#what are the methods of data collection in research

[drdemonprince]

By now, a majority of Autism researchers and clinicians are aware that the existing assessments for Autism are profoundly flawed. 

They know the standard evaluation of Autism is sexist, with assessors excluding women for reasons like wearing makeup, having a boyfriend, being superficially polite, or not being fixated on suitably ‘masculine’ topics like ancient Roman history or barometric pressure. 

They know Autism evaluations are racist, deeming Black Autistics “oppositionally defiant” or even “borderline” rather than acknowledging any social alienation or sensory pain they’re experiencing, and believing they must be overstating the difficulty they face in moving through the world.

And they certainly know that conventional Autism measures weren’t designed with adult Autistics in mind. Many of us are still asked to make up stories based on paintings of frogs in a toddler’s picture book, when we sit down for assessments at age 20, or 30, or 45 — because all the evaluation methods were written for young kids. 

The data has already proven the far-reaching consequences of using such shoddy measures of Autism. People of color, gender minorities, older adults, and women are diagnosed at later ages, and also go undiagnosed at massive rates. 

A growing population of scientists are admittedly interested in fostering a new literature of what they call “patient-driven” Autism research, but they never stop thinking of us as mere patients, the passive receivers of care rather than the leaders of communities and political movements who are the ought to be the primary authors of the studies about us, and the sole determinants of what our desired outcomes should be. Even when they observe that their work could benefit from a greater Autistic perspective, researchers do so from closed rooms, filled with other professionals who are largely not Autistic, wondering amongst themselves what it is that we want instead of learning to quiet their voices and follow our lead. 

Though many basically well-intentioned Autism researchers believe that Autism assessments need reform, what neurodiversity really needs is to abandon the diagnostic process altogether. If Autism is a benign, neutral, naturally occurring form of human difference that requires acceptance rather than a cure, then there’s no need to diagnose it as if it were a sickness. And if hundreds of thousands of Autistic women, people of color, queer people, and older people have been able to give a voice to ourselves and find one another without having ever been given a label by a professional, then improved professional labeling is not what we need. 

Autistic self-realization is the future of Autism assessment. We hold the collective wisdom, organizing ability, insight, and political power to define who we are. No authority figure should have to sign off on our identities. 

Because psychiatrists fail to diagnose such a large percentage of the Autistic population, many Autism researchers now accept self-identified Autistic adults within their subject pool. Within the peer-reviewed journal Autism in Adulthood, self-realized Autistics often make up the bulk of the participant sample, and they have repeatedly been found to be indistinguishable from their formally diagnosed peers. 

A growing body of research now also considers the presence of Autism-spectrum traits as qualifying for inclusion in many Autism studies. The data makes it quite obvious that Autistic people exist within all human groups, spread all throughout the world, and that a great many people have experiences in common with us who have not been formally diagnosed. This itself reveals that a formal diagnosis is hardly necessary, and that a psychiatric paradigm of accepting self-identification is inevitable. The researchers are increasingly already doing it.

You can read the full essay for free (or have it narrated to you!) at this link.

[ms-hells-bells]

i just found something incredible today while browsing retractionwatch. you know that study that liberals tout regarding 'legalising prostitution decreased rape, and criminalising it increases rape'? well-

After reading an economics paper that claimed to document an increase in the rate of rape in European countries following the passage of prostitution bans, a data scientist had questions. 

The scientist, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent a detailed email to an editor of the Journal of Law and Economics, which had published the paper last November, outlining concerns about the data and methods the authors used. 

Among them: the historical rates of rape recorded in the paper did not match the values in the official sources the authors said they used. In other cases, data that were available from the official sources were missing in the paper, the researchers didn’t incorporate all the data they had collected into their model, and a variable was coded inconsistently, the data scientist wrote. (We’ve made the full critique available here.)

Given the consequences the conclusions of the article could have for people in the sex industry, the data scientist wrote, “I hope that someone takes this very seriously and looks into it the [sic] validity of the analysis and the data they used.” 

In response, Sam Peltzman, an editor of the journal and a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, instructed the data scientist to contact the authors of the article: 

The email raises serious questions but without any specific request. Your questions can better be answered by the authors than editors who, as you must know, cannot give each submission the kind of careful attention reflected in your email. Accordingly, we ask that you contact the authors directly if you have not already done so. If you mean the email as a prologue to a critique, I am happy to discuss our relevant policies or any other question about our editorial process.

The data scientist wrote back with a specific request: 

I have just informed you, the editor, that it appears that the authors made an error in at least one of their models that resulted in a substantive difference in the conclusions of the article you edited … I am requesting you investigate if these models are correct and if so, at very least issue a correction. [emphasis original]

In response, Peltzman reiterated his refusal to investigate: 

I can only repeat what was in my last letter. You should take this up with the authors first. The editors cannot become involved unless your conversation with the authors fails to resolve the issues and a comment is received through the usual submission process.           

The University of Chicago Press, which publishes the Journal of Law and Economics, states on its publication ethics page that

When notified of possible errors or corrections, the editor(s) of the journal will review and resolve them in consultation with the Press and according to the Press’s best practices. 

We asked Peltzman why he refused to investigate the concerns the data scientist had raised. He told us:  

The JLE does not have the resources to investigate concerns about data procedure used by authors.  We select referees knowledgeable about the topic of any submission.  Occasionally a referee might comment on some detail of data used by authors.  more often the referee and editors have to take data details at face value and focus their efforts on evaluating empirical results and analysis.  While I can only speak for the JLE it is my impression that these procedures are common among economics journals that publish empirical articles.

Peltzman also explained that the journal’s standard procedure for considering critiques of published articles, “designed to avoid misunderstanding and excessive burden on editors’ and referees’ time,” starts with the critic contacting the authors directly. 

If the authors don’t respond, or if their response is unsatisfactory, the critic could then submit a comment to the journal along with their correspondence with the authors, which the editors would handle as any other submission. 

“Editors obviously cannot be expected to look at raw data for every paper they review,” the data scientist acknowledged, “but when concerns are brought directly to them it is their responsibility to take them seriously. If readers can’t trust that editors will address serious concerns appropriately, it will undermine their faith in the scientific process.”  

We contacted the authors of the paper, Huasheng Gao and Vanya Stefanova Petrova of Fudan University’s Fanhai International School of Finance in Shanghai, and shared the data scientist’s critique. They responded with an 11-page PDF, available here, standing by their work. 

About the differences between the data and their paper and the official sources, they said: 

the data we have used in the paper were the most up-to-date data available at the time we started the empirical work in 2018 … Eurostat is constantly revising its data. It is possible that the data contained in its current version are different from the historical version

The data scientist was unimpressed, and noted that the authors had not responded to a key aspect of the critique: 

Even if the authors believe it was a reasonable strategy to only assess two years post policy change, the relative year variable for year 2— the year in which they identified a large causal increase in rape in the criminalized prostitution countries and a reduction in the prostitution decriminalized countries — was coded incorrectly (or differently for some reason). When the coding is consistent with their original coding scheme, a reduction in rape is seen in the criminalized prostitution group. I’m not sure why they didn’t address this in their response.

The authors also did not directly respond to the data scientist’s concern that if they had incorporated every year of data they had on rape rates into their model, instead of only the two years following a change in prostitution laws, they would not have gotten the same results, the scientist said. 

To check whether data values had indeed changed since the authors started their work, the scientist went to the website of the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, where the survey data the authors used is available for download, and found that no substantive changes had been made. 

The scientist told us: 

If they did something wrong or made a mistake they should just take accountability and retract the article.

let me simplify and repeat the core of this to you:

the scientists not only missed out data points, but if the scope of the study changes from the first two years post law change (whether criminalisation or decriminalisation) to all years of rape records before and after we have, THE RESULTS REVERSE AND THE CRIMINALISED SIDE HAS DECREASED RATE OF RAPE COMPARED TO SWITCHING TO DECRIMINALISED.

not to mention the fallacious belief that being forced to have sex or starve/be homeless, with an abusive pimp taking most of your money, is somehow not rape.

this whole study is near worthless. the only worth is having access to the data points they used, so we can see actual results.

[fossilprep]

There's a lot this article touches on, but the parts about fossil preparation are kind of in poor taste. I'll go over some of it under the cut.

There's a reason we usually don't publish on things we prepare. They say it right here - we can literally, whether purposeful or accidental, modify fossils as we see fit. We could imitate pathologies or create marks with air scribes or picks that are misinterpreted as pathologies, remove or obscure parts of a fossil that may be diagnostic, etc. (Of course we don't endear to do these things, they're just possible).

Whether through inexperience or poor dexterity some budding preparators can cause damage that only someone with a trained eye could notice. Preparators aren't always required to be trained in the sciences or have thorough anatomical knowledge, and thus can reconstruct things wrong, without scientific guidance. Like filling holes where there's supposed to be… holes! Like a fenestrum or foramen, for example. This is why we have references, but more importantly, we do the minimum unless instructed to do otherwise by a supervisor or exhibits team - one of a few scenarios where a curator can rightfully step in.

This is why we're trained to preserve almost any bone we see. Often there are small isolated bone chunks hovering in matrix that are thrown in a box with the specimen. A lot of pieces can't be reattached because they're too weathered or of indeterminate origins (“IBF’s” for short).

"Creating" something "artistic" is another way of implying we're making it up as we go.

If someone hands me a fossil and tells me to look at this "multimedia sculpture", I'd be confused. It's a fossil, not an art project.

Academic fossil preparation is fundamentally a scientific endeavor that also requires artistic abilities, but not creativity. We use various methods that are tried and true (and sometimes experiment with new ones) to expose an element from matrix.

The act of preparing a fossil is not providing new data. The fossil itself is the data. We just make it available. That being said, if we provide measurements, take and analyze samples of the matrix for various analyses, then that's providing valuable data. Would that warrant an authorship? Maybe.

This raises another question though. If anyone who worked on a fossil gets an authorship, then can authorship compound?

The person who found the fossil but didn't do anything with it afterwards - just dug it up and sent it to the lab, for example. Do they get to be an author? On our field crews we have up to 30 people over the whole season. 30 coauthors and 99% of them are not scientists.

The collections manager who just painted a number on it, catalogued it, and put it away?

How about the curator who allowed a researcher access to the collection who didn't collect any data but just answered some emails and opened the drawer for it to be studied?

The land owner who gave you permission to dig?

Finally, the preparator who just exposed it from the rock. They do more science inherently than the others, but if no parts of the scientific method were conducted and no data was produced (save for the fossil simply being brought back into the world), do they get an authorship?

tl;dr We don't need authorships for the act of preparing fossils unless we provide data and go through the scientific process (like what's usually required for any authorship). Many parts of the process is not science. Just acknowledge our work in your paper and we'll be more than happy.

#fossil preparator #fossil preparation #science #paleontology #palaeontology #paleoblr #palaeoblr #fossil prep #fossils #dinosaurs #fossil

[adarkroomandawallflower]

Hey there! I love your writing so far! I was wondering if you would write a little something about Data and his partner choosing pet names for each other? I think it could be cute :)

Hello, I'm so glad you're enjoying my writing!

This is such a cute idea, and thank you so much for bestowing the honor upon me to write this lovely request!

I had a lot of different ideas for this, and couldn't settle on just one, so I decided to write this in the style of those "5+1" fics. I tried to choose older/more outlandish terms of endearment, in order to avoid potentially discarding a name that someone would actually want to be referred to by. Hopefully, I was successful in this endeavor (but my sincere apologies if not)!

The final nicknames I chose were based on Data's characterization, and what names I think would be most appropriate and fitting for him and his vocabulary. I'm not sure if anyone else will agree with these choices, but I hope they're still enjoyable.

Anyways, without further ado, here's the final piece! I'm so sorry for the wait, but I really hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it 😊

5 Times Data and His Partner Tried Out Pet Names (and the 1 Time They Stuck):

Although Data didn't quite understand the necessity for having a pet name for his partner, he did understand the appeal. It was another form of affection that couples demonstrated with one another; something special shared between both parties.

Frankly, Data hadn't even considered having a designated term of endearment for you. At least, not until Geordi and himself had discussed the subject after witnessing a couple in Ten Forward one evening using their chosen pet names.

"Why did Lieutenant Smith refer to his spouse as an overly saccharine pastry comprised of honey?" Data asked, bewildered at the exchange he just observed between the aforementioned crewmembers.

Geordi chuckled, "He didn't mean it literally, Data. He meant it as a pet name."

Data still looked at his friend quizzically, "'Pet name'?"

"Yeah, a term of endearment."

Finally, he understood, "Ahh."

"Don't you and your partner have pet names for one another?"

Data shook his head, "No, we do not."

Geordi raised his eyebrows above his VISOR, "Really?"

"Indeed...I did not realize this was a necessary aspect to couplehood."

"Well, it's not exactly 'necessary', but it is a fairly common thing between couples."

"Hm, I see..."

Later that night, while Data was running an internal diagnostic, analyzing the information he had collected during his Away Mission earlier that day, and reviewing the remainder of the day's events, he considered the conversation he had with Geordi. Should he have a pet name for you? If so, which one should he choose?

After some internal analysis, Data decided that yes, he did want to designate a term of endearment for you. He figured the best way to go about choosing a name would be to use a trial-and-error method of research:

First, he would conduct personal research about pet names. He would pay special attention to their connotations and popularity. Next, he'd construct a behavioral profile for you that he would then use to determine which pet names you would most likely appreciate. He would then test the chosen names by using them to refer to you. Additionally, he'd observe your reactions to each name, and internally record his observations. Finally, he'd compile all his collected data and analyze them to determine which term of endearment you appeared to enjoy the most.

The endeavor would prove to be more difficult than he anticipated.

1. Honeybun or Honeybunch

Since Lieutenant Smith and his spouse had initiated this experiment, Data felt it was only appropriate to test out their preferred pet name first. He tested it out a few days after he witnessed their interaction, one night while the two of you were snuggled up on his couch with Spot.

Data was sitting near one end of the couch, his body oriented straight ahead and away from you. You sat at the other end of the couch, facing Data. Your legs were stretched out across his lap, and one of his hands was draped along the arm of the couch. His other hand was affectionately rubbing your knee. Spot was curled up in your lap, purring loudly as you intermittently stroked her back while you spoke.

You were currently summarizing your day's events for Data, and he listened intently. His gaze was soft and adoring, and he was meticulously making internal notes about the way you gestured certain aspects for emphasis, how your chest shook when you laughed, and the way your lips curved upwards just a little higher when you returned his eye contact. Absentmindedly, he marveled at how beautiful humans and their behaviors were, and he wondered if he could ever come close to emanating that beauty himself.

After you completed your tale, you relaxed back into your corner of the couch, ready to answer the anticipated onslaught of questions from him. Once his queries were satisfactorily answered, it grew silent between the two of you, but comfortably so.

At this point, you were relaxed, and starting to succumb to the call of sleep. As your eyes started to droop, Data spoke softly, "Shall we 'hit the hay', Honeybun?"

Your eyes shot open. Now, you were wide awake, "What?"

"Your respiratory and heart rates have decreased by 3.7% in the last 4 minutes and 51 seconds, and you have been closing your eyes for intervals longer than necessary for blinking. You are demonstrating the initial stages of human sleep," he looked at you sweetly, "I believe it would be best if we went to bed now...Honeybun. You are welcome to spend the night in Spot and I's quarters."

You stared at him curiously for a moment, before you laughed, "Okay, honeybunch; let's go to bed."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise at your unexpected reciprocation of the pet name.

You carefully picked up Spot from your lap before slowly getting up. You and Spot made your way to Data's bedroom, but said android was still on the couch, processing your previous interaction.

Based on your expression and reactions, Data deduced that you did not particularly enjoy that nickname. However, did he enjoy being called a 'honeybunch'?

"You coming, honeybunch?" you called from his bedroom.

Again, Data reviewed the name, considering his perceptions towards it, before he grimaced slightly.

2. Snookums

The next time he tested a term of endearment on you was over a week later, during a double date between the two of you and the O'Briens in Ten Forward.

You and Data had arrived first, and were chatting idly as you waited for your friends to join you. Once Keiko and Miles arrived, you all greeted each other, and caught up briefly before Data got up to get everyone some drinks.

"I'll just have a plain ol' Irish ale," Miles said.

"Some tea would be lovely," Keiko added.

Data turned to you, "And what would you like, Snookums?"

Miles chortled softly, and Keiko lightly kicked him under the table, but she was holding back a smile herself.

Data, who was too focused on you and your reaction, thankfully didn't notice the O'Brien's' interaction. He studied you carefully, patiently awaiting your response.

You blinked, still processing the nickname, "Uhh just some water, please."

He nodded once, "I shall return in a moment with our beverages."

Miles watched Data walk away, waiting until he was out of earshot. Once satisfied with the distance between the three of you & Data, Miles then turned to you with a smirk, "'Snookums'?"

You raised your eyebrows and shrugged, "I have no clue where that came from...last week, he called me 'Honeybun'."

Again, Miles snorted.

"Miles!" Keiko scolded, "Don't be rude!"

He held up his hands in mock surrender, "I'm not! They're just...interesting choices for nicknames."

"I suspect he's up to something," you theorized, "This is probably related to some personal research he's conducting, or something. In any case, I'm sure it's just a phase," you hadn't been too concerned about this seemingly random development in his behavior, but you were curious as to its purpose. It was still a fairly recent alteration, so you figured you'd let him have his fun a bit more before you confronted him about it.

"Maybe he's trying to be more romantic," Keiko offered, "in his own way."

You pondered the thought, as you watched Data gather your drinks. He certainly was romantic, in his own way. You both had lunch together almost every day, something that he had insisted on. After he discovered the ancient invention of "Post-It Notes", he made it a habit to leave you handwritten notes with them throughout your office. Their contents varied, from jokes pertaining to your area of expertise to quotes from his favorite works of literature that reminded him of you. He even enjoyed reading some of his favorite novels and plays to you. These actions may not have been the kind of whirlwind, passionate gestures that most people equated to romance, but you knew they were his way of showing his fondness for you, and you loved them (and him) dearly.

You continued to watch him as he carefully placed everyone's requested drinks on a small tray that Guinan provided. You noticed how he was slightly more careful when placing your drink on the tray, and how he placed it in front of the others. You knew his actions were deliberate and calculated, but it still brought a soft smile to your lips.

"Maybe," you finally conceded.

"And maybe you should take some notes, Miles," Keiko teased her husband.

Miles sighed, "Oh, Hell..."

3. Sweet Cheeks

"Thank you for bringing me lunch, Data," you told him, sitting down in the chair he had pulled out for you. When you had contacted him earlier to let him know that you were going to work late and wouldn't have time to grab lunch with him, he decided to bring lunch to you, in your office. Data had also taken the time to replicate some flowers in a vase and cleared your desk of all clutter, so you could have a proper table setting for your meal.

"You are welcome," he said, as he gently pushed your chair back in.

Your shared meal was relaxed and calm, but the atmosphere changed when Data suddenly dropped his latest pet name for you into the conversation, "I believe your proposed solution to your current work predicament is acceptable, and will prove to be successful, Sweet Cheeks."

You then did what Data recognized from 20th century humor to be a classic 'spit take'. He was surprised, yet somewhat delighted by this, as he had never witnessed someone perform a spit take before. He considered inquiring about it, but decided against it.

You stared at him in astonishment, blushing wildly as you coughed, "I beg your pardon??"

Your reaction was quite unexpected, and Data scrunched his eyebrows in soft confusion as he attempted to ascertain the somewhat scandalized tone of your voice, "Did I say something wrong?"

Before speaking, you cleared your throat, and waited for the shock to subside, "No, Data, you didn't say anything wrong, per say...It's just that 'Sweet Cheeks' is a very old and sometimes offensive term, depending on the context, used to describe someone with a nice ass."

Data looked at you with surprise, and perhaps embarrassment. How had he missed that pertinent fact during his research? "I see...I apologize for offending you; that certainly was not my intent," he considered this new development briefly, before tilting his head softly and returning his gaze to you, "Based on this information, that term would also be inaccurate in describing yourself because you do not have a donkey."

You couldn't help but laugh softly, "Sorry, not that kind of ass, Data. I meant it refers to someone who has an attractive butt."

Realization dawned on him, "Ahh," he raised an eyebrow, "Although it would be accurate to describe your posterior as 'attractive', I would not wish to use an offensive term to convey that fact."

"Data!" you said, astonished and blushing once again.

Data was hopelessly confused anew, "Have I offended you again?"

"No, no, it's just..." you sighed, still flustered. "Nevermind..." you carefully stood up, "I have to get back to work, so I'll catch you later," you tidied up the remnants of your lunch, pressed a quick peck to his lips, and somewhat hurriedly left your office.

4. Dumpling

"Alright, Lieutenant," Dr. Crusher said as she completed healing the large gash that ran along your forearm, "I think that just about does it. Can you wiggle your wrist for me, like this?" you watched as she moved her wrist, and you replicated her movements. Although you were able to repeat her actions, you felt a small pinch somewhere in your wrist, causing you to wince.

Dr. Crusher noticed this, and gently took your wrist in her hand, "Let me take another look," she scanned your wrist with another handheld medical scanner, "Ahh, it looks like the fracture I repaired earlier is applying excess pressure on your radial nerve," she smiled reassuringly, "It's just a pinched nerve, but I'll need to go get a different tool to repair it," she gently released your wrist, "I'll be right back."

As you waited patiently for her to return, the doors to Sick Bay opened. You looked up and saw Data making his way over to you.

Having not seen him all day, you were elated that he was here, "Data!"

He smiled faintly at your enthusiasm for his arrival, somewhat perplexed at how your mood always seemed to improve almost immediately upon the sight of him, or mention of his name. His smile widened just slightly when he reached his hand out to you, and you eagerly took his hand in yours.

After a few moments, his expression became serious, "Commander Riker informed me of the injuries you sustained during the Away Mission," he frowned slightly, "I apologize for not arriving sooner, but the Exobiology team required my assistance in analyzing the samples you and the remaining members of the Away Team collected."

"No apology necessary; I understand."

He performed a quick visual inspection of you, before his eyes met yours again. It only lasted a second, but you could have sworn you saw something akin to concern swimming in his golden irises, "Are you alright...Dumpling?"

You took a moment to absorb the new nickname before replying, "Yes, I think so...Dr. Crusher healed all of my cuts, and repaired my broken wrist. She still has to alleviate a pinched nerve, but other than that and a few scars, she says I'll be just fine."

"I am...relieved to hear that," he squeezed your hand gently, "When Commander Riker explained to the Captain and myself that you had directly thrown yourself in front of an incoming boulder, in order to displace Ensign Diaz out of its path, my mind was..." he paused pensively, as he searched for the most appropriate term, "...uncomfortably preoccupied with the prospects of how extensive and detrimental your injuries could be," his thumb rubbed the back of your hand affectionately, and his eyes appeared almost sad. "The possibility that you sustained serious injuries, or could have lost your life was rather...distracting to me, and made it difficult to complete the sample analysis."

You brought your intertwined hands up to your lips, and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, "I'm sorry for worrying you," he looked as if he was going to remind you that he was incapable of worrying in any fashion, but he didn't vocalize the correction, "I didn't intend to land directly in that boulder's path. I was only trying to push Ensign Diaz out of the way, but I miscalculated the boulder's velocity."

His expression became neutral, "Regardless, your actions were admirable, and I am pleased that your injuries were minimal," suddenly, he gave you a pointed look. "However, as your partner, I must sternly remind you not to knowingly put yourself in unnecessary danger again," his expression softened slightly, "Dumpling."

A soft laugh interrupted your moment, and you both turned towards the sound, "Well, don't you worry, Data," Dr. Crusher had returned, a new tool in hand, "In a few moments, your Dumpling will be as good as new," you blushed at her use of the moniker, and Data took mental note of this.

Dr. Crusher held the tool against your wrist. It tingled slightly, but otherwise you felt nothing. After a few minutes, she turned it off and removed it from your skin, "Alright, move your wrist for me again?" you repeated the same motions she had shown you before. This time, there was no pain at all. She smiled, "Better?"

"Much better; thank you."

"You're welcome. I suggest you don't put too much strain on that wrist for a couple of weeks," she began to put away her tools and instruments, "If you notice any more pain, please come back to see me."

You nodded, "Thank you, I will," Data helped you carefully hop down from the Bio-Bed, "Do you want to grab some dinner now, Data?" you asked, "I have a sudden, inexplicable craving for dumplings."

Dr. Crusher held back a laugh.

5. Love Bug

"So, Reg will take care of Spot, Keiko will water and watch over our plants, Beverly and Geordi will keep tabs on our ongoing research experiments..." you reviewed the checklist on your PADD for the umpteenth time, "Okay, I think that's it...am I forgetting anything?"

"Negative, Love Bug. It appears you have everything 'under control'."

You peered up from the PADD to look at him, an eyebrow raised questioningly, "'Love Bug'?"

Data nodded, "That is what I said."

You sighed, but smiled softly, "Okay, Data; what's going on?"

"To what are you referring to?"

"In the past month, you've been calling me various nicknames. What's all this about? Are you conducting some kind of research?"

He looked at you, accessing your reaction for any kind of anger or discomfort. When he saw nothing but confusion and curiosity in your eyes, he sighed softly, "It had been brought to my attention that couples tend to utilize terms of endearment for each other," he blinked, "I did not wish to neglect one of my expected duties as a partner, nor did I wish to make you feel as though you were 'missing out' on an aspect of couplehood, simply due to my ignorance."

You softened immediately at his admission, "Oh, Data," he looked away briefly and somewhat sheepishly, "Being in a relationship with you doesn't make me 'miss out' on anything. In fact, I've gained much more from being in this relationship with you than I would from being in a relationship with anyone else."

His eyes locked with yours, and they were noticeably brighter than before, "Truly?"

You placed your PADD down on a nearby table, and took both of his hands in yours, "Truly," you repeated, before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. When you pulled away, you flashed him a reassuring smile, "Everyone else are the ones who are missing out."

The corners of his lips curled just faintly upwards, "Thank you for alleviating my vexations in that regard," he raised his eyebrow in thought for a moment, before he looked back at you with an inquisitive expression, "Based on your reactions to each of the names I chose, I gathered that you did not particularly enjoy any of my selections. Is that an accurate conclusion?"

"I mean, they weren't necessarily bad choices, they were just...a bit dated, and neither of our styles. But yes, you're correct that I didn't particularly like them."

"Hmm," he bowed his head down slightly to better meet your eyes, "Do you have a preferred term of endearment you would like for me to use?"

You pursed your lips in consideration, "Well, I do have specific names that I do like...but I don't think I'd want you to use those, either."

He tilted his head softly, his eyebrows scrunched in slight confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I think that pet names chosen between partners should be somewhat unique, in the sense that they should relate to something only the participants of that relationship are aware of, like an inside joke of some kind," you paused, "I think those names should also match both partners, not just the recipient of the name. I don't think my current preferences fit you because they aren't necessarily terms you're likely to use."

He took a few moments to analyze this new information, before he nodded, "Yes, I believe I understand. In essence, you would like for me to choose a term of endearment for you that is both unique and relatable to you, but also representative of my vernacular?"

You smiled and squeezed his hands, "Exactly, yes."

"Hmm," he blinked, "I shall take this into consideration, and 'return to the drawing board'."

You laughed softly, "Sounds good," you leaned in, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, "Thank you for being such a sweet and considerate partner."

"You are welcome."

"What about you?"

His look of confusion returned, "What about me?"

"Is there any particular name you'd like for me to use for you?"

He thought about it briefly before raising his eyebrows, "Truthfully, I had not considered requesting a term of endearment for me, from you...Although I do not have a preference for any particular term at this time, I believe I would like for you to bestow one upon me."

You nodded, "Okay. I guess I'll have to go back to the drawing board, too...but for now, let's go enjoy our Shore Leave, Love Bug."

+1. "Dearest" and "Sunshine"

As Data's eyes flickered between his canvas and you, he could tell that you were getting restless. You had remained in your current position for the last 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 13 seconds, relatively unmoving. You had not complained once about your discomfort, but he could tell from your slight fidgeting that the required stillness was getting to you.

He reviewed the state of his canvas one more time, adding a couple more strokes of paint, before gently setting his brush down on his easel, "Would you like to take a break?"

You immediately sighed with relief, "Yes, please," you began to move, but stopped, "if it's not too much of an inconvenience for you?"

"Not at all. In fact, you have been an excellent muse thus far; much better than Spot. You are more than deserving of a break," he set down his paint palette, and tilted his head as he reviewed his progress. He was able to get a good portion of your silhouette and distinctive features outlined onto his canvas. He would only need your assistance for another session or two before he could complete the painting on his own.

"Can I see it?" you asked excitedly as you made your way over to him.

"Please," he said, and stepped aside to allow you viewing space.

You looked it over, and smiled widely, "Wow, this looks amazing already, Data! You're definitely going to get the highest marks from your art teacher for this," the two of you continued to admire the beginnings of his painting in comfortable silence for a moment, before you broke it, "Can I ask you something?"

Data turned to look at you, "Of course."

"Why did you decide to paint me for this assignment?"

"In my art course, we recently discussed the Aestheticism art movement. The core belief of this movement was 'art for art's sake'. In other words, it prioritized the aesthetic value of art, rather than the common belief at the time of the movement's introduction that art must serve a particular, didactic purpose," he paused, and inhaled sharply before continuing, "For this assignment, my instructor desired for myself and my classmates to create a work of art, in the tradition of the Aestheticism movement."

You absorbed all the information he just provided, attempting to determine how it related to you. After realizing you still didn't understand the connection, you asked, "That's all really interesting, Data, but what does it have to do with me?"

He eagerly continued, "After careful consideration, I realized that you embody Aestheticism. Although you can and do appreciate the hidden meanings of not only art, but many aspects of life itself, you also recognize the importance of creativity with no inherent purpose," he looked at you softly, "During one of our thoughtful, evening conversations we shared in the initial stages of our relationship, when I had explained to you my confusion as to my purpose of being, you responded that perhaps my father had no true purpose in creating me. Perhaps the only reason he created me was because he wanted to produce something beautiful, simply because he could. Perhaps he merely wished to add something of aesthetic value to the universe. Perhaps he was an artist, just as much as he was the forefront of cybernetics."

He inhaled sharply again, still looking at you, "I have found myself revisiting that conversation consistently and frequently, as frequently as the rate at which you are a part of my thought processes. This lesson, in particular, had triggered my memory banks to replay this memory 3.27 times more than usual. Thus, I deduced that you would be the most appropriate topic for this assignment."

You blinked, staring at him in complete bewilderment. You certainly weren't expecting that answer! Your brain felt like it was malfunctioning, uncertain how to process all this information.

As your brain melted inside your skull, you felt him gently take your hand, "Additionally, this assignment has also made me realize how...dear you are to me. You are always willing and eager to assist me in my hobbies, activities, assignments, and other endeavors. You have never expressed agitation nor annoyance with me, and always allow me to 'babble' to any length or degree. You have always encouraged myself and my passions, even when they potentially served an inconvenience to you."

He squeezed your hand gently, "The term 'dearest' refers to someone who is: loved and cherished, greatly valued, precious," he exhaled softly, "Although I am incapable of love, I am capable of cherishment, and seeing the value in others and objects. I certainly cherish you, and see how invaluable you are to many individuals, including myself," he looked at you with pure determination, and maybe a hint of pride, "Therefore, I believe the most fitting term of endearment for you is 'Dearest'."

At this point, you were short-circuiting, and your brain was absolute mush. Data was always eloquent with his wording, but this was definitely one of the most eloquent things he had said to you. It made his earlier statement of being incapable of love seem completely impossible. No one could speak in such a way about anyone or anything, if they weren't capable of love in some capacity or degree.

He watched you cautiously and patiently, his eyes moving slightly from side to side as he awaited your response. Your brain was still unable to form coherent thoughts, and no words escaped your lips. As his words sunk in and settled as warmth in your chest, all you could do was beam at him as you threw your arms around his neck, and pressed your lips to his in a deep kiss. He was frozen for just a moment, evidently surprised by your reaction, but gently moved his hands to hold your waist and returned your kiss.

After a couple of minutes of eager kissing, he pulled away, "Based on your reaction, I assume that you find this an acceptable term of endearment for yourself?"

You laughed softly, "Yes, Data, I do. It's perfect."

His lips curled upwards into a faint but bright smile, "I am glad you think so, Dearest."

You played with the ends of his hair that tickled his collar, still beaming at him, "You know, this just confirms my theory that 'Sunshine' would be the most fitting pet name for you."

He tilted his head, analyzing the moniker, "Intriguing. What is your connotation of this nickname, as it pertains to me?"

"Well, ever since I met you, you've brought so much light and sunshine into my life. You're a very bright, and warm person, both literally and figuratively, that you are an embodiment of the sun and its sunshine. I realized I've come to think you of as my personal ray of sunshine," you wished you could convey your thoughts and ideas as refined as the manner in which he just did, but the state of your mind was still too slushy to do so.

At your admission and unexpectedly sentimental token, his expression softened. You could tell he was analyzing and processing your sentiments with a fine-toothed comb, no doubt for further review later.

He was quiet for a long time, or at least, a long time for an android, and you began to shuffle nervously, "Do you find the name acceptable?"

Again, he was quiet as he mulled over your query. Finally, his eyes met yours, "Yes, I believe I do. I never considered the similarities between myself and the sun, but I can understand how you came to those conclusions," he blinked, "Yes," he repeated, "I do 'like' it, Dearest."

Your lips brushed against his once again, "Glad to hear it, Sunshine."

#data soong #data star trek #data tng #data x reader #data soong x reader #data star trek x reader #lt commander data #5+1 things #star trek the next generation #star trek tng #star trek fanfiction #star trek fan fiction #star trek fanfic #noll's narratives #my writing

[leothil]

Introduction to TV ratings

Hi! I know a lot of us in the 9-1-1 fandom have started looking more closely at episode ratings this past year, but every time I see them posted I also see a lot of comments from people being unsure what the numbers really mean. I'm someone who first got introduced to tv ratings from being involved in the pro wrestling fandom and learned a lot about them through osmosis, so I thought I could make a small informative post explaining the main concepts and why tv ratings matter!

What I'll cover below:

What are tv ratings?

What exactly are they reporting?

How do I know what the numbers mean?

Are the numbers any good?

Let's dive in!

What are tv ratings?

Tv ratings, or Nielsen ratings, is an audience measurement system operated by Nielsen Media Research that tries to figure out the audience size and composition for tv programs in the USA. The Nielsen company has been measuring this since the 1950's, and their ratings is the currency that drives business between advertisers and broadcasters. To simplify it, the higher the rating a program gets, the more the broadcaster can charge the advertisers and agencies for broadcasting their ads to the audience during that program.

The data collection methods have varied over the years, but right now they're using Portable People Meters and track data from DVR:s. Since 2017 they're also tracking data on Hulu and YoutubeTV, and select programs on Netflix. It is an approximation, since they (naturally) aren't getting the full data from every single tv in the country, but they are good enough (and trusted enough) that their reported metrics are what's considered official.

So what exactly are they reporting?

A couple of different things! The most interesting numbers are total viewers, demographic shares, and demographic ratings. According to Nielsen they also track "gender, race, ethnicity, income, education, occupation, etc." but those are usually not reported as openly as the aforementioned three numbers and are mostly used by advertisers.

Sites like Tvline, Tvseriesfinale and Showbuzzdaily often report daily ratings very quickly after Nielsen releases them. The Fast Nationals are usually what gets the most attention, since they're released the morning after, but they're time period ratings, which means it only measured what was watched during primetime. The more accurate Official Nationals are released later the day after, and are program ratings. So if a program was moved from its usual slot for some reason, the fast nationals will still count the original time slot towards its ratings, while the official nationals will count the slot it actually aired in.

There are also C3 and C7 ratings (live viewing + DVR three/seven days after the airing), but they are seen much more seldom and are largely a fighting point between networks (who want to get paid for more days) and advertisers (who only want to pay for live viewings).

How do I know what the numbers mean?

Let's dive into that! I'll use tables from Tvseriesfinale and Showbuzzdaily with ratings for Monday March 20th (the air date of 9-1-1 S6E12) as my examples.

Here's how Tvseriesfinale reports the ratings, they're using the fast nationals (or "fast affiliate ratings"). The %change is compared to last aired episode of the same show. If you're wondering how the demo change can be positive while the number of viewers change is negative, I'll get to that in a minute.

And here's Showbuzzdaily, they report Live+Same Day which include live viewership + DVR views from the same day (which should be the same as fast nationals, but sometimes varies a bit). You can see that they colour code according to how far above/below the average rating of the night a program placed in different ratings categories.

Now for what the different columns mean:

Viewers (mil) or Persons 2+ (000s): the total number of viewers, in millions, who watched the program. So here Tvseriesfinale reports that 4.3 million people watched 9-1-1, and Showbuzzdaily reports that 4.413 million people did.

18-49 demo and Sales Demo Ratings Adults 18-49: These are the numbers that everyone is really looking at! The demo rating means proportion of a certain group (in this case adults 18-49) that are watching a particular show. In other words, this is the percentage of all adults aged 18-49 in the United States that were watching the show. So a 0.6 (or 0.59) rating for 9-1-1 means that 0.6% (or 0.59%) out of all people aged 18-49 were watching 9-1-1. This is the money demo, this is the number all advertisers and networks are looking at. Persons 18-49 is considered the most lucrative demographic, so the more people in that group your show can draw, the better for the network since they then can ask for more money from the advertisers. Persons 18-49 are considered to be the group to best target advertisements towards for a variety of reasons (disposable income and interest towards buying new things being two of them).

As you can see above, Showbuzzdaily also reports the demo numbers for Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54. Some advertisers are more interested in these demographics, but overall 18-49 is still the most popular demographic. As you can see, the audiences skew older for all programs. I believe the general consensus is that younger people (<35-year-olds) watch much less tv than older generations, and these numbers support that. This is also why total viewers and demo ratings can have different %change - the 18-49 demo rating cuts off a relatively large part of the audience.

Demographic shares: While the ratings are based on percentage of all people in a demographic, the shares are based on percentage of the number of people who were actually watching TV at that time. So a 6.0 in Women 18-49 means that of all women aged 18-49 watching TV at 8PM, 6% chose to watch 9-1-1.

So... are the numbers any good?

That depends on what you're looking at. TV ratings as a whole have been dropping steadily for many years now, so trying to compare ratings to even, say, five years ago can be hard. For example: in the late 90's, pro wrestling regularly pulled in ratings of 5.0 and higher (I'll put a few below as an example), but those same shows would now be ecstatic if they managed to get above a 1.0 rating; their regular numbers the past year (for the big shows RAW, Smackdown and Dynamite) have mostly hovered around 0.4-0.7.

The first number is the demo rating

For the best overview, it's best to compare ratings for a certain show to the ratings of other shows on air, and I believe that's what the networks are doing as well. In that context, 9-1-1 is doing very well, as it regularly ends up near the top for scripted shows, even when looking at all shows over a week. The average rating for S6 so far is 0.63, which is lower than the average rating of 0.76 for S5 (which in turn was lower than the average rating of 1.05 for S4 and so forth). The ratings consistently dropping year over year are a concern for the industry at large, and it's pretty clear streaming services have played a big role in causing this, but I find it hard to believe tv networks would consider stopping producing shows for live tv anytime soon.

And that's it! If something still feels unclear, feel free to drop me a message and I'll do my best to answer any questions! If you want to dive a bit deeper into the different metrics, I recommend this page on Showbuzzdaily, and if you want to look at ratings from previous seasons, Tvseriesfinale's 911 ratings tag is a good place to find articles summarizing both individual episode ratings and ratings for a whole season.

#tv ratings #911 ratings #911 fox

[circusrat13]

lame portal-ified disney song by me

*to the tune of "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast*

"Miss Caroline!"

CAROLINE

Scientists' town, Artificial village Ev'ry day New explosions there Underground Full of crazy people Waking up to say:

SCIENTISTS

Oh god! Oh no! Emergency! Hold on!

CAROLINE

Here's Mr. Wheatley with reports, like always I guess, some test-subjects just died Making science, bending time Since the day we dug that mine In the state of Michigan

WHEATLEY

Good Morning, Miss Caroline!

CAROLINE

Good morning, Wheatley.

WHEATLEY

Where are you off to?

CAROLINE

The turret production-line. Mr. Johnson wanted me to count How many bullets per bullet it takes to…

WHEATLEY

Y-Yeah, that's great. Jerry! Down the lift shaft! Hurry up, mate!

MALE SCIENTISTS

Look there she goes Miss Caroline, she's gorgeous Smart and collected, can't you tell?

LADY SCIENTISTS

But she's just some poor assistant!

RICK/ADVENTURE CORE

But her body's like a pistol

SCIENTISTS

She's a heart and soul of Aperture for sure!

MALE SCIENTIST 1

Hello!

LADY SCIENTIST 1

Good day!

MALE SCIENTIST 1

How's hard-light bridges?

LADY SCIENTIST 2

Hello!

MALE SCIENTIST 2

Good day!

LADY SCIENTIST 2

Where's Mantis Men?

MALE SCIENTIST 3

We need more cubes!

LADY SCIENTIST 3

They're in the storage

CAROLINE

We're forwarding the cause of science with our lives!

CAVE JOHNSON

Ah, Caroline!

CAROLINE

Good morning, Mr. Johnson, sir! I was just about to go the bullet expertise…

CAVE JOHNSON

Good, and what's about compensation vouchers? Are they ready?

CAROLINE

Yes, they're on your desk!

CAVE JOHNSON

Give them to the reception.

CAROLINE

Right! Of course!

CAVE JOHNSON

And tell the lab boys we need gel pipes In spheres from 12 to 20 up and running by Tuesday

CAROLINE

Will be done, sir! Is there something else I can do for you?

CAVE JOHNSON

Keep doing what you're doing. Oh, and remind the repair wing guy that we still have that leak in the west hall.

CAROLINE

Yes, sir.

CAVE JOHNSON

Thank you, Caroline. You're a gem.

CAROLINE

Oh, Mr. Johnson.

SCIENTISTS

Look there she goes, the essence of our science! (So close to Mr. Johnson, too) With her long thick brown hair And red scarf around her neck What a puzzle this Miss Caroline must be!

CAROLINE

Oh, isn't this a triumph? All the points of data ready to compute Here's in Aperture Science We can laugh at physics and just hope We won't get sued!

VIRGIL/MAINTENANCE CORE

Now it's no wonder that we kicked Black Mesa Our methods got no parallel

CRAIG/FACT CORE

But we signed their trading pact Borealis is a fact!

KEVIN/SPACE CORE

And my daddy gotta take it into space!

SCIENTISTS

We are the best researching team! We're making portals and we'll win this race!

GREG

Wow! It seems your pep talk got them all inspired, Mr. Johnson! You're the greatest boss in the whole world!

CAVE JOHNSON

I know.

GREG

But there are still some problems with the GLaDOS project. We don't have a required intellect substance.

CAVE JOHNSON

It's true, Greg. But I've got my sights set on one particular assistant.

GREG

You mean Miss Caroline?!

CAVE JOHNSON

She's the one. The only woman whom I can trust to run the facility the way I used to.

GREG

But she's -

CAVE JOHNSON

The most loyal assistant I had.

GREG

I know, but -

CAVE JOHNSON

That makes her the best. And don't Aperture Science deserve the best?

GREG

Of course it does!

CAVE JOHNSON

Right from the moment when I met her, saw her I said she is the one we need! She's the energy, no resting And has passion for the testing So I'm making plans to put her in the charge!

LADY SCIENTISTS

Look there He goes Isn't he handsome? Oh, Mister Johnson He's the best! My circuits blow I'm hardly breathing He's such a tall, clever and charming man!

[some banter that I cut out, because i had no inspo]

CAROLINE

We're forwarding the cause of science with our souls!

CAVE JOHNSON

Just watch, She's going to outlive you all!

SCIENTISTS

He chose Miss Caroline to be his heir It's such an honor, to be fair!

LADY SCIENTISTS

But what if she doesn't want it?

MALE SCIENTISTS

Then we make her, like he ordered!

SCIENTISTS

'Cause she really is our only hope She'll live forever like a God She'll rule facility for long Miss Caroline!

#portal #portal 2 #portal stories: mel #portal caroline #portal glados #portal cave johnson #portal wheatley #portal virgil #portal rick #portal space core #portal fact core #portal greg #google who greg is if you don't know lol #i am cringe but i am free

[olderthannetfic]

How I would do 2023 ship stats

You know, normally, I don't bother to do much with top AO3 ships stats. That's partly because someone already does it and partly because I think they're stupid stats that just lead to people gloating about their blorbos "winning". But I do routinely have a look at what's new and popular when I'm doing things like making a dance party playlist for Escapade Con, just so I know what fans might be getting into lately. I have to say, collecting these is not hard. It's not even particularly time consuming.

Doing it super efficiently would be easier with a script, yes, but most fandom stats aren't actually collected with scripts, and if you're only looking for the top 100 ships, you can more or less do that by hand. How I would set about it for you, the random fan who's curious but not curious enough to learn to code, would be to log into AO3 and then find tags where you can see the sidebar. They should be tags that encompass the whole archive and that are mandatory and unique… in other words, ratings.

Since every AO3 work must have one and only one rating, you can just check these five and get a good sense of what's on there. There are some minor wrinkles to iron out, but it's a good preliminary research step.

The way you want to do it is to start with a spreadsheet. Open up your ratings URLs (and also paste them in the spreadsheet for convenience—google sheets will make clickable links). Copy all the sidebar top ships into a list. Filter out all of these ships. Copy the next set, etc. After a while, you'll have a good list that's longer than 100 ships but that most likely contains everything really popular. (Filter for things posted/updated/whatever in the past year if that's the data you're after. Filter for f/f or whatever topic you're interested in if that's the question you're asking instead.)

Use your spreadsheet to generate the actual links for each of these ships. AO3 URLs are predictable: you can generate them from knowing the exact spelling of the tag and the normal format of this type of URL. (There are a bunch of standard spreadsheet functions that can be used to get rid of the work count numbers you've copied from AO3 to get just the pure ship tags. I'd use things like =right() and =left().)

Open the links. Copy the work totals back to your spreadsheet. Voilà!

One drawback of this method is, obviously, that it's boring and tedious, but if you didn't like boring and tedious, why were you collecting fandom stats anyway?

A more important drawback is that in using exclude filters, it's possible you could miss a ship. If the posting patterns are just right, there might be something that has its numbers reduced by excluding other ships that should be on your list. You could have a similar issue if the ships on your list are mostly one rating (so higher in those searches) and some other slightly larger overall ship is spread more evenly. I would try to ameliorate this problem by looking at the sizes of the smallest ships you're covering. They will likely be bigger than the entire fandom section for most fandoms. Taking another look at the bigger fandoms that could be hiding a small-end-of-big ship can help double-check that you haven't missed anything. Grabbing the top 130 or 150 ships in some search while only looking for the top 100 will likely find most of the edge stuff too.

Add any ships that look like they should be double checked to your spreadsheet. Add their work totals. Re-sort your list.

Another thing to consider is that AO3 keeps track of the most recent update date on fics. That's what's easy to search by. If you're only interested in when a work was first posted, easy manual filtering isn't the way to go… However, if the objective is to see which ship tags were active in a given year, most recent update date is the relevant piece of data anyway.

You're not going to recreate centreoftheselights' exact analysis unless you collect data year to year, but you can come up with something pretty similar that answers a similar question, and you don't need to be a programmer to do it.

In the end, accept that some data require hard collection methods that a site doesn't easily offer you and you might have to scrape multiple times a year with a script if you want to know that particular thing… or you might have to randomly sample and hand-count as with FFN shipping stats. (Yes, I've done it. It can be done. It's just annoying.)

So when you're setting out to look at some stats question, the big first step is to decide what you're even asking and why and whether you're just wimping out and going with what's easy to collect instead of what you actually want to know.

...now I'm kind of curious. Maybe I'll go pull some 2023 numbers.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

ANU scientists use deep planetary scan to confirm Martian core Seismologists from The Australian National University (ANU) have developed a new method to scan the deep interior of planets in our solar system to confirm whether they have a core at the heart of their existence.   The scanning method, which works in a similar way to an ultrasound scan using sound waves to generate images of a patient’s body, requires only a single seismometer on a planet’s surface in order to work. It can also be used to confirm the size of a planet’s core. The research is published in Nature Astronomy.   Using the ANU model to scan the entirety of Mars’ interior, the researchers confirmed the Red Planet has a large core at its centre – a theory first confirmed by a team of scientists in 2021. Study co-author Professor Hrvoje Tkalčić, from ANU, said based on data collected using the ANU technique, the researchers determined that the Martian core, which is smaller than Earth’s, is about 3,620 kilometres in diameter.  “Our research presents an innovative method using a single instrument to scan the interior of any planet in a way that’s never been done before,” he said.    Confirming the existence of a planetary core, which the researchers refer to as the “engine room” of all planets, can help scientists learn more about a planet’s past and evolution. It can also help scientists determine at what point in a planet’s history a magnetic field formed and ceased to exist. The core plays an active role in sustaining a planet’s magnetic field. In the case of Mars, it could help explain why, unlike Earth, the Red Planet no longer has a magnetic field – something that is critical to sustaining all life forms.    “Modelling suggests that the Martian core is liquid and while it is made up of mostly iron and nickel, it could also contain traces of lighter elements such as hydrogen and sulphur. These elements can alter the ability of the core to transport heat,” lead author Dr Sheng Wang, who is also from ANU, said.  “A magnetic field is important because it shields us from cosmic radiation, which is why life on Earth is possible.” Using a single seismometer on Mars’ surface, the ANU team measured specific types of seismic waves. The seismic waves, which were triggered by marsquakes, give off a spectrum of signals, or “echoes”, that change over time as they reverberate throughout the Martian interior.   These seismic waves pierce through and bounce off the Martian core.  Professor Tkalčić said researchers are interested in the “late” and “weaker” signals that can survive hours after they are emitted from quakes, meteoroid impacts and other sources.   “Although these late signals appear to be noisy and not useful, the similarity between these weak signals recorded at various locations on Mars manifests itself as a new signal that reveals the presence of a large core in the Red Planet’s heart,” Professor Tkalčić said.  “We can determine how far these seismic waves travel to reach the Martian core but also the speed at which they travel through Mars’ interior. This data helps us make estimations about the size of Mars’ core.”  The researchers say their method of using a single seismometer to confirm the presence of a planetary core is also a “cost-effective solution”. “There is a single seismic station on Mars. There were four of them on the Moon in 1970s. The situation of having a limited number of instruments is unlikely to change in the coming decades or even this century due to high cost,” Dr Wang said. “We need an approach right now to use only a single seismometer to study planetary interiors.” The researchers hope this new ANU-developed technique involving a single seismometer could be used to help scientists learn more about our other planetary neighbours, including the moon.  “The US and China plan to send seismometers to the moon, and Australia also has ambitions to participate in future missions, so there’s potential for further studies using new and more sophisticated instruments,” Professor Tkalčić said.   Dr Wang said: “Although there are many studies on planetary cores, the images we have of planetary interiors are still very blurry. But with new instruments and methods like ours we’ll be able to get sharper images which will help us answer questions such as how big the cores are and whether they take a solid or liquid form.  “Our method could even be used to analyse the Jupiter moons and the outer solar system planets that are solid.”  To carry out their research, ANU scientists used data collected from a seismometer attached to NASA's InSight lander, which has been collecting information about marsquakes, Martian weather and the planet's interior since touching down on Mars in 2018.    IMAGE....An illustration of the Martian interior CREDIT Credit: Dr Sheng Wang and Professor Hrvoje Tkalčić/ANU

#space #science #Astronomy #physics #news #Mars #geology

[dangerously-human]

Still fighting for my life with tuition benefit stuff, in case anyone was wondering. I would like to submit my request for this semester, but we're still duking it out over last semester because of a problem from over a year ago and I don't want to swing at two hornet nests at once, so. Took every single dollar out of my savings account to pay tuition for this semester and am just praying I can get reimbursed before another rent check needs to go out (and Lord willing, my car won't need massive repairs at inspection this year). I'm doing an actual research study for my mixed methods class this semester, and the professor keeps saying she's fine with giving us an incomplete so we have another year to wrap it up in order to actually get something meaningful out of it. I finally talked to her last night to explain that I cannot afford to take another incomplete and ask how I could do a legitimate study on such a condensed timeline. Thankfully she was understanding and came up with an idea I think will work, since it involves basically just doing the quantitative portion under an existing protocol at work and a qualitative portion that doesn't count as human subjects research, so I don't have to deal with an IRB pissing contest between institutions, nor the debatable ethics of collecting data without compensating people for their time, given that it's unfunded research (and I really can't afford to pay people out of pocket when I'm already paying through the nose to be in this class in the first place). I'm still reworking my research plan, but I do feel a lot better about this in comparison to my plan as of last week, which would have required either submitting to both IRBs (and my work IRB is notorious for having different standards than most, and they/the data lawyers that often end up getting involved move slowly in this kind of situation) or submitting twice to my university IRB, once per phase.

Anyway, dealing with all of this today had me looking at what I really have left to do before I graduate. I'm halfway through the program now, though it feels like I've done way more. After I'm done with this class, which meets my advanced methods requirement (although round 2 of statistics probably did too), I have to eventually go back and take the foundations of the program course that was a scheduling conflict my first semester and somehow hasn't been offered since; another research apprenticeship (I'll probably write another manuscript, ideally one that's already been in progress for a bit at work - if I can get a loan, maybe I can do that this summer with my brief report I'm first authoring); plus two electives, which I was hoping to concentrate on measure design but would also happily do more advanced statistics courses if I'm allowed to take them through the school of psychology (I've tapped out the school of ed on that score). I guess I should ask if I'm allowed to say my job counts as an internship, which from the course catalog it looks like it should, but idk. Theoretically that puts me graduating... fall '25? Maybe? I could go so much faster if it weren't for the financial aspect. I do have to meet with an advisor at some point, but I still don't have one at the moment (again), which really seems like a problem for future me to figure out. But future me before May, because I think I'm still recorded as supposed to graduate this semester, even though it's been clear from the beginning that I was not a full-time student. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

They really do make this grad school thing as complicated as possible, don't they?

#personal #grad life gazette

[cryptic-rainfall]

Theory: I am genderfluid

Hypothesis: My perception of my own gender changes day to day

Method: record what gender I am feeling most like when I get a strong sense of gender, along with the date, in my notes app

Data: gone when my fucking phone got stolen [it spanned a good 2 years, from early 2019 to mid/late 2023]

Conclusion: Although my sense of my own gender did not change every day, as predicted if I were indeed genderfluid, it did change every few days. The change in gender perception was not regular; sometimes it changed day to day, more often it changed every 2-4 days. Very rarely, the gender I related to most even changed within the same day. The longest gender change gap was probably like 7 days, I don't know for sure because all my data was fucking lost. The hypothesis was proven false, with daily gender changes being so rare they should be considered outliers. However, this does not negate the theory, as my experience of gender was varied, and changed across certain periods of time. Some genders I related strongly to were genderqueer, nonbinary, boy who is a girl, gendervoid, and specific varied descriptions (such as "gender emulator" and "the static from a CRT monitor"). Some genders that appeared infrequently were agender, boy, girl, woman, and genderfuck. With this wide range of different gender feelings, and with the change in which gender I related strongest to being every few days on average, it is safe to say that I am indeed genderfluid. The shift in my own gender perception would not change so drastically if my gender was stagnant.

Final Thoughts: Despite the fact that this experiment concluded many years ago in mid/late 2022, since reaching the conclusion part way through the research, when ample evidence had been gathered, I felt comfortable enough to consider myself genderfluid. This experiment long surpassed its scope when the data was abruptly lost. However, since considering myself genderfluid, I have noticed that I've become more and more comfortable calling myself trans as well. This self reflection is insightful, and although I am no longer collecting data as per the methods outlined here, there is still much to explore and research regarding my gender and my relationship to it.

#so I typed this up at 3 in the morning last night #on my phone and saved as a draft so I wouldnt lose it #idk why my insomnia was so bad or why I was compelled to write this 3 years after the fact (of figuring out my gender) #(at least to a point where I was comfortable with it) #this experiment hasn't even been running for 1.5 years #anyway I thought of just keeping it as a draft for my own reference or adding it to my journal or something #but you know what. I think it's funny and should be shared #this is not even exaggeration this is how I processed this #gender #mine #my writing #genderfluid

[leebrontide]

Shed Letters: the complete archive so far

For all the people who've followed me recently- at least SOME of whom must be actual people and not clickbait bots- I have a free monthly newsletter that I'm really proud of. If you like what I write here, you can access my once month efforts to present organized, spellchecked, researched thoughts, often with cool links for further reading.

If you wanna read about writing, ableism, queerness, psychology, research deep dives into history, science, and current events that are funneling into my writing, consider looking over some of what I have on offer, and maybe consider subscribing.

Also contains cat pictures!

Reblogs welcome!

You Heard It Here, First! An announcement of a co-authoring project in the works where we use a pulpy vampire romance to explore queer history in MN

What Stories Are You Made Of? A meditation on renegotiating my relationship to the problematic queer media I had access to in the 90s

What Do We Celebrate? Pics and the story of how I ended up throwing a T(ea) party to celebrate starting HRT, and my nonlinear path to hormone therapy

Why I’m Researching a 19th Century Cult This Month What’s a civil war era cult have to do with the scifi YA I’m writing? (Hint- they were literally trying to breed messiahs into existence).

Another Kind of Coziness How can anti-ableist theory make my writing space so damn cozy and effective?

A Unique Character Development Technique  Learn about one of my most ridiculous ways of intuitively developing new characters. 

The Golden Girls, D&D, and The Newest Way I’m Refusing to Make Writing Solitary This is actually all one topic

Tractors, Cybernetics and the Radical at the Radioshack That time I got radicalized by a Radioshack cashier and what it has to do with disability activism

The Cartoons Are Coming for Our Collective Trauma A therapist/YA writer’s thoughts about why kids shows are all about intergenerational trauma these days, and what I think it means for our future

People Who Need People Writing about The Giver, Each of Us a Desert, and what it’s been like having one of those faces that compels people to tell me things I have absolutely no business knowing

The Bananabook Method  What I call “The Bananabook Method” of book planning/pre-writing. Please enjoy my collection of absurd tiny colorful notebooks and this explanation of my *~process~*.

Because Everybody Was Calling for YA Scifi About HIPAA, Right? Why I’m writing about medical data privacy practices in scifi books for teens. Contains a LOT of info about the current systems and their limits.

Tinkering With Cyberpunk I was interviewed about cyberpunk and disabilities by the lovely Zuhura Ismail, whose wonderful cyberpunk art is also included in this edition.

Lies I Tell Myself, Security Blankets and Backstitch Drafting Another writing process post! Features a very nice cat picture, more writing with memory problems, and my proposal that creative project advice is only as useful as it is adaptable.

Of Flesh and Gundams What somatic psychology has to say about the pursuit of perfection and immortality via tech.

Gods and Ink - the new digital era of old school mythmaking and my newest tattoo.

#indie authors #writing #queerness #disability #science #psychology #cyberpunk #YAbooks #author newsletter

[triciamfoster]

Interested in Ghost Hunting?

Ghost hunting, or paranormal investigation, is the practice of exploring and documenting paranormal activities or phenomena, such as unexplained sounds, voices, apparitions, or other perceived paranormal occurrences. If you're interested in getting started with ghost hunting, here are some steps to help you get started:

Do your research: Learn about the history of ghost hunting, different techniques, equipment, and safety precautions. Familiarize yourself with the concepts of paranormal activity, types of ghosts, and common paranormal investigation methods.

Join a group or find a partner: Ghost hunting can be a solitary activity, but it's often safer and more enjoyable to have a partner or join a reputable ghost hunting group. You can find local groups or communities online or through social media platforms.

Obtain permission: If you plan to investigate private property, make sure you have permission from the owner or authorities before conducting any ghost hunting activities. Trespassing or conducting investigations without proper consent is illegal and unethical.

Assemble your equipment: Ghost hunters often use various tools and equipment during investigations, such as digital cameras, audio recorders, electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors, and temperature sensors. Research and choose the equipment that fits your budget and investigation style.

Plan your investigation: Decide on the location, date, and time for your investigation. Research the history and background of the location, including any reported paranormal activity, to better understand what you may encounter.

Conduct the investigation: During the investigation, be observant and use your equipment to capture any potential evidence. Be respectful and open-minded, but also skeptical, as many paranormal experiences can have natural explanations.

Analyze your findings: After the investigation, review your collected data, including photos, videos, audio recordings, and notes. Look for any patterns, anomalies, or potential evidence of paranormal activity. Be critical and try to debunk any potential natural explanations.

Respect the spirits and the environment: If you do encounter paranormal activity, be respectful towards any potential spirits or entities you may encounter. Always leave the location as you found it and avoid damaging or disturbing the environment or property.

Share your findings responsibly: If you do capture potential evidence of paranormal activity, be cautious about sharing it publicly. Consider consulting with experts or experienced investigators to validate your findings before making any claims or sharing them online or with the media.

Prioritize safety: Ghost hunting can be exciting, but it's important to prioritize safety at all times. Always investigate in well-lit areas, wear appropriate clothing and footwear, be mindful of your surroundings, and never trespass or put yourself in dangerous situations.

Remember that ghost hunting is a subjective field, and not all experiences can be explained as paranormal. It's essential to approach investigations with an open mind, skepticism, and respect for the environment and others' beliefs. Happy ghost hunting!

#paranormal #ghosts #ghost hunting #apparition #ghost stories #haunted houses #haunting #spirits #magick #occult #esoteric

[socstudies]

｡･ﾟﾟ･ Socstudies: Sociology 101 ･ﾟﾟ･｡

101: What do sociologists study?

Hello! Welcome to my first sociology class! Read along and answer the questions to earn Luke's coffee cups, which you can exchange at the store for rewards!

.⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡

To start of with, we need to answer the question:

｡･ﾟﾟ･What is sociology?･ﾟﾟ･｡

Sociology is the study of social structures and relationships - to put it simply, sociologists study how people interact with each other and how this changes such as in groups of families, colleagues, etc.

1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!

｡･ﾟﾟ･Okay, so what do sociologists actually do?･ﾟﾟ･｡

In order to study social relations, sociologists will focus on a specific area such as families, education, or work. From this, they will then zoom in on a specific subject. For example, my area of interest is globalisation, and how the internet has changed the way in which people interact.

Once they have an area that they are interested in, they may conduct primary or secondary research - or both. Primary research involves going out (or going online) and using methods such as surveys, participant observation, interviews, and lab or field experiments. Secondary research involves the analysis of results or data that already exists - such as ordinance or census data.

1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!

｡･ﾟﾟ･What do they do with this data?･ﾟﾟ･｡

After data is collected, it is analysed and written up. There are many different theoretical lenses through which the data is analysed, and I will discuss these in more detail in future lessons (see the syllabus).

1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!

｡･ﾟﾟ･is sociology important?･ﾟﾟ･｡

Sociology is important because the research is often carried out in a way that puts the attention on previously underepresented groups that are ignored or belittled. For example, Alice Goffman's ethnography 'On the Run' involved her living with the group she was observing (young Black men and their families in an over-policed Philadelphia neighbourhood) for six years. From this, she was able to relate their lives through theological lenses to draw attention to the issues that they were facing.

1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!

.⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡

｡･ﾟﾟ･Review Questions!･ﾟﾟ･｡

1x cup for each answered correctly!

What is the definition of sociology?

What are the two types of research methods that sociolgists can use? Name one of each type.

Outline one reason why sociology is important.

Congratulations for finishing your first lesson at Chilton! Head back to Stars Hollow and trade your coffee cups here!

#sociology #sociology studyblr #gilmore girls #gimore girls studyspo #study game #lukes diner #sociology student #sociology study with me #study with me #studyspo #study motivation #study like rory gilmore #study like granger #study motivator #study accountability #studying #study blog #gilmore studyblr #studytracker #100 days of productivity

[punishing-eden]

Things I Wish I Could Say Out Loud...

¬ Not beta read

Lee x Commandant/Reader

Summary:

There are many things that Lee has documented into his data library. However, lately he has been taking a different method of documentation. This time it's with a voice recorder.

Tags: bittersweet, one-shot, potential spoilers for affection lvl.

"XX of XX, year 21XX, Construct: Lee. Location: Babylonia...... Recording session no. 108 of things I wish I could say out loud..."

*******

It was a small gift from Murray.

Lee took a look at it in his hand.

"What is this for?" the construct asked.

Murray smiled. However, Lee didn't find his own question funny.

"It's something I think you would like. You can record anything you want with it." the man said.

Inspecting the device, the construct only kept a neutral face before replying, "It's not necessary for constructs like me to have these things. My data recording mechanics works just as perfect, if not, it yields 30% more effective than of devices such as these. Output quality, file formating, and sound mixing are all put in consideration when you buy products like this. Constructs have many built in functionality, rendering these thing useless to them..."

Lee's voice faded as he spoke. A dead silence settled between them. The harsh words that Lee put forward didn't seem to hit Murray in anyway, a smile was still kept drawn on his face.

The silence, however, gave Lee an uncomfortable feeling. His synthetic skin mimicked goosebumps. He should say something to ease the silence. That's when he added, "... I don't need this, Murray."

He handed the device to his brother.

Murray shifted and a small laugh escaped his lips.

"I know it's useless, in a technical stand point. But," Murray gently pushed the device back into Lee's hand, "I ought to think that maybe, as useless as it may be, this is exactly what you need."

Lee, after thinking about it, decided to accept the gift out of courtesy. "Very well..." He replied and pocketed the gift.

After receiving the device, Lee gave it a go and tried it out a few times. He didn't like it, and was planning to disassemble the gadget instead.

However, he went against it due to a small talk when he bumped into Murray one day. Who, asked him about the gift, and Lee felt a reluctance to treat the device as it was intented.

He began finding use for the voice recorder. Using it, as a means to record logs or data, however, he found no joy in doing that.

During his weekly frame maintenance check, Lee spotted Asimov, owning the same model of voice recorder on his office desk. In fact there were two.

There was an urge to ask about it, seeing it was a coincidence. Asimov, his look as sour as ever, reply with a sarcastic flare, "One," he held up the left one, "is to document research logs. The other," he held up the right one, "is to collect all my disagreements and complaints against everyone here, hoping that one day I would drop this and have Hassen or someone pick it up and listen to it."

Disputes between departments in the council wasn't unheard of. However, Lee was interested at Asimov's latter use of a voice recorder. It wasn't a bad idea.

Sure, Lee himself has disagreements and verbal fights; especially towards Kamui. But, there were times he restricted his tougne for the sake of his Commandant.

So, when he returned to his quarters, he took the recorder and began to spew his complaints.

*******

"... I dislike the way you always put others before yourself..."

*******

The notification in Lee's system alerted him it was time for a special mission debriefing. The Grey Raven Squard were called in by Celica. Lee left his resting quarters as he headed out to the meeting room. There the rest of his team were waiting for him.

Celica came in last and placed a pile of paperwork on the table. Without hesitation, she began working on the control panel.

Lee noted that this usually means this particular mission is either important or it has a special status in the Babylonia database.

The lights dimmed. Images and information were projected up for everyone to see.

"Operation Underground..." Celica handed out her report file to you, "President Hassen wants the Grey Ravens to be dispatched as soon as possible, " she said.

"After some consideration and thorough analysis, it was concluded an archaic type of memory data is located under this ruin civilisation," the slide show propped up an image of a satelite map, "It was thought, back then, people had been toying about the concept of creating Constructs. Maybe that's why there are so many traces of memory data found there."

"you mean, memory data from the golden age?" you asked.

"Technology -wise yes, but the data... It could be a span ranging way before the golden age. The Science council had send teams to conduct excavation in the ruins, but through out the years corrupted levels are getting higher in that area," Celica said.

"Let me guess, Nikola wants us to investigate the area on the Science Council's behalf?" Lee asked.

"Actually, the main objective isn't to investigate the ruins , more so, President Hassen requested you guys to retrieve an archaic memory data. During the last excavation, the team found a Supercomputer, it was believe it stores the raw data. " she replied.

"but the supercomputers are so old, would the data even been salvageable upon retrieving?" Lucia asked, "As we know, technology back then has a higher probability of crashing and produce incomplete data."

"As long as the data is stored in a super computer, the percentage of data lost during extraction is small, compare to a data chip or a transferring port. Normally, supercomputers have two to four back up drive. If one drive or server courrpts, the other drive will immediately download the data. So extracting straight from a super computer is much safer. But, it's best if data loss can remain below 1.273%." Lee spoke.

Impressed by Lee's analysis, you closed the file and stood up. There was no time to waste in this operation.

"We will look into the details during our descent, Grey Ravens, move out." you ordered and your constructs followed.

As you all walked out of the meeting room, Celica said, "Oh, I almost forgot, this ruin is consider a danger zone, so please do not hesitate to retreat when necessary."

*******

"... I always do my best to serve you, even if my logic and words may make it sound the opposite. Please know, all that I am doing is all for your best interest as well as your future. You have to live, Commandant. At all cost... "

*******

He had been waiting for three hours, twenty four minutes and forty five seconds.

The door in the emergency wards was still closed. Lee could only sit in the waiting seat as his other teams mates were also rushed to the repair room.

He, himself, was considered lucky to have taken minimal damage, in comparison. His arm was ripped off and was given a temporary one for the time being. Although, it was advise to return to the Science department as soon as possible to replenish his vital fluids.

The door automatically slid open and the medical team, along with Asimov came out.

Lee turned his head and waited for the news Asimov had to deliver.

"Calm down, Lee, your Commandant is fine," Asimov huffed, he seems a little exhausted.

"I see, what's the condition?" Lee asked.

"You really need to look out for that Commandant of yours. "Brain damage" might sound a little too harsh, but that's the non techincal diagnosis." Asimov waved his hand, " a much techinal term would be, minor brain scarring."

Lee did not reacted.

"Don't worry about it too much. Your Commandant's condition is consider minor, the situation has been stablize. All that is left to do is to rest and recover."

"May I see Commandant?" Lee questioned.

"..." Asimov heasitated, "... Normally, I don't advise visitation, but, I guess I will let it slide this time." the man narrow his eyes a little.

"... But, I want you out in five minutes, understood?"

*******

"I am doing all this is because..."

*******

"Commandant..." Lee spoke in a small voice. You were asleep on the bed. Monitors and devices all plugged up to you as you slumber in the dimly lit room.

Seeing there was no response emitted from you, Lee spoke once more, "Really, Commandant, why do you have to push yourself again? How many times have you visited the medical bay this month? You know it worries us greatly..." He paused.

He was glad he went against your orders this time. If he hadn't called for Babylonia's retreat plan, you would end up in a much serious condition. Linking with the M. I. N. D beacon for an overwhelming amount of time, is not wise.

For sure, he knew you would get a little annoyed by that, and he played a fake scenario in his head that you were actually awake.

Talking to him, asking him why did he went against your orders, to retreat and not push through. He will agree everyone is close, so close to retrieve the data.

But monitoring the linking time, as well as, asking Liv to scan your physical condition once every 15 minutes. Lee can predict you won't last.

And, his prediction was right, and he should call for retreat much sooner. As soon as you arrived back at the base, you collapse on the floor. You nose bleed as you were rushed to the emergency ward.

His answer would have been the same as of Lucia's and Liv's. To protect your well being is a duty of a construct. However, he wasn't satisfied with that anwser.

There's more he wanted to say.

He knows he's not good with words, often making blunt jabs and spilling out harsh realities. Often times, he felt a little misunderstood because of it.

However, he tries. He really does. And, to be alone with the Commandant, in which, you were in a comatose state, might made it easier for the construct to say something.

Say something that he always wanted to say out loud.

He opened his mouth, lips forming shapes that helps projects words, yet no sound came out from his bionic voice.

He immediately gave up and went out of the emergency ward. That five minutes was over anyway.

*******

"... I want to be with you, be by your side for as long as humanly possible. I don't want to lose you, Commandant... "

*******

After a long break, you peak your head into the Grey Raven's Common room.

There, you saw your constructs resting together as usual. Putting up a big smile you playfully jumped out and reveal yourself at the door.

"I am here!"

"Commandant!" Lucia was surprised and quickly rush towards you Liv followed, happy to see you healthy and well.

As both constructs bombarded you with questions on your well being. Lee only approached and stood with a bit of distance.

"Lee?" you looked at him.

As usual, Palefire wore his signature scowl and crossed his arms, "... I see you are alive and well," he cleared his throat, "Welcome back, Commandant."

"Thank you, Lee."

*******

" Commandant, I...I... Humph..."

**Recording ended**

------------------------------------

Author's note

Hi, I like Lee a lot :)

BTW, the I. T stuff are all based on my limited knowledge of backing up my drawing files. Lol.

©Punishing-eden

#punishing gray raven #pgr #punishing eden #pgr x reader #pgr lee #punishing: gray raven #punishing gray raven x commandant #pgr lee x reader #pgr lee x Commandant #Fanfic #one shot

[roguish-gallery]

I love how one of Jonathan’s main reasons for being a villain is for the sake of collecting research on fear bc. Like. What’s his end goal!!! Even if he did collect enough data, what’s he going to do? Publish it? With what journal? I think he committed at least two or three ethic violations.

And the other reason why he does this shit is because he was made fun of by his peers and like!! Girlie!!! Ppl aren’t laughing at u bc U were skinny they’re laughing because you’ll never become an accomplished scholar with these data retrieval methods!!!

#jonathan crane #the scarecrow #dc comics #sorry I have a cold and this thought bubbled up to the surface of my feverish brain #I am not victim blaming I simply believe that the master of fear (hroo hraa!) needs to be knocked down a peg

[pokemoncenter]

On Pokedexes

While the electronic model popularized by Professor Samuel Oak is what comes to mind, in truth, the idea of the Pokedex is much, much older. In fact, the oldest surviving "Pokedex" is one of the eleven volumes of Naturalis Historia, written by Pliny the Elder in 77 AD (estimated). Though his methods were... bizarre, and his research extremely incorrect, the value of his work can not be overstated.

Through varying eras and locations, building off of Pliny the Elder's work, the idea of a Pokemon encyclopedia was an appealing one throughout history. Many, many people tried to make a definitive encyclopedia, but Pokemon simply change too quickly, and can escape too easily, for proper study. The most complete known Pokedex from history was Professor Laventon's Encyclopedic Monster Index of Hisui (estimated circa 1850).

The modern Pokedex, however, came about in 1996 from Professor an idea of the aforementioned Professor Oak. Abandoning the traditional methods of individuals using careful information, Professor Oak's idea was groundbreaking- A series of sophisticated measurement tools in a small, handheld package, connected to a Trainer's Pokeball system, allowing a Trainer to input data with incredible ease. Though this system was not immune to misinformation or mistaken measurements, overall, it became much easier to gain data. Professor Oak then entrusted this original model Pokedex with a Trainer from his hometown named Red, who then became famous for his dismantling of Team Rocket.

(It is known that Professor Oak made two of these original prototype Pokedexes, the fate of the second is unknown- Perhaps he kept it, or gave it to a family member, or simply scrapped it.)

However, this original Pokedex model, known as the model HANDY505, was merely a prototype, and as a result riddled with problems. It only had the space for around 150 species of Pokemon in its memory, which was barely sufficient for only the Kanto region- and for that matter, it had no recording ability for locations or habitats outside of Kanto.

However, Red's collection of Pokemon and filling out of the prototype was more than sufficient proof of concept for Professor Oak to receive more League funding, and he set about improving the Pokedex to a vast degree- The National Pokedex (often argued to be called the International Pokedex) was completed, and the sensor and measurement tools of the Pokedex were refined, even being able to extrapolate probable habitats from captured members of a species.

With the completion of the model HANDY910 used in Sinnoh, however, Professor Oak seemed to have finally been content with the advancement of the Pokedex, and in 2007, he did the one thing that would change the study of Pokemon forever:

He made the Pokedex open-source.

Now many researchers and scientists worldwide can create their own Pokedex. And each version of the Pokedex connects and works with each other, allowing for linking and gathering data on Pokemon in ever greater quantities than before. Whereas in Laventon's research, he had to catch vast quantities of Pokemon himself and study each of them individually, the Open-Source Pokedex Project allowed for scientists and professors worldwide to receive massive amounts of data from individual species just by simply looking into the collected information from the massive amounts of Trainers in the world, crowdsourcing research.

To this day, many variants on the Pokedex are still being created, trying to achieve the most useful and most complete version. Alola has a Rotom inhabit its Pokedex, allowing greater recording of information while the Trainer's hands are freed to focus on the Pokemon itself. Galar managed to compress all of this into a phone application, losing some sophistication in measurement tools in favor of greater convenience. Paldea's takes the form of a "digital bookshelf", where each Trainer's notes are recorded into books and sent to a central location for study. And the rush does not seem to be dying down- Every region, every scientist, seems to want their personal version of the Pokedex to be the best, to finally be the most complete, to know all there is to know about Pokemon.

Studying and learning everything about Pokemon is how we humans express our love for them.

#pkmn irl #pokeblogging #unreality #science with sophora