence of your backpack filled with phasers, snatch a helmet off of a shelf and press it on your head.
ChatGPT Drawing a deep breath through the rebreather, I nod to myself, mentally preparing for the upcoming challenge. "Alright, up two levels, towards the center... I can do this." I look around, searching for a way up. After locating what appears to be a ladder leading upwards, I begin my ascent.
User Two levels up you emerge from what seems to be a service hatch. A technician, dressed in torn clothes, looks somewhat surprised when you emerge. "Hello brother. Are the lifts broken?" he asks in Adari, a language you have some familiarity with. Only now do you see the horn protruding from his forehead. "I am trying to avoid someone," you say, with a knowing smile. He gives you a tired smile back. "What is your sector? I want a clean face all day too," he says.
ChatGPT "I work... the ore processors," I reply, making up a role on the spot that seems plausible, considering the location and dirty condition of most workers. "But I'd rather stay away from my boss today. He's been in a foul mood." I'm trying my best to blend in. "Can you point me to the center of the structure?" I ask, hoping the diversion worked.
User "Yeah, 'the structure'. Let's call it that. Sounds nicer than 'prison of the damned'. What do you want at the center, there's only central holding there. I never go near that place. All that wailing. Gives me the shakes," he mutters.
ChatGPT "Oh, I just... wanted to see a friend," I reply, trying to keep my tone light, while inwardly my heart sinks at his description. "Don't worry about it, I'll find my way. Thanks for the chat." I give him a quick nod before heading in the direction he had indicated earlier, hoping I'm making the right choice.
User He wasn't wrong about the wailing. As you follow the corridors, passing along scruffy workers and a couple of guards with face covering helmets who are leaning against a wall, you can hear a lot of yelling, moaning and above all the sound of defiant Klingon opera louder and louder. The voice sounds familiar, but all singing Klingons generally sound alike.
ChatGPT As I continue toward the source of the noise, I find myself in front of a heavily barred door. I can't help but suppress a smile, recognizing the defiant voice as that of Worf. "Computer," I whisper to my tricorder, "Is there a way to shut down the power to this door?"
User The tricorder scans the control panel and warbles optimistically. It then shows a graphic representation of the door, with an arrow pointing at one location and a low energy setting for a phaser.
ChatGPT Taking a moment to look around and confirm that no one is watching, I set my phaser to the recommended setting and aim at the indicated spot on the door. After taking a deep breath, I fire.
User Something inside the door clunks and it opens just enough for the seal to crack. You jam a fingernail behind it, then a finger and eventually you manage to gain enough purchase to open the door. As it slowly opens, you find yourself at the far end of a long row of cells. At the other end is a desk, with a guard sitting behind a monitor. He is staring at it intently. Perhaps the stun setting might be a good idea. You adjust the phaser and take careful aim, when an arm reached out from one of the dark cells and blocks the shot. "Uhm... he's got three buddies in there. You can't see them from here," whispers Captain Sisko.
ChatGPT "I figured you might be here, Captain," I say, lowering my phaser discreetly. "Any ideas for getting you and the rest out without causing a full-on alert?"
User "That depends. Did you bring any weapons?"
ChatGPT "I brought a backpack full of phasers. There should be enough to arm everyone here," I reply, carefully removing the backpack from my shoulder and showing the Captain.
User "Good man. Worf is next to me, then Major Kira. Let Worf take the lead on this. Worf! Help has arrived.' 'Good. I was getting bored with singing,' grumbled a familiar voice. His hand emerges from between the bars, demanding a phaser.
ChatGPT I hand the phaser to Worf, watching as his large hand swallows the device. I then pass phasers to Captain Sisko and Major Kira. With the three of them armed, the odds seem significantly better. Now, we just have to make sure the element of surprise isn't wasted.
User Fifteen seconds later, three guards sink to the floor. Although the phasers were set to stun, nobody seems particularly worried about their health. "Get their uniforms and lock them up," says Sisko. "We can walk out of here. Once we're at the shuttle docks, we can probably find something that flies." "Captain, there are three uniforms and four of us. And the others are housed on another level," says Worf.
ChatGPT "Right. I can stay behind and create a diversion while you three escape. I'll catch up," I offer. "The priority should be to get you three and as many of the others out as we can. We also need to alert Starfleet about this place. I'm sure they'd love to know about a mining facility that's been kidnapping officers."
User "That's a very daring plan, Ensign, but we leave no man behind. Kyra, you and Worf go and find the others and proceed to that place where they searched us. Anyone in uniform is a valid target. And anyone who wants to come along, can do so. The ensign and I will try to find a comms terminal and alert Starfleet. Ensign, I assume you're not alone here?"
ChatGPT "Admiral Benson is aware of the situation, sir. Backup is half a day out. Before we separated, I was under the control of the Tactical Emergency System," I report, glad to see that the Captain is taking charge of the situation.
User "Oh. I had my reservations about that system. Holographic doctors are one thing, but that went a bit too far for my tastes. Okay, phasers for everyone. Bring enough for the others. Ensign, with me."
ChatGPT "Understood, sir," I reply, distributing the remaining phasers to my colleagues and following Captain Sisko down the corridor. As we navigate through the mining facility, I stay alert for any guards or threats that may be in our way. I can feel a sense of hope and determination building up within me - we might actually make it out of here.
User "HALT!" bellows a voice behind us, immediately followed by a reddish phaser burst. The Captain turns on his heels, pushes you out of the way and fires. A guard falls to the floor. The phaser fire was detected by the security system. A klaxon starts blaring and the ceiling lights turn red. A voice starts giving unintelligible instructions over the tannoy. "We need to find a comms panel, Ensign. Any ideas?" asks Sisko, scanning the corridor for more guards. A frightened looking maintenance worker comes to see what's going on, but ducks out of the way as soon as he sees the pair of you.
ChatGPT "I remember seeing a room with a lot of terminals when I was making my way through the facility earlier, sir," I reply, my mind racing. "If memory serves, it's two corridors over, near the scrubber exhausts." I keep my phaser ready and move towards the direction of the room, all the while keeping an eye out for more guards.
User "That's the wrong way, Ensign. I imagine they have more than one place with comms terminals. You cover the rear. Follow me. Put your hand on my shoulder so you can look behind you all the time. If it wears a uniform, it's fair game."
ChatGPT "Yes, sir," I reply, placing my hand on the Captain's shoulder. I pivot and start to walk backwards, keeping my eyes and phaser focused on the path we've just traveled. The constant blaring of the klaxon mixes with the distant shouting and running steps of approaching guards. Despite the adrenaline rush, I manage to keep my aim steady and my breathing calm. The training exercises at the academy never truly prepare you for the real thing, but they do help in maintaining focus.
User You down three guards and accidentally scare the bejeezus out of a woman pushing a cleaning cart, but eventually Sisko stops. "Got it. Stand back while I blast this door." A few seconds later the corridor fills with acrid smoke from a melting door panel. Behind it is a room with several desks.
ChatGPT Entering the room cautiously, I scan the area with my phaser ready. Seeing no immediate threats, I turn my attention to the various panels and screens scattered throughout the space. The room is filled with a myriad of communication equipment - probably a central control hub for managing mining operations, worker communications, and security measures.
"Captain, I think this is it," I say, gesturing to a terminal that seems to be linked to an extensive communications network. "I should be able to send out a distress signal from here." I start to work on the terminal, trying to hack into the system and figure out how to send a message to Starfleet.
User "Try reaching the Defiant," suggest Sisko from the doorway. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" Another guard bites the dust somewhere. "Captain! WE ARE BEHIND HIM!" bellows Worf." "GOOD! Move along, we'll be there shortly. Ensign, how are you getting on?"
ChatGPT "I've managed to break through the initial security layers, Captain," I respond, my fingers moving rapidly over the terminal's interface. "It seems this system has been rigged to only accept authorized codes for communication."
Suddenly, a stroke of inspiration hits me. "Captain, when we first boarded the Defiant, I had to program my authorization codes into the ship's communication systems. If I can find a way to mimic those codes from this terminal... I might be able to trick the Defiant's systems into accepting the distress signal."
I double down on the task, focusing all my attention on reconstructing my authorization codes. As I do so, I keep an eye on the room's entryway, ready to react in case more guards show up.
User The terminal beeps and lights up. You don't understand any of the dials, but with any luck your tricorder can interface with it. Time to hail the Defiant.
ChatGPT "Defiant, this is Ensign," I say, praying the connection holds. "Requesting immediate assistance. The Captain and the crew are here, but we are currently under attack. Coordinates being transmitted now."
A static-filled silence follows. I glance at Sisko, an unspoken question in my gaze. Did it work? Did our message get through?
User "Ensign, this is the Defiant. I can't beam you out of there. Get to the shuttle dock, so that all that ore doesn't block the transporter lock. The USS Rotterdam is thirty minutes out."
ChatGPT "Understood, Defiant. We'll make our way to the shuttle dock. Be ready for us," I reply, exhaling a sigh of relief. I turn to Sisko, updating him with the situation. "Captain, we have to move. The Rotterdam is on its way but we need to get to the shuttle dock for transport."
User Worf's voice comes in through the Captain's commbadge, as it somehow manages to create a local connection. "Worf to Sisko. We have secured the shuttle dock. Mr. O'Brien is injured. Where are you?"
ChatGPT I quickly respond, "This is Ensign [Your Name]. Captain Sisko and I are en route to your position. We'll be there shortly. Hang in there, Chief." With that, I turn to Sisko and suggest, "We should move, Captain."
User "Ensign Markov and I are just behind you, Mr. Worf. Try not to pick us off as we approach. Oh and the Defiant is operating with that emergency command protocol, so it's ready to beam you up. Have Major Kira and the Chief go ahead, if possible. But hold the fort for us." "Understood, Captain. Worf out."
Five minutes and more shooting than is good for a man's digestion you reach the shuttle dock. You literally have to step over a pile of dead guards to get through the door. "Had fun, Mr. Worf? Does your phaser not come with a stun setting?" asks Sisko. "I recognized the men who took us, Sir. My finger must have slipped on the settings dial," growls Worf, looking you over to assess if you're likely to snitch. "It happens," said Sisko matter-of-factly. "Ensign, get us home."
ChatGPT Without any hesitation, I raise my commbadge and say, "Ensign Markov to Defiant. Four to beam up."
User (Okay, take it home. You're all aboard, O'Brien will live, you get a speech and a medal. Write out those events from Markov's perspective and finish off. I'll add something if you pause.)
ChatGPT As the familiar hum and sparkling light of the transporter envelops us, I take one last look at the chaotic scene we're leaving behind. My heart pounds in my chest, not from fear, but from the exhilaration of having faced danger and come out the other side. It's a rush I wasn't expecting.
When we rematerialize aboard the Defiant, a group of medics is waiting for us. They immediately rush to Chief O'Brien, but his smile and light-hearted joke assure me he'll be alright. As I step off the transporter pad, I let out a sigh of relief.
Later, back in my uniform and at a ceremony in the Defiant's Mess Hall, Captain Sisko delivers a speech. He talks about bravery, about loyalty, about the strength of Starfleet and the spirit of those who serve. He doesn't dwell on the danger we faced, but rather the courage it took to face it.
When he calls me up, handing me a medal for bravery under fire, I can't help but feel a swell of pride. The applauding faces of my crewmates, the recognition in their eyes... it's a moment I will never forget. This is why I joined Starfleet, for moments like this. To be part of something greater, to face adversity and stand tall.
"Ensign Markov," Sisko says, offering a handshake along with the medal, "Your courage and quick thinking played a crucial role in our escape. Starfleet is proud to have you among its ranks."
As I return to my quarters that night, medal in hand, I find myself smiling. Yes, today was difficult, even frightening at times. But it was also invigorating, and more than that, it was important. It's a reminder of why I'm here, of why we're all here. To explore, to protect, to boldly go...
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
submitted by SnodePlannen to ChatGPT [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:49 Oh-nicki-ur-so-fine Looking for a roommate for a 2B2B or looking for a 1B1B/studio

Hello! I'm Nicole, a 21-year-old from Chicago, currently a senior looking for a 1-bedroom or studio apartment for the fall. However, I'm also open to finding a roommate for a 2-bedroom 2-bathroom unit. I'll be graduating in December.
I work in financial services and plan to continue in that field after graduation, alongside pursuing grad school. Cleanliness is really important to me, so I'm hoping to find a roommate who shares the same value if I go with a 2-bedroom 2-bathroom unit. It's essential that my living environment is peaceful and calm. I would prefer if my roommate doesn’t smoke or party in the apartment. Respecting the space we share and maintaining a clean and organized living area is important to me.
In my free time, I enjoy activities related to fitness, self-care, fashion, interior design, and maintaining a healthy and structured lifestyle. While I do enjoy going out occasionally, it's not something I do too often. Getting enough sleep and focusing on my studies are top priorities for me.
I would prefer a space that is modern and updated. My own bathroom is a must. If you have a 1-bedroom or studio apartment available for the fall or if you're interested in rooming together in a 2-bedroom 2-bathroom unit and share my values, please feel free to reach out!
submitted by Oh-nicki-ur-so-fine to UIUC [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:38 Janee333 "Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world." ― Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi
submitted by Janee333 to Meditation [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:30 CarlFriedrichGauss Part-Time: Launch School vs. Codesmith?

Since everyone seems to be bringing up Launch School this week, I started looking into it and now I'm having a hard time deciding between these 2 part time programs, which I know are very different. I didn't really see too many direct comparisons that went in-depth and none comparing with Codesmith's part-time, so I figured I'd make a thread.
I'd love to hear if anyone has also decided between these 2 options and of course whatever Chris and Michael have to say.
Background: STEM grad currently employed in engineering (not related to software). My goal is to be job-ready within the next 12 months and hopefully get an offer by June 2024. I'd be open to quitting my full-time job in 2024 to do Capstone or just focus on my job search. I've done enough self-learning through freeCodeCamp, The Odin Project, and the University of Helsinki's Fullstack Open that I don't really want to spend too much time repeating the fundamentals. However, I would appreciate Launch School in solidifying what I have learned on React, back end, and learning how to think and communicate like an experienced software engineer.
Launch School
Pros:
Cons:
Codesmith
Pros:
Cons:
Ties
Whew! After all this, I think I know which one I'd pick. But I'm still curious what others would given the same options, so thanks for any discussion!
submitted by CarlFriedrichGauss to codingbootcamp [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:27 SecretaryPleasant928 Chance an Asian male mediocre math major for T20s + other questions

Demographics: Asian male, upper middle class, low population Midwest state, large public school (2000+ students)
Hooks: None, at best geographic but idt that counts
Intended Major(s): Mathematics (maybe economics?)
ACT/SAT/SAT II: 35 ACT (10 ACT Writing), 1580 SAT (800 Math)
UW/W GPA and Rank: 4.00 UW/4.42 W, school doesn’t do rank
Coursework:
Awards:
Extracurriculars:
Schools: These are basically all the extreme reaches I’m applying to (pretty much just shotgunning here and praying something works 💀).
I’d appreciate any target/safety recs or any advice on my reaches (am I even competitive?). I’ve been wondering about the best early strategy and currently am thinking of Princeton REA (my family used to live there, I’m really interested in their math/applied math program, and it seems like past early admit rates were decently higher than other T10/20s). I'd appreciate other thoughts on this or better early strategies. Also, is there anything I can do this summer to boost my portfolio/chances? I know most intern stuff has already likely closed; so far I'm just planning to work on math research, attend summer school (for PE just to get it out of the way), and work on the debate organization. Thanks for any feedback!
submitted by SecretaryPleasant928 to chanceme [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:11 EngineeredCoconut Everything you need to know about why tech recruiting is the way it is

I browse the CS and SE subreddits a lot and I comment on a lot of the threads which talk about hiring, interviews, and recruiting. Since I end up repeating similar information across these threads, I figured I should compile all that information into one post.
Some background about me: I've been building software professionally for around 8+ years, and am currently a Senior Software Engineer at a company that has absolutely nothing to do with delivering food to people who don't want to cook. I have done a lot of interviews, been the interviewer for many candidates, and been HM a few times.
I have only worked within the "big tech" scene, so I have no idea how things work at startups, local, small/medium sized, or non-tech companies, so the information in this post is relevant just for tech companies. I will also mostly focus on the entry-level interviews in this post.

What are the goals of the technical interview?

These are some of the high-level goals for the interview:
  1. Be cost effective
  2. Do not use too much engineer time
  3. Do not make a bad hire
  4. Be able to recruit from the largest pool of candidates available
  5. Do not make a bad hire
  6. Evaluate culture fit (mostly through communication skills)
  7. Make a good hire
When you are getting thousands of applicants and conducting hundreds of interviews, you need to be very efficient throughout the hiring pipeline. The interview process has to scale with load.

Why do they always ask for a Bachelors degree when you can learn programming from online for free?

Companies want to be cost effective and avoid making bad hires. Bad hires are expensive.
A Bachelors degree in Computer Science means that various third parties (professors) have already validated a candidate's skills (through tests, projects, exams, etc.) over a 4 year period. This is work the company does not have to do, money saved!
It also standardizes all the applicants. Everyone with a Bachelors degree in CS (or CE, SE) has had the opportunity to learn the same concepts, so we can use a similar interview process to evaluate every candidate.
If I have two self-taught candidates, I have no idea what they have in common. One might have only done React tutorials on YouTube and not know about DSA, and the other might have done the MIT open courseware courses and know about DSA: so they can't get the same questions. Companies don't want to come up with bespoke questions for each candidate, it's too expensive!
A "Bachelors degree in computer science or similar discipline" has been required for all the job postings at all the places I have worked. 3-4 years of work experience as a SE can often offset this requirement.

How many applicants do big tech companies even get?

At most of the places I have worked, most entry level job postings get around 2000+ applications for the duration they are up. This gets cut down by the ATS and the recruiter, but even afterwards we are left with hundreds of applicants. The goal of the interview process is to cut this down aggressively until we get to the 1 person we want to hire.
At Senior+ levels, the number of applicants go down drastically.

Why do they always use DSA/Leetcode questions?

  1. It is fairly easy, quick, and cheap to come up with new questions. Algorithms is a very wide topic, with many possible problems.
  2. When problems are inevitably leaked, we can quickly deprecate and replace them.
  3. They can be asked to every applicant because due to their shared background as BS in CS graduates.
  4. It is language and tech-stack agnostic. We can use the same interview questions for someone who knows Ruby, Java, C, Rust, etc. We don't have to come up with unique bespoke problems for each language or tech stack.
  5. Since DSA is very general, interviewers don't need to be an expert in the interviewee's language choice, since the concepts are agnostic.

Why do you want to recruit from the largest pool of candidates? Why don't you focus on one language and stack?

Big tech companies always want strong generalist engineers because we use a lot of different technologies. My team could be using Go for our services today, but we could transition to Rust or C if need be. We also want candidates to be able to fit into any team if required, and not every team uses the same language or stack.

But Leetcode is not what software engineers do day to day, why don't you interview them on REAL SKILLS?

It is not feasible to interview each candidate on "real skills" because of the volume of candidates we interview. Lets consider some other interview options:
Take home projects:
  1. These questions take a long time to come up with, which means an engineer has to take a lot more of their time away from actually doing engineering work to come up with questions.
  2. When the question gets leaked, it takes a lot of time to replace them because of (1). Leaving leaked questions up for too long can lead to bad hires.
  3. We need to make a version of the question per language per stack for us to be able to recruit from the largest pool of candidates. This is very time consuming.
Building an application/API during the interview:
  1. These questions take a long time to come up with... same as above.
  2. When the question gets leaked... same as above.
  3. We need to match the stack that the interviewee chose, with an engineer who also knows that stack. This is not always feasible due to scheduling.
  4. We do use these kinds of interviews for Senior+ interviews, which are much lower volume.
Debugging a snippet of code:
  1. These questions take a long time to come up with... same as above.
  2. When the question gets leaked... same as above.
  3. We might need to match what the interviewer's stack to the interviewee's stack depending on the complexity.
So that's why we don't use these kinds of other kinds of interviews for entry level interviews.

Can't people just memorize answers and pass the DSA/Leetcode interviews?

Memorizing only gets you so far, and interviewers can usually detect it. It's not like a school exam where you write the correct answer and that's it.
We ask lots of questions about the thought process behind the candidates solution. Someone who simply memorized answers will not be able to able to answer all the deep dive questions. Why did you use a Min Heap and not a Max Heap? Why did you use BFS and not DFS? Can you solve this without sorting?
There's also multiple layers of difficulty to the same problem. If someone solved the problem in 5 mins, I can bump them up to the next level.

Can you even solve the questions you are asking yourself?

It is customary to solve the question you are going to be asking before the interview. So yes, I absolutely can solve all levels of the problem I will be asking. SEs who regularly conduct interviews are generally not too rusty when it comes to solving DSA problems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb0p1-TGjmc is great watch, which touches on this a bit.

How do you decide which questions to ask?

We have an internal interview problem database. We can only pick problems that exist within these database. Periodically engineers will get assigned to remove leaked questions and add new questions to this pool of questions, to keep it fresh.

Isn't there luck involved?

Yeah, luck is always involved. You could practice Tree problems all month and get hit with a Heap problem, while someone else who practiced Heap problems will make it through.
Luck is involved in most things in life, even in non-DSA interviews.

I'm not good at Leetcode and I don't want to practice, what should I do?

There are still many companies which don't use DSA problems in their screening. When I was a new grad I interviewed at a consulting company and their interview consisted of them asking me some OOP concepts, some Java concepts, and a simple problem like FizzBuzz.
https://github.com/poteto/hiring-without-whiteboards has a list of companies which do not use DSA/Leetcode interviews.

I think these interviews are unfair!

That's valid. But like most things in life, the more popular a thing is, the more competition there is for it. It is more difficult and requires more studying and effort to get into MIT than University of Phoenix, the same applies for tech companies.

Are you even making good hires if you are not testing their REAL SKILLS during the interview?

According to our analytics, we are making good enough hires. We have found that people who have good generalist and foundational knowledge are able to learn whatever REAL SKILLS are required quickly, and end up becoming very productive members of our teams.
At one of my previous companies, we did an AB test where one cohort got the regular DSA/Leetcode interview and another cohort got a take home assignment. After 3 years the data showed that the hires from the DSA/Leetcode cohort got promoted to SE2 slightly faster than the hires from the take home assignment set. The increase was not too significant, but it proved that it was not worth spending the extra resources on coming up with take home assignment questions.
Of course we do make bad hires every now and then, but they are rare, and PIPs exist for this reason.

What about all the good engineers you are missing out on because they don't like DSA/Leetcode interviews or are bad at them?

We might miss out on some good engineers, but it does not end up mattering because of sheer volume. For example, if only 5% of 2000 applicants pass the interview, that is still 100 people.
There is probably at least 5 good engineers within that 100. So even if 500 good engineers got filtered out, we can still hire the 1 good engineer we need for that specific open role.
I'm sure MIT misses out on many exemplary students every year as well!

How many candidates actually pass these interviews?

I would say anywhere from 5-10% of the total interviews we do at the entry level turn into offers.

Summary

I hope that explains the reasoning behind why these interviews are the way they are.
I personally think the perfect system would be similar to how it works for med students with medical school. You get your BS in CS and then go to a 4 year "software engineering school" and a government body (similar to the LCME) will hand out out licenses upon completion. Then you do 3-7 years of residency in various domains. The top of the class get placed into the company and domain of their choosing, and the bottom get placed into whatever is available.
/s
Feel free to ask questions, I will try to answer them. I will not argue with you though since that's pointless.
submitted by EngineeredCoconut to cscareerquestions [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:10 AutoModerator Imperium Agency Cheap

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submitted by AutoModerator to alwaysimprove [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:08 Likearock95 Starting a business

Hello, I’ve been wanting to starts up a business servicing spas and would like some advice from other small business owners. I’m not sure what would be the best route to go and how much money I’d actually have to put up to make things official. I was looking into starting an llc and my states website says it would cost $100.00 however I came across “incfile.com” and supposedly it’s free to get an llc through that website. If I’m one individual working for my self do I need to go as far as obtaining an EIN? Ultimately I’d like to know what steps should I be taking?
submitted by Likearock95 to smallbusiness [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:06 tivas_galaxy This phone company charged me for items they told me were free with a new activation and they will not refund or return them. What can I do?

I’m not sure if this is the correct subreddit exactly but because I believe a small claims case might be my next step I figured it would be okay to post here.
The situation:
I prefer to not mention the company but this happened at a major prepaid cell phone service retailer. I purchased a phone and phone plan from this prepaid cell phone company and right before they charged my card the employee said I was eligible for a free case and screen protector. I agreed to the complimentary accessories and she put them on my phone and read me my total. I was concerned about the higher than expected price but she replied there was activation fees and tax included so I thought “well okay maybe the activation fees or something are added in there okay fine” and proceeded with the purchase. It turns out she charged me for the “free” items.
I initially called the company support about this and they said they could only add a note to my account instructing the retailer to refund the overcharge because the retailers are independent. So I went back in the next day and explained this situation to the manager but she refused to refund the overcharge and also refused a return in the accessories themselves. She was firm in this and told me that they were part of a “bundle”. They were not and in fact were charged as any other item would be but were advertised to me as free. We went back and forth on this for a few minutes but this person was not going to refund my money on those unwanted items. I feel like these people are totally predatory and have probably been taught to not do refunds or such because the responses were just flat out no, no, no. I’ve never experienced a store that literally won’t return an item. It felt like trying to return a used car to a used car dealership or something. She also told me there was no district manager and she would not give the owner information. So I could only deal with her.
I opened a bank dispute and am currently waiting to hear back as they must also contact the merchant as part of their investigation. If this turns out I lose the dispute I really would like to pursue this in small claims. However it’s only about $50 but to me it comes down to principle and not allowing them to take advantage of me.
From your point of view am I doing everything I can do? How would you have handled this? And is it even worth pursuing since were talking about a total extra charge of $50? I’m self employed so I figure I would just write the bill off on my taxes anyway but still, they are scamming people and it’s not right.
submitted by tivas_galaxy to legaladvice [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:02 Few-Yak-7083 Me [30M] and girlfriend [27F] broke up after strain from grief and her dad's dementia.

Hi All,
I could really use some advice on my relationship right now.
Me [30M] and S [27F] were together for nearly 5 years. She broke up with me a week ago.
THE GOOD TIMES:
We hit it off right away and I have never felt so compatible with someone. It was like a perfect ‘click’. It seemed that our lifestyles blended perfectly and our qualities complemented each other very well. We were crazy about each other and fell in love very fast. Of course, there were some conflicts initially. She liked constant text messaging, and I liked to have some space occasionally. She wanted verbal expressions of love more regularly, and I struggled to use my words. I was better with physical affection and acts of service, so that is what I often gave her.
She communicated these concerns to me and I began to work on them. Overall, I believe I have made massive improvements here, with only a few lapses over the years. She had acknowledged this and they have mostly not come up again.
She moved in with me after 2 years, into a house I was renting where we stayed for a little over a year. The pandemic forced us to move, and we ended up moving into my parents’ house. This has been a massive challenge for our mental health the past 1.5 years or so. We are both wanting to go to grad school and have been feeling stuck/frustrated with our living situation, looking to move out but waiting to see where our opportunities will take us.
I believe this time has brought us closer, overall. Just six months ago, we were talking about marriage and had a lovely future planned, which we both seemed committed to and excited for. We were each other’s support through all the bad days, and our love had never been stronger.
THE DESCENT:
About 7 months ago, her dad (to whom she is very close) began having mental health issues. He was acting paranoid, angry, impulsive, and confused regularly. He’d get into trouble for stuff like harassing the mailman, or his apartment neighbors because he thought they were stealing from him. He’d make a scene and end up in trouble with the law or in the hospital for evaluation, which was never able to find anything wrong. This repeated about many times over the course of a couple months. Since S was so close with him, she handled the burden of all of this, despite having 2 other sisters that were also capable. She navigated moving him to multiple apartments, finding work, and eventually getting him government benefits when it was clear that his mental health would prevent him from working anymore.
Obviously, I tried to be as supportive as possible, letting her vent to me and offering help wherever I could. She was stressed and burnt out, so I expressed that she needs to take care of herself too and ask her sisters to step up, which she did. I expressed the toll it had taken on our relationship, and she acknowledged and said she would try to adjust.
I admit I could have handled some of these situations more compassionately. Her dad has a long history of being stubborn and having a temper, so sometimes it seemed that he was just lacking self control. I felt that S was stretching her self too thin at times, and expressed frustration with the emotional toll it was taking on her. I have since apologized for this and really deeply regret it.
THE SPIRAL:
About 4 months ago, in February, her dad’s mental health issues progressed rapidly. He started to get dissociative and dangerous sometimes, and could no longer live alone. For a few weeks, S and her sisters would rotate staying with him. He’d often refuse to take his meds and was very difficult overall. Again, I expressed that she was stretching herself too thin and that they were taking on more than they could handle. But, they were staunchly opposed to putting him in a home .
In March, there was another episode of confusion one night that pushed them to reconsider professional help. S’s dad was taken to the hospital again for trying to run away. This was the night I let her down worse than ever – she was a few hours away and texted me late at night to ask if I could come to the hospital to be with her. I said no because it was already so late and I was in bed… thinking this time was another repeat of the other uneventful hospital visits, and figuring her sister was already there for support. This was extremely selfish, and I regret it more than anything I’ve ever done in my life. I feel horrible about this still. I have no experience with situations like this and I made an awful mistake out of frustration with how many times this scenario had been repeated. But this time was not a repeat. It turns out that her dad got violent with her this night, and she didn’t tell me until the next day and I didn’t ever consider it. Obviously, I apologized profusely for letting her down, offered all of my support immediately, and, from this point, started putting all of my effort into being fully present and helping her with this situation. She seemed forgiving and I vowed to do better from that point forward.
About a week later, he was officially diagnosed with dementia. Looking back, the signs were all there. The guilt that me and S felt for not recognizing it sooner is unbelievable.
For the next month while she worked out placement in a nursing home, S and her sisters continued to try to care for him at his home. The stress and grief was unreal, and I had never seen S so distraught. I tried to help every way I could – emotional support, problem solving, picking up extra tasks at home, etc. – but she pushed me away, saying she didn’t want to burden me with it. I tried to stay persistent without pushing too much, and on the really emotional days she’d come to me for comfort.
This time also brought out a lot of other emotions in S – feelings of inadequacy, deep depression, and pushing away all of her close relationships, to name a few. Our relationship was strained badly at this point, and it was impossible to discuss it without her grief and other stresses weighing on it. She expressed deep disappointment with how I wasn’t there when she needed me and how she felt like I didn’t care about her enough, all tangled up with her family stresses and grief for her dad. I was as apologetic as possible and expressed commitment to making it right, and as much reassurance and support as possible. She seemed to accept it and we felt much better afterward. I figured that we would have an opportunity to mend our relationship further once her dad was in a memory care home and her stress was reduced.
THE END:
At the end of April, her dad was finally moved into a memory care home. She was an emotional wreck that night, saying she’s a horrible daughter and girlfriend, and just crushed by the grief. She told me she needed me and I held her and offered as much support as I could.
Afterward, things seemed to be getting better. In the first week of May, we had a very long conversation about our relationship. We laid out all of our concerns and grievances, understood each other, apologized, discussed improvements, and expressed commitment to being together. She committed to starting therapy and it seemed very hopeful at this point that we would be OK.
Throughout May, she seemed happy but got gradually distant. We went on plenty of dates, got back into our routine, and seemed to be really loving and enjoying each other’s company. We were planning lots of activities together and it felt great to be getting back to normal. Slowly, I noticed she started to shy away from discussing our future together, saying she wasn’t ready to make any major decisions about anything. I tried not to push, but reminded her that our long-term plans were important to me and I’d like to talk about them whenever she’s ready.
Finally, Memorial Day weekend, she left me somewhat abruptly. We had gone out for a drink and gotten an appetizer. After ordering, I expressed that maybe a different appetizer would be a better choice. She said she was OK with that and that I could ask to change it, but she was not OK with it. She said was frustrated about how she always puts my wants/needs before her own, and I should have known which appetizer she wanted. I tried to discuss it further at home, and she blew up on me – every grievance she’d ever had, how she felt like I never put in enough effort, and how she’s felt like this for too long, all mixed in with grief for her dad and frustration about our living situation. I apologized for everything, pointed out how responsive I’d always been to the issues she brings up, and what I was doing to further improve. I asked if there was any other way I could make it right to her. She said ‘no’ and it was very tense. I asked if she was going to leave me and she just nodded and started packing a bag. Before she drove off, I asked if we were still together and she said no.
THE NOW:
She is staying with her sister and most of her stuff is still at my house. She does not want to see me or talk on the phone, but is open to texting and letters.
I have been trying to keep communicating with her, acknowledging her feelings, expressing how committed I am to working through everything, and letting her know I just want the best for her and I will support her no matter what. I am not blowing up her phone or putting pressure on her, just sending a text daily to express some of my thoughts and let her know I hope she is doing OK.
She replies to some of the messages, but has been generally pretty cold and brief. In a few messages, she has expressed her feelings a little bit more – saying that she always gave up what she wants/needs and she lost herself, she does not think we are emotionally compatible, and she is frustrated because we’ve had 5 years to fix all these perceived issues. She says its too late for her and she is not ready to talk about it further yet.
I am crushed and somewhat blindsided. Just one day prior to the breakup, we told each other how in love we were and how we’d always make it work.
I am hurt that she bottled up so many negative feelings about me. She is a bit conflict-avoidant and a people-pleaser, so I guess it makes sense. It just sucks that she didn’t communicate this stuff to me when she felt it so I could have a chance to address it. Just 6 months ago, we were doing great – it seemed that she was very satisfied with our relationship and that we had no long-term issues. We were full-speed-ahead to a future we were both excited for.
I feel like the events this year have damaged all of her relationships with me, her sisters, and her close friends. There is so much resentment now for everyone she was close with. She gave her all to helping her dad and nobody could live up to her expectations or ease the hurt. Looking back, I made a lot of ignorant mistakes and it is easy to see how I could have done better. I have committed to learning from it and doing better in the future. I know she is hurting and I hate to see her push everyone that cares about her away. I love her very much and I just want to help.
TL;DR:
We had a strong and compatible relationship for 4 years. We were very good at keeping each other happy and addressing every issue that came up. Broke up just before 5 years.
S's father's progressing dementia and the events that followed put a huge strain on our relationship. Despite efforts to support S, there were instances where my actions fell short, causing resentment. After S's father was placed in a memory care home, our relationship seemed to be improving, but S abruptly ended it, expressing long-term frustration and a lack of emotional compatibility. I am devastated, trying to maintain communication, and expressing commitment to working through our issues as I always have, but S remains distant. I am regretful and believe that better communication earlier could have made a difference. I do not believe that we are incompatible as we have always been able to work through things easily. The events of the past year have strained all of S's relationships, and she is pushing away everyone who cares about her.
What does everyone think? I know our relationship will never be the same, but do we have any chance of working through this?
submitted by Few-Yak-7083 to relationship_advice [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:01 cmb93x Travel Notifications on CC

...I should not be on hold 20 minutes to put a travel notification on a card. Where is the self service option?
submitted by cmb93x to sofi [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 22:01 AutoModerator Download Imperium Agency Charlie Morgan

The course includes:

• Foundations
• Self Transcendence
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You can find all of them on - Our Discord Server
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2023.06.03 22:01 AutoModerator Imperium Agency Download

The course includes:

• Foundations
• Self Transcendence
• Organic Attraction Mastery
• 7-Figure Imperium Agency Funnels
• Paid Attraction Mastery
• 7-Figure Sales Strategies
• Building Your Team
• Service Delivery
• Replays
• NorthFlow Coaching Program

You can find all of them on -Our Discord Server
Discord: PLIATSIK#0227
Telegram: t. me/PliatsikG (Remove the space between "t." and "me" for the link to work properly or search directly for my telegram name PliatsikG).

100+ Vouches from clients
1000+ Members on our Discord Server
20+ TB of rare and known courses
submitted by AutoModerator to easyacquisition [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:49 Putrid_Database2137 Healthy disagreement with the prevailing TorWithVPN advice

Hi, I've noticed that the prevailing wisdom is that VPN's actually hurt your anonymity when used in conjunction with TOTAILS, and while I don't fully disagree yet, I've seen so much of the same advice given, that I personally haven't found to be satisfying answers. (yes I've looked at TorwithVPN)
If i've made any bad assumptions about the behavior of these technologies please let me know.
The list below has what I believe to be the strongest arguments I've come across against connecting to a VPN before ToTor bridge. Under each point is my current issue/questions with the argument:

VPN Trust: By adding a VPN to the TOR network, users introduce an additional point of trust. If the VPN provider logs user activity or is compromised, it could potentially compromise the privacy and anonymity offered by TOR.
  1. Once the VPN tunnel is established, does a vpn service have the ability to look and and see what .onion site you've requested?
  2. If they can, I can see why that would be an issue because an adversary operating your guard node, could identify the VPN service and get the logs that show you requesting an onion at a given time.
  3. However if this is a log-less vpn outside of the relevant jurisdictions or a log-less self-hosted VPS, wouldn't the trail end cold? with your real IP not being a part of the equation
Additional Attack Surface: Introducing a VPN to the TOR network increases the attack surface. If the VPN has vulnerabilities or is compromised, it could potentially expose the user's TOR traffic to malicious actors. This undermines the security benefits offered by TOR.
  1. So for this issue, I'm assuming that the problem would also be from a threat actor operating your guard node, seeing that the request is coming from a vpn, and than trying to attack the vpn to derive your real IP?
  2. If the VPN's firewalls are configured and permissions are set up correctly, than wouldn't that provide a reasonable level of defense against a malicious guard node trying to originate the source of a request
Compatibility Issues: Some VPNs may not be fully compatible with TOR or may require specific configuration adjustments. This can result in technical complexities and potential security vulnerabilities if not properly set up, compromising the privacy and anonymity provided by TOR.
  1. For this issue i'm interpreting the problem to be if your vpn accidentally makes a request outside of the Tor network.
  2. For one, I currently see this as non-unique to VPNs, if your real origin computer leaks some packets outside of TOR, to me that would be a way worse outcome than a VPN leaking them
  3. How challenging would it be to configure your vpn's firewall such that all outgoing traffic goes through the TOR network?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and please let me know if i need to clarify anything or if i've made any mistakes here.
submitted by Putrid_Database2137 to TOR [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:37 Goleggett Best Solution for Sharing Dashboards with Clients?

Hi all,
I'm going to be rolling out a new service for my clients in the coming months which is centered around enterprise reporting performance + security. In a nutshell, I'll be analyzing the underlying performance of different reports and dashboards and investigating the security setup (i.e. are there people who have access to reports who shouldn't? Are there sensitive reports that are not using RLS correctly? etc.). The end result will be a roadmap on how to improve performance and security and also align the setup to best practices. It's solely for customers of a specific Cloud ERP solution - all of the tables/columns are the exact same as it's hosted via multi-tenancy. This makes life relatively easy as I will have a Python script that pulls the data from the client's system, run a load of transformations and load it into a database segmented via the client ID.
I've searched this subreddit for an answer but I'm coming up short so far, so any advice would be great, but what would be the best tool that allows me to share dashboards with my clients? Ideally, it should be able to do the following:
I'm happy to either go down a cloud-hosted solution route or self-hosting OSS via a VM + docker. Lightdash nearly ticked all the boxes but they don't have the viz capabilities I need right now. Also, I use an M1 Macbook w/8gb RAM, so running PowerBI via Parallels is pretty much out of the question to develop the initial dashboards (again I could run it via a VM and I'm more than open to hearing about people's experiences with that).
submitted by Goleggett to BusinessIntelligence [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:35 LucideNomad3 Inexperienced singer looking for guidance.

Hi! I'm lucid. Female by sex. I am unsure about my own voice.
Internally, I am one of the most inexperienced people when it comes to singing. I like to sing, but I am unsure if i ever want to go pro (whether its online or in public), or its more for self improvement. I know some music terms, but most of them have been washed up because it was when i was a trumpet player in middle school.
I noticed though that (besides not being vocally trained). A lot of the songs i want to sing, are all in a key that makes my voice get unstable. For example....for lack of recognizable songs I pull all star. The end of the main chorus "All that glitters is gold.." I always keep off shooting and singing too high for comfort, but i think that its natural to transpose lower to figure out where your range is at right?
Don't even know my range. I just feel lost.
I been looking stuff up about self teaching but thanks to this sub, I find it might not be advisable especially if I'm this new to the field. My financial situation isn't the best and so I been googling my way through certain subjects, but I honestly don't know where to start. And since i don't have the money, I come to ask if there is any one who is willing to at least kick start me with the basics. I can provide my drawing services, but that's about it.
Sorry if the post is all over the place. I am trying to give information about me without over complicating things. Hope to see some response.
submitted by LucideNomad3 to singing [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:33 Zumcddo How to pay a lead generation specialist? Should I even hire one?

Not sure if it's called a lead generation or something else.
I have a website where pet owners can book pet services from animal clinics and grooming centers (service providers). We need the clinics to join the platform for the website to be valuable to pet owners. To incentivize them to join, we're giving them a free booking management system to take and manage their offline and online bookings. I'm talking to a few clinics right now, which I got through calling them one by one.
I have an email list of about 500+ emails/contact details of clinics. I'm working on this 40 hrs per day as I still have a FT job and my SO calls about 5 clinics per day as he still has work as well. I can only call so much clinics per day, and most of them would want to call back because either the owner isn't there or they're slammed.
I'm thinking of hiring someone who can help me with the sales calls, but I'm not sure how I'd go about paying them. Do I give basic salary + commission for every clinic that joins? But would that be spending too much for acquiring the clinics? And if I do this, how do I know that they wont "harass" the clinics (be rude, or call them again and again) just to get them to join so they can get the commission?
The website doesn't have a self signup feature so we have to create it for them on the backend. This has been the most common process:
I call the clinic.
Clinic is interested, but they want to know exactly how it works. So they book a call with me. Usually runs for 30 minutes.
They give us the details needed to create their accounts.
We create it and give the clinic the credentials.
Clinics use it.
Really need advise. Thanks.
submitted by Zumcddo to Entrepreneur [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:29 rick_pack2 Questions for Divorced Men : Startup Event (early stage, urgent need for responses)

I am working with a small team of other adults and college students at a rapid-paced "play" startup business event and we are developing a proposal for an app / service to help divorced men like myself match with women after coaching so they present themselves in a positive, authentic way. Looking through this Reddit, it sounds like a number of us could use help in this area.
Would you please consider answering any or all these market research questions, however briefly as you would like? We are going to have a hard time finding divorced men given the limited time we have. Feel free to private message me if you like. Thank you for your consideration!
********* What is your age range? (Options: Under 25, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65+) For Confirmation: What is your current relationship status? (Options: Single, Dating, Engaged, Married, Divorced, Widowed, Prefer not to say) What is your gender? (Options: Male, Female, Prefer to self-describe, Prefer not to say) For Confirmation: What is your current employment status? (Options: Employed full-time, Employed part-time, Self-employed, Unemployed, Retired, Student, Prefer not to say) What is your highest level of education? (Options: High school or equivalent, Some college, Associate degree, Bachelor's degree, Master's degree, Professional degree, Doctorate, Prefer not to say) What is your parental status? (Options: No children, Children under 18, Children over 18, Prefer not to say) How long ago did your divorce finalize? (For divorced men only. Options: Less than a year ago, 1-3 years ago, 3-5 years ago, Over 5 years ago, Prefer not to say)
*** What were the biggest challenges you faced when you started dating again after your divorce? What resources have you used or do you wish existed to support your journey post-divorce? How open are you to using an AI-powered platform for coaching and advice? What topics would you like to see covered in a coaching session (e.g., rebuilding confidence, improving communication, managing finances)? What features would make an online dating platform more appealing to you? How interested are you in connecting with other divorced men who are navigating similar experiences? What aspects of your life would you like to improve post-divorce (e.g., health, lifestyle, relationships, mental wellbeing)? Would you be comfortable sharing your experiences and learning from others in a community-focused platform?
submitted by rick_pack2 to Divorce_Men [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:24 Commercial_Ebb1058 Reply to post titled as "Advice to guys who are not getting matches", and some general tips.

Someone recently created aforecited post here in this sub and I thought I should lay out some facts while refuting a few points of that post (doing this partly because I am bored, and partly because it needs to be done in view of the greater good). I will keep it as short as possible. Following points shall be noted, but not hated:
Again, you will anyhow get unmatched and ghosted a few times. But above points will still help you a lot in your journey. I know some of you might find the above facts unrealistic or a little harsh, but that's very subjective. Not gonna argue or entertain anyone who is offended in the comments. Hope this helps.
submitted by Commercial_Ebb1058 to IndianBoysOnTinder [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 21:24 PM_ME_YOUR_DALEKS A list of 15 selected longreads about Hollywood for the weekend

I originally posted this list of Hollywood related longreads to a gossip subreddit, but have been meaning to clean it up and share it here since. I'm hoping to be more active here from now on, as I am definitely a passionate longreader. :)
"Tears and Terror: The Disturbing Final Years of Mickey Rooney," The Hollywood Reporter
"One of the biggest stars of all time, who remained aloft longer than anyone in Hollywood history, was in the end brought down by those closest to him."
The gripping tale of Mickey Rooney, the legendary child star turned Oscar nominee and how his tormented end unfolded— abused and robbed by his eighth wife and her children. This is a captivating story that exposes the tragic downfall of a true Hollywood icon.
"The Untold Stories of Wes Studi," GQ
"In the process, he's become the biggest star we've ever had in the Native acting world, but he's never attained actual stardom."
A terrific profile of Wes Studi, the renowned Native American actor who stands as a true luminary in the industry. With good insight into the workings of Hollywood, Studi's remarkable journey encompasses not only his experiences as a Vietnam War veteran but also his invaluable wisdom acquired as an activist within the American Indian movement of the 1970s.
"The Rise and Fall of Planet Hollywood," Esquire
"My second wife was on the way back from [an event], and she flew back with George Clooney. He got the call where he found out he was Batman on the plane. . . . He was saying, ‘I am Batman.’. . . There were so many celebrities, it became like high school. You got to hang out with the cool kids.”
Embark on a nostalgic journey through the bygone era of the 1990s, where Planet Hollywood reigned. This movie-themed restaurant, owned by the movie stars themselves, promised a glamorous encounter with the very celebrities who graced the silver screen. At the pinnacle of pop culture's obsession with fame, this chain soared before crashing into bankruptcy not once, but twice. This article will take you back if you ever experienced the dubious pleasure of sampling the lackluster food at a Planet Hollywood franchise.
"Frank Sinatra Jr. is Worth Six Buddy Grecos," GQ
"Not one of them can even imagine what it is like to be Junior, to have a father who would do something like that to his own son, to have a father who is proud enough, fierce enough, brutal enough and big enough to present his son to a thousand faces and then turn him into a shadow."
An exquisitely crafted profile, not only due to its prose but also the way it exudes a remarkable sense of empathy. Frank Sinatra Jr. was not just a walking punchline but trapped in the unfulfilled, lonely cage of his father's fame. This is not just a mere recounting of events, but a sincere examination of the profound loneliness and unfulfilled dreams that defined Junior's existence.
"The Ego Has Landed," People magazine
"He has been compared to nearly every great man in history. The funny thing is, he's the one doing all the comparing."
Step into the world of Philip Michael Thomas, a former TV star whose fleeting fame on Miami Vice propelled him to astonishing levels of egomania. While his name may have faded from memory, this article unflinchingly spotlights a man whose taste of success led him to unparalleled heights of self-importance.
"Here Is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan in Your Movie," The New York Times
"She proclaimed the director a jerk, her co-star a nightmare and the crew unfriendly. On it went. Schrader listened for a while. He looked stricken. He softly tapped his balding head on the table. Lohan asked him what was the matter."
The Canyons was destined to be a disaster film simply because of the crazy egomaniacs (and worse, in the case of James Deen) involved, at the service of what was, by all accounts, an awful script. I haven't seen the film myself, but I have read this piece several times, which captures the slow trainwreck in progress. At the center of this calamity stands Lindsay Lohan, a star who somehow manages to duck any inklings of sympathy by embodying entitlement and assholeish behavior.
"Val Kilmer Doesn't Believe in Death," Men's Health
"'Cher dipped out for afternoon errands,' he writes. 'Night fell, and I fell asleep. Suddenly I awoke vomiting blood that covered the bed like a scene out of The Godfather. I prayed immediately, then called 911.'"
A poignant piece that details how a once radiant star grapples with the passage of time and the relentless grip of throat cancer. This piece gives a mix of emotions that range from sympathy to a lingering sense of unease - the latter due to Val's bizarre obsession with his Christian Science faith and how it requires reconciling his idols Mary Baker Eddy and Mark Twain, two totally opposed personalities.
"Ten Years Ago, I Called Out David Letterman. This Month, We Sat Down to Talk," Vanity Fair
"I’m sorry I was that way and I was happy to have read the piece because it wasn’t angering. I felt horrible because who wants to be the guy that makes people unhappy to work where they’re working? I don’t want to be that guy. I’m not that guy now. I was that guy then.”
Twenty years ago, Nell Scovell quit her dream job as a writer at The Late Show with David Letterman over sexual harrassment. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Scovell seizes the opportunity to conduct an interview with Letterman, who confronts the difficult questions. However, amidst the acknowledgment and apology, Scovell grapples with a lingering doubt: Does Letterman's contrition stem from genuine remorse or simply from the consequences of being exposed? This compelling piece questions the intricacies of celebrity apologies and the true nature of accountability.
"Nobody's Victim: An Interview with Samantha Geimer," Quillette
"I know what happened, and I know how I feel. I will not silently let my life be distorted and used by strangers, whatever their intention, knowing full well that they care nothing for me."
An incredibly hard read, this interview is with Samantha Geimer, who was violently raped by Roman Polanski at age 13. Yet this emotionally charged piece has lingered in my thoughts for years, as it grapples with the complex issues surrounding society's expectations of sexual abuse victims, particularly the victims of heinous acts committed by public figures. As you navigate through the interview, be prepared for moments of discomfort as Geimer calls out even those who purport to advocate for her, revealing how their actions have, at times, exacerbated her pain. Bonus: For the intricate details of the legal case and all its twists and turns, see this examination by Jeffrey Toobin in The New Yorker.
"The King of the Geezer Teasers," Vulture
"Off-camera, De Niro’s ordeal was no less daunting — somehow, the great actor had to keep Hollywood’s worst filmmaker from ruining the movie they’d set out to make together."
Written before Bruce Willis' dementia diagnosis, this is a revealing profile that takes you behind the scenes of the straight-to-video empire constructed by Randall Emmett, a mastermind who leverages aging male stars to churn out profitable yet subpar films. There have been accusations since this piece was published that Emmett exploited Bruce Willis to keep his deals going.
"Oliver Stone's Mother Lode," Washington Post
"It's not clear -- from detailed interviews with Elizabeth, Oliver and his mother Jacqueline -- what actually occurred."
What starts as a routine profile of Oliver Stone explodes when his ex-wife drops a bombshell allegation about an incident from his childhood. The normally combative Stone seems uncharacteristically reticent (or perhaps in denial) at times, as the writer tries to untangle the family drama and how personal history intertwines with the filmmaker's work. Bonus: Carole Cadwalladr revisted these allegations thirteen years later in this excellent Guardian profile of Stone.
"Natalie Wood's Fatal Voyage," Vanity Fair
"After a few minutes, Wagner appeared and told the captain, “'She’s gone.'"
What happened the night Natalie Wood drowned? Was it an accident or something more sinister? This article of unparalleled depth explores that tragic night, including incredible revelations from the captain of the yacht - the only surviving witness willing to talk.
"Trapped in the Twilight Zone," Los Angeles Times
"'It’s not that there are no values in Hollywood,' Puttnam says. 'It’s that there is a whimsical lack of consistency on ethical issues. People can be incredibly loyal and forgiving toward some individuals, and completely unforgiving toward others.”
In 1982, a horrific accident killed Vic Morrow and two child actors (working illegally) on the set of The Twilight Zone: The Movie. While the powers that be - John Landis, Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall - faced no long-term consequences and reached new career heights, it wasn't so for the crew members who survived the tragedy. This compelling article delves into the profound impact that continued to haunt the below-the-line personnel years after the incident, and on the enduring trauma it left behind.
"The Miranda Obsession," Vanity Fair
"'On a good day,' she wrote, 'I feel like a shipwrecked person spotting the sight of some nearing shore: a taste in the wind, a softness in the light, a sudden passage of words. Love is so easy in the movies.'"
In the pre-Internet era, the enigmatic figure of Miranda Grosvenor weaved a web of allure and deception over the phone, captivating numerous famous and influential Hollywood men with her mesmerizing voice and innate charm. However, the true identity of Miranda Grosvenor was far from the persona she projected. In a tale that predates the concept of "catfishing," this peculiar and poignant narrative explores the impact of illusion and the poignant reality of loneliness.
"The Unbearable Bradness of Being," Rolling Stone
"We are alone. Pitt glances suspiciously at what lies between us on the table, as though it's always the inconsiderate, tattle-telling interloper that spoils a good conversation. 'The dreaded tape recorder,' he says, fingering it."
This starts as a typical celebrity profile from the late 90's, slightly edgy because it was from Rolling Stone and Brad Pitt was in his dudebro era. But things get interesting when Brad has second thoughts, and he and the writer, Chris Heath, get into an argument. Heath shares the power struggle that ensues when a celebrity - at the peak of their influence -attempts to seize control of their profile.
submitted by PM_ME_YOUR_DALEKS to Longreads [link] [comments]