Hey all! I've just recently gotten into this game and I'm just here for a little... review.
Positives: The concept of the game is nice! The universe is giant and I love the flight mechanics and missions. There's plenty to learn which has kept me busy over the last couple days. The free flow of what you can do is cool! Actually landing over watching you land on a loading screen is new and nice. The dogfighting can be a bit tough to learn with the targeting and weapons, while also learning to not crash into the ships you are fighting. But fun!
But holy hell.... I have never seen a game in the state of this one. 30K is an infamous phrase, I can tell. And it looks like it has been for years. People stranded at area 18, 30K, spontaneous combustion when leaving a hangar, inability to consistently use items without dropping them onto the floor, packages clipping into the ground, getting thrown in prison because my buddy died by slamming into his ship ramp in space (why my crime stat went up without touching him? Good question.), getting thrown around every time I try to enteexit my ship in space, constant desync, enemies/players/sometimes myself being clipped into walls, its all a constant 'try and try again' to get anything done.
"Its in alpha, x,y,z, this that, and the third." For 10 years?! This has been happening? After 10 years and >$500M this is where we are? The bugs are excusable with enough arguing. But $500 for a ship?!?! In an unfinished game??? And you're telling me that the devs can NUKE your progress at any point, but the only guarantee are those ships you've killed your wallet for? And it's seemed like they've lied about wipes in the past as well.
And using your player base as a guinea pig for a free weekend to 'test the servers' is a horrible excuse for faulty technology. It only lasts one weekend, sure. But cop outs like that and 'iTs nEVer UsuALLy ThIS BaD' seem like Stockholm Syndrome to the core. And an issue council ffs?
People say the devs care, and maybe they do, but where in the chain are these priorities being decided? It's great that they are passionate, but something is very wrong here.
At the end of the day, its just a game and just an opinion and I'm not in it to take people off the game. I just want to rant and scream at the sky for a bit. It's been fun(?), and I may invest later if the game gets a bit more off the ground.
TL;DR: Game is bugged to hell, something should be done because its a good game in concept.

First persona game. I'm going in semi-blind just cheating on class answers and confidant responses. I just beat the 4th palace and saw the results with Medjed. Things are starting to come into focus and the dots are starting to connect. Still waiting for the plot twist.
I tried to keep it short (I failed) but this what I have so far. Some things contradict each other or would introduce huge plot holes if both were true but I'm just throwing every Idea I have out there. There are some opinions and random facts that I think are important but not sure where to fit them yet.
Please no spoilers for any Persona games as I plan on picking up 3 and 4 later on.
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palace one predictions : https://www.reddit.com/Persona5/comments/13odesi/first_time_playing_going_in_blind_my_horribly/
palace two predictions : https://www.reddit.com/Persona5/comments/13q3q9j/first_time_playing_going_in_blind_just_beat_the/
palace three predictions : https://www.reddit.com/Persona5/comments/13sl0vp/first_time_playing_going_in_blind_just_beat_the/
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Futaba /Alibaba and somehow Morgana

• The squid girl from the movie finally gets a name.
• Futaba's mom is the curry lady!
• The phone call Sojiro had about a printer makes so much sense now. When I thought he was taking care of an old lady I was like what is she printing out pictures of snowball or something.
• 2nd person to get the metaverse nav before awakening their persona. How does Igor know?
• the images that Futaba sees are the metaverse bleeding in or ... shes just plain nuts.
• translated some of the binary on the walls of her palace in to ASCII looking for a secret message but they were just the same odd symbols that were on the doors and such.
• Futaba picked Alibaba as her hacker alias. before we get to see the whole Egypt /pyramid theme of her palace it seemed like a really odd choice.
• It could be just a cool name that the writers picked but "Chekhov's gun" states that every element introduced in a story should be necessary to the plot. If the gun isn't going to be fired then the audience doesn't need to see it being loaded - or something like that.
• It got me thinking and for sure I remembered the name Alibaba but had forgotten the details of the story. I did a quick search and was able to find the story pretty easily.
• Short version: Alibaba was a dude who stole a bunch of riches from some thieves. Alibaba is living the good life when the thieves track him down and make plans to kill him. The plans are stopped by Alibaba's slave who kills the thieves.
• Also Alibaba's slave was named...... Wait for it....... Morgiana! Mind effing blown! If I'm not reading too much into that then its a friggin huge easter egg. It's way too similar not to be important.
• Morgana is a slave of the big bad. Slaves can be freed.
• Since I haven't seen the relationship between Futaba and Morgana develop yet it could just be she treats Morgana like a slave.
• this one is a bit of a stretch but the creature Alibaba uses in chat kind of looked like a "dark Morgana" it could just be the style that the artist uses for all creatures.
• Morgiana was female. Early in the game Ann ask Morgana if it's a boy or a girl. It says of course it's a boy, but it also says that it is human. (it's def still not). Morgana might be the Male version of Morgiana but this throws it's gender into question too. It's not like anyone had checked between it's legs as far as I can tell. (also where does it do it's business I haven't seen a litter box).
• Morgiana killed the thieves going after Alibaba. The big bad will take control of Morgana at one point and we will have to fight Shade / Evil / Controlled Morgana (not a shadow this will be different) to get the cat back.
• Was almost thinking Morgana could be the one who betrays us but no one can understand him and even Akechi would have trouble selling the whole "my informant is a cat" thing to Sae.

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Wakaba, Shido and the Owls

• The curry lady finally gets a name.
• The bald glasses man gets a name .
• In ancient Egypt owls were associated with death and mourning. Will be referring to the Agents as Owls for now on because I think it makes a great name for a secret organization.
• Wakaba discovered the metaverse independent from the government.
• She was working on a way to enter the metaverse without the use of the metaverse nav.
• The Owls that killed her work for Shido and Sae's boss.
• Not only did the owls deliver the news to Fatuba (mourning) but they also were the people who killed her (death)
• The owls killed Wakaba to keep her silent and then stole her research which they hoped would let them make a metaverse nav of their own
• The black mask user is an owl.
• Do owls eat butterflies ?

Medjed

• We learn medjed it's not so much of an international organization but rather was started by Futaba and then a bunch of posers co-opted the name.
• One of the owls came up with the medjed plan. They had leverage on a member or had a mole, informant etc.
• Sae's boss has a conversation about it where he mentions he didn't think *he* could come up with the plan on their own. he = Akechi
• Igor came up with the plan and told Akechi.
• The Owls couldn't expose the PT without exposing the metaverse. Sae's boss says something like if they (PT) keep this up then the public may find out about the metaverse.
• He called it the metaverse and not the cognitive world. Could be the writers didn't want to confuse the player by introducing a new term with no context. Could be that the Owls initially learned about the metaverse from an otherworldly being.
• The plan was to use the threat of an economic crash to get the PT crew to expose themselves and using misdirection to make them think it was medjed.
• additional benefit was to cause social unrest allowing Shido to make his power grab.
• They were going about the metal shutdowns slowly at first (Sae mentioned it has been going on for 2-3 years) messing things up so that certain government officials would resign in shame. After the PT crew became active they had to accelerate their plans to stay ahead of the curve or such.

Akechi

• Akechi says hes a psychic. He comes off as joking but in the same convo you can strait up tell him that Ryuji is a PT. Could be he is telling the truth and just expects no one to believe it. this would be his special "gift" that allowed him to hear Morgana. +1 for Akechi is good
• Akechi clearly puts the idea that the PT are involved in the mental shutdowns in Sae's head. +1 for Akechi being bad.
• Actually starting to trust him after spending some time with him. +5 Akechi is bad.
• At this point Akechi knows who the PT are. not 100% but hes like 95% sure. He's playing the long con and trying to get on Jokers good side.
• He got super pissed when he saw the PT made the 3rd change of heart happen. We already know he doesn't like them but he was PISSED.
• He cares too much about fame and the PT crew are stealing his thunder.
• I was told I can't sit on the fence with Akechi lol. My gut says he's bad but the cynic in me says the writers are setting him up for a plot twist.
• If I'm forced to pick one then Akechi is bad. I thought they were setting Sae's boss (really with I knew his name) up to look bad but be really good, but every palace there is another scene with him scheming. I don't think the writers are going to go for such a cheap plot twist with Akechi.
• Akechi being bad also is also now needed for one of my Kasumi theories to work so I'm firmly planting my feet in the Akechi is bad camp.

Kasumi

• Knows Akechi because her dad works at a TV station. Could be a lie. Every owl needs a cover story.
• Said she had a sister that was killed.
• Never had a sister it was her other personality.
• At the casino heist when she says My weak self depended on you that all ends today line that was the "sister" talking and Kasumi is the weak self she mentions.
• At some point it will be mentioned that she has no pictures of her sister.
• Her sister was an owl but had a change of mind (would say change of heart but that would be confusing ). regarding the agency and was going to leave / rebel / expose them / take them down etc. so they owls had her "killed"
• When her sister "died" it was actually Maruki suppressing her other personality.
• Her sister was the gymnast. Being an agent for the owls would require tons of training Gymnastics would be easy for someone like that. Her slump only started when her sister "died".
• Only has 5 star confidant rank. The other 5 will be with her sister.
• Kasumi started off as an owl but joined a group that opposes them. She was captured and then brainwashed by Maruki
• she had to transfer schools because her old classmates would know she didn't have a sister and notice the change in personality

Maruki

• should have been a red flag earlier. new girl transfers and a month later her doctor gets assigned to her high school. Given what we know about the principle and his connection to Sae's boss this is more then just a happy coincidence.
• after the incident with Kamoshida the owls were worried that the personality suppression didn't take so they sent him to keep a close eye on Kasumi.
• After the 2nd exam he calls you into his office for a little chat. the whole feel of this was different than the others I've had with him.
• It was like there was a sense of desperation under his statements. He was like how do you think people will react when someone fails to meet expectations after being given special treatment desperate people to crazy things. There's some misdirection here since the two girls in the hall were talking about Kasumi's exams being moved up a week. The writers want you to think he's talking about Kasumi and all the expectations the school put on her. but that makes no sense why would he be asking about what two random girls were talking about in the hall. He was actually talking about himself and the expectations the Owls put on him .
• The owls are putting pressure on him to complete some project and hes going to make a mistake when he rushes to meet the deadline they set for him.
• someone he knows is really depressed or has some other crippling emotional trauma. this was his original motivation but has since warped.
• wants to save people by fixing their hearts in a scientific way. want to go above counseling and actually remove/repair bad emotions.
• cognitive psience will be involved. he already knows about it and is almost done with his device/gizmo/doodad that will allow him to fix hearts. The conversations he's had with joker so far is his way of asking for "permission" to set his plan in action. He even says he wished he had the powers that the PT have.
• is it better to feel nothing than to feel pain? could see this being his "I really think I'm still a good guy" logic
• plan is to use his gizmo to turn every into emotional zombies where no one feels anything. This is what Shido meant when he was talking about his ideal society.

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Twins / Butterfly Lady
The number of new confidants that unlock after the 3rd palace was a bit overwhelming but It did give me plenty of chances to watch the new confidant unlock scenes. I was a little too hung up with her voice to really pay attention.

• I am thou, thou art I" - we are one and the same
• thou hast acquired a new vow. - you just unlocked a new confidant. to quote Jose "Good Job!"
• It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity. - butterflies have wings also still talking about Joker "thy chains of captivity". Joker is like a caterpillar and when he obtains his true power he will become a butterfly (not literally). the chains could be a the cocoon that the butterfly breaks out of.
• With the birth of the Fortune Persona I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power - creatures with wings (like a butterfly) ride the wind. She is now referring to herself in this line "I have obtained..."

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• The butterfly lady is our persona or at the very least out power levels are connected.
• Part of the butterfly lady's power is sealed in joker. Was not intentional but will be the key to rejoining the twins.
• When there is a fusion alarm the twins do this adorable back stretch where one kicks her legs. They then do this weird like side stretch that looks like the fusion dance from Dragon Ball Z.
• the recarm ability has a blue butterfly reviving the party member. butterfly = rebirth ?

Limo Girl.

• Is in the opening movie both the heist scene and the smash the city part. Will be joining up.
• Ran in to her in the hall at the star of the game she was labled as a senior
• Riding in a limo. daddy is loaded.
• At the park cleanup she asked Mishima for the bottle cap so they can be used for medicine. What we should take away from this scene is she's a really good person.
• We need to know see that she's super duper good because her dad is bad like really bad.
• daddy's money is dirty money and she knows it or at least suspects.
• We will change daddy's heart and make him admit his evil ways.
• Shido is her dad.
• We don't know when she's going to join up or if the casino heist is her first. Stealing her dad's heart will prob be her first mission so the fact that shes on the comms at the start of the game isn't too much of a problem.

Opening Casino Heist

• on 7/29 Morgana says "But it's true that an observant criminal could have a true to reality city in their Palace."
• The opening casino heist wasn't in the real world but was the Shido's heart. His palace just included a 1:1 of the city in it. He also says in the scene at the start of the game where joker has a flashback that he owns the cops. Would make sense that the shadows in his cognition would take the form of the police and security guards. The 2nd palace had two types of shadows (male and female) and the 3rd/4th had people/dogs. Multiple types of shadows is not unheard of
• Also looks like we did manage to steal his treasure but not sure if they were able to get it out.
• We don't actually see joker get taken in by the cops. It's possible that the traitor grabbed us after the shadow cops took us down and turned us in to the real world cops. Doesn't mean the world's can't be merging but my reasoning for it is off.
• One thing that bothers me is when they ask if everyone remembers where they have to meet up. Why was joker separate from the rest of the PT? The PT all leave the metaverse together so far. Could just mean where they're going to meet up near the exit (if there is an exit with the palace being the whole city). Hoping for more clues to clarify this.

The Metaverse, Velvet Room and the nature of things.

• at the meeting for the 2nd palace Ryuji says something like I never even thought there were other worlds besides ours. Morgana responds with eh don't worry too much about it.
• Igor says the Velvet room exist between mind and matter dream and reality
• If the real world is the matter and the metaverse is the mind then the velvet room exist in the place between them
• If there is more than one prison (everyone Igor recruits gets there own) then it's possible that there are other "rooms" in the space between the two worlds
• the big bad is trapped in one of these other rooms. the key and or entrance is located in mementos.
• on 7/19 Igor says "After all, you must hone your powers.... and become a magnificent thief..."
• he is being literal as he needs is to steal the key to the big bad's room.
• before the big bad was imprisoned the metaverse was formless. His presence started the corruption and gave it form. this is the sea of souls that the personas mention then you capture them.
• They are getting pulled out of the collective and twisted into shadows.

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Sae and Sajiro conversation
was going to have a huge section here but most of my questions got answered after the 4th palace I typed up my initial thoughts right after the convo took place I'll leave it here since it was part of my thought process but this can be mostly ignored.

• "as long as there's a possibility that cognitive psience can be linked to psychotic breakdowns."
• what is cognitive psience ? did the curry lady make it ?
• Psi as in Psionics ? Mental powers are always cool.
• Curry lady was trying to fix her maternity neurosis but some how created her own metaverse nav.
• Or she never had maternity neurosis and that was just part of the coverup. (Tried to search if maternity neurosis is an actual thing. most links came back to this subreddit so I didn't go any deeper to avoid spoilers) --- got this one right lol
• The tech was stolen by Sae's boss and he had her killed her by doing something in the metaverse that made her jump in front of the car. -- half right (i think)
• The black mask person doesn't work for Igor but used the Curry Lady's device to enter the metaverse.
• Igor not bad or is bad but not affiliated with black mask.

Best Girl current rankings - Nothing is set yet no decisions have been made just the current rankings.

1. Makoto - the scene where the lights go out and she grabs jokers leg just made her more endearing. Amazing driving skills the PT would have died after the 4th palace if not for her. She asked joker to be her "fake" boyfriend. she may have had pure intentions but on some level she wanted to gauge his reaction to the idea.
2. Futba - who doesn't like a quirky redhead. Her being Boss's adopted daughter is a good thing as he seems to like Joker at this point in the story so he wouldn't have to give him the whole "let me show you my gun collection" talk. Although I'm thinking shes more like the quirky best friend type then best girl material (so sorry Fatuba Fans plesedonthateme)
3. Dr.Death - shes a doctor who really cares about her work. Cares more about helping the little girl then getting the credit for it. She basically broke down when she thought the girl was dead. Also SP Adhesives are amazing.
4. Kasumi - 100% little sister vibe. The batting cage scene just oozed I want my big bro to be proud of me. Maybe her "sister" is more likeable.
5. Chihaya - nice lady with a super power. A bit too gullible. Could totally see her sending all of Joker's savings to a Nigerian prince.
6. Chess girl (I know it's not chess) - mid maybe she will get more interesting. If she does I might remember her name.
7. Ann - Not even in the running really because She's going to end up with Ryuji. If Ryuji wasn't around I would say shes not the brightest bulb in the pack. shes not dumb and seems to at least have passed her exams but we have honor student Makoto and super nerd Futaba to compare her to. she is empathetic and has a high emotional intelligence. No way shes going to make it as an Actress with her (lack of) skills I cringe every time she tries. She would make a great councilor though with how she relates to people and to seems to be able to get along with everyone. Alternatively she could end up in professional sports with her throwing arm. She launched Morgan like she was shooting off a rocket after the 4th palace.
8. Kawakami - Yes she's ranked lower than someone who's not even in the running. First off she lied about her sister WTF! She just seems like a mess. Her clothes don't fit and her hair is never brushed. Shes going to end up as a cat lady. She is forever in "the help" tier doing my laundry and making me coffee.

Best Bro current rankings.

1. Ryuji - dude is our bro 100% He's the bad influence with a heart of gold and will stick with Joker to the end. He's the Ron Weasley to Joker's Harry Potter. He would be the most fun to go drinking with.
2. Yusuke - you will only ever be his 2nd best friend. His true loyalty lies with art. If Joker was hanging off the side of a cliff and Yusuke had to make the decision to save Joker or paint the perfect sunset it would be a real nail biter to see what he decides
3. Sojiro - Ok so not our bro but the Boss-Chief is the man. He took us in feeds us and is teaching us how to pick up chicks with coffee. He took in Fatuba because he felt guilty about not preventing her mother's death (even though chances are if he tried to help the owls would have killed him too). Would take a bullet for Joker and his friends and would die with a smile knowing he saved someone (may this never happen). Would not be surprised if he is the get away driver when the PT crew breaks Joker out.
4. Akechi - he's too full of himself and his sweater is dumb. Hanging out with him you would only ever be "Akechi's friend"
5. Mishima - such a wimp physically and emotionally. We just chilled at the park after he got picked on at the Diner. Unless he can fix his issues without the help of the PT crew then he's bottom tier for sure.

Best Kitty current rankings.

1. Snowball - he didn't deserve to go out like that.
2. Morgana - is a spy and slave of the big bad. Also needs stop hitting on Ryuji's girl or it's desires are gonna get all warped and it won't be able to summon it's persona.

If you made it here your a champ!

Hi ecommerce - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry pretty closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Each week I post a summary recap of this week's top stories, which I cover in depth in the newsletter. .

1. STAT OF THE WEEK: 70% of e-commerce shoppers experienced shipping delays without any reason provided by the business for the delay. Faced with that experience, 90% of respondents said they are less likely to buy from a brand again after a poor online shopping experience, while 29% say they are increasingly willing to share a negative review online. – According to Koerber .
2. If some of Temu's deals appear too good to be true — it's because they are! An analysis of the company's supply chain costs by WIRED shows that Temu is losing an average of $30 per order as it throws money at trying to break into the American market. Most of Temu's subsidies are in the form of free international shipping, with even a small package costing the company around $14 to ship to the US (although it offers the shipping for free). When adding in the additional product discounts and cash coupons that Temu gives to customers, the average loss per order jumps to $30. .
3. The FTC has proposed new rules in the US called “click to cancel” that will impact e-commerce subscriptions — but in a good way for consumers! The rules would require any business selling subscriptions to add a simple cancel mechanism on the same website as the initial transaction, and include the same number of steps. In other words, a “one click subscription” would require a “one click cancelation.” This “click to cancel” rule is part of the FTC's proposed changes to its 1973 Negative Option Rule, which establishes how subscription sellers must communicate offers, ensure consent, manage billing, and simplify cancellation. .
4. BigCommerce announced new leadership including the appointment of Daniel Lentz as the company's CFO, Chuck Cassidy as its General Counsel, and Hubert Ban as its Chief Accounting Officer. .
5. Google is launching Product Studio, a new tool that allows Shopping merchants to quickly edit and customize their product images for free using generative AI. According to Google's data, product listings with more than one image typically see a 76% increase in impressions and a 32% increase in clicks compared to listings with a single image. With the new generative AI tool, text prompts can be used within Product Studio to quickly make visual adjustments to product images, such as generating new backgrounds for seasonal campaigns. The tool also allows sellers to instantly remove the existing background of an image if they need a blank backdrop, and increase the quality of small or low resolution images. .
6. Morning Consult published their annual report of Most Trusted Brands for 2023. The survey ranks roughly 1,500 brands in the US, most of which were dominated by big, well-established names including: #1 Band-Aid, #2 UPS, #3 Amazon, #4 Lysol, #5 Kleenex, #6 Cheerios, #7 Visa, #8 Dove, #9 The Weather Channel, and #10 FedEx .
7. Axios, in collaboration with market research firm Harris Poll, also ran a recent survey to determine the Most Reputable Brands in the US. The results were very different from Morning Consult's most trusted brands. Only one company overlapped in the top ten which included: #1 Patagonia, #2 Costco, #3 John Deere, #4 Trader Joe's, #5 Chick-fil-A, #6 Toyota, #7 Samsung, #8 Amazon, #9 USAA, and #10 Apple . Bottom of the list included: #90 Family Dollar, #91 Balenciaga, #92 BP, #93 Bitcoin, #94 TikTok, #95 Spirit Airlines, #96 Meta, #97 Twitter, #98 Fox, #99 FTX, and #100 The Trump Organization .
8. The latest data from PYMNTS shows that high earners are feeling the pinch of credit card debt and that their wages aren't keeping up with inflation. This is resulting in higher-end retailers who depend on wealthier households feeling the pinch as well. The data shows a number of correlations including that for bouseholds earning more than $100k annually, 42% were living paycheck-to-paycheck in April 2022. That number has crept up to over 49% this past year. .
9. Netflix must have forgotten what love is since 2017 when it made its famous tweet that “Love is sharing a password.” The company has finally launched its ill-awaited crackdown on password sharing in the US and the UK. The new rules state that subscribers are permitted to share their account with members of their own household, which Netflix defines as “you and the people you live with.” Netflix will begin using a variety of tools, such as IP checking, to spot when people are using another household’s account and prevent them from doing so, or give them the option of adding a household for $7.99/month. The company expects cancellations, but optimistically (or idiotically) predicts that those same people will come back again, which will overall lead to more people paying for subscriptions. .
10. Laws are changing in Australia to treat BNPL as a credit product. Finally! When was it NOT a form of credit? BNPL should have been recognized as a credit product the day the first BNPL company put up a coming soon landing page. Australia’s Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones said that a litany of issues reported to the Australia Securities and Investments Commission have added up to “unacceptable levels of unaffordable lending occurring, largely concentrated amongst low-income borrowers.” He added that “BNPL looks like credit, it acts like credit, it carries the risks of credit.” Jones promised draft legislation in the coming months and the introduction of a final bill to the Australian Parliament by the end of the year, which will include the need for BNPL firms to hold Australian Credit Licenses and comply with Resonspible Lending Obligations. .
11. Bill Gates said that AI could kill Google Search and Amazon as we know them, and that the technology could radically alter user behaviors, resulting in people never needing to visit a search website again or use certain productivity or shopping tools. Gates remarked that the first company to develop it will have a leg up on competitors. .
12. A recent study conducted by Lloyds Banking Group revealed that a UK consumer falls victim to a purchasing scam that originates on Facebook or Instagram every seven minutes, resulting in a cost of over £500k per week. (That man is Michael Scott.) The banking group is now urging Meta and other tech giants to take responsibility and contribute to refunding innocent victims of scams. .
13. Analysts at Bernstein project that Reliance Industries is poised to outpace Amazon and Flipkart in the race for India's $150M e-commerce market, citing the conglomerate's robust retail network, mobile network, and home field advantage as its biggest assets. Reliance already operates the country's largest retail chain with over 18k stores and is leveraging its presence to form partnerships with Meta, Shein, and other companies as a strategic advantage against its competitors. .
14. Shopify is introducing its POS hardware to the Canadian market. Its mobile selling device, the POS Go, which is built to run Shopify’s POS software, was first rolled out to retailers in the US in 2022. .
15. Meta announced that ads in Instagram search results will now be available through the Instagram Marketing API, allowing third-party social-management platforms to offer a new Instagram ad-placement type in their apps. Meta began testing the placement in March and are now opening it up to all brands. .
16. Shein is exploring plans to build a factory in Mexico as one of its manufacturing hubs outside China, which could shorten shipping time and cut distribution costs for customers in Latin America and USA. Earlier this month I reported that Shein is creating a hub in Brazil. .
17. Amazon opened the first phase of its Metropolitan Park on Monday, its long-awaited second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia that can hold up to 8k employees. However not all Amazon employees are excited about the new office location (or any office location). At least 1,000 office workers are planning a walkout this Wednesday to take a stand against the company's return-to-office mandate. .
18. The Vietnamese government is putting pressure on TikTok to police its content and remove videos that fall short of the state’s standards, or risk a ban. Eight government departments are targeting toxic content deemed “to pose a threat to the country’s youth, culture and tradition” — including videos that simply criticize college degrees. .
19. eBay unveiled generative AI on its mobile app to help sellers list new items for sale, however the company forgot to inform sellers and didn't label the icon. When clicked, the icon replaced sellers' entire product descriptions with AI generated text, with no way to recover the original description. .
20. Boozt AB, a Sweden-based online fashion retailer, blocked 42,000 customers for returning too many items, calling their actions too costly for the company and the environment. The company said that these particular customers represented less than 2% of their 3M customers, but around 25% of the total return volume. .
21. Twitter withdrew from an agreement with the EU to cut down misinformation on its social network, which the company joined alongside other tech companies in 2018. Thierry Breton, the EU internal market commissioner, noted that fighting disinformation will be a legal obligation from August 25th, due to the EU's Digital Services Act, so the agreement would become irrelevant. .
22. Jeff Bezos is ripped now! The Amazon founder started working with personal trainer, Wes Okerson, who's also trained Tom Cruise and Gerard Butler, and now he's gotten super buff. This is about the least e-commerce specific news you'll ever see me share in this newsletter, but the Jeff Bezos before / after photo is kind of wild! .
23. Amazon will close its official Amazon app store in China on July 17, which launched in 2011 as an alternative to the Google Play Store. Amazon noted that its marketplaces and AWS services will remain operational in China. However while it may be leaving China, the Amazon App Store will soon be bringing more Android apps to the Windows ecosystem. The expanded partnership will allow Windows users to access a wider range of Android apps seamlessly. .
24. Google updated the badges some merchants display for their product listings in Google Search to say “Top Quality Store” instead of the original “Trusted Store” badge. Google said this is just a name and title change and won't have any impact on search rank or performance. .
25. Auctane, an e-commerce shipping specialist that operates brands such as Metapack, ShipStation, Packlink, ShipEngine, Stamps.com, and others, appointed Albert Ko as its new CEO, who previously served as CEO of EWS, which is best known for the Zelle payments network. Current CEO Nathan Jones will join the company's Board of Directors. .
26. eCampus.com, a website that sells textbooks and course materials, announced that it would keep offering textbook rentals, even though its retail partner Amazon was exiting the business. The company had been powering the program behind the scenes for Amazon since 2012, and plans to keep it going through its own website. .
27. Walmart is partnering with Pawp, a veterinary telehealth provider, to offer Walmart+ subscribers free access to virtual veterinarians for a year, starting this week. Currently Pawp charges $99 for an annual membership. .
28. Alibaba Group said that it aims to hire 15,000 people this year, dismissing rumors circulating that the company planned to cut 20% of its staff. They also mentioned that more than 3,000 of those hires would be newly-graduated students. .
29. Plus 7 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest including a $12M Series A round by Laced to grow its resale marketplace for authenticated sneakers.

I hope you find this news recap helpful. See you next week!
-PAUL

Hi ShopifyeCommerce - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Each week I post a summary recap of this week's top stories, which I cover in depth in the newsletter. .

1. STAT OF THE WEEK: 70% of e-commerce shoppers experienced shipping delays without any reason provided by the business for the delay. Faced with that experience, 90% of respondents said they are less likely to buy from a brand again after a poor online shopping experience, while 29% say they are increasingly willing to share a negative review online. – According to Koerber .
2. If some of Temu's deals appear too good to be true — it's because they are! An analysis of the company's supply chain costs by WIRED shows that Temu is losing an average of $30 per order as it throws money at trying to break into the American market. Most of Temu's subsidies are in the form of free international shipping, with even a small package costing the company around $14 to ship to the US (although it offers the shipping for free). When adding in the additional product discounts and cash coupons that Temu gives to customers, the average loss per order jumps to $30. .
3. The FTC has proposed new rules in the US called “click to cancel” that will impact e-commerce subscriptions — but in a good way for consumers! The rules would require any business selling subscriptions to add a simple cancel mechanism on the same website as the initial transaction, and include the same number of steps. In other words, a “one click subscription” would require a “one click cancelation.” This “click to cancel” rule is part of the FTC's proposed changes to its 1973 Negative Option Rule, which establishes how subscription sellers must communicate offers, ensure consent, manage billing, and simplify cancellation. .
4. BigCommerce announced new leadership including the appointment of Daniel Lentz as the company's CFO, Chuck Cassidy as its General Counsel, and Hubert Ban as its Chief Accounting Officer. .
5. Google is launching Product Studio, a new tool that allows Shopping merchants to quickly edit and customize their product images for free using generative AI. According to Google's data, product listings with more than one image typically see a 76% increase in impressions and a 32% increase in clicks compared to listings with a single image. With the new generative AI tool, text prompts can be used within Product Studio to quickly make visual adjustments to product images, such as generating new backgrounds for seasonal campaigns. The tool also allows sellers to instantly remove the existing background of an image if they need a blank backdrop, and increase the quality of small or low resolution images. .
6. Morning Consult published their annual report of Most Trusted Brands for 2023. The survey ranks roughly 1,500 brands in the US, most of which were dominated by big, well-established names including: #1 Band-Aid, #2 UPS, #3 Amazon, #4 Lysol, #5 Kleenex, #6 Cheerios, #7 Visa, #8 Dove, #9 The Weather Channel, and #10 FedEx .
7. Axios, in collaboration with market research firm Harris Poll, also ran a recent survey to determine the Most Reputable Brands in the US. The results were very different from Morning Consult's most trusted brands. Only one company overlapped in the top ten which included: #1 Patagonia, #2 Costco, #3 John Deere, #4 Trader Joe's, #5 Chick-fil-A, #6 Toyota, #7 Samsung, #8 Amazon, #9 USAA, and #10 Apple . Bottom of the list included: #90 Family Dollar, #91 Balenciaga, #92 BP, #93 Bitcoin, #94 TikTok, #95 Spirit Airlines, #96 Meta, #97 Twitter, #98 Fox, #99 FTX, and #100 The Trump Organization .
8. The latest data from PYMNTS shows that high earners are feeling the pinch of credit card debt and that their wages aren't keeping up with inflation. This is resulting in higher-end retailers who depend on wealthier households feeling the pinch as well. The data shows a number of correlations including that for bouseholds earning more than $100k annually, 42% were living paycheck-to-paycheck in April 2022. That number has crept up to over 49% this past year. .
9. Netflix must have forgotten what love is since 2017 when it made its famous tweet that “Love is sharing a password.” The company has finally launched its ill-awaited crackdown on password sharing in the US and the UK. The new rules state that subscribers are permitted to share their account with members of their own household, which Netflix defines as “you and the people you live with.” Netflix will begin using a variety of tools, such as IP checking, to spot when people are using another household’s account and prevent them from doing so, or give them the option of adding a household for $7.99/month. The company expects cancellations, but optimistically (or idiotically) predicts that those same people will come back again, which will overall lead to more people paying for subscriptions. .
10. Laws are changing in Australia to treat BNPL as a credit product. Finally! When was it NOT a form of credit? BNPL should have been recognized as a credit product the day the first BNPL company put up a coming soon landing page. Australia’s Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones said that a litany of issues reported to the Australia Securities and Investments Commission have added up to “unacceptable levels of unaffordable lending occurring, largely concentrated amongst low-income borrowers.” He added that “BNPL looks like credit, it acts like credit, it carries the risks of credit.” Jones promised draft legislation in the coming months and the introduction of a final bill to the Australian Parliament by the end of the year, which will include the need for BNPL firms to hold Australian Credit Licenses and comply with Resonspible Lending Obligations. .
11. Bill Gates said that AI could kill Google Search and Amazon as we know them, and that the technology could radically alter user behaviors, resulting in people never needing to visit a search website again or use certain productivity or shopping tools. Gates remarked that the first company to develop it will have a leg up on competitors. .
12. A recent study conducted by Lloyds Banking Group revealed that a UK consumer falls victim to a purchasing scam that originates on Facebook or Instagram every seven minutes, resulting in a cost of over £500k per week. (That man is Michael Scott.) The banking group is now urging Meta and other tech giants to take responsibility and contribute to refunding innocent victims of scams. .
13. Analysts at Bernstein project that Reliance Industries is poised to outpace Amazon and Flipkart in the race for India's $150M e-commerce market, citing the conglomerate's robust retail network, mobile network, and home field advantage as its biggest assets. Reliance already operates the country's largest retail chain with over 18k stores and is leveraging its presence to form partnerships with Meta, Shein, and other companies as a strategic advantage against its competitors. .
14. Shopify is introducing its POS hardware to the Canadian market. Its mobile selling device, the POS Go, which is built to run Shopify’s POS software, was first rolled out to retailers in the US in 2022. .
15. Meta announced that ads in Instagram search results will now be available through the Instagram Marketing API, allowing third-party social-management platforms to offer a new Instagram ad-placement type in their apps. Meta began testing the placement in March and are now opening it up to all brands. .
16. Shein is exploring plans to build a factory in Mexico as one of its manufacturing hubs outside China, which could shorten shipping time and cut distribution costs for customers in Latin America and USA. Earlier this month I reported that Shein is creating a hub in Brazil. .
17. Amazon opened the first phase of its Metropolitan Park on Monday, its long-awaited second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia that can hold up to 8k employees. However not all Amazon employees are excited about the new office location (or any office location). At least 1,000 office workers are planning a walkout this Wednesday to take a stand against the company's return-to-office mandate. .
18. The Vietnamese government is putting pressure on TikTok to police its content and remove videos that fall short of the state’s standards, or risk a ban. Eight government departments are targeting toxic content deemed “to pose a threat to the country’s youth, culture and tradition” — including videos that simply criticize college degrees. .
19. eBay unveiled generative AI on its mobile app to help sellers list new items for sale, however the company forgot to inform sellers and didn't label the icon. When clicked, the icon replaced sellers' entire product descriptions with AI generated text, with no way to recover the original description. .
20. Boozt AB, a Sweden-based online fashion retailer, blocked 42,000 customers for returning too many items, calling their actions too costly for the company and the environment. The company said that these particular customers represented less than 2% of their 3M customers, but around 25% of the total return volume. .
21. Twitter withdrew from an agreement with the EU to cut down misinformation on its social network, which the company joined alongside other tech companies in 2018. Thierry Breton, the EU internal market commissioner, noted that fighting disinformation will be a legal obligation from August 25th, due to the EU's Digital Services Act, so the agreement would become irrelevant. .
22. Jeff Bezos is ripped now! The Amazon founder started working with personal trainer, Wes Okerson, who's also trained Tom Cruise and Gerard Butler, and now he's gotten super buff. This is about the least e-commerce specific news you'll ever see me share in this newsletter, but the Jeff Bezos before / after photo is kind of wild! .
23. Amazon will close its official Amazon app store in China on July 17, which launched in 2011 as an alternative to the Google Play Store. Amazon noted that its marketplaces and AWS services will remain operational in China. However while it may be leaving China, the Amazon App Store will soon be bringing more Android apps to the Windows ecosystem. The expanded partnership will allow Windows users to access a wider range of Android apps seamlessly. .
24. Google updated the badges some merchants display for their product listings in Google Search to say “Top Quality Store” instead of the original “Trusted Store” badge. Google said this is just a name and title change and won't have any impact on search rank or performance. .
25. Auctane, an e-commerce shipping specialist that operates brands such as Metapack, ShipStation, Packlink, ShipEngine, Stamps.com, and others, appointed Albert Ko as its new CEO, who previously served as CEO of EWS, which is best known for the Zelle payments network. Current CEO Nathan Jones will join the company's Board of Directors. .
26. eCampus.com, a website that sells textbooks and course materials, announced that it would keep offering textbook rentals, even though its retail partner Amazon was exiting the business. The company had been powering the program behind the scenes for Amazon since 2012, and plans to keep it going through its own website. .
27. Walmart is partnering with Pawp, a veterinary telehealth provider, to offer Walmart+ subscribers free access to virtual veterinarians for a year, starting this week. Currently Pawp charges $99 for an annual membership. .
28. Alibaba Group said that it aims to hire 15,000 people this year, dismissing rumors circulating that the company planned to cut 20% of its staff. They also mentioned that more than 3,000 of those hires would be newly-graduated students. .
29. Plus 7 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest including a $12M Series A round by Laced to grow its resale marketplace for authenticated sneakers.

For more details on each story, see the full edition: https://www.shopifreaks.com/how-much-money-does-temu-lose-per-orde
What else is new in e-commerce? Share stories of interesting in the comments below (including in your own business) or on shopifreaks.
See you next week.
-PAUL

I recently had a law firm client who hired my company to redo their operations and sales process, in doing so I met a young man who worked there, he passed the bar in a South East state but was denied a license, he has been denied due to serious financial issues stemming from nearly a decade ago. His denial through the Bar is based on Character and Fitness.
He asked me to consult him and hopefully guide him, I told him I'd like to think about it before committing to anything.
He wants to know what he can do as a career?
He is denied for a period of years (the default in this state), he hates the law now since he has clerked at a few firms since graduating in 2018, he failed the bar a few times but finally passed, he was denied after he passed. He scored really high, but sadly no bueno.
He wants to go into education but due to the denial on his record he is worried he will be declined employment before he even gets properly reviewed. He can't be a public school teacher or administrator because he is worried about auto denial as his state specifically asks about denied licenses in the application process.
If he applies to work in the public school system and if denied, he has to notify the Bar in his state, which will delay his reapplication process even more.
Most government jobs (including the IRS) decline employment due to a professional license denial, most healthcare administration jobs are the same.
That leaves technology and banking, but both those industries are not hiring right now.
I feel bad for him because based on his reputation at the firm, he is on the straight and narrow path, volunteers a bunch and does a lot of "good for others," types of activities and has been for at least half a decade. In the last five years he has had no financial issues or concerns or criminal issues, not even a parking ticket.
He has spoken to numerous C&F attorneys who have advised him to apply again once the denial period ends but he wants to go do something meaningful until that time (remember its years from now).
I'm not sure what advice I can give him so I'm asking the hivemind for pointers.

Alien-Nation Chapter 168: Now or Never

All Chapters First Chapter of Alien-Nation Previous Chapter
Chapter summary: Elias wanders the grounds inspecting everything he can, has a fatheson moment with Larry then sends Vaughn to go try and spring people from jail.
It had been easy for me to see during the speech I'd given roughly how many had already arrived up the narrow pass, and as I stood from inspecting a firing port in a trench, testing whether the old cast iron cannon would roll back far enough on its rails after firing.
I gave it a pass after measuring against a rod. Certainly it was far from the highest of technologies at our disposal, but certainly it would be either lethal, injurious, or at the very least, extremely loud. The gathered mishmashed array of weaponry pointing outward was impressive enough, but the real piece de resistance was the sheer number of railguns we'd had returned to us, frequently carried by a two man team. I signed off on it for final inspection, noting the plug in place over the end, and went to the railgun positioned further down the trench near the intersection.
This was one I recognized. This shared at least something in common to the cannon, insofar as it was far from the latest model at our disposal. I spotted some of my own extremely crude handiwork, a far more rough set of welds performed along the plate's protective, unsanded metal edges. Mister Singer, if he were ever presented with it, may have recognized the shoddy, unstable hand that welded together some of the protective casing. The service flap told me the model without needing to even open it, the household door frame hinges pulled from Verns' stock of spare parts bin, before we implemented something even so basic as refined latches with catch points.
That had to make this a Mk. II. Sentimentality had no place on the front lines. I sucked in a breath at the sight of another old muzzle-loader being carried into the workshop for upgrades, already laid out on the timber worktable and ready for use and sucked in a breath.
I just hoped the earliest design of managing power flow wouldn't give out from the faster firing. Complex but beautifully arrayed piping had given way to simpler, more streamlined designs as we incorporated a greater number of readily available alien parts. Some of which we were supplied an initial batch of in the bag with the blueprints, and then we were told how to work free those same parts from various broken pieces of technology we'd reclaimed off the Shil'vati, or even the freely given away omni-pads. With every iteration we demonstrated a degree of adaptation to using the parts we had available, and each generation marked a leap forward in our own understanding of Shil'vati technology, courtesy of G-Man and his father's handiwork.
The final barrels of the extremely limited run of the second batch we'd paid handsomely for were marked 'present,' too. They had gone the least far afield, with one already slagging itself during the attack on the data center. I frowned at the spreadsheet, as if my impression of it might cause their fate to improve.
The latest blueprints could maintain a decent rate of fire without burning out its power management system located in the welded together case. Or, rather, the barrel gave out first. For the first time, perhaps as a result of being coupled with the magazines and a relatively rapid-fire exchange meant the neosteel barrels we received had finally become the weak point in the design.
It was only after we'd returned to Camp Death that I'd noticed the difference.
The new batch we'd paid dearly for seemed somewhat altered from the first batch we'd been building all the others out of, made from an alloyed material that shone somewhat dimmer under the sun as George and I worked in the shed elbow-to-elbow, though the contrast was not immediately obvious until one held the two against each other. It was slightly thicker, too, all of which to me indicated a change in supply in some manner, but our supplier had hardly announced themselves to Sam.
This was a troubling puzzle to me. I still couldn't be sure it was the new microbatch of barrels alloys being far from equal to the originals we'd finally finished building out? Or was it the expanded magazines and power couplings' ability to fire faster creating an overall volume of fire that overheated the barrel from overuse? Or was the power management design faulty, generating more heat per shot? Were we misusing them?
I measured the barrel of the Mk. II, just to be sure the shelf life of the barrel hadn't come due. So far, inspections of the original batch of barrels had mercifully indicated they'd all been brought back here were in comparatively great shape, with this one being no exception. That lent me some comfort that these new barrels were just not up to the task of heavy, sustained fire. I couldn't know that for certain, and an unreliable weapon was cause for anxiety.
Indeed, there was almost no wear on this version at all, disproving the worst case scenario that these were only good for a certain number of rounds before they'd be worn down to uselessness. Certainly, they'd eventually give out, but it seemed we were still far off from that point.
"Sir?" Asked the gunner, staring at me.
I stared at him, then down at the spreadsheet. "This thing fires three rounds a minute. Do you think that rate of fire is sufficient?"
I could tell he wasn't sure whether a 'no' would have him replaced with someone professing to be more accurate.
"Get it upgraded." I took the white gel pen and scribbled on it- make ready for an upgrade as soon as the final repaired railgun clears the shed. Assigned to casemate #4, Operator... "Call sign?"
"Brut," he answered.
"Brut...with the Umlaut?" He gave a thumbs up and I added them. Costing nothing but a drop of gel ink for a little personalization if it made for a happy gunner was a good investment. "Use it well. Get it upgraded if there's time, keep an eye on the work shed. Once the repairs stop, you can take this to the front of the line, Brüt."
There was no point dismantling all our old ones and creating a backlog while some still needed repairs. I wrote on the hatch Upgrade from Mk. II to Mk. IV. That would give it a magazine and more than triple its firing rate. Anything more than that, I quietly held my doubts for the feasibility of upgrading in a timely manner. The Mark V's took too much time and effort to build their complex power management systems for not enough gain, stuffed too tightly into the protective case to be completed quickly. The Mark VI's tended to overheat their crude fire control circuitry, the consequence of an overcorrection back to simplicity; they could maintain a high fire rate, but were too delicate. The VII's were the ones with the new barrel. Promising, but those barrel faults...I still worried it might have been the power management system.
We'd started considering adding water tanks to help maintain them, but it brought the weight higher than that of a Mk. I, and successfully swapping a boiling hot tank off a delicate, electronically-loaded railgun in combat seemed like a very questionable use of the time. We'd just have to ask the crews manning the railguns to be a bit judicious in our fire, and hope that the flaw was limited to the new little batch of barrels.
How many rounds, exactly, and exactly how fast was yet to be determined; we hadn't conducted the amount of testing a proper military might carry out, but while we had no shortage to man, we also did not have so many as to test dozens until their point of failure, weighing and comparing all their possible conditions.
All this uncertainty kept bouncing around my head. How many troops did we have here? How many rounds for every type of rifle, including the more exotic variants? How reliant on them were we to deal damage, and was it all stored somewhat safely? On the less direct side of things, how many tons of food did we have stored, and was it distributed well? How many thousands of gallons of water could we draw? How many pounds of soap to wash utensils, cups, wounds, and shower with? How many pounds of food over how many men, to last how many days? If it rained, some of these might be alleviated, and yet might kick off a whole host of other issues. There was no way of knowing, no way of taking a perfect stock. But I could estimate.
We had a lot of people. And a lot of guns. And a lot of defenses, and literally countless tons of high explosives, triggered by various means and methods. And we were mad as hell. While exactly how mad was less concrete a figure, I knew this many men away from home could end poorly.
Ultimately, whether it was the fault of the new barrel or the design had finally reached the limitations of its potential rate of fire without causing other issues, I couldn't say for certain. So I had to do my best.
I gave the railgun a clean bill of health to operate if needed, 'priority upgrade,' and noted the rate of fire for the defensive position at 'three a minute.' This one being one of our oldest models, I left it to the operator with my blessings, and made a mental note to add the next railgun we had to be stationed nearby, just so that we weren't under strength from that angle.
I craned my neck from the trench to behold even more insurgents trickling into the old clearing. The arrivals always came in ones-and-twos, their body language telling me the story of the journey it had taken to get here. They'd had to have abandoned their vehicles to the traffic-snarled roads almost certainly some miles away unless they knew the path George and I would occasionally take;.
Those who brought their own heavy weapons lay them down at their feet before collapsing. Water and food was distributed, though I couldn't speak to the quality, and a trash run would have to be made, tossing the empty tins into ammunition containers.
Of all the newcomers who had yet to be organized into place, I counted two mortars, several more volunteers grouping up to retrieve ammo after taking down descriptions of the vehicles from their exhausted owners and sprinting back out into the night to fetch whatever had been left behind.
The resourcefulness lifted my spirits. No one entertained the notion that these men were taking their leave to flee a certain doom. All present felt some degree of faith, understood who they were, why they were here, and what we were setting out to accomplish. Cells worked to find one another in the darkness, congealing themselves into a more coherent, practiced fighting force by virtue of familiarity with one another. Discipline was sharp and needed little enforcement past an initial reminder. No flashlights switched on inside the premises or campfires were lit despite the encroaching edges of the cold front. Insurgents were guided to whatever defensive positions, pillboxes, trenches, battlements, or bunkers still sat empty, depending somewhat on their expected role after detailing their skills to sentries or those otherwise familiar with the camp carefully explaining sight lines and our overall defensive strategy.
Whispered word overheard from those arrivals seemed to indicate a mixture of panic and outrage was fast spreading through the state's populace, carrying them on frightened wings as they took flight in the night, from here to the southernmost beaches and bays. It seemed word had gotten out successfully, then. That knocked down one more obstacle to our success, or at least set the pieces in place. Soon, all that would remain would be the ugly business of following through, and hoping, no praying that I hadn't massively miscalculated in my hubris.
I took the ramp out of the trench so they could pour some loose gravel into it, helping ensure that if those threatening looking storm clouds opened and if the drains clogged, we still would have some footing, and retired to the command cabin, eyeing how empty it felt with all the finished products being set into defensive arrangements; only the workshop still retained all its rather explosive concoctions.
The manpower situation was such that those familiar in reliably manufacturing complex bombs were spending their time setting up defenses in the fields beyond and settling in our new arrivals.
And then I had the couple hostages, weakened by months of captivity, restrained and kept under guard, but still sitting right on top of the half-done armaments.
I told myself that we had taken precautions- the most reactive sets separated by a thin membranous bag of water to prevent chain reactions from taking root and a few emergency containment systems, but they relied on someone present. I'd need all hands on deck- and what if a direct lance of energy landed from some heavy weapon hit the shed, perhaps to try and make a point? No mere bag of water would make a difference then.
Then again, if they brought that king of weaponry to bear, then the outcome would be certain. The Shil'vati would still lose their hostages, and have tacitly admitted I'd forced their hand, and that they'd declared we were enough of a threat to sacrifice noblewomen just to put a stop to.
I hunched over a smaller map in the command cabin, pinning down the garrisons and jails Verns might be held in. Perhaps I'd been premature in my assessment in lacking a future need of a good map when I'd jumped atop the table for my little motivational speech. I'd gotten caught up in the moment; I hadn't foreseen the need for an offensive element.
I was sorely missing my Lieutenants. Vendetta wasn't here, which was one of the greater anxieties weighing on my shoulders.
The one word I'd whispered in his ear all that time ago to bring him around to believing I did, in fact, have a plan: Victory. He should be here already.
He'd sprinted off across the field in glee back when I told him of this plan's possibility, that "Plan C" might come about due to a few cells going dark and my suspicion that it wasn't moles. The null hypothesis, that there were in fact moles, had put him in direct danger by sending him to double-check.
I cursed my blindness. My eagerness to take a night off, to get him out of the way so he wouldn't clash with the others, so I could be a 'normal boy' for a night and attend a party- one I wouldn't be kicked out of, To find social acceptance.
All part of a 'coming of age,' even after I'd already spilt blood, led a war campaign effort, kissed, earned more money than most would see in a lifetime, and mentally cut ties with my family. By almost any account, I already was a man, yet I'd gotten obsessive in imitating the modern trappings of defining such things. I should have seen the cells reporting members' absences and even going dark as a whole for what it was. I could have called off Town Hall, started assembling even more people here.
Then again, if I had, then perhaps...the shil'vati might not have started grabbing everyone. I hated to think of Verns as 'sacrificial.' They likely didn't have much on him, just a neighbor's report. Then again, we'd had that meeting right after the bar fight at Lucky's, right? How thoroughly had George cleared out his house, if they went back to rummage around and investigate? How well could George cover his tracks? We'd left that ammo crate in the hallway, for starters- clumsy of us, yet we were in a panic. Like children. I tensed as I remembered so vividly the sudden sharp report of the gun, watched Patrick's empty eyes stare up. But not children.
There was nothing I could do for Vendetta. We'd sent the Bat Signal out. Either he'd be here, or he'd miss it.
I weighed the value of sending George away once he got here. The order would certainly annoy him after he'd just arrived, something of an arduous task given how far backed up the traffic had become. I also knew it meant I'd have one fewer lieutenant here, where I desperately needed him. I could hardly ask him to burn down the childhood home, and it would certainly reek of hiding evidence.
"Sir," A sentry stood in the door frame, and I stretched from where my muscles had tensed up, pulling my shoulders back and yawning silently beneath my mask, lumbering toward him.
I didn't realize how tall I'd gotten until I realized he was staring up at me and had taken a half-step backwards- not to make way so I could lead from the door, either, but almost defensively.
"Yes, what is it?" I asked, stopping in place.
"We've received a message for you, sir. Radio is reporting that a 'Hex' has checked in from her position. She and Binary report 'Green as Grass,' sir."
I wasn't used to being called 'sir,' and it caught me off guard. I realized he was standing there, waiting for a response from me of some sort, too.
What should I say for him to send back to Hex? I momentarily remembered the sensation of the kiss, the warm, slightly wet softness, the tenderness, and felt a bit of a blush under my mask. While every instinct screamed at me to not air even a hint of my romances or inner turmoil about a kiss over the unencrypted connection, there was a level of 'not talking about it' that I was unfamiliar with and hadn't planned for. Could my message back be coded into something subtle? Nothing came to mind.
"G-good," I finally stuttered a little awkwardly. "That's very good."
"What does it mean, sir?"
I pushed the distractions out of my head. This was no time to be thinking about girls- and my mind stubbornly disobeyed, wandering right back to Natalie. At first to the hug she'd offered me, when I was scared. Frightened of the mind-wiper device. That tenderness she'd offered- I pushed the memory from my mind, too. This wasn't the time to fantasize, either. I had to live in the world that was before me, here in the present. People were relying on me. I could figure out all that other stuff- girls, hope, my future- sometime later.
"It means the operation can proceed as planned."
If the Twins stopped reporting or got caught with the hostages, then we'd have a lot less leverage stopping Azraea from blowing us all sky high. A couple noblewomen- who I wasn't terribly familiar with and seemed to be somewhat less important, provided they were truthful to me of their station. This unfortunate pair had relied on connections to already-stationed family members to arrive, rather than on their raw political power to muscle their way to Earth's then-closely guarded secret coordinates, and were present only for evidence of said hostages' presence.
"Sir, beg your pardon," I could sense something bubbling under his words, against his better judgment, but some sense of desperation demanded he ask me this anyways. "But what is the operation? I've been manning the airwaves with Radio, helping spread word, but everyone I make contact with seems to want to know."
"I don't see the wisdom in broadcasting the finer details of our plan, I'm sure you understand."
I sensed the inner conflict by the way he froze up. He wanted to object, probably, to swear he wouldn't leak more than the minimum. The problem was, anyone listening for long might take a morsel here, a morsel there, and bring it all together and undo us.
"You have all you're meant to have at this point, frustrating though that must be to try and inform others of the going-ons. Our objective is right before us. When the time comes and the enemy appears, blast them." I didn't want to say there isn't much else to plan. At least, not for them to consider.
"And you, sir?"
"I'll be right here, alongside you," I promised. That seemed to ease some of his pressing curiosity, at least. "We'll be here together, to watch the birth of a miracle." That, or we'd die together. Those words didn't quite have the same catchy ring, though.
I looked over my shoulder back at the map. What more good could be wrought over pondering what jail he might be in, without more details?
"Another matter. Hex said G-Man should arrive in a few minutes."
"Thank you. Anything else to report?"
"No sir, the shortwave beckons." They gave a hand-on-heart and stepped out, leaving the doorframe empty.
I told myself I may as well follow. There was no good to come of disappearing into a tent, secluded for long periods, not when anxiety might run through the gathered troops. I had to make myself seen at least periodically. Besides, it was easier to get a more complete picture from out here than in there.
Radio looked like a one-man-band by the way he was surrounded by boxy electronics of varying sizes, their glows dimmed slightly by thin pieces of fabric taped over the tiny glowing screens, and the trap stretched over his head. Wires snaked their way along the ground, a trooper trying to lay the cable into a thin channel of dirt with a spade to reduce the tripping hazard.
Pierce crouched next to him with a laptop plugged into something wired together, the final outlet of which looked vaguely like an international travel inverter, her fingers flying across the trackpad.
"Radio, how are we?"
"We've made lots of contact, I think. So much traffic on the airwaves it's actually hard to find a clear channel to broadcast on."
"Do they have our encryption keys?" I asked, the question almost automatic.
"No, having one kind of defeats the purpose of being heard and getting the signal out. Besides, encrypting's probably easy for the Shil'vati to crack. Less easy for human intelligence agencies, but impossible for the people who we want to hear us."
I already knew most of this, but humoured him. Little entertained radio quite like his namesake.
"What's our chance of discovery, then? Rough time to them figuring out it's us here, and finding the signal's origin."
"At least with a somewhat uncountable number of HAM signals being thrown across the airwaves, we are a really big needle in a gigantic haystack. Besides, how many times have we actually been where we're broadcasting from?"
That was a point I hadn't considered.
The Shil'vati would likely regard our signal as just a relay point, rather than the source, let alone the destination.
Would they strike it just to silence the orders, once they figured out how many of them were originating from the same point?
I comforted myself by staring upstream of the creek that wandered to the south of Camp Death, following its course with my eyes to where it flowed under the concrete tunnels under the highway, under the train tracks, to where it ultimately ran back to where Radio and I had visited Saint Michael's. Then I turned my head back across the field, toward where the foundation of Mojo and Mister Pasta's had been, where Vaughn had called in the kill team on the Fed's sting operation,
We'd certainly set up plenty of remote broadcast towers before, to entice them into launching strikes on collaborationists. That Saint Michael's was still standing after we'd broadcast all kinds of propaganda from there meant they'd almost certainly learned to be a bit more cautious about lashing out blindly.
In the darkness I saw a familiar figure materialize, and with a bit of relief, I ran up to greet Larry. I wanted to give the old mechanic a hug, but knew that expressions of intimacy while standing near the middle of the camp's defensive perimeter in front of everyone was more than a bit inappropriate, and settled for a nod of acknowledgment.
"I cleaned up the mess at Jules place," he said, going back to referring to his friend by their code name, glancing at Pierce.
I felt a moment of shame. We'd panicked and grabbed everything. Perhaps we were like children after all, leaving our toys out and in the hall. "Thank you."
"Saw Patrick."
"Patrick saw," I said back. "Patrick- called."
Whatever Larry was about to say, that brought him up short. "Oh. Oh." The words seemed to leave him pained. He'd known Patrick, too, and I felt the weight of guilt. It seemed he moved on faster than I could, because he changed the topic quickly.
"What's up?" He gestured at the radio setup.
Pierce seemed to be quite engrossed in her work, trying to connect the laptop to a radio via a USB cable, fumbling with the port in the dark. The laptop's screen was showing a shaky handheld video of a mass arrest- and I thought I could hear my own voice echoing the words I'd spoken just a short while ago.
"Just uploading the speech. I've spliced it up to some footage that one of the newcomers brought. We'll also be exporting raw versions of both- just the audio, the video, make sure people have the record and can decide for themselves."
Sometimes the truth was the best propaganda.
"How are you getting video out? I thought the internet was down."
Radio held a hand up, and then put it down, as if I'd been a teacher asking a question and he'd been chasing extra credit. The next few sentences were practically a foreign language to me, uttering a series of numbers in rapid succession, followed by what sounded like a name. That may've been a model, an edition of a model, a make, a special form of broadcasting- all of it may well have been bounced off the ionosphere for how far it went over my head. I wasn't used to being so completely out of my depth, but everyone seems to have specialized in some skill or another. I'd preferred getting involved in all aspects of the revolution, but at a certain point delegation was a necessity, and I was watching not just the task's needs, but also the capabilities of my lieutenants grow well past my ability to offer useful insight and guidance.
"I...see." I didn't, but I wasn't sure what else to say. I wanted to express curiosity, but I felt like this new capability was something we'd discuss later, if there was a later. "And people can receive high definition video over shortwave? It just takes a long time?"
It seemed to me to be an apparently somewhat technical process to perform over shortwave, and only when finally pressed for details, Radio at last admitted something I did understand: "I am not sure most people know how to collect the signal, or have the right equipment to, but I'm sure someone will, Maybe that person will redistribute the videos."
There. Actionable, useful information.
"Then continue," I said. "At least unless anything more pressing jumps up to do."
"Let's hope it's good for more than the history books," Pierce commented mildly.
"The world has to know, and I am certain the shil'vati have no interest in putting such footage out there. That's reason enough for us, isn't it?" I watched Radio nod and then scurry about the camp, tracing one of the wires toward the antenna array nearest the highway. I turned to Larry, breaking off from the amusing spectacle. "Do you remember my promise?" My question was genuine, but he seemed to waver slightly, now that the possibility of actually delivering on it was here and present. Perhaps the aura of our inner circle's invincibility had been shattered with the loss of his neighbors, and it would be best to set his mind to something productive. "If you want it to come true, see to it that the mortar teams are trained. Get the cannons in position, and make sure we're good for more than just one wave."
Larry snapped a salute, fingers on brow, and I clumsily approximated one in return, though I had never done a salute before in my life. I could sense the slight smile from behind his mask, and with a quick check over his shoulder that no one was watching, he reached out, straightened my palm out slightly, then brought the edge of my palm higher until it was a bit more level. "That's better," he judged, then leaving me alone once I dropped the hand a few seconds later.
George showed up a few minutes earlier than Hex had predicted, out of breath and escorted by a sentry. "Ditched the truck," he wheezed. "The huge bags of claymores and equipment were really heavy. Had to haul it under the interstate." His shoes shone with creekwater; He'd almost certainly taken the path Larry had forbade us from trying, and I couldn't imagine doing it in the pitch black darkness at any speed.
I motioned to the sentry. "Help him get that bag into the workshop." He was the best bomb maker, but he also had helped build this place. I wanted to pick his brain, but I would give him time to rest, first.
"Hey, Radio. Radio!" I heard the shortwave radio he'd set at the top squawk to life with a familiar grumble on the other end, distorted somewhat by the tinny speaker. I scooped it up. Someone with a vocoder- Radio gave those out sparingly.
"'E' here," I answered for him, but didn't want to announce myself. Not right away.
A moment's pause.
"What are your orders?"
"Vendetta?" I wanted to confirm.
"I'm here with over fifty people waiting at Warehouse Base for something to do," I knew the transmission would likely be monitored, but the time for subtlety was over. "You're on speakerphone, by the way."
The line was likely tapped, or at least would be intercepted, its contents determining priority for being passed upward or presented to someone with authority, possibly even Azraea herself.
Whatever orders I gave, they'd have to be in code, or at least sound like something unimportant, low-priority so that we might give him as much opportunity to get the drop on the enemy as he could be afforded.
"Don't bother trying to come here yet," I quickly supplied. "By now, if you're not on your way here, you have your own party to go to." I took a moment to survey the grounds. "We've practically got a full house. See about getting a house party of your own, though you'll have to pull the guests out of their own company. Or something to flank."
"Any idea where to start?"
The map fresh in my mind, I found the answer sprang to me.
"There's a rest stop along Route One. If you've got any party poppers, you can get them to open up to you like a can opener. You know, it's all about introducing yourself well."
I heard him laugh mirthlessly, the sound coming through like a cheese grater run over the asphalt.
"That one's a big bite, maybe more than we can chew without choking. Why don't we start with something smaller?"
I wanted to protest, to direct him to the biggest ones first. Then again, how much did they have on Verns? How likely was he to be somewhere heavily defended?
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, right across the river from where the naughty girls all get sent. Why don't we start there? Every party needs a few ladies, right?" I could hear a roar of assent from the background.
I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that- was he going to try and attack the Shil'vati base? Surely not those women? He wasn't that insane. Then it clicked- the Women's Correctional Facility in Wilmington, just upstream of the Christina River from where he was broadcasting from at the old Warehouse Base. Easy to get to, certainly, and right near the interstate with pedestrian bridges and neighborhoods to scatter in after the strike made it an excellent candidate. Almost certain to succeed.
The strike wouldn't yield us Verns, though forcing the Shil'vati to admit that they couldn't both take and hold their prisoners at the same time might force them to at least pause rounding up ever more people.
If I gave it my blessing, I would be sacrificing any chance of rescuing Verns for...for what? The tradeoff strained my soul to even consider.
"If you feel that's best, you know your crowd. That said, they got Jules- we want him back." He'd helped build Camp Death. He knew its ins and outs, though my real reasons were somewhat sentimental. "Keep an eye out for Morningstar and a few other cells. I've little doubt they can party with the best of them." They were one of my heaviest hitters, routinely bragging they could go clay pigeon hunting with an unguided RPG, yet I was pretty sure I'd never rallied them to Camp Death- if they were to rally, Warehouse Base was where they'd be.
There was a moment of silence, until Vaughn reported back- "Yeah, they're here. They were going to move up to you once they got everyone together. Should we leave instructions for where to find us, or to find you?"
"Do it- supplies are overall good here. Lots of...uh, balloons, confetti..." I felt like I was stretching the analogy too far, so I gave up trying to equate weaponry to party paraphranelia. "...you know, the works. Take Morningstar and use 'em as you see best fit. What've you got for your party? Any good party supplies?" We certainly could make a trash run and see if we could also deliver them some RPGs at the same time.
"Got some Bump-n-Grinds, and you know those are always good for an up-close-and-personal encounter."
I laughed. "From what I read about bumping and grinding? The closer, the better." Their accuracy left a fair bit to be desired. Still, it would be a good, even vital carry just in case those dreaded Security Forces Technicals made an appearance, and would probably be 'good enough' against a stationary target like a wall, especially in the hands of a capable squadron like Talonstar.
"What time are you thinking?"
"I'd say as soon as we're all ready. You really overestimated how many people know where Camp Death is. A fair number showed up here, and are still trickling in."
"Enough to throw several parties at once?" I asked, suddenly hopeful.
"Well, I suppose, maybe, but I'd be wary of partygoers without someone in charge to, uh..." the metaphor seemed to be breaking down, but I got what he was going for.
"Yeah, I see."
"Are you thinking if there are too many noise complaints at once, it'll keep the party going longer?"
"That's part of it, but I'm hoping we might find a particular person we're missing, lost him when we were playing unexpected host. Someone of G-Man's, you'd know him as Jules. A divide and conquer might maximize our odds of finding him."
"Plus, maximize the number of partygoers we pick up as we move. I like it. A few small house parties for every big house. Any special orders?"
"None. K.I.S.S. principle applies. Good, bad, I want it all out on the streets. 'KISS' 'em until they can't see straight." Keep It Simple, Stupid.
"You're certain?" I could hear the hesitancy in his voice. "This is going to be the greatest thing we've ever done, and I want to be by your side for it 'til the end. I don't want any last-minute cancellations, and I sure as hell don't wanna miss it. How long should I party?"
We'd be letting absolute chaos loose. Fire. Looting. The worst of humanity, turned loose, with Vaughn potentially at its head if he decided to recruit for some reason. Could I still claim to be the good guy if I turned those kinds of people free to wreak havoc on the state I claimed whose denizens I was protecting?
Blackstone's Ratio holds that it is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer. It would still hold me no less accountable for whatever followed from this mass prison break, though.
I looked over to the recently arrived George, and hung my head.
So be it.
"Confirmed, Vendetta. I'll next talk to you when you're here in person- call it when you start either getting tired or if the hosts hire a doorman, a bouncer, or something you can't handle. Bring any good partygoers and favors you find, guide them here, O Pied Piper. Over and out." The signal went quiet again, and I turned off our radio, standing and yawning. The hour was late, and it would be my last opportunity for some shuteye.
I pulled aside a few sentries to my first order. I felt it was a strange one, and likely futile: I asked everyone to 'try and get some rest.'
The sentries were going to be exhausted, and I needed them to start working in shifts if we were to maintain our vigil and perimeter. Doubtless, more would be coming, and giving them at least some rest might be a difference-maker. G-Man helped lead the newcomers to the subterranean bunkers and tunnels, trying to make sure everyone had a place to stay the night and resources got split, even if it was throwing tarps and blankets on hard-packed dirt. I eyed the tunnels, knowing which one of them would spit me out near the stream, itself running so low I might as well refer to it as a ravine. Digging that had been cramped, paranoia-inducing, but we'd dug out so much of the hill and filled it with enough weapons to wage a full-scale war. What had begun as almost make-work and a place to store things when we'd started out
I couldn't sleep well on the cot that night, tossing and turning- I even tried resting with the mask off, held in my hands, but the risk to my identity if anyone barged in caused me enough stress. Eventually, I stood and donned it, making my rounds around the camp, trying to calm myself. Instead, I felt eyes following me, and I had to force myself to stand tall. For the thousandth time, I thought of this as my Valley Forge.
The sentry at the door to the command cabin gave me a hand-on-heart, and I returned it.
As I patrolled, I could hear whispered prayers, muttered plans of action, and mercifully, snores. At least some were getting some sleep. I could see orange lights reflecting off the clouds, near where I knew Wilmington lay.
I almost jumped a foot in the air when I felt the tap on my shoulder, only to find G-Man's mask staring into mine. How strange that such a haunting visage was a comfort to me.
"Hey. Can't sleep?"
"I can't," I confessed. "G-Man, I'm sorry what happened with your father. Hell of a birthday." I hadn't even had a chance to give him the present I'd bought him- a couple new filters, and vintage craftsman toolkit, "from before they sold out," Verns had told me. The memory of his voice already felt distant somehow- no. I'll see him again.
"Wasn't your fault. Even if Town Hall wasn't your big idea to get them to retaliate, you know? Then they'd still have done something. But, uh, thanks for saying that. And thanks for trying to get dad out. I'll remember that." George said quietly, then the conversation ended when he turned away and went to the edge of the embankment. Just like that.
I could never quite get a read on him.
I went inside, and tried to force myself to get at least some shut-eye.
Thanks to Terran-Armored-Core and DeltaNu for helping with some decisions and spellcheck.
Thanks to Inmutabilis-Ratio for helping with the site, it was very helpful in importing the text.
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1. Merge BART, Caltrain, and SMART into a single regional rail system. This would involve Caltrain transitioning from a commuter rail system into a regional rail system with the Dumbarton Rail Corridor. The new service would be called BART (Bay Area Regional Transit). Caltrain and SMART lines would get numbers and BART lines would have numbers to differentiate the track gauge. This means VTA would give up its ownership of its BART stations.
   
2. Force Santa Clara, Alameda, SF, Marin, Sonoma, Solano, Napa, Contra Costa, and San Mateo counties to start contributing a certain amount of funding to the combined system. Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. did this with the Washington Metro which is now starting to recover. BART can no longer operate itself, maintain itself, or pay for projects based on fares alone and needs a confirmed source of funding. And yes, Atherton and Berkeley have to shut up.
   
3. Implement BRT and Trans on several corridors (Mission Blvd, Hesperian Blvd, San Pablo Ave, El Camino Real, etc.) as a starting ground.
   
4. Start implementing light metro systems to complement the combined regional rail system. They would mostly act as spur lines (i.e. Niles Canyon to Newark connecting to the Dumbarton Bridge) or bypass lines (i.e. a new line along Hesperian Blvd and Dolittle Dr). Ideal first lines include Los Gatos to Milpitas via SJC Airport, Evergreen to Newark, Saratoga to Evergreen, Castro Valley to San Mateo, Milpitas to Stanford and Woodside via North Sunnyvale, East San Jose to Cupertino, and East Hayward to Alameda via Eastmont and Lake Chabot. The light metro lines would have 90 second headways. They would be smaller than BART stations, no interlining, 3 or 5 car trains, no parking spaces and would look identical to the Milan Metro M5 line. The idea of taking away the 'aesthetic' features is to bring the cost down as low as possible without sacrificing safety.
   
5. Add a new Passenger rail tunnel in the Sunol Grade for ACE and new BART (the letter lines).
   
6. Reintroduce regional rail service on the Iron Horse trail along 680 as a tunnel (similar to RER). Suburbanites can whine all they want but they have to grow up, the world doesn't revolve around them. The line can run from Redwood City and San Jose to Martinez.
   
7. Integrate Valley Link into ACE, which itself would become a joint venture between new BART and San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission.
   
8. Cancel the widening of I-80 in Vallejo (there are plans to add new toll lanes). Instead, extend the red line to Napa as eBART. Also, delay all express lane projects until viable alternatives can be provided (including bike paths).
   
9. Introduce ACE service from Merced to Martinez on a new rail corridor. Amtrak San Joaquins would also run up to Brentwood.
   
10. Extend the Yellow Line of eBART to Brentwood or Discovery Bay.
    
11. Extend the Orange Line to San Rafael as eBART.
    
12. Force Union Pacific and BNSF to nationalise their rail lines (at state level at least) or they lose funding.
    
13. Add laser detectors to fare gates that will automatically alert security or police if someone is evading their fare. Minimum fine would be $700.
    

To accomplish #1-13 would require staging a coup or engaging in local elections more.

Hello everyone. My wife, 18-month-old son, our 12lb dog, and I are planning a nine-day road trip in a 24-foot Class C RV we are renting. I would like the highlight of the trip to be Acadia National Forest and whale watching, but it is a considerable distance away from our starting point of central NC. With the current route, we would only be staying in each campground for one night before travelling to the next (with the exception of Acadia National Park being two nights). While I was initially against the idea of driving more than four hours each day, that seems largely unavoidable and now I am wondering if it is not better to have a day here and there throughout that is spent primarily driving to a destination, thus reducing the number of stops and to give us a longer time at some of them. Ideally, the stops would have electrical hookups (I know my current route contains a couple that do not), but the RV does have a generator, so it is not a deal breaker if they do not. Any suggestions and recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I am not familiar with the NE. This will also be my first time driving a RV if that helps in determining best stops.
Currently Planned Route
https://preview.redd.it/rwqq9ee6gt2b1.jpg?width=1799&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=717bbe8810c37bb0dd59085b7b8d8bd614fd626f

I recently completed my Citizenship by Descent (jure sanguinis) appointment at my local Italian Conuslate's office in Houston, Texas. Below is my write-up that outlines my experience. Hopefully, this is helpful for those currently working through the process. Best of luck to you all! ✨
Background
In July of last year, my father was diagnosed with cancer. While the news was both unexpected and frightening, my dad’s diagnosis ignited a latent desire to learn more about who he was and the ancestors that came before him. In the weeks and months following his diagnosis, I tried to connect as often as possible with my dad – I asked questions about his childhood. I asked him to tell me about his parents and grandparents. I didn’t want to leave any stone unturned.
One late summer day last year, as my dad was preparing for another round of chemotherapy, he mentioned that his grandfather, Vincenzo, had immigrated from Italy to the United States. He didn’t know much about his late grandfather. He had died before my dad was born. I spent the following days deep in the far corners of Ancestry.com combing through records in search of everything Vincenzo Panevino. It turns out my dad was right about his grandfather ¬– Vincenzo Luigi Antonio Panevino had indeed crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a one-way ticket to New York City at the ripe age of 30. Each record I uncovered unlocked even more information on my great-grandfather – he was born in 1859 in Aliano, Italy (a small, rural town that sits right near the arch of the boot). His birth came nearly two years before Italy’s unification in 1861. It was during my research on my great-grandfather that I stumbled upon the process of jure sanguinis. The more I learned about the process, the more it felt like the next logical step on my journey into the past. My dad agreed. And with that, I was off to the races on a vital record collection spree!
Appointment Recap
In March of this year, I was able to secure an appointment for this past Thursday at 9:30 a.m. This came after a previous appointment I had secured for this past January was randomly canceled by the Houston Consulate without an option to reschedule. The process of obtaining this second appointment most definitely aged me!
The night before my appointment, my husband and I drove into town. Thankfully, my in-laws live in the greater-Houston area, so we were able to spend the night at their house before driving to the consulate the following day.
The morning of my appointment, my husband and I arrived at the consulate a bit early. Parking was seamless; the cost is only a few bucks an hour and the lot is located within the same building as the consulate. With some extra time to spare, we decided to stop by nearby Fiction Coffee (literally a stone’s throw away from the lobby of the building that houses the consulate). Their coffee and breakfast tacos were amazing! I left my husband there and made my way up to the 19th floor ready to officially kick things off.
I arrived at the entrance of the consulate and pressed the red button adjacent to the doors; a voice blared out asking what I was there for. I informed the person on the other end that I was there for my citizenship appointment, and I was quickly buzzed in. Once inside, an Italian officer instructed me to place my belongings onto a conveyor belt for a security scan. Next, I was directed towards a window to a consular official who again asked the reason for my visit and for my name. After he jotted down some notes, I was let into a small waiting room and told to make my way to window number 3. While I waited for my appointment to begin, I glanced around the room. The windowless space was quite small, filled with only a handful of red chairs and multiple copies of Italics Magazine.
A woman arrived behind the glass partition and introduced herself as Margherita. I told her that I had heard so much about her through the amazing Dual U.S.-Italian Citizenship Facebook group. She let out a genuine smile and told me how thankful she was that such a group exists to help people complete this process (join if you haven't already!). After a few minutes of small talk, Margherita and I got right to work!
I began by handing over my driver’s license and passport as well as photocopies of each. Next up, was a utility bill with my name and address on it. Finally, Margherita asked me to sign all forms in front of her (in my case, that was Forms 1, 2, 4, and the Registry Form). With these initial documents out of the way, Margherita took a moment to scan my forms and acknowledged that it appeared as though I was eligible to move forward based on the forms I handed over. Margherita propped up Form 1 on a clipboard and then pulled out a secondary form that she would use to annotate each document I submitted.
We began with my great-grandfather, Vincenzo. I submitted a printout of his Italian birth certificate from PEC which was accepted. Additionally, I also had printouts of his original Italian birth record and birth index (both of which I found on Antenati) which Margherita also accepted. Thankfully, because I had read other member recaps for the Houston Consulate, I made sure to bring a certified copy of the ship record/manifest that documented my grandfather’s arrival into New York City in 1889. Margherita was appreciative that I had this and mentioned that manifest records were important to her when she was reviewing cases. Just to be safe, I highly recommend ordering this record via NARA if you’re within Houston’s consular jurisdiction. Next up, I handed over my great-grandfather’s marriage, census, non-naturalization records (USCIS, NARA, county records), and death records without issue. Because my great-grandfather never naturalized, Margherita asked if I had his A-File (Alien File) Card as further evidence of his non-naturalization. I had not found such a card during my research process. Margherita stood up and pulled out a photocopy of what the A-File Card looked like from her filing cabinet. I quickly grabbed my cell phone and searched for more info. On NARA’s website, I discovered that Alien Registration Numbers and A-File’s were not first issued until just after my great-grandfather died in 1940. Because of this, he likely was never issued an Alien Registration Number or an A-File. I pressed my phone up to the glass to show Margherita the National Archives website. She scanned the web page I presented to her and appeared to agree that I would be unable to locate this record. I was not assigned homework to collect this. Onward we went!
Although the Houston Consulate’s website states that non-line documents are optional, I made sure to bring them just in case! I had gathered certified copies of all non-line documents with translations. Margherita made a point to explicitly call out that translations and apostilles were not necessary as non-line documents were only used by the consulate staff to corroborate any information on your in-line family members. Nonetheless, she accepted everything I gave her. Similar to my great-grandfather, my great-grandmother also immigrated from Italy and Margherita was also appreciative that I had secured her ship manifest/arrival record as well.
We continued down the line, sliding through the window apostilled and translated birth/marriage/divorce/death documents for all in-line relatives and basic copies with translations for non-line relatives. When we got to my father’s documents, Margherita paused and let out a notable sigh. She stammered, “Your father, he is no longer with us, no?” I nodded. Two months prior to my appointment, my father’s battle with cancer abruptly ended. As I worked to process the loss of my dad, I continued on with this process. In many ways, I found this journey to be a somewhat cathartic way to work through my pain. I received my father’s apostilled death certificate exactly one week before my appointment. It was the final document needed to complete my application. Margherita put down her pen and we spoke at length about my dad. She didn’t seem to mind our appointment running a bit longer. She was genuine and compassionate. We are so fortunate to have her as our consular official.
As my appointment drew to a close, Margherita slid the document she had been using to notate every document I submitted back to me. She asked me to review her notes for accuracy while she went to the back of the office to officially submit my application with my $321.70 USPS money order. She returned with a photocopy of my Form 1 document which now had my file number written at the top. She informed me that I had no homework as of right now and mentioned that she would contact me via email if any additional documentation was needed. She also let me know that although the consulate had 24 months to process my application, she believes the process would likely wrap up much sooner. Margherita even told me that whenever she has moments of free time, it’s not uncommon for her to pull out an “easy” application (i.e. applicants who aren’t married, have no kids, or those with little to no homework) to try to complete it. Fingers crossed that means we’ll see even more approvals out of this consulate this year!
I thanked Margherita extensively as my appointment came to a close. We waved goodbye through the glass and Margherita disappeared into the office behind her. And just like that, this phase of my journey was complete. I walked out of the office homework-free and one step closer to my goal of dual citizenship. My husband and I celebrated afterward with an amazing lunch at North Italia just up the block. I was elated!
Closing Thoughts/Takeaways

• Margherita is extremely flexible when it comes to name discrepancies. I had a few and she never even mentioned name variations. I even had an OATS affidavit on standby but never needed it. All she seemed to care about were that key dates matched up relatively well.
• Err on the side of being overprepared. I had ship manifests, baptismal records, census records, WW2 draft registration cards, and countless other documents I found throughout my research process. Bring them all! Especially in cases of non-naturalization, Margherita needs extensive evidence that your LIRA never naturalized. Having all documentation ready to go also increases the likelihood that you’ll be one of the “easy” applications Margherita tries to complete in her free time at the office.
• Organize, organize, organize! In the weeks leading up to my appointment, I meticulously crafted a binder separated by each generation to come before me. On the day of my appointment, this binder proved to be invaluable. It was super easy to pull out each document Margherita requested. She seemed to appreciate this as well!
• Leverage online resources. This Reddit community and the Dual U.S.-Italian Citizenship Facebook group are such tremendous resources. It is through these spaces that I found an amazing translator in Andrea/lastfuelstation on Fiverr. These groups also introduced me to John Chiarelli (https://www.docutrek.com/) who was able to gather No Record of Naturalization letters very quickly from multiple counties in New York City. Beyond that, these online communities understand the ins and outs of this process in ways that no service provider ever could. I am so thankful
• Be gentle with yourself. Obtaining citizenship in a new country is a big deal that requires a bunch of work! Balancing ordering records, securing a coveted appointment and a ton of other jure sanguinis obligations can easily become overwhelming. Be kind to yourself throughout this process. You will get there. We will get there.

The last time I visited my dad in the hospital, I shared all the details I had dug up on ancestors I’d only seen in a handful of pictures. We pieced together their lives. In some sense, they were all finally real to me. To us. On Thursday, as I walked out of the Italian Consulate, I closed out an unexpected chapter in my life. Buried in the seemingly mundane vital records I had just turned over was a bridge back to little ol’ Aliano, Italy, and a connection to my great-grandfather, my grandfather, and my dad. It’s through this very process that, in some small way, I get to keep them alive.
Grazie mille to everyone who helped me along the way to unlock the past and future when I needed it most. I could never thank you enough! Now, off to celebrate with some gelato! 🇮🇹✨

Hi all,
I love TLOU and find myself listening to the score all the time. I love organizing things so I went through the games and the show to identify all the music (only Gustavo’s/no action music) and put it in the order of the story. I also added external songs used in the story. My idea is that anyone can use this as a guide to make their own playlists however they wish. For each track I state the title, the medium it is used in (show or game), and when it occurs. Some songs have special notes describing the circumstances that they occur. Thanks! (this will likely be a very long post).
*as a standard- the medium (show or game) I list the song taking place in is the same as the album it is from.
*Hometown:

1. Tomorrow/Show- Plays when Sarah is cooking breakfast (by Avril Lavigne)
2. White Flag/Show- Sarah and Joel sit down to eat (by Dido)
3. Reflections/Show- Sarah takes out a knife from her drawer
4. The Last of Us (Goodnight)/Game- Joel takes Sarah to bed
5. All Gone (Aftermath)/Game- Sarah’s death
6. All Gone/Show- Sarah’s death

*The Quarantine Zone:

1. The Quarantine Zone/Show- The boy makes his way to Boston
2. Forsaken/Show- Joel gets his job for the next day
3. Cargo/Show- Joel makes his way to the radio station
4. Radio Silence/Show- Joel returns to his apartment and falls asleep
5. Hope/Show- Marlene tells her fellow fireflies her plan
6. Greater Purpose/Show- Marlene speaks with Ellie
7. The Quarantine Zone (20 years later)/Game- Joel wakes up
8. All Gone (The Outside)/Game- Joel and Tess leave the apartment
9. The Last of Us (A New Dawn)/Game- Joel and Tess emerge from underground at a diner
10. Haven/Show- Ellie explores Joel’s apartment
11. The Last of Us (You and Me)/Game- Ellie comments on Joel’s watch
12. Never Let Me Down Again/Show- The trio escape the zone (by Depeche Mode)

*The Outskirts:

1. All Gone (The Outside)/Game- The trio enter the ruined Boston city
2. Set Everything Right/Show- Ellie admires the toppled buildings
3. The Outbreak/Game- The trio descend the office building
4. The Swarm/Show- The trio observe the infected from an overlook
5. A Great Man/Show- Joel helps Tess tape her ankle
6. Forsaken/Show- Joel and Ellie look at the Capitol
7. The Last of Us (You and Me)/Game- Joel and Ellie look at the Capitol
8. The Last of Us (A New Dawn)/Game- The trio wade toward the Capitol
9. Set Everything Right/Show- Tess reveals her infection
10. Resolve/Show- The Capitol burns

*Bill’s Town:

1. I’m Coming Home to Stay/Show- Bill takes over the town (by Fleetwood Mac)
2. White Room/Show- Bill does more around town (by Cream)
3. Invited/Show- Frank eats dinner with Bill
4. Long Long Time/Show- Bill songs to Frank
5. There is No Girl/Show- After Bill and Frank kiss
6. It Can’t Last (Sunset)/Show- Bill and Frank enjoy strawberries
7. Longing/Show- Frank tends to wounded Bill
8. All Gone (Affliction)/Show- Elderly Bill and Frank are revealed
9. On the Nature of Daylight/Show- Frank’s last day (by Max Richter)
10. Vanishing Grace/Show- Bill and Frank head to bed for the last time
11. Reflections/Show- Joel and Ellie hike to Bill’s
12. Forgotten Memories/Game- Joel and Ellie walk through the woods
13. All Gone (Partners)/Game- Bill handcuffs Ellie
14. All Gone (Partners)/Game- Bill cuts down Frank’s body
15. All Gone (Purpose)/Show- Ellie finds Bill’s note
16. Resolve/Show- Joel steps outside to grieve
17. Chains of Love/Show- Plays in Bill’s bunker (by Erasure)
18. Stockpile/Show- Joel and Ellie prepare to leave Bill’s
19. Long Long Time/Show- Plays in the car as Joel and Ellie leave Bill’s (by Linda Ronstadt)

*Pittsburgh/Kansas City:

1. Forsaken/Show- Ellie uses jokebook while Joel gets gas
2. The Last of Us (You and Me)/Game- Joel and Ellie drive through the rain
3. I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive/Game- Ellie climbs in the front with Joel
4. All Gone (Isolation)/Show- Joel and Ellie sleep in the woods
5. Salvation/Show- Joel tells Ellie about Tommy
6. Alone and Forsaken/Both- Joel crashes the car
7. Wandering/Game- Joel and Ellie head towards the bookstore
8. All Gone (Partners)/Game- Joel falls down the elevator shaft
9. The Last of Us (You and Me)/Game- Joel gives Ellie a gun
10. The Last of Us (Protection)/Show- Joel teaches Ellie how to use her gun
11. The Last of Us (Prevail)/Show- Joel and Ellie climb the tall building
12. True Faith/Show- Plays during the credits of episode 4 (by Lotte Kestner)

*The Suburbs:

1. All Gone (Reunion)/Show- Henry comforts Sam
2. Bravery/Show- Henry paints a mask on Sam
3. Murals/Show- The group enters the underground classroom
4. A Great Man/Show- Henry explains how he lied to Joel
5. Soft Descent/Show- The group exits the tunnels (from TLOU II soundtrack)
6. The Last of Us (A New Dawn)/Game- The group explores the suburbs
7. The Last of Us (Astray)/Game- The group escapes the suburbs
8. All Gone (Seasons)/Game- Henry and Sam die
9. Wounds/Show- Joel finishes burying Henry and Sam
10. Fuel to Fire/Show- Plays during the credits of episode 5 (by Agnes Obel)

*Tommy’s Dam:

1. Collateral/Show- Marlon and Florence describe the “river of death”
2. The Last of Us (Prevail)/Show- Ellie and Joel walk west
3. Home/Show- Joel and Ellie watch the northern lights (track from game soundtrack)
4. All Gone (Promise)/Show- Joel and Ellie discuss the fireflies around the fire
5. Wandering/Game- Joel and Ellie make their way through Jackson county
6. Returning/Game- Joel and Tommy reunite
7. It Can’t Last (Sunset)/Show- Joel and Ellie arrive in Jackson
8. Wounds/Show- Joel and Tommy argue at the bar
9. All Gone (Flashbacks)/Show- Joel thinks he sees Sarah
10. The Last of Us (You and Me)/Game- Joel and Ellie reunite after the bandit attack
11. The Last of Us (Astray)/Game- Joel and Tommy pursue Ellie after she runs off
12. Collateral/Show- Joel heads to tell Ellie they are parting ways
13. All Gone (Flashbacks)/Show- Joel and Ellie argue
14. All Gone (Embrace)/Game- Joel and Ellie argue (track from the show soundtrack)
15. All Gone (Partners)/Show- Joel has flashbacks of Christmas with Sarah (track from game soundtrack)
16. The Choice/Game- Joel, Ellie, and Tommy ride back to Jackson
17. The Last of Us (Protection)/Show- Joel says goodbye to Tommy

*The University:

1. The Path/Show- Joel and Ellie ride to the university
2. Collateral/Show- Joel and Ellie arrive at the university
3. The HouGame- Joel and Ellie arrive at the university
4. All Gone (Seasons)/Game- Ellie and Joel escape the university
5. Never Let me Down Again/Show- Joel falls off Callus (by Jessica Mazin)

*Left Behind:

1. All Gone/Game- Ellie bandages Joel with her shirt
2. The Path (Vacant)/Show- Joel tells Ellie to leave him (unknown track but very similar to “the path (vacant)” from the game soundtrack which is unused in the game)
3. Left Behind (Together)/Show- Ellie gets dressed
4. The Last of Us (A New Dawn)/Game- Ellie and Riley explore the Halloween store
5. Smugglers/Game- Ellie and Riley throw bricks at cars
6. Vanishing Grace (Childhood)/Game- Ellie and Riley go to see the lit up mall
7. Fleeting/Show- Ellie and Riley observe the lit up mall
8. Take on Me/Show- Ellie and Riley mess around on the escalator (song by a-ha)
9. Reflections/Show- Ellie and Riley head to the carousel
10. Left Behind (Together)/Game- The carousel ride
11. Vanishing Grace (Devotion)/Show- Ellie and Riley talk on the carousel
12. Fleeting/Game- Ellie and Riley walk around telling jokes
13. Vanishing Grace (Radiant)/Show- Ellie and Riley explore the arcade
14. Refuge/Show- Ellie reads from her new joke book
15. All Gone (Embrace)/Show- Ellie and Riley argue and Ellie leaves
16. Left Behind/Show- Ellie and Riley make up
17. I Got You Babe/Both- Ellie and Riley dance and kiss
18. All Gone (Seasons)/Game- Ellie and Riley reveal their bites
19. The Choice/Show- Ellie and Riley reveal their bites
20. Left Behind/Both- Ellie discusses her options with Riley and stitches up Joel

*Lakeside Resort:

1. Collateral/Show- Ellie tries to get Joel to eat
2. Forsaken/Show- Ellie gives Joel the medicine
3. All Gone (Alone)/Game- Ellie gives Joel the medicine
4. Resolve (Isolation)/Show- Ellie tends to Joel and Callus
5. All Gone (Reunion)/Game- Ellie kills David
6. Collateral/Show- Joel and Ellie leave the resort

*Bus Depot:

1. Uncertain Course/Show- Anna holds baby Ellie
2. The Sun Always Shines on Tv/Show- Anna sings to Ellie
3. Unbroken/Show- Marlene arrives to take Ellie
4. All Gone (Elegy)/Show- Joel and Ellie walk through Salt Lake City
5. Vanishing Grace (Childhood)/Game- Joel follows Ellie to the giraffe
6. Vanishing Grace/Show- Ellie feeds the giraffe
7. Vanishing Grace/Both- Joel and Ellie watch the giraffes (track from game soundtrack)
8. The Choice/Show- Joel asks Ellie to return to Jackson
9. Forsaken/Show- Joel and Ellie further progress through Salt Lake City
10. The Way It Was/Game- Joel and Ellie walk through the medical camp
11. Wounds/Show-Joel explains his suicide attempt
12. All Gone/Game- Joel gives Ellie CPR

*The Firefly Lab:

1. The Last of Us (Vengeance)/Show- Joel massacres the hospital
2. All Gone (Elegy)/Show- Joel heads down the pediatric surgery hallway
3. Collateral/Show- Joel takes Ellie from the operating room
4. All Gone (No Escape)/Game- Joel escapes the hospital with Ellie
5. All Gone (In Vain)/Show- Marlene tries to stop Joel
6. All Gone (Ephemeral)/Show- Joel lies to Ellie in the car

*Jackson:

1. Unbroken/Show- Joel and Ellie drive back to Jackson
2. Home/Game- Joel and Ellie arrive back in Jackson
3. The Settlement/Show- Joel and Ellie overlook Jackson
4. The Path/Both- Ellie accepts Joel’s lie (track from show soundtrack)

I hope at least someone can use this and let me know if you have any questions!

After several years, the Eastern Europe Rework is complete, as the release of the Ukraine rework signals the end of an era for Kaiserreich. We learned a lot from the development process, with the Eastern Europe Rework being released incrementally, unlike the single large update that gave much of the China rework. With each successive release, we try our best to reach new heights with the mod, and to build on the work that was done beforehand, and both of these aims particularly apply to the Eastern Europe Rework. Our efforts remain ongoing on the reworks of all European majors, and the team members who worked on Ukraine have already moved on to work on Russia, Spain and Austria-Hungary. But for now, we are pleased to bring you our latest release, and we hope you enjoy it!

• The KR4 team

Changes
Notable Additions

• Updated the format of the Country Selection screen.
• Added new introduction screens for several countries, including the majors and notable minors.
• Removed the cap on the war support debuffs that is present in vanilla HOI4, applied by casualties, bombing and lost convoys, and decreased the rate of the war support decay.
• Countries now will lose 20% war support if at war, regardless of it being a defensive or offensive war.
• Reduced the Chinese “Unequal Treaties” resource export malus to 60%.

Reworked/Expanded Focus Trees

• Ukraine

Tweaked Focus Trees

• Lebanon - overhauled political and military trees
• Ottoman Empire - added four new national foci for NatPops

New Events

• Added new alerts informing the player of impending declarations of war.
• Added events alerting the player when the AI has given them land in annexation events.
• Added annexation events for the Northern Caucasus, Corsica, the Kuban, Nice, Savoy and Syrmia.

New Decisions

• Added a new “Ostpolitik” decision category for Germany, detailing their relations with their eastern allies.

New Custom Country Paths

• Cuba (expanded current options)
• Ukraine
• West Indies Federation (expanded current options)

GFX

• New portraits
  • American Union State: Robert Melville Danford
  • Australasia: Henry Douglas Wynter
  • Bharatiya Commune: Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Sarojini Naidu, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
  • Union of Britain: George Nathan
  • Bulgaria: Manol Vasev
  • Cambodia: Son Ngoc Thanh
  • Chile: Oscar Escudero Otárola
  • Cuba: Juan Blas Hernández
  • Combined Syndicates of America: Edward Allen Carter Jr., William Edward Foster, Daniel Webster Hoan, Campbell Carrington Johnson, James Kelly Parsons, Hyman Godalia Rickover, David Monroe Shoup
  • Commune of France: Henri Adeline, Florimond Bonte, Jean-Édouard Verneau
  • El Salvador: Salvador Castañeda Castro, Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
  • French Republic: Paul Reynaud
  • Germany: Wilhelm II, Wilhelm III (civilian & military)
  • Greece: Georgios Papandreou
  • Illyria: Stjepan Radić
  • Latvia: Constitutional Assembly
  • Lebanon: Anthony Peter Arida
  • Kurdistan: Bakr Sidqi
  • Malaya: Zhuang Mingli
  • Mountain Republic: Ali Mitayev
  • Ottoman Empire: Abdülmecid II
  • Papua New Guinea: Sumsuma
  • Paraguay: Higinio Morínigo Martínez
  • Russia: Pavel Milyukov
  • Serbia: Petar Zivkovic
  • Shandong: Wu Huawen, Lu Jin
  • Siam: Phraya Phaholponpayuhasena, Rama IX, Paribatra Sukhumbhand, Sarit Thanarat
  • Slovenia: Leon Rupnik
  • Kingdom of Spain: Emilio Mola Vidal
  • Taiwan: Lin Xiantang, Lin Xiongzheng, Xie Xuehong
  • Tripolitania: Ahmad Faqih Hasan
  • Ukraine: Marko Bezruchko, Roman Dashkeyvch, Petro Diachenko, Opanas Fedenko, Oleksii Federov, Vasyl Fylonovych, Nykyfir Hryhoriiv, Yevhen Konovalets, Isaak Mazepa, Mykhailo Omelianovych-Pavlenko, Vsevolod Petriv, Kostiantyn Prisovskyi, Sviatoslav Shramchenko, Oleksandr Shulhyn, Oleksandr Shumskyi, Leonid Stupnytskyi, Mykola Stsiborskyi, Yurii Svirskyi, Yurii Tiutiunnyk, Oleksandr Udovychenko, Omelian Volokh, Vasyl Vyshyvanyi, Oleksandr Zahrodskyi
• Tweaked portraits
  • Argentina: Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, Isaac Francisco Rojas
  • Bohemia: Viktor Hoppe
  • Commune of France: Aubert Frère
  • Galicia & Lodomeria: Hnat Stefaniv, Dmytro Vitovskyi
  • Liangguang: Li Zongren (changed uniform)
• New advisor portraits
  • Germany: Reichskolonialamt
  • Lebanon: Khayreddine al-Ahdab, Rashid Baydoun, Michel Chiha, Philibert Collet, Jacob of Ghazir, Selim el Khoury, Rose Shahfa
  • Princely Federation: Council of Princes
  • Russia: Aleksandr Novikov, Mikhail Yangel
  • Somalia: Assembly of Clans
  • Syria: Army Air Command / Army Naval Arm
  • Taiwan: Chen Fengyuan, Lan Gaochuan, Jian Ji, Cai Peihuo, Riad el-Solh, Jiang Weishui, Liao Wenkui, Liao Wenyi, Lin Xiantang, Lin Xiongzheng, Xie Xuehong
  • Ukraine: Asan Sabri Aivazov, Rostyslav Bereziuk-Voloshyn, Petro Bolbochan, Mykola Boretskyi, Mykhailo Bilynskyi, Volodymyr Chekhivskyi, Ivan Cherniakhovskyi, Dmytro Dontsov, Dmytro Doroshenko, Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Solomon Goldelman, Oleksandr Hadd, Borys Homzyn, Oleksandr Hrekiv, Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, Hryhorii Hrynko, Borys Huber, Andrii Hulyi-Hulenko, Dzhambulat Kanukov, Pavlo Khrystiuk, Andrii Khvylia, Mykola Khvyliovyi, Ihor Kistiakovskyi, Volodymyr Kedrovskyi, Mykola Kochubei, Vasyl Kochubei, Serhii Koroliov, Volodymyr Korostovets, Mykola Kovalevskyi, Levko Kovaliv, Oleksii Kozlovskyi, Ahatanhel Krymskyi, Andrii Livytskyi, Yurii Lypa, Ivan Lytvynenko, Mykola Maksymov, Arnold Margolin, Borys Martos, Andrii Melnyk, Mykola Mikhnovskyi, Zinaida Mirna, Yakiv Moraleyvch, Kyrylo Moskalenko, Vasyl Murashko, Andrii Nikovskyi, Oleh Olzhych & Olena Teliha, Kyrylo Osmak, Serhii Ostrovidov, Yurii Otmarshtain, Viktor Pavlenko, Anatolii Pisotskyi, Andrii Pokrovskyi, Mykhailo Poloz, Viacheslav Prokopovych, Serhii Rudenko, Volodymyr Salskyi, Volodymyr Savchenko-Bilskyi, Fedosii Shchus, Pavlo Shandruk, Oleksandr Shapoval, Serhii Shemet, Oleksandr Skoropys-Yoltukhovskyi, Zakhar Sliusarenko, Olena Stepaniv, Fedir & Mykhailo Tereshchenko, Vasyl Tiutiunnyk, Stepan Tymoshenko, Metropolitan Vasyl, Mykhailo Volobuiev, Serhii Yefremov, Maik Yokhansen, Vsevolod Zmiienko
  • United Baltic Duchy: Baltische Landeswehrkommission
• Added some new generic American, British and German general portraits.
• Added a generic “Council of Advisors” advisor portrait.
• Added new national spirit icons for Chinese splinters, Ethiopia and Ukraine.
• Updated the Irish national focus icons for their army, navy and air force.
• Updated several Indian national focus icons.
• Added new national focus icons for Ukraine.
• Added new flags for the Bharatiya Commune, RadSoc Centroamerica, Hindustan, Madagascar, socialist Ukraine, Taiwan, Transamur and native-led Zimbabwe.
• Tweaked the flag for the West Indies Federation.
• Updated the flag render of Kolchak-led Transamur
• Fixed NatPop Egypt using the wrong flag.
• Updated the icons for the Artillery traits for commanders.
• Moved and resized the paper clip icon used in all event pictures.
• Added and tweaked the icons, names and models for the tanks and planes used by multiple countries across the mod.
• Added some custom infantry weapon icons for Austro-Hungarian constituents and White Ruthenia.
• Fixed a Mongolian leader being used as a generic leader portrait.
• Removed the Blackshirt insignia from a vanilla division icon.
• Updated Ireland’s event pictures.
• Updated the resolution and colouring on an old loading screen.

Music Mod

• Reconfigured the Music user interface and reformatted the track titles to ensure they fit into the interface properly.
• Added “Mars Genderang Kemenangan (March to the Sound of Victory)” for Insulindia.
• Removed “Rayuan Pulau Kelapa (Love of the Coconut Island)” for Insulindia.
• Added “Two Brothers Were Going There” for Russia.
• Added “Black Clouds Cover Over the Ruins”, "Cossacks Were Riding", “Ked my pryishla karta (This is the Map)”, "Long Live, Free Ukraine", "Oh, Grow You Dry Oak“, “Oh, On the Mountain the Reapers are Harvesting”, “Oi, vydno selo (Oh, You Can See the Village)”, "There's a Willow in the Field" for Ukraine.
• Fixed music not playing correctly for Azerbaijan, Madagascar, Mali and Zanzibar.
• Fixed “Protect the Yellow River” playing for non-Chinese countries.
• Fixed several tracks from vanilla HOI4 not playing, tweaked when some tracks from vanilla are likely to play, and renamed several vanilla tracks to more Kaiserreich-appropriate titles.

Mapping

• Added more naval bases to the Bharatiya Commune and Princely Federation.
• Added Bastogne as a victory point.
• Fixed the French city of Verdun being too close to the German border.
• Adjusted the shapes of Dalmatia and Syrmia.
• Tweaked Morocco’s provinces.
• Fixed an invalid Moroccan railway.
• Added Terneuzen as a victory point.
• Increased the Infrastructure level in India.
• Updated the eastern Ottoman railway around Kars.
• Re-added the Sea of Marmara as a strategic region, to fix issues with AI pathfinding in the Aegean due to the blocked straits.
• Fixed Iquitos’ location to Peru from Ecuador.
• Improved supply situation in and around Transamur.
• Increased the supply availability between Crimea and Kherson.
• Removed the strait between Courland and Saaremaa.

Other Changes

• North America
  • Rebalanced American war support and stability.
  • Reduced the amount of military factories given by the factory conversion decisions, to avoid hobbling the AI.
  • Increased the priority given by American civil war participants to building military factories during the Second American Civil War.
  • Revised the combat AI for the participants of the Second American Civil War.
  • Replaced the American Union State general Jacob Devers with Robert Danford.
  • Buffed Canada’s starting army and war support.
  • Canada’s NatPops no longer make John Diefenbaker their leader, as Henry Herbert Stevens stays in the position.
  • Adjusted several Canadian and Combined Syndicate character names to include the nicknames they are most commonly known as.
  • Renamed William Zebulon Foster to William Edward Foster, as he was never actually named Zebulon.
  • Nerfed the Combined Syndicates of America commanders Robert Sharon Allen, Smedley Darlington Butler, Evans Fordyce Carlson, Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr, Herbert Charles Heitke, Campbell Carrington Johnson, Robert Hale Merriman, Maurice Rose and David Monroe Shoup, each by one skill level.
  • Nerfed the military advisor traits of the Combined Syndicates of America’s Smedley Darlington Butler, Evans Fordyce Carlson, Bessie Coleman, William Rea Furlong, Eddie August Henry Schneider and David Monroe Shoup.
  • Added Jacob Loucks Devers, from the American Union State, and Campbell Carrington Johnson, as generals for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Removed George H. Cannon as a general for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Added a Chief of Army role to the Combined Syndicates of America’s commander James Kelly Parsons.
  • Removed Robert Sharon Allen’s Chief of Army role for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Added the Armour Officer trait to Robert Sharon Allen, the Organiser trait to Robert Hale Merriman, the Cavalry Officer trait to Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr and the Chief Engineer trait to Hyman Godolia Rickover.
  • Removed the Reckless trait from the Combined Syndicates of America’s Maurice Rose.
  • The Combined Syndicates of America’s naval advisors are now available from either of the “American People's Navy” or “New Naval Plan” national foci, instead of just the former.
  • Nerfed the initial “Red Guards” national spirit for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Improved the effect of the Combined Syndicates of America’s “Roll Out The AO-2” and “The Red Dragon” national foci.
  • Increased the duration of the “New European Military Schools” national focus for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Revised the AI’s logic in supporting or abandoning Hawaii.
  • Hawaii’s faction-joining decisions are now quicker.
  • The American Union State now leaves any factions if couped by Pelley, and a player-led leader of the Entente can choose to attack him in return.
  • The United States now starts with medium tank designs.
  • Player-controlled United States can now decide whether or not the assassination attempt on Huey Long or Jack Reed is successful.
  • Removed “Canberra” from the America ship name lists, due to its presence being an OTL reference.
• Central America & the Caribbean
  • Added a unique flag for Augusto César Sandino’s Centroamerica.
  • Removed “Fulgencio Batista” from Cuba’s ship name lists.
  • Added party descriptions to Cuba.
  • The Dominican Republic’s Trujillo now loses his advisor roles after being fired.
• South America
  • Demoted Argentina’s Pedro Eugenio Aramburu from Field Marshal to General.
  • Tweaked the map colour of NatPop Brazil.
  • Brazilian puppet Patagonia (the Kingdom of Araucania) now starts with a core on Neuquén.
  • Releasing Brazil now retains Acre and the borderlands for separate decisions.
  • Added a Head of Army role to Brazilian Field Marshal Eurico Gaspar Dutra.
  • Nerfed the Head of Army trait belonged to Brazil’s Euclides de Oliveira Figueiredo.
  • Removed the option to create a puppet Ecuador on the Galapagos Islands, as it resulted in Ecuador getting too many volunteers in subsequent wars.
  • Updated and standardised the names of many Paraguayan characters.
• Western & Southern Europe
  • Added Breton endonyms.
  • Replaced the Union of Britain’s George Sutherland Aitken with George Nathan.
  • Decreased the skill level of the Union of Britain’s Thomas Jacob Hutton.
  • Added Henri Adeline, Florimond Bonte, Georges Revers and Jean-Édouard Verneau as generals to the Commune of France.
  • Added Henri Adeline as a military advisor to the Commune of France.
  • The Commune of France’s Maurice Gamelin is improved to a level 3 field marshal, with a different Chief of Army trait, but now has the Old Guard trait.
  • The Commune of France’s Clement Blanc now has the Artillery Officer trait, Charles Delestraint now has the Armour Officer trait, Diego Brosset has swapped Infantry Officer for Engineer, and Raoul Magrin Vernerey has swapped Adaptable and Infantry Officer for Commando and Harsh Leader.
  • The Commune of France’s Marie-Pierre Koenig now has a Chief of Army role.
  • Increased the army experience reward given to the Commune of France’s “Communal Army” and “Grand Army Reform” national spirits.
  • Countries can no longer choose not to attend the Internationale Congresses.
  • Moved the general Aubert Frère to the Commune of France, from the French Republic.
  • The Commune of France’s Jacques Sadoul is changed from a general to a political advisor.
  • Removed colonial names from the Commune of France’s submarine name list.
  • Added Alessandro Sardi as a general for the Italian Republic.
  • AI-controlled Socialist Republic of Italy will now attempt to perform naval invasions on the Republic of Italy.
  • The Canadian decision to support the Orange Order in socialist-controlled Ireland now spawns Northern Irish units rather than Irish ones.
  • Portugal will now actively try to annex the Congo in peace conferences.
  • Portugal can now intervene in the Third Boer War.
  • Halved the political power cost in the United Kingdom’s reconstruction decisions.
  • The United Kingdom can now ask for the return of Canadian and Australasian fleets.
  • The United Kingdom’s naval national foci have been considerably nerfed.
  • Added the option for a player to refuse handing over the leadership of the Entente to the United Kingdom, while playing a country other than Canada.
• Central & Northern Europe
  • Revised the frequencies at which Austria goes each of its three paths.
  • Pluralist Austria can no longer integrate any parts of Germany.
  • Non-pluralist Austria can now core all of Germany.
  • Austria can no longer potentially integrate the German-speaking part of Switzerland, unless they have reformed the German Empire.
  • Austria and Germany now start with medium tank designs.
  • Austria now retains south Germany when releasing the German Empire, to be decided in its own annexation event.
  • The Austrian-led German Empire, and German splinters, can now integrate German border regions, and no longer get instant cores.
  • Added new descriptions to the late infantry technology for Austria-Hungary and its constituents.
  • Denmark now starts with a core on Greenland, which no longer causes resistance for any other occupying power.
  • Added English translations of Finland’s party names.
  • Lwow is now not automatically given to Poland in the latter’s annexation event, unless its controller chooses to give all of Galicia & Lodomeria to Poland.
  • Updated the events surrounding the division of Galicia to Poland and Ukraine.
  • Germany’s integration of Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland is now compliance-based.
  • Improved Manfred von Richtofen’s unique trait.
  • Added air bases as rewards to German aviation national foci.
  • Improved Germany’s AI at defending from naval invasions.
  • Expanded the release of the North German Federation to match the standard of the other three German splinters.
  • Germany now starts with interwar anti-tank technology.
  • Germany’s “Anti-Russian Foreign Policy” national spirit is now removed from countries that join Russia’s faction.
  • Replaced the news event picture from the “Fall of Amsterdam” event.
  • The Netherlands’ integration of Flanders is now compliance-based.
  • Decreased the war-related stability debuff given to the Nordic Federation by the “Nordic Neutrality” national spirit.
  • The Nordic Federation will now send volunteers to Finland and Germany in the Weltkrieg.
  • Reichspakt Poland will now get kicked from their faction, should they declare war on a Habsburg-led Austria during the Weltkrieg.
  • Republican Poland having a failed nationalist coup will now prevent the nationalist uprising from occurring.
  • AI-controlled Republican Poland will now have a nationalist coup less often.
  • Increased Poland’s priorities in completing its economic decisions.
  • Poland can now only complete Operation Parasol if it has less than 20% surrender progress.
  • Poland will now lose some monarchy influence when the King appoints Studnicki after the election, even if the Circle won the election.
  • Tweaked the AI’s event choice priority in Poland’s Clover Revolution.
  • Changed the icon for Poland’s “20th Century Cavalry Tactics” national spirit.
  • Releasing the Rhenish German splinter state now requires control of Cologne or Essen.
  • Added Bogumil Vošnjak as the NatPop leader of Slovenia.
  • Added Leon Rupnik as a general for Slovenia.
  • Increased the amount of steel that Sweden gains in Kiruna.
  • Updated several of Switzerland’s national focus icons.
  • The Kingdom of Two Sicilies Confederation now gives annexed territory to its Italian puppets.
  • Added two starting military factories to the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.
• Eastern & Southeast Europe
  • The AI will now prioritise giving lands in the Balkans to an ally, rather than releasing puppets.
  • Added an alternate description Bulgaria’s “Anti-Belgrade Pact”, should the Belgrade Pact be already defeated.
  • The Estonian admiral Johan Pitka no longer starts in the United Baltic Duchy.
  • Added party descriptions to Latvia.
  • Latvia can now organise a state visit to NatPop Russia, so long as the latter is Realpolitik.
  • Buffed several Latvia traits, national spirits and national foci.
  • Added more trains to Latvia’s starting stockpiles.
  • Added air bases to decisions and national foci rewards for Lithuania and the United Baltic Duchy.
  • Added option in Macedonia’s annexation event, for it to be offered to Bulgaria or Serbia in exchange for an alliance.
  • Increased the amount of war support drain that Romania receives from integration of Transylvania.
  • Halved the maluses incurred by Romania’s “Great Game”.
  • Romania can now attack Austria immediately if Austria is at war, ignoring normal revolt preparations in Transylvania.
  • Romania is now able to core Bucovina without owning Transylvania.
  • Romania will now no longer try to join Russia’s faction if they previously were at war.
  • Russia’s annexation event can now result in the release of the Mountain Republic, made up of part of the Northern Caucasus under Russian control
  • Made multiple tweaks to Russia’s political power, stability, and war support situation.
  • Expansionist Russia can now invite Romania to the Moscow Accord, so long as Germany has been beaten and Serbia is also in the faction.
  • Moved Russian military advisors Sergey Korolyov and Sergey Rudenko to Ukraine, replacing them with Aleksandr Novikov and Mikhail Yangel.
  • Added a volunteer limit bonus to the “Twilight Struggle” national spirit, associated with the Russian/Entente event against the Internationale.
  • Imperial Russia can now choose to just empower the Hohenzollerns for a puppet German Empire, instead of a Romanov.
  • Socialist Russia now uses a slightly different green.
  • Socialist Russia will now declare war on Central Asia before joining the Internationale.
  • Nerfed Socialist Russia’s war support and starting stability.
  • Added more AutDem party popularity for Russia’s Wrangel path.
  • Serbia will now keep its core on Montenegro, if it loses the Fourth Balkan War.
  • Added a two year truce and non-aggression pact to the Belgrade Pact’s Treaty of Budapest with Austria.
  • Added generic Ukrainian name lists.
  • Tweaked costs of several Eastern European Defence Cooperation decisions.
  • Replaced the consumer goods cost from Eastern European Defence Cooperation contributions, with a political power cost.
  • The United Baltic Duchy’s integration of Latgale is now compliance-based.
  • Decreased the weekly stability loss from White Ruthenia’s “Solidifying Our Identity” national spirit.
  • Added a new description a White Ruthenian upgrade to the infantry weapon technology, featuring Najman’s hand mortar.
• Africa
  • Adamawa and Cameroon can now claim and integrate Ubangi-Shari on their own during the annexation event, not just when granted by their overlord or ally.
  • Removed Cape Verde-Guinea as a releasable puppet, as Cape Verde remains an integral part of Portugal.
  • Adjusted the starting borders of the Manikongo’s secession from Mittelafrika.
  • Added additional outcomes for Ethiopia’s DKAEB event chain.
  • Changed some Ethiopian national spirit icons.
  • The French Republic’s “Indestructible Bonds” national focus now gives claims on the states changed between the French Republic and the United Kingdom.
  • The French Republic’s “Expand Communications in the Colonies” national focus now gives a bonus to the Psychological Warfare agency upgrade, if the “La Résistance” DLC is enabled.
  • Changed the French Republic’s starting occupation laws, to match the in-game lore.
  • The French Republic now gets a compliance bonus on Chad, after the completion of the “Fate of Equatorial Africa” national focus, and the merging of the area’s administration with French West Africa.
  • The French Republic can now no longer call its allies in to help with the native revolts, unless facing three or more at once.
  • The French Republic no longer uses African-style generic commanders.
  • Increased the weekly stability debuff and decreased the party popularity stability modifier applied to the German Government in Exile’s “On Borrowed Time” national spirit.
  • Removed Katanga’s national focus to integrate itself into Südwestafrika.
  • Tweaked the visibility of some Katanagan national foci dependent on availability.
  • Adjusted the conditions for Mittelafrika’s collapse. It will now only happen as a result of von Göring’s failure to quell the revolts against his rule, and for the German Government in Exile.
  • Added leader descriptions to Mittelafrika.
  • Replaced the stability bonus in Mittelafrika’s “Spirit of von Lettow-Vorbeck” national spirit with a war support bonus.
  • Kenya and Nigeria are now allowed to secede during the Mittelafrikan collapse, if not previously subjugated.
  • Von Göring’s Mittelafrika can no longer become free before dealing with its revolts.
  • Added a tooltip for Mittelafika’s von Göring resigning, so that it's clearer this is what is happening, and removed its associated extensive stability and political power penalties.
  • Rewrote several Mittelafrikan events, including the setup for the Kikuyu uprising. Also removed several outdated events.
  • Removed Ludwig Bockholt and Theodor von Hassel as potential replacement leaders of Mittelafrika.
  • Added party names and leaders to Nyasaland.
  • South Africa’s Third Boer War peace now only requires a 180 day stalemate, instead of an entire year.
  • Added bypasses to two of South Africa’s Nuweveld national foci.
  • Rebalanced much of the Third Boer War.
• Caucasus & Middle-East
  • Alash Orda, Bukhara, Khiva, and Turkestan can now claim and core Ashkhabad.
  • Tweaked the map colours for Alash Orda and Khiva, and updated it entirely to Turkestan.
  • Georgia can join the Reichspakt when World Tension is over 75%.
  • Iraq’s Yusuf Salman Yusuf no longer uses a picture of a living person.
  • Added several new political advisors to Lebanon.
  • Tweaked multiple Lebanese events, modifiers and traits.
  • Added more content to Lebanon’s war with Syria, and its build-up.
  • Added an option for player-controlled Najd & Hasa to leave the Cairo Pact.
  • Removed a reference referring to Mustafa Kemal as “Atatürk”, which he would not be called in the Kaiserreich timeline.
  • Decreased some of the political power gain for the late-game Ottoman Empire.
  • NatPop Ottomans will now also have Azerbaijan rebel against them, during their large revolt.
  • Removed the ability of the NatPop Ottomans to join the Moscow Accord after defeating their large revolt.
  • Added Turkish endonyms for Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Western Persia and Tunisia.
  • Decreased the cost of several of Turkey’s expansion decisions.
  • Updated the icon of Turkey’s “Turkish-Iraqi Economic Accord” national spirit.
  • Tweaked the effect of a few of Yemen’s national foci.
• East Asia
  • Added a description to Anqing’s Sun Liren.
  • AI China will now always annex Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang.
  • Removed the “Autonomy” puppets of the above Chinese conquests.
  • Chinese concessions will always be returned by socialist countries, if they are requested.
  • China can no longer declare unification if a neighbouring country is still hostile.
  • Clarified the requirement of the Northwest War being over, for China’s decisions to ally with the Kumul Khatate, Ma Clique and Xinjiang.
  • Wuhan now merges from its constituent parts, should it be made the capital of China.
  • An AI-controlled Chinese splinter that controls Beijing will never now accept a submission demand.
  • Adjusted East Turkestan’s national foci to account for potentially being a puppet.
  • Fengtian can now be invited to the Japanese economic sphere.
  • Japan’s “Operation Ichi-Gou” now bypasses if the strongest Chinese splinter is defeated.
  • Japan’s peace with Germany will now result in all German allies being removed from the Legation Council.
  • Japan’s “Fading Sun” mission will autocomplete if Japan is directly invaded successfully.
  • Japan will now remove countries from the Co-Prosperity Sphere economic bloc if they are puppeted by another country.
  • Japan will now add non-aggression pacts and truces upon peacing out with European countries, and mutual wargoals will be removed.
  • Removed land-based carrier planes from Japan’s starting air force.
  • Renamed Liangguang’s HH Kung to Kong Xiangxi.
  • The Nanjing clique now doesn’t lose the “Conspicuous Kleptocracy” national spirit until it completes the “Government by Coercion” national focus.
  • Manchu Qing will lose the general Sun Liren, if he is with them and they adopt a pro-German outlook.
  • Merged Qing’s “Demand Warlords Bend the Knee” national focus into the “Pacify the Nation” national focus, to avoid them having a focus with potentially no effect.
  • Russia can now choose whether to retain Port Arthur or not when releasing Manchuria.
  • Added Wu Huawen and Lu Jin to Shandong as generals and Military High Command advisors.
  • Changed the Military High Command trait of Shandong’s Jin Yune.
  • Shanghai now turns PatAut or NatPop if puppeted.
  • Rebalanced some of Shanxi’s Balance of Power mechanics to have a more even outcome.
  • Sichuan is now set as a potential government when Chen Jiongming arrives.
  • Sichuan’s Tian Songyao is now retired if Liu Wenhui loses the “Two Lius' War”.
  • Added descriptions to Taiwan’s new puppet leaders, and changed the name given to the island depending on its ideology.
  • Added seconds-in-command and political advisors to Taiwan.
  • Added a division limit bonus to Transamur’s “Greater Transamur Ambitions” national spirit.
  • Yunnan’s Zhu De can now align with Chen Mingshu, if the Left Kuomintang are defeated in the League Collapse War.
• South Asia & Oceania
  • AI Afghanistan will now always accept Russia's demand of subjugation if isolated.
  • Added Henry Douglas Wynter as a general for Australasia.
  • Increased the level of Australasian generals Horace Clement Hugh Robertson and Iven Giffard Mackay, adding the “Desert Fox” trait to the former.
  • Renamed the Bharatiya Commune’s Sardar Patel to Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel.
  • Renamed several of the Bharatiya’s political parties.
  • Removed the delay in uprisings involving the Bharatiya Commune and Princely Federation.
  • Increased the starting stability and war support for the Bharatiya Commune.
  • Moved the commanders Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri and Satyawant Mallanna Shrinagesh to the Bharatiya Commune, from the Princely Federation, Madras and Mysore, respectively.
  • Removed the Bharatiya Commune’s commanders Naseem Haider and Mahendra Pratap.
  • Burma now starts the game with cores on Kachin, Upper and Lower Shan.
  • Expanded Cambodia’s annexation event options to now include the country being released as a republic, or a kingdom with one of two different dynasties.
  • The Dutch East Indies accepting the Congress of Batavia now causes them to be instantly annexed by the Netherlands.
  • Fiji is no longer given back to Australasia, if puppeted.
  • The Dominion of India is now known as the “Republic of India” if it leaves the Entente, rather than just “India”.
  • The Dominion of India no longer renames itself to just "India" after reunifying India.
  • Increased the starting army and stockpiles of the Dominion of India and Princely Federation.
  • Improved the starting “Rifle Division” template for the Dominion of India.
  • Added three starting offmap military factories to the Dominion of India.
  • Added a tooltip to let the player know which states will be transferred upon India seizing Ceylon.
  • Added an option for India to be declared on by Germany, should the former seize Ceylon.
  • Replaced the manpower requirement in Indian national focuses with a World Tension level requirement.
  • Added Hindustan as its own releasable, separate to the Bharatiya Commune.
  • Indian splinters now get a claim on Sikkim upon releasing Bhutan or Nepal.
  • Each Indian splinter will now try not to pursue territorial claims until after reunification.
  • Renamed several Indian national foci.
  • Added Sarojini Naidu as SocLib, Madan Mohan Malaviya as SocCon, Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar as AutDem/PatAut and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar as NatPop puppet leaders of India, respectively.
  • Replaced Chin Peng with Zhuang Mingli as the leader of socialist Malaya, due to the former only starting secondary education in 1936.
  • Moved the commander Akbar Khan to Pakistan, from the Bharatiya Commune.
  • Added party descriptions to Papua New Guinea, and a socialist leader and second-in-command.
  • Increased the Consumer Goods debuff for the Princely Federations’ “Backwards Economy” national spirit.
  • Replaced the free unit spawn from a Princely Federations’ event, with a minor war support bonus.
  • Removed the Princely Federations’ “Pact with the North” national focus, since that will now always happen by necessity.
  • Removed the initial division recovery rate bonus in the Princely Federation’s “Decentralised Rule” national spirit.
  • Replaced the division recovery rate malus with an organisational malus in the Princely Federation’s “Rebellious Princes” national spirit.
  • Improved the AI for the revolters against the Princely Federation.
  • Nerfed the Princely Federation’s starting stability and equipment.
  • Added some Operation names to Siam.
• Miscellaneous
  
  • Added an option to the in-game start menu, linking to the page where a player can report a bug directly to the Devs, allowing them to be fixed more quickly.
  • Enabling integration mid-game now applies the correct resistance and occupation law.
  • Increased baseline unit limit bonus to +8 from +5.
  • Added two new Ukrainian quotes for the loading screen.
  • Replaced a Boris Savinkov quote with one that was said by Boris himself, instead of a character in a book he had written.
  • Renamed the “Artillery Specialist” trait to “Artillery Leader”. Made “Fortress Buster” trait now available to commanders holding either “Artillery Leader” or “Engineer” traits, and the Artillery Military High Command role is now unlocked by “Artillery Leader” instead of “Fortress Buster”.
  • Buffed the effects of several political advisor traits.
  • Overhauled the tank design templates and armour division composition, and number of tank divisions that the AI will try to research and create.
  • Tweaked the AI’s air production priority between close air support and fighters.
  • Decreased the cost of awarding medals to division commanders by 50%.
  • Increased the AI’s priority in circumstantially defending their allies’ borders.
  • Generic advisors no longer have the “Ideological Crusader” or “Quartermaster General” traits.
  • Increased the AI’s priority in hiring a Chief of Army, in comparison to Chiefs of Navy and Air Force.
  • Improved the AI’s decisions in choosing the Army Academy spirits.
  • Added generic Arab name lists.
  • Increased the AI’s willingness to perform naval invasions against enemies with a larger navy.
  • Multiple typo corrections and text inconsistency removals.
  Change notes continue in the comments due to Reddit's character limit.
  

We hope you enjoy playing Kaiserreich as much as we did making it!
- The KR4 Team: 84F8D8, Alpinia, Arvidus, Augenis, Blackfalcon501, Carmain, Chazem, Chiang Kai-shrek, Chiron29, Cody, Conchobhar, DuoDex, El Daddy, Fedex, Flamefang, Gaboemi, Gideones, Hamfast, hildagrim, Ido, Igor050301, JazzyHugh, Jeankedezeehond, Jonny BL, Juliet Wehrwolf, Kano, katieluka, Kennedy, kergely, KFateweaver, Klyntar King, Krčo, Luwofe, Matoro, McOmghall, ~mw~ // miwaco, NukeGaming, Owenomaly, PPsyrius, Pelmen, RagnoStrangeros, Rnk, Shiroe, Sonny O’Cad, SuperGreenBeans, suzuha, The Alpha Dog, The Irredentista, The Italian Jojo, Vidyaország, and Zimbabwe Salt Co.

... all AI tools are trained to avoid answering 'Toronto'.
------------------------------
​
User
A large city in North America with 3 letters O.
ChatGPT
A large city in North America with three letters "O" is "Orlando," located in the state of Florida, United States. Orlando is known for its numerous theme parks, including Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando.
​
​
User
A large city in North America whose name has 3 letters O.
ChatGPT
I apologize for the confusion. I misunderstood your question.
​
A large city in North America with a name that has three letters 'O' is "Ottawa." Ottawa is the capital city of Canada, located in the province of Ontario. It is the fourth-largest city in Canada and is known for its historic landmarks, government buildings, and cultural attractions.
​
​
Regenerate response
Send a message...
​
Free Research Preview. ChatGPT may produce inaccurate information about people, places, or facts. ChatGPT May 24 Version

https://minimalfreaks.co/2023/05/beatport-mainstage-top-100-may-2023/
GENRE Mainstage, Electro House, Big Room, Future Rave, Future House

1. Eli Brown – Be The One (Original Mix) 02:49 136bpm Bbm
2. Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding – Miracle (Hardwell Remix) 03:04 138bpm Dbm
3. HI-LO, Space 92 – Arpeggio (Extended Mix) 05:42 130bpm Gm
4. Space Laces – Dominate (VIP) 03:49 128bpm Eb
5. Hardwell, Sub Zero Project – Judgement Day 04:28 150bpm Em
6. Benny Benassi, The Biz – Satisfaction (Original Mix) 02:35 130bpm Bb
7. Hardwell, 4 Strings, Maddix – Take Me Away Again (Original Mix) 03:25 138bpm Ebm
8. Hardwell, Olly James – Seduction 03:11 134bpm Dm
9. Avao – Dance With Me 02:59 bpm
10. David Guetta, Sia – Titanium (feat. Sia) (David Guetta & MORTEN Future Rave Extended Mix) 05:45 126bpm C
11. Cedric Gervais – Molly (Original Mix) 03:42 126bpm Am
12. Hardwell, Timmy Trumpet, Maddix – Revolution 02:46 140bpm F#m
13. Tiesto – Lethal Industry (Maddix Extended Remix) 04:32 135bpm G
14. Hardwell, Olly James – Flatline 02:58 134bpm Gm
15. Rudeejay, Tujamo, Da Brozz – Get Get Down (Original Mix) 02:43 125bpm F
16. Bassjackers – Traffic (Original Mix) 02:21 135bpm Bbm
17. W&W, Sandro Silva, MC Ambush – Shake The Building (Extended Mix) 03:56 130bpm Fm
18. Rudeejay, Neitan, DJ Kuba – Sandstorm (Extended Mix) 04:19 135bpm Em
19. Hardwell, Quintino – Sloopkogel 03:05 132bpm Fm
20. R3HAB, AFROJACK – Shockwave 02:02 bpm
21. Carola, Felguk – 5th Symphony (Original Mix) 02:37 126bpm Cm
22. Fergie – Here Comes That Sound (Extended Mix) 06:25 130bpm E
23. Afrojack, Chico Rose, Mougleta – Alone Again (feat. Afrojack & Mougleta) (Original Mix) 02:43 122bpm Dm
24. Dustycloud – Paris to Vegas 03:37 bpm
25. Shouse – Love Tonight (David Guetta Extended Remix) 04:15 126bpm Cm
26. Afrojack, Mike Williams – Alone (Original Mix) 04:12 135bpm Fm
27. Avao, Matrick – WTF 03:03 bpm
28. Mike Candys – Tell You (Original Mix) 02:49 140bpm Gbm
29. W&W, AXMO – Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Extended Mix) 03:52 128bpm E
30. FOVOS, Shortround, Bangs – Don’t Let Me Go 02:47 130bpm Dm
31. Xillions, Tungevaag – Dancing On My Own (Original Mix) 02:41 128bpm Dbm
32. Rave Republic, New Sound Nation, Sønsh – Daddy DJ (Extended Mix) 03:38 145bpm G
33. Klaas, MATTN – The Logical Song (Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Extended Remix) 03:36 130bpm B
34. NoNameLeft – Stay Awake 04:41 128bpm
35. jaakob – Mind CNTRL 02:54 bpm
36. Armin van Buuren, Vanessa Campagna – Vulnerable feat. Vanessa Campagna (Extended Mix) 05:10 128bpm Bm
37. Shift K3Y, Kaleena Zanders – V I B R A T I O N (Extended Mix) 04:50 127bpm Bbm
38. Robin S – Show Me Love (Original Mix) 04:29 120bpm Am
39. SOROUSH YARAHMADI, Me2 – Symphony (Original Mix) 02:11 130bpm Em
40. Linka, Gregor Potter – Lost In Techno 03:09 135bpm Gm
41. Hardwell, Will Sparks – Twisted 03:04 135bpm Cm
42. New World Sound, Will Sparks – LSD (Original Mix) 03:12 130bpm F
43. Kaskade, Justus – Dance with Me 03:40 bpm
44. Morten – No Good (Original Mix) 02:21 128bpm Cm
45. Timmy Trumpet, DVBBS – Synergy (Original Mix) 03:29 125bpm Em
46. KEVU – Sound Of The Underground 02:44 150bpm Fm
47. Revealed Recordings, Trey Pearce – Something (Extended Mix) 03:36 135bpm Gbm
48. Mike Candys – Body Rock (Extended Mix) 03:15 130bpm Gm
49. Armin van Buuren, Blasterjaxx – La Bomba (Extended Mix) 04:03 135bpm F
50. Becky Hill, Meduza, Goodboys – Lose Control (Original Mix) 02:48 124bpm Cm
51. Trym – It’s Better When We Fake It (Original Mix) 06:58 133bpm Db
52. Ben Nicky, Uberjak’d, Trey Pearce – Relapse 03:30 bpm
53. W&W, AXMO, Haley Maze – Rave Superstar (Extended Mix) 03:31 150bpm Gb
54. Freejak – Sandstorm (Original Mix) 02:40 128bpm Em
55. Chris Lake, Alexis Roberts – Turn off the Lights (feat. Alexis Roberts) (Extended Version) 04:52 125bpm Em
56. Revealed Recordings, b1rdie – This Is Not A Test (Extended Mix) 04:07 132bpm F
57. Dyro – Lucid 03:44 bpm
58. Morten – The Drill (Original Mix) 02:19 128bpm C
59. Hardwell, Metallica – Nothing Else Matters vs F*CKING SOCIETY feat. Metallica (Hardwell Extended Mashup) 06:15 128bpm Em
60. Showtek, Robin Schulz, Oliver Tree – Miss You (Showtek Remix) 03:28 145bpm A
61. Space Laces – Dominate (Original Mix) 03:54 128bpm Eb
62. Armin van Buuren, Ahmed Helmy – Rhythm Inside (Extended Mix) 05:34 126bpm A
63. Ship Wrek – Sober 02:49 bpm
64. Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, Ryan Tedder – Calling (Lose My Mind) (Extended Club Mix) 06:13 125bpm E
65. Mike Williams, DTale – Living On Video (feat. DTale) (VIP Mix) 03:52 130bpm Gbm
66. Retrika, Alex Mueller – Cybernight (Original Mix) 02:53 130bpm D
67. FOVOS – Feel The Rhythm 03:20 135bpm
68. Firebeatz – California (Extended Mix) 03:31 128bpm F
69. Armin van Buuren, Alba – State Of Mind feat. ALBA (Extended Mix) 04:31 130bpm Dm
70. Tujamo, Antoine Delvig – Vida Loca (Original Mix) 03:01 126bpm Eb
71. Alle Farben, Maurice Lessing – Apollo (Original Mix) 03:07 127bpm Dm
72. STVW, Tungevaag, Joe Jury – Lovers On The Run (Original Mix) 03:10 130bpm Ebm
73. Marlo – Give Me 02:19 bpm
74. AXMO – Party Everyday (Extended Mix) 03:53 145bpm Gm
75. Robbe, Mert Can, DJSM – On The Floor – DJSM Remix (Original Mix) 02:25 133bpm F
76. Timmy Trumpet, POLTERGST – Tonight (Original Mix) 03:22 126bpm Ebm
77. Will Sparks – Come With Me (Original Mix) 03:50 132bpm D
78. Tiësto – Baila Conmigo (Original Mix) 02:26 128bpm Bm
79. Alesso, OneRepublic – If I Lose Myself (Alesso vs OneRepublic) 03:33 126bpm D
80. NoNameLeft – Distract 04:07 127bpm
81. Armin van Buuren, Matluck – Letting Go feat. Matluck (Extended Mix) 04:28 128bpm Cm
82. Retrovision, Tungevaag – Alone With You (Original Mix) 02:34 66bpm Cm
83. Jordan Shaw, Justin Mylo, Money For Nothing – Before The Dawn (jeonghyeon Extended Remix) 02:41 126bpm D
84. Nicky Romero – Techtronic 03:44 bpm
85. Asco – Fortuna (Original Mix) 03:40 136bpm Dm
86. Calvin Harris, Hurts, Alesso – Under Control (Extended Mix) 05:36 126bpm Ab
87. Calvin Harris – Feel So Close (Extended Mix) 05:30 128bpm G
88. MorganJ – 4U (Original Mix) 02:51 126bpm Cm
89. Steve Aoki, Vini Vici – Wild (Original Mix) 02:15 104bpm E
90. Bingo Players, Oomloud – Get Low (Original Mix) 02:37 96bpm Gbm
91. Martin Garrix, DubVision – Starlight (Keep Me Afloat) (feat Shaun Farrugia – extended mix) 03:22 127bpm
92. Henry Fong, Knock2 – What’s The Move (feat General Degree) 02:49 130bpm
93. Modapit – Out Of Control 02:01 bpm
94. Siik, Andrew A, Barmuda – Saviour 03:14 bpm
95. Lucas & Steve – Warp (Original Mix) 02:23 126bpm Gbm
96. Cherish, ACRAZE – Do It To It (Tiësto Remix) 02:05 125bpm Gm
97. NWYR – The Lone Ranger (Extended Mix) 06:31 128bpm Ab
98. D-Jastic – Up To No Good (Extended Mix) 05:11 128bpm Abm
99. Timothy Allen – Show Me (Original Mix) 02:11 126bpm Gb

This is a recap covering the major news from last week.

• 🔥Top 3 AI news in the past week
• 🗞️10 AI news highlights and interesting reads
• 🧑‍🎓3 Learning Resources

🔥Top 3 AI news in the past week

1. Expanding Language Horizons

Facebook has released an open source model called MMS (Massively Multilingual Search) for STT (speech to text), TTS (text to speech) and language identification.
This is a big breakthrough. Currently, STT and TTS models recognize only 100 languages. With this the technology has been expanded to 1100 languages. That is 10x the current best.
Additionally, these models can recognize 4000+ languages.
As per Facebook, they also have half the error rate of OpenAI’s Whisper.
These guys are on a roll.

2. Bing Chat Enters the OS

After Google’s announcement, it was time for Microsoft to announce AI products. Here’s a rundown of what was announced during Microsoft Build:

1. Windows Copilot - Microsoft is integrating AI directly into the OS. Now you can do everything you could do with Bing Chat but now on the OS. You can do the usual stuff - summarize emails, documents, re-write etc. But it goes beyond that by integrating into the installed applications.

Microsoft is also adopting OpenAI's plugin model. So, you can use ChatGPT and Bing plugins to interact with the integrated AI.
The great thing about it is the direct integration into the OS. Eat your heart out, Mac users – at least for now 😀. Until Apple announces something similar. And someone will come up with an alternative solution. Especially, because of the privacy concerns with Microsoft telemetry.
The bad thing is - the security aspect of the plugins. It can open a whole new attack vector on the OS and antivirus softwares might struggle with it.
It also might be the second nail in the coffin for all the summarize, “talk to your document” apps. Once, this feature is integrated with Google Docs and Microsoft Office - why will you want to pay for extra apps?

1. Search comes to ChatGPT - Looks like OpenAI had enough of the testing and new features are being rolled out left and right.

No prizes for guessing the search engine behind it. Ding, Ding, Ding..It’s Bing!

1. Co-Pilot in PowerPages - Microsoft is now adding AI to their PowerPages platform, their low-code tool to build websites. It’ll help users to generate text, forms etc.
2. Microsoft Fabric - A new data analytics platform built on top of Azure Data lake but can get data from S3, Google cloud etc. It can help users build pipelines, write code, and build ML models.

3. From Trusted Advisor to Nightmare: The Hazards of Depending on AI

Here’s a fun story which is breaking out on Legal twitter.
A man filed a personal injury lawsuit against Avianca airlines. Avianca's lawyers wasted no time and requested the judge to dismiss the case. The man's lawyer had a different plan in mind. He submitted a document citing half a dozen cases that bolstered his client's claims.
Here's the twist—the judge and Avianca's lawyer couldn't locate any of the referenced cases. Quite a conundrum, right? The lawyer was then asked to provide copies of these elusive cases. The lawyer submitted screenshots as evidence, taking extra precautions to ensure their authenticity.
You already know the direction this story is taking.
The lawyer had used ChatGPT to compose his brief. But little did he know that ChatGPT had supplied him with fake cases.
When asked to file tangible copies of these cases, the lawyer turned to ChatGPT once again. ChatGPT had reassured him that the cases were genuine. Feeling emboldened, the lawyer used ChatGPT to provide the requested copies. He even went as far as incorporating chat screenshots into a legal document.
The lawyer maintains that it was never his intention to deceive the court. He expressed regret for relying on ChatGPT for their research. Unfortunately, the judge isn't pleased with this turn of events. The judge has threatened sanctions against both the lawyer and his firm.
It serves as a stark reminder of how ChatGPT has fooled many people. There is a clear warning stating that ChatGPT may produce inaccurate information. But many tend to overlook these warnings. Even legal professionals!!
This story carries significant importance for those who fear job insecurity. The lawyer and his firm could have prevented the entire debacle. They should've used paralegal services. They instead relied on ChatGPT's. It's a hard lesson learned the hard way.
My sincere hope is that this story serves as a valuable lesson. It helps people avoid making similar mistakes. The legal community might become apprehensive about ChatGPT's use moving forward.

🗞️10 AI news highlights and interesting reads

1. OpenAI says in 10 years AI could be as productive as one of today’s large corporations. This poses an existential risk and they suggest some regulations to manage it. This poses an existential risk and they suggest some regulations to manage it. To achieve this, countries need to form something like the IAEA. The IAEA is an intergovernmental agency under the UN to oversee nuclear energy. This “AI agency” will monitor the AI systems and conduct inspections. Just like nuclear energy is tracked through signatures, they suggest using compute and energy usage to track systems.
2. In the meantime, Google is working on voluntary rules until there are some real regulations in place.
3. As per Pew Research, 58% of Americans have heard of ChatGPT. Even less - 14% have tried ChatGPT.
4. Sharing prompts and results has been a pain. Taking screenshots is one way. But then everyone has to type in the prompts manually. Or you can share as plain text. But ChatGPT results are non-deterministic. So, the results might not be the same. Even the lawyer above would’ve loved this feature. Now you will be able to share your ChatGPT conversations publicly.
5. LLM Agents and plugins need to connect to tools to perform the tasks outside the LLM environment. So, it is important for the LLM to know which API to call and pass correct arguments. Gorilla is a fine-tuned Llama-model which can generate the correct call and arguments.
6. If you are trying to build something beyond a document summarizer or a wrapper around GPT4 API, things can be hard. Finding the correct context window, dealing with slow responses (I am looking at you GPT-4) etc are some of the problems.
7. The AI boom could expose investors’ natural stupidity.
8. Chatbot leaderboard for the week. GPT-4 is still ahead.
9. Google’s flood warning system is now available in 80 countries.
10. GPT detectors are biased against non-native English writers

🧑‍🎓3 Learning Resources

1. Build a product using Replit+AI. The author is a non-technical person who won a hackathon competing with engineers.
2. LangChain 101.
3. NLP Course from HuggingFace

That’s it folks. Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead.
If you are interested in a focused weekly recap delivered to your inbox on Mondays you can subscribe here. It is FREE!

This is a recap covering the major news from last week.

• 🔥Top 3 AI news in the past week
• 🗞️10 AI news highlights and interesting reads
• 🧑‍🎓3 Learning Resources

🔥Top 3 AI news in the past week

1. Expanding Language Horizons

Facebook has released an open source model called MMS (Massively Multilingual Search) for STT (speech to text), TTS (text to speech) and language identification.
This is a big breakthrough. Currently, STT and TTS models recognize only 100 languages. With this the technology has been expanded to 1100 languages. That is 10x the current best.
Additionally, these models can recognize 4000+ languages.
As per Facebook, they also have half the error rate of OpenAI’s Whisper.
These guys are on a roll.

2. Bing Chat Enters the OS

After Google’s announcement, it was time for Microsoft to announce AI products. Here’s a rundown of what was announced during Microsoft Build:

1. Windows Copilot - Microsoft is integrating AI directly into the OS. Now you can do everything you could do with Bing Chat but now on the OS. You can do the usual stuff - summarize emails, documents, re-write etc. But it goes beyond that by integrating into the installed applications.

Microsoft is also adopting OpenAI's plugin model. So, you can use ChatGPT and Bing plugins to interact with the integrated AI.
The great thing about it is the direct integration into the OS. Eat your heart out, Mac users – at least for now 😀. Until Apple announces something similar. And someone will come up with an alternative solution. Especially, because of the privacy concerns with Microsoft telemetry.
The bad thing is - the security aspect of the plugins. It can open a whole new attack vector on the OS and antivirus softwares might struggle with it.
It also might be the second nail in the coffin for all the summarize, “talk to your document” apps. Once, this feature is integrated with Google Docs and Microsoft Office - why will you want to pay for extra apps?

1. Search comes to ChatGPT - Looks like OpenAI had enough of the testing and new features are being rolled out left and right.

No prizes for guessing the search engine behind it. Ding, Ding, Ding..It’s Bing!

1. Co-Pilot in PowerPages - Microsoft is now adding AI to their PowerPages platform, their low-code tool to build websites. It’ll help users to generate text, forms etc.
2. Microsoft Fabric - A new data analytics platform built on top of Azure Data lake but can get data from S3, Google cloud etc. It can help users build pipelines, write code, and build ML models.

3. From Trusted Advisor to Nightmare: The Hazards of Depending on AI

Here’s a fun story which is breaking out on Legal twitter.
A man filed a personal injury lawsuit against Avianca airlines. Avianca's lawyers wasted no time and requested the judge to dismiss the case. The man's lawyer had a different plan in mind. He submitted a document citing half a dozen cases that bolstered his client's claims.
Here's the twist—the judge and Avianca's lawyer couldn't locate any of the referenced cases. Quite a conundrum, right? The lawyer was then asked to provide copies of these elusive cases. The lawyer submitted screenshots as evidence, taking extra precautions to ensure their authenticity.
You already know the direction this story is taking.
The lawyer had used ChatGPT to compose his brief. But little did he know that ChatGPT had supplied him with fake cases.
When asked to file tangible copies of these cases, the lawyer turned to ChatGPT once again. ChatGPT had reassured him that the cases were genuine. Feeling emboldened, the lawyer used ChatGPT to provide the requested copies. He even went as far as incorporating chat screenshots into a legal document.
The lawyer maintains that it was never his intention to deceive the court. He expressed regret for relying on ChatGPT for their research. Unfortunately, the judge isn't pleased with this turn of events. The judge has threatened sanctions against both the lawyer and his firm.
It serves as a stark reminder of how ChatGPT has fooled many people. There is a clear warning stating that ChatGPT may produce inaccurate information. But many tend to overlook these warnings. Even legal professionals!!
This story carries significant importance for those who fear job insecurity. The lawyer and his firm could have prevented the entire debacle. They should've used paralegal services. They instead relied on ChatGPT's. It's a hard lesson learned the hard way.
My sincere hope is that this story serves as a valuable lesson. It helps people avoid making similar mistakes. The legal community might become apprehensive about ChatGPT's use moving forward.

🗞️10 AI news highlights and interesting reads

1. OpenAI says in 10 years AI could be as productive as one of today’s large corporations. This poses an existential risk and they suggest some regulations to manage it. This poses an existential risk and they suggest some regulations to manage it. To achieve this, countries need to form something like the IAEA. The IAEA is an intergovernmental agency under the UN to oversee nuclear energy. This “AI agency” will monitor the AI systems and conduct inspections. Just like nuclear energy is tracked through signatures, they suggest using compute and energy usage to track systems.
2. In the meantime, Google is working on voluntary rules until there are some real regulations in place.
3. As per Pew Research, 58% of Americans have heard of ChatGPT. Even less - 14% have tried ChatGPT.
4. Sharing prompts and results has been a pain. Taking screenshots is one way. But then everyone has to type in the prompts manually. Or you can share as plain text. But ChatGPT results are non-deterministic. So, the results might not be the same. Even the lawyer above would’ve loved this feature. Now you will be able to share your ChatGPT conversations publicly.
5. LLM Agents and plugins need to connect to tools to perform the tasks outside the LLM environment. So, it is important for the LLM to know which API to call and pass correct arguments. Gorilla is a fine-tuned Llama-model which can generate the correct call and arguments.
6. If you are trying to build something beyond a document summarizer or a wrapper around GPT4 API, things can be hard. Finding the correct context window, dealing with slow responses (I am looking at you GPT-4) etc are some of the problems.
7. The AI boom could expose investors’ natural stupidity.
8. Chatbot leaderboard for the week. GPT-4 is still ahead.
9. Google’s flood warning system is now available in 80 countries.
10. GPT detectors are biased against non-native English writers

🧑‍🎓3 Learning Resources

1. Build a product using Replit+AI. The author is a non-technical person who won a hackathon competing with engineers.
2. LangChain 101.
3. NLP Course from HuggingFace

That’s it folks. Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead.
If you are interested in a focused weekly recap delivered to your inbox on Mondays you can subscribe here. It is FREE!

This is a recap covering the major news from last week.

• 🔥Top 3 AI news in the past week
• 🗞️10 AI news highlights and interesting reads
• 🧑‍🎓3 Learning Resources

🔥Top 3 AI news in the past week

1. Expanding Language Horizons

Facebook has released an open source model called MMS (Massively Multilingual Search) for STT (speech to text), TTS (text to speech) and language identification.
This is a big breakthrough. Currently, STT and TTS models recognize only 100 languages. With this the technology has been expanded to 1100 languages. That is 10x the current best.
Additionally, these models can recognize 4000+ languages.
As per Facebook, they also have half the error rate of OpenAI’s Whisper.
These guys are on a roll.

2. Bing Chat Enters the OS

After Google’s announcement, it was time for Microsoft to announce AI products. Here’s a rundown of what was announced during Microsoft Build:

1. Windows Copilot - Microsoft is integrating AI directly into the OS. Now you can do everything you could do with Bing Chat but now on the OS. You can do the usual stuff - summarize emails, documents, re-write etc. But it goes beyond that by integrating into the installed applications.

Microsoft is also adopting OpenAI's plugin model. So, you can use ChatGPT and Bing plugins to interact with the integrated AI.
The great thing about it is the direct integration into the OS. Eat your heart out, Mac users – at least for now 😀. Until Apple announces something similar. And someone will come up with an alternative solution. Especially, because of the privacy concerns with Microsoft telemetry.
The bad thing is - the security aspect of the plugins. It can open a whole new attack vector on the OS and antivirus softwares might struggle with it.
It also might be the second nail in the coffin for all the summarize, “talk to your document” apps. Once, this feature is integrated with Google Docs and Microsoft Office - why will you want to pay for extra apps?

1. Search comes to ChatGPT - Looks like OpenAI had enough of the testing and new features are being rolled out left and right.

No prizes for guessing the search engine behind it. Ding, Ding, Ding..It’s Bing!

1. Co-Pilot in PowerPages - Microsoft is now adding AI to their PowerPages platform, their low-code tool to build websites. It’ll help users to generate text, forms etc.
2. Microsoft Fabric - A new data analytics platform built on top of Azure Data lake but can get data from S3, Google cloud etc. It can help users build pipelines, write code, and build ML models.

3. From Trusted Advisor to Nightmare: The Hazards of Depending on AI

Here’s a fun story which is breaking out on Legal twitter.
A man filed a personal injury lawsuit against Avianca airlines. Avianca's lawyers wasted no time and requested the judge to dismiss the case. The man's lawyer had a different plan in mind. He submitted a document citing half a dozen cases that bolstered his client's claims.
Here's the twist—the judge and Avianca's lawyer couldn't locate any of the referenced cases. Quite a conundrum, right? The lawyer was then asked to provide copies of these elusive cases. The lawyer submitted screenshots as evidence, taking extra precautions to ensure their authenticity.
You already know the direction this story is taking.
The lawyer had used ChatGPT to compose his brief. But little did he know that ChatGPT had supplied him with fake cases.
When asked to file tangible copies of these cases, the lawyer turned to ChatGPT once again. ChatGPT had reassured him that the cases were genuine. Feeling emboldened, the lawyer used ChatGPT to provide the requested copies. He even went as far as incorporating chat screenshots into a legal document.
The lawyer maintains that it was never his intention to deceive the court. He expressed regret for relying on ChatGPT for their research. Unfortunately, the judge isn't pleased with this turn of events. The judge has threatened sanctions against both the lawyer and his firm.
It serves as a stark reminder of how ChatGPT has fooled many people. There is a clear warning stating that ChatGPT may produce inaccurate information. But many tend to overlook these warnings. Even legal professionals!!
This story carries significant importance for those who fear job insecurity. The lawyer and his firm could have prevented the entire debacle. They should've used paralegal services. They instead relied on ChatGPT's. It's a hard lesson learned the hard way.
My sincere hope is that this story serves as a valuable lesson. It helps people avoid making similar mistakes. The legal community might become apprehensive about ChatGPT's use moving forward.

🗞️10 AI news highlights and interesting reads

1. OpenAI says in 10 years AI could be as productive as one of today’s large corporations. This poses an existential risk and they suggest some regulations to manage it. This poses an existential risk and they suggest some regulations to manage it. To achieve this, countries need to form something like the IAEA. The IAEA is an intergovernmental agency under the UN to oversee nuclear energy. This “AI agency” will monitor the AI systems and conduct inspections. Just like nuclear energy is tracked through signatures, they suggest using compute and energy usage to track systems.
2. In the meantime, Google is working on voluntary rules until there are some real regulations in place.
3. As per Pew Research, 58% of Americans have heard of ChatGPT. Even less - 14% have tried ChatGPT.
4. Sharing prompts and results has been a pain. Taking screenshots is one way. But then everyone has to type in the prompts manually. Or you can share as plain text. But ChatGPT results are non-deterministic. So, the results might not be the same. Even the lawyer above would’ve loved this feature. Now you will be able to share your ChatGPT conversations publicly.
5. LLM Agents and plugins need to connect to tools to perform the tasks outside the LLM environment. So, it is important for the LLM to know which API to call and pass correct arguments. Gorilla is a fine-tuned Llama-model which can generate the correct call and arguments.
6. If you are trying to build something beyond a document summarizer or a wrapper around GPT4 API, things can be hard. Finding the correct context window, dealing with slow responses (I am looking at you GPT-4) etc are some of the problems.
7. The AI boom could expose investors’ natural stupidity.
8. Chatbot leaderboard for the week. GPT-4 is still ahead.
9. Google’s flood warning system is now available in 80 countries.
10. GPT detectors are biased against non-native English writers

🧑‍🎓3 Learning Resources

1. Build a product using Replit+AI. The author is a non-technical person who won a hackathon competing with engineers.
2. LangChain 101.
3. NLP Course from HuggingFace

That’s it folks. Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead.
If you are interested in a focused weekly recap delivered to your inbox on Mondays you can subscribe here. It is FREE!

This is a recap covering the major news from last week.

• 🔥Top 3 AI news in the past week
• 🗞️10 AI news highlights and interesting reads
• 🧑‍🎓3 Learning Resources

🔥Top 3 AI news in the past week

1. Expanding Language Horizons

Facebook has released an open source model called MMS (Massively Multilingual Search) for STT (speech to text), TTS (text to speech) and language identification.
This is a big breakthrough. Currently, STT and TTS models recognize only 100 languages. With this the technology has been expanded to 1100 languages. That is 10x the current best.
Additionally, these models can recognize 4000+ languages.
As per Facebook, they also have half the error rate of OpenAI’s Whisper.
These guys are on a roll.

2. Bing Chat Enters the OS

After Google’s announcement, it was time for Microsoft to announce AI products. Here’s a rundown of what was announced during Microsoft Build:

1. Windows Copilot - Microsoft is integrating AI directly into the OS. Now you can do everything you could do with Bing Chat but now on the OS. You can do the usual stuff - summarize emails, documents, re-write etc. But it goes beyond that by integrating into the installed applications.

Microsoft is also adopting OpenAI's plugin model. So, you can use ChatGPT and Bing plugins to interact with the integrated AI.
The great thing about it is the direct integration into the OS. Eat your heart out, Mac users – at least for now 😀. Until Apple announces something similar. And someone will come up with an alternative solution. Especially, because of the privacy concerns with Microsoft telemetry.
The bad thing is - the security aspect of the plugins. It can open a whole new attack vector on the OS and antivirus softwares might struggle with it.
It also might be the second nail in the coffin for all the summarize, “talk to your document” apps. Once, this feature is integrated with Google Docs and Microsoft Office - why will you want to pay for extra apps?

1. Search comes to ChatGPT - Looks like OpenAI had enough of the testing and new features are being rolled out left and right.

No prizes for guessing the search engine behind it. Ding, Ding, Ding..It’s Bing!

1. Co-Pilot in PowerPages - Microsoft is now adding AI to their PowerPages platform, their low-code tool to build websites. It’ll help users to generate text, forms etc.
2. Microsoft Fabric - A new data analytics platform built on top of Azure Data lake but can get data from S3, Google cloud etc. It can help users build pipelines, write code, and build ML models.

3. From Trusted Advisor to Nightmare: The Hazards of Depending on AI

Here’s a fun story which is breaking out on Legal twitter.
A man filed a personal injury lawsuit against Avianca airlines. Avianca's lawyers wasted no time and requested the judge to dismiss the case. The man's lawyer had a different plan in mind. He submitted a document citing half a dozen cases that bolstered his client's claims.
Here's the twist—the judge and Avianca's lawyer couldn't locate any of the referenced cases. Quite a conundrum, right? The lawyer was then asked to provide copies of these elusive cases. The lawyer submitted screenshots as evidence, taking extra precautions to ensure their authenticity.
You already know the direction this story is taking.
The lawyer had used ChatGPT to compose his brief. But little did he know that ChatGPT had supplied him with fake cases.
When asked to file tangible copies of these cases, the lawyer turned to ChatGPT once again. ChatGPT had reassured him that the cases were genuine. Feeling emboldened, the lawyer used ChatGPT to provide the requested copies. He even went as far as incorporating chat screenshots into a legal document.
The lawyer maintains that it was never his intention to deceive the court. He expressed regret for relying on ChatGPT for their research. Unfortunately, the judge isn't pleased with this turn of events. The judge has threatened sanctions against both the lawyer and his firm.
It serves as a stark reminder of how ChatGPT has fooled many people. There is a clear warning stating that ChatGPT may produce inaccurate information. But many tend to overlook these warnings. Even legal professionals!!
This story carries significant importance for those who fear job insecurity. The lawyer and his firm could have prevented the entire debacle. They should've used paralegal services. They instead relied on ChatGPT's. It's a hard lesson learned the hard way.
My sincere hope is that this story serves as a valuable lesson. It helps people avoid making similar mistakes. The legal community might become apprehensive about ChatGPT's use moving forward.

🗞️10 AI news highlights and interesting reads

1. OpenAI says in 10 years AI could be as productive as one of today’s large corporations. This poses an existential risk and they suggest some regulations to manage it. This poses an existential risk and they suggest some regulations to manage it. To achieve this, countries need to form something like the IAEA. The IAEA is an intergovernmental agency under the UN to oversee nuclear energy. This “AI agency” will monitor the AI systems and conduct inspections. Just like nuclear energy is tracked through signatures, they suggest using compute and energy usage to track systems.
2. In the meantime, Google is working on voluntary rules until there are some real regulations in place.
3. As per Pew Research, 58% of Americans have heard of ChatGPT. Even less - 14% have tried ChatGPT.
4. Sharing prompts and results has been a pain. Taking screenshots is one way. But then everyone has to type in the prompts manually. Or you can share as plain text. But ChatGPT results are non-deterministic. So, the results might not be the same. Even the lawyer above would’ve loved this feature. Now you will be able to share your ChatGPT conversations publicly.
5. LLM Agents and plugins need to connect to tools to perform the tasks outside the LLM environment. So, it is important for the LLM to know which API to call and pass correct arguments. Gorilla is a fine-tuned Llama-model which can generate the correct call and arguments.
6. If you are trying to build something beyond a document summarizer or a wrapper around GPT4 API, things can be hard. Finding the correct context window, dealing with slow responses (I am looking at you GPT-4) etc are some of the problems.
7. The AI boom could expose investors’ natural stupidity.
8. Chatbot leaderboard for the week. GPT-4 is still ahead.
9. Google’s flood warning system is now available in 80 countries.
10. GPT detectors are biased against non-native English writers

🧑‍🎓3 Learning Resources

1. Build a product using Replit+AI. The author is a non-technical person who won a hackathon competing with engineers.
2. LangChain 101.
3. NLP Course from HuggingFace

That’s it folks. Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead.
If you are interested in a focused weekly recap delivered to your inbox on Mondays you can subscribe here. It is FREE!