Companies seal a 15-year deal for 100% clean energy supply starting in 2024. AES Brasil, a 100% renewable energy generation company, has announced a partnership with Microsoft through the signing of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

AES Brasil collaborates with Microsoft in energy transition

A nuclear power plant is an element of increased energy independence of the country. It is both diversification of energy resources and reduction of dependence on hydrocarbon fuel,” Viktor Karankevich said.

Belarusian energy minister comments on global attitudes towards nuclear power

Zacks Rank: AES currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Here are three Utility players that you may want to consider as these have the right combination of elements to come up with an ...

AES to Report Q3 Earnings: Here's What You Need to Know

AES' Q3 results are likely to reflect an average temperature pattern amid the impact of higher interest expenses.

The Augmented Enterprise Summit (AES) is the only event fully dedicated to the business and industrial applications of augmented, virtual and mixed reality as well as related emerging metaverse technologies.

Industry Panel at AES Conference Discusses the Realities of Augmented Reality

As the world remains in awe of the novelty of AR, VR, and now Mixed Reality, a new contender rises from the shadows: Assisted Reality, a non-immersive XR solution built for enterprise deployments at scale.

Though the Biden administration’s decision to include the Houston hub is a significant development, LyondellBasell CEO Peter Vanacker said during the call, "a lot of steps" stand stand between the company and redevelopment of its refinery along the Houston Ship Channel.

Soon-to-close Houston refinery is part of DOE's $1.2B hydrogen hub plan in Houston

The AES Corp(NYSE:AES) recently announced a dividend of $0.17 per share, payable on 2023-11-15, with the ex-dividend date set for 2023-10-31. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history,

The AES Corp's Dividend Analysis

Gary R. Tubolino, known for his Field of Dreams Genetics Inc., now has a field dedicated to sunbeams. The 5-megawatt Tubolino Field of Dreams Solar Energy project under construction on his property on Grove Street is expected to be completed in the spring.

Power surge: Field of Dreams in Adams part of growing 'community solar'

This article will be of particular interest to people who are curious about how powerful encryption can be implemented in high performance systems. It is also for people who just want to know a bit more about how strong encryption works and how all the pieces fit together. Introduction . — for example, at Adobe, Anthem, eBay, Equifax, Home Depot, JP Morgan Chase, Marriott, Sony, Target, Uber, VeriSign, Yahoo, the US Office of Personnel Management, and even good security companies like RSA Security — have cost billions of dollars and compromised the privacy or identity of over a billion users. Making a system secure is very difficult Data breaches of large and widely used systems Everyone says they want more secure systems, but people don’t like using systems that are slow or hard to use, and making a system more secure can add delays and reduce convenience. It is clearly bad when people avoid using a system that is secure, and instead choose a system that is less safe but faster or easier to use. Because databases store the data that we most need to protect, they are a major piece of the security puzzle. How can we add strong encryption to a database without unduly compromising speed or usability? Looking at how various companies have done this can help. Badger, a Fast Database This article examines how the team at added , an extremely fast and reliable open-source database. has over 7.3K stars on Github and is used in over 850 projects, including and Uber's . Most notable is , which stores petabytes of data using Badger. Dgraph Labs data encryption to Badger Badger IPFS Jaeger UsenetExpress Badger is a (KVDB). A KVDB stores data in associative arrays (also variously called objects, dictionaries, maps, or hash tables). key-value database KVDBs have become popular because they are one of the simplest and fastest kind of databases, and they are easy to learn because they use a data structure that is common in most programming languages. KVDBs are well suited for use in cloud computing, and Badger is particularly fast for cloud use because it is , especially SSD storage. Badger provides on such hardware, compared to other popular KVDBs. heavily optimized for typical cloud hardware great performance The challenge for the team was to figure out how to implement encryption without compromise. We knew that this should be possible, because companies were able to (eventually) figure out how to add encryption to http (creating https) without making it noticeably slower for the end user. As we shall see, Badger’s advanced implementation positively affected how encryption was added to it. Implementation of Badger Even without encryption, the implementation of Badger makes it safer and less prone to errors that could compromise security. It is written in the , which was developed by a small team at Google that included ( , , , ). The goal of Go was to improve the C language, by adding memory safety, automatic garbage collection, safe concurrency, and multiprocessing across networked computers. Badger has quickly become the most active KVDB written in Go. Go language Ken Thompson UNIX regular expressions Plan 9 UTF-8 Badger is designed to be used inside of other projects. It is , rather than as a separate service. This increases both security and speed. And as mentioned before, , so it can be or even modified to meet project needs. implemented as an embeddable library Badger is open source reviewed to find unsafe code Badger is also very reliable. It guarantees serializable snapshot isolation (SSI) by running concurrent transactions using multiversion concurrency control ( ). Badger is resilient in the face of process, filesystem, and even hardware crashes. ACID MVCC Separating Keys from Values An advanced feature of Badger’s implementation is splitting up the key-value pairs and storing the values separately from the keys. Keys are typically short strings, so storing them together in one place makes searching for a key significantly faster. Keys typically don’t change as often as values, so more extensive optimization of the key files (including the hash tables used to look up a key) can be done to improve performance even more. On the other hand, values are typically larger and change more often than keys. For example, a value can be an entire document that is updated as the document is edited. Multiple values are stored in a value log file (vlog). Associated with each key is a , consisting of the vlog file id, the offset of the value in the file, and the size of the value. Note that as an optimization, values smaller than a user specified size (default 32 bytes) are stored with their associated keys rather than in a vlog file. pointer to its value Assuming 16 bytes per key and 16 bytes per value pointer, . This is small enough to fit inside the RAM of virtually any computer, which means that often a key search can be done in high-speed memory, which can be orders of magnitude faster than searching secondary storage. a single 64MB file can store two million key-value pairs Layering Badger In addition to being used by itself as a database, Badger can be used to implement more sophisticated databases. In particular, Dgraph Labs specifically for use in its flagship product, , the first native GraphQL database. Dgraph is open source, and is highly scalable to a large number of servers either on fixed computers or in the cloud. created Badger Dgraph Layering Dgraph on top of Badger provides significant benefits, in particular . Dgraph uses Badger to store the user’s data, so Dgraph is not concerned with data storage at all (including encryption of stored data). Because Badger is a smaller, independent system, new features like encryption can be built, tested, and verified more easily and with more confidence. Badger transparently provides encryption to Dgraph, or to any other system that uses Badger to store data. separation of concerns This is similar to the , which provides high level protocols like TCP on top of lower level protocols like IP. This allows other high level protocols (e.g. UDP, DCCP, SCCP, RSVP) to be built on top of IP. When improvements are made to IP (such as IPv4 to ), higher level protocols can all take advantage of them easily. Internet Protocol Suite IPv6 Advanced Encryption Standard One of the easiest decisions to make when adding encryption to Badger was picking the highly regarded encryption algorithm, standardized by the and used by MongoDB, SQLite, and many other databases and systems. AES has become an industry standard as it is the most algorithm for encrypting data. Wide use is critical for encryption standards as they help potential security flaws get found and fixed. AES US NIST secure and widely used AES is symmetric; the same encryption key is used for both encrypting and decrypting data. Badger supports to further secure access to data. This allows Badger to be used in systems that need to meet the various data protection regulations and requirements, including GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. key rotation Key Rotation To encrypt and decrypt data requires an encryption key. AES keys come in three sizes: 128, 192, and 256 bits. Which size you use is actually , as a brute force crack of a 128-bit key would take the fastest computer in the world over a hundred-quadrillion (10 to the 17th power) years. Even if you could get 10 million supercomputers to work together to do the crack, it would still take longer than the current age of the universe. not very important Much more important is maintaining the security of the key to avoid . Obviously, encryption keys must be stored securely by the user and should not be easy to guess. However, there are other sources of key leak. For example, “side channel” attacks have that it is possible to crack even the most secure (256-bit) AES keys in a short period of time by measuring electromagnetic radiation coming from a computer, using a device that costs around $200 and can fit into a jacket pocket. Computers doing encryption must be physically secure to prevent this. key leak demonstrated Even without physical access, if the same key is used too often there are known ways that attackers can determine the value of the key by analyzing large amounts of data encrypted using that key. In order to avoid this, the key must be changed , which is referred to as However, when the key is changed, existing encrypted data must be decrypted using the old key and then re-encrypted using the new key. These computations can severely reduce performance for encrypted data. regularly key rotation. One Key to Rule Them All Instead of using the AES encryption key directly to encrypt data, Badger uses two types of keys: 1) A user-provided AES encryption key, called the , is used to encrypt data keys. 2) are generated automatically by Badger, and used to encrypt and decrypt data on disk. Each encrypted data key is stored on disk along with the encrypted data. master key Data keys By default, Badger rotates the data keys every ten days, but this can be changed by the user. The length of the master key provided by the user must be 16, 24 or 32 bytes. This determines what version of AES encryption is used (AES-128, AES-192, or AES-256 respectively).Note that If you have a password manager (such as 1Password, LastPass, etc.), you can use its built-in password generator to generate a strong encryption key. Even if you don’t have a password manager, you can use a reputable online password generator, such as to generate your master key. you should never use a predictable string as your master key. 1Password Fortunately, because the master key is used to encrypt only data keys, which are (even all together) much smaller compared to the data stored in the database, the master key does not need to be rotated as often (as data keys) to prevent key leak. Even better, when the master key is rotated, only the data keys need to be decrypted using the old master key, and then re-encrypted using the new master key. This is much faster than re-encrypting all of the data on disk. You should rotate your master key on a regular schedule. Avoiding Encrypted Duplicates When data keys are used to encrypt data stored in the database, the same data will often be encrypted multiple times before the rotation period for the data key expires. Encrypting the same data with the same data key always generates the same encrypted text to be stored in the database. This increases the ability of an attacker to reverse engineer the original plaintext data. To reduce the predictability of the original data, Badger incorporates a standard encryption technique that doesn’t use the data key directly to encrypt the data. Instead, (IV). The data key is used to encrypt the IV and then the encrypted IV is XORed with the user data, and the result is stored on disk. This means that even if the same block is encrypted multiple times, the random value of the IV ensures that the stored text will be different each time. Badger generates a random 16-byte array called an Initialization Vector In addition to reducing data predictability, the use of IVs increases performance because an XOR operation is vastly faster than running the AES encryption algorithm directly on the data to be encrypted. The overhead of this increased security and performance is the extra storage used for each 16-byte IV. Because of this, a potential issue with using IVs is that it can lead to data bloat. Reducing the Storage Overhead of IVs The files containing the keys are each divided into blocks, where each block is 4KB in size. Badger uses a unique IV to encrypt each of these blocks and stores the IV in plaintext at the end of the encrypted block. The storage overhead of a 16B IV over a 4KB block is 0.4%, which is reasonable. Note that storing the IVs in plaintext is still secure. Assume that a cracker gets access to the IV and an encrypted block. To decrypt the block, they’d need to encrypt the IV with the data key (to XOR the encrypted data back to plaintext). But to get access to the data key, they’d need to decrypt it using the master key. If master key is safe and secure, that won’t be possible, rendering the effort futile. Thus, knowing the IV is not sufficient to decrypt the data. Avoiding the bloat of attaching a 16-byte IV to every value Next, we need to encrypt the values stored in the vlog files. Each value is read individually from a vlog file, using the value pointer associated with each key, which stores the vlog file id, the offset in the file, and the size of the value. If we encrypt a whole block at a time, having multiple values in a block would cause a significant performance slowdown because considerable extra data would need to be decrypted to read an individual value. As values are often accessed individually, we decided to . Because each encrypted value is required to have its own random IV, using one IV per value adds a 16B overhead for each value. For a vlog file that contains 10,000 entries, storing an IV with each value would require 160,000 bytes, which is not good. encrypt each value individually It isn’t quite as bad as that, because small values are stored directly in the key files, instead of pointers, and that value gets decrypted along with its key. But even with this optimization, unless all values are very small it is easy to imagine that having one IV per value could double the size of a vlog file. Luckily, we came up with a better solution. To optimize the encryption of the vlog entries, . Instead of generating a 16-byte IV and storing it at the end of each value in the vlog, Badger generates a single 12-byte IV that is used for all values in a vlog file. Badger uses a unique technique Along with it, Badger attaches 4 bytes that contain the offset of the value in the vlog file, which together make up the required 16-byte IV. For decryption, the 4-byte vlog offsets are available from the (decrypted) value pointer stored with each key. The 12-byte IVs are unique for each vlog, and the 4-byte offsets are unique within a single vlog file, so each composite 16-byte IV is also unique. This technique saves 16 bytes of space on disk for every value in a vlog file. Instead, this technique only requires 12 bytes per vlog file, regardless of the number of values in a file. That’s an even better savings than for the key files. Conclusion We added encryption to Badger using established and proven standards and best practices, implemented in a way that works well with the existing features and benefits of Badger. Most importantly, the addition of encryption did not appreciably slow Badger down, make it difficult or inconvenient to use, or significantly increase the storage used. Badger is open source, and has been used as the storage engine for many large systems, and now it includes encryption for free. We hope Badger will make it easier for even more projects, especially ones that need to securely store encrypted data. For more information about Badger , see the Dgraph blog entries about it , including this one about encryption in Badger .

Adding Encryption to a Fast Database, Without Compromise

Since the introduction of the internet and web pages in the 1990s, interfaces have become increasingly prevalent in our lives. Today, interfaces are everywhere, serving as a vital link between humans and ubiquitous technologies. A good interface in 2024 is a world apart from that of the early days of the internet: it has progressed from a screen with simple text to a complex solution that puts user experience first. In this text, we will look at what constitutes a high-quality interface today, as well as how visual design complements functionality, which is defined by technological advancements. A Bridge Between Aesthetics and Functionality While the backend of any application or software focuses on server-side logic and data processing, the frontend is in charge of the human-facing element, or interface. Interfaces combine functionality and visual design, meaning aesthetically appealing and highly usable. What is Aesthetic Design? Accepted truth states that a good-looking design is more appealing than a bad-looking one, implying that an interface should be aesthetic: harmonious, pleasing, simple to understand, and intuitive. This is why frontend developers collaborate with designers and follow to create visually appealing interfaces. These are the most important ones: key design principles Hierarchy A good visual design should prioritise the most important information, capturing the user's attention from the first second and throughout the interaction. Colours, fonts, and, most importantly, information placement on the page can all help to create hierarchy. Groupings of elements form the structure of a page and direct the user's attention to the areas of the screen that are most important for achieving the project's objectives. The proximity principle is important in UX design because it allows you to group similar information and organise content in a way that guides the user's focus and helps them orient on the page. Here are some examples of element groupings that demonstrate how information can be presented in different ways using galleries, banners, and lists: Source Balance Two important aspects of balance are visual weight and visual direction. The former assesses how visually appealing elements have greater potential to capture the viewer's attention, receiving more ‘weight’ in the hierarchy of elements on the page. The visual direction leads the viewer's attention from one significant element to another, ensuring a dynamic flow throughout the composition. Balance is achieved when visual elements on a screen are distributed so that both sides of a design's axis have equal visual weight. There are symmetrical and asymmetrical types of balance. Symmetrical balance occurs when the elements' visual weights mirror each other: Source In symmetrical balance, one side has a dominant, heavier visual element, while the other side has a collection of smaller elements whose combined visual weight matches that of the larger one. . Source Spacing Spacing can help direct user attention to specific areas of the screen. A 4-point grid system is an effective spacing tool for aesthetic UX design, requiring gaps between these items to be in multiples of four, such as 4, 8, 12, 16, and so on. Source Scale Bigger elements stand out more and attract user attention, so size acts as an indicator of importance. This technique can help to highlight specific areas. Source Contrast and Color Colour and contrast are critical for establishing visual hierarchy. Bright, saturated colours and high contrast attract attention, whereas muted colours fade into the background. Source Minimalism When it comes to UI design, less is more. Simple-looking interfaces always outperform those that are overcrowded with elements because they are less confusing and can quickly capture the user's attention. In addition, they are typically easier to maintain. In the following example, the firm chose a minimalist design that featured the company name multiple times against a simple blue background. This approach draws attention to the company while also making the user want to learn more about it, its services, and products. . Source Repetition The concept of brand voice, or a brand's distinct personality, is also an important aspect of UX/UI design. It is a collection of fonts, colours, and images that appear throughout your communications and across all interfaces. Brand voice should identify a brand while also creating a consistent link between its visual appearance and the values it promotes. In the case of Starbucks, the use of repeated font types, font and background colours, and the company logo creates a distinct brand image. . Source What is Frontend Functionality? After we've examined the visual appearance of the design elements, let's look at how they interact with the user and with one another. Functionality of a website or application is defined by the user's experience with it. It covers everything from page navigation and form submission to dynamic content updates without refreshing the page. Given that interfaces have been rapidly evolving over the last 30 years, today's functionality requirements are complex and demanding. Let's look at the fundamental functionality requirements for today's interfaces. Responsiveness In today's digital world, users interact with interfaces using a variety of devices with varying screen sizes. This trend was triggered by the release of the iPhone in 2007, which gave mobile phones the ability to compete with traditional computers. This is why interfaces now should be able to adapt to various screen sizes, ensuring a consistent and enjoyable user experience across devices. Fluid grids and breakpoints are essential in this scenario because they orchestrate layouts that change as users switch from desktops to tablets or smartphones. Interfaces should be responsive across all devices, regardless of whether the application or website is mobile first or desktop first, as shown in the example below: Source Accessibility A critical aspect of functional design today is ensuring that disabled people can easily use websites and applications. Accessibility is typically defined by the POUR principle in terms of the interface's key qualities - perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust - implying that digital content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Let’s take a look at the POUR principles: The perceivable principle states that content should be presented in a variety of ways for users to perceive. It entails not only using high-contrast colours to improve visibility, but also providing text alternatives for non-text content in the form of large print, braille, speech, and so on. The UX elements and navigation should be easy to use. For example, users must be able to operate the application without a mouse using a keyboard or a screen keyboard. The interface should include labels and instructions to help users understand how to use it. The Robust principle states that digital content should be interpretable by a wide range of user agents, allowing users to access and interact with it regardless of technological advances or limitations. For example, code should adhere to web standards so that screen readers can accurately interpret and relay information to visually impaired users. Source SPA and PWA The introduction of Single Page Applications (SPAs) and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) has altered our interactions with the web, making them critical approaches for improving user experience. SPAs load a single HTML page and dynamically update it as the user interacts with the app, resulting in a more fluid and fast user experience. PWAs, on the other hand, are intended to work on any platform that uses a standards-compliant browser, providing features similar to native apps, such as offline capability and push notifications, to improve the user experience. SPA enabled sites to become faster and more dynamic, with app-like experiences. X, or Twitter, switched to an SPA in 2017, demonstrating that this approach has become popular. However, critics frequently point to the issue of heavy memory usage and slow performance in SPAs, urging a cautious approach to the technique and optimization for real-world use. Source Source SSR Ironically, as the web evolved, older performance practices made an unexpected comeback. One of these is server-side rendering (SSR), which renders web pages on the server and sends them to the client in fully formed HTML. This approach improves load times and SEO performance by allowing web crawlers to better index the content. In conjunction with frameworks such as Next.js, SSR combines the best of frontend and backend: dynamic data with optimized delivery. Source Performance "Performance is a feature," stated Jeff Atwood, co-founder of Stack Overflow. Websites are about delivering both aesthetics and functionality quickly. However, as businesses competed for milliseconds of improvement, some claim that the essence of the web was lost. Consider AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), which Google introduced in 2015 and promised faster mobile web browsing. How to Balance Aesthetics and Functionality in Frontend Development? To create a good interface, it is critical to balance visual appeal with user-centered functionality. The steps outlined below can be taken to achieve an optimal balance when creating an interface. User Research Begin by gathering information about your target audience's demographics, behaviors, needs, preferences, and any limitations they may encounter when interacting with digital interfaces. Collect this data through surveys, interviews, and usability tests. This can help you understand the aesthetic and functional requirements for your interface. Purpose Determine the primary goals of your website or application: inform, entertain, sell, or facilitate a service. A clear purpose assists in making informed decisions when selecting visual elements and meeting functional needs. Design Plan Follow a minimalist design strategy. This does not imply that your design should be bare; rather, each element should serve a purpose. A minimalist approach reduces cognitive load, allowing users to more easily navigate and interact with your interface. Responsiveness and Accessibility Design your interface so that it works well on a variety of screens and devices. Implement accessibility standards by providing alternative text for images, ensuring keyboard navigation, and using appropriate contrast ratios. Performance High-quality images, animations, and other aesthetic elements can have a negative impact on page load times and overall performance. Using techniques such as SSR, image compression, lazy loading, and others, optimize these elements so that they improve rather than degrade the user experience. Continuous Learning and User Feedback Encourage collaboration between designers and developers to create a culture of continuous learning that prioritizes consistent improvements based on incoming feedback. This feedback is invaluable in determining where the balance of aesthetics and functionality can be improved. Conclusion The frontend component serves as a link between technology and the end user. This is why it is critical to design user-centric interfaces that are both appealing and functional. By following the steps and techniques described in this article, you can create web interfaces that provide users with a seamless and intuitive experience.

The Evolution of Web Interfaces: Balancing Aesthetics and Functionality in Frontend Development

Art by Gal Yosef There is a saying: ”Money rules the world.” I believe it’s not the money itself but the decision-makers possessing it. Money has always been associated with accessible to a narrow swath of society. Power, Influence, Creative Self-Expression, and Unique Opportunities From the psychological perspective, it’s all about the feeling of , which roots in the natural human desire to be Unique and to be an Individual. To live life in your own way. To build the world that you choose. Exclusivity Why do we appreciate exclusivity? Ownership of items from luxury brands and unique art pieces supercharges our feeling of and . exclusivity individuality It inspires us to be creators ourselves - and there is nothing wrong with this desire. It’s a natural call for evolution and personal growth. In fact, there are a few people who are ready to take the responsibility of being creators and driving change in this world. Beginning from childhood, we wanted to be particular, to get recognition for our talents, and to be praised by adults. These instincts stay with us in adulthood, acquiring slightly different forms yet retaining the same meaning. There is nothing wrong with accepting yourself as a kid that wants to be creative and express himself via playing the game. We have never seen luxury brands in this way There are things you can’t buy, including a unique vision of the world and the ability to express it creatively. I had a chance to get acquainted with the self-taught prodigy who is becoming one the most influential digital artists of our time - Gal Yosef. His of luxury brands through vintage cartoon aesthetics has already attracted collaborations with celebrities like , , and rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. extraordinary artistic vision Justin Bieber Steve Aoki His art implies the , as well as the adult’s desire for ownership of luxurious items. Gal Yosef gives a second life to our favorite cartoon characters. In his art, they acquire the freedom of self-expression through wearing luxury clothing and accessories that fit their temper. honest acceptance of the kid in each adult World leaders in luxury fashion, sportswear, and sports cars, such as Dior, Nike, and Porsche have already partnered with Gal to develop a new look for their visual marketing. "Goofy" by Gal Yosef What if Disney characters were living an ultra-luxury life? What would vintage cartoon characters look like living a modern life? What if it was a wealthy life? Donald Duck, Goofy, Pink Panther, Snoopy, and others appear to us in dramatic lighting, wearing world-class brands like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Hermes, and Dior. Each detail of their images speaks about class, exclusivity, and power. They are extravagant, brave, and free to live their life in a new way. Their lifestyle is no longer limited by Disney’s or Pixar’s storyline. Will probably Mickey Mouse want to drive Aston Martin? Or will Popeye the Sailor Man be once seen at a superyacht near the coast of Italy? Bugs Bunny is no longer fun and lovely. He is a powerful King of Carrots, surrounded by luxury. "King of Carrots. Gold Edition" by Gal Yosef via Instagram What if Hello Kitty was always dreaming about purchasing a luxury bag from Dior? "Hello Kitty" by Gal Yosef via Instagram What are Tweety’s plans for Friday’s luxury shopping? Will it be Birkin, Rolex or Audemars Piguet? "These days’ Tweety" by Gal Yosef Luxury brands can find a fresh marketing perspective in awakening the memories of customers’ childhood and nostalgia for the old good times. The aesthetics of vintage cartoons combined with the own incredible style of these can become an explosive mix. brands marketing It’s not the money that is responsible for your happiness, but you as a personality. However, seeing our then-time heroes enjoying their new luxurious life gives some sense of happiness, aesthetic satisfaction, sweet nostalgia, and definitely inspires us to take a fresh look at our own life. I appreciate the opportunity to hear the vision of Gal Yosef who is currently exhibiting his artworks at Eden Gallery - an international high-end art gallery with locations in New York, London, Miami, Mykonos, and Dubai. Disclaimer: All views in this article are my own and don’t imply sponsored endorsement. The use of all images is approved by the creator.

Ultra-Luxury Brands Through the Prism of Gal Yosef’s Cartoon Aesthetics

গ্যাল ইয়োসেফের কার্টুন নন্দনতত্ত্বের প্রিজমের মাধ্যমে আল্ট্রা-লাক্সারি ব্র্যান্ডগুলি

Ultra-Luxusmarken durch das Prisma der Cartoon-Ästhetik von Gal Yosef

Marcas de ultralujo a través del prisma de la estética de dibujos animados de Gal Yosef

Les marques ultra-luxe à travers le prisme de l'esthétique du dessin animé de Gal Yosef

गैल योसेफ के कार्टून एस्थेटिक्स के प्रिज्म के माध्यम से अल्ट्रा-लक्जरी ब्रांड्स

ガル・ヨセフの漫画美学のプリズムを通して見る超高級ブランド

갈 요세프의 만화 미학의 프리즘을 통해 본 초호화 브랜드

Marcas ultra luxuosas através do prisma da estética cartoon de Gal Yosef

Gal Yosef'in Karikatür Estetiği Prizmasından Ultra Lüks Markalar

Các thương hiệu siêu sang qua lăng kính thẩm mỹ hoạt hình của Gal Yosef

从 Gal Yosef 的卡通美学角度看超豪华品牌

Have you ever wished you could bring your imagination to life with the help of AI-generated images? Well, now you can! In this blog post, I'll introduce you to an AI model that can generate mesmerizing images from your text prompts. This guide will walk you through using the Stable Diffusion Aesthetic Gradients model, ranked 409th on . We'll also see how we can use Replicate Codex to find similar models and decide which one we like. Let's begin. Replicate Codex About the Stable Diffusion Aesthetic Gradients Model This AI model, called Stable Diffusion Aesthetic Gradients, is created by and is designed to generate captivating images from your text prompts. You can find the model's details on its . The model offers a wide range of customization options to help you create the perfect image for your creative project. cjwbw detail page What are aesthetic gradient embeddings? Aesthetic gradient embeddings are a fascinating aspect of AI models that involve the use of textual inversion. But first, let's understand what an embedding is. An embedding is the outcome of textual inversion, which is a method used to define new keywords in a model without modifying it. This approach has gained popularity because it can introduce new styles or objects to a model using as few as 3-5 sample images. What is textual inversion? Textual inversion works in a unique way. Its most impressive feature is not the ability to add new styles or objects, as other fine-tuning methods can do that too, but the fact that it can achieve this without changing the model. The process involves defining a new keyword that's not in the model for the new object or style. This new keyword gets tokenized (represented by a number) like any other keywords in the prompt. Each token is then converted into a unique embedding vector used by the model for image generation. Textual inversion finds the embedding vector of the new keyword that best represents the new style or object, without modifying any part of the model. Essentially, it's like finding a way within the language model to describe the new concept. How can you use embeddings? Embeddings can be used for new objects, such as injecting a toy cat into an image. The new concept (toy cat) can be combined with other existing concepts (boat, backpack, etc.) in the model. Embeddings can also represent a new style, allowing the transfer of that style to different contexts. If you're looking for a repository of custom embeddings, Hugging Face hosts the Stable Diffusion Concept Library, which contains a large number of them. Understanding the Inputs and Outputs of the Stable Diffusion Aesthetic Gradients Model Before diving into the step-by-step guide, let's first understand the inputs and outputs of this model. Inputs (string): The text prompt to render. Default value: "a painting of a rvirus monster playing guita" prompt (integer): How many samples to produce for each given prompt. A.k.a. batch size. Allowed values: 1, 4. Default value: 1 n_samples (integer): Width of the output image. Scale down if run out of memory. Allowed values: 128, 256, 512, 768, 1024. Default value: 512 width (integer): Height of the output image. Scale down if run out of memory. Allowed values: 128, 256, 512, 768, 1024. Default value: 512 height (number): Unconditional guidance scale: eps = eps(x, empty) + scale * (eps(x, cond) - eps(x, empty)). Default value: 7.5 scale (integer): Number of ddim sampling steps. Default value: 50 ddim_steps (boolean): Set to true to use plms sampling. Default value: false plms (string): Aesthetic embedding file. Allowed values: gloomcore, flower_plant, sac_8plus, cloudcore, aivazovsky, glowwave, fantasy, laion_7plus. Default value: sac_8plus aesthetic_embedding (integer): Number of steps for the aesthetic personalization. Default value: 10 aesthetic_steps (integer): The seed (for reproducible sampling). seed Outputs The output of the model is an array of URI strings, each representing an image generated based on the input parameters provided. Now that we understand the inputs and outputs, let's move on to the step-by-step guide for using the model. A Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Stable Diffusion Aesthetic Gradients Model If you're not up for coding, you can interact directly with this model's "demo" on Replicate via their UI. You can use to interact directly with the interface and try it out! This is a nice way to play with the model's parameters and get some quick feedback and validation. If you do want to use coding, this guide will walk you through how to interact with the model's Replicate API. this link Step 1: Install the Node.js client First, install the Node.js client by running the following command: npm install replicate Step 2: Set up your API token Next, copy your API token and authenticate by setting it as an environment variable: export REPLICATE_API_TOKEN=[token] Step 3: Run the model Now, you can run the model with the following code: import Replicate from "replicate";

const replicate = new Replicate({
  auth: process.env.REPLICATE_API_TOKEN,
});

const output = await replicate.run(
  "cjwbw/stable-diffusion-aesthetic-gradients:e2589736f21fd0479499a6cd55002f75085f791c0780c987dc0925f8e2bcb070",
  {
    input: {
      prompt: "Roman city on top of a ridge, sci-fi illustration by Greg Rutkowski #sci-fi detailed vivid colors gothic concept illustration by James Gurney and Zdzislaw Beksiński vivid vivid colorsg concept illustration colorful interior
"
    }
  }
); You can also specify a webhook URL to be called when the prediction is complete. Take a look at the webhook docs for details on setting that up. For example: const prediction = await replicate.predictions.create({
  version: "e2589736f21fd0479499a6cd55002f75085f791c0780c987dc0925f8e2bcb070",
  input: {
    prompt: "a painting of a rvirus monster playing guita"
  },
  webhook: "https://example.com/your-webhook",
  webhook_events_filter: ["completed"]
}); To learn more, take a look at the Node.js library documentation. Taking it Further - Finding Other Text-to-Image Models with Replicate Codex Replicate Codex is a fantastic resource for discovering AI models that cater to various creative needs, including image generation, image-to-image conversion, and much more. It's a fully searchable, filterable, tagged database of all the models on Replicate, and also allows you to compare models and sort by price or explore by the creator. It's free, and it also has a digest email that will alert you when new models come out so you can try them. If you're interested in finding similar models to Stable Diffusion Aesthetic Gradients... Step 1: Visit Replicate Codex Head over to to begin your search for similar models. Replicate Codex Step 2: Use the Search Bar Use the search bar at the top of the page to search for models with specific keywords, such as "anime style" or "selfie." This will show you a list of models related to your search query. Step 3: Filter the Results On the left side of the search results page, you'll find several filters that can help you narrow down the list of models. You can filter and sort by models by type (Image-to-Image, Text-to-Image, etc.), cost, popularity, or even specific creators. By applying these filters, you can find the models that best suit your specific needs and preferences. For example, if you're looking for an that's the cheapest or most popular, you can search and then sort by the relevant metric. image restoration model Conclusion In this guide, we walked through the process of using the Stable Diffusion Aesthetic Gradients model to generate captivating images from text prompts. We also discussed how to leverage the search and filter features in Replicate Codex to find similar models and compare their outputs, allowing us to broaden our horizons in the world of AI-powered image generation. I hope this guide has inspired you to explore the creative possibilities of AI and bring your imagination to life. Don't forget to subscribe for more tutorials, updates on new and improved AI models, and a wealth of inspiration for your next creative project. Happy image enhancing and exploring the world of AI with , check out additional guides and resources at , and follow me on for more updates and insights. Replicate Codex Notes by Replicate Twitter Also published . here

Stable Diffusion Aesthetic Gradients: A Comprehensive Guide

The word ‘steampunk’ was first used by novelist in 1987, but a steampunk way of thinking was in practice long before that. , the French writer and explorer born in 1828, and , the English writer born in 1866 are among the first inventors of literary Steampunk gear. K. W. Jeter Jules Verne H.G. Wells What is Steampunk? Steampunk is a genre of science fiction that re-imagines an alternative history for the world. In that history, technological advancements are based on steam and there’s no such thing as a petroleum economy. Besides, anything one owns can be tweaked, be it high-tech gadgets or clothes. Today, Steampunk is collectively imagined further, with ideas that continue to evolve with the world we live in. Nevertheless, it begs some analysis to figure out whether we could possibly build a Steampunk world. Does Steampunk really “do” history anew? Or, is it a common visual language we speak for our literary, DIY or fashion crafts? Retrofuturist Aesthetics of Steampunk The collective imagination revolving around Steampunk has some very special traits. It helps masses think about what could have happened if the past developments in technology and global industry were based on steam. In a way, we are in a retrofuturistic realm, with a past that never actually was and a future that never actually will be. The was an important era of mass growth for the state and an important milestone for the emergence of many social issues in a class-based society in the pre-petroleum economy. It was an era where many, including science fiction writers like Verne and Wells, mused about what future technology could look like. Many Steampunk creations simply follow up with their creations, making it easy for us to refer to them as “neo-Victorian”. Victorian era Some Steampunk creators focus on the delicately messy tinkerings they wear or own. With some of those creations, one can sense lines of protest against the featureless, minimalist technology design that dominates the economy today. The visual iconography of Steampunk usually includes some sort of goggles, vests, corsets in sepia tones accompanied with brass accessories. Steampunk is Do-It-Yourself with Anti-Consumerist Tendencies Many in the Steampunk community now speak of two main waves of Steampunk culture’s accelerated development. The first wave of Steampunk was brought to life by a handful of white men (including K. W. Jeter, Michael Moorcock, Howard Waldropand Tim Powers, to name a few), who were in similar ages and from similar cultural backgrounds. The second wave, which has been going on since the late 2000s, mainly comes together on the Internet and sometimes in many conventions that usually take place in the Western world. This wave is believed to get its start through the revived interest in Steampunk technological gear, like the below laptop by Datamancer, in the many messaging boards that roamed the Internet those days. The late 2000s witnessed the emergence and wide popularity of the first iPhone. The cold, sterile design and the sleek branding awed many consumers and lured them into the rabbit hole of mobile connectivity. Many see the Steampunk gear customizations as a disguised form of protest against the closed nature of dominant post-industrial technologies. Like with the iPhone, it is usually not wished that the consumer bonds with a technological gear they own by carefully tinkering with it. Because if they do, they might never buy the sequel, the +1, the pro or the premium of the phone. From companies’ point-of-view, consumers should be able to dump their existing technological devices regularly, ideally in a matter of years. The gear they design is intended to spend most of their days in the dump. Post-Colonialism Few Steampunks prefer to go beyond physical elaborations in their creations. They make up alternate storylines of non-exploitative history, in which their Steampunk characters find their way, battling through and trying to right the many injustices. However, it’s not possible to claim that Steampunk is anything beyond the costumes and the entertainment in the public eye. Most times we see anything Steampunk, we can’t really derive any critique or actionable advice on dealing with patriarchy, colonialism or racism. Steampunk is mostly a material culture. In the words of , a writer and essayist of science fiction, … Jaymee Goh Multicultural steampunk must move from mere aesthetic into active policies that center non-white steampunks and steampunks of colour, and provide ample opportunity and encouragement to reclaim, retell, represent their own histories in narratives that will run counter to a world that would rather do violence to them than let them speak. Just as , the best kind of Steampunk tales expose the gears of the world and analyze how various dominant systems of exploitation operate. Like the exploitation of nature by industry, of the poor by the rich, of women by men and of entire continents by violent forces. the historian John Clute argues in his essay on Steampunk The punk should be there for a reason: Steampunk must point to things going wrong and suggest ways to rebel against them. Otherwise, it runs the risk of fully morphing into just another source of mindless entertainment, with its profit-makers, avid consumers and capitalist rituals. Looking Forward It seems like Steampunk awaits a next big moment of epiphany for its tales to converge towards a common language with more punk elements that dare to say more loudly what’s wrong with the world we live in. Still, Steampunk is a valuable example of crowds’ collective imagination made possible by the Internet. It helped the emergence of many further forms and structures of collective imagination, including , which has more mature forms of active participation and comes with clearer, more grounded advice. Solarpunk Could we build a Steampunk world? I doubt it. Steampunk, overall, seems to have become a material culture that promotes certain kinds of aesthetic for entertainment purposes. Put simply, Steampunk is a playground for adults. The lead image for this article was generated by HackerNoon's via the prompt "build a steampunk world". AI Image Generator

The History and Aesthetic of Steampunk: Could We Build a Steampunk World?

স্টিম্পঙ্কের ইতিহাস এবং নান্দনিকতা: আমরা কি স্টিম্পঙ্ক বিশ্ব তৈরি করতে পারি?

Die Geschichte und Ästhetik von Steampunk: Könnten wir eine Steampunk-Welt aufbauen?

La historia y la estética de Steampunk: ¿podríamos construir un mundo Steampunk?

L'histoire et l'esthétique du steampunk : pourrions-nous construire un monde steampunk ?

स्टीमपंक का इतिहास और सौंदर्यशास्त्र: क्या हम स्टीमपंक वर्ल्ड बना सकते हैं?

スチーム パンクの歴史と美学: スチーム パンクな世界を構築できるか?

스팀펑크의 역사와 미학: 스팀펑크 세계를 만들 수 있을까?

A história e a estética do Steampunk: poderíamos construir um mundo Steampunk?

Steampunk'ın Tarihi ve Estetiği: Bir Steampunk Dünyası İnşa Edebilir miyiz?

Lịch sử và thẩm mỹ của Steampunk: Chúng ta có thể xây dựng một thế giới Steampunk không?

蒸汽朋克的历史和美学：我们能建立一个蒸汽朋克世界吗？

Solarpunk has become a movement with a base in visual arts and speculative fiction. Beyond the mere aesthetic and the fashion, it is helping us collectively imagine what kind of a world we want to live in. Some may find it hard to call it a movement. But don’t all movements start with a vague, but bright instance of collective imagination? You may already know about Cyberpunk and Steampunk. Is Solarpunk similarly, yet another genre of science fiction with a Gen Z-driven sustainability flair? Perhaps. Still, I’d rather think of Solarpunk as something more than that. Like many others in the movement, I’d rather have Solarpunk stand for a more optimistic, sustainable and regenerative vision for our future on this planet, as a set of key ideas as we navigate the end of the global capitalist system. Solarpunk is not luxurious condos for select few Starting off, it may be useful to weed out the things that Solarpunk is not. Solarpunk is not about how a single rich few go about their sustainable, care-free days making organic farming, hand-picking produce from home-grown heirloom seeds while they live in a “Solarpunk-themed” condo designed by a top architect for millions of times of the global minimum wage. It is not another marketing gimmick for rich municipalities to boast their latest, money-laundering development projects. Solarpunk is not a luxurious, fantasy world where nature abides to insensibilities. Rooted in the Internet since the late 2000s, the Solarpunk movement heavily relies on bright, green, industrial-scale re-imaginations of the entire human existence, with all its institutions and organizations. The movement does not imagine anything for a select few. Solarpunk is not artfully-designed green consumerism Have you been greenwashed before? Probably, yes. Greenwashing is a term first coined in the 1980s by the environmentalist . It refers to the little marketing game some companies play, as they take miniature steps towards what seems like environmental responsibility. Needless to mention, their profit-obsession never changes and they almost never care about the environment. Jay Westerveld I know it’s not easy to change all your consumerist habits at once. It’s a daunting task. If only there was a miracle product that you could buy, a supernatural system you could embed in your home or a new biochip you could implant to your forearm to make up for your environmental sins, right? Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. It takes some time and some adaptations. Some companies may want to make you believe that, because that means you can confess, repent and stay environmentally conscious until you buy the next big guilty pleasure. Solarpunk is not seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses I am a millennial and I am sick of it. I go about my days lamenting about the inequalities, the militarization and the exploitation. I think everything was better when I was a child, because I didn’t know as much. Sometimes I feel ashamed of my privileges. Other days, I feel outraged because I don’t think I have enough. Then I remember, I didn’t choose the grander scheme of things. Like I’ve heard many times, I can’t change those things on my own. I feel myself slide into a mildly desperate state of acceptance. What makes me feel at peace with all things Solarpunk is the fact that many in the movement have felt similarly, at some point in their lives. Whatever differences we had in our living conditions did not make us lose our grip of the harsh realities of the world. We are aware that we’re late in dealing with climate change. Our systems are slow. Institutions are mostly unnecessary. While imagination is the strongest driver in Solarpunk, it does not neglect anything and tries to make peace with whatever harsh realities we're left with. The Solarpunk aesthetic’s building blocks The Solarpunk aesthetic is ever-changing. There is no color palette, no restrictions on what to depict and what to leave out or no hidden agenda that drives creations. The movement is mainly nurtured through visual and literary creations. It’s a collectively imagined new reality that lives on digital paper and centers around a hopeful, ecologically responsible and self-governing future. Examples from famous artists is a Belgian artist and architect born in 1944. He’s counted as one of the main inspiration sources for everything Solarpunk. His depictions of ecological, regenerative cityscapes largely influenced many in the space. His “vegetal cities”, as he names them, are shaped by biomimicry, influenced by shapes and patterns we see in nature. Luc Shuiten is another big source of inspiration. The visual arts style became popular across Europe in the late 1800s, with many artists of various disciplines taking an elegant interest in abstracting natural patterns in their designs. Beautiful asymmetries in nature became cozy, eye-pleasing details in architecture. Use of color palettes from fall pastures embellished the fine details. Art Nouveau ’s big constellations that coexist with nature in their quirky, makeshift ways have awed many in the movement too. Think . Or how in , Mother Nature’s mythical creatures protect us against the impending industrial forces. Hayao Miyazaki Howl’s Moving Castle Princess Mononoke A beautiful solution imagined together For some, Solarpunk’s emergence was in science fiction literature. Others see its first optimistic marks in visual arts. Wherever you see Solarpunk though, it’s about finding solutions and not falling in despair. It’s not only about the beautiful vision, but also about the underlying issues, like lack of social justice, inefficiencies or selfish governance. The “punk” is there for a reason - the Solarpunk movement rebels against the mainstream ways of capitalist production and consumption. Last but not least, the biggest strength of Solarpunk lies in having us start imagining what a better future could look like. I can’t imagine any better way than with visuals and stories. For more on Solarpunk check out these resources: Read the Solarpunk manifesto Visit r/Solarpunk Visit solarpunks.net Check out some Solarpunk movies The lead image for this article was generated by HackerNoon's via the prompt "solarpunk future". AI Image Generator

What is The Solarpunk Aesthetic and Movement? - More Than Science Fiction

সোলারপাঙ্ক নান্দনিক এবং আন্দোলন কি? - সায়েন্স ফিকশনের চেয়েও বেশি

Was ist die Ästhetik und Bewegung von Solarpunk? - Mehr als Science-Fiction

¿Qué es la estética y el movimiento solarpunk? - Más que ciencia ficción

Qu'est-ce que l'esthétique et le mouvement Solarpunk ? - Plus que de la science-fiction

सोलरपंक एस्थेटिक एंड मूवमेंट क्या है? - साइंस फिक्शन से ज्यादा

ソーラーパンクの美学とムーブメントとは？ - サイエンスフィクション以上

Solarpunk 미학과 운동이란 무엇입니까? - SF 그 이상

O que é a estética e o movimento Solarpunk? - Mais do que ficção científica

Solarpunk Estetiği ve Hareketi Nedir? - Bilim Kurgudan Daha Fazlası

Phong trào và thẩm mỹ Solarpunk là gì? - Hơn cả khoa học viễn tưởng

什么是太阳能朋克美学和运动？ - 不仅仅是科幻小说

The Age of Aquarius is upon us. What technological advancements and innovations will the new age come with? Optimism is like Moore’s Law and hope is the Principle of Emergence. An idea never dies, it has the pluripotency and refractive potentiality of a prism by minds and settings across the age. The idea is the search for the new and eternal, for value and ambition, progression and elevation, interpretations, and processes. A prism is an object, which can be made with new materials, processes, tools, techniques, and styles. The light is the idea, eternal and rich to impart new values in flux climates. What is the pursuit of aesthetics in the 21st century, when computers are tools of the trade in the world today? The industrial revolution produced goods in a factory setting, with uniformity, and en-mass. The products were received as crude by the public. The expense of human ingenuity, craft, and quality of goods provoked the question of aesthetics and design. On a collective level, the presence of this new technological achievement was a clear indication that the modern age had begun, with expectations and promises of a new way to live life. Critics would cite that machines had no doubt bridged the gap of convenience and efficiency of production, however at what cost? The industrial revolution brought with it the search or invigoration of design and aesthetics as an ideological value to be examined in the progressive discourse of human thought and production. The art and craft movement was more than well-designed furniture produced by human ingenuity and craft, it was a reassertion of values that were integral to the expansion of modernity. The role of technology influenced the question and application of aesthetics in human activity. Computer, hardware, transistors Ideological movements are a unique birth print from characteristic periods in history to fulfill needs that have gone unmet, be it economical, sociological, intellectual, cultural, or artistic. They are quiet revolutions hosted in the mind of the individual. Progression is an essential component in life’s design, a body in constant regulation of new blood cells and proteins from countless biological contexts. The industrial revolution was integral to the birth of the modern world. From books, I've read it’s been suggested that design began here. I would put forward that design was the unspoken word in the creation of artifacts present since times of antiquity. The Bauhaus school was the conception of a directed vernacular to design with purpose and aesthetics. Design values are products of the modern mind and a hint of the future. If we look at the world and human progress as incremental and gradual, we would be able to observe that every technological and cultural achievement is a ripple in a pond spreading outwardly, it affects all things. The law of cause and effect is central to comprehending the principle of Emergence. Every ripple in an ecology of a system is driven by change agents in the form of products, commercial viability, and inventions. Disciplines, electronics, or ideological movements. The advent of transistors being packed in a dense integrated circuit board fueled the ease and rise of personal computers, mobile phones, and software. Silicon Valley and start-ups established user experience design as an essential component in computation commerce. The projected future entails new microchips modeled after the human brain and quantum computing. Information processing offers new means of curation in functionalities of personal computers. Digital signals in current personal computers convert information input through a mechanism of binary states. Quantum computing utilizes a parallel combination of digital signals that can be combined and superimposed in real time. The transcription of information magnified in speed and volume will alter processing capabilities and potential amplification in use cases of personal computers in the computation field. Concurrently, the software will experience a shift in its conception of functionality and design possibilities in its ecology. The invention of the RAM contributed to the computation field of the personal computer, although we may have failed to notice the degree of its contribution. What are the possibilities of aesthetics in the future of personal computing, and how will new hardware influence our vision of new aesthetics? Influence Art movements, in general, and through history, have come and gone. Each brought with it an ideology for the artist and craftsman, some were influential as a total ideology to impact literature and film. Graphic design, art practices, music, architecture, and aesthetics. A new lens of perception to take from reality with minimum investment from the side of the artist, to simply have wanted to shatter an ideological outlook that had been worn, for the restless artist is the working artist. In no chronological order, I will present these movements as an introduction to the purpose of this article. Naturalism, Impressionism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Futurism, Cubism, Constructivism, Art Nouveau, Pop Art, Minimalism. These movements have made their contribution to the design world quietly, controlled, and filtered by shifting design values. The relevance of the art and artist instilled in the advancement of human thought is in the long game. The purveyors of Futurism were, as the name suggests, obsessed with the mechanical, speed, and towers the height of the future. They wanted acceleration, full speed ahead to modernity. J.G Ballard’s Crash would have fit right at home as erotic literature. The movement was a form of nationalism to bring forth industrialization, economic reforms, and progression with lightning speed. A hunger for a new future greater than living in 1909. The impressionists were situated cognitivist who desired to capture the truest moment in a moving impermanent world that was ever-changing, a true perception that would last after the flux. Dadaist, similar in spirit to punk musicians, used their expression as a form of protest through the cheapest means--subversion. Punk musicians weighed down by economic uncertainties and affordance, rich in defiance of the working class to secure the good life, struck down classical and progressive music harmonic structure in favor of 3 chords - a win for 2 a minute song. Surrealism from the trenches of Sigmund Freud’s significant influence in the world of human psychology and Carl Jung’s archetypes converged its reach to implore the artist to plunge into the depths of the human mind in search of the unnameable. After all, the greatest adventure into the unknown is the search for a place that is never reached by conventional means, a vista of mystery living beyond a confinement of a period in history in the human mind. We need a new ideology for the 21st century. A kind of idea that will unite present and future expectations of where technology is going. A revamp of old and new values through the web of systems, the intersection of technology, new optimism through processing capabilities, and a buzz of new commerce and economy. We need a new, radical design. The role of an Artist The artist is a transformer of what is presented to the mind’s eye. Ancient Indians believed the artist was a gateway for the invisible world to speak through the visible world, presenting insight and experiences encapsulated in art. In certain cultures, art was mediation or a tool in rituals to converse with forces beyond - a religious experience of sorts. Prehistoric art allowed primitive humans to distinguish tribes apart and preserve an autobio of their lives through hieroglyphics or pictographs. The artist in ancient civilizations recorded human activity, using art as a means to capture and integrate the collective mind of society and civilization. An artist creates as a means to explore the psyche or challenge boundaries to grasp new areas for advancement and exploration.  An artist motivated by ideals in the pursuit of aesthetics explores forms, while others to portray reality or specific historical periods steer towards realism to communicate the authenticity of a situated experience. The restless shape new realities with new values. No more can this be true for the Beat Generation. A literary movement that on the surface would be credited for liberalizing publication in America. An artist lives in a world, inside or outside, distinguishable only by their thoughts. A philosopher and artist can converse in subjectivity, as both are besieged by mystic wanderings in search of the essential nature of existence relevant to each. Where they diverge, one is dominated by reason, logic, and consistency while the other lives in flux in search of new perceptions. New perceptions are vital in the evaluation of our cognitive journeys. Subjectivity is to no surprise an ally of the artist, a means of perceiving the inner world and stimulation before a piece of work is brought to the tangible world. Phenomenology, the multiplicity of the perceived world, is very much the sense organ of the artist. The artist of the 21st century is no different from the artist of before, technology empowers the artist to create in new ways and the search for new aesthetics is still a relevant question. As bohemians and visionaries wander the streets of mind and thought for a new vision, the artist remains the transformer. Also published here. Lead image by on Unsplash. Lucas Kapla

Technology and the 21st Century Artist: The Search for a New Aesthetic

This is by (source: ). Grinbalt is working on a video game titled Caves of Cud. Twitter thread Jason Grinblat @ptychomancer 04-02-2018 https://twitter.com/ptychomancer/status/980968298002006016?embedable=true&thread=true Feature image generated prompt of ‘Generated Maps - My Favorite Map Generators and Their Aesthetics’ HackerNoon Stable Diffusion

Generated Maps - My Favorite Map Generators and Their Aesthetics

The Beautiful and Damned: Book III, Chapter II - A Matter of Aesthetics

Intro to The AES-256 Cipher AES, or “Advanced Encryption Standard”, is an encryption specification that uses the Rijndael cipher as its symmetric key ciphering algorithm. AES encrypts a message with a private key, and no one but the key holder can decrypt the message. A great example of a good use-case for AES-256 is encrypting all the data on the hard drive of a computer when it’s not in use. Symmetric Encryption vs Asymmetric Encryption for encryption and decryption and Symmetric encryption uses the same key asymmetric encryption uses different keys. Asymmetric encryption is preferred when you want someone to be able to send you encrypted data, but . you don’t want to share your private key encryption is preferred when you are encrypting . Symmetric only for yourself The secret key used in AES-256 must be 256 bits long. In order to use a password or passphrase as the key, a needs to be used to extend the length. hashing algorithm The shorter the password or passphrase, the easier it is for an attacker to decrypt the data by guessing passwords, hashing them, and attempting to decrypt the message. In order to mitigate this threat, some applications enforce safeguards, such as using a . KDF Encryption Process Overview Let’s walk through the steps of the AES ciphering process, also known as the cipher. Rijndael Choose a password, then derive a short key from that password (using a function like or ). This short key will then be expanded using a to get separate “round keys” for each round of AES-256. Scrypt SHA-256 key schedule password: password12345678 → short key: aafeeba6959ebeeb96519d5dcf0bcc069f81e4bb56c246d04872db92666e6d4b → first round key: a567fb105ffd90cb Deriving the round keys from the short key is out of the scope of this article. The important thing for us to understand is that a password is converted into round keys which are used in the AES ciphering process. Choose a secret message: Here is a secret Encode the first round key and message in hexadecimal bytes and format them in 4x4 tables (top to bottom, left to right): First Round Key: 61 66 35 39 35 62 66 30 36 31 66 63 37 30 64 62 Message: 48 20 61 63 65 69 20 72 72 73 73 65 65 20 65 74 Add the round key to the message (XOR). The corresponding cells in the message and key tables are added together. The output matrix will be used in the next step. 61 ⊕ 48 = 29 35 ⊕ 65 = 50 …etc 29 46 54 5a 50 0b 46 42 44 42 15 06 52 10 01 16 In the resulting table, use the : substitution box to change each 2-character byte to its corresponding byte a5 5a 20 be 53 2b 5a 2c 1b 2c 59 6f 00 7c 7c 47 Shift rows. The first row doesn’t shift, the second-row shifts left once, the third row twice, and the last row 3 times. a5 5a 20 be 53 2b 5a 2c → 2b 5a 2c 53 1b 2c 59 6f → 2c 59 6f 1b → 59 6f 1b 2c 00 7c 7c 47 → 7c 7c 47 00 → 7c 47 00 7c → 47 00 7c 7c a5 5a 20 be 2b 5a 2c 53 59 6f 1b 2c 47 00 7c 7c Mix Columns. Each column is modulo multiplied by the . The math involved is outside the scope of this article, so I won’t be including the example output matrix. Rijndael’s Galois Field Common lounge The output of the multiplication is used as the input “message” in the next round of AES. It repeats each step 10 or more times in total, with one extra “add key” step at the end. Each round of “add key” will use a new round key, but each new round key is still derived from the same password and short key. Add key Substitute bytes Shift rows Multiply columns That’s it! /s Obviously, the Rijndael cipher used in AES is fairly complex but I hope I’ve been able to shed light on a high-level view of what goes on inside! Thanks for reading. By Lane Wagner Also Published Here

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